You cannot find peace by avoiding life
-Virginia Woolf
Inside Zyran Palace, The Floating Kingdom of Zephyr, Northern Ardeneon.
May 5
Delarune had injected Skai with the solution the previous day, he said that she would wake up...that was a given, the time frame though? about 36 hours—give or take. It's 3AM now and Dexter couldn't sleep for the love of anything.
Suzumi also couldn't sleep. She had blended in quite easily and quickly, although she seemed to prefer staying by herself, which the others had no problem with, she was always either drawing, painting or playing with little Seraphinius.
Nyxia had been going to school, so they didn't get to see her often. Dexter was the most thankful for that.
He steps out of his room, shocked to be faced with Suzumi stepping out of hers too. "What are you doing?" he asks, and she turns to face him. "Fresh air?" she pauses before asking "You?"
"Fresh air" he tells her.
....
"Do you think they have reeze anywhere here?" Suzumi asks sitting up from the grass they were laying on side by side in the garden.
"You drink?" Dexter asks confused "How old are you?"
She huffs falling back to the ground.
"Problem?" he lifts a brow then she rolls on her side to face him.
"Yes, you're asking too many questions" she rolls her eyes.
"See you act all tough, but I know deep down there's more to you than you let on" he turns on his side and she yawns in mockery.
"Wow that's so wild" she responds with a blank face and a monotonous voice.
"Why did you choose to join us?" Dexter asks and her gaze shifts to the grass quietly.
"Fine, I'll just ask Elijah" Dexter sighs falling back to the ground.
"He won't tell a soul" She falls back down beside him, "Now about that reeze"
She was right, Dexter had pestered Elijah time and time again, but all Elijah kept saying was "Don't think too much about it" "It's not my place to tell"
Dexter's eyes shift to her again for a short while. 'Who exactly are you Suzumi Mako?' He wonders.
"Stop it Bardo" she mutters taking her glasses off and closing her eyes.
"Stop what?" he asks.
"Assessing me, it's creepy"
"Wanna go find reeze in the cellar?" he asks her and for the first time since they met, her eyes light up.
.....
"You can't see, can you?" Dexter asks as she poured from the bottle into glass cups for them.
"How do you know?" She asks bluntly, gulping down her entire glass and pouring in more.
"Lucky guess" he shrugs taking a sip from his glass, and putting the glass back down, looking at Suzumi concerningly. It was strong stuff. "Do the glasses help?" Dexter asks trying to keep the conversation going.
"Not really" she answers "I'm not blind, my vision is just weird, I see in lines, there is no structure to the lines, and everything moves either too slow or too fast" she starts to slur, and Dexter puts his glass down deciding one of them had to be sober. She continues explaining "The glasses add structure to my vision but no color" she looks up at him "I don't know how you look; everything is different shades of grey, black and white" she frowns drinking more and Dexter takes the glass from her.
"You should go to bed" he heaves out a sigh in sympathy.
"My brother says that I see things like a fashion designer's rough sketch" she giggles "That's fun to think about" She reaches for the glass, and he tuts taking it away. She was like a little kid.
"He's blind too?" Dexter asks. Jumping down from the counter he was sat on and reaching out to steady her.
"No, he sees fine, he's lucky. he made my glasses, he works with the unimaginable, what earthlings call science, here we don't really believe in science, but my brother does" she yawns.
"Yeah we better get you to bed" Dexter sighs helping her count her steps all the way to the room princess Lethia offered her, was King Khalil okay with this? No but he'd do anything for princess Lethia. Suzumi had stopped rambling about her brother and was now mostly muttering incoherent curses at Dexter for not listening to her stories, it was quite amusing.
Meanwhile, Skai had woken up. She stared out the window, counting the stars trying to gather the strength she needed to get up, Seraphinius had been keeping her company since what happened, he said she was shot but she couldn't remember that, last thing she remembered was crying to princess Lethia and going to sleep, she'd been fighting to wake up day after day but it was all useless, She could hear people coming sometimes, when she was awake, she could hear her dad, she was glad he came hearing she nearly died, she could hear River, Emily, Elijah...but for the longest time, she didn't hear Dexter.
She tried to blame it on her sleep, maybe her mind was asleep when he came, that had to be the case right? She had to believe it, believe that he wouldn't leave her like that, he promised.
Finally gathering enough energy to sit up, she crawls out of the bed feeling the ickiest she had felt in forever. the need to take a long bath stirring intensely inside her.
In the hallway, Dexter closes the door behind him after tucking Suzumi in. Yes, he had to tuck her in, she kept flipping him off and cursing at him for not doing so. As soon as the door clicks shut he hears another door click as well, his eyes instantly shoot at the door. River.
"What are you doing?" he asks groggily.
"Going to Skai's room" Dexter clears his throat walking towards Skai's room which was next to River's room.
"Uh, your room is there" he points to the room opposite his and Dexter nods as soon as he gets face to face with him "That is where the pale girl is sleeping" he lifts a brow.
"Pale girl?" Dexter scoffs "You're pale too River"
"I can't remember her name" he shrugs but Dexter could see anger threatening its way onto River's face.
"Yes, that's where Suzumi sleeps, and nothing happened, we crossed each other's path when we came out for fresh air, and she ended up getting drunk, so I had to take her to her bed" Dexter quickly explains, and River's face softens immediately.
"I should have a lot of questions but it's you" River sighs dismissively "I'm going to Skai's room too" he tells Dexter and Dexter nods. They both make their way into Skai's room, and nothing could have prepared Dexter for what he saw.
Skai walking to the bed in nothing but a towel, a really small towel. River's hands immediately flew over Dexter's eyes. Dexter had seen her in less but he didn't say that.
"Skai" River breathes out "You're up, we'll uh- give you time to get dressed" River pushes Dexter out of the room after that.
"Weirdos" Skai mumbles to herself as they leave.
She quickly gets dressed and opens the door to see them both sitting on either side of the wall by her door.
"What time is it?" She asks no one in particular "And where is my watch?"
"5AM" River answers "And your watch is right here he waves his right wrist up as he stands to his feet; Dexter follows suit quietly.
"S-" Before she could complete even a word out of her sentence River pulls her to his chest squeezing the life out of her.
"I missed you" he whimpers out sniffing.
"Aww Riv" she mumbles into his chest "Can't breathe"
"Oh sorry" he sputters releasing her "Sorry bubblehead" he ruffles her already messy hair, stepping back.
"Don't be weird" she rolls her eyes playfully looking up at him, then her brother's eyes move to Dexter. He was already looking at her...longingly.
"I really don't want to let you go, but I think you two are gonna want to talk" he wipes his tears away slowly stepping out the door. "Keep it PG" he points his hands accusingly at both of them and she chuckles, but Dexter doesn't, his face is void of any emotion.
"Are you okay?..." he trails off.
"Are you?" Skai asks and a tear slips from his eye, he slowly wraps his arms around her, melting into his embrace "You didn't show up" she manages to choke out.
"I'm sorry, Skai" he cries. "I'm sorry"
"Why?" she asks pulling away from him.
"Let's sit down, you're wobbling" he holds her shoulders straight to stabilize her, she didn't even notice her supposed wobble.
"I did come" he confesses after they sit down. "At first I didn't and I'm sorry...I was... scared"
"Scared?"
"Scared" he confirms "It's a bad excuse and I don't even deserve to make one" he breathes out "But Skai, I was scared."
She tries to refrain from clinging onto him, the truth is she misses him, but she couldn't tell if he missed her.
"I was the one in a coma Dex"
"Dammit Skai" he sucks in a sharp breath "I was scared of losing you, I was scared that I would have to let you go, so I figured it would be better if I didn't hold on in the first place, and I know it sound selfish, I know it sounds stupid and foolish, but I promise you Skai, I came to my senses" He falls to the floor in front of her, Taking her hand in his "I'm not letting you go anymore, I promise."
"Dexter stand up" she sighs, partly confused, and partly touched. She didn't want him to have to burden himself with thoughts like that, but he wasn't there, when she needed him the most he left her. She didn't know a lot of things, but she did know that you don't do that to people you love. "Please excuse me."
His eyes meet hers like something broke inside them, with a curt nod, he gets up and leaves the room, as soon as he shuts the door, she lets the tears fall.
"Hey, hey" River's voice coming from beside her makes her jump, she didn't notice he was there "It's okay, it's just me" he assures her "What's wrong?"
"I had to" she sniffs looking him in the eyes, he nods wrapping his arm around her letting her cry.
.....
"And that's how we met Suzumi" River finishes off, he had been telling Skai stories of what happened when she left, River is terrible at telling stories, so it was really all over the place.
"And Suzumi is here?" Skai asks cautiously.
"Yup"
"Why?" she asks "I mean, I'm grateful that she helped me, but it doesn't add up...even for me"
"I don't know, Elijah won't tell us, he was the one that spoke to her not us" he shrugs playing with her curls. "Your hair is a mess Skai"
"Trust me, I know" Skai breathes out "That's a later problem"
"Alright" he trails off in uncertainty.
"What?" she asks
"Uh- it's nothing...it's nothing" he shakes it off.
"Uh uh... that sounds like something" Skai gets up from his chest turning to look at him.
"It's just" he pauses in thought. "What happened between you and Dexter?" he asks "This is the first time you're being careful with a guy; you're not jumping into anything. I know you kind of explained why before but this seems different. do you not like him?"
Skai sighs, completely lost for words. She does like him, but with Dexter she found it different, she didn't want to make mistakes, she thought the sooner they start, the sooner they'd end, with Dexter she wanted something more, she didn't want to be easy anymore, she didn't want to be devalued again...and a part of her knows Dexter is not like that, he feels different, but another part of her says they're all the same and it was hard for her to fight that part off.
"It's complicated" she tells her brother instead.
"You're still scared?" he asks.
"No" she shakes her head "Just cautious, what if it doesn't work out, I'll lose our friendship" she shrugs, and River sits up as well.
"That's called fear bubblehead" he chuckles. "Look, I know I wasn't always for you and Dexter being together but while you were out... Dexter was a complete mess, when he got out of the mess he was in, he did everything, and I mean everything in his power to get you back"
"The dude is gone when it comes to you" He chuckles.
"I have to think about it, right now we need to focus on opening the portal" Skai reminds him "Saving the world, remember?" she tries to change the topic.
"Oh damn, I forgot about that" he runs his fingers through his hair "We better get some sleep, I'll help you with your hair when we wake up"
she beams at him "Okay Riv!"
....
Dexter sat outside her door, waiting...again, like he did all those nights when he couldn't bear to see her, when he was afraid. He knew he messed up, but he couldn't help but question who was really right.
He had been stopping himself from asking that question but who is right doesn't matter. What matters right now is how to fix it.
If he could fix it.