Leave it All

Còig

"My Lord, your visitor."

"Kyrus, goddamnit. Call me Kadok."

"Can I just call you Kadok too?" Juni chimed in, tucking her jet black hair behind her ear. "You know, since I did this job for you, and we're all buddy-buddy..."

"Silence! Ms. Poole, you may call me Lord Benz, and nothing other than. Shoo, shoo, I assume you have coursework to complete?"

"Y- Yes, sir..."

"Now you, my dearest Logan." Kadok stood from his throne with a soft grunt, sliding into a nearby pair of flip-flops as he adjusted the collar on his floral dress shirt. "Tell me, how's life? Your family? Gods, it's been so long since I've seen you, cousin!"

"C- Cousin? Can you explain that part right quick?" Logan squeaked, trembling slightly as he hungrily took in his surroundings. Everything was so... 

Lofty.

Yes: lofty, imposing, and not for him.

"In due time, Logan. We have some... business to take care of first." Kadok popped a Tic-Tac into his mouth and, beckoning for Logan to follow, sauntered carelessly down a brightly lit hallway just to the right of his marble throne. "Tell me, Logan dear. May I get you anything?"

"I- I'm fine, thank you."

"Hey, what's up?" Kadok suddenly countered, stopping dead in the hall and turning to face Logan. "You don't have to be so nervous around family, and besides, you're perfectly safe here." He sighed softly and pondered for a moment, a nearby air vent billowing his Hawaiian shirt with a steady stream of cool mountain air. The weather had made a turn for the worse over the few hours they'd spent driving and going out to eat, and now the lights flickered slightly, a deep, menacing thunderclap seeming to shake Logan to the bones.

But the light evened back out and the steady pitty-pat of rainfall on the cathedral ceiling slowed for a moment, and Logan finally composed himself. He let out a shaky sigh and smoothed the ruffles out of the white shirt Juni had issued him. "Look, Mr. Lord Kadok or whatever you wish to be called. I don't know who you are. I don't know who any of you people are, or what any of this- this whatever is. Based on my position I know better than to call you a liar, but... But I have a boyfriend, possibly, hopefully a husband in the hospital back home with my body or whatever you'd like to call it, and I'd like to go. I- I have to go. Please."

"No."

The Thunder returned with an ominous low rumble, and the breeze forced through the air vent suddenly became a rushing wind, a thin mist beginning to collect just below the roofline. 

A pair of guards stepped out from the throne room behind them, blocking the way out.

"Please, Logan. We need you here. Your true family needs you here. Please don't force my hand."

~

"Juni!"

"What do you want, Brendan?"

"Juni, who the hell was that?"

"He's Logan, dumbass. You know who he is."

"Yeah, I know. But who is he supposed to be?" Brendan picked up speed and intercepted Juni as she briskly paced down the dormitory hall. "Surely you didn't pull all of that bullshit just to bring in some sort of new guy."

"You're a greeter, Brendan. Yes, we did, because it's your job to make him feel as comfortable as possible," Juni replied matter-of-factly, rolling her eyes. "Listen. I follow protocol, which means I retrieve people, and you get them to fall head-over-heels for you so they want to stay. Don't you have a class to teach, anyway, you little slut?"