Graveyard

[lesmodsalouette]

Graveyard

The garden is still sprawling and green – despite having entirely lost all its riotous flowers and colors, along with any sign of wildlife or birdsong – though one thing stands out more than anything else: from Monday to Thursday, you can’t see the castle anymore. All that remains where it once stood (or perhaps, usually stands) is an incongruously large tree that towers over everything else and somehow looks larger and more imposing than the castle ever did. The tree’s branches are bare, without any hint of life nor leaf – however, on the weekends (that is to say, Friday through Sunday) a faint projection of the castle appears around it, cradling the only things that the denizens of this alternate garden can see in detail from the other side: the flurry of activity around the investigation, the circus-like dimension that holds the trial, and the mirrors and the grassy dimension that display the execution.

For those curious what the land of the living are up to, a mirage-like and upside-down reflection of the castle garden in its original arrangement can be spotted occasionally overlaying the sky. This strange illusion may sometimes show those in the garden on the other side, flitting in and out of view like stray clouds; but much like the weather, their appearance is mercurial – they cannot be reached and cannot be heard.

Water, Flower, Everywhere

The fountains remain active somehow, though their features seem to have eroded, obscuring the identities of the deities and the wings of the birds, cracking pottery down into nothing but worn shards and handles. At night, only maybe half the lights work (and here they are real candlelight, rather than magical), plunging most of the garden into crepuscular darkness. The trellis walkway looks quite overgrown (mysteriously, bamboo is taking over), entirely covering some statues and other features along its length, and it’s no longer walkable – a miniature canal runs the whole length underneath the arches, feeding into other new waterways around the garden that cut off footpaths seemingly at random. There are small footbridges here and there, but the lack of logic to the whole arrangement makes falling into one of the streams or canals a real hazard.

The waterways do all manage to converge at the pond by the pavilion – neither of which are all that soothing or classical anymore. The pond is only half-full, and entirely lacks water lilies or any dragonflies; its banks sit jagged above the dark waters, and perhaps that’s why the pavilion, too, is half collapsed down into it all. Gone are the curtains and ivies; only dead curling vines and half-collapsed columns are left, but there’s still someplace to sit if you put your mind to it.

Most of the flowerbeds sit fallow or overtaken by weeds – there’s signs here and there that someone might have tried to clear them out, but the bulk of the effort seems to have gone to the orchard by the gardener’s cottage. It might be more accurate to say cottages, given that there are a few of them dotted around that area for some reason. None of them are locked, but all of them have only minimal furnishings apart from the original; they’re also all provided with the full complement of gardener’s tools. Next to them, there are new saplings and half-grown flowering trees: some pear and apple, but also some not. There are new shoots in the kitchen orchard that have just barely taken root, the dirt recently turned.

Hedge Maze(?)

The other most eye-catching feature is what once was an ornamental hedge maze: instead of being a tame height here, it has seemingly grown wild and completely unchecked, towering above the rest of the garden almost like its own overgrown mountain. The hedge walls go up and up and up, making it entirely impossible to see the center or even how far it goes despite the fact that sections of the hedges have also died, reduced to the branches underneath, bristling with interlocked thorns.

Part of it had even spilled over into the garden itself, huge gnarled branches spreading out like burnt-blackened fingers all the way to the edge of the pond – wherever the branches touch, even the greenery is withered, and any statues look more ruined than those in the rest of the area. As of the end of Week 3, however, the branches have retracted entirely and the way into the hedge maze has opened even more. However, there is now a storm brewing over what might be the center or the general area of it. Getting close to the hedge maze or any of the hedge(?) branches is... unpleasant, though it doesn’t usually go beyond a buzz of wrongness and a slight headache.

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Comments

[siffriend]

[ ... Cute. But it's also triggering their desire to not talk, because it's embarrassing and they want to die, so just

give them a moment. Focusing on the taps, the feel of G'raha beneath his fingertips. Warm and firm. ]

... Yeah. I was dead anyway, so I figured that even if you rejected me so badly I would've regretted saying anything at all in the first place... it'd be over soon. I wouldn't have to see you ever again. Or, at least, for a while.

[ But with his luck, G'raha might've been taken out earlier and then they'd be sitting across from each other awkwardly with Siffrin's feelings suffocating the air.

... Should be fairly obvious, from those words, that they'd never thought it'd be taken well. Or even accepted, thanked, so on. Just... rejected, pushed away, left to stew. ]

[allrounder]

[ He can hear it in Siffrin's tone, their assumption that G'raha would have gotten up and left the moment a confession left their lips.

It doesn't sit well with him, and he frowns, fingers lightly bunching up the fabric of their shirt. ]

You assumed I would reject you. Or, rather, be bothered by your confession if I did not return those feelings.

[siffriend]

[ And he's right. It's why it had taken them so long, with prodding and encouragement, and why they'd been dismissive of the odd compliment they'd given him. Even now, enveloped by arms that care so much for him, Siffrin feels a knot of anxiety tangle around his heart.

A soft swallow. And a small nod. ]

[allrounder]

[ His hand stills, but only for a moment. ]

Have more faith in yourself, Siffrin.

[ If he refuses to look at G'raha, he'll take his free hand and lift up his chin to fix that little problem and close the distance between them. A kiss won't express his full feelings on the matter, but it'll get him closer to it than words can, that's for certain. Why would he be repulsed? There's no reason for him to be, and he hopes that the softness he presses against their lips makes that clear. ]

[siffriend]

[ It does, because as stiff as Siffrin had been at first (reluctant, to let themselves be turned,) they give into the kiss far more easily. Soft, soft, soft. He's always so soft with them, and it aches terribly some days.

(You don't want him to kiss anyone else like this. Never, ever, ever.) ]

I'm-- no one special, [ mumbled against his lips, heart relentless in its pounding, ] or anyone at all. I thought... that if we were just friends, you'd... resent, that I was telling you that.

[ Something unnecessary, something that didn't need to ever come to light. How content Siffrin could've been, yearing after a reflection and expecting nothing in return. So long as it didn't mess up the friendship they'd felt such comfort in. ]

[allrounder]

[ He hums, a soft, low thing. ]

Were we merely friends, I would never resent that.

[ G'raha presses their lips together again, certainty in the motion and parting of his lips all so he can steal their breath before pulling back a few centimeters to continue. ]

In fact, I would have resented that you kept your feelings to yourself out of fear. 'Twould mean I had given you the wrong impression of me.

[siffriend]

[ ... Is that so...? That even if they were only friends (the implication lost on you) he wouldn't... have stood and left, whether at that moment or after a few awkward minutes' time. ]

Then--

[ A soft sigh, relaxing more into the kisses, returning them as if they have all the time in the world, no hurry, not like in the promenade. Leisurely, even. A stretch in the sunlight that is "his Raha". Different than before, but no less wanting to be with him. ]

Then... how would you have responded? If you hadn't been curious. [ A quiet laugh against him. ] Your staring made me nervous.

[allrounder]

[ It would be easy to get lost in the press of Siffrin's lips, to focus on their breath mingling with his own. But as it is, his pulse remains steady, finding comfort in warm, lingering presses. Time they didn't have but have more than enough of now, as it were. ]

I would have thanked you for your sincerity and feelings towards me. I would have divulged that I was flattered.

[ He presses a kiss to the corner of his mouth. ]

But I would not have kissed you, much less let my eyes linger on you for so long.

[siffriend]

[ (Oh.) ]

... Okay.

[ It's impossible to hide his face right now, so G'raha gets the full dopey lovelorn look. ]

Even the alternative doesn't sound so bad. But I'm glad your eyes did, and that you did. Kiss me.

[ Part of the sentence, or a softspoken command? Who can say. ]

[allrounder]

[ The hand on Siffrin's back slides to settle on his waist, the feeling of it underneath his palm a familiar thing. Strange that it is, given he only held it on one occasion several weeks ago.

That look on their face is one he can't resist, his ears twitching slightly at the sight, and he smiles. ]

Is that a command?

[ He hopes so, but he wants to hear Siffrin say it. Maybe this is his form of bullying. ]

[siffriend]

[ Siffrin exhales, trying. So very hard. To keep in check, for G'raha's sake. Because he asked, and they should be mindful...

... But what a bully. If it wasn't before-- ]

Uh huh. Kiss me.

[ It is now, more certain. ]

[allrounder]

[ There it is, that certainty he likes. It makes the amusement in G'raha's eyes practically shine. ]

Then who am I to say no to such a request?

[ Yes, they must keep themselves in check. Yes, they must not get carried away. Yes, they need to be mindful.

But. How can he resist the pull of Siffrin's lips against his own? He can't, or at least he can't right now, as he leans in again to close the distance between them. As much as he would like for this kiss to be sugary sweet, G'raha allows a longing to leak into its edges and slip through the cracks, a longing he had to sit with for weeks.

It's hard, not letting his feelings get the best of him. ]

[siffriend]

[ No more than Siffrin can resist responding in kind, meeting him part way; there it is, the longing they hoped for, the same pangs that've been tormenting them every glimpse the garden could offer. With one crack comes many, and they lift one hand to press against the cottage wall as they begin to slowly... trap... G'raha where he's at, a little more demanding in their kisses.

I missed you, they say. I couldn't stop thinking about you, from another. I'm glad you're here.

Awful, terrible, horrible as it is. They are, because then they get this, and-- they get this forever.

(As long as you're good. As long as he finds you incomplete, a puzzle waiting to be solved. As long as you keep kicking pieces under the sofa for him to never find.) ]

[allrounder]

[ They’re both doing an abysmal job at keeping in check. He knows it, Siffrin knows it. But it doesn’t seem like they particularly care either, not with the way they practically trap him against the wall, closing in around him and becoming more demanding by the second.

What is he to do, other than respond to that demand? What can he do, other than angle himself just enough to deepen their kiss and provide exactly what it is they’re looking for? He shouldn’t breathe in the silent words left against his lips like he is right this moment, but he can’t help himself. All he can do is drink in the words and thoughts that had been left unsaid for nearly two weeks.

It’s how his hands find their way to his hips, too, gripping tight. They’ll need to stop soon. But. Just a little longer. ]

[siffriend]

[ Just a little longer, to see if that ache can be soothed.

Maybe it can't be, not when the hands against his hips are familiar and yet scarcely felt in memory, breath stuttering and cheeks warming immediately. Siffrin breaks to kiss the corner of his mouth, his cheek, drops to his jaw -- anywhere and everywhere he can reach, claiming skin the way G'raha had weeks before.

Maybe if he's lucky, the marks'll fade in a few hours time. ]

[allrounder]

[ It’s much, much too easy to get carried away, especially when Siffrin traces a familiar pattern that has burned itself into G’raha’s heart. His breath hitches and he tilts his chin up to make Siffrin’s job easier as his fingers dig into his hips.

Except.

Well. He probably shouldn’t be making their job easier. ]

We… should keep our surroundings in mind.

[ He doesn’t want to, but… ]

[siffriend]

Mm.

[ Half-listening, it seems, though the kissing eases to just a nuzzle pressed to his neck instead.

They know, they know. But this feels like a reward for all Siffrin'd dealt with the past few days especially... ]

Afraid of heights?

[allrounder]

[ Who’s the real cat here… but the nuzzling feels nice, enough so that his grip on their hips eases. ]

No. I’ve never feared heights.

[ He tilts his head, and if Siffrin wasn’t buried in his neck, he’d fix them with a curious look. ]

[siffriend]

[ Reason it was "cats and catboy" Cain's one too, canonically, as far as Mahoyaku is concerned all the Wizards have a cat equivalent-- ]

Good. 'Cause... I was thinking we could climb the tree.

[ And...

...

Kiss up there? Hang out? Just be away from everyone else for a while? Alone as it can manage to be. Siffrin likes to climb trees, too. It's easy. ]

[allrounder]

[ help ]

A tree, you say?

[ Hmm. Well, it might be nice to look down upon the garden in addition to the extra privacy. ]

Leaf the way, Siffrin, and I shall follow. Though it has been decades since I have attempted to climb a tree.

[siffriend]

[ Haha. Leaf the way. If it was accidental, no it wasn't, if it was on purpose, then it makes Siffrin beam. Though they would anyway!!!

Up! They Go!

...

And then holding out their hands to help G'raha. ]

It's a pretty tree-mendous one, so we'll have fun getting up there. Maybe work off some of that energy of yours.

[allrounder]

[ Heh. The little pun was a hit and he takes his hands with ease, squeezing them as he pulls himself up.

G’raha pauses, still holding onto his hands. ]

…My energy?

[siffriend]

You haven't been able to keep your hands off me.

[ As if Siffrin's any better. Not letting go even now, leading him to the cherry blossom tree where the castle normally sits. ]

The climb might tire you out better than I could.

[allrounder]

[ He’s pulled along without complaint, but he does practically gape at Siffrin, even if they don’t look back to see it. ]

You initiated it!

[siffriend]

I don't remember kissing first.

[ Nevermind the need for a "fee" being the root. This is as bad as boldly eating stolen food, truly. ]