Chapter Text
Cale was having a good day. In fact, he had experienced quite a few good days in a row now, spending all his time slacking off. He slept in late, ate meals on his own schedule, and did a whole lot of lounging around accomplishing nothing. It was great.
Everyone else had things that they were focused on, for the most part, so no one bothered Cale about anything. The only companions he had most of the time were Raon, Ohn, and Hong, but even they had too much energy to just laze about all day like Cale was doing, so he tended to have large chunks of time to himself. Of course, Ron or Hans and occasionally Vicross were always close at hand if Cale wanted something, so he barely had to move from wherever he had chosen to lounge for the day.
At the moment, Cale was in the dining room enjoying a meal that was much too late to be called breakfast, even if it was his first meal of the day. Vicross had not said anything yet about Cale choosing inconsistent dining hours, and always filled the table with food whenever Cale requested a meal. Cale supposed that this was one perk of being a noble. While Hans did occasionally make comments that were borderline rude in regards to some of Cale’s behavior, no one ever actually asked him to make any changes in how he was acting. He was free to set his own meal schedule and sleep all day if he wanted to.
Choi Han, Raon, Ohn, and Hong had all come in search of a meal at about the same time as Cale, though Cale assumed this was probably lunch for them. He hadn’t asked.
The two cat siblings were in their human forms as the young trio discussed their potential plans for the afternoon, preferring to mimic Cale while they ate rather than simply sitting on the table as Raon did. Their conversation in the evenings over the past few days indicated that they had been venturing into the edges of the Dark Forest, and it was likely they would do so again today.
Cale didn’t worry about them going off among the trees to play, since he knew that they could take care of themselves. They were smart enough not to go too far into the Dark Forest, and the novelty of the location seemed to thrill them, since they felt bold whenever they snuck over the wall. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t taken them into the forest himself in the past, so they knew the area near the wall fairly well anyway.
The three children always returned before dark, cheerfully relaying anything that they deemed interesting from their adventures that day if Cale happened to be awake. All three of them liked to curl up on his bed to sleep at night anyway, so they would join him in his room even if he wasn’t awake. While he was quite content to sleep on his own, Cale wasn’t going to complain about the three small balls of warmth that pressed against his side or back as the kids got comfortable.
At the moment, Cale was only paying a small amount of attention to the meal and even less attention to the conversation between the children. His gaze was fixed on the wisps of clouds visible through the window, his mind blissfully quiet as he idly watched them changing shape. It was so easy to just let all his thoughts drift away while he stared at the sky. The only thing that might be more enjoyable would be watching the tide roll in gently at the beach, the soothing sound of waves offering a tranquil atmosphere while he rested.
He had to admit that he had wasted the potential of the beach when he had visited Queen Litana in the Jungle, even if the shoreline had been dyed black with ash. The magic stones had been the main thing on his mind, and while he hadn’t been directly assisting with the recovery efforts in the week after the fire, he hadn’t gone out to sit on the beach and relax either. He had merely laid in a chair near the tent instead, not really close enough to fully appreciate the sound of the waves.
Of course, with his fair skin, he’d have needed to be wary of sunburns if he had gone out to the actual beach, but that’s what portable shade was for. He was sure that someone would have happily set up an overhang for him if he had asked.
His mind drifted to famous beaches in Korea that he had never gotten a chance to visit. One of the local schools had gone on a trip to Jeju Island, but he himself had never had the opportunity to go. By the time he was independent, he was too busy trying to make ends meet to even consider a vacation, and then things had gone south when the monsters appeared. After that he had been too focused on survival and vacations had simply become a distant dream of the past.
“Have you ever been to the beach?” he asked Choi Han suddenly, startling the swordsman slightly. It was clear that he hadn’t expected Cale to speak.
“Of course, Cale-nim,” he responded. “We all saw the ocean together in the Jungle.”
It was true, the group had seen the ashy coastline when boarding the ship to sail home again. They had seen the beaches of the Hais Islands and the rocky shorelines under the cliffs in the Uvar territory together as well, but that wasn’t what Cale had been asking.
“I meant as a vacation,” Cale clarified. He actually was thinking about the time period before Choi Han had transmigrated into this world, wondering if the Choi family had ever taken a beach vacation, but he certainly couldn’t admit that out loud. Choi Han had no idea that Cale was also from Korea, and didn’t know that Cale knew about his origins.
“Oh.” Choi Han frowned slightly, clearly thinking hard as he sifted through the fragmented thoughts from his past. Even without Cale mentioning his life in Korea, Choi Han found himself trying to remember it. His time in Korea had been so long ago that it almost seemed a hazy dream sometimes, and the many, many long years alone in the Dark Forest had eroded his memories.
“I don’t think so,” he said after a moment, unable to recall any beaches other than the ones he had visited in this world. Even if he could remember something about Korea, he supposed that he wouldn’t have been able to explain where it was to Cale or the eavesdropping children.
Cale made a noncommittal sound in response, his gaze drifting back out the window. It was a shame that the Jungle coastline wasn’t closer or he might have considered visiting it again. By now the ashes would have washed away and the beaches would be nice, even if the jungle itself would still be a burnt wasteland. While many of the Rowoon beaches were sandy, unlike the coastline of the Uvar territory, they just didn’t really measure up to the tropical waters in the south.
“What’s a vacation?” Raon asked curiously. Cale was somewhat surprised that the word had never come up in the dragon’s reading. Raon had been avidly devouring book after book since Rosalyn had taught him to read.
“Usually a break with time spent relaxing,” Choi Han told the trio of children. “People often take a trip during their break time.”
“Are we on vacation?” Hong wondered, stealing a glance at Cale and thinking about how he had spent all his time recently doing nothing in particular. Cale spent every day mostly in bed, but Hong thought that sounded boring. “Are we supposed to be relaxing more?”
“You’re doing exactly as you should,” Cale assured him. Children ought to have time to play, and from the stories they were eager to tell him each night, he knew that the curious trio had found plenty of ways to entertain themselves while he spent most of his day rolling around in bed. He was glad that the three of them had time to act their age without worrying about anything.
“Human, are we going to the beach?” Raon asked. “Is that why you brought up the beach?”
“I was just thinking about it,” Cale told him, but Raon was looking at him with an expectant and excited gaze. “You saw the beach when we were in the Jungle,” he reminded Raon, repeating Choi Han’s previous comment to deflect the dragon’s curiosity.
“But not as a vacation!” Raon answered, sounding quite proud of himself for parroting Cale’s own words back to him. Cale saw that all three children were now looking at him expectantly, eyes shining. Glancing at Choi Han, Cale saw that the swordsman also looked somewhat interested in the notion of a beach holiday. He mentally groaned at the self-inflicted headache he had just brought upon himself and kissed his lazy afternoon goodbye.
“I guess I could get in touch with Miss Lina,” he admitted. “Though of course, that is quite a trip.” He really wasn't thrilled with the thought of traveling all the way back to the coastal regions of the jungle.
“The smart Rosalyn can teleport us!” Raon said cheerfully. “I am a great and mighty dragon, so I can teleport us too!”
When he put it like that, Cale decided the idea was suddenly more palatable. He technically did own land in the Jungle now, though he hadn’t actually been given his copy of the contract yet. It wasn’t as if he’d be trespassing if the group did teleport down to the coast, and at least he wouldn’t have to sit in a carriage for days on end if Raon and Rosalyn had the coordinates to teleport them.
Informing Queen Litana was still probably a good first step, if only to make things easier on himself. If she knew to expect his group in the area, she would take care of a lot of the annoying logistics for him, like arranging somewhere for them to stay and providing food.
He would also need to ask Rosalyn first how feasible it would be. Mana certainly wasn’t an issue, as he could easily supply her with high grade magic stones if needed, but he had never asked about distance limitations on her teleportation. She had already teleported with both Lark and Choi Han at the same time before, along with all of Lark’s siblings, so he knew she was quite capable of transporting others with her. He just didn’t know how the limitations on many people that she was able to move at once, and if the increased number of people would decrease the distance that she could travel.
“I’ll talk to Rosalyn after I eat,” he promised Raon. The young dragon’s tail thrashed back and forth with excitement, prompting Choi Han to rescue the remnants of his sandwich before Raon knocked the plate off the table.
“Do you know where she is?” Cale asked Choi Han, reasoning that of the group currently in the room, Choi Han was the most likely to be informed of Rosalyn’s whereabouts for the day. Choi Han nodded.
“I intended to visit her after lunch myself,” he told Cale. “I’ll accompany you.”
“Sure,” Cale agreed, turning his attention back to his meal. Beside him, Raon moved back to his original place at the table and started discussing the beach in low, excited tones with Ohn and Hong. Cale supposed that a beach vacation really wasn’t a bad idea, all things considered. He wanted the three of them to experience all the things that he had never gotten to do as a child.
Rosalyn had been just as enthusiastic about the notion of a beach vacation as the trio of children, and she had assured Cale that she was quite capable of long distance teleportation. She explained that if she went down to the Jungle first, she could set up a teleportation circle to make the task of transporting a group no problem. Her eyes were practically sparkling with excitement by the end of the conversation, and Cale quietly excused himself.
It was nice that she was so energetic, but just watching her was wearing him out. He wanted to go crawl back into his bed so that he could follow his original plan for the day of doing nothing in particular. Lazy days were the best.
Unfortunately, he needed to get in touch with Queen Litana first. His sense of responsibility was stronger than the siren call of his pillow, but he would likely retreat to the bed after his call.
Cale had told Raon before leaving the dining room that he would need the young dragon’s assistance to make a call, so Raon had happily tagged along on the visit to Rosalyn. His presence was probably part of her enthusiasm, as he had been delighted to talk about the possibilities of transportation. Raon was always happy to put his magic to use and he loved discussing magic with Rosalyn, who he deemed to be the smartest person that he knew when it came to magic. Of course, as a great and mighty dragon, he considered himself to be the top expert even if he had learned a lot of what he knew from Rosalyn.
“Human, is it time for my help now?” the little dragon asked, hovering as always at Cale’s side. He liked to float close enough to touch Cale and often had his claws lightly clinging to Cale’s clothing, but Cale appreciated the fact that Raon didn’t actually put his weight on him much. Raon wasn’t so heavy that Cale would struggle too much to carry him, but he was definitely growing and would eventually be too large for Cale to handle his weight. It would be better for him not to develop a habit now that would simply knock Cale over in the future.
“Are we going to go connect the call?” Raon continued, his small wings lightly stirring Cale’s hair as the pair of them headed upstairs.
“We are,” Cale confirmed. This would be his first time using the video orb since arriving in Harris Village, aside from a very brief check in with his father to inform him that he had arrived safely. It wasn’t like they were even really that far from the main Henituse estate, but Cale didn’t mind indulging Deruth’s mildly overprotective urges to keep tabs on his son now and then. After all, he hadn’t bothered to call home at all while he had been in the Jungle previously, nor during any of his other travels. He was sure that Hans or Ron had at least sent periodic reports back to Deruth anyway.
Cale settled himself on the couch, getting comfortable before he signaled to Raon that he was ready. He wondered if Litana would even be available to pick up or if he was just going to have to leave a message. The latter would probably be preferable, since less effort was involved.
Raon supplied the video orb with mana and it lit up to indicate that a connection was being attempted. After a brief hopeful moment where Cale thought he was going to get away with leaving a message, Litana’s face appeared within the glass.
“Young Master Cale!” she said with a bright smile. “What a pleasant surprise to hear from you!”
“Hello Miss Lina,” Cale greeted her, offering a small smile in return. “I would like to request a favor from you, if I could.” He sat up a little straighter to properly play the role that he usually portrayed in front of her.
“Of course! We owe you so much already, I can never repay your kindness.” Cale suppressed a smirk. He may have phrased it as asking for a favor, but he had already known that Litana would welcome him at any time.
“I’d like to visit the land that you set aside for me,” he informed her.
“I can send someone out right away to prepare somewhere for you to stay,” Litana assured him. “How soon will you be coming? Will you be sailing directly to Section 1?”
“Actually, we were hoping to teleport,” Cale explained. “I would just need my mage to go there ahead of me to prepare for our arrival. You remember Miss Rosalyn, I trust?”
Rosalyn had stayed with the people of the jungle and assisted in the recovery efforts for nearly a week, so it was highly unlikely that Litana had not met her. Cale had needed her out of the way to ensure that she didn’t detect the magic stones when he went to fetch them, but in the process he had likely encouraged Litana to develop positive feelings toward Rosalyn in addition to himself.
“Miss Rosalyn is welcome any time,” Litana confirmed immediately. “I can send someone to assist her if needed.”
Since Rosalyn seemed confident that she could handle the teleportation on her own once the circle was established, Cale politely declined Litana’s offer. As he had expected, Litana did also insist on setting up somewhere for him to stay, and he did accept her hospitality. The tent that Litana had previously provided for his use had been surprisingly comfortable.
After a bit more conversation, Cale wished Litana a good evening and disconnected the call. He had arranged for the group to go as soon as tomorrow if they liked, though he would probably not tell anyone until morning. If he said anything now, he might have to give up more of his lazy day in bed. A lazy day on the beach could wait a little longer, particularly since Litana would need some time to get things arranged for the group when they arrived.
“I’m going back to bed,” he told Raon, pushing away from the table that held the communication orb.
“What? Human, you already slept so much!” Raon protested.
“I’m tired,” Cale told him, ignoring the little dragon’s frown.
“But we need to go provide the smart Rosalyn with the teleportation coordinates,” Raon urged, following Cale toward the bed. “Human, you can’t sleep yet!”
“You can tell her, if you want,” Cale said as he flopped bonelessly onto the mattress. He brightened at the sight of a bowl of grapes that Hans had apparently brought up when he had gone downstairs to get a meal earlier. Reaching for them, he popped one into his mouth and relaxed against his pillow. Raon hovered indecisively for a moment longer and then headed for the door.
“I’m going to tell her!” he announced. Cale leisurely dismissed him with a halfhearted wave, already letting his mind go blank as he settled in for his lazy afternoon. Any remaining details could be handled by Ron or Hans and he was sure that Rosalyn would contact Litana on her own to arrange things well as far as the teleportation went, so he could just lay back and relax.