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"I'd intended to save some of the exploration for later -- after we'd put everything away and settled ourselves in." He muttered, making a mental note to have a stern talk with his Wonder as though it were a living, breathing thing that would understand that he didn't appreciate being dropped off in a random place to wander through the dark. When they'd set off from the apartment he hadn't factored in a hike that early in their day. He might have made a heartier breakfast otherwise.

He started to breathe easier again when they reached the top of the stone stairway, setting the cooler down to rest his arms for a moment as he waited for Lucien to catch up with him. "Sense of direction is a little off in here, but... If I'm right I think we're almost there."

He assumed it had something to do with his level of focus when it came to the trip between Earth and Mag Mell. For all that he knew he had to call out to his Wonder to draw him from one place to the next he never had a specific place in mind, often letting his thoughts drift at the last moment to other things... Like Luc.

He scooped up the cooler to follow after the other man once more, glad that Luc didn't seem to have made it too far ahead of him before coming to stop at a door that seemed more intact than he'd anticipated finding on the island. It turned under Luc's touch, although it didn't immediately budge giving him reason to switch places with his lover so that he could put a little bit of force behind it. As the hinges creaked open they were ushered out of the stone corridor into the antechamber he'd mentioned.

"Good to know my sense of direction isn't entirely off here...We're almost there,this way." He gave their eyes a moment to adjust to the change of light before leading across the room, pausing just long enough to find and locate another 'hidden' doorway. "Here," he pushed the door open, gesturing for Luc to step in ahead of him.

The room on the other side of the door was filled with natural light, the sound of water gently falling nearby as Mag Mell's equivalent of 'sunlight' filtered through the thin, fabric curtains that he'd come up to install. A light breeze rustled them, bringing fresh air to a room that, prior to its rediscovery, had not seen much by way of attention in ages. He'd cleared away the dust and debris, throwing down a rug in the middle of the stone floor to make it seem more immediately hospitable, but the majority of the work had been in the nook resembling a small study with shelves carved into the rock and a platform that he could only assume once held a bed.

"I tried to make it a little more comfortable..."

"Later on this evening, maybe." He was smiling as he set the cooler down, crossing the room to step up behind his lover. He slid an arm around Luc's middle, closing his eyes as his chin came to rest on the other man's shoulder. "I did bring some books up -- grabbed a copy of one or two of your favorites to leave here, just so you've got something to do on quiet get-away days."

There was so much familiarity lingering in his words, like this was a moment they'd lived a dozen times together and if he was lucky they'd live to see it at least a dozen more. There was such warmth and perfection in just getting to be with Luc.

"We can relax for a little bit, though... Unless you'd like to poke around some more?"

"No plans.Not detailed ones, at least. More... Loose guidelines that involve the two of us enjoying ourselves in a myriad of ways. But mostly just relaxing." He turned his head, brushing a light kiss to Lucien's cheek before stepping back to gently nudge the other man away from him.

"Whatever we do, you should probably do something about that ridiculous butt bow." He teased, amusement dancing through his eyes as he reached up to unfasten his cloak. As moderate as the temperature on Mag Mell was he had no need of the fabric here as anything other than a blanket when evening came, finding it more comfortable to sit on when it was draped over one of the camp chairs than the canvas was alone.

They took a small bit of food down to the beach with them along with one of the poetry books, enjoying lunch together on the sand under the shade of a cluster of palm trees. The island wasn't nearly as relaxing for Arin when he came alone as it always seemed to be when Lucien was here with him. "Is this what it's like for you when you're on Arsinoe? The calm, all is right with the world feeling that ties you to your homeworld?" He assumed that was what transcendence was like, at the very least, from what he'd managed to gather on it in talking to the three he knew who'd been claimed by their homeworlds and wonders alike.

"Odd thing is.... It doesn't ever feel this right to me unless I'm here with you."

He pushed himself up to his feet with a soft grunt, holding his hand back down to Luc in order to help him up. "More than fitting that we're getting married if you're my home then, don't you think?" He couldn't deny it, not with the way everything just fell into place whenever Lucien was around whether they were somewhere as civilians or out as Arsinoe and the Knight of Mag Mell.

"Let's head back up. We can rinse some of this sand off and see what other kind of trouble we can get into... Or stay out of, if we're opting to continue behaving ourselves."

He'd filled a small pitcher from the spring earlier, using it to fill a small basin so that he could at least rinse off his hands. Arin splashed a bit of water into his face while Luc cleaned up. He enjoyed the crisp, cool feel of it on his skin. It left behind a sensation of freshness that he assumed could only come from water made of made of moonbeams kissed by stars-- or fresh from a mountain spring.

Arin brushed his fingers lightly along the other man's arm before retreating back to the 'study'. They hadn't been out long enough for it to be truly dark, but as the 'sun' shifted around the island it took some of the natural light with it. He took the opportunity to light one of the lanterns he'd brought up on a previous trip, coating the room in a gentle glow.

He glanced over his shoulder upon lighting the last of the lanterns, brow lofting briefly before realization settled in when he saw the object that Luc was holding up. "A memento I'd intended to ask you about once we were settled in. I found it while clearing up the debris that had been cluttering up the shelves over there."

He crossed the room to rejoin his lover, reaching up to brush a a lock of hair away from Luc's forehead to expose the symbol of Arsinoe. "I thought the etching looked familiar, but I couldn't figure out how to get the box to open. Might be that I'm not supposed to." If there was a way how he had to believe that there was a reason why he hadn't remembered it, right?

It's a puzzle box, Arlen... You'll never have to worry about losing the key as long as you remember...

Arlen, the current Knight of Mag Mell, remembered the day that Jinyue had given him the box. He'd meant it to be for special things like keepsakes and love notes, but when the other man had entrusted him with keeping the rings for their upcoming ceremony safe he knew exactly where to put them.

He'd interrupted the current talks with the attachment from Arsinoe that had come to discuss the arrangements, snagging Jinyue by the wrist to pull him into the study. If things kept going on the way they were he was going to lose his mind. He had been given just enough training to make sure that he could conduct himself professionally while abroad, as was expected of him, but they were in his hall. They were spouting protocol and nonsense in his home.

He released Jin's hand once he'd pulled the other man into his study, pushing the heavy door shut behind them only to pound on it lightly. He drew in a deep, slow breath before turning to look at his lover. "Jinyue, do you love me?"

He could see the concern on the other man's face, the way it creased his brow as he thought for a moment before parting his lips to respond. He interrupted him, not giving him a chance to actually do so. "I know you do, that was a foolish question to ask. I love you, and you love me... So why are we letting them do this? Why are we letting them ruin the one good thing that we get to have in all of this?"

He could hear the words unspoken, knew how his lover was going respond. He gave him the opportunity to, listening as Jin said exactly what he'd thought he would. The pomp and circumstance wasn't for them, it was for their people -- more the people of Arsinoe than the people of Mag Mell at this point, but...

Arlen plucked the box from his shelf of books, closing his eyes to feel his way through the puzzle because that was the only way he could remember to do so. He needed Jin's voice and his guidance to know what to do each and every time, but when he had him there he knew. From within the box he plucked two rings, bringing them back to where he'd left the other man standing.

"Let's start our own rules. Right here, right now, the rest of the worlds be damned to silence. I love you, you love me. Wear this and be mine always. If you do this for me I can make it through this. With you, Jin, I can make it through anything..."





Arin could feel a lump in his throat as the haze of the memory cleared, hand unsteady as he reached into the box to bring two golden rings out into the soft glow of lantern light. His fingers trembled and he nearly dropped them back into the box, steadying himself at the last moment as he turned to look to the other man. ".... Every now and then the two of them had good ideas, Luc."