Chapter Four

"Hey, Rai! RAI!" Came Shinwoo's voice as loudly as ever. Rai didn't flinch. He never did, though he was always slightly startled by the sheer volume of Shinwoo's and his friends' voices. Raizel looked at Raskreia, who nodded, and strode ahead of him, in through the gates and directly to class.

"Hey, Rai! Sorry to interrupt your time with your girlfriend! We've got a big weekend planned! We're gonna all hang out at Ikhan's place! He's got a brand new game, and we're all gonna play it! Suyi is leaving on Sunday for another modeling gig, and we wanted to send her off! You in!?"

"I cannot…" Raizel said simply, reverting to his laconic manner of speech. The children all looked at him, shocked. He had never turned them down. Even when he was sick, he never did. But today, he said it with such finality.

"What's up, Rai? Wait…" Suyi said with a smile. "You must have a date with Raskreia… Right?" Raizel didn't answer her when she asked that. But they all got the impression that he was nodding internally. They couldn't explain the feeling. But they knew he was talking to them without saying a word.

Almost immediately, he walked ahead of them, not saying another word, leaving them confused as to what exactly just happened. They looked at each other, then hurried after him to get in before Pedro came out and scolded them. They made it in mere seconds before the bell, marking a first for Shinwoo, who seemed to deliberately taunt Pedro with his tardiness.

"Hello, Master, Lord. Please, come in… Did something happen? You usually get here first thing." Frankenstein said politely. Raizel shook his head, not elaborating. Frankenstein sensed that Raizel was struggling with something at the moment, and would let him come out with it when he was ready.

Perhaps he would say something when the others went back to class. Regis spoke as soon as he was sure that Frankenstein was done.

"The human, Shinwoo has invited Seira and myself to a gaming session this weekend to send off their friend, Im Suyi 'with a bang', as they say, though they assure me that there will be no fireworks… In case such things would frighten me.

"I am not certain how they intend to send her off with a bang without pyrotechnics, but I will be there." Regis said placidly. He was still getting used to his place as the new clan leader of the Landeger Clan, and was having some trouble adjusting. He was still speaking at length with his grandfather, Gejutel about his new duties.

Gejutel had said that his duties were mostly as a figurehead until he reached adulthood and had his coming of age ceremony. However, he was still expected to act the part of a clan leader.

"Actually, Regis… 'Send someone off with a bang' just means to make a big deal out of it. It is common in human society to have a celebration before a friend leaves.

"It may seem uncultured to do so. But humans, understanding if only unconsciously that their lives are short and can end at any time, want to celebrate every moment they have together. That is part of why they tend to make such a big deal out of things that Nobles perhaps would not."

"I see… I am still going. I am honor bound, having been invited to appear at this party."

"I will go as well. Shinwoo says he wishes to speak to me personally. I am not certain of his intentions. But I trust him, regardless. He has never shown me that he is not deserving of my trust."

"I would advise you not to take Rael to the party, in that case." Frankenstein said bluntly. Seira and Regis both looked at him, perplexed.

"Why, Headmaster?" They both asked together. Frankenstein snickered at this.

"If I told you, it would ruin the surprise. Just trust that Rael would not be the best person to have in such a situation."

"I understand. I am not certain that Rael even knows. He isn't supposed to come back from Lukedonia until tomorrow. Shinwoo asked me to invite him to the party. But… If I were to… Forget, it would not be so bad." Seira said in her typical placid and stoic tone.

"Enjoy the party. You three should get back to class." Frankenstein said politely. Raskreia stood while Seira and Regis politely waited a moment before standing and following Raskreia out of the room. Soon, Frankenstein and Raizel were alone.

"You seem to have something heavy on your mind, Master. I would be more than happy to assist you in any way I can."

"I have a date with the Lord on Saturday. I… Lack the knowledge of the traditions of such a mating ritual."

"Ahaha! I see… It's not an issue, Master. The date is on Saturday? I will write up a guide for you, of course."

"Thank you, Frankenstein. Ah… I gather from television shows that Shinwoo has shown me that I am supposed to kiss my partner on the date."

"I will… Add a section on kissing for you, Master…" Frankenstein said uncertainly. He would have to make this guide more inclusive and perfect than any he had done before. It would have to take his master through every possibility of the date, including hand holding, kissing, small talk, compliments, cuddling, and even the possibility of sex.

Frankenstein felt oddly like a father, watching his son going on his first date, and feeling a strange mixture of pride, loss and pain. He would be losing the Master he always knew, but helping his Master come out of his shell further.

Raizel had always been such an extreme recluse, coming out of his mansion maybe once every ten years at most. The Japanese had a word for what Rai was. Hikikomori.

"Master…" Frankenstein said uncertainly. Raizel looked at him levelly, not betraying a hint of emotion.

"I-I'm proud of you, Master…" Frankenstein said, feeling tears stinging his eyes. He had never had this strange mixture of emotions before. Fear, pride, and he was flattered that his Master trusted him in such a personal matter.

Raizel nodded at this, never changing his silent nature, and took his tea, savoring the smell and taking a smooth, silent sip of it.

"Frankenstein… If you can promise me two things, I will accept the modification." Raizel said. Frankenstein sat up straighter.

"Of course, Master. I would be honored."

"I need you to promise me that the modifications will not be grossly obvious. I have seen the modified humans' ability to transform, the machines that are attached to their bodies. I presume this is not that kind of modification."

"I will… Give you a comprehensive but easy to follow guide on Bioenergy Manipulation. It can include transformation… If you want it to. But in simple terms, it essentially allows you to do almost anything. What is your second demand?"

"I want you to promise to stop me if I become drunk on the power that I will inevitably achieve with this modification."

"I-I promise, Master…" Frankenstein said, the breath driven from his lungs at this heavy responsibility. He didn't want to have to be responsible for killing his master.

"Hey, Seira… Regis… Rael couldn't join us tonight?" Shinwoo asked cheerfully, blushing slightly when he spoke to Seira. Seira shook her head elegantly.

"Rael Kertia is tied up in his home country." Regis said flatly.

"Are you positive that there will not be pyrotechnics?" Regis asked. Shinwoo and Ikhan grinned.

"Of course not. We don't want to scare ya', Regis."

"I am not scared of them! I am merely confused by the phrase 'send off with a bang' considering that there are no fireworks."

"Oh… Okay. We're just throwing a party. Come on in, you two. We're playing Cards Against Humanity. You wanna join us?" Yuna asked cheerfully. Seira merely nodded once, but Regis raised an eyebrow at this suggestion, taking his phone out of his pocket.

He had been given an iPhone for his birthday by Frankenstein. He clicked on the internet and looked up Cards Against Humanity.

"We will engage in this game with you. Does it involve a punishment game if you lose?" Regis asked, always irritatedly impressed by their ability to attach strangely creative penalties to any game.

"There's no losing. Come on in. We're burning moonlight." Shinwoo said, grabbing Regis's hand and pulling him inside. Seira bowed and followed the rest in, removing her shoes on the precipice. Soon, they were all seated in a circle, their cards dealt. Regis looked at his cards. None of them made sense. What were kegels? What was queefing? What on earth did "I am Batman" mean.

Seira seemed to be having little more luck deciphering her cards. She seemed helplessly confused. She could see that the other kids were all laughing about something. Was this a game of comedy? Were they supposed to try to make each other laugh?

Shinwoo went first and took out a black card and put it down. Yuna, Suyi, and Ikhan all put white cards face down next to it. Seira and Regis looked quizzically at the three of them.

"What is the objective of this game? Do the words equal numbers?"

"No. Let's see… One person puts the black card down. This one says "Batman's guilty pleasure is 'blank'. Now, you have to put down one of your white cards as a completion to the sentence."

"But who is Batman?" Regis asked. The four human children stared at Regis in disbelief.

"B-Batman is the greatest superhero ever. He was just a normal human at first, but he trained extensively in ninjutsu and gained superpowers through his training."

"I see. I have chosen." Regis said, putting his card face down. Seira nodded, and put a card facedown. Shinwoo turned the cards over.

"Batman's guilty pleasure is… Praying the gay away." Shinwoo said. He then put the next card down. "Michelle Obama's arms…"

Pausing for dramatic effect, he looked around as the group laughed. "Stephen Hawking talking dirty…"

The group cracked up at this one, including Shinwoo.

"Anal beads… I am Batman…" Shinwoo said the last one in Batman's gravelly voice as portrayed by Christian Bale.

The group cracked up at this one as well.

"And, the winner is… Stephen Hawking talking dirty!" The group laughed and cheered, and Shinwoo handed the card to Seira, who had actually just put the card down at random, so she was surprised that she had won. Who was Stephen Hawking, anyway?

"Now, you're up, Seira. Take the black card and put it down." Shinwoo said, showing Seira the box. Seira nodded placidly and took out a single black card, putting it face up on the floor.

"During sex, I like to think about… Line." Seira said, not betraying a hint of emotion, although she blushed slightly, glancing at Shinwoo.

Shinwoo, as usual, didn't notice anything. He thought for a moment, and put down a card. When the entire group had put down a card, and Regis looked like he was ready to have a conniption, Seira picked up the cards.

"I like to think about… The milkman. I like to think about… Inserting a Mason jar into my anus. I like to think about my dad's dumb… Fucking face…" Seira continued, looking distinctly disturbed by these answers.

"I-I like to think about… The KKK… I like to think about… Being replaced by a robot… I'm afraid I still don't comprehend the benefits of playing such a game."

"It's just fun. We can play something else if you're not enjoying it, Seira." Shinwoo said cheerfully. Seira shook her head, and the game went on for another half hour, neither Seira nor Regis having any idea what exactly they were doing.

The game eventually ended, though, and the kids got up and started getting chips and dip out, and digging in. Regis still couldn't believe, even after almost a year how inelegant and vulgar the children were. Regis looked at Seira for a moment. She seemed to be anticipating something that he wasn't in on.

"Is something wrong, Seira?" Regis asked. Seira shook her head.

"I am fine. These festivities are just unfamiliar to me." Seira replied. Regis nodded in agreement, and went into the kitchen, looking at the bowl of chips suspiciously.

"What are these?" Regis asked. Ikhan seemed surprised by this question.

"They're chips, Regis. You pick some up with your fingers and put them in the dip and eat them. You've never heard of potato chips?"

"You mean to say that it is a communal bowl that everyone sticks their hands in? That's filthy!" Regis protested.

"Well, if Shinwoo has his way, it won't be communal for long." Ikhan laughed, the others joining in, except for Regis and Seira, who didn't find it terribly funny.

"Oh, lighten up, Regis! You're so stiff! It's a party. No need to take things so seriously…" Shinwoo said, clapping Regis on the back, causing the small white haired boy to gasp, and scowl at Shinwoo, who apologized and looked away. Regis didn't say anything. It would be terribly inelegant to continue after Shinwoo had already apologized.