Young Writers Society

It had been almost a minute, and he still couldn't blink.
Brian was beginning to reconsider his decisions.

Had he been too reckless? Was now a good time to reassess his relationship with caffie-

There! There was some Coke, on the table there by the green-eyed kid and the fancy pink-haired bloke. An Earth brand, in outer space? At a high-class function like this, no less. Clearly it was an exemplary force of marketing brilliance. By the sheer might of the brand, it had become truly universal, which Brian conceded, was mildly alarming, but today, it would be his salvation.

"Thank Christ." he wheezed. "That's exactly what I need right now."

Brian made a beeline for the bottles. He grabbed one, and with head tipped back, and eyes scrunched tight, he chugged half of it. He shook his head. He blinked. God, he could finally blink again. A miracle.

"Gah." he uttered gratefully.

Oh. There were witnesses, weren't there?

Whatever. With all these masks, and alcohol, and politics, someone was bound to do something dumber than he had before the night was over. Brian shrugged, sipped the Coke, and took a moment to be distracted by the ostentatiously decorated ceiling.

"Maybe," Télos agreed. "It does seem like her situation is different than mine. We only have three 'kingdoms' where I'm from - there's me in the End, Hero in the Overworld, and Oracle in the Nether. Hero's my best friend and Oracle's his sister, so it's not like there's a lot to worry about. Plus, I'm the only one who's technically a 'king', though I think both of them kind of are to some extent."


For a moment, Charlie and the two other people from Earth - Emma and John - just stared at the man who had suddenly appeared and started chugging a bottle of coke. Charlie guessed he hadn't liked the taste of whatever he had drank before it, but she wasn't entirely sure.

So she turned back to her drink and carefully filled it before returning to Flynn's side. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see John shaking the extended hand.

"We're humans," he said.

Charlie was silent for a moment, staring at the back of his head. Why did that voice sound so familiar? She had never met someone named John who was married to an Emma, but she could have sworn that she had heard that voice before.

"I apologize for both of us," Emma said. "We're not used to events like this - is it a custom to say what you are?"

Her gaze shifted to Emma. She knew that voice, too. Why did it have to sound so familiar?

She looked over at Flynn.

"I'm, um, going to talk to them for a minute," she said, gesturing over in Emma and John's direction. Taking a deep breath, she approached the two and stood beside the other man - Jacek - so she could get a good look at their faces.

"...Hi," she quietly said as their attention turned to her. John and Emma almost looked nervous when they saw her, like they knew who she was. But why would they? "I, um, heard that you were human, too, and you sound like you're from Earth...I'm Charlie, by the way..."

She shifted uncomfortably when no one spoke.

"So, um..." She awkwardly trailed off, unsure of what to say next. "You must be important to have been invited..."

John and Emma didn't say anything for a moment.

"I have a...friend," he said. "He didn't want to come, so he gave me his invitation. We helped him once, so he wanted to return the favor. I'm just a state representative - I don't think I would have been invited if it wasn't for him."

"...What was his name?" Charlie asked, gaze dropping down to the drink in her hand.

The man took a barely audible deep breath.

"Codix," he said.

Charlie just continued to stare at her drink.

Carter looked at Avi cautiously for a moment, having his hand hover right over the man’s own gripped to the high backed chair. He took the slight nod as consent enough to take up the hand again as Carter began to slowly explain.

“As I said, on Earth I’m a witch, but my powers are based in energy. I can detect the amount of energy in rooms and manipulate it into an infinite amount of ways.”

Carter rubbed a few circles onto the back of Avi’s hand as he saw the slight confusion set in.

“So I can see energy in people and when I saw you with two energy signatures, I assumed that it was because I’ve rarely read anyone from Baqir. But that Lark person making the comment made it click for me.”

He glanced around the room once more, making sure they were quite alone, and asked, “Your guards aren’t here but you obviously need some help, so what do you need from me?”

—————

Flynn let Charlie go, but followed her to the people in question. They were human enough but clearly nervous as hell to be here. Not really composed enough for a state representative at an affair of this magnitude. He quickly stepped behind Charlie and listened to what the couple had to say.

Humans. Not something Jacek was familiar with or had encountered before. He frowned, studying them carefully, and then glanced towards the newcomers. He watched as the couple--John and Emma--interacted with Charlie. Jacek was now definitely sure they weren't who they said they were. They were too nervous, and something about that sent Jacek the wrong vibes.

"Excuse me... Charlie, was it?" he said, taking a step forwards. Charlie seemed nervous as hell, so Jacek didn't encroach on her personal space too much. "My name is Jacek. I have never met another race before, let alone humans. Are you all so...dully coloured?"

* * *

Ah, of course. That made sense, and combined with Lark's comment. Avi blinked slowly, and shifted in his seat. Carter seemed very confident with the skin-contact. He tuned himself in to Carter's emotions; the man seemed very calm, but there was an undercurrent of too much and too loud. He was tempted to pull his hand away, but Carter's emotions were calm and easy, soothing even. He sighed.

"My guards were not originally intended to be guards, Carter."

When she had gotten the invitation, the first thing she had done was run down the street to Codix and Nadira’s house - she knew they were busy working on one of the bodies strewn throughout the house, but she knew the moment she saw the invite that she had to go. Codix had answered the door, and had said that they had plans when she had asked if they was free on the masquerade’s date.

But he had never mentioned it. Even if she had an invitation, he didn’t know that. Why hadn’t he asked her instead of a random state representative from Texas?

She tried to shake the thought from her mind and answer the question asked of her. Jacek didn’t look too different from her - nothing like Codix, Asteri and Signia all did in their natural forms. (Especially the last two - at least Codix had two legs and no tentacles.) So was it their hair that he was talking about?

“Most of us are like this,” she admitted, glancing at the hair of the other supposed humans in the room. “Some of us do dye it, though. I’ve actually been thinking of dyeing mine…”

She touched a stray strand of hair that had managed to escape being gelled. She still hadn’t picked a color, though she did like the scarlet hair Asteri had when he was trying to look human.

She glanced back at Emma and John. She needed to be mature; she couldn’t let herself feel hurt that Codix hadn’t even bothered to ask her if she wanted to go to the masquerade instead of him. Besides, maybe there was another reason for it - maybe he thought she’d be too anxious surrounded by other people.

(Even if she did love learning about other aliens.)

She drank some of her coke.

“I really like your mask,” she said to John. She gave a small smile and looked at Emma. “And yours, too.”

“Your mask was a great choice, too,” John said.

...Something about the reply didn’t seem right - it wasn’t formal enough for someone with a position like his. And it wasn’t just a thank you. It was a compliment back. No one ever responded to her awkwardly blurted compliments like that.

She took another sip of her coke.

No one except…

She studied their faces. She was getting better at looking at expressions these days, and the expressions flickering across their faces were very, very familiar. Emma had a reserved look to hers, but not too reserved, and John had an awkward formality - like he was trying to live up to what people expected, but never quite could.

She studied their faces a little more.

She stopped focusing on how their hair was styled and the outfits they were wearing, focusing more on their general builds and the way they held themselves.

She nearly choked on her drink.

Emma rushed to her side, John not even having the time to move a single step before Emma was asking her if she was okay. Emma had Oliver’s hair. John had Lucy’s. Why hadn’t she realized it sooner? She was looking at their parents. Not the actual parents - the Earth parents.

She needed an explanation.

But she couldn’t ask here, when they were trying to act like they didn’t even know her. She glanced down at her drink, and then glanced at the dress that the woman beside her was wearing. He was out of the question, but she wasn’t.

She flicked her glass.

Coke spilled down the front of the dark red dress. Nadira looked down at the drink sliding down and soaking into the fabric.

Charlie did her best to look horrified.

“Oh my God,” she whispered. “I-I’m so sorry.”

She looked around wildly in search for a towel, but found none. Satisfied with that part of the act, she turned back to Nadira. “There should be towels in the bathroom. It should come out with water, right?”

“I think so,” Nadira said. “Please don’t worry - it’s alright. I’ve never loved this dress.”

She looked up at Jacek and Flynn, who was lingering nearby. “Do either of you know where the bathrooms are?” Nadira asked.

Avi shifted in his seat, an element of nervousness maintaining, but he allowed Carter’s hand to remain. Carter was so tempted to comfort him further but held back knowing this amount of physicality was already a big step. He kept his voice with a tone of authority, the one Carter used when expecting an answer from a suspect. He was trying to be soft and calm with the person sitting before him, but he just couldn’t keep the command out of his voice.

“I don’t want to press you and I don’t want to pry, but I must ask what you mean by that statement, Avi. If not guards, what role did your companions play?”

Now that they were getting closer to the center of the ballroom, Thytes felt like he could be a little bit louder. Which was good, because he was getting tired of whispering. "That sounds like a pleasant situation," he said. "Quite a peculiar one, as there are less monarchs than I would expect, but not like unlike my own. I have little to fear - my father's position was assigned to him, and taken from him, by the king. There are plenty of people who dislike my inheriting his fortune, but, well, I have a rather sizeable family to keep an eye on, and the new head of that position appears to have taken a liking to me."



"Hmm," said Enide, watching the dance. "I do not suppose it would be a threat for my husband to dance with an old friend before the beginning of the event, but I cannot say it would be the best for our 'family image.'"

"Mhm," Mal said, before mumbling, "And I'm not jealous of the god at all."

If Enide noticed, she didn't have time to respond - Tannis tapped her shoulder.

"One of these wasn't good," came the lion's slightly slurred voice, handing her a bottle. "But 'm pretty sure this's, so y'all can have a drink."

Taking the bottle, Enide looked up at him. "Are you going to be alright?" she said slowly.

Tannis nodded as slowly. "Yes'm," he said. "'s just a little strong, 's all."

"That's good," Télos said. He let himself fall back into the dancing for a minute or two, unsure of where to go next with the conversation. He could talk more about his world and it's pseudo-politics, but it was dark conversation to have. There was only the three of them after the Great War, and they had each gotten their "kingdoms" in different ways. Oracle had created the Nether and watched it grow when she needed time to heal. Hero had become a leader in the Overworld after the players appeared.

...And he had gotten the end through everything with Janos.

His mind traveled back to what Thytes had said about Enide and her court, a welcome distraction from his current train of thought. He found himself absentmindedly commenting, "I wonder if she ever tries to change it."

Then he realized the comment didn't make much sense out of context, so he hurriedly, "Enide and her court, I mean. I've been trying to change my mind. And...I don't know. I just don't think I could stand lying all the time."

Avi looked away. What could he say? Either way, his answer was not going to impress Carter, let alone paint any of them in a good light, especially him. He sighed and considered the question before settling on answering it.

"Attendants," he said, and looked towards his green-clad attendant. "Servants. Jacek is the only one who is actually a guard." He gestured with his free hand towards the remaining attendant and then at the few he could see dancing. "They took a great risk and now they cannot go home."

* * *

Jacek watched the trio interact--John, Emma and Charlie--while the other one, the one with the very colourful outfit, lingered nearby. And then Charlie accidentally spilled her drink on Emma's dress. Jacek's gaze narrowed, even as Charlie turned towards him and the colourful one to ask where the bathrooms were. He shrugged.

"I don't know where they are," Jacek told her and glanced towards the other one. "Do you?"

* * *

Lark sat on the chair and glared up at him. Arden glared back. "We discussed this before we came here, Lark. We are not to feed on anyone present at this ball." He leaned over hear and plants his hands on the arms of the chair. "Without permission. Now, if you had decided to take the opportunity that I did, when I did....you would not be in this state, would you?" He pulled back to crouch before her and all that galaxy-skirt. "Now, will you behave around the others or do I have to order you to leave?"

For a long moment, Lark just sat there, and then she sighed and leaned back. "Fine," she said, scowling. "Fine. I'll play nice, Arden. But you owe me one."

Arden snorted. "When do I not?"

"True," Lark said with a laugh, and leaned forwards. "Shall we dance if you're done lecturing me?"

He laughed and stood up, offering her a hand. "You know, you're not usually my type."

"And you're not generally mine."

With that, she took his hand and Arden led her out onto the dance-floor. They moved into position and began a slow-moving twirl across the floor with a preternatural grace that belied their human appearances.

Thytes was almost disappointed to have the conversation start back up; he'd enjoyed just dancing with the god, peaceful as it had been. It was a lot harder to be afraid of Télos now. The lion even felt a little bit of affection, but he wasn't going to tell the god that. They weren't going to be together for long, and he hadn't had a great reputation expressing his feelings to people from other worlds (when they hadn't already done so).

The lion nodded. "I have not a clue how she tolerates it, nor do I necessarily want to find out. Because, well, she has been trying to change the court. I know the number of lords and ladies in place has certainly plummeted with time. It is still a very ancient and very powerful system, and the lords have a lot of sway over the people, so she does not have an easy time of it. She seems to have made peace with that, somehow."



Hng, Tannis definitely wasn't alright. Between his inability to stand in one place, his random hiccups, and the way he almost dropped his cane a few times, he obviously needed some help. For a lion, he sure couldn't hold his alcohol.

Setting her bottle on a table, Enide set her paws on his shoulders - he tried to brush them off, but ended up almost crashing on top of her. "I believe I saw a bathroom in the vicinity," she said to Mal. "Could you hold the fort while I attempt to take care of this idiot?"

"Fine," Mal said. He stared up at Tannis. "Just, make sure nothing bad happens to him, alright?"

"The same to yourself," Enide said, beginning to lead Tannis away. "If you need any help, be sure to head to Thytes."

Carter studied Avi carefully. They looked away from him, not meeting Carter's gaze, and he could feel the tension in the hand beneath his own.

"And why can't they return?"

Avi still kept looking away to the attendants and the guard identified as Jacek. He watched them for a moment more, but then turned his attention back to Avi. Carter so wished that he could do more in this situation, still controlling himself to lean further over Avi's chair, and gently whispering, "Do you trust me?"



Flynn carefully watched Charlie's interactions with "Emma" and "John". Perhaps he had spent too many nights in Carter and Bear's living room watching those spy movies. But those names and their lack of Texas appropriate accents aroused an element of suspicion in Flynn's mind.

Before he could really gather what was happening, the glass of soda was being poured onto someone's dress and the stranger identified as Jacek was inquiring to Flynn about the locations of the bathroom.

"No, I'm afraid I didn't memorize the blue prints for this banquet hall but I'll go find an attendant, if needed."

Télos nodded.

"Change can be hard," he agreed. "I've been trying to change where I rule, but I...I haven’t been all that successful. People don't like change, and I'm not really that popular..."


On one hand, Charlie had figured out who they were. He was grateful for that - he didn’t like lying, and he was sure Charlie had figured out a way to talk to them without revealing that they weren't who they appeared to be.

On the other hand, he was going to be left by himself in a group of strangers, which was a worse nightmare he easily shared with Charlie.

"It's alright," Nadira said. "We can try to find it on our own - I don't want to inconvenience anyone with something so small."

It wasn’t alright. He didn't think he could do this without her. Maybe she should have been the politician instead - she was handling everything better than he was.

Charlie and Nadira disappeared into the crowd.

Codix gave Flynn and Jacek an awkward smile before taking a sip of his wine.

Yuck.

"Oh no!" said Thytes. "It must be awful to run a country where the people distrust your decisions. Why do they feel that way? Is it because of how you came to power, or do you difficulty appealing to them? I must admit, I am rather surprised that a god would have such a hard time managing a nation."



It wasn't too long before Mal got out of his chair. He felt like he wasn't supposed to, but he was getting a little tired of watching Thytes have all the fun. Besides, he'd sniffed all of the bottles, and he was pretty sure his uncle wasn't a very good judge of what was alcoholic and what wasn't, since they all smelled a little gross. Poor Tannis - he must've picked up on the sugar.

So Mal strode over to the drinks table, glancing occasionally at Thytes before focusing on the man who appeared to be in a very awkward conversation with two other people. A drink and a show. The white lion inspected the bottles, ears picking out whatever he could hear from those three.

He faltered, nearly stumbling over Thytes during his brief lull in the dance.

"It's, um, complicated," he said. He tried to regain his footing, but he wasn't nearly as successful as he wanted to be.

Well, Télos had gone from dancing to momentarily burying his head in Thytes's chest. Whoops.

"Are you alright?" Thytes said, stopping as Télos struggled to keep his footing.