Nefarious

C160 - Safety hazards

"Welcome, Kai," Alaina said politely. Kai nodded once, greeting her back almost immediately. "I think it's a good idea that you tell us a bit about the situation in England. Are people informed of the upcoming election for instance?" she questioned. "Generally, everything's well back in England. People are calm and informed, yes. As for their viewpoints of the leaders, on the other hand, they're insecure and stand without basis to make up an opinion," Kai said. Blaze straightened his back, exhaling deeply as though disappointed with Kai's answer. "So I see your observation is indeed essential then. I had hoped that Alex had made an impression during his temporary stay in England," Blaze said. Alex cleared his throat as a way of asking for permission to talk. A nod of approval was given from Alaina swiftly after. "Evidently, you were implying that my stay in England should've made people realise that choosing me as the leader isn't the optimal choice. The invasion was unpredictable, and the timing was unfortunate. Whether it should be viewed as a failure or not is subjective and irrelevant at this time," Alex said. "I must agree with Alex on this. We should move on to the next matter of discussion," Alaina nodded.

A small break was allowed for discussion within the group. However, since I sat between Jace and Vera, I worked as a barrier for them, and so they didn't take the opportunity to talk to each other. "Kai looks nothing like you guys," I whispered. Jace turned his head, his lips tugging to one side the slightest. "I know, and there's a reason for that. From an early age it was decided that Kai should differ from the others, his appearance included. You see, he doesn't only work inside our castles. It's been a while since the last time, but Kai's been to Hayden's castle numerous times for instance. Frankly, it's hard describing Kai to newcomers like you, but I'll let you know he's not a typical Dizary at all," Jace whispered back. "What? How come Hayden trusts him?" I frowned. "He doesn't. Kai was simply there to deliver messages, not to negotiate or anything." "You're right, I don't understand this guy," I mumbled, my gaze wandering over to Kai who was speaking with Alaina.

Not long after the discussion was back going, Blaze spoke up, questioning Kai's methods for the observations. "Your approval, Blaze, isn't a necessity. I'm not obliged that way," Kai said briefly, switching his attention over to Alaina right after. Blaze leant back, his piercing eyes remaining at Kai as though he was plotting revenge for something. "I see no reason for us to waste our time in this room any longer. Time's valuable, and we've not got a generous amount of it before the election. I suggest you go back to your normal work promptly," Kai decided. "As you wish," Alaina nodded, her voice had gone softer it seemed. Xylan cast a glance at Alex, raising his eyebrow with a daring look on his face. To me, it seemed like a signal from Xylan to Alex which said that their fight for the leader position had officially begun.

I went with Alex to his room where he looked through some journal. "What're you-" I started. "I'm reading through the required qualifications to become a leader here," he answered swiftly. "But Alex, you've spent your entire life working towards this goal. How come you don't know them already?" I frowned. "Oh, I know them, Valerie. I'm just rereading the exact wording of each paragraph just in case I have to confront Xylan at some point." "I respect that, but I was hoping that you could include me in your life as well, Alex. I know your time is nothing but a privilege at this point, but I feel excluded to the point where I'm questioning whether I'm wanted here or not." Seeing the intense focus on Alex's face fading in an instant took me by surprise, as did it with him it seemed. His lips parted, his brows drew together, and his face all in all expressed nothing but apparent befuddlement. "You're more wanted here than anyone else," he said softly, letting the book slip right from his hands to the bed. "By whom?" I questioned assertively. "By me," he sighed, knowing I was a sceptic of our tendency to act coldly toward one another. "Call me dramatic, but unspoken love often remains forgotten, shaded away by your reluctance to bring it up, Alex. Perhaps I'm bad at expressing myself too, but we're terribly good making each other feel like we lack affection." Pessimism overtook Alex's face, though he was quick to pull himself back to reality. "Then let's change, Valerie. Let's pretend that we've been granted the privilege called time." "No, you have important-" I started. "Not off to a good start, Pennington," he cut me off, his mouth curving into a small smile.

I hadn't expected Alex to react positively to my critiquing statements about our relationship. When he suggested that we should change and take time as our advantage, I thought he meant it sarcastically to deride my wishes. My current sensitiveness had provoked that foolish assumption of mine. Alex would never purposefully make a mockery of my sentiments regarding the two of us. I could tell by the tone of his voice as well as the softened facial expression that he was serious. The issues in our relationship had begun to dawn on him for real as it had with me many times before.

With easy steps, Alex walked past me, which almost killed my hope for us to finally spend time together. However, once he stopped behind me, I regained that hope. Alex must've seen a flicker of confusion crossing my face because he knew precisely when to stop me from turning to face him. "Are you that desperate to look at me?" he joked. "Ironic how you're talking behind my back right now, Caizar." My tone unintentionally softened when mentioning his surname as though it should be regarded as precious and noble. "That sounds," he paused, "different." "In a good or bad way?" I questioned, my head tilting the slightest. I heard him stepping further away, but he was quick to return. His arms gently wrapped around me, one of them higher than the other. My curious gaze wandered down to his right fist which was closed entirely. His head moved downward, putting light pressure on my shoulder. "I was supposed to give you this a long time ago, but I never seemed to find the right time," he said, revealing the necklace in his palm. It was a rose gold necklace with a heart that had a small diamond 'V' engraved into it. "Holy sh-" I started. "Aah, Valerie, a simple 'thank you' will do just fine," he snickered, preventing me from cursing. "Thank you, Alex." A flush crept upon my face, but thankfully, Alex couldn't see that nor my awkward smile.

A quick knock on the door didn't give enough time for Alex and I to react, so we stood there gawking at Xavier when he entered unexpectedly. "Man, I wish Jace would be like that sometimes," he said. Alex snickered faintly, moving away from me to approach Xavier to which I apparently made a grimace. "Sorry to ruin this lovely moment of yours. I just came here to inform you that Kai wants to have a swift word with you soon," he said. "All right, thank you, Xavier," Alex answered.

I didn't want to let a simple message affect my mood in any way, so I made it clear that Kai could enter whenever. We had nothing to hide and nothing to prove, so why should a surprise visit matter to us. At first, Alex was reluctant, but that reluctance seemed to fade away once he realised that I was, in fact, right.

"You still haven't explained how you healed from that horrible condition of yours," I said hesitatingly, trying to meet Alex's gaze. He gave me a once-over and then purposefully averted his eyes from me. "Don't you trust me enough to tell me?" I frowned. I'd sat down on the bed with my head leaning against the headboard. Unexpectedly, he sat down oppose me and directed his gaze towards me, giving me all his attention. "What kind of lover would I be if I went back to my old habits of keeping secrets from you? Most secrets which I already have kept from you have been divulged with time, and new ones shouldn't become an issue. You should know that I'm not showing you some temporary reverence, Valerie. I'm making sure that information is given to you properly, and that it's not given in a way or at a time that could cause harm to you. Only when I'm certain that my secrets won't be a safety hazard to you, you can get to know them."