“Sir?” Mishal looked worriedly at the green tinted man. “Are you okay?”

“Aariv.” Two quick syllables were blurted out in a low voice.

“... What?” The way the syllables were spoken almost sounded like a single syllable, so Mishal wondered if it was a single word, yet he had no clue what it could mean. Perhaps the translation magic wasn’t working…

“My name. It's Aariv…” The man replied, thankfully in a language Mishal understood. Aariv then hesitantly took his bracelet back. “It would be weird if you didn't know my name and continued calling me sir.”

“Okay… well… Are you alright, Aariv?” Mish studied him for any signs or indication of what was going on right now. He seemed more nervous than ill if one ignored the color that had overcome Aariv.

“I… could definitely be worse. I mean, I'm relatively still young and I recently discovered something which holds my interest. Gran did always say life has an unexpected way of blossoming, though.” Aariv gave a shy smile. “So, what's your name, if you don't mind telling me?”

“Right, sorry. I didn't even realize I hadn't introduced myself yet.” Mishal tried to compose himself before properly introducing himself. “My name is Mishal.”

“Mishal… That's such a lovely name.” Mish couldn't deny he liked how Aariv said his name… somehow both airy and deep at the same time. “So, what sort of books were you looking for earlier? Maybe I could help you look or let you know if I saw any during my own browsing.” Aariv smoothly changed the topic to something that would continue their conversation.

“That's very nice of you…” Mishal shyly mentioned before answering Aariv’s question. “We're extremely new to the area, so I was hoping to possibly find a few recipes for some local cuisine. I'm always interested in learning any new dishes that I can make.”

“So you like to cook?” Aariv seemed so interested in hearing more about Mishal that he was almost distracted from the worrying color Mishal had noticed earlier; which Aariv would occasionally, and sporadically, turn a deeper shade of before starting to look more normal again.

“Yeah, just one of the qualities that contributes to my image of being a caretaker.” Mishal frowned slightly. “But seriously, are you sure you're alright? I've never known anyone to turn green who wasn't ill…” That question seemed to bring the green back with a previously unrealized depth and intensity.

“Of course I'm not ill… or upset. It's just… I mean, this is all just so sudden and unexpected, you know? You're not mad at me or anything, right?”

Now Mish was even more confused than anything else. “Why would I be upset with you?”

“Well, I mean…” Before Aariv can get over his nerves enough to finish that sentence, Melantha appeared from around a corner.

“There you are, Mish. I'm about done, so did you find anything before I pay for my stuff?” She only then noticed that her brother wasn't alone. “Oh! Well hello… who is this?”

Aariv looked a touch sad at Mel’s sudden arrival for some reason. “I'm Aariv. Nice to meet you, Miss.”

“Oh, you're cute… My name is Melantha but you can call me Mel. It's my pleasure to meet you as well, Aariv.”

“Yeah…” Aariv looked like he wanted to ask something but couldn't figure out how. That or he was too nervous.

Mel looked between the two men and suddenly got a small grin.“We were going to get something to eat after we're done here. Would you like to join us, Aariv?”

“I mean… I wouldn't want to impose.” Aariv’s worrying was evident in his voice.

“Nonsense. Any friend of Mish is a friend of mine… I know we would love your company. Right, Mish?” Mel turned excitedly towards her brother.

“Of course, yeah.” Mishal nodded slowly in agreement. “And maybe you could recommend somewhere you enjoy eating.” 

Aariv got an expression somewhere between guilty and worried. “Actually, I can't. I'm quite new to the area as well…” He looked down apologetically. “Sorry.”

“You don't need to be sorry, Riv. That just means we can explore and discover the local gems together.” Mish gave an encouraging smile.”What do you say?”

“That… that could be nice…” Aariv looked back up with a hopeful smile.

“Good. Then how about we go pay for things and then meet right outside the front door?” Mel quickly suggested before Aariv backed out.

After Aariv nodded in agreement to the plan, the twins quickly brought the things they'd picked out to the shopkeeper so that they could pay for all of it. It wasn't long before they met back up with Aariv and the three were wandering the street in search of a restaurant or vendor that sounded good.

An odd fact the twins quickly noticed, as they considered options, was that Aariv didn't seem to quite know anything about most meat dishes. He seemed both confused and intrigued as they passed shops with meat prepared in different ways on display. When he saw someone eating pasta with meatballs, he was surprised to find out it was also meat; similar, yet different from, the slices on someone else's sandwich that they had just seen moments before. It was like he hadn't realized there were different kinds of meat, and ways to eat them, before meeting the twins.

Eventually, they had decided on buying some fresh grilled meat and veggie skewers from a street vendor. They even found a nice tree in the town center to sit under as they ate. Aariv looked at the skewer, perplexed, before shifting his focus on watching Mishal; as if to figure out how to eat the item correctly.

“Oh, right, Aariv…” A thought suddenly popped back into Mishal’s head. “Our conversation earlier was interrupted when Mel came to find me. I'm still interested to know why you were worried that I might be upset with you…?”

Aariv stared down at his skewer as he took a hesitant bite at it. He seemed to be using the act of chewing said bite to give himself a bit more time to get up his courage. “I… um… It makes sense for someone to not be happy if their betrothed seems resistant to the union. I promise I'm not against it or anything. Like I said earlier, it was just unexpected and I had assumed I would have at least a few more years before starting to prepare for or even consider the possibility. But I assure you that I'm not unhappy about it… I was just still processing the surprise of it all.” 

It was Mishal's turn to stare wide-eyed at Aariv. “Wait, what?”

“I was worried you'd misunderstand and thought I was opposed to our engagement. You kept checking that I was alright even though I told you it was okay…. I promise to do my best not to cause any issues in whatever other relationships you have so please don't be mad at me for not appearing entirely happy at our engagement.” 

Mel just watched on as the situation unfolded, barely holding back a chuckle. Mishal on the other hand seemed to be turning what he was saying over in his mind. “... We're…. engaged?”  It already took a moment for the first part to start to sink in, but then Mishal realized there might have been an additional misunderstanding between the two of them. “Wait, what do you mean other relationships?”

“I am aware that polyamory is practiced in many cultures, including quite a few my people have married into. Learning how to coexist with additional partners is part of what our elders teach when preparing children for their future unions.” Aariv gestured to Mel who let a soft snort slip at that very moment. 

“Yeah, no… you've misunderstood something.” Mel finally stepped in, seemingly taking pity on both her brother and his apparent fiance. “Our relationship is only that of siblings. Mish has no other partners, not from lack of effort on my part. I've tried multiple times to set him up with a decent guy but something always seemed to happen and it didn't work out.”

“Really?” Aariv seemed encouraged by that information.

“Honest truth. There isn't anyone else…”

Aariv smiled and his face tinted green again. “I was actually worried after you appeared that I might struggle a bit to not let my jealousy of you cause problems. I would definitely do my best but… I mean, you two seem so close and who wouldn't feel jealous when their betrothed already has such a compatible partner from the start.”

“I'm not gonna promise that my brother won't attract any interested parties in the future, he's totally a sweetie so it wouldn't be surprising, but there isn't anyone else right now. So even if he ends up with multiple partners, you'll be the first.” Mel looked over to Mishal and saw that he appeared to be mentally spiraling in his processing of the situation. She playfully bumped his shoulder hard. “Seriously, Bro… I leave you alone for only a few minutes and you got yourself engaged? You could have at least given me a heads up beforehand.”

Mishal blushed a deep red, suddenly pulled from his thoughts. “How was I supposed to tell you before I even knew? That doesn't even make any sense… I'm not like you who charms anyone with even the smallest interest into being with you. I had no reason to believe I would find myself engaged so quickly.” It was probably a good sign that at least he seemed to be accepting the engagement; even if he wasn't sure how or why it happened.

Mel dramatically grasped her chest as if shot. “You wound me, Mish. I am but a victim of my own appeal…” She winked at Aariv as she fell backwards in such a way that she landed mostly behind him.

Before either man could react, Melantha suddenly pushed Aariv so that he toppled into Mishal. Aariv didn't have enough time to stop himself, and Mishal just barely had enough to not fall backwards when hit with a full person. Green and red faces stared at each other with only inches between them, both getting even deeper as the awkward seconds ticked by.

Eventually, Mishal softly broke the silence. “So… um… where are you staying right now, Riv?”