Red Smiler

Ch2 ~ Heliotrope Devil

"He's stunning..." The woman said as she glanced down at the infant she held gently in her arm, she touched the child's cheek as she gazed lovingly at her baby son. The father standing next to his wife's bed looked down with a soft smile on his face, kneeled down on one leg, and gently held the baby's hand. "He's... perfect." As she looked at her husband, the woman nodded in agreement. "What should we name him?" She inquired of her husband, "I considered the name Alvord, but after looking at him, I don't think it suits him." Her husband looked up at her and then back at the baby for a few seconds before smiling and said, "How about..."

"Thorfrid."

~~~

"As I said before, Edd, I am not going to any stupid stage play." The red-hooded male said as he slumped on a red sofa in the dormitories' living room area. Everyone in the academy had their own dorms, and the head boss who ran the place decided to add a living room and kitchen area for the students because they were all staying there and didn't want the students to keep wasting their money by buying themselves food. Hence, the academy provided the food itself.

Edd pouted and crossed his arms as he stood in front of the sofa. "Come on, Tord! It'll be fun, and besides, you need to get out of your dorm room more. You always lock yourself in there and overwork yourself." The ginger-haired male, Matt, said. He sat on the rug in front of the sofa, flipping through channels on the large screen TV mounted on the living room wall. Tord just sat up on the sofa, rolling his winter grey eyes. A few more students walked into the living room to go to either the kitchen or the elevator across the hall, one of whom was Tom, who was then stopped by Edd. "Tom! Are you going to see the play tonight?" Tom raised an eyebrow; he looked a bit tired, and he probably did not get much sleep like usual. He then looked over at Tord, who was staring at the two. When he noticed Tom staring at him with his pitch-black eyes, he quickly shifted his gaze to the TV, which was now playing "The Children," an old but classic television show that is still on the air but had ended a year ago.

Matt rose from the ground and approached the other two. He stood beside Edd, waiting for Tom's response. "Is Tord coming?" "Nope!" "Alright, count me in." The two friends cheered and threw their hands in the air, drawing the attention of some students passing by. Tord frowned as he watched the three walk to the kitchen area, listening in on their conversation. Tord gripped the arm of the sofa and looked up at the television screen; the channel had been changed by a student who sat on the ground with a friend eating breakfast. He groaned and got off the sofa because the television was playing a romance movie. He entered the kitchen, scanned it, and discovered three of his friends chatting and making sandwiches together. He locked his gaze on Tom. Tom ate a ham and cheese sandwich with mustard, lettuce, and tomato. 'Noticed; Tom enjoys making his sandwiches this way.' Tord approached the three; Edd smiled and waved, and Matt did as well. Tom just stared for a few seconds before returning his focus to his sandwich.

"I changed my mind," Tord said as he stood next to Tom, the blue-hooded male, who stepped back a few inches. "What are you talking about?" Edd inquired, raising an eyebrow. "I'll go watch the stage play." Edd's smile widened while Tom choked on the last piece of his sandwich, and Matt cheered. Edd walked up to Tord and hugged him. Tord didn't return the hug, but his eyes widened slightly as he was taken aback by his friend's unexpected embrace. "I knew you would change your mind!" Tom glared at Tord as Edd pulled away from the Norsk. Tom was puzzled as to why Tord had suddenly changed his mind; he expected the boy to stay busy in his dorm room as he usually did. "Well then, I'm not going," Tom said coldly, standing up straight. The three quickly shifted their focus to the shorter male. Tord appeared to be more surprised than the others, but he should not have been, he knew Tom would change his mind once he did. "What! Why?!" Matt whined, a sad expression on his freckled face. "Because the damn commie is coming also!" Tom yelled, drawing attention to the group of four. Edd raised his brows and said, "What's the problem with that? You two don't usually mind being in each other's company. You guys don't like each other, I know, but you don't mind if the other tags along on our adventures or wherever we go. During those adventures, I've also seen you two help each other!"