Bowen was the first to speak, his voice dripping with mock sincerity. "You will not regret it, kind sir," he said, a playful glint in his eyes.
Periwinkle, determined to maintain a stoic demeanor, responded with a dramatic flourish of his hand. "Call me Captain," he declared, his chest puffed out like a proud rooster.
'The ball is already in my court, Fairy' Bowen smirked.
Bowen's smile widened at this display. With an exaggerated bow, he bent forward, intending to humor Periwinkle. Unfortunately, his timing was impeccable in its poor execution. His head dipped too low, and with a loud thud, it connected squarely with Periwinkle's nose.
Periwinkle staggered back, clutching his nose in shock and pain. "What the effing is wrong with you, boy?" he spluttered, his voice muffled by the hand over his face.
Bowen shot upright, his head colliding with Periwinkle's jaw. The captain let out a painful howl.
Bowen couldn't suppress the smirk that tugged at his lips. "Oh my goodness," he said, his voice laced with insincere concern. "I did not know. I am so sorry about that, Captain."
The first bump on the nose was a mistake but the following bump on the jaw, he had done it purposely.
Periwinkle glared at him, his eyes watering from the dual assault on his face. "You did that on purpose," he accused, his words slurred by the pain in his jaw.
"Me? On purpose?" Bowen's innocent tone did little to mask the mischief dancing in his eyes. "I would never."
Periwinkle shook his head, wincing at the sharp pain that followed. "Just...be careful, will you?"
Bowen hovered over Captain Periwinkle, a mask of exaggerated concern plastered on his face. His brows knitted together in mock worry as he tried to suppress a smirk. Periwinkle, still clutching his nose, glared at Bowen through eyes watering from the impact.
"I'm fine," Periwinkle muttered, his voice nasally and muffled by the pain in his nose. He turned to the guards standing at attention nearby, their faces carefully neutral. "Show him the way to the changing chamber," he ordered, his words slightly slurred. "And when he is done, bring him to my office to sign the agreement."
One of the guards noticed a thin stream of blood trickling from the Captain's nose. "I think you are bleeding, sir," he said hesitantly. "Should I get the physician?"
Periwinkle's eyes flicked with annoyance. "I said I'm fine," he snapped, though the effort of speaking made him wince. "Next time, be careful when you want to bow," he added, glaring at Bowen.
Bowen's expression shifted to one of sincere contrition, though the mirth in his eyes betrayed him. "I'm sorry, Captain," he said, his tone laden with faux regret.
Periwinkle turned and walked away, still clutching his nose with his hand as he muttered curses on his way.
Bowen watched his retreating figure with a satisfied grin, if Dominic would see him now as he stooped so low to mere antics, life as Bowen the fairy wasn't that bad.
Bowen felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to see a young man with bright orange hair and equally orange eyes. The man was shorter than Bowen, though that wasn't saying much; Bowen towered over most of the guards.
"Vra, my name is Collias Orangel," the man introduced himself with a broad smile, his energy almost palpable.
Bowen blinked at the unusual name. 'What a peculiar name,' he thought.
"Vra, what is your name?" Collias asked, his eyes sparkling with curiosity.
"Bowen," he replied simply, not feeling the need to embellish further.
Collias looked at Bowen, clearly expecting more. When no additional words were forthcoming, he chuckled. "You're not the talking type, are you? Don't worry, I will talk to both of us. That," he said, pointing to a fairy with blue hair standing a few feet away, "is Fangs. And that one," he continued, gesturing toward another fairy with pink hair, "is Pinky, you know because he has pink hair and his parents didn't know what to name him so they gave him pink, very unusual, right? "
'Yours is even more unusual than his,' Bowen didn't comment on Collias's words.
Bowen followed Collias' pointing finger and nodded at each introduction. Fangs and Pink both gave a brief, acknowledging nods in return.
"Can you show me to the dressing room?" Bowen asked, his tone polite but direct.
Collias grinned wider. "Hop on the Collias wheel, and I will take you anywhere you need to go!" He made a sweeping gesture with his hand, indicating that Bowen should follow him.
Bowen raised an eyebrow but decided to play along. He followed Collias through the maze-like corridors of the palace, passing bustling servants, the palace was filled with activity.
As they walked, Collias chatted animatedly. "So, Bowen, where are you from? I bet you have some interesting stories. I know I do. Like the time I got lost in the Laon rainmaze. That was quite the adventure! Ever been to the Laon? No? Well, you should. It's beautiful, but the bugs are a nightmare."
Bowen had no choice but to listen as Collias went on and on. With a bored expression on his face, this guy was talking without pausing between his speeches. It was like listening to the crickets creaking without taking breaks.
"Have you seen the Purplesbane stature in the Lin province?" Collias asked.
"Oh God!" Bowen muttered frustrated with Collias's annoying presence.