Chemical Reactions (Cinnamon Roll Version)

Chapter Four

As the unfamiliar voice leaves- most likely to enter the throne room- you follow in the direction you last heard Varian's voice coming from. Right away, you find him standing next to one of those giant vases that someone, somehow, had been able to perch atop a mediocre-sized pedestal.

From the looks of it, Varian is pretty frustrated. He is muttering things to himself under his breath. His brow is furrowed, his eyes are focused on a muddy patch on the carpet, and his fingers are furiously tapping away at his legs. His face is flushed red and he looks on the verge of tears.

You quietly approach him. "Varian?"

He looks up, surprised. When he sees that it's you, though, he relaxes- just a little bit, but still.

"Oh! Hey, [Your Name]," he says softly, seeming a little distracted, "I... I didn't see you there."

You laugh. "Yeah, well, they call me 'The Ninja' in this area."

"Seriously?"

"Nah," you admit with a shrug, "they don't. They should... But, anyways, I call myself that, and that counts for something, right?"

Varian smiles. "I suppose it does."

"Why are you here?" you ask quietly, putting a hand on his shoulder, "I thought you lived in Old Corona."

"Which is still part of Corona itself," he explained patiently before becoming serious again, "and... There's a... Erm... We have a bit of a problem at home. Dad's in there right now, addressing the situation with the king."

Your face suddenly lights up. "There's a door that looks in on the throne room. We can go there and..."

"Eavesdrop? I'm sorry, [Your Name], but I'm trying to gain my father's trust, not more of his hatred."

"Fine, then," you say, already making your way past the long line of people, "suit yourself. See you later, Varian."

It seems to do the trick, though: you can hear hurried footsteps following behind you. You smile to yourself. As much as he wanted to impress his father, curiosity always won out for Varian, just as you had hoped.

Finally, you make it to the door. Varian positions himself so that he could hear and see inside of the throne room. You stand next to him, unable to hear. You can get a pretty good read, though, based on Varian's brief commentary and the way he clenches and unclenches his fists.

"Right to the king's face," he seethed, "he's lying right to the king's face!"

"So what? Whatever the problem is, it'll be okay," you say, gently touching his forearm, "it shouldn't be too bad. It'll be fine."

Varian kind of shrugs you off. "No! No, it won't."

He kind of hangs his head, almost as if in shame, and begins to nervously rub his hand up and down his forearm. Taking a deep breath, he begins to describe the entire Old Corona situation to you.

"Wow... That's- that's pretty rough, Varian," you murmur once he's done, "I'm not even going to try pretending to understand what it's like. But... If you ever need a friend, just let me know, okay?"

He smiles softly, giving you a hug. "Thanks, [Your Name]. You have no idea how much... How much that means to me."