an unfortunate change in genre

Part 21

"How many times have we had to have conversations like this?" Cale ran a frustrated hand through his hair and let out an exhausted sigh.

"This would be the forty-third official meeting of this kind, Young Master Cale." Ron said without missing a beat.

Roksu shifted uncomfortably in his chair. This wasn't really fair. It wasn't like he was a literal child anymore. Sure, fourteen was far from an adult but he was in his forties on the inside and his body had mostly matured.

"Why do you think this is necessary, Roksu?"

"...it's not necessary though?"

Oh, that was the wrong answer. Roksu flinched under the pressure of their glares.

He sighed. "I really didn't do anything dangerous this time. I never met with Choi Han or the dragon before." It was true. "And I only ever provided them with information through a pseudonym." He omitted that they also talked about trivial matters and how much danger it was that the dragon could track him.

"...how long?" Cale asked, a grim acceptance on his face. It wasn't just that Roksu had never given up on the dragon or had done something foolish again. It was so frustrating that they hadn't caught on.

How many other dangerous things was Roksu doing in secret?

Did he still not trust Cale as a partner?

It was just frustrating.

"About... four years?" Roksu wanted to lie but it would be pointless. It would only make Cale so much more mad if he found out.

"...when you sent me and his highness to Puzzle City." It wasn't hard to put together. He'd known at the time that Roksu was up to something, he just hadn't guessed what.

It was so frustrating.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Cale tried not to feel betrayed. Was he so unreliable? Or was Roksu just incapable of truly trusting him?

"You would have stopped me."

"I–" He wasn't wrong but Cale hated it. "Yes. I would have stopped you. Because it was dumb, Roksu. What if the dragon had come to find you for a different reason? What then? You led him straight to a person who has a direct connection to you! Didn't you ever think that his highness might talk about you?"

"...not really?" Roksu really hadn't. Why would Alberu talk about him?

"Haaa..." Cale rested his face in his hands. This was just one more thing that he didn't want going wrong on a long list of things that were about to go wrong.

His emotions were already a mess with the upcoming future that he was nowhere near prepared for.

It was... good that the dragon was unlikely to attack people, especially considering how undeniably cute and friendly he had been. But Cale had seen the devastation left in his wake and he couldn't let go of his apprehension.

The burnt corpses that laid in once affluent cities. The homes lost. The traumatized refugees.

The idea of Roksu becoming one of those corpses...

"Please." Cale clasped his hands together, looking his brother in the eye in hopes of finally getting through to him. "You need to tell me things like this. No, I don't agree and I probably never will, but keeping me in the dark is worse."

How could he protect his brother if he didn't even know what he was doing?

"Is there anything else you're keeping from me?"