Her laugh came soft, unwilling but warm, shaking her head at his boundless audacity. “Bends in deference, does it? You never tire of making the whole world revolve around you, Yihua.” She let him see her smile, indulgent and fond, though her grip on the stolen cup remained firm against his halfhearted reach.
At his shrug over the stain, she gave a quiet hum, the kind that betrayed her disbelief. “Character, you call it. One day your poor tailors will have enough and you'll be left with only stained and ripped clothes.”
But, when his grin faltered, when weariness slipped across his boyish features, her heart twisted. She brushed her fingers gently along his cheek before he could turn away again. When he offered his arm, she slid her hand into the crook without hesitation, steadying him as if she had always belonged at his side. Then her expression shifted, lips pursed in mock gravity, eyes narrowing as though she were about to strike some delicate accord.
“Let us make a deal, then,” she said solemnly, though the sparkle in her gaze betrayed her. “You will indulge your loving sister’s noble wish that you lay down the wine and instead have tea and cake with her —and, in return, she will graciously commit to lying by omission to both her husband and her High Lord. A most generous bargain, don’t you think?”
Yihua's lips twitched into a reluctant smile at her counteroffer. He couldn't help it. Her brand of gentle scolding and genuine affection had always been his undoing. It was a language he understood far better than the stern lectures of his father or the weary sighs of his siblings. She never made him feel like a disappointment, only like himself, and that was a rare and precious thing.
"A most generous bargain," he conceded, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper as he leaned in closer until their shoulders brushed together. "You drive a hard bargain, sister. Tea and cake? You wound me. You know my constitution requires a steady diet of wine and poor decisions to function."
He squeezed her arm gently as they began to walk, his long legs easily keeping pace with hers. The initial wobble had subsided, replaced by a more grounded gait. Guiding them them away from the crowded balcony, Yihua sought a quieter corner of the sprawling terrace of the palace. The murmur of conversation and the distant hum of music faded behind them, replaced by the soft whisper of the wind through the manicured gardens. He found a secluded alcove, furnished with a pair of plush chairs and a small table overlooking a fountain that shimmered with captured starlight.
"But, for you," he continued, sinking into one of the chairs with a sigh that seemed to carry the weight of the entire evening, "I will make the sacrifice."
Yihua watched her for a moment, his golden eyes, usually so full of restless energy, now soft and contemplative. "Only because I know if I don't, you'll sit there with that worried little frown all night and it will ruin my enjoyment of this city's pretentious little stars."
his shadows tighten, flicker, as though offended at yihua’s carefree dismissal of them. “you confuse noise with knowledge,” he argues. “mouths tell you what people want you to hear. shadows tell you what they hope no one ever notices. if i must choose, i take the latter.”
he folds his hands loosely in front of him, posture deceptively relaxed. “i do not care for petty court gossip. but perhaps it’s well enough that you listen to the mouths.”
he watches yihua drain the glass, finding the flourish unnecessary. yichen raises a brow, unimpressed. “i suspect our brother will enjoy this new, reformed version of you far more than i will,” he says dryly. the tone suggests he means it, though the faintest flicker in his eyes betrays an undercurrent of humor. he holds back the confession that he nearly started a brawl of his own earlier in the night. they are not so different after all.
"Who cares if they're lying? Half the fun is deciding what might be true. Imagine how dreadfully dull Prythian would be if everyone always told the truth," Yihua said, letting out a sigh far too dramatic for the subject at hand. He could feel boredom creeping up on him, even as he spun his empty cup between his fingers as if it were a toy rather than fine crystal.
"Don't pretend you don't care for gossip," Yihua said, wagging a finger at Yichen. "You just dress it up as 'intelligence' to make it sound noble and important when it's all the same thing." He glanced over his shoulder at a wincing tendril of shadow, his amber eyes lit with mischief. Reaching out, he dipped his fingers into the dark and wiggled them as if tickling it like a little pet. "Even your little pets agree with me."
Testing his brother's tolerance, Yihua drifted closer to Yichen's side and dropped his chin onto his elder brother's shoulder. His grin was all teeth, shameless and boyish, his lashes fluttering like a parody of a cheeky courtesan. "That's why you're my favourite," he crooned, voice syrupy and insufferably sweet. "Because you would never ask me to dim my brilliance. Isn't that right, dearest brother?"
it was the forced mingling of events such as these that could be entirely tiresome . when the dusk fae speaks , his words are not doubt meant with sass and sarcasm and it took much for the lady control the roll of her eyes at his words . this wasn't the kind of stimulating conversation that she was truly looking for but she supposed beggars couldn't be choosers . " there is beauty in the sun as much as there is in this stars above , something i'm sure you've forgotten as well . " a quiet sigh leaves her lips , barely audible in the space around . " do you find yourself funny ? hopefully you do , because i highly doubt anyone else does . there is more than just darkness that would hide this from as all . location , magic , perhaps the residents were vowed to silence about this place before now . " crossing her arms in front of her chest , " how kind of you to offer , but i think i will pass for your offer . " she was not amused but she wasn't about to let him get under her skin .
"Well, I'd be better reminded of the sun if she wasn't always so determined to run away from me," Yihua retorted cheekily, flapping a breezy hand towards the night sky. "Every evening, I chase her across the sky and every evening she slips away. A rather one-sided relationship, don't you think?"
He leaned against the nearest column as though the entire conversation amused him more than it should, studying her with the lazy confidence of a man who had little interest in hiding his irreverence. "Of course I find myself funny. Considering how staunch everyone is at these things, the bar is exceptionally low," he said, looking utterly unrepentant. "Perhaps you prefer stiff courtesies to honest amusement? How very courtly of you."
Yihua gave a careless shrug at her dismissal, as if her resistance only added more fuel to his teasing. "Does it matter how it was hidden? It isn't anymore. What intrigues me more is why it's being revealed now and paraded before us under the banner of peace. These stars seem more like bait in a trap than a generous gesture to me."
He sighed, feigning deep interest in his cuticles. "But then again, here we are, walking right into it anyway so it hardly matters now does it?"
it was all she had said for a brief moment, watching the display of grandeur coming from the autumn court brother, movements as relaxed as the wine allowed it to be. how interesting it was to see the differences between siblings -- she wondered if that's how others perceived her and her own just the same. " but i differ about the stars, to think you would be able to outshine them only shows you truly were never close to them, at all. "
ceren observes the fae while leaning against the door; she takes in his mannerism, his slouched words, following the way the wine rolls down his chin, and smiles. " are you sure about that? " an open question, one that, given another time, she would fee the need to explain a little further; but tonight was one for the books, and she wanted to ensure she would have fun.
pushing herself off of her spot, she carefully steps closer, leaning against the balcony, eyes up at the sky. " we really are a hospitable bunch, aren't we. " and affirmation, not a question at all. " how lucky you are. "
Chuckling at her words, he pushed himself away from the wall he'd been propped against, his movements all loose-limbed and fluid. "Never been close to them?" he repeated, his voice a playful lilt. Taking a step toward her, Yihua closed the distance until he could properly see the light of those pretentious stars reflected in her eyes.
"My lady, I fell from them," he said, a roguish grin spreading across his face, youthful and utterly shameless. He didn't care if it was a terrible line, the fun was in the saying of it. "They cast me down out of pure jealousy, I'm telling you. It's tyranical up there," he added before promptly tossing his head back and bursting into immature laughter.
"I'm very certain," he declared, his confidence unwavering even as his body swayed gently on the spot. Yihua gave into the pull of gravity and slumped back on the railing, leaving heavily onto his elbow as he gently swung the goblet between his fingers like a pendulum. "Perhaps you're the one who's had too much. Seeing things that aren't there. Like a perfectly capable lord who's had a drop too much wine."
Lifting his cup to drink, he remembered it was empty, and instead, stared into its silver depths with an expression of profound sorrow. "Ah. But it seems your famous hospitality has abandoned me in my hour of need," he said, rattling the cup mournfully. "A crime, wouldn't you say? Leaving a guest of your court to die of thirst?"
Yihua had been at the corner of her eye for most of the evening. No matter how many conversations she let herself be drawn into, how carefully she tried to play the part expected of her, a part of her attention never left him.
She loved Yichen's brothers as if they were her own, and though that love often made her soft and indulgent towards the youngest Zhou's antics, it also left her with a knot of worry tightening in her chest. Velaris, for all its beauty and brilliance, was a strange city, full of strange faces and their unknown intentions. Too many eyes lingered, too many ears perked at careless words.
“The stars, dear brother, are the same as they always are,” she said as she came to stand at his side, voice pitched for him alone to hear. “It is you who wobble so badly they seem to dance in competition.” She plucked the cup neatly from his hand before he could protest, shaking her head as her gaze caught the dark bloom of wine across fine fabric. “You ruin silks faster than any tailor can weave them, and yet you ask me not to look at you like this?”
Her thumb pressed lightly against his sleeve before she withdrew, though the frown in her brow remained. Still, her voice gentled as she added, “I know your brothers will scold you enough when all this is done, so I will not. But at least come, and sit with me, and drink something without alcohol in it. It will let my heart rest easier.”
"Wobble? My most beloved sister, I never wobble. The world merely bends in deference to me. It would be rude not to," Yihua said as he made a grab for the cup she'd pilfered, his fingers brushing past hers.
Abandoning his half-hearted pursuit of his glass when she touched his sleeve, he followed her gaze down to the dark stain on his sleeve and shrugged, entirely unconcerned.
"An improvement," he declared with a dismissive wave. "Now it has character." He smoothed the fabric with a certain satisfaction, as if he'd just added a masterful brushstroke to a painting. The truth was, he hated the formal robes his brother had insisted he wear for this diplomatic nonsense. A wine stain felt like a small, personal victory against the suffocating finery.
Her last words, however, cut through his buzz more effectively than any sharp reprimand from his brothers could have. He sighed, the playful energy draining from him as he turned his gaze from her to the stars. He hated worrying her. He hated that his own desperate need for freedom always seemed to twist the faces of those he loved into masks of concern.
"Like water?" Yihua finally said, turning back to her with a wry twist of his lips. "In a city with wine this good? It's an insult to our hosts. They'd probably throw me in a dungeon for such a grave offense." Despite the jest, the fight had bled out of his voice. He scrubbed a hand over his face, his boyish features looking suddenly tired.
He pushed himself off the railing, swaying only slightly before finding his balance. With an exaggerated flourish, he offered her his arm. "Alright. Lead the way. But it's only because you asked so nicely. If I fall asleep in my chair, you are forbidden from telling my brothers. I'll never hear the end of it."
yichen blinks slowly at his brother’s performance. “you are improving. another decade or two and you might almost pass for me,” he compliments, something akin to fondness in his tone. “but if you want to mimic me properly, you’ll need to stop smiling so much. you ruin the effect.” he lets the pause stretch, so the weight of observation settles.
“brooding has its uses,” he continues, conversational, as though sharing a private truth. “and people's shadows have more interesting things to say.” there’s a rhythm to these moments, a balance between mockery and truth. a corner, a glance, a word. sometimes that is all the conversation needs.
he leans back slightly, as if considering some invisible puzzle only he can see. “if you’re the well-behaved one, little brother, then the rest of us are already beyond saving.”
A bright and uninhibited laugh burst from Yihua's mouth, the sound drawing a few scandalized glances from nearby nobles, which only made his grin widen. "A decade or two? Brother, you wound me. I thought I had the 'tragically burdened by my own intellect' look down perfectly."
He tried to school his features back into a solemn mask to mimic Yichen's placid expression, but the effort lasted only a second before his mouth quirked upwards again.
Yihua scoffed softly at the mention of shadows, swirling the dregs of his wine. "Mother help me, you and your shadows," he murmured, his tone a mix of exasperation and deep-seated affection. "You spend so much time listening to whispers in the dark, you forget people have mouths. You know what you learn from mouths, brother? You learn who's sleeping with whom, who's cheating at cards, and, most importantly, who has the best wine."
Raising his glass as if it were evidence, he slugged it down with a delicate pinky up and pulled away with a satisfied sigh. "I'm very well behaved, thank you," he interjected, feigning offense. "I haven't started a single brawl tonight have I? I'd consider this one of my best performances yet."
☆ the grand feast was an entirely political social event, he had forewarned his siblings that they were representing the dusk court at this evening event. needed them to remember that they would leave an impression of the dusk court being that they are still a representative of the dusk court. the two lord's in attendance that evening, and admittedly yichen had not entirely impressed the dusk high lord when he had approached him.
☆ that interaction with the third eldest had sent yijun on a look for the youngest. if yichen could leave a bad impression to those approaching him then yihua was more than likely to be worse. however what he had come across with the youngest was far from what he would have expected. the pair of brothers finding themselves on a balcony overlooking the city below the palace. the youngest swaying in his stance.
☆ ❝ arguably i would say that you are far from being the star of anything. ❞ disappointment lacing his tone as he responds to the younger male. his immaturity shining in his words regarding the stars and the city that hosts them in that very moment. ❝ at least the stars are not out here making drunken fools of themselves and the court that they are representing. ❞
☆ watching him take in another drink, just furthers his disappointment in the younger. more than tempted to reach out and take the glass of wine from him. but he refrains as the younger settles with a smug grin upon his face. the stain of the wine appearing on the white sleeve of his outfit from him wiping his mouth of the wine that did not make it into yihua's mouth.
☆ ❝ are you proud of yourself yihua? ❞ the high lord asks as he levels his stare with the youngest of his siblings. ❝ the fact that you believe i would be more drunk than you at an event where i asked you to behave yourself as you are a representative of our court? it would appear that you doubt your elder brother far more than one would imagine. i am thoroughly disappointed in you yihua. ❞
The disappointed tone in Yijun's voice did little to pierce the warm veil of the wine. Yihua blinked slowly, a lazy, unbothered smile curling his lips as if his brother had just told a particularly dry joke.
"Arguably, I'm the only one here being honest. Does that not make me a star in a sky full of polite little clouds?" He gestured vaguely back toward the grand hall where the sounds of music and muted chatter drifted out to them. "They're all in there, smiling with their teeth while they sharpen knives with their words. Me? I'm just drinking wine and admiring the view. I'd say my court representation is far more authentic."
Watching Yijun's expression harden as he continued his lecture, Yihua's amusement began to curdle into something more restless. He pushed himself off the railing and began to pace the length of the small balcony. Three steps one way, three steps back. The cooped-up energy that always plagued him in these settings was now amplified by the alcohol and his brother's presence.
He stopped his pacing abruptly and turned to face Yijun fully at what he perceived as provocation, his posture suddenly losing its lazy slouch. "You're disappointed? Good. Be disappointed," he said as he took a measured step towards his brother. The drunken sway was still there, but the gold in his eyes had turned to steel.
"Did I say drunk on wine?" he asked, his voice losing its whimsical, wine-soaked cadence and dropping into an intense whisper. The playful impishness vanished from Yihua's expression, replaced by a raw frustration. "You talk about representing our court. Father and Yiran were our court. They wanted to keep our borders strong and Dusk Court whole, yet you expect me to vie for the approval of courts that have never been our friend? Forgive me, brother, if I'd rather be an honorable fool than a traitor to their memory."
He'd worn the finery, spoken in clipped, careful tones and bowed at all the proper angles. For all of two hours, he'd done his best impression of a dutiful son of the Dusk Court's high family. But Velaris was too pretty, too polished, and too pleased with itself for him to keep the act up any longer. Somewhere between the second and third glass of wine, the pretense had cracked.
Now here he was, lounging on a balcony with a cup dangling lazily from his fingers. His grin was broad and his posture all careless charm, the kind that could almost convince a person he wasn't drunk at all if not for the flush of pink in his cheeks and the way his words came out just a little freer than usual.
"Magnificent city," Yihua announced to no one in particular, sweeping his arm as if presenting the whole of Velaris to a captivated audience and sloshing wine while at it. "But between you and me..." he leaned (teetered) conspiratorially toward whoever lingered close enough to listen. "I think the stars here are showing off. Pretentious things, aren't they? Acting like they're brighter than me."
He took another generous sip that turned into his throat bobbing for an uncomfortably long time as he swallowed the contents with all of the grace of a fish. After swiping his lips with the back of an expensive, fancy sleeve, Yihua leaned back, looking utterly unrepentant and self-satisfied by the stain.
"Don't look at me like that. I'm perfectly sober. Soberer than my brothers, certainly. They're off entertaining the idea of peace while I-" he gestured expansively with the now empty cup, "-am making the most of the Night Court's hospitality."
yichen is focused this evening, on passing conversations, on the way people lean in to whisper or laugh too loudly at something unremarkable. the music swells, laughter carries, but the shadows tug at him, whispering things he struggles to ignore. his eyes follow the line of them across the floor, to where they brush the shoes of another. a stranger, perhaps, or simply someone standing too close.
he looks up to notice their owner and inclines his head, always polite. “you’ll have to forgive me,” he says, voice low. “i’m better at watching than mingling. were you saying something?”
Yihua, who had been half-lounging against a column with a goblet he hadn't bothered to drink from, straightened up just enough to fix his brother with a wide-eyed, solemn expression. He clasped his hands behind his back, tipped his chin at a dignified angle and let his voice drop into a grave murmur that sounded far too similar not to have been rehearsed countless times before.
"You'll have to forgive me," he said with severe gravity, mimicking the cadence of Yichen's voice. "I'm better at watching than mingling." He even threw in the polite little head incline, though his was ruined by the smirk tugging at his mouth. Then, he let out a snort, dropping the act with a lazy wave of his hand.
"Honestly, brother, if I wanted someone to brood prettily in a corner, I'd have brought a mirror. Mingling's the whole point of these tedious gatherings, isn't it? Whisper, whisper, flatter, flatter, pretend to be terribly interested in whatever boring thing someone says."
Yihua leaned one shoulder back against the column again, swirling his wine just to make the light catch in the glass. "But fine. If you won't do it, I could always do it for you... You know, me, the well-behaved one who hasn't already found where they kept the rest of the wine."
closed starter for @rxdianced
location: Dusk Court Accommodations
Yihua flopped unceremoniously onto the bench beside Tharion, sprawling like a cat who had no respect for personal space or posture. The grand hall of Velaris was alive with starlight and solemn voices, but Yihua had long since stopped listening and made a point to dodge social niceties where he could. Politics always sounded the same after the first few sentences.
"Tharion," he began with a theatrical sigh, tilting his head until it rested comfortably on the guard's shoulder. "How many words do you think they'll waste tonight before they finally write their names on that treaty? A thousand? Ten thousand? I'm tempted to start keeping count."
He tapped his fingers idly against his knee, restless energy thrumming through him. Like a dog, he wanted to be outside and chasing the sun along the coast, not trussed up like a decorative ornament pretending like any of this mattered to him. If there was another war, then he'd fight it. Simple as that. Everything else was just frills.
"All this talk of peace, peace, peace," he mocked, spitting the words out like a mouthful of bees. "It's as though everyone in the Prythian suddenly forgot that lines on parchment don't stop blades. What happens when the Seelie Court decides they're bored, hm? Do we toss another treaty at them and hope it sticks?"
Yihua smirked, leering sideways at Tharion and testing the man's patience as he always did by shamelessly prodding. "You don't believe in this nonsense either, do you?"
Twisting suddenly, Yihua stared at Tharion, eyes glinting with mischief as he leaned ever closer. "You must hate this as much as I do. Come on, admit it. You'd rather be fighting than babysitting me while my oh-so-dutiful brother makes nice with the enemy."
⋆｡°✩ open starter ( 3 / 5 )
location : near a window within the palace
a city hidden from the rest of the prythian , a beautiful city of stars at the west edge of the night court . it was a perfect enough spot calista thought , the location exclusive to hide a place for so long without the rest of the courts knowing . how many centuries has passed that this place had existed and yet none of them knew of it . the court of nightmares , closest to the border to her beloved day court , they had thought that all there to be . it was a shock especially to their closest neighbor . staring up at the night sky , it felt an unusual sight to the day court fae . " it is beautiful , even i can admit that but i do not know if my eyes will truly adjust to it while we are here . " she comments offhandedly to the presence she feels approach , " how do you think they managed to hide all of this ? it must have taken much effort . "
Yihua came up beside her, his gaze following hers up to the spires that scraped a sky littered with stars and nebulae, then down to the twinkling lights of the city cradled in the mountain's arms. It was a jewel, perfect and serene. He loathed it on principle. It was places like these that made him feel the most neutered.
"Of course your eyes won't adjust," he said in hushed tones, as if it were some big secret. "You're so used to blinding light that you forget there's beauty in shadow."
He swept a hand lazily toward the city glittering beneath them, the starlight reflecting in his eyes. "As for how they hid it..." he cut her a sidelong glance, an impish grin on his lips. "Well, it's night, isn't it? I imagine darkness did most of the work."
Yihua tilted his head toward her, mock-serious now. "Are your eyes aching already? Should I fetch you a lantern? Or perhaps a bedroll so you can sleep until it's time to depart back to your sunny oasis?"
"You're fine, you're fine, you're fine," she kept whispering to herself. Why was she supposed to feel so strong in her immortality, yet felt so weak in her mind? Feeling like the grand hall was closing in on her, Calyssa quickly made her way out of the room and found herself in a library of sorts. Not like anyone would even realize or care? She wasn't anyone important.
The goal of her time in Prythian was to blend like a chameleon in a room filled with powerful and significant faes from across Prythian. She did not deserve to be here, yet knew she had to gain control of her spiraling thoughts. The last thing she wanted was to embarrass Ashriel or, more importantly, the High Lady of the Spring Court. One wrong word or move and she could be banished. Then what? A helpless fae in this massive world? Heavens help her.
As she continued to practice the deep breathing exercises her grandmother taught her as a child, she halted at the sound of the door opening. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I'll get out of your way," she said with a timid smile before taking a step through the door.
Yihua stepped into the library with all of the grace of a man who had never once been quiet or graceful in his life. The door shut behind him with a thud and he arched a brow at the timid fae already trying to scurry past him.
"Oh, now hold on a moment," he said, sounded offended. The act was transparent, each flick of the corner of his mouth giving away his amusement, but he wore haughtiness without shame.
"You look me dead in the eye, mutter an apology, and then try to vanish like I'm the one intruding?" He tsked dramatically, planting a hand over his chest as though wounded. "That's rather cruel, don't you think? I haven't even had the chance to decide if I want you gone yet."
He lounged casually against the doorframe, his stance lazy but effectively blocking her path with a little grin that was both accusation and mirth. For once, he was cleaned up and properly dressed, clothes cut fine enough to pass as noble attire rather than the battle worn leather of a soldier. The effect only sharpened his boyish features, making him look very much like the sort of man a socially anxious fae might wish to avoid.
"Besides, why flee so fast? You don't look like one of those dreadful treaty-makers, which makes you infinitely more interesting. And lucky for you, I was just dying of boredom." Yihua tilted his head, eyes glinting like he'd just found a diversion in the middle of a tedious night. "So....Are you running from someone, or am I simply that frightening?"
✦ [ Ding Yuxi, cisman, he/him, 250, daemati high fae ] — through the veil of stars, we are pleased to welcome ZHOU YIHUA to the night court. the LORD from the DUSK COURT is said to be BRAVE & FREE-SPIRITED amongst their closest friends, but i suppose we will soon learn if they are as WILY & RECKLESS as the whispers promise. we can clearly see their presence is reflected by wine spilled on silk, a grin too bright for solemn halls, childishness turned to charm, and scandals worn like a crown. mother hold them, for their true loyalties lie AGAINST the peace treaty, and such things will always come to light.
GENERAL
FULL NAME: Zhou Yihua
NICKNAMES: Those close to him call him Zhou Hua.
NAME MEANING: Yi, the character passed down through the high sons. Hua was chosen for Yihua under the expectation of him becoming a proper gentleman of elegance and the arts (that didn't quite pan out the way they expected.)
AGE: 250
PLACE OF BIRTH: Dusk Court
SPECIES: Daemati High Fae
GENDER: Cisman
PRONOUNS: He/him
ORIENTATION: [vague handwave]
OCCUPATION: Lord, calvary
PERSONALITY TRAITS: brave, wily, reckless, free-spirited, childish, charismatic, loyal, restless
ABILITIES: Shadow magic, illusionary magic, mind control
INTERESTS: riding horses, drinking wine, fighting, swimming, general physical activity
THEME SONG: 踏山河 by Silk Ye
FAMILY
MOTHER: High Lady Lin Shuying, deceased
FATHER: High Lord Zhou Weiming, deceased
SIBLINGS: Zhou Yiran (deceased), Zhou Yijun, Zhou Yichen
APPEARANCE
HEIGHT: The shortest of his siblings, but only by a little!!!
HAIR AND STYLE: Long, elegant, black and tied back into a ponytail with a bit of a pedestrian rough fringe.
COMPLEXION: Naturally pale-skinned but intensely sun-kissed
EYE COLOUR: Amber, like the sun
FASHION: Bastardized versions of the elegant robes the fae of his court wear. His outfits are customized for movement and utility with maximum style. He is a prince and looks like it, but with a soldier's customization. He never wears loose, long sleeves if he can help it, preferring to tuck everything into bracers and boots.
REPUTATION
Other nobles considered him reckless, spoiled, and neglectful of duty as they witnessed him indulging in wine and mischief. Among the people, however, he was beloved for being a charismatic, lively figure who represented the pride of the Dusk. To his late father and brother, he was both shield and sword, the fierce storm around the High Ruler's mountain.
BACKSTORY
Yihua was the last-born son of the Zhou family and for that, he was eternally grateful. The crown was never meant for him and he thanked Mother daily that he was the family's runt. Let his brothers shoulder the burden of thrones and treaties for he was content to remain free of it.
From boyhood, Yihua proved himself untamable. While his tutors wrung their hands, he rode horses across the open plains, hair unbound and laughter trailing on the wind. He vanished for hours into the woods beyond the palace walls, chasing foxes and rabbits, muddying silks on the coasts and returning covered in enough filth to scandalize his nursemaids. He wrestled with servants, climbed rooftops and slipped away from lessons at every opportunity. By the time he was adolescent, the court already whispered of him as wild, unkempt and an embarrassment to the family name.
It was no secret that Yihua loathed the suffocating rituals of the palace. He skipped ceremonies whenever he dared, preferring the freedom of open air and laughter to the cloying perfumes of banquet halls. Even as he grew older, he wore his untamed spirit like a badge. Wayward, reckless and magnetic, he drew others in by charm as easily as he repelled them by scandal. When pressure mounted for him to mate and marry, Yihua grinned and chose war instead.
The battlefield welcomed him where court life had not. He volunteered eagerly for campaigns, fighting to defend the borders of the Dusk Court. Mud and steel suited him better than silks and scrolls and he rose quickly to command. His men loved him for the way he trained and bled beside them, never hidden behind title nor rank.
To Yihua, war was more than duty: it was his idea of rebellion. By guarding his father's crown with sword in hand, he ensured the throne would remain far from his own head. With brothers ahead of him in the line of succession, he thought himself safe to fight and live untethered.
But fate proved less kind. When his father and eldest brother died abruptly, the line to the throne shortened. Yihua, once carefree, felt the weight of inevitability creeping closer. His brother Yijun, now heir, shared few of their father's ideals. Where the late High Ruler prized unyielding borders, Yijun entertained proposals of peace and worse, revolution. When whispers of a treaty began to stir, Yihua grew restless.
Peace meant fewer borders to guard, fewer campaigns to fight, and more summons to court. Peace meant being forced into the life he had spent all his years fleeing. The thought of his brother offering up pieces of their hard-won domain in exchange for promises unsettled him deeply and for the first time, Yihua feared that war might not be enough to keep him free.
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