Chapter VX. Staging & Seasoning
"I love my brother, like deep down in his heart, Claudius loved King Denmark, too," said Hades as he leaned toward the long desk in the dining room, placing a plate of diced Red Leicester cheese before them. The cheese exuded an intriguing contrast: a vivid scarlet rind on the outside, while the inside boasted a luscious, golden texture—it bore the name of "Red Demon".
"No, please. Just...follow the draft. It's ok to not be entertaining," the young, near-white blonde lawyer placed her hand on Hades' gently. She interrupted as a reminder that the courtroom was not the same as a YouTuber's studio.
"Oh," Hades sighed. Then he turned his head to the lawyer, "Hey, could you recite the vow when I am on the stand?"
"You do solemnly state that the testimony you may give in the case now pending before this court shall be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?" the lawyer memorized the sworn testimony as she stared at Hades with her ice-blue eyes, "And you have to place your hand on the Bible and repeat the vow."
"I shall tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth...Ms, you see my problem here?" Hades spread his hand, "It's either the pretty lies you've made up for me or my ugly truth long-sitting in my heart."
"It's about how you present yourself to the judges, Mr Hades," the lawyer smiled and nodded. She even held Hades' hands to show her sincerity, "Think it like you're dating someone you love-you want them to see the best of you."
"It's a mask, a beautiful lie just to reduce the charges, which my brother definitely deserves more than anyone on Earth," Hades bowed his head and tightened his shoulders, "Counsellor, I can't. I...I sacrificed too much for him-my career, my best friend, and my fortune...all of them. Sacrificing them all for the man whom I resent the most, and all I got in return is he asking me to do a mansion tour."
The lawyer released her grip on Hades' hands and positioned herself by his side, patiently awaiting in silence. The massive dining room was filled only with the melodic chirping of birds, resonating throughout the space.
"You are a character witness, which isn't required by the court in the first place," the lawyer stated and lowered her gaze, "I apologize for your suffering."
"Have you ever heard of 'sunk cost,' Counsellor?" Hades raised his head, the lawyer could see his frown and the light peeking from the window splitting Hades' face into two halves, "This case is how I would describe 'sunk cost' to others."
"Let me rephrase the whole situation: because you have sacrificed so much for your brother, even if you think it has become impossible to keep supporting your brother...you would rather hold on. Am I correct?" said the crystal-clear voice of the lawyer.
"Hey, you do know what is 'sunk cost'," Hades' mood seemed lightened a bit, "That ungrateful bastard Zeus, he didn't give you any trouble, though?"
"He is my client, a client's troubles are also mine," replied the lawyer, assured and gentle, "You did remind me of my little sister. Do you mind me sharing some sibling stories if that helps you feel better?"
"Not at all! I'd like to hear about your sister."
"Well, my sister is like sunshine in my life. She may be a bit stubborn, but that's just because we share the same blood," the lawyer chuckled, "During my adolescence, I went through a phase of seclusion, locking myself in my room for entire days. No matter how my sister knocked on my door, I simply...wouldn't respond."
"Hey, it's called 'puberty' for a reason. Even if you had a punk head back then, no one should say a word about that. Your body, your right, ain't I right?" Hades attempted to bring some levity as the lawyer's tone grew increasingly sombre while reminiscing about her past.
"However, every Christmas, my sister would slide her handcrafted Christmas card through the narrow opening between the door and its frame. Despite my shortcomings as an elder sister, she never failed to express her love. I still keep those cards she made, all of them," the lawyer shared, her hand gently touching her chest, lost in the nostalgia of those memories.
"...I found it hard to understand the moral of the story, pardon me, Counsellor?" Hades raised one of his eyebrows.
"Family," said the lawyer as she turned her glance toward Hades, "whatever happened between you and the family...you could never give up on them."
"Simply because that diabolical man and I are tied with a chain forged by our blood?" Hades craned his head toward the lawyer, but she did not back down her firm stare.
"Because you are family, and you might be the only one...to give him a chance of starting anew."
After the lawyer finished the sentence, they engaged in a silent battle of glares-in the end, Hades surrendered with a sigh.
"Shall we continue the rehearsal?" Hades even raised his hands.
"You could take a break if you want to."
"Nah, I'm fine. Where were we?" Hades snapped his fingers as he was recalling his testimony, "Oh right. Throughout my life, I have had the opportunity to observe Zeus in various situations, and I have come to know him as a charismatic and lively individual. Zeus has always been known for his zest for life, his magnetic personality, and his ability to bring people together in celebration..."
"What did Hades say about the dinner party? It was his idea, there's no way he can just say 'I don't know, whatever you like.' and get away with it," Jafar crossed his arms and pondered in the living room, and Frollo was still wearing his earphones.
"Hades meant because the party would be in our dorm, so he is fine with whatever food we provide," Frollo removed his earphones and stated, "What do you want to cook?"
"Uh, potluck style, epic cooking battle?" Jafar's eyes twinkled with a touch of mischieve and enthusiasm, which Frollo found himself rather concerned about.
"...Why even bother with a war which you're doomed to lose," Frollo seemed to return his confession booth form upon hearing such a suggestion.
"Come on, Frollo! Imagine the FUN we will have!" Jafar stepped toward Frollo as he attempted to persuade him, "Besides, we can make Hades at least do something for the party!"
"I'm sure Hades would be fine even if you decide to order Subway," Frollo formed a stiff smile to Jafar, "Their 'The Outlaw' is fine for me. I remember you like 'The Boss Sub', right?"
"No, no Subway, not in my party in MY DORM!" Jafar waved his hands and shook his head like a beast, "Frollo, where's your spirit of adventure? Where's your sense of challenging yourself?"
"...I found that you have a weird impression of me, but OK," Frollo shifted his sight to his computer screen, "I just don't think potluck style is a good idea considering the party would be in our house-you just increase the opportunity of us eating Hades' stale food as he is 45 minutes away from here."
"Right, how about Yaminabe?" Jafar raised his index finger like he just came up with a physical theory more revolutionary than Quantum Mechanism, "We can turn off the light and throw in our secret ingredients into the hot pot, like how they do in Japan!"
"...Ok. I'm starting to be concerned that both you and Hades haven't quite reached the mental maturity to resist the temptation of throwing inedible objects into the hot pot just to spite each other," Frollo tried to state his thoughts politely, but he knew how sarcastic those words sounded, "I would like to remind you...whatever you throw into the pot would be my dinner as well."
"Are you suggesting that I can't even tell whether an ingredient is edible?" Jafar gritted his teeth and approached Frollo.
"...Look, I just started my 'Replica But Disastrous' marathon recently and...I have every single reason on Earth to have a DEEP concern about my dinner," Frollo turned his screen towards Jafar, showing a playlist of their old series "Replica But Disastrous." Some videos had red lines beneath the thumbnails, indicating that Frollo had watched them.
"It has been eight years, and you have seen me cooking a decent fried chicken," Jafar proudly proclaimed.
"...And your attempt of frying eggs without any butter or oil."
"That was an honest mistake, ok?" Jafar protested as Frollo's words were sharp as usual, he quickly recomposed and bowed to Frollo, "Then my dear Michelin-Star-less Chef Frollo, what kind of omelet would you like to cook that day?"
"I mean...why can't we roast a turkey together? We can stuff whatever we want inside a turkey-well, under my watch since it's my dinner...anyway, it would still be fun."
"It is still like, a month before Thanksgiving?" Jafar shrugged, "Also, turkey is boring-it's just hamburger but with meat as bread in that concept."
"Right, hamburger," Frollo reached his hand toward Jafar, "We can buy various patties, vegetables, even cheese...so we can have a Build-Your-Own Burger party."
"...Then what's the difference between Subway and your...Build-Your-Own Burger party idea?" Jafar raised his eyebrows.
"You have complete control over every aspect of your burger. You get to choose the patty, the bun, and all the toppings-so at least I have a say in my own dinner," Frollo patiently explained and gestured his hands, "You can have tall burger, monster burger, burger tank, burger Transformers...I don't care. As long as I could have a beef brisket with Stilton cheese, nice and soft. Lettuce, tomatoes, onions, with just ground pepper, as Stilton cheese would provide enough favour."
"Deal," said Jafar right after Frollo shopping-listed what he would put in his burger, without hesitation.
"...Make your darn burger that day, you creative, colourful individual," Frollo threw a wry smile to Jafar.