[PRP] Rest Day, Pest Day (Mari, Dolly, flits)

[ShinosBee]

The brown firelizard swirled overhead as the two brothers did all they could to fuse themselves together. He dove, in passing, at the green, as if to say 'they're both the same and they're both MINE!' one last time, but soon settled on the stone floor of the hall nearby, too overcome with the storm of emotions rushing through his bonded and through their mental link.

"I told you to shut up," The repeated words were muffled by Marinel's hair (he had so much of it now, ugh, a terrible choice!) and half-hearted, spoken through grit teeth.

It would be some time before Dolmar finally managed to release his hold on Marinel. Long enough that his tears had run dry and his muscles had stiffened from clutching so tightly so long, and his knees ached from having sagged at one point to the floor, too focused on his not dead brother to stay standing any longer.

"I sent someone," He managed, a slender hand coming up to rub at the no doubt hideous streaks the tears had left behind. "To check on the hold. They said it was gone. Entirely." He hadn't gone himself, of course. There would be no bodies to bury. Not with thread.  

[Thaliawen]

"I know," Marinel rubbed at his eyes. Well, not that Dolly had sent someone, but that their home had been destroyed. Their father was gone. "I told you, I couldn't stand it without you. I left as soon as I could." He'd packed a few things, but not enough. He'd been lucky when the trading caravan had found him. "I stayed with them for a long time. Then I--" he hesitated. He'd already told Dolmar all of this, and it didn't seem to matter so much now.

"I thought you were gone," he said. He swallowed, a painful lump had formed in his throat. "I tried to find you." He sat and took Dolmar's hand. "I'm sorry." He was quiet for a long time, apart from the occasional sniffle. His green settled next to him, eyes a whirling mix of yellow and red.

"You didn't like Nel much." He muttered.  

[ShinosBee]

At Mari's last words, Dolmar reacted as strongly as he had at the moment of realization. His arm snapped out to grab his brother's upper arm, eyes fixed, still slowly leaking and bloodshot, but intent on him. "Of course not. I was trying to move on, and every minute I spent with him just reminded me of you." His brow furrowed, almost angry, though at who between them was hard to tell. "I'd finally think I was getting over it, going to be able to be who I needed to be in this new state of things, be able to focus on the future, and then you'd come around, just chattering and smiling and for a minute I'd think it was you, and then realize it couldn't be. It was...agony."

"It made me want to avoid you," He continued. As harsh as the words were, he had no reason to lie to his brother (his brother!) and he knew that the reasoning behind his actions was sound. "Besides. What if I became friends with someone so like Marinel, that I started to...forget? Forget where Marinel ended, and this new stand-in began." And what if he'd lost this one too? He hadn't suffered at the death of his father. His twin though... To do it again, he wasn't sure it'd not kill him right out.  

[Thaliawen]

Marinel looked up. His eyes were red and puffy, tear streaks were drying on his cheeks but his eyes still appeared dangerously wet. He met Dolmar's eyes. "You reminded me so much of you," that was definitely bad grammar, with how awkward it sounded coming out. "I just wanted to be around you. Pretend for a bit that I'd found you. And then I'd remember, and I knew it couldn't be you." But it had been! Dolly had been here, right under his nose. He hesitated, and took Dolmar's free hand with his. "I'm so sorry I hurt you," he said.

Smiling had been hard. He'd first met--reunited? With Dolmar after a nightmare. The nightmares had lessened, but he'd still ached for that companionship. "You don't have to worry about forgetting anymore," he promised. "We're together."

He hesitated, releasing Dolly's hand to wipe at his eyes.  

[ShinosBee]

Dolmar pushed himself to his feet, still a bit snuffly and more than a little drained from the whole ordeal. He held out a hand to Marinel, a watery, weak smile quirking up one corner of his mouth. "No more forgetting. And now more wishing. And no more sleepless nights." He'd have to make a point of either finding neighboring beds in the barracks later, or possibly even shoving two together, his emotions running high enough that he was willing to ignore any judgement or wonderings about that for now. Really, who could blame them? He was sure they'd both sleep better if the other was in arm's reach too.

"We should probably get out of the hallway though? There's no chores or lessons but...well. We should probably find some place where no one will come wandering through to interrupt us." They had a lot to catch up on. Turns, really, before thread came. And a future to discuss. It heartened Dolmar to think that they'd both picked the same path, really, but two young men did not a house or legacy make. Marinel had never seemed entirely interested in that side of their family, but...well. Dolmar wasn't going to go it alone now that he knew he didn't have to.

"And we should probably make mention of this to the candidate master." There'd be records to update, no doubt, and even so emotional, Dolmar was thinking a bit of procedure.  

[Thaliawen]

Marinel took Dolmar's hand and stood. They were the same height, even after all those turns. Even after all those different experiences. He returned the smile, using his free hand to rub at his eyes. No more sleepless nights. That sounded...he didn't have words for that. The knowledge that his brother was alive and well meant so much more than sleep, though. He was whole. That Dolmar shaped void in his heart had been filled.

"Oh, right..." They were still in the hall. He'd forgotten their surroundings, with the firelizards--and Dolly! "Probably," he agreed. Where would they find a quiet place to talk?

"That's lower on my list of priories," Marinel admitted. "That can wait until tomorrow. I want to get to know my brother again."