This chapter is brought to you by Friends by BTS.
Edited by: bafflinghaze
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As the spring quarter gradually approached its end, Neo and his classmates were frantically preparing for their quarter-end project assignment, The Tragedy of Ohmlet.
The school theatre had been practically taken over by Professor Rickman, who was more and more critical as the deadline of the show loomed close.
After the incident with Elliot, Serian, and Lester, Neo was punished for being late to rehearsal. Rickman ran him through his lines until his stepmother had to pick him up via horseback due to how late in the evening it was.
His professor hated iron for not being steel and remained dissatisfied to the very end.
Personally, Neo didn't think there was any problem with his acting.
Professor Rickman did.
After being roasted for three hours, he was told to go home and practice his lines until he vomited.
Royce and Tybalt took pity on him since they had a lot of scenes with him. Finneas... Finneas was in the same boat as him, much to his uncle's displeasure.
Thankfully, since they made plans to meet up and practice anyway, his friends ended up spending their weekend break at the Odum Manor.
They've been practicing their lines since noon, which revealed how fucked the entire class was.
---
"Finny, you need to lower your chin. You can't be shouting at the ceiling."
"Watch me."
Tybalt massaged his temple. "Stop tightening your grip. I think you're crushing Naza's hands."
"We've been holding hands for two fucking hours!"
Nonetheless, the hand holding was adjusted.
Tybalt pretended he didn't hear him and continued, "Can you also deliver your lines more gently? Without the swearing?"
"I second that."
Finneas scowled. "Shut up, Benedick, you die first. Your opinions don't matter."
Royce looked like he was about to strangle him.
Tybalt's gaze fell on Nazareth, who stood there like an uninvolved party.
"Naza, you need to repeat those lines with more passion."
"No."
"Okay."
Rather than Nazareth being the sole problem to their predicament, it looked like Finneas was also a major issue.
The two who were picked for the leading roles (for some god-awful reason no one could figure out) were not qualified to play Rose and Gilde.
And Tybalt meant that in the nicest way possible.
After watching Nazareth and Finneas perform their scenes together, he suddenly realized why Professor Rickman always wore a look of eternal suffering and regret on his face.
Finneas was a stiff board and delivered his lines too harshly to be understood, a contrast to his character, who was supposed to be sweet and gentle-natured.
Nazareth, on the other hand, read his lines the same way as listing out a grocery list.
It was clear how unhappy he was about playing Lady Rose, a girl portrayed as both passionately in love and sickly. She was a very dramatic character with no other discernible personality besides coughing out blood or blindly monologuing how much she loved Sir Gilde.
Tybalt and Royce couldn't figure out how Nazareth and Finneas got their roles.
Frederick Meyers was supposed to play Sir Gilde, and while Tybalt supported his transfer, he realized it would have been better if he stayed for another quarter.
It was expected for someone else to play Sir Gilde, but for Professor Rickman to pawn it off to Finneas?
Everything went to hell from there.
First of all, not only was this nepotism, but Finneas could barely say his lines without dry heaving.
With Frederick, he was at least good enough to cover Nazareth's shitty acting.
Anyone other than Finneas would have made a better Sir Gilde.
Lady Lettuse would have played a better Sir Gilde and she didn't even talk in class!
(No one knew Professor Rickman had chosen Odum and his nephew for the roles, not only due to the scores they got from the alchemy quiz they took a couple of months ago, but also due to his previous impression of them. How the fuck was he supposed to know Meyers would suddenly transfer classrooms? Besides, he thought he could trust Finneas to play a good Sir Gilde.
Before, Finneas had been acting like a shy and timid lamb for years while Odum not only looked like a pale and sickly patient but had the personality of a hysterical madman with one purpose in life. Both of these personalities were perfect for the roles.
No one would have thought that one boy was reincarnated for the second time and another was unintentionally giving off innocent vibes due to seasonal allergies and a tight control on his language so he wouldn't die.
In summary, the plot of the play was either going to be burned to the ground or cause a riot due to the unfortunate miscast.)
---
Neo watched his companions bicker with one another and wanted to die.
Finneas was about to throw hands with Royce after the latter pointed out his poor acting skills.
"—beats me how someone like you got to play Gilde—"
"Says the one playing the Nurse!"
Tybalt, the ever-patient mediator, cut that argument off at its roots rather quickly.
"Maybe we should skip to another scene. How about we move on to the one where the Nurse, the Cousin, and Lady Rose are talking? Finneas can take a break."
They have been focusing mainly on Finneas' scenes since he had the most speaking parts. The character of Gilde was a very... romantic character, who enjoyed going on and on with disturbingly detailed descriptions of Lady Rose and soliloquies consisting of why he loved her.
Since noon, Neo was forced to stare 'lovingly' (emotionlessly) into Finneas' 'loving' (pissed-off) gaze as they awkwardly huddled together and held hands for the umpteenth time.
For both boys, it was a very awkward experience...
Ultimately, it was agreed that Finneas could have a break so Tybalt and Royce could finally read out their scenes.
The two boys who played less important characters that coincidentally died by the end of Act One—but if you were to ask Tybalt, he died at the very end of the Act whilst Royce's character barely made it to scene three—got into their places with Neo.
Surprisingly enough, Royce was not all that terrible in his portrayal of Lady Rose's nurse, and Tybalt had quite the talent in acting out the lines of Lady Rose's cousin.
Unfortunately, when it came to Neo's turn to speak, his lines were once again delivered in a monotone voice with barely any acting at all...
"..."
"Naza..."
Neo sighed.
'The grade... the grade mattered more...'
He told himself with a sigh and read his lines once more—with feeling.
"Do not fret, dear Nurse. My feelings for Gilde are unchanging and his feelings for me remain ever-present, unbreakable, unlike an egg. Aye, me." Cue swooning dramatically. "Just thinking of my most beloved's hair that feels like silk egg whites, his eyes that shine like boiled quail eggs, his skin, smooth like that of white egg shells, his gentle fingers, gentle enough to hold an egg without dropping it as they touch my own, and his scent are like the spices of a well-made omelet..." Cue a lovesick sigh and another swoon.
He went on with this monologue that described Gilde's beauty in various manners with egg puns and egg imagery until the end of the scene.
Then, he was met with complete silence.
Neo looked around and saw three pairs of eyes pinned on him.
"What?"
Royce smiled like a plastic doll. "I cannot express how painful it was to watch that."
Tybalt and Finneas didn't say anything, but by the looks on their faces, they both silently agreed.
Neo frowned. "I didn't write this. The lines in this script are trash."
"We know."
"We're fucking screwed."
There went the performance. And their grade.
Whoever wrote the Tragedy of Ohmlet, may you not rest in fucking peace, you absolute fucker.
Except for Professor Rickman. His add-ons were torturous to read, but they would never insult their Professor like that.
Not if they wanted their spleens intact.
The group of four sighed depressingly in unison.
The door suddenly creaked open.
"Young Master," Rainier walked in with a tea cart and greeted him.
Neo noticed he was wearing his blindfold and understood why.
It was one of those bad days.
His face softened profusely.
"That's the look!" Tybalt whisper-shouted, as if Neo couldn't hear him.
"Is it so hard to look like that for the show?" Royce bemoaned, wiggling his eyebrows meaningfully at the others.
"Fucking gods, Odum..."
Neo ignored them, not wanting to know what the hell they were talking about.
"It is time for tea. Will Sir Phelan, Sir Dagon, and Sir Benedick be joining you?"
Neo cleared off the space on the coffee table. "Yes. Thank you for your hard work."
"It is my pleasure, Young Master."
The servant set the table and all four boys sat down.
"Today is a blend made from dandelion root. It is quite bitter, so I brought more cream and sugar for the other Sirs."
Neo held back a snort. Rainier was weirdly obsessed with dandelions lately.
It was to the point where the gardener had taken to caring for a decent size patch in the kitchen gardens.
Rainier poured the tea into cups and set them out in front of them.
Royce was the first to try it and when he did, he was surprised by the taste.
"Huh. It's better than Sunducks."
"Roy, everything is better than Sunducks," Neo deadpanned.
"Well yes, but supporting a local business is hard when I can just order it on an app."
Neo stared at the redhead judgmentally, "Lazy," he said, taking a sip of his tea. He continued, "Besides, this isn't coffee. You can't burn dandelion roots the way Sunducks burn their coffee."
"I'm sorry, but is this another previous life conversation thing?" Tybalt interjected. He glanced at Rainier, "Does he know?"
Oh shit.
It was at this moment that Neo realized he never told Rainier about the whole dying and reincarnating and then transmigrating after dying again business.
The servant still had his charming smile, as if he was a mere piece of furniture for decorative purposes.
"Rainier?"
"Yes, Young Master?"
The blindfold made it difficult for eye contact, but there was no strain in Rainier's body as he turned to him.
"I can explain," Neo said, feeling at a loss.
"Of course, Young Master," Rainier replied neutrally.
Neo pursed his lips and everyone around him was silent.
Royce frowned at him and shook his head.
Perhaps to him, Rainier seemed like an enemy.
Their downfall was due to Aurelion and everyone who supported him. Royce couldn't trust Rainier the way Neo did because he had no associations with Rainier.
Come to think of it, in their last lifetime, had Rainier ever interacted with his companions or allies?
Neo only remembered him serving him, watching him from the shadows in secret, and reporting his findings back to Aurelion.
At this point in their relationship, could Neo trust Rainier the way he trusted Tybalt and the others?
Their relationship was far more complicated than what he had with his friends.
Tybalt was a spy and Finneas betrayed him to survive the siege against Nazareth and his group. In the first place, they were unwilling companions who were dragged into the conflict between him and Aurelion. By being genuine to them, they accepted his friendship, so Neo revealed his circumstances.
Not because he fully trusted them, but because he knew Finneas and Tybalt wouldn't expose him.
Finneas had shown he didn't care about rebirths and his subsequent transmigration and Tybalt couldn't blackmail him with the information simply due to how unbelievable his claims were.
It was conniving and underhanded, Neo knew, but he wasn't stupid. Tybalt and Finneas had potential. The world was dangerous and Nazareth wasn't the only one trying to kill Aurelion back then. To ensure his brother's safety, he needed people.
But Rainier... Rainier was a large factor in both his and Aurelion's life.
Aurelion was naive and helpless despite his cold demeanor. He was barely able to use Rainier to his full potential.
The only reason Nazareth knew of Rainier's treachery was because he had planned for it from the beginning. Let Aurelion realize even with a Capable Servant as his spy, he had no ability to escape Nazareth's schemes.
But that was then and this is now.
Would it matter if he told Rainier?
If he did, Aurelion would know. But why would it matter if Aurelion found out? His parents would know, of course. But why would it matter if his parents knew?
So what was keeping him from telling Rainier?
I don't want to... because...
What he had with Rainier was already decent.
Rainier had been a great supporter since he came back.
Out of everyone, the servant was the most reliable.
Not to mention all those conversations they had...
He'll hate me once he finds out it took me two lifetimes to admit I was wrong.
---
"I'm sick of tea," Royce broke the awkward silence when he realized Neo had zoned out.
(His servant had at some point stopped smiling, which was terrifying.)
The dandelion root was a blessing and he praised it. These words went hand-in-hand with his frustration of not being able to drink coffee.
"I don't care what anyone says, but coffee is lifeblood. My father stared at me like I was a disappointment when I told him I wanted coffee. There is no coffee in my home. I haven't had a taste of coffee for three months and it is killing me. Neo, you understand what I'm talking about, right?"
Royce poked him in the ribs a few times, urging him to say something.
"Mm," the other answered noncommittally, resurfacing from his thoughts.
Tybalt and Finneas couldn't comprehend Neo and Royce's struggles.
Tybalt was from a baron family who didn't care what the kids ate as long as they all survived and Finneas' family required coffee to properly function, especially Pherb. His older brother needed more than just tea to survive the Magic Tower.
Although tea and coffee were both considered caffeinated beverages, the people of this world valued tea more due to socioeconomic reasons.
Coffee was a bitter drink that required a large amount of cream and sugar to enjoy. Due to its high caffeine content, the drink was popular with laborers and commoners. As a result, coffee became the drink of the common class.
Tea was first introduced by the Zhong Guo Empire on the Eastern Continent and evolved into a drink enjoyed by the upper class and nobility due to the luxury of safe water consumption.
Before the invention of the water purification talisman and plumbing, water was too dangerous to freely consume and could only be filtered manually with magic, so clean water was only drunk by the nobility who could afford the process.
The tea leaves brought by the Zhong Guo Empire and the delicate art of tea brewing allowed for the nobility to not only drink water but also to "spice up" their drinks.
Today, anyone could drink coffee and tea safely, but coffee was still considered the drink of the poor while tea was known to the aristocracy.
"If you pay me, I will bring you coffee beans," Tybalt suddenly said, his voice like a siren to Royce's ears.
"Deal. I'll meet you behind the school tomorrow."
"Bring the coins."
"You know I will. Just get me the good stuff."
Finneas stared at them like there was something very wrong with this conversation. "What the actual fuck is wrong with you two?"
Neo quietly sipped his tea and wondered if this was what a drug deal looked like.
The atmosphere was turning light-hearted again, which relinquished him from his thoughts.
Neo had no problem getting coffee, although Rainier did restrict his intake after a certain time of day. Neo was no longer allowed to drink coffee after noon, which meant he had to move his coffee breaks with Aurelion to mid-morning.
Neo appreciated Rainier's dedication to his health, but life was hard to get through with only two cups of coffee a day.
As much as he enjoyed having tea time, tea was nothing compared to coffee—especially for him, who was once considered a high-functioning workaholic that didn't sleep.
So what if he died because of overwork?
Even if he was dead in the modern world, Neo still considered himself to be working there. Clark donated his body to science.
Maybe he should also make a deal with Tybalt. He could keep a stash in his room and use a heating talisman—
"Young Master, please do not buy coffee beans outside of a qualified merchant. The heating talisman is not a solution to all your problems."
As if reading his mind, Rainier cut down his plans mercilessly like a sickle through a wheat field.
How had the man come to know him so well?
"I have a license."
"Tybalt has a license."
"No, Young Master."
"I was just thinking about it."
"Don't think."
"Did father give you another raise?"
"... I am worried about your health."
"You didn't say no."
Neo didn't see the way his friends let out a collective sigh of relief.
Thank the gods, the strange tension in the room was gone.
While Neo was zoning out, his servant had an eerie atmosphere about him that made everyone sweat bullets.
It's a good thing he's not the heir. He doesn't have to reproduce. Tybalt thought casually before his focus went down to the sweets laid on the table.
---
The trajectory of the conversation between the four friends started to head in a weird direction once Aurelion and Guinivere were brought up.
"These days Guinevere and Aurelion have been acting... odd. I don't know what's gotten into them, but Guinivere had almost challenged Aurelion to a duel the other day."
"That's surprising," Royce agreed, "I never imagined a conflict would erupt between them. I thought you and your brother spoiled her?"
Neo's brows furrowed, "Do you think we spoiled her too much? It doesn't explain Aurelion's reactions, either. He's been locking Guinivere out of the manor and avoiding her."
"Perhaps it's puberty?" Royce suggested, "Their hormones might be fluctuating. Your brother's growing colder and Guinivere is growing... more violent?"
"Don't you mean taller?"
"Does that even matter? One's a freezer and the other one is a blender."
"..."
"Am I wrong?"
Neo sighed. "They are of that age now. Guinevere is growing more violent with each passing day, but Aurelion is often melting."
"Those are still symptoms. Have they been given education on the... you know..."
"I think so? They should have been given one in the Junior Division, right? Wait, did we get a lecture on it when we were in the Junior Division—"
"What the fuck are you talking about?"
Finneas, who didn't understand a single thing, asked. Both he and Tybalt were very confused. They couldn't keep up with this conversation.
What was 'you know' and this 'pyooberde' that they were speaking of? Could they eat it? Was it a disease? And why did Nazareth's brother and sister have it?
Royce and Neo paused mid-word and in unison, turned to the other two boys.
They have forgotten that the science of sexual education and child development wasn't as... refined as the modern world. Therefore, the two of them immediately went into a lecture on sexual education and the matters of puberty to the once somewhat-innocent ears of Tybalt and Finneas.
It was a talk no one was prepared for.
Rainier wasn't even prepared and he was a twenty-year-old man currently acting as a background flower vase.
No one came out of that conversation unscathed, but you learn something new every day.
"But how did you come about this information?" Tybalt asked after washing away the look of trauma on his face.
Neo paused for just a second, shifted his eyes toward Rainier, and answered, "From a book we read a long time ago."
Tybalt caught the look and nodded, "I see."
Eventually, tea time came to an end with all four boys sitting comfortably on the sofas. The warmth of the sun seeping in from the windows added to the soft ambiance.
Rainier cleared up the plates.
"I will take care of these, Young Master. I hope you enjoy the rest of the afternoon with the Sirs."
"You are a gift from the gods, Rainier. Please thank Lila for the cakes."
"Of course."
Rainier took his exit.
"I didn't think things would turn out like this," Neo said softly, loud enough for all his companions to hear.
"How so?" Royce replied.
"If this was the past, we wouldn't be here. We would be doing something else."
Tybalt grinned, "What would we be doing instead?"
Neo shrugged, "Killing someone?"
Royce almost choked, "When you say it like that, we sound like horrible people."
"Roy, we were horrible people."
A snore abruptly cut the conversation.
Three gazes landed on Finneas, who had fallen asleep. The boy had pressed his face into the sofa and was dead to the world.
Neo blinked, "He's worked hard today."
Tybalt chuckled quietly while Royce snorted.
"Indeed he did."
"With the way he was delivering his lines, I would be more surprised if he wasn't tired."
They looked at Finneas with his eyes closed and looking like an innocent lamb.
The room was warm, the sunlight filtered in gently, and there was cake and tea in their stomachs.
They all passed out from exhaustion.
---
Aurelion had found his older brother sleeping on the shoulder of that idiot from the Benedick household and wanted to explode!
Were they napping?!
Not only was Guinivere being a nuisance today and out to get him for some unsaid reason, but when he had decided to seek out the company of his older brother, THIS was what he saw instead! It was absolutely infuriating!
The temperature in the room began to drop.
"Aurelion?" Nazareth was awake.
Aurelion scowled and folded his arms, "It is evening. I believe your companions have overstayed their welcome."
Nazareth expressionlessly checked the clock on the wall and nodded.
"We must have overslept..."
"Oh, wow, the room is so cold," Tybalt cheerfully said as he stood up. Aurelion couldn't tell if the bastard had been awake when he stepped into the room, or not.
Tybalt stretched his arms and yawned, "Come on, Finny. It's time to go home."
"... Fuck you, Phelan... Give me five more minutes..." The second son of the Dagon Household muttered, clearly unaware of Aurelion's presence.
The temperature dropped even further.
A blue vein bulged from Aurelion's head.
"All of you, wake up!"
---
Neo escorted his friends to the front door.
While the group was walking down the long corridors of the manor, he could see Aurelion and Tybalt discreetly fall behind.
At the door, he and Royce grasped each other's forearms.
"Get back safely."
"Yes, I'll see you tomorrow."
He sent him out first and then gave a nod to Finneas.
"Have a good night."
Tybalt was the last one to leave out the door, but not before bringing him into a rather enthusiastic hug.
"Have a nice night, Naza!"
Neo patted the other on the back, "You, too. Have a safe trip back."
The door slammed shut.
Neo turned away and was faced with Aurelion, who wore a perpetual frown of pure loathing.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
There was a pause.
"Do you need help with any school work?"
He waited for the spiking glacier to melt its edges.
"... Okay."
Neo hid a small grin.
---
Tybalt had caught up with Finneas as he left the gate of the Odum Manor. Royce had already departed.
They climbed into Finneas' carriage and sat down in front of one another in silence.
Finneas stared out the window. "What were you and that brat talking about?"
Tybalt smiled. "I've been relieved of my duties."
"So the brat fired you." Finneas crossed his arms. "It's not like you actually reported anything important. I think he's sick of hearing you talk about Odum's shitty acting."
Lavender eyes widened noticeably and the smile grew bigger.
"Naza's changed, just as he had promised. I can't say it's everything I ever wanted, but I'm glad he's become bearable. Naza... He trusts me."
"Fuck," Finneas cursed softly in realization. "The two of you are friends."
"Yeah."
The maroon-haired boy shook his head. "Sentiments. Your mother hen tendencies are showing."
"I wasn't the one glaring at that pair of twins just because they tried to confess to Naza." Tybalt bit back half-heartedly,
"Odum might know what sex is, but can he understand the mind and heart of a man and woman? They'll eat him alive. He's become a bigger dumbass after his time travel bullshit and you coddling him like a child doesn't make it any better."
After making his point, Finneas refused to look at Tybalt, his gaze solely on the window.
He would never admit how much Odum's change had affected him.
Tybalt had a point.
Friends.
It was a simple desire with complicated implications.
---
Step 32. Ruin the greatest piece of literature in the history of Rhine with your terrible acting. Please note that you are in the presence of friends. Yes, this is a group project. And no, you can't opt out. Please take advantage of this situation to maximize your friendship points.
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The author has something to say:
Thank you, that-one_lazy-child for the amazing fanart! You can find their art on the discord or fanart page. All links are on my profile.