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media: dungeons & dragons (personal campaign)
originally published: february 2024
word count: 38973
notes: set in the weeks following the champion valoris' victory against the demonic forces which sought to take over alethustria, reides begins enjoying his downtime by introducing his partner, aske, to his family.

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i.

"i'm sorry," aske says. "hang on. just give me a…" he clutches his chest as if he's short of breath. probably because he truly is. "...just give me a moment."

"you're a very dramatic person," you say. "do you know that?" 

"i'm not!" aske protests. he's proving your point, though, as he's now doubled over. "i'm… i'm in shock, is what i am. i'm a very shocked person." he looks up at you. "you… you told your father what, now?!" 

your cheeks are beginning to burn up. "you heard me correctly." why are you so embarrassed? you look away from him, trying not to let it show. "i told him about you. about us."

"you told the famed champion of the laveraths-most-likely-to-kill-aske list about aske?!" aske slaps a hand against his forehead. his thick mitten thuds softly against it. "eadro's beard, i'm losing it. i'm truly losing it. i've begun referring to myself in the third person." 

though you're still embarrassed, that gets a grin out of you. "i told him about aske, yes." you can't help it. you have to play along. "i told viglis about aske, too." okay, that's enough of that. "like i said, they both accepted our relationship. there's nothing -"

"you told viglis?!" aske's jaw drops. "that's your older brother, right? he was second in line to the killing-aske party, wasn't he?!" 

you bite your lip, trying not to laugh. "yes, exactly," you manage to say. "so, i think it's safe to say that the list is now null and that none of them will actually kill you." 

"yah!" some ways away, dillan launches a ball of densely-packed snow at a very lumpy snowman. "ice knife!" the snowball knocks off one of the snowman's stick-arms. 

you smile, rubbing at your cheeks in an attempt to cool them down. unlike aske and dillan, you aren't wearing any mittens and you certainly aren't all bundled up in thick fabrics suited for keeping out the chill. you're a triton, after all; you welcome the cold. cupping your hands around your mouth, you call out: "impressive, dillan!" 

"that's how it'll be!" dillan exclaims. the child - your apprentice - rushes through the snow and over to you and aske. he's clearly proud of his snowball-flinging power. "when i can do it, it's going to be just like that!"  

"true enough, pickle." you pat him on the head, messing up his hair - a gesture that makes you wonder how dhudus is doing. 

meanwhile, dillan beams up at you. he can't cast any spells - not yet. but that's to be expected. he's still new to all of this. he can barely read common; magical formulae are out of the question. luckily, there are other ways of studying magic. while throwing snowballs at snowmen is quite fun, at the moment, you're actually working on his aim. developing that skill will be of tremendous help when he needs to learn how to sculpt his spells. 

"you have a very hands-on teaching style, reides," aske comments. it seems like dillan's escapades have given him a much-needed reprieve from his laverath-related spiraling. "before today, i never thought that throwing snowballs could help someone with casting magic." 

"it helps in lots of ways!" you tell him. "if you're going to be an evocationist, you need to develop a bond with the elements." letting go of dillan, you make a quick, simple motion with your hands. arcane words of power slip from you with ease and frost gathers at your fingertips. it's all so familiar to you. how many times have you casted this cantrip over the years? "frost is one such element." you release the frost and it hits the snowman, knocking him right over into the powdery snow. 

dillan lets out a roar of a cheer. he lifts his hands into the air. "yes! ice knife!" 

"ray of frost, actually!" you laugh. he reminds you so much of yourself when you were new to magic. you were older than he was, back then, but that's beside the point. the sense of wonder is still very much the same. innocent passion will slip out of anyone when they're picking up a new, exciting skill. learning is fun! "let's build frosty the snowman up again." you smile at aske. "shall we?"

"gotcha." aske holds his hand out to dillan. "c'mon, pickle." dillan grabs onto it and the two make their way over to the fallen snowman. 

even with the respite courtesy of your apprentice, aske still seems rather winded. you can't possibly blame him. your decision to tell your father about him snuck up on you. it just felt wrong to keep aske secret from most of your family. yes, the situation is complicated - but, ever since your return to aquos, they've known about your surfacer friends; hells, they've met most of them. kilwin was granted a title that definitely needed your father's approval, and jorah has already sparred with both of your brothers. so, obviously, your family needed to know about the man who saved you in so many ways, too. they needed to know about the man who you love so very much. keeping him secret had begun to gnaw at you - more than you thought it ever would. 

oddly enough, it only got unbearable when your father showed you kindness. 

it's been weeks since that fateful sending message but you still sometimes wonder if him saying that he's proud of you was some after-effect of being dipped directly into the weave. an odd sort of wish fulfillment; an illusion, a dream. but, no. it was real. deep in your heart, you know that it was real. and you couldn't possibly allow khavas laverath to accept you without knowing about the part of you which is completely, utterly, and thoroughly devoted to aske chales. 

"oi, prince!" aske calls out, pulling you out of your thoughts. "don't tell me that you're letting us do all of the hard work!" 

"oh, no! i'll help!" you rush over to them. he spouts off your title so easily; it always takes you by surprise. luckily, the surfacers around you seem to assume that it's nothing but a term of endearment. you're starting to think that he does it on purpose. it's obvious that he likes seeing you flustered.

the three of you lift frosty, straightening him up. you then get to filling in the patches of snow that fell off him courtesy of dillan's snowball bombardment. deeming the old one unsatisfactory, your apprentice dashes off to retrieve a new stick for his arm. as he pokes around in the snow, aske steps closer to you. 

"so, uh…" he says. "your father…" 

ah. he's back at that. "things are better with him, now," you tell him. "he's actually made a habit of acknowledging me as his son." 

"wow." aske grimaces. "that's… a really low bar for him to meet, reides. like… a really, really low bar for him to meet." 

"it's not!" you exclaim, nudging him.

"it's the statement of a fact, really," aske continues. he wraps his arms around you, pulling you in close. 

"you'll understand once you see the sort of person that he is!" despite it all, you laugh. for your father to go from locking you away in that tower to acknowledging you - hells, to praising you - is a very, very big deal. "for a long time, i thought that he'd never talk to me again."  

"he'd be a fool to ignore someone as amazing as you," aske says, kissing the side of your forehead. "truly. a complete fool. i wouldn't even want to meet him." 

"but he isn't a fool," you say, and the shyness from before sinks its claws into you once again. "he isn't ignoring me. so… you do want to meet him. right?" 

"of course." aske smiles, resting his chin on your shoulder. "i meant it when i said that i wanted to meet everyone in your family."

"you're gonna meet reides' family, aske?" dillan asks. he's wandered back over to the two of you, stick in hand. "like, his ma? and his pa?"

"yes," you say. "he is." though he's met your mother already. "he's going to meet my brothers and my sister, too." 

dillan jabs the stick into the snowman's side. thanks to his height, it ends up very low for where the arm should actually be. "can i come?"

you chuckle. "not just yet." bringing a small surfacer child to the bottom of the laverathian basin is a bit intense to consider, even for you. you'd also need to tell dillan that you're royalty, which is a whole other can of worms.

a flicker of sadness crosses dillan's young features. you know that you shouldn't make a big deal out of it; dillan would hate that. so you part from aske and kneel down in front of the child, dusting the snowflakes off the front of his puffy jacket and adjusting his bright purple scarf. "don't worry. you'll meet them someday, pickle. they'll love you." 

"really?" dillan brightens up. "they live in the water, right? where you grew up?"

"yes. in the sea." 

"does that mean i'll go in there?" dillan asks. "and that i'll breathe down there, too?!" 

that's more like it. his excitement makes you so happy. "naturally! you remember my water breathing spell, don't you?" by the time that he's truly ready to visit your family, dillan may very well be able to cast it on himself. the thought makes you even happier. 

"'course i remember it!" dillan exclaims. "when i told the other kids that you can do that, they didn't believe me." he folds his arms and pouts. "it was so unfair. they said i lied. but i don't lie." 

"is that so?" you pull him into a hug. "i'll need to show it to them all at some point, then." you can already sense the lecture from lathendria. she went a bit crazy when you demonstrated it on dillan down at port valor's docks. but it's not like you'd leave any of the kids unsupervised! and the spell lasts for quite a long time, too!

"really?!" dillan clings onto you, returning the hug. "yippee!" 

"kids really have it good, huh?" aske muses. he's attempting to smoothen frosty the snowman's incredibly bumpy belly, and you notice that he's already fixed the stick-arm that dillan stabbed into him. "every single day's an adventure for you." 

"nuh uh," dillan says as he parts from you. "you're a grown-up, so you get to go on real adventures." his pout returns. "i want to go on real adventures." 

"do your studying like a good kid and you'll get to go on tons of 'em," aske says. "you know that you're real lucky, right, pickle? a lot of people'd kill to have reides as their personal magical mentor." you roll your eyes. as per usual, he's giving you far too much credit. 

"i know," dillan says, oblivious to your thoughts on the matter. he joins aske in smoothening out frosty's belly. "i'm gonna be a wizard just like him. and then…" he lowers his voice. "...i'm going to ride on top of a dragon." 

you start laughing as aske blinks. he turns to you slowly. "uh, did you…?" 

"no, no," you say, wiping the tears from your eyes. "i haven't quite managed to do that yet." 

"i'm gonna ride on it with monka," dillan continues. "i'll use ice knife, too." he bends down, packing snow into a ball once more. 

aske sighs. "that'd be quite the sight." 

"yeah," dillan agrees.

"here we go!" a jolly voice booms from behind you all. you grin wide; relius is finally ready to join the three of you. you see him stumble out of the house. he's dressed up in his surfacer winter clothes and is holding a large metal pot by its handles. "this batch is the epitome of perfection, if i do say so myself!"

"yes!" dillan shrieks. he drops the snowball down into the snow and twirls around. "yes! uncle rel's got the syrup taffy!" he takes off in a sprint towards aske's father. 

"hey! keep those hands to yourself!" aske calls out as he goes. "that pot's hot!" 

dillan listens to him. rather than trying to grab onto the pot held securely in relius' hands, he stands on the tips of his toes as he tries to get a better look at its contents.

"it's still not quite at the taffy level yet, young pickle," relius tells him. aske walks over to them and grabs onto the pot's handles, opting to carry the weight of it instead. 

"taffy! taffy! taffy!" dillan chants. he marches alongside the chaleses as they walk over to you and you can't stop smiling. you just can't. 

"there's some undisturbed snow over there," aske says, jerking his head towards said snow and leading the way.

relius claps you on the back as you join their little syrup taffy promenade. "how's the teaching going, mr. laverath?"

"quite well," you reply with a smile. "pickle is quite the snowman-slayer." 

"oho! is that so?!" relius turns to dillan.

"i am!" dillan confirms. "we had to build him up again, like, five whole times, uncle rel! five!"

"by the ten!" relius exclaims. "you're better at throwing those snowballs than i am, that's for sure." 

"i can teach you," dillan tells him as he grabs onto relius' hand. "it's easy, and it's okay if you miss sometimes. that's why we practice."

"that's a wonderful way of putting it," relius says, smiling at you. he then regards dillan once more. "perhaps once we're done with the taffy, hm?" 

dillan beams up at relius. "uncle rel, do you got the skewers? you forgot 'em last time!" 

"i sure do," relius replies. he pats his coat. "one for each of us, as promised."

"yay!" dillan does a little hop. 

once the four of you arrive at the clean patch of snow, you all get situated around it. relius hands out the small wooden skewers and aske crouches low, the pot still secure in his grasp. excitement bubbles away in your chest - eating syrup taffy is such a fun tradition. every time the group of you do this, you feel like a true davenporter. 

"are you all ready?" aske asks.

"yes!" dillan shrieks, effectively answering for you and relius. 

aske raises an eyebrow. "are you sure?" 

dillan glares at him. "yes, aske! i'm sure!" 

"alright, then. if you're sure that you're sure." aske tips the pot forward, pouring a line of the boiled syrup into the snow. 

"yeah!" dillan cheers. "it's time!" 

immediately, the syrup begins to thicken; to reach the viscous consistency of taffy. skewer clutched in his hand, dillan lunges for the first line of it. you all graciously let him. such is the privilege of being a small child and the drawback of being a grown adult. you try to let the chaleses go before you, too, but they insist that the second line of syrup is for you. your love of taffy ends up overpowering your urge to be polite. 

you press your skewer into the syrup-drenched snow, rolling it around in the mixture just like aske taught you. thick and goopy, you marvel as it affixes itself to the wood. once it's sufficiently attached, you lift it from the snow and pop it into your mouth. the chilled sweetness takes over all else.

you're now in a state of complete bliss. 

aske pours more syrup into the snow and, soon enough, you're all snacking on the syrup taffy. by persana, you love this candy. you love this place. you love these people. 

"this is amazing, relius!" you exclaim. your chin feels sticky but you don't care. you reach out to gather even more taffy. 

"i've got a real talent for heating syrup, i think," relius says, proud. "carpentry and taffy. those're my true passions!" he laughs his typical full-bellied laugh. it's always so infectious. it gets you cackling, too. 

"this batch is pretty damn good," aske says as he wipes some syrup from the corner of his mouth. he then catches himself. casting a pointed look dillan's way, he clears his throat. "...erm. it's pretty darn good." 

dillan doesn't seem to care about his language, though. in fact, you doubt that he even heard aske. he's gnawing on his own taffy with an impassioned ferocity. 

relius notices the speed at which dillan is going and lets out another hearty chortle. "there's no need to rush, young pickle!" he says. "there's a lot of syrup left in the pot and we've a while before sundown. you have hours before you need to head off to port valor." 

aske winces as relius says that and you're quite sure that you do, too. relius means well, but… persana help you all: dillan's smile immediately drops. he tends to get quite fussy when it's time to drop him back off with lathendria in port valor. you suppose that fussiness is simply a testament to how much he enjoys spending time in davenport. 

"oh!" immediately realizing his mistake, relius covers his mouth with one of his hands. "whoops. i didn't mean to make anyone sad. now, now, dillan." he rubs the boy on the shoulder. unfortunately, it does little to cheer him up. you'll need to step in. 

"you want to see your friends again, don't you, pickle?" persana knows that you'd like to keep dillan with you, aske and relius in davenport - but it's a selfish thing to want. it would be bad if the child was entirely disconnected from port valor. not only is it important for him to be connected to his home, but, should hados' experiment with the orb prove successful, dillan's parents may very well be reunited with their souls and rise once more. if that's the case, you'd rather they not wake up to the news that a triton has abducted their beloved son. "and lathendria, of course!" for all her exasperation, you know that she loves dillan a great, great deal… and that dillan loves her very much the same way, too.

"i guess." dillan pokes at the syrup-drenched snow. 

"monka probably misses 'em all, too," aske chimes in. dillan's pet owl is still inside of the house, likely playing with rummy and pepega. 

dillan sighs. "...once we get to come back," he says, his voice very small. 

it's so small that it kind of breaks your heart. "of course you can!" you tug him into a big hug, not caring at all about the sticky syrup that spills on you as you do so. "you'll be back in a flash. this place is your home, too, pickle. you won't be able to escape from me or your magic studies all that easily!" you pinch at his cheeks and he giggles.  

"can i stay longer than a week next time?" he asks. 

it's not really your place to say, so you look to relius and aske. both of the chaleses stare blankly towards you. 

it takes a few seconds for relius to realize that you're asking the question as much as dillan is. "by all means!" he splutters. "eadro's beard, i told you, didn't i, reides laverath? i'm glad for the company!" 

grateful, you smile and nod as dillan cheers. 

relius beams. "the house has been more lively than it's been in years. i'm positively chuffed, is what i am!" 

"it'll be quiet tonight, though, dad," aske reminds him. "'cause reides won't be here tonight, either." he sighs. "damn." he doesn't correct himself to some more child-friendly language this time around. 

"i'll be back in the morning." this is a normal sequence of events. every time you drop dillan back off in port valor, you have to stay there and overnight in the temple of alethus with him and lathendria. teleportation circle is simple enough to cast once you have the required knowledge of your destination's circle and the necessary chalk supplies, but neither port valor nor davenport possess circles of their own. that means you must resort to higher-level magic in order to travel between them quickly. teleport is a relatively new spell for you and, beyond that, it's one of the most complex spells in your arsenal. as such, you can only muster the magical energy for one use of it per day. you need to rest afterwards so as to replenish your internal store of magic. but you think that staying over at the temple makes the transition a bit easier for dillan, so you're ultimately fine with it. 

aske gets quite depressed, though. by persana… you're supposed to be the clingy one. "i can't have both of you with long faces, now!" you reach out and pinch aske's cheeks, too. thankfully, that gets a smile out of him. 

"i didn't mean to cause such a fuss," relius says. "truly! my syrup taffy is meant to make everyone happy." he claps his hands together. "more taffy will fix this. i'm sure of it. aske! you know what must be done!"

"yeah, yeah. i'm on it." aske pours more of the syrup out into the snow and dillan scrambles out of your arms so that he can roll some of it out onto his skewer. 

the group of you resume your taffy-eating. relius begins chatting about a recent wood carving project that he's started and you fill him in on how your painting practice is going. aske vouches for the progress that you've been making, too. quietly, you hope that you'll get good enough to help relius with his projects. it's the least you can do for the generosity that the chales family has shown you. 

"oh, dad," aske says. "before i forget… reides and i will probably step out of davenport for a bit, ourselves. not just yet, but… soon." he shrugs. "just so you know." 

"is that so?" relius chews on his taffy thoughtfully. "going off on a little honeymoon, are you? it's about time!" 

aske flushes a marvelous shade of crimson and, judging by the heat emanating from your face, you've done the same. you busy yourself with rolling some more syrup taffy on your skewer. 

"what's a 'honeymoon'?" dillan asks.

"it's not that!" aske splutters. "i'm - i'm going to meet reides' family! he has a spell that'd let me breathe down in the ocean, and, y'know! the teleporting…!"  

"oho!" relius exclaims. "i see! it's your first time meeting them, isn't it, aske?" 

"yeah," aske says. "most of them, anyway." 

you still feel very hot, but you finally manage to look back up at the group of them. 

"that's quite the milestone!" relius comments. "i'd like to meet the lot of them, myself." he strokes his chin, thoughtful. "now's not the time for any of that, however. i shan't get in the way of your trip." 

"i gotta wait, too," dillan tells him. "we'll wait together, uncle rel." 

"good thinking, young pickle!" relius exclaims. "i appreciate the company." 

it's a sweet little sentiment. relius doesn't know that you're of royal blood, either. you feel bad, keeping secrets like this… and persana knows that you trust aske's father. he's shown you nothing but kindness, and the two of you are already close. you resolve to tell him soon.

"i'll let them know how excited you are to meet them," you say. 

relius smiles, the corners of his eyes wrinkling as he does so. "i'd like that very much." 

"gods…" aske suddenly lets go of his skewer; it falls right down into the snow. you know that look on his face. it's his freak-out face. "what… what am i going to wear?!" 

relius howls with laughter. "eadro's beard, aske! i can't remember the last time i've seen you so worked up. you're in quite the tizzy!" 

aske covers his face with his hands. in addition to everything else, he's definitely doing his best to keep your royal origins secret. "gods," he says. "this is so nerve-wracking." 

"seems like a shopping trip is in order, hm?" relius grins. "you boys have fun, now."

"maybe you can buy me a present," dillan suggests. while the adults have been talking, he's been systematically clearing out most of the syrup taffy. you decide to let it slide. 

"maybe i can!" you actually think that a present from aquos would suit dillan quite well. you make a quiet mental note of it. 

"great," aske drawls. "shopping." he lowers his hands and his face is still bright red.

"you'd look great in anything, aske," you assure him. "we don't need to shop for a new outfit if you don't want to."

"no, no," aske says. "i'll do it. we might as well."

"it's your decision to make," you say, "but i truly think it'd be fine even if you showed up as you are right now." syrup-smudge on his shirt and all. you lean on him. 

aske smiles as he eases against you. "even though your family's so formal?" 

"especially because my family is so formal," you reply - and you mean it. you really, truly mean it.  

ii. 

after an afternoon filled with syrup taffy and snowballs, the sun begins its descent under the horizon. "i think it's time," you tell aske, brushing the snow off your pants. standing up, you leave your boyfriend's side and walk over to dillan. "come on, pickle! let's go get your things and monka."

"what?!" dillan is horrified. "it's not sunset yet!"

"it totally is," you inform him. "lathendria's going to be angry if we're late to dinner." it's bad enough that you've probably ruined his appetite with all of that candy. you'd keep it secret but the kid is covered in the leftover dredges of syrup. 

"five more minutes," dillan pleads. "please, reides! lathendria won't be angry!" he looks up at you with big, wet eyes and his lower lip trembles. 

you cave immediately. "fine." you're starting to understand why viglis would get so annoyed with you every time you begged him for something. (but that doesn't mean that you're ever going to stop pulling that face on him, yourself.)   

"yay!" immediately happy once more, dillan bends down to make another snowball. "ice knife!" he launches it and hits the snowman squarely on the chest. 

"let lathendria know that we say hello from davenport, too," relius tells you. as promised, he's been throwing snowballs with dillan. "we should truly send you off with a present for her. she does such good work. i have a spare bottle of firewhiskey…" relius thinks it over. "...yes. that'll do nicely." he pats dillan on the head. "i'll get that sorted. thank you for your lessons, young pickle. i've learnt a great many things about snowball-throwing on this day."

"no problem," dillan says with a toothy grin. "you're real good at it, uncle rel."

relius winks at him and it reminds you so much of aske. "not as good as you." he then makes his way back into the house. as he passes by rose's final resting place in the front yard, he nods towards her. he always does that once he returns home… it's practically a reflex for him. you smile softly. 

"did you have fun with us, pickle?" aske - who has joined the two of you, now - asks dillan. "this week really flew by."

"mhm!" dillan nods. "i had loads of fun!" he lets another snowball fly. "it's gonna be even more fun next time." 

aske chuckles. "yeah. i think so, too."  

you let your apprentice keep on playing - erm, practicing - in the snow and are well aware that you give him more than five minutes to do so. by the time you put your foot down, davenport is awash in the orange glow of the sunset. 

by persana, being responsible is difficult. 

dillan doesn't put up a fight this time. he bids farewell to frosty the snowman and the three of you return to the house. stepping inside, you immediately feel the shift in temperature and note that the living room's fireplace is all set up. its flames are cheerfully burning away at the firewood, its heat spreading throughout the house. you're better suited to the cold, but there's a certain comfort to be found in the warmth that surfacers love to spread. 

"monka!" dillan calls. on cue, his small brown owl comes fluttering down from upstairs. he lands on dillan's head with a loud hoot. "good boy!" 

pepega follows him. your beloved owl familiar lands right in front of dillan. she looks at you expectantly and you nod. upon learning that she should, in fact, coddle dillan right now, she waddles over to him and lets him hug her. 

the third animal of the house soon joins the two owls. rummy, relius' cat, lazily makes his way down the stairs. he lets out a loud meow and doesn't quite make it to dillan. instead, he sleepily curls up at the foot of the staircase. 

"welcome back, lads!" relius calls out from the kitchen. "aske, i put a kettle on. keep an eye on it for me, would you? i've got a hankering for some sealeaf tea."

"will do," aske says. "uh, unless… do you need help with anything, reides?"

"nope," you answer. "dillan packed up his things last night and i've assembled a small kit. all that's left is to get everything in order for the spell." 

"yeah! i'll go put monka in his cage so that he's safe!" with the tiny owl still perched on his head, dillan carefully steps around rummy and heads upstairs. pepega flies behind him with a chorus of hoots. 

"i'll go get my things, too." you lean over to aske and press your lips against his. "see you soon." 

"yeah…" aske grumbles. "see you." 

"quit moping." you pinch his cheek again. "we have a shopping trip to plan out once i'm back. while we're doing that, you're going to get positively sick of spending time with me." 

"i could never," he says. "c'mon, now. you know that i'd brave all the tedious shopping trips in the world for you." he gives you another kiss before departing for the kitchen.  

you go up the stairs; at the top of them, you hear dillan making quite the ruckus from within the guest room that he stays in. it's a repurposed study, but he doesn't mind. you pass by its closed door with a curious little smile and enter your room. technically, it's aske's room. at first, you stayed in the room that dillan is in, but… it didn't really work out. you'd be with aske so often that there was really no point to staying somewhere else in the house. 

small and cozy, aske's room is full of random sailing and fishing paraphernalia. naturally, his bookshelf is crammed full of books, too. however, unlike your bookshelves back in valoris manor and the coralpeak citadel, aske's books are well-maintained and neatly organized. upon arriving in davenport, you quickly realized that he's actually quite fussy over keeping them in order. while you can't relate to that, you definitely think that it's endearing. 

your bag is already on his bed. as you sling it over your shoulder, you press your hand against the soft blankets that it was resting on and smile. the bed is so small; it can barely fit two people in it. aske talked about getting a new one at some point but he hasn't quite gotten around to it yet. you suspect that he actually likes the lack of space. you understand: the smallness of the bed gives you an excuse to curl against him at night.

before you leave the room, you peek out the window and get a good look at the view of davenport ahead of you. the sun is slowly dipping beneath the sea, giving it the appearance of molten gold. you're so happy that you can see it from aske's house. it might be silly, but being in davenport always makes you feel so close to aquos. you know that you're actually not all that close to your home seas at all, but… it's a nice thought. 

"i'm ready!" dillan hollers. his voice sounds distant; he must be downstairs. you shouldn't keep him - or lathendria, for that matter - waiting any longer. you leave the view of the sea behind you and return downstairs to your loved ones. 

aske and relius are all set up in the living room. they're each holding a mug of what you assume is sealeaf tea. rummy has also relocated from the foot of the staircase; he's curled up beside aske, now. a bottle of firewhiskey rests on the low table between them.

"is that for lathendria?" you ask, pointing at it. upon seeing you, pepega flies over and lands on your shoulder. you absent-mindedly scratch her beneath her beak.

"indeed!" relius replies. "is that alright, reides? are you okay with delivering it for us?" 

"i'd love to!" you take the firewhiskey and slip it into your pack. "i'm sure that lathendria will love it." speaking of drinks… "how's the sealeaf tea?" 

"utterly delicious!" relius gulps some more down. "if only you had the time to drink some, yourselves." he sighs. "i should've prepared it sooner… it would've gone well with the syrup taffy."

"oh, no, it's fine," you say. "pickle was out in the snow up to the very last minute, after all." you return to dillan's side and pat him on the head. "did you say your 'see you's, dillan?" 

dillan shakes his head. putting his little suitcase down on the floor beside you, he walks over to the couch. "see you, rummy." he pets the orange cat. rummy meows in response, stretching contentedly. from your shoulder, pepega gives the orange cat a disdainful look. in all fairness to her, she's always been the jealous type… and you know that she's been warming up to the cat as of late. 

monka lets out a few hoots from his cage and begins pecking at its bars. "monka's saying 'see you,' too," dillan tells everyone.

"see ya, monka," aske says with a smile. 

"don't get into too much mischief!" relius adds. "that goes for you, too, young pickle." he pulls dillan into a big hug. "the next time you visit, we'll go down to the beach. we'll make a trip out of it!"

"really?" dillan beams up at him. "do you promise?"

"absolutely!"  

"oh, sh- shoot!" aske springs up to his feet. he almost spills tea all over himself in the process; luckily, it's a fate that he avoids. "gods, i almost forgot…! before you go, i need to give you something, reides!" 

"huh?" you point at yourself. "...me?" not dillan? 

"yes!" aske exclaims. "you!" he rushes across the room and grabs onto your hand. startled, pepega flutters off your shoulder and lands on the couch where aske was sitting previously. "dad reminded me." 

"i did?" relius is, apparently, also clueless as to what this is about. 

"come with me!" aske drags you out of the living room and tugs you up the stairs. "sorry, dad and dillan! and monka and pepega and rummy and, uh, everyone, really! it'll only be a second!" 

you're so incredibly confused. aske takes you right back to his room; right back to the spot that you were standing in mere minutes ago. 

"it's around here somewhere," aske pulls open a drawer and digs around inside. "...aha! here we go!" he retrieves something from the dresser and it sparks under the light of the sunset. you only catch sight of its shine for a moment - aske soon has it concealed once more, clasped between his hands. he spins around to face you. 

"aske?" you're getting more and more confused by the second. you walk closer to him. if it's a present, it's very sweet… but what was with the sense of urgency in giving it to you now? "what is that?'

aske's gaze flickers between his hands and you. "...sorry. i didn't scrounge up the time to wrap it up nicely."

"you mean, i won't be getting a box as a gift?" yes, you still remember his reaction when you gave him a present that was wrapped. it's only fair that you bring it up now.

aske laughs, shaking his head. "well played. ah, fuck it." he closes the distance between the two of you. "here." he unclasps his hands, revealing the present to you.

it's a shell. a long spindle shell, completely silver in colour. how can that be? you bend down to get a better look at it and realize that it's metallic and therefore made out of silver. that explains it. it's so realistically designed, you thought that it somehow washed up on the beach like that. it's attached to a long silver chain. 

"wow," you breathe. "it's beautiful! when did you get this?" 

"the last time that you went to port valor," aske admits. "i was bored, so i was wandering around the market. a traveling merchant was hanging out there, and i'm pretty sure that she fleeced me real bad, but the design reminded me of you so i couldn't resist. it's, uh, practical, too. it can open up. here. look." he demonstrates, gently splitting open the shell. sure enough, there are two tiny hinges on it which facilitate the motion. something's already inside of the pendant; namely, an actual shell. it's small and spirals around itself in a manner that reminds you of eadro's sigil. 

"you know that i'm not a wizard," aske says. "but i try to pay attention to the stuff that you tell me about your magic. i was thinking about your explanation of that teleport spell of yours - about the familiarity of places, and the circles, and the associated objects and all that."

you nod. it's one of the more complicated spells, that's for certain. it's sweet that aske took the time to remember its particulars. at times, you can barely remember them, yourself. 

"i was worried about you getting hurt while casting it," aske continues. "i know that it's been working out for you so far, but… i wanted to take it more seriously, and i think that using random stuff from around the house is no good. i got this little shell from the local beach. so…" he shifts around. "i was thinking that we can replace it when it loses its, uh… davenport energy." he stops shifting. "...whatever that is." he snorts. "magic's pretty weird, huh?"

"it's wonderful." you take the pendant into your hands and smile down at the tiny shell within. if you keep on changing the shell within it… you'll always have an object associated with davenport. "this way, i'll always be able to come back." 

"exactly." aske rests his hands over yours. "do you like it?"

"i love it," you say. it's so damn thoughtful. carefully, you shut the pendant once more so that you can keep the shell within it safe. "i'll put it on right now." as you do so, you chuckle. "we match now, hm?"

"sure do." aske tugs at the pendant that you gave him, so many months ago. 

"i'll need to get a chest for all of the shells that you collect for me," you say. "even if they lose their davenport energy, i'd like to keep them."

"you're gonna end up with a whole lot of shells, then!" 

"good," you say. "i love shells." you think of your shell collection from aquos; the collection that you and aske spread out all over your shrine to persana deep under valoris manor. "...and i love you." your lips connect with his. "thank you, aske," you say into the kiss. 

"you're welcome," aske responds, a bit muffled thanks to your lips. you part and he presses his forehead against yours. "i was worried that it was a weird gift." 

"aske, you never have to worry about being weird around me," you say. "you know that." in fact, you think whatever weirdness aske displays is downright charming. 

"not everyone can pull off eccentricity as well as you," aske replies. "anyway, it's getting late. you should really get a move on. if lathendria's angry, tell her that it's all my fault."

"how noble of you!" you kiss him again. "don't worry. pickle and i will be fine." you're happy to spend the night in port valor, but you find yourself a little more hesitant to part from aske. you remind yourself that you've spent plenty of time away from each other in the past - unfortunately, it does little to soothe you. maybe you're the clingy one after all. 

"if you say so." aske peels himself off you. "let's go." he holds his hand out and you take it. as you do, you notice the way he smiles down at the pendant. 

as the two of you walk back downstairs, you consider offering him a trip to the temple, as well; your teleport spell can definitely accommodate that. you then chastize yourself for being overly possessive. it's one night, you tell yourself. calm down, reides. 

"they've returned!" relius announces as you re-enter the living room with aske. pepega immediately dives for your shoulder and you let her take her typical perch upon it. 

meanwhile, dillan is sitting on the couch and holding aske's mug. he was absolutely slurping down some of the tea within it for himself. aske, knowing this, lets out a weary sigh. he takes it back from dillan, who dutifully hands it over.

"we put more honey in it," dillan informs him. 

"great," aske says flatly. 

dillan scampers over to your side. "what present did you get?" his eyes widen in recognition. "...ah! it's a shell!" he points at the pendant resting against your chest. "it's a shell chain!" 

"it suits you well, reides!" relius laughs. "goodness. i didn't even know that aske bought it." 

"he had it hidden in his dresser," you inform him. "it was a big secret." 

relius is delighted to hear this. "is that so?!" 

"okay, okay," aske says, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "we've held reides, pepega, dillan and monka back long enough. they're already going to face lathendria's wrath as-is." he smiles at the group of you. "again… i'll see you all soon."

"bye-bye!" dillan exclaims. "see ya soon for the beach! and for a longer time, too!" 

you grin. he's really holding everyone to their promise - as he should. "see you soon," you tell the chaleses (rummy obviously included). you then pull a letter that dillan sent to you from port valor out of your pocket and begin focusing on it.  

teleport is an interesting spell. most spells require you to dip into the weave, but, with this sort of magic, you feel like you're opening yourself up to it just as much. you're showing it your thoughts... showing it your memories. and it's showing you the soft energy that everything in this world emanates. above all else, teleport is a manner of communicating with the weave. he may have been joking, but aske wasn't off the mark when he talked about the shell within your pendant possessing the energy of davenport. it truly does. 

centering yourself on the energy lingering around dillan's letter, you close your eyes and think of the temple to alethus. technically, it isn't located within port valor, but it's close enough for you to regard it as such. you think of the view of the ocean from it; of the solid wooden doors that you knock against each and every time you pay a visit to it… and memories surge to the forefront of your mind. you remember the sensation of kneeling on the ground, bowing so low that your forehead got smudged with dirt. you were so desperate when you asked your friends for their help with saving aquos. it was an anguish that you'll never forget. you were significantly less scared during your return to the temple - after the burning knight's defeat. you remember seeing dillan burst through its doors, so very excited to see you. your happiness in that moment is something that you'll never forget, either. 

magic swells up from within you, the arcane power blending together with the power of your emotions. 

the weave recognizes you.

it's time. 

whispering words of power, you open your eyes and see bubbles begin to gather around you, dillan, pepega and monka. like usual, dillan tries to pop them between his hands. most people can't resist the urge to do so, though none of those who've tried have been successful. 

aske and relius wave but they're soon obscured by the bubbles. in the time it takes for you to blink, you're suddenly standing in front of the port valorian temple of alethus.  

"ough…" dillan drops his suitcase on the ground and clutches at his stomach. "i'm sick." monka hoots cheerfully from his cage, still held in the child's other hand. 

you eye dillan suspiciously. your own stomach is a bit upset, but it's the typical slight discomfort that accompanies teleportation magic. it's already settling. "are you truly?"

"yeah." he puts his hand out and stares up at you expectantly. 

you sigh and reach into your bag, pulling out a piece of salt water taffy. you might as well give it to him. you've already ruined dinner for him with all of that syrup taffy. 

"i need to learn how to say no to you, pickle," you say as he unwraps it. 

"no, you don't," dillan tells you. 

once evidence of dillan's candy consumption has been covered up and he's picked up his suitcase, you knock on the door to the temple. 

"reides? dillan?" a voice calls from within.

"hello, lathendria!" dillan exclaims. "i'm back!"

lathendria opens up the door. "you're late," she says, but she's smiling warmly. "i trust there's a good reason for that?" she puts her hands on her hips and looks at you expectantly. 

"aske told me to put the blame on him," you say. "isn't that sweet?" 

she chuckles, her posture relaxing. "it's very sweet. come on in." she steps aside, making room for the two of you and your accompanying owls. "i made a big pot of stew."

"stew!" dillan exclaims as he rushes inside with monka. 

you follow them with pepega and, eventually, you're all sitting around a small table - bowls filled to the brim with lathendria's delicious vegetable stew. she forages for the ingredients herself on the hillsides outside of port valor, so it always tastes delightfully fresh. as a little accompaniment to the meal, you present her with the bottle of firewhiskey from relius. at first, the cleric seems a bit taken aback by it, but she soon accepts it graciously. she pours a tankard of it for herself and insists that you enjoy some, as well. 

meanwhile, dillan updates her on all of the magic practice that he took part in over the course of his stay in davenport. you follow-up his stories with explanations as to why most of this practice is akin to playing. 

"all of the arcane theory will come later," you assure lathendria. 

"don't worry, reides. i'm not going to question your curriculum." she side-eyes dillan. "alethus knows that it's given him quite the motivation to do well in his academic lessons, so i've no complaints." 

dillan's face twists at the mention of those. "lessons…" 

"they're important, dillan!" you tell him. you try not to think about all of the lessons that you accidentally skipped in the name of pursuing your own wizardry. poor sodulen. "if you do well in them, you'll be able to practice magic more often." 

"i know." dillan slurps up some more stew. "i'm gonna do real well in 'em."

the three of you eat every last bit of lathendria's stew. surprisingly, you and dillan manage despite the influence of all the afternoon's snacking. by the end of dinner, your apprentice can barely keep his eyes open. he's trying to resist sleep with all his might, but his full belly and the busy day have both clearly taken their toll on him. you cast presto chango a few times so as to help lathendria with cleaning up, then carry dillan to his room yourself. propping him up on your back, you carry monka's cage in your hand as you go. pepega quietly follows along. 

dillan's room in the temple is decorated with many simple toys, all packed neatly as per lathendria's instruction. you spot the toy boat that you gifted to him on a shelf and grin. 

"are you gonna read me a story?" dillan asks sleepily as you plop him down into his bed. 

"i think you might be a bit too tired for that, pickle," you reply. "you can barely keep those eyes of yours open!" 

"that's not…" dillan trails off as he yawns. "...that's not true." he rubs at his eyes. "they're open. my eyes're really open."

you chuckle, moving to place monka's cage in its designated spot. the young owl is wide awake but isn't making any noise. it seems like he knows that his owner must rest, now. "don't force yourself to stay awake, dillan. i'll read plenty of stories for you next time. okay?"

"...okay." dillan sits up in bed and you return to his side. "g'night, reides." he wraps his hands around your neck, hugging you tightly. "you'll send me messages, right? the ones that i get to hear in my head? and you'll write?"

"i will." you pat him on the back. "we'll see each other again soon. maybe it'll even be too soon!" 

"no way," dillan says. "it won't be too soon. not ever." he lets go of you. "i wanna go to the beach. i gotta make plans for it…" he furrows his brow, thinking. pepega chirps happily. 

dillan grins and reaches out to her. knowing exactly what that means, pepega flies into his arms. "be good," he tells her as they hug. "no fighting with rummy." 

pepega chirps again - this time a bit less happily. 

dillan just laughs quietly and hugs her even tighter. "remember to eat some salt water taffy if you feel sick tomorrow, reides," he says. "it always helps me." 

"who do you think taught you that trick?" you tease. "don't worry. i will." you pull his covers up over him and gently stroke his hair. "good night, pickle." 

dillan nods sluggishly. his eyes flutter shut and, within moments, your apprentice falls fast asleep.

pepega takes her usual perch upon your shoulder and you quietly make your way out of the room. shutting the door behind you, you rub at your eyes. pepega pecks gently at your cheek and you grin.

"i know, i know," you say. "i'm a real sap." 

pepega hoots in agreement, cuddling up next to you. 

you walk back to the temple's dining hall. lathendria is sitting at the table once more, her tankard of firewhiskey refilled. when she catches sight of you, her posture straightens. 

"reides," she says. "how'd it go?"

"he's out," you tell her. you join her at the table, letting pepega wander about the room freely. "that may have been the fastest he's ever fallen asleep with me around."

"judging from all the stories, it sounds like he had quite the active day." lathendria grabs onto the firewhiskey and refills your tankard. "is it too much?"

"not at all," you reply. "i love firewhiskey." it's your favorite drink on the surface, after all!

lathendria laughs. "that's not what i meant." she puts down the bottle and cups her hands around her tankard. "it's quite the task to look after a child." 

"oh." whoops. "um, well, it's not without its challenges…" you think back to all of the times that dillan has successfully persuaded you into doing something that he truly should not be doing. "...but dillan is very sweet. i love spending time with him." you smile down into your drink. "it's not as if i look after him all on my own, either! aske is a huge help. the two of them are very close." you were so nervous when you introduced them to each other. it turns out that you had nothing to fear at all. "relius is also great with him. dillan adores his uncle rel." 

"good." lathendria takes a sip of firewhiskey. "...thank you, reides. he's been doing better. at everything, really. from academics to playing with the other children. he's more cheerful. less lonely." a wistfulness comes over her. "the pain in him… it's still there. but… lately, i feel like he's breathing a whole lot easier." she smiles warmly. "my apologies. i'm rambling. it's probably due to the firewhiskey. i simply wished to thank you - and the rest of the chales family, for that matter."

"it's no problem at all! really, dillan is a lovely kid. i couldn't ask for a better apprentice. i should be the one thanking you for letting him go off on these trips to davenport." you pause for a moment, thinking over what she just said. "...wait. the rest of…?"

"...you're a part of their family, aren't you?" lathendria is still smiling. "you've been staying with them for quite some time." 

"i…" you don't know if you'd go that far. it hasn't been that long since you started staying over in davenport. as much as you love aske, it's not like… it's… 

your face heats up. 

"sorry," you splutter. "it's the firewhiskey." 

it's not the firewhiskey.

this is happening way too much today. 

"don't worry about it." lathendria giggles. "my point is that the three of you are very important to dillan and i'm grateful for that. i'd like to express my thanks to aske and relius, as well. so!" she plonks her tankard down on the table with a triumphant thump. "when you leave tomorrow morning, i'll have something ready for you to take back to them. alright?" 

"there's really no need," you say hurriedly. "i don't want to take anything that you might need for dillan. or for the temple. or for the city -" 

"nonsense! we're all doing far better than before," lathendria says. "you know that us valorians are a resilient sort. the present will be for me as much as it is for you all."

you suppose you understand what she means. "okay," you concede. "once it isn't too much trouble." you're beginning to sense that relius and lathendria will start exchanging gifts every single time you teleport between davenport and this temple. oh, persana… 

"excellent!" lathendria beams at you. "anyway, you should get some sleep. i'm sure that you had quite the eventful week. you should go somewhere with aske and put your feet up!"  

you laugh nervously. "maybe." with the trip to aquos looming on the horizon, you have a feeling that you won't be putting your feet up any time soon.

"i take it that you remember where the guest quarters are." lathendria pours herself some more firewhiskey. you guess that she wants to drink some more on her own. "as usual, feel free to call for me if you need anything." 

"thanks, lathendria." downing the remainder of your firewhiskey, you stand up. noticing her cue, pepega swoops over to you and lands on your shoulder. "i hope that you get a chance to relax soon, too." 

"oh, this past week without the little rascal was my vacation, actually," she jokes. with a chuckle, the cleric raises her tankard towards you. "good night, reides."

iii.

port valor's temple of alethus has a few rooms set aside for visiting clerics and wayward travelers. technically, you're neither of those things at the moment - but that's okay. lathendria says that alethus wouldn't mind and, given what you know of the goddess thanks to kilwin, you're inclined to agree. all modestly furnished, the rooms are quite comfortable. pretty much as soon as you enter the one that you'll be overnighting in, you flop yourself down onto the bed and curl right up. 

however, despite your willingness to sleep, it completely evades you. 

you toss and you turn, your mind going over the events of the day repeatedly. time and time again, they snag on the upcoming trip to aquos. and when that happens, they drift to thoughts of your family. of your father. 

when you finally told him about aske, your father said that a laverath is a laverath, no matter who they love. he brought up his past with his own father, too. it's no secret that your grandfather, zinthos, disapproved of your parents' relationship. some even regard it a miracle that khavas remained his heir at all. but for your father to actually talk about it… things must have truly been rough for the two of them. you shudder to think of what zinthos would think of aske. hells, you shudder to think of what zinthos would think of you. you meant it when you told your father that he was better than your grandfather, and you have faith that your family will treat aske well. after all, they need to express their gratitude to him. he played a large role in saving aquos.  

so… 

why are you so nervous?

you groan, stuffing your head beneath a pillow. sometimes, you're so full of love that it hurts. you have so much of it - for your adventuring party, for your family, for aske… for dillan and relius and rose... for pepega and bimini and monka and rummy… for so many people that you've met on your journey, like lathendria and urli. hells, you have a ton of it for people that you once took for granted, too - like dharry and kanom. when you left for the surface, you intended to exist as a drifter. to not be held down; for no one to truly know you in any capacity. you didn't expect to fail at the task so spectacularly, but, by persana, are you glad that you did. 

maybe you're nervous about aske meeting your family because of that love. maybe it just comes with the territory. but… maybe there's something you can do to make things easier on yourself. maybe there's someone you can talk to. 

you sit up. 

that's exactly what you need to do. and you know exactly who you want to talk to, as well.

the question is… will it work? 

she's asleep by now, right?

pepega hoots softly, flying onto the bed. you pet her. "sorry, pepega," you tell her. "i'm fine. just going to cast a spell."

pepega hoots affirmatively. she nestles on the bed's pillow, evidently intending to keep a close watch over you. you reach for your bag and begin rummaging through its contents, pulling out your spellbook. turning page after page, you soon find the spell that you need.

dream.

giving the arcane formulae a quick once-over, you grab the necessary components from your pouch and sit up straight. doing the required hand motions, you whisper words of power and begin trying to bend the dreamscape to your will. the setting will be that of the coralpeak citadel's gardens. and the person who you'll dream with… why, that'll be none other than arlyn giarde laverath. your mother.

the connection is instant. you quietly thank persana; maybe all of that tossing and turning had a purpose, after all. your mother isn't the type to go to bed early. 

"oh." your mother appears in the space before you, floating right next to her beloved sea flowers. her long shawl is wrapped around her shoulders and she wears a simple yet elegant dress. strings of pearls are woven into her braid. "...reides? i didn't know that you were visiting home at the moment." tilting her head, she looks around. "i don't quite know how i got to the gardens, either." 

"hi, mother," you say. "sorry. i didn't mean to disorient you or anything. this is actually a dream."

"is it, now?" she reaches out to the flowers, brushing her fingers lightly over their petals. "how interesting. it feels quite real." 

"that's because it is," you say. "kind of, at least. it's a spell! a communication one. it's like sending, only without the word limit." you suspect that even if you poured the rest of your magical reserves into casting sending multiple times, you'd still end up getting cut off. as useful as it is, you can only convey so much in 25 words. 

"i should have known." your mother grins. "that's my little storm." she wraps her arms around you and pulls you into a hug. "how are you doing, reides? i've made good progress on that thing that you asked me to look into. i should have a list of potential investors compiled in the very near future." 

"that's great!" genuinely - it is. most of your ambassadorial duties in aquos have focused on establishing the honor guard in daiven's lake. as an aside, you brought up introducing wizardry to laverathia, as the surface has many schools devoted to the arcane arts… and one thing simply led to another. "you know that i don't do so well in the aquosian court." your attempts to draw in investors would only send them scuttling away. 

"nonsense," your mother says. "your reputation has added a certain flair to my persuasive tactics. even those who fear storms know that they possess a great deal of power." 

that's one way of putting it. "i'm still glad that you've been handling it. really, mother - thank you." 

"it's no problem at all. your father's been a great help, as well," your mother says. "you know how khavas gets at the prospect of strengthening our empire. lately, he practically has stars in his eyes! that man…" she giggles.

your father? with stars in his eyes? you can't even imagine it - especially since he hated your magical studies for such a long time. "i'm just happy that everything's been working out." it'll be a long time coming before laverathia's very first wizarding academy is established, but you're determined to see its inception through. you owe the victims of kal'dazzum and ryl'dhagt that much. 

"i am, too," your mother says. she tucks a strand of your hair behind your ear. "khavas isn't the only one who's proud of you."

"thanks." you smile. "um… i know that things have been busy in aquos, with the academy and the honor guard and everything... but i wanted to ask you something. it's about aske." 

"really?" your mother is intrigued. "how is that boyfriend of yours doing?" 

"he's been great," you say. "we've been great. i… i actually told him about father accepting our relationship today."

your mother laughs incredulously. "you took your time with that, reides! it's been weeks since that audience!" 

"i know!" you flush. "i wasn't sure how to break it to him. i kept thinking that i'd wait for the perfect moment, but it turns out that there isn't really a perfect moment for that sort of news." 

"at least you managed to get it out eventually," your mother says, very fond. "how did it go?" 

"he was pretty shocked," you admit. "he seemed to have some trouble breathing. also, he, like, doubled over a bit." you demonstrate said doubling over. 

"a fitting reaction." your mother draws her shawl around her shoulders a bit tighter. "what's the next step for the two of you, then?"

"i want him to meet all of you," you say. "properly. i want him to swim around the citadel freely and for his face to be known, just like the faces of my surfacer friends."

"mhm…" your mother smiles. "does he want that?"

"yes," you say. "...um, at least, i think he does." you know that you have a tendency to go a bit overboard. aske probably doesn't want the entirety of aquos to know about him. alas - given the way that the nobles of the court gossip, they definitely will. "i know that he wants to meet you all without all of the secrecy." you still feel a bit bad about his first visit to the coralpeak citadel. hidden away in that room, he couldn't see all that much of your home - but at least he enjoyed meeting your mother. it also gave him a chance to get adjusted to water-breathing magic.

"then we should definitely start arranging something!" your mother exclaims, clapping her hands together. "your siblings are going to be so delighted."

you groan. viglis went off and told dhudus and lotlyn about aske pretty much immediately after your audience with your father. on your following trip to aquos, the three of them teased you relentlessly about him. you wonder just what sort of stuff they're going to tell aske when they actually meet him. 

"by the by, i haven't told any of them that i've already met him," your mother adds.

you pale. "do you think they'd get angry if they knew?" 

"it's nothing like that." she waves off your concern with a mischievous grin. "you may not like keeping secrets… but i do. and very much so."

persana below… your mother truly is a unique person. "do you want to keep it under wraps, then? i don't want to ruin your fun." 

"maybe." she taps her chin. "let's see how it goes, shall we?" 

"okay." you're fine with that. "when should i bring aske to the citadel? we should probably choose a time that isn't all that busy." you have no idea what your father's current schedule looks like. 

"how about in a week's time?" your mother suggests. "we can have dinner together with everyone, then give him a little tour." 

"that should work." it gives aske plenty of time to steady his nerves. "i'll talk it over with him tomorrow and let you know with sending." 

"wonderful!" your mother is beaming. "that'll also serve as confirmation that this dream is more than an oddly complex figment of my imagination!" 

you laugh. "it would, wouldn't it?" 

talking to her has definitely calmed you down in some ways… but it's also made you even more nervous in other ways. you figured that you'd feel better once you set up a proper date for the aquos trip, and you do. however, it's still very much another bit of news that you'll need to break to aske. 

"don't worry, little storm," your mother says. it looks like she's picked up on your nerves. "it's not like aske has to meet an emperor like zinthos." 

you recall what your father said during that audience with him. the pain of zinthos' rejection of arlyn… it's something that he still carries with him. you wonder if your mother carries that same pain, too. "meeting grandfather must have been terrifying for you." 

"oh, yes! very much so!" your mother nods vigorously. "i remember, leading up to it, i was actually practicing a variety of self-defense techniques. khavas even told me about the secret tunnels leading out of the citadel, should i have needed to swim for it." 

"really?!" 

"your father isn't quite as much a stickler for the rules as one would think," your mother says with a wink. "the citadel was so different, back then…" she sighs softly. "i think the state of things sharpened khavas' resolve. mine, as well. the two of us have always wanted laverathia to be the best place that it could possibly be." she smiles softly. "i hope that's something that you and your siblings want, as well."

"of course it is!" there's no doubt about it. aquos has caused you a great deal of distress in the past, but it has also soothed you like no other place possibly could - be it on the surface or within the seas. lotlyn was right: what's home if not the place that stresses you out the most? 

"by the way!" your mother reaches out and touches the shell pendant that you're wearing. "this right here is new, isn't it?" 

"yes! it was a gift from aske," you tell her. "it's actually a locket. there's a shell inside of it so that i can easily teleport back to his home in davenport." 

your mother's smile returns, wider than ever. "how very lovely," she says. "that will certainly be convenient when we all need to make the trip up there, hm? to meet aske's father and whatnot." 

what?! "that's - that -" 

she laughs out loud and pulls you into another hug. you wonder if she can feel the way your heart is drumming away in your chest thanks to the panic she just put you in. 

"don't worry, little storm," she says. "we'll make one splash at a time."

iv. 

"aske!" 

"hey! r- oof!" aske is almost knocked right off his feet as you lunge into him. "oh, gods - hey!" he laughs, trying to steady both of you. the very moment you arrived back home in davenport, you rushed to his room. when you swung the door open, you found him standing in front of his mirror, pulling his winter coat over his shirt. 

"i missed you!" you exclaim. you're clinging onto him with all the might you can muster. "relius wasn't downstairs. did he set off for the day already?"

"guess so." aske pats you on the head. "i haven't exactly stepped out of here yet. i missed you, too, by the way." he leans down and gives you a quick kiss. 

"were you planning on having a lazy morning?" he's usually up and about by the time you return from port valor.

"not really," aske says. "i had some trouble sleeping last night, given… everything."

seriously?! "i did, too!" you exclaim. "i ended up talking to my mother." 

aske isn't alarmed by that in the slightest. "with dream, yeah?"

"yeah!" you suppose that he'd have no reason to be shocked. you've used that spell countless times on him. sometimes, you even use it when you're sharing a bed. that always gets a laugh out of him.

he grins. "how's arlyn doing?" 

"she's great! i told her about how you want to meet everyone, and…" oh, persana - don't let your nerves flare up now. do not. "...and she said that we can visit the citadel next week." you finally loosen your grip on your boyfriend. "so, um, if that works for you, i'll let her know."

"yeah, sure," aske says. "that works. glad that she's doing well." 

…

a surprisingly tame reaction. 

he's… a lot more relaxed about everything today. "are you feeling okay?" you press your hand against his forehead, trying to feel for a fever. surfacers tend to run a lot warmer than tritons, so your estimates can be a bit off. "you're distinctly less short of breath. you're not doubling over anymore, either." 

"why do you sound so worried? doesn't that mean that i'm fine?" aske chuckles and takes your hand into his. "i thought about a lot of stuff last night. you said it'll go well, so it'll go well." he brings your hand up to his lips for a kiss. "i'm still kinda freaked out, but we'll handle it. right?"

"right." you smile. hearing him say that causes your own nerves to slowly dissipate. no matter what happens within the coralpeak citadel, you and aske will be together to face it. "my mother really liked this, by the way." you hold up the shell pendant. 

"did she, now?" aske smiles, too. "maybe that'll get me in her good books."

"you were already in them!" you insist. "she loved meeting you. it's a cherished memory of hers, i think." why else would she be keeping it secret from the rest of the family? 

aske laughs. "...since you got here in one piece, i'm assuming that the shell inside of the locket worked out."

"mhm. it was the best teleport i've ever casted." and you're not just saying that. you actually do think that there were more bubbles than usual. 

"glad to hear it." 

on the subject of teleporting… "i actually brought something over for you from port valor." 

aske's brow quirks. "what is it this time? did dillan catch another weird bug? 'cause i do not want to see any more weird bugs." 

"no, no! it's from lathendria." you grab onto his hand and lead him downstairs. since relius isn't home at the moment, the house is completely quiet. it isn't lonely, though. it's lovely. strange how a quiet little house can still feel so welcoming and full of life. "there it is!" 

you point towards a small wicker basket resting on the living room table. within it is a massive loaf of bread that's been baked to golden perfection. 

"bread?" aske approaches the loaf cautiously "you brought bread?" 

"i did," you say. "lathendria made it herself. it's a present to say thank-you for taking such good care of dillan."  

"that's sweet of her. is it…" aske turns to look back at you. "is it okay to eat it?"

"why wouldn't it be?!" lathendria is an excellent cook, so she's likely an excellent baker! 

"you teleported over here with it, so it might've gotten drenched in magic or something." aske approaches the loaf and tears a piece of it off. "what would magic-drenched bread look like, anyhow? would it have a purple hue to it or something?" 

"i wish." you walk up to him and, in one quick motion, take the piece of bread and pop it into your mouth.

"reides!" aske exclaims. "is it really okay to eat it?!"

"yes! it's okay to eat it!" you laugh. "it's perfectly normal, delicious bread. like i said, lathendria made it special for you and relius." you then realize what you've done. you stop chewing. "...oh. um. since it's for the two of you, i probably shouldn't have eaten the very first piece." 

"i'm sure that lathendria made it for all of us," aske says, a corner of his mouth twitching. "dillan's your apprentice, after all. you spend the most time with the kid." he's trying so hard not to smile. "anyway - i guess i'll have some, as well. if the magic bread dooms you, it'll doom me, too."

you watch him tear another piece off and pop it into his mouth. "maybe you'll be able to cast spells now."

"maybe," aske agrees. "if you give this to dillan, i bet he'll be casting stuff in no time at all." 

"i think you're on to something, there!" 

munching on his bread, aske glances around the room. "looks like dad filled rummy's bowl," he notes. you peek over to the cat's feed bowl. relius made it for rummy years and years ago. it has a little carving of a fish on it and, at the moment, a mound of shredded fish rests inside of it. "aren't you hungry, rums?" aske calls out. rummy - half-asleep on the couch - meows lazily and stretches. next to him, pepega lets out a disdainful little hoot.

"remember what dillan said, pepega," you tell the owl. she looks away from you but doesn't leave the cat's side. they're friends. you just know it.  

"it's still early," aske murmurs, running a hand through his hair. "and the weather's nice, to boot. why don't we split this loaf in half and take the starsong out? i can fish. you can paint." he shrugs. "we can make some plans for the trip to aquos, too." 

"yes! i'd love that!" you'd never turn down a boat-ride on the starsong. you love painting out on the water. "i'll get my supplies. i'll be right back!" 

"sounds good to me." aske tears off some more bread. "gods, this really is delicious..." 

you scramble up to his room and grab your paint set from its usual resting place - namely, all laid out on the desk right by the room's window. a few easels are propped up against said desk, as well. you bought everything on your very first trip to davenport's market. since your main way of presenting offerings to persana is via paintings, you figured you'd hone your artistic skills while you have the time to do so. seeing relius' woodwork only made you feel even more adamant about becoming relatively decent painter. he's shown you such kindness; you'd truly like to help him out with his carpentry projects in whatever way you can. 

supplies retrieved, you rush back down to aske. "i'm ready!"

"that was quick. the starsong isn't going anywhere, you know. you don't need to rush." aske isn't one to talk. he gathered his fishing tackle already, too. his rod is resting against his shoulder.

still, you play along. "yes, i do," you tell him. "if i don't, you'll eat all of the bread behind my back." 

with his free hand, aske tears another piece of the loaf off and pops it into his mouth. "point taken." 

after cutting the loaf in half (you need to save some for relius, after all) and packing it away in another basket, the two of you give rummy and pepega some more pets. with the house handled, you set off towards davenport's docks. it's a beautiful morning: the snow is still quite piled up but the sun is shining down. it makes the walk down to the water all the more invigorating. 

"i feel inspired," you tell aske as you skip ahead, swinging the basket of bread as you go. "i think i'm going to paint something really good today."

"are you planning on whipping up another portrait of me?" 

you pout as you turn on your heel. "i don't paint you that often."

"you totally do." 

you blush, thinking back to all of the portraits of aske that you've painted in the past few weeks. maybe he has a point. in your defense, your options are rather limited when you're out on the water. 

"hey, i'm not complaining," aske says. "it's kinda difficult to fish when you make me hold poses for a real long time, though." 

"well, you know what they say." you turn back around to face the sea. "paint what you love!" 

the two of you find the starsong with ease. named by his mother and crafted by his father, aske visits his boat every day and always goes out of his way to take care of her. in that sense, you truly regard the starsong as a part of the chales family in her own right. she's small enough to be operated by aske alone and he's taken her on countless fishing trips over the years. unlike your boyfriend - the famed bosun of the desperado - you barely know the first thing about sailing, but the practice genuinely fascinates you. furthermore, you love watching aske work on his boat. you could watch him do so for hours; in fact, you have watched him do so for hours. 

taking your usual seat by the starsong's stern, you place the bread basket safely next to you and arrange all of your painting supplies so that you can get right to work. meanwhile, aske gets everything set up for shoving off. 

you're out on the water with him in no time at all.

aske sets up his fishing tackle and takes a seat on a small stool. you watch him go through the motions, charmed by how familiar it all is. but you have to resist the urge you have to paint him. you must. 

an idea comes to you. "if you catch a fish, i'll paint that." 

"what do you mean, if?!" aske huffs as he casts his line into the sea. "i'll catch one right now." 

hilariously enough, he actually does. not at that exact moment, but shortly thereafter. his line catches and he reels it in; you clamber over everything to get a good look at it.  

"what is it?" you ask as he unhooks it. "what is it?!" its fins have a strong red sheen to them and, upon closer inspection, you see that it has… "...wings?!" 

aske laughs. "it's a lyvernan seaglider," he says as he plops his catch into a chest that's been filled up with icy snow. he usually stows the chest away on the starsong, but he pulls it out whenever he's going to fish. apparently, the ice keeps the meat from spoiling. "they don't have much meat on their bones, but rummy really likes eating them. guess his lunch is sorted." 

"why does it have wings?!" they're translucent, kind of like the wings of an insect. "can it fly?"

"they can glide." aske replaces the bait on his fishing rod's' hook. "those wings are actually just fins. i'm surprised i haven't caught more of 'em this winter. they're pretty common at this time of year." 

"they're beautiful." you feel a bit bad that this one has now met its end, but rummy needs to eat. "it'll be a good subject for a painting. hopefully rummy won't try to eat the final product."  

"hopefully," aske agrees with a laugh. he casts his line into the sea once more, and you drag the fish-chest over to your side. "...i'm going to need that for other catches, you know."

you pout. "you can move them over here, can't you?"

aske stares at you for a moment before sighing. "...yeah. fine. you win."

smiling triumphantly, you start mixing the necessary colours for your painting of the seaglider. colour-matching is pretty difficult, so you tend to take some artistic liberty with your creations. it's more fun that way, anyhow. 

"do tritons paint down in aquos?" aske asks. "or is this hobby of yours going to be limited to the surface?" 

"laverathians paint all the time," you tell him. "the supplies we use are different, but it's painting nonetheless. for example, many of our artists mix dyes in the water and create beautiful patterns with them." 

"woah," aske says. "that's amazing. are you gonna practice that, too?"

"maybe!" you're not sure if you'll even be able to try your hand at it. every time you visit aquos, you've got things to do. agendas to cover. messages to report. it's been that way since your return to it for the siege of the coralpeak citadel. "i'm usually pretty busy whenever i go home." you let out a big sigh, adding some scaly details to the red blob of paint on the easel in front of you. "ambassadorial work is no joke." 

"you should hang around there for fun more often," aske says. "your family'd like that, i think."

"probably." you smile sadly. during your adventure with the rest of the champions valoris, your visits were even shorter. there was always so much to do… 

"...and, i mean, if stuff goes well with meeting them and they don't entirely hate me, i'll, uh…" aske shifts around. "...i'll go with you. if it makes it easier." he winces. "sorry. is that a shitty thing to say? i don't want to overstep or anything."

"you're not overstepping. not at all." your smile loses its sadness. "i appreciate it." you think back to all of your offers to take your friends to your home seas. it was easy to frame it in terms of nerves - of wanting support every time you had to address your father. it's not like you were lying when you did so, either. those audiences always took a lot out of you. 

but there was always more to it. 

you love your home, so you obviously want to share it with the ones you love. you want to show everyone the shipwrecks that you played in; to point out the ways in which your people create art and make food and play games. the way they fight and the way they mourn and the way they live. you don't blame your ancestors - nor your father - for wanting to keep the laverathian empire isolated from the surface world. there's safety to be found in that isolation. but it can be dangerous, too. and it can be lonely. so lonely.

maybe the honor guard in daiven's lake is a start. a cautious first step towards a better future, where, at the very least, you can swim easy knowing that your surfacer friends are safe in your home. 

"sucks that my formal outfit'd probably get ruined down there, though," aske says. "i don't want to risk fucking it up."

"that's a good call. especially since we'll need those outfits for ashara's wedding." you try to make the blob of red paint less blob-like and more fish-like. "i think they'd be a bit too formal for dinner with my family, anyway."

"a bit too formal?" aske gives you a look. "a bit too formal for dinner with the royal family of an undersea -"

"they're just my family, aske!" you interject. "i have embarrassing stories about each and every single one of them." okay, maybe not about your parents… but you have tons of material on your siblings. "i'm not going to wear anything special for it." the ensemble that you're wearing right now works just fine on the surface and within the seas. "i can see why you'd want something a bit more ocean-friendly, though." even if you think that he'd be fine in anything he wore, his comfort is more important. 

"exactly!" aske stares out at the sea. "i don't know if davenport'd have anything fit for a dinner in an undersea empire… or, hells, even a visit to one." he sighs. "maybe i'm overthinking it. last time, everything happened so quickly. i didn't have time to mull anything over. i showed up with the clothes that were already on my back."

"perhaps i should've sprung the dinner up on you, then." you mix some more paint; your red blob is definitely looking more fish-like. "no time to mull things over means no time to overthink." 

"reides, you saw the state i was in yesterday. if you sprung it up on me, i would've probably passed right out."

maybe so. "if you don't think davenport will have anything, maybe we can go somewhere else, then." 

"the dinner's in a week. we won't have the time to - oh." aske cuts himself short. "teleport."

"teleportation circle, too," you remind him. you add some round eyes to your fish painting. "i've got sigils for aquos, falas and atemcester. we'll need teleport to get back home, though, and i've already used it for today. but we can go as soon as tomorrow." satisfied with the fish's eyes, you add some flecks of white to make them look like they're glistening.

"gods…" aske looks at you incredulously. "i'm okay with some teleporting, then. sure. but not to aquos. not yet." 

"true. sneaking out of the citadel to buy clothes for you might end poorly." you might encounter your siblings on the way over, which would defeat the purpose of introducing them all to aske at the same time. "...then again, i did a lot of sneaking out when i was a kid. it might actually end up being fine." not only that, but you also have spells now. those'd be a big help. you could make aske invisible or something! 

"oh, yeah, reides," aske says dryly. "i'm sure your father won't have a bunch of questions when your boyfriend - a surfacer who's supposedly never been to aquos - suddenly shows up in the garb of a laverathian triton." 

"we can tell him that i bought the outfit for you!"  

aske gives you a positively withering look. "i don't know if i'll have the fortitude to even talk to the guy and you want me to lie to him?"

"you're already lying to him," you point out. "'cause you've been to aquos already."

aske clutches onto his fishing rod a bit tighter. "shit," he says. 

looks like an aquos shopping trip is genuinely out of the question now. "...okay, okay. i know exactly where we should go." you flourish your paintbrush dramatically. "we should go to atemcester!" it's been a while since you last visited for reasons other than attending an audience. falas is wonderful, but you've spent quite a bit of time there recently with all of your ambassadorial work regarding daiven's lake. in addition to that…

you may have a bit of a plan brewing. 

"trust me," you continue. "there's something there that'd be perfect for you."  

"what's that supposed to mean?" aske asks. 

"you'll see."

"that's not very - ah!" aske's fishing rod suddenly lurches forward in his grasp. thankfully, it doesn't manage to escape from it. cursing in elvish, aske stands up and begins trying to reel it in. you munch on some of lathendria's bread while you watch him grapple wildly with the fish on his line. 

once again, your boyfriend outwits the fish and manages to reel it right onto the boat. this catch is much larger than the seaglider; you recognize it as a sea bass. they swim around over in the depths of laverathian basin as well, though you've noticed that their scales aren't quite as vibrant up here on the surface. 

"there you have it," aske says as the catch flops about on the deck of the starsong. "lunch. maybe even dinner, too." it's a big fish. size-wise, it reminds you a bit of the salmon you caught with jorah's help all those months ago.

"it's a good sign," you say, your mouth full of bread. "it showed up right as i mentioned my surprise for you."

aske laughs, moving the sea bass from the deck and plopping it into the snow-filled chest. "if you say so." before you can protest about the new catch obscuring your view of the old one, aske rearranges them so that you can see the subject of your painting properly once more. "can't say i'm not curious, but i have a feeling i won't be able to wring a damn thing out of you." 

"you'd be correct about that." you smile at him and lean back, feeling the wintery sun against your skin. the gentle warmth of it paired with the sound of the waves lapping against the starsong is so relaxing, you're certain that you'd fall asleep if you dared to close your eyes. "...if that's our next step, we can take it easy today, then, can't we?" no more planning required. 

"assuming a certain someone doesn't get summoned away for some sort of ambassadorial or adventurer business, yeah," aske says. "we can stay out here until the bread won't stave our hunger off any longer." he nods towards the loaf that you've been picking at while you paint. "then we can head back home and make a feast out of my catches."

"great!" you've been studying that cookbook which you bought all those months ago religiously, but meal preparation on the surface has its tricks. aske manages well enough with it, but you have a tendency to under-cook everything. at least you're great at preparing the fish itself. "i wonder if relius was planning on bringing something home to eat." since you didn't run into him this morning, you couldn't ask. 

"if he does, we'll end up with an even bigger feast." aske casts his line into the ocean once more. "i won't complain about that." you have a feeling that rummy won't, either. 

the hours pass and aske manages to catch a very respectable haul of fish; certainly feast-worthy, in your opinion. in between his catches, you slice off pieces of bread for him and enjoy many such pieces yourself. your painting ends up being pretty damn decent, too - even if the translucency of the seaglider's wing-fins is a bit tricky for you to convey. 

by the time the sun reaches its peak in the midday sky, aske is sailing the starsong back to the docks of davenport. you look out at the beautiful, beautiful seas which surround the two of you and smile as its winds run through your hair. being out on the water with aske like this is always a treat; you can't think of anywhere else you'd rather be. a great many ships hail from davenport - relius actually had a hand in making a staggering amount of them - but you truly think the starsong is the best of the best. 

after securing his boat on the docks, aske lugs the snow-and-fish-filled chest out of the dockyard and back up to the house. you help out by grabbing everything else. lugging everything up in one trip takes some creativity, but you know what you're doing. you have a system, and it's effective even with the now-empty bread-basket in the mix. 

"we're back," aske announces as he treks through the yard. even if relius isn't home yet, you know that his greeting is for rose, too. you direct a smile towards her gravestone as you walk past, yourself.  

once inside, you hurriedly stash away all of your supplies and place your seaglider painting in the living room so that you can show it to relius whenever he gets home. when you notice rummy eyeing it from his spot on the couch, you move it over to rest on the fireplace's mantle, instead. 

admittedly, you probably didn't need to do that, as once rummy realizes that aske has actual fish, he becomes energized. scuttling off the couch, he begins following aske around the kitchen… and once you get to work at gutting the fish, he practically clambers up your side. you're pretty bad at ignoring his insistent meows and aske is no different. the cat ends up getting a double-helping of seaglider chunks in addition to the meal that he had earlier in the day. pepega - ever-true to her food aversion - watches over her cat companion's antics with her usual mild disdain. 

when the catches are free of their innards and excellently prepared, if you do say so yourself, aske gets to work on cooking everything. opting for a simple baked sea bass recipe for lunch and a huge fish stew for dinner, you help him by sitting at the dining table and reading out instructions from your cookbook. basking in the scent of the fish, rummy succumbs to a nap on the kitchen floor and pepega decides to take a break from judging him. she flutters over to you and nestles calmly in your lap. 

right as aske is drizzling the baked sea bass with an additional heap of spices, a voice bellows from the entryway: "why, it smells fantastic in here!" relius. 

you peek out of the kitchen and wave his way. as per usual for one of his workdays, the shipwright is spending his break covered in a light dusting of wood fibres. he beams over at you excitedly, returning your wave with a cheerful little one of his own before moving into the living room. 

"good timing," aske calls out to him from his spot in the kitchen. "i'm wrapping up lunch right now." 

"eadro's beard!" relius suddenly exclaims. he plops his toolbox on the table with a thud and approaches the fireplace's mantle, eyes wide. "reides, did you paint that?!" ah. he's spotted the seaglider piece. 

"hello to you, too, dad," aske says with a chuckle. 

you laugh as well. "i did!" letting pepega perch on the dining table, you join relius in the living room. "i couldn't have done it without aske. we went out on the starsong this morning and he caught the actual seaglider." 

"...which can now be found in rummy's stomach." aske nudges the cat with his foot, but rummy's peaceful sleep remains undisturbed. 

"i'll need to make a frame for it!" relius picks up the painting and examines it closer. "we can put it in the study with the others." 

"the others?" aske echoes. "...wait. are all of reides' portraits of me in there?!"

v.

the teleportation nexus of atemcester is as busy as always. a vast multitude of people busily make their way about the place, most carrying stacks of books with them. not all of them are wizards, but you still find yourself feeling a bit self-conscious. you tell yourself that whatever stares people set you with are because you're a triton - not because you're an oddity of a wizard who has received no formal magical training whatsoever. not at all. 

by persana, you'll never understand this self-consciousness. your magic has never failed you. with it, you saved the world alongside your companions. you have an apprentice and you're even trying to establish a wizarding academy back home in aquos! so why is it that super-academic surfacers still set you on the very edge?! you're as much a wizard as every last one of them!

"gods - i know you said that teleporting takes some getting used to, but it still always leaves me feeling out of sorts." aske is either oblivious to your little freak-out or opting to ignore it. he rummages through his pockets, soon retrieving a piece of salt water taffy. unwrapping it, he pops it into his mouth and then notices the look you're giving him. "what? do you want one, too?"

"...i do."

aske hands another piece over with a wink. as the salty-sweet taste of the candy spreads out on your tongue, you suddenly don't feel quite as insecure within this sea of wizards anymore. 

the two of you make your way out of the nexus. as you go, aske nudges you. "that guy…" he's eyeing someone warily. "doesn't he seem a bit… i don't know…"

you follow his gaze and immediately know exactly who he's talking about. rendor. the nexus' receptionist. somehow, you know him well. "miserable?" you offer. "grumpy? completely and utterly displeased with the state of the world around him?" 

"just about," aske says.

"that's normal for him," you say dismissively. you grab onto aske's hand. "come on!" tugging him into the streets of downtown atemcester, you set off to your destination: valmorra’s magical gewgaws. 

it may not be the most sensitive choice, given aske's reaction to the teleportation circle that you both took to get to the city. regardless, you take some delight in insisting that the tiny building decorated with the appropriate signage is, in fact, the correct place - because it is, technically - and cackle as aske teleports yet again. you know that this one will take him to the actual store's location. as you arrive in valmorra’s magical gewgaws proper, you catch him cramming another piece of taffy into his mouth. 

"you picked this place just for that, didn't you?" he asks as he chews. 

"i didn't!" you insist. "i swear!" 

"sure." aske catches sight of the view outside of one of the store's tall windows. "...we're in one of the floating towers now, aren't we?"

"yep." valmorra’s shop isn't stuffed into a tiny house tucked away amidst the busy streets of atemcester; rather, it's within a levitating tower that looms far above the downtown district. the first time you visited this place, jorah didn't warn you of the teleportation, either. you're actually quite glad for it, as teleporting still scared you, back then. thank persana you got over that particular hang-up. 

"i should've known something was up," aske says. "you were way too happy about this visit." 

"in your defense, i get like that about almost anything related to magic," you say. aske simply cracks a smile. 

"aha." the storekeeper - valmorra, herself - steps towards the two of you, those piercing blue eyes of hers shining bright. "a returning customer." she nods at you; you nod in return. "has the school year been treating you well?"

oh. that's right. she thinks that you're a student at the wizarding academy here. "i'm not a student, actually!" you chirp. 

"dropped out, did you?" valmorra nods again. "i understand. sadly, we don't give refunds nor do we accept returns here at valmorra's magical gewgaws, so you'd best find another use for that enduring spellbook." 

"no, no. i'm not here to…" does it actually matter? "...never mind." you shake your head. "i'm here for something else!" 

aske leans to your ear. "the hells?" he whispers. 

you ignore him. "it's something that my friend bought the last time that he was here."

valmorra pauses for a moment, thinking. "there was the spellbook. and those helms…" her eyes widen in recognition. "...aha. the cloak." 

"exactly!" her memory is sharp. "i'd like another one of those, please." 

"the cloak?" aske repeats. he's looking back and forth between the two of you, clearly bewildered. "reides, are we here to buy a magical cloak?!"

"it seems like your companion is unaware that this establishment deals with magical objects," valmorra croons as she whips a forked twig out of her robes. "the teleportation sigil usually gives it away. as does the very name. alas. you'd best catch him up to speed." with a short laugh, her eyes begin to glow - and you know exactly what she's casting. locate object. she turns towards the back of the store.

"i guess i walked right into that one," aske comments, glum. 

"jorah bought one of these cloaks the last time i visited," you say. "...or, rather, kilwin did. he traded it with jorah for a helm almost immediately, so jorah was the one who ended up wearing it." you think that's what happened, anyway. between your new spellbook and the upcoming trip to aquos, you were pretty distracted during your first visit to this store. speaking of aquos… "...ashara stole the cloak from him later on." you're pretty sure that she still has it. 

"she… she stole it?!" 

"it's a long story." one which you don't have the time to share, as valmorra is already walking back over to the two of you. in her hands is a dark cloak, blue-gray in colour and lined with gold embellishments. the shape of the cloak resembles that of a manta ray… hence it's namesake: the cloak of the manta ray. 

she hands it over to you and you immediately hold it up against aske. 

"it'll look so good on you!" you squeal, positively giddy. you adore the style of the cloak; even without its magical properties, the inspiration that it draws from rays of the deep makes for an absolutely beautiful silhouette. you're sure that laverathians would consider it very fashionable. "it's practical, too. if you wear this, you'll be able to breathe down in my home seas without my magic!"

"uh…" aske pales.

"don't worry. i'll cast the water breathing spell anyway." you give him a quick kiss on his nose. "it'd be nice to have the extra safety net, though. right?" 

"it's certainly got an underwater theme going for it," aske says. he takes the cloak into his hands and examines it. "...wow. it even feels expensive."   

valmorra lets out a laugh at that. "rest assured," she says. "trying it on is free of charge." 

aske loops it around his shoulders, a little hesitant. you swoop in and help him out with it. he's then standing in the middle of valmorra’s magical gewgaws with the cloak of the manta ray firmly wrapped around his shoulders. 

"how is it?" aske asks, nervous. 

"you look fantastic, aske!" you walk around him; circling him like a shark as you take in every last detail. "it suits you so well! it'd be perfect for our trip. completely and utterly so." you regard valmorra. "we'll take it! i'll pay." 

"uh, what?!" aske glares at you. "hold up. no way. reides, you -"

"it's a gift, aske!" you hold up the shell pendant. "consider it my thanks for this." 

"reides -" 

letting go of the pendant, you reach out and take his hands into yours. "consider it my thanks for everything." for letting you stay in his home. for helping you take care of dillan. for always taking you out on the starsong - not to mention for being a model for all of those paintings - and for agreeing to meet your family. you're so grateful for aske; in many ways, it's a miracle that he's in your life. you know that your gratitude will only continue to build with time. you love him and you can only hope that he understands the true depth of your feelings. 

aske stares down at your hands, still clutching tightly onto his. he exhales slowly. 

"okay," he says. "...sure. okay."

"this is a legitimate establishment, so i can assure you that the cloak is a legitimate item," valmorra says, unperturbed by your little exchange. 

"why does that remind me of something that the kraken would say…?" aske murmurs to you quietly. you snort. 

valmorra folds her arms. "if you want to test it out, you can do that. the only time i'd hypothetically accept a return is in the event of something not working as it should."

"has that ever happened?" you ask.

"of course not." the shopkeeper flips her hair over her shoulder. "in the case of the cloak of the manta ray, you need to submerge yourself to experience its water breathing effects." she looks aske up and down. "for everyone's sake - most of all, your own - do remember to pull the hood up while you're submerged." 

"duly noted," aske says. 

"oh! oh!" excited, you grab onto aske's arm. "we can test it out by going on a repeat of our first date!" 

"you mean our swim over in portside?" aske asks with a grin. "with that teleportation spell of yours? and the other one that made us fall really slow?" 

you nod enthusiastically. "thanks to atemcester's weather magic, the lake won't be frozen over. and the mana wardens won't suspect anything, either!" last time, the guards didn't even see the two of you.

"i'll pretend i didn't hear that," valmorra says breezily. "now, then… i have a floor-length mirror over here, if you'd like to see how the cloak looks." 

"that'd be great." aske follows her over to said mirror and you follow him. your steps feel so light; you're practically skipping behind him. when aske examines himself in the mirror, he grins. he likes it! you know that he does. it makes you all the more happy about it. 

"it's a useful cloak for a sailor," you say. "in fact, it's useful for anyone who spends a lot of time around the sea." 

"okay, okay," aske says. "i already accepted your gift, reides laverath. you don't need to keep on trying to sell it to me."

"i, for one, appreciate it," valmorra piques, and you laugh. 

you remember what lathendria said about the bread that she baked. the present will be for me as much as it is for you all. you understood what she meant, back then - but you truly relate to it right now. 

"i'm excited!" you exclaim. "that's all!" 

"you just like playing dress-up with me," aske states. 

"well, that goes without saying." you never claimed otherwise. 

as promised, you cover the cost of the cloak in its entirety. you figure that you may as well use the money that emperor eury gave you. as valmorra counts over the gold, you look over all of the items on display. magic can do so many things… it's incredible. if laverathia ends up with lots of wizards, will they make things like the cloak of the manta ray? moreover, will you ever make something like that? 

"he's brilliant, y'know," aske suddenly blurts out. 

valmorra pauses her counting and eyes him curiously.

"aske?" you ask, but aske isn't talking to you. 

"he doesn't need some slip of paper from this city's wizards to tell him that," aske continues.

"aske," you hiss, but he simply shrugs. 

"is that so?" valmorra smirks. "many wizards spend years of their lives working to achieve one of those slips of paper. i would know." 

"that's all well and good, but it's not like every great wizard needs one." aske sounds so serious that it's actually a bit unnerving. is this payback for the way you talked about him in front of the songbird of falas? "you'll see. reides' skills are unmatched."

"hm…" valmorra glances over to you, her sly smile unwavering. "i look forward to reading about your exploits someday, then." she winks. 

you can only laugh; if only she knew about the things that you and the rest of the champions valoris have been up to in the past few months. the things you've all seen… the demons you've all slain. the tale of that adventure may only ever be known to those who had a direct role within it, but you can never shy down from playing along when it comes to this sort of thing. 

you wink right back at her. "i hope they'll make for a nice story!" 

vi. 

"i don't think i can do this after all."

"aske, come on." you grab onto his shoulders. "you look fantastic." he's wearing the cloak of the manta ray and is positively dashing in it. when relius saw it upon your return to davenport, he even asked you to paint a portrait of aske wearing it. naturally, you agreed to do so, and, naturally, aske refused to model for it. you have a feeling that he'll come around eventually. the magic infused in the cloak's fabric works well, too; the little repeat of your first date's swim confirmed that. (again, the mana wardens were none the wiser.) 

"it's not that." aske slips out of your grasp and flops down onto his bed. "it's… everything." he looks rather pale. you wonder if he's going to start clutching at his chest again. 

"where did this come from?" you put your hands on your hips. "you were fine for most of the week." in fact, he was downright relaxed. 

"...the most-likely-to-kill-aske list…"

"that list doesn't exist! it never did. it was a joke." you flop next to him on the bed. you think about your mother learning about the citadel's escape tunnels for her meeting with zinthos and frown. maybe it'd be comforting if aske knew that he could escape from your family, should the need arise. "if it goes terribly, we can always teleport right back here." 

aske startles right as you say that; immediately, he sits up. "you think it'll go terribly?!"

"no!" you splutter - sitting up, yourself. "i don't think it'll…" you pause, then sigh. you're playing right into his panic, aren't you? "...aske chales." 

aske pouts, his shoulders slumping. "i know." 

you lean over and kiss him on the forehead. "if you're truly not up to it, i can send my mother a -"

"no!" aske interrupts. "no. don't do that. i'm up to it."

"okay," you say. "because you said something different a few seconds ago, so…" 

"i'm going a little crazy, that's all," aske says. "it's fine."

there's a light knocking on the door. "are you two still with me?" relius calls from the other side of it. 

"we are!" you reply. "you can come in." 

"good!" relius cracks open the door, a mischievous grin plastered across his face. "i wanted to catch you before you left." he notices aske's… state. "you'll be fine, my boy! there's no need to look like that." 

aske sighs. "thanks, dad." you pat him on the head comfortingly. 

if the dinner goes well - which it will - the two of you will be staying over in the citadel for the night. beyond that point, you haven't planned all that much. it's not like either of you packed any additional luggage for your visit, but aske might end up in freshly-bought laverathian garb after all. 

"when it comes to things like this, it's best to simply dive right into it, so to speak," relius continues. "reides' family wants to meet you, and so it's best to simply be yourself around them." 

you nod vigorously. "and i'll be with you the whole time!" 

"precisely!" relius snaps his fingers. it's very triumphant. "you can always count on reides. there's no need to overthink anything. the laveraths are simply the laveraths!" 

you bite your lip. it's not relius' fault - he has no idea what the laverath name represents. aske was true to the promise he made to you; princely nickname aside, he's kept your lineage secret. but of all the ways for his father to phrase that… a giggle slips out of you. 

"you don't know the half of it," aske murmurs. 

relius tilts his head, curious. "what do you mean?"

"sorry. it's nothing." aske chuckles. "you're right. you're both right. i'll get my act together now. i promise." he breathes in and out; you smile. 

"shall i cast the water breathing spell now, then?" you ask. "even with that cloak of yours, i figure it'd be best to do that before i draw the teleportation circle."

"good thinking." aske tugs the cloak's hood over his head. 

"the things that magic can do… why, it's all so astounding!" relius laughs heartily. "i'll leave you lads to it, then. wouldn't want to stumble into any magical portals leading to the bottom of the sea!" he slips out of the room. "remember to have fun. and give your family my regards, reides!" 

"will do!" you smile and wave as he shuts the door behind him. you were planning on getting a gift for dillan during your time in aquos, but you make a mental note to pick something up for relius, too. 

"are you ready, then?" aske asks.

"mhm." you turn towards him and close your eyes. "i'll cast it right now." you don't even need to refer to your spellbook to do so. tightening your focus, you think of the ocean; of its dark, dark depths and of the much-cherished world present within it. the sea is more than a place: it lives and it breathes. it breathes. it breathes. you allow the magic to come to you and let familiar arcane formulae spill from your lips. your hands seem to move of their own volition, the spell's required gestures fluid yet strong. who would have thought that a spell that serves no personal use to you whatsoever would've ended up being one of the most important ones in your spellbook? 

you open your eyes and they lock right on to aske's. the magic transfers from you to him, and you don't need to kiss him for it to take an effect. it already granted him its power: for the next 24 hours, aske can breathe underwater - even without his cloak. but you lean in and press your lips against his, anyway. it gets a smile out of him.

"time for chalk," you say as you part. 

"yeah…" aske says, a little distant. reaching for your supplies, you procure some of the magical chalk that you recently purchased in falas. you then kneel down on the wooden bedroom floor and begin drawing out aquos' teleportation sigil. 

much like the water breathing spell, you basically know your home city's sigil by heart. you still ensure that you haven't missed any of its runes by comparing it to the copy in your spellbook as you go. after all, the last thing aske needs is for the two of you to end up in some completely random location in alethustria - even if you could amend the mistake with another cast of a teleportation spell. 

"sorry for freaking out on you," aske says as you draw. "...again." 

"it's alright," you say. "it's a bit of a treat, to be honest! you rarely ever get worked up." 

"you'd be surprised." aske chuckles. "guess i'm usually good at hiding my moments." 

"you never need to hide that sort of thing around me," you tell him. "persana knows i don't hide my moments around you." 

"i'll keep that in mind," aske says with another laugh. 

you add the final touches to your teleportation circle - using up the last of that stick of chalk - and stand up. "are you ready?"

aske stands up, too. he presses himself against your side, taking your hand into his. "i'm ready." his words are steady. grounded. it's time. 

in an instant, you begin channeling arcane power once more. you utter the teleportation circle spell's words and grin as the sigil is infused with magical power. it becomes a portal; a direct link to your home seas. 

"let's go!" you pull aske into the shimmering portal, laughing all the while. if aske replies, you don't hear it - it's cut off by the thrum of the magical energy that's swarming around the two of you. it's only a small fraction of the power which the weave provides, but it gets your head spinning regardless. 

so many sensations wash over you, and, suddenly, you're floating in seawater. around you are the solid walls of the tower that once imprisoned you, all those years ago… and beneath you lies aquos' secret teleportation circle, meticulously crafted out of enchanted pelagic ore. 

you're home.

aske mutters something in elvish and clutches at his stomach. "...don't think i can rely on salt water taffy this time around, huh?" 

"are you alright?!" you're still holding onto his hand, but you swim closer to him.

"i'm fine." he lets go of his stomach and looks around. even though you're worried, you can't help but admire the way the material of his cloak shimmers in the sea. "this place again…" he trails off. "ah. i should probably act like i've never seen it." 

"it's okay. i'm the only one here right now." you squeeze his hand. "someone is probably waiting for us outside. shall we go meet them?"

"sure. let's go." he squeezes your hand in return and gives you a shaky little smile. "y'know, the water feels pretty good." he swishes his free hand around in it a bit. 

"definitely!" 

together, you begin your swim out of the tower. before you open the door leading out to the bridge that connects to the main portion of the coralpeak citadel, you turn to aske once more. "hey… aske?" 

"yeah?" 

"welcome back." 

aske smiles and, this time, it isn't shaky. it has its typical confidence. its typical warmth. truth be told, that expression of his always goes right to your heart.

"it's good to be back," he says. 

vii. 

"...ah. hello, your highness." 

"dharry?!" you knew that someone would be waiting for you and aske outside of the tower, but you expected your mother or perhaps viglis. instead, the captain of the royal laverathian guard stands at full attention, in full regalia. "hello! wow, this is a surprise."

"someone had to ensure that you didn't go swimming amok, hm?" dharry smiles and bows to you. his attentions then shift to aske. "i take it that this is your guest from the surface." 

"y-yes!" aske stammers. "i'm aske." he bows to dharry. bemused, the guard-captain tilts his head and glances your way. you decide against correcting aske's little lapse in etiquette, however. it's sweet that he's showing his respect. "it's nice to meet you, mr., uh…" aske straightens his back. "...dharry…?"  

dharry's eyes widen in alarm and you giggle. "his name is dharsus, actually!" you tell aske. "he's the captain of the laverathian kingsguard." 

"oh." aske flushes. "dharsus. that makes sense." he looks sheepishly towards the guard-captain. "my apologies. it's nice to meet you, dharsus."

"there's no need to apologize," dharry says. "if anything, this is a lesson for his highness." he turns his nose up at you. "you've long outgrown that ridiculous nickname."

what?! "you like being called dharry," you say with a pout. "you always have!" 

"is that so?" a smirk breaks through dharry's otherwise stern features. 

"if i started calling you dharsus now, it'd weird everyone out," you insist. "it'd weird you out most of all!" 

"yes, yes." dharry chuckles. "anyway, we'd be wise to not keep the rest of your family waiting any longer. come, let us go." 

"are we late?!" aske asks; you catch a hint of that panic from earlier rearing up again.

"good question," you say. "are we, dharry?" 

"not at all," dharry replies. "prince viglis was simply adamant about being ready to receive your guest. one might say that he rushed everyone else so as to be extra prepared." 

"persana below…" you sigh. "of course he did." 

"prince dhudus got the worst of it," dharry continues as the three of you swim along towards the citadel. 

"that's to be expected," you say. "if he had it his way, dhudus'd show up hours late." you'd say that he wouldn't show up at all, but you have a feeling that not even dhudus would want to pass up a chance at meeting aske. (how else would he tease you effectively?) 

the corner of dharry's mouth twitches. "with all due respect, your highness… you're not someone who should cast judgment about such things."

you think back to all of your late appearances at various banquets and snort. "i've gotten better about it!" you exclaim. "...for the most part."

"i should hope so, ambassador." he says that last word in primordial. 

you laugh and look over your shoulder. "are you feeling okay, aske?" 

"i'm fine. this cloak's amazing," aske says. "i was already a strong swimmer, but… it really makes a difference." 

"good!" it was worth every last piece of gold. 

the three of you swim up to the citadel's entrance. dharry nods towards the two guards flanking either side of the massive door leading inside. they salute him quickly, then bow to you before pushing open the door.

"gods," aske murmurs. "it'll get me every time." 

before him is the interior of the coralpeak citadel. the last time he visited, he was rushed off to a side room. it's nice that he can take everything in properly, now. you smile as aske looks over the decor; at the mosaics crafted out of sea-glass and the colourful coral growing naturally along the citadel's walls. your relationship with this area of your home is a complicated one. the memory of being dragged along these halls haunts you, perhaps even moreso than the memories of your time spent locked away in the tower that you were dragged towards. but your many visits back here have since dulled the pain significantly. now, you associate it moreso with finally reconciling with your family. 

"beautiful, right? laverathia's rulers have been a varied sort, but they all had a good eye for decor, at least." with a smile, you add: "my mother, most of all."  

aske laughs. "i can see that!" 

the three of you continue your swim down the hallway - your destination being the smallest of the citadel's dining rooms. eventually, you pass by an assortment of portraits. many depict laveraths of bygone times, but that doesn't mean that your immediate family isn't included in the spread. the paintings are all so ornate that it's embarrassing to acknowledge them… so you simply look the other way. 

of course, aske does no such thing. "woah," he says. 

you shrug. "i told you that we have artists, didn't i?" 

"yeah, but…" aske stops swimming and points over to one of the paintings. "...it's you." 

he's right. you are very much the sole subject of the portrait that he's pointing towards. in it, you're far younger. your hair is twisted into a long, heavy braid and you're wearing royal armor that is too big for you. it took hours for that portrait to be painted… and multiple sessions, to boot. you recall feeling antsy sitting for it. the process was made all the more painful as you'd just started up your magical studies and you really, truly did not want to waste your days sitting in the same spot. the most mortifying aspect of it, however, is the sword that is held in your hand. by persana, you hated that sword. you don't even know where it ended up. 

"some of the portraits on display have become rather outdated, i fear," dharry comments. "i'll need to have a word with kanom about them. he can surely make the necessary arrangements for updated versions."

you grimace. "you really don't need to do that, dharry," you say. "you have enough to handle with all of your guard duties, right?" 

"it's but one conversation," dharry says. "your highness - if i may, it sounds like you simply don't wish to present yourself to the royal artists." 

he knows you too well. "those paintings take forever." if you're forced to sit for one, you'll definitely get cajoled into sitting for many others. the family portrait is always the biggest pain…

"says the guy who has no qualms whatsoever with forcing me to model for him," aske grumbles.

meanwhile, dharry gives you a pointed look that you're all too familiar with. "it is time well spent, your highness," he says. "it is of the utmost importance that the portraits on display within the coralpeak citadel offer an honest look at the laveraths that they represent. they're part of our history, and, as the captain of the kingsguard, it is my duty to guard your legacy as much as -"

"okay, okay!" you hold out your arms. "i'll do it, okay? i promise." 

"that's good to hear, your highness," dharry states. "i'll let kanom know tonight." 

you balk. "tonight?!" 

unbothered, dharry resumes his swim. you give aske a dirty look and your boyfriend simply cackles, hiding his laughter behind one of his hands. 

"you're laughing now," you say as you swim, "but what'll you do when you're forced to be in one with me?" 

"don't even try that," aske replies. "i'm a surfacer, prince."

"so what?" you try to envision how the painting would look and find yourself grinning. "maybe it won't be so bad to get more paintings commissioned. i'd definitely have fun sitting for one with you." 

"eadro's beard…" aske shakes his head. "once again, i walked right into that." 

"no, aske," you say with a giggle. "you swam right into it." 

after a few minutes of swimming, the three of you pass by the entrance to your father's throne room. kanom floats at his typical station, taking notes in a ledger with an ink-needle. 

"hi, kanom!" you say as you swim by him. even if you don't want dharry plotting painting-related things with your father's retainer, it'd be wrong to sneak past without a word. kanom has done so much for you. your reconciliation with your father may not have been possible if not for his willingness to act as a bridge of sorts between the two of you. 

"prince reides! hello!" kanom bows to you. "it's good to see you as well as ever. and, naturally, i must extend a warm welcome to your partner. welcome to laverathia." he bows to aske. 

again, aske bows in return. "thank you very much," he says. "i'm aske." 

"well met, aske." kanom doesn't point out that his bow was unnecessary; you're secretly very grateful. "i see that you've been taking good care of our prince." 

"he's the one taking care of me," aske jokes. "it's, uh, good to meet you." 

"indeed." kanom beams at him. "ah! before i forget... i have something for you, prince reides." he rummages through his desk, soon pulling a small stack of documents out from it. "empress arlyn wanted to hand this over to you, but she didn't want to carry it with her into the dining room. she said something about it potentially ruining her ensemble." 

"oh!" it must be the list of potential investors for the academy. you rush over to kanom and accept the documents from him. "thank you, kanom!" 

"what's that about?" aske asks. he squints down at the documents; since they're all written in primordial, he can't read them. 

"um. this is…" you trail off awkwardly. the fact of the matter is that you haven't told aske about the academy yet. it's not that you don't want to do so. telling people outside of your family about it just makes it feel so real. with that realness comes the weight of… well, reality. you could just say that it's ambassadorial business, but lying to aske is no good. you know that you must be honest. "...i'm trying to establish something here in aquos." 

aske stares blankly at you. 

"an academy," you say. "the very first laverathian wizarding academy." 

aske's eyes widen. for a moment, you wonder if he's angry that you kept it from him - but that worry is quashed right as the biggest smile spreads across his face. "reides…!" he swoops towards you, pulling you into a big embrace. "reides, that's incredible!"

"oh my," kanom says. 

aske doesn't even hear him. "the very first one, huh?! do you have a name in mind for it yet?"

"i do," you say from his chest. "it's going to be called the stormbringer academy." 

"aha." aske nods vigorously. "because you're the storm prince." 

"no!" you splutter, your cheeks heating up. "well… yes. but also because of the stormbringing festival." you don't expect aske to know the particulars about that, however. it's a festival limited solely to laverathia. "it's a significant time for us, as it marks the start of storm season. you know that storms are very symbolic for my people, right?"

"right."  

good. "i wanted to harness that power, as i've become pretty acquainted with it through the years." maybe you truly are naming it after the title that once haunted you. regardless… "there's a bit more to it, too." you look down at the citadel's white stone floors, trying your utmost not to think back to the state of your home when it was overrun with those terrible monstrosities. "the attack with the kraken and the aboleth… it happened back then." 

aske's excitement immediately falls away for seriousness. his grip on you slackens. "i see." 

you nod, grim. "i wanted to establish the academy so that the laverathian empire can gain another facet of strength. i figured that'd be the best way of honoring those who we lost back then." the upcoming memorial ceremony is important for that reason, as well. "i can't do it all on my own. definitely not. so my family's been tackling a large portion of the preparations so far. it'll be a while before wizardry can truly make its way into laverathia, but…"

"one step at a time," aske says, very fond. "or, maybe, one paddle at a time? because of the swimming?" 

you laugh. "yes. because of the swimming." 

"hells yes." aske pulls you in for a hug again. "you'll show those atemcestari how it's done!" somehow, that makes you laugh even harder. aske goes rigid as you do, however. you guess that he's just remembered where the two of you are floating. he lets go of you. "...um… yeah. it's great, reides. really great!" 

kanom's been looking over the whole scene, as has dharry. you're sure that the guards posted along the hallway are going to gossip about it, too. you truly wouldn't have it any other way.

"thanks, aske." you look over to your father's retainer. "and thank you again for this, kanom!" 

"it's no problem, my liege," kanom says smoothly. "i'm simply passing the documents along. the emperor and empress are the ones who put the actual work into putting together their contents." he chuckles. "i only organized your father's schedule for the necessary audiences." 

"organizing his schedule is probably one of the most daunting tasks there is, kanom." you slip the documents into your pack. "my father is the busiest person i know, and the aquosian court is filled with people who don't know the first thing about patience."

"now, now, storm prince," kanom says with a grin. "you mustn't say such things." 

you return that grin with one of your own. "i need to live up to that title somehow." 

dharry sighs. "you're living up to it with all of this meandering. at this rate, you'll end up late for your family dinner after all. you know how your father gets when he's kept waiting, do you not?" 

aske visibly pales. you pat him on the shoulder. "it's fine." you regard kanom once more. "i'll see you later, kanom." 

"of course, prince." he smiles once more at you and aske. "enjoy yourselves." 

right as the group of you depart so as to continue your swim to the dining room, dharry looks over his shoulder. "i'll need to discuss something with you on my way back, kanom," he says. persana below… you really are going to end up back here for paintings, aren't you? at least you might be able to get some tips from the royal artists, you suppose. 

"the dining room isn't far off," you tell aske, who's definitely now feeling the pressures of time, as he's getting paler and paler. "we won't be late. it's genuinely fine."

"if you say so," aske says stiffly. 

"you must understand the type of person that prince viglis is, aske," dharry tells him while he swims. "he is punctual to a fault." 

"doesn't that mean i'm doomed?" aske asks weakly. 

"no," dharry says. "it means that you're sane." 

"with the way i've been acting lately, that's debatable," aske says with a sigh. again, you pat him on the shoulder - because you get it. you truly do. 

the group of you pass by the royal gardens and the library, both of which you point out to aske. his eyes light up at the sight of the aquatic plants, and your promise to show him laverathian books after dinner settles his nerves further, too. typical. he's such a bookworm… you should've played that card ages ago. 

en route to the dining room, a few other tritons catch sight of aske and whisper amongst themselves. they bow once they notice that you've spotted them and swim off quickly. you know they probably don't mean anything bad by it - persana knows how you reacted to seeing surfacers for the first time - but you hope that aske doesn't feel self-conscious or anything because of it. you're actually quite glad that he isn't the first surfacer that you ever brought down here. your friends definitely helped with getting laverathians at least a bit accustomed to the sight of those from the world above the waves. 

dharry escorts the two of you up to a pair of closed double-doors, each engraved with the sigil of aquos. 

"here we are," you tell aske. "tonight's dining room!"

"indeed," dharry says. "thank you for humoring me, prince reides. you don't need an escort around your own home, but your father insisted." he smirks. "old habits, i suppose." 

"it's fine, dharry," you say. "it brought back some fun memories. maybe i should've tried to be more true to the past with an attempt to slip away from you." 

dharry barks out a laugh. "the storm prince, raising a ruckus? persana forbid!" 

you laugh, too - as does aske. 

"it was good to meet you, dharsus," aske adds. 

"indeed." dharry nods at him. "best of luck to you, aske." with one last bow towards you, the guard-captain swims off. 

aske looks to you, incredulous. "best of luck?" he echoes. 

"don't worry about it," you say cheerfully. you press your hands against the double-doors and give them a big push. as you do so, you reveal the interior of the family dining room. 

viii. 

utilized for intimate meals rather than entertaining guests, the family dining room is the smallest one in the coralpeak citadel - but you now know that it's still quite large by most people's standards. an elaborate pelagic chandelier outfitted with glowing crystals illuminates the room in a soft, silvery light, made brighter with the aid of a variety of bioluminescent sea plants which have been set up about the place. they're bright enough to show off the mosaics wrapping around the room's walls. primarily utilizing blue and green tiles, these pieces depict a variety of stylized sea creatures. your family sits around a wide table set in the center of the room, fashioned out of smooth white stone. the sight of them all gathered in one place leaves you momentarily stunned. when was the last time you all sat down like this for dinner…? 

"brother!" lotlyn forcibly jolts you out of your sudden stupor, as she practically launches herself at you. clinging onto you in a tight hug, she giggles. "you're finally here! and you've brought…" she grins at aske. "...him." 

him, indeed. "hello, lotty!" you pat lotlyn on her head, taking great care not to mess up the pelagic tiara that she always wears. it matches the glittering silver dress that she's donned for the evening. "i feel like i haven't been able to catch you around the citadel in a very long time!" 

your younger sister sticks her tongue out at you. "that's your fault, reidesy! you need to let me know when you're dropping by. i'm a busy person, y'know!" 

"apparently!" you laugh, then look to the rest of your family. "we've made it! dharry accompanied us over. hope you haven't been waiting for too long." 

"you're right on time, little storm," your mother says with a smile. she's wearing an absolutely gorgeous light blue dress. lined with an assortment of white pearls, it bears resemblance to waves crashing along a shore. as per usual, her shawl is wrapped around her shoulders and cascades calmly in the waters around her. "it's wonderful to see you in such high spirits. i've no doubt it's due to the fine company which you keep." she smiles. "hello, aske. i'm reides' mother, empress arlyn laverath." 

"h-hello!" aske stammers. his eyes are darting all over the room; from lotlyn to your brothers to your father to your mother. "empress arlyn, it's… it's good to meet you!" he then catches himself. "it's good to meet all of you." he bows so quickly that the hood of his cloak falls back in the process. you silently thank persana that you decided to cast the water breathing spell after all. 

"i'm glad that we can finally put a face to your name!" it's viglis' turn to swim over. he reaches out to aske and grips his hand in what must be a horrifically firm handshake. "i am viglis nomos yon-zinthos kien-khavas laverath, shield of the reef and heir to the throne. you should hear the way my brother talks of you, aske. it's enough to rot one's teeth." 

there's no way that you'll acknowledge what he just said. "did you really have to wear your armor, viglis?" you ask. it isn't even the ceremonial set. it's the set he wears into battle. 

"of course." viglis lets go of aske. "what, did you expect me to wear something else?" 

"no, but i had my hopes," you reply flatly. your father and dhudus are wearing bits of armor - not their full sets. 

"okay, seaweed-head." viglis reaches over and messes up your hair; you let out a little exclamation of outrage as he does so. 

"viglis!" you yell. "be careful! the wreath -" 

"stop yelling." he examines the wreath of persana as he continues to mess up your hair. "it doesn't have any magic in it anymore, right?" 

"that doesn't mean that you should mess with -" 

"viglis, reides," your mother says calmly. "behave." 

you pout, and viglis lowers his hand. he settles back into his seat at the table with a knowing little smile. 

meanwhile, aske is at a complete loss for words.

"sit, surfacer," your father says, his voice its typical low rumble. 

practically all of the colour drains out of aske's face at once. you press your hand against the small of his back, intending to comfort him. 

"the surfacer has a name, my dear," your mother tells your father in primordial.

your father's stony features don't soften. is he testing aske? whatever.

"let's sit, aske," you say, placing emphasis on his name. you don't even bother with acknowledging your father's brusque demeanor. it's probably a test for you just as much as it is for aske. 

you end up sitting next to viglis, who sits beside your mother. at her side is your father - at the head of the table on a particularly ostentatious seat. the table then curves to the seat where lotlyn sits, then dhudus, and, finally… aske. while you were a bit nervous to part from his side, you find some solace in the fact that you're directly facing him.

aske nods towards your younger brother as he sits down. 

dhudus nods back. "'sup." 

"uh…" aske blinks. "...nothing?" 

"i'm lotlyn!" your sister shoves past dhudus and grabs onto aske's shoulder. "i'm the laverathian princess. the only laverathian princess." 

"i…" aske is truly baffled. "i can see that. hello." 

"hello!" lotlyn plops herself back down in her seat. "father, you need to introduce yourself, too!" 

your father's gaze is set on aske. he doesn't so much as blink. for a moment, you wonder if he even heard what lotlyn said… until he leans forward. 

"khavas alatraen yon-xanthan kien-zinthos laverath," he says. "emperor of laverathia." 

aske genuinely looks like a tiny fish being stared down by a massive shark. "it's a pleasure to meet you, emperor khavas laverath," he manages to say. "i'm… i'm aske. aske chales." 

"i am aware." your father sits back and finally looks away from him. 

you mouth the word good to aske - because he's doing a good job! meanwhile, aske looks like he's taken a big bite out of a lemon. generally, you're not too fond of mind-based magic, but you find yourself wishing that you had ashara's capabilities for telepathic speech right about now. 

"now that everyone's here, we should get this meal started, shouldn't we?" your mother beckons one of the servants over. "please, would you bring out the drinks, nalyn…? and those oysters that i prepared."  

oysters?! "mother, you made your oysters for us?!" 

your mother giggles. "naturally. it's been a while since you've eaten them, hasn't it, little storm?"

"it's been way too long," you say. your mother's oysters are your favorite meal in the whole world. nothing within the seas nor upon the surface can possibly rival them. "aske, these oysters are the absolute best! i'm serious. you'll love them."  

"you've talked about them before," aske says. a smile cracks through his nervousness. "i'm excited to try them out." 

"we put a lot of work into planning out a full, five-course meal of laverathian classics, so, as tempting as it may be… don't get filled up on them." your mother winks at aske. "truthfully speaking, reides is overstating how delicious they are." 

"no way," dhudus says. "he's right. they're the best."

"they really are!" lotlyn agrees. "i helped with making them this time around, too!" 

"seriously? i'm jealous." you used to help your mother with preparing them all the time when you were younger. 

"you can help with the next batch, reidesy." lotlyn grins. "...once you actually tell us that you're going to visit!" 

she's not going to let you off the hook any time soon, is she? "i can't help it if i keep learning very time-sensitive stuff, lotlyn!"  

"you only need to send me one of your little spells," lotlyn counters. "that way, i'd be able to hang out with you down here… for once!" 

"if you stayed within the citadel more often, this wouldn't be a problem, lotlyn," viglis points out. "there's always a massive agenda of tasks that we must each cover. you ignore this and, instead, sneak out whenever you can… prancing about the streets of aquos and accepting persana-knows-what from our subjects." 

"oh, please." lotlyn leans against the table. "everyone's always nice to me! i get lots of great gifts." 

she accepts gifts from people?! "lotty, you need to be careful," you say. "someone might give you something weird." 

"you're not one to talk, reides!" lotlyn retorts. "our subjects are a lot more trustworthy than those shipwrecks that you loved exploring. remember the time that you got caught in that one trap?"

oh, persana. "that was one time."

aske laughs. "he got caught in one?" 

"it was some netting!" you interject. "not a trap." 

"it was definitely a trap," viglis states. "i had to cut you out of it with my sword. it would've proven deadly, had i not the foresight to look for you."

"you're so dramatic," you huff.

the doors to the dining room then open up. servants swim into the room, bringing with them a wide assortment of different laverathian drinks. aske knows how drinking works down here; it's done quickly and in massive gulps as opposed to the casual sips of the surface. as the servants lay out the drinks, you spot your favorite one - rip currant wine - and grin. 

two more servants follow the group, each carrying a massive platter filled with oysters. they place the platters on the table and you quickly thank them as you begin surveying the spread of mollusks for the juiciest one. each lies on a massive bed of special ice which has already started melting away in the waters surrounding you. 

"i'm not dramatic in the slightest," viglis states. 

"yeah, okay, viglis," you say, not caring at all anymore. "i'm going to eat so many of these!" spotting your prey, you grab onto the first oyster. you bring its shell up to your lips and slurp the meat out of it noisily. dhudus grabs the second, doing the same - though his slurp is even louder than yours. 

lotlyn twists her face in disgust. "you guys are so gross." 

"it's a compliment, really," your mother says with a laugh. "back when i was a scout, we always said that the noisier the oyster, the more delicious." 

"go ahead, aske," you say as you reach for another oyster. "try one!" 

"alright," aske says. "the way they're all laid out is gorgeous, by the way."

oh. he's right. the oysters on each platter are arranged to form a pattern that resembles a blooming sea flower. you were so excited about the oysters themselves that you scarcely even noticed that. 

"if only reides and dhudus weren't so impatient," lotlyn drawls as she plucks one of the oysters for herself. "we'd be able to properly appreciate the pretty patterns that they were in." 

dhudus wordlessly grabs a few more oysters. you decide to follow your younger brother's example. 

aske takes one of the oysters, too. you watch him closely as he slurps up its contents and grin as his eyes widen. 

"gods, this is fantastic!" he exclaims. 

a part of you is relieved that he thinks so, but an even greater part of you never doubted that he'd enjoy them. their meat is succulent and plump; tender, yet firm. anyone who enjoys the dish in any capacity would know that arlyn laverath's oysters are a true delicacy. 

"they're far better than the oysters that you'd eat on the surface, i imagine," viglis states, smug. he takes one of the oysters and slurps it up. 

"yes! definitely!" aske exclaims. "they're so fresh. ah, i suppose that's to be expected, given where we are…" he laughs sheepishly. "the sauce that they were marinated in is great, too. it's briny, but not overpowering. it goes really well with the meat." 

"i'm so happy that you like them, aske," your mother says. she then looks to your father. "there's plenty to go around, my dear. be sure to have some."

your father nods and begins eating. you're not sure how he manages to keep his expression so very stern while he eats something so delicious, but you kind of admire it.  

"reides told me that you taught him how to shuck these, empress arlyn," aske says. "up on the surface, he's great at preparing them." 

"mhm. i've taught all of my children as such," your mother says. "the trick is to move quickly. once you severe the muscle connecting the shells, you can pry them apart with ease. however, if you overthink the process, you may end up sacrificing the meat inside. for that reason, it's best to place the most effort into administering one strong, clean cut." 

aske nods along to her explanation. "i see." 

"indeed." your mother smiles. "as foolish as it may sound, i try to live the same way i would shuck an oyster." she quickly slurps up one of them. "...without hesitation." 

"none would dare to think of you as foolish," khavas says in primordial. 

your mother simply giggles in response. lotlyn and you exchange a look. 

"that's definitely admirable," aske - still very much not fluent in primordial - says. "i'd like to live like that, too." 

despite your mother's warning, you don't hold back and end up stuffing your face with the oysters. both platters are soon completely empty. the group of you demolished them at a truly alarming rate. 

"you need to visit more often, reides," your mother notes as the servants clear the platters. "you ate those oysters like you were famished prior to being presented with them." a thought seems to occur to her; she looks to aske. "he isn't skipping meals up on the surface, is he?" 

"oh, no." aske shakes his head. "he's fine!" 

you're quietly grateful that he didn't let your true eating habits slip. it's not that you don't have any food to eat! you simply tend to get so absorbed in your studies that you sometimes forget about meals. 

"aske is a fisherman," you say. "so i have no shortage of delicious seafood whenever i'm with him." when you traveled with the champions valoris, you had a tendency to rely on whatever magical food kilwin procured. typically, said food was tasteless - and even with flavoring courtesy of your presto chango spell, it wasn't a great habit. regardless, it certainly saved the group of you a whole lot of expenses. it's not like dried rations would have been much healthier, either. 

"good," viglis says. "seafood is all we have down here. i can't imagine eating anything else." he scowls. "everything on the surface must taste so very… dry." 

"ew," dhudus monotones. 

"it's not ew," you say, glaring at him. "a lot of the dishes that i've tried up there have been great! surfacer cuisine is so varied, i'm sure that you'd all find something that you like." even your father!

viglis snorts and knocks back an entire tube of deepcoral wine. 

"you're elvish, aren't you, aske?" your mother asks. "half-elvish, but elvish nonetheless."

"yeah, that's right," aske replies. 

"the sea elves have some unique dishes that they occasionally share with us tritons," your mother tells him. "i can't say that i know anything about the elves of the surface, however. do they have any interesting meals?" 

"my father's a wood elf, so that cuisine's all i can really speak about," aske says, rubbing the back of his neck. "there's this stew that he really likes… sometimes, he misses it so much that he gets the ingredients shipped all the way over to us in davenport from the elfgroves. it's really hardy and bitter - full of vegetables and herbs."

you've never even heard of this stew. in your weeks with the chales family, relius hasn't received any special herb or vegetable shipments from the elfgroves. you wonder if he'll develop a hankering for it sometime soon. if he does, you'd definitely like to try it. 

"as for me," aske continues. "i'm more of a fish person. guess i'm not too in-touch with my elvish roots, all things considered." he laughs.  

"is that so?" your mother coos. the coy smile that she has definitely bodes well for aske.

"i get teased about it all the time," aske says. "a member of my crew always says that a fisherman should get sick of fish, at some point. but that's never been the case for me."

"sick of fish?" dhudus echoes. "who in the deepest depths gets sick of fish?" 

"surfacers are a strange sort," viglis comments. 

you think about jenkins' joke, all those months ago… that thing he said about aske's infatuation with you being a result of him taking his love of fish too far. you have to cover your mouth to stop the laughter from bubbling out of you. 

"our hunters always pray to persana whenever they're going off on fishing trips," lotlyn says. "do you do that, aske?"

"uh… kind of?" aske shrugs. "persana's a god for tritons, so…" 

"do you pray to an elvish one, then?" 

"i mostly pray to eadro. up on the surface, he's the god of the seas." 

"we are familiar with him," your father says. "a few laverathians worship him." 

"really?!" aske is genuinely shocked. he looks to you, alarmed. "i didn't know that." 

oops. you probably should've told him, huh? 

"they do so in addition to persana," your father clarifies.

"i don't see the harm in it," your mother says. "any deity who works to keep the seas safe is fine with me. persana must feel the same."

you brighten up right as she says that. "it's like in -" 

" - persana and the hunter," dhudus finishes for you. "we know." he grabs one of the wine tubes. 

"that's the laverathian book that you mentioned before, right, reides?" aske asks. "when we were setting up the shrine."

"yes! it is!" you're so happy that he remembered!

"see?" dhudus drawls. "we know." 

you roll your eyes. "aske hasn't read it yet, dhudus." you provided him with a summary, but it's not the same as actually reading it. 

"who's fault is that?" dhudus retorts. 

you ignore him. "we can read it later tonight." you have a personal copy of the book stored away in your bedroom.

viglis squints at aske. "reides told you that it's a book for children, correct?" 

"yes, i did, viglis," you say. you then look to aske. "viglis would read it to me all the time when we were young. then he developed a fixation on his duties and stopped." 

"what's with that tone?! do you want me to read it for you now, seaweed-head?" viglis glares at you. "go grab it from the library. i'm happy to oblige." 

"i know that you're teasing me, but i'm actually considering taking you up on that offer." it'd be really funny.  

the dining room's doors open again. "your highnesses, the next course…" one of the servants says with a bow. 

"is it ready?" your mother smiles. "delightful, keris! they can be brought in now, then."

keris nods, stepping aside. immediately, a few more servants filter inside - each holding an embellished silver plate. unlike the large platters of oysters which the group of you shared, they provide one small plate to each of you. you have no idea about the menu for tonight, so you're delighted when you see the appetizer. 

pointing delightedly down at the meal, you yell: "kraken eggs!" 

"what?" aske is completely aghast. he looks down at his own plate in mild horror. 

you crack up immediately. "don't worry! they're not really from a kraken."

"no, reides!" lotlyn exclaims. "they are." she cranes her neck so that she can make direct eye contact with aske. "remember the kraken that kidnapped me? after the champions valoris killed it, we cut up its corpse and decided to preserve it for a special occasion. tonight's that occasion!" 

a silence settles over the table. aske's expression could genuinely not be any more blank.

"i think you broke the surfacer," dhudus says. 

your father rubs at his temples. "she has your sense of humor, arlyn." 

"aw!" your mother coos, pressing a hand against her cheek. "what a sweet sentiment, darling!" 

"what…" aske looks to you weakly. "what are they…?" 

"they're balls of seaweed paste mixed with chopped squid," you say dutifully. "they're meant to be eaten in one bite."

"reides!" lotlyn exclaims. she shimmies around; you can tell that she's trying to kick you from under the table. alas, it's too wide. your shins remain safe. 

"lotlyn, i can't have you breaking my boyfriend," you tell her. "also, what in the deepest depths is that fucked-up story about?! we cut up its corpse?!" 

"language, reides," your mother says cheerfully. 

"we actually did cut up that kraken's corpse," viglis tells aske. "we needed to do so in order to transport it out of the citadel. the beast decomposed quickly, but the exercise was very good for morale." 

"indeed," your father says. 

aske pales. "i… i see…"

"we had to sanctify the throne room afterwards, too," viglis continues. "the clerics did a good job of that."

"the ceremony was beautiful," your mother agrees. "kannen always does such fine work." 

"so, these round things on our plates aren't actually… kraken… anything?" your poor boyfriend asks.

"they're not," you say. "i promise." you secretly think that it'd be kind of powerful if your people truly did eat kal'dazzum. alas. to signify just how harmless the meal is, you pop one of the kraken eggs in your mouth. the salty crunch is so refreshing… 

"it's quite silly, but it truly is the traditional name for this dish," your mother says. "dhudus requested kraken eggs for this meal, actually. he thought it'd be funny." 

"and it was," dhudus says. "you're welcome." 

"i should've known." you chuckle. "they're really good, at least." you munch on another one. they're such a moorish little appetizer; once you start eating them, it's pretty difficult to stop.

it seems like aske's shock over your family's little prank on him is finally wearing off. he pokes at one of the kraken eggs, seemingly conflicted before eating one in a single bite.

"well?" viglis asks expectantly. "how is it?" 

"good," aske says. "really good. surprisingly crispy…?" clearly curious about the texture, he eats another one. 

"that's our seaweed for you," viglis says. his continued smugness comes as no surprise. if anyone was ever going to get arrogant over laverathia's seaweed, it'd be your older brother. 

"i grew up harvesting laverathian seaweed, myself." your mother smiles at your father. "do you remember those days, khavas? you'd swim out to help me all the time. it'd cause quite the ruckus." 

"i'd never forget them," your father says in primordial. you wish he'd stop switching to your people's native tongue, as aske quite literally cannot understand it, but you know better than to ask him to stop. 

"that sounds like something reides'd do," aske says.

yet another silence settles over the table, save for dhudus' loud chewing. 

"it does, doesn't it?" your mother's smile becomes mischievous. "the laveraths have a penchant for testing the waters and getting into trouble."

your father sighs. "arlyn."

"i don't mean it like that!" aske exclaims, flustered. "i mean, it's… admirable. doing the things that you want to do, spending time with the people who you want to spend time with…" he shrugs. "...not caring about the consequences takes a lot of bravery." 

you really need to lighten the mood, don't you? "it sure does!" you place a hand dramatically on your chest. "it's nice that someone has finally recognized it!" 

viglis casts a dirty look your way. "i see that you're happy to encourage my brother's nonsense, aske," he says. 

"i really don't mean it like that!" aske insists. he's turning red. poor guy. 

"now, now. i, for one, understand exactly what aske means," your mother says. "persana knows i've encouraged khavas in many ways." 

"mother…" lotlyn sighs. 

watching aske get more and more embarrassed is making you embarrassed, in turn. you quickly cram the two remaining kraken eggs on your plate into your mouth. everyone else has just about finished theirs, too. even if the conversation took a bit of an awkward turn, you find yourself feeling rather… happy. 

"intentions and encouragements aside, i hope that you like the kraken eggs, aske," you say, your mouth full of seaweed and squid. lotlyn looks at you disdainfully for talking while chewing.

"i do," aske says. "i like them very much. truth be told, i'm wondering what my captain would think of them." he regards your family. "she goes by 'the kraken,' so i think she'd be intrigued by a dish like this."

"the kraken is the type of woman who'd genuinely eat a kraken," you say with a wise little nod. 

"is that so?" your mother knocks back some rip currant wine. "she sounds like someone i'd get along with." 

once every kraken egg has been eaten, the servants return to clear the plates again. even if the appetizer was selected as a means of pranking your boyfriend, you're grateful, as the dish miraculously managed to open up your appetite. next up is the salad, so you should be able to make your way through it without any issues.

you're mulling this over when your father clears his throat. "how long have you been traveling the seas, surfacer?" 

"um… gods, how long has it been…?" aske laughs nervously. "i think it's been 'round… 8 years…? i was a deckhand on various ships for quite some time. joined my current crew back in 595."

your father nods slowly. his expression doesn't betray even a single one of his thoughts. 

"i worked the docks before that," aske says. "since i'm from a port town, i've always been surrounded by the sea. plus, my father's a shipwright, so it was hard not to dedicate my life to it." 

"aske has his own boat, too," you chime in. "she's called the starsong. we go out on her all the time."

"the starsong's small," aske adds hurriedly. "she's a personal vessel and doesn't need a crew." 

you refuse to let him be modest. "she's very impressive. as is aske!" 

your father has no response to that at all. damn. 

"i have no idea how surfacers do it," viglis comments. "you sail the seas on your little wooden… things. do you not fear the might of the waves?" 

you grin as you recall asking aske something similar back when you first met. 

"it can be terrifying," aske admits. "but it's not like the sea's destructive all the time. it's so much more than that." 

"hm." viglis nods. "very true." 

"above all else, sailing the seas is freeing," aske says. "you really get the sense of being able to go anywhere. of being able to do anything." he gets a faraway look in his eyes. "...i say that, but, half the time, i'm so bloody busy on the desperado that i hardly have the time to reflect on it all that deeply." 

"that's his captain's ship," you tell your family. 

"the kraken's ship, you mean," your mother says with a wink.

the doors open again. servants file inside the dining room; like last time, each is holding a plate. it looks like the salads are ready to be distributed. one of the servants looks to your mother for confirmation and she gives them a nod.

"i played quite the role in preparing these salads," your mother says as each of you is presented with a plate. "everything was harvested from the royal gardens by my hand." 

"wait, you made these, too, mother?!" first the oysters, now this… "you worked hard!" 

"oh, it was a labor of love." your mother waves off your compliment. "in each of these salads, you'll find some of my favorite varieties of kelp, as well as red dulse and eucheuma." she smiles towards aske. "for the lovely surfacer in our presence: those are types of algae. don't worry, they're perfectly edible and very delicious." 

aske returns her smile. "they sound interesting." 

"indeed! i made a similar type of salad for mine and khavas' wedding." she reaches out and rests a hand against your father's arm. "i worked so hard to prepare it! a salad fit for royalty, i called it. it's embarrassing to look back on." 

"it surpassed all else at the table," your father states. 

"flatterer," your mother retorts sweetly. she draws her shawl closer around herself. "i've since refined the recipe."  

you think of your mother carefully gathering the ingredients for the salad and wonder just how the hells your grandfather ever managed to dislike her. you can't bring zinthos up now; it'd be like sprinkling a heavy dose of poison on the evening. in order to dispel your frustrations, you grab your fork and stab right through a kelp leaf. 

"laverathian weddings are really amazing, aske," lotlyn pipes up. "has reides told you about them?"

"he hasn't," aske says. 

"well, you'll need to learn about them," your mother says calmly. 

you immediately reach for a tube of rip currant wine. "do you want something to drink, aske?"

aske blinks. "oh, um… yeah. sure!" 

you hand him another tube of the wine and give your mother a bit of a glare as you take your seat once more. she simply laughs. 

"we've got a whole lot of customs surrounding them," lotlyn tells aske. "laverathian weddings last for, like, a week." 

"a week?!" aske's astounded. "...you're not pulling some prank on me again, are you, lotlyn?" 

"i'm not!" lotlyn exclaims. "right, reides? i'm not!"

"she's not," you say. you also busy yourself with eating some of your mother's delicious salad, because this conversation runs the risk of causing you to overheat from sheer embarrassment. 

"see?!" lotlyn grins. "the ceremony itself isn't that long, but there's a lot of stuff that needs to be done in preparation for it. the most important thing is that the people getting married have to work together to make a pretty altar."

"an altar…?" aske wonders aloud.

"mhm! it's decorated with lots of flowers and coral and things like that. it's meant to symbolize our connection with the seas. kind of like a devotion to persana!" lotlyn giggles. "they're used in the ceremony and dismantled afterwards. you should see how gorgeous they can be. you have paintings of the one that you made with dad, right, mom?" 

"i do," your mother says. "khavas was adamant about having the grandest altar in laverathia's history. when the royal gardens didn't have the flowers that i requested, he went on a quest to gather the seeds so that we could begin growing them ourselves." 

"the bards still sing of those flowers," viglis remarks. "it was such a feat that the ones we grow in the citadel are specifically referred to as arlyn's cydaendras."

"as they should be," your father states as he swallows a mouthful of salad. "...the salad is magnificent, arlyn." 

"it is!" you agree. "you've outdone yourself, mother." she always knows exactly which plants taste the absolute best together. for that reason, you hope that she can meet miré properly, someday. your mother would definitely be fascinated by your friend's expertise regarding the surface's plant life. 

"do you like it, aske?" your mother asks. "i'm curious to know if its flavors appeal to someone from the surface." 

"i do!" aske says. "it'd be difficult to accurately replicate this sort of taste on land. the textures alone are so unique." 

"definitely," you say. "it's probably impossible, to be honest." eating underwater adds to the experience in a way that can't exactly be separated from the meal. "there are a lot of foods from the surface that'd be impossible to replicate down here, too." they'd become soggy messes. 

"that's true," aske says with a laugh. 

the group of you eat your salads in silence - that is, until aske suddenly speaks up. "uh, if you don't mind me asking…" he trails off, then nervously looks up at your mother. "like i said before, i don't know anything about laverathian weddings or anything. so, uh, when you and emperor khavas got married… i take it that you didn't exchange rings like we do up on the surface, right? because of your hands."

now why is aske asking something like that?! you thought that you managed to escape the subject of weddings. your boyfriend is willingly opening you up to an absolute torrent of teasing. you stare down at your salad, your cheeks burning up. you can feel your siblings' respective gazes boring right into you. augh… 

"correct!" your mother is completely unbothered by the question. "we wear these, instead." you know that she's holding out her hand to aske, revealing the intricate bracelet wrapped around her wrist. she sounds so happy about it that it gives you the courage to look up, too.

"wow," aske says. "it's gorgeous. that pearl in the center of it… it's special, right?"

"you get 'em at the lunaer cove," dhudus says - as if that explains anything. 

luckily, lotlyn swoops in. "the lunaer cove's an interesting place," she says. "it's a really, really tiny island above the western part of the laverathian basin. these pretty little deep-sea clams go there as their final resting place… kind of like how some turtles go up to the surface to lay their eggs." 

"i see," aske says. "so, those clams are the ones who make those pearls." 

"yep!" lotlyn gives him a thumbs-up. "they're an interesting colour, right? they're not made out of pelagic ore, but we call 'em pelagic pearls because of the resemblance. so, whenever someone's getting married, they gotta be brave enough to go up to the surface in order to harvest a pelagic pearl for their beloved." 

she's making it sound like such an ordeal. "the people getting married usually make the journey together," you add. "we have guards posted on the way over, so it's very safe." 

"it's romantic," lotlyn says with a swoon. 

"it's weird," dhudus says, his mouth full of salad. 

"for many tritons, it's the one and only time they ever go up to the surface," your mother says. "even if the cove is within our territory, it counts as such. admittedly, i was terrified when khavas and i made the trip."

"your fears were warranted," your father says in primordial. "our trip wasn't a normal one." 

"true…" your mother sighs. "we had to go in secrecy. those guard posts that reides mentioned were actually quite the hassle. we had to approach the cove from another angle and dealt with our fair share of troubles."

"troubles which we overcame," your father states. "but troubles nonetheless."

"wow," aske says. "that's amazing." 

"reides, you should tell your partner more about our people," viglis states. 

huh?! you were about to finish up the last bit of your salad, but you lower your fork instead. "where's this coming from?" you ask, alarmed. "i've told aske lots of things about our people!" 

"then why is he asking about our traditions?" viglis scowls. "you should have informed him about all of this whilst on the surface. are you not as serious about him as you claim?" 

by persana, he must be messing with you. 

"i like learning things as they come up," aske says with a nervous laugh. "it's more fun than getting a laverathian encyclopedia thrown at me or something." 

"precisely!" you say. "and aske teaches me new things about davenport all the time, too!"

viglis doesn't say anything in response. he just finishes his salad. 

but you're not about to let it go. not that easily. "i never thought viglis 'i-hate-the-surface' laverath would've wanted me to go around spilling all of laverathia's details to everyone who'd listen." 

"that isn't what i said!" viglis splutters.

your argument is cut short, as the dining room's doors open again. the servants have arrived to clear away your plates. you quickly eat your last bite of salad before handing it over, then see one of them whispering into your mother's ear. 

"you can bring it now, definitely!" your mother says in response. "we wouldn't want it to be overcooked."

"agreed, your highness," the servant says with a bow. all of them clear out of the room. 

"our main course is on its way," your mother informs you all with an excited little wiggle. "the meat cooked faster than our chef anticipated." 

"aha!" viglis pounds a fist against his chest. "i'm the one who played the main role in this meal's preparations. father and dhudus, as well!"

you stare incredulously at him. "the three of you… cooked?"

"no!" viglis says gleefully. "we hunted." 

ah. you should have known.

"it was fun," dhudus says. he slurps down yet another tube of wine and you wonder how many he's knocked back for the evening. 

your father has no comment to make about the hunt, evidently - but his gaze becomes set on the dining room's entrance. maybe he's excited for the main course. 

he isn't kept waiting for long. the doors swing open and the servants return. they set empty plates in front of each of you; these ones being larger than the ones featured in previous courses. aske makes eye contact with you and seems rather nervous about it. you smile at him in order to give him some confidence. 

with everyone all set up with their respective plates, the servants leave - only for more to arrive instantaneously. two of them swim into the room, carrying one huge platter between them. on it rests a massive shell shark. 

"uh…" aske's eyes widen when he sees it.

the servants put the platter down and it's large enough to take up the entire length of the table. the monster has been cooked thoroughly on heated runes, wrapped in kelp and garnished with sprigs of algae. it lies on its back, its shell still attached. 

"a shell shark?" you ask viglis. "really?!" 

"yes, really!" viglis exclaims excitedly. "it was summoned by a sahuagin patrol that was lurking close by to the basin's border. as expected, we made short work of the lot of them." 

aske - who has barely even gotten over the kraken egg prank - is now being presented with… this. at times, your family truly is diabolical.

"it was hardly a fight," your father states. "they all went down easily, shell shark included." 

viglis smirks. "i got the final blow on it." 

dhudus rolls his eyes. "as always."  

"if you wanted to slay the thing, you should've swam quicker, dhudus." 

"yeah, yeah," dhudus grumbles. "damn warrior had me distracted. the next one'll be all mine."

"keep telling yourself that." armed with the necessary utensils to do so, viglis begins carving out a slice of shark meat. "this first piece shall go to the guest of honor." he smirks towards aske. "ever had shell shark, surfacer?"

"i can't say i have," aske says. more intrigued than anything else, he's staring at the monster's face. "i'm no stranger to sharks, mind you. we fish 'em up all the time. but i've never even seen one of these." he leans in closer, getting a good look at the shell shark's features. 

"they've never gotten wrapped up in one of the desperado's nets?" you ask. 

aske shakes his head. he holds out his plate as viglis slides the shark meat onto it. "if one did, i don't think that'd bode well for our deck." you suppose it's a good thing, then. as the desperado's bosun, aske would be the one charged with fixing the damage. 

"they dwell in very deep waters," your mother murmurs. "vicious things, really. the only time we see them at this depth is when they're accompanying sahuagin." her features brighten. "...but when they're hunted and cooked, they become quite the laverathian delicacy. traditionally, whenever we cook shell sharks, we keep them within their shells so as to add to the overall dish's flavor." 

"wow." aske notices that everyone is looking at him expectantly. "oh, uh, do you want me to try it…?"

"we do," your mother says. "very much so." 

"okay, then." aske nervously looks to your father, who says nothing. "guess i'll go for it." cutting a piece of the shark meat off, he gives it a taste. "...wow. that's… strong! really strong." covering his mouth, he reaches for another tube of rip currant wine. 

"do you not like it?!" lotlyn looks to your mother, exasperated. "i knew it'd be too much for a surfacer!"  

"no, i do!" aske exclaims. he gulps down the wine before continuing. "i do like it."

"it tastes strong because of the shell," you say. "it acts kind of like a bowl, marinating the meat inside a little longer." 

"that makes sense," aske says. "not sure why i wasn't expecting it, but i definitely want to keep eating more. it has a really interesting after-taste, too. it kind of… tingles." he cuts off another piece of shark and tastes it. this time, his reaction isn't quite as drastic. 

"aha. you're tasting the coral pepper, i'm sure," your mother says. "it's a sneaky little spice." 

"it's interesting," aske says. "the peppers that we have up on the surface tend to be… heated. there's more of a bitter kick to this one." 

"i'd like to try some of those surface spices sometime, myself, then!" your mother giggles. "the sahuagin are terrible creatures, and i always hope that we'll never see another one ever again… but it's quite nice when we can get rid of them and snack on their sharks." 

right as she says that, you realize that it's time to brag on behalf of your boyfriend once more. "you know, aske killed some sahuagin," you say. "back when he was escorting my friends and i to the laverathian basin." 

"did you?" viglis asks. he resumed his process of slicing off pieces of shark for everyone else at the table, but that comment gives him a reason to pause. "no stranger to combat, hm, aske?!" 

"he can use swords," you say before aske can confirm as such. "in battle, he uses two of them." 

"that's cool," dhudus says. he sounds as taciturn as ever, but, coming from dhudus, it's very high praise. 

"rovnos has also been dual-wielding as of late." viglis resumes his shark-cutting. he slides a chunk of it onto your plate. "the man has no talent for it whatsoever."

"wow," you say.

"be nice, viglis," your mother says. "it's good to learn a new skill. rovnos is doing his best."

"his best needs to become better, and soon," viglis grumbles as he gives your father and your mother slices of shark. "dharsus and dhudus aside, he's the only decent sparring partner i have around the citadel." he eyes aske. "...unless…" 

"no, viglis," you say flatly. "you're not sparring with aske." 

"why not?!" viglis is deeply offended. "weeks ago, you were downright enthused about arranging my sparring session with jorah!" 

"that was different," you say. 

"yeah. i'm… uh…" aske smiles weakly. "i'm literally just a sailor. i didn't bring my swords, either, so…" 

"you can always borrow mine," viglis says. 

"or mine," dhudus adds. "i wanna fight, too." 

"please stop asking to duel my boyfriend over dinner," you tell your brothers.

"you guys are such meatheads." lotlyn is meticulously cutting her shark into bite-sized pieces. 

"it's an open invitation, is all," viglis says. now with his own slice of shark, he settles back down in his seat. "aske: if you change your mind, let us know." 

"sparring lacks the necessary element of risk that effective training provides," your father says. "our hunting parties are always looking for volunteers, surfacer. you'd do well to join one yourself, reides." 

"no thanks," you say quickly. "most of my spells would ruin the meat on whatever we're hunting." you'd launch a scalding splash at something and that would be that. 

"that's a good point," viglis says. "and many of the basin's creatures must be complete mysteries to surfacers, so aske accompanying a group of us may not be ideal. reides, can you think of anything that'd be entirely foreign to him?" 

"hm…" an undersea creature foreign to aske… you chew on your shark thoughtfully. "hippocampi, for one. not that we'd ever hunt them." your people respect hippocampi very much. 

"what?!" viglis swallows a mouthful of shark and stares at aske, slack-jawed. "you've never seen a hippocampus?!" 

"i haven't," aske says. 

viglis looks to dhudus. "he's never seen a hippocampus." 

"so weird," dhudus monotones. 

"we'll have to fix that," lotlyn says gravely. 

you can't believe them. "none of you have ever seen a horse, either!" 

"what?" dhudus squints at you. "a seahorse?"

"we see seahorses every day, reides," viglis says with a snort. "looks like our brother has spent so much time on the surface, he's forgotten all about the common creatures of the laverathian basin." 

"that's not..." you sigh. "never mind."  

"this shark meat really is delicious," aske says, politely changing the subject. 

"i agree wholeheartedly!" your mother replies with a laugh. "here, let me serve you some more of it!"

she does so, and the group of you keep on enjoying the main course of the evening. shell shark meat truly is a treat - you can't remember the last time you got to eat it. the last time you saw shell sharks, you were with the rest of the champions valoris… and the situation wasn't exactly conducive to lugging any of the beasts' cadavers back with you. while you eat, you notice that aske keeps on staring at the monster with the most curious expression. he must genuinely be fascinated by it. his love of fish must also translate to a fascination with the beasts that live further beneath the waves. 

maybe your siblings were right. maybe aske truly should see a hippocampus soon, after all. you're not sure what you'll do if he ends up being as obsessed with them as viglis and lotlyn are, but you won't deny your boyfriend the right to potentially be like that. that's what it means to truly love someone, right? 

at any rate, thanks to your combined efforts, every last bit of the shark's meat is eaten up. dhudus was particularly ravenous when it came to it… but aske ate quite a bit of it, too. you suppose he wasn't being modest when he said that he liked it. when all that's left on the platter is shark's empty shell, the servants return to clear table.  

"is that shell going to be used for anything?" aske asks as they take it away.  

"we'll have it cleaned and sent down to the city," viglis replies. "typically, they're shattered and used by our artisans in crafting tools and the like."

"unless you want it for something, aske," your mother interjects. "if so, we can clean it and send it off with you and reides." she smiles brightly your way. 

sending it off with the two of you…? you think about presenting it to relius as a gift and giggle. 

"i'm fine without it," aske says with a short laugh himself. "what do you think, reides?"

"lugging about a massive shell is tempting, but i agree with your decision." relius works with wood, anyway. not shell. "i'm sure that the aquosian artisans will make great use of it."

all that's left now is dessert. you're stuffed, but you'll make it. you must. in an effort to stay strong, you drink some rip currant wine. 

"i'm so full," lotlyn announces. "i don't know if i can eat any more…" she sinks down in her chair, so low that all you see are her eyes peeking up from the surface of the table. 

"is that so?" your mother is unbothered. "shall i tell the servants to withhold your lanternlight jelly, then?" 

lotlyn immediately shoots up. "that's unnecessary," she says. "i'm totally fine."

aske chuckles at her antics. "is this some other delicacy, then?"  

"absolutely," you say. you then look to your family. "i'm surprised that our cooks managed to prepare it. lanternlight jellyfish aren't common at this time of year." typically dwelling deep within the crystalline trench, the jellyfish float out of it towards the end of the year - usually around the start of storm season. it's too soon for them to make their return and too late for them to be leaving. 

"last year's attack delayed their migratory patterns somewhat," your father says. "a group of our rangers are working to settle them once more." 

"it's sad that they're falling a bit behind, but it's nice that we can get some of their jelly for aske," lotlyn says. she smiles at him. "it's super good and really pretty! my absolute favorite!" 

"i'm looking forward to it," aske replies with a smile. 

"speaking of last year's attack…" your father says. "surfacer, you were the one who brought reides back to us, were you not?" he already knows the answer to that question. you wonder where he's going with this. 

aske nods. "reides and his friends needed a way to get to aquos," he says. "there was a huge storm over this region of the sea, so no other boats were willing to make the passage over."

"aske convinced his captain to ferry us," you say. "he really, really stuck his neck out for laverathia." you smile softly at him. "i'll always be grateful."

"hm…" khavas ignores you, instead eyeing aske. "did you drop my son off in the waters of the storm, then?"

"no, not at all," aske says. "it'd be unsafe to let anyone leap into those rough waters - even a triton. the swells were the biggest i've ever seen…" he shudders. "the seas within the storm's eye were very calm, thank the gods - so we dropped the champions valoris off there. then we kept the desperado in those waters until the storm subsided." 

"curious," your father hums. "the eye of the storm was positioned over the laverathian basin. does this mean that this desperado violated the treaties we have in effect with the seafarers of the surface?" 

silence. 

you glance over to your mother, panicked - but she remains perfectly calm. that smile of hers hasn't faltered in the slightest. 

"reides also told me that you saved him when he departed from aquos," your father continues. "we all know that he isn't the strongest of swimmers. this leads me to believe that this vessel violated the treaty on multiple occasions." 

"that was… uh…" aske gulps. "we… took a wrong turn?" 

you're getting involved in this conversation right now. "father, there was no harm done whatsoever," you say. "yes, the desperado might have encroached on the basin that first time around…" not to mention all the other times in the past… "...but i think it's fair to say that their role in bringing me back here made up for it. my friends and i had no other means of getting to aquos. the crew of the desperado saved us all! please, don't punish -" 

your father sighs. "if i wished to punish them, i would've done so months ago," he says. "do you not realize that i am fully aware of everything that occurs within my empire, storm prince?"

then why was he interrogating aske like that?! you pout.

"that's pretty crazy," dhudus monotones. he looks to the door. "when's the jelly gonna get here?"

"patience, dhudus," your mother says with a laugh.

"i suppose once other ships don't follow suit, we won't have any issues," viglis says. "oftentimes, the seas of the basin enforce that treaty for us." 

"the currents above this place can be wildly unpredictable," aske agrees. his hand is pressed to his chest. your father must've given him quite the scare. "i don't do much of the navigating, myself. that falls to my captain." 

viglis snorts. "she must be a bold sort." 

"you don't know the half of it," aske says.

"she sounds like a fine woman," your mother says, affectionate. "i dare say that your entire crew is made up of fine individuals! many of the other ships that drift this way are far more destructive. those are the ones that demand action on laverathia's part." she grins. "after all, my son needs shipwrecks to explore." 

"mother," you hiss, flushing. she cackles.

the doors to the dining room open up; you're saved. the servants enter, each holding a small plate. lotlyn cheers as she's presented with hers, and you're inclined to agree with that sentiment. upon each plate is a shimmering dollop of lanternlight jelly, spread evenly on a single blue algae bun. 

aske inspects the dessert. "it's giving off some light." 

"yes," your father states. "hence the very name of the jellyfish." 

"by the way, aske!" lotlyn tears off a piece of her bun. "we don't kill any of lanternlight jellyfish for their jelly. they make it for us." she pops the piece into her mouth. 

aske isn't convinced. "really?" 

his constant disbelief of everything that your sister says is quite the side-effect of the kraken egg prank that she played on him. it's ironic when one considers that dhudus was the actual mastermind of the idea. "really," you say. "it's the only jellyfish in the laverathian basin that actually produces jelly." 

"huh," aske says. "i wonder how that works." 

"a laverathian encyclopedia'd come in handy after all, wouldn't it?" viglis says. you glare at your older brother. 

meanwhile, aske chuckles and takes a bite out of the bun. "it starts off so sweet, but as you chew, it gets kind of… bitter?" he's puzzled as he takes another bite. "it's kinda familiar. is that more coral pepper, maybe?"

"you have quite the palate, aske chales," your mother says. "we work a small amount of the coral pepper into the bun itself."

aske beams. "i knew it." 

"all of aske's years of eating seafood came down to this moment," you remark, and aske laughs. 

"i'd send some of the jelly off with the two of you, but i'm not sure if it'd keep well on the surface, sadly," your mother says. "what do you think, reides?"

you're not sure, yourself. "i think it'd be okay in freshwater," you say. "outside of it, it might… shrink." taking it back to davenport would likely be a waste of a perfectly delicious dessert.

"i see."  your mother frowns. "it'd be nice if we could send some over to the honor guard in daiven's lake, at least. the work that they're doing is so very important. i worry that they will become homesick." 

"their schedules are all very flexible," you tell her. "as someone who's quite experienced with laverathian homesickness, i made sure to organize them, myself." it's meant to be a joke but it ends up sounding rather serious. you decide to keep talking. "emperor eury and i also made sure that there's a protected sea route for packages from laverathia, so sending something over shouldn't be any problem at all." they'd be thrilled to receive a gift from their empress. 

"i'll see what i can arrange, then," your mother says with a smile.

"i merely hope that the lanternlights' migratory patterns are normalized in time for this year's stormbringing festival," viglis says. "the ceremony won't be as impactful if they're not around." 

"ah. the memorial, right?" aske nibbles some more on his bun. "reides told me about that." 

"indeed," viglis confirms. "we began planning it the very moment that we retook the city." 

"there's going to be a pelagic monument dedicated to everyone we lost," lotlyn tells aske. "their names are all gonna be on it." 

"you're including the people who got turned, right…?" aske glances to you. "the ones who attacked us on the desperado." 

"absolutely," you say. while many bodies were recovered by laverathian scouts in the aftermath of the siege, most of those who were turned ended up being recorded as missing. as such, your record-keepers were able to infer their respective fates. "i'm so glad that we were able to return them to the sea." persana's also glad for it. you know he is.

"i am, too." aske stares sadly down at his lanternlight jelly. your heart aches. 

"persana below, this is such heavy talk for such a nice dessert," lotlyn complains. "aske, reides - what're you going to do after dinner? you're staying over for the night, right?"

"yes, we are," you say. "i'd like to show aske the gardens… and he also wanted to take a look around the library." 

"of course he does," viglis says. "i trust that he's as fixated on books as you are, brother." 

"very much so!" you reply, nudging him. 

"i don't need to go anywhere if it's any trouble," aske says.

"trouble?" your mother tilts her head. "what do you mean? you're our guest. you may go wherever you'd like around the coralpeak citadel."  

"i…" aske trails off. "a few laverathians were staring at me on the way over here. that's all." 

so he noticed. before you can attempt to dispel whatever worries your boyfriend has, your father speaks up.

"let them stare," he says.

it's all that needs to be said.

you could cry. you're that happy - but you'd never hear the end of it if you actually did. so you try to focus on the sweet taste of the lanternlight jelly.

dhudus makes a comment about laverathians always staring at him, as well. lotlyn retorts that those stares are for another reason entirely, and viglis follows up with a jab at dhudus' sloppiness. you can only laugh. 

you love your family. you really, truly do. 

ix.

"feels good to walk around after such a big meal," aske comments as the two of you drift about the royal gardens. around you, countless sea plants sway softly in the light currents. the glow given off by the bioluminescent ones make it easy to observe them. "...uh, i mean, swim around." 

"i think so, too." you loop your arm around aske's arm and lean your head against his shoulder. 

ahead of you, your mother and father are inspecting some of the new blooms. you can't hear what they're saying, but they both seem very calm. meanwhile, your siblings are lingering around the entrance to the gardens. with the way they're whispering, you're sure that they're talking about aske - but you're equally sure that they're saying good things about him. 

at least, they better be. 

"did you enjoy dinner?" you ask aske.

"absolutely," aske replies. "couldn't you tell?"

you chuckle. "you ate like a laverathian. you'll need to tell jenkins all about it." 

"maybe i will," aske says with a smirk. "they're all great, by the way. your whole family." 

he knows that you've had your ups and downs with them. in the past, they tested you and angered you and upsetted you. they didn't understand you; they left scars on your soul. persana knows that you very likely did the same to them. but the reconcilement that you've shared with each other has healed you all in a way that you can scarcely put into words. not all scars fade with time. fortunately, however, many of them do. 

"they are," you agree. "i'm glad that i realized that." 

he strokes your arm. "your father isn't really how i expected him to be." 

"do you get it?" you sigh. "now that you've met the stony laverathian emperor of grumpiness and rage, do you see why it's a huge deal that he actually acknowledges me as his son?" 

aske shrugs. "i firmly maintain that it's more like he came to his senses." 

"don't let him hear that," you tease. "anyway, since you've met everyone who was once part of it… what do you think about the laveraths-most-likely-to-kill-aske list?"

aske laughs so loudly that your mother peeks over at the two of you curiously. upon seeing that you're okay, she smiles and focuses on her conversation with your father once more. 

"i think it was pretty spot-on," aske says. "lotlyn might be further up along in the rankings than you gave her credit for, though."

previously, you assigned her as the one least likely to kill aske. you recall her little kraken joke and grin. "you know, i think you're right." she's already grown so much since your initial departure from aquos. lotlyn's always been a brave girl, but something within her has truly blossomed. 

"why do you sound so proud?!" aske asks, nudging you playfully. 

"because i am proud!" you nudge him back. 

aske chuckles. "viglis is pretty much exactly as you described," he says. "and i don't think i've ever seen someone as relaxed as dhudus. it's impressive." 

"you haven't seen him fight," you say. "he's pretty unhinged when he does."

"really? i can't picture that at all." 

"if you ever succumb to my brothers' annoying sparring requests, you will," you say. "i'm sorry about that, by the way." 

"i don't mind," aske says. "i can stand up for myself, y'know."

"i know that!" even if you'd rather stand up for him, instead… you definitely know that. "viglis is just so fucking pushy." dhudus is, too - albeit in his own way. 

"that reminds me of someone." 

you stick your tongue out at him. "whatever, aske." 

aske laughs. "maybe i'll agree to it someday," he says. "if i ever feel like getting my ass handed to me." 

you tug on the sleeve of his cloak. "hey! what have i told you about underestimating yourself?! pessimism won't do, aske chales." 

"there's pessimism and there's realism, reides laverath," aske retorts. "this is staunchly a case of realism." 

you pout, then notice that your mother is swimming towards the two of you. 

"how are you enjoying the gardens?" she asks as she approaches. "it's your first time in an undersea one, isn't it, aske?" 

"yeah, it is. they're amazing," aske says. "i never knew that so many different plants could grow underwater. these ones're clearly grown with a whole lot of care, too." 

"indeed," your mother says. "these gardens outlasted the attack on the citadel. even when those monsters sought to tear them apart, their roots ran deep. they never stopped growing and flourishing." she smiles over them all. "they're as resilient as our people. thank persana."

"thank persana," you murmur, yourself. 

"believe it or not, i didn't come over here to fish for compliments related to our gardens," your mother adds. "khavas wants to talk to you, aske… if you'd be so kind as to hear him out."

…what? 

your father wants to talk to aske?! 

aske goes completely rigid. you do, too. 

"okay," you say. "okay. we'll go over there, then." you try to swim over to him but aske doesn't budge, so he ends up anchoring you down.  

furthermore, your mother holds up her hand. "little storm, your father was very particular. he wants to talk to aske on his own." she wraps her arm around your free one and grins. "you can keep me company in the meantime, if you wish."

you look to aske, who is still rigid. you then look towards your siblings, who are all staring your way, bug-eyed. 

"okay." reluctantly, you unlink your arm from aske's. "um… if you need me, aske, you can… yell."

"...okay." aske finally comes to his senses and is able to meet your father's gaze. jaw set, he quickly swims over to him. 

"what does father want with him, mother?" you're worried. very worried. your father accepted aske during that audience, but that was all those weeks ago. what if he changed his mind since then? "he isn't angry, is he?"

your mother covers her mouth as she laughs. "oh, reides. please try to have faith in khavas. he has a whole lot of faith in you." 

you frown. it's easier said than done. 

"...on that note, i remain very excited for the day that i can meet aske's father," your mother says. "everything i hear about him makes me all the more curious!" 

you smile at the mention of relius. "you'd definitely get along with each other." with that being said… "...i still need a gift for him." you look at the gardens all around you. "i'm not sure what i should take back, admittedly." he likes flowers well enough, but none of these blooms would survive outside of the seas. should you have taken the shell shark's remains?

"aha! i can help with that." your mother winks at you. "i'm fantastic with gifts. aske said that his father is a shipwright, didn't he?" 

you nod. "he's a carpenter, too. he always has lots of different little woodworking projects." 

"well then, i have just the thing. come with me!" your mother pulls you towards a small stone shed set up to the back of the gardens. as you swim past aske, he doesn't even look your way; he's completely absorbed in whatever your father is telling him. no matter how hard you try to eavesdrop, you pick nothing up from their conversation as you pass.

now at the shed, your mother pushes its door open. "it's around here somewhere," she mutters. swimming inside, she begins combing through all of the different bits of paraphernalia stored within. in the meantime, you look over the huge assortment of tools that are on display. your mother shares most of them with the royal gardeners, but you know that a sizeable portion are reserved for her personal use. some are from her youth; many were gifts from your father.

"here we go!" your mother tugs something free from a storage cabinet. it's wrapped up in a plain green cloth. you swim over so you can get a good look at whatever it is. "as you know, the scouts occasionally salvage high-quality wood from the shipwrecks on the outskirts of the city. the alchemists treat that which they gather with preservation tonics, thus creating a new type of timber entirely." 

you gasp softly. "does that mean…?"

your mother grins. "this wood has become something uniquely laverathian." pulling back the cloth, she lets you examine it. like most of the lumber that one finds in laverathia, the wood has turned a very dark, shimmering blue. "maybe relius can find some use for it?" she wraps it up once more and hands it over to you. "from what i know, creative types love creating best of all." 

your mother is so damn smart. "it's perfect." you take the block of wood into your arms and smile down at it. "it'll last on the surface and will make for something truly unique. relius'd love it." 

"he can have it, then," your mother says. "...on one condition!" 

"what's that?" 

she places her hands on yours. "you must tell relius chales that it is from all of us," she says. "the whole laverath family. that's only fair, right?"

you grin. "right." 

one day, you'll need to tell relius about your past. about the status of your family here in laverathia; about your lineage. oddly enough, you're looking forward to it. 

"speaking of creatives!" your mother lets go of your hands. "you like the harp, right, reides?" 

it's a question that takes you by surprise. "um… kind of." you shift around, slipping the gift for relius into your pack. "i enjoyed listening to the royal harpists when i was a child." the melodies they made always evoked a feeling of harmony within you. 

"i knew it." your mother smiles. "next week, i'll be supervising auditions for the stormbringing ceremony. many bards from all over our empire will be visiting the citadel. if you'd like, i can arrange a teacher for you." 

"a teacher?" you ask. "you mean… someone who'd teach me how to play the harp?" 

"yes," your mother replies. "are you interested?"  

your throat tightens. for all the harmony that those laverathian harps once evoked, your interest in song began to waver when you heard the bards sing about you. you know that songs always accompany those with royal blood. that people love to dramatize and tell tales; to inspire. and yet those songs always felt like lies. they reminded you of your shortcomings. admittedly, they still do. another weight added to an already-heavy crown. 

you gulp in seawater. you will always be that mischievous princeling who went out of his way to sneak out of the citadel. impertinent and overly-bold. naive and volatile. nevertheless, even the worst of your tendencies have occasionally become your strength. and you'd like to think that there's far more to you than your flaws. you entered this world when laverathia was wrought in rushing waters and swirling currents; you raised spirits by existing. it scared you. you didn't ask to become a symbol for your people - be it one of hope or one of chaos. 

but that's how these things work, isn't it? no one ever asks for it. 

you have been through so much with the champions valoris. time and time again, the group of you have overcome the odds and remained whole, despite so many vicious attempts at tearing you apart. you always loaned your strength as best as you could and told everyone, time and time again: i'm just stubborn. isn't that what it means to persevere? 

"reides?" your mother cups her hands around yours once more. "are you alright, little storm? i didn't mean to pressure you. only to ask."

"i know, mother," you reply. "sorry. i…" you're getting ahead of yourself. even with all of the knowledge that you've amassed, you will never be able to fully wrap your head around those songs about you. nor will you ever fully understand what you represent to your people. that's okay. once they know that their storm prince is always with them… everything else is as simple as a garnish resting atop a meal. 

"i understand," your mother says softly. "you don't need to reply to me immediately. give it some thought." 

"there's no need," you say. if you can use the instrument to spread harmony… to spread hope… maybe it'll be easier to live up to those bards' tales. "i'd love to learn it." 

you're a scholar, after all. you're not one to pass up a chance at learning something new.

"wonderful!" your mother pulls you into a hug. "i'll pick out the very best teacher for you. mark my words!" she lets go of you. "maybe you can even perform at the stormbringing ceremony!" 

oh, persana… "let's leave that to the professionals, mother," you say with a laugh. "you said it yourself: those bards will be traveling here from all over our empire. favoritism won't do." 

she pouts. "but favoritism is fun." 

you laugh even harder, and she smiles. 

attending harp lessons means that you'll need to visit aquos more often. you'll already be teleporting down here for ambassadorial business… not to mention for those new paintings that dharry is plotting alongside kanom. it's an addition to a schedule that's already quite packed, but aske wanted this for you, didn't he? it's all an excuse to hang around the citadel. you think about playing music for him whilst he fishes out on the starsong and smile. 

"come on, now," your mother says. "i'm sure everyone's wondering what mischief we're up to, digging about in this shed." 

she's right. the two of you begin swimming out of it. "aske will really like the gift that you picked out for relius," you tell her. "he adores his father's woodworking projects. he helps out with them very often." 

"is that so?" your mother smirks. "do you help with them, little storm? or do you merely appreciate them once they're complete?" 

"i do help!" ...or, rather, you want to. "i've been painting a whole lot up on the surface. i'd like to become a somewhat adequate artist. that way, i'll be able to help relius out in his shop." 

"i see," your mother says. "that doesn't surprise me. you've always been an artistic person." she grins. "remember when you covered dhudus in jelly?"

"no one will ever let me forget." you were a very small child and dhudus was barely a year old. viglis freaked out on you, but his reaction paled in comparison to dharry's. "it was pure chaos."

your mother giggles. "it was pure artistry!" 

"mother…" you wonder if she's going to ask you to cover dhudus in jelly all over again. horrifyingly enough, you don't think he would be opposed to it. 

"i saw your vision," your mother says. "anyway, you must paint something for the coralpeak citadel! i'll have it framed and put up in the entrance hall." 

persana below… "i'm fine with painting something for you all, but…" you chuckle. "...again: i think we should leave some things to the professionals!" 

now that the two of you are back in the royal gardens, your mother pulls the shed's door shut behind her. your siblings are still gossiping on the outskirts of the garden, and aske and your father are still talking to each other… however, they seem to have swum around a bit. they now float close by to arlyn's cydaendras. the flowers are blooming, their petals bright purple and bioluminescent. 

your father sees your mother and nods; she nods in return. the gesture catches the attention of aske, who looks back towards you. there's a lot more colour in his face; he's not nearly as stiff as he was before. he smiles, and… you suddenly have faith that things are going well. you smile right back.

it seems like their conversation is at its end, as your father tells aske something and the two of them begin swimming towards you and your mother. together with her, you meet them in the middle of the gardens. 

"your partner does not know our language," your father immediately says. "that will not do."

"what do you mean?" you ask. 

"primordial, storm prince," your father says in primordial. "or have you forgotten how to communicate in your native tongue?" 

"of course i haven't forgotten!" you splutter, now speaking in primordial, yourself. "why does it matter if aske doesn't know? he isn't a triton." 

"it matters," your father says. "you must teach him." 

you look to your mother for assistance. alas, she only giggles and clings to your father's side. 

"we'll be retiring for the evening," your father says, now speaking in common. "try not to get into any trouble." 

you frown. "i won't!" 

"we'll see you in the morning," your mother adds. "breakfast won't be quite as complex as tonight's meal, but it will be lovely all the same." she smiles at aske. "rest well. so happy to finally meet you, aske."

"likewise," aske says. it's pretty incredible that he's kept their secret meeting completely quiet. "thank you both for such an incredible meal. i won't ever forget it." 

"you'd better not," your father grumbles, once more reverting to primordial. 

your mother laughs again, giving your father a playful shove. "he said that he's happy to hear it," she tells aske. "right, reides?"

"right." rolling your eyes, a smile sneaks past your little facade of agitation. 

"great," aske says. that grin of his implies that he's well aware that it was definitely not what your father said, but he leaves it there. "good night, empress arlyn and emperor khavas."

"good night!" your mother exclaims with a wave. her and your father then swim out of the gardens. as they pass by your siblings, your mother tells them something that seems to cause quite a stir amongst them. 

you don't really care about that, though. the very moment that your parents are out of earshot, you turn to aske. "are you okay? how did that talk go?"

"it was pretty good," aske says. "it started off kind of rough. then it got better." he glances over to arlyn's cydaendras. "he showed me the flowers and told me some stuff."  

"what kind of stuff?" 

"he sorta swore me to secrecy," aske admits. 

you scowl. "are you kidding me?!"

"sorry!" aske says. "...he cares about you a whole lot, reides. he really does."  

finding yourself stubborn, you fold your arms tightly. "he wants me to teach you primordial," you say. "like i said, my father is quite traditional. you don't need to learn it if you don't want to."

"it's okay. i'd like to learn it." aske presses his forehead against yours. "i really like learning stuff about your home." 

your cheeks heat up. "okay," you say. "in that case, maybe you can do something for me in return." 

"what's that?"

"maybe… you can teach me elvish." your whole face is heating up now. agh. "whenever you and relius are chatting away in it, i feel all left out." moreover, it'll give you the chance to learn about aske's heritage, too. 

"deal," aske says. "i don't have a lot of experience on the teaching front, but i've seen you with dillan. maybe some of that talent'll rub off on me."

you chuckle and pull away from him. "you'll do fine. besides, it gives us an excuse to amass a huge pile of linguistics books." on that note… "that aside, i think we've spent enough time in the royal gardens for tonight. shall i show you the coralpeak citadel's library?"

"sure!" aske replies to you so quickly. 

you stare at him for a moment. "you were waiting for me to bring it up again, weren't you?"

aske smirks. "obviously." 

ah, yes. your book-lover of a boyfriend. viglis teased the two of you about it over dinner; maybe he was right to do so. you smile and loop your arm back around aske's. "let's go, then." 

x. 

you spent countless hours of your youth tucked away behind the royal library's massive doors. the place is decorated with a multitude of blue-and-gray stone tiles and many pillars stretch from the floor all the way up to the very high ceiling. as one would expect, shelves upon shelves of books line each and every one of the library's walls. others are arranged into aisles. despite the hour, many laverathians are quietly reading away in the designated seating area. some stare towards aske but most are so immersed in their studies that they scarcely pay you nor your partner any mind whatsoever. 

"eadro's beard," aske whispers. "it's incredible in here." 

"it is, isn't it?" you take his hand in yours. "let me show you around." 

you swim him over to one of the bookshelves; one dedicated to laverathian history. aske immediately begins browsing through the tomes. you try to pay attention to him… only for your thoughts to drift. 

last year, this library was the setting for the battle against ryl'dhagt. you remember the state of it while the aboleth loomed within; all of the broken furniture, all of the scattered tomes… all of the bodies. you truly believe that your rage was the only thing that kept you from succumbing to despair and collapsing in on yourself. with its psionic powers, the monster sought to turn you against your family. it failed; you were able to resist its manipulation. dhudus was not so lucky. 

but that's all in the past. you wrapped your lightning around the very blade that severed the aboleth's head from its torso. it is dead. still: a deep, dark part of you believes that it deserved worse. you don't know why. it's illogical, really. you and your friends reduced its body to a chunk of gore and your younger brother is free from its control. what more could you possibly need? it's enough. it's more than enough. but the hatred that you maintain for ryl'dhagt of the abyss is the kind that lingers beyond death. for what it put your family through… it deserved the worst fate conceivable. you pray to persana that, during that battle, the aboleth felt the greatest amount of pain that anything could possibly experience. 

"reides?" familiar rough fingers press softly against your back. "you okay?"

the touch brings you back to the present. "i'm fine." you smile at aske. 

the library is completely different compared to how it was during the siege of the coralpeak citadel. it's as if nothing once marred its quiet peace. you think of lotlyn, freshly-liberated from the tower that she was confined in… carefully slotting books back into their correct spots. dark crescents were under her eyes and her hands shook terribly, but she stayed within and quietly worked at establishing an anchor within all of the chaos. when you recall her efforts, it truly is a disservice to spare even a bit of your time on thoughts of ryl'dhagt. 

aske presses a quick kiss against your cheek. "now that i think about it… living in water is pretty damn convenient, isn't it?" instead of elaborating, he swims upwards - passing many shelves of books in the process. he then casts a goofy grin down at you. 

your smile widens as you follow him. "very much so," you agree. "we don't need to worry too much about the height of our bookshelves, and ladders aren't necessary at all." 

"laverathians are living the good life," aske says wistfully. he reaches out to another tome and begins flipping through it. "everything's in primordial, so i have no idea what these pages say… but these illustrations are fantastic. tritons have their own distinct artstyle, huh?" he inspects one of the drawings closer. "wait, is that…?" 

you peek at it, too. immediately, you know exactly what aske is wondering. "yes. that's khavas alatraen yon-xanthan kien-zinthos laverath," you tell him. "the one and only." the illustration depicts your father riding atop his hippocampus - good old atticus. he's yelling, his trident raised in triumph. other tritons surround him, also cheering. 

"there are books about him in here?!" aske manages to keep his voice low, but - given his surprise - you can tell that it's a feat for him. "i suppose i shouldn't be shocked… he is the emperor and everything…" 

"my father took part in a lot of battles," you say. "he's laverathia's finest warrior, rivaled only by viglis." he even allocates time in his schedule to go on patrols around the empire. (it was thanks to one such patrol that the group of you were able to eat shell shark meat during tonight's dinner.) initially, his outings worried the kingsguard a whole lot. they now know better than to try to tell khavas laverath what to do. 

"gods…" aske murmurs. he puts the tome back, then goes rigid. "wait. are there books about you in here, reides?!"

"i should hope not," you say. "there's likely nothing beyond historical records." 

"you don't sound sure about that," aske says slowly. "do i have to conduct some in-depth reides laverath research?" 

you're not about to aid him in that. it's one line that you definitely do not need to cross any time soon. "i suppose that you'll need to learn primordial in order to do so properly, hm?" 

"i suppose you're right!" aske inspects another tome. "how do laverathians construct these books, anyway? they're similar to the ones on the surface, but i take it that the materials used are different, right?" 

"mhm. whenever we write, we use a tool called an ink-needle and essentially tattoo the parchment with it," you explain. "that parchment is crafted with sea plant fibers, so it's resistant to the corrosive effects of seawater." 

"i see…" aske examines the book's binding. "they're all so well-made." 

even if he can't read them yet, leave it to aske chales to become fascinated by the construction of the books themselves. you love him so much. 

something then seems to occur to him. aske hastily puts the book back and whips his gaze towards you. "these books'd last up on the surface, wouldn't they?" 

"they would," you confirm. "my first spellbook is proof of that." it's tucked away in your pack, fully up-to-date with all of the spells in your main enduring spellbook. "are you thinking of borrowing one and taking it back to davenport with you?"

"once i can read primordial, absolutely." aske trails his fingers along the books' spines. "as for right now, i was actually thinking about pickle."

about dillan? you smile. "i was thinking about him earlier, too. he asked for a present, so i was going to pick something up for him during this visit." something a bit more special than a toy that one can find at any surface market. 

"yeah. he's been getting better at reading. it'd be kinda nice to get him an aquosian kids' story or something. don't you agree?" aske sighs as he looks around. "i guess the primordial's a barrier to that… his lessons are focused on common."   

"i can always translate something for him," you say. it's a difficult task, but a short story for children should be manageable enough. "...something like persana and the hunter."

"aha! good idea!" aske exclaims. he realizes that he's shouting in a library and quickly lowers his voice. "then i can read it, too. ...and then, when i'm fluent in primordial, i can critique your translation."

persana below, he's ridiculous. "there'll be nothing to critique," you tell him with a grin and a flourish. "it'll be flawless." 

"we'll see about that," aske says with a smirk. "any idea where we can get a copy of it? maybe we can go into the city tomorrow…?" 

"we could," you say. "but there might also be a copy for sale in here." the coralpeak citadel's library gets a lot of book donations from the city. since persana and the hunter is such a popular story, at least one of those donations should be up for sale. "we'll need to check with sodulen… she should still be around."

you and aske swim through one of the wide archways curving high above the central portion of the library. it leads into a smaller sub-section of it; a space dedicated to rarer tomes and more intense topics of study. coincidentally, this part of the citadel's library was where you and the rest of the champions valoris butchered ryl'dhagt. 

instead of encountering some other abomination of the deep, sodulen sits calmly at an ornately decorated desk. she taught academic lessons to you, dhudus and viglis when you were all younger. nowadays, she only tutors lotlyn and a few select others of the aquosian court. most of her time spent outside of the classroom is spent within the library. 

sodulen's purple hair is held up in a loose bun and an ink-needle is perched behind one of her ears. "prince reides," she says as you approach. "it's lovely to see you. i see that you've brought company from the surface." she definitely noticed aske before; she wouldn't have spoken in common, otherwise. she smiles at aske, a little bit tense. you realize that she never spoke with any of the other members of the champions valoris. as such, aske must be the first surfacer she's ever met. 

"yes, sodulen! hello," you reply warmly. "this is my partner, aske." 

"hello," aske says. "it's nice to meet you."

"likewise," sodulen replies. "is the prince giving you a tour of the citadel?" 

"kind of," you say with a soft chuckle. the bulk of the tour will have to be handled tomorrow. "we wanted to know if you had any spare copies of persana and the hunter."

"would you like to borrow one?" sodulen asks. "or are you looking to own yet another copy of it?" 

of course she remembers that you already own a copy of it. you laugh, trying to keep the sound low so as to not disturb any of the people studying around you. "i'm looking to own yet another copy of it." 

"then you're in luck." sodulen swims out of her seat. "i'll be right back." she heads towards one of the bookshelves set up behind her. these bookshelves are massive; crammed full of additional books. she retrieves a small one quickly and swims back down to you and aske. 

"we've got so many spare copies, i'm actually quite pleased to hand one over to you," she says. "here you go, prince reides."

you reach into your bag to hand over the necessary silver pieces, only for her to clear her throat. "payment isn't necessary, prince. please - take it." 

what's she talking about?! "oh, no, no," you say. "i can't do that." 

"why not?"

"it's like stealing!" 

sodulen tuts at you. "reides. do you remember how many library books you stored in your chambers when you were a child?"

how could you possibly forget the late fees of your youth? some of the tomes that you kept in there were never even meant to leave the library. "i do." persana below, you may very well still have some of them hidden away. 

"that was stealing," sodulen states. "this is different. it's a gift. after everything that you've done for us, any aquosian would be happy to help you." she holds the book out to you. "if it makes it easier, consider it a gift from your former teacher." 

"it's a pretty fitting gift," aske comments. "...since it's going to be a gift for reides' student."

you take the book from sodulen with a grateful little nod and your former teacher stares at you with wide eyes. "you're a teacher, reides?!" 

"i have an apprentice," you say. "i'm teaching him the arcane arts. needless to say, this gift is unrelated to that. it's meant to be a little souvenir from my home seas." you hug it to your chest.

"how wonderful." sodulen smiles. "you always wanted to study in one of the sorcery schools within the crystalline trench. i was so happy when you found your own way forward…" she trails off. "...i digress. i hope that your apprentice enjoys the story." 

"thank you, sodulen." you smile back at her. "i hope that aske likes it, too!" 

"he's never read it, then?" sodulen sits behind her desk once more. "you're in for a treat, aske." 

you knew that she'd understand. viglis can claim that it's a story for children all he wants. sometimes, the best tales are the ones that you'd tell a child. 

"i'm looking forward to it," aske says with a grin. 

with dillan's gift partially handled, the two of you decide to make your way out of the citadels' library. you still need to show your personal chambers to aske, after all. he'll be staying in there with you during his time in aquos.  

aske surveys the scene before departing. "i'll be back," he whispers to the books. 

you cover your mouth, giggling profusely.

"leaving the library before it must close its doors for the night?" a voice drawls from the hallway. "you're showing great restraint, storm prince." 

"very funny, viglis," you say.

your elder brother is leaning against a wall close to the library's entrance. was he waiting for you and aske? he pushes himself off it, swimming over to you. "i wasn't joking." 

ridiculous. "where are dhudus and lotlyn?" you don't see them anywhere. 

"they swam off, plotting something or another." viglis shrugs. 

that… bodes something for tomorrow. you just know it. "they could've at least said good night." 

"you know how they are," viglis states. "allow me to wish you both a good night in their stead."

"thanks, viglis." aske smiles. "it really is great to finally meet you. reides told me so much about you." 

"i shudder to think of the stories that he'd tell," viglis says. 

"they're all good stories!" you interject. "i reunited with aske around the time that we made amends, so he didn't get to hear any of the insulting ones." you already apologized for those ones, anyway. 

"wonderful," viglis says, sardonic. "tell me - is that another copy of persana and the hunter?" 

"yes!" you hold the book out towards him. "it's a present for a child who's up on the surface." 

"by persana…" viglis rubs at his head incredulously. "have you added spreading that tale to your list of ambassadorial duties? if i knew that you'd become obsessed with it, i wouldn't have selected it for you all those years ago." 

"yes, you would've," you retort. 

viglis doesn't say anything. he then sighs. "...you're right. i would have selected it all the same." 

victory! you grin triumphantly. "does your offer to read it to me again still stand, by the way?"

viglis smiles. "absolutely not," he says. 

xi. 

since viglis is a coward, you end up reading persana and the hunter to aske, instead. he ends up loving it - just as you expected! together, you plan out how you'll present the gift to dillan. it seems like the easiest course of action entails writing the common translation right next to the primordial featured within the book. 

"that way, he'll be able to read the original text once he's fluent in primordial, too," aske says. 

you laugh as you place the book on your nightstand, right next to wreath of persana. "everyone's suddenly got plans to become fluent in primordial, huh?" 

"what can i say?" aske says, grinning. "it's the new trend." 

he's in your bed, weighed down by your blankets. even though the effects of your water breathing spell will last until tomorrow evening, you casted it on him again - just to be safe. since both of you possess darkvision, there was no need to activate any of the crystalline lanterns around the room. you're so calm, you feel like you're going to melt into your sheets. 

you wonder if aske feels similarly. "you may need some more time to get accustomed to resting underwater," you say. "i remember that some of my friends had difficulty with it." 

"i'm fine," aske says. "just promise to drag me down if i start floating off." 

"i will." the very worst case scenario is that aske will bonk his head lightly on the ceiling. 

"i was kidding!" aske laughs. "this blanket's sturdy. i think i'll be fine." he smoothens it out and smiles down at it. "it must've been pretty difficult for you to get used to everything on the surface, huh?" 

"i guess so." the initial days were a bit rough. 

"how'd it feel?" aske asks. "before you got used to it, i mean."

you think back to your days spent as a stowaway on the desperado. "it felt like… there was a constant weight on me," you say. "like the lightness that water grants me was taken away. all jokes aside, i really missed the sensation of simply… floating." 

"you can use your magic to fly now, though, right?" 

"yes, i can." you don't cast your fly spell all that often, but you know the incantations for it nonetheless. "it's still quite different compared to swimming. water grants me a lightness, but it's also very… present. air isn't like that." you can't feel it as much as you can feel water. 

"i get it." aske nods. "since i made fun of you a few times when you were getting used to the surface, you have my full permission to point and laugh whenever i'm floundering around down here."

floundering… "nice fish pun."

"i try."

you laugh and rest your head on his shoulder. 

"your bedroom is very you, by the way," aske adds. "i like it." 

"i'm glad!" it's definitely more cluttered than aske's room, and some of the furniture within it is a bit singed from magic practice gone awry… but it's your personal space within the coralpeak citadel all the same. your bookshelves are overflowing with tomes and small trinkets that you collected during your undersea adventures and you have a few chests here-and-there that are crammed full of random objects.

"my tendency to stockpile fun little things has definitely spilled over to valoris manor," you say. "...and over to your room in chateau chales, too."

aske presses his lips against your forehead. "wouldn't have it any other way." 

you smile. "tomorrow, we should go down into the city." 

"sure. is there anywhere special that you wanna go?" 

"to be honest, i spent most of my time out by the seaweed fields," you admit. "in the shipwrecks and beyond… much to most of the citadel's disapproval." it'd be fun to revisit those vessels again for old time's sake. with that being said… "i don't know if you'd like going out there." 

"it might get me thinking about my mortality, yeah," aske says with a laugh. "but i'm fine with anything that you'd like to do. can't say i've ever explored a shipwreck at the bottom of the ocean, so it might make for an interesting experience. and if you're not too familiar with the city itself, maybe we'll be able to find some nice new places together." 

he has a point. aquosians may treat you a bit strangely due to your royal status - not to mention your reputation beyond that - but your time on the surface taught you about the joys that accompany exploration and adventure. you love your people and you love aske. there's no way the experience won't be magical. 

"i'd like that," you say. "i'd like that a whole lot." 

aske pulls you in closer and you close your eyes. 

when you escaped from laverathia, you never thought that you'd return to this room. you never thought that you'd make peace with your past, nor that your past would make peace with you. for a time, you rejected your family name… you existed as reides and nothing more. 

but the laveraths have always been here. 

your family has always been here. despite it all, viglis remains headstrong. dhudus remains aloof. lotlyn remains bubbly. your mother remains clever, and your father… your father remains as authoritative as ever. but they've all changed in some ways, too. just as you have. 

even while apart, you grew together. 

furthermore, while you were up on the surface, you somehow found other families to call your own. be it the one you share with the champions valoris, or that of the chales family, or the bond that you now have with dillan… you cherish each and every connection that has blessed you. you'll always be grateful for the people in your life; you love this world because they are in it. and so, you will always protect them.

you will always protect your family. 

your eyelids are getting heavy. "thank you for visiting the citadel, aske," you murmur. 

"thanks for having me, reides."