"Yeosang. Wake up."

Surprised by the sudden disruption, Yeosang rose from his sleep. His dream continued to cling to him for a long second and tricked him into thinking that the voice had only been part of his imagination. The hand on his shoulder that urged him to wake up was very real, however. It only disappeared once Yeosang groggily lifted his head and forced his eyes open.

The sliver of pink colour in front of him was blurry at first, but soon enough it evolved to a sharp image of San. His dimpled face hovered above Yeosang as he smiled down on the man kindly.

"Time to leave. Come down once you got ready."

Disoriented, Yeosang just hummed at him in agreement. He was thankfully too tried to consider his messy hair and swollen cheeks. The time to worry about his looks came later.

Once San was sure that Yeosang had gotten the memo, he stepped back from the bed respectfully. Yeosang pushed himself up weakly and tiredly blinked at San until his vision adjusted. The other man cooed at him.

He had changed his clothes. The pretty but impractical top had disappeared, and instead, he wore a form-fitting vest over a dark shirt. A shoulder piece strapped some equipment to his shoulder, and a second bag that clung to his hips featured several different knives and other tools.

Yeosang still stared at him when San amusedly rose his voice one more.

"Do you need help getting dressed? I can provide."

San's smile remained angelic even if the implication behind his words was anything but. By now, Yeosang was conscious enough to blush a deep red at the man's words. With a wink, San exited the room to leave him alone.

Yeosang took another second of warm embarrassment just to sit where he was, but he moved soon. With tired hands, he pulled his clothes over to sort his limbs into the respective openings. Upon Mingi's wise suggestion, they had dressed warmly before they had descended into the canyon, and Yeosang very much appreciated his advice. He didn't have to freeze here, and that was a little comfort.

Yeosang already had enough worries as it were. The cold could gladly stay off his list.

Down in the living room, Yeosang found San. He stood next to Hongjoong at the table and conversed with the man while Hongjoong sipped his tea. At Yeosang's appearance, San broke out into another broad grin. Hongjoong and the librarian acknowledged each other with brief nods.

"You ready to go? Mingi and Jongho are already outside."

Yeosang would have liked to greet his brother again before they left, but it came to no surprise that Seonghwa was still asleep. After all, he still needed a lot of time to recover. Yeosang would rather have him do that instead of bothering him right now. They would only be gone for two weeks. After that, Yeosang still had lots of time to enjoy his brother's presence.

Thus, he approved of San's question. He dropped a quick 'bye' on Hongjoong before he followed San outside. While Yeosang barely knew the air pilot, he could imagine that Seonghwa valued him as a person very much. Depending on their future plans, Yeosang wouldn't be surprised if he saw Hongjoong's face more often from now on.

The two stepped outside into a Qam that was still mostly asleep. The first vendor booths near the main platforms opened their doors only sleepily. The people who set them up unwrapped them like sleepy swans made from paper that spread their wings to shake off the cold of the night.

No ship had docked on the harbour yet, and the children had yet to awake to their days spent playing and learning from each other in the narrow space that the canyon offered to them. Yeosang wondered if they ever saw the skies in their young years. He had been completely overwhelmed during his departure from Asora, so he couldn't imagine what they would feel like.

Mingi and Jongho greeted Yeosang cheerfully once they all grouped. Both of them wore their equipment on their backs, and Jongho's gadgets hummed and clicked quietly in the fresh morning air. They still fascinated Yeosang, and he hoped that one day, Jongho would be comfortable enough around him so he could get a closer look at them. He wanted to draw their intricate detail and feel the hard metal's elegant forms, but he also respected Jongho's personal space.

They formed duos of two as soon as they departed. This time, Mingi was on San's side, and Yeosang envied him just a little. Yet, he appreciated Jongho as a conversation partner, too. With him, every talk felt natural and seemed to come to Yeosang ceaselessly.

"How was Mingi's snoring tonight?"

Jongho chuckled at the first line of their talk already. With an inward shoulder pat for being a witty person, Yeosang let himself be infected by the man's gummy smile. It made him look younger, more approachable.

"I believe he's getting worse. If we don't act soon, he might breathe in all of Qam during one of his horrible inhales."

Their shoulders sometimes brushed as they walked, but Yeosang didn't mind. The gangplanks were narrow anyway, and Jongho had some heat to share.

"That sounds truly terrifying. Do I have to worry about you?" Yeosang appreciated their bickering in the morning. It already lifted his mood. Gradually, the canyon lit up as the sliver of light behind them towards the ocean grew brighter.

Jongho dramatically shook his head.

"I fear there is nothing left, but to accept my fate. One day, you and San will find no more but a few remains of my clothes when you enter that cave."

The image he painted had Yeosang gasp softly.

"Oh, no! That would crush my poor heart." Pouting, Yeosang refused to accept the theory as a reality. Around them, Qam slowly awoke as they reached the outskirts of the lively city. Yeosang searched his pocket for Bricky to let him fly alongside them and explore the dark parts of the canyon ahead.

"Would it?"

"Of course! How dare you even question that? You have become such a precious friend in my life!"

The smile on Jongho's face appeared painted on. It hid his emotions well, and Yeosang had to give him credit for his acting skills.

"I'm glad to hear that. So I'm not entirely replaceable."

Yeosang quickly shook his head even as he was distracted by the village end. They followed San into one of the tunnels along the canyon, which allowed them to safely traverse further along the canyon. Glad that they held their distance from the dark depths that seemed more than keen on swallowing him, Yeosang allowed Jongho to switch sides so that he would be the one who walked near the wall between them and the abyss.

"You could never be! I don't know where I would be right now if you hadn't entered my life. Now that you already improved it so much I don't want you to disappear suddenly!" Albeit well aware that they hadn't known each other for long, Yeosang needed to make sure that the message came across to Jongho. His gratitude ran deep, and even if it was embarrassing for him to express orally, he wanted Jongho to know.

Shy, Jongho rubbed his neck. The gesture was so unlike him and his usual exclusive exterior. The idea of him being more open towards Yeosang had the librarian grin at him cheerfully.

"At least that I didn't mess up. Getting you out of that hellhole of a palace was a good idea, after all."

Solemn, Yeosang nodded. If Jongho hadn't disappeared in the middle of the night like the mysterious but attractive robber dressed in black that novels wrote about and startled Yeosang out of his slumber because he hid from the guards, then Yeosang never would have experienced true freedom. Whenever he thought about the Jongho, he first met, and his closed-off, tough facade, a smile sneaked on Yeosang's lips. Actual Jongho worked so hard and was such a good and devoted person. Yeosang liked that aspect about him.

"Yeah. I owe you a lot for all your help. I don't know where I will be after this, and what will happen to Seonghwa and me, but I will make sure to pay you back somehow," Yeosang agreed with steely willpower. No matter what the palace problem turned out to be, he would make sure that Jongho got the reward he deserved. Even if it meant that he had to break in and steal a Bishop or their plans on nethicite energies to please the man.

"Let's see about that. We should hope that the problem is not too large for now. I would rather discover a mole in the palace and pull him aside to have a talk rather than hear that the whole royal family is suspicious and involved in a strategy that includes us all."

Yeosang just wanted to add to that, when San glanced over his shoulder at the two of them. At Jongho's glare because of the interruption, he ducked his head apologetically.

"I just wanted to ask about Bricky. Could we, in theory, send him to the palace to keep in touch with anything that happens there? Or are we missing a link there?"

Mingi also curiously turned to look at them. While Jongho reached out to call Bricky back to him, Yeosang thought about it sharply.

"True, we should use him to build a connection between us, the palace, and Seonghwa. As for a person in the palace..."

Wooyoung's face flashed Yeosang's mind. He was the only one that he could ask, but he doubted the man. One word from him and their survival would be exposed. If they contacted him, Yeosang would have to word his questions very carefully.

"There is one. I don't know yet if he will offer to help, but we can try."

San looked excited at the prospect. He called for a short break so that Yeosang could use a page from his notebook to write a message to Wooyoung. As he did, Jongho and Mingi hovered above him quite impressed at his writing skill. Back when Jongho had written his name in Yeosang's book, his writing had looked like that of a child. Every stroke of his pen had been mulled over and drawn with care so slow that the lines had become shaky. It was cute. Yeosang treasured that page in his book the most.

Yeosang didn't mind the two pairs of curious eyes above him. Dear Wooyoung, he wrote.

As you presumably have noticed by now, I have disappeared from my chambers. I hope you haven't run into any troubles with the guards for not taking care of me well enough. I am at the best of health and chose to leave on my own accord. Right now, I am seeking for truth about myself. If you were to aid me with that, I would gladly appreciate it. I will return soon, but I need to know what is going on in the palace as my utmost priority.

Best if this stays between us, too.

Send Bricky back with your reply, he will find me.

Your Friend
Yeosang

Once he was done, he handed the note to San. He skimmed it with swift eyes before he nodded. It was cryptic enough not to mention Seonghwa or their current location.

Bricky remained seated on Jongho's hand patiently while Yeosang fixed the message around his leg. They told him to go to the only man that he knew outside of their group. Yeosang prayed that Wooyoung would recognise the bird before the Bishops could damage him.

Once Bricky had fluttered off, they remained their walk. This time, it was San who wandered next to Yeosang and told him about the canyon. While they smartly discussed water torrents and earthquakes, Yeosang overheard with one ear how Jongho told Mingi about someone named Yunho behind them.

He had no idea which Yunho this was about, but he figured the most likely guess would be Jongho's brother.

Their trip took them deeper inside the dark canyon to the place that San called Blagbarrow. According to him, the little settlement was about two day's march, and they had lots of time until then to figure out how to convince the less diplomatic people there to help them. San was confident that they could do it, though, so Yeosang believed him.