Kellan nodded, "It could have been any of those." He sighed, "In history, nobility is always concerned with shame. That's something the tutors will pepper in there hoping it gets ingrained."
He cupped his cheek with one hand and leaned on the table, staring at Jei, "If I were to run away, will I get erased from here?"

He nodded slightly, looking back to the books, and sighed, pushing them away, having had enough research for one day. He looked back to his brother. "I don't know... Suppose it would depend on the situation..." He said, watching him curiously. "Why would you ever want to run away, though?"

Kellan's eyes widened slightly at the question. Why did he want to go? For so many reasons. Or maybe just one. Or none? His eyes relaxed into comforting uncertainty. It seemed he had almost hit upon the truth of the reason then, but shied away from it.

"It's all the trappings." Kellan replied. "The house is a big golden cage sometimes."

Jeisyn frowned for a moment, before forcing an understanding smile. "Yeah, I get that... It's not all so bad though... Is it?" If Kellan looked closely, he'd notice the uncertainty in his brothers eyes. Jei didn't know what to think, or feel now. His brother wanting to run away... Was it really just from the responsibility that came with being the eldest son? Or was there more to it? Perhaps, Jei thought, he just wanted to get away from him, with his clinginess and neediness, and night-terrors that kept him crawling into bed with Kellan at such an inappropriate age.

Kellan glanced away towards the window, "If I ran away, I'd want to take you with me." He paused for a few seconds, "It's bad enough being the eldest son myself. I can't pick up and leave you like that."

He frowned, "But leaving's not a good idea. That'd be leaving the entire family."

Jei let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. He reached across the table and took Kellan's hand, giving it a slight squeeze. "Well as horrible as being eldest is, I'm glad you wouldn't run off... With or without me." He said softly, giving his brother a small but genuine smile.

Kellan placed the hand that was cupped on his cheek on Jei's hand, "I wouldn't leave without you." He said.

He meant it. Although he wasn't sure if it was because Jei worried him every night, or if was something else. He didn't pursue the train of thought.

"Good... I...I honestly think I might go crazy if you weren't here..." He said softly, blushing lightly at the admission.

Kellan reached over and stroked Jei's hair, "Of course I wouldn't leave you." He said. Of course he wouldn't.


((It's pretty short because I don't really know what else there is for Kellan to do ^^;;))

He smiled softly, letting his eyes drift shut. He let Kellan get away with touching his hair this time, since it wasn't done to bug him. He jerked away though when he heard the door open, and footsteps enter the library, a moment later, as he was running his hands through his hair to fix it, a servant rounded one of the shelves, stopping suddenly. "Oh! There you two are. Your moher sent me to find you- you're late for dinner, and we have guests tonight..."

Kellan pulled his hand away as the door opened and stood up.

"Oh?" He turned, facing the servant. "How much did mother pay you?" He asked, a half-mocking, half-joking smile emerging from his face. He didn't wait for the answer. "Who are the dinner guests?" He asked.

The servant flushed slightly, then plastered a smirk over his face. "Wouldn't you like to know?"he said, insinuatingly. And just some very importand lord and his young family.... You'd best see for yourself.... Your presence is not requested, but demanded, by both your mother and the guest... Both of you."

Kellan shrugged, cheeky servant. "Alright, lead the way." He said.

He wondered why his mother would have an uncalled for guest. Odd, she usually took the time to prepare everyone.

Kellan glanced backwards at Jei.

Jei shrugged when Kellan looked back at him. He had no idea who it could be. If it were one of Kellan's potential wives, he wouldn't be getting summoned as well. The only guest he could think of that might show up unannounced and demand both their presences would be their uncle Marius, but he was supposed to be on a trip across the ocean, and not back til next month...

Kellan turned back to the servant, "I take it you don't know who the guest is?" He goaded lightly as he headed towards the door, wondering why it was so pressing for both him and Jei to be present at the dinner table.

"Not a clue." The servant replied, grinning a little.

((who should it be? Im as stumped as the boys... :/))

Kellan shrugged, keeping his face nonchalant. He was slightly miffed he couldn't get the servant to tick, but it didn't matter in any case. He walked past the open doors and into the foyer, making his way to the dining room.


((Uhh, let's make it uncle Marius since he got mentioned?))

Jei followed his brother, face lighting up when he saw his uncle and cousins. "Uncle Marius!" He called, running over and hugging the man tightly. "You're not supposed to be back til next month... Did something happen?"

Kellan walked over to Uncle Marius and the rest. "Good evening." He said to them, watching Jei hug the uncle with a smile on his face. He was curious as well why the uncle had come so early.

Marius chuckled, and returned Jeisyn's hug, ruffling his hair playfully, earning him a swat and a whine. He looked up to greet Kellan, pulling away from one nephew to hug the other. He really did hdte the formalities that most noble families took seriously.

"No, no... Nothing bsd, anyhow." He replied, returning to his seat, and motioning for the two young lords to join them at the table. Jei did so, greeting his two cousins and aunt warmly eith hugs as well. Once the two were seated, Marius told them why he'd returned. It turned out they were to be expecting another child, a little lord this time- Marius and sophia already had two daughters, one a year below Jei, and the other near Mirai's age., and had been trying since shortly after the birth of their second for another.

Kellan returned Uncle Marius' hug. He had almost forgotten how his uncle was. Free like the wind. This was the uncle everyone aspired to be.

Kellan sat and listened attentively, happy for his uncle. He wondered where Mother was, since she wasn't in the room to nag them about how to behave properly.


((Who's Mirai? Should I know?))

((Kellan and Jei's younger sister. She's about 6, at this point, only being a year old when the fire happened. She was also rescued from the flames by Theroen and their father, but a burn across her face caused her to lose use of her left eye. She's got white hair Like Jei... Im not sure if I told you about Serra yet, either- she's Jei's twin.))


Rellana (their mum) walked in as Marius revealed the good news, Serra and Mirai trailing along behind her. Mirai ran forward to hug her uncle, though Serra hung back, far too proper to act like a child anymore.

A smile lit up Kellan's face as he saw Mirai go up to hug the uncle of theirs. He dipped his head towards Serra and Mother in acknowledgement of their presence. He wanted to go up to Serra and tell her it was alright for the uncle was kindly, but he supposed that Serra probably liked being prim and proper.

The table stretched out long him and it seemed almost confining for the briefest moment as he saw his mother enter. He wondered again why it was so pressing that the uncle returned.

"Uncle," said Kellan, "It's great to see you, but why aren't you home if your wife is going to give birth?"

"Oh, don't worry. There are still a couple montths before she is due." He replied, as they all took their seats and dinner was served. "Besides, the girls wanted to come for a visit, and I couldn't send them alone, could I?" He said, keeping the conversation light as they ate.

As they finished the meal, and servants came to take their plates, Marius' expression turned more formal. "Now, this impromtu visit wasn't merely for the sake of announcing the expected lordling, or letting the girls visit... I've a proposal..." Marius stated. "With the baby on the way, Sophia and I will be rather busy, and could use some help running our estate... And with us being so busy, we won't have as much time for our girls... They need a strong woman to raise them, one who has the time to train them into 'proper' ladies."

Jei frowned, somewhat confused, until it suddenly dawned upon him. His uncle was proposing to foster him and Kellan, while their mother, Rellana, fostered their cousins.

Kellan smiled at his cousins kindly, "Nice of you to visit," he said.
The clinking of knives and forks came and went. Dinner passed as quickly as it came.

Kellan nearly gaped when Uncle Marius announcd his proposal, though his ingrained knowledge of propriety saved him from the embarrassment. Instead, he raised an eyebrow at his uncle. "You want to turn your wonderfully amicable daughters into 'proper' ladies?" He stole a glance at Mother and Serra, "Not that 'proper' ladies aren't, lovely and amicable too." He added, half sarcastic.

Marius smiled knowingly, catching that hint of sarcasm, while Rellana scowled at her son. "It will be only for a couple of months, likely, until everything calms down a bit." He replied, sending his sister a look. Surely you can do without the boys for that long, Rellana?" He asked, not bringing up that she and her late husband had done essentially the same thing to him and Sophia with Theroen and Kellan when the twins were born.

Rellana gave a forced smile, looking kindly upon her nieces. "Of course, if you need the boys' help so badly, Marius, you need only ask." She said, knowing she owed her brother. She looked to Jei and Kellan. "You'll go and pack immediately after dinner. I'm sure your uncle will be anxious to get back home first thing in the morning."

Kellan let loose a goofy grin. He liked provoking everyone at home too much, he realized. It gave him some fun in a normally boring day. Speaking of fun though, traveling to Uncle Marius' home had got to be more fun than staying stuck in the big mansion all day. He cheered considerably further at the thought, and gave Jei a bright smile.

Turning to one of his cousins he said in jovial secrecy, "Don't let yourself turn into a 'proper' lady. Uncle Marius would be disappointed."

With the clinking of trays and as the servants picked away the utensils, Kellan pushed back his chair, the wooden stools grating a woody sound on the marble floor.
"It seems that it's time for me to pack now." Kellan announced to no one in particular, and made his way away from the table.

The cousin giggled and nodded, knowing all too well that Kellan was right. MArius smiled, and Rellana... Well, she was not impressed, to say the least.

Jei watched his brother go, and, though he knew he should go and pack as well, stayed at the table, chatting with his uncle and the elder of his two cousins a bit longer. By the time they finished their conversation, it was quite late, and his mother had already sent the girls off to bed.

Yawning slightly, Jei smiled and gave his uncle a hug as they both got up from the table. "I'll see you in the morning, then." He said, his uncle replying in kind, and Jei headed for his room to begin packing what he thought he might need for the next two months. Limiting the amount of clothing in his bags- for who needed a million and one outfits for just two months?- he made sure to pack a few formal outfits along with his everyday clothing. Then, bag in hand, he snuck off to the library, pleased to find their pile of books still on the table he and Kellan had been working at earlier. He slipped several of the more important tomes into his bag, glancing around nervously. It would do him no good to get caught. Making sure he had the notes he'd written down earlier as well, he headed back to his room, and changed for bed, laying down even though he knew it wouldn't be an easy night. While excited, his stomach was in knots over the idea of being away from home so long.

Kellan ignored his mother as he made his way to his room. It made him smile inside, if anything, to get under her skin. It made him smile to get under anyone's skin in the mansion. Everyone was altogether too put together, he thought.

From his room he took out a small wooden suitcase. Pants went in first, rolled up and carefully wrapped with tissue paper. Shirts went in next, a thin film of tissue between each one. Socks and underwear went on top. A suit went in just in case, and he packed a stack of paper and pens. With a click, the suitcase closed.

Kellan changed into a nightshirt, noting the servants had replaced his previous one. He briefly wondered if he should visit Jei again, but upon opening his bedroom door to the happy voices from the dining room, Kellan decided against it. He climbed into bed, his last thoughts being anticipation for the morning.

He'd laid awake for a few hours before finally succumbing to sleep, though that itself was restless and uneasy. Jei woke in the middle of the night. He had no idea what woke him, if it was a nightmare he didn't remember it, nor was he covered with sweat like usual after one. He tried going back to sleep, but merely tossed and turned for an hour or so, until he got up, sighing softly. He lit a lamp, and pulled out a couple of the books that he'd snuck into his bags before bed, and started lookig through them, hoping for some scrap of information. Maybe he and Kellan would have time to search the archives at his uncle's home as well?

He did not dream that night, for what was there to dream when it seemed that dream had come to life?

When the sun was just rising, he rose along with it. He changed into a soft blue shirt and tied his hair in a neat pony with a short string dyed navy blue. He didn't intend to dress in his stuffy white and black. Not today at least.

Picking up his suitcase, Kellan left his room, leaving the door open for no reason other than to bring some odd change into the mansion before he left it. He stole into the library and was surprised to see that Jei's notes and some books were gone. He sat down at the table and flipped open a book, wondering if anything would come of further research at all.

Jei woke to sunlight starting to trickle through his window, and a crick in his neck. Seems he's passed out at his desk while reading. He stretched, groaning when he felt his neck and back pop, then we t to bathe a d get ready for the day.

Dressed in a pale grey-purple shirt and dark grey trousers, wih a dark coloroed jacket over it all, Jei brushed his damp hair out of his face, content to just let it dry however. He grabbed his luggage, one small suitcase for his clothing and a rather large -in comparison- bag for the books and notes and othe little odds and ends he felt it necessary to bring with him, and headed off in search of either his brother or uncle.

Flipping through the thin-papered tomes revealed to him nothing noteworthy. Kellan pushed back the chair and stood, stretching his hands up in a yawn. He picked up his suit case, deciding to exit the mansion for some fresh air. It was refreshing to know he had nothing to do in the morning. He wondered if Jei was up yet.

Kellan sat on the steps leading up to the mansion, looking out at the sun still making its way up to the peak. He didn't have breakfast out of forgetfulness, and simply sat with his suit case by his side, waiting and staring into space.

Jei had run into his uncle first, almost literally, heading into the dining hall for breakfast. Since no one else was in there, he excused himself from his uncle's company, grabbing a bit of breakfast for both himself and Kellan, going off to find his brother.

And find him he did, about ten minutes later, sitting outside on the front steps. He'd left his suitcase wih his uncle, the man promising to make sure it made it's way to the carriage they'd be taking, so had only his bag and the breakfast- some fruit, and a couple slices of toast with jam. He dropped the bag to the ground, taking a seat beside his brother, silently offering him some of the food.

When the door opened and Jei's footsteps came down the stairs, Kellan turned to look. Seeing Jei, Kellan smiled. He took a piece of toast with jam with a thanks as his fingers lightly brushed past Jei's, partly by accident and partly not. Kellan bit into a corner of the toast.

A light shiver went through Jei when he and Kellan touched. He smiled slightly, looking out at the rising sun, taking a bite from his own slice of toast. "You excited, Kell?" He asked after a few minutes, voice barely above a whisper, almost as if afraid to break the comfortable silence.

"Mmhmm." Kellan murmured after swallowing a bite of toast. He was excited. The prospect of leaving the proper mansion for their uncle's was a welcoming one. As far as he remembered, everyone at his uncle's mansion was a whole lot less stuffy. He and Jei were going together besides.

He bit into another corner of the toast. He liked to finish off the edges first when no one was judging him for table etiquette.

Jeisyn smiled softly, watching his brother now more than the sunrise. "You have a good sleep last night?" He asked, noting that despite the older male being oddly quiet, he seemed well-rested.

Kellan nodded before quickly finishing off his piece of toast. Eating breakfast with Jei and watching the sunrise had made him rather morose. Poets probably sleep early and rise early, Kellan thought.

Kellan turned his attention to Jei now, and replied, "I did. I slept pretty early after all." He smiled, "You look like you slept well too."

"What's in there?" He asked, noticing the bag Jei had dropped earlier.

Jei shrugged a little. I actually had a hard time falling soundly asleep... Woke up halfway through the night from a restless sleep, then eventually passed back out at my desk a few hours ago." He said, rolling his shoulders and glanced down at the bag when his brother brought it up. "No nightmares, though... And that's just a few things that wouldn't fit into my suitcase... Mostly some research."