Inside the Snow Globe (1)

(Leo)

***

"I call this meeting to order," Inei proclaimed.

"For the sake of the kingdoms, shut up with all the formalities!" Hikaru complained, and I knew this wasn't going to be short or pretty.

It would be passable entertainment, though. I chomped on handfuls of popcorn while watching, letting the taste of butter linger on my tongue.

"*Dear,*" his husband taunted, "we have an esteemed guest today, and you're giving a bad impression."

"Go on with it." Hikaru was more unamused than usual.

There was a nudge against my shoulder as I sat atop an ornate, flowery column. While watching popped kernels tumble to the ground, the paper bag nearly fell from my hands. Whoever disturbed me was on the fast track to getting bitched at—even if the container was infinite.

"Is… this normal?" a low voice whispered.

"Ah, Algor." I didn't notice it was him there, so I rescinded all my insolent thoughts.

"Yeah. It is." I chuckled and scratched the nape of my neck with my knuckles. "I hope you don't have any plans after this."

"Only to sleep," he deadpanned as he leaned his elbow against the wall to rest his hand on his palm, "but I assume I'll be up until the birds chirp at this rate."

He yawned softly as the moon radiated its unchanging light through the windows, and the candles flickered like tiny stars in the chamber and fluttered like butterflies across the air. In some other kingdom, maybe the sun settled into its cradle on the horizon line, signalling the impending evening with a flurry of warm colors.

"The birds don't know when to chirp here," I joked, moving my fingers like a claw to imitate a mouth. "They'll ca-caw and tweedle-dee at noon if they want because Mother Nature never taught them to shut the fuck up."

In the same humorous fashion, I went on a tangent about the past few years, the war, and the current situation—probably throwing around mass amounts of food while gesturing. (Boring topics needed some pizazz, okay?)

"Is that so?" Algor clicked his tongue. "I don't know how this place hasn't frozen to death then."

I let the popcorn float in the air and moved my hands around like streamers.

"Magic," I replied with a dorky smile that barely concealed a full mouth.

After all, the kingdoms were a world of my creation!

(As in, an uncontrolled space I only pretended to moderate outside of natural affairs.)

Algor giggled and then stared at the throne, brewing an unpleasant thought.

"They're embarrassing," he whispered as the couple began fighting again.

"Hm?"

I had heard him, but I wanted to force him to repeat his comment. He wasn't the type to brush something under the rug if it was important enough for him to say in the first place.

"I said they're embarrassing." His wing smacked the wall in disapproval. "They'll make gay people look bad with their incompetence."

I furrowed my brow and swung my leg like a pendulum so that—on its return to me—the heel dug into his shin like a shovel in the ground. He let out a curse and rubbed the spot, but he was steadfast and unbothered for the most part.

I puffed out a cheek.

"I'll give you a chance to take that back because I know you're better than that." While scolding him, I grinned cheekily.

"Frankly, I think all top leaders make people look bad. The people who do the most for other people are the ones who stay humble but work diligently towards what they're fighting for, but the ones who get the most power are the ones who sweet talk or rub their genitals against the right person," I remarked rather crudely while crossing my legs, though the ending seemed more accusatory of Hikaru, who had married into the royal family.

As I glanced over at the man beside me, I pompously dumped more popcorn into my mouth.

"No filter on you," Algor mumbled, somehow unfazed.

He conceded, "I suppose you're entitled to your opinion, and Inei at least seems like he tries harder to help people than most."

I snorted. If only he knew. To keep me quiet, I removed crumbs from my gray pants and dropped them into my mouth.

"…As such, I would like to introduce all my advisors to a very special person," Inei announced below us as silence enshrouded our somewhat tense discussion.

"I take that as my cue to go down there." Algor nearly rolled his eyes before patting me on the back and descending to the floor beside the throne.

"This man is the fairy from the Terrestrial Kingdom…"

A couple of anxious glances ensued.

"…and his name is… Algor?"

Inei shouted when he was startled by the rough beating of wings against his chair. He recoiled into the fetal position, and I burst out laughing.

Algor joked with a smirk, "Good to see you still remember. Old age has taken to you kindly."

"I'm not older than fifty." Inei huffed. "But that's beside the point."

I was amazed he admitted that.

He continued, "To summarize the reports from King Daemon… Ah, where's Sinclair?"

"They're in the kitchen," I replied, and everyone looked up at such a sharp angle that I thought their necks would snap.

"Then…" Inei contemplated which of his advisors to torture this time. "Seiji, go get them. Quickly."

Hiding behind a handkerchief with bronze beads laced through it, Jisoo snickered off to the side, knowing the attention was completely drawn away from her.

Seiji—complacent as always—nodded, but I flew from my perch.

"I'll do it. Continue, Inei."

Placing my tub atop the pillar, I performed my usual escape before anyone could protest. That was the benefit of speedy flight, and I used that same advantage to skip the stairs and head straight for the castle's dining room.

***

Inside, a plate of macarons sat on the mahogany table, hardly disturbed except for a single missing dessert. There was no trail or pile of crumbs to lead me to the sole inhabitant of the room, but a large thump against the leg of the sturdy piece of furniture and a complaint were enough to implicate somebody as being the robber of the treat.

"Why are you trying to get away?" I asked sternly to the air; however, I realized I sounded far too harsh.

I received no answer, but I felt the energy of their presence. My wings twitched.

Using a gentle and affectionate voice, I said, "Sini, why are you hiding?"

In the corner, the whisking sound of air came from the apparition of Sinclair, which soon developed into a solid form. They peered over at me with a matcha macaron—barely devoured—in their hand.

"I didn't realize it was you until you called me by that nickname," they stated with a soft grin.

"Why were you invisible?"

"I wanted to eat alone," they said bluntly, biting the macaron until it became a thin crescent. "See?"

Lime green crumbs dotted their lips.

Any reasonable person probably would have contested it, but I decided to drop the topic because a fond feeling prevented me from seriously arguing.

"Okay." I shifted my weight to my other foot while leaning against the table. "I have one more question."

"Ask away."

"Why were you acting like that around Algor?"

They shoved the rest of the treat in their mouth before walking around to grab another one, trying to keep their mouth full of food rather than words. It was that hesitancy that piqued my interest, but I didn't want to jump to conclusions.

Sinclair wiped their hands against their garments, coating the upper part of their pants in a faint green.

"I'm awkward around most people," they replied, and I really couldn't disagree with that.

I bit my cheek lightly. "There's a difference between shyness and being passive-aggressive."

"That line is as thin as a hair for some people." With a shrug, they stuffed a chocolate macaron into their face this time.

"You're not wrong."

They grinned between bites. I never understood how they always had the perfect thing to say to any of my carefully crafted responses, but they seemed to derive some sort of enjoyment from debating my points.

"Has everything else been okay? Nothing making you anxious?" I inquired as I approached them and placed an arm around their shoulders, rubbing their upper arm gently.

They smiled sweetly at me, and a butterfly sledgehammered the walls of my stomach from our proximity.

"No. Not right now."

"I'm glad to hear that." I beamed at them. "Would you be okay to return and deliver your report?"

"Oh!" they exclaimed, feeling their pockets for something.

They slid their hand inside one and pulled out a crumpled paper. "I forgot. Thank you very much for the reminder."

While they bowed their head a bit towards me, I squeezed them in the side hug.

"Let's get back," I declared and pointed behind me.

As we exited, a vaguely itchy feeling stimulated my nerves once more. In an attempt to ignore it, I rubbed my wings against the wall, but Sinclair took no notice of my awkward gestures.