O'may Navier

13. Draught Distillery

"Settle in, trust me this time," Remi whispered reassuringly.

As Agent Pig approached, the boys suddenly straightened up. He clapped his hands once, attempting to gather his thoughts. "Well, since we're all here..." He paused, momentarily at a loss for words. "Let's dive into the announcements, shall we?"

"Yeah," Darren responded, a touch of automatic casualness in his tone.

"Today, we're going to sell... potions!" Agent Pig announced cheerfully. "We're aiming to bring back the good old days, especially for you, Darren..."

"We're proud of you," Remi interjected, offering his support.

Darren, however, froze in place, a mix of triggered emotions and offense flashing across his face. Yet, understanding that discovering Agent Pig's intentions required his compliance, he wrestled with his internal conflict. It was a choice between disappointing Agent Pig or unveiling the conclusion of this mysterious plan. Soon enough, he made his decision.

"Guys," Darren began, trying to mask his feelings with a forced smile that surprisingly appeared natural, "I thought people had forgotten..."

"It's all thanks to Remi! He brought it up a few days ago, and now I have this perfect plan to remind you that your talent and our bonding time are precious," Agent Pig exclaimed cheerfully, his enthusiasm shining through.

Darren's voice carried a tinge of gratitude, "Wow, thanks, man," but his eyes bore a sharp intensity directed at Remi, who seemed to be sweating buckets in response. Remi floated around, attempting to lighten the atmosphere with an awkward thumbs-up, legs casually crossed in the air. His nervous laughter echoed in the cabin, blending with Agent Pig's, coaxing even Darren into a reluctant chuckle. In that moment, the cabin felt alive, bursting with shared laughter and camaraderie.

Once the laughter simmered down, Agent Pig announced, "Guys, I've got to hit the bathroom real quick."

As Agent Pig made his way to the bathroom, both Darren and Remi watched him go until the door clicked shut. Darren's expression turned serious as he fixed his gaze on Remi. "Why'd you bring that up to Agent Pig?"

"I-I thought you wanted to be noticed," Remi stuttered, visibly uncomfortable. "And you didn't tell me earlier."

"You know better than to dig into someone's past, especially when they're not okay with it," Darren advised, though his eerie smile persisted, masking his deeper frustration.

Remi's anxiety levels seemed to skyrocket as Darren's irritation grew palpable. Attempting a playful swat at Remi's head, Darren's hand fell short, leading him to lightly tug Remi's ponytail. Remi, feeling a mix of amusement and discomfort, interpreted Darren's actions as teasing, unaware of the underlying frustration that prompted them.

"Did you tell him about my secret lab?" asked Darren while still pulling Remi's hair.

"No, don't worry!"

Their back-and-forth continued until Agent Pig reappeared. Darren and Remi swiftly shifted their conversation to something more innocuous as Agent Pig approached. When Agent Pig inquired about their discussion, Darren smoothly diverted, "Oh, just talking about ingredients, you know," crafting a quick and plausible response to veil their previous exchange.

"What do you guys need?" inquired Agent Pig.

Darren held up one finger to signal "one moment" and deftly pulled out a mini brewing recipe book from his hoodie pocket. "Here's the list, and I'm pretty sure we're missing these ingredients," he explained, reciting the items almost as if they were ingrained in his memory. Flipping through the pages, he realized that crafting various potions would require a plethora of ingredients, far beyond what was listed. Handing the mini book to Agent Pig, Darren watched as he scanned it with a serious yet relaxed expression.