In the weeks, months since he learned of his former Goddess' demise, Jarmyr had been drifting from day to day in a maelstrom of drunkenness and despair. Beforehand, he was able to manage for the most part when he had come to terms that Dal and he weren't as compatible as he had hoped. He had a sliver of hope in one day that all changing but it was not meant to be. Since then, his days had been filled with liquor, women (though he didn't take in much solace or pleasure from it) and a growing tendency to wake up gods know where without really recalling what happened the previous nights until later on. He truly didn't have a care in the world for himself and that was evident in how his usually well-kept appearance was exchanged for looking like a hermit and it was thanks to the amount of coin he carried that he could afford company. Apparently, there was little care for hygiene and the musk of alcohol that surrounded him like an aura when some silver pieces were on the line. 

It was clear to those that knew of him that the bard was a shell of his former self. 

In recent days, he managed to make his way to Sularia and continue with his debauchery down in the yellow court, a place that he was familiar with for a time now. A few rounds of drinks bought for everyone and a couple of night workers later, the demon stumbled out of the establishment and found himself wandering down the streets. He could still feel her. Smell her. Taste her against his lips. The thoughts, which he tried to kill off, just kept coming back like a plague. His eyes felt the warmth of fresh tears at the ready to fall, but he wiped them away as he continued on. How were the fates so cruel in striking her down? He could not blame Angela for her death- she had to do what was needed, along with the other deities, but still… He couldn't let himself fall into that trap of remembering her again and instead found himself going down a familiar path. His son's place wasn't too far from him and perhaps he could spend the night there. Their relationship was a bit strained, but otherwise on good terms. 

Putting one foot in front of another, he couldn't recall how long it took him to reach Bakura's house, but when he finally made it there, he determined (in his stupor) that it was far too late into the evening to awake his boy up, so Jarmyr curled up onto the front of the steps and eventually drifted into a dreamless sleep. 

Every day was a new day with Bakura. This morning she had on a little silk robe and her hair was swept up. She was humming to herself as she cooked breakfast. They had decided together that she was going to move in with Bakura. His house was ultimately bigger and better for her plants too. In the small entry wall, there were more hanging baskets full of different herbs. She opened the door to get some water for her watering can when she almost stepped on someone.

Taimi blinked a bit. “BAKURA!” She yelled for her lover and soon Kashi had come to investigate. The giant white tiger put his nose to Jarmyr’s face and licked it a few times before making a sour face. She ran upstairs and got to her lover who was getting ready for the day.

“You need to come downstairs. It’s your father… He doesn’t look so good.”

Bakura was still in bed when he heard Taimi's shouts. Half asleep, he swung himself off the bed and started to get dressed- first with some trousers nearby and he was in the middle of looking for a shirt when she came into the bedroom. "Father?", he yawned and rubbed at his eyes. It wasn't often that he would show up from out of the blue unless he needed something. But something was off and he had to see for himself what the hell was going on. 

Meanwhile, Jarmyr felt something rough against his face and stirred just a bit before rolling over. His son came rushing down the stairs and looked to see his old man looking like a bum in front of his house. And god, the smell! He had to pinch his nose to stand to be this close to him. "Father! Wake up!" What in the devil happened to him? He was a damn peacock, he wasn't used to seeing him in such a sad state. 

"Taimi, can you make some tea? I fear he's drunk, greatly", he grimaced as he picked up his father enough to drag him indoors. He dropped him after a few feet inside and soon Jarmyr was waking up in a hazy. "What the…where am I?" 

"At my house", Bakura said sternly, "What the hell did you do last night?"

"Uh…uh…I don't know?" 

"Really? You were drinking, that much was for sure." 

"Uh, right. The last thing I remember was being in the yellow court and…"

Jarmyr stopped as he looked towards Taimi and just himself short. His son already had a good idea of what happened but didn't press it. At this point, one would think that he was the parent and his father was the child here. 

"How about you slow down on the drinks? And the women? I'd imagine that things have gone…rough since…"

"Nope, don't mention it. Everything is peachy", he tried to reassure him, but Jarmyr was failing. Horribly. 

"Taimi's making tea for you. Your head must be feeling like crap by now. How long have you been in town anyway?" He knew his father wouldn't want to talk about the late goddess and figured that small talk would be better in this case. 

"Eh, a few days, I guess. Been traveling about, continuing my path and whatnot. Speaking of which, when are you two gonna give me grandchildren? Can't be outdone completely by your uncle. Taimi's got the hips for it definitely, thanks to her mother", he spoke in jest. There were bits of the old demon still there but just lost in the fog. 

Taimi nodded a bit. “Come on Kashi… Don’t try to pin him down.” The tiger looked ready to keep the man out. The smell was driving him mad but when his mother called the tiger padded his way inside to find his food bowl. “I’ll make some of that tea for hangovers too.”

She took a pair of shears and slowly cut the leaves off some of the plants. It would help with the medicine she was about to make for the tea. She ground the plants up and added it into the hot water with ease. Once the kettle was done she put it on a tray and brought it into the dining area where she was sure Bakura would bring him.

She did, however, catch the words coming from Jarmyr’s mouth. Her face flushed while she looked towards Bakura not really knowing what to say. “We haven’t talked about it. Both of us are really busy with school and we’re not even married.” Maybe that would keep him off their case. They had been together for a while now though she supposed she hadn’t thought of any thing more.

Taimi tilted her head and let her fingers touch Jarmyr’s hair. “You can stay here but you need a bath. You look worse than Bakura when we first met.” She chuckled a bit. “I can see where he got it from.” Going into the other room she came back and put some books down on the table. “I need to return these to the Court Historian in the Red Court. Since you are going to be staying with us, I do hope you will, you can help me. Hopefully, she is in a good mood.”

Jarmyr shrugged a bit at Taimi's response and looked to his son, who was completely red himself over the whole ordeal. He hadn't planned on his father saying all of that, and the thought of children really never did cross their minds. Their feelings for one another were still feeling quite new to them, but their progress so far was that she going to move in soon. Perhaps…they should consider that sooner than later.

"Yeah, don't worry too much about it. Not trying to be forceful about it or anything, just a thought that entertained me from time to time." Partly because he was sure that Bakura was going to live the rest of his life alone but with his books, but thankfully found someone that cared about him as much as she did. The bachelor's life was a rough one, Jarmyr knew that for certain. He sipped slowly at the tea, letting the hotness flow through him. 

Bakura wasn't too thrilled with having his father live with them, but he felt less comfortable about his state should he be left to his own device. Plus, anything to get him to take a bath and rid his house of the awful smell. "Ha ha, very funny. I wasn't that bad." It seemed like forever since he had lived the life of a hermit, as Taimi so kindly announced, though it wasn't anything new to Jarmyr. Still, ever since she came into his life, he's been better than before. Jarmyr didn't mind when she touched his hair nor was he oblivious to the fact that he needed a good bath and to fix his unkempt look. "Fine. If it will make you lot happy, then I will." No sooner than when he said that, Bakura basically whisked him away to the bathing area and practically threw him in, clothed and all into the water. After some time, he came back with some fresh clothes provided to him. He looked a bit like the old charmer he was known for but still, there was some sadness in his eyes as he let Taimi led him to the Red Court.
.

“If anyone is forceful it would be my mother but right now my brother has her rather distracted.” Taimi gave a smile once she had recovered.

Taimi got things ready after she got dressed. She had a checklist in hand as she used a quill to check off boxes. “Oh…” She looked up at Bakura. “Do you have that manual on the uses of witchwood? I think it’s still at the school… You know how she feels about that.”

Teuila was an interesting one and an elder at that. She got a stack of ten books and handed them off to Jarmyr. “Careful these are just as old as you are. If we damage them god knows what she will do to us.” They were books on various alchemy potions. The editions marked the year which indeed pointed to just as old as he was. They were well kept and loved from the looks of it.

Taimi picked up her own stack and kissed Bakura. “I’ll be back. Make sure to watch Kashii. Follow me Father.” She chuckled a bit and led him into the red court.

There was a large building with round domes of glass. Ivy covered the outside of it almost entirely. “Let's hope she has mercy on us for that missing book.” Taimi brought Jarmyr into the building and the library was a sprawling three-story that never seemed to end. It was decorated with the best of the red court traditions.

There was a pair of legs with maybe twenty books walking. Her feet were bare and she wore a wrapped skirt of purple and gold. “It’s about time you bring me back my books.” She put the books up and the woman was small. She had long white hair to thighs. It was pulled back with bunches of purple flowers on the side of her head. Orange eyes were drilling into them. “One is missing.”

“Yes… The book on witchwood.”

“Bakura checked that out MONTHS ago.” Teuila had on a gold bandeau top that complemented her attire. Her skin was dark not unlike the Rosenites but it was clear she was of an Apoyian ancestry.

Taimi put the books down and helped Jarmyr put his own stack down. “Please! You know we’ve been working on that project!”

“You’ve been doing nothing but screwing each other in your spare time! It would be done by now if you would just work.” Taimi was red as Teuila had her arms crossed and was furiously tapped her foot.

Taimi put her hands out and flailed them. “No! You have the wrong idea! Lots of things have happened and we’ve been busy! Certainly not being as crass as you are suggesting.”

There was a huff from Teuila. “One month. He has one month to give me my book back. That book is older this civilization and if anything dares to even threaten to stain it… Woe is you.”

Now that it was settled Taimi took a sigh and smiled up at Jarmyr. “Oh! Teuila this is Bakura’s father Jarmyr. Jarmyr this is Teuila. She is the Red Court’s historian and bookkeeper.”

Teuila quirked an eyebrow at him before she went through the books one by one checking them out. “Everything seems in order. No fines for now. But if that Witchwood book is damaged…” There was a glare.

“I promise. It’s perfectly safe in Bakura’s office.”

“Good because yours is more like a rainforest and it would ruin it.” There was a fuss from Teuila. “I want to borrow the man. There is something my ladder can’t reach. Will you help me?”

“Uh…well, yeah. It’s still there in my office.” Bakura shuttered when he thought about the librarian. Teuila wasn’t one to be trifled with and she was a stickler for the rules. “I know…tell her I will bring it back and accept the consequences.” His father didn’t know this woman, but Bakura wasn’t one to show fear that easily to anyone. “My, she must be terrifying.”

Jarmyr gave Taimi a half-smile when she called him father. Apparently, the love birds were moving along quite nicely, and perhaps it wouldn’t be long before they were with child. Still, thinking of that did bring him a little bit of pain through the older demon was wise to mask it. He had already bought enough trouble to their doorstep as it was. He took the stack of books to strive as they made their way over to the library. Of course, it had to be fancy, he thought as he admired the details that went into it. Taimi’s kind knew no other way than to make damn near everything beautiful and exotic.

Though it wouldn’t be long before they met up with the terror that made his son quiver.

Surprising, Teuila wasn’t at all what he was expecting; Jarmyr had it in mind that she would have been more of the cranky old bat type. No, she was simply cranky. “You know, for a library, I thought we would have to keep our voices down”, he lightly jested, “Especially when it came to the activities of my son and his lover.” Still he watched himself some as she tore into Taimi and watched on with a rose brow. Part of him wondered how his child survived this city if he had managed to piss her off enough.

He was in the middle of that thought when he heard the request. While he would have liked to run off and do gods knew what, he felt a bit obligated to assist her. Besides, it wouldn’t take too long and he scratched the back of his head. “That’s a hell of a way to ask…but I suppose so that I don’t end up in hot water like Bakura.” With that, he let her lead the way through this jungle of bookshelves and tables around them.

“Most Rosenites can be…” Taimi chuckled a bit.

Teuila looked up at Jarmyr and tilted her head. “This isn’t a public library. You want that then you go to Cathrine.” There was a smirk from the smaller Rosenite. She appreciated the jest.

It seemed like Teuila had caught Jarmyr slightly off guard with her own request. “I’m too old to beat around the bush… I figured if you wanted to help you would.” She wasn’t trying to be rude but more so to the point.”

Teuila looked over Jarmyr once more before she beckoned him. “Follow me.” She took him all the way up to the top floor. It had many plants and there was a watering can. She pointed to one of the taller windows. “Can you safely reach up?” There was a small birds nest with some eggs. A bird was hopping around the edge and squawking at them. “No squawking! You are squatting on my windowsill! You need to go out!” The bird seemed to understand her as it found its way out. She put her hands on her hips.

“Carefully. We’ll move it to the tree just outside. Then… I just need you to repair my window. One of Angela’s heathens broke the wood. I have the wood but I can’t reach and no one really comes here but Taimi and Bakura…” She batted her eyes up at him which was sort of cute in a way. “You can decline to fix my window but I do wish to safely transport the birds.”

“Don’t worry. I’m just as old if not older, so I get it”, he replied with a shrug. He was wondering how the hell did he get roped into this situation? “It’s no bother really, happy to help.” He gave a wave to Taimi before following Teulia all the way up to the library. It was one hell of a climb before they reached the top floor and while he was looking about, not paying to much attention, he nearly crashed into her before looking up the window and seeing the problem.

“Even the birds are frightened of her”, he suggested with a soft chuckle. “Yeah, I should have no problem with them. Scarring off the parent will help some, but I have to be careful and not touch the eggs themselves. Wouldn’t want them to get rejected.” He started on his way when he heard the other request. “Now wait a minute…I feel a bit exploited.” He had somewhat of a playful pout as he looked down back at her. “Now just because my son owes you an ancient book doesn’t mean I’m paying for it, does it?”

After a bit, he gave another shrug and reached up for the nest and handled it with care. “Sure, why not. My son, for one, would love me being out of the house.” One of Angela’s kids, made sense he supposed, though aside from Taimi and that boy of hers that was a ruler, he wasn’t too familiar with her other spawn. “Not my style to abandon a lady in need, scary or not. Go ahead and get it while I take this outside real quick.” Jarmyr took the nest out as quickly as he could out to the said tree and placed it down before he could get pecked to death and returned in a huff when she brought him the supplies needed. With some nails clenched between his fangs, Jarmyr went to work on positioning the wood against the windowsill before he started to hammer the nails one at a time. “Not really the handyman sort, so forgive my ‘craftsmanship, if you may.’”