Tragedy

[Laszlo]

Laszlo's eyes may have widened a fraction. He cleared his throat and looked off, rubbing his nose to hide his embarrassment. "Right. Yes. Visiting." Goodness' sake, the woman was engaged. What was he doing inviting her to stay over anyway? Wasn't like that, he argued at himself, hot annoyance surging up to ease the sting of shame. He rubbed at his forehead and closed his eyes, digesting that lump of emotion before it got worse. Too much had happened tonight, and he was in a bad enough state as it is. His head was twice as full as it had been when he woke up that morning, reading letters and having swords pointed at him, being feared as a Symenestra again and now making impolite offers. It was difficult to keep all of it straight. It didn't matter if his intentions were innocent. He had no business being around a woman set to be married. Better for Fia to stay at the inn. She had already paid for the room, as she said. It made sense. And there wasn't much harm in walking her home. Home-ish. Laszlo nodded, glancing back at her and banishing his thoughts. "I'll get my cloak." The clouds had gone, allowing Leth to shine down and glitter on the still-wet streets of Lhavit. The skyglass structures of the Plaza drank it in as well, becoming bright and iridescent, turning water puddles into dark, colorful paintings. To Laszlo's vespertine eyes it was all a bit garish, but still pleasing in an otherworldly sort of way. He preferred the city in its daylight hours, when it was still colorful but less offensive. Fia and Laszlo weren't alone as they walked. Lhavitians were famously nocturnal, but the autumn chill thinned the evening crowds, which meant that Laszlo's shape was more readily noticeable. For the first time since Winter, he had drawn his hood to hide his face. His gait was still eerily fluid, but not nearly as much as a natural Symenestra's, and so it didn't draw as many eyes. It was a disheartening contrast to his reception in under the sunlight. And, perhaps with his hood casting a shadow over his face, Fia could pretend he was a tall, lanky human. "You can, by the way." He looked at Fia at his side. His eyes were catlike as they turned toward her, but they didn't linger long. "Come and visit, I mean. Company's nice. I know it isn't easy being all alone in a city you hardly know. But you've got one friend here, at least. You can call on me whenever you need." She wasn't the only one struggling with her tragedies. Laszlo wasn't sure how to say it, but he needed company too. So long as they didn't make a habit of pointing swords at him.

[Fia Eaven]

Lhavit blurred into a glowing, glass orb. Bedecked in train of the heavens, Lhavit only saw evening as another gown to wear. It should have dazzled Fia, but it felt almost as blinding to her as it did to the Symenestra that loped beside her. Her eyes were parched, expended bells before. She was not so selfish as to wish the city reflect her mourning, but she would ask the stars' pardon. She could not bear their far flung gaiety. Laszlo was fluid and quiet, less than an echo of what a man his size should have been in bulk and sound. There was another reason Fia loved the noise of the living: footfalls, creaks, the clap of hands. They were safety and substance. The Ethaefal looked at her when he began to answer floating questions, removing the comfort his hood brought her. The need for fortitude was brief, as his glance moved quickly elsewhere. Fia sensed the care Laszlo was trying to wield with clawed hands and it anointed her head in both relief and shame. "I'm glad you say so. We have to be friends. I couldn't live with the embarrassment if we weren't." It was her first show of humor that was not anchored by grief. "I'm easier company most days." She made a feather light promise, "You'll see." The city must have moved while she stood still. It was the only way they could have reached the Inn. Fia delayed the inevitable solitude by not giving Laszlo a chance to part ways until she was fighting with the key in her door's lock. For once, she was glad for this final barrier. The door opened with a push from her shoulder revealing a deeper dark. Fia looked into the empty room and foresaw the melancholy bells that awaited her. She would keep vigil as her thoughts bound her from head to foot and pecked her bones. She turned to face Laszlo, now unsure which sight frightened her more. It was her season to hold hands with the gray and mouthless specter. Despite its awful visage, it would not break her. Weeping would endure for a night, but peace would come some morning. Fia held her breath and began trying to see her fear for the impotent fog it was. Laszlo felt the unmistakable warmth of another person across his chest, and arms were childishly looped around his neck. "I will thank Syna for you."

[Laszlo]

"Oh." A little surprised by the closeness, Laszlo returned the light embrace with a single arm, leaning down just a little to accommodate Fia's timid height. He held her loosely, a bit unsure of how to do so politely. Fia's words reached him, and when they parted, Laszlo was smiling gently at her. It was one of the nicest things he'd heard said in a while. Lately it had become easy to feel like a curse on the world. "It was nice meeting you, Fia. Truly." And he meant it. For the amount of grief she'd caused him tonight, it had been an effective distraction from his own despair, and it had given him a glimpse of the still-moving world beyond his private, tragic universe. Laszlo so easily lost his grasp on perspective. He was still too young to certain, but he felt it was the company of mortals, more than his connection to the divine, that gave meaning and structure to his existence. "If that was you at worst, then I don't think I have anything to worry about. Believe me, I've had darker days." Still, it didn't feel good releasing the human back into her shattered paradigm, this empty little room. If it was anything like the moment Laszlo had finally returned to his home in Lhavit and stepped inside his quiet, empty apartment, the full weight of her despair would bring her down to her knees. The reality of her losses would be made as real as the cold air on her skin and the quietness in the room except for her own shaking breath. A pair of warm, loving arms would never feel so far away. "Get some rest. You'll be alright. Even if you aren't." Fia's door then became a barrier between them, and Laszlo was left alone in the hall, standing between the shadows of far-placed sconces. The warmth gradually evaporated from his features while he hung there for a quiet, lingering moment. He was alone again. For a few hours, he'd forgotten what that felt like. The false Symenestra melted from the upstairs corridor and came back down into the main foyer. He paused at the foot of the stairs, smelling food from the kitchen. The aroma was salty and sweet, a signature Lhavitian combination, and stirred a petty, mortal hunger. It was a pointless sensation often ignored or soothed with adequate amounts of liquor. Food was wasted on an Ethaefal when he was just as easily nourished by sunlight. But not tonight. Tonight, he decided, seemed like a good night for a bowl of soup.

[Fia Eaven]

The End

[Whimsy]

Laszlo

Experience	Lore
+2 Observation	Hospitality
+1 Organisation	How to Sharpen a Blade
+1 Disguise	Offering One’s Hearth
+1 Persuasion	Fia Eaven: Something in the Past…
+2 Cooking	Cloaking Symenestra Traits

Fia Eaven

Experience	Lore
+1 Weaponsmithing	Becoming Cold Iron
+1 Teaching	Analysing the State of Weaponry
+1 Weapon: Katana	Catatonia
	Perseverance
	Overcoming Fear

Comments
Laszlo, please remove two topaz kina / silver miza from your ledger. Fia Eaven, feel free to add these to your ledger.

What a beautifully written thread. I know a lot of this information had to be retracted, but it was beautifully managed, nonetheless. Your reactions were astounding. I loved seeing Fia break down like that, and Laszlo so helpless in the wake of the loss of Abalia and his daughter. Very tense and masterful writing when she held him at sword point. I tried to give you what I could, but if you have any questions or concerns or complaints, please PM me and I'll do what I can.

Oh, and I adore the Cranberries. That's one of my favourites by them.

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