Timeline 01 - Nearing midnight
[He takes his time returning from the shrine and his necessary visit with Ulrike. The day has been long and his body aches with his need for sleep. But still, he pauses. A breeze feathers the hair back from his brow as he tips his head up to stare at the hard glitter of long familiar stars that spark the darkness high above.]
( [He finds himself wondering if there was anything he could have done differently.] )
( [He finds himself wondering if there was anything he could have done differently.] )
Ulrike was... male. [He lets more than the mild surprise he'd shown at the shrine through, guilt drawing his face into a frown.] What little I heard as I walked to her rooms was distressing. It seems she was mistaken for an intruder at first. [His voice trails off to near silence.] I should have gone there at once.
[He shakes his head a little, takes another sip of his water and then rests the glass on the table again.] However, when I arrived she was resting and seems to have no lasting problems from the wave. [One corner of his mouth turns up wryly, relieved to at last be allowed the freedom to release his usual careful control of his expression.] She was much worried about you. She feared that since your body is quite young in this life, you may have suffered more in the backlash. I assured her that you are recovering. [He leaves unspoken his own concern, that has faded only little even while they are here together, as well as his resolve to ensure Edwyn's full recovery with his own strength if he must.]
I have asked her to help us keep watch over Conrad Weller. I am to see her again tomorrow. She would like to see you, I am sure, so if you are free it may be good for you to come as well.
[He pauses again, pushing the tray closer to Edwyn.] Eat something.
Before that, I wish to see Shibuya Yuuri. The men should be well away now, and hopefully I will be able to dissuade Shibuya from trying to give chase. It would be wrong to keep this secret any longer than necessary. [He leans back, breaking gaze with Edwyn to tip his head up a moment in thought.] There should be a meeting as well. The Mazoku in the castle should be well enough by morning, and if they do not work together it will be impossible to have any control while so much of the guard is gone. I saw almost no one on my way here.
[Lowering his head again, he meets Edwyn's eyes gravely, suddenly remembering something learned earlier.] Have you discovered more of the effect the backlash had here?
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He smiles at the concern from both Ulrike and his lover, laying a hand on Alarik's thigh and squeezing lightly. "I'm fine, all I needed was a bit of sleep. I'm not about to fall apart, dear heart." He takes a piece of bread and cheese at the blonde's insistance and nibbles at them, smiling wider at Alarik's not-quite-obvious hovering.
Murata turns serious once again, though, and nods agreeance to telling Yuuri about the war and calling a meeting. "This is something everyone should know. Let us hope that everyone, including the doubles, turns up. I realised something at the party when my own double spoke to me...I hardly know any of the visitors at all. We've let them all in behind our defences, but who are these people, really, do we truly know them? It is a cause for worry. I promised myself days ago that I would try to find out as much as I could about the doppelgangers. I really should endeavour to continue with that plan...especially with things outside so uncertain, we can't afford an inside menace..."
He munches on the food and takes a sip of his water before replying to the next question. "The backlash? Well, you already know about Shibuya's eyesight. I was able to examine it whilst I was there. There seems to be no permanent damage, but I was unable to do much more than look with my Maryoku levels so low. From what I briefly saw of Wolfram, he has lost his memory, I am unsure how severely, though. As for the rest of the Mazoku, they seem to be doing alright, the ones I saw in the infirmary were recovering well. I think we got off light...it could have been a lot worse."
He sighs heavily. So much tension and drama....in just days it had become like this. What would it be like in weeks...months? It was not often he felt the weight of the years he had lived; but he did now. "I feel old." He admits to Alarik.
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It would be unwise to trust them too easily. While it would be difficult to keep the news of this war from them, I am loathe to inform them in case they should turn the information to their own advantage. If we cannot keep it from them, best to tell them and then do our best to watch for signs of treachery.
[At further news of the results of the backlash, he nods and then gives a short, unamused laugh.] It is wrong to say, but in truth Shibuya's blindness will serve better than his sight right now. One more reason why he must remain here, rather than chasing after the troops sent to Khrennikov.
[Faintly disgusted by his own reasoning, he echoes Edwyn's sigh. Expression carefully blank of all the regret he feels at having foisted such unpleasant duties on the one he considers the other half of his soul over so many long years, he studies Edwyn and then nods. His eyes are piercing, emotion veiled behind intense violet.] After all these years, have you found cause for regret?
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