Waiting was always the hardest part. Taekwoon had often told him as much and Satoru had promised such a reality too. And it wasn’t that Jinki was unfamiliar with waiting… but the situation had never felt so overwhelming before. Blessedly, or perhaps frustratingly, nothing had happened in the four days since the wings had all departed. Nothing overtly bad anyway. No unexpected attacks, deaths or disasters had assailed them thus far. They had also made very good progress in creating makeshift shelters at the base of the mountain. If they did have to evacuate the Aerie, hiding in plain sight would likely be safer than taking refuge in Miremaw. Which was something indeed, but still no guarantee. Like everything else, it was just strange because everything was so different now.

            Jinki stood in the Aerie commons and looked around at the unsettling scene: it was too quiet. They still had their seven wings with them to watch the Aerie, and in the distance he could see a handful of dragons on patrol, but the life that filled their home was less. There weren’t as many dragons in the field; the primary stalls in the commons were quiet and unmanned; they had fewer dragons and riders stationed along the walls; and the sheer absence of people made him just sad. Most residents remained indoors or practiced when Seunghyun badgered them into training again. They’d lost a few more people who had opted to leave for Miremaw as well, but those who remained were subdued and quiet.

            “Gotcha!”

            The functioning Aerie Master nearly had a heart attack as he jumped a foot in the air when someone surprised him from behind. “Sanghyuk!” he barked in a breathy exhale while he whirled to face his attacker, revising his earlier thought: most people were subdued and quiet. Then there were the handful like the younger runner before him who had apparently made it their duty to be extra lively.

            “Sorry, Aerie Master,” he apologized quickly, the cheeky grin showing he felt no such thing. “Couldn’t resist,” he added, ducking his head in mild abashment.

            Torn between his usual reaction of amusement at being so fully surprised or displaced anger for being caught so unawares, he forced himself to take a breath and laugh once. “What can I do for you?” he asked, taking another breath as he willed his heart to slow down, both irritated and grateful at the same time. It was a strange sensation to feel.

            Sanghyuk seemed to realize he may have overstepped his bounds just a hair and he straightened up quickly. “Master Satoru has asked to see you in his- your- the main office,” he finished after a moment of brief confusion.

            That at least brought a genuine chuckle from Jinki. “Thank you,” he nodded his head once and let the flustered face before him sooth whatever feelings of misgiving lingered. At least he wasn’t the only one that didn’t seem to able to attain perfection when he wanted it. “Any idea what he wants to see me about?” he couldn’t help but ask, uncertainty making his chest a little tighter than usual.

            “Sorry, Aerie Master,” Sanghyuk shook his head with a helpless shrug.

            “Ah well. Thank you again,” Jinki smiled with a small bow. He stood up to move away but paused as he realized the runner might not be completely finished talking. There was an air of hesitation about him. “Yes?” he prompted with a raised brow, turning to face the younger man again.

            Visibly relieved at the question, Sanghyuk managed a weak smile. “How are you doing?”

            Jinki smiled once, the reaction reflexive. “I should be asking you that,” he chided in a gentle tone.

            Sanghyuk waved him off quickly. “Feh. I’m fine. Joy keeps me on my toes and my friends are mostly still here. No real changes for me,” he admitted honestly. “I just know you’ve got a lot going on right now,” he added quietly, ducking his head and shuffling his feet.

            It was a sweet concern and Jinki was touched by it. He stepped forward and placed his hand on Sanghyuk’s shoulder with a gentle smile. “I do have a lot going on, but I have people like you here to help me through it,” he promised, carefully hiding the pain of missing the one he really wanted to be with him.

            “Yeah, well… there’s not much we can do to help, but if you want someone to play a hand of cards with, I’m your man,” he grinned, dredging up what he actually could offer with a confident thumb pointing at his chest.

            “I may have to take you up on that,” Jinki laughed, the expression genuine. “It’s been too long since I’ve played after all.”

            “Oh! I can get Joy too, and you know Jimin would like to play and if we can pull Himchan away from Master Mimi, he’s not half bad. But if we invite Jongin, you’ve gotta be careful with that one. Sneaky bugger,” he grumbled good naturedly.

            “Yes, yes,” the Aerie Master chuckled, shaking his head. He’d heard about their playing sessions before, and it made him glad to know that Jongin had been accepted among them. He didn’t always fit well with the riders, his limp making it difficult to keep up, but the helpers around the aerie were more open to anyone who wanted to be present. “I’ll have to let you know if I’ve got some free time soon,” he promised reassuringly before jerking his head to the side to send the younger man off while he got started on his own task.

            “Great! We’ll look forward to it!” the runner grinned, bouncing in excitement as he jogged off with a parting wave.

            Jinki hid the uncertainty he felt at making that a possibility. He was busy and with what may come to pass in the near future… he had doubts about his schedule, among other things. But for now, Satoru wished to speak with him and he could only hope the news wasn’t bad. He laughed at himself when he paused to knock on the Aerie Master’s door - old habits died slowly. With a look at his raised hand and a snort, Jinki shook his head and opened the door, stepping into the familiar space with a feeling of trepidation.

            “Ah. There you are, Jinki,” Satoru smiled lightly, looking up from the scroll on his – Jinki’s – the Aerie Master’s desk.

            “Sanghyuk said you were looking for me,” he shrugged, coming into the room further so he could stand at Satoru’s shoulder and look down at what he was seeing. It was still odd for him to take such liberties, even though it was now a part of his position.

            “Yes. We’ve received word from Talongrace,” he explained in a very neutral tone. That alone was alarming.

            “Oh?” Jinki prompted, letting his eyes drop to the scroll to read the carefully written writing. “Oh,” he added softly after scanning the contents. A sick ball of fear coiled in his stomach and he swallowed once.

            “Yes,” Satoru sighed, fingertips tapping on the desk in a quick staccato pattern.

            “This is from Captain Yunho,” he breathed, fingertips tracing the signature at the bottom.

            Satoru grunted in confirmation. “He doesn’t have the experience of Eric but he does have the intuition. The numbers are shaky because he is acting preemptively, but they do not bode well.”

            Jinki winced and bit his bottom lip. “They’re helping the city evacuate and sending them to Miremaw first before checking if the coast is clear for Kokoshir.”

            “He is probably counting on Taecyeon’s wings at least upending the balance at Kokoshir so they can accept refugees if need be,” he murmured, carefully avoiding any other names.

            “But… this would mean he expects the Dawnbringer Battalions to destroy Talongrace,” Jinki frowned, rereading the scroll again.

            “Yes.”

            It was strange how a single word could cause Jinki to feel so unsettled and afraid. “And Bahamut’s Aerie?” he wondered, teeth digging into his lip again.

            “Probably the same,” Satoru admitted with a grimace. “But we expected that.”

            That was true, but it didn’t make Jinki feel any better. “This was sent three days ago. How did it arrive?”

            “By horseman. No dragons could be spared. It wouldn’t have mattered anyway. They outnumber our flying forces by at least two times,” he scowled, pointing at the number Jinki had seen but didn’t really want to acknowledge.

            “Are you sure that’s the count? Isn’t it strange that he didn’t give a number for the wings?” Jinki wondered, knowing that the distinction was important.

            “Not if there aren’t that many wings,” the former Aerie Master exhaled, wrinkling his nose. “With Tiamat present, it’s likely she won’t tolerate many humans. My best guess is that whatever riders they have, they’re only there because their dragons wish it and the rest are wilds or possibly new rogues.”

            That was not good news. Jinki grimaced and shook his head. “How much time do we have?”

            “Some, but not much. Depending on how well Commander Yunho is able to slow their progress, they will likely be here… soon,” Satoru admitted with a pained sound.

            The announcement made Jinki feel suddenly weak and he leaned hard against the desk with an audible exhale. “I know we talked about this but I don’t feel ready,” he whispered with a trembling voice.

            Satoru’s hand on his shoulder was soothing and reassuring. “No one is ever ready for something like this, Jinki. How does one even begin to prepare for the coming of a dragon god?” he asked rhetorically, the question bitter.

            Jinki laughed once and took a small breath. “You’re not wrong.” Uncertainly, he glanced at the door to his left and felt a tremor run through him.

            “Soon,” Satoru promised sadly.

            “It would be nice to know how he might react,” Jinki admitted, fear gnawing at him.

            “Indeed. That would simplify our problems considerably. But since we don’t, we must continue to expect the worst and act accordingly,” he exhaled, leaning back in his chair.

            Jinki stood up and rubbed his face with both hands. “You haven’t mentioned so I’m guessing no but… any word from Taecyeon?” he asked hesitantly, peeking through his fingers.

            Satoru shook his head and sighed again. “I’m afraid not. For now, we just have to have faith. I’m fairly certain that if something had happened to Taekwoon, you would have felt it.”

            “Maybe,” Jinki murmured, dropping his hands to look at them before him.

            “I think so. You don’t have a normal connection, after all. Jonghyun and Jongup saw to that,” the former Aerie Master chuckled once.

            That was definitely true. But… he hadn’t felt anything. At least nothing that he could attribute to his weak bond with Jongup. And through him, Jonghyun and Taekwoon. It was just as likely they were all feeling some degree of worry or anxiousness. If he was being honest, he was feeling a bit more anxious than usual, but given the circumstances, it was not exactly an unexpected response. Not that it made Jinki feel any better of course. “Well… word or no, we’ll probably need to act soon.” He hated saying that. It made him feel terrible to try and move forward without trying to make concessions for those he knew about but couldn’t predict.

            “Yes. We will,” Satoru nodded in quiet approval, his expression carefully neutral. “I suggest we start moving supplies down immediately. The remaining livestock especially. They’ll be the most difficult to handle but not impossible.”

            Jinki nodded in silent agreement, but then he realized Satoru was watching him, waiting for his input. He really didn’t want to be in charge right now. It would be so much easier if Satoru would resume being the Aerie Master, but he’d already said he wouldn’t. In point of fact, he was doing more than he should have, given that admission, but Jinki couldn’t help but be grateful. He’d told Sanghyuk he was alright, but he wasn’t. Not really. He very much felt alone and adrift, even though it was stupid. “Is being Aerie Master always this difficult?” he wondered, aghast when he realized he’d spoken aloud.

            With wide eyes, he looked at Satoru, guilt written in every feature of his face. The other man just looked at him and laughed sadly. “It’s never easy, Jinki. But, you’ve had the misfortune of becoming an Aerie Master during far too interesting times. I don’t expect you to have all the answers. I never did,” he assured the younger man with a wan smile and a small shrug. “All we can do some days is act like we do or promise that we can find them in the future, even if we don’t know,” he explained slowly, feeling his way with care as he chose his words.

            On the one hand, it was nice knowing he was in similar company. On the other, it was unsettling having the illusion of leadership stripped away so easily. It made sense. No one was all knowing, but… the lie was a nice one to cling to. He wiped at the corner of his eye once and nodded, taking a breath as he picked his shoulders up. “Okay.” Satoru looked at him with a raised brow. “Given what we know, like you said, we should move the livestock below as soon as possible. Water barrels and food supplies too.”

            The small smile on Satoru’s lips was encouraging. “How will you safeguard them for now?” he asked intently.

            Jinki paused for thought. They shouldn’t use any of the current wings, as they would be needed when the enemy arrived, but… “We should station some of the injured dragons there. As long as they can fly for short distances, they would make suitable watches at the ground level to keep basic nuisances away. Since they won’t be able to take part in the fighting without greater risk to themselves right now, it seems like a good idea to get them out of harm’s way as well as give them something to focus on.”

            “Good. They have started to become a little agitated with their situation,” Satoru confirmed approvingly.

            “Their riders can stay with them and we can start to ferry any people down that want to move ahead of time. Having them wait a bit longer out of the main Aerie shouldn’t harm them,” he reasoned, biting on his thumbnail in thought.

            “I concur. What about lodgings?” he prompted helpfully. “The dragons do fine with sleeping on the ground, but humans are fickle creatures,” he laughed once, more of a snort really.

            “We can empty some of their rooms for beds and storage containers. We’ve lost a few residents already so their supplies are fair game and… we can use some of the riders’ beds and supplies as well. Those that are here are easy. We can just relocate them down below and temporarily stay in the absent riders’ beds for those remaining topside,” he reasoned, trying to run the numbers through his head from all sides.

            “Good reasoning. I’d suggest leaving the riders’ goods alone for now. We’ve more than enough beds among the residents and Masters to supply those here with lodging,” Satoru countered with a shake of his head. “If the riders do return from Kokoshir before the main attack, it will be better for them to have a familiar place to stay,” he explained softly.

            “You’re right,” Jinki quickly admitted, ducking his head. He was glad about that decision as he’d been worrying about trying to move their bed himself. If he could leave it be, that would be better. For now anyway.

            “I’d also recommend having the library moved,” Satoru added quietly. “We probably should have been moving books already, given how many we have,” he admitted with a small grimace and a sigh.

            “But doing that would mean that this is all real,” Jinki whispered, staring at the scroll again. “If we didn’t do anything, we could pretend that maybe it wouldn’t happen like we feared. Isn’t that right?” he asked, glancing at the older man out of the corner of his eye.

            Satoru snorted and gave a slow nod. “There is that,” he agreed quietly.

            “Well, maybe it’ll give everyone something to focus on and wear them out so they can sleep tonight,” Jinki mused. He hadn’t been sleeping well and he figured he couldn’t be the only one. Even though it was partly because his bed felt too empty and he was consumed with worry for his other half, the uncertainty of their collective future would bother anyone.

            “Fair enough,” the former Aerie Master smiled, patting Jinki on the shoulder reassuringly. “Why don’t you go deliver the news and I’ll start packing up the office?” he suggested, glancing around the filled space.

            Jinki followed his gaze and then focused on the older man again. “Okay, but don’t work too hard. You’re not as young as you used to be,” he teased, forcing some degree of levity into their situation.

            “Hah!” Satoru barked, flashing a bright smile at his protégé. “Impudent wretch,” he scoffed with no heat and all amusement. “Go on then,” he urged when Jinki didn’t move immediately.

            “Thank you, Master Satoru,” Jinki murmured, hands clasped in front of him as he felt a curious pressure in his chest. “For everything,” he added, bowing deeply. This felt different. Heavy. He didn’t like it.

            “Jinki,” his former Master sighed. “Go,” he urged when the other man looked up. “This isn’t goodbye,” he stated with a shake of his head. “We’ve too much work to do,” he added, eyes widening with another significant glance around the room.

            It didn’t help, but Jinki knew he couldn’t very well stay there. “You’re right,” he forced himself to say, nodding once more. “I’ll let you know how everything’s going later,” he promised, fingers clasped together once more.

            “Good.” Purposefully, Satoru turned and put his back to Jinki as he started appraising the room.

            Being ignored gave him even less reason to stay and Jinki finally managed to drag himself away. In the foyer, he glared at the mural on the wall, resentment boiling up for the Dragon Priests that had set everything up to lead them where they were now. Maybe it wasn’t originally intentional, but it didn’t change the fact they shared a large part of the blame for the current situation. Tearing his gaze away, he stepped back into the common area and looked around for any nearby runners. Nope. No such luck, but they were usually easy enough to find. With that in mind, Jinki jogged off to deliver the latest instructions and expectations.

            For the rest of the day, the Aerie was abuzz with people and dragons moving about. The remaining residents and Masters helped to pack and move whatever supplies and goods they wanted to have ferried down – within reason of course. Luxury items were forbidden for the time being, citing limited space and necessity first. The riders not on patrol loaded their dragons up and helped guide their companions to their shelter at the base of the mountain. Controlled falling with heavy loads was much easier than bringing anything up so they were in strangely good spirits, all things considered.

            No one was left out of the movement either. The eldest residents were moved below first to supervise from the ground and the youngest remained above to help with packing and running messages, leaving the experienced runners free to help with greater efficiency. Even the Paramours were pulling their own weight, helping carry what they could and encouraging others when they couldn’t. Hyosung and Heechul worked as a pair, perfectly in tandem, while Gain guided Andy to assist her. The gold was finally getting back on his feet and beginning to function again. According to the Paramour, he was past the crisis point and it would simply take time now for him to come to terms with the loss of his rider.

            The Healers were especially busy, running amidst the humans and dragons, making sure they weren’t working themselves too hard. Hyesung looked overworked as usual, but Mimi, Henry and Himchan were also particularly ragged. Then again, Junjin looked similarly. He’d coerced a handful of the younger ones to help him carry food and drinks in the middle of everyone. He’d always maintained that an Aerie couldn’t run on an empty stomach and with all the work they were putting in, fluids were equally important.

            Jolin and Kibum were fluttering nervous messes as they panicked over the care and transportation of the books. Amber had to spend more time working to calm the Master Historian than actually helping her peers, but by then, everyone else was doing what they could. Seunghyun seemed to be a one man army as he hauled what he deemed important training and defense gear out of the salle. Minsoo, Baekho, and Soohyun worked in close proximity as they sorted through the stall goods they had and roped in various runners or trainees to help them gather their supplies for travel.

            And through it all, Jinki found himself either running to the Aerie Master’s office and helping Satoru or pausing here and there to speak with the various residents and riders of the Aerie. They all needed some kind of reassurance or additional instruction or confirmation and the majority were looking to him for it. The extra attention and pressure was overwhelming enough, but it was compounded by a growing anxiety in him that he couldn’t explain. A phantom sensation that made it harder to breathe and stay calm.

            Hold it together, he told himself firmly, swallowing hard. It’s just a little longer, he added with a glance at the sky. Night was coming and it would be foolish to try and move things in the dark.

            “You’re doing well. Keep up the good work,” to a young runner who was tired and lagging.

            “I don’t know any more than you do, but the riders will do their best to protect us all and come back to you. I promise,” he encouraged an emotional resident worried about her absent lover.

            “Is this everything?” he asked of Satoru who looked at him with piteous but understanding eyes as they finished moving the important items out of the office.

            “I’m sure you’ll find a way to keep the records safe, Master Daehyun,” he stated confidently when the Trade Master came to him regarding all of their information about trading partners, trading histories, changing prices and commodities with the connecting cities, and everything else that Jinki usually looked to him to help make final monetary decisions about.

            His last question was like a nail being hammered in his head and it took everything Jinki had not to wince or snap back. “Master Mimi. If you don’t think Jungsu is safe to leave unattended at the moment, I recommend you leave him here and then move him when you move. Whenever that may be,” he explained, obviously giving the other man permission for whatever was bothering him.

            But Jinki decided that was all he could take for now and, as everyone else was finishing up and clearing out, he escaped, fleeing to his room. He still felt overwhelmed and the anxious feeling hadn’t gone away, though it was less than it had been earlier. Under normal circumstances, he would have been fine. Probably. He knew that. He was no stranger to pressure and had weathered a great many events previously, but everything was decidedly too much right now. And he was alone, a fact that bit harder every time he thought about it. Lying on the bed, curled into a ball on top of the covers, it physically hurt that Taekwoon wasn’t there. He didn’t even need to say anything. Jinki just wanted to feel his arms, feel that tactile connection and know that someone was there for him. No matter how hard he hugged himself tight and tried to imagine it was his other half, he couldn’t convince himself.

            Wound up at much as he was, sleep was impossible. So was peace for that matter. And the worrying thoughts simply swirled around and around in his mind, like vultures waiting for something to break. He wasn’t sure how much time had gone by before he came out of his fugue enough to realize he heard a knock on his door. Feeling worn out, mentally and physically exhausted, he had no idea who it might be and no care to call out. It was impossible it was the one person he wanted so it didn’t really matter. It was probably someone else coming for something from him and he struggled to pull himself together enough to actually be presentable. He was the Aerie Master after all…

            But when he opened the door in defeated resignation, he was surprised to see a red haired Paramour standing in the doorway. “Heechul,” he blinked in dumbfounded surprise. Out of all the people possible, he was certainly not one Jinki would have expected.

            “Oh Jinki,” he sighed with a sad smile as he reached a well cared for hand to smooth messy locks down and brush the backs of his fingers against the other man’s cheek.

            The simple gesture of focused attention and gentle contact nearly undid him. “What are you doing here?” he couldn’t help but ask, standing as if rooted in place, mind a whirlwind of fractured possibilities.

            “I’m here to check on you,” Heechul assured him, letting his hand drift down Jinki’s arm so he could grab the loose limb, lift it up and pat it with his other.

            Jinki laughed, but it came out like more of a sob and he immediately shut his mouth, forcing a smile he didn’t feel. “I’m fine,” he lied, desperately trying to hold to the façade of being the confident Aerie Master.

            “Really?” the Paramour scoffed with a raised brow and then a roll of his eyes. An amused laugh followed with a shake of his head. “You did well today, Aerie Master,” he conceded with an almost mocking bow. “But when you’re around people as much as we are, some things are quite noticeable. I will admit that we were pleasantly surprised you didn’t fall apart at the seams in public though,” he added with real approval in his tone.

            “We?” Jinki asked, flailing mentally as he struggled to make this moment make sense.

            “Gain and Hyosung,” he answered as if it should have been obvious.

            Really, it should have been, but Jinki’s thoughts were anything but normal just then. “Ah.” It was a pitiful response.

            Heechul seemed to realize he was struggling considerably more than usual and he tilted his head to the side and sighed with a breathy chuckle. “Come here,” he soothed, stepping forward as he pulled Jinki’s hand towards him. Long arms wrapped around Jinki’s shoulders and held him close, their heads resting together comfortably.

            They were of the same height so it felt strange compared to Taekwoon, who was a bit taller, but Jinki’s head was stuck circling the problem of intentions and he stiffened instead of relaxing into the embrace. “I can’t…” he trailed off, hands lightly braced on the Paramour’s waist as if to push him away.

            Once again, Heechul laughed and shook his head. “I’m not here for that. Honestly,” he exhaled in mild exasperation. “I will give you a pass this time though.” Jinki’s confusion must have been palpable as Heechul explained for him, “For not remembering a Paramour’s full purpose. We’re not just here for pleasure, Aerie Master.” It was a gentle admonishment because it was something that Jinki should have remembered. “Sometimes we just listen and sometimes we just comfort. If you wish for pleasure, I would be happy to oblige, but I am not Taekwoon,” he promised with a voice that seemed moderately glad of that truth. “I am, however,” he added, pushing Jinki away so he could look at him plainly, “worried about our Aerie Master who is clearly overwhelmed and apparently has no one to turn to right now.” His one raised brow and pursed lips spoke volumes.

            Jinki’s bottom lip trembled despite his best efforts and a whimper escaped when he tried to say something in response. Heechul’s expression softened and he opened his arms invitingly. The younger man stepped into the welcoming embrace and held tight, taking deep shuddering breaths as the maelstrom of his heart and mind gradually slowed down.

            Gentle hands his head and back in long, calming motions before moving them indoors so he could close the door. “I will stay until you fall asleep. Alright?” he asked, the soft vibrations fluttering against Jinki’s throat and shoulder.

            He nodded mutely in response and kept his eyes closed as he blindly followed the Paramour’s movements. Settling on the bed was slightly awkward and it felt off, as the man with him was not Taekwoon, but it was comforting, even if it was a lie. If he kept his eyes closed, he could at least pretend his other half was with him. Apparently, it was enough.

            True to his word, when Jinki woke in the morning, Heechul was gone and he had no memory of the Paramour doing anything other than holding him until he fell asleep. A tiny part of him felt guilty – if anything, he probably should have gone to the Paramour’s quarters – but the larger part of him was grateful. And rested. And hopefully ready for whatever the day would bring.