Wanna Hear A Funny Joke? Yeah, Me Too.

He arrived after his sister, and immediately noticed the strange atmosphere. The crimson boy padded up quietly, brows furrowed as he took the spot next to Araxina. He briefly checked her expression, to see if she knew anything–but no. She seemed as clueless and he was right now, and he did not like that fact.

When in doubt, scent it out. Ludo’s nose flared, catching the smell of blood mixed with freshly dug earth. His demeanor shifted immediately. The first thing he noticed next was the mound, the dirt neatly compacted down and yet something was obviously under it all. His gaze flicked to their mother, as he had almost instinctively been avoiding looking at her. Absinth stood motionless, but her expression was sharper than her blades. Cold. Detached. The intensity in her emerald eyes sent a chill down Ludovic’s spine. He’d never seen her look like that before. It gave him the impression that something was dreadfully wrong. His mother never lost her smirk or her amused gaze.

His father, Aresenn, was not much better. His amber gaze blazed with anger—though at whom or what, Ludovic couldn’t tell. The tension in his father’s posture, the hard line of his jaw, was the kind that promised violence. His dad was usually the level-headed one, so what was going on? There was even a heaviness to the air, and the boy found himself at a loss for words—not even to lighten the mood. Ludovic leaned subtly toward Araxina, maybe some silent need for something familiar. Some sense of comfort.

"speech"