loping along through the cosmos

52: THEODORE'S PARAMOUR

"Where were you?!" JP asked them as soon as he saw the two making their way to their seats.

Some people recognized Jade (her appearance, rather) and bowed, greeting her as their majesty.

Jade awkwardly returned their greeting with a curt bow and smile.

"No need to announce to the whole arena about her appearance here, understood?" Jinx asked the guests, who obliged immediately before returning their attention to the announcement of the winner.

"The winner of this hour's duel is Ren!" a boy who looked exactly like Atieno's apprentice announced. His face and the winner standing beside him could be seen in a huge holographic image.

"Haze is an announcer here?" Jade asked JP, who was seated beside him. "At least here, he's using his loud voice for a living."

"That's part of his power and his parents' way of living," JP told her. "And you should have seen the fight! It was intense!"

"Did someone die yet?" asked Jinx, like it was a normal occurrence in duels. Jade gave him a horrified look, making the others laugh. "I was bluffing. No one dies in our duels here."

"Unless they really are asking for it," Gus said. "But it hardly does. People here love their lives, apparently."

Jade looked around, searching for her bodyguard. "Where is Kieran?"

"Your bodyguard?" Gus asked, but was already pointing at the seats below, just above the stage. "JP left him there in the middle of the duel."

She saw Kieran (who was already wearing the other world's clothing) talking to the huge men as they cheered for the winner. "Wow, that man sure knows how to blend in."

Gus was nodding his head as he watched the terrene. "The vampires instantly took him in like he's one of their own."

"Are they that friendly, or is that their way before they attack him?" Jade asked.

Gus shrugged. "Do you want to see?"

She turned to Kieran, now boisterous with his lookalike, while his brother shouted at some of the confused audience, looking at them, that the other one was a guy who had the power to change his appearance.

"At least he has one good memory while spending his time as my bodyguard," she said to herself and smiled.

"Theo's still training?" JP asked no one in particular.

Before anyone could answer him, Haze tapped his mic. "It is already late in the afternoon, so we will have only 1 more duel left for the weekend."

"Boooo!"

"Wooooh!"

"Fret not. This last duel will be exciting as we have a special guest fighting in this arena for the second time since his first win last season."

Jade saw Gus and Jinx exchange looks. "Who is it?"

"Prince Theo!" The crowd cheered.

"That is right! On one side, we have our very own prince of the faes, Prince Theodore!"

The crowd cheered loudly as Jade found her Theodore making his way to their seats.

Her Theodore was not wearing his own clothes anymore. Now, he was wearing chinos paired with a crisp button-down shirt and a well-fitted blazer, hugging his body. He has a black patch covering his right eye, a funny way to hide his identity.

He has darker, shorter hair than the prince, so the eye patch may be enough. She looked around to see if there were people looking at Theodore. When she saw everyone focused on the real prince, she felt relieved.