The Devil Loves Company [Hui Ming]

[Mino]

6 Glade 121

The thing about new years that Mino didn’t much like was the endless work he would endure.

Normally, it would be all paperwork. But as he stepped out onto the streets from the estate, he found himself craving the endless sea of numbers that he would need to sort through later on. The urge to retreat to the warmth of his office grew stronger as the breeze picked up. It might have been Glade, but it didn’t stop the creep of chill from appearing every now and again. He ran his fingers through his hair, tousled further by the wind. Each step he took was hurried, wanting this part of his work to be done with.

Mino never liked being errand boy, but he couldn’t exactly say no. There was something that made the word stick in his throat in the presence of the Ladies, made him swallow all objections. There were others this happened to; he knew because the children of the house talked. Back when they were younger and thought they could trust each other. They knew better now. He huffed as his pace quickened, not yet running but on his way to doing just that.

The directions Lady Sage had given him were precise. Down to the last corner and blade of grass that rose up from the ground. Sometimes he wondered how she got such exact information, and then he remembered the countless children that were on the streets. If he looked at one now, they likely had her little green crest stuck somewhere on their person. He sniffed, scratched at his jaw as his steps slowed.

The air was full — teemed with the presence of people. Crammed into tight spaces and milling about as if they were corralled cattle. The air was thick with the stench of sweat and stress. Some looked at him funny; he would have done the same. What would someone with clothes as fine as his be doing here? There was nothing particularly wrong with this part of the city. It was just — not where one would find someone of House Lekivian. But with the looming weight of new projects and more skilled desired, it was likely that a Lekivian could be found anywhere.

The map in his hand flapped in the wind, scrawled out onto a little ripped bit of parchment that Mint had handed him when the demand for him to run this errand was made. Something along the lines of him being charming had also been said. He might have thrown the phrase back at the young boy, but he had a feeling Mint would have just found a means to unsettle whoever this was he had to meet.

He blinked as the structure of the building came into view, peering down at the paper once more before shoving it into his pocket. He wiggled his fingers, cracked his knuckles as he stared down the door. They really ought to stop sending Mino on these errands. It wasn’t good for anyone, let alone him. But that familiar and forgotten weight he could think of as only pressure kept him from ever really saying no.

Mino lifted his hand to the door, knocked once, twice. He wore a smile as the person beyond it opened up after a moment, blinding as he usually went for. Dimples popped out and maybe his teeth still seemed too sharp — but that was part of his charm.

“Hope I wasn’t interrupting anything.” A beat, then — “Mino Lekivian. Mind if I come in? Kind of chilly today.” The other would find that even before a response had been given, the rathari would have begun to step inside, still wearing his smile.

[Hui Ming]

The Devil Likes Company
A morning ritual's interruption

From beneath heavy lids, Hui Ming slowly began to drift upward to consciousness. Something... Wasn't quite right. His eyelids began to flutter and the young man winced and bolted upright. Spears of light had managed to painstakingly craw their way across the room and up his bedside before viciously stabbing into his eyes. "Ugh..." Hui ming groaned in pain and he slouched forward, unhappy to be back from his visit of the land of nod. He winced again and rolled an eye forward, peering towards the source of his tormentor. Curtains that would have otherwise kept his morning nemesis out had been moved slightly to one side. Perhaps it was carelessness, perhaps it was Dauntless. He narrowed his eyelids and looked about. This would be his doing. Awakened were tricky and subtle. Hui would not put it past the machine to calculate the position of the sun to have it wake it up at a given time and make it look like an honest mistake. He growled to himself and pulled his pillow over his face, "Dauntless! I know it was you who did this! Where are you?!" He shouted into his pillow, the muffled annoyance no doubt clear as a bell to his friend's sharp senses. As his bleary eyes relaxed into focus and he got a good look at his shared dwelling. There was a partition to one side, blocking his sleeping arrangements from the rest of the room, which of course meant he would have to get out of bed so that he could berate the evil mechanized man for his sadistic jokes.

Grumbling all the while Hui slowly extracted himself from the warmth of his bed. He might've gone back to sleep, but the morning rays of the sun would only keep him awake, at least until he righted the circle. By that point he would be out of bed so there was not much point of attempting to catch more sleep. He had trouble returning to sleep anyways. His face pinched in annoyance as he grumpily pulled the clothes he had prepared and folded the night before from the partition and slowly got dressed. Naturally, the poor alchemist missed the mark for putting his legs into his dark trousers twice, nearly toppling himself forward into the partition before he managed to get himself upright and triumphantly belted together. He yawned and wandered out from behind the partition, inhaling to begin a tirade against his roommate before he was cut short.

Their apartment was empty.

He looked about, though there was little space for anyone to hide in. He was fairly certain the partition did not hide his friend. His eyes slid from the corner of the room that held their hearth and cheerfully colored, tiled kitchen area. The fire they had going from the night before had been reduced to smoldering colds, a fraction of the heat keeping the mild chill of the morning day at bay. From there his eyes moved to the lab equipment that took up the majority of their room. Neat and tidy shelves covered in glassware and metal implements, though admittedly bare of ingredients and products. A small glowing stone, throbbed slowly in shades of green on his desk, paper and writing utensils holding court and presided over by a pair of tongs which appeared to be thrown haphazardly nearby. A few comfortable chairs; one built for a much larger person then might be expected for a five foot tall man and a much more modest, but plush, chair flanking a table much more suitable for meals. It was cramped, tidy, mostly dark, but... cozy. He stood there, looking a bit lost. As if his sails were cut free and all real fire within had been snuffed out. It appeared his friend had early morning things to do and left without waking the young alchemist.

His jaw cracked with another yawn as he turned to the kitchen. Seems he would have to get his day started alone. With slow, mechanical motions he bent down to stoke the fire into a cheery blaze. The scent of warm heather meant to the mask the faintly acrid alchemical smells was stirred up with the heat and scent of wood smoke. With the fire renewed he puttered about and gathered up the wash basin in a cabinet, a covered jug of well water, and a kettle. Carefully he filled the kettle with well water, the splashing water kept to the wash basin. He then set the kettle in the hearth. In little time he brought out a cup and a jar of tea, a hand towel for washing and a mirror. As is so often for a pair of bachelors in a small apartment, there was no food, so breakfast would have to be taken elsewhere, as well perhaps a visit to the public bathhouse. For now he would at least make him presentable. His first few sips of his bitter tea and lavender made him feel a bit more human as the warmth seemed to spread from his chest and through his fingers.

With judicious use of warm and cold water he quickly washed himself, and was in the process of buttoning up his shirt when a knock at the door startled him. Puzzled, he went to go investigate. It certainly was not Dauntless, the big machine would have simply unlocked the door and bowed into the room. Perhaps a cousin had been sent by his uncle to fetch him? Alternatively, one of his father's aides might have come knocking to pick up some of the work he was assisting with. Not that he was getting paid for the infernally difficult problems he was expected to assist with. If it was the latter, he would have a few sharp words with the interloper.

Hui Ming unlocked the door and slowly swung it open. He peered out and into the late morning sunlit courtyard his apartment abutted. The angle of light just right to incandesce the dust in the air into pillars of shifting light which naturally aimed directly towards his window and his once sleeping form. Before him was, well, a young man. A handsome fellow, and annoyingly taller then himself. Not that most this wasnt the unfortunate norm. It simply got exhausting to constantly have to look up to everyone, like he was some sort of child. "..Can I help-? Ack." In seconds an unusual but understandable moment was turned into a distressing and uncomfortable moment; the young man gave a bright and cheerful smile and barged into Hui's tiny apartment. "Wait, no. Hold on." Hui instinctively moved away from this... Mino, as he moved into Hui's personal space, granting the intruder a chance to enter. His surprise shifted into a scowl of annoyance as the alchemist crossed his arms over his mostly unbuttoned chest and glared at his unexpected guest. "Alright. What do you want?" He said brusquely but continued on before Mino could even respond, "You can tell Xian I don't have his damned report done yet." Clearly this was a new, and apparently very rude research assistant to his father, and frankly even if this got back to his father, he simply did not care at this moment.

[Mino]

[/style3]Perhaps anyone would be curious about the contents of the apartment. But not many would be as curious as to wonder what all held value in the space. Mino’s eyes scanned the furnishings around him, took in as much as he could with a cursory examination. His gaze drifted to the man he’d come to see, then back to the two chairs. One was large, much larger than the small man really needed. His brows rose as the other finally turned on him.

Mino didn’t interrupt. Instead, he took a moment to appraise the young man that Lady Sage had been so invested in bringing into the fold. Or, at least, partly so. Brown hair that fell over pale skin. Clothes that didn’t seem a wrinkle out of place. Full lips that parted to speak his peace. The rathari blinked. He was certainly pretty — but was he capable? He couldn’t exactly be the judge of that. His forte lied in places other than the sciences, more physical. But the other smelled like he’d never seen hard labor, and of alchemy. He could recognize it well enough, what with having been forced into Juniper’s lab on more than one occasion.

“Oh, I’m not here for any report.” His words were chased by a chuckle, brows still rising toward his hairline. “And I don’t know who Xian is, but I do know that I want you.” In the moment, it didn’t sound as suggestive as it might have been, but paired with the step he took closer and the slow drawl of his voice — it might as well have been.

“To hire you, of course. Or, well. Sponsor you.” He turned on his heels, looked back to the large chair. It would be nice to sprawl out over it. He stepped toward it, sniffed. Someone else lived here. Something else. The bite of metal was strong, strong enough he could taste it on his tongue. Something that stayed often. “Did your partner go out? Perhaps they would want to hear my offer as well.”

Not his offer; Lady Sage’s. But it might as well have been his since he was the one tasked with delivering it. And he’d written in the numbers. The two different handwritings in the letter sitting in his pocket would be telling of a cooperative effort to make this offer. He produced said letter, turned it over in his hands.

“Do you mind if I sit?” Another question that needed no answer, because he was already moving. He plopped down into the larger chair, the scent of rust and metal hitting his nose harder. It must have been something big and metal that stayed with him. Or partly metal.

“You are more than welcome to reject this offer, but I would advise against it.” He gestured to the other chair as he crossed his legs, making himself comfortable. “And it is open for negotiation.”

[Hui Ming]

With a start Hui ming realized the door was still open, he gently closed the door and turned back around to study his... guest. There was something... off about this young man. This invader of his meager home and means. Handsome, yes, but there was an air about him that put Hui on edge. He looked human, but, perhaps he was not? Perhaps a Dratori? He found it unlikely that it was any of the other of the elvish races. He furrowed his brow and covertly looked for pointed ears. It was rude to stare but... He clenched a fist that was currently buried into an elbow of his crossed arms. That did not matter. Human, elf, even if this man was some sort of a runty, wingless Avialae, this Mino still was in his home and Hui was not happy about it. He settled back into a standing rest posture, his shoulders rising a bit defensive as Mino's face turned to mild confusion and interest. It was his words, however, that had the greater effect.

The attempt at flirting was brushed away in Hui's mind in favor with the fact that this was indeed not one of the research assistants that he assumed Mino to be. He did not mind being wrong, or even feel embarrassed for making that assumption. It was his next words that stopped the alchemist in his tracks. His arms fell to his sides and his eyes went wide. With a blank face as he tried to process what the man was saying. A job offer? A sponsorship? He could finally branch out from under the thumb of his parents. That is if he had a patron who would fund his experiments.

His mind was elsewhere, a million li away. "I am not sure where he is..." He trailed off in mild shock before his mind refocused on the here and now, as it were. "Wait." He held out a hand to Mino before he sat but let it fall as the presumptuous man settled into Dauntless' seat. He bristled a bit. The mechanical had so little in the world to call his own. So little left that made him feel like he was a person, it did not seem right for anyone else to be in his chair. "Use the other chair." He said, glaring at his potential benefactor. He would stand, but he was not unwilling to hear him out.

Perhaps this would be a good test. If he could not work with this mysterious man, best find out now. His mood would certainly sour further depending on how he reacted.

"What is this offer of yours?" He asked, leaning against the kitchen counter, the remnants of his tea, cooling just out of reach on the table before Mino.

[Mino]

If Hui looked close enough, he would find pointed ears. Mino’s hair tended to hide them most of the time, but they were prominently on display when he slicked his hair back. Which, he saw no point in doing on a day like this. And while he was meeting someone, it wasn’t anyone important. Not yet. That would all depend on how this went. Wide eyes; a good sign. A sign of interest, disbelief. Did he not think the offer was real?

It would make sense, really, if he didn’t. It was an expected reaction when a stranger showed up at your home. But Mino was not just any stranger. Hui tried to speak to him about something, just barely stopping him. Or well, not really. At the other’s words, he glanced to the smaller chair, then back to the other. This chair was much more comfortable, but he did want to make the discussion easier for the both of them. He pushed off from the chair, slid into the other. He hoped that would placate the other.

He didn’t much like the way the other glared at him, though.

It wasn’t that most people looked at him in any particular kind of way.

It was that when they looked at him, there was some sort of intention. He hadn’t yet determined what Hui’s was. His brows furrowed as he let his gaze drop down to the cup of cooling tea. He sniffed; something herbal. Probably nothing his stomach couldn’t handle. It was pretty much empty, considering how early he’d set out. Mino licked his lips, scooped the cup up and took a sip. And it — it could use some sugar.

“Yes, the offer.” He let his teeth scrape lightly over his tongue, as if to rid it of the remnants of the tea. “Yearly, we like to look for scholarly talents such as yourself to participate in our...program to cultivate your skills and pursuits. The importance of your particular area of interest is that it could used to help others, and the house is looking for that. We do ascribe to the vice of pride when it comes to seeking the good for the community.”

He grinned then, searched the table for something that might have been sugar or honey or some form of sweetener. “Now, you wouldn’t have to do much reporting to us. I don’t think so, at least, but the Lady in question that would like for you to join her ranks would be better to ask about that. You might be moved into our quarters if that works easier for you, and we can see about getting you equipment if necessary.”

Another moment, then — “Lords above, do you have sugar?”

“As I was saying.” He tipped his head to the side. “I’m just hear to extend the offer. And, well, I am in charge of the finances so there is some input from me on what’s approved and what is not. But.” He sighed, looked up at Hui. “How are you feeling about this?”

[Hui Ming]

It was when Mino sat down with all the dignity and grace of someone who was completely perplexed and wary of attracting the wrath of an unstable personage that Hui Ming found the sign he was looking for. The man was just too tall. Mino was a Rathari, likely a feline from the pointed ears, though potentially something more exotic. He had the sudden urge to run his fingers over the soft velveteen appendages. He scrutinized his appearances and his behavior, yes very likely to be a cat. Whom but a cat would claim what could easily be called a plush throne for himself. Whom but a cat would push their way into another's home as if they owned the place. He shook his head, his mind already wandering and cleared the unfortunate stereotyping that he was unconsciously engaging in. His face softened and lost any sort of mounting hostility or irritability at Mino's willingness to accede to Hui's opaque demand.. His gaze turned contemplative and curious. There was that at least. Someone who was not prone to belligerence, at least not in someone else's home. Bold, but... flexible to one's environment. He could work with someone like that.

He watched the man intently, curiosity shifting into growing bemusement as the rathari scooped up the remnants of his morning tea and sipped from it. The man made a face as he spoke, explaining his offer. If anything the animated movements were distracting him from the offer and it's explanation. Not to mention the faintly disgusting practice of drinking from another's cup. Dangerous in an alchemist's home. He kept his face relatively neutral beyond faint interest and mild amusement, masking his discomfort. He nodded slowly along with the man's words. Patronage from a house. Technically speaking his parents had the patronage of a greater house, though they themselves were no nobles. But... he was not his parents and their patrons did not tend to extend their protection to Hui. Despite the fact that his, admittedly waning, filia piety had him working on their project that they, to this day, still refuse to disclose the full purpose of.

Hui frowned down at the seated man, his fine eyebrows knitting together and he shrugged. He turned to his tiny kitchen a pulled a small jar of honey off a shelf, an additional cup and the teapot on the stove. It took a bit of juggling, a spoon stashed into the cup, the cup pressed into the handle of the teapot and the jar tucked under an arm, to get the entire assemblage over to the table. He calmly poured the steaming liquid into his guest's cup and offered the jar. He then placed the cup and pulled the spoon from the cup and laid the spoon in a precise 90 degree angle from the edge of the table and six or so centimeters from the other's own cup. He then proceeded to pour a cup of his own, calmly and gently chiding his guest, "Typically one does not add honey or sugar to green tea." He nods and takes the cup and the teapot back to the counter and turns around, warming himself with his beverage.

He collected his thoughts for a moment about this offer of his. It was truthfully too good to be true. There was a catch in this, there always was. He looked up from the rim of his cup and nodded slowly. "If I understand you correctly, your offer is room and board, supplies and equipment and the backing of presumably a lesser noble house for... an unspecified work based on my... talent?" He tilted his head to the side quizzically, like a bird finding something he has never encountered before and unintentionally mirroring his guest. "Tell me, Mino- was it? Whom exactly do you work for? And what would I be doing, exactly?" He could have asked where Mino's masters had heard of him, but Hui Ming did not bother. It was no secret who his parents were, and they were frankly brilliant in their respective fields. Hui Ming on the otherhand, was no brilliant combination of his parents, nor was he a prodigy branching off into fields wholly unrelated to the shadow of his parents. These figures shrouded in the mists likely overestimated and overvalued his abilities, but if this offer was legitimate, maybe it would not matter.

Overall, he was not opposed to the idea. But prudence and caution fought against any sense of pride and elation about having such a dreamlike opportunity extended to him. At the same time, he might just take the offer to tweak the noses of his parents and maybe take a step towards independence.

He lightly took a sip of his scalding hot, bitter brew. Perhaps he had steeped the tea leaves a tad too long.

[Mino]

Mino sniffed at the tea, lips mashed into something that might have been a grimace mixed with a sneer. Another sniff, and his nose scrunched up. No wonder. He associated green tea with medicine and countless weeks of recuperation after he slipped from a height a little too high for his bones to handle the landing of. Being bedridden had been...counterproductive to the things that were required of him, but he found himself lucky in that regard in his more recent years. At least not from falls.

“And that.” He started his declaration with the shift of the tea away from him. “Is why I stick to sweet cream. Do you have any, by chance?”

It would have fit right in alongside the stereotypes that had already passed through Hui Ming’s mind, of course, but if Mino had known them he wouldn’t have cared. He certainly didn’t. Mino let his chin rest in the palm of his hand, elbow propped on the table as constricted pupils landed on the green tea once more in distaste. No, he was not much a fan of herbal teas. The smell mined through a wellspring of memories — the ones he’d been allowed to keep, of course — that he could feel the boredom seeping into him from.
He glanced up, studied the other for a moment longer. Hui Ming seemed one of caution. Good; it’d do him well in the house. One could never be too careful with the Lekivians. Though, he’d already made the mistake of leaving himself open enough for Mino to come inside his home. To know where he lived with a minimal amount of searching. His eyes narrowed a moment, almost less than a second. A twitch. Then, he looked back to his tea and the host he’d forced his way into the home of.

“Lesser might not be the right term.” Mino wasn’t all that sure Lady Blue’s scheme, but there was something on the horizon — lurking just beyond where his vision ended — that she had planned. She always had something planned. It might be something to do with her many ambitions, but she had never been quiet about that. “But, yes, a noble house.”

It was startlingly disconcerting, in a way, to find so many people ill-acquainted with the surname he bore. The Lekivians were not a lowborne house by any means; they’d made a name for themselves on purpose. An intentional placement in the limelight that would have surely been the demise of their prestige if the dealings that lurked within their halls were made visible. Or maybe they wouldn’t be tainted. There was no telling with the Ladies. They seemed to have everything together in the blink of an eye, with Mino as merely another piece in their elaborate game of baduk. Which — he was awfully terrible at.

He blinked, mulled over the question. The rathari’s gaze dipped once more to the tea. Then, to the sugar. He lifted the spoon into the dish, dropped several spoonfuls into the murky green liquid in the cup. Probably more than was necessary. He looked all too calm in doing so. The result was a mixture not far from the syrupy roll of warmed honey sliding down his throat. Still had the edge of medicine, but he could stand it a bit more.

As he sipped (loud, purposefully so; a limit test), he nodded. As if he were answering to some unheard question. “I work for my family, House Lekivian. You might have heard of them? Great big blue and white manor? House with all the ladies who take on the colors of the rainbow? The Lady Sage — Green, if that helps — she has an interest in acquiring scholars. Not quite a collector of them, no, but in her procuring of talent it might as well be that.” Another long, loud sip. “What she has you do, I am not personally privy to. I merely handle whatever you might need financially and make sure it fits into our budget, or find some way that funds can be acquired for you. I assess merely the financial prospects that are included with us acquiring you.” He glanced to the larger chair, cocked his head as he looked back to Hui Ming.

“Your partner is large, so they must require some more space.” He gestured vaguely to the apartment around them. “This, at best, is probably just barely making it.” Mino gave a grin that might have made demons swoon, dimples winking at Hui Ming with ease. This part of the job wasn’t as fun as having to sneak into the chambers of others and taking something that Lady Blue desired, but he couldn’t help the vanity that hit him at this point. The charm of someone who spoke smoothly enough, smiled pretty enough. Green eyes, pupils dilated now, fixed the other with a stare. Unwavering, focused. “The House Lekivian is generous. I can say this firsthand, given where I come from. Hahseu isn’t a fun place to be.” Not quite where he was born, but it was close enough, wasn’t it? He wasn’t wrong — even if he’d only been born in Low City. Not quite that far down, but he hadn’t actually said that was where he was from.

He tapped a finger on the table. “Don’t get me wrong: there’s no forcing you to take this offer with the details as vague as they are, but there is benefit in at the very least going to see Lady Sage. She will not be upset at the rejection; you are not the last on my list, but you were the first of the day.” The first that he knew about, anyway. “This is merely a chance to better the station you find yourself in. No more Xian to find you for reports you wanted no part in doing. You’ll have some control of your work from what I’ve seen of previous years we’ve sponsored young scholars. Just avoiding blowing anything up; that.” His eyes widened some, finger jutting toward the other. “Is expensive and it’ll be on me to deal with it.”