the story

author's corner

gemini headquarters; king's study 

—  2010; 18:00 

  Slim fingers tugged at the lapels of a fine navy-coloured suit, tucking a silk hankerchief in the pocket,  straightening his bowtie under his jacket, as well as the other parts of his suit. As he turned to look at himself in the mirror, the King finally gave a sigh of resignation, coming to a resolution.

   The bowtie was not working.

   Initially, he had thought to keep things simple. Casual. Friendly, even. But of course, a piece of his clothing refused to cooperate with this simple notion. And so, Sungjong found himself reaching for a tie in his drawer even before thinking of it.

  Why did he put ties in his study drawer, again? Ah yes. Emergencies. 

  "I believe you are looking for this, Your Majesty?" A familiar voice had broke through his thoughts, making him nearly jump out of his skin. With another sigh (he has a very strong suspicion that the evening would not go as planned. How...typical), Sungjong turned to face the faery, whose face did not betray the slightest of emotions as she handed over a thin box, inside of which rested a tie that matched his suit perfectly.

  Ah. 

  "It was with the garments you had brought along," Chess explained. Indeed, he had selected and packed the clothes carefully that morning, but of course, Sungjong have had a slip of mind and managed to completely forget about the tie. As he lifted the silk material out of the box, he could see at the corner of his eyes the last traces of sunset as the celestial body disappeared down the horizon. 

  "You should've knocked." The King began removing the bowtie, tugging it away from his collar and replacing it with the navy silk. He had been trained in the art of maintaining one's appearances, at any time, any hour of the day, and did not show the slightest change in expression when his assistant had appeared in his room. However, he could hear his voice betray irritation as his fingers moved deftly, weaving the material in and out until he deemed it presentable. Then Sungjong slowly turned to look at the faery, whose face was still unreadable.

  "The door was open." 

  "And you assumed it meant an invitation to come in?" 

  "I was merely following faery customs." 

  "Well, change, then. Learn some human and elf ones. I would've thought you have had complete mastery over them, seeing as you have served so many." 

  Chess ignored the remark, and merely retrieved a scroll from mid-air, handing it silently to the King, who raised an eyebrow, but nonetheless recieved it. "Arrangements for the evening, sir."

  Sungjong scanned the parchment, mentally checking down boxes for things that should be done, ensuring that everything was in place. Three chairs, split equally down the long table with him at the head of it. Silverware. Dessert. Flowers -

  "Why roses?"

  "I thought it would be a suitable companion to the decor tonight," Chess replied, with the air of one trying to educate a child. "Seeing as you have decided to drape white curtains on cream walls, and silverware on snow linen. A white lily would perhaps have been too forlorn. Therefore, the rose." 

  In response, Sungjong merely nodded. He would have opted for a grunt, but manners had taught him otherwise. Noting everything was suitably prepared, he handed the parchment back to Chess, who took it without a word, but then said, "Our guests would soon be arriving." 

  "Good. Show them in. The proper way," He added as an afterthought, being reminded of her nightly visits through portal travel. In response, she smiled thinly, and walked through the large double doors leading to his study, shutting them after her.

  After her heels finally disappeared from his hearing, Sungjong ran a hand down the length of his desk, before slowly settling himself on his chair behind it, crossing his legs and making himself comfortable.  

  And prepared himself for the onslaught to come.