Chapter Text
The room was lit only by candles, their smoke rising in aimless tendrils, filling the room just as much as their light. A girl knelt before an altar, chanting in a steady but quiet voice. He watched her, entranced, his fingers drumming against the blade of his sword in time with her words. She raised her arms, her voice suddenly growing louder. Blue light pulsed from the lines covering her body, shining across the jewels that were her only apparel. Her chanting grew louder still as she stood, and turned, and held her hand out to him, beckoning him to her.
He took her hand, let her pull him into her dance, joined his voice with hers as the cadence of her words shifted into a song. He looked down at her, never wanting to forget those golden eyes, or the starlight shining in her hair.
All too soon, the dance was done. She spun him to the altar, placing her hands on his shoulders to stop him before the statue of a giant serpentine beast. Its mouth opened, and-
The buzzing of Markus Velafi’s alarm interrupted his dream. He blinked, then rolled over and grabbed blindly for his phone. He managed to hit the button to stop the alarm, but heard his glasses clatter to the floor as he did. He groaned, knowing that it would take a good five minutes to find them in the various piles of clothes and pillows that was his floor. He sat on his knees on the bed, squinting as he tried to examine the mess of colors from up here.
“Lose something?”
He looked up, grinning despite his annoyance at how his morning started. “Kyr! I thought you had class already.”
The blur standing in the doorway made a motion that could’ve been a shrug, though Markus couldn’t be sure at the moment. “I guess Professor Colfus’ kids are sick. He canceled.” The redhead walked over, stopping once he reached the foot of the bed. He stared at the floor for a minute, then knelt and plucked Markus’ glasses from the scarf that they’d landed on. “Here you go.”
“Thanks.” Markus put them on, relaxing as the world settled into clarity. “You’re the best.”
Kyr’s face turned bright red. He half-stood, then wrapped his arms around Markus and smooched his cheek as he pulled him back down onto the bed. “No, you are!” he insisted.
Markus chuckled, relaxing into his boyfriend’s arms. “I had one of those dreams again,” he said, once they’d spent a few minutes cuddling.
“About the blue-light girl?” Kyr let go of him and sat up, his brow furrowing in thought. “That’s what, the fifth time this month?”
“Yeah. They’re getting more frequent.”
“Maybe you should write about her, then.”
Markus pursed his lips, thinking that over. He had considered it, a few times, except- “It feels too personal,” he admitted. “Somehow, I think I’d be betraying something, if I did that.” He stretched his arms above his head as he sat up too. “That probably sounds weird.”
Kyr hugged him again, gently nuzzling the side of Markus’ neck. “Not at all. There’s a few things that I never want to show anyone until they’re done, even you.” He sighed, then let go and got to his feet. “It was just an idea. Come on, I made breakfast, it’s going to get cold.”
“Well why didn’t you say so!” Markus scrambled to his feet, following Kyr towards the kitchen.
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“Ashe, are you even listening to me? Hey, numbskull!”
She blinked, startled out of her thoughts. “Huh? Sorry, Inien. What were you saying?”
Her dark-haired roommate was glaring at her, a chipped mug hanging off her finger. “I said, you need to be more careful. Your pans wound up on top of my cup, and it’s busted now.”
“Oh!” Ashe at least looked contrite, for a second. “Well, maybe if you would wash stuff more often than once a week, it wouldn’t be a problem.”
Inien stuck her tongue out, then plopped down on the couch next to her; it was too early in the morning to be really angry, and it had been an ugly mug anyways. “So, what’re you up to today? Are you seeing your mysterious new catch again?”
“Her name is Firi,” Ashe said, defensive as a blush crept across her face. “And yeah, I am. We’re going to dinner.”
“Oooooh, where at?” Inien leaned over, trying to look at Ashe’s computer as she takked away on her keyboard.
Ashe moved to the other end of the couch, placing her back against the armrest so Inien couldn’t peek without getting up. “None of your business! And besides, I’m not talking to her right now.”
“Uh-huh.” Inien didn’t sound convinced. She rested her elbow on her knee and her head in her palm as she stared the redhead down. “How am I supposed to help you pick an outfit if I don’t know the fanciness of the place you’re going?”
She raised an eyebrow at Inien, gestured around at their surroundings: bubbled paint in the leaky roof, duct tape over a hole near one window where ants kept trying to come in, a kitchen window that wouldn’t shut all the way, a baseboard coming loose from the wall. “Yes, clearly I’ll be going to the swankiest place in the city.”
Inien stuck her tongue out. “No need to be rude. I’m just trying to help.”
“Sure you are.” Ashe rolled her eyes, going back to her typed conversations. Someone was wrong on the forums for her favorite books, and she just could not leave it alone. She wondered if she should enlist Inien’s help, and glanced up, only to jump as the other woman’s voice sounded from just behind her.
“So what were you thinking about?”
“Don’t do that!” Ashe shouted, twisting about as she slammed her laptop shut. “Stars and stones, Inien, I thought we’ve been over that!”
She laughed, short and snide. “We have, but it’s so fun to torment you sometimes. Anyways, what were you thinking about earlier?”
“When?”
“When you zoned out while I was yelling at you."
“Oh.” Ashe shook her head, sighing. “I keep having these weird dreams, about a guy in armor.” She bit her lip, looking out the window, to the busy road down below. It was easier to talk about weird things, if she didn’t look at anyone else in the room. “I think some kind of prince? He always looks handsome, and there’s another guy that looks like him sometimes, wearing a crown. He’ll come to me, and tell me how important I am, and how important it is that we keep things a secret.”
“How romantic,” Inien commented, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “How long have you been having these dreams?”
“Since I was in middle school, actually,” Ashe admitted. “Maybe even earlier? But they’ve been way more often lately. Like two or three times a week.”
“Well, then it sounds like something completely normal for you, and nothing at all to worry about.” Inien got to her feet, and held out her hand to pull Ashe up. “Anyways, just tell me where you’re taking your gal to tonight, so I can help you get ready.”
“I don’t need your help, Inien.”
“Of course you don’t, Ashy, but let’s try anyways.”
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The restaurant’s lot was empty as they pulled up. Markus let out a low whistle. “Damn, it’s never been this slow. What happened?”
“Some kind of tasting event on the other side of Fifth,” Kyr answered. “Most people probably went to that instead of going out to eat tonight.”
Markus nodded. “That makes sense, I guess.” He still wasn’t used to big cities and the rate of events that happened here. He squeezed Kyr’s hand once before letting go so they could get out of the truck. “You sure you got the bill tonight?”
Kyr nodded. “Of course! I can’t let you handle everything all the time, and I managed to actually save some money this month, so I wanted to treat you.”
“Fine.” Markus grinned up at him, following him inside. The aroma of fresh bread and pasta and tomatoes hit them instantly, and his mouth started to water. “I really shouldn’t have skipped lunch.”
The hostess hurriedly put away her phone as they entered, straightening at her podium. “Hi, welcome to Fennecci’s,” she said, giving them both a smile. "Table for two?"
“If it’s not any trouble,” Kyr answered, with a glance around the empty restaurant, and to the employees rushing to look busy over in the kitchen.
“Of course.” The hostess grabbed two menus, but paused, looking around. “You know what? Why don’t you two choose where you want to sit.” She handed them the menus. “And I’ll send Narnie over to take your orders.”
“Really? Thanks a lot!” Kyr started walking towards a booth in the corner, where it would be easy for them to hold hands under the table, but paused when he realized his boyfriend wasn’t following him. “Markus?”
The blonde blinked, shook his head, and followed Kyr. “Sorry. I was a little distracted, I guess,” he said, glancing over his shoulder.
“Is she your dream girl?” Kyr teased, sliding into his seat. He frowned at Markus’ confused expression, and tapped his cheek. “Her tattoos?”
“Oh! No.” Markus sat next to him, laying his hand over Kyr’s and entwining their fingers. He took a moment to appreciate the feeling, closing his eyes as he leaned his head back on the seat. “Hers are more purple than blue, aren’t they? And the girl in my dreams doesn’t have any on her face, I don’t think. I was more curious about her heterochromia.”
Kyr sighed heavily. “I know, my eyes could never be that cool.”
Markus rolled his eyes, and leaned forward with his elbow on the table so he could turn and look Kyr in the eyes. “I promise, there’s no one besides you that I can spend hours staring at, even if she does have two different colors.”
Kyr brightened and kissed him briefly. That settled, the two of them opened their menus, talking back and forth about what they wanted since they both knew they’d wind up splitting their meals anyways.
The bell on the door chimed, making Markus look up. A girl in a dark green flannel walked in, her fluffy red hair threatening to burst out of its ponytail. Instead of waiting near the door, she walked straight up to the short wall that divided the kitchen from the dining room. “Firi, I’m here!” she called.
“Ashe!” The hostess came back into view, pushing a very tall, gangly-looking person ahead of her. “I’ll be right there, I just have to make sure Narnie actually gets some work done.”
“Why not take their order yourself?” the other grumbled, running a long-fingered hand through their stringy black hair.
“‘Cause you have to earn your paycheck,” Firi insisted. “Just- give me five minutes, Ashe, okay?”
“No problem. I’ll just be waiting in my car.” The redheaded girl waved cheerily, then turned and left as quickly as she’d came.
“Hi, I’m Narn,” the tall server rasped as they approached Kyr and Markus’ table. “What can I get for you today?”
Markus barely registered the question, staring after the redhead. “Excuse me,” he said, sliding out of the booth. He ignored Kyr’s confused questions as he hurried outside, casting about for the girl. She has red hair, and green eyes, but her face is- I know I’ve seen her before!
He spotted her, across the parking lot, leaning against a car that was covered in rust spots, with a window that didn’t seem to be in its track properly, from how it leaned forward in the doorframe. She had her phone out, but looked up as he approached.
“Who are y…” she started, the question drifting off as she looked up. She tensed, her eyes narrowing angrily. “Who are you?” she repeated, her voice firm but strained.
He swallowed nervously, staring into her eyes. He could practically see himself reflected there, and everything he felt- the shock, the fear, the curiosity, the awe. “I’m Markus Velafi,” he said, quietly, not wanting to break the spell. “And I think I know you.”
She straightened, never breaking eye contact with him. “I know you, too,” she whispered. “And you…”
“You’re the one I’ve been searching for,” they both said, and before he knew it had happened, Markus had wrapped his arms around her, and she was burying her face against his chest, clinging to him like she would never let go.