Return to Sender (2)

After the long stroll back to Akiyoshi's room, he instantly let me in at the signal of a soft tap, which almost caused me to crash into him. In retrospect, it was an idiotic idea to have leaned on the door.

"Ah, perfect timing, Ophelia!" He grinned, which was eerie in a way. "The tea was just brought by—still hot in the kettle." I heard a faint whistling noise inside.

"That sounds like your father today." I couldn't help but try to joke through the awkwardness as I straightened up.

He led me to his living quarters. "I beg your pardon?"

"He's been irate since the meeting, sir."

Akiyoshi gave me a look of sympathy, knowing Inei's wrath better than anyone. "He's like that often, isn't he? Koharu tells me Father's still flooding the castle as he pleases, so I'm thankful I don't have to deal with that."

*I'm glad I didn't either when I was over there.*

"That would be awful. Imagine having to handle all his papers."

Akiyoshi nodded. "Definitely. Oh,"—he seemed to remember something—"feel free to sit anywhere you'd like. I always enjoy the sofas for casual conversations, personally."

He plopped onto a thick cushion. The couch made an "L" shape, so I sat catty-corner from him.

Atop a coaster, a metal tea kettle sizzled, tumultuous and unpredictable. The dishes were positioned in the center of a wooden table with a glass covering that bridged the hollow gap of the furniture's mouth. Beneath the transparent pane were intricate carvings of old monarchs surrounded by sakura trees and other natural elements. Akiyoshi had two porcelain cups atop miniature plates in front of him, a set decorated with light pink blossoms and meandering green vines spread across a white background.

He took the kettle and filled each cup to the brim, sliding one over to me. He was lucky it didn't spill as the steam curled up to graze my chin.

*And to think I saw this place all regurgitated the other day.*

"Thank you."

I didn't pick it up yet, and I instead chose to examine him, though I didn't think the liquid was suspicious in any way. He sipped on his calmly, closing his eyes and relishing in the flavor. The room smelled faintly of cinnamon.

"The tea is quite good today. Don't you think?" He perked one eyebrow up at me over the edge of his glass. The attempt at small talk was pitiful.

I scrambled to pick mine up. In the rush to drink the tea and assess the validity of Akiyoshi's statement (and to seem polite), I hadn't bothered to check the temperature of the fluid and promptly burned my tongue. I hissed sharply as I poked it out.

*Leo fucking jinxed it! Or is this Sinclair getting back at me?*

I dropped the cup and plate, and they shattered into a million shards on the smooth carpet beneath me, becoming microscopic puzzle pieces of the highest difficulty. Akiyoshi frowned. I figured he would reprimand me.

*"Return to sender" should be my marking now.*

"Oh dear, I'm sorry for rushing you like that. It's quite warm, isn't it?"

That wasn't what I expected from him: a kindness resembling Hikaru's. Though, it seemed odd to be treated that way by someone two years my junior.

"Oh—uh—no worries, sir." I took a few napkins from the table. "I'll wipe up the liquid. Sorry about the clumsiness." I kneeled, but an invisible force stopped me.

In a tornado of pastel-colored glass, the broken pieces swirled in the air and reassembled themselves in the shape of the original cup. The napkins flew out of my hand like a sudden breeze came through, sweeping them away. They, too, spun in a circle before wiping up the remaining tea on the floor, and they disappeared into nothing the moment they were useless. All that was left was a faint purple glow that soon faded as well.

"There we go." He refilled the glass.

I took it from him and inspected it for any miscellaneous holes, hoping it wasn't the equivalent of a punctured boat.

*It's as if nothing happened to it.*

"Thank you again."

He nodded. "Were you successful in finding Sinclair?" he asked while looking down, making sure he didn't spill any more tea than I already had. "They're pretty elusive. You were gone for a while."

Blowing at the edge of my cup, I replied, "Yeah. It was kind of a wreck to locate them,"—*literally*—"but I got them to do what King Inei asked."

"I'm glad to hear that. I hoped he didn't inconvenience you." Swallowing, he contemplated something before inquiring, "Say, what do you think about the fairies here? I feel like everyone asks how you feel about the advisors without any regard to them."

I watched white strings thin to atomic widths. "I'm certain everyone knows how I feel about Leo, but Sinclair told me to be softer on him. I haven't really figured Sinclair out, though. They seem like a goody two-shoes in a way."

I realized I dropped the formalities, and Akiyoshi seemed to ignore my negligence.

"Yes, yes. I'm not surprised. Castle lore has said they were cupid before they switched to being a messenger, but I don't know why. They might not even know; it could have been a thousand years for them—give or take some obscene number. My dad won't tell me the story despite him knowing it, and it's not written down anywhere. Nonetheless, that would explain Sinclair's peculiar attitude."

*What's their real purpose?*

"They were cupid? But I thought magic couldn't be used for love…?" I asked, a tense and twisted expression on my face.

Akiyoshi giggled.

*I didn't know you would laugh like that.*

"Who told you that?"

I deadpanned, "Leo."

The smile remained on his face. "That's very much like him. It's possible for him, but it's rather difficult. It's not one of his main fortes, so he needs some aids. Sinclair, on the other hand, is probably the only person in the kingdom proficient in that kind of magic."

"Interesting. That kind of explains some about them. They were always a mystery in both their history and personality every time they dropped in on the meetings. They just seemed like a wandering ghoul from nowhere."

*I'm still not convinced they aren't. Their lack of wings is so strange.*

Akiyoshi's eyes widened. "They visit regularly?"

I tilted my head to the side. I forgot he rarely bothered to check the mundane occurrences. "Yes. They have for a while because they and Leo hang out. Both played with firecrackers earlier. That's why I got held up."

"Really?" He chuckled, displaying a smile much like Inei's. "I never would have imagined those two would get along, especially enough for Sinclair to take a break from their deliveries. Wait,"—his words accelerated faster than his mind—"firecrackers?"

"Yes." I smiled as he lost control of his demeanor temporarily.

I could almost hear his heart accelerate from anxiety. "Those two are going to be the death of the castle if they do that, though I'm sure they took their twisted precautions."

"They did. I think it would be scarring for me to talk about them, though, as it would be for you to hear."

He nodded in understanding as I almost shivered.