"Do we really have to go?" Elias pouted as Eryn fixed his clothes.
Eryn smoothed out his shining white and blue robes and pulled up his silver-rimmed collar. "We've been living in Master Xia's residence for free, it's only right for us to do what he wants to pay him back. Besides, it's only a birthday party. It's not like he's asking us to do something illegal. What can go wrong?"
Elias sniffed and crossed his arms. "The moment you said that I feel you jinxed it...besides, something is bound to go wrong with so many people attending," he grumbled.
Eryn hit him lightly on his arm. "Shut up and turn around. Let me fix your hair," she ordered.
Elias did as he was told and suddenly felt his sister tugging at the piece that held together his ponytail. "Hey- hey! What are you doing?" he protested.
"Be quiet!" she said.
"But I don't want you to-"
She pulled the band free and his hair loosened up, slightly bent where the band held its place for so long. "I'm not going to let you have this stupid ponytail any longer!"
"What?!" Elias turned around, feeling his hair frantically. "What are you going to do?" he demanded.
Eryn threw aside the band before he could take it back and forced him back around. "I'm going to do it how everyone else does it!" she insisted.
"Like how?! Like Wayne? I'll look like a girl!"
"You won't! Everyone does it! It's the traditional hairstyle! Half-up and half-down! Why don't you like it?"
"Why do I have to like it?!"
"Just sit down already!"
_______________
Wayne leaned against one of the pillars in the back of the atrium as guests began filing into the Jing residence.
Loads of desserts and treats and courses were set on the tables that lined from one corner of the atrium to the next, and judging from the number of unfamiliar faces he had already seen, he doubted this was going to be a small party.
Wayne sighed as he held the rim of his glass to his lips.
Uncle Jing was always so extra when it comes to parties; he didn't like things low-key.
Wayne had already guessed who was on the guestlist for tonight's event: families, friends, families' friends, friends' families, friends' families' friends...
"Heavens," Wayne muttered, already starting to feel overwhelmed.
The problem wasn't the fact that there were so many people, but the fact that he could barely find people his age he could talk to. And when there was, he found most of them obnoxious and with horrible personalities.
He was jealous of the girls, really. Whitney had San Jing, Celeste, Lan Jing; they were close and were around the same age.
Shoot, even Ying went to sit with them sometimes, though she never really said anything.
And now, they even have Eryn, which was utterly unfair.
He watched as Eryn was whisked away with the four girls.
Today, she was especially striking, dressed in sparkling white and blue skirts with transparent silk cloths hanging from her elbows that dragged on the floor behind her. Gold hairpins decorated her dark long hair, and standing beside San Jing, who was equally well-dressed with similar black hair, no one could tell who was the real birthday girl.
He smiled subconsciously as the chattering around him started to increase.
The party was just getting started and it was already packed.
Wayne suddenly found three girls approaching him with excited smiles on their faces. They were kind of short, barely standing up to his shoulders.
They stopped in front of him, and the girl in the front curtseyed. She seemed barely sixteen. "Young Master Wayne, my name is Anding. We've met before?" she said in a doll-like voice.
Wayne raised his eyebrows. Who the hell-? "Uh, I'm sorry, I don't think we have..."
She stepped forward, looking up at him, determined. "I am Adam Ting's cousin!" she said.
Wayne shook his glass back and forth, confused. "Am I...am I supposed to know who Adam Ting is?"
The girl clenched her fists, seemingly restless, but she kept her smile. "My cousin is Darius Chau's best friend," she added persistently.
Wayne nodded slowly, acting as if he knew. "Ohh...I still don't know who that is," he said.
The girl's smile faltered. "Then what about-"
Wayne straightened, suddenly remembering Elias. "Yep, sorry girls. I got something to do. Nice talk, bye!" he rambled before disappearing into the crowd.
He heaved a big sigh of relief as he escaped the awkward conversation they were having and started to search the crowds for Elias.
Despite having been beaten up by him in public, he liked Elias. Even though he seemed to have many secrets and had quite a temper, he was the only one around his age he felt like talking to. Elias was no brat and he was extremely powerful.
Wayne figured they'd make a great duo.
Where was he? he wondered, still looking around. Usually, he'd be with Eryn, but Eryn went off with the other girls...
Out of nowhere, the musicians started to play in the background, and Wayne found himself being pushed out of the crowd.
He stumbled out of the atrium into the nearby courtyards and gardens, where fewer guests hung out.
He scratched his head. "Where is he-"
Then he felt himself slam right into another person as he wasn't watching where he was going and stepped back in surprise. "Ah, I'm sorry!" he exclaimed, rubbing the side of his head.
"It's fine," said a familiar voice. "Where are you going?"
Wayne looked up to see Elias' dark eyes staring right back at him.
He yelped and jumped back. He looked him up and down slowly, taken aback by the change of his appearance.
He wasn't wearing dark clothes like he usually does, and instead, was wearing white layered robes with a dark blue belt and matching blue cuffs that stretched from his wrist halfway up his forearm.
His jaw dropped when he looked up and saw his hair, which the top half was pulled back loosely while the rest tumbled down his back down to his waist. A few long strands were left hanging in front of his face, finishing the look.
"Who the **** are you and what did you do with Elias?" Wayne demanded. "Don't you come near me!"
Elias exhaled. "Don't push it," he grumbled. "I know. I look like a girl."
Wayne cleared his throat, becoming serious again. "No, you don't," he said. "You look great."
"..."
Wayne held up three fingers as he saw the murderous look in his eyes. "I swear!" he exclaimed frantically. "You really don't look like a girl! I was just surprised because it's not your usual style!"
Elias raised an eyebrow.
"...You look like a freaking heartthrob," he added unnecessarily.
"A what?"
Wayne shook his head. "Uh, nothing, nothing...so what are you doing here?" he asked, changing the subject.
"Avoiding the crowd," he answered simply. "What about you?"
Wayne scratched his head. "Well, how do you put this? I was being hit on by some girls, so I escaped. Then I came to find you because I saw your sister earlier, but I couldn't find you anywhere."
"Oh."
Elias glanced down at the drink Wayne was holding as they both stood, watching the people laugh and talk in the packed atrium. "What's that?" he asked.
"Huh?" Wayne looked down at where he was looking. "Oh, this?"
He held up his glass and they both looked curiously at the clear, bubbly water. "I really don't know. I think it's some sort of foreign drink Uncle Jing managed to get his hands on. It's like...It's like...uh...I don't know."
Elias gave him a dumb look.
Wayne shrugged. "But it tastes good though," he said. "It's nice to have something different besides tea. Want me to bring you one? It has a little hint of alcohol in it, I think. But just a little, not a lot."
Elias hesitated. "...Okay."
Wayne glanced uncertainly at the crowd. "Um...I'll be back."
Elias nodded.
Wayne left, and he was all alone again, wandering around in the garden.
He sat down on a huge speckled stone that sat right next to the pond and took out his little black pendant, peering curiously at the engraved words on the precious stone.
His mind went back to when Eryn first opened the box and had him read the letter.
Who was this grandmaster?
He was so lost into his thoughts, that he didn't even hear the people approaching him in the garden.
"Hey, look! It's a sissy!"
"Bro, what is he staring at?"
"Hey, boy!"
"Hey!"
A hand suddenly slapped down on Elias' fingers and snatched the pendant out of his hands.
Elias looked up to see four petty guys sneering down on him. The one dangling Elias' pendant from his fingers seemed extra haughty, and he leaned forward, narrowing his eyes.
"So!" he started, flicking his shorter brown hair aside. "We saw you with that Young Master Wayne. Strange, ain't it, boys? The Wayne Xia we know barely hangs out with other people because he finds a lot of them annoying."
"Yes, very strange," his boys echoed.
He sniffed. "So tell us...who are you to kiss up to the heir of the Xia family when he doesn't even accept me? I am a disciple of the great Infernal Spirits Sect! Who are you?" he asked, pointing his finger at Elias' face.
Elias blinked. "Hand it over," he said flatly.
The four of them looked surprised, then they burst out laughing.
The one who claimed to be a disciple pretended to wipe away a tear, grinning widely. He swung the pendant around in front of his face. "You want this?" he said.
Then his face dropped and he shrugged. "Well, it depends on if you're qualified enough to take it back from me."
Elias said nothing.
He scowled. "You're asking for it now, buddy. How dare you ignore me and act so arrogant? I am a martial disciple, godd*mnit! Do you think you can afford to mess with me?"
Elias blinked again and held out his palm. "Give it."