An Apt Apertif (Glen, Sunrise, Ka'Ri)

Luther hands out his wet clothes with care before emerging with the robe wrapped warmly around him. "How do I look?" he asks with a chuckle.

---

Thorn steps into the offered hug, sniffling again.

"Very dashing," she says warmly. "And comfortable." She offers him an arm, already beginning to work prestidigitation on his clothes.

Glen draws Thorn close, his heart hammering as a confusing flood of emotions flows through him. He lets his arms envelop the smaller man, holding him close to his chest. If he could take every ounce of sadness and hurt away this way, he would. "I'm sorry, for all of this, and for having to involve you in our work too." His voice is quiet and cracks a little when he apologizes.

Luther takes her arm but watches his clothes drying and hesitates. "If magic is an option, I'd just as soon wait until I could change back?" he suggests, his wry smile turning into a soft wince. "Before we go back down, I mean."

---

Thorn shakes his head, still crying quietly. "Please don't apologize. Please. You saved my life. The lives of my babies. If all this is the price for that, it's still worth it."

Her lips quirk. "It's going to take a few minutes," she warns. "Ka'Ri's going to assume we're getting up to all kinds of indecencies." Still, she doesn't love to leave, continuing to work magic over the clothes.

Glen holds Thorn close in his arms. He wants to say something, anything that will help, but he is at a loss. "Is there... Is there anything I can do to help? That will ease the burden of having to learn so much so quickly? Anything you need, all you have to do is say so." He looks down at the top of Thorn's head and his copper curls, wishing he was better at this for both their sakes.

Luther can't help but snort. "Hmm. On the one hand, improve my reputation by convincing everyone you're my latest conquest; on the other hand, expose myself to mockery by wearing casual robes instead of my usual political 'armor'. Such a difficult decision."

---

Thorn laughs softly. "I wish there was. If there was, I would let you. But thank you."

He sighs. "...I don't know how I'm going to tell Rik any of this. He already hates Immeral. Not that... I mean." His face colors. "I'm not fond of Father, but I understand how I need to treat him in order to play the political games I'm supposed to play. You know?"

She laughs, patting the settee next to her for him to join her as she works. "Is that a compliment then? That having me as a 'conquest' would improve your reputation? You sweet talker, you." On impulse she reaches an arm around him to give him a casual, affectionate side-hug.

The clothes don't take too long to clean, although at one point they do steam - enough to explain why she didn't offer to do so while they were on him. When they're done, they're both clean and dry. "Your armor, sir."

Luther chuckles at the question and leans ever-so-slightly into the hug. "Your star is on the rise. You impressed several important families tonight, you know. Elvish families, admittedly, and not likely to stick their necks out for a tiefling, but still useful under the right circumstances. Having you on my arm could help me in several ways, actually. Veshti chose well when she selected you as her latest ward."

She laughs easily. "Well. Anytime you want me to play arm candy, you let me know." She grins. "Although after being Thorn's date tonight, you will look like quite the rake. But! Go get dressed."

When he's behind the curtain she says, "You might like to know - at least I hope you will - that we're getting ready to move forward on finding Gwyn." She sighs. "Don't ask me the details; I don't rent boats, I ride on them and look picturesque in the sea air. But we've gathered about all the information we can. There's still some leads worth looking into, and we plan to, but." She shrugs, even though he can't see her. "At this point it doesn't make sense not to act. Starting day after tomorrow the plan is to spend the better part of each day trying to find Korogur; we can try to get any extra information we can during the evenings."

Glen nods, understanding there isn't much he can do, even while being gripped by an awful feeling of powerlessness.

“It's easy to see how much Rik cares, so if it's important for you to maintain a relationship, he'll understand. And besides, if he already hates your father, this probably won't change much, right?” His tone is light, as he is trying to find some way to look at things positively.

He pauses for a moment in thought, and when he starts talking again his tone is hesitant. “But Thorn…you say the games you're supposed to play. Do you, yourself, honestly want to play them? Maybe it isn't my place, but I think you should get to do things now because you want to, not because someone expects you to. You should be free of those days, of expectations and being held back by them.” Glen almost immediately feels like he's said too much and overstepped a boundary, and falls silent.

Ka'Ri looks around the room. Her companions were taking awhile and she smiled a little bit at the thought of Glen getting that time alone with Thorn he wanted. Giving things he wouldn't be surprised if both groups took a bit long to come back.

So she occupied her time scritching Elen's neck and if allowed, his belly. "You are a friendly one, aren't you," she says watching for what makes him purr and wag his tail. Eventually, her eyes furrow as a curiosity crosses her mind.

"You can understand us humans pretty well, can't you?"

When Ka'Ri speaks to him, Elen hops up beside her and flops over on his back, rubbing his head against her side. His little rumbly purrs, which sound kind of like a growl, start almost immediately, and he takes the belly rub happily, his purr getting louder. As she speaks to him, he looks at her with intense, understanding eyes.

Luther laughs again from behind the changing divider. "Yes, I'm contributing quite a lot to the gossip-mongers these days. A boy orc is very risque."

When he emerges to hear the news about their plans, he freezes for a moment and then wraps Sunrise in a impulsive hug. "Thank you," he murmurs. "Please let me know if there's anything you need from me? Anything at all. And please be safe. I don't want... I don't want you to be hurt."

---

Thorn laughs softly and brushes at his eyes. "People born to the wealth and power I was don't get to live lives free of expectations," he says to Glen, very gently. "It's the trade-off, I suppose, between wealth and power and having neither. The poorest man in Brilight can do whatever he wants without expectations weighing on him, but he may not have the resources to do it. The richest man..." His voice trails away and he shrugs.

"...I guess we should go back to the others?"

She returns the hug fiercely. "I'll be careful," she promises. "I'll be safe. And even if I'm not, we've got a contingency plan, right? Everything's going to work out."

Glen nods. "Yeah. We should." He hesitates. "Listen, I understand what you're saying, and I respect it, a hundred percent. But I just." He steps back, putting his hands back on Thorn's shoulders. He gives them an affectionate squeeze before letting his hands drop. "No matter what you decide is the best thing to do, there are a bunch of people who will support you no matter what. Anything you need, I'm here. And I am hoping you'll still let me come visit." His face breaks out into a muted smile with the faintest hint of blush - it's too serious a moment for a big wide grin, but he can't help a little bit of a smile.

Luther cups a finger under Sunrise's chin and studies her face with a worried frown. "You will come back? If the priests call you?"

---

Thorn laughs softly and smiles. "So you're saying you'll help me run away into the woods if I want, Mister Ranger?"

She frowns, tilting her head to watch him with quizzical eyes. "Yes, of course. Luther, are you okay?"

Glen's eyebrows shoot up on his face in surprise. Thorn should be able to tell pretty easily that Glen was thinking exactly that, but it seems like he tried to steer clear of implying that much. He flushes bright red, his inner thoughts on full display. "Do, uh, do you read minds? Sunrise does, it's not weird, but is that something you do too??"

He sighs a little, feeling foolish. "I didn't mean-- You've been running a long time. I wouldn't tell you to just run." He didn't say this for a reason, but now that he's started it's hard to stop. "But if you wanted freedom, from these responsibilities you and the babies had no choice in taking on, I could help. I have friends in the forest, in my village. And family. You could live how you wanted. I don't know. It feels very silly to say, which was why I wasn't going to bring it up, but you apparently can read me like a book." He looks down, embarrassed.

Luther's expression softens. "I'm an old man," he teases. "And old men worry too much. But I would miss you, if you didn't return."

---

Thorn gives Glen a bright grin. "I can't read minds," he admits with a giggle, "but I figured we couldn't run into the sea. The woods was all that left." He studies him with a gentle expression. "I didn't know there were villages in the woods, though. Places to be safe. That sounds... nice," he says, his voice turning wistful.

Glen beams at him, delighted by his laughter. "Yes! My big sister, Sariel, is in the small band of tribal watchers. She's strong and great with a sword - it's very safe. And her wife, Enna, is a singer. Everything is so open; the houses are meant to enhance and compliment nature, rather than keeping it out. It's beautiful and quiet and peaceful and everyone helps each other out." His voice turns wistful too - he describes it so vividly and makes it sound so wonderful, but he still gets that twinge when thinking about how he never felt at home there.

She studies him with a furrowed brow for a moment, then smiles faintly. "Would you really? I'll keep that in mind."

As they start to head back out, she adds, "How old are you? If you don't mind me asking. Your hair and your face tell different stories."

Luther opens his mouth to answer and then hesitates, torn between easy lies and hard truths. "Ask me sometime when we're not expected downstairs?" he offers gently.

---

Thorn's face relaxes as he listens to this, enraptured. "It sounds like a fairy tale," he whispers. "Wood elves living in communion with the scary forest. So much nicer than the city."

She blinks, surprised by this answer, but nods. "I will, then."

Glen nods, forgetting his embarrassment as he sees Thorn relax. "It's beautiful, and not so scary once you're there. Even if you don't want to - or can't - just up and leave your life and the politics behind for the forest, I can still take you some time." He's talking quickly, and there is genuine excitement in his voice. "If you have to play the political games, the tribe is an important strategic ally of the city and the military due to its proximity to the Darkwood trading post on the way to Jewelness. They could be good friends to have, and it isn't too long a journey." Before he realizes what he's doing, Glen instinctively reaches out and takes Thorn's hand in his own. "The road and the forest are dangerous, but I'd keep you safe."