MÁGOA ✶ clemensia dovecote

⁰⁰² / spite is always the answer

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. ⋅ ˚̣- : ✧ : - ⭒ ⊹ ⭒ - : ✧ : -˚̣⋅ .

CHAPTER TWO.
❝ spite is always the answer ❞

alternatively,
my cousins are my greatest
enemies, but are far greater
enablers.

. ⋅ ˚̣- : ✧ : - ⭒ ⊹ ⭒ - : ✧ : -˚̣⋅ .
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The next day, Asclepius played chess with his grandfather and cousins; a tradition that began with his mother and continued after her passing to strengthen the bond between both sides of his family. His grandparents on his father's side had long passed away: Grandma Euphemia when he was ten and Grandpa Horatio when he was fifteen. Good riddance.

Grandpa Day, his mother's father, was far more tolerable than any Gaul he'd known side. His cousins, Chiron and Circe, were lawyers, but the end goal was to always end up in the Capitol Court and continue their grandfather's work. Despite being held in high regard in the field of law, to Clee, they were simply annoying.

Today, it was Asclepius versus Chiron. The set up on the large, circular glass table in the greenhouse was how it always was on chess days: a polished oak board with its pieces on the right, and delicacies on the left. The candied fruit and vanilla tea were some of his favorites.

The Moon Greenhouse was the family's prized possession, seeing as the flowers bloomed and thrived after the war. It took long for it to return to its former glory, and Asclepius was there for every second of its rebuild. The centerpiece was a large cherry tree with vibrant pink flowers decorating the branches, which somehow persisted through the war and remained untouched. His grandmother, may she rest in peace, spared no detail when it came to his parents: they had their first date, proposal, and marriage under the tree.

"Although it had seen war, the tree was lucky to see their love," Grandma Nell explained to him when he was nine. "I hope that one day, the tree will experience your love too, Baby Boy."

He wished to go back in time to do two things: to stop that nickname from coming into fruition, and to tell off his grandmother for giving him high hopes. The tree witnessed his heartbreak instead as he read Clemensia letter's over, and over, and over, and over--

"So, the boy from Ten?" asked Grandpa Day. Asclepius' eyes wandered away from the cherry blossom to face his grandfather, and he nodded slightly in response while taking Chiron's pawn off the board. "Mhmm, well, don't count him out just yet. I heard people from that district are quite tough. He can survive long enough if he plays it right."

Chiron rolled his eyes, placed his smooth hand over Grandpa Day's and leaned into his ear. "Grandpa, the prize isn't based on survival, but performance," he spoke, slowly and loudly, before moving a bishop. "He's worried if he'll perform!"

Grandpa Day nodded his head. "Ahh! Okay," he mused, tapping a finger on the golden handle of his cane. "And how did Dr. Gaul react to this?"

"Terribly, I presume," muttered Chiron while his fingers hovered over the chess board before switching out Asclepius' pawn for his rook. "Did she throw a hissy fit?"

"I imagine her kicking and screaming on the ground," prodded Circe with a smile.

Clee shook his head. "She just tossed her coat into Avelot's face and stomped around the house," he laughed breathlessly.