It wasn't even six in the morning when the train rolled into the station, coming to a relatively quiet halt. The sight alone made Chanyeol feel wide awake.

He loved train rides.

"Alright, everybody got their ticket?" Yixing asked into the round, looking just as awake and chipper as ever. His response came in a mixture of confirmations, ranging from sleepy (Yifan) to alert and slightly nervous (Jongin) to whatever that noise was that left Luhan's throat. He already looked somewhat green.

"I'm not sitting opposite him," Jongdae announced to no one in particular, but Chanyeol was too distracted to engage in snippy banter as they all boarded the train, with instructor Kyungsoo following last. He didn't even bother to sit with them, instead opting for a different two seater - not that Chanyeol cared.

"I'll take the window seat!" he exclaimed, already squeezing past Luhan.

"Remind me of your age again?" Jongdae sighed, taking the other window seat. Chanyeol debated on whether or not the other was looking for trouble, but he'd rather have him opposite him than sit next to him. Jongin had no such qualms, easily slipping into the seat next to Jongdae, with Yifan filling up the last free spot. Luhan and Yixing were delegated to the four seater next to them, with Yixing already talking about relaxing tea and methods against motion sickness.

At least Jongin seemed to share Chanyeol's excitement.

"This is my second train ride," he explained, craning his neck to look out of the window so as not to miss the moment they left the station.

"It's great, isn't it?" Chanyeol sighed, watching the adjacent tracks move by, slowly picking up speed. Their ride would only take two hours but every hour spent on a train should be savoured in his books. Something about moving so fast was just so satisfying.

"Considering that we have quite some time now, why not go over the details of our trip?" Yixing offered after he was sure Luhan wouldn't empty his stomach any time soon.

"You mean the schedule?" Chanyeol asked, tearing his gaze from the greenery rushing by." Museums on the first day, Provincial Army tour and training on the second day, right?"

"We'll only have a tour with the Provincial Army," Yixing sighed, but there was no more than mild exasperation to it. "the actual training will take place at the headquarter of the Imperial Army."

"It's odd to me that two armies would be needed. It's just a regular town, right?" Jongin hummed, harmlessly curious as ever.

"Every one of the Five Great Houses has their own army," Yixing explained. "They answer to their house primarily and are tasked to support their province. The Imperial Army, however, is directly serving the royal family. They may not be present in large numbers, but in a town as large as Bareahard, they certainly have a small base."

Jongin made a thoughtful sound. He was never one to judge but Chanyeol could tell that the gears were ticking inside his head. Jongin may be polite and treat other cultures with utmost respect, but there was no doubt that he was making up his own mind on whatever he witnessed.

"And considering the royal family themselves are holding our school in high regards, it only makes sense for us to ask the Imperial Army for a lesson instead of a private army," Yifan added, and if he was any less well-behaved, he might have shrugged. "While the Provincial Army has the bigger base but no obligations and simply allows us a tour out of the kindness of their heart."

Chanyeol tried not to scoff. Right, out of kindness. Definitely wasn't related to the school sending the heir of the Kims himself. It defintiely wasn't the worst move, strategically speaking. If they got a tour now, surely the next group would get one as well. Jongdae quite literally opened doors for them.

"That makes sense..." Jongin trailed off.

"In any case, why don't you two give us a little insight on the town?" Yixing proposed, gently steering the topic back to where he'd originally wanted it to go. "It's your hometown, after all."

At this, Jongdae spoke up for the first time, shooting him a mildly dubious look.

"Haven't you been there before? I recall having seen you at a party or two."

"I salute your memory," Yixing quipped back, the noble tone laced with good-natured playfulness, "but attending the very rare festivity hardly counts as a vacation. I don't think I remember anything but the station and the inside of the estates the parties were hosted in."

Chanyeol tried not to judge Yixing, but seeing him interact with Jongdae always reminded him of how Yixing was a noble himself.

Jongdae exhaled, a sigh too small to be picked up over the steady rumbling of machinery around them. He glanced at Yifan, who shrugged and gestured for him to speak (because of course he did). So Jongdae sat up a little straighter - a small motion that was the only indicator he had been relaxing before this.

"Alright," he began, eyes lingering on Jongin in particular. "Bareahard is an old town. It has been formed in the Middle Ages and has largely retained its form since then. It holds some of the oldest buildings in the continent and due to their well-maintained state, it has become a place of public interest as of recent. Some people refer to it as the Verdant City due to the abundance of green roofs you'll no doubt notice. It is also known for its artisan district and the fine jewelry it exports."

Jongin nodded, and Chanyeol tried not to frown. He hadn't mentioned the most glaring fact about the city yet-

"It's also known to be a city of the nobility," Jongdae now added - as if this didn't directly concern him at all. "While the reformists may be on the rise in the capital, Bareahard is still unwaveringly loyal to the nobility-"

"Which makes up a good chunk of the population, anyway," Chanyeol commented dryly. Jongdae decided to tick him off by not taking the bait - at least not in the way he had expected him to.

"Indeed," Jongdae agreed instead, unreadable gaze flitting to him now. "Plenty of people of the highest ranks and names can be found in this city so for once, you might want to try using your brain before you speak, lest you might find yourself behind bars - and I'd be the last person to get you out."

Chanyeol huffed.

"Please. I'm not an idiot."

Raised eyebrows were all it took for him to feel his hackles rising.

"Believe it or not but I am capable of acting like a good, subservient citizen if I have to," he stated confidently. "Not like you actually get the choice not to be, growing up in this society..."

The last part was grumbled to himself more than anything, and while Jongdae didn't look entirely convinced, the others didn't give him a chance to push it.

"It's hard to imagine Jongdae's family commanding an entire army on top of overseeing such a large, important part of the land," Jongin mused out loud. "Are the tasks split between relatives?"

Jongdae shook his head.

"We do have a copious amount of administrative staff, of course, but all major decisions are made by my father."

"He must be an amazing man," Jongin commented freely, a smile tugging at his lips. One that looked decidedly warmer than Jongdae's own expression.

"It is a strenuous position," he said, effectively not saying anything at all, and that was that for him. Yixing took the hint and steered the conversation towards Yifan instead.

"Your parents have an orbal factory, right? I'm assuming you live close to the atelier?"

"Just a few streets from it, yeah," Yifan nodded. "The store's located in the Artisan district Jongdae mentioned earlier."

Chanyeol hummed, symbolizing that he was listening while simultaneously watching Jongdae who was seemingly focused on smoothing out non-existent wrinkles of his jacket.

"We should pay them a visit!" Jongin suggested. "You could stop by and say hi."

"I'm good. I mean, it's not a holiday," Yifan muttered evasively, "we actually have stuff to do and shouldn't venture out for personal matters like that-"

"Nonsense, we'll make some time," Yixing assured him right away, completely brushing over the other's obvious discomfort. "It would only be polite, right? Come to speak of it, would you like to visit home as well?"

Jongdae didn't even blink.

"There's no need."

"Too embarrassed to be seen with us, huh?" Chanyeol half-joked. "Though looking at Luhan right now, I kinda get that..."

" you," said boy rasped out with a deadly glare that would have been more threatening if his face wasn't nearing the color of their uniform.

"Well, we'll see when we get there," Yixing concluded amicably. "I'm sure we'll be able to make some time."

"I hope we do," Chanyeol admitted. "I love visiting orbal factories. They're so exciting."

"It's just a store," Yifan tried, but Chanyeol wouldn't hear it.

"Whatever your parents do, they're basically engineers! How cool is that?" he asked, genuinely thrilled. Ever since he'd left his hometown, his exposure to anything engineering-related had happened at the club - and while that was exciting and fun, observing the work of actual professionals always managed to fuel him further.

It took an hour and a pouty break in which Chanyeol watched Jongin and Yixing play for the first place in a card game for him to realize that he'd naturally assumed they'd only visit Yifan's home. Not because he'd hate to set foot in Jongdae's home - though he kind of did - but simply because something about Jongdae's behaviour made it very obvious that this wasn't even an option they had to concern themselves with.

Orbal trains were a rather new invention which meant that Bareahard station looked just like every other station, really. Jongin in particular seemed excited though, judging by the quiet grin spreading on his face. Chanyeol wasn't sure whether he shared his enthusiasm or not - on the one hand, this was his first real field trip to an unknown town... but on the other, the town in question was one that was very ready to punish him for letting on what he truly thought of their ruling class. Suddenly, Yifan's guarded nature made even more sense.

Chanyeol sighed, looking over the rest of his group. Jongin was a foreigner and Yixing would hardly get the struggle, of course, while Luhan seemed preoccupied with trying to calm down his upset stomach. Jongdae looked bored as ever - idly fixing his hair - and before Chanyeol could mock him for his vanity, instructor Kyungsoo exited the train after his brief talk with the conductor. Chanyeol had the lingering suspicion that he was good at melting into the background but to him, there was just something about instructor Kyungsoo’s aura that was hard to ignore. Maybe it was his military rigor and silent, attentive attitude that constantly made him feel observed and judged. The other was much shorter than him and yet Chanyeol didn't feel any of that as he turned towards him. The fact that he was dressed even more formally than usual only added to that.

"You got your schedule?" Kyungsoo asked curtly, and Yixing hummed.

"All there, sir," he confirmed almost playfully, seemingly immune to the other's everything. A part of Chanyeol wondered whether this counted as disrespecting an army member but Kyungsoo didn't bat an eye as he nodded once.

"Good. I expect you to be fine on your own, having two natives with you. Don't forget to write your reports tonight."

"Are you not- going to be with us?" Luhan asked, confusion outdoing the last remnants of motion sickness. His response came swift and unwavering, like it usually did.

"I have things to take care of. Don't embarrass the academy."

With that, the other turned to walk off towards the inside of the station without a single word of goodbye. Or encouragement, Chanyeol's judgemental side added.

"Gee, I'm so glad we’ve got professional guidance," Luhan muttered blankly, staring after him.

Jongin shrugged.

"Well, we got Jongdae and Yifan, right? What can go wrong?"

"Is that a question or an invitation?" Luhan winced, glancing in Chanyeol's direction. Who felt the heat crawl up his face immediately.

"If you could stop looking at me like that, that would be great," he quipped, trying not to sound pouty. "If he behaves, so will I."

"God, you even start to sound the same-"

"Excuse me?! Say that again-"

"First stop is the hotel, right?" Jongdae cut them off, crossing his arms. "It's not a long walk from here. We should go."

It went quiet after that, the mood deflating tangibly as they trailed after him. Luhan was exchanging questioning looks with people but Chanyeol only frowned to himself. Killjoy.

The little dip in their mood was quickly forgotten, however, when they stepped out of the station and onto a busy square. He bumped into Jongin, who had decided that now was a good time and place to come to a standstill.

"Oh- sorry," he muttered, stumbling after Jongdae, who hadn't paused at all.

"It's okay," Chanyeol said, and he meant it. The square was magnificent and it immediately confirmed Jongdae's earlier introduction - this city was old. Every single building was ridiculously large and carved from stone, with thick balustrades and intricate designs decorating every single one of them. Despite their age they were maintained perfectly and painted in shades of white and cream that made them gleam in the morning sun.

"This is some fairytale stuff," Luhan muttered, and Chanyeol hummed.

"It must be a pain to keep these houses clean."

"I suppose most large households here employ at least one maid," Yixing assured them, and Chanyeol swallowed. Right. Most people living here would be nobles, probably. In fact, he could already tell from the clothes they were wearing. Whereas the people inside the station had mostly been travelers or tourists like them, the very few people walking these streets were dressed in ridiculously fancy garments. He saw thick cloaks made of expensive-looking fabrics, pearls and golden tassels, fine lapels, bright colors, and shiny, impractical shoes. Sure, there were a lot of merchants around as well, setting up stalls and opening their stores, but even those looked marginally more formal than Chanyeol was used to. It really did feel like he had stepped into another world.

"Our hotel is located at the central plaza," Jongdae explained, curt and to the point. Ever since the train had arrived on the platform, he'd been more clipped than usual and on any other day, Chanyeol would have complained and demanded he remove the stick from his . Right now, however, he felt a little too uncomfortable to potentially start a commotion, with him being on completely foreign (and ridiculously well-cobbled) grounds. So he had to content himself by glaring a hole into the back of his head.

"The historical museum is right over there," Jongdae continued, pointing down a street while leading them around a corner, "and our hotel would be over here, with the sign in dark green."

If Chanyeol had thought the area around the station to be opulent, this square proved him otherwise - being built at the foot of a massive cathedral, he felt tiny even from afar. There was a fountain, stone statues and more buildings (all sporting an emerald roof indeed), but there was no time to take it in with Jongdae making a brisk beeline for the hotel.

"The plaza is usually busier around noon," Yifan remarked as if to console them. "You'll probably have more to look at then."

Unlike Jongdae, Yifan appeared to be more relaxed than he'd ever seen him. He wasn't slouching or anything, but whatever routine he had come up for himself, living in this town, seemed to not be uncomfortable at all.

Chanyeol wondered whether Yifan, too, sometimes felt small living in this town.

The moment they stepped into what could only be described as a high class hotel to Chanyeol, the closest staff member - a greying man in a perfectly pressed suit - grew wide-eyed.

"Master Jongdae- We- weren't aware you would be visiting," he stammered out, hurrying to bow.

Jongdae didn't tell him to stop or to lay off the formalities. He simply hummed in acknowledgment.

"Good day. Reservations have been made for us."

"Of course, of course," the man rambled, scurrying behind the counter where a stiff-looking lady was already pointing him towards a page in a large book.

"Of course," he repeated once more, a smile plastered on his face, "a group of Red Sun students has been registered. Six people, one instructor, two rooms. Yes. Oh, but- No, that can't be right."

Chanyeol could see the confused tick flash over the man's face, could see the nervousness in the way he pursed his lips.

"We'd never dream of housing the son of the Kims in anything but our finest suite-"

"This won't be necessary," Jongdae cut him off right away, voice leaving no room for argument. "I am here as a student today and I expect to be treated as such."

"Of course the offer extends to your... friends as well," the man added, and the pause was minuscule, really, but Chanyeol narrowed his eyes at him, anyway. Surprisingly, Jongdae was doing the same.

"As students of a military academy, a humble lifestyle is the more honourable one. Wouldn't you agree?"

Chanyeol would feel sorry for the nervous guy if he hadn't so subtly jabbed at them earlier. Now he was bowing again, agreeing and apologizing profusely, making for quite the pathetic sight - which turned even worse when the maid let him know that the rooms weren't ready yet. Jongdae brushed them off, and they agreed to leave their luggage and return at a later time.

But it only got worse after that.

The city was slowly rousing, coming to life around them by the time they exited the first museum on their list. And people were staring. Apparently, groups of Red Sun students were unusual enough and while some curious looks were thrown towards the commoners, it were the white uniforms that truly caught people’s interest - and a large chunk of the population seemed to recognize Jongdae. Sure, there were some people who hardly paid them any heed (some people who were actually busy, a snarky voice in Chanyeol’s head added), but there wasn't a single street where Chanyeol couldn't feel stares following them, whispers turning up as soon as they walked past, and it drove him up the wall. First Jongdae denied them a luxury suit - which, to be fair, was the right thing to do - and now he was the cause for people watching their every move. Chanyeol felt like the maid of a celebrity. 

When they entered the second museum on their list, the founder approached them immediately, giving them an individual tour.

Upon sitting down at a small, nondescript café, the barista was at their table within minutes, offering her creation like they were a group of critics. Most people would respect Jongdae's demands for privacy, but that only accounted for those getting close enough for Jongdae to voice them.

All in all, it was exhausting.

Around noon, they decided to let Yifan take the lead and show them to a restaurant with meals that were within their academy-issued budget. He agreed right away, and despite the obvious familiarity in his steps, Chanyeol could see a bit of the nervous strain having returned. It was quite ironic how being seen with "Master Jongdae" (Chanyeol scoffed internally) was making Yifan, the commoner, uncomfortable.

The only one who seemed entirely unaffected by the people around them was Yixing.

"What do you recommend?" he was just asking Yifan, shifting the menu so Jongin could get a look as well. Chanyeol wondered how he did it. Then again, maybe being noble but not that noble was the perfect position to be in right now. Or not. Really, Chanyeol was a little overwhelmed and just confused and sick of the nobility and their deprecatory looks - even though no one had dared to say anything to their face, not with Jongdae around.

"Pretty much everything," Yifan shrugged. "I tried almost everything on the menu and whatever I didn't have yet, my mothers did try and raved about. You really can't go wrong here."

Luhan hummed, eyes on the menu but mental gears ticking obviously, Chanyeol could see it in his sparkling eyes.

"So your parents must live nearby, right?" he asked in faux casualty. Watching the immediate regret tint Yifan's ears red was quite entertaining to watch. Chanyeol felt his mood brighten immediately.

"Right - we got some time now, don't we?" he asked in the round.

Yixing hummed amicably.

"I'd say so. We need to make a quick stop at the Army headquarters to confirm our training tomorrow but there's no need for all of us to be present. We could split up for a while."

"I'll be heading to the headquarters," Jongdae said immediately. Chanyeol scowled at him, not liking the natural dominance he was now using on them instead.

Yixing's smile remained unfazed though.

"Oh no, you don't need to," he assured him, voice sickeningly-sweet and yet strangely unrelenting. "I don't mind at all. In fact, I think it would be quite exciting."

"You don't know your way around this town," Jongdae argued, and to their surprise, Luhan chimed in now, the faux casualty still there.

"I'll join you, then," he announced. "We can meet up afterwards before the cathedral-"

"Neither of you knows the way," Jongdae began, but Chanyeol had enough of his attitude.

"Stop talking to us like you're the leader here," he snapped, trying to keep the volume down at least. "Just cause you're a bigshot here doesn't mean you can tell us what to do."

"How is this about me-"

"Exactly," Chanyeol cut him off. "It isn't. So zip it. If Yixing wants to go, he gets to go."

Yixing was still smiling oh so brilliantly, and while Chanyeol dug into his pasta (which was delicious), he was overcome by the lingering suspicion that he had just been used as a pawn. Both him and Luhan were having ulterior motives here. Probably. Maybe they just wanted to get rid of them and enjoy a relaxing walk around town... or something.

Either way, Chanyeol had blown off some steam, Jongdae looked mildly frustrated but was wordlessly picking at his grilled salmon, and Chanyeol was having amazing food and would get to see an orbal factory. Things were finally looking up.

The artisan district was really just one large street, and Chanyeol loved it. He loved the rows and rows of houses that were squished together, each of them magnificent but at the same time more individual and less showy than those on the main street.

He loved the many fine pieces of art and jewelry that were displayed in large windows and he loved the way the street was dropping down towards the western exit of the town, giving it a more winding, cozy feeling. People were staring less, too, or maybe Chanyeol was simply too distracted to be bothered.

"If you guys want to do some window shopping while I'm going in-" Yifan began, but neither Chanyeol nor Jongin were having any of it.

"Which of the stores belongs to your parents?" Chanyeol simply asked, while Jongin shot him a reassuring smile.

"I'm sure they do some amazing work."

Yifan groaned a quiet "fine," to no one in particular, and took a rather sudden turn to stop in front of a tiny store. An old-looking, wooden display spelled out "Sapphirl & Carnelia" in swirly letters. It only had one window but the display made it look like two - the upper half was showing beautifully crafted circlets and necklaces, swirls of gold and silver embracing polished gems, while the lower half showcased weapons so ornate that Chanyeol wouldn't have been surprised to find them in Jongdae's possession. They looked no less valuable than his personalized saber (though he had to acknowledge that he was no weaponry expert and he shouldn't be making judgements based on fleeting looks alone).

Yifan didn't give them any time to study the displayed goods, simply pushing open the door and holding it for them. Jongdae trailed in last but Chanyeol refused to acknowledge him, instead giving into the urge to freeze at the sight of all the beautiful displays. He also decided to ignore the frustrated huff when Jongdae bumped into him. The store itself was thematically split as well, with one half being covered in blue tapestries, showcasing weapons of various kinds, while the right half was all red velvet and fine jewelry. In the center of it all was a counter with a young but serious sales assistant who looked up at the jingle.

"Welcome to Sapphirl and- Yifan?"

The formal, barely there smile was dropped for surprise... followed by worry.

", did they kick you out?"

"Hello to you, too, and thanks for that assumption," Yifan replied flatly, but there was a fun familiarity to it. "I'm on a field trip and felt like stopping by."

"You got nothing to do or what?" the boy quipped right back at him. Yifan didn't miss a beat though.

"Speak for yourself. When did you last clean this place?"

"This morning-"

"And did that include the outside of the windows? Cause there's a lot of fingerprints on there."

The boy parted his lips, but closed them again, caught red-handed. Chanyeol snorted.

"I didn't know you're a tyrant."

It was Yifan's turn to look embarrassed.

"He started it-"

"No, I didn't-"

It was surprisingly cute, seeing these two very straight-faced guys bantering around. Maybe it was simply so endearing because seeing Yifan this comfortable was rare. There were also some dull noises coming from the back of the store, suggesting that people were at work somewhere.

"Anyway," Yifan began, clearing his throat. "That's Taeyong and he usually keeps the storefront. It's only him most of the time, though there's a second person we sometimes rely on."

"Right, including your mothers, that would make for enough staff," Jongin mused, but the Taeyong guy only mildly scoffed at that.

"Oh, they're not allowed in the front."

That was enough to tear Chanyeol's gaze from the most beautiful rifle he had ever laid eyes on.

"They're not?" he asked, mildly bewildered.

"Definitely not," Yifan muttered. "Anyway, you guys wait here, I'll make it quick-"

"Oh, you can just go in," Taeyong jumped right in, suddenly excited over the opportunity of getting back at Yifan. He even went as far as ushering them towards the back door with an obviously pleasant, fake smile, and by now, the curiosity was killing Chanyeol. Why did Yifan act so self-conscious regarding his parents?

The moment the door opened, Chanyeol was assaulted by a cacophony of noise.

"Take that!"

And Jongdae, who had silently trailed in last, was assaulted more literally, by something hitting his shoulder. Chanyeol jumped harder than Jongdae did.

"Oh ," Chanyeol muttered, eyes flitting from Jongdae - who seemed fine enough, albeit taken aback - to the source of whatever had just hit them. It came in the form of a short woman crouching on a table(?) and holding up an actual shotgun. That was now thankfully lowered as her eyes widened in shock.

"Oh -" she cursed freely, blowing a messy curl out of her face before spotting Yifan and making a high-pitched, delighted sound.

"Fanfan!" she exclaimed, jumping off the table and carelessly tossing the gun aside. She was even tinier like this, dwarfed in her overall and with her messy brown curls flipping with every step.

"If you think that's gonna count-" another, deeper voice chimed up as a second woman looked up from where she was hunched over a desk, "Holy . Yifan? Wait, is it winter break already?"

"It's not even autumn," Yifan muttered, clearly having trouble breathing with the comically shorter woman clutching him close - before all but ripping him away again to hold him at arm's length.

"How come you're here? Are these your friends? Oh god, you're all cute and pretty."

Chanyeol wasn't sure how to feel about being called cute by a tiny woman with streaks of dirt on her rosy cheeks, but he smiled politely, anyway.

"Uhm, hi. I'm Park Chanyeol," he began, which prompted Jongin to introduce himself as well while the second woman walked over to them. She looked very different from the first one with her bronze-colored teint and the shiny black hair - she appeared to be taller, too,  but on closer inspection, that was due to her wearing extremely shiny-looking high heels. For some reason.

"Jongdae," was all their last addition said, curt and to the point as usual. Chanyeol couldn't help but notice the fact that he hadn't mentioned his last name though-

"Your uniform looks kinda washed out, dear," the second woman quipped, crossing her arms to raise a judgemental brow. "Could use a dye job."

The expression on Jongdae's face was somewhat comical, but Yifan jumped in straight away, going so far as to half-shield Jongdae from them.

"It's supposed to look like that," he gritted out. "Nobles have their own uniforms-"

"I know, I know, I was just joking," the woman cut him off, slapping his shoulder with a grin. "Gee, relax a little. I thought finding friends and stuff would loosen you up a bit-"

"I am perfectly relaxed-"

"I think we're embarrassing him," the first woman sighed dramatically, and if Chanyeol hadn't seen this woman aim at them with a shotgun just a couple minutes earlier, he would have bought it.

"You just shot my classmate," Yifan sighed, sounding like the roles were reversed.

"With a rubber bullet. Big deal," the tiny woman countered, even rolling her eyes to top it all off.

"What are you even doing here- have you been slacking off ever since I left?" Yifan continued, taking a walk around the workshop - which proved to be a challenge already, considering the amount of... stuff that was everywhere. "How did you make such a mess again-"

"I know exactly where everything is-" shotgun woman began, trailing after him while the second woman offered her hand with a casual smile.

"Hyejin, by the way. And that's Wheein," she explained while Chanyeol and Jongin shook her hand. Even Jongdae didn't seem inclined to make a fuss at the very casual gesture and mechanically took the offer. "I'd say he isn't always like that, but considering that you live with him now, I can probably save myself the effort."

Chanyeol was certainly not going to tell her that Yifan was perfectly average when it came to tidiness and that by regular standards, he wasn't even particularly stuck up, but Jongin had no such issues.

"He's really reliable and kind indeed," he stated with enthusiasm, all the implications flying right over his head. Hyejin actually grimaced at that, before softening again and actually ruffling his hair.

"God, you really are cute. Damn. You know what? Seeing you like this makes me feel like..."

She turned to her desk, quickly returning to put something over Jongin's head (who had cautiously pulled up his shoulders at the sudden gesture).

"Yeah. That's some harmonious colors," she hummed, taking a step back to critically take in the way a beautiful golden circlet was resting on Jongin's curls. It really did look beautiful with the green stones against Jongin's warm skin tone-

Something crashed, the sound loud enough to have Chanyeol and Jongin jump out of their skin as Jongdae only barely caught the priceless piece of jewelry before it slipped to the ground. Somewhere behind them, an entire shelf had collapsed and they heard the distinct sound of a lot of tiny objects prattling to the ground like metallic rain drops.

For a whole of two seconds, it was silent.

"You- why did you think taking the bottom support plank to secure anything other than the shelf would be a good idea?! Why?"

"I needed a piece of wood and that one was the perfect shape," he heard someone whine from somewhere in the mess. "It was all holding up perfectly til you broke it-"

"Til I broke it?!"

"There goes my perfectly sorted collection of parts," Hyejin sighed. "All that procrastination. For nothing."

Jongin, being the good kid that he was, immediately offered to help clean up. Chanyeol didn't consider himself nearly as well-mannered as Jongin but there hardly was a way around it, so he simply resigned himself to his fate when Yifan's mother exclaimed what a fantastic idea that was, and how much faster they’d get it done with so many helping hands.

While the two scurried to the back of the workshop, however, Chanyeol stayed behind to look for Jongdae, who was still standing in the doorway, holding on to the circlet like he was being paid for it.

"What, are you gonna stand around and let us do all the work?" he all but demanded. It was apparently enough to snap Jongdae back into it.

"...No?" he stated, aiming for aloof when it was obvious that he was fresh out of witty replies. Chanyeol watched him place the circlet on a desk with utmost care, as if he feared the wood itself might collapse under his fingertips before following after him. Since he couldn't see it, anyway, Chanyeol didn't feel guilty over the small grin on his lips.

Seeing Jongdae out of his element was way too entertaining.

"Last one?" Chanyeol asked a solid hour later, with Jongdae handing him a box containing golden rings.

"Yes," was all he said, exhaustion very much evident in his voice.

For once, Chanyeol wasn't in the mood to belittle him or keep up the pretense. He put the box back onto its newly designated (and very stable) shelf before slumping against the wall with a sigh, sliding down to sit on the ground.

"Quick break," he sighed out with his eyes closed, waiting for the kaleidoscope of shiny parts to dissipate. By the time he opened them again, Jongdae was crouching next to him, careful not to let his pants unnecessarily touch the ground. A futile effort, really, since they, as well as the rest of his uniform, looked like he had attempted to oil the motor of the engineering clubs’ bike.

"You look like ," he snorted.

"Full of compliments as ever," Jongdae fired right back with a glare. "Whatever happened to the honourable look of manual labor?"

"It happened to you, I'd say," Chanyeol grinned.

Jongdae did not bother to reply to that, and for a moment, it was quiet. Behind the wall they were sitting against, they could hear Yifan and his mothers walk around in the back of the atelier while Jongin had wandered off to take out the trash (which had mostly been designated as such by Yifan). The fact that he hadn't returned yet probably meant that he'd been distracted by a stray cat or something.

They heard the distinct sound of heels on wood as Hyejin came closer.

"I'm glad to see you've been making friends though. We've been a little worried, you know?"

"Mom," Yifan sighed, and the footsteps stopped.

"She's right and you know it," Wheein added softly, every trace of her earlier, playful attitude gone in favour of motherly concern. "You also know we love everything about you, but it'll do you good to let loose a little, you know? No need to be so careful with everyone and everything."

Chanyeol stared at his feet, feeling like an intruder - but making his presence known now would only make things more awkward. Next to him, Jongdae wasn't moving a muscle either.

Meanwhile Yifanonly groaned.

"And maybe it would do you two good to be a little more careful. You just targeted the son of the Kims with rubber bullets."

A quick glance told him that Jongdae had stiffened up next to him.

They only heard a vaguely interested hum though.

"Ah, so he's the kid of the Kims?" Wheein asked.

"Don't 'ah' me now," Yifan sighed, keeping his voice low. "This is why I'm telling you guys to be more careful - do you realize that his father owns this entire town?"

"Yeah, but does he own you?" Hyejin replied without skipping a beat. "Or us? I don't think he does. I know you're always worried about us but it will be alright."

"You need to remind yourself that there would not be any nobility without people like us," Wheein added, sounding patient and gentle still. "They may herd us and we let them but generally speaking, it's not in the interest of a shepherd to cut down on his herd for no reason. Not everyone is constantly out to get you. Or us, for that matter."

"But-"

"It's an option and a prevalent risk, you're right," Hyejin cut him off with what sounded like a patient routine. "But what good does your caution do you if you can't breathe easy? You got some big lungs that need a decent amount of air or else your brain is gonna fail you-"

"Mom-" Yifan began, and Chanyeol could hear him roll his eyes.

"You're welcome," Hyejin said generously. "Besides - that big son of the Kims? He's just a boy your age."

There was a tick of tension in Jongdae's shoulders but Chanyeol didn't risk more than a fleeting gaze.

He heard a small chuckle probably belonging to Wheein.

"Maybe even a boy who could need a friend, hm?"

Yifan sighed.

"Why are you like this?"

Under all that exasperation, he sounded rather fond though. It made Chanyeol smile - a smile that faded slowly when Jongdae got to his feet without a sound, making his way to the front of the store.

It was moments like these when he was reminded of the fact that he had no idea what was going on in Kim Jongdae's head. He was doing alright when the other was throwing verbal jabs his way but as soon as the other went quiet, Chanyeol was lost. Was he angry? Over the disrespect of his name, or the fact that they had labeled him a little kid? Was he uncomfortable and sick of eaves-dropping? Chanyeol simply had no idea.

Jongdae had barely made it to the storefront when Yifan almost stumbled over Chanyeol upon rounding the corner - only to proceed to die of humiliation over being heard. The general level of noise was already on the rise again when Yixing and Luhan came to get them soon after, with Jongin in tow (having separated him from the family of stray cats he'd been bonding with,) and it went through the roof after that. Both of Yifan's mothers were cooing over Luhan to the point that he actually turned very red and Chanyeol wasn't surprised to see Yixing charm the two women right away with his well-mannered but playful attitude. It was also Yixing who wordlessly lent Jongdae his own, unblemished jacket for the walk to the hotel later.

They had only meant to quickly unpack their things and change into their clean, spare uniforms; upon seeing the room, however, one thing led to another, involving a quick sortition game using Luhan's card deck. Which in turn led to Chanyeol gaping at his supposed friends.

"No. No way. Are you serious? Like, are you actually not gonna switch with me? With him? Are you for real?"

Jongin opened his mouth but Yixing effectively shut him up with an arm around his shoulders. Luhan had the audacity to laugh, and even Yifan was holding back on a grin. Which was cute and all, and Chanyeol did see how he was supposed to be happy for him being so comfortable, but why did it have to come at his expense?

"Tough... luck," Luhan breathed out, looking terribly gleeful. Chanyeol could only gape.

"I want the luxury suit now," he eventually grumbled, still unable to compute.

"And I want something for my headache," Jongdae muttered.

Chanyeol didn't even bother to hiss at him that this was his fault. Sure, it might be a bit of a stretch, but he could have very well drawn a different card earlier.

Now Chanyeol was apparently forsaken to share a bed with Kim Jongdae, of all people, and he was starting to wonder whether he had done anything to upset the gods.

As if this field trip over the landmines of social upper class etiquette wasn't already bad enough.

Chanyeol made a pathetic, whiny sound that only seemed to further amuse Luhan, thinking that maybe he was the one who was in need of (new) friends.