“There’s nothing for me to do today… how? Just yesterday you said that-”

A heavy pat on his shoulder, and the old man was leading him out of his office, “Now, now a young man such as yourself should be enjoying yourself more often! The days get shorter and shorter as you get older, and it is the duty of your elders to-”

“Lord Dupain, are you ready?”

An older man, with steely brown eyes and walnut colored skin approached them, and the older man behind him coughed into his hand as he pushed Aster forward, “In just a moment dear sir, as I was saying enjoy your youth, have fun, happy Saturn's festivities!”

Aster peered at the older man, his pale skin painted a soft red as he followed the other man, they spoke in soft tones and the walnut skinned man laid an arm across the others lower back.

“Oh. That makes sense… I guess-”

.

Aster had barely sat down, when in came uninvited guests.

“You have the day off right!”

Rasheed had a gleaming pearly smile, Joshua already in his clutches and shooting the scowling boy an apologetic, but excited look. Aster sighed and nodded, “I am bound to my word, I have nothing else to do.”

“Yay! Let’s go out then!”

Joshua cheered along timidly, but earnestly and Aster looked over the pair and wished Belle were there, ‘She’d get along with the both of them to dangerous degrees… it’d be like adding oil to fire… maybe it’s good that she’s not here.’

He was dragged along by Rasheed, and Joshua followed along with a worried, but happy expression, he lost the worry after Aster patted him reassuringly.

“Don’t worry too much, if I didn’t want to be here I wouldn’t be… it’s good to relax once in a while, especially if you have no responsibilities to fulfill.”

The blonde's eyes sparkled, nodding his head along in agreement, his hair pouncing like a puppy’s ears, Aster blinked away the others shining aura.

“God are you always talking about responsibilities this, responsibilities that! Who cares little bird, you should have fun! How old are you, because with how you're talking you sound like an old man!”

Aster raised a brow at the other, “I’m old enough.”

“Hmm~ whats this is our old man scared to tell little ol’ me his age, please I won’t make fun of you.” Stepping closer to the teen he held onto the other arm, face leaning in close, before he was pushed off by tan skin, a stark contrast to the pair's darker hues.

“Please keep an appropriate distance from the young master.”

Rasheed laughed, prancing away from the hand, before getting in close to Joshua who had annoyed look on his face, “Touchy, touchy~, but you should know too, right? How old is our little bird?”

“If you must know-”

“Which he doesn’t”

“Young master is only sixteen years of age, having only turned a week ago.”

Aster sighed as a squawk of surprise erupted from behin him he walked forward as he spied some delicious smelling grilled meat, “Three skewers please.”

“Right’o good sir!”

“Recommend anything to drink something tart and sweet?”

“Oh I'd recommend Old Fennels stall about two hops down that way! He makes a mean peach lemonade!”

Nodding as he passed the coins and took the meat, “Thanks.”

“No problem!”

He turned back and Rasheed had a daunted look on his face, Joshua looked vaguely confused, but mainly uncaring, his expression brightening at the sight of the skewer, “Young master-”

“Just Aster out here rather not call attention to ourselves.”

The teen burned, but nodded, a smile touched his face, making the blonde handsomer than was really fair, Aster squinted at the sight, ‘Jeez how will people survive when he’s grown up…’

“T-thank you, A-aster… sir.”

“Just Aster, I’ll call you Joshua if it makes you feel better.”

That seemed to make him turn even redder, “Wow~ you pale ones really have it bad, every embarrassment easily noticeable on your skin!”

Rasheed stared at the blonde who burned even redder, but this time in annoyance, the dancer was chewing on his snack, before turning to Aster who was walking again, “Ah! Stop leaving without us! Seriously though, you’re really only 16!”

Aster sighed, but nodded, “Yes.”

“Oh jeez, this is worse than I thought! A tiny baby like you and already so sour!”

“A baby…”

Rasheed was nodding sadly, “A baby,  only sixteen and such a dull outlook, you're lucky though! I, the great and gallant Rasheed, am here to guide you on the path to fun and easy days!”

“Hoh~...”

Aster hummed in amusement as he set about ordering drinks from the kindly old man, Joshua had taken to defending his honor, though he was doing terribly, because let’s face it. Aster was a dull and boring child.

“Thank you good sir, just put the cups in the tray once you're done!”

“Of course sir.”

He passed out the drinks sipping from his own as he watched amused by the scene in front of him, Joshua was really going to bat for him, but Rasheed obviously was better at wordplay and flustering his opponents.

“He is not sour, he’s noble and kind, and caring about others!”

“That does not mean he cannot be sour for himself, it’s good to care for others, but who can care for you, but yourself!”

At that he had nothing, Joshua flinched his grip on his cup tightening, and Rahseed grinned viciously, a clap from behind them startled them out of the moment, “That’s enough of that drink your drinks  before you cause a mess with your incessant prattling about a person who is literally right here.”

Joshua looked down in shame, an apology burbling from his lips as he sipped his drink, Rasheed felt his ears burn as he looked away, grimacing.

“It’s fine if I’m boring, or dull, or sour, or an asshole, as long as I’m a decent person, by my own standards, as long as I get what I want out of my own life, the opinions of strangers aren’t my problem.”

At that the silver eyed teen flinched hard, eyes turning to him before shifting away, shoulder hitched high and tense, “Jeez little bird that’s harsh.”

“Don’t call me that.”

A silence fell over the trio, and Joshua had no idea what to do. Aster looked blank faced as ever, and even he couldn’t tell what he was thinking, Rasheed had recessed lips into a thin pale line. 

“I-I’LL PUT THE CUPS AWAY! Want s-something else to snack on?”

Neither responded, but he took the cups anyway and reassured them that he would be back with tasty treats, “I saw a fritter vendor about six stalls that way, I’ll be back!”

There was an awkward silence, Aster leaned back against the stone wall, and Rasheed was still tense and unsure, but wished someone would breach the silence.

Aster sighed.

Finally Rasheed responded, “You know, I have no idea what that kid sees in a sour guy like you, you're very rude and unkind to him despite him trying hard to get your attention.”

Silver eyes were gleaming as he turned to him and Aster stayed facing forward unbothered.

“I am.”

“Well… what the hell man! If you keep being an asshole you’re going to lose anyone semi0decent in your shitty life!”

“Probably.”

Slamming his hand on the wall he leaned over the other with a snarl on his face, “Don’t you feel bad for being such a prick! Poor kid trying so hard to get the attention of a guy who's so focused on himself, on his ‘responsibilities’, that he can’t even see-”

Aster ignored him, shifting from his leaning position as he took note the quieting surroundings, like a bubble surrounding them making the outside world noiseless and blurry, “Hey-”

“And ANOTHER THING! Here I am being nice inviting you out-”

A hand covered the other, and finally the silver eyed teen seemed to notice the change in his surroundings, eyes going wide and he seemed to go cold, “You notice it too… shit.”

“No, no, nonononono…”

Rasheed’s eyes turned foggy as he clutched onto Aster and he looked at him with piercing green eyes, clicking his tongue, as he held the other close.

“Hey, it’ll be alright, okay. We’ll be alright, if worse comes to worse you’ll get out of here okay, Joshua will definitely-”

A thump behind him made him turn and he saw a shadowy figure, and then he felt something hit his neck and everything went dark.

Consciousness fading the only thing he could do was hope that Joshua would understand.

.

“They had apple, pear, and peach fritters I didn’t know what you’d like so I got one of each, and thought we could share-”

Joshua looked to the place where he had left his friends and felt himself go cold.

They were gone.

He dropped the fritters to the ground and he murmured out words, a hand waving over the area with a glow, it went fuzzy and he grimaced, punching the wall.

“Shit.”

‘Think, think, think, who would do this… this is ally territory, breaking allyship with the Rosewoods would be a death sentence… so it couldn’t be for Aster… then… then it must be-’

“Rasheed.”

He looked to the ground, eyebrows furrowed, and eyes narrowed into a sharp glare, “What could they want with a dancer…”

He thought about it before the scent of iron finally reached him, he looked down and there on the ground was a drop of blood, small, innocuous, likely nothing more than one would get from puncturing themselves with a needle.

He murmured again, and grinned savagely.

“Aster… you beautiful paranoid young master…”

He wasn’t a tracker.

He was barely even a knight, but as irked as that made him being assigned to Aster basically a slap in the other's face saying he wasn’t even deserving of a proper entourage, he was glad.

He was happy he got the chance to be with him.

Now though…

He sent a bird made from light a message recorded to the troupe, and set off. Now he hoped he was enough, because he didn’t know if Aster would even be alive by the time he got there. Now he wished he was better, that he remembered that he was a knight in training, that he should have stayed with his young master and not gallivanted off like this was some outing with friends.

‘So stupid… so irresponsible…’

He bit his lip, but he followed the droplets that glowed like an arrow pointing him in the direction he needed to go.

‘Please… be alright.’