Societal Solipsism - Chapter 7: Departures and Dearly-Beloveds

Western Commons

71 Zephyr, 1330 AE

Hisoka yawned and knocked hesitantly at a wooden door. While he listened to the muffled sounds coming from within the house, his gaze traced the patterns in the wood, finding familiar knots only gently faded by time. Just as he was lifting his hand to press a thumb to where rain from the previous night was clinging to a well-worn whorl in the door, it swung open. Awkwardly, he let his hand fall back to his side and looked into the face of his childhood friend.

Ambrosine cast a glance over her shoulder, into the darkened hallway of her house. Confident that nobody else was awake, she stepped through the door and closed it behind her. She didn't speak, opting instead to cross her arms. Patterns of blue and green dye wound their ways from the back of her palms to the navy tunic she wore. When it became clear that she was willing to open the conversation, not the door, Hisoka finally brought himself to speak.

"I'm sorry I've been gone so long," he said.

"People usually say that after a few weeks, maybe even a few months," Ambrosine sighed, voice heavy with disappointment.

Hisoka found it hard to lift his eyes to meet her gaze. "Claypool—"

"Isn't so far away that you could never send mail, or stop in."

"I know, it's just..." Hisoka looked up and down the street. Dawn was just beginning to spread its light across the tops of high buildings, with the city's ring wall ensuring that the cobbled streets would stay dim for at least another hour. "Would you like to go for a walk? Catch up?"

Ambrosine shook her head, and there was a hint of amusement in her expression that she seemed to be trying to suppress. "You have the oddest timing, you know. Just let me get something warmer."

Ambrosine stepped back into the house, leaving Hisoka alone on the front step once more. He exhaled and tried to gather himself, his worst-case expectations for the meeting averted. Time seemed to stretch in the few minutes it took for Ambrosine to return to the door, such that Hisoka was already restless by the time she stepped out to join him. She was dressed in warmer clothes that hid all her dye, save for that on the backs of her hands. Taking her in, Hisoka noticed that she had grown her hair out. As children, she had habitually worn it in a short, messy, style that was best-suited to their long days running around the city unsupervised. Now, her black hair fell flat to her shoulder blades.

Just as when they were children, she led the way. Unlike back then, and as opposed to all the early-morning workers walking the cobbled streets, she didn't appear to have a specific destination in mind. They walked wordlessly for several minutes before Ambrosine laughed, breaking the awkward silence. "You're awfully quiet. Is this usual for you now, or is it just around me?"

Hisoka wasn't sure which answer would sound better. "The last few years have been rough." He didn't make eye contact with her. The conversation was easy to avoid with Liberius since he was so alien to Hisoka's history, but Ambrosine had been there for all of it. All except the most recent year, anyhow.

"I know." Her voice was sympathetic, but shifted into something a little harder when she said, "But other people could have made it easier."

Hisoka echoed her. "I know. And I haven't been alone, I just needed someone...outside of it all. Someone without history."

"Your mother said you were spending time with a charr?"

Word traveled fast amongst the Canthan populace in Kryta. "Yeah..." Hisoka trailed off, before remembering why he had knocked on Ambrosine's door. "He's been good for me. When I want to just lay down somewhere, he keeps pulling me along." Hisoka had pulled level with Ambrosine, and caught the beginnings of a smile on her face. "What?" he asked, amusement slowly dawning in his own tone.

"Oh, nothing. So, are you two together?"

Hisoka choked. "What—"

"Come on, it's pretty obvious. You followed me around when we were kids—"

"I was shy!"

"—and your crush was hardly subtle. Now you're following this charr around—"

"It's different, after Zhaitan—"

"I know, I know, the Canthan mission," Ambrosine said, voice softening. "I'm still sorry about that, by the way."

"It's okay."

The two returned to silence, the topic characteristically killing any joviality in the air. It was Ambrosine who broke it once more. "I'm happy, though. I mean... unconventional choice, to say the least."

"Hey, I didn't confirm anything."

"You didn't have to, Hisoka. You've been following him for a year, speaking to basically nobody but him, and when you come to see me it's on the morning of leaving with him again." Ambrosine lifted one finger per point, and laughed. "Either you're together, you're in love with him and he hasn't realized, or he doesn't reciprocate. Don't worry, we're not Tyrian. I'm not going to stop speaking to you just because you like your men..." She flexed and grunted, causing both to laugh. Hers was louder than his.

"Let me guess. You knew I was leaving again because of my mother?"

Ambrosine shrugged. "Guilty, I suppose. When are you heading out?"

"In just a few hours. I wanted to come see you before we left."

"Well, I'm glad you did. Make sure to stop by when you get back, will you? What are the two of you even up to? Your mom said it was something to do with the old Canthan Embassy in Ascalon City, but she didn't know anything besides that."

"That was a lie," Hisoka admitted, dragging the first word out to avoid owning up to it. "We'll be fairly close, all things considered. Just a bit southeast."

Ambrosine's brow furrowed. "You'll have to bring me up to speed, my knowledge of Ascalonian geography isn't fantastic."

"There was an old fort there, back before the Foefire. The charr tore it down and built a fortification of their own on top..." His voice was languid. When he finally spoke again, it was to add, "until Kralkatorrik Branded it."

Ambrosine looked at him. Her brow was furrowed, but not in disapproval. "Hisoka...you know how dangerous it is out there, right?"

He nodded. "We've been through Orr, bits of deep Maguuma...what's one more dragon-blighted wasteland?" He tried to make light of the situation, the way he knew Liberius would have been able to. Ambrosine didn't appear to buy it.

Nor did she condemn him. "Just so long as you're safe. What are you even doing out in the Dragonbrand, though?"

"So, long story. Liberius has been on this...quest, I guess, to chase some 'lead' he thinks we found back in Rata Sum. We were spying on some Inquest, and—"

"You owe me that story later."

"Only if it doesn't get back to mom."

"Of course not, I wouldn't snitch on you."

Hisoka smiled. To the best of his knowledge, she still hadn't told anyone about the time he had accidentally released a travelling magician's doves, who had proceeded to make a mess of the nearby bakery. "Anyway, after harassing a smut author—" Ambrosine made to interrupt, and Hisoka just shook his head. "We learned that whatever they're experimenting on is going down there."

Ambrosine hummed to herself, debating how far to push the topic after not having seen Hisoka in a year. They were still friends though, she thought, so she owed it to both of them to speak up. "It sounds like this is more his idea than yours. Are you sure you want to head out there?"

"It's complicated. He has this... thing about Ascalon."

"Why? Trouble back home?"

"I don't know, I haven't sat him down and asked. He's not from Ascalon either, he's from further north."

"Well, I hope it goes well. I want to see you back here again in less than a year," Ambrosine said. Not wanting the conversation to stay too dour, she added, "so...how does kissing a charr feel?"

Hisoka snorted.

"I'm serious! Like, with the teeth, and—"

"His teeth are fine! Pretty 'human' if you want to call it that. They don't stick out from his lips or anything."

"And that's another thing! Do you call it a muzzle, or what? And how do you keep the fur from getting everywhere?"

Hisoka brushed a hand down his shirt, and caught an errant strand of black fur. He held it up so that the very tip caught the light. "You don't. Bit of an occupational hazard."

"And what about the—"

Hisoka held his palms out to Ambrosine. "Okay, okay, that's enough. I can fill you in more when we get back." He was smiling now, and seeing him emerge from his shell caused her to smile too. "For now..." he gave a quick glance to the length of the shadows creeping up the curved limestone wall supporting the Upper City. "I should be meeting up with Liberius pretty soon." He looked as if he wanted to say more, but decided against it. Instead, Hisoka stuck his hand out to shake.

Ambrosine rolled her eyes and hugged him. Her hugs were firm, though less body-enfolding than Liberius'. Still, the surprise of it pressed the air from his lungs, and he hugged back.

"It was nice seeing you again," she said, voice gently wistful. "We should do this again when you get back. You can tell me all about your 'little adventure' with the Inquest."

Filled with the somber dourness infused within goodbyes, the two stepped apart. Hisoka opened his mouth to finish their time together, and instead asked, "Why don't you come with me to meet him?"

Ambrosine smiled and gladly joined Hisoka on the way to the Upper City. "So, are the two of you taking the Lion's Arch gates to avoid going through Ebonhawke? It's hard to go ten minutes around most Ascalonians without them fuming about the charr."

"In part. Other than that, we might be able to avoid the Brand entirely if we're lucky. Our...contact, just mentioned that the facility was west of the old fort, not how close it is. The less time spent there, the better."

As the two sat down and chatted upon one of the stone edifices ringing the asura gate, the mechanisms driving the celestial movements of the orrery hanging above meted out an inescapable sense of passing time. Despite his comfort around Ambrosine, and his attraction to Liberius, Hisoka found the prospect of uniting these disparate parts of his life, even briefly, to be heart-poundingly anxiety-inducing. Ambrosine belonged wholly to an earlier time for him, and Liberius completely to the person he was now. Meeting with Ambrosine today had been a pleasant step several years into the past, with only brief incursions from events to come.

But Liberius disrupted that. Obviously he had never been around when the two of them were kids, they hadn't grown up as a trio. To bring Liberius into the facets of his life more historically entrenched within the overall makeup of himself was to make him more lasting, and recontextualize everything that had come before. Bringing Liberius into his life had been one of his goals in dragging the charr to Divinity's Reach, but he hadn't been able to bring himself to make that leap when the time came with his mother. Here Ambrosine was offering a lower-stakes second chance, and despite himself he wanted to back out.

He took a deep breath. Liberius meeting Ambrosine would change things, sure, but that could be good. Internally, he would reevaluate all of his childhood memories through the lens of them leading to his relationship with Liberius, but that result was one he was enjoying. Another deep breath calmed his nerves enough to steady him.

Hisoka saw Liberius before Ambrosine did, as if magnetically drawn to the charr's presence. His worries dissipated as the moment itself came, swept away like foreboding grey clouds on the morning of a sunlit day. The two humans stood up to greet Liberius, who embraced Hisoka in a quick hug before taking a step back to look at them both.

"Liberius, this is Ambrosine, the friend I was telling you about. Ambrosine, this is Liberius, my...you know." Hisoka gestured from one to the other, and the two shook hands.

"Pleasure to meet you," Ambrosine greeted, hand entirely hidden within Liberius' oversized paw.

The charr nodded and grunted out a not-unfriendly, "Likewise."

Liberius was laden down with a pair of backpacks, one of which he unslung and passed to Hisoka, who set it down on the ground. Ambrosine took them in and nodded her approval. "You don't pack light."

"Conditions won't be light," Liberius stated, as he gave his supplies one last look-over.

"Good to know you'll be keeping him well supplied," Ambrosine teased as she shook Hisoka's shoulder.

This got a laugh from the charr. "He's the guardian, you'd think he'd be the one keeping me safe. Guess he just needs a big, strong, charr around."

Hisoka flushed. "It wouldn't be an issue if you weren't dragging me all over the continent."

"Aww, I'm only dragging you around the continent because Elona and Cantha are isolated. Besides, you're the one who keeps following me," Liberius teased.

For a moment, energy passed between Hisoka and Ambrosine, calling to mind their earlier discussion about Hisoka's motivation for, and desire to, trek across Tyria. It passed, a discussion for another time, place, and social arrangement. Instead of commenting on it, Ambrosine smiled sweetly and added, "So you could have a date in the Desolation instead of Orr?"

Liberius grinned. "I like this one, she gets it! Sure, if there's anything to get up to there."

Hisoka rolled his eyes. "You weren't so blasé about Orr when we were there. Something about water and charr fur not getting along? What makes you think sand would be any better?"

This was met with a low grumble. "Okay, okay, I get the point. When we're done in Ascalon, we can..." Liberius trailed off, mind stalling at the thought of a pleasant date spot.

It was Ambrosine's turn to laugh. "That's what you two can figure out while you're walking across Ascalon. I'll leave you to it." To Hisoka she added, "It was really nice seeing you again. Stop in as soon as you're back."

Hisoka smiled and nodded, fully meaning it.

"And nice to meet you, Liberius. Just one quick question..." She looked between the two of them, lifted her upper lip, and tapped her teeth.

Hisoka scoffed, and Ambrosine waved goodbye and left. Liberius turned to him, expression quizzical. "What was—"

"I'll tell you later."