Mirza was sitting in the library, his hands on a book, his head on his hands.
He hadn't been reading. Well, he had but every time his eyes moved to another line, his mind drifted.
Min-Ju had taken Ma out for a walk around the palace grounds. He had watched them for a little bit from the tower - watched as his mother shied away from the sun like she was a vampire, resting her head on Min-Ju's shoulder even though Min was smaller than she was.

Ma had stopped talking about a week ago. Mirza remembered it distinctly, because he'd come into her room to give her a kiss goodnight, and as his lips left the warm skin of her cheek she'd seized his arm. "Mirza," she said with those starry, distant eyes. "I love you so much."
"I love you too." he'd returned, managing to keep his voice level.

And he did. It might have been hard to imagine Mirza loving his mother, considering what a hollow person she'd become, but he did. What else could he do? She was his mom. And even though she was vague and distracted with everyone else - even with Uncle Lucifer, who she'd apparently been inseparable from before everything had happened - she always met Mirza's eyes when she spoke with him. He could tell how much it hurt to. But she still did it.

But Ma had stopped talking and he would never hear her say she loved him again. Even worse than that, he wondered if she still did, or if that growing darkness had consumed her completely. People thought Ma was hollow when she hadn't been, but maybe now, they were right. Maybe her soul had finally been carved out of her body. (edited)

plum — 06/29/2020 4:22 PM
"Are you dead or are you napping?" Kyros asked as he discovered him, carrying a couple thick books of his own.

peach — 06/29/2020 4:23 PM
"Both?" Mirza tried, looking up at his uncle.

plum — 06/29/2020 4:25 PM
"I don't think that's possible, unfortunately. Unless you mean to tell me you're some kind of ghost." Kyros dropped his hand onto Mirza's shoulder, confirming that he was not, in fact, incorporeal, and gave him a single pat before moving past him. "Why so glum?"

peach — 06/29/2020 4:31 PM
"I'm always glum," he said. "Pari's always loud, Feo's always quiet, Vic's always goofing off. And I'm always glum."

plum — 06/29/2020 4:33 PM
"That's not true," he perused the bookshelf behind Mirza. "I'd describe you more as... hm." He thought on it for a moment, tapping one book's cover. "Taciturn."

peach — 06/29/2020 4:35 PM
"That's a nice way of saying glum." he said glumly.

plum — 06/29/2020 4:35 PM
"Fine then. Why are you more glum than usual?"

peach — 06/29/2020 4:36 PM
He shrugged a little and asked, "Don't you just feel sad sometimes for no reason?"

plum — 06/29/2020 4:38 PM
"Not really," he admitted, pulling a book. "Seriously, Miz, what's up? Are you gonna make me do the whole song and dance?"

peach — 06/29/2020 4:38 PM
"That would be pretty funny, to see you singing and dancing." Mirza said. "Would you? It would make me feel better."

plum — 06/29/2020 4:40 PM
"I will not." Kyros took a seat beside him, looking his friend in the eye. "And I'm leaving it at that. I know better than you give you more fodder to sidetrack the conversation with. What's wrong?"

peach — 06/29/2020 4:44 PM
"It's my mom." he said finally. "She's getting worse. What else is new, you know?"

plum — 06/29/2020 4:46 PM
"Just because it's not a surprising development doesn't make it any less important." He replied. "...What happened?" (edited)

peach — 06/29/2020 4:47 PM
"She's not talking anymore." there was some relief at Kyros' quiet understanding and his words. It was true. They all knew Ma was getting worse, but each time it hit as hard as a hammer against his chest. He slumped a little, saying sadly, "I... wish there was more I could do."

plum — 06/29/2020 5:49 PM
"When did she stop? Maybe it's just a spell."

peach — 06/29/2020 5:49 PM
"A week ago."

plum — 06/29/2020 5:51 PM
"Is she otherwise, you know... present?"

peach — 06/29/2020 6:09 PM
He shrugged, dropping his head back onto the book.

plum — 06/29/2020 6:18 PM
He opened his mouth as if to say something, but closed it a moment later. "It's hard." He said finally. "There's no other way about it."

peach — 06/29/2020 6:20 PM
"Yeah. I guess so."

plum — 06/29/2020 6:33 PM
"You know you can talk about it, right? I know you're not exactly one to monopolize the conversation, but lord knows Pari takes up enough of our time whining about her problems. I'm sure no one would mind listening to yours for a change." He said. "I just notice you never really bring it up, but obviously you think about it a lot."

peach — 06/29/2020 6:40 PM
"It just feels like there's no point," he admitted. "In talking about it. Because nothing's going to change. I guess I just have to... I don't know. Learn how to say goodbye."

plum — 06/29/2020 7:11 PM
"Maybe," he allowed. "But you don't talk about it to change things, you know. A little venting is good for you sometimes. And besides, you never know what someone might say-- they might drop some piece of wisdom that ends up holding you over."

peach — 06/29/2020 7:12 PM
He deliberated Kyros' words with a small frown. "What if venting just makes me more sad?"

plum — 06/29/2020 7:14 PM
"Then at least you'll be sad with friends. If anything at all," he articulated. "You'll at least get to have some of Sparrow's baking, guaranteed."

peach — 06/29/2020 7:16 PM
That merited a small laugh. "Yeah, I could go for a cookie and a hug. Too bad she's gone this week."

plum — 06/29/2020 7:17 PM
"Well, don't tell Pari. Remember her brief baking phase? I'd rather eat her mother's food."

peach — 06/29/2020 7:18 PM
"God," he snorted. "That's a dangerous line of thinking."
June 30, 2020

plum — 06/30/2020 1:58 AM
After a moment of amused silence, Kyros went on, "You know one good thing? Aunt Faey's already taken over for one orphan kid. What's one more?"

peach — 06/30/2020 2:00 AM
This actually seemed to have the opposite effect of what he intended as the smile faded from Mirza's lips, worry overtaking his expression once more.

plum — 06/30/2020 2:01 AM
"All I'm saying is," he explained. "She cares about you and she's got your back."

peach — 06/30/2020 2:01 AM
"What if she doesn't want me, though?" he said quietly. It was a fear that had wriggled itself into his mind, ridiculous as it might sound. "What if all she sees when she looks at me is her dead kid?"

plum — 06/30/2020 2:04 AM
"Mirza," he intoned, eyebrows furrowing. "Of course she'd want you. If you choose to look at it that way: you'd be the only piece of her kid she had left."

peach — 06/30/2020 2:05 AM
"I guess so." he admitted. "... it just seems like a better idea to get ready for the worst thing that could happen. Then at least I won't be surprised."

plum — 06/30/2020 2:06 AM
"Just be careful not to do it at the cost of enjoying what you still have."

peach — 06/30/2020 2:07 AM
He nodded again, thinking that these were very wise words. "Thanks, uncle."

plum — 06/30/2020 2:08 AM
He looked up to the ceiling in exasperation but didn't call him out on his word choice... this time.

peach — 06/30/2020 2:09 AM
"What are you looking for anyways?" he wondered, glancing at Kyros' stack. All of them had very old names and very strange titles. "Doesn't look like work stuff..."

plum — 06/30/2020 2:11 AM
"Oh," he looked down at his books, which might be more aptly described as tomes. The top one's title was written entirely in Latin. "It's just for some history project."

peach — 06/30/2020 2:11 AM
"Whose class? So I know what to avoid."

plum — 06/30/2020 2:15 AM
He hesitated a moment before deciding, "Richter's."

peach — 06/30/2020 2:16 AM
"Really? I've only heard good things about him. Guess everyone's got a dark side." he said dolefully. "I'll just take Faraday's class." Even though she assigned a twenty-page paper every mid-semester. Maybe by the time he got to Kyros' grade, she'd retire. Hopefully.

plum — 06/30/2020 2:19 AM
"Richter's fine. I'm not complaining," he patted the dusty book cover. "As long as you do your work, he's pretty relaxed."
To be fair, most of his teachers were pretty relaxed when it came to him specifically, but he wasn't about to admit it.

peach — 06/30/2020 2:19 AM
"Okaaay." he said disbelievingly. "What's the history project over?"

plum — 06/30/2020 2:22 AM
"The evolution of occultism." He replied, and then thought to tack on, "... and its role in European culture."

peach — 06/30/2020 2:23 AM
"That sounds pretty cool, actually." Mirza tapped his chin. "If you want to find out more about the occult, you should listen to this podcast Vic got me into. It's called Chicago Grimm."

plum — 06/30/2020 2:24 AM
"Is that the one Vera's obsessed with?"

peach — 06/30/2020 2:25 AM
"Yeah, that one! It's these Americans - an ex-war journalist lady and some of her friends, and they follow hauntings across the USA. But it's cool because she does a lot of research about all the arcane stuff, she doesn't just go for the spooky ghost stories."

plum — 06/30/2020 2:29 AM
"I've always wondered if it wasn't too scary for her." He remarked. "Thanks, though. I'll check it out."