Temperature
The long day of political introductions and cultural exchange was finally over. In a daze, Hakuryuu meandered through the corridors of the Sindrian palace seeking a refuge to rest in quiet meditation. In a rarely used section of the complex, he stumbled across a railing-less balcony with a beautiful view of the sunset. Sitting in the very center of it and on the very edge was none other than Alibaba Saluja.
Hakuryuu walked up next to him, crouched down with one hand leaning back on the floor to brace himself, and sat down with his legs dangling over the precipice. Subtly glancing towards him, he noticed that Alibaba was staring intently at the setting sun with an uncharacteristically somber look on his face.
"Konbanwa, Alibaba-dono."
Shifting his eyes briefly towards Hakuryuu, Alibaba gave a curt greeting and then resumed gazing at the horizon. Unfazed, Hakuryuu looked forward to observe the reddening landscape as well.
They sat together in silence and watched as the sun made its leisurely journey to intercept the Earth. As the tip of the fiery mass was about to dip below the skyline, Alibaba murmured, "The world really is cold."
Hakuryuu didn't show any reaction.
Alibaba closed his eyes for a moment as if to shield himself from the sight of the submerging fireball, and then he looked downwards toward the ocean. "When I sit down and really think about it, the world really is cold. Cassim and the lower class of Balbadd were abused until their only option was violence, the Fanalis tribe has been enslaved, the Kou Empire is invading peaceful countries without provocation, and al Tharmen continues to corrupt the weak and provoke the desperate. Even now, I just heard that Aladdin is travelling to a country where magicians practice strong prejudice against those with no affinity for magic." Alibaba sighed softly and his eyes quivered. "It seems that wherever I look, all I ever see is hate, spite, loathing, and sadism. It seems that whatever I do, all I ever feel is a numbing coldness that's gradually freezing over my soul. It's like I'm hiking through a mountain range in a blizzard and the snow keeps getting thicker and thicker. My pace is slowing down and I think that soon enough, I'm going to be buried alive."
Hakuryuu's expression didn't change as he took the parcel he had been carrying with him off the floor and placed it on his lap. He unfolded the plaid fabric it was wrapped in, and squeezed open the lid to his bento box. Picking up a rice ball among the assortment of foods, he offered it to Alibaba.
Alibaba's eyebrows furrowed slightly, but he accepted the morsel. They ate together as the waters consumed the sun. A few moments passed until the last sliver of flame was doused, and Sindria was immersed in darkness.
Alibaba felt Hakuryuu's soft touch on top of his hand. Startled, Alibaba jerked away slightly. He looked up to Hakuryuu's face and saw in the dim light that Hakuryuu's eyes were closed in an unperturbed peace. Conceding, he rested his hand back down on the balcony, letting Hakuryuu's fingers entwine together with his own. Blushing slightly, Alibaba was unsettled by how much this small act of sincerity was affecting him. But for some reason, at that moment, he felt that Hakuryuu's warm touch was all he would ever need in this cold world.
