Of Whispers and Steam

Requiem of the Moth S02 C13

“By all the moths under the mountain, what have you done?”

Yun makes to steer him out of the parlour, perhaps store him away in some bedroom until the fuss has blown over but Usira plants his feet by the fireplace. The wood scent coats his nose and weighs on his eyelids, but he doesn’t know how long his outrage will fuel this interrogation of the Vessi.

Eventually Yun relents. “As I said, it’s the only solution. I am sorry.”

Usira shakes his head. He doesn’t even want to ask but staying ignorant would be worse. “Say it.”

Yun signals to Zhiven for tea. Of course, a pot is already prepared. “Finding the true culprit wasn’t enough. After everything, only a grand gesture could restore your family’s reputation. Something that would keep you in the clans’ good graces once and for all. You had to be so tightly connected to us that there was no separating. Hence the proposal.”

When he finishes, terrible calm has settled over Usira. He ignores the tea cup offered by Zhiven, its flowery aroma. After a while, Zhiven sets it on a side table. “Why did you break your promise to me? You took the proof I offered but didn’t say anything about our contribution. Wanted to keep all the glory for yourself, did you?”

Yun is gazing into the fire. “They wouldn’t have believed me. It would’ve weakened my position, had I insisted you were innocent. Caxian and the other clans, they were obsessed with painting you as the culprit. They didn’t want to see anything else.”

“You should’ve left me to rot in the sun,” Usira mutters and grits his teeth when he is yanked by his arms.

Suddenly Yun’s hot gaze is right in front of him, barely a hair’s breadth away. “Never.”

Usira wants to run. The fire, the flowery tea aroma, and Yun, close enough to kiss… it’s all too much. “You used me. What do you think I am, one of your puppets?”

Yun is shaking his head even before he finishes speaking. “I apologise for the way it had to be done but I’m not sorry I proposed the bonding. It’s the ideal solution for both of us. If you’re willing, we can forge a meaningful alliance. If you…”

Usira barks out a laugh, squirming but too tired to break Yun’s grip. “Can I even say no?”

Yun’s silence is answer enough. Usira sighs and with it, all anger seeps out of his body. He sinks to the floor, causing Yun to release him. “You’re using me again. I guess I deserve it for not being able to quit even though it’s clear that I mean nothing to you.”

After a beat, Yun kneels before him. Usira stares at the tea on the side table, anything but Yun’s burning gaze. The steaming tea reminds him of a similar moment long ago, the moment Yun asked for his trust for the first time.

When Yun speaks, it is in the same quiet tone. “If you meant nothing to me, I would’ve let you flee… wherever you were planning to go. I would’ve struck you from my memory the moment you left Kandamsin. If you meant nothing to me, I wouldn’t be here, trying and failing to explain myself. You make me vulnerable. You might think me invincible but being around you is dangerous for me. With this, I’ve given my enemies another reason to come for me. It doesn’t matter though. I can’t leave you.”

Usira’s mind latches onto that detail. “You… can’t?”

“I can’t.”

“We still have something in common then.”

“What a pair we make.” Yun laughs softly.

Their gazes meet. The fire is dancing in Yun’s, glowing, and Usira wonders. If Yun has ever been honest before. If there’s hope for him to change after all. “I thought you felt nothing for me.”

“I tried hard to feel nothing for you. I failed.” One corner of his mouth lifts ruefully. “There’s something I have to ask. Will you… try? To make it work?”

Try. Change. Usira’s head spins. The throbbing behind his temples is back with a vengeance. “I don’t know. This is a lot. I haven’t even slept in…”

Yun’s gaze softens. “Rest. Forget I asked.”

In a dark corner of his exhausted mind, Usira suspects Yun is being a coward again. He wants to hold on to that thought, capture that new side of the Vessi before it vanishes like smoke through the cracks, but the strain is rapidly catching up with him.

And so he rests.

Author Notes

We all know that relationships require compromise but how much change can you ask from your partner before they start bending themselves out of shape? Do you even have the right to ask them or should you wait for them to initiate? And if you don’t address it, how would they even know you’re struggling? We have this rose-tinted image of soulmates being so in tune with each other that they just know but in reality, that rarely happens. I’m someone who longs to understand others so this is something I think about a lot.

As usual, I take my characters and let them work out these questions through the story. I wonder what answers they will come up with in season three…

Anyway, this concludes season two! Will Usira come to terms with Yun’s proposal or is there a fight brewing on the horizon? And how will Yun’s family react to having a commoner thrust into their midst? Let me know what you think!

I might or might not edit season two before starting season three... There’s quite a few aspects I’m unhappy with. Here’s my tentative plan for the coming weeks:

• Compile season one and two into one downloadable ebook. I’ve never had to format an ebook before so let me know if you have any resources for that!

• Release a detailed analysis of the mistakes I made writing season two. It’s already written, to be published within the next few days!

• Requiem of the Moth will go on a short break while I figure out what happens next. With season three, I’d like to have a better idea of the plot and have a 2-3 chapter buffer at all times.

Stick around for more clan politics and relationship drama in season three! In the meantime, feel free to check out some of my other pieces, such as this one:

Why Touhou Project is The Most Beloved Indie Game Series