Drew exited dinner with a half-empty glass of red wine clutched in his hand. His stomach had twisted into a tight knot at the sight of the boat docking up at the unfamiliar shoreline. Everything was moving at a pace too quick to calm his nerves, people hustling large trunks out of rooms as fast as they possibly could.
"There he is," he heard a familiarly shrill voice call, and quickly he downed the remaining red liquid, licking his lips once he had.
"Mother," he said softly, nodding his head towards her. "I left two minutes ago, surely you couldn't have been that worried as to where I was." His voice gently slurred as he talked, thanks to the three (or maybe four, he couldn't remember) glasses of alcohol he had consumed during his dinner to calm his raging nerves.
"You're a mess," she continued, reaching towards him with her lean fingers to brush the mess of blonde hair off his face. His eyelids drooped as she fixed him up, tightening the black tie around his neck until he felt he could barely breathe. "This is no way to present yourself to your future wife! Good thing your trunk is already being taken off the ship or I would make you change out of these ghastly clothes."
"Mother," he reminded her, leaning back against the wall. "You personally chose this for me to wear. Is it no longer good enough? Should I have them bring the case online again so I may change?"
"Well I suppose it will have to do. Now, what have we told you? Stand straight, head high. Keep your hands at your sides and for god's sake, boy, stop fidgeting."
"I'm nervous, I can't seem to control it," he argued back, getting tugged off the wall by the lapels on his jacket. Someone plucked the crystal glass out of his hand and he took a deep breath, eyes snapping wide open.
"You choose today of all days to be nervous? Nervous? Dear lord, child you're a mess. I wonder how we even got a profit from offering you up." She sighed, flattening out his jacket again before turning him towards his father. "Be like him for once in your life, understood? Learn how to impress a lady."
"Yes, mother. Sorry, mother. I will, mother," he sighed, swallowing away the nervousness that would soon infect him once again.
The family of three was lead to the exit of the ship by the captain himself, who laughed his obnoxious laugh at every joke the blonde's father would make. Impressions were a huge deal to the posh family, and his father had mastered the skill at a very early age—much sooner than Drew had. It seemed someone always disapproved of him. May it be his sense of humor or his trying wit, all persons had something negative about him to point out.
With a firm shake of the elderly captain's hand, the three made their way off the ship into the heavy fog of the port surrounding. Drew looked around the area at the masses of people, seeing hundreds of new faces equipped with grins or frowns or tears, all shouting and laughing and speaking in a language he couldn't even try to understand.
"Over here!" His father's rough voice commanded, leading them through the crowded area towards a shining car.
Drew had only been in a car once in his life. While his family had money, it had always been invested in things that didn't revolve around automobiles. He carefully stepped inside as a man held open the door for him, his small stature making Drew look almost giant in comparison. He sat down on the thin leather seat, his shirt sticking to his skin in the unusually warm air. He zoned out as his parents babbled to him about introductions and pronunciation, watching the scenery as they drove further and further away from the ship.
"Are you listening to a word I say?" His mother huffed, hair blowing out around her as they made their way down a long road.
"Yes, of course," Drew replied in perfect timing, worrying his bottom lip between his front teeth.
"What did I say?"
He backtracked, eyes flooding in confusion as he tried to remember the words that now mixed in a riddled pile of nonsense in the back of his mind.
"Mother your words are fresh, they need not be repeated."
"Yet I beg you to say them again. Do what I say. You're still under my rule for a few days more."
"You asked me to stand tall, be polite and to take the world with a firm handshake and genuine smile."
Her smile widened a little as she leaned towards him, patting his knee. "I have faith in you, my darling. Just keep your charm and you'll impress her, surely."
"Mother, I hope," Drew chuckled, reaching one hand up to tangle into his hair. He could feel his mother tense, getting upset at him messing up the perfectly placed curls, but he kept his eyes on the road, watching the quickly approaching manor.
"This marriage is the start of a beautiful friendship," his father said with a proud smile, head held high in the sky like he had not a single care in the world.
"Friendship?" Drew murmured silently under his breath, "Seems to me it is more of a business proposal than one for a marriage."
Thankfully no one heard his uttered words, and the car pulled into the driveway without a single kink. A man in a suit opened the car door, silently bowing his head as the three of them stepped out. Drew gave a small smile as he saw Theo already standing among the other servants, and he nearly stumbled over his own feet.
A man with a stern face, dressed nicely in a suit, burst through the front doors of the home, followed closely by a woman dressed in beautiful silk fabric.
Drew swallowed, looking at the massive array of new people. Everyone's eyes were glued on him, scanning him from the blonde curls on the top of his head to the perfectly shined shoes that sat on his feet. Some looked at him as though he was a precious object shining a bright smile in their direction. While others, including the man in the suit, looked at him like he was as small and unimportant as he felt.
His father paraded forward with a confidence Drew never knew he possessed, and the gentle push from his mother made him assume he was to do the same. He created for himself a sense of false pride in the person he was following, and a genuine want to be in the foreign country to match.
"Hello," the stern-looking man said quickly, giving a bow of his head before reaching his hand out to Drew's grinning father. They shook hands, babbling quietly to each other as Drew looked around the estate. The combination of a cold-shoulder atmosphere and the heat caused goose bumps to infest his skin.
He stayed silent as they were lead into the large home, the décor and style completely unique and unfamiliar to Drew's bland palate.
"Drew," his father spat, summoning him forward. "I'd like you to meet Mister Kogo."
The man bowed his head towards him again and the blonde hesitated momentarily before doing the same. "Mister Kogo, this is my son, Drew."
"Hello," Drew mumbled, his voice exactly the opposite of his brave exterior. "I thank you greatly for allowing us into your home."
"I welcome no one," Mister Kogo replied, his hands held firmly at his sides. "But my daughter demanded she meet the man she marry beforehand, so here you are."
"Here I am." He replied with an awkward—If not forced—chuckle.
The man eyed Drew over again, taking in his height, bone structure and overall look in full. Drew couldn't be sure if the man liked what he saw, seeing as though he held a face all poker players would die for.
A soft giggle filled the room, and Drew's attention diverted to the almost transparent screen door down the hall from himself. He swallowed, recognizing the small stature and outline of a girl that must be around his age.
"I'd like you to meet my daughter, Mika," he said.
The man's wife moved to the door, silent and smiling as she pulled it open, revealing to Drew the most elegant, radiant person he had ever seen. However, the pale girl with wide eyes, bright red lips and unbelievably long, raven black hair kept Drew from seeing him completely.