Casey had stayed up all night watching the show. It was Wise Word. It followed a young man doing espionage in different countries, for his home country, Nairin. His name was Justin, and he was a very talented wizard. The show had some of the most beautiful locations, too. From nature reserves like the Maw-sit-sit bay, to bustling cities. It was totally enthralling to him.
So he got a cover from his room and thumped back down the stairway, and eventually he fell asleep.
Casey woke up to a screen that flipped through content. He smiled. It probably had a 'Continue Watching' icon at some point. He just hoped that it hadn't played too many episodes before he got up.
Casey stood up; his neck just suddenly started hurting. He scrunched his face. Sleeping in a chair probably made it worse.
He folded his blanket and went upstairs. The house was quiet enough that he heard his dad moving around. He'd probably just gotten back from church.
Casey slept through the whole thing. He yawned, and felt that he owed his dad some company for next Sunday.
The brown glossed door to the right opened. His dad had a small wooden box, without any finished work done to it. It looked dry and untreated.
"Case, you're up." His dad looked a little nervous. "You missed service today, but you can come with me on Wednesday to word study, right?"
"I think I can. What's in the box, dad?"
His face took on a thinking look, and finally settled on a smile.
"It's something for Rico. It's hard to explain everything, but it's an heirloom from his father."
Casey's eyes popped, and his mouth hung wide open.
"You're telling me you had that for eighteen years and you didn't mention it?"
His dad sighed. "Here's the thing… I'm not supposed to give it to him if he didn't inherit the Lucayans' genes." John took out a key and locked his door. " By the way, that's what his dad was."
"Most of the time they have elves as kids." He noticed the blanket. "Case, put away the blanket, and get dressed, please? This is gonna be a rough day for me."
Casey shook his head knowing that his father deserved it.
"Where are we going dad?"
"To the business district. And to my favorite restaurant."
"What's a Lucayan?"
"I'll explain on the way there."
....
The Right Flavor was a small bar, not really a restaurant. They had white tents in Marathon square; Marathon square itself had white thick stones, that were textured. They were all laid out in a simple pattern around a massive wishing well. A mermaid held a pot in its center. There were other small places open, too, but The Right Flavor had the second best food to Casey. Only behind High Tide.
Seagulls squawked overhead, some were in the fountain enjoying the water. The crowds treated them no differently than the locals. They would visit Old Providence around this time of year for the regatta. That would be in a month or so.
Clouds were sparse today. Too sparse for rain, and only lent a coolness to the breeze.
Casey clenched his jaw in frustration. It was always strange to see the world move without consideration for how you felt at that present moment. He thought it through. This would be a shit show. But these were his actors, and he'd keep them together.
His father actually ate right now, clams and linguine at a time like this, he sighed.
The parking was off to the left, just over John's right shoulder. He saw the sedan pull in. And he felt a nervous feeling in his chest. That was his heart beating faster.
Rico came out, and made his way over while still holding his car keys.
"Did he tell you what he did, Case?" He spoke to Casey, and ignored John. That was the first time he'd seen Rico angry.
"Yeah."
"And so, do you think that's alright. You know this wrong in every way, right?"
"Calm down Rico."
Somehow no one looked at them. John's eyes were glowing green, and that must've had something to do with. It sent a shiver down Casey's spine. He didn't even feel the mana in the air. His father's power was different. Very different from anyone else he'd met.
John sighed, and closed his green eyes.
"Rico. I only agreed because he would've left anyway. I never liked him."
"But, all of the time you've known me you never thought of saying anything? Something to make things easier!? He was visibly shaking.
John shifted his mouth to say something. And then stayed quiet, for a while more before speaking.
Casey wanted to jump in to calm things down. He felt protective of his father but felt terrible for Rico. After all, Casey had lost his mother at the age of seven. He hadn't opened up since. He would try.
"Rico, can you sit down, please? You know he isn't a bad person. Give him a chance. Just for me?"
"I'll stand. If he has anything to say I'm right here waiting."
John shifted in his seat to face Rico.
"I've done somethings to help you too. I didn't just let him leave either. When you meet him, if you meet him, he'll tell you that himself."
"The fact is, Rico, I'm old. I try to be… understanding to what's new but I'm not from these times. I thought I could help and I tried to… I'm sorry if I did it wrongly. But I did something."
"Yeah in a selfish way." Rico said. But his face softened at John's words.