A/N: I thought I somewhat have a break from all the assignments and presentations. So I just sat down yesterday night and watched the third Madoka movie, and then suddenly my classmate told me that there are more assignments... (º_º) it was a short-lived excitement so yeah.

tbh I finished this chapter like a month ago, and I kept it in the drafts here, because I wasn't confident enough to press the 'post' button. The same goes to Eccedenti-argh typing it out is such a *beeeeep* so I'm just gonna call it the Dentist story. Yeah so the same goes to the Dentist story too, but today after I told myself not to procrastinate in posting, here you go. ;u; thanks for all the reviews and favs, you guys are lovely babus!

ayyyy so take care, be glorious, be glamorous, and sparkle every day (even though every day I wanna drive a fork through my lecturer ughhh)

His first day at Kanbalar castle almost ended.

The skies were darker now and the snowfall got heavier as the seconds ticked by. In the end, other than meeting Alvin and getting to be at the end of Gaius' sword, Jude faintly realized that he hadn't accomplished anything much. Sure, Gaius didn't like that Alvin wanted to get close with him, but he figured that he was old enough to make decisions on his own. Looks were deceiving and Rowen's warning words about the House of Svent's patriarch still rang inside his head, but he knew he could do his best to stay out of trouble, especially when it concerns the bigger continent.

Cozying up in the armchair near his study, Jude cuddled a thick tome in his lap and brushed his fingers against the weathered leather. Filigreed cover, gilded letterings and musky parchment, the boy knew that this wasn't any book easily acquired by anyone else in Auj Oule. In fact, it might be one of a kind. Carefully opening it up, his eyes skittered over the neatly written inky black words and read it carefully, trying to digest its content about the world beyond theirs.

Elympios.

There was little known about that whole chunk of foreign land, where people reportedly used technology that was far more advanced than theirs. In the past, adventurers daren't travel further beyond the sea because there were rumours of people being spirited away, disappearing without a single trace. But now, something broke. What seemed to be like a shell that protected their world cracked in places not many people knew about, and when the adventurous Elympions discovered the holes, they came forth and tried to explore the lands here. Scientists were still trying to understand the 'shell' that surrounded their world, and the Rieze Maxians were also trying their best to accept the Elympions, but that's as far as it went. Now, with more and more people digging up as much as they can about Elympios, it led to the discovery of books they weren't even aware of its existence, locked up and stowed away in nooks and crannies of sealed caves and gorges.

Jude did hear of rumours where King Nachtigal and King Gaius both agreed to treat Elympios as amiably as possible, but things were still rickety in the process. Probably that's also why Alvin frequented visiting Auj Oule too, since Gaius was a lot friendlier than Rashugal's king.

Just as soon as he was about to get immersed into a world of his own, a sound knock came from his doors. Perking up, he kept the book aside and blinked owlishly at the voice coming through the door. "Yes?"

"Master Jude, it's time for dinner. Please get dressed and join His Majesty."

It was probably one of the servants from earlier. Footsteps then echoed outside his room, growing more and more distant before finally disappearing, and Jude was left staring at the door blankly. Get dressed? In the castle? Dinner with Gaius?

…

Him!?

Somewhere far, far away, the aforementioned maid jumped when she heard a loud, "EHHHHHHHHH!?" coming from the boy's room. She froze. Looked over her shoulders. Shrugged. And continued on her journey again.

Meta:Mor:Phose
Chapter 5: Can I Hide It?

He never thought much about the word 'friendship'.

To him, he had never made any friends before. He didn't need friends. He didn't want friends. All he needed was to rule Auj Oule and make it a prosperous country, protecting his citizens from harm. What he needed was power to vanquish the evil and that's it. So why did Rowen invite Jude over for a dinner that he usually eats alone in his quarters? That question was beyond him; he suspected the commander had ideas of his own and surreptitiously carried it out without his knowledge. That would definitely be the last time he'd entrust something as personal as his schedule with Rowen though.

Gaius glanced over at the wide spread of dinner, all piping hot before his eyes. There were chicken stews, steamed rappig coated in soy sauce, spiced mushrooms, grilled fish served with sour sauce and a wedge of lemon, and more than enough food to cover a week of meals for an ordinary person. It was a custom to serve the king with many dishes but he found it to be quite a wasteful tradition and had specifically ordered for them to reduce the amount of dishes to be served, but they kept committing the same crime all over again. It wasn't until one of his personal maids convinced him that the dishes didn't go to waste; the ones he didn't eat would gladly be divided and finished by the kitchen members themselves, so he allowed them to keep up the situation as long as they finish the food. In the end, it was simply a win-win situation.

But tonight was a huge overkill. Perhaps Rowen had told them of Jude joining him for dinner and they got too excited, making more dishes than ever. He suspected that there'd be a lot of trouble for the two of them tonight to finish them up. Knowing Jude, he barely eats enough for his own age.

Without realizing it, a sigh escaped his lips.

Jude Mathis.

Whenever the subject turned back to the boy, he could feel an incoming migraine. Especially when he recalled how Alfred simply sashayed up to Jude and slung his arm over those thin shoulders, trying to charm his way into a friendship. He wasn't as naïve as Jude; Alfred's presence spelled bad news, especially with how unstable the politics amongst the nations were. There was only one acceptable explanation to the duke's actions, no matter how he looked at it: Alfred wanted to get on Jude's good side as a friend, use the boy, backstab him, and throw him away when he's useless. Somewhere at the back of his head, Gaius could somewhat recall Presa's words when she addressed Alfred, not forgetting to put in liar, traitor, and also betrayer.

Somehow, he wondered what sort of relationship they were in for all of those things to be said.

Knock.

An unconfident thump on the door. Gaius' eyes indolently slid over to the source of the noise.

Knock knock.

"I-It's me, Jude… can I come in?" a muffled voice spoke up, sounding unsure of himself.

Gaius supposed it was too late to send a maid to tell the boy that he'd much rather have dinner by himself, seeing that Jude was already here earlier than he expected. He vaguely wondered if the boy's just scared of him, yet again just like the door incident in Xian Du, so that was why Jude hurriedly got ready to have dinner with him. Shaking his head at the thought, the king motioned for the nearest maid to answer his call and she swiftly complied, pulling one side of the door open to let him in.

What stood in the doorway was a little pale blob of a boy in dark navy coat trimmed with bright teal hemming, embroidered with bold symmetrical designs and fastened together with gold tassels at the front. He shifted his weight from one foot to another; one second he was ducking his head, the next, he raised it and looked at the king warily. Gaius was rather used to seeing Jude clad in the normal daily wear of Leronde, or even his male nurse uniform whenever he helped out at his parents' clinic, but nothing so elaborate like this. It was quite…peculiar, to say the least.

If he was caught staring at Jude, then Jude was obviously doing some staring on his own.

The maid holding the door between them shifted uncomfortably, her eyes darting from side to side.

Another strange silence ensued.

He supposed he would have to be the one to break the ice. Again. "You may enter."

"Thanks…" Jude bowed his head slightly in gratitude and his nimble feet quickly brought him over to the table, where a servant pulled the chair out for him. He sat on the velveteen material with yet another 'thank you' whispered to his helper before finally adjusting himself comfortably, looking at the king with a nervous glance. "Thanks for inviting me for dinner with you," he started awkwardly, and Gaius blinked at that.

"You seem to be thanking a lot of people today."

Jude tilted his head to the side, quizzical. "I am?"

A nod. "There isn't anything wrong with that. Acknowledging someone's help is a respectable action." He didn't bother to mention that Jude's habit of thanking everyone around him was rather odd for a boy his age, because he remembered back from his days, teenagers in his tribe were arrogant creatures. He thought about what to say to his dinner partner because conversations unrelated to his usual business were tricky things that he wasn't quite familiar with, but the burning feeling of Jude's eyes on him felt rather… unsettling. "You've also been staring a lot. Do you need anything?"

Being called out like that made Jude stiffen slightly in his seat, looking as though he'd been electrocuted. "N-No, everything's fine, I have more than I usually need," he shook his head, stray locks of his hair mussing up at the motion. "I'm just kind of… surprised at how you're dressed today. You were always in your suit before this."

His clothes?

Gaius felt his brows rose all the way to his hairlines.

Quite an odd subject.

He stole a glance at his garb, composed mainly of leathers, bits and parts of heavy armour, and finely crafted brocades of fiery dyes. Of course Jude wouldn't have seen him in this outfit before, seeing that he mainly wore his suit to visit Jude so that he'd blend in with the surroundings instead of sticking out like a sore thumb. Between wisps of steam rising from the untouched food splayed between them, Gaius took a sip of his drink before answering the boy. "Did you expect me to walk into Leronde wearing this without drawing attention?"

Jude opened his mouth. Almost comically, he paused. Then he closed it again with an audible click. "You've got a point there… sorry for asking such a stupid question."

Finding no need to reply to such an unnecessary apology, Gaius brushed it aside with a noncommittal tilt of his head. "You should eat before the food gets cold. It would be a waste if you don't."

"Err… right." He decisively nodded before giving the rest of the dinner a weak stare with a twitching smile. "But this is really quite a spread. There're lots of food—most of the stuffs I haven't tried before," Jude admitted with a chuckle, "And to think that we're expected to finish it is really something." He made it a point to avoid Gaius' eyes, scratching his cheek and looking elsewhere instead. A discomfited fidget followed after. "Do you always… eat alone?"

Now Gaius openly stared at Jude.

Among all of the questions he expected from the boy, this definitely wasn't one of them.

If it were someone else in his shoes, then that person would've pestered Gaius for answers about his importance, or at least try to nosey around for hints or clues. But it didn't look that way for Jude. He seemed perfectly content with whatever knowledge he had and didn't try to be an obnoxious hindrance, almost as if he held all of the answers in his hands and was merely dancing along in Gaius' palm. Sometimes, he wondered if Jude's maturity would cease to amaze him in the future. But then again, he's full of surprises so the king figured that it'd be a while before he'd get used to the thought of an understanding, perfectly accepting Jude.

Opting not to give the boy an easy answer, Gaius made a show of selecting some dishes from the spread and distributed the contents evenly onto his plate. "Do you always eat with someone then?"

Startled at the turn of the conversation, he hurriedly mirrored Gaius' actions, picking up the delicacy nearest to him and pushing the meat onto his already tepid rice. A brittle expression. The eyes of someone who faced conflicting emotions. "I used to eat alone," he admitted. "You know how my mom and dad are, they're real workaholics. I cooked things for myself if I ever got hungry, which is almost all the time." He laughed a little, but it rang dull and empty. "But then Leia came along and she won't leave me alone. You know how we fight all the time? She'd bring mabo curry from her dad to make it up to me and we just sit together in the kitchen, eating them all up."

Ah. Gaius could see where this was going.

He took another sip of his drink.

"I thought I got used to being by myself but after all that's happened, having someone to eat together with you is a nice thing," Jude tried to smile with a coy shrug. "You can talk about lots of stuffs just to forget about something stressful or if you want to make friends. It's kind of amazing how you can bond with someone over food, you know?"

"I don't think I can relate to that."

Jude gazed at him almost disbelievingly, a concerned look lighting up his features. "You… don't? Haven't you had dinner with someone before?"

"I've had the company of King Nachtigal, the Chimeriads at times, and Rowen for discussing business," he murmured, lacing his fingers on the table. The food ran cold by now, but this was an affair that needed to be settled lest it becomes a habit for Jude to have meals with him. "Other than that, I prefer to be by myself and finish up as soon as possible so that I can attend to more important things instead of wasting time on such trifles."

"Such… trifles?" Jude repeated incredulously, looking rather offended by now. "Don't you need someone to talk to?"

This was getting out of hand. Ridiculous too, if he might add.

"When you're a man of great importance, a strong figure to lead the others, those novelties shouldn't be a concern to you," Gaius sharply retorted. He could see that his maid and servant were already tossing each other furtive looks, probably unused to seeing someone trying to domesticate the king himself, and he glowered at the hint of sympathy dusting Jude's expression. "While you're chatting away over some food with your company, your citizens are suffering down under. Do you think of me as such a ruler?"

Panic flitted over the boy and he shook his head again, eyes wide. "That's not what I meant, Gaius…! I just thought that if you needed someone to talk to, then I'm willing to listen, that's all. I'm your friend, you can trust me."

Well.

That was unexpected.

Since when was Jude his self-proclaimed friend? The notion itself was utterly ridiculous and he would've smirked at the abysmal thought of it, but Jude looked rather adamant with his proclamation. Sheer determination used for such a wrong intention, and Gaius lamented at how different both him and Jude were. If only the boy would focus on more important things instead of trivial matters such as friends and sharing meals, then he could have been a strong leader, just like Gaius was. But no. Jude Mathis was a boy too weak and too young to think for himself, often making the wrong decisions, and it was up to him to set the boy on the right path.

Before he could even make a sound argument to silence the topic once and for all, his doors slammed open and the maid nearby squeaked, jumping away from the scene.

The one person he didn't wish to see the most stood in his room, wearing a wide grin on his face and looking as dandy as ever.

"Hey, sorry to interrupt your dinner, you two," Alfred simply apologized, but it wasn't the type of apology where it came from the heart, rather it was like an apology scrawled on a piece of paper and slipped underneath the crack of a door. He sauntered into the room, raking a hand through his hair and stopping beside Jude just in time to pull him into one of his one-armed embrace again. The boy flinched and gave the brunet a perplexed look, but Alfred winked and tapped his cheek almost affecti— "I'm gonna head back to Elympios but I don't wanna leave without saying goodbye, so here's my farewell gift for you."

With that, he swooped downwards and pecked Jude's cheek.

And Gaius saw red before his eyes.

Meta:Mor:Phose
Chapter 5 and a 1/2: I Really Can't... Can I?

Warm. Soft. Lingering scent.

Jude's skin was uncharacteristically like a girl's.

He pulled away just in time to kick some sense into his head. 'Get a grip, self,' he mentally rolled his eyes, almost smacking a hand on his face at the thought. It was a natural law of the world that Alvin's a womanizer, has a weakness for a pretty face (perhaps regardless of the gender too now that he met Jude and the boy made him question his preferences), and he's probably the biggest flirt in Elympios (also rapidly rising in both rank and popularity in Auj Oule). Kissing Jude on the lips was out of the question because he was as sure as hell that he'd be skewered by both Presa and Gaius for such an offending crime, but nobody made a guide of how-to's when he's faced with the situation of a pretty boy dressed to the nines for a dinner date. To make it worse? It's not a dinner date with him, but with his rival.

Finding himself at a loss, Alvin straightened up and gave Jude a perfectly cheeky smile, something he knew he perfected from all the years of training. But the boy gawked at him, lips slightly parted and cheeks dusted with scarlet undertones.

Well. That wasn't expected. Alvin scratched his head. 'Great... Now he's giving me that face. What's a man gonna do?'

"Wh-What was that for!?" a flustered Jude gasped out, pressing a hand to his cheek where Alvin left the kiss, looking as though someone had outright molested him in the hallways or something. "Alvin...! You don't go around giving kisses on the cheek like that!" Jude struggled with the next set of words, gulping down air more than he needed, and he shyly looked away from the man, his voice crumbling. "... Especially to a guy, n-not that I have anything against it."

Feeling like a child admonished by his parent, Alvin managed a lopsided grin and shrugged, backing away. "It's just a parting kiss, no need to make a big fuss out of it." Though really, he can't blame the kid because he was sure as hell questioning what was his motive in giving the kiss anyway. Riling up Gaius was one thing, but the other? Some questions he could never really answer, and he preferred not overthinking either.

Trying not to let it get to him that much, Alvin gave a two-finger salute at Jude and waved him off, walking away with his usual gait. "I'll see you around, kid, Gaius."

Before he could even manage a few steps heading towards the exit, within seconds, there was the familiar clatter of an unsheathed weapon sliced through the air, sharp metallic steel pressed to his nape. Servants gasped in horror at the sight and instantaneously, Alvin knew that he was really buried in some deep shit he brought upon himself. What a lovely day.

"You think you can walk away so easily after trespassing into the king's room? Also, I recall warning you about coming near Jude. That's two crimes in a day, Duke Svent."

Yikes. If this morning Gaius sounded murderous, then right now he's a downright bloodthirsty beast.

"I get to be at the pointy end twice in a day?" Alvin feigned nonchalance, although his hand was slowly creeping towards his holstered gun, readying himself for retaliation. "My, my... What did I do to deserve this honour?"

"You're not even worthy of the word 'honour'," Gaius hissed, traces of resentment evident in his voice. "A man like you isn't worth the title of a ruler."

"Ouch, harsh..."

A patter of footfalls echoed in the room somewhere behind him and Alvin instinctively knew that Jude came to his rescue again. 'Seriously? Twice in a day?' he groaned, shaking his head in disbelief. When did he ever fall down this low until some pre-puberty kid had to save him anyway? His luck was seriously down in the dumps today. Talk about having a lovely day indeed.

"Gaius, please don't resort to violence," Jude tried to coax him, all soft pleading voices that Alvin found it rather hard to believe that it belonged to a boy. "You're not going to solve anything like this. Look, I'll make Alvin apologize for what he did."

"His apologies are meaningless. He's the kind of man who'll commit the deed over and over again since he lacks the discipline to control himself and remember his manners."

Double ouch. Alvin fancied himself as one of the most well-mannered and charismatic people in Elympios. Nobles love him, people respect him. What more did he need to prove it anyway?

"Gaius." Jude spoke up again behind him, and Alvin could feel the nick of the blade lifted up from his nape. Well, that was a big relief... Until he heard more gasps and saw a maid fainting from the corners of his eyes. That couldn't mean anything good. He craned his head over his shoulder and saw Jude with his hand outstretched, grasping the blade of Gaius' sword with his bare hand. And Alvin's eyes widened when he turned around and saw the full extent of the damage Jude inflicted on himself, blood dripping onto the ground and staining the rugs a deep shade of red. Unfazed, Jude went on unflinchingly, "You have to stop this, I mean it. I don't want anyone hurt."

Alvin wasn't sure what to make of it.

Jude said he didn't want anyone hurt but he chose to hurt himself for what reason again? To make Gaius stop his fit of murderous spree?

Whatever it was, it worked on him. The king seemed to relax from his stance and Jude released the grip he had on the sword, letting his bleeding hand dangle by his side. Gaius didn't make a move; he lowered his weapon but his eyes travelled to the kid's hand, staring at it long and hard as though he didn't like what he saw. It didn't bother Jude though. He exchanged glances between Gaius and Alvin, decided that there wasn't any more animosity between them, and finally decided to get concerned with how he was bleeding waterfalls onto the carpet.

Alvin slapped a hand to his forehead, finding the whole thing very surreal-even bordering on downright bizarre. "Kid, you're reckless as hell, you know?"

"I'm not reckless," Jude huffed, not even bothering to make eye contact as he continued examining the wound on his hand. "I just don't want to see you get killed, or let my friend kill someone."

"You should get that treated right away," Gaius uttered, wiping away the bloodstained sword before sheathing it. "You," he pointed to the servant boy, who was busy cradling the unconscious maid; "Get the doctor in here."

Alvin was about to add his two cents that he might as well bring Jude over to the doctor, but seeing that Gaius was one step ahead of him, he swallowed whatever he wanted to say. It was kind of obvious that the king was more concerned with Jude than anything else because he kept stealing glances at the boy even though he didn't bother approaching him. With nothing else left to do, Alvin decided that he might as well make himself useful by Jude's sight; at least the boy might be grateful for his company or something.

... That and he might owe him an apology or two.

Kneeling beside Jude, he squinted at the bloodied hand. From his expertise of getting wounded whenever an inevitable fight occurred, it wasn't a deep cut but it definitely shouldn't be taken lightly either. If it got worse, it might even lead to an infection. Putting a hand on Jude's shoulder, he watched as the boy fixed him a questioning glance before sighing. "Hey. I'm sorry. You got dragged into this because of me and now you're hurt."

Now here's where it got bizarre again, even for Alvin who had seen almost everything the world had to offer from animalistic catgirls to disturbing bondage kink clothing. Jude was really nonplussed about the wound. He didn't even pale at the sight or even attempt to staunch the bleeding. Heck, he didn't even bother to make small talk about Alvin's apology. All he ever did was to stare and stare at the wound, as if it could magically disappear in the blink of an eye.

And then Alvin felt his eyes almost bulging out from his sockets.

Because the wound had started to pinch together, like someone expertly sewn the two flaps with invisible threads, and it sealed up once more without even leaving behind a single trace of its existence. There were just smears and trails of blood and nothing else.

Alvin was at a loss for words, he could only sputter.

"I think I'm gonna go and wash up now," Jude got up from his spot on the ground, holding his healed hand as close as possible to his heart. He didn't look left or right, didn't try to smile or say goodbye, just darting off towards the door and leaving the room in a flurry of dark robes. He could hear the boy hurrying down the hall, avoiding maids with 'excuse me' and 'sorry' until his voice faded to nothingness.

Alvin still stared at the door blankly as if it'll bring Jude back, trying to process what really happened.

The wound. Disappeared. The boy. Gone.

He didn't want to believe it but it was all true.

"Looks like he's the guy, huh?" Alvin mused aloud, glancing sidelong at the quiet king. Gaius made no reply whatsoever, still staring at patches of blood that Jude left behind, and the Duke sighed. Looks like he wasn't the only one having a hard time digesting what just happened either. Someone so young and naive—no wonder Gaius wanted to shelter him from everyone else.

Heaving a ragged sigh, Alvin scratched his head and stood up, trying to straighten his Fissmauge scarf. His lips curled into a thin smile.

'First things first, gotta bring the boy to Elympios.'

「つづく」to be continued…