This Is What It's Like To Be Lovers [ON HOLD]

21: I Read Between The Lines

• fallingforyou by The 1975 •

Lari was four shots down when Peri finally finished her narration. Jade sat beside her, with a strong, comforting arm around her.

Dehydrated from the crying, and woozy, Lari sat with her forehead flat on the tabletop. Peri watched her with her back eased against the back of her chair, lip between her teeth, and fingers fidgeting constantly.

"You feel guilty, don't you?" Jasper enquired.

Peri's jaw shifted, and she averted her gaze.

"Jade," she called out. "Move!"

The Ironwood Warrior looked up, demanding a repetition. Peri sighed. "Move," she said again. "She's my sister, she needs me."

Jade quietly rose, leaving the space beside her Princess to be occupied by Peri. She gestured to her brother to speak to him separately.

"Umm... Listen..." Peri stammered, hovering a hand over Lari's blue hair. "Larimar... It's not your fault. I... should have been more considerate... while speaking about the Emperor. I..." She scoffed. "Wow, I can't even apologize."

"It's fine," Lari said, picking up her throbbing head. "I shouldn't expect to be liked by you, or... any of my..." She let out a heavy breath. "Sisters. Are you... in touch with anybody else?"

Peri nodded. "I used to know quite a few of them before they... got taken. I recently saw Amber, she's from Kalk. But she's now living in Primorska. Do you... want to visit her?"

Larimar nodded. "So... if I'm the Primorskan daughter, there should be an Eiran daughter, right?"

"Yes," Peri agreed. "But I don't know who that is. If she's even alive anymore. Eira is too far away from here, you know." Lari nodded again, understanding.

Her thoughts were clouded, from the booze and the exposition. What Lari wanted was to creep under her mother's duvet, and cry into her neck. She wanted to comfort Vivian, for all that she silently went through, and be comforted in return.

She knew her mother would be devastated to find out that her father's wrongdoings had been revealed to her. This was not the kind of solidarity either of them would have wanted. But it was all they got. The wrath, greed, and bigotry of one man had brought two generations of women, overall earthside, under one roof of plight.

Larimar ran her hand through her blue hair, and stopped midway, clutching and pulling at it. When she felt a tap on her shoulder, she opened her eyes and looked up.

Jade looked back with the softest, most compassionate smile she could portray. "Would you like to take a walk outside, Princess?" She asked. "It might make you feel better."

Lari never left Jade's arm. She clung to it, as they walked. The wind indeed made her feel better.

She didn't ask where they were going. If in the morning, she was willing to let the young Queen decide her fate, she was now unwilling to take those matters into her hand.

The party had strayed away from the main festival, to a more secluded path. The Moon's light rendered the occasional lanterns useless. The undulating terrain paused abruptly, giving way to a sturdier brick road. This made Lari curious.

"Where are we going?" She finally asked, sniffling.

"You'll like it, I promise," was all Jade replied.

They soon came to a halt and in the distance were high walls. Sentient behind them stood the Jahiman palace. Surun Palatsi. Not as tall as the Eiran palace, but it looked sturdy and expansive. By the gates stood a pair of soldiers, and a few more could be seen strolling along the perimeter.