"Heyyyy, Vaga!!!"
Vaga jolts slightly as Nova jumps on his back, arms around his shoulders in a tight hug. With only a small pause, Vaga laughs and turns around, hugging his brother back.
"Look at this, look at all the people!!! Isn't this great?!" Nova exclaims excitedly.
Vaga can't help but giggle, hands going to cover his mouth as they pull back from each other. "It really is- I wasn't expecting to enjoy something so social like this!"
"Same- I mean like, you've been smiling the whole time, haven't had a panic attack, or even cried once! ... Actually no, I take that last one back, you were sobbing into your handkerchief at the vows, hehe."
"Oh hush!!!"
Both twins laugh a bit, as Nova reaches towards a nearby table and grabs two glasses of wine, giving one to his brother. "Got you the non-alcoholic one, hope you don't mind."
"That's perfect, Nova, thank you.. we both know my tolerance, I'll probably have a smaller glass of actual alcohol later as the party starts to die down."
"Yeah, same."
They both sit down, each getting a strange sense of nostalgia. Even though they still spend so much time together, they can't quite remember the last time they've actually sat down and talked.
"Soooooo how're you and Nathaaaaaan~?" Nova asks with teasing smile, leaning his chin in his hand. Face growing red, Vaga covers his smike and averts his eyes.
"Stoppp, not in front of everyone else- um- we're doing... pretty good... really good, actually. He's... really amazing...."
"Good! Seems like you two are, you were staring at him for like half the ceremony."
Vaga rolls his eyes and hides his grin with a sip of wine. "What about you, though? You and Mirobelle? I saw you spinning her around like how Icia spun Lance, it was adorable."
Nova shrugs, his smile growing as big as his cheeks grow pink. "We've been good too! She likes being spun around, says it makes her feel light and like she's flying a bit."
"Huh- I thought she didn't like flying all that much?"
"Not on the dragons, they're a bit too rough for her liking when it comes to flight. That's why she prefers being around Tranché and the water dragons," Nova explains, waving his hand through the air to demonstrate the bumpiness of flying in the air.
Vaga nods, understanding that a bit. "And since they mainly stay in the water, it's easier for them to stay clean."
"Mhm- except moss. Apparently the water dragons get mossy. I wanna see that for myself."
"Eugh... I don't... sounds like texture torture."
"Meh, you've never ever liked slimy things. I think it's fun."
Vaga shrugs and takes another sip. "You do as you please."
There's a small pause as each of the boys look out into the crowd around them.
"Oh, I just remembered- you haven't gone up to Charles yet, have you? He's right over there. You didn't manage to find him until today, did you?" Vaga asks.
Nova shakes his head. "Honestly, I totally thought he wasn't gonna show up.... but he's talking to people right now, I'll ask him soon...."
"... you sound disturbed."
"Yeah, 'cause I am. Something's still off about him, he doesn't look right, doesn't look healthy, and it's scaring me. I mean... he's not even from this world, but I still just... know he's not really well right now."
Vaga's eyes drift in the direction of Charles, whose back is currently towards the two... he and three others who they hardly recognize seem to be talking and laughing amongst themselves.
"He seems happy right now..." the older cautiously notes.
Nova looks down into his drink. "I meant physically he doesn't look right, it's kinda freaking me out a bit but they don't seem to see anything wrong. I dunno."
A familiar grin returns to his face slightly. "Maybe your paranoia's passing onto me now that you're kinda starting to be a bit more yourself, heheh. I don't like it, you should take it back," he jokes, pointing the glass at Vaga.
"Oh trust me, it never left in the first place. It's just no longer... what's the word... crippling. Hindering. Affecting my everyday life. Now it affects my every-other-day life," Vaga retorts. Both twins laugh a bit at the mediocre joke.
Nova's smile grows a bit more. "Heheh- but for real, I'll talk to him soon about it. Probably whenever you go back to Nathan. Where is he, by the way?"
Vaga nods his head in the direction of the bride & groom's table. "He's talking to Lance right now. The cat he's taking care of, that joined Joy down the aisle, was a lot better behaved than normal, from what I've been told. I'd suspect Lance is asking Nathan how exactly he managed that."
The younger bursts out laughing. "Dude, you bagged a cat whisperer! I thought you liked dogs more!"
"That was only because I was allergic to cats in real life!! You knew I only liked the relaxed dogs, the ones that basically were cats. It was you who in awe by the Borzois or Ovcharkas- or the Mastiffs. ... actually, I did like the Mastiffs quite a bit..."
Nova beams. "See!"
"I still always liked the concept of cats more... except for them knocking everything off tables. That part still confounds me."
"They gotta clear their flat napping surfaces and put all the inferior objects in their place, obviously."
"They don't even nap in those spots then! Except Bacon... she's lazy though, she won't even bat the objects off in the first place."
Nova shrugs. "Well, if you don't like the dogs, I'll take 'em. I want to ride the back of a huge one- what if Raina and Sammy worked together to make some kind of wolf dragon!!!"
Vaga just laughs and shakes his head, sipping his wine. "Oh, the poor cooks- there're already situations of Sylvia or Basso or Bluebell trying to constantly break into the main castle halls for food, we'd need to have a whole vault for them to keep meat ingredients away!"
"Ah, we can probably find something. How much're you willing to bet there's someone in the circus who can make that?"
"Hmm...." he thinks a bit. "Quite slim- I mean, they have more technology and 'modern' aspects, but they don't exactly have manufacturers for that kind of thing- at least, not to my knowledge, although maybe Raina could make one."
".... soooo that means we COULD get a wolf dragon!!!" Nova exclaims excitedly. Vaga opens his mouth to respond, but only an exasperated sigh leaves it. His brother giggles a bit more as they both finish their drinks.
Suddenly, Nova's eyes shoot open. "Oh yeah!!! Speaking of which!" He firmly sets the glass down and stares dead into Vaga's eyes. "Something happened in the circus."
The older's face fills with worry. "Oh no... did someone get hurt? Did a prank go wrong?"
"Nonono, nothing like that. But first, you gotta promise to not tell anyone, and you gotta promise to believe me."
"... you're making me feel inclined to not believe you."
"Vaga, Vaga..." Nova scoots his chair closer and grips both of his brother's shoulders. "I swear on everything, I'm not fucking with you when I tell you this. I'm being completely and fully honest. If I was lying, I wouldn't be telling you all this."
Vaga freezes, thinking momentarily. He's no stranger to being tricked by his brother, youthful gullibility used against him. That said... Nova's never sounded so serious like this. And the expression in his eyes is one Vaga had seldom seen, one that has never, ever once been used when Nova was lying.
Finally, the older sighs and takes Nova's hands off his shoulders, giving them a small squeeze before letting them drop. "I promise."
Nova inches closer, knees on the chair as he leans up to Vaga's ear and whispers.
"I got a notification when I went to the circus."
"... what do you mean a 'notification'?"
"Like a little message above my head. I heard some kind of 'bling!' sound and looked up, and there was just like... this box above my head. Followed me for a few seconds and then it faded out."
Vaga feels his heart quicken as he mutters the words he knows Nova's waiting for. "... what did the message say?"
"You ready for this?"
"Nova, I swear on-"
"'Familial Link Restored'."
The silence between the two is thick enough to cut with a knife. The sounds of the crowd around them are completely drowned out by the tension rapidly growing. Nova slowly nods with wide eyes as he sinks back into his seat.
A familiar yet unwelcome build of adrenaline starts to form within Vaga's stomach, eventually becoming a nervous ache that makes him feel like he's about to lose the cake he ate earlier.
Eventually, he manages to whisper back to Nova.
"... that... that's the message Icia and Starro told us about."
"Yeah."
"When they...."
"When they learned about Slyn. Yeah. Isn't it awesome?!?!"
The dread trickling down Vaga's neck suddenly halts. "Awesome?! How is this awesome?!"
"Because it finally means our parents are back to visit!!!" Nova exclaims, hardly containing his excitement. Vaga opens his mouth to reply, only for his words to find themselves as a silent grimace.
"Oh come on, you always get that look when I bring them up! They're our parents, don't you wanna see them again?!"
"Of course I do!" Vaga replies, a bit louder than he meant. He freezes as Ode's eyes scan over to them, only relaxing when he feels their gaze return to their music binders.
"I just- it- it doesn't... make sense?" He finally manages to utter. "We were told they couldn't visit. It's been- what, how long since we've seen them, 8 years? Something like that?"
"Yeah? So?"
"Just... why now? It... it doesn't make sense- and it can't be like they chose to come here on their own, with the dance school and everything...."
"You think they wouldn't come to visit us?" Nova asks, teetering on the edge of incredulity and offense. Vaga's fear starts to spike again, his fists tightening to conceal trembling fingers.
And finally, he shakes his head, prepared for the worst.
Nova stares for a while before looking down into his empty wine glass, face black.
"I mean. They love us. Dunno why they wouldn't visit us other than money and tech complications, especially because Papa didn't like computers much. I think they'd visit us if given the chance.
"Plus, it's been a while. Maybe things have finally changed for them in the real world and they actually can visit us."
Vaga looks down, words failing him once again. For a moment, confusion outweighs Nova's offense. He doesn't understand why Vaga is so reluctant and hesitant, even scared, about this discovery.
For a moment, he decides to humor him.
".... what if it was someone else?"
Vaga looks up, the fear on his face fading slightly. "How so?"
"Didn't our dad have a brother?"
"I think that's what he told us, but- we've never met him."
"No but like... if Slyn ended up being Icia and Starro's brother, and there's a ton of people who also have family in here, then maybe! We could have a cousin here!"
Vaga shrugs, smile returning a bit. "Maybe... how about this. Once the wedding is over, we can go to the circus, maybe even find a place to stay. And we'll spend some time there, look for the source of that message and why it was triggered. How does that all sound?"
"Perfect!!! We can bring Miro along too!!!"
Nova's beaming once again, and Vaga couldn't be more thankful. He holds the wine glass in his hand, letting the glass cool his skin as he scans the crowd before suddenly pausing.
"Yeah?"
"... uh, Nova?" he starts to add.
"You... wanted to talk to Charles, yes?"
"Yeah?"
".... he left."
Nova's eyes widen. "He WHAT!!!"
Vaga points to the portal exit. "I don't know, I just saw him leave in a hurry!!!" He exclaims.
Nova stares a bit before yelling out in frustration and sinking into his chair with crossed arms. "Fucking DAMMIT!!!"
"Is everything alright you two?"
Oh fuck. Icia.
Both twins whip their heads around as Icia rejoins the crowds, concern written all over their face. A single glance at the other makes them both shake their heads.
"No Icia, we're alright... just- um..." Vaga falters.
"Charles just left and we don't know why."
Icia's eyes widen before growing upset. "He did..??" She asks, almost heartbroken. "Oh, that's a shame.... I wanted to talk to him."
"Yeah, so did I...."
"He may be back- the night is still young, as they say," Vaga tries to claim, hoping to lift their spirits. Icia waves it off a bit, forcing a smile back on her face.
"It's alright. He was talking with others earlier... seemed to have a good time. And if that's all he could... handle, then that's all he could handle."
Nova quickly gets up, placing an arm on Icia's while noting how the fabric of her shawl starts to feel like it came out of a fridge. "He's alright, I'm sure!" he reassures. "Probably just needs a break. This won't be the last time we see him, most likely. Yeah?"
"Yeah, I know... don't worry, I'm alright. Are you two doing alright as well? Just with everything in general?"
"Go for it."
Both twins nod, although Nova's is, expectantly, more lively than Vaga's. "Yep! I got a question though."
"Any limits on drinking?"
Both Icia and Vaga's eyes widen in shock and confusion, but Icia just sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose. "... don't be stupid. You know your limits with it, you're entirely responsible for yourself while drinking."
"Got it. Thanks!!!"
She sighs a bit. "I'll be by the buffet if you need me... please be smart about... whatever you do. Don't hesitate to find me if you need me, alright boys?"
"Yes ma'am!"
Icia smiles and walks away, whispering under her breath in Italian, something about "bevete" and "ubriaci"... or something along those lines.
Nova turns back to Vaga.
"So... drinking comp?"
Vaga pauses. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me. Drinking comp!"
"I heard you, but did you not just hear what Icia told us?!?!"
"Yeah, but it would only be like... 2 glasses of vodka each. Dime'll hook us up with some, it's just gonna be two. No redo's or anything. We'll be fine!!! Please?"
There's, once again, a long pause of silence before Vaga smiles and sighs.
"I hate the influence you have on me."
"You know you love me, Vaga"
"Just get the drinks already, would you, Nova?!"
Nova nods and bounds away, giggling the whole time. Vaga just sighs and leans his head in his hands.
"After those conversations, I need a few drinks," he whispers.
"How on Earth am I ever going to tell him...?"