Adrian leaned against the raised platform behind the helm with the journal flipped open to the map. “We’re nearing the coordinates,” he said, looking up at Zuri who was steering the ship. He wore his beloved orange shirt again, having gotten all the blood stains out with one of the inventor’s cleaning solutions. 

“What should we be looking for anyway?” they asked, peering out at the seemingly endless dunes.

He looked down at the book as if it would give him answers. “I’m not sure. I’d have thought a power plant would be hard to miss.”

“It’s probably buried by the sand, like the ship was.” It was Jacques who spoke, the leader walking over and leaning on the railing to look out. 

Adrian immediately felt himself tense up. He glanced up from the pages to see the man peering very seriously out at the landscape. His curly black ponytail was blowing in the soft breeze and glistening under the sunlight. As soon as blue eyes fell over the white linen shirt and the slightly exposed chest, they were blinking away quickly.

He’d been in a state of unadulterated anxiety the last day and a half since their run-in with Carnadine. It was not from the blood or gore he’d witnessed, however, that had caused such distress. He’d felt something for Jacques that day. Something that was not in any way platonic, and certainly not something one should feel for their friend.

He shifted his weight onto his other foot, looking down at the ancient Elden words but not actually reading them while he continued to sort through his thoughts.

He had no explanation for it. The feeling hadn’t gone away either and this was made evident as Jacques’s mere presence was causing him to sweat. Had they all just gotten too close the past month since he’d joined their group? But he didn’t feel that way about Zuri or Andre. 

He glanced up at the inventor who gave him a friendly smile which he returned wholeheartedly, then his eyes drifted over to Andre who was on the opposite side of where Jacques stood, searching the dunes for a sign of anything. He remembered their time in the kitchen and couldn’t help the warmth he felt in his chest. Then his eyes were on Jacques again, but he could barely linger there as his cheeks heated up. A fierce pit formed in his stomach. If he felt this way about a man, then had he ever really loved Madi? 

He shook his head slightly. 

Of course, he had. That wasn’t even a question. She’d made him suffer body and soul for three years while he pined after her.

“Stop fussing, Zuri!” the man causing Adrian’s inner crisis cut through his thoughts. “I told you it doesn’t hurt anymore.”

“You keep rubbing at it though,” they said, looking him over in concern.

“Yeah, you try having all your energy sucked out at once.”

That’s right, Adrian thought. This whole situation was probably just that he’d been caught up in the heat of the moment after they’d landed a triumphant blow against Carnadine. After almost losing his friend, of course Adrian would be emotional. His heart rate calmed down. This explanation would have to do for now.

“Well, actually,” Zuri corrected, “it’s more like the element inside those collars destabilizes the magic inside you, which causes the pain and feeling of faintness.”

He rolled his eyes. “Knowing that doesn’t make it hurt any less.”

“Wait… an element?” Adrian interjected, and they both glanced over at him.

Zuri nodded. “It’s something that Carnadine and Spillers alike have used to take down magic users for centuries called Teptrite. She uses it in basically all her weapons. When struck, it reverberates and the pulse is painful to magic users and blocks their magic, causing them to pass out at the right intensity.”

He blinked. “Where does it come from?”

“I heard somewhere once that Teptrite was found in Elderian mines. Alchemists created it for the purpose of counteracting magic and Hans Fox and his followers got a hold of it after entering Elderian with the purpose to eradicate magic users.”

“Why would the Alchemists create such a thing?”

They shrugged. “Everything had to have a weakness, I suppose. I’m guessing not everyone wanted magic users controlling everything.”

“Hey, do you see that?” Jacques interrupted, pointing to something beyond the ship and they all rushed to the side, joining him at the railing.

“See what?” Zuri asked, putting a hand over their eyes and squinting.

Adrian caught sight of a brief blip of blackness among the sand.

“I’m sure it’s something,” the leader said, quickly making his way to the helm. “Let’s check it out.”

Several minutes later, the four were descending the ladder of the ship as the two tall masts retracted. When they’d reached the bottom, Zuri pulled out a little remote-control device from their pocket and pressed a button. 

There was a click-click sound, and a massive metal clamp that the inventor had attached previously, locked over the top rungs of the ladder. Adrian could also hear a distant locking sound coming from somewhere at the front of the ship.

“The fuck was that, Zuri?” Jacques asked, meeting the inventor’s smug grin.

“Our new security system,” they said, slipping the device back into their pocket. “This way we can leave the ship unattended and not worry about getting robbed. Not to mention, when it’s turned off, no one can fly it except you, Jacques.”

“Impressive,” Adrian said, gazing up at the ladder in awe. “When did you do that?”

“Since we very narrowly escaped Caranadine, I’ve been working on this baby. You like it?”

“Yes! Did you use those parts you got in town?”

They nodded, beaming with pride. “That’s right! Next, I was thinking of adding deployable spikes from the sides of the ship.”

His jaw dropped. “You’re serious? How would you construct something like that?”

“Well, I’m not sure, but it’d be a matter of some wiring and more steel parts and—”

“Okay, I need you two to focus,” Jacques scolded, both hands on his hips. “I don’t want to stand in the sun all day.”

Zuri folded their arms. “Whatever. This is why we love Ian, ‘cause he actually appreciates stuff like my hard work.”

He rolled his eyes. “Yeah, you can dote on him later.” He was turning, heading towards the black object that was a hundred or so feet in front of them. “Ian,” he called back, motioning for him to come forward without looking back.

Adrian stiffened at the command, trying to keep his composure as he sprinted forward to catch up with him. “Uh, yes?”

They walked side by side now. “You’re the one who wanted to come and see this thing. Any idea how we’re supposed to get in?”

He was rummaging in the bag at his waist now, pulling out the journals. “Not sure. If it’s buried, then you’ll need to uncover it like you did the ship. From there... well, we’ll just have to see.”

Jacques grunted in response as they closed in on the black shape.

From here, he could see the glint coming off the black glass poking from the sand. Quickly making his way over now, he knelt, placing a hand on the object that went up to his waist. “This is definitely it,” he said, standing up again.

Jacques nodded. “Alright, stand back.” 

Adrian heeded his words and went over by Zuri and Andre who stood a ways off.

The leader held his arms out in front of him and a few seconds later, the sand began to swirl around them. The wind picked up to the point where Adrian had to slam his eyes shut. He waited several minutes for the feeling of sand roughly pelting his cheeks to die down, and when the air finally settled, he opened his eyes to blink in astonishment.

The power plant was massive; much larger than he’d expected.

It towered above them with thin green windows between black glass walls. The rest of it was still buried beneath the sand, but he spotted a large archway with words carved into it that he decided must be the entrance. He rushed over, his hands finding the smooth glass as he examined the words that stretched over the entire archway.

Jacques was by his side in an instant. “What does it say?”

“It says, Only by the right hands may this door be opened, which... oh!” He was digging through his bag, pulling out Volume I then flipping through the pages. He landed on the one with the sketch of the gem key. “I’ve read this before! Yes, here it says it too. The gem key must be placed with the right hands. It’s the same word in ancient Elden.”

“Okay... so what does that mean exactly?”

“I’m not sure. There’s a spot here on the door to put something...” He touched a slightly raised platform then drew back his hand painfully when he felt a zap. “Ack!”

“What? What happened?”

“It shocked me! Wish the door had some kind of electricity warning.”

Jacques considered him for a moment. “Let me try.” He walked forward when Adrian grabbed his arm to stop him.

“Jacques, no. You’ll just get hurt.”

The leader met his eyes, taking his arm back. “I want to check something.” 

Adrian watched him step forward and hold his hand out. He waited for the man to draw it back in pain the same way he had, but nothing of the sort happened as the bronze hand made contact with the raised platform.

Jacques exhaled, his eyes glowing for a moment when there was a loud kachunk! from inside the building. The entire archway lit up with an emerald glow and the black glass within it slowly vanished into nothing, revealing a dark entryway. Adrian’s mouth fell open.

“Oh, yes!” Zuri shouted, pumping their fist in the air. “You’ve been really impressive with your magic lately, Jacques.”

Adrian stared at him. “Jacques,” he breathed out incredulously, and brown eyes met his. “Do you know what this means?”

He blinked. “I opened the door?”

“No. The gem key won’t kill its holder if you’re the one returning it to the arch in Elden Town. The Totrium. When the book mentions the right hands, it’s talking about your magic; your bloodline. You are the key.”

“Are you sure?”

He nodded. “It means that we’ll be able to safely activate whatever the Totrium is without fear of death.” He couldn’t help the bewildered laugh that left his mouth.

“Hey, that’s great news!” Zuri exclaimed, coming up behind him and patting him on the back. “I wonder what this Totrium will do.”

“I don’t know,” Jacques said unsurely, “but let’s hope it’s not something bad.”

“Why would it be?” Adrian asked.

He shrugged. “I mean, the Alchemists did build a device that kills you if used by the wrong person. Tampering with this stuff is dangerous, but I guess that’s a risk we have to accept if we want answers.”

“I don’t think you have to worry, since you’re a magic user,” Adrian said. “If anything, it’s the rest of us who need to be more cautious.”

“That’s exactly why I’m worried.”

“We accept the risks,” Zuri said.

Andre was patting his brother on the shoulder. “Wherever you go, we go, right?” He gave him a comforting grin, and Jacques searched his brother’s face for a moment before nodding.

“Are we going in or not?” the inventor asked, folding their arms.

The four of them stared at the open entrance.  

“Yeah,” Jacques said as he strode forward. “Let’s go. Stay behind me, alright?”

Once they were all in, the door reappeared behind them, leaving them in complete darkness. It was silent save for all their quick breaths as they huddled together, then emerald lights blinked to life all around them.

Lanterns full of green crystals hung over their heads as a long black hallway was illuminated. Adrian instantly noticed that everything was covered in dust. 

“I don’t think anyone’s been here in a while,” Zuri commented, wiping their finger on part of the wall that jutted out, bringing it back dirty. “Like maybe hundreds of years.”

Jacques pressed forward as he spoke. “It was buried in sand, and it can only be accessed by a magic user. It’s no surprise it’s gone untouched.”

The hallway eventually ended, leading them past two heavy double doors into a massive chamber that left them all gawking around in awe.

There were hundreds of energy crystals all hooked up to a complex glowing network of gems and black glass. Raised tables held several severed crystals and buckets of emerald shatters. Adrian looked up to see a vaulted ceiling that stretched up nearly three stories with more dangling lanterns all filling the room with an ethereal emerald glow. 

“This must be where the energy crystals are made,” Zuri whispered, as if using their regular voice would be irreverent in this room filled with ancient wonders. The inventor approached the counter with the shattered bits on it. “I think they used magic combined with blacksmithing.” They picked up a strange looking dusty tool made of black glass. “Fascinating!”

“What is all this about then?” Jacques asked, gesturing to all the hooked-up crystals and the twisting glass.

“Not sure,” Adrian said, gazing around at it all.

“Guys, you’ll want to see this,” came Andre’s voice. 

They all looked over to see him peeking out of a doorway on the opposite end of the room. 

“What is it, Andre?” Jacques asked, heading over with Adrian and Zuri in tow.

Disappearing into the entryway, more crystal lamps came on as soon as Jacques set foot inside as if they were reacting to his presence. Light was shed onto large, stretching walls covered in a massive hand painted mural. Adrian gaped at it, his eyes scanning over the pictures and some of the ancient Elden words left behind.

The mural depicted a landscape with a vibrant city and underneath it was the power plant, most of it underground, having green offshoots that connected up into the glittering civilization above. 

“It says, this place used to power all of the Alchemist’s cities,” Adrian said. “The buildings were made out of some kind of wood combined with... uh, I think it’s describing a kind of clay, but all of the devices and charging facilities were made of the black glass.”

“Guess that explains why you don’t see any Alchemist houses lying around,” Andre said, raising his hand to touch one of the painted huts.

“It also says magic users were revered and respected, let’s see, this word is used a lot to describe them. It basically means royalty.”

Jacques blinked over at him. “You saying I’m royalty?”

“According to this, yes. You would have been a Beloved Alchemist, as it’s described here.”

“Huh, guess I was born to be a leader.” He stood up a little straighter, checking himself out in his reflection in the black glass.

Zuri jabbed him in the side, making him start and release a small yelp. They giggled. “Yeah, real majestic.”

Jacques swatted at them, missing as the inventor dodged his blows. “I’ll kill you, Zuri.”

“Yeah, yeah. It’s always empty threats with you.”

“Come here!”

As they horsed around, Adrian looked back at the mural and continued to read. That’s when he froze on the word he’d been agonizing over for months. “Totrium,” he breathed out, stepping closer. “Guys, listen to this.”

Jacques and Zuri halted what they were doing and came over.

“What is it?” the inventor asked, standing on his right as the leader came up on his left.

He read the words aloud as precisely as he could. “The Totrium brings hope and destruction. It reveals the lost and found. It brings about that which must be guarded by the Beloved Alchemists. Only they shall have the power to awaken it.” The little poem ended, and he found more words next to it. “According to this, the power plant powers the Totrium, and when it is activated, this whole facility lights up ‘like the heavens splitting, the dawn claiming its prize.’”

“So, if the Beloved Alchemists are just magic users,” Zuri began, “then the magic users used to control this Totrium thing.”

“And we now know,” Jacques chimed in, “that it takes an immense amount of magic to power up, since it takes this entire power plant to get it to work.”

Adrian folded his arms. “I just wish they’d explain what it is exactly. Could not a single person just detail the Totrium’s purpose?”

“That’s the downside to studying ancient tech,” Zuri said, frowning. “So much of the answers you crave for are buried or lost with time. Is there anything else written?”

His eyes were back on the old writing. “The rest is a warning about the gem key killing its user when placed by the wrong hands, but we already learned that the hard way. Wish my mother could have seen this before going to Elden Town.” He sighed. “She obviously knew what the Totrium was and what it did, but she died trying to unlock it.”

“Wait, what?” Adrian turned to meet Jacques’s stunned face. “How did she die?” 

He glanced away. “That gem key you destroyed... she also tried returning it to its location, only there was no magic user to save her when it opened up and embedded itself in her.”

He blinked. “The gem key took her life?” 

He nodded. 

“Fuck, that’s a rough way to go,” Zuri said, and Jacques hit their arm.

“I can see why all this matters to you so much,” he said gently, and the blue eyes were on him. “We’ll do what we can to unravel this together, okay?”

Adrian searched his face, his heart skipping a beat. “Y-yeah, okay.” 

 

🗲🗲🗲

 

The team explored as much of the power plant as they could until it began getting dark outside. Jacques determined they needed to leave if they didn’t want to run out of their water reserves before reaching Venwi Town.

Zuri nabbed as many energy crystals as they could get their hands on as well as some of the old blacksmith tools left behind. They tried convincing Jacques to let them take an energy crystal the size of one of the donkeys, but he refused.

“Oh, come on, Jacques,” they complained while hugging the massive emerald. “Think of the stuff I could invent with this!”

“Yeah, and how are you going to get it out of here and into the ship, and don’t suggest the donkeys. I’m not making them haul something that heavy.”

The inventor opened then closed their mouth. “Okay, that was what I was going to suggest, but listen, this is for science!”

He shook his head. “Not happening. We need to set sail as soon as possible.”

They sighed, giving the crystal one last pat and a small kiss before leaving it there to sit for another century in the dust.

 

 

The next few days were uneventful as they remained in the air, plowing towards Venwi Town, rationing their supplies. It took exactly three days to reach the city and that’s when Jacques complained that everyone was starting to smell.

“We should go to a bathhouse!” Zuri suggested. “I know there’s at least a few mosques in town.”

And that’s how Adrian later found himself in a changing room with the man he’d been having a crisis over the past week, feeling figuratively and physically exposed.

This bathhouse visit was very different from the one he’d experienced with Boden all those months ago. His time with his mentor in the New Minokan bathhouse was relaxing, refreshing, and carefree. He’d really bonded with the father figure back then, wanting to eagerly return some day, but now he hated his past self for thinking this, because this time, everything was different.

He’d never in his life felt self-conscious changing in front of others, but at that moment he wanted to cover up every inch of his skin and hide in a corner. Of course, he didn’t, and he thanked the stars that Andre was standing between him and Jacques at the lockers.

As quickly as he could, he stripped and wrapped the silk cloth the bathhouse provided around his waist, tying it at the side. He began undoing the ribbon in his hair when Andre spoke.

“Thought I’d gotten all the blood off me since we last saw Carndaine,” the voice boomed next to him. “Turns out I was wrong.”

“Oh, yeah,” Jacques said, looking his brother over. “Looks like you got it all along your back too. Good thing we came here, right?”

“It’s sure been a while,” he admitted, throwing his own silk cloth around his waist. “Don’t remember the last time we went to a bathhouse.”

“Do they have bathhouses in mid-Elderian where you’re from?” Jacques asked, glancing around the tall man to see Adrian struggling to get the ribbon in his hair undone.

Adrian looked over, and that’s when he realized Jacques was still between stripping and getting his silk cloth on; the man wearing nothing but his stockings now.

His heart stopped and his eyes shot to the ground, that image now burned into his brain for eternity. “Er, y-yes, they do but not quite like this.” His shaking hands couldn’t seem to get the ribbon untied. “It’s definitely more popular in Venwick.”

“You need help with that?”

Blue eyes blinked up again and Adrian let out a small exhale when he saw that Jacques had finally gotten the silk cloth around his waist. There was, however, the issue of this shirtless man now walking towards him while eyeing him.

“It turned into a knot somehow,” Adrian said. “I’m not sure how.”

“Here, let me.”

Rough, warm fingers brushed past his own, and Adrian found himself staring ahead, his hands in front of him now while Jacques worked the ribbon out of his hair. 

“Shit, it’s really in there,” he exclaimed. “The fuck did you do?”

He shrugged, at a loss for words.

After a few more moments, he added, “There you go,” as Adrian’s hair fell into his eyes. 

The king turned, feeling his cheeks begin to burn as Jacques placed the green ribbon into his hand. Not registering Adrian’s suffering, Jacques turned, walking back over to Andre while beginning to undo his own ponytail. Tight black curls fell over his bare bronze shoulders and Adrian wished he could pass away then.

 

 

After getting dressed and finding themselves in the steam room, the group eventually made their way to the next room with the spigots and rinsing bowls. This bathhouse was similar to the one in New Minoka in that the washing room had a tall, vaulted ceiling with pillars lining the walkway, and there was a dipping pool in the center. 

The group found a spot to wash off; Zuri sitting on Adrian’s left, and to their left, Andre, and finally Jacques at the end. Adrian silently threw water on himself with the wooden bowl provided at his little spigot, trying to regain some of his bearings.

“I bought the nicest soap, Jacques,” Zuri said, grabbing their own bowl to rinse themselves off. “Hope you don’t mind.”

The leader sighed grumpily. “Well, too late now.”

Adrian worked a sponge over his arms, roughly scrubbing them. Scraping off the weeks of dirt and grime felt so good, the blond found himself getting lost in the sensation. Especially his old arm wound, it felt nice to finally clean off the dried blood and dead skin. He reached his arm behind him, trying to get his back.

“You keep missing a spot,” Zuri said, and he looked over at them. “Do you mind if I help?”

He smiled gratefully at them. “Yeah, that’d be great. Thanks.” He turned from them, pulling his long hair to the front and out of the way. He closed his eyes as they scrubbed roughly down on his back. 

“Hey, are you okay?” they asked softly. “You seem kind of tense.”

“Huh? Oh, yeah. I’m fine. I have a lot on my mind.”

“Like what?”

He froze slightly. “Uh, not much. Just the... Alchemist stuff again.” He couldn’t admit to Zuri that his mind was completely occupied with a man whose bare chest and back his eyes had been lingering on since leaving the changing room.

“Oh, like figuring out the Totrium and stuff?”

He nodded. “Y-yup.”

That’s when Andre’s loud voice cut them both off. “You’re not scrubbing hard enough, Jacques! Put some muscle into it.”

They both looked over to see Jacques absolutely shredding down on Andre’s back with the rough sponge, his face furious and determined. “Fucking hell, Andre. Any harder and I’m going to damage the skin tissue!”

Adrian snorted, biting back a grin while Zuri shrieked with laughter. 

“Sorry, you were saying about the Totrium?” the inventor asked between giggles, continuing their scrubbing.

“Oh, we don’t have to talk about that anymore,” he said quickly. “Have you been able to make anything with those parts you got from the power plant?”

“Oh, fuck yeah, I have! Let me tell you.” They let out a small laugh. “I’ve found a way to get the energy crystals to react to a non-magic user.”

His head snapped to the side. “Wait, are you serious?” 

“That’s right,” they said proudly. “I have a theory that if done correctly, I can even activate and control the crystal’s power. I’m still working on it, but I’ve received some really promising results in the past few days. I should really show you some time.”

“Yeah, you should! That’s so exciting, Zuri.” They handed him the sponge, having finished, and Adrian poured the bowl full of water over himself to rinse his back. “I can’t wait to see what you discover.”

“Yeah, me neither!”

“Hey, you two,” came Jacques’s voice, and they both looked over at him. “You want to join us in the dipping pool?” He nudged his head in the direction of the bath in the center of the room. Adrian gulped at the prospect. 

Entering the dipping pool included removing the silk cloth, which normally wouldn’t be an issue for him. He’d enjoyed soaking in the water with Boden, but the mere thought of doing that now with Jacques made a tinge of red paint his pale cheeks.

“Thanks for the offer,” he said, unable to meet his gaze, “but it’s not really my thing.”

Zuri considered him for a moment before saying, “Yeah, me neither. Too many people have shared that water.”

“Really?” Jacques raised an eyebrow quizzically. “Usually you like the dipping pool, Zuri.”

They shrugged. “I was ignorant back then, what can I say?”

He rolled his eyes. “Yeah, okay. We’ll be over there if either of you change your mind.” Jacques stood, making his way to the pool with Andre, and Adrian’s eyes wandered over the bronze back muscles down to the sway of Jacques’s hips.

He heard a snicker next to him. “Whatcha staring at?”

Adrian jumped, his head snapping to the right to meet a truly smug expression. “Huh?” His face flushed further as he realized he’d been ogling the leader for what had surely been a shameful amount of time.

“You’ve been eyeing a shirtless Jacques since we got here. Do you find him easy on the eyes?”

His body stiffened. “Erm, um…” They raised an eyebrow as he grasped at words. “I-I’m attracted to women.”

They considered him. “Are you also attracted to men?”

He blinked, curious despite everything. “Is that possible?”

They considered him and laughed. After seeing his serious expression, they cut themselves off mid-giggle and quickly sobered up. “Oh. You’re serious.” They cleared their throat. “Well, I think only you can answer that, but yes, it’s possible.”

He had his face in his hands. “Damn...”

“Woah, hey. It’s not a big deal.” They rubbed his back comfortingly. “Do you have feelings for Jacques?”

He shook his head. “I don’t know. I didn’t realize you could be attracted to both, and I only started feeling this way recently.” He exhaled, looking up at them. “Is there any way to know for sure? You don’t think perhaps that I’ve just gotten too close to him, do you?”

They searched his face. “Well, who have you been attracted to in the past?”

He paused to consider. “It’s always just been Madi. Never anyone else.”

They frowned. “Oh right. You still aren’t over her right?”

“I finally got rid of her flowers a week or so ago.”

Their jaw dropped. “Wait, really? Does that mean...”

He nodded. “I’m finally over her.” He breathed out a laugh. “It’s a huge relief.”

They gave him a hard pat on the back. “Hey, that’s great, Ian! You’re a free man now!”

“Yeah, I suppose I am.”

“So... what are you going to do about it?” 

He tugged at a strand of blond hair. “I don’t know. This past week it feels like I’ve been losing my mind trying to figure out how I feel about him.”

“Just take your time,” they said gently. “You don’t need to rush to a conclusion.”

He sighed. “Yeah. You’re right.”

“Just, uh, maybe don’t stare at him so much, ‘cause you are not subtle, Sir.”

His face turned beet red. “Uh, y-yeah, okay.”

They snickered. “Hey, you’ll be alright. Just talk to me again if you need to. I’m happy to listen.” 

“Thanks, Zuri.” He breathed out another sigh. “Do you have a lot of relationship experience?”

They laughed at that. “Not really. Sometimes I want to pursue something, but I’m also okay being on my own, plus, I don’t think most people would want to be with me anyway.”

“What do you mean? Why not?”

They hesitated. “I’m not interested in the uh, more intimate side of relationships if you catch my meaning. If I were to find someone, I wouldn’t mind being kissed or gently held, but anything else just makes my skin crawl.” They made a face then shivered. “Well, let’s just say, most people wouldn’t be content with that.”

He considered them. “I don’t know. I think it’d be rather shallow if someone turned you down just for that.”

Their eyes met his, a swirl of emotions flashing through them. “You really think so?” He nodded and they let out a small sigh. “I don’t think you quite understand... I’d never ever be able to be intimate with anyone. I physically do not possess those kinds of feelings, and I could never force myself either. Who in their right mind would be okay with that and still want to be with me?”

Adrian processed the information for a moment. “I don’t have any experience with relationships, but I do know that true, genuine romantic feelings are complicated and go much deeper than just physicality.”

“But some people need the physical side of it.”

He hummed a note of understanding. “But I suspect some also don’t. Don’t you think you’re being a bit hard on yourself?”

They searched his face, their chest heaving slightly. They silently shrugged in response.

“You said you’re not really interested in courting someone, right?”

They nodded. “For the most part, though sometimes I do. I don’t know. I’m still kind of figuring it out.”

“What was it you just told me... to take your time and not rush to a conclusion?” He nudged their arm, giving a warm smile. “Be easier on yourself.”

They considered him then wrapped their arms around his neck in a hug. He hugged them back without hesitation. “Thanks, Ian. You’re still my favorite teammate.” 

He exhaled a soft laugh. 

 

🗲🗲🗲

 

“The Moondrop is the best place for information in Venwi Town,” Jacques said, leading the group into a large tavern. “If Carnadine was here already, Louise from the Moondrop would know.”

It was dark outside, and they had all come fresh from the bathhouse, having spent most of the day there. Adrian wore a bright red vest over a white linen shirt paired with a gray sash and brown breeches. A red ribbon was tied around his half ponytail, trailing over his hair and down his back. 

He ducked through a small door, following behind the others as they entered the crowded tavern. Lanterns hung from the ceiling, giving the room a dim glow as a group of musicians played instruments similar to the lutes and viols Adrian was used to hearing in Nebrasia along with other different music makers he was unfamiliar with. 

Jacques made his way to the counter, pushing past several people and getting the attention of a tall, burly woman with brown hair and a thin scar across her chin. “A hot meal and a round for the four of us, Louise,” he said easily, his arm resting casually on the counter.

“Oh! Jacques, Darling!” she exclaimed. “Haven’t seen you around here in months. You’re looking well Zuri, Andre...”

The black man blushed as she said his name. “Evening, Louise,” he said shyly.

Her eyes trailed over him. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you packed some extra muscle since we last saw each other.”

Andre rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “I suppose I’ve been working out a bit more than usual.”

 “Louise, please,” Jacques said, smacking his brother’s arm, “you're going to leave him swooning for weeks. He just barely got over this tall woman from New Minoka.”

Andre glared at him, and Louise laughed.

“So he has a type. Nothing wrong with that.” She placed a hand under her chin. “S’good to see you three again and, oh? Who’s this fair stranger you brought along?” She looked Adrian up and down. “Never seen him with you before. What’s your name, Hon?”

Adrian hesitated for a moment under the confident gaze. “It’s Ian.”

“Nice to meet ya, Ian. Name’s Louise as you probably guessed. Jacques been good to you? He must be pretty serious about you to bring you along.”

His body stiffened. “Huh?”

Jacques’s face flushed. “We’re just friends. He’s uh, a new member of the group.”

She looked between them, raising an eyebrow. “It’s very unlike you to bring in someone new, and even odder to hear you calling that someone a friend at that.” She chuckled as the leader glanced away grumpily. “You’re welcome in whenever, Ian.” Her eyes were on the blond again. “Your looks alone will boost business.” She gave him a wink and he blinked in response.

Zuri snickered next to him as Andre let out a small sigh while staring at the muscled bartender. Jacques rolled his eyes, clearly done with his companions. He leaned further over the counter towards her. “You have any news about Carnadine? She didn’t pass through here, did she?”

She nodded. “She came in a few days ago, on her way to Sablton. If you’re headed east, I’d stay clear. Maybe wait until Zartep to restock.”

He nodded. “Good to know. We’re on our way to Mermortiva.”

“Mermortiva?” She boomed with laughter. “You always did like traveling around. I still find myself impressed by your gusto. Well, I wish you and your companions luck, Jacques.”

 He gave an easy smile. “Say hi to the others in the back, won’t you?”

“Sure thing, Doll.” She gave him a wide smile as Jacques led them away into the crowd of people in search of a table.

At the back of the group, Adrian followed after them when he overheard someone at the counter saying something that made his heart stop. “Have you heard, Louise? The king of Nebrasia has been traveling through Venwick.”