Embers of Sun and Flame: Before We Have It (Fuegoleon x OC)

Chapter 3 "I am my own anger"

"[It was a bad call Lara,]" Ad spoke with a tone that carried the weight of the oceans in it, like a current under the surface of the sea, ready to pull ships down into depths.

"[Ad I understand why you're concerned, but-]"

"[Oh you do? Well thank the fates and the heavens above that you haven't lost your sanity!]" He scoffed with syllables that pricked at her, and let the bitter taste of sarcasm seep into her skin.

Celer lowered the tea cup they were holding and looked at Ad from under their brow.

"[Don't give me that look Ler. I have perfect reason to say that we should not have made another portal,]" he scowled, shooting a glare at Celer.

"[I'm not saying that you should be okay with Julius walking around in disguise, I am not. But saying that it's a result of the portal we constructed at the base-]"

"[And what I am saying is that since the security protocol isn't keeping that damn king away, we shouldn't make it any easier for him to get here! Even if it's like a... what a day, two, closer in terms of travel from the forgotten portal from his perspective.]" Ad rubbed his temples. And he sighed, pacing around the room for a short moment, catching his breath and trying to calm his nerves. "[I... Look Lara I get why you wanted to have that portal; I do. And he's not a bad guy. Like I get why you love him, and I think you work well together. So, as a friend I'm happy for you, and I want to support you.]" There was another sigh, during which he crossed his arms. "[But as a Vortex, this is putting my nerves through a meat grinder, shoving them into a blender and forcing the mush through a really thin straw.]" He looked at Solara with a frown that was painted with various tones of melancholy, compassion, uncertainty and confliction.

She opened her mouth, and waved around her hand with a circular motion as if trying to gather words from thin air. But she came up empty and thus closed her mouth.

"[I don't get how anyone even relatively normal would come out of that country,]" Ad remarked as his eyes opened slightly wider than a moment before and gazed into the depths of the floor. "[Not one word Ler,]" he continued without looking at them, and held out his hand, pointing a finger towards the ceiling as if to mark 'one'.

She sighed and slumped forward while sitting on the couch, staring ahead of her without words tumbling through her mind. "[What do you want me to say Ad? Or do? I can talk to Julius. Tell him to stay the fuck away if he's not invited? Back down on the whole alliance ordeal? Forfeit my titles? Fake my death?]"

That's an overstatement. Just plain being dramatic, Celer thought to themselves while sipping tea.

"[I...]" Ad began, while taking a seat onto another couch. "[I don't know Lara...]" He sighed, still holding one of his arms wrapped around himself as he rubbed his face with the other. "[Like I... would very much like telling him to stay the fuck away until he gets a formal request to come here. And what I do not like is the little sociological experiment the Caedis and Bestia are conducting on him while looking into what he's doing while here. Not because of them looking at him, but because they're letting him pretty much look into things he wants to. But it's not like we can stop him either that easily from going to places because category two mana is such a pain to deal with. And just...]" he shook his head and let his hand land lazily onto his own thigh, creating a smack as it landed. "[And the dude just looks at plants, and talks to people. Skips stones at lakes where sprites like to spend time, and ... has tea with people.]" He spat with broken syllables, from the cracks of which disbelief seeped.

"[Maybe he likes talking to people,]" Celer stated.

Ad glanced at him with a raised eyebrow and a half of a glare.