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“So, The Hermit, huh? Do any crafting?”
The Hermit let out a small chuckle, folding his arms and resting them on the stone balustrade.
“Wow, I haven’t heard that one before.” He deadpanned with a grin half hidden by his feathered mask.
“Totally haven’t been asked like about 100 times.”
“Surely not!” The other man laughed, tilting his head back a little as he did so, the faint breeze ruffling his dark brown hair.
The Hermit looked out over the Blue Kingdom, admiring the way that the starlight cast a faint glittering light upon the lake below them. His Their kingdom looked so pretty at night.
He could hear chatter coming from back in the main room, where all the other masked and bedazzled guests partied together, their troubles and prejudices forgotten for the night. The magic that’d been cast upon everyone's disguises was strong, for despite the fact that logically, some feathers and a change of outfit couldn’t obscure someone’s identity, it was impossible to tell who anyone was.
Voices were no longer recognizable, features got blurry the longer one looked at them (though perhaps that was just the affects of the ambrosia), and even condemning details like the fact that The Hermit was made of slime didn’t make a difference.
Everyone was completely anonymous.
At first The Hermit had found this disconcerting, arriving at a ball with absolutely no idea who anybody was, but eventually the confusion gave way to relief. It was a weight off his shoulders to not have to worry about anything that night. Nobody was going to try and claim the previous Blue King’s bounty on him, there was no awkwardness because of his switch in kingdoms, they were all strangers once more.
After he’d managed to track down his fireworks partner, a man with the pseudonym The Tower, and set off their fireworks, he’d ended up back downstairs, soon to be joined by Strength, a man in a dapper suit with a red, blue and gold mask to match his own.
“So, how are you finding this ball?” He asked Strength, taking a sip of the golden liquid from a bottle in his hand.
Strength was quiet for a moment, apparently thinking hard.
“It’s… peaceful.” He said at last, accepting the drink that the slime offered him with a dip of his head.
“I think I’m glad to be away from the kingdoms for a little bit- well- I suppose we’re still technically in the Blue Kingdom, but you know what I mean.” He chuckled.
“Its a little overwhelming with so many people in one place, I’ll admit, I’m not really the best at starting up conversation. But moments like this,” He gestured between the two of them, “I feel like I can really just clear my head and live in the moment. There’s so much going on that there’s no time nowadays to just… exist? If that makes sense?”
“Yeah, I think it does.” The Hermit hopped up and sat on the balcony, facing Strength. Half an hour ago he would’ve been nervous about falling off (again), but the soft breeze and the stars seemed to help fight off any lingering nausea.
“Is there.. anything in particular that you’re worried about?” He asked tentatively, “I know you can’t say anything that’d give away your identity, but… you could always talk to me?”
The brunet sighed, adjusting his mask and setting the ambrosia down between the two of them.
“There’s a lot going on. The war, obviously, but…. ugh, where to start?” He groaned.
“Wherever feels best?” The Hermit suggested.
“Right. Well, lets just say that I think I’ve made some mistakes. A lot of mistakes. And not little ones either. But most of them, I don’t think I would take back if I had a choice. I know they were bad moves and I hurt people, but I’m doing it for the better. I hope I am anyways.”
Strength looked up at the sky.
“Everything I do is to protect the ones I care about. And if that means sacrificing parts of myself? So be it. I’m willing to give my life if it meant everyone else walked free. But there’s one thing I did that I do wish I could take back.”
“And that is?” The Hermit prompted softly, after Strength paused.
“I hurt a friend a few weeks ago. More than a friend even. He was like family to me. And I said some things… I did some things… that I don’t think I can reverse. In the moment I thought I was doing what was right! I didn’t mean to make everything so much more complicated. To make everything worse. But I did.”
The Hermit was quiet. The glamour of the masquerade ball prevented him from deducing who he was speaking to, but something about the words made his poor broken heart beat just a little bit more.
“I think I understand the feeling.” He said eventually, shuffling over on the balustrade so that Strength would have to look at him.
“I did something bad too. I told people things that I was supposed to keep a secret, and it ended up really hurting them. I know I don’t always make the right decisions, but I think I’ve learnt recently that the important thing is to know when to accept that. Dwelling on the past just makes it harder to focus on the future.”
He met the other man’s gaze.
“And hey, maybe you and that person will be able to work past it one day. Things take time, but if you don’t try, then what's the point? Chances are that he misses you just as much as you miss him.”
Strength nodded. His brown eyes looked glassy underneath the mask. He hesitated.
“Can I- can I hug you?” He asked tentatively, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt.
The Hermit nodded, and Strength leaned forwards and wrapped his arms around the rogue, resting his hidden face in his shoulder.
4C smiled and hugged his brother back.