The crown district was, to say the least, over the top. Not as much as he was used to when he was still living with his family, but the crown district was the closest thing to a noble exclusive region that their city had. Not to be mistaken, it still couldn't compare with the living spaces of actual elite families.
It was close enough though.
Best part was no one really cared about who you are in this place, all that mattered was the size of your pockets, and how deep your connections ran.
Simple enough, all things considered.
The home that Lyra had arranged for them was on the western side of the district, the part where the awakened took residence. She had not been shy at all in spending the fortune left behind by his family. Pulling the strings behind the scenes, she had managed to score a house relatively removed from the main part of the district.
It was already afternoon by they arrived at the street. Aris studied the neighborhood as they pulled up, taking note of all the houses that was going to be important, and quietly filing away everything that wouldn't be important right now.
The neighborhood itself was situated upon a rolling hillside. Fields of uniform grass stretched into the horizon, occasionally interrupted by dots of decorative trees that were a darker shade of the same green.
He rolled down the window of the car, letting the wind caress his face, a refreshing moment after a long ride in the stuffy car. The air itself was cleaner on this part of the city. Considering the importance of the people living here, and the combined wealth they possessed, the management put special attention towards maintaining this place.
The roads were impeccably kept, the grass mowed to the perfect length, bushes crafted into beautiful shapes that were a delight to look at. They passed past a group of small boys while traveling the road, one of which, upon spotting them, started waving at them with the whimsy fitting a child that knew no hardships.
Aris blinked, then putting up an appropriate smile, waved back to the boy, who looked no older than twelve. The child squealed in excitement, then ran back to his friends to continue whatever game they were indulging in.
"You've gotten more social."
Aris turned his gaze towards Lyra.
"Hmm."
She didn't say anything else for the rest of the drive.
Aris was quite impressed when they pulled up on the driveway of his new home. It was a small building, considering the standards of the crown district, but it looked more comfortable than he himself would have managed to find.
Two floors painted a perfect shade of cream that caught light enough to not blind, darker accents along the verandas and the windows. A small porch, leading into a closed garage large enough to fit two cars. The lawn itself was quiet spacious, enough for him to laze around on days he decided to get some sun.
The quite thud of the car doors closing was still lingering on his ears as he walked up to the front door, Lyra trailing closely behind, tablet in hand.
He stopped in-front of the ebony door, studying it for a moment.
"I like it, thanks."
Lyra paused, slightly taken aback.
"Of-... Of course."
There was a faint tremor in her tone, only noticeable by someone who knew her as deeply as Aris did.
He turned around, a new stream of thoughts—questions, all held back as he waited for her to speak.
Lyra took in a deep breath, light dancing on the faint moisture pooling up under her midnight purple eyes as she held his gaze.
Aris knew, there was probably a thousand different things that she wanted to say to him. A thousand different insults, scoldings, questions, worries, things that had haunted for the past few years since the incident that had wiped out his entire family.
He had known it since the moment Virginia mentioned that she worked for them, for the Halcyons, who had most likely took over all the remnants the Ashborne left behind as a final act of respect to a lost comrade.
He himself had a lot of questions, enough that he was feeling overwhelmed for the first time in a long while.
The wind picked up, and Lyra shifted her gaze, looking at one of the trees gently swaying with the breeze as she fought with her own sorrow.
"I'm sorry." She said finally.
A beat of silence.
"For what?." He failed to hold back the tremor in his voice, despite his best efforts.
She didn't say anything for a long moment, still avoiding his gaze as the wind died down.
Then, slowly, she inhaled deeply, and let out a slow, steadying breath.
Thankfully, he managed to not flinch when the older woman pulled him into a tight hug.
"I should have been there for you." She whispered, her voice weak as she squeezed him.
Aris took a deep breath.
His throat was hurting too much for him to speak.
He returned her hug, wrapping his arms around her tight just enough so that she wouldn't let go.