| Lustrous Seas |

{} Chapter 2 - Lunch {}

The carriage ride went smoothly. Pearl and Jorunna sat on one side as King Atolla and Lochi sat on the other. Even though there were no complications, it was awfully silent. Pearl simply stared out the window at the passing plains. He's never left the village before, Lochi and Jorunna certainly haven't either. Everything is moving so fast..

King Atolla shone, literally. The royal family of this region seemed to all be bioluminescent, an even rarer trait than a red color. 

Jorunna cleared his throat and looked to King Atolla, and she in response turned her head to him. "King, I understand you heard stories about Pearl, but has the Ruler? How was Pearl chosen for this job, and why?" He asked, genuinely puzzled.

"Ruler knows and sees all. He made the decision that Pearl would be better to capture the Bone rather than one of his men since Pearl looked identical to the Bone. Well, now that I've seen Pearl myself.." King Atolla shifted her gaze to Pearl, and he straightened up. "Your back. With that dress you wore for that gathering, I couldn't help but notice the fins. How did you get them?"

Pearl chuckled nervously, "Well, I've had them since I was born, King. I'm not sure why, but my parents simply assumed it's because of evolution. The fins are much bigger now than when I was born."

King nodded, "Well, I'll keep that in mind. Clothes will be designed that cover the fins." And with that, King Atolla looked away.

Jorunna and Pearl exchanged a glance, as Lochi had fallen asleep. She had stayed up all night packing and then slept only to wake up an hour later to pretty herself up. Jorunna leaned back and tried to sleep as well. Pearl lay awake. He wasn't tired at all, as he recently finished hibernating and got a fine amount of sleep prior. At least that's what he told himself. His eyelids became heavier and heavier as he struggled to keep them open, eventually giving in.

...

Pearl was shaken awake by Jorunna. They had arrived at Caenumon, the capital of this region. The group were escorted out the carriage and through the tall gates of the castle. It was more grand than Pearl ever seen, and he was sure his friends felt the same. 

When he looked forward, he noticed out the corner of his eyes that guards were staring at him. Pearl looked around. They were so many people staring. Did he look that alien to them? Pearl felt like he was going to shrink into nothing. He hung his head low and stared at the ground. Of course he did. Pearl was a Bone to these people, so of course they gave him odd looks.

Lochi suddenly walked to Pearl's side and locked arms with him, giving him a grin. "Hey, lift your head. You're the star of the show, are you not?" She playfully nudged him, "C'mon, everything's gonna be just fine, Pearl."

The simple encouragement really did the job. Pearl lifted his head again as Jorunna also walked up to be on the other side of Pearl with a proud smile. Lochi and Jorunna cleared any doubt in Pearl's mind as soon as they came. That's what friends do. Pearl smiled, "Right. We've got this, guys."

King Atolla led them each to their own bedroom, making sure they all were on the same hallway.

"Please make yourself at home," King welcomed, "A servant will call you all down for lunch when it is prepared. In the meantime, I'll be in a meeting. Let any servant know if you need to see me, they'll guide you to the conference room." And then, she disappeared in the blink of an eye. 

Pearl, Lochi, and Jorunna stood in the hallway outside the door's to their own rooms, staring at each other. 

Lochi spoke up, "Hey, once you guys are done unpacking come to my room, 'kay?"

Pearl nodded and Jorunna smiled "'Kay."

With that, the three entered their respective rooms. 

Pearl walked in, and had to do a double take on how luxurious the room was. If this is a guest room, his jaw would drop at the King's bedroom. The curtains draped perfectly in front of the large windows. A perfect view of the bustling city below was a treat, too. The bed looked so alluring and comfortable, Pearl would probably fall asleep on the spot. There was also not a speck of dust, but that's thanks to a maid who Pearl had walked in on while she was almost done cleaning.

The maid straightened up and held the broom tightly to her chest "M-My apologies! I'll be going,"

Pearl waved his hands in front of him "No no, it's alright. You can finish." He tried to sound as gentle as he could. He could already tell this girl was a little fidgety.

She nodded and quickened her pace, but in her haste she bumped the dust pan with her elbow, causing the rug to get dirty. "Ah! The rug--"

The maid was cut off by Pearl, who took the broom from her with a smile "It's fine. Let me clean it. You don't have to rush, you know?"

Pearl swept up the dust back into the pan, humming softly. The maid watched with her hands folded in front of her, still looking nervous.

He noticed and looked up quickly at her, "Boo!"

"Eep!" The maid jolted back and brought her arms up to defend her face.

He chuckled, "Hey, I don't bite. Just relax. Here, I finished cleaning." Pearl handed her the broom and she took it, "What's your name, little girl?" He squat down a little to be at eye level with the rather short girl. 

The maid perked up, "My name is Dirona! And I'm not a little girl, I work here at the castle!"

"Dirona.. Nice to meet you Dirona." Pearl smiled and held out his hand. Dirona hesitated, but returned the hand shake.

Dirona then perked up, "Your hands! They're so solid.. Oh.. Oh! You're Pearl, right! The Head Maid told us about your arrival, though I thought you'd look.. Different?"

Pearl just smiled, "I get that a lot. Oh, shouldn't you be with the other maids?"

"OH! That's right, I'm on cooking duty, bye bye Ms. Pearl!" Dirona waved goodbye and left quickly before Pearl could return the goodbye.

Ms. Pearl, huh? Forgot that Admirabilis are used to genders.. He chuckled to himself and began to unpack his things into the wardrobe. Maybe he should have brought more clothes.. Well, he didn't have many to begin with, but it's not certain how long he'll be in the castle. At least he brought some dresses for important meetings. 

Moments after he was done unpacking, someone knocked on the door.

Pearl stood up and called, "Comingg!"

He walked over and opened the door, surprised to see a grown maid, who looked somewhat similar to Dirona, but perhaps it was just because they wore the same maid uniform. She spoke, "Lunch is prepared. I'll be leading you down to the dining hall." 

She rounded up Jorunna and Lochi from their rooms as well. All three of them followed behind this maid, whom Pearl was too intimidated to ask her name. They swirled down a set of stairs then through a few hallways before entering the large dining hall, roughly the size of two apartments back home. 

The maid promptly sat them down at the long table and spoke, "King will be here shortly. There will also be a visitor. In the meantime, is there any allergies I should know about before we bring out the food?"

Jorunna shook his head, "None, miss. Thank you very much."

She nodded and left to the kitchen without another word.

Jorunna looked to Lochi and Pearl, "Who do you think the visitor is?"

"The Ruler!" Lochi fawned, "Wouldn't that be delightful? Seeing Ruler in person? I've heard he's a h-"

Pearl cut her off before she finished that sentence and shrugged, "Maybe it's a noble or something."

Then, the door to the dining hall swung open. Two maids held them open as King Atolla and King Pelagia, of the neighboring region of Levialean entered the room.

"So that Bone will save our kind?" King Pelagia's cruel, leering voice filled the room as she lifted her finger, pointing straight at Pearl. "Don't make me laugh."