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[ Softly; ]

... it's - very hard to think of this objectively. [ He presses his face into his hands, rubbing them down his cheeks. ] This used to be my life.

( Ja'far just stays quiet for a long moment, his hand still on Aspen's back. )

...I'm sorry that this situation is too much like home for you. It isn't fair to anyone, but to have this be so close to a situation you were in before... I'm sorry.

It's alright. I would just... gladly be a Submissive, to save someone else that pain. I wouldn't mind. But being this... I don't think I'll ever understand it.

[ He breathes in deeply and rakes a hand through his hair, pushing his bangs back from red-rimmed eyes. ]

Sh-should I make you something? I can boil water, so tea is possible... you've just been listening to me go on, I want to do something for you.

I don't mind listening to you. You're my friend. ( Ja'far beams at him. )

But, if you have some coffee, I wouldn't say no to that. Tea would be lovely as well.

[ He nods, getting up to move over to the kitchen. What would help with Ja'far's... restlessness? Well, he could just put him to sleep and deliver him back to Sinbad's floor, but that's not very friendly. Or at least, that's what Wisteria tells him. Maybe just a relaxing herbal blend... ]

Coffee, this late in the day...?

Ah, sorry, it's habit. I'm used to drinking a lot of it to stay awake to finish work in Sindria. ( He at least looks a bit sheepish. ) It's also my favorite.

I've got a blend of herbs that might help you relax a bit. You do seem tense.

( Tense? Well, he is still dealing with everything going on here... )

That sounds nice.

[ He gives a nod, stepping into the kitchen and gesturing to a stool on the opposite side of the counter. For the most part, the kitchen is immaculate - like it's rarely ever used. What isn't immaculate is the small herb garden that spans a good half of the counter on Aspen's side, most of the plants growing and showing a healthy green tint. He knows them on sight, picking a few and pressing them between his hands. There's a bright flash of light from his fingertips and he tilts his hands to let the water drain from his palms, gesturing to the cups on a hook beside where Ja'far eventually sits. ]

Ah, could you hold out one of those for me?

( Ja'far watches curiously, unfamiliar with this kind of magic. When Aspen asks for him to help though, he nods, grabbing the cup and holding it out for him. )

[ When he opens his hands, dried herbs fall from them, a potent scent of fresh lemongrass and ginger following. Somehow, Aspen seems far more relaxed and at ease just handling the plants and using his magic than anything else. ]

Thank you. And for tea, that's... [ He takes an electric kettle, filling it with water and flicking it on before rustling through the cupboard. ] What sort of snacks do you like?

( Ja'far smiles, busying himself with readying the cups as Aspen heats the water. )

Ah, snacks? Anything is fine.

If you're sure.

[ He hums as he picks out a pack of cookies, squinting at the label and mouthing the letters carefully - he thinks for a moment before he puts them together in his head, coming over to set some packaged madeleines down. ]

These should go well. I'm not... sure how to pronounce it, but they're quaint. What sort of things do you have in Sindria, like this?

( Ja'far reads the label and tilts his head curiously. Madeleines? He's not entirely sure what those are, but he'll trust Aspen's taste. )

Mostly fresh fruits and the like. Sindria is to the south, and has access to a lot of different plants that most countries do not have.

Ahhh... so you're used to a warmer temperature.

[ He's full-on pouting. ] I'm jealous...! Petir has trade with most countries, but our alliances don't fall too far to the south... it's... not safe, there.

A bit. I traveled all over the world with Sin, though.

( Ja'far smiles, a bit tickled by Aspen's pout. ) Too dangerous? The south is dangerous for us, as well. We're one of the few countries with any access, and there are a lot of large monsters we have to defend the island from.

Ah... south of Petir is Lotus, Dene, and Onin.

[ As the kettle starts to beep, he jumps a little before unplugging it, pressing a hand against his chest. He's still not used to these things...

But he pours the water into Ja'far's cup, taking the empty one Ja'far had settled and starting to pick a few other herbs, his fingertips glowing gently at the edges as he swirls them in the air. The plants grow a little higher, unfurl a few leaves and blossoms, and he goes back to work - doing the same thing with his batch of herbs. ]

Lotus is where I lived most of my life, and where I was trained. It is... a trade city. I suppose one can't quite call it the 'south', as it's right underneath Petir - they share a border. It's now characterized by its... entertainment. [ Given Aspen's own talents and training, it's clear what kind of 'entertainment' Lotus might be best at giving. ] But before, it was... a very powerful country. It originated most of Estelya's dark magics and axemanship, and it was absolutely feared. In the last few hundred years it sided with Petir, but...

[ A sigh. ] Dene was a part of Lotus, but broke off a hundred years ago when part of Lotus swore to Petir for peace. It's stayed bloodthirsty and... from what I know, Dene is the nation that wiped out almost all of the Aurain or took them as slaves. Including my family. They wage war against Petir now, and... they were winning until I was... brought here.

( He thanks Aspen as he pours water into his cup, and then watches, enthralled, as he casts a spell on the plants. It was always fascinating to see different magics.

But, as the conversation shifts, Ja'far listens, quiet and respectful as Aspen explains some of his world to him. It is... familiar, this kind of chaos that Aspen describes. ) You speak as if you saw that war first hand.

I did.

[ He shifts, looking down to his own cup as he pours in the water. He doesn't meet Ja'far's eyes, keeping his eyes down. ]

... some of it. Lotus turned against Petir when Dene declared war. Since I lived in Lotus for so long... I offered to go back, accompanied by my guard, Wisteria. It was just supposed to be a scouting mission, but... I was, ah. Captured. I was three... almost four months late to the start of the war.

By that time, Petir was losing terribly. The only thing myself and King Belias could think of was combining our magic through the royal Heirstone so we might be able to hold them back. That sort of reckless move is something of a death wish.

( Something clicks in Ja'far's mind. )

You think you died.

[ There's a pause and he slowly tucks a lock of hair behind his ear. ]

... yes. I'm almost certain of it. I could feel my body burning before I was suddenly... here.

( Ja'far frowns, lost in thought for a long moment. So many people were brought from so many different worlds here, from so many different timelines, it was entirely possible that this place could've grabbed him from just before he died. But it's also possible they didn't, that he was alive anyway, and just brought here because it was convenient. But, the unfortunate point is Ja'far doesn't know. And whatever he could say wouldn't change how Aspen views it, not without proof.

There's something else he's now noticing, however. ) The royal Heirstone, what is it? Can anyone use it? Clearly it is not something simple, despite it being something that can kill you - otherwise, your enemy would have used it against you.

[ Aspen balks at first (gods damn it, he had called it the royal Heirstone, hadn't he?) and then his eyes dart away, a chill running down his spine. ]

Ah, it... it's... Petir's keepsake and the royal family's birthright. It... glows if someone has royal blood and is usually kept as an identifier. It's - good for stopping illegitimate power struggles across kingdoms and the like... because its true power is much stronger. It takes a joining of powerful magic across kingdoms to power it as a destructive force.

I wasn't able to see its true destruction, but... I knew we were able to clear through to their front line before everything went black.

( Ja'far's eyes narrow, pieces coming together - the name of the stone, being one of them. )

You are of royal blood, then. ( Ja'far isn't even truly asking at this point. )

I-I never said it needed a royal to power it!

[ (It does.) ]

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