Fortunately for Drim, most of the Fiends For Hire weren’t actually present at the inauguration. The majority were holding a watch party of their own. On location, there were pretty much only the generals and a few with a vested interest in what was about to happen, or those who just wanted to be involved in any exciting events.
Feyj was the only general not in attendance, and surprisingly, he was the first to reconcile after the fight. The young boy approached Drim after just a few days, asking to be aged, already fed up with the trifles of adolescence. And then The Royal went on to both apologize for his behavior in Rathe’s lair and thank the king for not allowing him to recklessly attempt the ascension. Apparently, that incarnation of their existence was too influenced by the heat of battle and didn’t speak for the rest of their personalities. The current lad had absolutely no interest in being a demigod, wanting to live as a human for much longer.
In the hall at the venue, though, Mallea was the first to approach him, waiting just outside the shower room door. The king found himself immediately accosted by the butler, tugging at every inch of his garments, straightening them until there wasn’t an imperfection left. Drim had thought he’d done a pretty good job, but nothing escaped the scrutinizing eye of a parent.
After combing his hair a bit, the woman took a step back to give her ‘child’ a proper look. And then she was so overcome with emotion that she couldn’t stop herself from stepping forward and embracing the man with a hug. Drim reciprocated of course, happy to accept love from the one person who hadn’t in any way shunned him since the Rathe incident and had always supported him no matter his choices, even though she had been in the group that initially tried to stop him.
“I’m so proud of you.” When Mallea said that, the man’s emotions got the better of him as well. But he did his best to hold back tears, not wanting to head out onto the stage looking like he’d been splashed in the face, so he restrained himself. And then when their hug was done, the butler had to redo all the straightening work she’d just done before ushering him along the path.
“Ah, Victori, thank you for all your help,” Drim actually initiated the conversation with the next person down the hall whom tried to pretend like she wasn’t actually eagerly waiting for him. The king happily shook her hand and expressed his gratitude. “I’m not sure we’d be here now if it wasn’t for your expert campaign. And the numbers we got were staggering. So this is all because of your hard work.”
“Erm, thank you,” the woman who’d never known true responsibility in her life until now wasn’t quite sure how to accept the genuine praise. “Not really sure where I should go from here. I guess I’ll stick with Chorus for a while, but I also think it’d be nice to set off on my own goals at some point. Just need to figure out what those’d be.”
“Well, whatever you decide, you’ll have our support,” the king assured her. “I’m sure you have the ability to take your life any direction you want it.”
From there, the awkwardness levels immediately increased, because next in-line was Ahvra. “How is your leg doing?” the small woman immediately asked. “Any aches and pains?”
“Erm, now that you mention it,” Drim was surprised by the accuracy of the question. “There is actually a little stabbing twinge every so often. Nothing too bad, just a bit annoying and out of nowhere. Oh, I’m not blaming you, though. I’m sure you healed it perfectly, and it’s just something weird.”
“No, I did it,” The Witch openly admitted to malpractice. “Just a little petty revenge for what you did to me. Now every time it hurts, you will be reminded. But I feel better now, and it should stop eventually. Just think harder before you cross me again, Useful One. And I hope that you never stop being useful. Or else I’ll get to see what a demigod’s insides look like.”
The king was eager to leave Ahvra to her musings and escape the spine-chilling conversation. But the next of his ‘friends’ seemed to have an issue with him as well.
“You’ve caused me quite the headache, Drim!” Roque proved the man’s mental guess correct. “Maybe I should be dealing with your mother, but as the one who caused the situation to happen, I still blame you! There’s a problem with the contract for the land I took from Rathe!” The Swindler unfurled a floating parchment in front of his king, or the monarch at least assumed that was the intent, but it seemed the man had made a mistake.
“Erm, that’s just a blank piece of paper,” Drim felt the need to point out.
“Yes, and that’s the problem!” The businessman insisted. He probed the empty parchment and it dissolved to dust. “It’s gone, all gone! After your mother took over the world, all the land I’d claimed began to vanish acre by acre. And now even the wording has disappeared. She stole it all back from me!”
“It seems my dream of owning this world has come to an abrupt end,” Roque feigned some sadness. “Rathe to Roque, it would have been so easy. What are we going to call the planet now, Eleen?! That doesn’t sound catchy!”
“And it’s such a shame. Since we’ve learned that there are a bunch of civilized societies out there ruled over by other demigods, I was hoping to make trade pacts with them, and use our planet as a central hub. It would have been the biggest boom to our economy the world’s ever seen. Think about it! Infinite worlds! Infinite suckers. I could be not only the richest person on this planet, but in the entire known universe!”
Though the man played up the scuminess, the king knew he was more altruistic. “You can still do that, Roque,” Drim didn’t see the issue. “I guess you’d just need to have my mother present for any agreements and treaties. Assuming you can accomplish this in your lifetime.”
“Oh, I will!” The Swindler swore to it. “Our name-to-be-determined planet will be the best in existence, that’s a Personson guarantee!”
Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
With the contract dispute now resolved, Drim watched the businessman wander off with newfound determination, so he was free to carry on. “Oh, I thought you weren’t coming, Tize. Figured you’d be at the watch party with everyone else.”
“Well, I decided I should be here to support you,” the father-figure brandished a caring smile. “And… I wanted to tell you in person that I’m thinking of taking some leave. For, erm, quite a while. Honestly, I don’t know when I’ll be back. My plan is to head out from here and, well, I don’t really have a plan after that. But I have a feeling I’ll know where to go.”
“You don’t need my permission for that,” the king assured him. “But if it makes you feel better, you have my blessing. Do you mind if I ask what you’ll be setting out to do? Or are you just wanting to travel?”
“I think it’s no secret that I enjoy helping people,” Tize stated the obvious. “And it’s even better when I can put my unique skills to use. That’s why I joined the military, why I helped with social programs afterwards, and why I initially wanted to join the Fiends For Hire. But at this point, I don’t think you all need much more help from an old man like me. Of course I’m happy with my current position, yet at the same time, I’m beginning to feel like there are others who could use my help more.”
“The world is about to change. And while I have no doubts it will be for the better, I also imagine many out there will find our new society a bit frightening at first glance and are unsure how to adjust. I’m especially worried for youths without proper support systems to help guide them through it. So I think that’s where I can do the most good. But maybe I’m wrong and the transition goes smoothly. You might see me again sooner than you think.”
Drim went ahead and shook the man’s hand and thanked him for his years of service. “Well wherever you end up, they’ll be lucky to have you, even if it’s only temporary. And if you need anything, I mean anything at all, just reach out to any of us.” The pair then shared one final hug before the president-elect took a few more steps closer to his inauguration.
“Oh hey, Drim. Y’know, I’ve been wondering something,” Kada jumped right into their conversation. “Rathe said she could hear us if we prayed to her. So do you think it’d work for you too?”
The newbie demigod merely shrugged. He’d only been ascended for a little while, and so far to his knowledge, no one had attempted. So the woman took it upon herself to try. She clapped her hands together and muttered, “Dear Thorn,” before going silent
And then Thorn suddenly heard a distant whisper. He thought about comparing it to when Victori spouted her rumors, but then realized he couldn’t actually remember any of those times. Ultimately, though, the message did in fact get conveyed.
“I mean, if that’s what you want,” Drim held out his hand and a single fully black orchid appeared between his fingers. Kada happily took it, gave it a glance, and then offered it to the woman next to her.
“Damn, that’s so cool,” The Mermaid was pleased by her new discovery. “Would have asked for one of your usual roses, but I’m not gonna lie, the green petals look a bit like lettuce, so it wouldn’t have suited her. Not that I don’t think they’re beautiful, okay?! I’ll gladly take one any time! Now I just need to figure out the best way to use this whole prayer thing. Wouldn’t want you to get too complacent and start to tune it out, so I think it’d be best only for emergencies and surprises. But finding the right balance will be difficult.”
“Well, I’ll leave you to it,” Now that the demigod knew of the ability and what his future held, he was suddenly a lot less enthused. “I’d say tell me what you think of, but I’m sure I’ll hear about it. And do me a favor, please mention this to as few people as possible.”
Meanwhile, as Kada figured out how to further remove any barriers of privacy that the man had, he moved on to the next woman who was leaning against the wall just a step away, ogling the flower she’d just been gifted. “So did you come with Kada then, Alk?” he asked rhetorically, knowing the woman’s intentions well.
Still, the accusation caused The Plague doctor to blush slightly behind her mask. “Well I do actually have my own reasons for being here,” she tried to brush it off. “The new head of Disease Containment is being sworn in today, so I want to try and get in good with her and offer my services as a consultant.”
“And what would you get out of that?” the man’s curiosity was piqued. “It’s not like you to be so selfless, no offense.”
“Oh, it’s entirely selfish,” Alk openly admitted. “I’d give her cures for some of the more pesky and contagious strains, but in return, I’d get samples for diseases that would otherwise be difficult to hunt down. Well maybe not difficult, but it would at least be easier than trying to recreate them myself or hunting down any who are already infected with it.”
“Err, okay, well have fun,” Drim didn’t really know what else to say while still trying to sound supportive. “Oh, but please don’t start a pandemic. Something tells me we’d have a harder time fighting disease than a demigod.”
“Yes, and that’s exactly why it’s my speciality.” Even under the mask, the king could still make out the corners of Alk’s cheeks rising to a devilish grin. So he left her to indulge in her… hobbies. Though she wasn’t the only one with strange tastes. Just as the man went to leave, he suddenly had to turn back to Kada who had wormed a new prayer into his mind.
“No, I’m not doing that,” the demigod outright refused.
“Ah, c’mon, it’s not that bad!” The Mermaid tried to defend herself
“Not now, not ever!” The king repeated firmly so there could be no doubt and departed immediately to not give her any further chance to expound upon her insane idea.
Ignoring Kada’s degeneracy, though, Alk had mentioned a mildly important point that Drim’s mind returned to. The presidential inaugurations weren’t the only ones happening today. In fact, almost all of the new CP appointees were currently at their own inductions. There were several rooms in the venue to host such events, so many were happening simultaneously. The various governments wanted everyone ready to go by the end of the day so that they could start operating at their full potential in the new year.
So there’d actually been oaths spouted all over the world since the day after the election. But those that wanted to make a spectacle of it, tended to do it during the holidays. And frankly, Drim had stolen a lot of their thunder. Normally, they had some high position at the Central Peace as their closer, but nothing could top President of the World. So they didn’t even try, and made sure no other inaugurations happened at the same time.
And speaking of, a gaggle of newly instated politicians came walking down a perpendicular hallway, likely heading to the main room so that they could catch the final event. Surprisingly, there were two among the crowd that the Fiendish King recognized. And yet, he hadn’t been remotely told of their new careers. So he couldn’t help but rush over to the group that was blocking his path forward and literally snatch the two out of the procession.