After dinner, while Sun returned to her room to bathe, Kalys changed from his own uniform before retiring to the solar and sending for another pot of tea. He'd noticed Sun was partial to the sweeter strawberry vanilla. It wasn't to his taste, though it was growing on him the more he drank it.
He retrieved the journal from the box it was kept in, its weight a familiar one by now. He had always known of the book, and he remembered it from his childhood, seeing his own father writing in it. He had always been curious about it, but his father had told him it would one day be Kalys's to protect until another like himself was born. He'd indicated his eye then, the strange black one he'd never seen on another family member before. Back then he had yet to learn what it meant, and his father had died before ever imparting the knowledge. It had been his grandfather who had done that.
When he had met Sun, there had been a small sliver of envy that she'd inherited it. A connection and understanding to his father Kalys would never have. Then the pity had come, because aside from the physical attributes, she would never have anything of their father, having missed out completely.
Given everything he was learning about this ability, though, he no longer envied her for having it, though he'd take it from her if he could, freeing her of that weight. But without it, he might never have met her and made the connection.
He took a seat on the sofa, crossing one leg over the other, the book in his lap. Sun entered a few moments later, dressed for bed in loose linen pants and a light top. Not the usual nightwear expected of someone of her station, and not something he'd had put in her wardrobe. But flowery nighties and delicate slips weren't something she found comfortable, according to Mika. Kalys had already given up on many of his initial expectations of her. For the most part, she behaved appropriately when it was called for, and that would do for now.
She settled in beside him as she had the last couple of times. Their new entrant liked to draw things – doodles, maps, diagrams, and anatomical charts. This one seemed to see life in the Traverse – more than the ravens, twisted souls, and monsters Sun had described – and had taken to studying and drawing them. There were insects, small mammals, and plants. Sun had expressed her own disappointment at not being able to see the Traverse the same way.
He opened to where they left off as one of the maids delivered the tea, Sun thanking her warmly. He had noticed she tended to spare more warmth and kindness for the staff than she did most other people. Even he had a tendency to not acknowledge them most of the time. He paid them well for their work and their loyalty, and he was never cruel, but beyond that he hardly noticed them.
Once the maid was gone, Kalys started to read, pausing now and again as they studied the drawings. Marlena Illusen – the current writer and artist – had even started colouring them. Sun was enamoured by the black and blue butterflies on the page. Even Kalys could admit they possessed a certain ethereal beauty.
"Why could she see these things but no one else could?"
"Perhaps others could and never mentioned it, not realising it was out of the ordinary," he suggested.
The look that flashed across her face told him all he needed to know about what she thought of that theory. He bit back the amused quirk of his lips at the expression. While she had adopted the blank aspect at events, fitting quite nicely with the other Illusens, she didn't much bother at home.
"Then what do you suggest?"
She hummed, considering. "What do you know about her? Was she mad? Prone to hallucinations in the waking world?"
"No, but she was renowned for her artistic talent and her deep, deep interest in insects."
There was definitely more attention and detail paid to them in her drawings.
"Do you remember everyone in your family tree?"
"Our family tree," he corrected. "But no, not everyone. Some I've had to look up. This particular family trait isn't only passed down through the main branch; it can manifest in anyone with Illusen blood, no matter how little. There are usually generations between its manifestation as well; I did not expect it to surface again in my lifetime."
"Are you disappointed it did?" She asked, her eyes downcast but her tone purposely devoid of any emotion.
"No. I'd have never found you otherwise," he said, adopting the softer tone he used when he needed her to understand how important this was to him, a tone he reserved purely for her.
Her eyes shot to his at his words, searching for something. What that was he couldn't be sure, but he found something hopeful in hers. He resisted the urge to lean in and fought the desire to brush his lips against hers, to test how open she would be to the idea.
Common sense told him she would not be, and ever the master of self-control and restraint, he made no move to get closer. He could not risk scaring her off. They were establishing a closer bond, and he would not ruin it. They were family, and family was all they would ever be. Given her opposition at the start, getting this far was a miracle.
She suddenly cleared her throat, backing up slightly, realising how close they were and returning her attention to the book.
She looked embarrassed, her cheeks pink; faint alarm bells started ringing out in the back of his mind, but he smothered the sound. He would not fall victim to overthinking or reading too much into things.
He also turned back to the book, continuing with the latest entry. But that look on her face never quite left his thoughts.
-
When Sun woke the next morning, she didn't rush off to see Nick and Zen. Kalys was leaving today, and she wanted to see him off. She was nervous about being left here alone and having to deal with whatever his duties consisted of, even with their grandfather's help. She was also just worried about him. It was a bit of a foreign feeling for her. While she had been worried about his opinions or his approval at times, she'd never just been worried about his well-being. He always seemed so invincible, untouchable. But the idea of him going into battle actually had her considering what could go wrong. His – their – father was killed while on a mission. It could clearly happen to anyone.
While she might have wished him dead in their early days, she wished very much the opposite now. Though she hoped she hadn't been too obvious last night when the desire to kiss him had risen unbidden. That softer tone he used always managed to send pleasant shivers down her spine.
He was perceptive, but hopefully not that perceptive. Or at the very least, he would never imagine incest to be on her mind. She inwardly cringed at the word.
Shoving it from her mind, she focused on dressing. They were forgoing their morning training sessions today since he had to leave earlier. So she was getting straight into her new Revenant uniform. It was still predominantly black with white and silver accents, but she no longer wore a skirt, instead opting for form-fitting stretchy black pants that were designed for ease of movement. The combat boots were a bit heavier, thicker, and knee-high, meant to be more protective. And a black shirt, again form-fitting, but designed with the possibility of fighting in mind. She shrugged on the coat, looking at herself in the mirror. Kalys had delivered her uniform to her, and it bore quite a remarkable resemblance to his own coat – from the length to the belt to the location of her Revenant emblem and Division designation.
She had seen Revenants customise their uniforms – length, sleeves or no, where their emblems sat, loose or tight and everywhere in between, and other accessories or embroidery people chose to add. Perdition was flexible on that.
She wasn't overly fond of looking like a mini-version of her brother, but it would have to do for now. She would figure out a way to make it her own, putting a piece of herself into it. She wouldn't mind making the coat a bit shorter, knee-length rather than ankle; she'd start there. Once Kalys was gone.
When she entered the dining room, Kalys was already there, glancing up from some report he was reading at her entrance. Did he ever sleep? She thought she might beat him here today.
"Good morning," she greeted.
She was torn between her excitement at starting as a Revenant and her disappointment and worry at Kalys's departure. She would try and stick with a more positive bent, though.
"Good morning, Sun."
She dropped into her seat, and he set down his papers, reaching for something on the floor beside him and producing a long ornate black box. He set it in front of her expectantly. She glanced at him a moment before opening it, her eyes widening in awe at the treasure inside.
There were a pair of pistols; the gleaming metal had beautiful flowing ice fractals engraved into it, and they were smaller than the bulky pieces the Academy had given her, something more fit for her smaller hands.
Above where the pistols rested in the dark blue velvet lay a pair of swords, their metal almost white, and once again the ice fractals were present. On the bottom of the pommels sat the Illusen crest.
Like the guns, the sword was lighter and a little smaller to be more accommodating to her size.
She opened her mouth to say something, but thank you just didn't seem adequate.
"A graduation gift," he told her.
"I don't know what to say," she whispered, having a bit of difficulty finding her voice.
"Just use them well," he said, returning to his reading.
She nodded, reverently running her fingers over the smooth, cold metal. If Nick or Zen had gifted her something, she would hug them. It would have been instinctual.
She wasn't sure if Kalys even liked to be touched; he seemed to keep his distance from everyone. In Solaryse, even with their family, he never greeted anyone by taking their hands as she'd seen others do, and the one time someone had patted him on the shoulder, he'd stared at the offending appendage until the man had gotten embarrassed and pulled it away.
She looked at him, debating with herself.
He must have felt her eyes on him because he looked up. "What is it?"
She leaned forward, wrapping her arms around him in an awkward hug. "Thank you," she breathed out.
She felt his hand pat her back, like he was at a loss himself and probably uncomfortable too. She hadn't realised how broad he was, and warm, and how nice he smelt. Better let him go before she did something else stupid.
After a few quick moments, she pulled away, turning her attention to the weapons. Gods, they were stunning. And hopefully, if she stared hard enough at them, he wouldn't say anything about what had just happened. He hadn't tried to push her away, though; that was nice.
Once the maids brought out breakfast, Sun closed the box and set it aside, safely under the table. Even the box was beautiful.
They ate their breakfast in silence; Sun didn't want to disturb him any more than she might have already, given he was clearly working. It wasn't often he brought his work to the table; she figured it must be some last-minute stuff before he had to leave.
She had never been one for prayer, but she found herself silently casting one out there in the faint hope it would keep him safe.