Time

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The sun is just about setting over the other buildings in Daring Heights when Henri arrives at Orianna’s door. The evenings are cooler now, a change reflected not only in the thicker coat that sits on his shoulders but the silver, shimmering scarf that twists around his neck to flutter into the autumn air.

It’s only been a day since their return from the Plane of Time, though it feels longer. Maybe that is due to their travels taking them as wide as the end of the Dawn War to a quiet moment shared by the river. Or maybe it is due to the few silver hairs that have sprouted at Henri’s temples where there were none present before.

She probably doesn’t want to see me. Maybe I should give her space, come back once she’s had time to heal. What do I say, “Sorry, I must have taken a wrong turn at ‘1500 DR’ and ended up going through ‘1506 DR’?”

But Henri is trying not to wait so much. And so he knocks on the door.

It is a long thirty seconds before Thaneni, Orianna’s father, opens the door. They tilt their dragonborn head in a half distracted sort of way. “Henri. It is Henri Fitzroy, correct? What is it you are doing here at our home?”

The way he speaks is very similar to Orianna, or rather how Orianna speaks is very similar to her father except there’s something a little different. Then he realises, a soft echo of Thaneni’s voice is heard in Henri’s mind.

Henri does his best to smile, inclining his head in greeting. “Yes, Henri Fitroy. I was hoping to borrow Orianna for a moment — is she in? I can come back.” With each word, Thaneni feels something different too — Henri’s own voice echoing in Thaneni’s mind in return.

“My daughter is here, but it is too cold out. You will come in and speak to her here.” It was like listening to Orianna but through a slightly altered sound. Even the way Thaneni put things as statements, not questions. It was amusing if not a little frustrating to have yet another person speak to him so.

But Thaneni was opening the door, letting the warmth of their home spill out, gesturing for Henri to come in. So clearly not every Èirigh had a disposition to dislike him.

“Thank you.” Henri steps in, shrugging off his coat as though stepping out of it, the garment suspended in midair. Free of its quarry, it floats over to a hook to rest, where it is quickly followed by silver fabric.

“You are looking well, Thaneni. I trust you are finding yourself at home in Daring Heights?”

“I am home wherever my family is,” they say. There’s a pause as their gaze sweeps up across Henri’s face, catching on the silver in his hair. “Hmm.”

Then they turn and head towards the kitchen.

Henri follows, wiping his thumb along his brow as he does so as though to check for soot or some other sort of dirt. Finding nothing, he shakes his head from side to side in quiet confusion. This family... he thinks to himself, stepping into the kitchen.

The last remains of a meal sit in front of Orianna, Gerhard, and Rimmon, with a fourth being picked up and tidied by Thaneni upon their return. There’s a moment of silence as Rimmon does the same once over, before his eyes flick over to his husbands. Then a sigh.

“Would you like some dinner, Mr. Fitzroy?” he asks. Orianna shoots her father a look, which he pointedly ignores.

“No, thank you, it is my fault for interrupting your meal. Though I get the impression that is not all I am interrupting.” Henri’s eyes linger on Rimmon, unsure if the man’s exasperation is due to his presence or due to his presence. They flick to Gerhard next, inspecting his tired friend, his unkempt hair, his arm that disappears beneath the table where he can only surmise it keeps a firm grip on Orianna.

Orianna. He takes a seat next to her, unable to quite face her just yet.

“Dessert then,” Rimmon says, setting down a medium sized plate with a pointed bang. “I insist.”

The soft cakes hardly move, probably due to their slightly stickiness to each other. Orianna gives Rimmon another pointed look, but her father has already turned away, preparing a carafe of kaeth..

There’s a beat of awkward silence.

“How are you doing, Henri?” It is Orianna who asks. She too hasn’t quite turned to look at him but she doesn't sound mad or upset. If anything, she sounds concerned.

“I am… well.” He reaches out for a cake, rubbing his fingers together in slight irritation at the sticky residue that remains. He places it lightly on a plate in front of himself, smiling to Thaneni in thanks.

“And how are you? Things seem…” he trails off, looking at Rimmon. “Tense.”

There’s a cough from Gerhard and a shift from Orianna. She glances at her fathers, before answering in a quiet voice.

“They are fine. My fathers are just concerned for me, that’s all.”

Rimmon mumbles something none at the table quite hear. Thaneni puts a hand on his husband’s back.

“I see.” Henri takes a small bite of cake before making a small sorry gesture in Gerhard’s direction.

He then leans in quietly, speaking softly. “You’re very lucky to have so many that love you, Orianna.”

She casts her eyes down. “I know, and no matter what tensions may be around now, I am grateful they are there.”

Thaneni looks over at her, and there’s a moment when Henri feels a short conversation happen. Then, to his surprise, Rimmon stops making the kaeth, looks at his husband, then sighs before walking out of the kitchen. Orianna’s dad gives them a nod, then also leaves.

“I am sure your father would feel the same way when you tell him what has happened,” Orianna continues to Henri. Picking up a small piece of cake, her expression relaxes a bit more. “We are also just as concerned for you, as you seem to be for me, Henri. Are you truly doing alright after everything?”

“Ah, you know me. Like water off a duck’s back.” He smiles, briefly, before it drops and he moves to quickly replace it with a bite of cake. “You took the news of our change hard, and I was…” he trails off. “Responsible.”

He feels Gerhard’s eyes on him, Orianna’s eyes on him, and his ears begin to burn pink. He turns away from them both, his fingers moving up to run through his hair.

“How were you responsible, Henri?”

“Well I brought you along, didn’t I? And I was our navigator. I was charged with getting us there and back home safely.”

“And you did.” He feels a warm but light touch brush his arm. “How were you to know the toll that would come to us? To Archie? Even to Matches?”

Henri barks a laugh, a forced smile breaking his morose expression. “Well, Father did always say I took years off his life. I’m sure Gerhard can attest to that. Clearly I should have expected as much.”

A soft laugh from Orianna as she glances at Gerhard. He smiles slightly ruefully, kisses the back of her hand, gets up, and finishes making the kaeth Rimmon had abandoned.

“My father…” Orianna sighs. “He knows it was my choice to go with you. He may not have liked how things have turned out,” she gestures between the two of them, “but he understands why. I am… coming to terms with what this means for me. Do you have the same thoughts? Or no?”

Henri nods, his gaze following Gerhard before being torn away to look at Orianna again.

“Time is odd for me. I was away for a while, I came back, and everything was different.” He shrugs, making as to inspect his fingernails. “If anything, I’m now as old as that made me feel.”

His eyes flick back over to Gerhard, who steadily prepares their drinks. “And besides. A few more years on this end won’t matter much.”

Orianna notices how Henri’s eyes keep drifting over to Gerhard and feels… something. She looks down at her new, older hands and asks, “Do you want to become an Infinite, Henri? Is that why?”

“Hah,” Henri chuckles to himself, glancing quickly back to Orianna before turning more of his attention to her with a double-take. “Er- Yes, I do. Which is good, considering. But I am sure,” he says, gesturing inconspicuously towards Gerhard, “we still have a long way to go.”

“Hmm,” she intones. Orianna looks over at Gerhard and her eyes glaze over with a soft sheen of tears momentarily. Then she blinks, sniffs, and takes another small cake. “Was there anything else you came to say, Henri?” she asks before popping the cake into her mouth.

“Ah.” Henri’s jaw clenches, and he opens his mouth to find himself in the rare position of being at a loss for words. He takes a deep breath in, letting it out with a sigh. “No, no, I simply wanted to check in on you. But, I should have guessed that you’d be in good hands,” he says, gesturing to Gerhard and to the door her parents left through. He smiles, the sort of smile that one puts on to hide their sadness, that one wears because it is easier than this.

He moves to stand up. “I’ll get out of your way. I’m sure Rimmon and Thaneni would like to have some dessert too.”

That warm touch from before finds his hand this time and it freezes him mid motion.

“You’re not in my way.” The way she said them made the words seem like they had more than one meaning. “Why don’t you stay? The kaeth is almost ready. There’s plenty to share.”

He hesitates at the touch, his eyes darting from Orianna to Gerhard, who meets him with a small smile and a gesture.

“Well, I’m sure one wouldn’t hurt.”