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Twelve is a weird age to be. You’re too old to be expected to act foolishly and immature but too young to actually have any say in your life. It’s always “Xornoth, stop pranking the help!” and “Xornoth, don’t you have assignments to work on?” So dreadfully boring. What was he supposed to do? Did they really expect him to eat, sleep, and do his lessons? Xornoth knew he was meant to be the “future King of Rivendell” but he had a while until that happened. He wanted to explore and do what he wanted! He would be able to do what he wanted if he were in charge (which he will be!) so why shouldn’t he be able to now?
It wasn’t all that bad though. His parents were kind enough to him and his brother. They let them indulge in whatever hobbies they pleased (as long as it was a respectable hobby, anyway) and tried to make time for him and Scott. They were often busy so the Rivendell princes were often left to be managed by nannies and tutors but Xornoth did greatly enjoy the moments he had with his parents. It always felt nice to get praise from them so he did his lessons and kept himself in check during formal events. He did everything he was supposed to! Except for when he didn’t, but what kind of twelve-year-old would he be if he was perfect all the time?
“Xornoth, are you even listening?” He got poked in his side by his brother.
“Yes.” Xornoth nodded, but it was a lie. He had absolutely no idea what was said.
“Mhm, sure you were.” Scott rolled his eyes at him. “I was just telling you that we’re almost to Gilded Helianthia.”
“We are?” Xornoth straightened up and looked outside the carriage windows. Being able to visit the other empires was always exciting and they hadn’t been to Gilded Helianthia before despite it being so close. All you had to do was head west down the mountains and across the plains and then you were there! It wasn’t as complicated or far to travel compared to visiting Mezalea. It took forever to get there last time.
“Yeah, don’t you see all the fields?” Scott shifted in his seat to be able to see out the window better. “That’s what I was trying to point out but then you ignored me.”
“You’ll get over it.” Xornoth dismissed him, keeping his attention on the scenery the window allowed them to see. The sky was bright blue with some clouds every so often, which was different from Rivendell. It was a lot more cloudy back home than most other places so it was always fun to see someplace so sunny. He’s also never seen this much plantage in one place. The land was covered with fields upon fields of various crops. There were a good amount of windmills scattered around that he could pick out as well. They looked so tall!
Both brothers were thoroughly entertained as they watched the birds fly around and observed the wind spinning the blades of the windmills. That fun came to an end when the fields turned into houses and shops. The buildings were different from Rivendell’s usual architecture. The Helianthians used a lot of wood, calcite, copper, and various stones such as deepslate and dripstone. Rivendell also used a good amount of wood but the colors used were a lot different. Rivendell had lots of blue, gold, and white coloring in addition to the wood for the prominent buildings. There were other colors used within the various towns but it was still rather accented with color. Gilded Helianthia, however, was a lot more dull in terms of color palette. The architecture itself was actually well-built and looked good even though it wasn’t particularly bright and colorful. Xornoth guessed they kept the buildings that way so the various flowers and shrubbery could stand out better. If that was their intention, it did a rather lovely job doing so.
“They’re kind of short,” Xornoth muttered to himself as he watched the Helianthians they passed.
“They’re just human,” Scott responded before pausing, “a lot of them are anyway. And we’re not very tall yet either.”
Xornoth’s face flushed as he quickly averted his gaze. “Well, uh, yeah. It was just an observation.” He hadn’t meant to say that out loud and now he felt rather silly.
Scott rolled his eyes again but he had a small smile on his face this time. He bumped his shoulder into Xornoth. “Yeah, they are kind of short. Do you think we’ll be super tall?”
Xornoth’s eyes lit up as he nodded. “We have to be! Most elves are taller than the humans and fae. And especially the gnomes.”
“The oceanfolk are pretty tall too, though. I've been reading this book on the various races, and it was so cool. One of the things they talked about was the average height range of every race. Oceanfolk and elves are pretty on par with each other, so it depends on whether we'll be taller or not. Humans and fae are fairly similar as well, and we'll easily be taller than them. Gnomes are really short, though!" Scott continued to ramble on with no intention of stopping. "Then you also have halflings and their height variations. They can vary so much depending on what genes were passed down from their-”
Scott was just indulging him (or being a total nerd which he so was) but it still got Xornoth somewhat excited to discuss or hear about these sorts of things. The world they lived in was so diverse and Xornoth wanted nothing but to know what it was like away from the mountains he calls his home.
His brother was still rambling as they neared the castle. Xornoth just listened as he stared out the window. Scott wasn’t going to let him get a word in when he was talking this fast so there was no point in trying. Scott only stopped once the carriage stopped moving. Xornoth straightened his posture and ran his hand through his purple hair a few times to smooth it out quickly to ensure he was presentable.
The door swung open to reveal their carriage’s coachman, who greeted the princes before helping them out so they could meet up with their parents.
“Remember, be on your best behavior.” Father kept his voice low once his sons were in earshot.
“You have never interacted with them before and so it is essential you don’t offend them.” Mother added to her husband’s reminder. She had previously been looking between both of the princes before turning her gaze specifically at Xornoth. “Especially you, Xornoth, seeing as you’re the future king.”
Xornoth could feel Scott shift on his feet beside him as he ruffled the feathers of his still-developing wings. He wasn’t exactly sure what Scott thought about the whole “not being the future king” thing. It was Xornoth’s birthright, as the eldest child, but his twin had been born only an hour later. It was possible that there might be some resentment seeing that the difference between their positions was dictated by a single hour. Scott never seemed to despise Xornoth for it and Xornoth never held the fact that he was being groomed to be Rivendell’s king over Scott so maybe it was all okay?
“Xornoth, did you hear your mother?” Father’s words snapped Xornoth out of his thoughts and back into reality.
“Yes,” Xornoth nodded in response. Luckily, that was a good enough response for them. It had to be, anyway, since the servants had opened the door to let the Rivendellians into the castle.
“Greetings.” Queen Margo Moon greeted them as they entered. “We’re just talking in the dining room while we wait on the Mezalians.” She gestured for them to come sit down around the long table in a room not too far from the entrance of the castle.
The royal family from the Ocean Empire had already arrived and were sitting at the table. Xornoth had met them before but he still checked his memory anyway as he listed the Dweller Royal Family in his head: Queen Alice, Princess Elizabeth, and Prince James. They always looked sort of strange to him because their characteristics didn’t follow the same sort of genetics that most other races do. Obviously, he didn’t think less of them for it but he thought it was rather peculiar. According to what he’s read and heard about, oceanfolk are blessed by various sea creatures before they are born and that dictates what they look like and what sea creatures they have a connection with. Despite the three in front of him looking very different seeing as they were part squid, axolotl, or cod depending, you could see some sort of family heritage come through in their facial structures.
The monarchs and their children were distinctly sitting on opposite sides of the table from each other. Scott and Xornoth went to the side with other royal children while their parents went to sit on the other side by the monarchs, preserving the separation established before they got there.
As he walked over, Xornoth noticed someone staring at him. It was easy to conclude that the person in question was Princess Pearlescent Moon, especially when he compared her appearance to that of her parents. Her hair featured a blend of brown and blonde, mirroring her parents' hair colors, and her facial and body structures were strikingly similar to theirs. In contrast to the Dwellers, the family resemblance was much more obvious. Even without considering her distinctive hair and his prior knowledge of their appearances, it was clear that she was the only human child present at the moment.
Xornoth decided to sit in the empty seat next to the Helianthian princess since she clearly found him interesting by the way she was looking at him. Perhaps she wanted his attention? He didn’t mind giving it to her, especially since she was the princess of the empire they were visiting. “Hello, Princess Pearlescent.” He greeted with a brief bow of his head in greeting.
“Just Pearl is good.” Prin- Pearl corrected with a smile. “I don’t need all the formalities.”
Xornoth blinked at her, somewhat confused. Didn’t people love formalities? The royal title is one that grants them certain powers and privileges, as well as giving notice of their status in life. Why wouldn’t you want to be addressed as such? This conversation reminded him of a previous conversation he had with the oceanfolk sitting not too far down. They had been insistent on being called their nicknames (Lizzie and Jimmy) as well. Would all the royal children prefer being called by their nicknames over their birth names and without their titles? His mind briefly wandered away with the hypothetical of if he would insist on a nickname if his name had a decent one (and no, Xor Xor doesn’t count!)
“Princess Pearl is okay if you need to be all proper with your parents or other people,” she seemed to have read his mind with his silence, “but I just like Pearl. It’s what my friends call me anyway.”
The elf stared for a few seconds longer before letting himself smile. It was a small smile and definitely put together (he really was on his best behavior) but a smile nonetheless. Did she consider him a friend already? “Nice to meet you, Pearl. I’m Xornoth.”
Pearl’s blue eyes brightened (did he really excite her that much?) and she looked as if she really wanted to move her arms but was restraining herself. She opened her mouth to respond when their attention got dragged to the arriving Mezalians.
The queens, Venus and Summer Beans, walked in with their son, Prince Joel, not too far behind them. Queen Summer was fully fae and the only one of them with natural wings. The yellow wings shimmered in the light and looked rather delicate. He knew, however, that they likely weren’t fragile due to the nature of a full fae’s wings. It was clear why she was named Summer with her tanned skin, her sun-colored wings, and her brown hair with very blonde highlights. Her wife and son were both demifaes so they didn’t have the wings (the majority of demifaes don’t but it isn’t that uncommon statistically) but they all shared the pointed ears, much like the elves do. Queen Venus wasn’t as tan and her hair was a much darker brown with the exception of the white steaks of her curtain bangs. Joel’s hair was very similar except his hair had a streak of green. Xornoth was fairly positive Joel dyed it though because this shade of green was a lot less faded than the green he had last time he saw him.
“Admiring the view?” Joel smirked at him as he separated from his moms to this side of the room. He must have seen him staring but everyone had looked in that direction so it annoyed him that Joel was specifically calling him out.
Xornoth’s wings bristled behind him as Joel passed him. Xornoth turned in his seat as Joel walked behind his chair so he could get his eyes back on him. Joel blew him a kiss when noticing Xornoth’s gaze was still on him before taking a seat on the other side of the table. Scott greeted Joel when he sat down, seeming to not have noticed Joel’s ribbing toward Xornoth, which got the two of them started on a conversation. Jimmy joined in with them which split the conversations down the middle.
“Ocean’s blessings, Xornoth.” Lizzie greeted with a light-hearted smirk. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen you around. Surprised you didn’t miss me enough to come visit.”
“You could have always come to see me,” Xornoth huffed lightly at her words but he didn’t take offense or feel embarrassed, “It’s not like I can breathe underwater and swim, which is needed if I wanted to visit a majority of your empire.”
“We have the lilypads!” Lizzie gasped in fake offense. “It would be a much warmer place too than the mountains. I don’t know how you elves last up there.”
“It’s not that bad,” he insisted, “especially when you wear proper clothing and not what you tend to wear.”
“I don’t exactly need a lot of layers when I’m swimming. That would just drag you down.” Lizzie glanced at Pearl to give her an into the conversation. “Have you ever been to Rivendell?”
“No,” Pearl shook her head, “we haven’t visited each other’s empires until now. I’ve heard about it though.”
“It is much colder than here. The sun is usually hidden behind the clouds, half the time it’s snowing, and the winds are fairly harsh-” Lizzie listed off all the reasons why Rivendell wasn’t a fun place to visit.
Xornoth straightened up in his seat, feeling insulted now. “Just because it’s not like your empire doesn’t make it awful. If you actually take a look around, you will find beauty everywhere. You’ll probably like it more if you wear the clothing required for the mountains too. That was poor planning on your part.”
“Hey, hey,” Pearl attempted to put a stop to what was developing into a fight, “both of your empires sound lovely even with them being different. The differences just show the beauty each empire has and the variety makes it interesting to explore and visit.”
Her words were wise and it made him feel silly for engaging in a squabble with the monarchs of four different empires sitting on the other side of the room. Xornoth fell silent, fuming on the inside but trying to keep his outward appearance neutral.
All discussion between the children stopped when King Saturn walked up to them with a kind smile. “Hello everyone. How about you go to the library? We’re going to be awhile and it won’t be very fun just sitting here. There are some fun activities there for you to do so you won’t be bored. Pearl knows the way.” His eyes had met each of theirs before looking specifically at his daughter. “Can you show them?”
“Yes, Dad.” Pearl nodded, pushing herself up from the table. “Come on. Let’s go.”
King Saturn had made his way back to the other emperors as Pearl led the five of them to the library. The library was rather small compared to the ones Xornoth had seen before and seemed a lot more informal with the shelves holding toys, writing supplies, and other various items that weren’t simply books.
“This is the kid’s library,” Pearl explained when she turned and saw everyone’s expressions. “The main library is a lot more formal but it’s not the one many guests are allowed to enter so…”
“It looks nice.” Scott had wandered to the shelves with the books, looking over them all and reading the book titles that were printed on the spines.
“Are we expected to just read and play with toys?” Joel wrinkled his nose as he looked around. “None of us are that young.” The youngest two were Jimmy and Pearl with both being eleven years old. Lizzie and Joel were a few years older with Lizzie being thirteen and Joel recently turning fourteen.
Jimmy’s face turned a little red at Joel’s words. He quickly placed the wooden doll down that he had picked up just moments before. Wooden items weren’t a common place where he lived due to most of the empire being underwater so Xornoth assumed that is why he took interest in it.
“There are board games and books to read.” Scott pointed out to the rest of them. “We could try to play one of the board games if you don’t feel like reading.”
“I don’t recognize any of them.” Lizzie's eyes wandered over the shelf full of board games. “I wouldn’t know how to play.”
“We could learn.” Jimmy went to join his sister by the board games to read the various titles printed on the sides of the boxes.
Joel hummed, thinking to himself. Xornoth could almost see the wheels turning in his head. “We could go exploring. I haven’t wandered the town yet. Lizzie, would you join me?”
Scott turned away from the books and back toward everyone else, looking hesitant. “Would that be a good idea?”
Pearl appeared at the doorway with several different things hugged to her chest. She was also wearing a different outfit than before. Her pale yellow sundress had been swapped out with blue shorts and a gray shirt. Xornoth hadn’t even noticed she had left. Based on everyone else’s expressions, they also didn’t notice Pearl's departure.
“If we’re going to sneak out, you should wear some sort of disguise.” Pearl set all she was carrying on the table. She must have guessed their plans before they even thought them up, seeing as she had time to change in addition to gathering whatever the disguises were. With that the only real possibility with Pearl not having magic, Xornoth couldn’t help but be impressed with her foresight. “You don’t have to pretend to be human- we have a pretty mixed population- but your clothes scream that you come from money if not spelling out to everyone that you’re royalty. If you’re wanting to go incognito, you’re going to want to cover up a bit.”
“You are speaking my language.” Joel began to lay out the various coverings so they could tell what their options were more clearly.
“You could just take off your top layer,” Scott suggested to Joel, “and maybe get a hat to cover the streak in your hair.”
Joel paused before looking down at his outfit. “Good idea,” the demifae approved Scott’s suggestion as he stripped himself of the green jacket he was wearing. With the jacket removed, you could see the brown shirt he had been wearing underneath more clearly. It didn’t look as good paired with his black pants as his green jacket had but it definitely made him look less like a prince.
Pearl held up a muted orange bucket hat and a rather floppy sun hat. “Which would you rather?”
Joel eyes the two hats before holding his hand out with a gesture that indicates exactly what he said. “Hand over the bucket hat.”
“Bucket hat it is.” Pearl tossed the hat over to Joel for him to catch and set the sun hat back down with the rest of the stuff that had been brought over as disguises.
Jimmy and Lizzie were both wearing flowy silk outfits made up of purples and blues with seashells connected by rope. Lizzie’s was layered over her romper like a loose, short top. Jimmy’s looked more like it started as a sash then continued down to look more like it was completing a full shirt. Their outfits were fairly stunning but they certainly stood out as unusual in places such as Gilded Helianthia. Every Helianthian, even the oceanfolk Helianthians, wore more solid clothing that wasn't intended for swimming, unlike the outfits worn by Jimmy and Lizzie. It was very obvious that they would have to cover up so they were handed cloaks fairly quickly.
Scott and himself were wearing fairly typical Rivendellian outfits but adjusted to not be as warm in preparation for the warmer weather. Xornoth was wearing a black button-up with blue lining whereas Scott was wearing a similar top but his top was purple with white embroidery. Their pants were pretty basic so they were given cloaks that only covered their top half over the longer cloaks Jimmy and Lizzie were handed.
Pearl set her flower crown down next to Joel’s discarded jacket. “I would take off your crowns too. There’s no point in covering your clothes if you are wearing a crown.”
When all the crowns were removed from the top of their heads and set on the table by Pearl’s floral crown, it looked rather funny. They didn’t have much of a rhyme or reason other than the fact they were all headpieces. Xornoth and Scott had almost identical stag crowns, which were the most similar out of all the headpieces the six of them had. Joel had a fairly simple silver crown but it had a sort of enchanted glow to it. Jimmy had a cod headpiece. Lizzie had a tiara that was adorned with coral, seashells, and amethyst.
“We should split up so we aren’t following Pearl around like we’re her bodyguards.” Scott adjusted the cloak he was wearing so it didn’t sit as awkwardly on his shoulders. “Jimmy, do you want to go with me?”
Jimmy perked up at Scott’s invite, looking as if he didn’t expect Scott to want to sneak out with him. Xornoth thought that was rather silly seeing as they talked back in the dining room and have conversed with each other before now. “Yes! I mean, yeah. I would love to.”
“Is that offer still on the table?” The axolotl hybrid swished her tail as she addressed Joel to inquire about his earlier proposal.
"Princess, the table is set, the invitation is open, and it's not going anywhere until you say yes." Joel offered his hand to her and, when she took it, he kissed it. Lizzie laughed at Joel’s flirting but Xornoth couldn’t tell if they were simply joking or if either one of them were seriously into each other.
Either way, that paring didn’t surprise Xornoth either. They were the closest in age to one another and they have likely seen each other several times with their empires so close. Mezalea was on the ocean’s border and they were one of the only empires that had a trade agreement that involved the use of part of the northern ocean.
Pearl opened one of the windows in the library for the pairs to sneak out of. Joel and Lizzie went out first, followed by Scott and Jimmy. With them all gone, it left Xornoth with Pearl.
“It’s just you and me now.” Pearl grinned widely, rocking on her heels. “Come on, I want to show you one of my favorite spots.”
Pearl’s initiative was well appreciated because Xornoth had no idea what to do here. He didn’t know the surrounding area whatsoever so he didn’t have any resemblance of a plan if he were to lead. He would be very lost without a guide and Pearl likely knew that. He followed behind her and waited as she closed the window behind them. With it closed, Pearl gave him a sly smile that Xornoth barely had time to question what it was for before she raced off.
“Come on!” She called over her shoulder as she ran with no intention of waiting for him.
Running wasn’t what he had in mind when she said she wanted to take him someplace but he didn’t stay there very long before he started to follow after her. He wasn’t just going to stand there like an idiot as she grew farther away. Pearl had them enter the forests behind the castle. Pearl had slowed to a jog partway into the forest. Once weaving through some more trees, the land in front of them opened up into a clearing. With a quick look around, it was set up to be some sort of training ground with various cheap-looking practice equipment.
Pearl stopped moving once they reached the clearing. She was breathing heavier than normal but that didn’t make Xornoth feel any better about how hard he was struggling to breathe. Pearl clearly runs a lot more frequently than Xornoth does.
“Don’t worry, there’s a stream nearby. We can get water.” Pearl assured him after they took a moment to catch their breaths. She stretched her limbs briefly before going to open a chest that was sitting nearby. She pulled out two cups and handed one to Xornoth before leading him to the flowing water. She crouched down by the steam and gathered some water in her cup before sitting down on a large rock nearby.
Xornoth followed her example before joining her on the rock. They didn’t say anything as they sipped their water. It was rather cool in temperature which made it that much more refreshing. After several moments, Xornoth spoke up as he took in just how green and alive everything was. “It’s stunning.”
“It really is.” Pearl agreed, continuing to look out at the forest on the other side of the stream. The breeze picked up her hair as it blew against their faces. The wind felt good on their skin, especially since they had just been sweating. “We should fight.”
Pearl’s suggestion felt like it came out of nowhere and the only response Xornoth managed to give was “What?”
“You know, spar?” Pearl got to her feet, now standing on the rock. She positioned herself as if she was about to actually spar someone. “I have wooden swords and it’s a lot of fun. Plus, it’s always a good idea to know how to defend yourself.”
When thinking about it a moment longer, her intentions seemed pretty straightforward. She had taken him to a clearing that was very clearly put together for some basic fight training. “Sure, why not?” It should be fairly easy. Pearl was shorter than him so he even had the advantage. Should he hold back some or should he give it his all?
The look in Pearl’s eyes was almost terrifying with how excited and determined she looked. She jumped off the rock, landing steadily. “You can take off your cloak too so it’s more fair. No one should come this way so I doubt we’ll be seen.”
“Let’s say if you take a hit on your torso, then you lose and we start over.” Pearl offered up rules to their sparring session now that they each had a wooden sword in their hands. “You can hit the other person's legs or arms as many times as you can land if desired but no headshots. Sound fair?”
“Fair.” Xornoth agreed to her terms. It wasn’t realistic to if one was actually in a fight but this wasn’t a life-threatening fight so they could do whatever rules they chose to.
“Wonderful!” Pearl bounced on her heels a few times before turning to skip to her side of the clearing.
Xornoth made his way to his side of the clearing and adjusted his grip on the sword. Now with both of them prepared, Pearl counted down from three. On “Go!”, the two rushed forward to each other. Their swords clacked against each other as they defended themselves and tried to get blows on the other.
Xornoth very quickly realized his expectations of how this would go were very wrong. Pearl was giving him the hardest fights of his life and he was certain he was bruised in multiple areas. Don’t get him wrong, he held his ground fairly well but Pearl was clearly more experienced in the art of sword fighting.
They sparred each other for about fourteen rounds with Xornoth only winning three. On the fourteenth, Pearl managed to knock his sword from his hands and get him on the ground with her sword pointed at his chest. “Do you yield?”
Xornoth didn’t like being looked down on like this. He was rather embarrassed at how badly he did but Pearl was rather impressive. He never expected this of her but felt like he should have now that he noticed how toned her arms were. She would make a pretty terrifying enemy, especially as she grew older and got even better, but that was part of what Xornoth liked about her. Her strength and amiable spirit were admirable.
“I yield. You win.” Xornoth conceded, shoving his disappointment in himself down so he wouldn’t lash out in his frustration. He knew he had some anger issues but he was working really hard on that. Besides, Pearl was good at this and she deserved the victory. It just meant he had to practice more for next time to give Pearl more of a challenge. Assuming there was a next time. He hoped there was a next time.
Pearl beamed in triumph. She moved the sword so it wasn’t pointed at his chest anymore and offered Xornoth a hand to help him up. Xornoth accepted her hand and got to his feet. Now standing, he went to collect the sword that had been flung out of his hand so it could be put back in the chest.
Xornoth looked up at the sun and it was in a noticeably different position than before. “Uh, do you know how long it’s been?”
Pearl cursed under her breath and grabbed the cloak Xornoth had taken off earlier. “Hopefully they are still talking and haven’t come to get you all.”
Aeor, he could imagine the kind of trouble he would be in if his parents knew he snuck away like this. The two of them were pretty worn out from their sparring session so they didn’t run as fast as before. It was more of a fast walk or maybe a jog than a run but it still had a sense of urgency to it.
They soon reached the window they had climbed out of. They were first spotted by Lizzie through the window, who promptly opened it back up. “There you two are! What took you so long?”
“We lost track of time.” Xornoth didn’t give further explanation as he climbed in through the window with Pearl just behind him.
Lizzie closed the window once they were inside. Everyone else had already come back to the library and were all sitting around one of the tables with a board game out. They had all gone back to what they were wearing before. They even had their crowns back on their heads, which only left Xornoth and Pearl’s on the table. They were able to see them when Jimmy had removed the board game’s top off from over them to hand them their crowns. He assumed this was to hide them in case someone came in to check if they were there.
“You two should be grateful.” Scott looked like he had been stressed but was forcing himself to relax. “We were checked in shortly after we came back and we had to make up the excuse that you two went to use the bathroom.”
“You two would have gotten in so much trouble if they actually went to check.” Joel was completely relaxed compared to the stress everyone else seemed to have biting at them.
“What did you two do?” Lizzie eyed them curiously. “You’re dripping in sweat.”
“You probably should actually go to the bathroom to clean up some,” Jimmy scrunched his nose at them before directing the next part at Pearl, “and you should probably get your dress back on.”
“Good idea.” Pearl laughed lightly as she tried to hide the mix of feelings Xornoth could sense radiating off of her. “Come on, Xornoth. I doubt we have much time left. We’re lucky for getting out scotfree so far.”
Xornoth didn’t waste time on leaving the room after her. He did want to give himself a quick sponge bath and use the body spray he hoped they had in the bathroom to cover the smell of sweat. Besides, he didn’t really want to share the details of where he was. If he stayed there longer for them to ask questions, they would be forced to elaborate.
He had enjoyed his time with Pearl, even if he failed miserably. He didn’t get many moments of fun with people his age where he wasn’t being watched and monitored. It was really… nice. He greatly cherished this memory that they now shared together and hoped to experience many more in the future.