"I’m content in my corner of the city," Aurie shakes her head. "While I am passable with the politics, I never wanted to rule." She wraps an arm around MK’s shoulders. "I’m proud of you, though.”

M.K didn’t say anything, just curled into Aurie’s side and held onto her hand. At least one of them was.

Aurie tucks her chin on top of MK’s head and closes her eyes. “What’s been eating at you, sweetheart? There’s something you haven’t been saying this entire time.”

"I'm just... I feel wrong," M.K said quietly. "Like I'm only half-awake. I can't leave my bed sometimes, and when I do, I don't leave the castle. Nod and Tess have their own lives to live, and they're around when they can be, but the rest of the time is just..." M.K screwed her eyes closed, curling up more. "I'm lonely," she whispered, like she was ashamed.

Aurie strokes MK’s hair. “Thank you, I do appreciate it.” She tugs MK’s hair gently to get MK to look at her. “But you also discuss sensitive material a lot,” she teases, “and I don’t have the clearance for that.”

M.K rolled her eyes, smiling. “Please, out of the two of us, you deserve to know more,” she said. “You actually live in Moonhaven! I just… watch.”

"I’m content in my corner of the city," Aurie shakes her head. "While I am passable with the politics, I never wanted to rule." She wraps an arm around MK’s shoulders. "I’m proud of you, though.”

M.K didn't say anything, just curled into Aurie's side and held onto her hand. At least one of them was.

"I have," Aurie says, thinking back to that conversation. "He told me it wasn’t the same, that he knows when to stop. And perhaps he’s right, I do work too hard, but…I cannot abide the alternative. My work habits are what they are because I can’t not be working while I’m alone, and I’m alone a lot."

Looking up at Aurie, M.K frowned. They were in very similar positions, though Nod had never pulled the kind of things Ronin was. “My door’s always open,” M.K said shyly, looking down at her lap as she pulled on her hair. “I mean, if you just want to be around someone.”

Aurie strokes MK’s hair. “Thank you, I do appreciate it.” She tugs MK’s hair gently to get MK to look at her. “But you also discuss sensitive material a lot,” she teases, “and I don’t have the clearance for that.”

M.K rolled her eyes, smiling. "Please, out of the two of us, you deserve to know more," she said. "You actually live in Moonhaven! I just... watch."

"I’m just not," Aurie bites her lip. "He wants to take care of me, and while I’m not against being taken care of in theory, he has all these beliefs that I should change—my eating patterns, my sleeping patterns, even how hard I work. Yet he does all of these things as well, and it seems like a dreadful double standard."

M.K’s pulled a face. “That is very true,” she agreed. “This is gonna sound dumb, but have you told him how you feel about this?”

"I have," Aurie says, thinking back to that conversation. "He told me it wasn’t the same, that he knows when to stop. And perhaps he’s right, I do work too hard, but…I cannot abide the alternative. My work habits are what they are because I can’t not be working while I’m alone, and I’m alone a lot."

Looking up at Aurie, M.K frowned. They were in very similar positions, though Nod had never pulled the kind of things Ronin was. "My door's always open," M.K said shyly, looking down at her lap as she pulled on her hair. "I mean, if you just want to be around someone."

"He is…well, he’s finally returned and supposedly for good," she can’t keep the doubt out of her voice and she doesn’t know if she wants to, "and he took off a few weeks to spend with me. To show me that he truly cares." She sighs. "But he gave up his power to the Council, and the Council’s never going to give it back to him. He tells me he won’t resent me in time for choosing me over being General but…he didn’t even ask me. I’m not ready to stop working, even if I’m getting ready to leave the weaving halls, and it doesn’t ring well of our future…liaisons if he doesn’t bother to talk to me first.”

M.K leaned her head against Aurie’s shoulder, frowning. “I can probably deal with the Council,” she reassured, “but I understand what you’re concerned about. That wasn’t a very smart move on his part. If I may add, he’s done this before to me,” she said quietly. “So it’s more of a ‘Ronin’ thing then a ‘Ronin with you’ thing. Doesn’t make it less of an issue, though.”

"I’m just not," Aurie bites her lip. "He wants to take care of me, and while I’m not against being taken care of in theory, he has all these beliefs that I should change—my eating patterns, my sleeping patterns, even how hard I work. Yet he does all of these things as well, and it seems like a dreadful double standard."

M.K's pulled a face. "That is very true," she agreed. "This is gonna sound dumb, but have you told him how you feel about this?"

"I will say they at least had their clothes on," Aurie says dryly. She squeezes MK’s hands again. "Nod’s mentioned that due to Boggan attacks, Captain Shaydon has requested you stay in the palace. I believe that’s wise." Aurie sighs. "It’s strange to get more information from Nod than from Ronin. I suppose Nod trusts me more."

M.K sighed, scooting closer to Aurie so that they were sitting side by side. She didn’t know how to broach the topic that it wasn’t just Shaydon’s request that made her want to stay inside, so she latched onto Aurie’s last sentence instead. “How are things with you and Ronin?” she asked. “I mean, we don’t have to talk about it, but you make it sound like something’s up.”

"He is…well, he’s finally returned and supposedly for good," she can’t keep the doubt out of her voice and she doesn’t know if she wants to, "and he took off a few weeks to spend with me. To show me that he truly cares." She sighs. "But he gave up his power to the Council, and the Council’s never going to give it back to him. He tells me he won’t resent me in time for choosing me over being General but…he didn’t even ask me. I’m not ready to stop working, even if I’m getting ready to leave the weaving halls, and it doesn’t ring well of our future…liaisons if he doesn’t bother to talk to me first.”

M.K leaned her head against Aurie's shoulder, frowning. "I can probably deal with the Council," she reassured, "but I understand what you're concerned about. That wasn't a very smart move on his part. If I may add, he's done this before to me," she said quietly. "So it's more of a 'Ronin' thing then a 'Ronin with you' thing. Doesn't make it less of an issue, though."

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bad blood | closed

"Well excuse me for not being used to having friends with heat vision," M.K said with a chuckle, putting the extra soda back in the fridge. The microwave dinged and M.K grabbed her pizza, moving over to join Katherine by the counter.

"But you have me now," Katherine says with an open smile. "And that’s good. So, you excited about anything coming up for this school year? To read and study—I love that, I was studying science on Krypton before…everything."

M.K shrugged, chewing on her pizza before speaking. "It's just core classes this semester, but to be fair I'm majoring in publishing, so it's not super interesting."

Aurie reaches forward and squeezes MK’s hands. “It’s all right,” she says. “I was not aware that Nod could love another person at the same time the way he loves you, but I’m not disappointed or angry.” She smiles brightly. “I’m happy for the three of you, I think you will all do very well together. I’ve met Tess, you know. I’m fond of her.”

M.K squeezed Aurie’s hands back, smiling shyly. “I’m glad you like her, and I’m sorry you had to find out like that,” she said. “I wouldn’t know how to bring it up, and I haven’t really been… out,” M.K said with a grimace.

"I will say they at least had their clothes on," Aurie says dryly. She squeezes MK’s hands again. "Nod’s mentioned that due to Boggan attacks, Captain Shaydon has requested you stay in the palace. I believe that’s wise." Aurie sighs. "It’s strange to get more information from Nod than from Ronin. I suppose Nod trusts me more."

M.K sighed, scooting closer to Aurie so that they were sitting side by side. She didn't know how to broach the topic that it wasn't just Shaydon's request that made her want to stay inside, so she latched onto Aurie's last sentence instead. "How are things with you and Ronin?" she asked. "I mean, we don't have to talk about it, but you make it sound like something's up."

bad blood | closed

M.K followed after Katherine, smiling. “Sounds like a plan,” she said. She might sneak in another shower, if just to get the sweat off her body.

She grabbed two plates from the cupboard, setting two slices on each plate. After putting her pizza in the microwave for a minute, M.K pulled out two cans of soda. “You want some?” she asked, holding one can out towards Katherine.

Katherine shakes her head. “You know, I could’ve heated up your pizza with my heat vision,” she teases as she props herself up onto the counter. “No need to fuss with a microwave. It can make reheating take-out—the only type of cooking Seraphina does—very easy.”

"Well excuse me for not being used to having friends with heat vision," M.K said with a chuckle, putting the extra soda back in the fridge. The microwave dinged and M.K grabbed her pizza, moving over to join Katherine by the counter.