Yuze went to bed frustrated, confused, and a little bit lost. There was clearly something deep behind the careless flirt that Kai Low presented to the world. He was more convinced than ever that there was something the man was hiding, and it was about the Camelia or Fox. But Yuze hadn't yet found the appropriate moment to ask such a personal question without fracturing the tentative working truce they'd fallen into since the investigation started.
He spent the whole night tossing and turnin,g trying to imagine what it was that Kai Low was hiding. Had Fox known? Was it something that concerned Fox? Did his betrayal run even deeper? Was Yuze even more of a fool than he'd realized?
How much danger had he put the Camelia in?
He met up with Eirian and Kai Low, exhausted and grumpy, the next morning. With dark circles under his eyes that made both of them look at him twice.
"What the hell happened to you?" Eirian demanded, turning his face left and right to examine him. Over her shoulder, Kai Low frowned, far too interested for Yuze's sanity.
"Just a bad night." Yuze pushed her hands away, surprised at how much strength she'd already recovered. "I'm fine, really. Let's get to work. I have reports to deal with later." He had so many reports he'd almost begged off today. Torn between catching up on work he was already significantly behind on and avoiding Kai Low and the responsibility he felt about keeping an eye on him.
Aside from her concern about him, Eirian seemed to be in a good mood. Happier than he'd ever seen her and somehow more settled. Something must have happened with Chenzhou and Mingzhe, he realized, and felt happy for his friend.
Kai Low's eyes darted around as they walked, unable to stay still, it seemed. While it still made Yuze suspicious, he was starting to wonder if Kai Low was naturally curious. He was terribly intelligent for a tribesman, which Yuze realized was judgmental, but the fact was that most tribesmen didn't have anywhere near the knowledge Kai Low did of things outside their world. Or the interest.
Eirian seemed to notice it too. "Do you know much of our history?"
Kai Low barely glanced at her, but Eirian didn't seem bothered. "You came, you saw, you built. What else is there to know?"
Eirian rolled her eyes. "This place was built as an outpost originally. Long before any of our blood lived. Sorrow was united with the Isles of Smoke at the time, and they managed to hold off an invasion from the Land of Song and Snow."
"Ironic," Yuze muttered, enjoying the morning sunshine.
"It took forty years to build the outpost; the first two actually collapsed." Eirian had been deep in the history of the estate since she'd arrived and had odd parts of it memorized now. "No one remembers the name of the original architect. Or who even paid to build it? The records for the time are spotty and mostly seem to have been recorded second-hand. The Ye family has ruled the estate longer than any other family."
"Not fond of sharing the wealth?" Kai Low sneered, but he was looking up at one of the spiraling towers that seemed to reach the heavens.
"The estate is Sorrow's first line of defense against any threats from the East." Eirian continued as if he hadn't spoken. "And it's never faltered. No enemy has ever breached its walls." She paused, and her face fell. "Well, until…" She glanced at Yuze. "Fox."
Kai Low snapped around at the mention of his brother, but Eirian kept walking like she hadn't mentioned the elephant in the room.
Yuze watched him wrestle his surprise back.
"This Fox you speak of seems to live up to his name." Kai Low bit out.
Did he not know that Yuze had figured out the relation? Or did he think Yuze hadn't shared it?
"He was very well named." Eirian shrugged. "He's dead now."
Kai Low flinched.
"His love for the tribes must have been strong for the sacrifices he made."
Kai Low laughed shrilly. Slightly madly. Yuze kept a wary eye on him as they entered the wealthier neighborhood where the noble families had their homes. They were headed to talk to the next group of minor families and hoping to make more progress today than they had yesterday.
"He didn't love shit." Kai Low hissed and then looked away when they both glanced at him.
~ tbc