TRP: Azriel, Goro, and Larkin (Flight)

**Jen:**

 [Setting: Day 192, directly after Allies]

"You know," Larkin said looking down at the climb
behind them, "Finch and I got rid of the outside stairs for safety reasons
when we lived here. Fucking regretted it every winter." She wiped a layer
of snow off the board covering the window-turned-door and pulled it aside the
get at the locks.

**Lina:**

"So, you and Finch, huh?"

**Jen:**

 Larkin turned to scowl at him. "What're you saying,
huh?"

**Lina:**

Goro held up a hand defensively. "Nothin',
nothin'."

**Jen:**

 "Yeah, fucking thought so."

Larkin opened the last of the locks and pushed the window
open with a grand gesture. "Come on in, Sir Asshole."

**Lina:**

"Ooh, I've been knighted. That's grand." Goro
climbed in. "'Bout time I get shown that level of respect."

**Jen:**

 "Yup. It also comes with a nice plot of land, right in
the city center." Larkin knelt next to a small stove and began poking
aroun the ashes with a piece of wood, then shoved some kindling in. "Someone
built a church there but eh, guess you can just tear it down. Built a nice
summer home, or and aquarium for sea turtles."

**Lina:**

"Psh. Don't taunt me like that. Wyn says we can't take
down Freddy just yet." Goro looked for a spot to sit and settled for the
floor near the stove. Fuckin' cold in that place.

**Jen:**

 "Aw," she made, not looking up from her fire
starting. "Momma's saying no and little Goro's listening?" She turned
to him and smirked, showing she wasn't really serious, then got up to get some blankets
for them.

**Lina:**

Goro stuck his tongue out. "She said if I'm real good,
I'll get to stick the shiv in Freddy's liver myself."

**Jen:**

 Larkin tossed him a blanket, then settled down next to him,
wrapping herself in her own. "Maybe if you slept with Freddy, too, he'd
offer you the same deal about Wyn. Maybe he'll even let you call him
'Daddy'." She gave Goro her biggest, shit-eating grin, ready to duck for
when he inevitably threw a knife at her.

**Lina:**

"Fff." Goro felt himself turn red. He twisted around
to sock her on the arm, but missed entirely, his momentum making him punch the
floor instead. "Ow! Fuck!"

**Jen:**

 "Mask. You okay?"

**Lina:**

"Sure ain't. I'm trapped in the lair of this demon
chick who knows Vicious Mockery." He shook his hand out and winced. Yeah,
that would take some healing. Later, when Larkin wasn't watching.

**Jen:**

 Larkin chuckled but shook her head at him. "Come on,
pal, heal yourself. I fucking heard that crack."

**Lina:**

"Pssh." He scowled at her, closed his eyes and
quickly prayed over his hand, then scowled at her again. "Anyway. Where
were we."

**Jen:**

 "We, uh..." Larkin frowned at the fire, trying to
recall. "Something 'bout Wyn. Hey, when I went to talk to her she said she
might just go take over the next place and leave me with Skyport. Wonder what
she's got her eye on, after Skyport and Moorland."

**Lina:**

"Fuckin' Alabaster, according to what she told Roddy.
Yeesh." He shook his head. "I want more information on what she
actually did in Moorland. How long it took her, the extent of her hold there,
that kind of shit. Too hard to make a plan when we haven't seen the whole
picture."

**Jen:**

 "Gods," she muttered. Alabaster. That was like...
going from fishing piranhas totiger
shark to fucking great white. This Sanguine Queen, whoever she was, didn't
dream small.

Larkin leaned over and threw more wood into the fire. It was
already burning nicely and at least the small space heated quickly. "Her
hold there is quite fucking extended," she said. "Far as I know, the
local government were just puppets to the Melaines, and now the Melaines are
puppets to Wyn. I could..." she trailed off. She could ask Azriel for more
information. He'd been there, he'd know. But first she had to admit she knew he
was a Melaine. Gods dammit.

"Hey, uhm. Lying about who you are isn't bad if you got
good reason, right?"

**Lina:**

"Is anything bad if you got a good reason?"

**Jen:**

 "Well- depend on the reason but yeah, that's my point.
Yeah." She cleared her throat, aware she was being weird. "Anyway,
yes. Let's find out some more about her strategy in Moorland."

**Lina:**

"Your people, you know the Melaines, right? How easy
could you get in touch with someone who knows more than than that useless fuck
Gabriel?"

**Jen:**

 "I...okay, here's the thing. Remember the... ah. Remember
that guy I was seeing? The one you fucking pestered me over? He's a
Melaine."

**Lina:**

Goro nodded slowly. "Oh, my god. Is it Gabriel?
Larkin."

**Jen:**

 "What? No. Mask, no." Larkin grimaced. Gabriel
seemed attractive and all, but she couldn't hit on yet another Melaine.

"His name's Azriel and I didn't know he was a Melaine
until, like, less than two fucking weeks ago. And that's the problem, you see.
He doesn't know I'm a Basha either."

**Lina:**

Goro stared at her a moment, then snorted and ducked his head.
He laughed into both his hands.

**Jen:**

 "Hey. Hey," She swatted his arm. "What the
fuck?"

**Lina:**

Goro leaned away from her, laughing a while longer before he
pulled himself together. "Oh, my god, please don't say anything until the
wedding. I want to see the look on his face when Renar walks you down the
aisle."

**Jen:**

 She huffed. "Renar won't fucking walk me down any
fucking aisle. Pa will."

**Lina:**

Goro snorted again and hid his face, shoulders shaking.
"So, Renar'll be sitting in the pews and your guy'll just be thinking,
hey, why's Renar Basha at my wedding. God, it keeps getting better and
better."

**Jen:**

 "Can you shut the fuck up now and help me? Mask, how
the fuck do I tell him. He's gonna lose his shit." She rolled her eyes.
"Was all fucking... weird about me not trusting him already. But I do,
kinda."

**Lina:**

"Oh, jeez, you're actually asking me for advice? Are
you serious? You don't know how to tell him?"

**Jen:**

 Larkin spread her hands, pleading.

**Lina:**

"Alright, alright. Here's exactly how I'd do it. You
invite him over, and when he walks through that--I mean when he climbs through
that window, you say, 'Hey, wanna hear something funny?'"

**Jen:**

 "No, Goro, That's not how I'm gonna fucking do
that."

**Lina:**

He shrugged. "Fine. You could also take the coward's
way out and make someone else tell him."

**Jen:**

 "I never claimed to be brave," she said and bobbed
her eyebrows at him.

**Lina:**

Goro stared at her. He pointed at his chest. "You want
me to tell him."

**Jen:**

 "Yeah, you're right. Stupid idea. Might as well call his
mother a donkey, huh?"

**Lina:**

"Real stupid idea. You know you can't control what
comes outta my mouth."

**Jen:**

 "Well, I wasn't really being serious," Larkin
muttered. Would be a relief if she didn't have to do it herself but with the
amount of explaining she'd likely have to do... Eh, what the hell. She'd had
good reason not to tell Azriel, didn't she? He couldn't get too mad over
something he'd done himself, too.

"Fuck it's cold," she said. "Hey, how about
you take care of that fire and I'm gonna go get us something hot to eat?"

**Lina:**

He gave her a thumbs up and scooted forward to stoke the
fire. "Get something good. I'm starving."

**Jen:**

 "Be back in a bit." She wriggled out of the
blanked, grabbed her purse and climbed out the window. She knew exactly what to
get. Had to walk a bit further but the booth with the roast chestnuts was worth
it.

**Izzy:**

 Azriel's first attempt at scaling the wall was an absolute
goddamn shitshow. Even with the charm giving him a helping hand, he made it
about half of the way up before slipping back down to the street.

Fucking Larkin Basha. He almost wished she did live in some
dramatic trap-filled clock tower. That might be easier. Maybe it was the
frustration that fueled him the second time around, but he nailed it that time,
making it up to the window as if he actually knew what he was doing -- muscle
memory from childhood, perhaps -- and clinging there to bang a fist against the
window. He could see the glow of a fire inside, but not much else through the
frosty glass.

**Lina:**

Goro cocked his head at the window, trying to see who the
visitor was. Had the silhouette of a tiefling. Huh. Well, this wasn't Goro's
place, so he didn't have any business letting people in, right? Plus he was
curious to see how hard the person would try before giving up. He kicked back,
leaning his weight on his hands and stretching his legs out.

**Izzy:**

 His grip slipped a little, and he worked it and swore. He
pounded on the window again. She had told him he could drop by.
"Larkin!" Fucking Larkin Basha. "It's Azriel!" He wanted to
say something like spare my poor musician's hands from having to hold onto
walls and hits things any longer, take pity, but he wasn't in the mood, just
now.

**Lina:**

Ohohoho. The man himself. Eh, fuck it not being Goro's
business. This was too good an opportunity to pass up.

Goro got up and walked to the window. He opened it a crack,
just enough to show his face, and his ear-to-ear grin. "Hi, Azriel."

**Izzy:**

 Azriel shifted a bit, looking at him. Hm. Another suitor, or
perhaps the idiot best friend Larkin had mentioned, in town for a visit. Or
just another criminal she was working with. "I do apologize for my
insistent tone, but it is, quite frankly, freezing out here. May I come in? Is
Larkin not here?"

**Lina:**

Goro leaned back a little and called over his shoulder.
"Hey Lark! Your boyfriend's here! Should I let him in?" He waited a
moment. "Come again? Oh, it's Azriel. No, Azriel." Another pause.
"Purple tiefling? Doesn't ring a bell?"

**Izzy:**

 He narrowed his eyes, jaw tightening, and scoffed.
"I'll come back later." He looked down, trying to figure the path.

**Lina:**

"Aw, no, come on, pal. I'm just giving you a hard
time." Goro pulled the window open the rest of the way and took a step
back. "I mean, you're dating fucking Larkin, right? You must like taking
shit from people."

**Izzy:**

 Azriel stayed where he was, eyes still narrowed. "You
must be the idiot best friend."

**Lina:**

"What? Oh, no, no, I'm her husband." Goro pointed
to the new ring he'd started wearing on his left hand. "Didn't she tell
you she was married?"

**Izzy:**

 Azriel gave him a look filled with loathing.
"Excellent. Goodbye." He looked down again and took the first
handhold down.

**Lina:**

Goro kept talking like Azriel had sat down for a chat.
"Psh, you must not like her that much after all, if you're not willing to
put up with a little crap from the idiot best friend. Hey, did she really call
me that? Did she say idiot? I'm Goro, by the way."

**Izzy:**

 "Yes." He kept climbing. Slowly. Carefully.
"Idiot. Exact word."

**Lina:**

"Huh. Well. Hm." Goro shrugged. "I'll let her
know you dropped by. She should be back any minute now, just popped out to get
some food."

**Izzy:**

 Azriel hesitated. Well ... he didn't have any particular
desire to climb back up in just a moment. Especially if Larkin might be there
to watch, and see him fail dramatically again -- although he considered that
she may be concerned for him if she saw him take a bad fall, and that could be
enjoyable -- but, no, no, he was supposed to be angry at her (Larkin fucking
Basha), not anticipating her likely not-that-tender ministrations.

He scoffed, and climbed back up the couple of handholds he'd
made it down, pulling himself in the window with some amount of grace.
"Very well." He dusted himself off, and sized Goro up. "I suppose
I could tolerate you, for her sake."

**Lina:**

"Dang. The manners on this guy. You know, my boyfriends
are at least polite to her. Try to make friends, and shit. She doesn't like
'em, but that's another story. Hey, you wanna sit down? There's... the floor,
and that chair, and that thing that kind of looks like a bed. You want a
blanket?" Goro picked one up from the pile by the fire and offered it to
him.

**Izzy:**

 Hm. He filed the offhand information away. Larkin's best
friend; Goro; had boyfriends; she didn't like them; some story involved. He
wondered how, if at all, the castle figured into it (he lived at the castle
with his boyfriends; perhaps she thought they were dangerous?; nonetheless, they
tried to befriend her. Interesting).

It was all superfluous right now, of course. He gave the
offered blanket a disdainful look -- which he would had likely done anyway, but
the long gray fur coat and navy scarf really had keep him quite warm enough.
Goro was at least attempting to be mannerly, now, though -- the bare minimum of
offering a guest a seat. Skyport born and bred, Azriel would bet his last
coppers on it. Skyport manners.

Well, they had rubbed off on him while he'd been here. He
moved to sit delicately on the egde of the bed -- knees crossed, hands folded on
them, back straight. "No, thank you."

**Lina:**

Wow. Goddamn. So this was the kind of guy Larkin was into,
huh? So... prim and proper, kind of, but also an utter fucking crook, make no
mistake; he had that energy to him. So, opposite of Larkin in a superficial
way, and exactly like her deep down. That was kinda cute.

The broken horn and the fucked-up eye--interesting. Looked
painful. Had to be a good story behind that one. Goro would ask Larkin later,
or hell, maybe he'd go drinking with Azriel and get it straight from him. Ask
him to play Three Questions. Chief among them: What are your intentions toward
my partner?

Shit, though, why wait? He could get that one out of the way
now. He sat cross-legged, back to the fire, and smiled pleasantly.

"So, Azriel. Just what are your intentions for my
partner?"

**Izzy:**

 Azriel gave him a cool, disdainful look. He could test the
best friend's mettle out by flatly saying ah, my intentions are to fuck her
brain out; would you like to watch? He could lie outright with something along
the lines of oh, I came here to stab her, see how loyal and protective he was,
or how good at detecting a lie he was. He could act aghast -- intentions? how
dare you, sir, to presume -- but that would primarily be for his own amusement.
He could change the subject entirely and tell Goro that he wasn't picky, look
him up and down, pat the bed. That would ... also be mostly just for his own
entertainment, though.

With Larkin herself being honest was typically the best
route, however. He would suspect that any people she kept close to her would
work similarly, or they would get pinned to alleyway walls and threatened with
sharp objects.

"My intentions," he said in a carefully measured,
haughty tone, "are to cultivate an open and profitable business
relationship with her." And, at any given opportunity, eat breakfast in
bed with her, because sweet lord.

**Lina:**

Goro snorted. "Yeah, okay. Alright. So, uh, you know
how this works, right? You know the speech I gotta give you?"

**Izzy:**

 Azriel raised the corner of one eyebrow a tiny amount. It
was a very practiced unimpressed expression meant to prevent his thought from
being betrayed -- thoughts of Speech? What are you, her guardian? Going to tell
me not to break her heart? Take it slow? Be kind to her? Please.

Really, though, Azriel had never been in any sort of
relationship where someone had seen fit to give him a speech. How novel. This
might be charming.

**Lina:**

Goro rolled his sleeve up, triggered the springblade, and
dropped the pleasant smile. "I have a friend who knows how to skin people.
I've been meaning to ask him to show me. When I need practice, I'm going
straight for the last person to make Larkin upset. Do we understand each
other?"

**Izzy:**

 Azriel gave him a delicate grimace. Yes. Typical Skyport. He
should have known. There was a time such a show would have sent him scrambling
away, looking for something to hide behind -- ideally Gabriel or Jasper -- but
he didn't flinch, anymore. Fucking Skyport. "Mm. There it is -- the idiot
part and the best friend part." He gave Goro the openly appraising look
he'd considered before. "I understand what she sees in you, I
suppose."

**Lina:**

"Man. Nothing?" Goro waved the blade around to
make his point, but Azriel still didn't seem to give a shit. "I can see what
she sees in you, then." Wait, not like that. Was this guy fucking hitting
on him? The fuck.

**Izzy:**

 He let himself smile a touch. Some other time -- or --
possibly this time -- he wondered how Larkin would react if she came back and
Azriel was on top of her apparent best friend. She did know that he flirted and
slept with marks as part of his method, but it would be different with someone
she knew, and in her home. Much more personal. Would she be jealous? It would
server her right, lying to him -- not that he hadn't, ah, done the exact same
thing, but --

Well, it was all very petty, anyway, and not him running at
his cleverest. More him being, well. Immature and cruel, and not thinking
ahead. He didn't actually want to do anything that would hurt Larkin. Just ...

He shrugged it off. Not that Goro wasn't attractive, in a
similar odd, rangy way as Larkin herself. The smile became a little more genuine.
"She's threatened me with knives too often, already. I'm afraid you're too
late."

**Lina:**

"Gross." Goro retracted the springblade.
"Anyway, you didn't really answer my question. I'll cut the flashy stuff
and get to the point. If you hurt her, I'll kill you. Do you understand?"

**Izzy:**

 "Charming," he said sarcastically.

**Lina:**

"Ain't my job to be charming, buddy, it's my job to
look out for my people. Just thought I'd give you fair warning. I once cut a
guy's throat out for calling my mother a whore."

**Izzy:**

 Azriel stretched, making himself more comfortable by leaning
back on his hands on the bed. "I'll avoid calling your mother a whore,
then."

**Lina:**

"Alright, well, at least you understand cause and
effect, I guess. Wouldn't want Larkin dating a half-brain. Goddamn, where is
that woman?" Goro eyed the window, grinding his teeth. Now that he was
done with the threats of violence, it was just going to be awkward.

**Izzy:**

 Azriel tilted his head and idly commented, "Well, given
her choice in friends, it surely wouldn't come as a surprise," just to see
what would happen. He was pleased by the reaction to his nonchalance. How
volatile was this Goro, he wondered?

**Lina:**

"Oh, ha, ha. You're a clever one, I guess. D'you win
her over with your sparkling wit? When she said you had a great tongue, I
didn't figure that was what she meant."

**Izzy:**

 Larkin had said he had a great tongue? Well -- she probably
meant it in several different way. He wished he weren't quite so pleased about
that. "A silver tongue and very deft fingers," Azriel said sweetly,
tapping them against the mattress. The mild insult hadn't bothered him. Maybe
instigating revulsion would work.

**Lina:**

"Okay, again: gross. But I'm... glad you're taking care
of her, I guess?" Goro made a face. "Is that too far? Eh, I mean,
whatever. I want her to be happy. If you keep her happy, however the fuck, you
must not be that bad."

**Izzy:**

 Well. That was just very wholesome and sweet, really. But
also touching, he supposed. Azriel scoffed and dropped the posture and tone
that had been trained into him -- leaned forward, slouching over his knees, one
elbow propping up his cheek. He gave Goro a lazy glare. "Well, you're not
any fucking fun."

**Lina:**

"What, you trying to get me to actually start
stabbing?"

**Izzy:**

 Azriel shrugged. "Simply testing the waters. She hasn't
let me meet any of her friends, you know." He could heal himself, at any
rate. It was absurd to consider that this was the place he was at, now -- yes,
yes, he might get stabbed, but he'd been injured before (almost fucking died in
that wretched dank basement), and he had the magic to put himself back
together.

**Lina:**

"Oh, yeah, huh. Must be ashamed of you or
something."

**Izzy:**

 "Likely," he said gravely.

**Jen:**

 Weird, Larkin thought, when she came back to Lynch Street
and went around the corner for the climb up to her place. The light coating of
snow before the wall had had a few footprints from Goro and her, earlier, but
now it was disturbed like someone had been jumping up and down on it. She
squinted up the wall. Who'd tried to climb up there?

She stuffed the paper bags of food under her coat so she had
her hands free and scurried up, using the hidden, easy handholds, then perched
on the small advance before the nailed-shut door to listen.

Gods. Mask. Fuck. The were two, very familiar voices in the
worst fucking combination she could imagine.

Larkin grimaced. Maybe she should fuck off. If she didn't
come back, Azriel would just leave and then... or Goro would just leave and
Azriel would wait for her, Mask knew what he wanted. Fuck your boy, why now?
You find that funny? Well, alright. The Lord of thieves was probably fed up
with her dancing around the matter. She'd just go in and get it over with.
Maybe Goro would help her out... unlikely, but maybe.

Larkin pulled herself up the last ledge to the roof and
knocked on the window, announcing herself before she cracked it open and
dropped in.

**Izzy:**

 It was annoying how pleased he was to see her, not to much
tumbling into the room as he had as dropping in, light-footed as a cat,
smelling of roast chestnuts. He grinned at her automatically.

Larkin fucking Basha

"Oh, so good to see you, love. Your friend, ah, Gooloo
was it? -- was just entertaining me with some rather charming threats."

**Jen:**

 Good god, they seemed to have started off well, as expected.
She snorted, not managing to hold back a smile at Azriel, despite how uncomfortable
this was.

She gave Goro a look. "What've you been doing to
him?" She said and to Azriel added, "Sorry. My buddy here has never
met someone with manners."

**Lina:**

"Is that what those were," Goro remarked idly. In
answer to her question he triggered the springblade, waved it around a little,
then retracted it.

**Izzy:**

 "He may not have yet," Axriel intoned. He stood
and went over to Larkin, offering to help her with the paper bags.

**Jen:**

 "Be fucking nice, Goro, he's done nothing," Larkin
said. She pulled the bags from under her coat and handed them to Azriel,
leaning in to give him a quick peck on the cheek as she did. "It's
chestnuts and smoked fish. Might have to put 'em on the oven for a little
while."

**Izzy:**

 Mm. Hm. Hmm. How -- how domestic. He definitely should not
have enjoyed that quick chastekiss
as much as he had. He was supposed to be angry at her. Why had he even come
over to help her with her groceries? And for that matter, why was he obediently
setting them over the oven as she'd suggested? He wasn't even hungry. He'd come
here to ... yell at her or something.

This had gone terribly awry. Frankly, he blamed Goro.

**Lina:**

"So. Uh." Goro raised his eyebrows at Larkin and
tipped his head in Azriel's direction. "You gonna tell him?" He
grinned. "Can I tell him?"

**Jen:**

 "Goro, you goddamn traitor!" Larkin hissed,
showing Goro a snarl fit to scare away street dogs. "You can get the fuck
out, that's what."

**Lina:**

"Oh my god, but," he whispered loud enough for
both Azriel and Larkin to hear as he climbed to his feet. "I wanna hear
his reaction when you tell him." Which wasn't entirely true. He was
getting the sense this was going to be an argument he might not want to stick
around for.

He opened the window and had one leg out before he stopped.
He looked to Azriel, and said, "She's a B--" He clapped a hand over
his mouth, then slipped out, snickering, before Larkin could grab him.

**Izzy:**

 Azriel narrowed his eyes after Goro. Well, that was fucking
overt, wasn't it. It took the wind out of his sails, a bit, the idea that he'd
come here to rail at Larkin for not telling him who she was, and she had ...
possibly been planning to tell him. Or her idiot best friend was simply also an
asshole, to her as well as to her company, and was legitimately ratting her
out.

He decided to play dumb, giving her an oblivious look once
Goro had gone. "Were you going to tell me something, love?"

**Jen:**

 Larkin cringed and turned back to Azriel. She narrowed her
eyes at him. "You heard him, didn't you? Fucking asshole. Ugh." Larkin
sighed and dragged a hand down her face.

**Izzy:**

 "Heard what?"

**Jen:**

 "I- gotta tell you something." Larkin rolled her
eyes, tilting her head up like this was the most painful thing in the world.
Would be be, if Azriel decided to take it as badly as Larkin feared.

**Izzy:**

 He felt a bit ... guilty, or something, dragging it out. She
had meant to tell him, them. And he was holding it over her head. Well, she
could have told him much sooner. He also could have told her that he was a
Melaine, but sharing that could be dangerous with some random street soldier --
granted, she was now taking that same chance with him, not knowing who he was.
Unless she did.

Did she? He had wondered. She'd come close to it, before.
She knew bits and pieces about his family, and given she had been a Basha this
entire time, and all, she must know something about the Melaines. His mother
kept the younger three of them quiet, but the Basha would know more than
ordinary folk, so she could have pieced it together, especially once she'd met
Abel.

Perhaps she had simply gathered enough information, and come
to the conclusion that it was safe for each of them to reveal who they were
before he had. He wasn't certain he would have come to that conclusion at all.
May have merely kept lying to her. No, my last name is Khole. Hadn't that been
his intention -- to come here and accuse her of the same thing he'd done,
without owning up?

Hm. Yes. Guilt. He didn't enjoy it. Clearly this was her
fault, somehow. He would continue being angry. Larkin fucking Basha. Ah, the
venom was gone, though.

He just really fucking liked her, that was the problem. He
was kind of pleased she was a Basha, if he was being honest, which he despised,
but there it was. If Moorland ever returned to normal, then, and he was able to
go home and resume his life, she wouldn't necessarily ... vanish from it. Being
a city apart wasn't an obstacle if they were allies. Maybe she would move. That
was presumptuous -- but they could keep in touch without scorn, without his
mother making her disappear for being unworthy.

.

He realized he had just been staring at her for slightly too
long, and cleared his throat. Of course he could come clean before she did --
would that give him the advantage? -- but he was too pressed for time and honesty
was more difficult than continuing to lie.

"Oh?" he said mildly.

**Jen:**

 "Alright, listen," Larkin said, pushing the
anguish down and trying to replace it with a more helpful feeling.
Self-righteousness for example, since she wasn't the only damn person with a
secret identity here. "I didn't tell you because I didn't know if it was
safe. Not just because of you, because...well..." she glanced away for a
second, too embarassed by the admission to look Azriel in the eye. "I do
trust you. Somehow. Wild, I know, but... okay, look. Thing is, I'm working for
the Basha, which you probably already guessed, but I'm not just some soldier.
I'm... I'm Renar's niece. The Basha. He's my uncle."

**Izzy:**

 Azriel grimaced. He could have feigned surprise, played up
shock and betrayal and ...

Ah, he just kind of felt bad. Because she felt bad, he
supposed. Dreadful. He wasn't meant to have empathy. But here she was, unable
to meet his eyes, saying that she trusted him, defending herself in advance.

"Yes," he said, a bit at a loss for words
(wretched), "well. Hm. Well. Yes." Horrid. All of it. "I'm
aware."

This was definitely the part where he either returned the
favor of tell the truth, or else played the part of someone who didn't know any
better, but he didn't find himself doing either one. He found himself falling
silent, instead, and then saying -- apropos nothing -- "Do you think, I
think we played marbles together, as children," as he kicked idly at the
floor, hands jammed in his pockets, and looked down.

**Jen:**

 Larkin looked at him then, eyebrows raised. Yeah, they might
have. She remembered doing that with the children of Renar's guests. Some of
them had bee tieflings, she guessed. Maybe one of them had been purple.

But this wasn't the thing that'd made her pause. She
narrowed her eyes and, ignoring the sweet comment about them maybe meetin as
children, said, "What do you mean you were aware?"

**Izzy:**

 "Well, I suppose Jasper found out," he said, still
not looking at her. "And Mask help her, but she cannot keep a secret to
save her life. It's really better to just not tell her things -- I say this
with love." Entirely beside the point; he was just filling the air. He
cleared his throat again.

**Jen:**

 "Yeah, I know. She told me about you."

**Izzy:**

 "Mm." He nodded. They had been over that so many
times, and still he was unsurprised. Ah, Jasper. She was either going to get
him killed, one day, or she was going to get killed saving his life. If both
could happen at once, they probably would. "Well. I could make excuses for
myself, but they would be the same as your excuses, which sounds rather tedious
to me."

**Jen:**

 "They're not excuses, though. They were good
reasons." Larkin went over to the stove and poked at their food.
"Hey, were you... when were you planning to tell me you're a
Melaine?"

**Izzy:**

 "Oh, I absolutely wasn't," he said blithely. He
quite hated the way honesty sounded coming out of his mouth. "Far too
dangerous. I am, as you're aware, a fucking coward."

**Jen:**

 "You got fucking mad at me for not trusting you enough and
then you won't tell me you're one of my own allies?" Larkin frowned at
him, the food forgotten. What the fuck. She felt... well, what was that? She'd
expected him to hold onto his secret maybe a bit longer but eventually....
eventually he should've told her, shouldn't he? This was how this worked...
wasn't it?

**Izzy:**

 He nodded and made a thoroughly unimpressive,
"Mm," sound again. Yes, well, when she put it that way, it certainly
did sound like a flaw in his character. "Well, I only just found out. I don't
-- suppose I know what I was going to do, in the foreseeable future. Ah, well,
no. No, you see."

He cleared his throat again and clasped his hands together,
looking at her, finally. "You see, what happened is that Jasper told me
who you are, and I got very angry and stormed over here in a terribly petty
rage, intending to guilt you over lying to me, not trusting me, and all that
--" he frowned -- "but then I got here, and looked at you, and -- now
I don't ... want to do that. And I feel rather despicable for not telling you
already." He fidgeted with the rings on his fingers, and defended, "I
don't regret it, though. It was the obvious correct choice, not knowing you're
a Basha. I suppose I just wish I had known earlier."

**Jen:**

 Larkin was silent because she didn't know what to say.
Didn't know what to feel either. Anger over him coming here to round on her,
like a fucking hypocrit? Certainly, but...

I got here, and looked at you, and... Fuck, why did that
make it so hard to just stand here and let it slide; why did that resonate so
much with her?

Larkin scowled and shook her head, then waved at him.
"Well... you wanna come kiss me or what?"

**Izzy:**

 "Oh, yes please." That was not remotely among the
things he had expected to hear. Fuck you, get out, was a strong contender, and
less words and more knives was, as well.

He wasn't going to question it, though. Not for right now.
In a moment, maybe -- after he closed the distance between them and slipped an
arm around her -- almost uncomfortable, how comfortable it was -- and cupped
her cheek to angle her face up to his. And he fully intended to kiss her, but
then he didn't, because he just wanted to look at her, for a moment. And the
moment stretched on, because he didn't want to stop looking at her, and feeling
... whatever kind of way this was, that looking at her caused to happen to him.

And he thought, Oh. Oh, dear.

**Jen:**

 "Well?" Larkin asked, looking up at Azriel. She
wanted to keep scowling, be cross with him, but the moment his hand touched her
face, that melted away. She also felt like melting, into Azriel's arms, into a
happy fucking puddle on the floor.

She wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her chin
against his but waiting for him to pull them into the kiss. She longed for it,
Mask knew, but the way Azriel looked at her was... just as good, somehow.

**Izzy:**

 "I should, uh." Uh? Since exactly when did Azriel
Melaine uh. His mother would be mortified.

This was horrible. Yes, this was very bad. "I
should." He cut himself off again. Wretched. Horrid. Awful.

He drew away from her, awkwardly, and took a couple of steps
back. "I should. Go. I should leave. Is what I should do. Mm. Yes."
Still extremely poor. It was out of his mouth, now, though. No taking it back.

**Jen:**

 Wait, what?

"Wait, what?" Larkin moved after him, not wanting
to break contact. She reached out to grab his hand, grab anything to pull him
back in. "No, you should fucking stay."

**Izzy:**

 "Oh, no. No. I don't think that I should." He
looked down at her hand clenching his. That -- pained him. She meant it. She
really wanted him to fucking stay, and he was quite sure that he wanted to stay
just as much.

This was too much. He hadn't thought this through well
enough -- this whole Melaine-Basha thing, this ... feelings thing.

He pulled his hand away, refusing to look at her again.
"I think I should, ah. Go home. And. Yes. Stay there. Mm."

**Jen:**

 "What the fuck?" Larkin must've heard wrong
because this didn't make any fucking sense. Was he belatedly trying to play
cross with her? Well that was bad fucking timing, right before the were about
to kiss. Fucking asshole.

She grabbed after Azriel's hand again and tried to pull him
in again, stop him from fucking... whatever the fuck was going on.

**Izzy:**

 "Stop." He jerked his hand away. It came out sharper
than he wanted it to.

This -- this wasn't going any of the ways he had wanted it
to. She was supposed to be entertaining and distracting. And then he had
thought perhaps she could be a partner, of sorts, someone to help him find his
footing in Skyport, someone ... normal and uncomplicated. She kept making him
feel the way he had as a child, running away from sweet shops with other small
thieves -- careless and easy, free from his name, and --

"Stop," he said again, more quietly. That was why
he had been so angry as a gut reaction, maybe. He backed towards the window.
She hadn't tricked him. He had fucking tricked himself.

**Jen:**

 "Hey, you don't get to just fucking leave like
that!" Larkin yelled but made no further attempt to stop him. "What
the hell is wrong, Azriel? What'd I fucking do, huh? Is this the fucking Basha
thing?"

**Izzy:**

 Should he apologize? What was the etiquette for this sort of
situation? Was it running away? He was fairly sure it was running away. God,
she did know where he lived, though. Perhaps the lovely old grandmother type at
the Chipped Teacup would let him hide out in the apartment over the cafe.

"It's, ah." It was the Basha thing, in a way, but
not in the way she probably thought. Really, there was -- no explaining this.
He kept backing away until he hit the wall, then felt his way the couple steps
to the window. "Ah." You didn't do anything? He should probably say
that. It wasn't as if it were her fault, after all, that he had projected some
fantasy onto her, and she had happened to be the sole person in this city who
would complicate it. "Ah."

Instead, though, he ducked and hopped out the window.
Amazing how graceful the descent was, when he was properly motivated by his own
... shame, he supposed.

He hated every fucking part of this, and bolted anyway.

**Jen:**

 And that was it, apparently. Larkin didn't go after him,
didn't even call out again. Wouldn't do any fucking good anyway. Azriel was out
the window before Larkin realized that were his fucking parting words and he'd
likely not be back.

She stared at the window, feeling numb and alone. More alone
that she had been the night returning here after Finch got caught. Because
Finch hadn't chosen to leave, to die as Larkin had thought. But Azriel had. Had
looked at her like she was a fucking gem then... thought better of it or
something. And decided whatever consequences came of kissing her, Larkin just
wasn't worth it.

She sat down next to the stove and leaned her head against
it. Too hot. She put it into her hands instead. "Fuck," she muttered
and then, because it did nothing to the ache in her gut, screamed at the floor,
"Fuck!" and again, and "Fuck you, Azriel, fuck!"

**Izzy:**

 [END]

Title: Flight. Summary: Larkin and Azriel come clean about
their respective last names. Azriel realizes he has Emotions and runs away,
making Larkin a sad and angry bird.