[IC:] AUverse

[It's nearing mid-evening at the estate of the Governor-General, where one severely out-of-place prince is fingering the heavy curtains that edge a massive window. The soft glow of the city's nightlife, just starting to stir, masks the dark world that lies in the ruined cities beyond this oasis of civilization and prestige. He knows both worlds entirely too well, along with their protectors. It is not a sight he ever expected to bear witness to again. Maybe that's why he cannot pull himself away from this stark reminder of a course charted in blood. It would be easy enough to explain anyway, a quick line about contemplating the challenges before them or about the providence they were bringing to this land. Either way, his claim is to the duplicity, not the clutching, affectionate arms of his younger sisters, both eager to tell him about their days before launching into another of their playful squabbles for his attention. And while he cannot (or maybe will not) completely keep himself from indulging in their presence, those moments of simple joy, neither will he allow himself to forget that this is wrong.

The worst part is that after almost a week, he knows they are still no closer to figuring a way back. (Or maybe the worst part is that part of him wonders why they still try.)

Maybe that's why...]