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Chapter Text

There is a man at Collei's spot. 

Her first thought is that it's rather rude to take someone's secret getaway spot.

Her second thought is more of a vague feeling of unease. Not only has the man found her spot, he'd been able to reach it. Even Kaveh had needed help when she'd shown it to him.

The man turns, like he can sense her. He smiles when he sees her. He's younger than she'd thought he would be, with eyes almost inhumanly green.

"Hey, sorry, were you looking for me?"

If she does not know him, he cannot possibly know her. Which means he thinks she's a messenger or something.

"No, sorry."

"Oh." He tilts his head, sort of like a Sag does when he's confused. It's kind of cute. Makes her want to pinch his cheeks. "Can I help you anyway? Do you need help getting down?"

She shakes her head. "No, thank you."

He looks down at the branch he stands on, seeming to put together her presence and the lack of bark where he stands. "Oh! Sorry, you must be here for the same reason I am! I'll give you your space, I apologize—"

"No, no need!" She isn't sure why, but she suddenly doesn't want him to leave. She's curious. And maybe she doesn't want to be alone, like she had first thought. She just doesn't want to be around her uncles. They will certainly have... thoughts, about her current predicament. Loud ones. "You were here first, after all."

He shifts over, and pats the branch beside him. She should not, under any circumstances, be comfortable sitting on a high branch next to a man she doesn't know, but she finds herself trusting him. And she's rarely wrong about that sort of thing. 

She sits next to him. 

"So? What brings you up here, seeking solitude?"

"How do you know I'm not just bored?"

"You're a student. Students don't seem to get bored, here."

She sighs. "It's time for me to join a school. I've recieved two invitations. Vahumana and Amurta. I'm sure my uncles, the people I'm staying with while I don't have a school, will have... thoughts. I'm not ready to hear those thoughts yet."

"Well, what are the pros and cons of each?"

"You don't have to do that." She shakes her head. "My uncles will have good advice, when I'm ready to hear them bickering at each other over it. I just want to get my own thoughts in order first."

He hums. "They're sure to be proud either way, though, right? An invitation to two darshans! That's two more than most people get!"

She finds herself smiling. This man's enthusiasm is catching. "I guess so."

"Anyone else who's opinion you're worried for?"

"No, not really. My..." Master? Teacher? Brother? "My guardian is actually an alumni of Amurta, but he will be calm about it."

"Won't he be excited?"

She hesitates, deciding just how much of herself she's willing to divulge. "No, he will—I'm sorry, I never caught your name."

"Oh!" He brightens, holding out a hand. "Sethos. Nice to meet you!"

She takes it. "Collei. Likewise. Figured I should have your name before I tell you all of my darkest secrets." She laughs, and he smiles. "I had a rather... difficult childhood." When Sethos' face hardens, she hurries to clarify. "Not because of him! He's amazing, and he's worked so hard to give me every opportunity! But he knows, better than my uncles do, not to react too strongly. So he'll be very excited, I'm sure, but he won't be so overwhelming about it. I've already sent him a letter, he'll probably be here within the next day or two, if I know him."

"Your uncles don't know about..." he trails off.

"Oh, no. They are my uncles because they're my guardian's closest friends. Well, Kaveh is. Alhaitham is just part of the buy one, get one free sort of deal. They know the very basics, of course. But it's never really come up. At least, not since I've become comfortable enough to talk with them about it. I could ask them to be less... excited, around me, but I don't think they would know what to do with themselves then. They're larger than life sorts of people. For now, I don't really want them to temper that around me."

Sethos seems unconvinced. "But doesn't it make you uncomfortable, then?"

"No, not as long as I give myself a little while to prepare. They aren't so inconsiderate as to blow up at the dinner table, so it's rarely an issue at all. They make an effort to make me more comfortable, so I do the same. They have their own issues and ways to deal with them, so I try not to mess with their system too much."

"You're remarkably selfless for someone so young."

"I'm seventeen! I can't be more than five years younger than you!"

He raises an eyebrow. "Five exactly. But the five years from seventeen to twenty-two are pretty big, you know."

"I grew up fast, to both my benefit and detriment." She shoves ahead. "Anyway, enough about me, why are you up here? I doubt you were just exploring."

He huffs a laugh, taking the abrupt change of topic in stride. "You've got me there. I'm hiding from my problems, as it so happens."

"Oh? Family, work, love?"

"Family. And work, I suppose. Work that came about because of family that came about because of work. Have you ever heard of the Temple of Silence?"

She frowns. "A bit? They have an office, at the Akademiya."

"Yes. And no. The office is fake. Well, it was. It isn't anymore."

"I didn't think you'd be a conspiracy theorist."

"I mean, I am. Technically. But this isn't a conspiracy. The Temple withdrew from the Akademiya a long time ago. I know because I'm part of it."

Her frown deepens until she can feel the way the skin at the corners of her mouth folds. "This feels a little like something I'm not supposed to know."

"It probably is." He shrugs. "But I guess I technically decide who gets to know. Since I'm in charge of it now."

"The Temple of Silence office?"

He hesitates. "Among... other things."

"And how does family factor in to all of this?"

"A brother, of sorts, recently came back home. He's some big shot in the Akademiya, so he convinced me to repair the relationship between the Akademiya and the Temple. He's not technically my brother, but he's the closest thing I have to one, and we were thrown together while in the temple. Hence 'work that came about because of family that came about because of work.' The work part is easy enough. The family part... not so much."

"Why not?" Collei knows a thing or two about family who aren't related to you. Maybe she can help.

"He doesn't remember anything, from when we were young. From the entire time he was with the Temple. So he doesn't even remember becoming my brother. But I do. I haven't told him that I do. It was traumatic. Part of me is glad he doesn't remember. It was hard for him. But most of me..."

"Wishes he remembered you, yeah?" 

"It's hard, trying to find a place in the family he's built here. I'm starting to wonder if it's worth it, or if I should just let the past be the past." Sethos' eyes narrow. "You know, you are remarkably easy to talk to. Almost too easy."

"I was sort of thinking the same about you, you know."

"That's what someone who was sent to get my guard down would say. How do I know you aren't a spy?"

"I—hold on, I am definitely not a spy! A spy for who?"

"Sounds like what a spy would say."

She sputters. "On my honor as a forest ranger, I am not a spy. I'd be a pretty crappy spy, anyway. Completely glossing over the political secrets and poking at your feelings instead?"

"Hmm. True."

"Do you normally accuse people you meet of espionage?"

"I normally don't feel comfortable enough with people I meet to spill all my innermost thoughts, no." 

"That's probably for the best, if you're going to accuse them all of ill intentions. Best to leave the potentially damning conversations between friends."

He doesn't say anything to that, and Collei feels her smile fall. "You have, um, friends. Right?"

"Of course I have friends! I have many friends! I'm a friendly guy, making friends is practically my favorite hobby!"

"Just not any friends to talk about this particular issue with?"

He deflates. "Yeah. I'd probably talk about it with my brother, he's the closest thing I have to an emotional confidant, but he's sort of the crux of the issue."

"How long has it been since you reunited?"

"Three weeks."

She blinks. "Oh. It's sweet, then, that he's already your emotional confidant?"

"You can be honest, it seems a little desperate. Most of my closer friends are subordinates of some kind. Doesn't bode well for emotional vulnerability. I sort of... latched on, when he came waltzing back into my life. I don't even know that much about him. I think he has a daughter? When I met him, he was with a man I'm pretty sure is his partner of some kind, but he still said something about a girl he was going to 'go home to.' I didn't ask, but I interpreted it as a daughter. Which probably means I have a niece I've yet to meet. Something akin to a niece, at least. I don't even know her name, I missed that part of the conversation. That feels pretty big, right? A whole niece?"

"So you learned you had a niece from... a conversation you joined halfway through."

"To be fair, I wasn't exactly welcome in their circle at that point. I had kidnapped his father. I was eavesdropping."

"I—" Collei opens and closes her mouth a few times before continuing. "I have no idea what to say to that."

"It was a convoluted situation. Just know it wasn't my decision.

"You know, you're seeming more and more like the kind of guy I shouldn't be up here talking to."

"Yeah, probably." Sethos leans forward, bracing his hands against the branch. "I'm not exactly the most wholesome character out there. I probably wouldn't be any good for a niece."

"No, no, you'll be the fun uncle. The one who lets her complain about her dad and buys her wine before she's drinking age so her first time drinking isn't out with other teenagers. I'm sure she'll love you." She sits back, bancing her weight on her palms and looking out over the valley. The view from her spot is always stunning. Look left, and you're looking at the glowing canopy of Mawtiyima Forest. Crane your head to the right, you can see all the way to Apam Woods. It's just a bit foggy, as she gazes out, and the tall trees of the Woods are shrouded in mist.

"Maybe. One of your uncles like that?"

"Not really. Mostly, they're just overprotective and worried that I'm still a fragile kid."

"Fragile? I can't imagine looking at you and thinking you were fragile."

She shrugs. "I had Eleazar until recently. I suppose it's difficult to drop the need to hover, like they did when I was sick. Kaveh, mostly. He was my Master's best friend, at the Akademiya, so I've known him for a very long time. Alhaitham, not quite as much."

"Alhaitham. Like, the Scribe?"

"That's the one. You acquainted?"

Sethos shakes his head. "Not yet. I actually have a meeting with him tomorrow. Any advice?"

Collei smiles. "Don't let his apathy fool you. He cares very much about a lot of things. And don't take it personally when he seems blunt and mean. That's just how he is."

"He sounds... terrifying."

"Oh, he is. Don't worry too much about it, though. He's not as horrible as he seems."

"How will I even know if it goes well?"

Collei hums. That's a little bit more tricky. "How about this. We'll meet here tomorrow night. Debrief. I tell you how the news went over with my family, you tell me how your meeting went. You can act as an unbiased party for me, I'll translate Alhaithamese for you. Deal?" She sticks out a hand.

Sethos looks down at her hand, then up at her. Then he smiles. "Deal."

They shake hands.

"Perfect." Collei glances up at the sky. The sun is directly above her, which means it's about time to meet her friends at the café. "I've got to go. See you tomorrow!"

He waves as she gets up. "See you tomorrow."

She leaves with the distinct impression that she's made a new friend.

Chapter Text

They meet the next night, neither in particularly good spirits. Sethos clambers up the tree not long after Collei has settled down on the branch, and they sit quietly for a moment. Collei is content to watch the sunset for a few minutes more with the warmth of a friend by her side, and Sethos seems amenable.

Eventually, though, she breaks the silence. "How do you think it went?"

He shrugs, after a moment. "I have no idea. Not a single clue."

"What's got you so down, then?"

"The humidity."

She huffs a laugh, but when she looks over, he doesn't look like a man who just landed a joke. "Wait, really?"

"In our meeting it was decided that I would stay in Sumeru City for the next two weeks to settle the Temple in. I'm from the desert, Collei, the humidity is killing me!"

She hums. "Your brother was originally from the desert, yes? But he lives here now. He's got to have some pointers. Oh! And I know someone who moved here from the desert, I can ask him! He was young, though. He might not remember much about how he acclimated."

"My brother was pretty young too. I'm afraid I'll just have to suffer through it. I don't know how all you forest-dwellers do it. I haven't truly felt dry in days."

"Huh. I've never thought about it. When I first moved here I had... other things to focus on, I suppose. Plus, I was born in the rainforest, and didn't come straight back from the desert. I made some detours. Quite a few detours."

"You lived in the desert?"

"That's part of that whole 'difficult childhood' thing. I'm not really in the mood to get into it tonight. Maybe I'll tell you about it some day."

He nods. "That's fair. Speaking of, you don't seem particularly perky either. What happened on your end?"

"Talking about the future for four hours can thoughly drain a person. My guardian arrived at about noon today, we went to lunch, then immediately to the pro-con list. I've only got about a week to decide. I know it's not an irreversible decision, but it would be nice to make the right choice and not have to backtrack."

"What are you leaning towards?"

'Amurta. Not just because it's his alma mater. It feels correct. I am a Forest Ranger, after all. Botany is a pretty big part of the job."

"You'd study botany?"

She lifts a shoulder in a half-hearted shrug. "I've always had an affinity for it."

"It seems like a pretty cool area of study."

"It's more limited than Vahumana."

"You don't strike me as the kind of girl to let that stop you anyway."

She sighs. "I guess I never have before. I'll figure it out. Tell me more about the meeting!"

Sethos makes a strange face and starts from the beginning. He has an incredible memory, recalling even the smallest of changes in Alhaitham's expression. It honestly seems to have gone even better than she'd been expecting, and she tells him as much.

He seems rather skeptical. "Are you sure?"

"He didn't subtly insult you even once! That's practically a confession of adoration coming from him! Plus, he showed way more emotion than he would ever let himself show if he didn't trust you at all. You must have come with glowing reviews."

Sethos genuinely blushes at that, dark skin reddening up to his ears, and Collei resists the urge to coo. He probably wouldn't appreciate some kid cooing over him.

"My brother, I guess. I didn't think he would go that far for me."

"Why not? You're great, and this rekindling of a partnership between the Akademiya and the Temple of Silence is fantastic! Alhaitham is a big proponent of the idea that knowledge should be freely available to everyone, and getting along with you will only help with that."

"I guess. This meeting was basically a screening for a meeting with the Archon, so I guess it's even better that it went well."

"Lord Kusanali? Oh, she's great!" Collei grins. "She's the best, truly. Do you know when you meet with her?"

"Next week."

"She'll love you, I know it. She's so cool! Don't let the fact that she looks like an eight-year-old throw you off, though she won't hold it against you if you do."

"Hold on, an eight-year-old runs this nation?"

"Of course not. She just looks eight. She's very old, and very wise. According to my friend, she does have the humor of a child, sometimes. I'm not close enough to her to ever have experienced it, but my friend is one of her sages."

"You're friends with one of the Sages? I guess it makes sense, if your uncle is the Scribe—"

"No, no." Collei shakes her head. "Not one of the Akademiya Sages. A Sage of Buer. The first, I think. It's more of a religious thing than an academic thing, as far as I can tell. I have no idea how many there are, though. It isn't exactly public knowledge, I don't think."

"You know a lot of influential people."

"Huh. I guess I do."

"You guess?"

"I mean, you do too, now. It's not that crazy, is it?"

"When you put it like that, I guess not."

She hums. "Who you know is all circumstance, anyway."

He laughs. "Well said, well said."

The sun finally dips behind the mountains.

"More than one of them," she says, suddenly.

Sethos hums a question.

"Of Lord Kusanali's Sages. I know more than one of them. They haven't exactly come right out and said it, but I think I know, hmm, three of them? I know two of them for sure, I suspect third. They have meetings, sometimes. It's all very strangely covert. It took me a while to realize."

"How come I've never even heard of the position?"

She frowns. "Maybe it really is a secret. No one ever told me to keep quiet about it, but maybe no one else knows."

"You are the most interesting character in a mystery novel."

"Why thank you."

"Wasn't a compliment."

Collei shrugs. "I feel complimented nonetheless."

He laughs. "I guess I have nothing to say to that."

They lapse into silence. The night air has grown cool, and Collei snuggles deeper into her cloak. Sethos has no outer layer, but he doesn't seem to mind the cold.

"I'll move into the dorms in a couple weeks," she says.

"Oh, um—" Sethos hesitates. "Do you want me to help, or—"

She laughs. "Oh, no, don't worry, I will have plenty of help. Most of them will even be helpful."

"Only most?"

"Ah, no, not really. It's sort of—Kaveh likes to joke that since he can't lift a whole lot, he's practically useless. In reality, we all know that the well-oiled machine that is my family ceases to function altogether the minute he takes his eyes off the rest of us. We also know that he's not nearly as weak as he pretends to be, and that he just refuses to admit that too much activity starts to pain him."

"Oh, is he sick?"

She hums. "In a way, I guess." She doesn't elaborate. He doesn't push.

"Are your dorms decided by your school?"

"Yeah. Amurta has their own dorm hall, but Vahumana shares with Spantamad."

"Oh? Why does Amurta get special treatment?"

"They're the biggest darshan, I guess. Most students to house." She digs the honeyed nuts she had bought earlier out of her pocket at offers one to Sethos. "Have you ever thought of studying at the Akademiya? I think you'd do well."

"Me, an Akademiya scholar? No offense, but absolutely not."

"Why not?"

"I was raised in an archival library. I've been a scholar most of my life, I don't need the Akademiya dictating my research."

"Well, it can't hurt to learn from many different places, can it? I've been learning herbal medicine for almost ten years now, I know more about healing than half of the Amurta scholars here. The man I learned from is more educated and experienced than any medical or botanical professor I could ever find here, but that doesn't make it useless."

"If you choose Amuta."

Her fingers pause in ferrying a honeyed nut to her mouth. "Oh. Yes. Of course. If I do."

"It sort of seems like you've made up your mind, to be honest. I haven't heard you mention Vahumana since the very beginning of this conversation."

She thinks for a moment, finally tossing the snack into her mouth. "Huh," she says.

Sethos smiles. "You'll make an incredible Amurta scholar, Collei."

She grins back, nut cracking between her back teeth. "Green has always been my favorite color."

"They'll be lucky to have you."

The thought settles deep in her gut, and it feels right. Actually, it suddenly feels like the obvious choice. She sighs, a smile settling across her face.

"Thank you."

Sethos bumps his shoulder against hers. "Hey, you were always gonna make the right choice for you. I just happened to notice that you already had."

Her smile widens. "I've decided that we are best friends."

"Oh, thank the gods, 'cuz I've already decided the same."