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men at some time are masters of their fates
Cat gets invited for a peaceful tea with Felix's family
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When they went to live with their grandparents the triplets felt very hopeful about the future. Their parents' warnings even looked entirely unwarranted after a while.

It was after their first "mixer" with "people of their age" that they noticed anything amiss. The questions didn't sound that bad at first, typical parental figure inquiring about romantic prospects. But the questions got insisting and the parties more frequent. The young Daliath women looked less friendly and more "looking for an opening to exploit", so did the girls' relatives.

For a while, Felix (or Feliaris in this world) held to the hope. He gave his grandparents the benefit of doubt. Then one night they are at a party with some Daliath from Parjen. Full-augmented Daliath, unlike the local norm of partial augmented like his family. Felix started a conversation with a (very) tall dark-skinned young woman, his age and a fashion model.

Their grandparents almost stopped the conversation by force. It must have been coordinated, some people distracted her and another set distracted him. Felix joined his brothers in not-attending the kind of event.

Then the grandparents, got wind of some rumors and confronted the triplets about it. Separately, so they couldn't coordinate. Luckily, Fernando predicted the possibility, and they collectively deflected any questions. It was suspicious, but it meant their grandparents knew nothing besides that there was a boy named "Katur".

Their grandparents changed tactics. Of course, they did.

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Eleonora didn't get the chance to talk to the Vaesteri triplets at previous parties. Everyone wanted to talk to them. Of course, who wouldn't? Prestigious family, broken apart by tragedy, raised in the exotic and wild world of Earth and finally returned to Milirevi to reclaim their birthrights. It was the plot of a romance novel come to life and everyone wanted to be the heroine or be related to the heroine. Or more likely, they wanted status and money.

 

But time passed, Eleonora was not invited to other parties where the triplets attended and the rumor mill didn't reveal anything useful until the triplets stopped attending parties all together.

However, an invitation arrived at the Paresteri household, politely asking for attendance at a small tea party with other people (subtext: young women) of similar status.

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The Vaesteris are not the only ones subtly pushing their scions in the direction of suitable matches. Aron Paresteri, a partly-augmented Daliath who is justifiably proud of his bloodline, wants grandchildren. Leo has been dealing with hints of decreasing subtlety for the last few years. Aron is delighted that his daughter received an invitation from such a prestigious family; his offspring is less than thrilled. 

Eleonora Paresteri would be delighted to attend, says the reply.

It's not like Leo had anything better to do with that time, and it is nice to meet new people, especially ones who grew up in other cultures like the Vaesteri triplets did. 

Because they'll have more interesting stories to share, clearly. Not for any other reason, like the fact that they might be less likely to share the traditional Daliath outlook on certain things. It isn't done to talk about such matters at a tea party anyway, even—especially—one that's a thinly disguised cover for parental and grandparental matchmaking. 

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She might want to make a quick detour at the temple before climbing the stairs towards the large residence above, but that's entirely optional.

A maid opens the door and takes her to a balcony. "Eleonora Paresteri, daughter of Aron Paresteri," she announces.

Dal-Jaon Vaesteri stands up and greets her. "I am glad you honor my household with your presence," he actually sounds sincere, "I feel I never had the opportunity to talk to your family."

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It's a fairly spacious balcony with a lot of flowering plants. They must have some kind of weather-ward because there is no sign of the earlier rain.

Besides the hosts and Eleonora there must be at least two other families, with a total of three other young women "of age". There is also a non-Vaesteri young man, because plausible deniability is important, or maybe the Vaesteri are just generous/multitasking.

The third triplet is nowhere to be seen. One is leaning on the guard-rails, looking at the city beyond and ignoring the girl trying to get his attention.

One of them is unexcitedly talking to a "candidate" and her younger sister, until the two are called over by an older relative. Leaving him open for conversation.

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"It's my honour to be here, sir." Leo can do the 'sounding sincere' trick too. The trick is to find the part of yourself that genuinely believes whatever message you want to convey. "My father sends his apologies that he could not attend, but sadly he had a prior engagement." 

This man is almost certainly one of the most bigoted people in the room and if he knew half of what went on in Leo's head he would regret that invitation immediately. That knowledge is a bright, bubbling feeling that puts a sparkle in Leo's eye and helps make the smile look genuine, even while wanting to slap the smug look off Dal-Jaon Vaesteri's face. 

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"We offer our apologies for sending an invite in such short notice," Dal-Jaon says unaware of anything going through her head. He spots the lone triplet, sipping tea. "But of course, an old man like me shouldn't bore a bright young woman like you. Would you mind keeping company to one of my grandsons?"

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"It would be my pleasure." By which Leo means that none of the rumours around the Vaesteri triplets suggest that they might be unpleasant conversation partners. 

Having also noticed the lone triplet, Leo heads in that direction.

Observation so far suggests that the two visible triplets are unimpressed with the standard approach, so maybe starting with something other than bland small-talk would be a good idea. That suits Leo just fine. Small-talk is a necessary evil to be gotten out of the way so the real conversation can begin. Better to lead with something clever, something funny, something that leaves the young Vaesteri—and it's starting to be annoying that there's no way to tell which one is which—with the impression that Eleonora Paresteri is an interesting person. 

"So," Leo says at a volume intended only for the two of them, "would you rather be back on Earth right now, where you couldn't do magic in public but your grandparents wouldn't be putting you on display like a prize racehorse?" 

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Well, that gets a surprised chuckle out of him, though he still looks a bit tired. "Now, that's a complicated question to answer." He combs his fingers through his hair and offers a seat and a cup of tea from a self-heating teapot.

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"All the best ones are," Leo comments, accepting a teacup and sitting down. "I've got time. I'm Leo, by the way." 

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"I am Feliaris... but call me Felix," he adds after a pause. "And well, first step answering the question is dispelling the stereotype that Earth is a war-torn world. You don't see guns on the street everywhere everyday. Well, maybe in some parts of America."

He really does not expect her to get the joke. It's a test. He hates that he is testing people at all.

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"Felix," Leo repeats quietly. It's easier to remember someone's name if you've said it back to them. 

The comment about America gets a laugh. "Oh, I've heard a lot about America. Is that where you were living on Earth?" With mock concern, Leo adds, "You weren't involved in any shootings, were you?" 

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"No?" That's not a funny subject, but Felix guesses it's his fault for bringing it up. "I mean, of course not I was never involved in any shootings. But that's where I used to live on Earth. Though, I was born in Brazil."

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Aaaa he's awkward why is Leo finding this cute—

"Oh! Which was your favourite? Brazil or America?" Not even thinking about what to say to impress him anymore, just genuinely wanting to know because it's interesting that he's lived in two different places even before coming here. 

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"We were kids when we moved, so it's hard to pick an actual favorite." He can do small talk, that's something he can do. "But defaults to America, where everyone I know is."

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"That makes sense," Leo agrees. "Is there anyone you'll especially miss?"

Maybe he has a girlfriend back on Earth and that's why he's not interested in any of the girls here. Or a boyfriend, suggests part of Leo's brain. That part does not get a say in this conversation and is summarily ignored. 

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"Of course, my parents are still there."

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"Right. Yes, I did know that, I just. Forgot. Sorry." Ugh, that was a stupid mistake, that's one of the few things everyone knows about the Vaesteris. Well done, Leo, now Felix is going to think you're an idiot. Or maybe just a heartless bitch. 

"I, uh, meant more like friends. Or maybe someone who was more than a friend?" Carefully not giving this hypothetical person a gender, to see what he makes of that. 

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"Ah," Felix says like he expecting this.

Well, the sad thing is that asking that line of questioning actually puts Leo ahead of most other candidates.

"It's okay. I am okay," he says tiredly. "I had plenty of friends and used to have plenty of more of friends. No one that I am currently missing." He tilts his head. "There was someone I wish I could've told about sorcery, he-" Felix shakes his head.

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"...you could tell me about him?" Leo suggests softly. "If you want, I mean."

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Felix gives her a look. Like he is not sure what's the angle of attacking she is aiming at.

But Felix's natural instincts take over and he figures there ought to be a non-nefarious explanation. Certainly, a reasonable justification even if...

"I just think he really would've liked knowing about magic... why do you ask? Do you..." he lowers his voice to a whisper, "need help?"

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The minute flinch that follows Felix's words probably answers his question, along with the look on Leo's face.

"...yes. How did you—"

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"I- lucky guess," he gently puts a hand on her arm, waiting for a reaction. "What's going on? Is it something I can do to help?"

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Leo doesn't pull away, but Felix can feel the arm he's holding shake with tension. 

"I—is there somewhere quieter we can talk—" They're still speaking in hushed voices, and it's unlikely that anyone else is listening in, but that probability goes up the more openly distressed either of them looks. 

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Felix makes himself smile, for the benefit of people watching. "Of course, do you want to see my contraband of Earth media? It's at our library."

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"You know, I think I would like that." Leo summons up a smile from somewhere and shifts Felix's hand so they're arm in arm. "Lead on." 

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Felix leads Leo librarywards, making his best to ignore the looks everyone is giving them.

There is a black flower painted above the balcony's door. Everyone is ignoring it.

It's a nice house, but that much Leo already knew. Felix leads her to the library where he gently disentangles arms with her.

 

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-Then at superspeed he retrieves pen and paper and writes:

The library has sound wards. I don't think they can be tapped by my grandparents for eavesdropping, but I don't know. Because of the sorcery books the place definitely got some anti-spying wards. So... I think we are on the safe side if we write things down. I will burn the paper afterwards. What do you need help with?

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Leo knows exactly what the flower means, but ignores it since everyone else is.

Alright then. Paper. Pen. 

...this is surprisingly difficult to write. It's not something he's ever put into words on paper before. Even telling Saverin wasn't this hard once he made the decision. After a few false starts, some hesitation, and a lot of crossing out, Leo shoves the paper in Felix's direction and looks down, waiting for his response. 

I want to be I'm a boy. I know there's sorcery that would let me be one for real have a male body but I'm not allowed to learn it. It's restricted to Dals. 

If I we You could I agreed to come to this party because marrying into your family would let me get access to the ritual I need want. I'll understand if Please don't feel obligated to help me just because you know about my problems. But marrying someone who knew and didn't mind would be better than If you want I'll leave and you never have to see me again. 

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Felix takes this time to retrieve a book to act as a cover if there is anyone comes to check on them.

He reads the note.

"Do-"

Do you want a hug?

Then he thinks better and adds.

Do you want a hug? I want to help, but this kind of thing I would need to talk to my brothers about it. There might be some other way.

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Leo gets up to find a book of his own, and takes the opportunity for a quick look around to make sure no-one's watching. 

Then hug. Definitely hug.

...there might be a damp patch on Felix's shoulder by the time Leo lets go. 

Thank you. Even if you can't help, it means a lot to know that you still want to. 

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Felix doesn't mind. He is a great hugger.

"Of course," he murmurs.

Is there anything I can do? Or should know?

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They have to unhug slightly to read the messages and write replies. How unfortunate. 

I've tried to talk to my father about it, but he doesn't understand, especially since I told him I'd still be alright with marrying a man, but not with having children. I will not have children with this body. For you or anyone else

I have a friend There's someone else who knows and understands doesn't properly understand it, but she believes me like you do, and she wants to understand. Her name is Saverin. She's the only other person who calls me Leo. I don't know why I introduced myself that way to you

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Even if we go ahead with your plan. I wouldn't demand anything from you, much less a child. We are too young to even consider a kid.

And I understand. Or at least I hope I understand. I definitely don't think I understand more than you in the matter.

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How is he reacting so well. Why is he so perfect. Why is Leo getting so emotional over this. 

Have you met people like me before? On Earth? 

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Nod. "A few," he says. It's uniformative enough in case they are overheard.

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Leo wants to ask about them, wants to know everything, but...

Should we head back to the party before people start thinking we're doing something other than reading? 

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Felix nods. "Please, take the book." He says as a cover. And he gives Leo his best reassuring smile.

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He receives a tiny barely-there smile in return as Leo stands up, keeping hold of the book he's been pretending to read. 

"Thank you; you're too kind." Any eavesdroppers will assume Eleonora is making the expected polite response to the loan of the book, but Leo means it for more than that. 

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"It's no trouble." Smile.

Back to the balcony then.

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Where the third triplet decided to bless everyone with his presence. He is very remarkably not wearing something sufficiently formal. He looks like he just came back from the gymnasium and is resting a foot over a table.

This has caused: one young candidate to come to the table and make conversation out of annoyed obligation; another candidate continuously steal glances while distractedly talking to plausible-deniability-dude; and plausible-deniability-dude annoyance over not being able to capture the young women's attentions.

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...Leo thinks he might like this guy. Such blatant disregard for etiquette is a statement in itself, and not one Leo's ever been bold enough to make. 

"Perhaps you should introduce me to your brothers?" he suggests to Felix, trying to hide a grin. 

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"Of course," Felix says guiding Leo towards the third triplet.

"Teronmas, this is..." he pauses because he is not sure what Leo prefers to be called.

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"Leo." Might as well be consistent. "Pleased to meet you, Teronmas."

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"Sup?" Teronmas says bringing his flat hand to his head and waving it away, in an arcane earth signal of salutation. "Hey, my new friend is Paroma. We are making friends today, isn't that great?"

"Yes," Paroma says with a tired smile.

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Paroma doesn't seem too impressed with Teronmas' Earth manners. Leo doesn't blame her, although he thinks it's rather charming himself. Not husband material, not like Felix—and where did that thought come from? What he knows about Felix could fit in a paper bag. 

"I'm certainly enjoying the opportunity to get to know everyone here," Leo comments neutrally. 

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Felix discreetly pushes Teronmas' feet off the table.

"We've met, Thomas," Felix says with a nod to Paroma who does not change expression.

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"Okay, dear brother. So, what's your deal, Leo? Enjoying the fruity teas?"

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"The books, actually." Although now he mentions it, a teacup is great for having something to do with one's hands. "Felix was kind enough to let me borrow one from the library."

Like Leo, the triplets clearly have some kind of message going on with their names and which ones they use in different contexts; Leo uses Felix's Earth name very deliberately. 

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Felix offers Leo a seat, far away from where Thomas' feet were. He also takes the opportunity to offer him one of those cherry-things that they use instead of sugar cubes.

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Thomas apparently notices, his initial reaction is mostly suspicion.

"I would never have guessed that the Vaesteri household had that kind of literature," Paroma says surprised before Thomas can reply.

"Terrible romance novels? Felix loves them like candy."

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Mmm, cherries. 

"It's not my favourite genre, but they're fun light reading." Terrible romance novels are one of the few pleasures Leo allows his family to catch him indulging in, mostly because it's an acceptably feminine genre. 

How much more small talk do they have to endure? It wouldn't be so terrible if it wasn't for the contrast between this conversation and the one with Felix in the library just minutes ago.

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"They are very fun. And I find that they can be very informative about things."

Paroma blinks widely at this statement.

"Culturally, that is. How else was I supposed to learn that guys from Earth are all soldiers that keep their shirts unbuttoned? Anyway, Leo do you want to meet my other brother?"

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"Oh, that depends," Leo jokes. "Is he as nice as you?"

Argh, that was flirting, why is flirting happening. 

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Thomas lets out a very loud laughter. Which might work as an answer.

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Felix rolls his eyes at Thomas. To Leo he says. "He is very nice."

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"Well, in that case, lead on!" Leo replies brightly, standing up and holding out one arm for Felix to take. 

Time to collect the complete set of triplets. Well, not collect. Meet the full set. 

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Felix takes Leo's arm.

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To where the final triplet is watching the streets below. He turns when they approach. "I saw that you took her indoors."

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"Hi, I am Fernando," Felix deadpans, "Fernando this is Leo."

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Leo giggles. 

"Can you three actually impersonate each other?" he wonders. 

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Pfft. "As much as Thomas would like to. It's hard to match Fernando's effervescent personality. Anyway, Fernando, you want to be nice."

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"Alright. It's a honor to meet you, Leo."

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"Likewise." Leo shakes his hand. 

"This is a beautiful house. Felix was just showing me the library." 

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"It is very that. I don't think my grandparents enjoy the opulence that much, but the place is too historical to leave."

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Leo nods. "And what about you?"

Do you like living in luxury or do you wish you were anywhere else, he doesn't say. 

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"I think the space could be better utilized. This house is too big for five and for a long while it only had two."

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"And Fernando cares even less about opulence than our grandparents."

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"That's a very practical approach." Leo approves. "What about the historical aspect? I'll admit I don't know much of the specific history of this house; is it something you're interested in?" 

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"Somewhat. But indirectly, I care about our family history and it's very tied to this location."

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"Same. It might not be strictly necessary, but it helps understand some of the current political aspects." Pause. "It's cool seeing a picture of a place you live in in a history book."

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Fernando still isn't being quite as friendly as his brother, which is disappointing, but Felix more than makes up for it. "That does sound pretty amazing. Does it happen to you a lot?" 

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"It happens a non-zero amount which is way more than I expected. Not that I am complaining."

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Someone's grandmother approaches suddenly. "The Vaesteri household have quite a history here. The family owned the property since Milirevi founding you know, but it used to be a city-farm before-"

"Dal-Nessa," says the triplets' grandfather, "why don't you and the youths come with me to sit at the table? We are serving our signature dessert: roasted berry pudding.

"Of course, Dal-Jaon."

People take seats, being very subtle about how they fight to arrange themselves. Dal-Jaon subtly, but obviously makes a point of seating Leo in front of Felix.

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...this is good? Probably? But there goes any opportunity to talk to Felix in private. 

Leo eats roasted berry pudding and makes inoffensive small talk with the people on either side and across the table, including Felix.

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Felix appears to be enjoying the small talk. At least more than he was before Leo arrived. The three brothers got separated, so he is balancing the attention of seven different people. But he smiles at Leo every once in a while.

The pudding is quite good and rich in flavor.

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The pudding might actually be the best part of this party. Other than Felix. 

...Leo can't tell if this is a crush or just 'someone finally accepted me for who I am therefore they're the best person ever'. But it's not like it matters, because Felix probably doesn't have a reciprocal crush and even if he does he might have a problem with the gender thing. 

Small talk doesn't actually take much brainpower. Leo can keep thinking about this for the rest of the party. 

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Leo will learn all about variously interesting (which is to say not at all interesting) history of property ownership in the Milirevi metropolitan area. Mercifully, people will eventually depart as the tea ends. Dal-Jaon smiles at him before he leaves and there are vague hopes he will attend future events like this.

When Leo gets home, there is already a message... from Paroma.

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Leo does a good impression of being flattered by Dal-Jaon's approval and doesn't make any promises. It would be nice to see Felix again, though.

A message? Oh, but not from Felix. Leo ruthlessly pushes down the disappointment. Making friends is good even if they're not cute boys, and Paroma seemed alright when they were talking earlier. What does the message say? 

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Paroma's message starts with a very informal: "What's your secret? Please help me." Followed by a formal request to the effect of "please return this message at your earliest convenience."

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Leo spends almost a full minute panicking about how Paroma found out.

But, of course, she's just talking about the way Leo apparently charmed one of the coveted Vaesteri triplets in the space of an evening. 

Sorry, I'm not sure there's a secret there you can copy. All I did was be honest and be myself. 

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I wasn't being dishonest. I don't know what they are looking for.

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Leo didn't have very long to get an impression of Paroma, but she didn't seem terrible. And it says good things about her that she's asking for help. So Leo puts some actual thought into the next message, trying to find some advice that might be useful for someone who doesn't trip and fall into a friendship(?) with Felix Vaesteri.

(He's Felix in Leo's head, but Paroma will know him as Feliaris, so that's the name that goes in the message.)

Obviously, the triplets are all different and are going to be looking for different things. But what worked for me was talking to Feliaris about Earth, asking him what his life was like there and what he thought of it.

To generalise that...you could try taking an interest in the things that interest them, and talking about those, but ideally, it should be something you actually want to talk about. People can tell the difference between genuine and polite interest, and the former is more attractive. So maybe my advice should be "find a common interest".

Approach it like you would approach making friends with someone, I suppose. It's the same general principle—you want them to like you and spend time with you. 

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That's better advice than my family could give me. Thank you. We might get you invited over for tea if you want that, though, it's more likely one of my aunts will invite you over on my mom's behalf.

Which is code for "my family not being that wealthy", though only in the relative terms of anyone with an "esteri" in their family name.

Shortly later there is a message from the Vaesteri home, asking if she is free at around this time in the afternoon a couple of days from now and asking Leo to meet Feliaris (whoever wrote the message also does not prefer to call him Felix) in front of this place.

The place is a super-fancy orchard restaurant, the kind of place where you go around tasting magically enhanced fruit straight out of the trees, and then they feed you a unique meal based on your favorite fruits.

Leo heard of this place, it's super nice, super romantic, also super exclusive. Even by the Vaesteri standards.

It's likely they are going to just meet in front of the place and go somewhere else.

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Likely, but not certain. Leo accepts the invitation, because that's what one does when invited somewhere by a Vaesteri, then spends the next couple of days agonising over what to wear. Conveniently, this is a good distraction from worrying about what's going to happen alone with Felix in a famously romantic location. 

And at the agreed time, Eleonora Paresteri is in the appropriate place, dressed in something pretty enough for a romantic outing but also modest enough to wear when meeting Felix's grandparents. Just in case. 

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Felix is waiting for him in the place's reception hall, under the sign with the name of the place in font so elegant that's hard to read.

He is wearing a very nice tunic, very fitting for a romantic outing in a place like this.

There is no sign of his grandparents.

"Hi, Leo. How have you been?" He says smiling brightly.

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Oh, okay, this is already going better(?) than the worst-case scenario. Somehow that doesn't make it any less terrifying.

"Hi, Felix. I've been alright; you?" Small talk isn't terrifying at all, Leo can do small talk. 

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"I am great myself. My grandmother knows the owner of this place and when they got an opening in their schedule she got it as a favor," he offers him an arm, "do you want to walk inside now? I heard it's very pretty."

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Sure, Leo will take his arm. Smiling, smiling, definitely not nervous at all. 

"I've heard good things about it." 

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Felix already talked to the hostess, so they can just walk in by the main entrance.

A short set of stairs leads them inside a huge garden area.

From the outside the building looks like a normal house, but now they can see the absence of any walls from the first floor up. They can notice some old structural remains, indicating that the building probably lost its interior during a disaster or calamity and then was repurposed for this use. The walls are half-covered in flowering ivy, often forming geometric patterns in different colors and shades.

There is a waitress/guide that greets them warmly. "Is this your first time at an orchard-restaurant?"

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Is she talking to Leo? 

"Yes, it is." 

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Apparently the question is directed at them both.

"My first time as well."

"It's a privilege guiding you two through the process," the waitress says.

"The privilege is all ours. What's your name?"

"Lianca," she says, smiling just a tad more sincerely at that, "I actually already know yours from our guest list. Honorable Feliaris and Honorable Eleonora," Lianca inclines her head, "Well, let's proceed! To enjoy the experience that we delightfully offer you, the first step is that we will hear what sort of food preferences you have - likes, dislikes and allergies - and then you are free to roam the garden and sample the fruits. At intervals, you will see pillars where you can deposit fruits and say if you liked it or not. Now, our fruits are made to be non-allergic, but in the off chance you shouldn't eat something it will turn hard and cold in your hands. We also have delightful flowers that you can smell and hidden around the garden we have a trivia game to entertain you. Once you have completed a circuit around the garden we will call you to your table, where you can start sampling our chefs customized dishes based on your preferences. You are free to take the food with you and still walk around, enjoying the sights. Now, we absolutely encourage you to enjoy everything, but if you want to take fruit home it's unnecessary to collect from the garden itself. You both will get a complementary fruit basket to take with you. Any questions?"

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"Not at the moment, thank you." 

This sounds like it might be fun, especially the trivia game. Hopefully, Felix thinks so too, or he wouldn't have picked it. 

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"Me neither, thank you. This place is even better than advertised." Felix replies.

"Thank you, we do our best."

With that said, Lianca will ask a few simple questions from her form. Felix apparently favors sweet and spice flavors.

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Leo has some tolerance for spice and doesn't mind sweetness, isn't allergic to anything but dislikes sour flavours. The texture of raspberries is mildly offensive but the taste is fine, and the same for these other three berries. 

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All those details are diligently written down before Lianca declares that she will leave them be to enjoy themselves.

"Okay, I hope this isn't too much," Felix says a bit self-conscious. "But it does sound like a fun way to spend the afternoon."

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"I can think of worse ways," Leo agrees. "...I have to admit, I'm glad your grandparents aren't here." 

Time to explore an orchard? 

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Time to explore the orchard.

The place is quite beautiful, now that they can move around it's easier to notice that there is a single tree that sprawls around the entire thing. It grows in arches, creating new roots when it touches the ground, and its branches are used as the supporting structure of a balcony space. There are other plants, obviously, the fruits mostly grow in tall bushes which are made to grow in a shape convenient for picking, with geometric topiary surrounding them. Even the grass is patterned.

Felix frowns. "Really? Is that... usual?"

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"For adults to insist on chaperoning their younger relatives on romantic excursions? It's not universal but it's common." 

Leo crouches down to inspect the grass. "See, if your grandparents were here I'd be too busy pretending to be a proper young lady to do things like getting a closer look at this weird patterned grass." 

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Felix crouches besides him. "Good thing no one is here to scold us about being a proper young gentleman."

The grass forms honeycombs in different shades of greens, the patterns appear to be achieved not by a change of color, but by having the blades bend and catch the light in different ways.

"I am still getting used to the things you can do with magic," Felix says about the grass. "It can be really beautiful," he says looking at Leo.

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Aaaaah that was almost definitely flirting what—

Leo decides to pretend they're still talking about the grass. "I guess magic must still be strange and new for you, since you lived on Earth until recently. If you've lived with something your whole life, it can be harder to see the beauty in it." 

Yup. Totally still talking about the grass. 

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"The novelty has yet to wear off, no." Felix says in agreeable tones. He thinks for a moment. "Now I wonder what do you think of this place?"

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"I haven't seen much of it yet," Leo points out, standing up and holding out a hand to Felix. 

"Shall we explore some more?" 

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Felix smiles at him accepts Leo's hand and stands up. "Of course."

They follow the trail and Felix inspects a bush before picking a berry and tasting it. "Huh, kinda chocolate-y with a mint undertone? Which is odd. There is an entire process to make chocolate from cocoa beans."

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"Huh." Leo tries one.

"...yeah. Mint chocolate. It's impressive, but not one of my favourite flavours." 

They're still holding hands, which is weird, but Leo isn't gonna be the first one to pull away. It feels a tiny bit subversive to walk through a garden holding hands with a boy—a Vaesteri boy—knowing that everyone looks at Leo and sees a girl. 

"Oh, what about this one over here?" There are so many different fruits to try! If they sample them all, they won't have any room left for their meal, but they can give it a good try. 

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That one over here has a creamy texture, almost milky taste, hints of something nutty.

So many fruits, most are bite-sized, but they couldn't possible taste it all in one visit. It's probably part of their diabolical plan to get people to come back. Which might be overkill because the atmosphere is rather nice.

And very romantic, specially when the music starts playing.

Felix doesn't break the hand holding.

"Oh, I think that's part of the trivia game." Felix says pointing at a plaque hanging from a flower bush.

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Oh, right, there was a game. As if Leo needed any more things to think about right now. 

...alright, what does the plaque say?

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The plaque says

Ask your partner what they used to think about marriage when they were little.

In smaller words. Touch this rune to get to the next question.

"Huh, this doesn't quite sound like trivia."

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"But answering the question. I had always been a big romantic? When girls wanted to play pretend wedding I was always for it."

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...well, this 'trivia game' isn't going to be quite as fun and painless as Leo was hoping. 

"That's a cute picture. I played pretend weddings with—my friend. But I always wanted to be the groom," Leo admits. "When the adults complained, I pointed out that we couldn't very well have two brides, could we?"

Oh, the irony.

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"Sorry. Do you want a hug? I just realized this might make you uncomfortable."

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Yes.

"It's fine. They're mostly good memories, just...ironic, in hindsight." 

Leo reaches out and taps the rune as the plaque instructs. 

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"Hindsight does a lot of that to us..." Felix gently pats Leo on the back.

The rune points to the next trivia question, which is a classic Elan literature reference that Felix completely fails to know, about a couple coming to realize that they are a good match for each other.

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"Oh, this is an actual trivia question! I'm a little less disappointed in these people now."

Leo knows the reference and explains it. Apparently, a romance novel habit is good for some things. "I don't think their situation is much like ours, really." 

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"This world's romance novels really lack diversity, yeah. Though, the premise of this one sounds good enough to add to my reading list."

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"It's not bad for the genre or the time period," Leo offers. "And it's well-known enough that it's almost worth reading just for the sake of not missing the references." 

On to the next one, picking random tasty-looking fruit to sample as they walk. 

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Smile. "Yeah, that's always useful. The other day, we almost caused a international incident because we didn't know what the word parafi was a slang for."

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"Yeah, that would do it," Leo agrees, wincing. "I'd be happy to recommend you a reading list to catch up on things like that, but I might miss something that I think is too obvious to cover." 

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Snort. "It's exactly the sort of thing that might be hard to remember when you have an inside perspective. But don't worry, we at least got a good story out of it."

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"I guess you did," Leo agrees. Felix seems determined to find the good in everything, and Leo doesn't really share his optimism, but it's nice to experience secondhand. 

...this fruit is delicious. "Here, try this one! I don't even know what it tastes like." 

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Felix picks up a fruit and chews on it with agreeable tones. "It... I wouldn't expect a fruit to taste like this, but at same time it tastes natural? And delicious." Grin.

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Oh no that's a cute face. Leo seems to be smiling as well, how did that happen? 

They walk on through the garden, tasting fruit and answering the rest of the trivia questions, and it's...less terrible than Leo would have expected a date to be. 

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Felix appears to be enjoying himself.

Soon enough, they are called to their table. Which rest atop of an extremely beautiful balcony made of magically grown branches holding up a platform. A gradient of red and pink flowers curtains around them giving enough privacy, so they can talk, but not enough for... other things.

Their dishes are works of art, with geometric patterns drawn on the plate with syrups and a square of cake topped with fruits and fancy sugar decorations.

"Well... I knew this place was fancy, but this place is fancy."

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"Yeah." Leo pokes the syrup with a fork. "I almost don't want to eat this, it's too pretty." 

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"I wish I had brought my smartphone to take a picture. This is so Instagram material."

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"What's 'Instagram'?" Leo asks, absently cutting the corner off the cake without looking at it. 

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"Ah... how much do you know about the internet? It is a place on the internet where you can put pictures and it is somewhat infamous for being the place where you would put pictures of a fancy food that you want to brag about eating."

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"I know about the internet. And that's adorable." 

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Giggle. "Well, in the absence of Instagram, I shall treasure the memory of this moment and the beauty in it." He smiles brightly at Leo and takes a bite.

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Oh. Leo's blushing. How did that happen? No, stop it, he's just talking about the food. 

...he's not just talking about the food, is he. 

Why does the eligible young heir have to be so cute

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Aww. Instinctively, Felix reaches out and holds Leo's hand.

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Leo stares at him, wide-eyed and on the verge of tears. It's just holding hands, why...why does it...

 

 

A few seconds later, he she he remembers to move his hand and hold Felix's in return. 

This isn't for show. It's not something they're doing to convince any onlookers that they're in love, or that they're courting. It could be, but it doesn't feel that way. This feels real, as though it's just for the two of them. 

Oh. There are those tears. 

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Felix makes his way around the table and hugs Leo. "Are you okay? Is there something wrong?"

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!

Why is Felix so good. Why are hugs so good.

Why are Felix's hugs so good. 

"...I don't know. Nothing? Everything? I—it's not something you did, you've been great—" It's very important that Felix should know that. "You're amazing." 

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"Thank you?" he says automatically and with quite a bit of disbelief. "But, is there something I can do to help besides hugging? Not that I mind the hugging." He pats Leo's back.

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Leo allows the hug for a minute or so, even leans into it, then disengages and sits up, wiping away the last few drops of water. 

"Sorry, I don't know what that was about. I'm alright now." 

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Felix does not fight the disengaging and offers a napkin. He smiles at Leo. "No need to apologize, really."

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Leo looks at the barely-touched cakes and smiles ruefully. "The staff are going to think we don't appreciate their efforts." 

Fork. Food. Mouth? 

 

"This. Is. Amazing." 

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Felix smiles at Leo's reaction to the cake. He tries some.

 

Even after having the forewarning of Leo's reaction it is surprisingly good. "I know that they do this for a living and the place is expensive, but wow, this is unfairly good."

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"I know!"

This food can't possibly get any better, but Leo tries eating a bite of cake mixed with fruit and syrup anyway and makes a mildly scandalous noise of pleasure. 

"Mmmm. This was such a good idea." 

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"Mhmm." Felix agrees between bites. "I am going to be so sad when it's over, but I am gonna eat everything anyway and savour the memories."

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"Yeah." 

Leo...savours the memories. Also the food. 

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Felix notes Leo's pensiveness, but decides to not act on it immediately. Instead, once they are done eating and have grabbed their complimentary baskets he squezes Leo's hand and says. "If you need to talk or any sort of help. Please let me know?"

Hug?

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Hug.

"Thank you." It's—deliberately—ambiguous what Felix is being thanked for. "I'll see you again soon?" 

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"Of course!" It's easy to hear the smile in his voice. "Any time."

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He she Leo goes home. Her his father wants to know how it went. Leo tells him it went fine, it went well, Feliaris Vaesteri is interested in making a match with Eleonora Paresteri.  He's delighted. 

Leo is...conflicted. 

Felix is nice. He's charming, understanding, and relentlessly, ridiculously kind. But Leo's met him twice, and that's not enough to know what being married to him would be like. Is he just doing this because he feels sorry for Leo and wants to help? If this works, if they get married and Leo gets what he she he wants, is Felix going to want anything to do with him after that? 

So what? What does Leo care? It's not as if either of them is doing this because they met and fell passionately in love. 

But what would it be like...

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Felix doesn't go home right away. He finds himself going in the vague direction of Katur's apartment and stops, the three of them decided to avoid his place for a while.

He goes towards the Little Terra district, to have a direction to go.

Earth is vast, it is not entirely bad, no matter what the Elan stereotype says, but Leo would have a better chance to start a new there, in a body that fits him. No one would know. Felix can't offer a better option than that.

Can't or won't?

Leo might not even be interested in Earth in particular, Felix is likely projecting because his mind categorizes it as a separate world (ha) than the rest of the multiverse.

Yeah, he is being a coward, he just wants to go back to when being a Vaesteri meant he was a kid with a weird last-name that people made fun of. Instead of being a Vaesteri, modern day nobility in this world. Heir to name, money, prestige and magic potential. Someone that everyone wants to marry their heiress with.

Someone that can't actually do everything to help Leo, because he doesn't have the freedom to lower his defenses.

It is not in Felix's nature to wonder why he would care so much. It just feels true that Leo is nice, smart, good to be around with, and in need of help in a way that Felix can provide.

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It is in Thomas' nature to wonder why cares so much.

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It is in Fernando's nature to wonder if caring is the best thing to do.

"This sounds too weird to be a con, but it does have the step of a heiress marrying a Vaesteri heir."

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"Misgendering!"

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"Sorry. From the outside, it looks like a heiress marrying a Vaesteri heir. And again, it would be weird for it to be a con."

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"I have no idea at all how that could be a con."

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"Leo turns out to be a girl after all and now you two are married. At least until me and Fernando magically contest the marriage. Maybe she - in this hypothetical Leo is a she pretending to be a he, so I am using female pronouns - maybe she doesn't know that we know that we can nullify the marriage ourselves. It's not the most easy thing to find out."

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"That's not what I meant. I meant that from outside, it would look like a regular marriage. From the outside, if that kept being a regular marriage, it wouldn't be surprising. Even if the method by which that was achieved was mind control."

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"Good to know we can count on you in keeping things being horrifying."

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"It isn't the case. And I am warded and it isn't the case." Felix says defensively. "Leo wouldn't do that."

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"You don't know."

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"We don't know."

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"Still isn't a stable plan."

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Sigh. "I am not willing to put past the possibility that it isn't meant to be stable. It can be short-lived and have enough time to produce a child."

Pause.

"I have been increasingly less trusting of our grandparents."

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"Emote, Fernando. You know how, I have ever seen you doing it. So you are proposing that our beloved grandparents did this to lure Felix into a trap."

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"They are not that bad and it is an absurd plan."

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Fernando sighs exaggeratedly. "It is and I am being over-emotional. It is an absurd plan."

Pause.

"I am being over-emotional."

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Hug.

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Yeah, triple hug.

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"To justify myself... I think that the idea is absurd, but now that is in my head and it involves the possibility of us going through that... I am irrationally afraid, and the mere awareness of my fear isn't helping. ...I am increasingly noticing... the worst parts of myself in our grandparents, the calculating parts, and when I try to model myself with their apparent values and coldness. If I cared so much about our bloodline, why, if someone tried to forcibly have a child with us, I wouldn't stop that. I would absolutely deal with the individual after getting the precious heir. After."

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Thomas... doesn't disagree with that perspective.

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"Mother... when I thought about mother reacting to that theory. I think she would agree it was a possibility. I know she is not unbiased, but still."

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"Risk and reward. Or price in this matter."

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Felix and Thomas want him to elaborate.

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"I think... it would be easy for them to sacrifice us for the greater good. If they think that the survival of the bloodline and its status is more important than the individuals."

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"It wouldn't be the first descendant that they fucked over."

Pause.

"No, not fucked over. They killed our uncle."

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"Thomas... no. That is a terrible thing to even imply about anyone whose child killed themselves."

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"It isn't accurate, no."

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"Emotions," Thomas says acidly. "Show them."

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"As you often remarks. I have resting bitch face. But if you want to know."

He sighs and shoots Felix an apologetic look.

"Their son committed suicide. Which is a different thing from murder. However, it is relevant to our situation that their son committed suicide. Does anything about them is good emotional support? Something that they account for when they go about fixing things? I am not good at it. But I acknowledge that it is important."

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"That... is a better phrasing of the concept, yes."

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"I don't think it can get any better than that without being, you know, a lie."

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"Anyway, on a more practical note. I suppose we want to try helping Leo we need a plan."

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Dal-Yora, would not directly spy on the date between one of her grandsons. It would be disrespectful and breach of trust. But things that happen in semi-public view have a way to make back to her.

 

It is a very confusing set of affirmations. Apparently a nice start to the date and then crying? But followed by hugging and a seemingly happy end to their date? Dal-Yora can't tell if Leo has something weird going on or is a next-level master manipulator.

Maybe not a master manipulator. Felix is no good at the social game. Figuring out a weak spot wouldn't be too hard.

She is afraid that if she pokes this too hard it will come undone. So... she will wait and observe.

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A few days pass. Maybe, Leo wants to meet again?

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Yes, that would be lovely. 

(Aaaaaa.)

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(Great.)

Does she want to take a visit to Little Terra? The Earth-themed small touristic-ish district?

This is done through informal messengers, heavy implication of not being an Official meeting.

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That sounds both excellent and potentially hilarious. Leo would love to. 

(Only the second sentence makes it into the actual message.) 

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Great, they can set up a date and location. Felix will be there, more casually dressed than Leo has seen him before, but not badly dressed. He is sitting in a park bench, in front of a second-hand books store.

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"Hi!"

Leo is also fairly casually dressed, and beams at Felix. 

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He beams right back and closes the book after bookmarking it. "Hi! How have you been?"

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"Oh, fine. I only had two different relatives interrogate me about how our date went," Leo says lightly. "You?" 

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"Six. I don't know if that means I win or lose. But I am doing great!" Pause. "I don't think I know about your relatives well enough, and I should have."

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Leo makes a face. "The ones who've been poking around this are my father—um, Aron Paresteri—and my uncle Eliseo." This second name gets another grimace. "He's my father's sister's husband, and he cares far too much about reputation. All he's worried about is how being related to a Vaesteri will 'enhance his social prospects'."

The last phrase is said in a fussy, excessively correct upper-class accent, clearly mimicking Eliseo. 

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"Oh, sorry. I got acquainted with the type. Wouldn't put past the notion that I met him, but likely in a match-making social function." Pause. "Do you need a hug? I feel bad, because four out of my six relatives shouldn't count."

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Leo hesitates a moment, but shakes his head. "It's alright, I'm used to them. 'Shouldn't count'?" 

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"I was including my brothers and parents. Who are... pretty much against the entire match-making mess."

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"I'm guessing they had...different concerns." 

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Felix nods. "Mom and Thomas spent quite a while considering if this was some bizarre elaborate plot by our grandparents." Pause. "We all agreed it wasn't."

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Blink. What do you even say to something like that? Leo's lived for nearly two decades in a world where parental and grandparental plots are a real possibility, but people don't usually come right out and say it like Felix just did. 

"Well, that's. Good. Because, um. It's not. Or if it is they haven't told me."  

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"'Oh, the perfect plan. So sneaky that maybe not even the plotters noticed' That's a quote from Trevor." He starts standing up, but pauses. "Do you want to walk around or just talk here on this bench for a while."

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"I don't mind. Is there something around here you wanted me to see?" 

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"Couple of non-urgent things to buy. But it's always amusing seeing Earth through the Elan's lens." He stands.

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Leo will follow where he leads, for now.

"I've never been to Earth, so you'll have to tell me what they get wrong." 

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"Well, I can't speak for the entirety of the world. But we spend way less time running away from explosions than action movies would make you believe. Also, for some reason, some countries are disproportionate represented than others? Or maybe Australia is just more memetic because of the interesting critters. And Bollywood does make a lot of movies."