Missing in Action

Chapter 009

Spencer chuckled and shook his head. "What are you, some kind of Vampire?" he asked, sounding just a little too much like Jon. Brendon glared at him, his upper lip lifting into a sneer, but before he could reply, Spencer cut him off. "Don't worry, it's not a bad thing... I just never expected your room to be like this. It's just a little weird, you know?" he said, looking around one more time before glancing back at Brendon, both eyebrows raised.

Brendon shifted uneasily and shrugged. "Yeah, I guess it is... but my room has been this way for the longest time. I like it better. I spend most of my time in here, when I'm at the castle," he glanced around at his computer desk, book shelves and bed, all made of wood so dark it was black. The wood had special carvings in it that Brendon liked but didn't understand. His bed, a four-poster king-sized, was covered in a deep red duvet and, yeah, Brendon had to admit that it didn't really match his style. He sighed and looked down at his shoes, then back up at Spencer. "Yeah, I guess it's a little weird," he said with a chuckle, shaking his head.

Shrugging, Ryan looked around once again, everything being stored automatically inside his mind. "It's more relaxing than bright colors would've been," he stated. "But without being totally glum. I'd imagine reflection is easier here." He smiled slightly. "Style aside, it suits you in some odd way."

Brendon smiled at him, a little self-conscious, then pulled everyone out of the room. "Okay, that's enough. We're going down to the kitchen, now, and no one will ever be allowed to set foot in here again," he said, grinning as he led them out of his room. He started down the staircase again and made his way to the kitchen. It took a while, since the kitchen was basically on the other side of the castle, but when they finally arrived, the small, wooden table was filled with fruit and bread and cheese. Brendon snatched up a strawberry and ate it quickly, smiling widely.

Ryan picked up a piece of bread, buttered it quickly and put cheese on, popping a couple of grapes as he went. He took a bite and looked up with a small smile. "Definitely better than school food," he stated, eyebrow slightly cocked while he pulled on his t-shirt a little. The fact that the fabric rode up the moment he moved his arms just a little still felt quite uncomfortable even though he was starting to get used to it. He was pretty sure by then that Brendon didn't really care what he wore either way, but it would seem a little too strange to change styles in the middle of everything. "What is the program for the next week then?"

Brendon shrugged and swallowed what he had in his mouth. He picked up a piece of bread and buttered it as he spoke. "All I ever do is attend dinner parties and mope around my room. I'm not quite sure what we could do. Of course, tonight you'll all be meeting my father, and I'll probably have to teach you all the proper etiquette so that he doesn't completely hate you..." he trailed off, taking a bite out of his bread and sighing. He chewed quickly before swallowing and finishing his sentence. "I'm sure you will all be fine. All you have to remember is 'work your way in' and it'll be easy," he finished and looked around the table. Jon was frowning at him, still chewing on something that looked much too big to fit in his mouth, and Spencer was smiling at him oddly. "What?"

Spencer smiled at him again and shook his head, "you're just making the castle sound so boring," he explained, lifting an eyebrow. Brendon shrugged.

"Oh, come on. It can't be boring at all!" Jon exclaimed. "I mean, there must be a million things we can do! Don't you have any hot servants?" he waggled his eyebrows. Brendon scrunched his nose and shook his head.

"They're all pretty old... there's a brothel down the street," he said, frowning slightly. Jon chuckled and shook his head, but stored the information for possible use at a later time.

Ryan felt his eyebrows jump up his forehead in shock. In most areas his own country was much more free than Beauregia, but prostitution seemed to be a little upside down. It was completely illegal back home. Not to say that it never happened. But a completely non-covert brothel just down the street from an official state building was just a little beyond his comprehension. "The most pathetic thing about prostitution is the men who are desperate enough to pay just to get some," he finally stated, making sure to keep the disgust out of his voice. "The sad thing is capturing people in an environment where they have to sell themselves to stay alive." Then he bit his own lip sharply, looking away a little, and hoped he hadn't just offended everyone within a thousand-mile radius. Again.