The festive air thickened around Tuk as the warriors roared with laughter, their cups filled and refilled with the strange, cloudy liquid she’d whipped up. She’d intended only to make herself a simple drink to ease the sting of the evening, but as soon as one of the warriors tried a sip, word had spread like wildfire. Now, the tables were overflowing, and the warriors seemed to drink her “shembot” as if it were mere juice.

Every time she turned, someone new was shouting for more, raising their cup high, shouting her name with a newfound reverence that was both flattering and utterly overwhelming. For once, she could let her guard down, the warmth of camaraderie pulling her into the rhythm of their celebration. Laughter echoed around her, and though her concoction had been entirely unintentional, Tuk found herself strangely at home in their praise.

Hours later, Tuk staggered outside, her stomach churning from the wild mix of fruit juices and liquor. She barely made it to the nearest bush before doubling over, retching miserably. "Blurghhh..." she groaned.

Collapsing onto the grass, she stared up at the full moon with bleary eyes. "Hey, Moon," Tuk muttered, glaring up at the sky. "You’ve been watching all this, huh? Just hanging there, all perfect... while I’m down here in this mess." She waved a clumsy hand at the stars, a bitter laugh bubbling up.

"I’m stuck in a palace full of shitty royalty and men, and you... you’re just... still there. Like nothing’s changed, glowing. I wish I could be like that. Unbothered. Untouched." Her voice cracked, and she laughed again, though this time it was hollow, more frustration than humor. "But no. I’m here. With no way out..."

Her rant grew more incoherent as she drunkenly rambled on about her life, her new job, and the ever-mounting debt she had waiting for her back home. She let out a crazed laugh, the sound cutting through the still night air. "Look at me!" she cackled, slumping against a gold-adorned bench like a drunken queen on her throne. "I’m like a queen sitting on a gold chair; I wonder how much I can sell this...right, I can't even take this with me."

She laughed until her voice was hoarse, her bitterness spilling out into the night, her royal delusions fading as the stars above seemed indifferent to her plight.

Just as she was beginning to laugh at her own absurdity, she noticed a familiar figure approaching. "Tuk?" Leon’s calm voice cut through her haze.

Tuk squinted at him, recognizing the historian's poised, elegant walk. "Ah, our pretty boy head, Sire Leon! I’m just having a chat with Mr. Moon here."

Leon frowned. "You’re drunk."

Tuk mumbled like a child, staring at the moon. "But he’s not answering me..." Her voice barely audible, she suddenly slammed her face onto the table, startling Leon.

"H-Hey, are you okay?" Leon asked, concern creeping into his voice. Tuk only shook her head, her face still buried in her arms as tears began to pool.

"I miss my sister... Waaahhh!" Tuk's voice cracked as she sobbed uncontrollably. Her strong exterior, built over countless moments of stress, was crumbling fast. Everything she had been through—none of it was normal. And now, she was barely coping. "I just... I just want to be a stone..." she whimpered, her sobs punctuated by small gasps as she stared blankly from space.

Leon watched her for a moment, unsure how to react. He knelt beside her. "Where’s your family? You could ask His Highness to visit them. I’m sure he’d grant you permission, even just for a day." His voice was kind, but Tuk didn’t respond right away. She stared off into the distance, her eyes distant and haunted.

"I'm the only one here," she said quietly, her tone heavy with sorrow. Leon frowned, realizing something terrible must have happened to her family. His thoughts lingered on the weight she must be carrying alone.

"Did His Highness say something to you?" he ventured cautiously. The question seemed to pull Tuk back from her trance. She blinked, and the tears that once fell freely seemed to retreat.

"A lot... he said a lot, but... I forgot, hehe," she replied, offering a hollow laugh, clearly drunk and overwhelmed. Leon smiled gently, though something gnawed at him. Something had definitely happened.

"You should probably go inside and rest," Leon suggested, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "I have to go now. I need to report to His Highness." He stood and began to walk away, but Tuk’s voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Report...about me?" Her words were sharp enough to make him flinch, and when Leon turned, he saw a change in her demeanor. Tuk had lifted her head, her eyes sharper than before. The drunken vulnerability had vanished, replaced by a guarded suspicion.

Their eyes locked, and an unsettling silence fell between them. The shift in mood was palpable.

"So you knew,"  he muttered, his friendly facade slipping away.