Chapter Text
While some perceive Penacony as the land of dreams and opulence, Aventurine would offer a different opinion on it. It feels that many fail to address how Penacony does not only reeks of excessive indulgence and hedonism, but also false promises and fake truths.
There's too many issues that have not yet been addressed, that remain buried under piles of luxuries offered by the government in an effort to maintain their popularity.
Or maybe Aventurine's judgment towards that crowded country is influenced by a failed love, or whatever .
For certain, Penacony wouldn't be in his list of top countries that he would visit for his little pleasures. Unless the newly-elected heiress has brought some positive changes to Penacony, he will remain the country's bigger hater. He couldn't care less if he's being called out for his biased viewpoint. After all, his guesses are never wrong.
Well, he is sometimes wrong.
Like when he thought that the massive, long-term project would be handled entirely by Jade. He is irked to discover that he has to be involved with, due to his stronger connections with different societies in Penacony. He defended that it was all in the past, so his work relationships would have soured by then. His irritation worsened by slight when he found out that his position was recommended by Robin to Gopher Wood. And that recommendation alone had closed all exits for Aventurine to slip away from the project.
But still, he wouldn't make it known that he was pissed. Because everyone knew he had fucked Sunday Oak. But things happened, and they are no longer in love now ( or what he has tried to convince himself into believing so ). Their relationship had created a small yet prominent dent on Sunday's family reputation. Though it was nowhere as big as Robin's past scandals and allegations, Sunday's pristine image was destroyed overnight due to his secret relationship with an IPC executive. Very upsetting to his father, who had prepared him all his life to inherit his role.
Aventurine still fails to understand how their oh-so-secret relationship becomes one of the presumed factors to Sunday's sudden withdrawal from his position, and his departure from the family. He has tried to ask Robin, but even the younger sister could not provide a rational answer to her brother's disappearance. Because not much information can fill the gaps to the mystery, it's natural for people to put the blame on Aventurine instead.
He has tried reasoning this with Jade, but she hardly cares for the younger man.
“You're purely here for business,” Jade justifies, her face showing amused nonchalance. “Whatever that happened five years ago shouldn't be your concern now. Moreover, none of that affects you at all. In fact, must I remind you that your involvement with Penacony five years ago has brought prosperity to your career instead?”
“We couldn't say the same for Mr. Sunday,” Aventurine has attempted to make a joke out of it. But it feels that his throat has been expanded by incomprehensible guilt, thus preventing him from speaking further.
Jade raises an eyebrow at the sudden comment on the former heir. "We all know that Sunday is a little strange in the head. His departure shouldn't be much of a mystery really. Nobody could handle that much pressure with such limited freedom from young. Him disappearing into thin air is bound to happen. Try not to think that you're at fault for his disappearance. But see your involvement with his disappearance as a grand opportunity to get closer to his sister."
He slumped deeper into the velvet seat, as he lazily twirled around the casino coin between his fingers. “Robin wouldn't want to speak so much about his brother to strangers, especially to me.”
“At this point of our conversation, it's hard for me to guess whether you're saying these things to run away from your responsibilities, or if you're truly concerned if your involvement with the project might bring unsavoury outcomes to IPC and me.”
Half-lidded eyes with his blond eyebrows furrowed together in a frustrated frown, Aventurine argues, “And at this point of our conversation, I came into the realization that you enjoy providing the dirtiest methods for the easiest missions. It's difficult for me to guess whether your suggestions are evidence of your lowly opinion of me, or a revelation of your poor negotiation skills.”
“So, to solve that case. You will be following me.” An order , never a question.
“I don't have much choice in this situation. So I'll be following you to Penacony, but I wouldn't get in any dirty businesses. Just lending an assistance ,” Aventurine puts a stronger emphasis on the last word. Almost as if he's marking a boundary. “Whatever hostility that you hold against the Oak family is none of my business. I will put my input into the project, and that would be it.”
Jade swirls the champagne by the stem of the glass, watching a glittery, yet sheer reflection of herself wickedly grinning back at her. “Oh, but we both know it's not true.”
“Not listening this time,” Aventurine's shoulders shrug in a dramatic mannerism. An attempt in sniping back at Jade's unnecessary provocation.
The coin in between his finger is tossed mid-air, before it lands flatly on the palm of his hands. If he sees this as a business deal, it would just be another easy money for him. After all, his luck never fails him.
And in a blink of an eye, the cold air of Penacony welcomes him.
He's grateful that he's immediately bombarded with different tasks when he first lands. On other days, you would have heard a stressed complaint from Aventurine on the poor management. But nowadays, he appreciates the inefficiency.
The first meeting begins the next day after, where it involves him accompanying Jade. He guesses that their meeting would have been dreadful, and he is pleased to know that his guessing game remains top-tier. As expected, he is welcomed coldly by the Gopher Wood. But none of this worries him, as whatever nonsense that the older man spouts hardly registers to him.
Aventurine only takes note of what is important. Some of them include the sudden change of positions. Robin now inherits his brother's past position as the heir, and will be promised to take over the leader position in the future. Given her lack of experience in this area, she does need more guidance on business positions.
Her background as a public figure makes it easier for her to understand some terms and unspoken rules about the business world, so both of the IPC executives are spared from headaches. With Robin's cooperative character, it takes little to no time for her to catch up.
So that explains why the meeting takes up more time than usual.
While Robin requires assistance in terms of her new responsibilities and commitments, Gopher Wood has expressed his interest in renovating Penacony. That is the primary reason why both of the IPC executives have descended down to Penacony after all.
But Aventurine finds some of Gopher Wood's plans to be honestly laughable. If he has a higher hand in this project, he would have objected to some of his suggestions. The profit that comes from the suggestions makes the offer tempting, but the risks that come with it raises some concern.
Aventurine chooses not to dwell upon it too much. He will only interfere when the situation reaches an absurd extent ( though there are signs ).
When the meeting ends, Aventurine is quick to leave. While he would have liked a drink at the moment, his body seeks the comfort of his new home.
The streets are crowded with the hustle and bustle of the energetic, busy city world. The air feels cold and crisp. And in some parts of the area, you can catch a whiff of freshly baked goods and sweet tarts.
While such a smell would have left his mouth watering, he feels rather insulted by the mind. Why does it decide to conjure the image of a certain featherhead, who would bite through the sweet tart that Aventurine bought him in such small mouthfuls. Aventurine thinks he is stupid, and looks even stupid. But he couldn't find himself to perceive that person so degradingly. It hurts the heart ( but he wouldn't admit that ).
He tries to alleviate himself from the pain by walking to different parts of the city. Does it help? Well, it seems to worsen. Especially when he catches himself turning too fast at the direction of any noise that implies the sound of wings fluttering.
He feels humiliated. At some point, home seems to be the best place for him to destress after such a day. When he reaches his new home, his eyes search for the clock. It's hardly been a day, actually. But the thoughts of him are enough for Aventurine to think that his hours have been wasted just like that.
While he thought that he would be in a better mood by now, his thoughts continue to torment him. Oh, when will his agony end?
If fate allows them to cross paths again, he would make sure to strangle that man again. Sunday continues to strip him down to vulnerability, even when he's hardly here to lecture or criticize Aventurine for whatever reasons. And the worst part of it all, Aventurine discovers that he likes it. He feels disgusted to even find out that he begins to miss it.
He is gone now. Aventurine should be on his knees, grateful that his prayers are answered. But why does it have to feel so painful?
And it doesn't matter how many times he has convinced himself that it's just another business project that he must contribute to keep his job. All that effort in convincing himself that he doesn't yearn still goes down the drain.
Especially when the shadow of dread continues to loom over him no matter where he goes, or what he has chugged down. Sleep works sometimes in these cases — but sleep chooses the wrong moment to become a foe.
Aventurine internally groans when his third day in Penacony continues to torment him mercilessly. He could never understand what is disturbing the mind and the heart, that continues to keep him restless but tired in both days and nights.
Things have gone smoothly so far, and he should be grateful for that, right? Like instance — not a single taunting comment came out of Jade's mouth during their first meeting.
But Aventurine shouldn't hop in joy just yet. He speculates that Jade's joy in inflaming others with her unnecessary statements is only suppressed when she comes across a valuable client, like Gopher Wood.
Though Aventurine is spared from Jade's playful jeers, he is still the victim of taunts in some ways. Gopher Wood's comments may be uttered kindly, but they are laced with subtle malice that only certain people could pick up ( some of these certain people include Sunday, but he chooses not to continue the sentence in the name of preserving his ego .)
To keep himself from thinking about a certain featherhead, he decides to browse through the emails he received from last night. With the aroma of freshly-made coffee accompanying him, swimming through the floods of digital documents during your mental crisis doesn't sound as suffocating.
But it appears that he speaks too soon, as a notification that pops at the top has captured his eye.
His face scrunches up in an intrigued frown. Robin . Why would the songstress seek from him, he wonders? Although he doesn't want to click on the notification, an unknown instinct compels him to respond.
Robin: Hi. This is Robin.
Before Aventurine could type out his response, Robin beats him to it.
Robin: I didn't get your number through dirty tricks. You gave it to me five years ago, and I didn't know when to make use of it due to my previous status. But given my current situation, I believe it does hold a good value now.
Aventurine's fingers ghost over the keys on the board, unsure of what to reply at first. It's too out of place, making it tricky for him to make an assumption on her real intention. But knowing Robin, it's unnecessary for him to utilize such methods to lure out an answer.
Aventurine: Hi, Robin. It's such a delight to have you as our client. However, there are some things that I must address right now.
Aventurine: It's so out of my character to say this. But if you are seeking advice, Lady Bonajade is more well-suited for the job.
Aventurine: Have a good day.
The cursor hovers over the X button. But before he could press to close, another reply came through.
Robin: It's not about the project that father is handling at the moment.
Robin: I believe my questions are best answered in a physical setting, given the sensitivity of the subject.
Robin: It's not a part of my intention to pressure you into agreeing. You are always welcomed to turn away my request.
It doesn't take much mental work for Aventurine to guess what Robin's true motive is. And you see, it's also just as easy to turn away the request. All Aventurine needs to do is apologise for his unavailability for any personal meetings, and continue his work.
So do tell, why do the text messages that he sent out to Sunday's younger sister contradicts with his new philosophies?