Summary: Raine and Darius talk about their actions leading up to the Day of Unity
Timeline: A week has passed since the Day of Unity was stopped.
Raine Whispers woke with a start after the memory of that day played out like has for the last week.
Raine stared at their ceiling for nearly forty-five minutes before they sighed. They got out of bed and grabbed their glasses. The bard made their way out of their room and into the kitchen.
"Titan, songbird, you're up again," a familiar voice said without any emotion behind it.
Raine just sighed and didn't look at Darius as they walked by him and over to the sink. They grabbed a cup and filled it up before they took a seat at the table.
Raine took small sips from the cup as they stared at the table. They could feel Darius's eyes on them but could care less at the moment.
"Raine," Darius said firmly. "You really should get some sleep. We're going to be searching through Belos-Philip's castle soon. We get to be at our best for whatever that madman had in store for us."
Raine scowled, their patience already at its limits, and glared at their cousin.
"You're one to talk," Raine snuffed. "You have been more restless than by this past week!"
Darius was silent; he just returned Raine's glare. The two fell into a tense silence that lasted nearly five minutes. Finally, Darius sighed tiredly and looked at his cup of water.
"The boy hasn't been sleeping good," Darius mumbled tiredly. "Since his room is next to mine, I hear him when he tosses and turns."
Raine sighed and looked at their cup. They finished off the water in one go and stared into their empty cup.
"We screwed up," Raine said bitterly, looking up when he felt Darius glaring at them. "Don't give me that look. We had three months to figure out Belos's plans. And he got the better of us at each. I'm starting to think we only learn about the draining spell because he allowed it."
"What?" Darius asked sharply, "So he could just mock us as we died?"
"PROBABLY!" Raine screamed as they jumped down to their feet.
The abomination witch growled and got to his feet. He placed his hands on the table and glared dagger at his cousin.
"Keep. Your. Voice. Down," Darius threatened through gritted teeth. "Hunter's finally sleeping, and I don't want his rest disturbed."
Raine grunted and, with a spell circle, summoned their violin. With a quick pluck of a string, bard magic filled the room. Darius didn't need Raine to explain that the spell they just used would keep all sound from going past the room.
"Better?" Raine asked, suddenly sounding tired.
Darius just sighed and nodded. Raine took a seat and turned their attention to their empty cup. Darius also sat down, but his eyes never left Raine.
"It wasn't fair," Raine said after a few minutes of tense silence. "We shouldn't have put Eda in that position."
"...You said it yourself," Darius responded dryly, "We were in a corner, and the Owl lady's curs-beast connection was the only thing that could stop the draining spell."
"And got us nothing," Raine muttered bitterly. "Belos was once again ahead of us, and Eda lost most of her magic shortly after getting it back."
The room fell silent as the bard stood and walked to the sink. The sound of running water filled the room, and Darius thought to himself.
He wouldn't admit it out loud, but he agreed with Raine. Their families had spent all of Belos's rule suspicious of him. That eventually grew to the point that they tried to figure out everything about the mysterious witch. Even when the two joined the highest ranks in Belos's empire, they couldn't figure out much.
Darius sighed as Raine returned to the table but didn't take their seat. He could feel his cousin's gaze on him but didn't look at them.
"...You're right, Raine," Darius said after another tense moment of silence. "We messed up at every turn. But what's been bothering me the most is that we put children in danger."
Raine sighed and finally took their seat. "We thought that sending the kids to Blight Manor would have kept them out of the worse of it. We thought they would just go and talk to Alador."
"But that's not what happened," Darius scoffed. "Hunter, his friends, and the girl Eda considered a daughter all were in just as much danger as those at The Day of Unity celebration."
Now, it was Darius's turn to get up and head to the sink. He left his cup on the table and splashed water on his face instead. Raine watched as Darius took a towel and dried his face as he returned to the table.
Darius sat down again but still refused to look Raine in the eyes. For nearly five minutes, they sat in silence. Each was going over things in their minds.
"...What do we do now?" Raine asked tiredly.
Darius sighed and looked his cousin in the eyes. "All we can do is try to pick up the pieces and hopefully move forward," came the witch's somber tone.
(M Corner)
And with this, we start P2 with the "After Unity" arc. This arc will follow the aftermath of The Day of Unity. Also, I can't be the only one who thought the rescue Amity thing was meant to keep the kids out of trouble. And if you're wondering about Raine's dream, just look at the second chapter of "The Owl Familia: The Family That Will Grow Forever" for details.