Khearia's Sun

L

ㅤWith stiff fingers, James carefully pried the paper out from behind his back, mindful not to rip the delicate and damp pages. A lot of the paper had clumped together, dissolving, but they hadn't been entirely soaked; the writing was bleeding but not illegible, the pages were stuck but not inseparable.

ㅤ"Are you serious right now?" Riley asked.

ㅤThere was a moment without words, only the sound of the fire spitting and the rain beating down on the building was audible. No one was quite sure what to make of the question and no one had the energy or desire to get involved.

ㅤ"I think you'll find that I am," Alex replied.

ㅤRiley scoffed, disgusted by the suggestion.

ㅤOn a normal day, Alex probably would've let the slight go but, this time, he didn't.

ㅤ"What's the problem, huh, Riley? Instead of making faces like a child, why don't you use words like an adult and spare us from the Riley play, yes? I'm sick to death of you, it's like having a teenager sticking around, complaining and making snide comments at every opportunity."

ㅤRiley pushed his chair back, it scraped against the floorboards.

ㅤ"Look around you, Alex," Riley said, "we're tired; mentally, physically, emotionally— we're all tired." He gestured around him. "They're all too exhausted to say 'no' to you when they should."

ㅤ"Who are you to speak on their behalves?"

ㅤYet, no one else said a thing. Thomas kept his head down, engrossed in tending the fire. Fletcher stared at his fingers and James watched the interaction whilst offering nothing to the contrary.

ㅤRiley cocked his head, staring at Alex, offering the silence as evidence, and it was loud.

ㅤ"I need a fucking drink," Riley decided, standing and walking over the small bar. "You lot should leave me alone now because you won't like me after I drink."

ㅤ"So, you're just going to give up?" Alex challenged.

ㅤRiley chuckled, bitterly, at the bait. With no one to serve him, he climbed over the counter and began to serve himself, opting for the strongest wine he could find.

ㅤ"Are you listening to me?"

ㅤ"Alex," James warned.

ㅤHe was witnessing what Thomas meant by calling Alex 'brittle'. James had always wanted Alex to get angry, but this kind of antagonism wasn't productive at all, it was unnecessarily mean and unfruitful, destructive— done with no purpose in sight.

ㅤRiley downed his wine, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, and then poured another one.

ㅤ"Don't you want to know what happened to your cousin?" Alex continued. "Or do you not care anymore?"

ㅤJames knew any intervention from him would only make things worse, Alex would see it as him undermining his authority, so he kept quiet.

ㅤ"I'm not giving up," Riley argued, calmly and lowly. "You know my motivation, you know I'm not. But if you want to slave away into the night like an overworked horse, that's your choice, don't drag the rest of us into it."

ㅤJames winced at the wording, even though it was true.

ㅤ"Honestly?" Riley said, smiling sourly to himself. "You're so stubborn and serious that I don't know what James sees in you. He could do better."

ㅤHe then downed his second drink.

ㅤAlex stood, his chair screeching, and gathered up the pages, his movements heavy.