Cassius moved around the table with practiced ease, setting down dishes with a calm, steady hand. "Dinner is served," he announced, his voice carrying an air of pride. He took his seat at the head of the table, glancing briefly at Garbone, who sat farther down, deliberately keeping their distance. Garbone focused on pouring drinks, their expression tight as they avoided eye contact with their grandfather. Jaryn was the first to break the silence. "Smells fantastic, Cassius!" he said, reaching for the nearest platter. Akae gave a polite nod of approval, while Havre passed around the salad with a quiet smile.
Jaryn, seated beside Garbone, nudged them lightly and grinned. "I see you’ve already got your eye on the dessert."
Garbone smiled faintly, but their attention quickly shifted back to the plate in front of them. "Maybe I'll skip dinner and go straight for it," they muttered, drawing a chuckle from Jaryn and Ryo.
Cassius, ever stubborn, barely seemed to notice the distance between them, too caught up in the praise of his guests. The evening carried on with light conversation and laughter, though Garbone remained on the fringes, watching the scene unfold, feeling like they were sitting at a different table altogether. It didn’t take long for them to start drinking more ginger tea to soothe their nerves, and a more genuine smile returned to their face, causing Havre to smile.
Cassius noticed how the two seemed close, but didn’t say anything to avoid ruining dinner. Garbone definitely noticed him staring, and gulped his tea nervously.

Dinner would conclude after an hour, everyone seemingly content. “Ryo and I have never eaten this much before, thank you for the dinner,” he said, facing Cassius.
He smiled. “It’s not a problem. I’m happy to feed whoever can help my kin. Now, we should all go to bed now. We’ll have to be up early to catch the boat to Symilf,” He said as Eilis collected the empty plates and dirty serve ware. Everyone started walking out, though Cassius straggled. “Havre, could I talk to you privately?”
She paused when Cassius asked her that. “Oh, uh sure. What did you need to talk to me about?” She asked as everyone left the room. Garbone was suspicious, and so hid in the next room.
“I tried to be polite about it, but I cannot watch this go on any longer. I don’t want you dating Garbone.” He said sternly, looking right in her eyes.
Her face went a dark red as he said that. “I don’t have feelings for them, we’re just close is all, I promise,” she pleaded, holding her hands together nervously.
“I don’t buy it. You transgenders have a sneaky way of corrupting others, and I won’t have it with my grandson.”
“H-how did you…?” she trailed off.
“Eilis told me. Look, this is the last and only warning I’m going to give you- do not corrupt my grandson. I don’t need him thinking he’s some girl or whatever. You’re lucky I’m not going to use my powers on you, but don’t think I’m afraid to use it to get my way. I’m doing this as a courtesy since you’re aiding in the investigation- but my patience has limits. Do you understand, “duchess”?”
Tears fell from her eyes as she nodded silently.
“Good. Since I know your culture views that weirdness as important, I’ll respect you, for now. But make a wrong step and I will refer to you as a man. You got that?” He asked, never breaking his eye contact with her.
She nodded again.
His grimace quickly turned into a smile, as if nothing was wrong. “Good! It’s good to have you as an ally, it’d be a shame if you did something to ruin it. Now, go freshen up and go to bed. We’ll need you to help pull the carriage until we get to the boat.”
She wiped the tears from her eyes. “Yes- yes Lord Benoist,” she said quietly as she walked out of the room, surprised to see Garbone waiting for her.
“I should have known he was going to say something. I’m sorry,” they said as they walked with her upstairs.
“Don’t be sorry. I’m just- surprised Eilis would out me like that.”
“It’s Cassius’ control over him, he’s been brainwashed into reporting certain things to him. I’ve been trying to undo what my grandpops did, but my hypnosis is very weak. I promise you he feels bad about it,” they held her hands on the stairwell.
A tear fell from her eye as she gave a weak smile. “I believe you. This is just. The first time someone’s ever given me any trouble over me being trans, it’s a bit difficult to swallow. My village is very accepting of me, you know?”
“I get it. Fzaldenz folk are usually accepting, but with my grandpops trying to be the role model for our kin, it’s uh, definitely created some weird opinions from people.” They said as the two reached the top of the staircase. “Anyways, if you need me I’ll be in my room taking a bath. Have a good night,” they said before letting go of her hands and walking into their room.
“Good night!” she said back, then went to the guest bathroom.

Early in the dark morning, Jaryn huffs as he helps pack up supplies for the long trip ahead along with Eilis. Ryo couldn’t do much with everything being twice his size, so he sat back with Havre who was giving him chin scritches. He purred quietly, low enough for anyone a few feet away to not hear him. But the purring rang through Jaryn’s mind, and he visibly relaxed. 
“Make sure to get the ruff of his neck!” Jaryn shouted out to get Havre’s attention as she was behind a corner. “It’s his itchiest spot.”
She immediately did so, causing him lean into her and purr louder. “How’d you know I was petting him?”
“The two of us talk through telepathy. Usually I don’t hear what he physically speaks in my mind, unless he’s really happy,” he chuckled as Eilis tossed him a heavy bag. He caught it with ease and placed it towards the middle of the carriage.
Eilis made no comment, but he hid his smile too late for Jaryn to miss it.
“I think that’s the first time I’ve seen you smile since we met,” Jaryn teased.
Eilis rolled his eyes with a grin. “Don’t get used to it. It’s not often I get to enjoy the small things in life.”
“Certainly seems like it with how busy you are. Serving both Queen Esanai and Cassius? Do you even get a day off?”
“I don’t. And it’s not just them. I serve every leader within the kingdom, down to even tiny settlement leaders. The only reason you only just met me is because your country isn’t terribly fond of the kingdom, they were very specific on choosing their own butler,” he sighed, grabbing the last of the baggages and tossing it to Jaryn. “This is considered my downtime.”
He looked at Eilis in shock, failing to catch the bag in time. “What? How on Mirthae are you able to do something like that?” He asked as he scrambled to grab the bag and place it properly.
“I can make multiple copies of myself to run around and do what needs to be done. At least, that’s the easiest way to explain it,” he muttered as he stretched, reaching his arms above and careful to not hit his horns. “We all share the same consciousness and memories. Like right now while I’m talking to you, I’m also in Shiza as we speak caring for Queen Marrik. He came down with the psykofungi sickness.”
“Oh…” He trailed off. “I uh, I’m sorry to hear that. Is it fatal?” He asked, being the first time he heard of the illness.
“Right I forgot it’s non-existent outside of Shiza. It is without treatment. I am quite surprised that the Queen decided to take treatment. Purified boiling water down the throat doesn’t seem very… fun.”
Jaryn recoiled, grabbing at his own throat as if he were experiencing it. “Ow, shit. That’s gotta cause some kind of damage, right?”
“Oh yes, definitely. Even with the proper protection, it’s still going to scar his insides. He’ll be lucky if he can ever speak or eat properly again,” he said as if he’s witnessed it, and preformed it multiple times.
Jaryn shifted awkwardly in his spot, quite horrified. He didn’t really know how to respond to something like that, so he just looked away, rubbing the nape of his neck. Eilis sensed his discomfort, and simply walked away without another word.
As Eilis disappeared from sight, Jaryn was quick to set down from the carriage, feeling queasy. He joined up with Ryo and Havre to forget about the conversation.
Ryo was comfortably resting on a table as Havre napped, her arms laid out on him as she fell asleep while petting him. Garbone had shown up a moment prior, and had placed a blanket over her while Ryo moved to escape Havre’s grasp. 
Jaryn couldn’t help but chuckle. “I’m guessing that was you, Ryo.”
‘Maybe,’ he nodded so that Garbone can see that he responded to Jaryn. ‘It’s hard to control my purring.’
Garbone looked on confused, before putting the pieces together. “Vocal magic?” He asked.
“Yeah,” Jaryn said, taking a turn in stroking the fur on Ryo’s head. “Different sounds created different magic effects. Purring puts people to sleep. How’d you guess?”
He shrugged. “Seemed obvious enough.”
“Mm.” He nodded, “Most people don’t figure it out. Usually they assume that it was me who did it.”
“And it’s probably led to a lot of criminal accusations?”
“Yeah. You’ve experienced it too?”
“Hard not to when you’re surrounded by worshippers of Fyayn. They think I’m a threat like my grandpop, but I’m nothing like him,” Garbone grumbled, taking a seat. “Anyways, grandpops told me we should be leaving in like, half an hour or something.” He said he hugged himself, looking down at the ground.
“You alright?”
Garbone looked at him before sighing. “Not really- not that I’ve been since my brother and I were kidnapped. But I’m not looking forward to another trip to Darʌkys. Especially with my grandpops- because of this whole thing about the serial killer.”
“I only just met your grandad, but I can see why you’re not thrilled. At least you’ll have Havre, Ryo and I to keep you company though. He seems to like us there so far.”
“So far. But after he gets acquainted with you all he’s going to start nitpicking. He’s already threatened Havre to not date me.”
“I- what? Why would he think you two are dating?”
“He’s, uh. He’s been. Obsessed with finding me a girlfriend.” He stuttered quietly, hugging himself tighter. “But it has to be an ivierae that he picks specifically.” He hissed, clawing into his own arms.
“God, I’m sorry. Do you have anyone to talk to about that? Sounds like you really need some support.”
“No. I don’t have any friends because of that pig. I mean, there’s Hyalbtz, but he’s too absorbed in his work as the court wizard to make time for us to just talk. I’m friendly enough with the Highking, but he’s also busy. I’m the closest to Eilis aside for my brother, but Eilis was hypnotised by my grandpops to tell him everything that I talk to him about. I really only had Lennon. But now I don’t even have him,” he whimpered, shakily wiping tears from his eyes. “I. I’ve just resigned to my fate. One day I won’t be able to resist my grandpops’ conditioning, and I’ll just be another meat puppet for him to mess with like my grandkama.”
“I know how you feel,” Jaryn said quietly, laying a comforting hand on his shoulder. “About losing hope for the future. I thought I’d be better off after being exiled from my village. But after seeing my brother’s corpse, I. I can’t help but feel like I cornered myself into a specific path. Maybe if I had asked for his help getting accepted back into the village he wouldn’t be dead. I get the sinking feeling that after this is all over with I’ll be in a worse condition than I was before.”
“You, uh. You mentioned that it was Lennon that killed your brother, right? What was he like when you confronted him? I was a little too high to understand what was going on when we had the meeting,” he said, embarrassed.
“He was, I don’t know, just aggressive. I don’t know how your brother usually acts, but I’d hope he’s usually less. Sadistic.”
Garbone looked down at the ground. “Yeah. He’s a pacifist.”
Before Jaryn could respond, he noticed Cassius appear out of nowhere from behind Garbone. “Enough chitchat, let’s get this show on the road!” He said with an odd burst of energy as he woke up Havre and Ryo. Garbone jumped when he said that, turning to face him but keeping quiet.
“Oh, are we leaving now?” Havre asked with a yawn and stretch, then fixing her circlet.
“Damn right. You said you’d help pull the carriage right?”
“Yes, I’d be happy to help. Anything to take off some pressure for the horses,” she said, trotting over to the front of the carriage as Eilis led out the unicorn she’d be leading with. He then helped the two strap in. Havre happily pet the unicorn on his snout. He chuckled lowly before snorting, leaning into Havre’s petting. “Always good to see you, Cobalt.”
Jaryn climbed into the carriage as he carried Ryo on his shoulder, taking a seat next to the bags. Cassius came up afterwards, sitting across from the brothers. He crossed a leg as Garbone went to the front of the carriage to sit in the driver’s seat, just so he can chat with Havre during the trip. They exchanged a joke about not using the reigns on her.
Akae walked out of the embassy not long after, his arms crossed. “It’s a good thing Aldmae is as scrawny as he is. There’s no way he’s freeing himself,” he said to Cassius as he hopped up onto the back of the carriage.
“I can’t help but wonder what the killer needs with Aldmae. The only useful thing about him is his collection of vintage items,” Cassius smirked, crossing a leg.
Akae rolled his eyes. “Don’t underestimate him. He might be weak, but he’s damn good at sneaking. He’s been able to avoid knights despite being an escaped slave. I just hope for his sake he stays put before the SES realises where he is,” he murmured as the carriage started moving west.
“I’m surprised you’re going through this much trouble to keep him from being captured. Well, not surprised, surprised. I figured you’d put your job above your morals.”
“My job is my morals, Lord Cassius. Younger pages may be taught that the legality of the kingdom comes before their chivalry, but I was taught better. I can’t help but be grateful to Lady Merthicz that she’s gifted me the privilege to break the law to uphold my chivalrous principles without consequence. I promised her with my life to put it to good use.”
“Wise words, Sir La’et. I didn’t trust her very much when I moved here, but she’s been really growing on me after she saved me from being smitten by Lord Fyayn. But still, I can’t help but feel she’s been… complicit almost, in taking so long to grant us ivierae with full citizenship and rights.”
“It- It’s complicated. Lord Fyayn is just as powerful as she is,” Akae tried to reason, shifting awkwardly in his seat.
“Is he, though? He’s been very quiet since his pathetic attempt at a genocide ended. Hell, I thought Lord Lynç just as powerful as her too, but he’s been dead silent for ages. Not even Lord Fyayn mentions him anymore.”
Jaryn listened quietly to their conversation, rather confused about everything. Akae saw him furrow his brow and try to make sense of what was being said.
“It’s a little difficult to explain if you’re not aware of much about history. If we have time while we’re at the Highking’s castle, I can show you the historical records. Can you read in Silmfein?” Akae asked him.
“No. I. I can’t read at all,” He stuttered, looking down at the ground in shame.
“Well that’s a shame, Jaryn. Reading is a wonderful gift. What do they teach you in your little tribe?” Cassius asked.
Jaryn’s face turned a dark green, frustrated. “My village kicked me out before I could finish learning to read.”
“Weren’t you almost 15? How late do they start you?” Cassius grinned, rather amused.
“Give it a rest, Cassius,” Akae demanded. “You know just as well as I do that teachers cost a lot of money to hire.”
Cassius put his hands up in resignation, his grin still plastered on his wrinkled face. “I was just curious. But alright. If you want to learn to read Jaryn, I wouldn’t mind paying for your teacher. Think of as like a.. gift, for helping my kin.” He said as he rested his hands on his lap.
Jaryn sighed. “Thanks,” he said quietly. He couldn’t help but look at Garbone, wondering how he deals with these passive aggressive remarks all the time. Garbone was paying no attention to the conversation in the back of the carriage, as he was fully absorbed in his conversation with Havre.
‘What an ass. Why would Merthicz protect him from Fyayn?’ Ryo asked, looking at Jaryn. He didn’t respond though, just spaced out as he stared at the back of Garbone’s back. Ryo hopped down to his lap, nuzzling into his hand.
Jaryn took a deep breath as he scratched at the ruff of Ryo’s neck, causing him to purr. He immediately relaxed as the purring rang through his mind.

What felt like weeks rolled by, though it was only two days. Night drew close as they finally made it to a quiet town where they’ll be taking the boat in the morning to Fzalder. Havre and Cobalt led the group to a nearby tavern with Garbone’s directions, and parked right outside near some other carriages. Everyone got off as Garbone helped undo the straps to Havre and Cobalt.
“You guys get a room, I’ll enchant the carriage to keep it protected,” Akae suggested, waiting for everyone to disappear before doing anything. Havre had taken Cobalt to the stables owned by the tavern to let him rest there. Upon walking back out she noticed Akae taking off his helmet, watching curiously from behind as a light emitted from his face, casting a spell of magenta beams of light that wrapped around the carriage before dissipating.
“I thought he couldn’t do magic?” She asked herself. She paused when Akae turned around, quickly scrambling to put his helmet on to face her.
“Did you..?”
She nodded.
“Please don’t tell anyone. No one can know,” he pleaded, a look of desperation in his eyes.
“Sir La’et, you’ve always treated me with the utmost kindness. Of course I won’t say anything. You have my word,” she said, doing the Mirthaen salute.
Akae let out a sigh of relief as he straightened his back and returned the salute. “Thank you, Duchess Havre.”
“Of course,” she said with a smile. “Do the Benoists know?”
Akae shook his head no. “Only Lord Cassius. I guess he doesn’t trust Garbone and Lennon to not say anything. But I still plan to tell them regardless.”
Havre nodded again. “I’ll make sure to not bring it up with Garbone, then. I think they’ll be very happy to find out you’re an ivierae, they’ve been telling me how they feel isolated only personally knowing their own family.”
“I doubt it’ll change much, frankly. He doesn’t like me much because of how much I keep trying to push him to do better. I just wish I could find a way to motivate him.”
“I… would rather not we get into this discussion again,” she muttered, thinking back to his outburst when leaving Jyalb. “But they are trying. Maybe after we take down the murderer you can talk to them about it,” she said before quietly walking inside the tavern, leaving Akae to his thoughts.

Havre stretched as she walked through the doors, taking in the scenery of the calm tavern. The wood floors creaked beneath her hooves as she approached Garbone, who sat at the bar drinking. She smiled as she sat next to him. “Whatcha drinking?” She asked.
“My favourite, ginger tea,” he said while blowing the steam away from the hot drink and taking a sip. He extended it out to her. “Want some?”
“Oh no, I’m good thank you. I only drink Jaina tea. Speaking of which- do you have any here, ma’am?” Havre asked the lady behind the counter.
“‘Fraid not. This province banned that tea years ago,” she said, her attention focused on cleaning the tankards. “I do have passionflower, and chamomile tea though. It works well enough for recovering addicts.”
“Addict? I’m not… never mind, I’ll just have some wine,” she murmured.
The bartender looked at her when requesting the wine, immediately dropping what she was doing to pour the glass. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to assume. I’m just aware that most Jaina tea drinkers don’t drink it by choice.”
“Really? Where I’m from it’s something we like to drink for fun,” Havre mentioned as the bartender handed her the wine. She swirled the glass a bit before taking a sip.
She couldn’t help but smile. “You’re a sweet girl. Wish I could say the same as that man over there,” she said, pointing to Cassius.
Garbone snorted out a laugh, prompting the bartender to laugh along. “Yeahhhh, we always stay here when we go to Darʌkys. May I have another cup please, Vyra?”
“Only if you promise to not start casting cuss spells! I’m still traumatised by that one customer who started panicking because of it,” she cackled, taking his cup to grab more tea.
“I promise by my fucking life to make this the only time I swear here!” He proudly proclaimed as Vyra slid him another cup.
Havre bursted out into laughter as he said that. She took a sip of her wine after taking a deep breath in to avoid choking.
Akae then walked in, shuffling awkwardly next to Garbone and taking a seat; making sure to leave a stool empty between them. Garbone went silent as he watched him sit.
Vyra poured a glass of clear liquid, and slid it over to Akae. “Always a pleasure to see a man in uniform stop by, especially a paladin. Have this on the house,” she said with a smile.
“Thank you, ma’am,” he said, raising the cup to cheer her and taking a sip- before suddenly spitting it out back into the cup. “Definitely not water,” he cried out.
Garbone couldn’t help but burst out laughing as Akae wiped his tongue on the back of his hand. 
Vyra’s face went deeply red. “I’m so sorry Sir! Usually- usually you guys ask for uh, vodka,” she stammered, taking the cup back and pouring him some water.
Akae quickly slammed down the water and let out a cracked sigh, unable to contain his laughter. “Don’t worry about it, I forget my men like to drink that stuff.”
“Was- was that your first time drinking?” Garbone asked with a grin.
“Maybe. It’s just not something that interests me.” He chuckled.
“It’s just one of those things you get acquired to. I had a similar reaction my first time at 5 years old.”
“Five? Seems a little young, doesn’t it? You were an infant.”
They shrugged. “Grandpops thought it would be funny I guess.”
As they chatted, a short ivierae walked into the bar. They didn’t notice him until he sat next to Havre. “Give me the usual, please,” he murmured, scratching at his mutton chops.
“Sure thing, Kyazf!” Vyra exclaimed as she made a tankard of mead with lime, and mint leaves.
The whole party stared at Kyazf, with Akae shooting up from his seat. Kyazf grinned as he watched Vyra make his drink, and took a sip from the tankard after she slid it over to him.
“Bold of you to show your face,” Akae growled as he approached him.
Kyazf kept his eyes on Vyra as she looked curiously. “This is just how they treat rebels in the capital.”
“Kyazf, you kidnapped Garbone and Lennon. Let’s not forget the allegations against you with your connections to the murder of Jaryn’s entire village. I’m placing you under arrest,” he stated, attempting to grab him. 
Kyazf suddenly disappeared after his third eye glowed blue, shrinking down to a mouse form. He laughed in a squeaky voice as he hopped down from his chair and changed back to his elf form. “You can try to, anyways. I’ve got a lot of work that needs to be done, and you’re getting in my way.”
Akae whipped out his wand, and casted a spell at Kyazf to try and cage him. Kyazf dodged in time after shifting into a raven and flying out of the way. “Damn you, stop resisting!” He yelled as he shot multiple cage spells at him, completely missing as he flew towards Garbone who was panicking.
Garbone could only cower as Kyazf shifted into a snake, wrapping tightly around his head and bringing his fangs dangerously close to their neck. They cried out, flinching as Kyazf stared daggers into Akae’s eyes.
“You know what kind of venom I have, Akae. It would be a shame for you to watch your dear godson die a slow and painful death,” he teased dangerously. 
“I thought you had a crush on me!” Garbone sobbed as Kyazf threatened them.
“Of course I did,” he hissed with a grin. “But that was before I realised you weren’t dedicated enough to help free your own kin. Akae, my only demand is that you let me free. I promise not to bite him. Yet.”
Akae glared back, gritting his teeth. “Fine. But don’t expect mercy the next time we meet, I’ll be keeping a close eye on you,” he said, trying to hide his trembling hands.
“Likewisssse~” Kyazf responded before directing Garbone to walk towards the door. “By the way Vyra dear, I have your berry delivery. It’s right out front,” he mentioned before shifting into a hummingbird and flying off.
Havre quickly ran up to Garbone and hugged them tightly, double checking for any bite marks.
“I- I’m fine, Havre, thank you,” they said as they hugged her back. “And thank, thank you Akae.”
“Mhm. You need to invest in some armour, it’s bad enough you can’t defend yourself. I don’t want you dead.”

Havre beamed as she pulled the wagon towards the ginormous gates of Darʌkys, the Capital of the World. She stopped in front of the guards patrolling. “We’re here to see the highking; in regard to the butterfly killer.”
The young one nodded as the two guards simultaneously worked to lower the gate. “Be careful in there, I can hear the nobles freaking out,” he said.
“When aren’t they?” Garbone chuckled.
“You’re not wrong. Enjoy your stay,” the older guard said as he stood to the side, prompting Havre to pull the wagon inside the gates.
For such a nice day, you wouldn’t expect to see so many people freaking out. Havre was careful to tread at a safe distance from the crowds of scared and angry humans. Sir La’et sighed deeply.
“I suppose I should go investigate. Cassius come with me, I may need you to calm these people down,” he muttered, hopping off the moving wagon. Cassius nodded, carefully sliding off.
“I promise not be too cruel to them,” he said with a grin. 
“We’ll meet you both at the castle then. Good luck,” Jaryn said as Havre continued moving forward, completely absorbed trying to tread around the crowds. Noticing her starting to panic, Jaryn wanted to comfort her, but he couldn’t move.
Garbone quickly stepped in though to take over, sitting close to her. “We’ll be alright, you’re doing good. Take that side road down there, it’s a secret entrance,” they said, pointing over to a narrow street that looks like it least to nowhere. Havre took a deep breath and nodded, turning the carriage with Cobalt. She pat his snout to calm him, not enjoying the narrow passageway.
Upon reaching a wall at the end of the road, Cobalt touched his horn to the wall. It lit up in sparkles before the brick suddenly vanished, revealing a dirt path downwards into an abandoned dungeon.
Havre took another breath as they were successful in dodging the raging crowd, and led the wagon to a stable where Jaryn and Garbone helped take off the reigns.
“Nice to see you all again; did you enjoy the trip?” Eilis asked, popping out of nowhere. 
Jaryn and Ryo both jumped from his appearance. “It uh, was definitely interesting,” Jaryn muttered.
“We ran into Kyazf, it’s definitely confirmed that he’s playing a role in all this serial killer stuff,” Garbone mentioned as they helped Havre park the wagon for Eilis to take care of the luggage.
He wasted no time in getting everything off. “I had a hunch he was, though I have to say I’m surprised. He didn’t strike me as someone to murder without a good reason,” Eilis said as he tossed a bag down.
“There’s good reasons to murder?” Havre asked.
“Well, sure. But I’m not getting into that right now. Just for your consideration. Anyways, the Highking is waiting for you all in the conference room.”
“I think I’m going to skip this one, I’m exhausted from the trip,” Garbone said with a yawn.
“I’ll join you then, you can show me where we’re staying,” Havre said with a smile.
“No problem, I’ll give you both a transcription of the meeting after it’s over. Jaryn, Ryo, if you both will follow me I’ll take you,” he said, walking up the dirt path. The brothers looked at each other nervously before following Eilis up to the main area of the castle.
Upon reaching the first floor, Jaryn looked around in awe with how spacious everything was. Intricately carved stone everywhere with various paintings of families of past rulers lined the hallway. Ryo didn’t pay it much attention. The rugs on the floor were certainly comfy, though way too fancy looking for his liking. They look like each one costs more than what it took to build his home village.
Eilis walked silently into a large room, tables and chairs arraigned in two layers of circles. There was just enough space for someone to squeeze through to get to the large empty table in the centre. The Highking sat politely in his seat, a chair much larger and wider than his small and frail frame. He certainly looked like he had little to no sleep. Can’t really blame him with the commotion going on outside.
“Welcome!” The Highking greeted the brothers, beckoning them over. Jaryn nodded, quietly approaching the monarch with Ryo. The two bowed to him, unsure exactly what the protocol was for greeting a Highking. “There’s no need for that now Mr. Osumis.  The butterfly killer comes first. At least, when everyone else arrives.”
“Who else is joining us, eh, my sire?”
“Please, call me Gyala. Aside for Cassius and Akae, Hyal will be joining us. Queen Esanai was going to, but she’s busy investigating your village being burned down and looking for survivors.”
“I see. Uh, who’s Hyal?”
“He’s the leader for the Slave Enforcement Services. Frankly I don’t want him in the meeting, but he insists he’s involved since Kyazf was one of his slaves.”
Ryo and Jaryn eyed each other. “Slave? Who was, uh. Who was he a slave to?” Jaryn asked.
“My court wizard, Hyalbtz. And don’t worry, I already banned slavery. It’s just. A process removing all that nonsense. It’s half the reason why you saw that angry crowd outside.”
The brothers visibly relaxed. “Oh good. I always forget that’s a thing, but it’s good to hear it was finally banned.”
Just then a satyr walked into the room, holding his head high and mighty as he walked past the brothers to sit in his seat.
“Nice of you to join us, though it really wasn’t necessary,” Gyala said.
“Nonsense, it’s completely necessary. I was in charge of reconditioning him and I messed up. I have my men searching for him as we speak,” Hyal said in his gruff voice.
“Reconditioning? You mean you brainwash ivierae?” Jaryn asked, his hands trembling.
“Of course I do. Someone has to teach them to not break the law. Kyazf is an especially difficult case. He’s very resistant to it and is very violent.”
“That feels like it goes against some kind of convention.”
“It does now, only because I ruled that ivierae have the same rights as everyone else,” Gyala mentioned, furrowing his brow in annoyance as he eyed Hyal. 
Hyal couldn’t help but chuckle. “Hey, don’t paint me as a villain, I haven’t complained once about your ruling. Even though it puts my career and my wife’s village at risk.”
“I know you like to be mischievous, Hyal. You know I’ll be keeping an eye on you”
Before Hyal could respond, Akae and Cassius walked in. “That was so easy, humans are so damn easy to control,” Cassius boasted as he sat down next to Jaryn. Akae sat a few seats away from the Highking.
Gyala in response shot the brothers a look that says ‘do you see what I have to deal with?’ before sighing and shuffling his papers together.
“Anyways. Thank you all for coming to this emergency meeting. I’m sure it was quite difficult for some of you to get here so it means a lot,” Gyala started before looking down at a paper on the front of the stack. “This killer, what’s everyone calling them? The Butterfly Killer? It was previously suspected that they were working alone, but with the destruction of the Osumi’s village, it’s confirmed that they have accomplices, and that they’re likely using some form of magic to get the job done.”
“Are there any other confirmed accomplices aside for Kyazf?” Hyal asked.
“So far just one, Lennon Benoist. Which is why I suspect magic, because I know Lennon is a pacifist. There are a few other suspects, but they’re not verified claims yet. Eimla Angalt is a notable one who is confirmed to have been in recent contact with Lennon. Not including the Osumi’s village, there’s been 8 murders by the killer. All of the victims have butterfly tattoos on their face and each one is either human or a high elf known to own slaves.”
Hyal sat lost in thought, pondering for a minute. “The Yati Fae Guild,” he finally said.
“The what?” Jaryn asked.
“They’re a terrorist guild who use violence to advocate for ‘ivierae freedom’.”
“Violence? Oh right, I think Havre was telling me about them. But I don’t remember her mentioning violence. They do a lot of charity in her area.”
“You only say that because you haven’t interacted with them. I have. They’re very aggressive. I mean, not surprising for an ivierae, but they’re certainly annoying to deal with.”
“Oh shut up, Hyal,” Akae growled.
“What? You know just as well as I do how violent they can be.”
“You’re not very peaceful yourself the way you brainwash ivierae.”
“Oh please, I don’t put my hands on anyone.”
“No, you use your wand,” Gyala interjected. “As far as I’m concerned, that’s pretty close to violence.”

Garbone and Havre sat together silently as they watched fairies flutter about and nobles walking back and forth occasionally. 
“It’s so peaceful here, thank you for showing me the courtyard,” Havre said, sitting closely to Garbone.
They smiled. “It’s not a problem. I’m surprised you haven’t seen it before.”
“The few chances I’ve had to visit I was on a tight schedule. But still, I can’t thank you enough for bringing me to another magical place.”
Garbone nodded with a smile. They bit their lip before saying with a deep blush, “It’s not the place that are magical Havre, it’s you.”
Havre gasped softly, blushing as she chuckled. “Oh stop it, you!”
Garbone couldn’t help but chuckle as their whole face turned red. “I’m being serious. You’ve helped me realise I’m a girl, you’re the best thing to ever happen to me.”
“D’aw, I’m so happy to hear that! I could tell you were unhappy being a mina. I saw the way you’d frown whenever you were called a him. But you didn’t need me for that; your identity was in your the whole time, it was just waiting to come out.”
“You were the key to unlock it, though. Without you I wouldn’t have had a clue about this all, or the courage to even say to someone that this is who I am. I owe you my gratitude, Havre,” she said while holding her hands. They looked into each other’s eyes, and for a moment, everything seemed fine. Like there was nothing to worry about.
That faded rather quickly as Havre thought about something. “What about Cassius? He’s going to brainwash me when he finds out I quote unquote “corrupted you”.”
“He won’t find out. This’ll just be between you and I. And maybe Lennon if we ever get him back. I’m going to start making a plan to escape grandpops, even if I get hurt. I’m tired of being his puppet. I’m an adult now, it’s time for me to live my own life,” she said while leaning against Havre. She reciprocated by laying her head on her shoulder.
“That’s beautiful, Garbone.”
“Speaking of grandpops, something tells me he’s getting into trouble. Wanna check out the meeting?” Garbone asked suddenly.
“Sure, why not?” Havre said as she stood with a stretch.
Upon walking into the conference room they paused as there was chaos- Akae was holding Cassius back as the old man screamed and swore more than any typical old man. Hyal stared at him as if it didn’t bother him.