The best sort of lie, Mari had learned, was one that was as close to the truth as possible. The further you strained from the truth the more likely you were to forget details, trip up, and get lost in your own lie.
“Good Morning, Everyone! I’m heading up to The Majesty to make sure everyone is still okay. Should be back before sundown, have a great day!”
Energy also was a great deterrent for further questions, since most of her peers and friends were as generous as she could put it: not morning people. The half-elf said this as she whirled down the stairs, grabbed some fruit, pastry, and a bit of bacon for Orion before leaving as quickly as she entered.
She slowed her trot to a stroll a block after leaving the House, if only to let Orion finally settle after clinging to her shoulders for dear life. She apologized with a food offering, which the pseudodragon took eyeing her warily.
“I know, I know…but I can’t really involve anyone else with this. Especially now that the house is a target. Besides…I have to know” Mari said.
Slipping through streets, and a trolley ride later, soon enough Mari found herself once again in front of the gleaming resort. The gardens were finally open to the public, and Mari found her distracted by the beautiful flowers and other flora intricately laid out across the sprawling grounds.
Her Father would have loved this.
“Mari…was it?”
She spun almost too quickly before giving a slightly relieved smile as she looked up to Daleo.
“Yep! That’s right” Mari said brightly, fighting old instincts.
Daleo watched, surprised before seemingly bemused. They gestured for Mari to follow, and the two of them wandered around the gardens for a bit, neither saying much of anything, before they finally came to a tree, leaves still brilliant green and full, with a small path that led to a bench underneath.
They each took a seat, enjoying the quiet, before Mari let out a breath.
“Did anyone make it out of the fire besides me…”
Daleo pauses with the question, the gravity of this conversation settling with them for the first time. They seem to just now be realizing the full reality of that night.
“Yes. Many of the servants and whatnot survived. However, I know that is not what you are really asking.” they say, clearly fighting with something in their mind. “You know, I shouldn’t have even been there that night, in the woods, by the river. My father had forbidden me to go out. He’d told me that something like that needed to be discussed, agreed upon, arranged. But that wasn’t what it was about.”
Daleo’s normally bubbly, aloof demeanor shifted sharply. Their head bowed and hid their eyes.
“I am really glad that you made it out safely, Phine” they said, their voice cracking, as their eyes welled up with tears.
Mari had only been called that by one person in her life. Her brother, Uriel had trouble with pronouncing her name when Mari was first born and had settled on “Phine” instead.
Mari has also swung her head down, and immediately buried her forearm in her mouth to keep from screaming. It wasn’t a surprise, it wasn’t the first time she had felt this grief, but there was something about the confirmation. The finality that they were gone. Orion looked between the two pairs of tearing eyes, and draped himself across both their laps, attempting to provide dual comfort.
After what felt like a small eternity, she finally composed herself. “I…I’m genuinely glad most of the staff made it out, I-I don’t want any more families to have to go through this” Mari said, glancing at them, and offering a spare handkerchief to Daleo. She thought carefully, cautiously “Were you meeting Uri out there that night…is that why you were there?”
A wistful smile crossed Daleo’s face for a moment.
“Yeah. We were meeting. We kind of had a thing. I was the reason that he wasn’t there when it all started. He wasn’t there to help your parents because he was with me. He didn’t have to make it out of the fire because he was never in the fire. By the time he got back to the Grove it was too late. Uri didn’t perish that night, Phine. He’s still out there somewhere.” they said, the smile slowly fading as they went.
“He thought that you did, though.” they continued as they began to sob quietly. “I don’t know where he is, but he has to be told. He has to know that he didn’t lose everything that night.”
Mari paused, mouth agape, and her mind spooling. “He’s alive…? He’s alive”. She teared up again, but her eyes were filled with the possibility of hope that had just moments ago been crushed. “When did you last see him, was it after the fire?”Mari said a new light of determination and spark within, before she reigned it in “...Sorry, this is a lot, I’m sure. I’m glad Uri had someone like you that night. My Godmother is the only reason I made it out myself”
"It was after the fire, yes. It shattered something inside of him. It would have shattered anyone else more. Uri was very strong, but he was also, understandably, very hurt. Though I know it isn't true, now, he blamed me for him not being there. He probably blamed me, mostly, because I blamed myself" Daleo said as a look of worry crossed their face. "I remember the moment that the glow of the blaze crested into the sky above the trees. He ran back as fast as he could, but it was a long way. I saw you, across the river, not fifteen minutes later and knew that something horrible had happened. I remember the look of panic and terror on your face. We'd never met, you and I, so I didn't know at that moment that you were who you are. You could have been one of the maids or something. When I saw you up close in the Ballroom, in that moment, I saw the resemblance to that terrified girl, and to your mother, as well"
Daleo sat in quiet contemplation for what seemed like hours, but may have been only moments.
"Uri never told me that you two had a godmother. I'm glad that there was someone that you could go to. I thought you two had lost everything. Uri certainly seemed like he had lost everything, after that night" they said, seemingly finding some glimmer of joy and hope in the moment.
“Uri is very much like Mother, incredibly strong” Mari agreed “I don’t think he blames you…I don’t blame you. Knowing him, he probably blames himself. I do too sometimes… if I had just been a little stronger, smarter, a little more…”
“My Godmother says that this happens during times of great tragedies, and I think Father spoke about it as well. Those that make it out have to live with that hurt and guilt, for the rest of their lives. If you see Uri…and if my timelines are right…I don’t think there’s anything he could have done, and the fact he was with you… it’s a miracle. We’ll probably have to have a fight about it before he maybe believes me ”. She finally smiled, taking their hand. Orion plopped his head on both, and nuzzled affectionately.
“What happened to Dawnwater or the Grove? What are they telling people that happened?” Mari said, suddenly worried for the hamlet and the surrounding nature “I always thought it was odd it wasn’t...well, you know what it’s like, how people like our families talk about these kind of things. Although…I ran very far away, I guess news doesn’t travel that far…”.
Daleo squeezed Mari’s hand and reached out to scratch Orion along the side of his neck, with a smile.
“I don’t know if he ever truly blamed me. I blamed myself and I think that, in those moments, it was just easier to agree with me for the time being. I think he really just blamed himself, even if, as you said, there was nothing he could have done. And, yes, if I ever see Uri again, I will absolutely remind him that it was not his fault and that there was nothing to be done” they said with a smile.
“The story was just that there was a fire that started in the kitchen and spread before anyone could do anything. The Count and Countess did everything that they could to save their home and their children, but perished in the effort. Uri hid, too, because he could tell that it wasn’t just a simple fire. He knew something else happened, but didn’t know what. He came back to me that night and stayed there, in the woods, with me, until the next day. He didn’t know what else to do. By morning, he was angry and exhausted and focused on that. He told me he would find out what happened and make it right. I never saw him again after that morning” they said, the smile falling away.
“You both take after your mother. I saw some of what you did in The Majesty. You’re the best of both of them. Uri is still out there, somewhere. I get the feeling that you are much more able to find him than I am. Find him. Let him know that he still has a sister. Together, you might be able to avenge what happened that night.”
“I don’t know about avenging, but my family does deserve justice, in some form anyways. Uriel and I both need to heal. Thank you though, for giving me this gift, for keeping him alive that night” Mari said, before impulsively wrapping her arms around them in an embrace in an attempt to show her gratitude. Daleo seemed surprised but returned the hug.
The two agreed to keep correspondence, if nothing else, Mari was happy to have a friend who knew. Mari eventually left to return to the Celano House…stopping into an alley a few blocks away to fully mourn her parents. Orion kept watch while also attempting to lick away the tears. Finally, she took a breath, gained her composure. Uriel was alive, and out there. If she had made it this far, then Uri had to have done so as well. It lit a fire within her, and also brought a smile to her face.
Finally, she entered the Celano House, bright and ready to work.