Disclaimer: Noblesse is not mine.

Chapter 2: Party

"Yes?" Frankenstein looked up as the elevator doors opened and M-21 strolled inside the lab.

"Did you forget?" M-21 asked. "I am here for our experiment." He removed his shirt and draped it over a chair.

"That is no longer necessary."

"Huh?" M-21 paused mid stride to the diagnostic table. "What's wrong? Changed your mind about wanting to please him?" He smirked.

Frankenstein's eyes flashed. "Don't be stupid," he calmly said. "The technique is already perfect." Too perfect, in fact.

"I guess, you won't be needing me here then." He grabbed his shirt and pushed the button for the elevator.

"Wait a minute, I didn't say you could leave." Frankenstein stood up and filed away the papers he was holding. "I wanted to ask you if you have any more ideas I can try."

"Hmm.." M-21 thought absently. "You could try asking Tao, he's more aware of what normal humans do."

"If that's the case, tell him to come down here for a moment." Frankenstein went back to arranging his desk and waved him off.

Xxx

"Boss!" Tao cried as stepped off the elevator. "M-21 just told me your problem. I have a great idea!"

Frankenstein looked up at as Tao continued to mumble incoherently.

"…I need to buy…Seira will help…of course…I'll have to make one…Takeo will take care of…"

"Tao!" Frankenstein interrupted his ramblings. He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Can you explain everything to me first?"

"Oh!" Tao stopped pacing abruptly. "A party! We can throw a party for him. Wouldn't that please him?" Tao widened his grin expectantly.

"But-"Frankenstein opened his mouth to protest.

"…it will be fun!" Tao continued. "We can invite the kids and Seira will agree to cook. The RK-4 will be in charge of setting up." An evil glint came to his eyes. "I must start planning at once!"

He ran to the elevator and pushed incessantly on the button. "Excuse me!"

"Tao!" Frankenstein called after him. "I haven't given my permi-" Too late. He was already gone. A sigh escaped his lips. He was already imagining the chaos and mess all over his house.

Xxx

Peace and quiet. No mess in here. No food and drinks.

The steady hum of lab equipment. The soft beeps of machinery. The faint bubbling from the tanks.

Sigh.

Frankenstein sat alone in his lab and sat staring at some papers on his desk. The letters and numbers blurred and he couldn't concentrate with all the noise from upstairs.

"Wooohooo! Best party ever!" he heard Shinwoo shout loudly.

Sigh.

He turned on the CCTV monitors to view the scene in the Great Room.

"This is even better than what you usually cook." Yuna complimented Seira. A faint blush appeared on her cheeks.

"Hey, where's Principal Lee?" Ikhan asked.

"Yeah!" Shinwoo said. "Isn't this supposed to be Rai's party? Why isn't he here?"

"Maybe he just has some things to do." Yuna said, glancing at Rai. "Don't worry Rai, I'm sure he'll be here later."

"Don't be sad, Rai." Suyi said with concern.

"This is Rai's party! He should've taken a day off!" Shinwoo said angrily."Doesn't he care about him?"

"Shinwoo!" Yuna chastised him. "Don't talk that way in front of him. Sorry, Rai. Maybe he's on his way now."

Frankenstein shut the monitors off abruptly. A cold feeling dropped into his stomach. How stupid! He berated himself. Master must think he is not important to me. His heart started to beat faster. Does he think I do not care at all?

He hurriedly removed his lab coat and dialed a number on his phone. ".. I need a delivery, right now.."

Xxx

"Principal Lee!" Yuna greeted. "You're late!"

He flashed an apologetic smile. "Sorry, I had some business to finish and I tried my best to get here quickly." He glanced guiltily at his master.

"See Shinwoo," Yuni turned to him. "He's here now, that's what's important."

Frankenstein's eyes narrowed as he took in all the empty wrappers and food crumbs on his floor. His eye twitched. He turned to look at Tao, Takeo and M-21 who was standing by the corner. They flinched as his eyes flashed in their direction.

He looked back at his master who was sitting on the sofa, calmly sipping a cup of tea. Sigh. He forced himself to smile and ignore the mess.

The kids continued to play parlor games and rewarded themselves with more food. The losers would have their foreheads flicked.

A loud bell sounded through the room. "Excuse me" Seira said as she exited the room.

She came back after a few seconds. "A delivery is waiting outside," she informed the owner.

"Let him in, Seira." Frankenstein instructed. She bowed and left again.

A few minutes later, a large 8-layer cake was wheeled into the room.

"Wow!" Ikhan whistled. "That's a large cake!"

Suyi and Yuna squeeled in delight, clapping their hands together.

The Rk-4 stood aside aside and watched as the delivery man left it at the corner of the room.
"That's a really big cake," Takeo whispered to Tao. "You could've gotten a smaller one."

Tao said nothing.

"I don't think the boss will reimburse that cake." M-21 observed. "Still, it looks impressive."

"What is that supposed to be?" Regis' eyes sparkled. Such elegance!

"It is a human tradition. You blow out the candles and make a wish." Tao explained.

"Must be sad to be a century old kid but not know what a cake is. " M-21 observed.

"A cake? It doesn't look anything like the ones Seira makes." He observed, studiously ignoring M-21's insults.

"Those where just dessert cakes." Takeo saide. "This is a birthday cake-"

"-A really big and impressive birthday cake." Tao finished.

"Rai! Rai!" Suyi and Yuna called. "C'mon over here!"

Rai looked up from his teacup and gazed at the enormous object that blocked his view of the window.

"Come on, Rai!" Shinwoo shouted. "You have to blow out the candles."

Rai glanced quickly at Frankenstein and then stood up to walk towards the glowing cake.

"Why are there so many candles?" Ikhan asked. "There must be over a hundred here.

The enhanced humans and the nobles quickly looked at Rai and then turned away their heads.

Tao laughed nervously. "It's a new thing these days! Didn't you know? The more candles, the more wishes!"

"Really, Hyung? That's cool!" said Ikhan.

"That's the first time I've heard of it." Yuna confessed.

"It makes sense, though." Retorted Suyi.

I'm gonna have 500 candles on my birthday!" said Shinwoo cheerfully.

"You'll have to get a bigger cake than Rai's though." Laughed Yuna.

Suyi signaled Rai to come closer and they sang him a song.

"Make a wish!"

"Blow out the candles!"

"You can do it, Rai!"

"Go, Rai!"

Rai curiously stared at the cake. There was a twitch in his hand and the candles suddenly all went out.

"Huh?" Shinwoo exclaimed. "What happened?"

"How did that happen?" Ikhan said at the same time.

The enhanced humans and nobles stood in shock, not daring to breath.

"Sorry! Tao laughed. "I forgot to warn you, those are new! They're self-blowing candles! You don't really think you could blow out these many candles by yourself, right?"

"That's amazing!" Yuna clapped her hands.

"Such ingenious technology." Ikhan agreed.

Xxx

Rai and Frankenstein stood on the balcony, as the others cleaned the mess inside the house. M-21 escorted the children home.

"Master, did you enjoy the party?

EXPECTATION. ANXIOUSNESS. NERVOUSNESS.

Rai remained gazing at the horizon. He seemed to be in deep thought.

"Frankenstein."

"Yes, Master?"

He looked at Frankenstein curiously. "Is it my birthday?"