Chapter 6 – A Sneaky Snake

-:-:-

When Chad awoke, he felt rested and comfortable, cool in a way he normally never achieved at night in Tangu, and it took him a few moments to place why that might be the case.

Brief moments, of course, because when he opened his eyes it was to see Jay's sleeping visage, the other teen about a foot away, curled towards him and wearing an expression lax with sleep, demonstrating a kind of vulnerability Chad hadn't expected. Like this, unguarded, it was easy to classify Jay as regal – his face strong, sharp lines and hair spilling around his shoulders with an effortless kind of beauty – but these were all just aesthetic observations made with the utmost objectivity – anyone else would agree with Chad.

So he didn't linger on it, choosing instead to marvel at the turn his afternoon had taken. He wasn't proud of throwing up, of course, but the lunch, the stories, sharing an easy naptime – they were all things he'd do with Ben, all things normal teens got to do. Chad hadn't been allowed such indulgences himself, and he was grateful to finally be allowed that opportunity. He wondered if he could continue his good stroke of luck when he returned to Auradon, if he could hang out with actual friends when he went to school now that his grandfather wasn't around to tell him not to bother anyone. He could go out and have pizza with the Tourney team or study with Aziz or catch up with Ben after a long day, and maybe he could ask Jane on a date. Maybe he could keep up his video calls with his dad and keep having tea with Fairy Godmother, and he wondered if Auradon and Enchancia would manage to connect their communication systems so he could talk to the friends he'd acquired here as well. He could show Mal his sketches maybe even tell Jay stories sometimes, since they seemed to make him so at ease.

The future was rife with possibilities and Chad looked forward to exploring them, allowed himself to feel a certain string of hope that Dr. Sweet had been encouraging all along.

He really was progressing.

Chad was marveling over this when he heard something clink behind him, though when he looked over his shoulder, he didn't immediately see the cause of the noise. He waited a moment, scanning the area, and caught a colorful shift of movement that was followed by another clink. Eventually his eyes landed on a dresser pressed against the far wall, some kind of bowl seeming to have tipped over on top of it, dropping a various assortment of colorful things onto the floor.

Chad paused, then realizing that Jay was still asleep, figured it would be okay to clean things up. Dr. Sweet let him know he wasn't obligated to keep everything in perfect order, but if it made Chad feel better and more accomplished, there was no harm in catering to those desires, so long as it didn't get to the point of detriment. So while Chad could no longer have midnight cleaning binges in an effort to feel more productive and therefore valuable, he could help a friend out if he so chose to because there was nothing wrong with that.

He slid off the bed, and when Jay continued to rest, Chad crossed to the dresser, blinking when he realized the colorful objects were actually an assortment of gems. It seemed kind of strange to keep them in a bowl out in the open, but maybe it was some kind of art project? For all he knew, Tangu could be littered with stones like this the same way the shores of Sardinia were rife with shells – it could just be another random thing strewn about the wild.

Well, only three of four of them had fallen onto the floor, so it wasn't hard for Chad to scoop them up and put them back where they belonged, setting the bowl upright and grinning at a job well done. It was only when he was giving the rest of the dresser a cursory one over that he registered the picture set near the bowl of gems. It seemed to be a framed photo of Jay in his downtime, some kind of red cobra snake draped around his shoulders, the snake nuzzling its head against his cheek while Jay wore a hopelessly fond grin. It was the kind of candid photo Chad could never hope to emulate in his sketching efforts, but he was pretty sure Mal would be able to.

Still, it was very cute, and made all the more delightful by the fact that Jay – who seemed so very tough and grouchy – was the subject of it.

"Hey," Jay's sleep-muzzled voice grumbled from behind him. "What are you doing?"

"Admiring your photo," Chad explained, turning to show off the framed picture he'd been looking at. "I should have taken you for a snake guy. Is this your pet?"

"Sort of," Jay said, sitting up with a stretch. "Only I wouldn't say that to his face."

Chad let out a fond laugh, looking at the picture one more time and appreciating the open affection Jay held within it. "I suppose that's fair."

He was about to keep talking, but paused when he caught movement out of the corner of his eye, and realized that the snake from the photo was making his way along the top of the dresser, aiming towards Chad. Oh, that must have been the reason why the bowl had been knocked over, which made Chad laugh – Jay did seem like the kind of guy that just sort of let his snake roam about and do its own thing.

"Hello," Chad greeted with a wiggle of his fingers, setting the picture down and holding out his hand as an offering. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Chad, and your scales are very pretty."

There was a pause, the snake considering him for a moment before it seemed to puff up in a kind of preen, seeming to decide Chad was worthwhile company before he slid forward, shifting onto Chad's hand and easily climbing up his arm.

Jay let out a chuckle. "Should have taken you for a person who talked to pictures," he murmured, and when Chad looked over his shoulder it was to see him rubbing sleep out of his eyes. "Please don't take that the wrong way."

"I don't," Chad assured him, grinning when the snake easily curled around his shoulders, nuzzling Chad's cheek before he shifted to loop around his neck. "And while I do that on occasion, I was actually talking to your friend. What's your name?" Chad asked, and the snake let out a soft hiss that sounded close to Iago. "That's very regal."

"What are you-" Jay cut off when he finally looked at Chad, his gaze going wide. "Hey, no – stay away from him," he hissed in the snake's language.

Chad wasn't sure how he knew that, it was just one of those weird things that sort of clicked in his brain.

Iago let out an annoyed hiss and nuzzled Chad's cheek again, making the blond chuckle. "I like you too," he informed the snake sagely. "And I'm honored by your friendship."

Jay froze, watching them with a shocked expression. "Usually he hates everyone."

Iago released a snooty hiss to explain this, startling a laugh from Chad. "Most people are poor conversationalists," Chad offered to Jay.

Jay stared at him. "Can you understand him?"

"It's not a direct translation," Chad said as he walked back towards the bed, settling on the edge so Iago could be closer to Jay. "It's more like I can understand his intent? It's a bloodline thing," he settled on, deciding that was the best explanation for his mother's gift. "I have it with most animals."

He hadn't met all of them, so he didn't know if it applied to all or just some, but honestly, Chad had more than enough to get by.

Before Jay could reply, Iago let out a polite hiss, something that requested Chad move closer to Jay.

"Oh, sure," Chad said, properly climbing onto the bed so he could settle next to the other teen. "This good?" Iago hissed again, making Chad frown. "If I get any closer, I'll be in his lap."

There was another hiss that must have directly translated into something snarky because it made Jay flush, but Chad got the intent well enough and offered Jay a smile.

"Do you mind?" he asked, feeling tempted to give into his own blush even though he knew he shouldn't be embarrassed. "It's okay, I get it – animals don't have the same kind of social interactions as we do."

"I um- I do not," Jay said, wrapping tentative hands around Chad's hips and pulling him into his lap at the blond's nod, the two of them watching Iago uncurl himself a bit so he could loop himself around both of their necks.

"I'm guessing you can understand him more specifically?" Chad asked. "Is it just snakes, or-"

"I'm kind of like you," Jay explained. "The bloodline thing, I mean. But yeah, it's just snakes. And I do get a translation that's a rough approximant to Common."

"That's so cool," Chad said, grinning as Iago continued to curl around them, like he was determined to cuddle both his new and old friend at the same time.

"You think so?" Jay pressed, but it was more shy than doubtful. "The other kingdoms usually see it as a sign of inherent evil, or something. At least, some of the commoners seem to think that."

"Which is obviously wrong," Chad soothed. "And kind of weird. I'd have thought with how prominent magic is here that you wouldn't have those kinds of issues."

Jay shrugged, obviously not quite comfortable discussing it. "There's always something," he sighed. "The people of the Moors have wings? That's fine. Merfolk have dark vision? Whatever, but Light forbid if some of Tangu's citizens can talk to snakes." He let out an annoyed huff. "Probably wouldn't have the same issues if we could talk to all animals like you."

"It's not the same," Chad pressed. "What you have is a gift and it should be celebrated. You can have conversations with Iago that I could never hope to achieve. What I have? It's an inherent understanding of emotions and intent, but you can actually get details." He paused, considering the implications of this. "Do you use him to spy?"

Immediately, Jay's cheeks heated in a telling flush. "Maybe."

"Jay," Chad laughed, smile widening at Iago's amused hiss.

"I mean- I don't cheat or anything," Jay sputtered. "But sometimes my parents try to keep things from me-"

Iago interrupted with a hiss that more or less indicated that if Jay's parents wanted him to know something, they would have told him.

"Don't you start now," Jay huffed. "You act like I want you to spy on girls changing or something and telepathically share the memories when I just want some damn information."

"Can you do that?" Chad asked, perking up in interest. "Share memories?"

Jay froze, like maybe he hadn't meant to share that. "Maybe?"

Chad huffed. "I think that's cool; you don't have to be embarrassed by your gifts."

"But… my mind can connect to a snake's," Jay said, like this was a bad thing.

"Yes," Chad said. "And that's awesome."

Iago released a pleased sound before he startled nuzzling Chad's cheek again, constricting his body somewhat until Chad and Jay were squeezed together.

"I um- appreciation the affection, Iago," Chad laughed as the snake tried to turn Chad's face towards Jay's with a few stubborn nudges. "But you're kind of bringing us a little close-"

Chad didn't know how the sentence was going to end because at that point, the door to Jay's bedroom opened, making both of them freeze to see none other than Queen Scheherazadestanding there, looking on them with an amused expression.

Which, Chad supposed their position could be amusing if you knew it was the handiwork of a stubborn snake, otherwise it would definitely look like he and Jay were on their way to making out, which really wasn't the case.

"Your majesty," Jay murmured, his cheeks flushing hot. "I can um- explain."

"You don't need to," the queen said, quirking an intrigued brow at him. "This, at least. Skipping out on your duties, however…"

Jay groaned. "They're dumb duties."

"They're still yours," Chad tutted, reaching up to scratch the top of Iago's head. It seemed to work, the snake's eyes falling closed with a happy sound, and Chad used the distraction to slowly relax Iago's body so he and Jay wouldn't be forced so close together. "You have to take them seriously, Jay."

Iago let out a cheerful trill that indicated his support on the matter.

"Traitors, the lot of you," Jay muttered, but then Iago kept going, hissing out a series of sounds that had both the queen and Jay interested.

Chad didn't get all of it, only that Iago was happy with Jay shirking his tasks for once because that got Iago Chad, who was kind and smart and not a thief.

Chad had thought he'd misheard the last part, but then Jay tensed beneath them. "Wait, did you transfer all those jewels over while we were sleeping?" he squawked, making Chad realize that the gems in the knocked over bowl hadn't been sentimental souvenirs at all, but rather very expensive gemstones.

"Aw," Chad said, the pieces coming together. "So you pushed the bowl over on purpose?"

Iago let out an affirming hum, making Queen Scheherazade blink. "You understand him?" she asked, seeming interested.

"Um- not the way you guys do," Chad said. "But I can get the general gist."

Iago slithered up, pressing the top of his head against Chad's temple, letting out another hiss. 'He passed the test,' Chad heard echoed in his brain. 'He is good. I like him.'

"I like you too," Chad said with a flush, giving Iago a few more scratches.

Oh, wow, a snake had telepathically spoken to him, that was pretty neat.

Iago seemed to think so too because he pulled away in the next moment, letting out a happy sound because apparently he'd been expecting that to freak Chad out.

"Crafty snake," Jay muttered, reaching up to join Chad's efforts. "This is why so many people think we're sneaky."

"There's nothing wrong with being sneaky," Chad hummed. "There's a time and place for everything."

Iago gave him another happy hiss before bumping his head against Chad's.

"Honestly, this is fucking wild," Jay muttered, scratching Iago's chin. "You're usually a cranky bundle of hate."

"Wariness, not hate," Chad said, somehow inherently knowing this. "He's protective of you because of your position, and…" He waited before Iago to give an elaborative hiss before continuing, "You do not show as much caution as he would like, which is why he does it for you." Chad paused, grinning at Iago. "That's very sweet, Iago. Jay's lucky to have a friend like you."

There was another pleased trill, communicating something along the lines of 'Don't I know it'.

"I'm almost sorry to interrupt," the queen said, watching the two of them with something like fondness, meaning Jay had to be someone special to her, at least marginally. "But I'm afraid I can buy you no more time."

"How about tomorrow?" Jay asked. "During midday? They'll all have free time anyway."

"Tomorrow," the queen hummed. "You and- I'm sorry, what was your name?"

"Chad," the blond offered, feeling his cheeks heat with embarrassment. "Please forgive my rudeness. I'm part of the Auradon contingent. The non-romance part."

At that, the queen blinked, seeming somewhat surprised before she dutifully recovered. "It's an honor to meet you, Chad."

"The honor's mine," he said, giving as much of a bow as he could in his position before turning to Iago. "Now if you don't mind, we need to part ways."

Iago leaned his head against Chad's again. 'May I come with you?'

Chad smiled, truly grateful by the offer, and tried to convey as much. "Jay needs you, but I am honored by your request."

Iago pulled away, letting out a teasing hiss towards Jay, seeming to revel in Chad's honor before he slowly unwound from both of them.

"Sneaky snake," Jay muttered with a flush as Iago plopped onto the bed, cutting a steady path towards the queen while Chad slid off Jay's lap. "Now you offer to spy for me."

There was a teasing hiss, like maybe Iago wouldn't have shared what he learned, and Chad lost a moment laughing over that while Jay sputtered.

Through it all, the queen seemed unaffected, easily bending down to scoop Iago up and wrap him around her shoulders, the snake settling into place with an open contentment.

"Your duties, Jay," she reminded with a pleased hum. "And Chad- I look forward to seeing you at story time tomorrow."

Chad felt himself flush. "Likewise, your majesty."

Look at that, he made another friend and hadn't embarrassed himself in front of the ruler of Tangu. He really was showing his grandfather wrong all over the place.

Which, in the end, was the perfect cherry on top of his sundae of cultural explorations.

-:-:-

Chad probably should have found a way to word his exploits better when he was recounting them later that night, but of course he didn't think much of it until Ben and Aziz seemed to both choke on their dinner.

"Excuse me?" Ben gasped, taking a healthy swig of water after he'd managed to clear his throat. "What happened?"

"I met his snake?" Chad said. "His name's Iago. He's a red cobra, I think."

Aziz and Ben shared a look before a joint sort of understanding seemed to wash over them. "Oh," Aziz said. "Like an actual snake."

"What else would I have meant?" Chad asked, but no matter how many times he voiced this question, neither one of them would give him a distinct answer.

Well, you can't win everything.

The next day found Chad setting out towards the Cultural Center with much less trepidation than the previous, a certain bounce in his step as he looked forward to an afternoon with Jay – one that wouldn't end with him losing his lunch in an alley. At least, hopefully.

He was grinning by the time he caught sight of Jay's familiar profile near the edge of the gathered crowd, the other teen seeming predisposed to lingering in the shadows. It took him a few moments to realize that Jay wasn't alone, and that Chad actually recognized the company he kept – though the purple garb should have been a major clue.

"Hey, Mal," Chad greeted with a wave of his fingers when he drew up to them. "Jay."

"You know her?" was Jay's greeting, the other teen seeming to have been in the middle of an intense stare down with Mal.

"We met in the Moors," Chad explained, smile falling somewhat at the other two's tense dispositions. "Is everything okay?"

"Yep," Mal decided with a drawl, though her reserved expression shifting into a fond smile when she aimed it at Chad. "We're good. And you?"

"Great," Chad said. "Are you both playing hooky?"

"We will be," Mal said. "But they don't schedule things for midday since it's so damn hot."

Jay seemed to tense at this, but Chad was used to Mal's grumpiness and took it in stride. "Yeah, but it's pretty cool how they can take advantage of the natural solar load Tangu is exposed to and power most of their cities via solar energy. How they took something they had in abundance and made it an advantage – it's kind of brilliant."

"Damn right, it is," Jay said, puffing up with pride for his kingdom.

"I suppose that's fair," Mal allowed, but her smile was still aimed at Chad. "I can always rely on you to find the bright side."

"All of the kingdoms of Enchancia have bright sides," Chad said. "So um- are you traveling with the contingent too? Is your mom one of the handlers?"

Or chaperones? Chad didn't know how else to refer to the bundle of adults tasked with running all the 'wooing events', as Aziz put it.

Mal considered this with narrowed eyes, then eventually nodded. "Something like that," she said. "I've certainly been seeing more of Enchancia than I ever wanted to before."

Jay let out a low scoff. "And the Moors is supposed to be the best leader."

Mal shot him a glare. "We still have the most magic."

"The most magic in one concentrated location," Jay countered. "Not the most magic overall-"

"Guys," Chad interrupted, realizing how things could devolve. "The magic of Tangu and the Moors are both a gift to Enchancia. One's merit cannot and will not diminish the other." He sighed. "I um- sorry for the lecture, just- it's weird how you guys can't seem to celebrate your wonders instead of being suspicious of them."

"Yes," Mal hummed. "You're still the same helpless romantic." Chad thought that might be a critique, but then she was smiling, something warm just for him, and that didn't fade when she turned to look at Jay. "Have you been dealing with the same thing?"

Jay's cheeks flushed, though that could easily be from the heat. "More or less," he allowed. "Though on a different note, someone else might have wanted to see you today, so…" He lifted up the scarves wrapped around his neck, and out poked Iago's head, the snake letting out a happy hiss when he saw Chad.

"Hey, buddy," Chad cheered, holding his hand out so Iago could slither up his arm again. "It's nice to see you too."

Mal seemed confused for all of a second before she huffed out a laugh. "Glad to see you can make animal friends wherever you go."

"To this point, I have been fortunate enough to benefit from good company," Chad said as Iago wrapped around his neck, happily settling under Chad's own light blue scarf.

It wasn't the oddest sight in Tangu – snakes seemed to be a constant companion for many families, so none of the people around them seemed surprised by Chad's acquired accessory.

Further conversation was interrupted by the arrival of Queen Scheherazade, who immediately launched into her newest story – which just so happened to be about Ben's parents.

So she'd been serious about those story acquisitions after all.

It was fun listening to the familiar tale, watching the children's faces light up in wonder as she spoke of the strength of Queen Belle's love, how her determination and kindness finally got through King Adam's anger.

"Whoa," Mal said when the story was finished. "And that's the dude that's leading all of your kingdoms?"

"He's learned his lesson," Chad said, feeling oddly defensive. "Well enough that he would never revert to his old ways. He's dedicated to goodness, and with Queen Belle, they work together to create a union of kingdoms that benefits all."

"Sap," Jay and Mal said at the same time, sharing a startled glance before they each looked away with an annoyed flush.

"So," Jay continued, clearing his throat awkwardly. "I believe I owe you some lunch."

"Awesome," Mal chirped. "I'm tagging along."

Jay shot her a less than appreciative look. "You weren't invited, lizardbrain."

"Think of me as your chaperone," Mal replied with a sweet flutter of her lashes. "Wouldn't want you doing anything untoward."

"Mal," Chad sighed, but Jay seemed to take this as a challenge.

"I'll show you," he muttered. "I'm the most gentlemanly – not that I'd expect you to understand with the way you growl at everyone."

"Yeah?" Mal challenged. "And you think it's better to lead poor suckers along, flirting as an interrogation strategy?" She waved a knowing finger at him. "Face it, Ja-"

"Jay," the other teen cut in fiercely, making Chad and Mal startle. "It's just Jay."

Mal considered him for a moment, her gaze flicking between him and Chad before she settled for a shrug. "And I'm just Mal," she huffed, like that meant anything. "And now that we have that understanding, I think you're going to take us to lunch."

There was a pause, and then Jay sighed. "Whatever."

He was the one that led the way, though both of them seemed determined to keep Chad buffered between them.

"Um," Chad said as they walked towards a nearby city center. "Do you guys not like each other?"

"We don't necessarily see eye-to-eye on the same things," Mal allowed. "And on others, we seem to agree too much."

"You aren't queen of everything," Jay muttered.

"Well I fucking met him first," Mal hissed back, making Chad sigh all over again.

"Guys, I can be friends with both of you," he said. "But you don't have to force friendship with each other on my account. I would like you either way."

There were some people, Dr. Sweet informed him, that simply didn't mesh together on a fundamental level – whether it was because of strong, conflicting personalities or because they had different methods of communication. There was nothing wrong with not liking everyone you met, but there was harm in trying to force something that wasn't there. It was that last part that Chad was trying to work on, because he tended to be so eager for affection he would take whatever abuse was thrown his way so long as it was accompanied with a smile.

His grandfather had done that for many years, and then he'd stop putting up the pretense, leaving Chad's peers at Auradon Prep to pick up the slack.

Mal sighed. "And that statement further proves that you are the most emotionally mature person in this whole damn contingent."

"Aw," Chad said, feeling his cheeks heat with warmth. "Thanks, Mal."

"I also think you're mature," Jay added, making Chad grin fondly, because they wanted to reassure him, and maybe it wasn't the best that they were fighting with each other to be his friend but it was kind of cool that they both wanted his attention.

"Thanks, Jay," Chad said, sure to offer each of them his appreciation. "I really…"

He trailed off when he noticed Jay's brows furrow, his gaze flicking behind them briefly for half a second before shifting forward, then repeating the process again.

"What is it?" Chad asked, keeping his voice low.

"Someone's following us," Jay murmured, and Chad knew the moment Mal tensed that she'd seen them as well. "We can cut through that shop," Jay continued, motioning off to the right. "I know the owner. They'll let us go through the back and then we can duck around the building-"

Chad glanced behind them and paused, because he recognized that profile even if they were swathed in Tangun clothing that didn't quite sit comfortably on their frame.

"Carlos!" Chad cheered, waving a hand at the smaller teen. "Hey, how are you?"

In the distance Carlos startled, like he hadn't been expected to be called out, and then after a moment's hesitation he joined them, seeming uncharacteristically shy.

"I'm good," Carlos said, his voice quiet and freckled cheeks bearing a light sunburn. "I thought that was you in the Cultural Center."

"Guys, this is Carlos," Chad said, motioning to the other two. "He's with the Hanover contingent. Carlos," he turned back to the shorter teen. "This is Jay and Mal. Jay was about to take us to lunch. You can join us if you want, my treat."

Carlos paused, his brows furrowed together in concern. "I wouldn't want to intrude."

"Sure, you would," Mal drawled. "That's why you followed us, isn't it?"

"Mal," Chad sighed, something he began to realize would be a recurring theme.

"Hanover, huh?" she continued, undeterred. "That's Princess Evelyn's lot, right?"

"He's the same as us," Chad murmured. "Trying to make the most out of a learning opportunity. Now if you want to keep interrogating him, can we do it somewhere that's shady?"

"Um." Carlos shifted uneasily. "Maybe I should go."

"Come on," Chad said, reaching out to hold grab his hand. "Don't pay attention to them, Carlos. Mal's naturally grumpy and Jay's naturally fighty but underneath that they're both very nice. You just have to work through the rough edges."

"Hey," Mal said, seeming to protest. "I also want hand holding."

"All you have to do is ask," Chad said, offering a fond smile and her free hand. "Because we are friends and platonic hand holding is perfectly respectable."

"Yes," Jay said, seeming to snatch up Carlos' free hand in a continued show of one ups-manship. "Platonic."

They probably made an odd sight when they walked into Jay's newest restaurant but Chad didn't really care, riding the high of friendship and new adventures.

"I've got a reservation under Jay," the Tangun teen pressed to the hostess, once more emphasizing his name for some reason. "I have two more than expected, though. Totally understand if you can't accommodate all of us though."

"That's perfectly fine, your-"

"Jay," Jay interrupted firmly, making the hostess blink again before she nodded in understanding.

"Jay has a thing about his name," Chad offered Carlos, who didn't seem to know what to make of the exchange.

Mal didn't say anything, too busy cackling, but fortunately it didn't take long for them to be led back to their own private room. It really did help that Jay seemed to know everyone.

"Is your face okay?" Chad asked Carlos as they settled in, the blond keeping his shyer friend next to him, leaving Mal and Jay to duke it out for the other chair. It wasn't really a surprise that Mal won, forcing Jay across the table with a sigh.

Carlos flushed. "I'm still adjusting to the heat."

"That's fair," Chad said, rummaging through his satchel until he came up with the small tin of ointment Aziz had given everyone. "Sultana Jasmine sent a special healing ointment with her son in preparation for this trip since Tangu and Agrabah are similar in climate. Would you like some?"

"You don't mind putting it on?" Carlos asked, making Chad pause for a moment because he'd meant for Carlos to go to the bathroom and do it himself, but the other teen looked uncomfortable as it was, so Chad wasn't going to force the issue.

"Not at all," Chad confirmed, deftly unscrewing the lid. "I'm not surprised you're having trouble. The people of Hanover seem more used to winter than summer."

"I'll say," Carlos murmured, seeming to shiver at the cool feel of ointment once Chad started spreading it across the bridge of his nose. "Getting sunburned from light reflecting off snow is different than Tagun heat."

"I don't know how you can stand it," Jay said, genuinely curious. "It's so cold in Hanover. Like, all the time. Even your summers are cool."

"Like Tangu, I'm sure you get used to it the longer you live there," Chad offered so Carlos wouldn't have to. "I personally am looking forward to visiting Hanover – according to our research, it has a lot of similarities with Corona – one of the centralized kingdoms of Auradon."

Ruby's kingdom, and even if that romance wasn't meant to be, Chad still felt a little sad that his efforts had been for nothing, even if that was a perfectly naturally part of life.

"A lot of our kingdoms seem to have similarities to yours," Mal noted with a furrowed brow. "I wonder why that is."

"Maybe the Dark Forest wasn't always there," Chad offered. "Maybe our people migrated and set up colonies that expanded into the kingdoms we have today."

"Well," Mal said. "At least we're not afraid to use our magic."

"That's one of the things I'm hoping we can take back to Auradon," Chad said. "We have magic users, but it seems… not necessarily frowned upon, more like people are wary of it? I dunno, I hope Ben takes a page from your book and gets permission to instigate the same kind of magic regulatory laws you guys have so our people could practice magic– if it's a natural part of our environment, there's no reason we should ignore it."

"Hear, hear," Mal said, toasting Chad with her glass of water. "Say, has he showed you guys his magic shield thing?"

Chad had only shown it to her after a lot of pleading on Mal's part (and she'd gotten him special teacakes, how could he refuse?), but he hadn't expected the matter to come up again.

"Mal," Chad said, his cheeks heating in a flush. "I'm only supposed to use that for emergencies."

"What magic shield?" Jay asked, perking up with interest. "I want to know more."

They spent the first part of the meal going over the functions of Chad's abilities as a warrior of the light, Chad trying to be as vague as he could since the details were technically restricted to those who were part of the Sardinian royal family.

"We have our own rune system that I'm still learning," Chad explained, that ignorance a discovery they'd made after his grandfather's arrest. Apparently, Chad was supposed to be learning it for years along with his sword and shield forms, though that knowledge had been purposefully withheld from him, the duke trying to keep a tight lid on what secrets he could, thinking Chad was undeserving. "Speaking of – Carlos, have you had any luck with your research?"

"What research?" Mal asked, her minor grumpiness having faded away in the wake of a conversation she considered interesting, which was anything that had to do with magic.

"Carlos has been working on inventing new rune applications based on the Hanoven transfiguration matrixes," Chad offered. "Combining that with the forms of written magic the other kingdoms of Enchancia use. I don't understand all of it, but it's pretty amazing stuff." Chad aimed a bright smile at Carlos. "He's going to present his finished products as an application to apprentice under some of your high-level magic users."

"You're going to mix magics?" Jay asked, seeming surprised. "Is that safe?"

Mal scoffed. "That's rich, coming from you."

"Mal," Chad chided. "Jay's allowed to show concern for the safety and wellbeing of others."

"You say this because you don't know he's an adrenaline junkie," she muttered. "Always doing his damnedest to give those chaperones a heart attack."

Jay tensed. "Fucking – if we have to go on these damn nature hikes and shit, we might as well get something out of it. There's no reason for me not to test out my adventuring skills."

"Yeah," Mal scoffed. "And it's not just so you scare people off?"

"Guys," Chad interrupted before they could devolve. "This is a friendly lunch. We are being friends and celebrating Carlos' awesomeness, along with the tastiness of Jay's favorite foods."

"I'll admit," Mal said, kind enough to take the chastisement for what it was. "Both of those things are worthy of being celebrated. This isn't as good as Moors' food, but it isn't bad."

"Thank you," Chad said before Jay could puff up in offense. "It really is delicious, Jay."

Jay paused, seeming torn between responding to Mal's comment and taking the praise as his due, and ultimately settling for the second option. "Thank you," he said, grinning wide. "I'm glad someone has good taste."

"Yeah, yeah," Mal said, waving him off. "So what are these things again?"

They lost some time to Jay explaining the different foods brought before them, each of them trying a sample as they experienced the non-spicey side of Tangun cuisine. Of course, Carlos' research was not forgotten, and Mal already warned him that they would be looking into it after they ate, making the Hanover teen flush furiously in a sort of open bashfulness.

"What kind of food do you have back at your home?" Jay asked, seeming to ride the high of Chad's constant praise. Which was fairly earned, of course, now that Chad wasn't worried about the spice component, he could simply sit back and enjoy the flavor.

"Sardinia has many of the same staples of Central Auradon," Chad said. "With an emphasis on butter and cream. Rich, tasty meals. We always have bread, and our pastries are on the lighter side. You wake up with coffee and end each dinner with a cheese plate."

"Cheese?" Mal echoed. "You don't finish with dessert?"

Chad shrugged his shoulders. "Nope," he said. "I don't make the rules, I just sit back and enjoy the tasty, tasty cheeses."

"Sounds weird," Mal hummed. "But a kind of weird I could get behind."

"That's the spirit!" Chad cheered, making Mal flush as he praised her forward progress.

They really were getting somewhere. Slowly, surely.

Jay ended up teleporting them back to his suite after their meal because apparently he had a study filled with a collection of magic reference materials they wanted to use when looking over Carlos' notes, and soon all three of them were spitting out ideas, Carlos' hand struggling to keep up as they invented new, theoretical rune matrixes.

For the most part, Chad sat back and watched their enthusiasm at work, stripped of his outter layers with Iago keeping him company around his neck, the snake offering low hisses of encouragement as Chad worked on his embroidery.

"Are we boring you?" Jay asked an hour into the process, his expression distinctly worried. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

"I'm not bored in the least," Chad soothed. "I'm happy to watch you guys work on something you're passionate about. Please, keep going, I've got enough projects to keep me occupied."

"Such a crafty boy," Mal said, leaning over to plant a kiss against his curls, then pausing for a moment before she repeated the process on Carlos, who seemed to flush all the way down to his toes.

"Hey, me too," Jay pouted, bending down and giving Mal a hopeful look, and though she rolled her eyes, she pressed a kiss to the crown of his head as well.

So, there was definite progress.

-:-:-

Endnotes:

Again, I'm pretty sure it will be a Thursday update this week – just remind you while I myself remember ;)

Until next time :)