After I wash off the paint and have lunch, with Ahren asking why Camille and I were so late, and me replying that it was Osten, a bucket of paint, and some sand, I go to find Kile for the meeting. He's with Eadlyn, as to be expected.
"Kile," I say. "Ready? Bastian will be here in ten minutes."
"Wait, ready for what?" Eadlyn asks.
"You didn't tell her?" Kile and I ask at the same time.
"I thought you were telling her!" I say.
"I thought you were telling her!"
"You're the one in a Selection for her!"
"You're her sister!"
"Okay, somebody tell me!" Eadlyn exclaims, exasperated.
"Remember those sketches I showed you a while ago?" Kile starts.
Eadlyn nods. "What about them?"
"Well, I showed them to Celeste and she told an architect. We're going to meet with him now," Kile says.
Eadlyn's eyes widen by quite a bit, but she doesn't protest. "Good luck."
"Thank you," I say hesitantly.
Kile goes to his room to find a suit. Eadlyn's turns and starts talking to me.
"I told Miss Marlee I would keep him in the palace!" Eadlyn says.
"Who said he's going anywhere?"
"Well, you're taking him to meet an architect!"
"So what?"
"Don't you see? He'll leave!"
"Oh, is that what this is about? Eady, he's not going anywhere!"
"What?"
"It's a small project. We'll only go outside to look at the area. He won't leave completely."
"How?"
"Because of the selection, and for other reasons that I won't divulge."
"Oh."
Kile comes back in a suit.
"Ready?" I ask.
"Yup," he replies.
"Let's go."
Kile and I go to meet Bastian.
"Princess! And who is this fellow?" Bastian greets me.
"This is my friend, Kile Woodwork," I tell him.
"Ah, Sir Woodwork! But, aren't you supposed to compete in the Selection?" Bastion asks.
"Yeah, but I'm doing this as a little side project," Kile says before realizing how bad that sounds for him. "I mean, not that I view architecture as a side project, uhh, um--" Kile shoots me a "help me" glance.
"It's alright, at my first interview, I spilled coffee on my interviewer. Look at me now!" Bastian replies cheerfully.
"Okay, Sir, I mean, Mr. Bastian," Kile says, fumbling around for what to say.
"Just Bastian is alright. Well, I hear that you have some ideas you'd like to show me," Bastian tells him.
"Yes! Right this w--" Kile freezes in the middle of the word.
"Kile? What's going on?" I ask. "One moment," I tell Bastian.
Kile, in a frozen stupor, points to a place behind Bastian. When I turn around, I see Eadlyn holding hands with Hale.
"Kile, seriously?" I whisper. "It's a Selection! She's going to go on dates with other people. Do we have to put you in Ahren's bathtub again?"
Kile seems to relax a little bit after they are out of sight. "Sorry, Bastian. I'm a little nervous, as you can tell. Right this way."
Kile shows Bastian his sketches, which we had altered earlier, and Bastian tells us that he'd like to revise the sketches so that they could be completed easier by crews. Kile agrees. When Bastian leaves, Kile turns and faces me.
"Can you order a crazy tie?" he asks.
"Why?"
"Eadlyn."
"Do you have a death wish or something?!"
"No."
"She's going to kill you!"
"She won't."
"Nope. You, my friend, are playing with fire."
"Maybe I like fire?"
"Maybe you like pain!"
"Hey, she probably won't do anything."
"Okay, its your own life, though."
"She won't hurt me. She hasn't figured out my middle name yet."
"Seriously? You could potentially anger her, but, sure, by all means, wear a tie that will make you look like an idiot," I say sarcastically.
"So you'll do it?" Kile asks.
"Uh, let me think. No?" I say.
"Please?"
I sigh. "Fine. But don't say I didn't warn you."
Kile pumps his fists into the air.
"Gee, you really do have a death wish," I mutter under my breath.
Author's Note
It's Christmas Eve!
-Nom Nom
