You're kin after all

Whenever feasible, one should always try to eat the rude.

He got slowly used to the heat, even though he had to change almost all of his wardrobe. Now, clad with lighter clothes and not the dark colors of Raveryn, the heat was pretty appealing. Maybe he could make a living out of this. It was still a weird feeling, getting married into another strong magical family, leaving his home behind and basically starting a new life. Yet, his family could never be far away. When he had his first meeting with his future wife, he had seen a glimpse of something that had confused him. A Rizal. Here, in Xaila. This was one of the last places where he had expected someone from his family. It hadn’t been long before he had figured out that it had to be Zuhayr, the child from another union between the Rizal and Zinyra family. The boy was family, although not one that was much in their company. He had trained in Raveryn, as far as Mortem knew, but he hadn’t spoken much with him at that time. And now, he was a guest in his home country. So, it was only in good favor to find and speak with his kin, right? He asked for someone to send a message to his kin, hoping that he would like to join him for some coffee. Another thing he started to like here.

❝ A masterpiece of tragedy, turning even stars into dust. ❞

Coffee with a Rizal. Coffee with a... Rizal.

Oh Xeion. He had received the letter and immediately felt his heart sink in his chest, the tight feeling around his neck became more apparent as he continued to read it... But it was quite clear. A simple invitation to the Zinyra estate where Mortem Rizal was staying at. He... had been to the Zinyra's quite a bit as of recently, visiting some of his mothers side of the family. So he knew his way. It was more or less the realization that he had to meet someone new, that made him feel oh so anxious. But these were the things that would get him through this, as his mother would say. He was deeply saddened by the fact that she wasn't here right now. She was still on her trip to Lemuria, together with his father... And even though it had only been a couple of days, he already missed them very dearly. Perhaps it would have been a better idea to come with them. No... No, that would have ruined their trip. Oh Xeion why was he like this?

He sighed, getting himself ready as he let the messenger now to simply send out conformation. Just simple clothing was enough, he thought to himself. Covering up as much skin as possible to protect himself. As he finished himself up by decorating himself with some golden accessories, he went on his way. Still having the instructions of his mother in one hand, he found his way through a crowd more swiftly then last time. Although his focus had been more on the walls, the sky... Or the floor. Avoiding every person he got on his vision, it was almost a skill on its own to go like this through crowds. And before he knew it, he was there. He let out a deep, long sigh, as if a thousand weights had been lifted off his shoulders, before knocking on the door.

A maid answered right away, recognizing him immediately as he had recently visited his aunt Naheara. He was a bit confused as of why a Rizal was even here in Xaila, let alone in the Zinyra estate. Was he someone who was about to be wed off to a Zinyra? Arranged marriages and all that. He never understood them and his parents had always sheltered those demands from him. As they both got forced into theirs, it had been pure luck that they actually fell in love some years after they had him. But they were aware that that kind of luck wasn't for everyone. And with his condition... or well say, magic, love and intimacy was most likely never going to be an option. That fact alone saddened him a lot. He had read so much about love, about desire and about caring. And even though he had written about romance and all that several times, he was yet to experience anything...

He lifted his gaze as he was let inside, nodding towards the maid. He slowly took off some of the cloth he was wearing, as inside the sunlight couldn't burn him. There was no reason for him to wear several layers of clothing. The maid held out her hand and for a moment Zuhayr stared at her... Wha- Oh. He smiled awkwardly before handing her the cloths. Right. Maids. He wasn't used to them... She smiled back, nodding before inviting him to come in and follow her to the room where mister Mortem Rizal would be awaiting him. He sighed silently as he nodded, swiftly following in her footprints.

He felt so nervous, so scared, when he was let in the room. His posture that of a child that knew that it was about to get punished. Even though he could barely remember the names of the people he met in Ravaryn, everyone knew that a Rizal... Was a Rizal. Born and raised, he wasn't sure of this Mortem had been part of his studies... And if so felt disappointed in his abilities. Surely it didn't get out that he tried to change his last name back once... Right? He kept his gaze on the floor as he nodded simply. Feeling way too weak in the presence of a Rizal. He didn't feel like a diviner, so he didn't feel like he was on his level, let alone as if he was family. He was nothing like the man, he was nothing like the Rizals. He simply carried their name... and not even with pride. He really longed for the days where he would get his old name back. Zuhayr Zinyra. His birthname, before faith decided that it must be changed. "Sir... uhm... Rizal," Addressing people by their last name was more polite right? Wait but he was a Rizal too by that knowledge. "I mean sir Mortem Rizal," better... Maybe? "To what do I uhm owe the invitation...?" how do you address someone of higher status again? "Your... Lord.... Ness?" That wasn't a word idiot.

Whenever feasible, one should always try to eat the rude.

Fascinated Mort looked around. There were so many new things for him to discover, to read about, to study. It was like a whole new world had opened to him. And he had only dipped his toes in for now. He enjoyed the freedom he had, at least until the wedding. Soon he had to be discussing the preparations for that with his bride-to-be. But for now, he had taken time to meet an unknown member of his family. Kin, although one he didn’t know. And Mortem didn’t like not knowing. The moment the boy stepped in the room, his pale gray eyes focused on him, a smile on his face. He let the boy speak, it sounded clumsy like he was trying too hard to be formal enough. With a soft chuckle, Mortem held up a hand. ”It’s alright. You can call me Mortem, or Mort, if you like.” He gestured that he was welcome to sit with him, while he waited for his coffee. ”They will bring some coffee, did you want any?” He asked nicely, hoping that he wasn’t scaring the young man. ”And why did I invite you? Because we’re family, and because I’m saddened by the fact that I missed meeting you when you trained in Raveryn.” His eyes softened a bit, while he focused on the young man. ”I hope I didn’t scare you? We’re family, after all.” Mortem smiled softly, the moment the maids brought in the coffee and placed it in front of them. ”Thank you.” He picked up the cup with both his hands, still not entirely used to the warmth of it. It was pleasant, and it was definitely something he would bring back to Raveryn.

❝ A masterpiece of tragedy, turning even stars into dust. ❞

He felt like fish out of water, completely out of his element. And it was noticeable all over his body. The way he carried himself, the way he spoke. The way he averted his gaze to the ground, too scared to make eye contact and ruin something. He was so insecure by it all. The mere presence of another Rizal almost made him feel sick. But he knew that was just his anxiety playing tricks on him. His mother would always tell him to just... Take deep breathes and relax, count to ten and just think about the good things up ahead. In a couple of hours, he would be back home, in the safety of his room. And it would all be fine. He would be okay. He really would. Because he knew that the man didn't mean him any harm. Yet, despite that knowledge it still made him shiver. Nervous as he was, it just had such effects on him. He felt so small while being with the other, so very insignificant. And he wasn't sure if that was just him or... Something the other did.

The man chuckled at his words, and he clenched his jaw slowly, placing his one hand on his arm as he slowly let his fingers run over it. Had he done something wrong? No... He had said something wrong. The way he was speaking was just clear evidence of how little he knew about this world, especially the one involving sorcerers. The older man noted that it was okay, and he could call him Mortem or Mort. The pale man nodded slowly on those words. But it felt wrong to address the other by just his first name. He was someone great and he just... Wasn't... Right? He still didn't lift his gaze as the man asked him if he wanted some coffee. Perhaps a drink would ease his nerves a bit, so he nodded. "That is very kind... I would love that, thank you," he bowed his head somewhat as he spoke, clear hesitation in every word that left his lips. He wasn't certain of himself or the situation. It was new and scary and way too unpredictable. What if the man would demand him to go back to Ravaryn? It made his stomach turn at the mere thought.

And then Mortem finally spoke of why he had invited him. The man looked up when it wasn't as bad as he had anticipated. He just simply nodded after the other words. Family... Right. His training was mentioned as well, and he both felt a sense of relieve as well as guilt wash over him. Damn... The older man went on to ask if he didn't scare him... And that question caught him a bit off guard. He shook his head as he looked up. "No, no, it's not that," he said quickly. "It's just been a while since I've... seen another diviner," his voice softened when he finally said that. "It's been a while since I've been in Ravaryn," Several years even. He was just a kid back then, but like his grandparents had always told him that didn't matter. He had magic and he was talented and so he was pushed to try and do more with each passing day. It was torture.

When the coffee was presented to them Zuhayr stepped forward, slowly. He looked around once more, before finally sitting down. He wasn't comfortable where he was and so he completely forgot to thank the maids for their work. After all, he wasn't used to having servants. So when Mortem thanked them, he blinked in surprise. He looked at the maid, an awkward smile on his face. "Thank you," he said quickly, feeling embarrassed that he hadn't thought about it earlier. His dark eyes went back to the other, who already had his hands on the cup. He looked at it for a moment, before finally taking a deep breath. "Congratulations on the engagement," he said softly, not really knowing how he could properly word this. It was weird to see two parts of your family get together. But at the same time, it wasn't an odd practice. It was just that he had been isolated for such a big portion of his life that it just didn't feel right.