July 11th
Cinnabar Gym - Afternoon - Hot
Nevena Solomon
Today reminded Nev why she never really liked hot weather. Her skin had felt sticky and she'd nearly started sweating the moment she stepped outside. Maybe it was just her since everyone on the island seemed perfectly fine, but then that just might be the fact that they lived here. She was, however, grateful for Drake letting her, Kasimir, and Mel use his gym. The indoor pool would be nice to swim in, and there wouldn't be too many people around when she did a check up on Nora, Kas's newly acquired pokémon.
She would admit that she was looking forward to it. After reading the information Kasimir had given her, she wanted to see to what extent the research had gone with the type: null. She would have invited the others but Aidan and Cyrilla were currently on a sibling date as Cyrilla had called it, and Eryk was more tired than anything and opted to stay with Ana at their home. Drake was currently at a league meeting, something about his credentials and challenger quota. All Nev knew was that he was updating them on whether he was still considered a major Gym or if he'd be demoted to the minors.
Regardless, Nev was excited to spend time with the two Rheinallt siblings, and learn a little more about Nora.
Mel appeared from the kitchen, a tray of snacks and drinks in her hands. "Hey, Nev," she said, setting it down next to where she was sitting. "Looks like maybe the heat's gotten pretty bad out there, so I made some stuff to cool down. There's also alcohol if you want to spike them, but everything on the tray is virgin as-is. There's berry lemonade, club soda, fruit punch, and a cranberry lime spritzer. Oh, and regular orange juice, if you prefer." She pointed each out in turn, then settled in the chair nearest, pouring herself some of the spritzer.
"Mirmir's bringing Nora by today, right? I haven't seen her yet. Some totally new type of lab-synthed pokémon, right?" She seemed intrigued by the idea.
“He is," Nev replied, feeling the smile on her face widen a bit. “From the notes he'd sent me, it seems like Nora was the only one they could fully create. It said they had three failures but I don't know what could have possibly happened to them," she continued, her brows furrowing slightly. She had a guess as to what might have happened.
Like most things that fail, they are either destroyed or terminated somehow. It might be that the case for the three failures, but Nev couldn't be too certain. She was about as intrigued about Nora, though, as Mel seemed to be. The prospect of studying something so new made Nev's blood run in a way it hasn't in a long time. She wanted to see what made Nora so special.
Kas arrived not too much later, strolling into the Gym in what seemed to be his usual casual manner. For some reason, Mel frowned in his direction, then sighed.
He dropped into another chair near them with a smile. "Ladies," he greeted, the expression brightening into a grin for a moment. "How are you both?"
“Excited," Nev said as she smiled brightly at him. It was true, though. She was excited about the fact that she was about to look at a new creature. It would probably be put on the legendary or even mythical list considering that there was only one. Or one that they knew of that was still alive.
“What about you, are you ready to see what makes Nora tick?" she asked, grabbing one of the drinks Mel had put out eariler.
Kas chuckled. "Well, I've already done some homework," he admitted, pulling the last ball back from his belt and giving it a small toss. It opened with the customary flash of red light, and the pokémon he'd named Nora appeared. She was as the photos suggested: quite large, quadrupedal but with front legs different from the back, mostly white, and with some kind of metal device strapped onto her head.
The part that let her peer out the front swung from Nev to Mel and then to Kas, the pokémon's head tilting inquisitively. She seemed tense, but when he set a hand on her flank, she relaxed a little, and sat down.
"She's… a pretty crazy melding of biology and tech," Kas said. "As far as I can tell. Like a porygon, but partly organic. A… cyborg, I guess. Sounds crazy, but that's the best way I can put it. I figure I can learn the tech side myself, but… you're a better biologist than me by a mile, Sis."
Despite the fact that his actual sister was present, there didn't seem to be any confusion around the nickname.
“I suppose that holds some truth," Nev replied, her eyes narrowing with her smile. She glanced at the creature, holding back her excitement as best as she could. It wasn't every day that she could study something so rare. Something that was part organic material and something that wasn't. Nev took a step closer to Nora, doing a once over before making a full circle around the pokémon.
“Hm," she hummed to herself. The helmet Nora was wearing was peculiar, but there didn't seem to be anything too particular about it. “Is it alright if I get closer?" she asked, turning in Kas's direction. Nora was still a recently caught pokémon, and Nev didn't want to take a chance getting close and risking her safety. Pokémon could still have wild natures even if they were caught, and Nora would be no exception, especially if the data Nev had read was true.
“There's something I want to check about her helmet. And... if she'll allow it, I'd like to pull some blood from her at a later time. I want to see what exactly is in her DNA," she added. Nev would be able to get a better understanding of what the scientists were doing when they created Nora if she studied Nora's blood. Plus, she could learn a lot more about a creature through its DNA structure than just its physiology, alone.
"What do you reckon, Nora? She looks all right to me, but I'd get it if you were suspicious." He patted the pokémon's flank as he spoke to her in a stage-whisper, grinning mischievously at Nev. It caused Nev to snort softly as she tried not to laugh.
"You're going to corrupt that poor, innocent pokémon," Mel replied dryly.
Kas chuckled; Nora seemed to consider it, but then visibly relaxed further.
"Looks like you're allowed, Sis."
“Yay," she replied with a little too much vigor. Nev wasn't able to conceal her excitement, but did her best to tone it down so she wouldn't stress Nora out. The last thing she wanted was a stressed pokemon that could potentially harm everyone around. “Alright, let's see," Nev murmured as she walked closer to Nora.
“So, how's everyone doing these days?" she decided to ask while she inspected Nora's helmet. “It feels like I haven't seen a lot of either of you this month," or anyone else for that matter. She didn't count Aidan since they lived together, but everyone else seemed to have vanished. She saw them at lunch on occasion, but... well, things seemed a little weird. Nev couldn't claim to be the mood reader in the group, but she'd like to think she knew her friends a little better.
As she waited for their responses, Nev gently took hold of the helmet that encased most of Nora's head. She let her hand smooth over the contraption, pursing her lips softly as she inspected it.
Nora stayed still under the inspection, but seemed a little uneasy about having the contraption touched.
Kas seemed to be monitoring her carefully for any signs of discomfort or pain, though, and he didn't say anything, so it was probably fine to continue.
"Me either, actually," Mel observed, leaning her chin in her hand. "Though I heard Eryk's mom is in town and she sounds kind of like the worst human being ever, so they probably have a lot to deal with."
"Yeah, uh…" Kas hesitated a moment. "She's a real bitch, and I don't use that kind of word lightly, you know? She's trying to marry Cyrilla off to some other member of the family so she can make Ryk marry Katia or… something like that. It's… put her in a tight spot."
"Is there anything we can do? I can call mom or something…" Mel frowned, looking a little confused about the whole situation. "I mean, it's not the dark ages. Who can force people to marry people anymore?"
"The Kogas, apparently," Kas replied, running his hand along Nora's flank. "I uh… did what I could, but it's up to her to decide how she wants to handle it. Much as I wish she didn't have to."
Nev pursed her lips in confusion. Cyrilla was being forced to marry someone who wasn't Ryk? When where those two dating? Wasn't Ryk dating Ana? She removed her hand from the contraption and furrowed her brows in Kas's direction. Nev felt a little painful twinge in her chest; she couldn't understand the reasoning behind it, either way, but it seemed like Kas and the others were trying to prevent it. Maybe they didn't want to tell her so she wouldn't have to worry about it?
Nev knew herself to know that she did worry a little too much, especially when it came to her friends. “Can Eryk's mother do that, though? I don't know what's going on, but it sounds like Eryk's mother can't really do that, even if she is a Koga." The Koga family wasn't a family Nev was familiar with. She wasn't a native in Kanto and didn't know much of its old families or anything like that.
“What about Cyrilla's parents? Wouldn't they have a say?" she asked. Nev wasn't completely certain, but... this just seemed strange.
"Ah, shit. I forgot you weren't up to speed, Sis, sorry. The long and short of it is uh… Ryk and Cy are both Kogas to some degree and their family does weird arranged marriage shit. They were 'engaged' to each other for a long while, but haven't ever been interested in each other that way. They more or less broke it off when Ryk fell for Ana, I think, but it's kind of… not something the family approved of. Cy tried to leave the family, too, but they're basically trying to pull her back in with this. I'll be honest—I don't always totally get it either."
"So what did you do?" Mel asked, tilting her head.
He shrugged. "I uh… told her she could marry me instead if she wanted."
"You what?"
If Nev was confused before, she felt completely gobsmacked, now. “You... told Cyrilla she could marry you, instead, if she wanted?" Nevena couldn't say she understood what was going on, but it seemed to be that both Cyrilla and Eryk's family wanted them to marry, or marry someone else. And that they were certainly not very good people. Nev furrowed her brows lightly as she tried to make sense of what was happening.
“Has she said anything about it? I mean, I can't imagine this is going to be easy for either of you," Nev stated, turning her attention briefly to Nora before returning it to Kasimir. “Marriage is a very... big deal, I would think." It wasn't that Nev believed that it was a one time deal. She knew enough that sometimes people didn't last in marriages, but maybe this was something different? Maybe they were doing this for another reason?
"Uh, no. Nothing definitive. I just wanted to give her an out, and it was the only one I could think of."
Mel frowned, releasing a long sigh. "I get it, but at the same time, poor Cy. Kind of sucks that it had to be you to offer. Maybe I should…" Her brow knitted.
"What's wrong with me specifically?" Kas asked, looking slightly affronted.
"Well, for starters, you needed to ask that question."
“I don't know much about what's going on, but I suppose if it's that serious, maybe I should help, too," though Nev didn't know what she could help with, exactly. She could offer to marry Cyrilla as well, but she didn't think it would be... quite that simple. “Hopefully it won't come down to that," she began, furrowing her brows slightly at herself.
“I mean, not that you're a bad choice, Kas. I think you're a good choice considering, but it is quite sudden. How are you feeling about this? It's not something you would have offered on a whim; you aren't the type to do that," at least Nev liked to believe so. She'd known her friends for over a year now, and she knew they wouldn't do something like that without a good reason.
"Well at least someone thinks so," Kas replied dryly, then shrugged. "I don't really know how I'm feeling about it. A little weird, since she hasn't said anything about it since then. Makes me feel tense just trying to have a normal conversation."
"Nervous," Mel specified. "You're nervous because she hasn't answered your proposal." Raising an eyebrow, she gave him a look that suggested she was implying something, though it wasn't totally clear what.
Kasimir sighed. "I mean, yes, technically, but not like you're thinking."
"Uh-huh."
“I'd be nervous, too," Nev stated, giving Kas a sympathetic look. She couldn't imagine the anxiety of waiting for a reply to something like that. Even if it wasn't a proper marriage, a proposal was still a rather big deal, or so she thought.
“I'm sure she's also just processing everything to make sure that the decision isn't done on a whim," she stated, patting Nora on the side of her neck before stepping away from the pokemon. “I know I wouldn't want to go straight into something without making sure it wouldn't be difficult for me or the other person. It's a big decision to make, I think, and... for whatever it's worth, you two would be adorable regardless if she says yes or not. The two of you are very good friends, after all," and she liked to think that friendships wouldn't break over something like that.
“What about you, Mel? What do you think? If she does agree, you might be getting a sister-in-law."
"I think something's gotta give," Mel said on a sigh, shaking her head with something like exasperation. "But what do I know?"
Kasimir rubbed at the back of his neck. "Yeah, well… we'll get it figured out, one way or another. You, uh… you guys want to come ring shopping with me? I figure I should have one in case she says yes, to make it look official and all that. Can always take it back if she doesn't."
Mel gave him a long, considering look, then sighed again. "Yeah, all right. Who knows what she'd end up with if we let your taste decide?"
Nev smiled sympathetically and nodded her head. “I'm not sure I'd be of any help choosing, but I'll do my best." Regardless of what happened between the two, Nev hoped that they would be fine, and that things would work out.
July 5th
The Cloyster - Morning - Muggy
Cyrilla Klein
Cyrilla thought that she might know how Eryk currently felt. She had not been able to sleep at all when he told her Marah was here, and what she was here for. They had broken off their engagement because they both wanted different things, but Marah didn't know that. She was here because of an image in the newspaper, one that showed how happy Eryk was with another woman. Cyrilla was thrilled for him because Eryk loved Ana, or at least she thought he did. He'd become so much more as a person because of Ana, and there was no doubt in Cyrilla's mind that Ana was good for Eryk. Much moreso than either of them deserved.
There were times when Cyrilla still felt like she wasn't good enough, but that would all fade away the moment she saw Kas and she just knew. She knew what it meant, the way her heart fluttered every time, the times where she felt breathless by just his mere presence. She was in love with him for everything he was. Kas was her best friend, the person who let her see who she could be and not be held back by old archaic rules and family. He made her a better person, and she loved him for it, would love him still even if he didn't feel the same way about her.
And they still hadn't talked about that night. It was strange how they'd shifted back into just teasing each other with their words and sometimes when they danced, but... she couldn't find the right opportunity to bring it up. It made things much more confusing than they needed to be, but Cyrilla couldn't quite work up the courage to talk to him about it. What she wanted more than anything was to know what he thought, what he felt. She wasn't going to pretend that she didn't know how she felt, but she didn't want to push him about it, either. If he viewed it as a passing thing, then maybe she should be content that they were at least still friends.
She missed sleeping in the same bed with him, though, and falling asleep to his light breathing and the way he'd hold her...
She sighed softly and pushed the thoughts that threatened to enter her mind, away. She was so far gone, wasn't she? She threw her right arm over her eyes, blocking any sort of light that threatened them until she felt a wet nose nudge her. “Not now, Diva. I'm still moping," she stated, earning a light huffing sound in response. The lycanroc moved Cyrilla's arm from where it was with one of her paws and stared at her.
“Fine, fine. I'll stop moping and get up," she stated, causing Diva to huff in a haughty manner. “Don't you make fun of me, I know that's what you're doing," Cyrilla muttered, but placed a hand in the tuff of fur at the top of Diva's head. The lycanroc released a satisfied huff before moving towards the makeshift bed in the corner of the living room where Noctis was currently sleeping. He grunted a bit when she forcibly placed her self on the other side, and curled up next to him.
“I swear you're horrible," but Diva would always have a special place in Cyrilla's heart. “Now, I should probably make breakfast before Kas comes back from his morning jog. I can think of what to do about Marah and her stupid scheme, later. Now... what to do about breakfast."
It was no secret that Kas ate a lot, but Cy didn't mind. If anything, she actually enjoyed cooking for him. There was just something about watching the way someone she loved enjoy the food she made. It made her feel all warm inside, and she furrowed her brows when she felt her cheeks flush. Once she was able to concentrate, she got to work making breakfast. Waffles, avocado toast, a bowl of dried fruits and berries, some bacon and scrambled eggs, and a smoothie were set out on the table.
“It's excessive isn't it," she stated to herself, shaking her head. Even she had to admit that she might have over cooked. “I guess I could save some and take it to Nev and Big Bro in a bit." That was, of course, assuming Kas didn't it eat all, first. She didn't mind either way.
Kas walked in the door right at the usual time—one thing it was easier to notice having lived with him for so long was that, in spite of his apparent laziness and disdain for work, he was actually pretty punctual. He just had his own schedule, and stuck with it rather than anyone else's. He had a short towel around his neck, his loose athletic tank damp around the neck and in a vee at his chest. He did a full circuit of the island even on the days Big Bro would probably make him do it again in training.
He did a short double-take when he saw breakfast on the table, and grinned at her. "I'm pretty sure you know this, but my birthday's not quite yet," he said, with obvious amusement. It was this month, but not so early in it. "Give me like… five minutes to shower and not be sweaty, and I'll be back out?"
“Yeah, yeah," she stated, making a slight shooing motion with her hands. “I'll reheat the sausage while you shower," she added. It wasn't like she cared if he was sweaty or not. As strange as it was, she liked the way he smelled...
No, no, we're not going there, Cy.
“Enjoy your bath, er, shower," she corrected and waved him off. She could at least make a pot of coffee or something. The sausages didn't need to be reheated, either, since they'd just finished when he walked in, but she'd said it anyway because, what? Because she was nervous? About what? What was there to be nervous about? This was just two friends about to eat breakfast together and probably make a plan on what to do for the next few weeks for the finals.
Marah didn't deserve any place in Cy's thoughts. She didn't want to think of the woman at all, actually. She sighed heavily, perhaps moreso than she should have, and grabbed three plates from the cupboard: two for Kas, one for her. She piled on the food she wanted, and set Kas's plates down so that they would be ready for him when he came back.
He returned, as promised, in about five minutes, freshly dressed and smelling like sandalwood shampoo, as he would considering his hair was still damp. He hummed a low tune under his breath as he piled his plates high, carrying them over to where she sat and settling across from her. "Thanks for all the food, Cy," he said, smiling over at her with narrowed eyes.
"Got me feeling all special." The wink he shot her was cheeky, to say the least, but the appreciation of the food was, she knew, quite genuine.
“Well you should because you are," she replied smoothly, fighting the flush that threatened her face. “Plus with all the training Big Bro has you doing, I figured I might as well start cooking you specialized diets to make sure you're eating properly. Can't have my favourite person dying of hunger or thirst or anything like that. Big Bro puts you all through hell so the least I can do is make sure you're fed." It almost felt like she was rambling now, and she wanted to roll her eyes at herself.
“Speaking of, though," she decided to bring the subject to another topic, one he'd brought up just a few minutes ago. “I know it's kind of a shitty thing with Marah being here this month, but do you want to do anything for your birthday? We can invite the others, too, if you want, or..." she trailed off, glancing down at her plate of food.
“It can just be the two of us if you'd like. Either way, it's up to you," she shoved a piece of pancake in her mouth so she wouldn't say anything else to embarrass herself further.
"Oh, am I hearing that I could get a date out of this?" Kas's grin widened a little. "I might have to reconsider how much I look forward to my birthday." He didn't push it, though, taking another bite of his food and chewing with gusto.
"Seriously though," he said once he'd swallowed, "no need. I figure we can just tack it on to the inevitable celebration once she's gone. I've never met her, and maybe if I'm lucky I won't, but it seems to be stressing you guys out a lot. Anything I can do to help?" He draws his glass close to him, studying her over the rim of it as he takes a drink.
Cyrilla chewed her food, giving her some time to contemplate his statement. “To be honest, I don't know. I would love it if you could help, but..." she paused, pursing her lips together. What could he do to help them? “She wants... she wants me to marry Eryk at the end of this month, but as you know, we're not doing that," she began, furrowing her brows. “We both decided that we wanted different things, and that I didn't want to be tied back to the family, so we called it quits."
“But Marah saw that newspaper with him and Ana on it, and she's going to get suspicious if we don't do something. I'm not marrying Eryk, and it's stupid as hell to think that she can force either him or myself to do it." It made her angry to think that Marah thought she had that kind of control over the both of them.
“It's just..." Marah wouldn't stop. “If we don't go through with it, she won't have any resistance getting our engagement formally annulled, and she'll try to get Katia to marry Ryk. It's archaic to even think of that, now, and... ugh," she groaned, closing her eyes momentarily. All of it was frustrating to think about.
Kas furrowed his brow. "Sounds like a pain," he said slowly. "More than a pain, honestly." He set his glass back down, getting to work on the avocado toast almost contemplatively.
"What about you?" he asked. "Any chance you take backlash from this, too?"
“Probably," she answered, sitting back in her chair and pushing the eggs around with her fork. “It's been a year or so since Aidan officially adopted me as his little sister, but I'm almost certain that my parents will try something else to get me back. They'll likely try to force me to marry Eryk since their status would elevate from the branch family to the main house. If they can't have Eryk, chances are they'll try second-best."
“Not that they could force me to do anything, anyway, but they'll try." And they will try their damnedest. She sighed softly and offered a small smile. “Even if they do try, at least I won't have to face them alone," she stated, feeling relieved by that. “I've never really had anyone take my side or fight for me to get out as hard as Eryk did, and... well, all of you, really. I'm really glad I have you in my life, all of you. I don't... honestly, I don't think I'd have been able to resist this if I didn't."
Cyrilla was positive she'd give in to their demands and go through with something she'd regret for the rest of her life.
Kas considered this for a bit longer, then nodded slightly. "I guess it'd be more convenient if you two were already married to other people," he noted, "but if you have other ways of resisting them nonetheless, that's good. I'm glad you're willing to fight it, Cy. I know this is obvious, but… it's not right, the way they try to control your lives like that. Neither of you deserve it."
“Thanks Kas," she stated, offering him a small smile. “You're right, though. It'd be more convenient if we were already married to other people, but I don't think Eryk would do something like that. He wouldn't marry Ana just because of Marah, and I'm almost certain he wouldn't want to bring her into the family, either. He loves her that much to not want that for her, but... well, we shouldn't be making decisions for other people."
“As for me, well, I couldn't really marry just anyone for obvious reasons," she stated, winking in his direction in a slightly playful manner to change the atmosphere a bit. It was suffocating thinking about that woman and what she was trying to do. Kas was right, though, neither she nor Ryk deserved what their family was trying to do.
“I'll promise you this," she started, leaning forward so she could rest on one of her hands, “If it becomes too much and we can't figure something out, I'll come to you for help, deal?" She reached towards him with her pinky finger extended.
He chuckled, reaching forward with his own hand and winding his little finger around hers. Even this part of him was so much larger than hers, and slightly roughened from what must have been his life before. She knew he sometimes worked out on sandbags with only minimal handwraps, so that might be it, too.
"Sounds like a deal to me."
July 9th
Cinnabar Back Island - Dusk - Clear
Cyrilla Klein
Cyrilla threw back the drink a lot quicker than she had intended to, choking a bit as it burned on its way down. Diva placed a heavy paw on Cyrilla's back almost as if she were trying to console her somehow, but there wasn't much the lycanroc could do. Currently, Cy was at the one place Marah didn't know about, the one place she felt safe. She needed some place quiet to collect her thoughts and to stave off the anxiety she was currently feeling.
“It's not fair," she mused out loud, earning a soft huff from Zero as she leaned back against the arcanine. “It's not," she repeated, taking a steady breath. Marah really couldn't leave well-enough alone. Somehow, she'd managed to convince Cyrilla's parents to give her dowry to one of the other Koga members. He wasn't Eryk, who was Koga's direct grandson, however; he was still a member of the main branch. Archaic as it was, that meant that she was going to have to marry someone she didn't know.
Someone she didn't love, and someone who was in the family.
“I tried so hard to get out of it," she murmured softly, pulling her legs to her chest. After everything she did, they had somehow managed to reel her back in.
You'll always be part of this family.
To anyone else, those words might have been comforting to hear, but to Cyrilla, it was the complete opposite. There was no comfort, no warmth or love behind the meaning of those words. It meant that she would always be chained to them no matter what she did. No matter where she went or who she became. The Koga had members just about everywhere, and Cyrilla knew that Marah would do everything in her power just to keep Cy from marrying Eryk.
“I'm not even marrying him, and still," she paused when she felt something wet on her cheek. Diva whined softly, raising a paw to Cyrilla's face as if to wipe the moisture away. The gesture was enough to cause Cyrilla's train of thought to disperse as she shook her head. “Today sucks," she stated, earning a slightly amused huff from Diva.
“I need a drinking partner," she said as she reached for her phone. She hesitated for a moment. What if he was busy? What if he was doing something else and didn't want to? After all, things were still a little awkward between the two of them, but...
“Fuck it," she could dwell on that on another time. She sent Kas a text, silently hoping he'd be able to join her.
She received a return text within moments, and after that the minutes ticked by slowly, the sky overhead darkening as night began to settle.
Kas showed up about half an hour later with a paper bag and a weary smile, setting down next to her and reaching back to pat Zero before crossing his legs under him and setting the bag down on the sand in front of him. It proved to, of course, contain more alcohol and mixer options, as well as recyclable plastic cups.
"Rough day?" he asked, pouring himself a liberal amount of tequila and adding some pineapple juice and ice to it, mixing the whole thing with a straw before tipping his head back to take a long drink.
She offered a small smile before shrugging. “I'm not sure if rough is the right word," she stated, reaching for one of the plastic cups and pouring herself a drink. She didn't bother mixing it nor seeing which one it was. She filled the cup, put it to her mouth, and chugged it as best as she could. She regretted it almost instantly, but endured it until it was gone.
“I ran into Marah today," she began, leaning back a little further against Zero's side. She was grateful for the warmth he provided, even if it was already a warm day. Something about it just felt nice. “What about you?" she asked, glancing sideways in Kas's direction.
“You look like you've had an equally rough day. Did Big Bro run the both of you ragged?" She wasn't trying to divert the conversation away from Marah, but she wasn't sure if she should bring it up just yet. Maybe she should since the two of them were still, technically, sober?
"Oof." Kas placed a hand to his heart, as if he'd been wounded. "Way to deal a direct hit to a guy's ego, Cy." He grinned, though, so if there had been any ego damage involved in saying he looked like he'd had a rough day, it was probably minimal. His confidence did seem pretty resilient that way. It made her chuckle, though.
"Work wasn't so bad. It's just busy enough at the moment that anything I want to do with Nora has to be on my own hours, and I'd really prefer to get that contraption off her head sooner rather than later, you know?" He downed the remainder of his drink and poured another, just a doubleshot of tequila this time, it seemed.
"But anyway. Encounter with your would-be mother in law from hell. Sounds like a blast." Kas rolled his eyes, then shook his head and regarded her a little more seriously. "You okay?"
“No," she answered truthfully. How could she be when Marah basically told her that she was going to marry someone and have no say in it? It wasn't fair that those people could dictate her life this way. What gave them the right? They never liked her to begin with, and neither did her parents. They had only seen her as a means to a gain, but now... Cyrilla was among people who did.
She found people who liked her, and loved her in a way she never thought she could be. It was warm, comforting, and... beyond words to describe. She wanted to be with these people, to make them her true family. She knew Ryk wanted the same thing, and they were trying so, so hard.
“Marah... she ruins everything," she began, her voice low and softer than she was used to. “She convinced my parents to give my dowry to someone else in the main branch. Because of that, it basically means," she paused to suck in a sharp breath. “It basically means they've sold me to someone else, and I don't have much of a choice in the matter."
The Koga were everywhere. Even if she didn't want to marry the man they'd supposedly chosen for her, they would make it very difficult for her if she tried to avoid or fight it. They would either forge her signature, or... she didn't want to think about it.
“I don't know what to do, Kas. I'm trying... I'm trying everything I can and yet," she couldn't finish the sentence. She tilted her head back to blink away the tears that were threatening to fall, and took a steady breath. Why couldn't they just leave her alone? It wasn't like she wanted to be born in that family.
He had to process that for a moment, his brows knitting as an uncomfortable expression flitted over his face. Like he had to remember what a dowry even was, and didn't like the recollection. Which was fair, for someone whose family lived in the modern century.
"Fuck's sake," he murmured, a note of disbelief in his tone. It wasn't that he didn't believe her, though, because of course he did. She could see that in the way he looked at her. Not pity, exactly—Kas wasn't the kind of man who pitied people, that she'd seen. But there was definitely sympathy in it, along with a curious, underlying something that looked like anger, a strange heat in the expression she couldn't quite place.
Kas swallowed. "I'm sorry, Cy," he said softly. "Do you—do you want a hug?"
“Please?" she stated, immediately moving towards him and wrapping her arms around him as best as she could. What she needed right now, more than anything, was this hug. It would, she hoped, calm her thoughts and help her process the situation with more clarity.
“Why couldn't I have had a family like yours," she almost jested, but part of her was serious. It wasn't perfect, from what she could recall him telling her about it, but it wasn't them. It wasn't the Koga, and at this point, Cy was willing to believe any family was better than that.
"Hey, let me know if this isn't okay, but—" Kas shifted his arms a bit and lifted her, twisting so she was more or less settled sideways over his folded legs. He'd done this before, and it could definitely be a sexual thing, but it didn't seem that way this time. Honestly from the way his grip changed back again, it seemed like he just wanted to be able to hug her better, and indeed he let out a long sigh when they were both more or less still again, arms still wrapped around her back and his chin atop her head.
It was quiet for a moment, and then she felt his posture stiffen slightly. "Uh. Hm." He hummed, almost as if to himself, the fingers of one hand drawing nonsense patterns where his hand landed on her arm on that side. "So… I just—never mind, that's dumb even for me."
“Kas, you're the smartest guy I know," Cy began, sighing softly as she squeezed her arms a bit around him. “If you have anything, any kind of suggestions that might help, I'd really appreciate it," because at this point, she was willing to do anything to get out of this game Marah was playing.
"Well it's just…" He pursed his lips, one hand moving up and down her back as if automatically. "I can't help but think boss had the right idea, just… not quite far enough. Your adopted brother doesn't really have a say in your marriage but, uh… I can think of one family member who definitely would."
She pulled back far enough so she could look up at him, arching her brow in a confused manner. “Ryk?" she stated more than questioned, really. Eryk was technically part of her family, but she didn't know how much say he actually had in her marriage. He might be the next heir, but even so, she didn't think there was much he could do. He would try, because that's who Eryk was, but... well, there was only so much he could do without outright marrying her.
And even if she was against marrying whoever her family picked, she wouldn't do that to Ryk.
Couldn't.
“I'm not sure if he has any real say," she murmured, furrowing her brows slightly.
"Not exactly what I had in mind, no," he replied, an edge of humor creeping into his tone. It disappeared quickly, though, and Kasimir frowned. "I meant… well, there's one kind of legal protection I can think of that they can't really do anything about. Specifically, if you were, uh…" He trailed off.
It wasn't often that Kas was awkward about anything. He was the kind of person who could breezily talk about things that would trip the average person up more than a little. But he was definitely awkward now.
"If you were already married. Bigamy's illegal, see. And uh… both parties have to sign off on a divorce, so uh—supposing the person you were married to wasn't the kind to fold to pressure, you'd be, well, shielded, in a way." He laughed, the sound faintly strained.
"So… if you can't think of anything else, you could always. Y'know. Marry me instead."
“Wait, really?" she stated in a slightly shocked manner. It wasn't that she was repulsed by the suggestion, she just... well, she didn't think that that would have been a suggestion or solution she would have thought of herself. She could understand now why people said that awkward was contagious. She was certainly feeling it right now.
If she were in a right state of mind, she would have agreed readily enough. She would say they should do it now just to get Marah off her, at least, even if that meant Marah would be taking her frustrations out on someone else. Ryk could handle it, Cyrilla knew, and she also knew that he wouldn't let any harm come to Ana. Big Bro was definitely capable of handling himself, but she wasn't so sure about Nev.
The real problem here was Cyrilla's damn heart. Marrying Kas meant marrying the person she loved for a reason that wasn't traditional, or at least in the sense that most people married for. She wasn't a sentimental person, of course. Cyrilla never really dreamed of her wedding day like most young girls did simply because it wouldn't have been the sort of occasion to look forward to. Hers was, if anything, a forced marriage, however; Kas was giving her another option, something better.
She could marry him and she would still be free. She wouldn't be going back to the family, and she knew Kas wouldn't do anything to make her feel uncomfortable or anything of that sort. Unlike that family, Cyrilla knew Kas respected her. But was that really okay? Was it really fine to marry him simply so she wouldn't have to marry someone else?
“It... it wouldn't be permanent," she stated, lowering her head to avoid his gaze for a moment. “It would just be long enough to keep Marah and the rest of them away. I just... is it..." she couldn't seem to form the words right, and she furrowed her brows before letting a small smile cross her face.
“Thanks, Kas. Give me a few days? To see if there's nothing else? I mean... I hope that doesn't sound like I wouldn't want to marry you. You're my best friend so of course I would, but... it's just," she didn't want to make it seem like a last resort.
Awkward really was contagious, and she was feeling it very keenly now.
It was hard to tell, because of the dark as well as his complexion, but she thought maybe Kas was actually a tad red in the face. "Yeah, uh… not a problem, obviously." He chuckled; it sounded a little strained. "Sort of a lot to hit someone with out of nowhere, so don't feel like… obligated. It's an option there if it… if it would help. That's—that's all I'm trying to do here, Cy. Help however I can, so… yeah. You won't offend me if you decide to go with something else, you know?"
“Thanks, Kas," she replied, leaning so that she could hide her face a bit. He wasn't the only one with a bit of red on their face, but she was, for the first time this month, happy. She didn't feel so strained or stressed about this... whatever it was Marah was trying to do.
Cyrilla had help, and that was more than she could ever ask for.
RPG
