The day after the wine thing, Nicholas nearly gets a heart attack when he looks down from the broom and finds Haochen standing out on the lawn with his arms crossed, pale skin lit by the sunlight, picturesque and devastatingly handsome in his ethereal, pale blues.

Nicholas thinks about just flying away but Haochen could definitely catch him. He coasts down and swings off the broom, offering up his most charming smile. "Morning. What a perfect day for not-murder."

"Collect your things, I'll be taking you home," Haochen states.

"Ten minutes!" Nicholas cries and shoots off – dumping the broom into its closet and racing up the stairs. He grabs his bag (which he transmuted wandless and it took four straight hours to do because he’s hopeless without a focus) with all his clothes that Lambros got him during the first segment of the kidnapping, and then rushes back.

Nicholas is so excited to be going home that he doesn’t notice the shadow that sweeps over them. He jolts when the high mage takes his upper arm to hold him still so the sudden wingbeats don’t throw him to the ground from sheer wind force alone.

A gigantic crane touches down lightly, which seems off for something so big but it’s also clearly a magical creature, so who knows what it can do. The crane is pitch black but glossy and streaks of rainbows shine through its feathers as it bows low but still towers over them on long stick-like legs.

Haochen’s focus swells with magic, the short string of jade beads at his belt silent but the presence strong enough that Nicholas notices. It pushes them up in a controlled throw and they land on the crane’s back. Haochen lets go of Nicholas’ arm and Nicholas is smart to drop down and grab onto feathers the width of his legs when the bird starts moving.

Nicholas is not smart enough to stay down when the bird is flying though, the earth flowing like a river underneath them, too fast. “Is the bird magical or was he enchanted?” Nicholas asks, leaning over the side of the wings. A hand on the back of his top drags him back.

“If you fall, I’ll have to catch you, and you wouldn’t like that,” Haochen says peaceably and despite his neutral tone, his sharp eyes definitely promise that’s a threat. “She is a mythical beast; cultivators don’t enchant.”

In China they call mages cultivators and have an entirely different system of magic because they were so closed off and up high in mountain sects like schools. That’s compared to countries in places like Europe which spilled into each other and took a more master-apprentice teaching system until the last several hundred years and it all blurred together. But magic is magic and its different languages but the same meaning, so while it might translate strangely, there is a lot of crossover.

“What’s her name?” Nicholas asks, obediently sitting at Haochen’s feet and giving the bird a pat.

“Daiyu.”

“Hǎo nǚhái, Daiyu,” Nicholas coos in Mandarin. “Who’s a good girl? Fastest in the sky, I bet those other birds are jealous. You’d swallow a duck whole.”

The crane lets out a rattling call that vibrates through the entire creature and when she lands it’s with an extra flourish.

Nicholas’ home is built on vast acres of limestone with such old architecture that it would be nothing but sand if magic wasn’t infused in its walls. Magical species of plants are arranged like artwork along walkways and draping over walls, and dotted around are rectangular ponds, mostly for the crocodiles that keep sneaking in. The sprawling sand-coloured Ayad Manor itself is dressed in sleek, sharp lines.

Vinaya rips open the front door, the wards having alerted her as to her son coming home, only a brief few seconds after the two land outside. She’s wearing draping fabrics of green and gold, perfectly put together except for the clench of her jaw. Vinaya remains cordial -if tense- as she ushers her son inside.

Jordan quickly grabs Nicholas' arm and backs them up. Vinaya doesn't move from the doorway but Haochen doesn't leave either. Watching her stare up at his tall form is anxiety-inducing.

"Dear," Vinaya says to her husband, head half turned but keeping Haochen in sight. "Our son must be tired. Why don't you take him upstairs to get some rest while I invite our guest into the sitting room for a chat."

Jordan hesitates but he's also very clear on what kind of woman Vinaya is and so says a polite if wooden welcome to Haochen and quickly takes Nicholas away.

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Vinaya leads them to an inner courtyard cracked through with streams of water, with rattan chairs and the Egyptian skyline a gorgeous clear blue over the open ceiling. This is where she takes the people she doesn’t like, and sits them in an uncomfortable chair right with the sun in their eyes.

Vinaya gestures for Haochen to take a seat, only sitting after he does. "Shall I call for some tea?" she asks. The Ayads don't have housemaker fairies, not when the Ayad Family Magic is strong enough to act when they call.

"No need, this will only take a moment," Haochen replies, crossing his legs at the knee and lounging like he owns the place, the chair smoothing out under him to be more comfortable.

He did that without a focus and had to tear the protective charms to shreds so he could transfigure the chair. Vinaya certainly notices. It makes no difference to her, she already understands what kind of monster a high mage can be. If Haochen wanted to kill her, she could do nothing to stop him.

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"Right then," Vinaya mutters. "Go on, please tell me why you took my son with only a polite letter to inform my husband and me of the…abrupt decision you’ve made."

"I saw an opportunity and picked up the boy because I had a meeting with some heritage families from Spain scheduled," Haochen says simply like there's nothing wrong with impulse-taking a child. "An heir has been a great boon."

"Then I believe we can call this a fair trade," Vinaya states. "Thank you for saving my son, regardless of your intentions and the length to which you kept him yourself. Please never come near him again."

Haochen’s eyes are half lidded. "Unfortunately, the boy works too well."

Vinaya purses her lips. "Speak clearly, High Mage Xia, my hearing is going in my old age."

"We can negotiate the details later," he dismisses, not even acknowledging the dig at him being younger than Vinaya.

It’s hardly an insult, him being the youngest high mage by a good few decades, but people have dug in, the public calling him childish and ignorant and Vinaya wanted to throw him off balance with the comment.

"No," she says. "No, there will be no deal. This is the end."

"He will not be hurt or made to do anything he doesn't wish," Haochen says calmly, not asking but telling her. "I will have no contact with him unless absolutely needed, and it will only take a few hours every few weeks."

"Pick another heritage heir," Vinaya argues. "You have many to choose from."

"None from the west," Haochen points out.

It’s common knowledge that since Haochen Xia is the only East Asian high mage, the sects who follow him don’t really have another choice if they want their voices to be heard. He’s young, unproven, and now needs to amass more followers.

"Then kidnap a different one," Vinaya scoffs. "You had Nicholas for a few days - but you wouldn't be able to stand him for any greater length of time. He's too curious for his own good, doesn't know when to shut up, and barely even pretends to be obedient. There must be a better option for you."

Haochen raises an eyebrow at that comment and Vinaya sucks in a breath through her teeth at the way he looks down at her but it was a desperate try.

If Haochen showed up with a nice, meek heir who acted like a servant then it would clearly broadcast just how wrong the situation was to any potential allies for the high mage.

“I need someone fearless,” Haochen explains mercifully. “Who can manoeuvre in a political situation, and most of all doesn't need to be handheld constantly. Nicholas kept himself entertained without getting -too- underfoot, learned the layout of the manor without prompting, and reacted perfectly to meeting company. He’s a wonderful child, and I look like a wonderful, humane mentor.”

Vinaya purses her lips. Like most heritage, Haochen probably isn’t going to waste time on children, he just wants to be able to parade them around for a few minutes to make himself look good before sending them away. But Nicholas will not be obedient, and high mages are volatile even without her son’s poking.

"It's been a pleasure," Haochen drawls and rises from the armchair, shaking out his large sleeves that ripple like water. "I'll be in contact."

Vinaya stands as well, her brooch focus sparking with magic on her lapel but she knows it would be foolish to jump into things without a better plan. Haochen only smiles wider.

She sees Haochen to the door and waits until he vanishes on his massive magical creature, before rushing upstairs to Jordan and Nicholas where she tells them what happened in a panic. Then they all panic, for quite a long time, and nothing really gets done or explained further.

This is made even more confusing because they instinctively resort to mother tongue languages so Jordan is fretting in Ancient Egyptian when Vinaya barely knows Egyptian Arabic. Vinaya is hissing out a cobbled-together plan in Hindi and while Jordan is conversational in three Indian dialects, none of them are what Vinaya speaks.

Nicholas is so far past scared he's just trying to tell them about what a good girl Daiyu is to calm them down, and since the family mainly resorts to English to understand each other, he has enough wherewithal to pick that language.

Jordan and Vinaya also coalesce in English once they're able to focus on Nicholas talking and they manage to calm down.

"I have had such a month," Nicholas says to his parents, flopped over the arm of a three-seater couch in the library.

Jordan sits beside him, and Vinaya sits on an armchair across, angrily sipping tea. They share a look between themselves.

"Were you hurt?" Jordan asks immediately.

"All self-inflicted," Nicholas admits with a sigh and slowly turns his wrist where Lambros did give in and heal him.

"Who was the first kidnapper?" Vinaya demands instead. "What did they want?"

Nicholas groans loudly. "This - okay, so time travel but the extreme sport version." He suddenly jerks upright, a wide grin splitting his face. "I have a son and he's adorable!"

Vinaya shatters the teacup in her hand.

"Not like that," Nicholas swiftly corrects. "In the future I have a son, who was made when I am an adult, with someone I love and not a strange time traveller - who I should mention is a man and not capable of having babies."

"Sweetheart, you need to explain things better." Vinaya brushes off shards of porcelain from her sari onto the ground and Jordan leans over to vanish the spilled liquid with a wave of his hand, the power flowing down from his gold armcuff.

"So who was the man?" Jordan insists. “What time magic did he use?”

Nicholas pauses because he can't say Stavros - his parents might not like Stavros any longer if they knew. "It...was a man who came back by accident but he was trying to protect me when he…killed Adam, so it wasn’t a dangerous-"

"Was it Stavros?" Jordan deadpans.

"How did you know?!"

"Who else would it be?" Jordan cries. "You said time travel, protecting you, and the man apparently told you stories about an adorable son. It was either Stavros or Rafael."

Nicholas hunches forward, face in his hands as he props up elbows on his thighs. "Okay, so let me explain because I think it needs an explanation."

"You said protecting you, so was Stavros trying to help but took it too far?" Vinaya guesses. "Maybe Adam was involved with something in the future that hurt you."

Nicholas looks up. "Alright, I don't need to explain."

"Are you…" Jordan trails off. "Are you okay, with that older Stavros?"

"I believe Lambros is…telling the truth, but Adam didn't do anything yet," Nicholas says seriously. "And I hate Lambros for that, for taking those years where Adam was still my friend."

"Do you want to tell us the story?" Vinaya offers. "Forewarned is forearmed, and all that."

Nicholas nods. "Yeah, I…yeah..."

"...You weren't listening."

"I was listening to the important parts," Nicholas retorts sharply, straightening up. "About my baby son who is a duelling prodigy, I might add."

Jordan stands. "I'm going to go get a memory catcher."

"Bring more tea as well," Vinaya says with an eyeroll. "This will take a while."