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“Ah, you must be Mr. Narrow-hodo!”
Ryunosuke froze and turned around in response to his name, slightly mispronounced though it was. The person walking toward him from the Old Bailey looked faintly familiar, a member of the judiciary and nobility whose name he’d been told in passing, not that he could remember it now.
The man greeted him with a polite smile. “It’s good to finally meet the man we owe so much to. I’m Lord Esherker.”
“It’s good to meet you.” Ryunsouke gave a polite bow in return.
Of all the things he’d had to adjust to since returning to London for a visit, this was the strangest. People recognized him. They spoke to him like he was someone important. Any initial backlash there might have been to him taking down Stronghart had faded while he was in Japan, and now he was seen as a hero.
It was a little unnerving, if he was honest.
“Have you had a pleasant stay in London?” Esherker asked.
“Yes, thank you.”
“I’m pleased to hear it. Now, words are not enough to demonstrate my gratitude for everything you’ve done. I’d like to extend a special invitation to you.”
Ryunosuke rubbed the back of his neck. “Oh, no, that’s really not necessary!”
This was the second-strangest change. People—especially the nobility—kept inviting him out to social gatherings at which he felt completely out of place. He never knew what to say to any of these people.
Worse, he just knew he was eventually going to see Lord van Zieks at one of those events and make a fool of himself. It was a miracle that it hadn’t already happened.
In fact, he hadn’t seen the intimidating prosecutor even once since his return to London… a fact he tried not to let sting too much.
“No, please, I insist,” Esherker said. “I have a private box at the theater, and I’d be honored if you joined me for the show tonight.”
With difficulty, Ryunosuke dragged his thoughts back to the matter at hand. That didn’t sound half-bad, actually. Much better than standing around trying to make small talk with noblemen, at least. “All right,” he said, “if you’re sure.”
“Splendid!” The nobleman beamed. “I’ll make all the arrangements! Thank you very much, Mr. Narrow-hodo.”
As Esherker walked away, Ryunosuke couldn’t help but wonder why he’d sounded like Ryunosuke was doing him a favor by accepting.
#
Barok sighed. If one good thing had come in the aftermath of his trial, it was that he was no longer feared as the Reaper—but that also had its downsides, the largest of which was that he was now expected to mingle with other members of high society.
Personally, he’d prefer to ignore the whole thing, but he felt a duty to repair his family’s reputation in light of the truth about Klint.
And so, he forced himself to socialize with nobility who clearly had just as little desire to spend time with him but felt compelled to make the offer, leading to a series of intensely uncomfortable gatherings. Worst of all, these engagements occurred often. He had yet to even see Mr. Naruhodo now that he was back in London, busy as he was with prior invitations from people who were clearly frightened half to death of him.
…He supposed they did serve as a useful excuse for avoiding a man he felt strangely anxious about seeing again. Perhaps he ought to get his act together and visit Naruhodo after all.
Not tonight, however.
Tonight he was due at the theater with Lord Esherker.
#
Ryunosuke sat down with more than a hint of trepidation. Upon arriving at the theater, he’d been given a message from Esherker expressing his apologies for being unable to join him after all due to a sudden emergency, assuring him that he should still make use of his private box, and expressing every confidence that Ryunosuke would be able to handle his other guest alone.
Now he sat alone in the darkness of the theater, waiting for… the other guest.
He hadn’t even realized there was going to be another guest! How disappointed they’d be when they arrived and found him instead of the nobleman who invited them.
Even as he fretted over that, the door to the box opened and the other guest arrived. In the dim light, he couldn’t make out much more than a large silhouette coming to sit alongside him. He fidgeted and tried to figure out if he should start with a greeting or an apology.
But the stranger didn’t say anything, and within a few seconds, the show began. Ryunosuke let out a long breath. Now they didn’t need to worry about talking. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all.
Unfortunately, there was something he hadn’t counted on.
The play was terrible.
Ryunosuke stared at the stage, feeling like the actors’ slow movements were lulling him into a trance. He wished he had a watch so he could check the time. As it was, all he could do was guess based on what it felt like… and it felt like he’d been sitting in this box for at least a year. If he’d been here alone, he would have ducked out by now, but he couldn’t do that with Esherker’s other guest sitting right next to him.
But the play kept going… and going… and going…
He let out a huge yawn before he could stop himself. Mortified, he covered his mouth.
The stranger next to him snorted and leaned close enough to whisper. “Indeed, it would seem the playwright failed to understand the concept of pacing.”
Startled, Ryunosuke snapped his gaze toward the dim silhouette. “You mean it’s not just me?!”
“Certainly not. This is one of the most dreadful plays I’ve ever had the misfortune of watching.”
Relief flooded him. “Oh, thank goodness. I thought I just wasn’t sophisticated enough to understand it.”
“I assure you, the deficit does not lie with you, but rather with whoever penned this atrocity.”
Ryunosuke settled back into his seat, much more relaxed than he had been a moment ago. Now he didn’t feel embarrassed for not liking the show, and on top of that, the man sharing this box with him seemed personable and charming.
He smiled in the darkness. The play might be terrible, but that wasn’t so bad when he could commiserate over it with someone else.
After a few minutes, he gathered his nerve and leaned toward the other man. “Do you know how much time is left in the play?”
“Too much. This is only the second act.”
“Any tips for getting through it?”
“Would you like some wine?”
“What?!”
“I’ll take that as a ‘no.’”
“I don’t think I need to be drunk to watch the play,” Ryunosuke whispered, startled that a nobleman would even suggest that. “I just need something to occupy my mind so I don’t fall asleep.”
“Perhaps we should come up with ways to improve this production.”
“Oh? Like what?”
“Hmm…” The man made a considering noise, then continued. “More tension between the main characters would help. They need to have secrets they are hiding from each other. Then, even these mundane conversations meant to deliver exposition could carry some tension at the same time.”
Ryunosuke nodded to himself. He hadn’t considered that, but now that he thought about it, he could see how this dull, dry dialogue would be improved if the characters had more friction between them.
On the stage, the actors continued their painfully dull exposition while the orchestra struck up a slow, melodic piece.
He leaned close to his companion again. “Changes to the music might help, too.”
“Oh?”
“Take this piece, for example. It’s so calming. It’s nice, but dramatic music might help the scenes feel more exciting even when there’s not a lot going on.”
“Hmm. You may have a point.”
A prickle of pride ran through Ryunosuke. He’d been afraid the nobleman might dismiss his suggestion, but he seemed to approve. He was easy to talk to, too. This might be a good night after all.
They whispered back and forth to one another for the rest of the play, with commentary about the things they disliked and would improve, as well as the few aspects of the show they enjoyed. Overall he found his companion to be clever, approachable, and much better company than he’d come to expect from the nobility.
By the time the play neared its conclusion, he found himself hoping they’d be able to meet again after this.
“By the way,” his companion whispered, “pray forgive the discourtesy of waiting this long to ask, but you are not Lord Esherker, correct?”
A shiver ran down Ryunosuke’s spine. First, he hadn’t even guessed the nobleman might think he was the owner of the box; he’d assumed Esherker had left a message for him like the one he’d left for Ryunosuke.
Second, that apology sounded strangely… familiar.
“Y-Yes,” he squeaked. “Actually, I’m… Ryunosuke Naruhodo.”
“M-Mr. Naruhodo?!”
The shiver changed to a full-on chill. Now that he took a closer look at the silhouette next to him, it did have a rather van Zieks-like shape.
Ohhh no, no, he was not prepared to see Barok van Zieks tonight. He’d thought a lot about how they might encounter each other again, and he’d always imagined himself acting, well, sophisticated. Sophisticated enough for someone like van Zieks to look at him with new eyes. Instead, he’d made a fool of himself, and…
…Wait. He hadn’t done that at all, had he?
For the past hour, they’d been casually whispering to one another about the show and having a pleasant conversation. He’d just been thinking about how easy it was to talk to him. He’d never thought it would be easy to talk to Lord van Zieks, but… it had been.
To his relief, van Zieks seemed amused rather than angry. “How in the world did you come to be here instead of Lord Esherker?”
“H-He invited me to join him in his private box tonight, but then he sent a message saying he couldn’t make it but that I should still watch the show with his other guest.”
Van Zieks snorted. “Now I understand. The thought of spending an evening with the infamous Lord van Zieks distressed him so much that after inviting me to the theater, he found an excuse to have someone else take his place… with enough deception to ensure his unlucky proxy would not know whose company they were about to keep.”
“What?!” Indignation drove away any lingering nervousness. “People still treat you like that, Lord van Zieks? But that’s not fair at all! You’re not the Reaper, we proved that in court, and you’re perfectly fine company!”
“You may be the only one who thinks so,” van Zieks said dryly.
“Well it’s true. I had a… a wonderful time talking to you tonight!”
“I’m pleased to hear that. I did as well.”
Ryunosuke’s heart skipped a beat. “Still, I’m… sorry you had to spend the evening with me instead of the man who invited you.”
“On the contrary, I would say this worked out in my favor.”
“Really?”
“Allow me to put it this way: my first clue that you were not my expected host was when I learned you had good taste in theater. My second was when I found myself enjoying our conversation.”
Ryunosuke laughed out loud.
And just like that, the ease and warmth from a moment ago returned. It was no different, really, from when they were just strangers in the darkness, and he’d been thinking about how he’d like their time together to continue.
He took a deep breath and gathered his courage once again. “Lord van Zieks,” he whispered, “would you care to have dinner together after the show?”
Van Zieks turned to face him, and maybe it was a trick of the dim light, but he could have sworn he saw a slight smile on the other man’s lips. “I’d be delighted.”