23 Chapter 23: Friends

Sunday came with Neo being woken up early by Rainier to prepare the day for his companions to come over.

Currently, they are in one of the more spacious sitting rooms of the Odum manors, spread about in various positions. All four of them had a script in their hands.

For the last three hours, they have been practicing their lines from the Tragedy of Ohmlet, which revealed just how terrible of an actor half of them were.

"Finny, for the last time, you need to lower your chin. That is not a flattering look on you. Relax."

There was a grunt, but nonetheless, Finneas did as Tybalt instructed.

"Also, you should stop tightening your grip. I think you're crushing Naza's hands."

The hand holding was adjusted.

"And can you also deliver your lines more gently? Without the swearing?"

"I second that."

"Shut up, Benedick, you die first. Your opinions don't matter."

"Hey!"

Tybalt's gaze then fell on Neo, who had been standing like a vase for some time.

"Naza, can you also repeat that line again? With more... passion?"

"No."

"I see."

The two who were picked for the two leading roles (for some god awful reason that Neo still can't figure out...), were the least capable of people to play the roles of Rose and Gilde.

For one, Finneas becomes a stiff board and delivers his lines too harshly to be understood, a contrast to his character, who is supposed to be sweet and gentle natured. It was both an interesting and disappointing sight.

Neo, on the other hand, read his lines the way he did in class, with a monotone voice. He still remained quite unhappy about playing Lady Rose, a girl who is portrayed as both passionately in love and sickly. She is a very dramatic character. With no other discernible personalities, she is either coughing out blood or blindly monologuing how much she loves Gilde.

Even Tybalt and Royce are still utterly confused about how these two boys were able to get their roles.

No one knew that Professor Rickman had chosen them for the roles, not only due to the scores they got from the alchemy quiz they took a couple of months ago, but also due to his previous impression of them.

Before, Finneas had been acting like a shy and timid lamb, while Neo not only looked like a pale and sickly-patient but had the personality of a hysterical madman with one purpose in life. Both of these personalities were perfect for the roles.

No one would have thought that one boy was reincarnated for the second time and another had faked his innocent-personality.

In summary, the plot of the play was either going to be burned to the ground or cause a riot due to the unfortunate miscast.

Neo stood in the middle of the room with Finneas, both of their hands holding one another as they faced each other. He smiled wryly as he watched his companions bicker with one another.

Eventually, Finneas lets go of his hands and begins to fiercely defend his poor acting skills once Royce points it out.

"-beats me how someone like you got to play Gilde-"

"Says the one playing the Nurse!"

Tybalt, the ever-patient mediator, cut that argument off at its roots rather quickly.

"Maybe we should skip to another scene. How about we move on to the one where the Nurse, the Cousin, and Lady Rose are talking? Finneas can take a break."

They have been focusing mainly on Finneas' scenes since he has the most speaking parts. The character of Gilde is a very... romantic character, who enjoys going on and on with disturbingly detailed descriptions of Lady Rose and soliloquies consisting of why he loves her.

For the entire hour, Neo was forced to stare 'lovingly' into Finneas' 'loving' (intense) gaze as they awkwardly huddled together and held hands for the umpteenth time.

For both boys, it was a very awkward experience...

Ultimately, it was agreed that Finneas can have a break, so Tybalt and Royce could finally read out their scenes.

The two boys who play less important characters that coincidentally die by the end of Act One--but if you were to ask Tybalt, he dies at the very end of the Act whilst Royce's character barely makes it to scene three--got into their places with Neo.

Surprisingly enough, Royce is not all that terrible in his portrayal of Lady Rose's nurse, and Tybalt has quite the talent in acting out the lines of Lady Rose's cousin.

Unfortunately, when it came to Neo's turn to speak, his lines were once again delivered in a monotone voice with barely any acting at all...

"..."

"Naza..."

Neo sighs.

'The grade... the grade matters more...'

He tells himself, before hanging his temperament into one of a delicate person. The blank expression and unenthused expression became one that had wide innocent eyes that crinkled happily at its edges, paired with a gentle and soft smile.

"Do not fret, dear Nurse. My feelings for Gilde are unchanging and his feelings for me remain ever-present. Aye, me!" Cue swooning dramatically. "Just thinking of my most beloved's hair that feels like silk, his eyes that shine like starlight, his skin, smooth like that of a baby's bottom, and satin to the touch. His gentle fingers, both slender and white, as they touch my own, and his scent of both pine and cedar and the wonderfulness that is him..."

He went on with this monologue that described Gilde in various manners until it was finished.

Then, he was met with silence.

Neo looked around and saw three pairs of eyes pinned on him.

"What?"

Royce was the first to fall from his trance. "I cannot express how painful it was to watch that."

Which brought Tybalt and Finneas from their daze. They, too, agreed.

Neo frowned. "I didn't write this. The lines in this script are trash."

Tybalt nods. "We know."

"We're fucking screwed."

There goes the performance. And their grade.

Whoever wrote the Tragedy of Ohmlet, may you not rest in fucking peace, you absolute fucker.

The two leading stars sighed depressingly in unison.

The door suddenly creaks open.

"Young Master," Rainier comes in with a tea cart and greets him.

Neo noticed that he wore his blindfold today and immediately understood that it was one of those bad days.

His face softens profusely.

"It is time for tea. Will Sir Phelan, Sir Dagon, and Sir Benedick be joining you?"

The ever-reliable Rainier came in with a cart of sweets, which got Neo out of his mood.

"Yes, Rainier. Thank you for your hard work." Neo spoke gently.

"It is my pleasure, Young Master."

The servant set the coffee table and all four companions sat down on the two sofas that faced each other as they were waited on.

"Today is a blend made from dandelion root. It is quite bitter, so I brought more cream and sugar for the other Sirs."

Rainier poured the tea into cups and set them out in front of Neo's companions with the cream and sugar. As always, Neo took his tea straight and did not partake in the other add-ons.

Royce stared curiously at his cup before taking a sip. He, too, did not add anything. After tasting, he raised a brow at his fellow modern-worlder.

Neo smiles sheepishly.

"It's a coffee substitute. Rainier thinks my recent coffee intake isn't healthy. Although I do enjoy tea, coffee is lifeblood, you know?"

Although tea and coffee are both considered caffeinated beverages, the people of this world view tea as little more than water. Even the poor and lower class can drink it, although the cheaper blends are not good quality.

The sole reason for this is mainly due to the poor water system. Despite the advanced development of the Rhine Empire, water is still not a safe entity to freely consume. You can always take a risk and boil it, but adding tea leaves and special ingredients into the water provided more nutrients and had medical properties.

Royce, who had lived a second life in the modern world, understood the woes that Neo is going through without coffee. Even he has brought the same addiction over to this world.

Neo is used to drinking two cups of coffee in the morning after coming back to this world. Rainier had noticed and brewed the dandelion roots.

While Neo appreciates him for his dedication, life is hard without the morning coffee that is fueling his system.

As much as he enjoys having tea time with Rainier and occasionally Guinivere and Aurelion, tea is nothing compared to coffee, especially for him, who was once considered a high-functioning workaholic that didn't sleep.

So what if he died because of overwork?

Even if he is dead in the modern world, he still considers himself to be working there. Clark donated his body to science. He still has used, you know.

Tybalt and Finneas, who didn't understand what Neo meant by coffee is the lifeblood, added sugar and cream, and winced slightly at the bitterness consuming their tongue.

They eyed Rainier for a moment.

Was this servant stepping out of line?

Rainier, this servant, had been handing the Young Master a slice of torte when he felt the two suspicious gazes of the Sirs and tried his hardest not to look uncomfortable. Was it the blindfold? Should he take it off?

It was Neo that quickly resolved the problem.

"Would the two of you stop looking at him like that? Whatever you're thinking, it is wrong."

The youth had noticed the eyes of two of his companions drawing over to his servant. Tybalt and Finneas are usually not in the loop of things, unlike Royce, so he first reprimanded them.

While Royce may not understand the current dynamic of his life in the Odum Manor, the man had spent thirty years in the modern world and grew into a successful adult within an open-minded society. He has become patient in his assumptions of things and waited for the explanations to come when it is time. Unlike him, Finneas and even Tybalt, are still considered youths who haven't experienced the hardship of adulthood.

Tybalt smiled sheepishly but did not say anything to Neo's reprimand, his focus going down to the sweets laid on the table.

As for Finneas, he was stirring in more sugar and cream into his drink until it was more sweet milk than tea.

After sitting in comfortable silence for some time, Neo began his job as the host with a conversation.

"These days Guinevere and Aurelion have been acting strangely towards each other. I do not know what has set them off, but they're starting to get me involved. Honestly, I never imagined that a conflict would ever erupt between those two, but I truly don't want to get in their way."

Royce joined in. "Perhaps it's puberty? The fluctuation of hormones and all that. I've noticed that your brother is growing even taller these days."

"You think so?" Neo furrowed his brows. "They are of that age now. Guinevere has been getting more and more violent with each passing day and Aurelion is often melting."

Royce nods along. "Those are definite symptoms. Have they been given education on the... you know..."

In a daze, Neo answers, "I think so. They should have been given one in Junior second year, right?"

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

Finneas, who couldn't understand a single thing, asked. Both he and Tybalt were very confused. They cannot keep up with this conversation.

What is 'you know' and this 'pyooberde' that they're speaking of? Can they eat it? Is it a disease? And why do Nazareth's brother and sister have it?

Royce and Neo paused mid-word and in unison, turned to the other two boys.

They have forgotten that the science of sexual education and child development is as refined as the modern world. Therefore, the two of them immediately went into a lecture on sexual education and the matters of puberty to the once somewhat-innocent ears of Tybalt and Finneas.

It was a talk that no one was prepared for.

Rainier wasn't even prepared and he's a twenty-year-old man that's currently acting as a background flower vase.

No one came out of that conversation unscathed, but hey, you always learn something new every day.

"But, how did you come about this information?" Tybalt asked after washing away the look of trauma on his face.

Neo pauses for just a second, a pause that Tybalt caught, before replying. "It was in the medical textbooks that I read once." The medical textbook that does not exist in this current world.

Not quite a lie, but not truthful, either.

"Oh."

Eventually, tea time came to an end with all four boys sitting comfortably on the sofas. The warmth of the sun seeping in from the windows added to the soft ambiance.

Rainier cleared up the plates.

"I will take care of these, Young Master. I hope you enjoy the rest of the afternoon with the Sirs."

"You are a gift from the gods, Rainier. Please thank Lila for the cakes."

"Of course."

Rainier took his exit, leaving the four youths by themselves once more.

Neo eventually found himself leaning on Royce's shoulder.

"I didn't think things would turn out like this." He said softly, loud enough for all his companions to hear.

"How so?"

The black-haired boy sighs, but his gaze continues to be unfocused, looking distant and not quite there. "Everything is so... peaceful now."

A snore abruptly cut the conversation.

Three gazes landed on Finneas, who had fallen asleep. The boy had pressed his face into the sofa and looked dead tired.

Neo quirks a smile in amusement. "He's worked hard today."

Tybalt chuckles quietly while Royce snorts.

"Indeed he did."

"Delivering his lines like that has taken a fair amount of energy."

They all looked at Finneas, asleep and looking like an innocent lamb. The room was warm, the sunlight filtered in gently, and there was cake and warm tea in their stomachs.

Eventually, each of them began nodding off as well, with Royce being the next one to fall asleep.

Tybalt found his eyelids growing shut, but before he could also sink into unconsciousness, he heard Neo's quiet voice.

"I'm so happy..."

Aurelion had found his older brother leaning on the shoulder of that idiot heir from the Benedick household and wanted to immediately explode!

Were they napping?!

Not only was Guinivere being a nuisance today and out to get him for some unsaid reason, but when he had decided to seek out the company of his older brother, THIS is what he sees instead! It was absolutely infuriating!

"Aurelion?"

Neo woke up when he sensed that the temperature in the room had dropped. There was one other person he knew that was capable of doing this.

Aurelion scowled and folded his arms. "It's nearly evening. I believe your companions have overstayed their welcome."

Neo raised his brow and checked the time on the grandfather clock. He was surprised. They have slept for nearly two hours.

"Hmm, we must have overslept...Royce, wake up."

Tybalt had awoken moments ago when he heard distinctive footsteps coming toward the door. He, too, opened his eyes. Exaggeratingly stretching his arms, he paired it with a yawn.

"... Fuck you, Phelan... Give me five more minutes..." Finneas mumbled.

A blue vein practically bulged from Aurelion's head.

"All of you, wake up!"

Neo walked his companions to the door in order to bid them goodbye. From the corner of his eyes, he saw Aurelion and Tybalt speaking to each other, but he ignored it in favor of hugging Royce and nodding to Finneas, all actions that had not gone unseen by his younger brother.

"Get back safely. I'll see you two at school."

"Have a good night."

"Yeah. What he said."

Tybalt was the last one to leave out the door, but not before hugging Neo rather enthusiastically.

"Have a nice night, Naza!"

Neo smiled and laughed lightly as he was crushed into the hug. He patted the other on the back. "You, too. Have a safe trip back."

When the door closed, it left Neo standing with Aurelion, who was scowling very fiercely for a fifteen-year-old.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

There was a pause.

"Do you need help with any school work? There's still sometime before dinner."

He waited for the spiking glacier to start melting its edges.

"... Okay."

Neo couldn't stop smiling. Right now, he is really happy.

Tybalt had caught up with Finneas as he left the gate of the Odum Manor. Royce had already departed on his carriage.

They waited for their rides and stood side by side in silence for a few seconds.

"Hey," Finneas didn't turn to him, his eyes looking. "What were you and that brat talking about?"

Tybalt fell into a momentary trance as he thought back to the conversation between him and Aurelion.

Then, he reveals a very charming smile. The look softens his face and brightens his expression. The feeling of relief can be easily shone.

"I have been relieved of my duties."

A snort. "So the brat fired. Was the guilt bothering you?"

Lavender eyes widen noticeably and the smile grows bigger.

"He's changed, just as he had promised. I can't say that it is everything I have ever wanted, but I'm glad he's become bearable. Naza... He trusts me."

"Fuck. The two of you are friends."

Tybalt sighs, but the fond look on his face never disappeared. "Yeah."

Finneas huffs in exasperation and crosses his arms as he sees a carriage trotting up to the gates.

"Sentiments. Your mother hen tendencies are showing."

"Says you. Don't think I didn't notice when you were glaring down that poor girl from the Junior Divisions when she tried to confess to Naza."

Finneas scowled.

The carriage pulled up in front of them.

"You fucking know that the idiot doesn't know a single thing about women. He's become a bigger dumbass after he had that weird dream and you coddling him like a child doesn't make it any better. Come on, I'll give you a ride home."

After making his point, the boy trudged over to the carriage, Tybalt following him with an amused grin on his face.

As the two climbed into the carriage, Finneas couldn't help but look back at the glimmering gates of the Odum Household.

Friends.

What a simple yet complicated thing to desire.