Holiday
Part Twenty-five

by Nightfall

"Guests and fellow-predators," Gaav boomed, eight feet of resplendence in a stylish crimson trenchcoat and lime-green party hat, "most valued associates, listen up. As you're all pretending not to know in order to sound surprised, this is not just a Year Death party. I'm announcing the engagement of my son Valgaav to this guy, Mr. Zelgadis Greyweir. Congratulate him, he's done well for himself. I hope the rest of you do just as well over the coming year in my name. We sit down to supper in ten minutes, so if you haven't told Zoemelguster which gender you want for your entree yet, better do it fast."

"How nice," Xellos sighed, too far gone to be much more than dispirited.

Unfortunately, a school of his aunt Dolphin's attendants heard him, and surrounded him to put their hands and fins all over him, burbling things like, "Aren't you thrilled? Isn't it delightful?"

"Yes," Xellos beamed as he slipped through them, kissing all the appendages that ended up near his face. "Yes, I am." He was. Really, he was. He'd decided he would be and he was. Val was getting the very best, and that was the only thing that mattered.

Dolphin herself was waiting at the bottom of the stairs to smooch him and cover his face with green lipstick. "I'm sure you'll be very happy," she shrilled.

"You're thinking of my brother," he yelled over the howl that was happening on the other stairway as everyone tried to grope the happy couple.

"Whaaaaat?" she yowled.

"No, no," he shouted back, tearing free of her. "My brother!" And then he went to find him.

Xellos eventually fought his way to the opposite stairwell. By the time he reached the heart of the gropefest, he was extremely displeased to discover, its objects had won free and its components didn't much care who they were feeling up. He slashed someone's throat out of sheer, instinctive indignation, and phased, vexed and bruised, into a clear portion of the floor to look for his brother in a sane place.

Val was hiding in the alcove behind the chicken statue, and he looked like he was on the verge of losing his last meal. Xellos ignored this state of affairs and manfully delivered his message. "I'm-so-so-so-so-happy-for-you-isn't-it-wonderful?" he gushed mechanically and, duty fulfilled, turned on his heel to go back to his rooms and mope.

But Val was throwing an arm around him, and it didn't look like he was going anywhere soon. "Thanks for coming down, rat-sneak," he muttered gratefully, and then bawled in Xel's ear, "NOW GET BACK TO BED! YOU SHOULDN'T EXCITE YOURSELF WITH A MIGRAINE!"

"Thank you, dimwit," he muttered, clenching his teeth. "If I'd had one before, my head would have exploded just now, and let me also express my gratitude for attracting the circling vultures!"

"Oops," Val said, abashed.

Xellos glared at him, and looked in annoyance at the six lower-level mazoku who didn't know any better than to try and feed off the pain of their betters. It wasn't like he could even kill the presumptuous little slimes, not at this kind of a party. "I'M FEELING AAAAAAALL BETTER NOW," he bawled back, and the disappointed fools went off to look for more genuine prey.

"Ow," Val winced, turning a green to almost match his hair.

"Serves you right," he clucked unfeelingly, then turned them around and pasted a bright smile on. "So! Where's the lucky boychip?"

Val scowled. His lip went so far out that Xellos was just about ready to find some pretty thing to bite it for him when he snarled, "I haven't seen 'the lucky boychip' since the announcement."

"I'm not surprised," he said tartly. "You forgot to warn him, didn't you."

Val blinked. "About what?"

Xellos manifested a set of brass knuckles and clipped his little brother smartly on the head. "About the group grope, spike-for-brains."

"...Oh."

"Honestly. A more uptight specimen I haven't seen since we dipped Dynast's head in alum."

Val snickered. "Paff ee a ftraw, Fibby, eye ips are ftuck!" Xel grinned back. "But he didn't seem all that upset at the time. You never said why he set those yetis on you."

"Oh, well, I may have kinda sorta splashed him with it from behind as he was leaving," Xellos told the ceiling, innocently twiddling his fingers.

Val snerked and choked. "Zel's really not that uptight, though, you know--"

"I don't want to know!" Xellos said hastily, and in the moment of saying so, he really believed it. "Just tell me where he is."

And as quickly as that, the scowl was back. "That's something I wouldn't know," he snapped. "He wanted to pick a fight with Daddy--said the most insulting things--they didn't even make any sense! Then after the announcement he just ran off."

"Don't be upset," Xellos interrupted. "Or at least, don't swear a blue streak in front of the guests. Happy perky party face, O guest of honor, right? Of course right! Repeat after me: everything's perfect."

"Everything's perfect," Val said dourly.

"Like you mean it! Come on. Repeat. I'm getting married."

"I'm getting married," Val repeated, rolling his eyes, but he was starting to smile.

"To somebody who can stand up to Father and get away with it..."

"To someone who Daddy approves of..."

"And is really sexy..."

"And is really fu--"

"Why, hello, Sherra! Yes, isn't it just the bestest ever? We're all so excited!"

"Okay, fine, and is really sexy..."

By this time they were both laughing. "And clearly only wants to have sex with me..."

"And maybe I can train some kinks into him later..."

"And my big brother's going to go find him and drag him back by his jittery blue toes and hang him upside down in the dungeon until he learns some manners..."

"Xel, you're really the best sometimes, you know that?"

"Vally, you're supposed to be call-and-responding! Did I say that? I don't think I said that. I wouldn't say that! Not out loud, anyway."

"Okay," Val sighed, and relaxed back against the alcove. "Okay. But really, of all the times!"

"You shush. Go get smashed or something. I'll find him," Xellos scolded, and hurled himself back into the whirl of the party.

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