"Heart Like a Hurricane" [Finn]

[Arvælyn]

Finn's response to Arry's question was harrowing. The half-elf was faced with the realisation that he'd been living in blissful ignorance of the goings on in the world around him. He'd been so focused on his career, their relationship, their recent move and he'd barely given a thought to politics that didn't directly impact him. Well, now they did. He huddled closer to Finn, seeking comfort as he offered it.

"No..." Arry shook his head, "We should go home. Strategise." He wasn't even sure Aurin would be there just now. There was no way he'd missed the flurry of activity, between the explosions and the fiery airship looming above the palace. Arry was confident that Aurin was safe. He couldn't imagine a world where the man would lose his life to something so mundane as a random act of terroristic violence.

"The theatre could be a target." Arry mused as an afterthought. He didn't know who the attackers were or what their goals might be, but it seemed logical to him that a large, ornate building that often housed thousands of people might be a tempting target indeed for enemies of Kalzasi.

"Yes." Feeling Finn's hand fishing about, he grabbed ahold of it with his own. As usual, his hands were chilly to the touch and the human's warmth was as welcome as his compassion. "I wouldn't leave your side for anything, right now." He frowned, feeling a rush of emotion catching up to him.

"You are everything to me." He began to sob, "My entire world." He buried his face in the crook of Finn's arm and warmed it with his tears. "I love you so fucking much, Finn." It wasn't the thought of Arry's own death that struck him so sharply, but the notion of losing Finn. Had things gone a little differently back at the reception...

"I wish I could turn off my brain so it wouldn't be flush with such terrible thoughts..." He clenched his eyes shut as if trying to do just that. "Should we quit the city, Finn?"

[Finn]

Finn just nodded, glad they were of like mind about going home. He hoped the people wouldn't panic and take it out on their neighbors, but his mind wanted to prepare for the worst and hope for the best. His arms tightened around the other man at the feel of his cold hands and the words that came sobbing out of him. He felt a new sort of kinship with Arry now they had both survived something awful; he wished Arry could have been spared that, but now there was a trauma bonding them closer together. He found tears answering Arry's and he pulled the half-elf into his lap, wanting him closer than close.

He tried to kiss away the terrible thoughts, lips brushing cheeks, brow, and such.

"I don't think we should flee yet... but perhaps we should pack a bag in case we have to—just in case. I think I could probably vault to the theater to check on things, on your friend, and then back, but I don't want to leave you alone either. Not even for five minutes. If things get bad, we can run for it. Crash with my parents in the village, be ready to move in case bad things spread." From what he had read of war, a village might not be any safer, but at least he could gather his family to run with them. Perhaps to Klas, farther from both Kalzasi and the Imperium.

He was still confused about what had happened. The marauders had looked like sky pirates, but they were so well organized. He had thought he heard people speaking of the Gelerian Imperium, but also of the Zaichaeri diplomats. All of this was above his pay grade, but it could be relevant information when it came to surviving.

"I won't let anyone hurt you."

It had been as much an instinct to protect Arry as a trauma response when he had attacked that man. Now it was a bit easier to pick apart his feelings, though everything still had an edge of panic to it. They had to calm down, though. Panic would only lead to foolish choices.

[Arvælyn]

Arry easily facilitated the welcome shift to their positioning. It seemed they were likeminded in the desire for closeness as well as their intention to return home.

"Gods..." Arry looked somewhere between pained and perplexed at the tactics Finn suggested. "It's so fucking weird how much can change in a godsdamned instant." He lifted his head to glance across and out the window through the little slit in the curtains that jostled as they moved- Enough so that he could get tiny glimpses of the city that had only just begun to feel like home.

"I've spent the past few years trying to conquer this city... To make a name for myself here, and just when I got what I wanted..." He trailed off, and his focus shifted from the outside to Finn's profile in the much-closer foreground.

"If you told me yesterday... If you told me an hour ago that you wanted to think about leaving the city, I'd've thought you were joking, but now?" He shivered, "If what we just saw becomes an everyday occurrence in Kalzasi?" Arry shook his head. "Then get me the fuck out forthwith." He conjured a smile for Finn's sake and tightened his grip on him once more, grateful for his attentiveness.

"I know you won't. And I won't let anyone hurt you either. If anyone tries, I'll turn their brains to broth." He lifted the hand that wasn't clutching Finn's to stroke his face gently. It was so soft, since he'd shaven for the wedding.

"I think... I think when we're back home, I wouldn't mind if you slipped away for just a moment or two to check on Aurin at the theatre. I can start to pack and secure the doors and windows. Then... is it a crazy that I fancy a bath? I just... I want to feel warm and relaxed and... Maybe it's a bad idea to get undressed for a soak, when we may need to flee at any moment, yeah?"

[Finn]

Finn nodded along to all Arry said. His eyes were wide and most frequently on his lover as if to ensure that he didn't disappear like the peace they hadn't known was so fragile. Of course, he also cut his glance out the window from time to time. There were many people on the street, eyes on the sky. He just wanted to hide from it for a while.

"Growing up... Kalzasi seemed like the center of the world, the idea of all those people in one place... I always dreamed I'd travel, but Kalzasi was always... I don't know... the center of it all." He realized he was repeating himself, but didn't have a better way to articulate himself just yet. And he couldn't even object at Arry's weaponizing his magic; faced with an existential threat, he knew he would do the same. Corner most animals and they would fight tooth and nail to survive.

He nodded, acquiescing to Arry's wishes with regard to the trip to the theater without question.

"I think I'd like to help securing at least the front door," he said, "and then I can vault over... while you work on the rest. Perhaps draw the bath and wait for me?" There was a flicker of a naughty smile. "But I'll have this sword I... stole... and you'll have mine just in case. You can at least look threatening with it. So... well, I'll keep watch while you bathe if that helps you feel warm and relaxed."

Perhaps they would both calm down and Finn would climb in as well, but for now, the order of the day was survival.

[Arvælyn]

"I know what you mean..." Arry grimaced at the thought of his younger self and how naïve he'd been to the world. "Whilst I was still stuck in Antiris, Kalzasi seemed like this... this beacon of hope. The gleaming city on the hill where all would be milk and honey. Even when it brought me low, I gave it the benefit of the doubt. Figured I needed to take my licks to earn my path forward, and I did." That whole chapter of his life had centred around Aurin. It had been him who first offered the urchin of Antiris a way out of the slum that reared him. Aurin hadn't painted an unrealistic picture of Kalzasi- that had all been Arvine himself and his very active imagination. It was only upon reflection that he realised how often he'd edited that fantasy to keep up the illusion that Kalzasi was some kind of paradise. That it was ever even safe...

"Of course." Arry squeezed Finn's hand a bit. He wasn't eager to be left alone in the house- that was for sure, but it was important to know whether his saviour needed saving. Finn seemed to be taking well to his recent endowment, and Arry was confident he could blip away if there was imminent danger.

The traffic was, unsurprisingly, abysmal with people wandering bleary eyed into the streets and staring at the sky rather than the oncoming coaches, and there were more of those on the road than usual as well- Some people were clearly keen to evacuate while questions and skyships were still in the air. Had all of this just been prelude to an invasion? Was that the vanguard?

Eventually, they were back at their house in their typically very quiet neighbourhood, but even here it was abuzz with more activity than he'd ever seen here at this time of the evening. Arry slipped out of the carriage first and scanned the area- Their neighbours milling about trying to make sense of what was happening. Still clinging to Finn's hand, he pulled the human toward their front door and fumbled for his key with his free hand.

[Finn]

Finn paid the fare and then let Arry urge him inside. He could feel how many paths through the slipspace made their terminus within their new home, and that gave him some relief from his fear. One way or another, he would always be able to find his way home—to Arry. Once the half-elf had managed to unlock the door and get them over the threshold, he sent a little whistle of reassurance from his symphony to his lover's; it wasn't surreptitious, but rather a more intimate attempt to reassure him. He brought Arry's hand to his lips, kissing the back of it and squeezing it before he let go so he could take the couch and move it bodily to block the door once Arry locked it behind them.

Looking around, he surveyed the possible points of egress. The street-facing windows on the first floor were small. They could be broken, but it would be difficult for a full-grown adult to get through, especially with ragged glass lining it.

"What else?" he asked, rhetorically and not. The couch might not be enough, but they could pile some things on it. He just wanted the place to feel a bit more secure before he quit Arry's presence even if only for a few minutes. He glanced at the man then, waiting to hear his symphony slow down before he even considered leaving. He knew the reconnaissance would reassure Arry, but they would have to time it just right to avoid unnecessary fear.

At the same time, he tried to find the thread that would lead him from here to a rehearsal room that he knew in the Golden Peacock. It was the place he had spent the most time there, so he knew it best, so it would be the easiest to reach without exhausting himself so he couldn't get back.

[Arvælyn]

Being in their new house instantly swept feelings of relief through Arry. He truly loved the place and it still bore the boon of novelty that made it feel particularly special. Even now, that impacted his spirit as they crossed the threshold and Arry closed and locked the door. Seeing Finn move to push the couch, he darted over and took the other side to guide its path more cleanly to the door.

"Do we need to board up the windows?" That was something he'd seen people do for horrible storms and so forth. He wasn't the handiest with a toolbox, but he figured he could handle that if need be. "I wish I was more practised in the new Rune, I could just use illusory defences to trick potential invaders..." If they were really being invaded by Zaichaer, he imagined even his nominal talents might be enough to serve. As he understood it, they despised magic so they were probably quite susceptible. His Mesmer would certainly be useful, again, if that were the case, but he didn't really know.

He felt Finn's presence in his symphony, and it was further calming the panic that had begun to dwindle since they'd made it through the front door. More so since that door was now blocked. He went about all the doors and windows on the first floor and double checked that they were locked.

"Should we block the back door, too?" He called from that side of the house in response to Finn's ambivalently rhetorical question. When the minstrel moved to join him, he said: "Help me with this, and then I can start stacking more stuff onto the barricade on my own."

[Finn]

"The windows should be fine," he said, but he did follow Arry to the back door. "Yes, blocking the doors ought to be enough to dissuade people from trying to get in when there are easier pickings."

Finn didn't like this heartless calculus, but he was calculating for Arry's safety, which was paramount to that of the neighbors if it came down to a choice. He helped Arry move a table in front of the back door, which he could easily cover with things to make it heavier, then nodded. He reached out to touch Arry, an almost unthinking gesture to reassure himself that Arry was there as much as to reassure Arry himself. Then he went and collected his sword, then compared it to the sword he took from the palace. He handed the smaller one to Arry, so he would at least be able to put on a show of being dangerous.

"Between this and your magic, you'll be fine for a few minutes," he said, pulling Arry close. He seemed to be saying it as much for himself as for Arry, though. "I should do this now. If something bad is going to happen, it will need some time to build up, so the sooner I'm back, the better. And the sooner I'm gone, the sooner I'm back. And like you said, you can add to the barricades while I'm gone and then..." He laughed with only a faint edge of hysteria. "Then we can have a nice bath."

When Arry let him go, he reached out for the thread linking where he stood to a rehearsal room in the Golden Peacock. It didn't take long. He didn't find the man he was looking for, but his secretary. He told him those facts he knew, told him to tell his boss and to tell him that Arvalyn Val'Cithaeron was safely barricaded inside his home in Adira's Promenade. Then he found the rehearsal room again because it would be easier to follow the exact same route back through the slipspace, and vaulted. He staggered a little, the vaults taking their toll on his strength.

"Arry?" he called wearily, treading toward the stairs. He would take his sword with him—he would always take his sword with him now. He hadn't been gone a full ten minutes, but it felt like another ten hours.

[Arvælyn]

"I think so..." Arry agreed. Having seen the neighbourhood, albeit briefly, between the coach and the front door it didn't seem that any sort of rioting had reached their little corner of Kalzasi.

"I think we may have been lucky to have moved when we did, after all..." Even if it suddenly seemed that a long-term commitment to Kalzasi may not have been the wisest of moves, he was rather sure either of their former neighbourhoods (In the Low City and the Plaza of the Jeweled Arches respectively), would be in far worse shape at the moment for how much more populous they were. Both Arry and Finn had lived on the property of public facilities which were far more likely to be subject to rioting and looting than this quieter more remote part of the city- At least at the beginning. People from poorer parts of the city might, of course, march from their neighbourhoods to punish those with more resources, but this was all so new.

"Of course." Arry returned Finn's embrace. "Come back to me soon." He kissed him, and a small but loud part of his psyche posited that it might be their last but, cringing at that fell notion, he buried it. It wouldn't serve either of them to focus on such thoughts just now. Arry watched Finn shift through spacetime, and stared at the empty air for a moment longer- That was still going to take some getting used to. But after that initial stupour wore off, he went about the work of adding gravity to the barricades on either side of the house. He started at the front and was wedging a chair against the table at the back when he heard his name being called.

"Finn?" He turned and jogged back to the spot from whence Finn had blinked away, rushing to kiss him again as if to rub it in the face of his prior doubts about Finn's return. "I love you!" He cried as he buried his face in Finn's chest so that it was muffled when he asked,

"What did you find?"

[Finn]

"I love you," he said, the call-and-response never feeling forced. He embraced the slenderer half-elf, trying to brace himself so he wouldn't lean upon him too much, but between the emotional day and the magical overload, he was so, so tired. When he got tired, he got even more emotional, and he found himself snuffling in golden hair. Careful not to cry upon his lover, he straightened a bit and sniffed.

"I saw his secretary," he reported. "He was busy, but he was there and safe. I just didn't want to leave you alone too long. So he knows you're safe here with me or he will know soon. Hopefully, cooler heads will prevail and the streets won't be... well, won't be any more dangerous than usual. If so, we could go to the theater tomorrow. I'd like to go with you if you don't mind. I'm going to be a little... a little more clingy for a while."

Finn surveyed Arry's work. He chuckled, figuring that would dispel the tears that wanted to come of their own accord. He hated when he got tired and couldn't control his feelings. They always felt strange.

"I think that ought to do it. If nothing else, someone trying to get in is going to make so much noise and it'll slow them down so we can get up, pick up swords, and ready our Mesmer. I think we will be fine as long as we're together." Despite his weariness, he managed a bit of a wicked smile and a bit of hands-on flirtation. "Now, you mentioned a bath..."

Perhaps his flirtation would lead somewhere. Gods knew it didn't take much more than a passing breeze to stoke the fires where Arry was concerned. Certainly, they could both use a distraction from what had happened, a physical reconnection to regain their balance. But as long as he could have Arry in his arms, he thought he would be able to sleep.

fin.