frustration teethes at her conscious. tell him and be done with it, it says, but his quick dismissive makes her stall. hoenn spills out beside her and he toys with it as though he were its god. 

and what is she, petulant child begging for attention? when nothing she does is enough anyway?

"days, no longer." a small laugh. "and say it when? before or after your brother attempted to accuse me of treason?"

FERNANDO SILPH

☉

"by all means, we can go over the aqua transcript and dissect where and when i should have said what if that's what you want." 

she runs her tongue along her teeth. lie. what else can she do? but something tickles her. after littleroot, there had been no repercussions. no questioning. no mention of her attack on matias at all. 

there's no reason he wouldn't have filed a report. so she forms a half-truth. 

"because i aggressed him during littleroot. our volatile let his leash on groudon slacken."

FERNANDO SILPH

☉

"so you've told me," she snaps. her eyes stray to the door. she comes, arms still red from the tide of blood, the marks of her own dying dragons laden upon her skin, and he shoves her back to being a defendant. 

"the turncoat, KING WAYLAND , was there too. they were sparring when i arrived and i took advantage of the situation. it made for better odds," she says with a shrug. "whatever he's fabricated of the happenstance, i'm no traitor. and i tire of having to say it."

she sighs. "i hope you listen, fern. i really hope you do. you're too important to lose."

FERNANDO SILPH

☉

she allows the topic to slide. it's the safest course of action. already, she knows it will be a difficult maneuver getting king into the amnesty program without raising questions. if he'll even agree to do it.

that's a worry for later.

"don't underestimate them." a brief pause. she reaches for the lock and turns it slowly. the door opens a crack under her touch. "because you can't account for all anomalies." lyune's wrought iron crown and shimmering scales flash briefly behind her lids.

i will be there, she wants to say, but her neck flushes hot with shame.

"just...be careful. it may not be the same tapu fini you remember."

FERNANDO SILPH

☉

she lingers by the door. behind her, the room is washed with yellow, and then red, and then blue again. the cyclical turning of his due process. so much should not weigh on one man.

how much of it is by design, she wonders?

"as you wish," she says, wishing her words held more bite. that they lacked concern. that they could change anything/everything at all.

FERNANDO SILPH

☉

the door yawns open. her lips purse, faint smile tugging at the corners. she will not forgive him for this - for admitting, in six words, that he has taken this last hour, her dire confession and dumped it in the proverbial trash. 

she will not forgive him for allowing her to believe, for a single moment, that he ruined her. that a man like him could ever ruin her. 

"call me anything but morningstar again and i'll cut out your tongue," she says and slams the door shut behind her. 

FERNANDO SILPH

☉