Chill time

The day of the auction was overwhelming and underwhelming at the same time. Between the stress of transporting an almost four meters sculpture of glass. The lessons from teacher Yamada of how to act with nobles, and the many revisions of all the paperwork to make sure nothing slipped between the cracks. The business aspect proved itself ruthless.

Ryu didn't witness the auction. 

After involving in all of the preparation behind the curtains, artists stood in a spacious room backstage hearing the auctioneer's gavel hitting the wood, announcing a sale.

They waited there for the buyer of their piece to come to the room, wrapping the sold artwork personally in front of the buyer before shaking hands, sealing the deal.

Roxy came to the auction house after running some errands and job searching, standing in line to enter the building behind a man with silver hair and a scrub suit.

The security guard took their names.

"Well, both of you are in the list of people related to the seller/artist. To protect the integrity of the auction you may not enter the hall, but you can wait in the waiting room."

"That goodie two shoes put genuine names in the list." The nameless surgeon said as they sat in the fancy waiting lounge.

'How did he put the name of someone nameless? Wishes are still weird.' Roxy thought while biting into the blueberry chess cake.

He sipped some fancy flavored quinchy. They locked eyes while she was chewing, he recognized that faint copper, almost pastel orange color of her hair and eyes. 

'Have we met before?' Roxy asked.

"Yeah, you hit your head as a kid and I took your scans."

"You adults never let that go huh?" She said, comically offended.

'So he remembers huh?'

"So you're Ryu's friend?"

"He is a kind soul helping me with something."

"Like homework and stuff?"

"Like building a cult." She deadpanned. He laughs at the answer.

"I see, how he's doing? Haven't heard from him since the pipes of his dorm room busted and he had to move temporarily with other roomie."

"He's good. His roommate is a fabulous person if I say so."

"Is that so?" He looked at the fancy lounge, Roxy grabbed another piece of chess cake.

"Was all this too much for him?" The older man asked, playfulness subdued in his voice.

"Well maybe, some unexpected things happened and he got shaken up a little, but he bounced back."

"That's good to hear."

Ryu shook the hand of the rich older woman, exchanged pleasantries and watched her excitedly watch over the porters moving the dragon away. He looked at his work one last time, smiling to himself. 

They told him that parting with his first piece can be a sad and happy memory at the same time, others told him to only focus on the profit from what he make or he'll not be able to live off making art, he didn't knew what school of thought he'll subscribe to. All he felt in that moment was the feeling of a job well done. And that's was enough for him. 

He was a simple person when it's all said and done.

After checking the receipt and the paperwork he walked out of the building, the lounge was in the way to the exit, passing there he saw the two waiting for him.

The older man waved to him, he fought the excitement to run toward him like he did as a little kid.

"Don't you have work, nii-san?" He tried to sound casual, hiding his happiness. His brother showed up after all.

"It was a night shift so I'm done." The older matched the causal speak with a shrug.

Roxy slid a brownie into her plate, not interrupting the two.

"How are you gonna eat stake with your stomach full?" Ryu asked her.

"We're having stake today?"

"Well, since my name now is Mr. Rich." He fanned himself with the paperwork.

She thought carefully before opening her planner while munching on the brownie.

"You should wait till next month to put it in an investment fund, profit rates are low now."

"Right, continue living below your means for the time being and save for something big."

".. For two eccentric people y'all acting too lame." Ryu defended himself against the two finance bros.

They walked out of the auction house to street of big villas.

"So you wanna go to barbecue, or should we have a treat at the president house?"

"No, I don't wanna impose on her suddenly. But I do want pumpkin seeds baguette." Ryu replied.

"Has he been eating anything other than bread and chess?" The older man whispered to Roxy.

"I don't know." 

"Not snitching huh? Well barbecue it is." He dragged them like a cat dragging two baby cats.

"Pumpkin seeds baguette..."

"No pumpkin seeds baguette for you." Roxy teased with an evil grin.

In the barbecue restaurant Roxy was distracted by the pink disco ball in the traditionally made and decorated yakiniku restaurant.

The older man placed a piece of meat in her plate.

"Can you eat after all those chess cakes?" He checked in her.

"Hehe~ don't underestimate me!"

He put another piece in Ryu's plate while he ate silently, enjoying the treat.

"So will you go back to the dorm after they fix the pipes?"

"I can't do three stinky roommates who burb anymore."  Ryu sighed. 

'Plus sleeping in my human form for too long gave me muscle cramps all over my body.' He chewed.

"Then move in with me instead of paying rent."

"The hospital is far from the academy." 

"I meant in the house you jerk." 

"Still too far, and you gonna boss me around." He whispered the last sentence.

A woman entered the restaurant, seeing Ryu, his cheeks getting pinched. Regular brothers quarrel routine, plus a girl eating quietly in the same table.

"Hey, look how's here!" The woman greeted them warmly.

"President..save me..." Ryu plead with a crocodile tear.

"Hello there." The older brother stoped pulling Ryu cheek to greet his elder.

'So that's the president of Ryuyu's orphanage.' Roxy thought as the woman sat next to her, soft confidence that came with years of leadership poured out of her steps.

Roxy's mind recalls a past conversation between her and Ryu, when the surgeon asked him to deliver lots of apples his patient gave him to the president.

--

"To be honest I would prefer if you and the president don't meet." He whispered to her, walking in the fancy street.

"A-Are you ashamed of me?!" She whispers dramatically, hands on her mouth.

"Her hunch is too strong." He said, not indulging the drama. Unlike usual.

"You think she suspects you?"

"No, but sometimes, I feel that she feels something." 

He looked at the big guard dogs in the garden of the villas, and the one walking in the street with their owner. His pupils narrowed for a split second before turning back to normal. The big guard dogs shivered in their places, the one on the street left their owners running.

"I don't doubt my disguise, but safe better than sorry."

"So you're doubting mine!" She said, causally and unoffended.

"You're leaning a bit too much on that silly persona."

"Come on, it's fun! Plus there is no point of striving for perfection, hide a tree in the forest as you human say!"

"That doesn't make any sense." He pinched her squishy cheek.

--

The waiter placed the new orders on the table and they talked while they ate while Roxy stayed silent. She didn't like eating with humans but free food is free food.

"So the water pipes in your dorm busted. You got a new roommate. You made a four meters dragon and sold it in an auction. And you gonna build a cult with your friend. Good use of your youth kid." The president laughed, picking meat with a chopstick.

"Is that what we're calling it now?" Ryu asked Roxy upon the mention of the cult. She nodded affirmatively while munching.

"Seriously what is it?" His brother asked, curious about what's behind the cult allegory.

"World destruction, potentially." Ryu told him.

"As long as y'all having fun." He laughed.

"What about you, I never see you these days." The president asked the older man.

"Well, nothing new, the operation room is full as usual. Oh and I got a smoking buddy though."

"I see.." She murmured, not impressed with the news.

She looked at the girl in a brown suit eating politely next to her.

"So your a quite one like Ryu?" President asked with demanding curiosity.

"I actually never shut up unless there food in my mouth." Roxy dodged with a joke after swallowing the last bit of rice in her plate. Her response earned a laugh from the woman.

"So how the two of you met? Ryu didn't have many friends in his age." She asked curiously. 

"Excuse me president, I have one whole friend." 

"I know. Poor bob is working overtime." She roasted. 

'According to Ryu's feeling she might suspect something about someone he didn't mention for two years.'

She opened her mouth to answer but he out ran her.

"She's my roommate's friend." Ryu informed.

'He's sooo slick.' Roxy wanted to slap her forehead. 

"I should meet that roommate of yours." The president said, intrigued.

"They're so fabulous." Roxy supplied.

'The ice is already thin enough.' Ryu gave her a look.

'The ice broke the moment you opened your mouth.' 

'Isn't she his roommate? Oh yeah she'll lecture him to death if she knew he was living with a girl.' The brother thought, sipping his barley tea. 

Roxy excused herself to the restroom. In front of the mirror she got distracted by the blue disco ball. 

An old woman in a nice Kimono came to her.

"I saw you in the last drafting, you have many languages." The older woman cut to the chase after a polite nod.

After a conversation she went back to the table.

"What took you so long?" Ryu asked, eating some dessert.

"I got a gig offer." She showed him the business card of the institute of translation. 

Getting a gig offer in the restroom was not a stretch for Roxy.

"Well I got you crownies." 

"My glorious elf king of the west forest!"

"Okay that's it!" He took the half brownie half cookie to his plate.

"Nooo." She mobbed quietly while he bit her treat.

Even if they have to conceal their identities they still can have some chill time. 

For a fleeting second Ryu pondered the outcome if the two human adults knew his true identity.