The cape on her shoulder fluttered behind her as she moved briskly down the hall, making her way to the veranda. It was just a piece of fabric fastened to her uniform jacket, but it nevertheless made her feel powerful every time she donned it. Just as well, too-she may have lived her personal life not taking things too seriously, but she took pride in embodying the picture of stability and strength during her work. The possibility that Nadia might want to discuss the curious case Nazali mentioned was enough to chase the fatigue from her aching muscles. Lucio's murder investigation had given her a taste for mystery, and she had been waiting for something that could scratch that itch since its conclusion.

The servant hurried ahead to open the doors to the veranda for her. The sight would have been picturesque-Nadia's long violet locks flowing in the breeze as she turned to greet her with a gentle smile-had it not been for a put-out looking Quaestor. Gemini cursed her heart for the way it leaped at the sight of Valdemar. She hadn't paid it any mind before last night, but looking back she could clearly see that she had become very aware of them in a romantic way at some point. Whether their eyes met during a court meeting or they just crossed paths in the hallway, the event was always accompanied by the tiniest of flutters within her chest. It felt wrong. Putting aside their confrontation in the library, she hadn't seen a single thing from them that would justify her paying them any mind outside of what was required of her at the palace. They were cold, sadistic, and generally unpleasant. She knew this.

She knew this and yet when Valdemar spared her a quick glance before returning their attention to the tea they were swirling, she found herself wishing their gaze would linger a little longer. She couldn't help the snort that escaped through her nose. Most people wouldn't be this worried about someone else so soon after having their heart broken, but there she was, defying logic with her emotions all over the place. Fine. Valdemar is hot, and I'm a hot mess. That's all it is. Gemini concluded it was harmless attraction not worth dwelling on.

"Good morning!" Nadia chirped, gesturing at the chair opposite Valdemar. "I thought this would be a nice change of pace from the dining room. Come sit, breakfast will be out in a moment. How are you feeling?"

Gemini took the offered seat. "Good, thanks," was her short reply. She didn't feel comfortable going into any further detail when Valdemar was sitting right there. With the pitiful appearance she had the last time they saw each other, she wasn't sure what they would say and didn't want to encourage any taunting. However, they seemed mostly concerned with cooling their tea at the moment; she found herself grateful for their usual lack of interest in people. Tearing her attention away from them, Gemini gave Nadia a meaningful look.

Nadia nodded and straightened up just as some servants began laying out plates. A decadent array of pastries was theirs to share while Nadia received a plate piled high with varying fruits, and Gemini's serving included hot entrees like scrambled eggs and sausages. Valdemar didn't get anything because they didn't eat and had given up pretending to a while back. It took all Gemini had not to drool as she helped herself to some orange juice and cinnamon rolls. Valdemar made no move to grab anything and instead spoke up for the first time since her arrival. "Countess, what is this about?"

Popping a strawberry in her mouth, Nadia thanked the servants on their way out and turned to face Gemini as she addressed her. "Right, I will begin with what I wanted to discuss with you," she said. Gemini unconsciously leaned toward her in anticipation. "I have received a request for your services in another nation."

She did her best not to break out smiling like an idiot, excitement welling up within. "Tell me more."

Nadia delicately tucked away a stray strand of hair. "During the ball, my mother and I discussed a matter she has been looking into regarding a member of the royal Prakran court. He has disappeared, you see. She would like his immediate return, but this is proving difficult since this was the court's magician. He does not appear to want to be found and has employed every manner of magic tricks to evade capture, and she now suspects he has left Prakra." At this, Gemini tensed. Now this is interesting. She'd heard that someone may be missing, but to be on the lam?

"If I may," Gemini started. "Is there a particular reason they are looking for him so earnestly? I can't imagine he'd be difficult to replace."

She grimaced before she replied, "He attacked Nasmira."

Anger bubbled up within her. It was bad enough that a growing portion of society was already prejudiced against magicians, thinking them all evil or con artists. If this got out, she could only imagine the effect it might have on anyone practicing in Prakra. Before she spoke again, Gemini took a moment to temper her emotions. "Do we know why?"

Nadia shook her head. "We do not; Nasmira has also refused to speak since the incident, so we have not heard her side of events either." Gemini opened her mouth to ask another question, but she merely held up a hand. "I'm afraid that's all I can share with you at this point. I do not have all the details myself, and the queen would prefer to speak to you more about it in person. You understand, right?" Gemini nodded; Nasrin had no doubt also considered the implications of this news getting out unchecked, so she understood the caution. "She recognizes your work on Lucio's case and humbly requests your assistance with this matter. To what extent I do not know, but it might not be easy given that he has managed to evade capture for over a week." She paused to take a sip of her water. "What do you think? Will you consider it?"

Gemini leaned back to think, eyes wandering over to Valdemar, who couldn't look more bored. "I suppose we don't have any idea how long I'd be gone," she muttered. "Will things in Vesuvia be okay if I'm gone for more than a few days?"

"Of course. The queen asked me first to get my approval, and I do not think any of the projects you are working on are so urgent they cannot wait." Nadia's face darkened. "Even if they were, I would consider something like this a higher priority. It makes me... uneasy to know there is such a criminal on the loose."

"Then I accept. When do I leave?"

Nadia visibly relaxed as she let out a chuckle. "I always admire your eagerness! I knew you would accept, but I had to ask and make sure." She plucked another strawberry from her plate as Gemini shrugged. "Tomorrow morning; Consul Valerius will make the arrangements. Which brings me to you, Quaestor." Valdemar looked up at Nadia with a smile that was barely polite, bordering on condescending. If it was anyone but the Countess of Vesuvia that they were talking to, she was sure they would have made a snide remark about wasting their time. "Nafizah brought to my attention that Prakra is beginning a large scale clinical study on a new disease they are seeing crop up in that region. They are short one doctor and-"

"Yes." They had a genuine smile as they set down their now-empty teacup and tugged their mask back over their face. "I will participate."

If Nadia was taken aback by the quick response, she didn't show it. "Wonderful. Then you and Sibyl Gemini will travel together tomorrow morning. Please report to the Consul's office early to receive the details."

Valdemar nodded curtly before rising and looking both women in the eye. "Please excuse me." They almost seemed to float through the double doors as they disappeared back into the palace. Nadia watched them go before turning to shoot a look at Gemini that made her erupt into a fit of giggles.

"They are really something else," Gemini said between peals of laughter. She didn't know how Nadia put up with the courtiers' various exhausting personalities every day and thought Nadia must have had the patience of a saint.

Nadia just shrugged her shoulders and looked on as Gemini resumed eating. She watched her for a bit before saying, "You were so interested in what I had to say that you stopped eating? That is quite a feat."

"I heard a bit from Nazali yesterday, and even what little they told me had me interested. I had a pretty good feeling you wanted me to come this morning so we could discuss that."

Nadia's expression softened as she rested her chin on her hands. "Hard to get up this morning?"

Gemini swallowed, picking at the rest of her food. "A little, yeah." It would have been easy to zone out and feel sorry for herself all day, but she took her talk with Nadia the previous night to heart and wanted to start taking steps forward. "I do feel lighter now though, thank you." Nadia told her thanks were not necessary and that she just wanted to see her happy. Gemini wanted that too, but trying not to dwell on the thoughts of inadequacy that lingered in the wake of rejection seemed daunting. Although she had never actually confessed her true feelings to Asra, if he had at one point been in love with her and moved on, she found it difficult not to view it as something about her not being worth fighting for. Recognizing the direction her thoughts were drifting in against her desires, Gemini hurried and finished her breakfast before Nadia excused herself to attend to other matters.

Since she was already at the palace, it naturally made more sense for her to just stay there for the day and attempt to get some work done. Gemini had many duties as Sibyl, but mainly she was the Court Magician. Her strong ties to the arcana proved a useful guide to Nadia when making decisions, and she frequently consulted her for tarot readings after becoming a firm believer. Aside from that, she acted as a consultant for how magic could be used to enrich Vesuvian culture and infrastructure, and an advocate for magicians' rights. Those were just her stated responsibilities; anything to do with magic was ultimately her responsibility. It seemed like a lot of pressure when she initially accepted, but she became used to it and genuinely enjoyed the work. Being able to connect with other magic users in Vesuvia-whether they self-identified as magicians or not-and think about new applications for the medium provided much-needed fulfillment as the stress in her personal life unfolded. On days when she wasn't needed at the palace, she still tended the shop with Asra if he was around.

It was quite the walk with how big the palace was, but she eventually arrived at her office. The room had originally been unused and was converted into her personal space. She even had a desk to work at, though she preferred to pace the room or lounge on the comfortable couch and think, sometimes idly throwing a rubber ball against the opposing wall-it was an added bonus that this irked her surly neighbor, Valerius. The couch was so comfortable that she ended up sleeping there overnight whenever she didn't want to go home. This displeased Nadia, but Gemini declined every offer to build her an estate. "You are more than deserving of a place to call your own like the other courtiers," Nadia would insist, but Gemini didn't need anything extravagant like that. She loved her shop, and having a special place in the palace was more than enough for her.

To her surprise, Chandra was perched regally on her desk, right on top of some paperwork. "How did you get in here?" she mumbled, searching for an opening she might have missed. She gave up once she realized the window was shut tight and there was nowhere else she could reasonably have come from. Must be yet another portal I'm not aware of. When the owl tilted her head and stared back blankly, Gemini sighed and opened the window. "Alright, go on." Chandra immediately took flight, knocking over the microscope on the edge of her desk on her way out. "Hey! Watch it!" Her magic reached the instrument in time to save it from bursting into pieces on the ground.

Sighing in relief, Gemini examined it in her hands before setting it back on the desk. It was in the box of her belongings that Asra kept from before she had died. He'd hidden away items he thought might trigger her before she could handle her memories and only recently let her sift through it. Of course, he hovered over her like an anxious parent the entire time; besides the microscope, she found a few other mementos of her time working with Julian during the red plague. Medicine wasn't a particularly thrilling topic to her these days, but she'd been curious to see if anything would reignite in her if she tried again. She'd even begun studying healing magic more seriously. The microscope had stuck out to her the most since she didn't know what it was; she brought it to the palace one day to ask Julian about it, and it sat on her desk ever since. The idea that there was meaning behind Chandra knocking it over crossed her mind briefly, but she quickly discarded it. I know she has precognition abilities like Nadi, but let's not get silly. Being a magician that frequently interacted with the supernatural had made her more superstitious than she liked.

Finally free of distractions-she hoped-she scooped up a stack of papers and sunk onto the couch to buckle down and do the work she came to do. It was hard to stay focused at first, but once she got into it, time passed quickly. Just as she rose to light a candle and continue working, a rapping of knuckles on the door broke her from her trance. The door opened and Portia poked her head in.

"Whoa! It's dark in here," she said with a giggle. "Honorable Sibyl Gem-"

Gemini's noise of disapproval cut her off. "Don't! Only the other courtiers call me that. I barely got the servants to stop using it and just call me by my family name if they must." Nadia got away with it because she only used it in front of those outside their friend group for the sake of propriety. And, well, she was her boss.

Portia grinned impishly as she watched her strike a match. "I know, I just like when you get all worked up about it." After a pointed look from Gemini, Portia cleared her throat. "Funny you should mention the other courtiers..."

She stopped moving, hand hovering over the candle. "Yeees?" Gemini questioned.

"I just think you all could do with some team bonding! Because of that, Nadia and I took the liberty of planning a meal for you all on this lovely evening. Don't give me that look, please, it's good for you!" By the end of her proposal, Gemini's face was set in a frown and Portia put a hand on her hip defiantly. "There's no harmony between the six of you, which no doubt contributes to the tense atmosphere when you're all together. Spending some downtime together will allow you to be more comfortable with each other, which is the first step on the beautiful path towards friendship." Gemini's unimpressed look made her relent a little. "Okay, okay-cordial, at least? Friendly? Non-hostile work environment?"

The two had a staredown for another moment before Gemini threw her head back and groaned. "Ugh, fine." Portia smiled sweetly before thanking her and telling her to hurry to the dining room.

#

I knew it. I knew this was going to be no good. The seven of them had been staring at each other uncomfortably for the past thirty minutes-Volta was whimpering about being starved from her place next to Gemini, Vulgora complained (loudly) every few moments about how the entire affair was a waste of time, Valerius kept swirling his wine with a bored expression, and Vlastomil looked about ready to beat it. Nadia looked the way Gemini felt, upper lip curled into a scowl and eyes shut. Portia at least looked regretful that her idea wasn't going as well as she'd hoped; even still, Gemini felt bad since she clearly meant well.

It was just like Valdemar to be inconsiderate like this.

Just as Vulgora was about to start up again, Valerius gave them a sharp look that made them snap their mouth shut. He then turned to give Nadia an imploring look. "Countess, could we please move on with this dinner, if we must have it at all?" he huffed. "Who knows if Valdemar is going to make it?"

"No!" Portia blurted out, flushing a little when everyone looked at her. "It's not the same if not everyone is here..." She trailed off at the scornful look Valerius turned on her. He appeared to start saying something else before Nadia raised an eyebrow at him as a warning. Instead, he sighed dramatically and took a long draw from his glass.

Gemini rubbed her temples slowly. She couldn't take the painful atmosphere anymore. "I'll go get them," she volunteered, but made no move to get up. Despite the awkwardness, the last thing she wanted was to be the one pelted with a bunch of "Why should I?"s and "That has nothing to do with me"s.

Nadia shot her a grateful look. "Would you please, Sibyl? We would all be very appreciative."

Well, she couldn't take it back now. With great effort, she stood up and headed for the door with a swish of her cape. Heh. That always made her feel good; she straightened her back and steeled her resolve. However, the small amount of steam the action gave her petered out by the time she made it to the now-locked library. She made quick work of the locks with her magic and yanked on the necessary books to open the secret door to the dungeons. A small orb of light and her rising sense of dread were her only companions on her slow descent. Valdemar was incredibly observant-the more time she spent around them, the more likely it was they would find out about her strange attraction to them. She did not want to know how they'd react; she didn't want to be ignored, but she shuddered to think about what they would do with that information. There was also the aspect of rejection. Rejection was not what she needed while she worked through her jumble of angst-filled feelings.

The sickening crunch of bone was the first sound that greeted her once the lift arrived in the depressing area. She prepared herself for whatever she was about to see and rounded the corner into the room that contained the dissection table. Valdemar was facing away from her, thankfully blocking her view of whatever they were doing. They didn't immediately stop their careful movements over their subject; when they did eventually toss a disinterested glance her way, recognition sparked in their gaze. Gemini relaxed when they turned to face her fully and their uniform was spotless as always. Their eyes became bright the way they often did when they saw her, but she was well aware their interest began and ended with the Fool's body. "Apprentice," they greeted, steepling their fingers.

Gemini clicked her tongue. "It's not 'apprentice,' Quaestor. I've been a magician in my own right for a while now."

"Hmmm?" They merely looked her up and down before taking a few steps toward her. "What do you need?" She decided to ignore the deliberate sidestep.

"Dinner." They cocked their head. She crossed her arms. "You're almost an hour late. Will the good doctor be joining us?"

"I do not have the slightest idea what you are talking about." Their lips curled into that patronizing grin she hated-but-also-maybe-liked. She reminded them that Portia had been around to speak with them about the dinner plans earlier in the day, as she had rounded everyone up personally. They looked at her in feigned confusion. "Laaate? Meee? Did I say I was going?"

Giving up on maintaining absolute professionalism in front of them, Gemini gesticulated wildly in exasperation. Here we go. "Yes?"

Valdemar spun back around and picked up their tools, arms poised to resume their dissection. They hummed again before replying, "I believe my exact response to the handmaiden was 'Alright.' I merely acknowledged that she had spoken and I had heard her."

"Come to dinner."

They looked visibly taken aback and turned to face her once more, amusement written all over their face. "And why ever for? Why should I?"

Ugh! "Because we've all been waiting for you, and it will be a good exercise for the six of us to spend some non-work-related time with each other to improve our teamwork." She paused before adding, "And Portia asked you nicely."

A chilling laugh that only increased in volume when they dropped their head rang out. Gemini took the opportunity to mime their speech with her hand, mouthing their next words along with them: "That has nothing to do with me." She wondered if she'd be any good at doing Valdemar impressions. Sighing, she tried to level with them.

"Please just come. I'm sure you know as well as I do how annoying the others can get when given enough time to bicker amongst themselves. If you don't, I'll make sure I find a way to be a nuisance to you later."

The idea of that appeared to delight them, and they showed off a toothy grin. "Mmm, if you do that, I would be remiss not to reintroduce you to my beetles. You remember the beetles, do you not, Gemini? Oh, I am sure they would love to get a taste of you."

She pretended that didn't bother her. "Your threats are empty as long as I'm a valued member of this court and I'm as powerful as I am now."

Delight gave way to full-blown manic glee as their eyes widened even more. Their laughter echoed off the walls of the chamber for a long moment. Once they calmed down, they strode over to the sink and began rinsing off their tools. This gave Gemini a clear view of the mass of flesh they had been working on, but she already guessed it was only a cadaver and not anyone alive before Valdemar got their hands on them. The conspicuous lack of blood gave it away. After they neatly arranged their tools back on their tray, Valdemar smoothed the front of their uniform and gave her a little bow. "You have amused me. As a reward, I will attend your frivolous gathering."

Thank god. "Great. After you." They led the way back to the lift, picking up a clean surgical mask. Gemini squeezed in after them and closed the barrier while they reached around her to flip the lever. She tried to ignore the way her heart was beating out of her chest at the close proximity they shared. A handful of painfully slow minutes later, the lift lurched to a stop and she sped out of the small space.

As they walked side by side down the hallway, their height difference caught her attention. Only when Valdemar turned and gave her a strange look did she realize her hand had reached out to measure the distance between the tops of their heads. Sure, they had maybe a couple inches on her, but she could have sworn they seemed much larger when they'd chased her out of the library the previous night.

"What are you doing?" They didn't look mad, just confused; Gemini counted herself lucky.

She yanked her arm back down to her side. "Sorry for being rude," she said. "I just thought you were taller for some reason, but I guess not."

They chuckled without humor. "Things can appear larger than they are in reality when mortals are afraid." She narrowed her eyes; she didn't think that was it, but she wasn't going to get an answer from them anyway so she decided not to press the issue. "Also." The sound of their voice drew her eyes back to their face, and she noticed their eyes twinkling with laughter. "I was wearing boots with a high heel last night." She snorted. So that was it, I knew it wasn't my imagination! It was regrettable that she didn't see them herself-the image of them in heels was massively appealing to her.

The two of them settled into silence once more, and she tried to think of a way to keep the conversation going. "You seemed excited this morning." They gave her a sidelong glance, but she continued. "About the medical research thing."

"'Excited' is an overstatement."

"Is it?" There was no reply, so she nodded to herself. "So it is... you're not particularly excitable, I suppose." After a few more moments, she made another attempt. "What time are you thinking we should meet at Valerius's office?"

"Five a.m."

She uttered a quick "Okay," but turned away to screw her face up in disgust. It would be a rough morning for her to say the least. Besides the upsetting news, she could tell she wasn't getting much more from them in conversation, so she gave up. Relief washed through her once she saw the mahogany door to the dining room.

Gemini burst in first and presented Valdemar with a flourish. "Introducing Quaestor Valdemar, who has decided to grace us with their heavenly presence this evening!" Besides a mumbled "Heavenly?" said Quaestor ignored her and moved to take the seat next to Vlastomil. Volta and Portia clapped until Nadia shot the latter a bemused look, Portia scurrying off to alert the servers that they were ready for the food. She briefly smiled affectionately before she schooled her expression back into its usual neutral state.

"Glad you could make it, Quaestor Valdemar," Nadia said, turning to them. "Do make more of an effort to be on time in the future."

"I was not aware you would be in attendance, Countess," they replied swiftly. "My deepest apologies." They didn't look sorry at all.

The dinner ended up being largely uneventful; Nadia and Portia did their best to encourage friendly conversation, but Gemini and Volta were the only ones to participate. Gemini didn't count Vulgora responding to everything with vague threats as participation. There were a few times throughout where her and Valdemar's eyes met, but they were otherwise only present physically. After it was all said and done, she felt no closer to her colleagues (except maybe Volta). Gemini remained to help Portia clear the table afterward, and Portia shot her an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry that was so painful," she said, her lower lip jutting out slightly. "I was only trying to be helpful..."

Gemini shrugged. "I understand. Misguided as it was, your heart was in the right place." When she caught sight of the time on the grandfather clock, she stiffened. "Shit, I should get going. I need to go home and pack so I can get back here in enough time to go to bed early." Indulging in her usual night owl tendencies was not wise with the time she was to meet up with Valdemar. Portia waved her away and thanked her for staying back to help.

#

When she arrived at the shop, the sign was flipped to "Closed" just as she'd left it the day before, but the protection spell was undone. She figured Asra was inside, but just in case, she knelt down to pick up a stray empty bottle to arm herself. Cautiously, she opened the door and shouted, "Hello?"

"I'm up here!" Gemini relaxed at the sound of Asra's voice. She properly disposed of the bottle before stepping inside fully and scanning the room. Julian's coat wasn't hanging anywhere and she couldn't hear his boisterous laughter, so she assumed he wasn't around. That at least made her feel somewhat better. "Are you hungry? I'm making dinner!" Asra's voice snapped her out of her thoughts and she took a deep breath before making the climb up the stairs.

He was in his pajamas-a simple long white tee over striped bottoms-while he stirred something in a pot. Despite having just eaten, the scent made her mouth water. Looking up at her, he broke into a big smile, and the effect it had on her trumped whatever seeing Valdemar did for her tenfold. It was hard not to fall for Asra; he was good-looking, attentive, caring, sweet, funny... if she had a checklist for qualities found in her would-be perfect match, he would tick every box. For the second time that day, her mind was veering into dangerous territory, so she set about course-correcting. She would do her best to act normal.

"I ate at the palace, but that smells good," she said as she headed toward the bed. "What is it?"

"It's just porridge. I had a craving for it after I woke up, so I'm making some."

Gemini laughed as she reached under the bed for her travel bag. "You just woke up?"

"Don't judge! I spent the day with Julian and was pretty tired when I got back, so I took a nap." He emptied the pot into a chipped bowl and padded over to the small kitchen table to watch her. Eagle-eyed as ever, he paused mid-bite when she stood up with the bag in hand. "Going somewhere?"

"Yeah," she said nonchalantly. "I have the opportunity to do some work in Prakra for Queen Nasrin, so I'm headed that way tomorrow morning."

Asra appeared to short circuit at all the news packed into that sentence, eyebrows disappearing into his bangs. "Wait, wait, wait. Tomorrow?"

She halted her movements stuffing things into her bag to give him a look. "Tomorrow."

He ran a hand through his hair. "That's... but I just got back."

Gemini sighed and turned back to her task, biting back the snarky reply she wanted to say. This isn't about you. As attentive as he could be, he was only like that with certain people in his life (her being one of them) and could otherwise be a mite self-absorbed. She knew he didn't mean it that way, but she felt bothered anyway. "That's how it is."

Probably sensing her off mood, he quickly replied, "Well, I... I just miss you, y'know?"

"I know," she said quietly, softening. "I miss you too."

The porridge sat forgotten on the table as he leaned his chin onto his hands, breathing out slowly. "How long will you be gone?"

"Not sure."

He frowned a little, and she felt guilty for not being the easiest to talk to at the moment. She was finding it difficult to act the same as she had before she was aware of her feelings, and had not done so since a while before the lovebirds left for their trip. After a few beats of silence, he asked, "Do you know what you'll be doing?"

She bit her lip, not sure how much she was allowed to say. It was Asra, though, so she thought it'd be okay. "It's a case of a missing person, someone particularly important to the palace." As she folded her trusty scarf, she shot him an apologetic glance. "I don't have much more information than that."

"I see." The silence felt heavy as Asra drummed his fingers on the table, regarding her silently with concern etched onto his features. He was obviously trying his best to let her have her independence, especially after she proved her capabilities last year, but it had to be hard. It was only four years ago that he had to teach her how to function again-how to eat, how to walk, how to speak, everything. If the situation was reversed, she couldn't say she wouldn't act the same way. All too soon, he started on a topic Gemini had been dreading: "Hey, so you disappeared last night. Are you alright?"

She opted to stare at the ceiling instead of looking directly at him, mentally running through the list of items she had yet to pack. "Yep, totally fine. I was feeling a little under the weather, so Nadi let me crash at the palace. All good now."

"You did seem off when I saw you then, too," he pressed. She gave no answer as she moved about the room. The scratch of the chair against the wooden floor startled her as Asra stood and moved closer. Unconsciously, she took a step back, mind racing at the realization that he wouldn't let the subject go. Noticing this, his face hardened while she actively avoided looking at him. Gently, he took her chin into his hand and tilted it up until she finally met his gaze. "Gemini, what's going on with you? You haven't seemed right at all since I returned, and I'm worried about you."

Morbidly, she mentally pointed out that his caring actions were making things worse. If only you knew. "Nothing," she began, pushing his hand away. "Nothing is going on, I'm okay! I promise." Hoping her smile was reassuring, she gave his arm a friendly pat. Judging by the way his face seemed to crumble and his shoulders slumped, she guessed it wasn't, and the false expression slid off her face. Gemini swallowed the lump forming in her throat, tears welling in her eyes. It didn't feel good being this way with him; it was obvious she was hurting him, but she didn't know what else she was supposed to do. She was ill-prepared to have this conversation, and she did not have the emotional capacity for it.

"You're lying to me." The words managed not to sound accusatory falling from his lips, only heartbroken with the tremor in his voice as he said it. "I know we haven't spent much time together lately and it's only been a day, but you just suddenly feel... distant. I don't know what I did, but whatever it is Gemini, I'm sorry." The way he looked so utterly dejected made her feel miserable and ashamed.

Giving up, she sank down onto the bed. "It's not your fault, Asra." Her voice remained steady, but she didn't know how long it'd last. "I'm just going through some things right now, and I can't share them with you yet. I promise you that you did nothing wrong, so please don't think that you did."

He sat next to her, slowly pulling her head to rest on his shoulder. She let him, holding him tightly in a sideways embrace. "Okay," was his only reply at first, then, "When you're ready, I hope you can talk about it with me."

"I will, I promise." Closing her eyes, she melted into his soothing touch. When minutes passed and she started to feel herself falling asleep, she reluctantly removed herself from him. "I should get going. I have an early start tomorrow, and you know I hate mornings." That earned her a small laugh, and she felt marginally better. Asra watched her from his spot on the bed, remaining silent but following her every move as she finished up her packing.

Once she was done, Gemini hefted her things onto her shoulders, exhaling heavily with her hands on her hips as she regarded him. He looked back up at her with a small smile. "Be careful," he said, a hint of pleading underlying the request.

"Only if you be good," she quipped, ruffling his hair. He stood up and crushed her in a tight hug, resting his head against hers. She squeezed him back before stepping away so she could leave; it was a mighty trek back to the palace, after all. "I'll be back before you know it."

Asra sighed, a slightly ashamed smile on his lips. "Is this how you felt when I would leave for some undetermined amount of time? Gemini, I am so sorry."

She snickered, tossing him a farewell as she headed down the stairs and left the shop. Once she made it a couple blocks away, she let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. Well, that was as intense as I feared. She was used to sharing everything with Asra, so it was both new and frustrating to be dealing with feelings she wasn't ready to do that with. Beyond the romantic aspect of her troubles, it made her feel lonely; however, she was looking forward to the time away from him. It would give her space to clear her head, and she would hopefully be in a better place to move on with their friendship as normal when she returned. Even though she was going for work, she was excited for the opportunity to heal and maybe grow as a magician as well. Seeing new sights and having new experiences would only broaden her perspective, which she could use to better serve the people. And who knows, this adventure could be just what she needed to test the limits of her newfound wealth of magical potential.

Hopeful for what the days ahead would bring, she picked her head up higher and quickened her steps back to the palace.

A/N: Valdemar isn't short, Gemini is like 5'7". Also, the delayed update is because I got the bright idea that I should make an outline for this story, and it took ages to complete. Now I should update weekly-ish. Also also, lmao I just figured out it was probably hard to see wtf my story was about from the title so I put in the pairing. I'm not used to FFN, forgive meee~ ;;