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Rivayn was surprised as he exited the solar to see Arenvald sitting alone at one of the tables in the main hall. The young Scion leaned forward on the table onto his elbows, his head hanging slightly. He sighed heavily, not yet realizing he wasn't alone.
It was midday, and almost all of the other Scions were out on missions or training or wandering the overcrowded confines of Mor Dhona. In fact, the only reason Rivayn was still at the Rising Stones was that Minfilia had requested an audience. Arenvald clearly hadn't heard the doors shut behind him, and judging from his sullen posture it was at least in part due to a wandering mind.
That was something Rivayn could help with.
"Why the long face, friend?" Rivayn asked cheerfully as he approached, holding back a laugh as Arenvald all but jumped out of his seat.
"Rivayn!" the younger man stammered, bolting upright in his chair and looking shocked as Rivayn sat down across from him. "I-- I didn't realize anyone was still here."
"Well, Minfilia's always here," Rivayn pointed out, crossing his legs under the table and leaning back in the wooden chair. "I suppose I could go if you'd rather be alone."
"No, no it's fine," Arenvald told him awkwardly. "I just... I was thinking, that's all."
"Mmm, dangerous." The young man seemed confused for a moment until Rivayn chuckled. "You're so serious, Arenvald."
"You're the Warrior of Light," Arenvald reminded him.
"What, and you think that means I'm too good for you or something?" Rivayn asked with a laugh. "Believe me, if you knew half of the things I've done in my life, I'd feel lucky you deigned to talk to me."
Arenvald smiled weakly, looking down at the table. "I've been thinking about the Waking Sands."
Rivayn rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly feeling incredibly foolish for his attempts at humor. He wasn't exactly known for his wisdom - having saved the realm hadn't done much to convince anyone that he was suddenly a responsible adult - but he knew he had to do something.
"You want to talk about it?" Rivayn asked after a moment. The boy looked up at him, clearly surprised by the offer. "I mean, I'm not very good at doing the words thing, but I can lend an ear if you want."
"I just... I can't stop thinking about Aulie and Aba," Arenvald explained with a heavy sigh. "They were always there to take care of me, even at the end, and I feel..."
"Guilty?" Rivayn asked with a straight face, prompting a nod from his fellow Scion. "I know that feeling, Arenvald, but it's not your fault. It's the Empire's." Arenvald stared at him slightly cockeyed for a long, uncomfortable moment. Finally, Rivayn couldn't take it. "What? Did I say something wrong?"
"No, I-- I just... I didn't realize you knew my name."
Rivayn laughed out loud. "I know everybody's name, Arenvald," he promised with a grin. "Well, except..." Rivayn held his hands out wide and mimicked a serious expression on his face.
"Hoary Boulder?" Arenvald ventured curiously.
"Yeah, him!" Rivayn confirmed with a smile. "I'm terrible with Roegadyn names. They're either random objects or a string of so many consonants in a row that I can't possibly pronounce them."
"I won't tell him you said that," Arenvald promised with a chuckle.
"Good," Rivayn laughed. "I think he could probably snap me in half if he had a mind to."
"I won't tell him you said that, either."
"You're a smart kid, Arenvald."
Arenvald leaned back in his chair and smiled. "Thanks for cheering me up, Rivayn."
"Hey, us Echo-havers have got to stick together." Rivayn got up from his chair, not quite missing the blush that rose in Arenvald's cheeks, and headed for the bar. "Now you're sworn to secrecy on this," he explained as he reached down for a hidden bottle on the bottom shelf.
"What is it?" the boy asked as Rivayn returned to the table with the bottle and two mugs.
"F'lhaminn's secret stash," Rivayn explained as he poured the liquor out into each mug, gently pushing one of them toward Arenvald. "She thinks if she hides it in a bottle labeled 'morbol venom' that nobody'll drink it."
"Joke's on her, I suppose," Arenvald laughed.
"That's right," Rivayn agreed, picking up his mug and offering a toast. "To the incredibly foolish Warrior of Light and his trusty companion, Arenvald."
The two of them took a sip simultaneously, and Rivayn nearly choked as Arenvald immediately spat the liquor out. "Seven bloody hells, this stuff tastes like acid."
Both men looked up as they heard laughter echo from the next room. Rivayn would recognize that laugh anywhere.
"Yda, how long have you been over there?" he called as she appeared from around the corner.
"Long enough," she replied with a smirk. "Lhaminn's going to kill you when she finds out you drank her firewater."
"I can't believe she actually drinks this," Arenvald replied, a grimace on his face. "I can't believe any of you do."
"Aren't you a little young for this anyway?" Yda asked, sitting down at the table between the two men.
"You're the old lady here," Rivayn pointed out, earning a scandalized look from the young woman next to him.
"Excuse me?" she asked with a pout.
"You are older than me," Rivayn reminded her with a shrug.
"That's beside the point!" she protested, reaching over and grabbing Arenvald's mug. With one fluid motion, she raised the mug to her lips and drained the entire contents. Arenvald stared at her in shock, while Rivayn simply laughed.
Yda poured another glass of the liquor and pushed it toward Arenvald. "Try again?"
The boy looked down at the mug, then back up at Yda. His gaze slowly drifted to Rivayn. "Is this, like, a Scion rite of passage or something?" he finally asked.
"Hardly," Rivayn chuckled. "But a few shots of this and we'll all be flat on the floor."
"Might be fun for Minfilia to find us like that," Yda added with a chuckle.
"Assuming she ever comes out of the solar," Rivayn returned, quickly draining his own mug. He sighed happily as the liquor burned its way down his throat. He may not have learned much from his days as a pirate, but he had learned to drink.
With a heavy sigh, Arenvald picked up the mug and quickly swallowed the contents. He coughed loudly as he set the mug down, his eyes watering slightly. "You had the right of it," he managed to choke out as the two laughed at him.
"It's better if you don't taste it," Rivayn agreed, reaching out and clapping the younger man on the shoulder. "Have another and you won't even notice the taste anymore."
"Why do I feel like you're a bad influence?" Arenvald asked with a skeptical frown.
"I think he's onto us, Rivayn," Yda chuckled, getting up from the table and heading toward the bar. She grabbed a third mug and returned to her place, quickly pouring all three of them another round. "Shall we make some bad decisions?"
"Those are the best kind," Rivayn agreed with a chuckle, picking up his mug and holding it up for a toast. "To the Scions of the Seventh Dawn."
"To Aulie and A'aba," Yda added, smiling warmly and raising her mug in kind.
Arenvald grinned as he held up his mug, and with a thud, the three clinked the wooden mugs together before each draining their glasses in turn. "Thank you both for this," Arenvald told them with a smile. "You're true friends."
"And don't you forget it," Yda told him with a chuckle. "Another round?"
"If we're going to make bad decisions, we might as well go all out," Rivayn returned, handing her his mug. "How about you, Arenvald?"
He shrugged with a smile. "As long as you take the blame."
"That, my good sir, is my specialty," Rivayn told him with a wink, grabbing Arenvald's mug and handing it do Yda. "Fill 'er up."
Yda grinned happily and grabbed the bottle. "My pleasure."