A Stack of Letters [Kel/Ghost]

[Shoki]

Location: Cyan's Quarters/K'rad's Cell





4.01.77


Cyan sat down, paper on her desk. It had been a rough group of sevendays. Too long. She had her answer, how she was going to proceed from her, with Kel. It hurt, still. However, she couldn’t let it alone. Zigbrieth had said that she was being foolish, but in the end had testily told her to do as she wished. So finally she was going to do just that.

With a deep breath she started to write on the paper before her. Slowly, with breaks in between. It had to get there. There was no other way to do this other than words on a page.

Dear Kel,

I told you I would find out what to say. I’m sorry it’s so late. There has been a lot going on.

I wanted to tell you that I can’t be friends with you anymore. At least not really. I don’t want to stop talking to you. So I won’t. Someone told me there are more paths then the obvious ones, so I should pick a third option. This letter is my third option. I’m sorry if I am being selfish. I’ve been told I am spoiled. I just don’t want you to be too lonely. If I was there, I think would want someone to talk to, even if they weren’t my friend.

So I hope this letter find you well. Hopefully you are not too bored. What sort of things would you like to talk about?

From Cyanee Velion

[Ghost of Fire (Fëanáro)]

3077.04.02

“Hey worm, look sharp! Someone decided to send you a letter.”

K’rad sighed. He could think of only one person, on a short list of acquaintances, who would send him a letter. The one person that he’d asked to never communicate with him again, to sever ties cleanly and walk away. The one person that his heart had constantly hoped would ignore his words, for all that he knew himself unworthy of the loyalty, the friendship, he wished for. Pushing aside the thoughts, the hopes, he looked up.

The light from the single glow seemed bright, though at least the guards had gotten over their initial peeve and were no longer doing things like shoving the unshielded glows in his face to make his dark-adapted eyes burn. Unfortunately, they still didn’t like him very much.

“Sounds like your girlfriend wants to break up,” the guard continued, skimming the short little letter. K’rad sighed again. How was it disappointing when this was what he’d wanted?

“Oddest break-up letter I’ve ever encountered,” the guard mused. He skimmed it again, then held it so K’rad could read it. It didn’t take long to read, it wasn’t a long letter, but it was definitely an odd letter. Only Cyan could start a letter by saying not friends anymore, then end it by saying that she still wanted to talk and hoped he was well. Briefly, he wondered if all girls were this confusing.

Do not!

Why not? They’ll find it even more suspicious if I don’t.

Belegurth’s response was a silent snarl, but he did have to yield the point to his rider.

“Might I have a sheet and something to write with?” K’rad inquired. “For replying.”

“Kinda hard to write with your hands tied behind your back,” the guard answered, raising an eyebrow at the young rider.

K’rad’s only response was to arch an eyebrow of his own. He’d not tried anything, not attempted to escape even once in the time since he’d been locked in here. Although… if the man untied his hands…

Bah, what’d be the use? Kel sighed silently. I’d get all of a few dozen yards, tops, before the closest wher tore me to pieces. Not only that, but he’d condemn his family in the process, because the syndicate hadn’t given him any order to leave, nor even permission to attempt escape.

“She’ll just drive everyone crazy if she doesn’t get a response,” K’rad pointed out. Actully, he doubted Cyan would do anything of the sort, but he reckoned the guard probably didn’t know that. “and she knows my hand, so…”

It was the guard’s turn to sigh, then. “Very well, but you make one move, just one, worm, and you won’t be able to move again. Ever.”

K’rad nodded, but the threat really just kind of rolled off him. It had been a long time, since he’d been spoken to in any other tone, after all, and he’d spent a goodly portion of his earlier turns being talked to that self-same way.

Dear Cyanee,

I’d ask you, yet again, to just make a complete break and make it clean, but I know how likely you are to actually do that, and I’ve never really believed in miracles. I’m doing pretty well, although boredom can be a constant foe. Now that there’s a war on, please start practicing fighting. I know you’re probably not intending to find yourself in combat, but things happen that aren’t intended. No one would be happy to realize, after the fact as it would have to be, that you weren’t ready for the situation you wound up in. If you won’t take my word for it, ask your older brother, I’m sure he’d say the same thing.

I’d suggest a steel helmet and mail shirt, thickened leather cuirass at the least, so that if you get shot at while flying you have a chance of surviving.

Hope you’re doing well,

-K’rad

He wished he could write the truth, and the letter had taken far more hours to write than it should have. Bruised and exhausted was not the best condition to be in for writing, apparently.

[Shoki]

4.03.77


“Letter.” Cyan almost jumped out of her skin. She got a scowl along with the missive but she hardly cared about that. She had got a message back. She quickly put the letter in her pocket, and finished up with the help she was giving the kitchen. Zigbrieth got a sense of smug satisfaction from that. But soon enough she made it back to her room and opened the letter scanning the contents.

And then she frowned. She sort of pouted over the letter, not as seriously as she might have before, but she still looked more like a child about to have a tantrum then a woman getting a letter from a…someone. Cyan didn’t like rereading it. She did. Then she started to write. Zigbrieth kept a single eye open as she wrote, listening to the little bits of frustration his rider voiced trying to compose the letter.

Dear Kel

I have signed up to be a ferry for the Aerie. We have had training of flying with lifewings and precision betweening. We are to move when the healers to, not before. In other words we aren’t allowed into the fight at all.

It is very tiring work. The shifts are all night to begin with. Even if a Lifewing doesn’t go anywhere you have to be ready in case they do. Zigbrieth dislikes the schedule but we are both doing well, so they say.

Do you have younger siblings? You sound like an older brother.

Cyanee

Cyan looked at the letter. She had no idea how to respond about the armor. She was going to wear whatever they wanted her to wear, how should she know if it was what he described? She wasn’t about to become an expert on war. So she left it as it was.

[Ghost of Fire (Fëanáro)]

3077.04.04

Once again, the letter was opened and read before Kel was permitted to see it, permitted to read it over quickly. Once again, his reply was written with weapons pointed at him, held ready in case he did anything that the guard considered might be preparatory to escape. Once again, he wasn’t anything like dimglow enough to make such an attempt.

Naturally, Cyan was mixing up official duties with possible accidents. How could she not see that all it would take was one unscrupulous enemy, willing to shoot down the healers sent out after a fight, and she’d be just as dead as if she’d been in the middle of the fight. He had to grin, quickly at least, when he read the comment about his sounding like an older brother. The truth was, the vast majority of his siblings were older than him, for all that he was the protector and provider for the whole family, now.

Dear Cyan,

What are you and the Healers supposed to do if there’s someone waiting for you to be called and then starts trying to bring you down? I am glad to hear you won’t officially be in the fighting, but you really should consider wearing armor at least, even if it’s not something that you are officially given or commanded to do.

I have a younger sister, Jamira. What about you? Do you have any siblings other than Cr’wean?

-Kel

The guard had a field day, laughing about the fact that “the murderer and his girlfriend” were only just now asking each other things about their families, and “wasn’t that the sort of thing you did before you broke up?”, but Kel didn’t care at that point. Rather, he didn’t let himself react, falling forwards with the cuff to the back of his head, so as to absorb some of the force from the blow. Apparently, the guard disapproved of his implications regarding the healers. Perhaps it would be better to say, the man thought he might perhaps be implying some strategy of the Igen riders. Another set of bruises was necessary before Kel could convince, at least temporarily, the man that he himself was not in contact with anyone from Igen, nor was he passing them information on the healer’s flights and schedules.

[Shoki]

4.07.77


It took a little time for Cyan to get to her response this time. Life had a habit of conspiring against her from time to time. That and she was booked solid with helping out in various ways. So it was a few days before she got to the letter on her desk. And she was tired when she got there.

And then Kel’s letter had to up and refer to a possibility of something that hadn’t ever happened. Cyan frowned. Why did he always have to think of the meanest thing that could happen? However, she felt there was something wrong with the premise, and started talking with Zigbrieth. A bit more cynical, the Blue saw everything in terms of climbing the ladder to gain support. He didn’t look down on Cyan becoming friends with people, but her certainly didn’t care to himself, for the most part. Eventually Cyan started to write. It hadn’t been that long since she graduated, so she remembered most of the diplomacy with the Aerie class. That and she had stuck around the Aerie for a long while.

Kel,

Lifewings are ‘noncombatants’ so their riders don’t hold weapons. If they get attacked, whoever attacks them will almost certainly get on the bad side of their Aerie. Which means no healing from the Aerie. That seems stupid. After all, ever since Lifewings came back, they have been completely against violence which is why everything about Aeries are so strict. Anyone attacks them are attacking the institution of Lifewing healing. The Aerie at Rainbow Mists might be the one that get attacked but the Aerie at Igen or wherever would be the one that would leave. I think the other Aeries usually agree and no one in the Igen area would see a Lifewing for a long time.

And I will wear whatever uniform they give me. I have to help them a little too, you know.

Jamira is a cute name. I bet she is small and cute as well.

I don’t have any siblings besides I am a only child the only child I know of both of my parents. I don’t remember if I have mentioned it but, Cr’wean is technically my cousin, but my aunt and uncle adopted me when I was little. They didn’t have any children besides Cr’wean, so he really is my only brother.

Tell me about how your family is. My family was always loud. What about yours?

Cyanee

Cyan debated rewriting the entire letter to get rid of the technical mistakes. She was surprised she caught herself so soon. She was always so automatic on calling Cr’wean her brother. She loved having him as her older brother, even if he did get cross with her sometimes. Still, she wanted to be as correct as she could be, since they were strictly talking about family. She thought dimly about her biological father, but it was hard not to just put an image of Cewen there instead. Did she have a half sibling somewhere? She didn’t know. Maybe she did. That was a nice thought. Something in the pit of her stomach told her otherwise though. She shook it off and went to get the letter delivered.

[Ghost of Fire (Fëanáro)]

3077.04.11

“Just give the thread-fodder his letter.”

“But sir…”

“We’ve held it for four days, questioned him on every subject it brings up, and gotten nothing beyond total confusion and obvious lack of knowledge out of him. Besides, he’s clearly still worried about the girl, he’s not going to be handing any information out to people that they might use to hurt her.” The higher ranked of the two guards was clearly growing annoyed. Very annoyed. That was not a state of affairs that boded well for K’rad. Generally, annoyance rolled down hill and wound up getting taken out on the lowest-ranked person present. Considering that currently he was being ranked below the drudges, that was not a state of affairs to look forward too.

The stomping of booted feet pulled K’rad’s attention towards the door to the cell, so that he was looking up when the, clearly annoyed, wher handler stepped in. The man made a point to slam the glow open, near blinding K’rad with the sudden increase in light, then slapped the letter against his chest, hard enough to knock him into the wall. Obviously, the guard was more than a little peeved about being called out by his commander.

Kel read the letter quickly, knowing he might well be composing the reply in his head for a day or more before being given permission to write a response. This time, however, his restraints were adjusted immediately upon his finishing the letter, and writing material handed to him so that he could compose a response.

Cyanee,

I appreciate that they are non-combatants, but you are staking your life on the assumption that nothing is going to happen on accident. Accidents happen in fights, and it would only take one time.

Please, do everyone a favor and ask for some kind of armor. Your cous brother would not like it if something happened to you.

My family is tends to can be tends to be on the loud side. There tend to be a lot of arguments between family members ~-`\_

She doesn’t need to know that!

It’s a sharding letter and my choice what I tell her anyway!

Belegurth snarled, loudly, but K’rad ignored him and continued writing. Well, sort of, though he did decide not to share some of the things he was going to.

_/- there were a lot of kids, not always enough to go around… dinner used to be really interesting sometimes. Jamira is really small, or was, the last time I saw her. She likes to make up stories and lives for her dolls. Did you have dolls, growing up? What about_/-`

“Alright thread-bait, that’s long enough!” The guard barked, tearing the letter from Kel’s hands before chaining him back up. Tighter than before, naturally. Kel bit his tongue against the whine building in his throat. Hopefully the next shift would loosen the chains back to normal.

[Shoki]

3077.04.12

The paper wouldn’t lie flat. It was smudged. There was a rip, just on the top, near the corner. These facts sunk in far more all for the fact it was also late. It took a long time, on that account, to calm herself into reading the thing. After she had finally forced herself, she was even more at a loss. What had happened? How did she respond? She didn’t know.

She went to her bed, taking the letter with her. She lay on her back, and read it again, from a different angle. It didn’t really help. She bit her lip and let her hand with the letter fall over the side of the bed, and she stared past the ceiling. After a time she felt the telltale signs of Dawn and Breaker on her stomach, and that made her feel a little better. The problem remained even so.

What was she supposed to do? Was he okay? Even if he wasn’t her ‘friend’ that didn’t stop the worry. Would it be hours or days too late to ask? Did that even matter? Her mind was starting to race, to move to fast to places she rather not thing about to think about things that could happen in dark cells without daylight. Her breath caught.

Mine. Cyan looked back, toward where Zigbrieth was sitting. He watched over her. He was good at that. Just write what you want. The Blue looked a bit put out but concerned all the same. He wasn’t one to cover up what he felt. The love to his rider though, Cyan felt it, and took his words to heart.

“Thanks Zigbrieth.” She sat up quickly, the firelizards scattering to get out of the way as she went to the desk. It was a remarkably short work. There was only one thing she really wanted to say right now, and even if it seemed late, she didn’t want to delay.

Kel

Are you okay?

-Cyanee

[Ghost of Fire (Fëanáro)]

3077.04.14

The first thing that drifted through his mind was the sound of footsteps, of armor jingling as heavy boots thudded into the floor with the strides of their wearer. A quiet groan, a warning in and of itself, enabling his jaw to clamp shut against the whimper that bruised muscles tried to call forth from his throat. Whimpering would serve him… not at all, even if it wouldn’t be an absolutely ridiculous sign of weakness.

Impact, something slammed into his chest. A flat hand, with something… crinkly… in front of it. Understanding came simultaneously with words.

“Mail time, thread-bait.”

The letter, this time, was unbelievably short. Just a single question. How could a single question lead to such complexity? Was he alright? Well, he was still alive, his dragon was still alive, he was bruised all over, reckoned he might have a cracked rib or two, he wanted to see the sky, the stars, he missed his family terribly, prayed that they were still being taken care of, even though he’d been caught and was no longer able to send information or run errands. The deal was his service for their care. How could they be cared for, when he could no longer serve?

He didn’t bother glancing up at the guard, simply took the writing utensils and wrote the only answer there was.

Cyanee,

I’m doing well. What about you? Everything going well in training?

Could you say hi to Breaker and Dawn for me?

-Kel

[Shoki]

77.04.16

Cyan couldn’t stifle the yawn that bubbled up as she read the letter from Kel. It didn’t bore her, it was just very late. She had to be up a while more yet. Being on rotation for the Aerie sure took a lot out of her. The ever present Blue in her mind helped though. Thank Faranth for Zigbrieth.

Well?

He says he is okay. A snort from her dragon.

I doubt it. He’s in a cell. Cyan frowned. Well its true.

You still need to work on being comforting, Zigbrieth.

I am not telling you anything you don’t know. Besides, too soothing and you fall asleep. Cyan let out a long sigh. The Blue was not being helpful. The problem was he thought he was. She let the matter sit while she considered her response.

Kel

I am well. Training is going well, though it is different from what I expected. Flying with a Lifewing is quite fun, and it is more complicated than with dragons. Different Lifewings fly differently, so learning to fly quickly with each one is a little different. We are getting better at it though. It is also a bit more physical than I thought, but my arms aren’t so sore anymore. Healers have a much tougher job then I thought.

“Dawn, Breaker, Kel says hello.” She smiled at the two firelizards on her desk, who chirped pleasantly at being addressed. Cyan chuckled slightly and continued writing.

Dawn and Breaker say hello. Well, as much as they can anyway.

Everyone is very busy around the Weyr. The Aerie is kinda the same, really. They are always busy after all. There hasn’t been much besides training to do.

Tell me about your old friends. From before Rainbow Mists. You never really talked about them before. That is, if you want.

-Cyanee

[Ghost of Fire (Fëanáro)]

3077.04.18

This time, the letter was handed to him without undue violence, though that may have had something to do with the annoyed looking officer standing — one could almost say looming — in the background. Clearly, someone had said something to someone, although the exact how’s where unknown, and the why’s… why would anyone have bothered? Why would anyone have cared, what was done to a murderer. A murderer and possible agent of the enemy, it was, now. Although… that was probably why he hadn’t been exiled, since exile would have served the perfect means to escape and report back to his ‘real masters’. At this point, K’rad wished they’d go ahead and take that risk. He could get another assignment from the syndicate and keep his family protected in the doing.

The letter started out light enough. He hoped they were making Cyan wear armor and train with weapons as well, but he knew better than to pester her about it again. Not this soon after the most recent attempt, at any rate. From the way she was talking, she hadn’t been in combat yet, so that was something, at least.

I wish they’d let me out of here, he grumbled. His muscles were wasting, his body stiffening, it would take so long now to regain his speed, his agility, his strength.

She can take care of herself!

Kel sighed, but Belegurth was right and they both knew it. Kel even knew why he was focusing on that. It was easier, far easier, than focusing on the last paragraph of the letter. That last paragraph, that brought his own voice drifting up into his ears from one of his first meetings with Cyanee.

“I’ve never seen one this close before. Nalkeldar could never keep them around.”

Why had he let that name slip? What was wrong, that he couldn’t have kept it a secret? He didn’t want to commit it to paper, but… well, it wasn’t horribly likely that anyone would recognize it. Nalkeldar’s cousin had a new heir, after all.

Cyanee,

Not sure why you want to know about it, but… I really didn’t have all that many friends. There weren’t a lot of kids near my age.

Not that were permitted to play with me and Nalkeldar, at least, Kel corrected silently, even as he kept writing.

It was usually just that one boy I mentioned and I, although sometimes someone would come to for a meeting and bring a kid. We usually just explored the city, nothing particularly interesting. He was a turn older than me. We used to train with some of the guards, although he wasn’t super good at any of it.

Did you have any close friends before coming to RMW?

-Kel

[Shoki]

77.04.21

Cyan had fallen asleep at her desk. She realized this when she woke up the next morning, paying for it with a stiff neck. As she stretched, she gave a start.

Did anyone call for us?

Hmm? No. Zigbrieth, quite tired himself, gave the short answer and went back to sleep. He had time before he personally had to do anything. Hopefully Cyanee could keep herself on schedule for that long.

Cyan let a relieved sigh escape her then turned her attention to what she had been sleeping on. To her embarrassment she had drooled on Kel’s letter. She dearly hoped he never found out about that. Sher reread the letter and thought about friends. Soon enough she started to write.

Kel,

That sounds fun. Exploring was always my favorite when I was a kid. After all, even the most simple things can be fun.

I never had one best friend. When I was really young I would hang out with Cr’wean, but most of my friends in Cliffside are in the Fishercraft Hall. We would trade knot ideas, for fun. Elia taught me the one I used at turnover. She was a couple turns older than me, but always had fun teaching people little knot tricks. It was a lot of practice though. If we were working with nets we would all talk together, but mostly it was talking. Or singing. It might sound boring, but learning stuff all together was really fun.

Of course, on days off everyone would go swimming. At the Hold, you are either acting like a fish or catching them after all. Did you like to swim?

-Cyanee

[Ghost of Fire (Fëanáro)]

3077.04.23

“Hey thread-bait, you got another letter.”

The taunt pulled Kel from sleep. Somehow, he suspected that had been the general point of the thing. He didn’t react, other than to look up, squinting slightly in the bright light from the glow. The words practically seemed to swim off the page, a mixture of his tiredness and the fact that he was, after something like two months, completely unaccustomed to light, since it generally was only brightened to this level when he had a letter.

Cyan and her friend used to exchange knots? That was… certainly an interesting activity. His eyes burned at the mention of singing, traitorous memory replaying images of him and Cyan singing at the Gather at Ice Stone, or singing together in a storage room of the lower caverns.

Cyan,

I didn’t get to do it all that often, so I was a little leery of it when I first came here.

Understatement of the month, that sentence. He’d been practically terrified of swimming upon arrival, though fortunately the Healers had just thought it a symptom of his head blow, and pushed him through it. Nalkeldar had held his head under water once, when he’d tried dissuading the older, far more powerful boy from some game he considered amusing. Kel probably wouldn’t have lived, except one of the guards convinced Nalkeldar to go for lashes instead.

Yet you’re still loyal to him.

It was my own fault. If I’d been more polite…

Outside, Belegurth huffed a sigh. Inside, K’rad resumed writing.

I like it well enough now, and we did find a pool to wade in once in Igen, which was fun. I don’t think singing together sounds boring at/^~

“That’s it! Time’s up!”

Once again, the letter was torn from his grasp, and tossed, still crinkled up, on the tray for collection. How was it that this guard always had duty when the letters came in?

[Shoki]

77.04.25

It was crumpled again. Cut off again. Cyan bit her lip, trying to stifle her imagination. It didn’t work. Dawn and Breaker watched her with concern, and Zigbrieth merely kept quiet. Sometimes that was better than contributing. At least, until he was forced to talk. Cyan was distantly aware he was talking to someone, and the conversation was somewhat heated. With a huff he finally directed words to Cyan.

Your brother is coming over.

“What?” Cyan stared at her dragon, watching as the Blue merely seemed testy. “Now?”

Kiyosh is ratting you out. A master of tact, Zigbrieth was not.

Cyan looked baffled before resting her head on the desk. Her firelizards nosed her for comfort, but she merely sighed into the letter. She braced for noise.

“CYAN!” Cr’wean barreled in. Cyan lifted her head. “What are you doing? This is-“

“I’m trying to write a letter.”

“To a murderer!”

“It’s not anything bad. Just, stuff.” Cr’wean stomped over and grabbed the letter on her desk before she could say anything. He read it quickly. And he grumbled.

“This what Kiyosh meant? Shards.” He dropped the letter on the desk. “Why are you doing this Cyan?” The silence loomed, and Cyan looked down. Cr’wean didn’t say anything, but he was not happy. He did know at this point that yelling at her wouldn’t help his case though. Finally she spoke.

“He’s all alone down there. I can’t go down there. But maybe the letters will make him feel better.” Cr’wean’s frown deepened.

“Some people deserve what they get.”

“No one deserves to be alone.” She shuddered a little. Cr’wean stared at her for a long while then grabbed two pieces of paper from her things.

“Write your letter.” Cyan stared as Cr’wean scribbled on the papers, writing similar messages on both.

“Are you-“

“This one goes to the brat, this one is for someone else. Put ‘em in when you get yours delivered.” With nothing else to say he left, looking furious. He was going to find some names. Cyan watched him go before opening the first one for Kel.

Don’t you dare make her cry.

Cyan blinked and sighed. Older brothers. With curiosity she looked at the other, which was addressed to ‘The incompetent courier’.

You. If I find you made her cry I will find a way to make you pay. Don’t cross me.

Neither were signed. Cyan wondered if she shouldn’t just not deliver either of them. Cr’wean was always going to be like this though. If they didn’t get delivered she wondered if Zigbrieth would rat her out. Probably. So without much else she wrote again.

Kel,

If you ever get the chance, wading in tide pools is the best. There are so many fun little creatures, and jumping around on the rocks is fun, if a little dangerous. As long as the tide isn’t too high, it is good for people who don’t really want to swim, but still want to be at the beach.

Singing with people is more fun. I haven’t been singing much recently.

Sorry about him. He found out today. He’s always like this.

-Cyanee

She didn’t manage to finish the letter without sniffling. She really didn’t feel like singing at all.

[Ghost of Fire (Fëanáro)]

3077.04.26

The drama, such as there was and what there was of it, started immediately upon the letters being collected, when the courier, somewhat annoyed, opened the one addressed to a courier. Not that he considered himself incompetent, but neither were his two friends, and they were the only ones who had delivered letters to this rider recently. The missive, short, was not in the rider’s hand. The courier knocked on the door to inquire, while sending one of his friends off with the other two letters.

“Ma’am? Ma’am, what are you upset about? Whose hand is this?” he asked, as soon as the door opened.

——————
“I thought you were checking what he was writing!”

“I have been! The sharded thread-bait hasn’t made any threats in those letters, hasn’t said much of anything at all!”

“Find out!”

More stomping footsteps, echoing along with the words, both rendered meaningless by sheer exhaustion. Meaning abruptly returned, after a fashion, when Kel felt the hard wall slam into his back, arms, and the back of his head. Even as his eyes flew open, legs starting to come up in an instinctive strike, another blow to the side of his head dazed him, and pressure settled in over his throat, restricting his breathing.

“You have an explanation for this, I trust.”

Kel blinked, trying to focus. The guard was holding a crumpled piece of paper in front of his face, though Kel couldn’t even begin to make out the words.

“For what?” Kel inquired. He hated the whine that entered into his voice, the quiver that underlay it, but he couldn’t force them out.

Exasperated, the guard caught up Kel’s shoulders and hurled him towards the ground. The chain brought the fall up short, with a force like a blow to the gut.

“Seems like something you wrote upset your girl, and I need to know what,” the guard hissed.

Kel shook his head in bafflement. He couldn’t think of anything in the past letter that would have made Cyanee upset.

The guard growled and slammed two pieces of paper into Kel’s chest, pulling the chain down so that Kel could only just barely reach the ground. “You better have an answer when I come back!” the man snapped, stalking out. Cautiously, squinting still against the far too bright light, Kel read the letters.

Great, Cr’wean found out somehow. Technically, he didn’t know it was Cr’wean, but… there was very much an older brother echoing out of that short note, so he rather suspected he was right.

[Shoki]

When Cyan opened the door and saw the courier, for a moment, she thought she already had a response back. Her face fell when they spoke, and even more when presented with Cr’wean’s letter. She didn’t want people’s feelings hurt. Maybe she shouldn’t have delivered the letters after all.

“I’m not, well I’m not upset with you. Or anyone. Really. It’s just that my brother found out I was writing these letters, and the last time, well and one time before it was cut off and the letter was crumpled and… and…” Cyan didn’t realize until her words started catching in her throat. She was starting to shake. Tears started welling up in her eyes. She swallowed, but tears started to leak out anyway. Her hands went to her eyes even as she spoke again.

“Sorry, I just don’t know anything besides what these letters say. I don’t mean…” She didn’t mean to cry. But she was crying anyway. And she couldn’t even say that anymore because she was sobbing.

Zigbrieth, who was now intensely aware of what was going on, immediately started of looking for ways to fix this. It never even occurred to him that he couldn’t.