Chapter 152 - Familiarity

Far, far away from Iqeavea, back in Hidros; a plane got readied. Karlson stood by and watched. The cargo filled rapidly with boxes containing God's ale. "Boss, we're ready to take off," one of the henchmen spoke.

"Alright, everything has been prepared. The airfield should be ready for landing at any given time tomorrow," nothing more needed to be said. The engine fired up, it roared. About 50,000 worth of gold coins were loaded. So much money just from a drink that most don't know its origin let alone its name. 

The plane took off in the background. Karlson's car drove out, he sat at the back and thought; the face seemed worried. 'That was the last batch of God's ale we'll be able to send this month. I know not if our supplier has died or something bad happened. All that is sure is that contact has been lost," cigar in mouth, a problem surfaced yet again.

'Who's making all that noise,' Staxius awoke to a room invaded by snores. Scott and he shared a bed whilst the prince stayed in another room. 'What an idiot,' the curtain closed, Staxius walked over. "Fresh air at last," the dim room lit, the sun rushed in as if a starved animal. It was accompanied by the trusty wind whomst filled the suffocating atmosphere with life.

"Scott," he spoke, the manager's sleep broke as soon as the window opened. "Thanks for waking me up," the hands reached for the glasses that laid near the bed.

"Sure," he didn't care for the stomach growled. "Can't you keep it quiet?" Adete crawled from underneath the t-shirt. "Sleep some more if you want," he offered. "Sure," she accepted and dozed off on the head. The hair now untied ran down the back. Without any facial hair, Staxius looked somewhat feminine. That was before the red-eye and symbol anyways, he now looked menacing.

Having slept only in a very small short and a t-shirt, the body filled with symbols and ancient writing came to light. The legs were filled, and so was the upper body. The arms began to have an engraving of its own, one that related to the symbol of power given by Lord Death.

*Click,* the door opened, Ernis stood before a mirror and brushed his teeth. "Morning Prince," with the hand covering the mouth from a yawn, Staxius walked in without worry. "Morning Staxius," he returned the good morning graciously.

"I hope you don't mind me using the toilet, right?" Staxius leaned over the door left ajar. The latter separated the bath into two sections: one with a toilet and the other with a shower, bath, and a mirror.

"It's no worries," the prince in turned leaned backward and replied with a firm smile. "Awesome," Staxius proceeded to continue with the morning ritual.

*Click,* the door opened yet again, this time Scott walked in. "Man, for a luxurious hotel, having one toilet is sure inconvenient," he complained and rinsed his face.

"They have two taps at least, let's rejoice with what we have," Ernis dried the face with a towel. "I guess they got that going for themselves," Scott undressed without much thought.

"Ernis, you may be royalty and all, but I care not." The boxers dropped right beneath the prince's feet. "I appreciate the thought, being treated like a normal human is far better than the fake gestures of politeness," he replied with another smile.

"Well, I'll take a shower first, Staxius join me if you want," Scott added with a serious snobbish tone. "Want me to wash your back whilst we're there?" from the toilet, he fired back sarcastically.

"Touché my friend, touché," Scott who stood butt n.a.k.e.d now showered. "I'll go get dressed," the door opened yet again, Ernis left. Staxius now brushed his teeth, "Adete, opened your mouth," he asked, the still asleep girl pulled out a big grin. To that, Staxius took her in his hand and cleaned her mouth. In the end, the toothpaste covered her whole face.

"Be careful, I'm still a lady," her eyes barely opened, the usual attitude wasn't there yet. "Sure," using a cup, he dowsed her with cold water. "Rise and shine," he smirked, she stood with her arms crossed and the eyes of a killer. "IT'S TO EARLY," she flew and began to whale, to that, he grabbed her by the shorts and yawned.

"Scott, I think I'll join you," he got undressed and entered the shower, "me too," Adete demanded. She sat on his shoulder and all three had a shower. The sarcastic remark turned into reality; these guys were being themselves. No boundary, no tact, no filter, just guys being guys.

A few minutes went by, in the girl's room – both Lucy and Aceline were more respectful to one another. Each respected one's privacy. "Lucy, do you think the guys are ready to head out and eat?" both now dried their hair. She asked due to hunger, a heavy day laid ahead for the young idol. "Don't know really, they'll give a call once ready. No need to enter their room without reason," the reply sensible, both girls waited.

"Scott, Staxius, it's been thirty minutes; are you guys done yet?" Ernis knocked on the bathroom door, no noise came since they entered.

"Just a second," Scott called out, the door opened. "I apologize, prince, you must be hungry. He now stood half-n.a.k.e.d, a pair of boxers helped in concealing the little dignity left. "You accidentally took the towel and left Staxius and I to our own devices," as nonchalant as one could be, the man in question came out right behind.

"We had to use magic to dry off," he explained with a monotonous tone.

"Question," something felt wrong, Ernis's mind filled with curiosity. "Did you guys actually shower together?" the face slightly blushed.

"Yes," a sharp voice yelled out, "-tis was the bonding of true men," Adete jested, they laughed. "We should probably get dressed, time is of the essence," the manager's pace quickened.

"Your highness," Staxius called out, "-what is your plan for today?" he asked, the trio exited the room. *Knock, knock,* Scott waited before the other chamber. "I know not really; we came on a whim yesterday. The most probable course of action would be my return to the imperial mansion. Being a prince and all, the emperor must be worried," the voice had an inch of regret.

"Enter," in the background, the door opened.

"No need to worry, I had fun," a smile later, they followed behind.

'Ernis Essin, what an interesting fellow. Kind, polite, and understanding – the perfect combination for a friend one could rely at any given time in life.'

The day began joyously, the new-made friends now sat for breakfast. All had a pleasant and lovely conversation, Aceline grew closer to the Prince, Scott and Lucy had more in common than expected. Staxius in turn just looked outside and thought, the scene too idyllic to ignore. Adete stood on the shoulder and leaned up against his face, the duo was intoxicated by the landscape.

From out of nowhere, a thought popped in the head, "Lucy, whatever happened to Silvio?" the face turned swiftly, she practically choked. "That came out of the blue," the composure regained. "Silvio and I got married about five years ago,' she answered with a tone filled with embarrassment.

"That's excellent news," Staxius felt enthusiastic, "-a childhood friend as a husband. Do tell him that I apologize for the time at Claireville academy. I sort of nearly punched the guy to death. I also apologize for being so rough back then, my head wasn't quite straight," the voice felt sincere.

"No need for such things," she smiled, "-the past is the past. I'll say this, that small time-lapse you spent with us was sufficient. It changed our class for the better – many looked up to the boy who fought against Sophie Mirabelle. It took a few months, but the whole of Class D climbed the ranks and remained at A-rank till graduation. Julius led the pack, Silvio and I guarded the back, a balance that would make our class famous. Though the war between Kreston and Dorchester had its major parts in our growth," the eyes lit with bliss.

"What about you?" She asked, curious to know what Staxius had done over the past few years. "Nothing much really," he didn't want to give out information. "Come on, for old time's sake," to which he gave in.

"I guess I can tell you," he didn't mind saying a bit about the private life. "I've got a daughter who attends Claireville academy." Aceline nodded as if to give confirmation, "-and that's about it." Rather short, but it worked. The conversation continued till it reached around ten.

"Look at the time," Lucy stood, "The prince and I must get going," she formally bowed. "Wait for us," everyone else decided to see them off.

The car waited patiently outside, Ernis shook hands and embraced the newfound friends. "Tis was a pleasure meeting you all," he spoke with gratitude.

"Have a safe trip," Aceline yelled, the car drove off.

"Audience with Prince Ernis can be ticked off the things-to-do list," Scott pulled out his phone to check the schedule. "Time to get serious," Staxius calmed himself. For a moment experiencing the kindness shown by those two made protecting Aceline become a second thought. 'I can't get distracted now,' the eyes changed from caring to neutral.

"Staxius, we've got things to do. Let's get to work," the manager led the way.

Next up was a visit to the location of the concert. The singer had to change outfits before leaving, the bodyguard loaded up on guns and anything necessary. Tharis was kept close. Scott loaded up with other commodities, paper works and things relating to the idol.

A car was sent over by Akhter, a familiar face in the driver's seat. "Hello again," Staxius sat in the front, the driver was the same one who escorted the trio to the hotel. "Are you going to serve as our private driver from this point on?"

"Yes," the reply firm, "-and I'm glad to have you as my co-driver," the man's nervousness lessened. This time, the trip took a few more hours than before. From the hotel and till the entertainment district, one had to go through the always packed commercial district that stood in the middle of the city. From clothes too much more, anything that one could think was available for the right price.

The scenery never changed, it remained urban and clean. The only thing that altered was how people dressed, from nice clothes to now average, he watched with interest. Billboards filled with famous actors and actresses; all advertised upcoming movies or products. The commercial district was filled with them, it looked charming in its own way. The flashing light of the shops and people trying to get the attention of potential customers.

"What a sight," he mumbled, the drive came to an end – they entered the entertainment district. Buildings and more buildings, but rather than being close to one another – fields and parks were dotted around. It had more greenery than before, a place good for relaxing and taking some time off. Arenas, stadiums, and podiums were here and there. From small to large, it had everything – bars grew commonplace.

"We've arrived," down the main road, a sharp turn into an empty field. A gigantic stage with speakers and screens. Workers were seen setting up instruments and testing out sounds and effects. The screen displayed a song performed by Sugar, another young idol for the female fanbase. The guy was quite handsome, it came with no shock that the ladies adored him.  The car drove past the stage and into a parking lot where Akhter waited. A few caravans were stationed, the names of performing artists written in bold on the doors.

"Welcome to the land of fantasies," as soon as she stepped out, he greeted her with an embrace. "Thanks for having me," she casually smiled, Staxius stepped off, he stood shoulder to shoulder with Scott. The duo had grown a liking to one another. Scott liked how Staxius remained cavalier most of the time. Staxius enjoyed how the snobbish manager could lighten the day with serious jokes. A sense of humor that was quite unique.