Wizard's House

[wizardseason]

"Hey"

The Wizard greets the evil-allured knights the same way every night, with the same word, while casually sitting on the steps of the porch outside of her little home. The building looks handmade, like it was built by people who cared about the place they were going to live. Surrounding it on all sides are fields as far as the eye can see. Vegetables of all kinds, with fruit trees and bushes placed throughout the landscape. Closer to the home are bigger trees, willows and others, providing shade from the strange three suns above. Wherever this is, it isn't the world that the knights know.

Plunged into the ground a mere few feet away from the steps leading up to the home is a handwritten sign that states the following:

Knight Rules:
- Tell others if you want
- You can't reveal others
- The world ends this year

Comments

[sustainer]

"Thirteen...?" he asks, twitching up straight. Thirteen days? They only got two one year?? He doesn't understand why they're not counting the entire rest of the year, shaking his head in irritation.

"What does that mean?"

[wizardseason]

"When the last day is up with you, the next day will be the next knight." They answer, watching his confusion. They don't understand what he's asking them at all.

But they think they answered his question?

[sustainer]

They did now. Finally. There's an extremely long silence here while he processes what that means. That uh sounds like hell? He shakes his head very slightly, this sudden deep pity in his voice.

"You don't get to live the rest of the year? This is all you know?"

[wizardseason]

"Yes?" They answer, questioning, trying to figure out what he's thinking.

"Why?" They can't find anything specific to pin a question with so they just ask a general one. Cue them in, Gyre, they've lost you.

[sustainer]

"That's awful," he murmurs, pulling his hand away from their side finally. He considers the ground for another long moment.

"Do you ever want the wizard to win? You wouldn't have to do that if she did, right?"

[wizardseason]

They finally start rolling back onto their feet, watching Gyre as he says it.

"But the others say that would be bad, the world would be over. No one wants the world to be over, right?" They say it with this uncertainty, not sure if that's what they want or not.

[sustainer]

"Eh..." He's got mixed feelings on the subject, and he shrugs vaguely.

"People are scared of death, I think, but it comes for everyone eventually," he says, considering what other peoples' opinions on this could even be. He knows all these kids are probably more attached to their lives then he is, but he just can't imagine caring that much.

"Besides, I asked what you wanted, not everyone else."

[wizardseason]

"I just want a nap." Their answer comes surprisingly quickly, like they weren't even listening to him? They pause for just long enough that Gyre'll think they weren't listening when they finally speak up again.

"I don't know who's right and who's wrong but it's scary to be scared and that's bad."

[sustainer]

He nods very slightly, understanding better then they might know. Prolonged fear is awful. He can't imagine having that be his whole life.

"If you stay visible, could you get some sleep?" he asks so softly. He doesn't want them to suffer, no matter how annoying he has often found them in the past

[wizardseason]

"If I fall asleep, I disappear until you call me again." They answer, simply. They've tried multiple times and had no luck multiple times.

"It's okay." They offer, slowly rolling back onto their back.

[sustainer]

"It's not okay," he says softly, putting his hand back on their belly and running his fingers lightly through the fuzz there.

"I'm going to try to help..." He sighs deeply, wondering how far into this he should go. He doesn't know how much he trusts Fen to keep a secret, but he does want to learn as much as he can. Ugh.

"Can you tell me what the wizard and the protector were arguing about the first year?"

[wizardseason]

"The others said it was about saving the world." They're back on their back, blinking at Gyre.

"They say those two fight all the time, ever since we've known them."

[sustainer]

"No," he says softly, shaking a hand at them, dismissing them quickly.

"No, I only want to know what you've seen yourself, okay?" He tilts his head, beginning to frown deeply as he wonders what their words could mean. "Did you never see them arguing?"

[wizardseason]

"I haven't seen them argue. I haven't seen the Protector in..." They start to say a number but they trail off, looking crazy thoughtful here. What's their answer? What's real?

"So long. Fifteen? Twenty knights? I don't know."

[sustainer]

His frown deepens further, trying to put the pieces together.

"Did something happen? The last time you saw him?"

[wizardseason]

"He said 'Don't give up hope'." They blink, watching Gyre.

"But I don't know what he means."

[sustainer]

He blinks back, filing that away in his mostly negative Protector thoughts.

"What was going on before he said that?"