CW: Explicit language, ableist language, mentions of sexual acts, mentions of imprisonment.

By the time Jun returns from his rounds with Healer Wu, it is long past sunset. He comes to a scene of the Rat lightly dozing as he sits upright and leant against the headboard. His face is pale and small in the surrounding darkness, like a candlelight drenched in shadows and struggling to stay lit.

Heart clenching, Jun reaches over to gently brush sable locks from the boy's forehead. His fingers are calloused from the sword and the skin they brush over are incomparably soft, like silken tofu. The little lord can't help but lean close, wanting to inspect the inky fan of lashes quivering against those perfectly sculpted cheeks, lightly dusted with a rosy hue.

Goldens, darker than the shadows licking at his body, are oppressive and deep as they draw a line from eyes to lips. Lips like gentle pink flower petals, velveteen and seductive in their plumpness. Something unspeakable stirs in his lower belly and the subsequent thoughts are lewd enough to jolt him from his dark reverie.

Jun quickly retracts his hand as if burned, heart thundering in his chest.

"...Jun?"

Eyes like onyx gems pierce his chest and pin him to his chair. His heart skips and for a while he cannot speak. Guilt floods his veins with ice. Quickly pulling his tattered composure together, the noble clears his throat and offers his friend a smile. "My apologies. Did I wake you?"

Rin smiles in turn, innocent and free from worldly wiles as he's still trapped in the haze of sleep. "It's okay. I was waiting for you anyway. How'd it go with Wu? Anything interesting?"

"Hm. You know I cannot speak on other patients, Rinnie. Every consultation is confidential. That is the Third Tenet of the Healer's Oath." Calmer now, Jun relaxes a little and pours a cup of water for himself. He huffs amusedly at the wrinkled expression Rin gives him and he chides him gently before inevitably giving in. "While I cannot speak on the patient specifically...we did have a case where he had intentionally disturbed a beehive."

The squints at the lord, nose wrinkling. "Is he a moron or a masochist?"

"From our initial interview, it seems he does not believe in modern medicine. He told us he heard that the sting of a bee had some curative properties, so he inferred that an entire hive would cure his chronic gout."

"So he's a moron," Rin sniggers. "I can't believe the amount of bullshit Healers have to deal with. Are you sure this is what you wanna do?"

"Yes, without a doubt," Jun responds confidently, sipping on his water. "As ridiculous as this patient's actions - and indeed his opinions on medicine - may be, we cannot neglect him."

Rin huffs the last of his mirth from his lungs, smile curled into a smirk upon his flushed features. "Why do you want to be a Healer so bad? It seems like a pain in the ass to me. Why not just be a lord like the rest and just laze around all day?"

The Rat's question seems to have hit a nerve in the lord, who sits quietly for a moment, his gaze deepening with unknowable emotions. Rin shifts, nervously, realising his mistake. But soon, Jun pulls himself from his heavy thoughts and says, "Despite what you think, being a lord comes with vast responsibilities. If I simply laze around all day, I would not only be letting my family down, but also my people. The consequences of not fulfilling my duties as lord and Governor would be dire."

Rin grimaces, unsure what to make of this lord's sudden austerity. "Whatever you say, little lord. Sounds like shit either way if you ask me. What's the point of having all that money and power if you don't splurge once in a while?"

"It is not my money nor power to 'splurge'," Jun says, calmly.

"Then whose is it?"

"Hanjuyang's."

Rin stares at him for a long moment before letting out a big scoff. "Then give me my share, little lord. I've paid my dues here, and I've seen nothing of this money and power I'm apparently owed."

That seems to shut Jun up, who silently lowers his eyes.

Nose wrinkling, the Rat opens his mouth to speak--

--when he suddenly feels a familiar chill settle deep into his bones.

He freezes and glances at the door. As expected, there's the usual raised bumps across his arms. And then, the cold scent of stagnant water that always irritates his nose. He grasps Jun's wrist and gives him a squeeze, alerting him to the unearthly presence.

The lord frowns, seeing the sweat beading Rin's brow. He gently pats the boy's hand and gives a reassuring nod. I'm with you.

When they step outside, the first thing they see is the white moonlight, slicing through the gloom of night like polished blades of varying width. The dense hallway stretches out to either side, drenched in shadow. The maple tree outside with leaves the colour of blood and branches as black as ink, stroke against the window panes in a whispering touch. It's a sight that might be soothing during the day, but is deeply unsettling at night.

"Where is it?" Jun whispers, feeling his nerves prickle despite himself.

"There." Rin points at the end of the hall where the gloomy figure of a man stands watching them. His face is fractured and inhuman as if it had been shattered like hammer to glass. A black substance like smoke leaks from the cracks, obscuring any discernible features. But by the way the fine hairs rise on his nape, Rin knows that this spirit can see them just fine. The body is simply an illusion, a vessel in which the spirit generates to travel through the earthly realm. Their senses are beyond the corporeal.

The lord follows Rin's gaze and his brows knit in confusion. "I don't see anything."

"Figured as much," the raven scoffs, dropping his hand. "Just keep quiet and follow my lead, little lord."

"Very well." But that incredulous glint in his eyes betrays his disbelief.

Human and spirit stare at each other for an eon. And then, as if stirring from a deep slumber, the spirit shivers and gestures for them to follow before silently disappearing around the corner. Rin grabs Jun's sleeve and drags him along as he starts after it, cold sweat drenching his back.

The spirit leads them through the labyrinthine halls, its form fragile and diaphanous, on the cusp of blinking out of existence. The darkness crowds the youths as they cleave through the thick of it, the air around them thick and muggy. Aside from their breaths and padded footsteps, not a sound can be heard. Even when they step out onto the grounds, the night is still and nocturnal life seems all but absent.

Rin absently grabs the lord's hand, palm damp with sweat. They could be the last two humans left alive in this realm and he wouldn't even know it.

Jun smiles and squeezes gently, sensing the fear in the other boy. "Where are we going, Rinnie?"

"I dunno," the raven mutters, eyeing the spirit as it glides into a patch of moonlight.

It finally comes to a stop and seemingly basks in the boreal glow, head tilting up to stare at the moon. Its arms sweep out to the side. Slowly, the translucent form starts gaining presence, colour and life seeping into the spectral flesh until it appears near human. Like midnight hibiscus petals folding at sunset, the fractured shards of its face slowly close together. Charcoal smoke bubbles to the surface and seals up the myriad of cracks. Facial features take shape as if an invisible sculpture's taken a knife to its flesh.

The smoke dissipates like clouds disintegrating on the wind, revealing a youth with a stunning aura.

He appears to be the same age as Rin, with features that hold both a peerless elegance and indomitable strength that confuses the senses. Ones' gaze cannot help but wander this supernatural form, that is wrapped in a silvery-white light like a gossamer robe, caressing and rippling across his opal skin as if it were alive.