A part of him was bitter, standing outside the regal forest he'd known his entire life. This land was mine. Why do I stand and await judgment? But it was a past he had to lay with, a cold corpse that did nothing to warm his bed at night. Only when his heart was weak and bare did she come to life, fingers like crags to throw himself off of, scraping invisible wounds across his chest. A sordid affair because he'd tried to do his best in the unfair life and hand he'd been dealt. He wanted to scream, wanted to march into the borders and take back what had been his for the majority of his life. What good was his past outside of Helovia, where he'd been naught but a machine? He hungered, primordial desire to reclaim something that should not belong to him any longer. That rightfully should not haunt him.

It did nonetheless.

If there was one thing to speak for Mauja, it was that he did not leave Kaj to his suffering for long. Regal but wounded, they faced one another, like distorted mirrors. In the folds of his inner sanctuary, Kaj smiled, grim and wry with cynicism and defeat. You are no better than me, friend. And finally with an image to put to mind, Kaj remembered. Kahlua's mentioning of a stallion, someone who needed to be put on trial, welcomed once more to the misted lands. And like anything that was tied to Kahlua's memory, Kaj hated. Despised. Agonized over his own injustices, tucked away in the silent but screaming parts of his ribcage where it could not ruin what little preciousness he still had cupped inside his hands. 

They stood, broken remains of proud people, and spoke with far more kindness (though the sincerity of it could be questioned) than they should have been capable. Kaj's smile was weary as it responded naturally to Mauja's words, a light of teasing flickering in pale blue eyes. "If I know anything of ruling, and the current events of the land, I'd say overworked is far more likely," he chuckled softly. Trying to make light a far too grievous event that made him shift unbidden where he stood, limb aching with remembrance. He didn't want to talk about it, not with a stranger at least. His feelings regarding the clashing of the celestials...they were violent and convoluted at best. A twitch in his cheek and the shadows on his face seemed to betray him, and he smoothly changed the subject. It was not something he wanted to dwell on. 

"The same purpose as any other visitor," he confessed. "Though I'm sure your company is more than adequate," was followed with a curl of his lips. Kaj didn't know why he was being so warm, when he felt so hollowed out inside. A reminder of all the wrongs committed, standing before him. In his place. And he a puppet overlooked continually due to Archibald's shadow. Perhaps it simply killed him to admit that even through all the sins Mauja had committed, he was still better than Kaj. "The Falls as a herd want to keep the ties that existed back when you and Torleik were crowned. We offer our services as healers, masons, and soldiers in hopes of fair trade and community." What else was there to say? He felt disgusting, like a beggar waiting on the doorstep of the home he'd been evacuated from. Just when you thought you couldn't fall any lower, Kaj.

I'M SO HAPPY ABOUT A NEO THREAD YO HAVE NO IDEA