Under one roof

CHAPTER FOUR

REIN

Rein woke to the sound of birds outside her window and, for a few seconds, forgot where she was in the world.

The room was unfamiliar in the way all good places were. Everything had been placed so beautifully that it seemed untouched. The bed was neatly made, the curtains swayed gently with the morning breeze, and the balcony overlooked a part of the palace grounds through the glass doors.

It was then that she remembered.

She was home.

After years of living far away from Ravenclaw, she was back under the same roof as her brother again.

A small smile appeared on her lips.

She reached for her camera on the table beside the bed and glanced at the photographs she had managed to take the previous evening. Ravenwood had appeared differently through her lens. Perhaps it was because she was looking at it as an adult now, or perhaps distance had taught her to appreciate things. She had forgotten over the years.

Rein went downstairs and into the dining room.

Truz sat at the head of the table chattering animatedly about something that had occurred at the Iron Grounds. Drake listened with a smile, occasionally commenting, while Kanem leant back at his ease, having never been one to care much about being well-behaved at breakfast.

Demin sat with the quiet reserve of a man who had spent his life waiting for the right moment to say something interesting.

He was already eating, and Rein hesitated at the threshold for half a second before Truz finally noticed her.

"There she is. I was starting to think you had decided to sleep until noon."

Rein smiled as she took the empty seat beside him. "I was tired."

"You've been travelling for hours."

"And I was also avoiding you."

Truz looked offended. "Avoiding me?"

"You talk too much in the morning."

Drake laughed.

Kanem looked with satisfaction at Truz. "Finally. Someone else sees it."

Truz pointed the fork at both of them. "I don't know why either of you feels so comfortable being disrespectful to me in my own house."

"Your house?" Kanem asked. "Interesting. I thought we all lived here."

"We do," Drake said calmly. "But I think Truz has decided the palace belongs to him because his sister is back."

Rein laughed, and Truz shook his head.

"You see what happens when I let all of you sit at one table?" Truz

Demin continued eating, and Rein noticed him because everyone else seemed so comfortable talking around him. It was the first time she had seen him say anything, and somehow that made her more conscious of his presence.

She kept her attention on Truz until Drake noticed the camera that had been resting beside her.

"You still carry that everywhere?"

Rein looked down at it. "Almost everywhere."

"What are you working on?"

"Nothing specific right now. I'm taking a break from work, but I still like shooting whenever I see something worth keeping."

Drake leaned back slightly. "Photography was always more than a hobby for you, wasn't it?"

Rein nodded. "It became work eventually. Photography, videography, little projects here and there. It took time to get serious about it, but I like what I've built."

"That explains the camera," Kanem said. "I was wondering why you brought one into a house where you already have enough pictures to last a lifetime."

Rein smiled. "Because the pictures here are old."

"You think the palace looks better through your camera?" Kanem asked.

"I think everything looks better when you know what you're looking for." Rein responded.

Drake nodded approvingly. "That's actually a good way to put it."

Rein opened her camera and turned it towards him. "Do you want to see?"

"Of course."

Kanem leant over the table. "Why does Drake get to see them first?"

"Because he asked nicely."

"I asked."

"You complained."

"Same thing."

Drake laughed as Rein scrolled through the photographs showing him the ones she had managed to take around Ravenwood in the morning. He paused on one of the forest, studying it closely.

"This one is good," he said. "You caught the light perfectly."

Rein smiled. "That one took me almost twenty minutes."

"Twenty minutes for a tree?" Kanem asked.

"It wasn't just a tree."

Kanem glanced at the photograph. "It is very much a tree."

Rein gave him an unimpressed look.

Before she could answer, a quiet voice was heard from across the table.

"The light is hitting the mist behind it."

Everyone looked towards Demin.

He had finally spoken.

Rein looked at the photograph, then at him.

"Yes," she said softly. "That's what I was trying to capture."

Demin gave a small nod and turned his attention back to his breakfast.

Kanem watched him for a moment before looking back at Rein.

"See? You got a whole sentence out of him. That's very impressive."

Demin didn't respond.

Truz laughed under his breath, and Drake shook his head.

Rein lowered her eyes to her camera, trying not to smile.

Later that morning, Truz was stopped by one of the men who regularly attended to Demin in the hallway.

"Truz, may I speak to you?"

Truz immediately picked up on the concern in his voice. "Of course. What is it?"

The man hesitated before responding.

"It's Demin. He hasn't been sleeping properly."

Truz's expression changed.

"How long?"

"Several nights. He's been awake late, and when he does sleep, it isn't for very long. I've tried speaking to him, but he won't listen."

Truz sighed quietly.

"Alright. I'll handle it."

He found Demin in his apartment, standing at the balcony with a file in his hand.

Demin looked over at him when Truz entered.

"You're supposed to be resting."

"I am resting."

"You're standing on a balcony reading reports."

Demin glanced at the file. "I'm not training."

"That wasn't the question."

Demin said nothing.

Truz walked further in and folded his arms in front of him.

"How long has this been going on?"

"I don't know."

"That's not an answer."

Demin looked at him. "A few nights."

"A few?"

"Truz."

"No. Don't do that." His voice softened, but he didn't back down. "You've barely been sleeping, you're spending more time at the Iron Grounds and carrying work around at hours when you should be asleep. If something is wrong, you can tell me."

"Nothing is wrong."

Truz stared at him for a long moment.

"You've known me for sixteen years. Do you really think I'm going to believe that?"

Demin's expression remained calm as he said nothing.

Truz walked towards him.

"You don't have to handle everything alone, Demin. Whatever is keeping you awake, you don't have to carry it without telling anyone."

Demin looked towards the forest beyond the balcony.

"I'll handle it."

Truz sighed, knowing that was probably the closest thing to an admission he was going to get.

"Fine. But you're sleeping tonight."

Demin looked at him.

Truz pointed towards the bedroom.

"I'm serious."

For the first time, the corner of Demin's mouth moved slightly.

"Go away, Truz."

Truz smiled.

"There you are."

He left the room, closing the door after him.

Demin remained by the balcony, the palace quiet around him.