"My Lord?" Harker's voice finally pulls Subin out of his spiraling thoughts. "Would you like me to send her away?"
Subin stares at the man, thinking it over. The only way he can know for sure if the book is lying to him or not would be to test some of its information.
Specifically if Celena is here because he messed up or because the writer missed something.
"Is there any way I can speak to her without her seeing me?" He does his best to sound confident. This feels like a safe option, both keeping to himself like how he would normally and trying to get more information for himself.
Harker's expression makes him immediately second guess that decision though, as he looks like something crawled into his mouth and died.
"A-are you sure? Did- You don't normally see visitors until you awaken. Or see anyone at all."
Subin steels himself, tilting his head up. He made this decision already, time to run with it.
"And has Celena come before demanding to speak with me?" He asks, so what if he's placing all his eggs in one basket. It's probably the right one.
"Only- only once before." Harker says looking away with a frown.
"And?"
"And she hounded you the entire time to speak with her. It was… exhausting." His expression changes as he seems to imagine what that was like, and Subin can sympathize. There had been plenty of times people continually called over and over for any updates on their projects or cases. Even when told a day they'd be done by they would still call back the next day or in a few hours.
It turned into more effort trying to avoid their calls or emails than to just sit down and tell them exactly what it was going to take, and they would need to be patient. Not that all of them listened, but it at least was able to get some of them to chill out.
"Do you really want to deal with that again if she can calm down by speaking to me?"
Subin can't fight the triumphant grin from forming on his face as he watches Harker's shoulders slump slightly.
"No." He sounded miserable admitting it, but Subin would take it.
"So, where is the best place so she won't see me?" He says, crossing his arms. After all this is done he's asking about all the mirrors being covered. The journal has said nothing about it so far, and with how Harker hid him the first day, there must be something about the way he looks that makes him stay hidden for now.
Harker sighs again, then turns back towards the room dividers by the door.
"You were in the best place earlier, My Lord." He gestures for Subin to follow him before he places a hand on the thin fabric draped across the wooden frame. The same feeling from before rushes over Subin, and he narrows his eyes.
Is that magic? Can he feel when someone else is doing it?
He waves the thought away, that's something he can experiment with later. For now, he needs to focus.
He looks at the divider expectantly, and is confused when nothing seems to have actually happened. It looks exactly the same, and he can't help but tilt his head trying to find any difference.
Harker seems to catch his confusion though and waves his hand for subin to follow him as he walks behind it. He isn't really sure how that would change anything until he gets there.
Subin's eyes grow wide as he sees the entire room clearly through the divider. It was like one way glass.
He walks back to the front, and waves a hand behind it, a grin spreading across his face without him realizing. The only thing visible is the vaguest of shadows because of the wall candelabras in the apothecary area.
Subin misses the soft look on Harker's face as he watches the antics.
"This is perfect Harker," Subin says beaming at the man before ducking into shelter. "You can call her in!"
"Very well, My Lord."
The sound of the door shutting, and then muffled whispers from outside are all Subin can make out until the door opens again.
His eyes are immediately caught on the woman who follows Harker with a scowl painted across her face. The journal did not lie about her being tall and imposing, as she stands an easy head and shoulders above Harker, and looks like she could win any fight easily.
She's toned, muscles evident as she moves, even with her upper arms and legs covered by a long flowing teal dress. It looks impractical at first for a woman who looks ready for any fight, until Subin notices how the skirt is made. Its strips of fabric are attached at the waist, but layered expertly to look like a normal dress skirt when she walks. He only catches a glimpse of how it works due to her hurried long strides that cause the strips to flow more freely as she walks.
Subin is surprised that the journal didn't mention any of her other aspects, as the woman is arguably very beautiful, her skin was a deep brown, with freckles dusted across her cheeks and collarbones, and long braided hair down to her waist that flowed freely. Her eyes were lined with a small row of what might be scales? He can't tell for sure from the distance he's at. But there is a spattering of blue around them that shimmers in the light. Her skin has a slightly blue undertone that shows best on her cheeks and nose.
He doesn't spot any fins on her until she pushes a few braids behind her ear revealing that the edges are sharp and pointed, rimmed with rays of cartilage.
She shifts her weight from one leg to the other before Subin realizes she's waiting for him to say something, and he scrambles, not sure how long he had been staring at her.
"You can sit down." He says, then glances around the area he's in. He'd rather not stand the entire time, but there aren't any seats on this side of the dividers. There is a giant wooden table though, and after contemplating for a moment, he hops up on it and stares back at Celena and Harker.
She's still standing, just staring at the divider with slightly widened eyes. Subin frowns for a moment, unsure if he did something wrong or not.
"Or you can stand I guess?" Subin says, his voice trialing off. This was…awkward to say the least. Wasn't she the one who was pressing to talk to him?
His voice seems to snap her out of whatever was wrong though, and she straightens up. "No, I will sit."
Celena easily grabs one of the chairs one handed and flips it around so that it faces the divider, and Harker moves to stand off to the side. He's out of the way, but obviously still there for if Subin needs something.
They sit in silence like this for a few seconds, the table Subin is on making him just slightly taller than Celena in her chair, so he has a clear view of the clean rows her braids fall into, especially with how her head is turned down and away from him.
Before the silence can stretch for too long, he speaks, "You had something you wanted to stay to me didn't you? Or was all the yelling outside for show?" There's a small grin on his face, that grows wider when he sees her jump at his tone. It's slight, barely a flinch, but it was still there.
"No, I -" She stumbles on the word, then stops, her brows furrowing before she smooths her expression over. "I wanted to check on you, Lord Cephros."
Subin tilts his head and leans back resting his weight on his hands behind him, there's that name again is it.. Is that who he was before?
"You wanted that so fiercely that it required you yelling at Harker?"
The man in question stiffens, as though he thought he wouldn't actually become a part of this conversation.
"No, that was uncalled for. I," she pauses again, clearly searching for the right words, "I did not expect you to actually let me in."
Chewing on the side of his lip, Subin can understand where she's coming from. It seems like 'Cephros' had a complex of some kind about how he looked for a period after coming back. He can make a few guesses as to why, one of which is just depending on the world he came from, maybe he needed to get used to his body? Subin shakes his head, now isn't the time for that he needs to focus.
"I am sure that you didn't come here to talk about whether or not I have an open door policy though, so what is it?"
He watches her eyebrows furrow again as she thinks, and he frowns.
"Don't think of the perfect words to say. If you keep trying that you'll never actually say anything at all. Just be honest with yourself." The words spilled out before he could even think about it. They were familiar and easy, because they were what his mother always said to him. He bites back the pang of sadness that comes with the memory, he doesn't know if he'll be able to get back to his family. He misses them so much it hurts, but he needs to be present here first.
"You're different." Her voice causes Subin's eyes to dart back to her and his heart shoots into his throat. She's staring directly at the divider where he is, almost as if she can see him face to face.
"You- You have been different for a while. We could see it and you just kept growing further and further away from us." Her voice wavers as she looks away, a braid falling into her face.
"I need to know what happened during the last cycle. How it ended." A sharp hiss sounds out as Harker takes a quick breath in, but Celena ignores him.
"I know you do not like talking about it Cephros, but the wards, they didn't go off. Those people were not strong enough to have been a threat, and you had been acting distant"
"You have been pulling away from all of us, even Merren and Mica. There has not been any joy or care in your voice, and it felt like I was talking to someone already gone."
Subin's heart drops back down, but it isn't comforting, instead feeling like someone is sitting on his chest. Was Cephros depressed? This, this isn't what he thinks it is, right?
"I was not going to press this, but then you called to us, and for once, you actually sounded like you felt something. Cephros, you can rely on us, any of us, we are your generals, your advisors, that is what we are here for."
"We are here to help you, but if you give up there is nothing we can do."
Oh god it was.
"Cephros, did you let them kill you?"
Harker stiffens in the background, and Subin has to fight back a curse as he bites his lip hard enough to hurt. Celena is staring at the divider expectantly, patiently for what she's asked, and Subin is thankful for the time to panic. She's come to extend an olive branch, try and help someone she saw was struggling, and that person is… they're gone. There's no better way to put it.
They erased themselves and made Subin take their place.
"Cephros?" Her voice breaks through his thoughts, it's soft, worried.
He has to think fast. If he just had any informa- wait. He does have some.
"Forgive me Celena," He watches as she perks up at his voice, "but how many days has it been for you since that day?"
"... it feels like around three."
"It has been years for me. I don't remember that day well." Her shoulders slump, realization flashing across her face.
"Of course, I should have remembered." The chair squeaks as she stands, Subin wincing at how dejected she sounds.
She turns the chair back around before looking abc at the divider. "I will leave you be."
Before Subin can respond she starts towards the door. He doesn't think before he calls out as she opens the door.
"Celena," she freezes, then glances over her shoulder at him.
"We can talk more later." The words are soft, welcoming. He- He doesn't feel like Cephros, or that he knows enough to actually try and be the person she's looking for, but he can't deny that he feels terrible for her with Cephros being gone. Talking to her more feels like the least he can do.
A smile spreads across her face and- oh all of her teeth are pointed.
"I look forward to it."
The door closes mostly behind her, but before it clicks he hears her say one more thing.
"It has been nice hearing you smile again."
Subin blinks as Harker comes around the side, his expression unreadable.
"Here are the items for the bath if you would still wish to do so, My Lord. I apologize for the interruption."
Subin waves his hand, taking the basket from the man, "It's not your fault Harker."
He hops off the table, and moves for the bathroom, Harker still standing where he left him. Subin tries not to let it get to him. Celena was direct, but Harker, he seems to need to think on things before bringing them up.
Giving him some time is probably better right now than pressing him.
For now, it seems like the book isn't lying to him, he just… doesn't sound as depressed as Cephros apparently.
Which means it's time for a bath and to keep reading.