Timothy watched from the upper deck as Haaru made their way out of his quarters and into the shadows of the city of Avernai, "heh," he chuckles at himself a bit remembering the image he saw just a few moments prior, "why do you hide it? Does it shame you in some way?" he closed his eyes letting his mind wander to what he saw.

He had come up from below deck to ask if Haaru wanted assistance on their mission tonight. Opening the door to his quarters had given him great pause, a scared backside from whips and fights. Haaru's silhouette framed in the sunlight, his very, male silhouette. He knew then why he had been so drawn to Haaru, it wasn't that his orientation was changing, but that Haaru was a man, and the familiarity wasn't just because of his race ...a very attractive, kind, and compassionate man. A man that someone unfairly broke... what happened to you Prince that you would live like this so far from home?

He was quick to back out of the room before Daebru noticed that he had seen, "why ... why did I hide" he shakes his head as his eyes open, "I know why, to let you tell me on your own terms ... to break what trust we have, for me to have known before you were ready to tell ... how much would that have hurt you? How many scars do you hide behind those soulful eyes of yours?" Timothy sighs resting his head against the helm of the ship, "you're safe with me Haaru, truely..."

The soft beat of wings has Timothy tensing and reaching for the rapier at his side, "If Haaru is safe with you, you've no need for that," the smooth, kind voice of a man rises up from behind him, "My name is Sunriver, and Haaru is very dear to me, I care for him like I would a son, ... or daughter since he insists on living as a maiden for now. I was just going to come down and erase that small bit of knowledge..."

Timothy turns around to look at this Sunriver, "So why haven't ya?"

"You talk to yourself, and your words are true. You would keep Haaru and his secrets safe, for as long as he needed, but you are right that he's not ready," the man shrugs a jacket over his shoulders, his wings disappearing into the folds, "I do not know if he will ever be ready, but he is different with you... more open than I've seen him in a while."

"I will wait for him ta be ready," Timothy lifted his chin a bit, "I may have only gotten to known him this week, but in that time, I have grown quite fond o' him. If ya care for him like a father ... may I have yer blessing ta ask Haaru to come away from all of this with me? To give him a safe place away from spies and slavery and gods know what other horrors he's seen ... those scars ..." he closes his eyes pained by the thought of Haaru being whipped, "There are few reasons that he would have them and he ... I know he didn't deserve them."

Sunriver stepped closer, but a few inches separated the two men as they stared at each other, silence stretching out between them as the older man searches for something, "You knew him before this didn't you?"

"Yes, In Evermore ... he saved my family from a tyrant. Small and defiant, and I wasn't really sure it was him that was here ... but there really is no one else that has eyes like he does."

"No, they don't. If he agrees, you have my blessing."

"Thank you, Sunriver, you will no regret it."

He had waited up to make sure that Daebru returned to the ship, before allowing himself to sleep. The morning had brought a messenger from his sister-in-law that had him weaving his way through the streets at a brisk pace, "what nonsense is this? Dammit Magni... why did you have to leave like that... and now this mess ... has she finally gone mad with the loss of you?" he sighs as he gets to the lab on the edge of town, "Draena I'm here!"

"Uncle!" a young girl with a mop of curly black hair vaults out the front door, jumping up into his arms, "Uncle Timmy!" she laughs as he lifts her up and spins her around.

"It's so good to see you Darcie! You're growing so fast! Is Draena in? She wanted to speak to me"

"Yep! In the back!"

He sets her down, ruffling her hair, "Why don't you go play while we talk huh?" she nods and darts off towards the small wooded area to the south, her favorite play place, "Draena! What the hell was so urgent that ya had ta send a messenger before dawn?"

A pair of goggles surrounded by a mop of auburn hair lifts up from behind a desk with rows of vials on top of it, "Timothy! Good you're here! There's ... um .. that sickness ... it's not, not going away ... I've tried everything! They called for clerics, and nothing! I ... I need you ta leave ... ta get away from it, before it gets outta hand ... Timothy I ... I failed her ... and him!" the woman throws the goggles off her head smashing a few vials on another table.

Timothy watches as the acids burn the table and bit of the stone flooring, "Who did you fail?"

"Darcie! She ... she's startin ta show signs of it! I can't .. there's no cure here! I need yew to leave ... please ... yer his only other family .. I can't ... can't let it get yew too... I just can't! Please ... take who ya can an' ... an' leave this town .. before-"

The sound of an explosion pulls both their attention towards the town, "What ... Draena what's going on? I thought people were just sick ... that sounds like ... like..."

"GO!" she shoves him towards the door, "take that girl of yers and run! Run from here before it spreads to you, before it makes yew or anyone else hurt her!"

"I ... I ... Daebru..." he turns to run out the door, pausing to look over his shoulder at his sister, "what about you?" he shakes his head when she doesn't answer, "you better make it out alive! I won't ever forgive you if you don't find a cure .. if you don't fix my niece! I swear Dreana!"

He ran, all the way to the docks, passing by people that were severed in partial portals. It had never been this bad before ... and now there were sick rapidly decaying and turning on loved ones. He heard their screams as he raced to his ship, "DAEBRU!!!" he hollered out as he made it to the docks. The man was there at the bottom of the plank to his ship, like he had been on his way off, "Daebru! We have to leave!"

He grips the man's shoulders, "Wh-what's going on? How... how do you?" the man tried to pull away, "what do you want from me? how do know?"

"What?" his grip tightened slightly, "I'm sorry I ... you saved me once, Daebru, please ... let me return the favor. Come away from here, it's not safe the people ... people are turning on each other ... there's a sickness ... we need to go. Please"

"S-saved you?" the younger man starts shaking in his grip, "I .. I don't"

"Evermore ... you saved me ... from yer mother..."

"I .. I ..." he watches as Daebru's eyes turn from the pale, beautiful, moonstone blue to a dark purple, almost dark enough to be called black.

The young man's knees give out and Timothy is carrying him up the ramp to his quarters, "Look alive men! Get this ship outta here, no more passengers! Anyone not on board gets left behind! This place is going to shit and I refuse to let this ship go down with it!"

He lays Daebru down on his bed, kneeling beside him, "Stay with me, let me keep you safe. We can go anywhere ... anywhere you want, Daebru. Just say the word."

He watches the man curl up facing away from him, "H-Haaru ... my name is Haaru..."

"Of course," he closes his eyes as a tightness takes hold in his chest, the tone in Daebru's voice telling him that the answer would never be yes, never as long as he feared his past, "of course" he leans over the young man, kissing his temple as he feels the ship pull away to open waters. I will wait for you to be ready, as long as it takes.