"You know, you really ought to speak with your father once in a while."
Han-Yu looked up from listing the people who owed him drinks, or vice versa. "Why" he half-whined to his father's maid, a calculating old Bagon named Pandora, whose placid expressions made her hard to read. (Or maybe that was just to Han-Yu. After all, Dad trusted her, and Dad barely trusted anyone.) "Dad doesn't need my company. He's got paperwork to finish anyway."
"But you're his son", Pandora urged. "He could always make time for you."
Something flared up inside of Han-Yu. "I'm not doing it. Now leave."
The Bagon curtsied and left, any indignation she might have felt imperceptible as always.
Han-Yu waited until he heard her footsteps on the floor below, then got up and headed to his father's office.
Once there, however, he found that Grand Duke Pangaea already had a guest - a red-faced Clamperl gijinka whose glasses hovered precariously on the edge of his flat nose, giving him a pretentious look. Han-Yu stared at him.
The Grand Duke jumped when Han-Yu entered the room. Han-Yu frowned slightly. Dad seemed even more jittery than usual. Was it...was it because of that Clamperl?! By Arceus, if that man was going about any funny business under Han-Yu's roof, he would grab that guy by the neck and -
"Huh?" The Groudon gijinka paused, halfway through an attacking stance. Both his father and the stranger looked very alarmed.... Oh.
"As you can see...I have a g-guest, so...." Dad gestured towards a chair behind him, fingers quivering slightly. "I-if you would wait, it will only take a moment...."
Oh. Well, Han-Yu had no choice now, did he? He'd already interrupted Dad's meeting; better see that through to the end.
Except that it was little more than agonizing, the wait! He'd meant to eavesdrop on their conversation, but soon become preoccupied with the fact that - wow, was this the most uncomfortable chair in the country or what? He hadn't even known there was a chair this uncomfortable in the house. Granted, he was out of the house quite a lot, but geez, someone get this chair a "Most Uncomfortable" award or somethi -
The Clamperl guy was staring at him. Why was he staring at him? Maybe it had to do with the fact that he'd pretty much draped himself belly-up over the arm of the chair in an effort to get comfortable. Oh.
Han-Yu immediately pulled himself into sitting position and stewed in embarrassment for a little while as the older men finished talking and the Clamperl gijinka left. By now Han-Yu was feeling rather discouraged and not quite up to chatting with Dad as he had planned, but Arceus be damned if he was going to spend all that time waiting and call it quits at the last second.
"Well, Han-Yu?" the Grand Duke asked, turning to him. His face suddenly looked a whole lot wearier. Han-Yu might've thought he was carrying the weight of a supercontinent on his shoulders.
"U...uhh..." Think, Han-Yu, think! Make small talk! He's your dad; how hard can it be? "So, Dad, who was that guy anyway?"
Instantly he thought that he had said the wrong thing, as his father suddenly looked on the verge of tears. (Actually, now that he considered it, Dad had that look a lot....)
"He is the head of the Carnell family in Altum, and he was here on business", Dad said. Right, always business. "Do you need something, Han-Yu?"
"Huh? Well, no. I mean...yeah, no?"
Dad sighed. "Then why don't you run along, son, as you usually do...." And without waiting for an answer, he turned and left the room, his bright and vibrant robes sweeping behind him. (Grey would have suited him better.)
Han-Yu stood there and blinked for a moment, then stormed from the office. What the hell?! What was he supposed to make of that attitude? Like...like Dad was trying to get him down, or something. Well, if that was how Dad was going to feel about it, then, y'know, so be it! None of Han-Yu's business. Right. Whatever Dad was being so melodramatic about certainly had nothing to do with him.
All the same, though.... Han-Yu moved down the stairs and out the door. All thoughts of his Dad's baffling behavior were soon dispelled as Han-Yu quietly traversed the streets outside and took in the late afternoon air.
