Host

"Who knew that being host would be this exhausting," Souren mutters as he collapses onto his bed.

"What did you say, young master?" An turns into the room.

"Nothing," Souren starts changing out of his finery, removing all the accessories he is bedecked with. "Just tired."

"Ah. Would you like me to prepare some warm water?"

"Yes, please," Souren says. He isn't particularly in need of water, but An grabbing it will give him a few minutes to himself, which he does desperately need.

He guesses that ditching Kosei when there are still a good few hours left before it is socially acceptable for them to retire isn't ideal behavior for someone who is supposed to be welcoming him to the region, but he figures Kosei should be capable of entertaining himself. After all, what did he come here for again — to study? He's bound to have something to occupy himself when he's alone.

But Souren knows that "study" is really just the pretense, that the real reason this whole arrangement was thought up was to assert that Lianxiu had good relations with the royal capital and quell any unrest arising in the region. Souren's parents hadn't explicitly said so in the call, but he'd gleaned as much from what was left unsaid. Even if he lived largely in seclusion the past few years, he'd been forced by An to keep up with politics and diplomacy nonetheless, since "as a child of the aristocracy you must know these things."

That must mean the unrest in Lianxiu was serious. Souren couldn't imagine his parents agreeing easily to this. There'd been similar incidents in the past, back when Souren still craved human contact in the first few years after his parents began taking year-long trips to other countries. He'd volunteered, naively, jumping at an opportunity to have a new friend at home. It never happened; they were sent to some other family instead. After a while, he stopped caring.

He supposes that means he should make more efforts to befriend Kosei, but he doesn't particularly want to. He has nothing against Kosei himself, but just isn't keen on the interruption to his lifestyle. And this is quite the interruption, after so many years alone.

Souren was briefed on Kosei prior to his arrival. He's nineteen, making him a year older than Souren. Enjoys orchestral music, particularly with traditional instruments. Favorite tea is jasmine, which Souren has directed the serv-bots to stock up on. He forgets what else, but he can find it again in the document his parents sent him. So they can befriend each other, and be celebrated in the media.

He sighs. He'll try again tomorrow, maybe.