"I wonder who that one is," muses the Korean Prime Minister, nodding to the other side of the room. "I don't think I've seen him before."
Haochen already knows what's over there, the boy is certainly being loud enough to amass a crowd. Mostly of other children but some adults are lingering.
"The identical boys are mine," Haochen says easily. "I told them I was going to a 'party' and they kicked up such a fuss, I had to bring them."
"Well done with them," the Prime Minister chuckles. "You must be embarrassed to be stuck with me instead. That girl with the butterfly wings is the next Empress of Korea."
"I'm not interested in children's politics," Haochen dismisses. Privately, he's thinking children are so useful, why didn't he get one before?
Haochen is going to have to watch Luca though. That older one is odd, with barely enough paperwork filed to exist, and Haochen has ample reason to believe the boy was sent by the other high mages. Maybe it was planned with the Ayads, or without their knowledge like depositing a cuckoo in their nest, but the how doesn’t matter.
Denvers would make that play; she’s a cancerous thing and what better way to mock him than to send a boy so fractured like Haochen is. Look at that red heart beating in Luca’s chest, in time with Haochen’s. The boy even feels like his magic, though smothered and unrefined. The boy feels like Haochen’s grimoire, just an extension of himself.
Because obviously, Haochen would immediately recognise his own soul.
Yet there’s no logic to this. Is Haochen supposed to pity the boy and let him in close? Was this supposed to make him angry and blinded by it? Is it a threat, an insult? This seems too messy for someone like Denvers and too ambitious for the other high mages. There’s no technique to it, almost like someone is stumbling around in the dark.
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Butterfly girl is wiping her eyes with a tissue, trying not to smudge the makeup and failing. The Russian wine boy is massaging his cheeks because they hurt from smiling too much. Another Greek boy covered in gold vines is still panting from his last fit of laughter.
"-so I'm running back through the citadel," Nicholas continues. "Sorry, I'm limping pathetically through the citadel and I find Rafael on the third floor - nowhere near the vanishing door mind you. I tell him; Raffy, what are you doing here? I've got the bird, we can rescue Stavros now!"
Nicholas grabs at his own hair, eyes wide. "He tells me, he's like; Nicky, where were you? We've been looking everywhere for you! Stavros already jumped out of the window!"
The crowd bursts into laughter, so loud the rest of the room hushes for a moment.
Nicholas splutters, rearing back and throwing out his hands. "What?! So what - I did all that for shits and giggles? What am I supposed to do now – the classroom is on fire, half a tower is just gone, and I have the school’s guardian three-legged crow stuffed up my shirt to teleport Stavros out of there but the bastard rescued himself!"
Luca staggers, hanging off Nicholas' shoulders to keep himself upright because he can perfectly imagine everything that happened, down to Luya’s expression as she’s kidnapped by some random student.
"I try to blame it all on Jules, said some bullshit about him using the bird to power a ritual," Nicholas continues. "But as it turns out, the mutated seagull can communicate and rats on me to the headmaster like the little bitch it is!"
A girl hunches over with hands on her knees, the girl beside her wheezing. A boy has staggered off to brace himself against the food table while another squats on the floor crying with laughter.
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“So anyway, I’m now just mortal enemies with an island guardian. That asshole keeps swooping me like a demented magpie every time it sees me.” Nicholas huffs and turns to Luca but bites down on a grimace when he sees the woman approaching.
She’s grey-haired and with a severe expression on her face, her walk practised as she unhesitatingly steps through the crowd and the teenagers part for her. “Nicholas Ayad, is it? I’m old friends with your father, dear. How is he these days?”
Unfortunately, that’s the cue for everyone else and for the next few hours, people keep approaching him and interrupting all the casual conversations with subtle questioning. That’s the whole point of Nicholas being here so he puts on the polite heir face and plays along, says a few nice things about Haochen whom most people want to talk about, plus discusses his parents and how they’re doing.
Haochen didn’t specify what he wanted Nicholas to talk about, unlike how Nicholas’ mum usually does it when they go to galas, so Nicholas keeps it shallow and that seems to generate even more interest.
When they realise they won’t get anything much out of Nicholas, they go for Luca and Nicholas cuts that off very quickly. Luca looks at some of the people like he recognises them and it’s never a good expression on his face when he does. If Luca doesn’t want to talk to them, Nicholas is going to make sure he doesn’t have to.
So despite Luca’s active sabotage (no, baby, you can’t snap back at people even if they ask nosy questions about the kidnapping), Nicholas is perfectly charming and polite, and well-practised enough that he makes it look easy. Or at least he thinks so, but then Luca turns to him.
“Let’s take a break,” Luca whispers as the group of men start chatting with each other instead of interrogating Nicholas.
The men dart glances at Luca out of the corner of their eyes, unable to hear but catching a hint of weakness. For people who introduced themselves as good friends of Nicholas’ mum, they certainly have no mercy.
“The pastries are back?” Nicholas asks in delight, loud enough for the group to hear as he links arms with Luca. “Sure, I could eat about thirteen more. Where are they?” He pauses like he just remembers and looks back at the men with a smile. “Sorry, I think someone is calling me over there, very urgent.”
“A business matter, I see,” says one of the men with a deadpan face but great humour.
Nicholas winks and takes off, looping around with Luca and walking fast enough it would be impolite for anyone to stop them.
“Sorry,” Luca says hesitantly. “Did I…do something? You looked tired.”
“I did?” Nicholas asks, smiling through the worry. “Did they notice?”
“Not tired but…you just kept looking at me, I was wondering if you needed me to distract them.” Luca gets back on track, insistent. “Did you want to take a walk outside for some fresh air?”
Nicholas guides them around a larger group, using the bodies to dodge a particularly intense stare. “I can’t leave, this is my job.”
“Xia isn’t even in the room, you can take a break.”
“No,” Nicholas says, swinging them to a stop by the table of hors d’oeuvres that’s partially blocked by a pillar. “I mean, as an heir, this is my job. This is what I do.”
“Your parents aren’t here,” Luca says in confusion.
“This is-“ -what I’m meant for, Nicholas doesn’t say because that’s not quite right. Nicholas was not made to be an heir, he was made to be loved.
“This is normal,” Nicholas tries to explain because Luca doesn’t understand the culture. “Okay, um…? Loops training is tiring and not always fun but you do it anyway because then you can have fun playing the game after. This is the preparation, and then Haochen can play with what I’ve set up for him. For my first public event with Haochen, it needs to be above and beyond.”
Luca starts to say something but puts a hand on Nicholas’ elbow and looks behind them. Nicholas turns to see Haochen beckon them across the room, probably so the three can stand together and look friendly during the speeches that are just being announced.
“We should go,” Nicholas says when Luca seems like he’s going to ignore the man. Luca makes a face and Nicholas laughs but pulls him onwards.
“You can still take breaks during training,” Luca reminds him as they make their way towards the high mage. “Take a breather and come back stronger.”
Nicholas can’t help but smile even when he doesn’t really agree. “You’re so sweet.”
Luca purses his lips and when they meet Haochen, Luca turns the man. “Xia, would you say the strongest display of strength is going at your own pace and not someone else’s?”
Haochen raises an eyebrow. “I was about to tell you. Nicholas, you’re here with a high mage, do try to be a bit more selective. I will allow you your peers but stop talking to adults below your station.”
Luca pauses and turns on Haochen with a frown. “That’s not what I meant.”
“Hush, child, the speeches are starting.”