Drinking Buddies|New Anarlina

[Darastrix]

"I've heard mention of the titles, though the looks of their speakers have discouraged me from inquiring more about them," Zack said. "I enjoy gossip and the like, but in some cases...." He leaned toward Twilight a bit with an expression that was unwholesomely smug, and with an edge of meanness to it. "You can tell by a person's face whether you really need to bother listening."

[Kender Bard]

Twilight chuckled deeply at that. "Why don't we head back to the castle then? I'll tell you the whole story, and we can get some better swill with less ruckus. Besides, I'm not in the mood to cruise for ladies and that's generally what I come out here for."

[Darastrix]

Zack finished his drink and set the glass down on the bar. "Sounds good," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "The seats there are probably more comfortable, too."

[Kender Bard]

Twilight nodded and paid the tab, leading Zack back to the castle. It was more or less finished, though the finer touches were still ongoing. Twilight led the way through the great halls and towards a sort of informal meeting room. "I'd show you to my room but it's an unholy mess in there," he chuckled, sinking comfortably into an upholstered chair.

[Darastrix]

"And you haven't even been here for that long," Zack commented, amused. "Not that I'm one to talk."

He settled into a chair opposite the Prince, resting one booted foot on an ottoman. Zack noted absently that he needed to replace his boots soon and sighed inwardly; he hated breaking in a new pair. He leaned back in the seat, letting his wings drape over the armrests and brush the floor.

"So," he said, brushing his unruly bangs out of his face, "What's the story?"

[Kender Bard]

Twilight gave a grumble quietly. Delaying, he motioned over a servant and asked them to bring some drinks. Brandy for him.

Sighing as the servant departed, he mumbled, "Where to start, where to start... Tell me, did you ever go through a, hrm, rebellious period in your youth?"

[Darastrix]

Zack tipped his head back and closed his eyes partway. "Mmm...I really didn't have a lot to rebel against when I was younger. I had the guild, I had my music, I had Zi--." The bard broke off mid-sentence and pursed his lips slightly, opening his eyes to look off to the side.

"Actually, if I look at it the right way, I guess my rebellious period is now, such as it is." Well, more running and avoiding than open rebellion, but whatever. Zack looked back at Twilight. "How about you tell me your deal, and I'll tell you mine?"

His tone was deliberately light, though there was an unusually serious air about his expression. He was going out on a limb, more than he usually did, but he was more fond of Twilight than he had been of anyone he'd met in a long time.

[Kender Bard]

Twilight nodded studying Zack a moment before going on. "When I was young, I believed that the world owed me whatever I desired, simply by virtue of my blood. The epitome of the snobbish, brat noble heir if you would. I could blame my peers who egged this belief on in me, hoping that when I came into power I would disrupt the sense of equality between the castes. Father-" he paused, whispering a prayer to his dead father in his head, "-Father saw what was becoming of me, and what it might mean for the Kingdom. He said that if I didn't start acting proper, he would name Sunray as the crown prince and I would be nothing more than a hanger on sibling, a 'spare heir' as they say."

He sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Of course I didn't see past my own desirse. My own rights. So.. I ran off. And not just to anywhere, but to Morilanta, stupidly thinking that they would see only my status and would welcome me with open arms as a brother in blood, giving me what I desired."

[Darastrix]

Zack's eyes widened slightly in surprise, not so much simply because Twilight had gone to Morilanta, but because Twilight--as Zack knew him, anyway--was so unlike anything he'd heard of the Morilantans.

"Morilanta I have heard about. The place doesn't seem to suit you, Twi," the bard commented. "What happened when you got there?"

[Kender Bard]

Twilight accepted the glass of brandy the servant brought him, and sat the other glass down near Zack as he sipped at his own and put his thoughts together.

"Well, at first, it was everything I dreamed," he admitted. "I was received well, showered in gifts and compliments. I think they understood that I would not take well to the idea of slaves, and so carefully referred to them as 'servants'. They were still treated terribly, but just a change in name made it seem morally sound to me at the time. I was assigned my own 'servants'. Things began to turn sour after I attended a Morilantan religious gathering. There was a blood sacrifice. There usually is."

He thought back to that time, and the days that followed, and started drinking his brandy faster, almost choking on it.

[Darastrix]

Zack's eyes went wide again, concern clearly showing on the bard's normally expressive face. "Easy, Twi," he murmured, leaning forward to rest his hand on the other man's wrist and squeeze lightly. He ignored his own drink for the moment; he figured one of them should be somewhat sober through this.

[Kender Bard]

Twilight took a deep breath and set his glass down - not that there was much left in it. He leaned forward a bit unsteadily, bracing his elbows on his thighs.

"One of my s-slaves.. she was.. so beautiful.." He lifted a hand and rubbed his eyes, spoke in a whisper of one of the few things that his family was not aware of. "And so good. How did she wind up in Morilanta? What kind Forces would put that flower..."

He shook his head, tried to get himself back on track. "She.. Spoke with me.. Often.. I think she was just so very bitter, but her anger burned the fog of my stupidity away. I opened my eyes, really opened them, and saw Morilanta for what it was. I saw who I was, and as the Forces are my witness, I never saw anything so damn ugly."

He took another gulp of air. "I took my slaves and promised them freedom. I confronted the church.. they just laughed at me. Laughed right in my face, and treated me like the ignorant child that I was. So I took those poor people and cut a bloody swath back home, through Morilantans, and Anarlinans alike. Once you pass through the Desert of Truth, there is no coming back. I was an invading force to them. But I came home, by the Forces, and I threw myself at the mercy of my parents, my family, my country."

He ran a hand over his face. "And now you know why my countrymen revile me."

[Darastrix]

Zack rested a hand on Twilight's shoulder and squeezed. Twi had been through a near-literal hell, he realised. No words, no song came to mind in reply to what he'd just been told. This was partly why the bard hated performing sad songs--he enjoyed what he did because he liked making people happy. He barely knew what to do with himself when he was upset, and seeing that in other people often evoked the same response.

He did wonder what happened to the girl Twilight spoke of and his other former slaves, but seeing how hard is was for the other man to go into, Zack just didn't have the heart to press.

"Forces, Twi," he finally said, rubbing the Prince's shoulder. "I-- That-- Damn." Shaking his head, he picked up his own glass and took a long drink. Sobriety was overrated, anyway.

[Kender Bard]

Twilight let himself wallow in self-pity for just a little while longer before pulling himself out of it - an almost visible effect as he drew himself up and blew out another breath, managing at last a tremulous smile.

"I'm sorry," he murmured. "Didn't mean to go to pieces on you. You'd think I'd have gotten over it by now but..." He shrugged, blinking a few times to clear the mist that threatened to form over his vision again. "I think things have gotten much better though. Snow tells me that I'm forgiven in the eyes of the Forces, and Sunray has said to hell with the people's desires and I'm no longer chained to the throne. Things are looking up."

[Darastrix]

"Honestly, I don't think I'd want to meet the person that could just 'get over it,'" Zack said, taking another drink, body relaxing as Twilight seemed to perk up a bit. "And for what it's worth, no matter what you did back then, I still think you're a damn good man and a damn good friend."