Backdated to July 12
"Do you always accept invitations from strange aliens to go to their 'museums'?" Cyril asked, unenthused.
"No--no, it's not like that. Everyone got an invitation. I went with my friends."
"The whole Brigade?"
"No, but a few of us." Julian crossed his legs again and rested his elbows on his knees, setting his water bottle down again. "And it was Almadel. He's the one who helped us during the whole Calamitous Hollow thing."
"Right," Cyril said, but there was a question in it
Julian sighed, too quickly, and his shoulders drooped. "He's not bad."
Of course, Julian said that about everyone, so Cyril didn't put much stock into the concept. "I didn't say he was. I just think he sounds strange. A merchant who trades priceless treasures for whatever common offering his guests present doesn't sound like he's doing good business. What's the catch?"
"Well, I don't know," Julian mumbled, sounding dangerously close to giving up.
"Just be careful." Cyril leaned against the tree as if it offered him any support, and strummed his lyre softly. "You were saying, about the tapestry?"
"Oh--yeah." He'd lost some momentum, but with Cyril circling back to his story, Julian drew in a breath. "I was just saying, it looked like there was, um, an eclipse. On Lysithea."
"Are you still thinking about that? Julian, there was no eclipse. I was there the whole time. I don't know what you saw, but you're worrying me."
Julian's smile tightened, but his head was lowered so Cyril didn't get the chance to examine it. "I know," Julian said quickly. Fatigue crept into his voice. "And--yes, I have been eating more, and drinking more, and sleeping more. I promise. I'm sorry for making you worry about all that stuff I said before. But that--it's not exactly why I'm asking. I mean--mostly it's just...well, what I mean is--"
Cyril let him ramble for a moment. It wouldn't have done him any favors to interrupt, or to guess where his sentence was going. Cyril just waited it out.
Julian stopped himself after a few seconds, sucked in a breath, and rubbed his face. His shoulders were tight, and stayed so, but he started over: "I just wondered why he would have something like that in the exhibit at all. It might not have been Lysithea. But when I looked at it, I don't know. I just thought..."
"Did it have a Lysithea symbol?"
Julian shook his head.
"There are many worlds. It could have been anywhere."
"I know," Julian mumbled, plucking at his sleeve.
The conversation wasn't as reassuring as Cyril had hoped. He switched gears a little to say, "Lysithea isn't really known for eclipses. It could have been anywhere."
Julian was quiet, thoughtful, and drew in a deep breath. Finally, he nodded. "Okay."
"Are you disappointed?"
"No," Julian said, not quickly, but not with any enthusiasm, either.
Cyril let the silence settle. He never really knew what Julian was thinking, but sometimes if you gave him enough time, he'd tell you.
His patience paid out, because after a moment, Julian tested his words.
"I just...I guess I was hoping I'd learn something about Dering. I know I've been...weird lately..."
Julian was sitting on the ground already, hunched over and small. His lute was next to him, so he was without his usual protective barrier. His lunch, half-finished, was all but forgotten.
It had taken weeks for Julian to open up about the things going on back home, and even now, Cyril knew he had parts of a story.
He knew that Julian was supposed to be reunited with his mother, but now there was some legal precedent that would put him in trouble if he reached out to her. He knew Julian had written letters his parents never received. He knew Julian was anxious about starting college in a few weeks, and about turning eighteen, and about losing his friends--either because they were moving far away, or because they seemed ready to move down bigger paths than he could follow. He knew Julian was worried about disappointing people, or about having to navigate more surprises, or about a thousand other small things.
But there was a lot Cyril suspected he didn’t know.
Julian rarely plainly said anything, so aside from what he was told, he had to gather information by watching. Often, he thought it impressive just how well Julian could side-step a topic he didn't care for, or how he expertly maneuvered an answer to sound good while still saying nothing. If Julian had more charisma, he'd have been a fantastic performer, but he was too introverted, too shy. Too eager to keep to the shadows.
He could have done more, been more.
But he wanted small, so he cut off and carved out the parts of him that made him anything else.
Cyril couldn't get him to argue--yet--but he could get Julian's thoughts out of his head, at least a little bit. Sometimes.
So, when Julian said he’d been weird lately, Cyril was inclined to agree. He understood why, of course, just based on what information he already had. What he didn’t know was even more concerning, because it was just the hardships of his life he was sharing–now he was spouting nonsense, too.
Julian had expressed concern for him, several times, to Cyril’s growing annoyance. Cyril was fine. If there was something wrong, he’d have been the first to notice. He'd wandered these forests for a millennia with no issue--relatively speaking.
He'd never lost himself. He wandered, in body and in mind, but he was here. Always.
And an eclipse--he would have noticed an eclipse.
Julian was under so much stress, of course.
...It didn't bode well for Cyril, and Julian just got quiet now when they spoke.
They both skirted the topic. Except for now, apparently.
Cyril cleared his throat to break the silence. "What do you want to learn about Dering?"
"...It'll sound silly if I say it out loud."
"Are you telling a joke?"
Julian frowned and looked up. "No?"
"Then it won't be silly. I won't laugh."
It wasn't that Julian didn't trust Cyril. He just didn't trust himself.
But time wore him down, and Cyril--patient as he was--waited for an answer.
Julian obliged.
"I...just want to make Dering the best version it can be. I'd like to know what it needs. Um. I'd like to know what I need to do to make it healthy again. You said there was a curse on the forest, and I...was hoping I might be able to help lift it."
Cyril had to lean in to hear some of it. Julian was too soft spoken. So Cyril knew this was important.
"...I just wanted to make things a little better," Julian continued. "And eclipses are--well...I don't know. I guess I read too many stories. I got ahead of myself. I guess I got it in my head that something like that might have made the curse. So I was hoping to find a way to undo it. It sounds really silly to say out loud. I'm sorry. I guess. I also was hoping that if I could be good enough, um. I guess I was hoping the Code might..."
His voice faltered, faded.
Julian shrugged.
"I don't know what I was thinking. I'm sorry."
"Don't be," Cyril said, confident, relaxed. He strummed the lyre soft enough that it didn't threaten to interrupt Julian, whether he was thinking or speaking. "I appreciate that thoughtfulness. But the curse isn't something you need to worry about right now. There's still plenty of work to do here first."
Julian wasn't satisfied with the answer but pretended he was by nodding.
...He'd worked so hard. Been in such a good mood earlier.
Their time occasionally wound up like this, with Julian in a good mood, then stretched too thin. Sometimes he did it to himself. Sometimes it was Cyril's fault.
Not that Julian would have claimed such. He'd have made excuses for Cyril and found some way to take the blame.
Cyril knew it was his fault, no matter how hard Julian worked to determine otherwise.
Julian wouldn't accept it, and Cyril wouldn't offer it.
He had another card up his sleeve, and now seemed as good a time as any to play it.
"Dering looks so much livelier. I can't remember the last time I saw it looking so good." Julian wouldn't take credit so Cyril didn't force it. But he needed to know.
"The roseberries are ripe now, I think I mentioned that when you got here?" Only when Julian nodded did he continue, "Well, something's been eating them, too."
Cyril knew he had Julian's attention when the boy's eyes flicked up.
"Something, or somethings. I meant to tell you, actually. Well, I'd hoped they'd just show up, but--"
"Did you see them?" Julian asked, unable to contain himself. He didn't so much interrupt Cyril as he did jump in at a very well placed pause, but it was close enough that Cyril thought he should be proud.
"Yes."
