Hands In The Stars

22. Banquet Renounce

Ethan's legs bounced nervously against the leather flooring of the vehicle. The swingy jazz music running through the air in a calming manner did not match his feelings. It was only the driver, a guard, and him. Neither of them said a single word the entire ride. Ethan had tried to convince the others he could get to the Dongcock mansion by himself, no need to go out of their way simply to get him there, but he was unsuccessful. Dai himself had insisted on sending someone to pick Ethan up. The 60s chevy that had shown up outside his shabby home, with its black surface glowing and glittering, caused both of Ethan's parents to look at him with suspicious glares. He'd surely get questioned the moment he got back home again. Even though he had been dating Edwin for a long while by now, Ethan hadn't met the father a lot of times. Dai was often busy, and when he wasn't, he and Edwin did not appear in the Dongcock mansion. Now that Ethan was officially getting trapped in the Takers net, however, he'd likely be having closer contact with some higher status associates. He had managed to escape the Takers trial, famous for the many deaths the violent test caused, but that only meant Dai was likely going to spend tonight personally judging Ethan's competent instead. He had already memorized the most important rules; One, don't mess a single thing up, two, don't cling to Edwin. He was bad at both parts.

The intimidating man from some night before suddenly came to Ethan's mind. Kuan-Ju's cold, deep voice and frightening aura had been following him for a while. Some part of him feared meeting that one of his soon-to-be co-worker again. Still, compared to Dai, Ethan thought Kuan-Ju seemed very nice and friendly. As the car rolled up the hill to the Dongcock mansion, the big metal gates slid open, allowing them inside. Ethan got ready to get out as they neared the front, but instead of stopping, the driver kept going. They followed the road around the house, and Ethan soon realized why. The garage was right by the kitchen. He was so used to taking the bus or bike here, he had almost forgotten, the Dongcock's officially went in through the back. The big garage door slid open and Ethan stared through the window as they passed rows of other vehicles lining the enormous indoor garage. He noted, they were parked ordered in size. The long limousine lined the farthest back of the garage, Dai was back from one of his many trips. The black chevy came to a stop at the empty parking space and Ethan didn't have time to react before his door had already been opened by a tall, slim man in a long, glossy, dark red qipao. He got out and stared around the place nervous.

Through the big windows from the garage, Ethan could see the big group of people scuttling about inside one of the Dongcock's kitchens. He got led out by the slave in front, the tuxedo-clothed guard following tightly behind and they soon walked through the familiar maze of hallways. Ethan looked drastically around, searching for Edwin, or possibly Fei. Within mere seconds, a familiar, authoritative slim figure came wandering out from one of the big living rooms, and Edwin locked eyes with his beloved. With a small, nervous smile and quick steps, Edwin hurried over to his boyfriend, stopping right in front of him.
"Edwin! There you are, I was almost afraid I'd meet someone else before you." Ethan greeted his lover, but his voice kept low as he wasn't sure if there were any prying ears spying on them.
"Oh, I'm so glad you're here safe. You have no idea how worried I was for you getting here in one piece." Edwin chuckled, in an imperceptibly apprehensive demeanour. Edwin's eyes locked onto the guard who had guided Ethan on his journey there. The two teenagers watched as the big man simply backed off, disappearing from their sight within seconds.

Edwin looked around for a moment. Nervousness manifested in his eyes, and he let a shaky, inaudible sigh escape his lips. He reached his thin hand out and carefully held onto Ethan's bigger, warmer hand. He squeezed it, staring down in shame, before letting go just as quickly and forcing a smile upon his rosy lips.
"Well then, are you ready? I hope you remember what we talked about. Please, don't do anything you wouldn't do in front of someone like them. I'd love for you to go home in one piece, and for me to live till tomorrow, capiche?" Edwin smiled faintly as he turned around, and began to walk through the long corridor once more. Ethan trailed close behind him, yet not too close. These halls were easy to get lost in. Even though Ethan had been through the mansion extremely many times before, he still managed to take a wrong turn every once in a while.
"I wouldn't." He gently reassured Edwin.