STORIES
160 - Slightly Curious
2010
In the dining room …
KARANTHIR:
Guess who?
MEZ:
Get your hands off me!
KARANTHIR:
Did you miss me?
MEZ:
Are you kidding?
KARANTHIR:
I just knew you would.
KARANTHIR:
… So Mez, tell me what you've been up to since we last parted ways.
MEZ:
I’m actually in the middle of something, so if you don’t mind …
KARANTHIR:
Not at all.
MEZ:
Don’t you have anything to do?
KARANTHIR:
No. You see, I put this time aside just to spend with you. So I'm
quite happy to simply gaze at you - unless you have
something more ... interesting in mind for us to do?
MEZ:
Go away.
KARANTHIR:
Go? But I'd much rather come. It's so much more enjoyable. Don't you agree?
GRACE:
… Look Phae, that's him. I just knew we'd find him, yes I did.
KARANTHIR:
I do believe we're about to be graced with your little sister's presence.
MEZ:
First you, now her - just what I need.
GRACE:
Mez this is Phae. She’s my new best friend. We’re going to
the park but I just had to introduce you to her first, yes I did.
MEZ:
We met yesterday.
PHAE:
It's true Grace. I tried to tell you.
GRACE:
You did? I guess I didn't hear you. Anyway, he's the one I told you about.
MEZ:
I don't like the sound of that. What did you tell her?
GRACE:
I told her how you like to play soccer and that you didn’t want to move
away from New York City to San Francisco and then to here …
PHAE:
I tried to stop her.
GRACE:
... And about the time you let Brynie steal my pop tent from me.
MEZ:
Oh-my-God!
PHAE:
… Really I did, but she wouldn't stop talking.
GRACE:
… And mostly about how you’re in a bad mood all the time.
MEZ:
I am not.
GRACE:
Sure you are. Don’t you think he’s in a bad mood Karanthir?
KARANTHIR:
Far be it for me to disagree with you, Grace.
GRACE:
I told you so, but it’s OK cause Daprima explained it all to me, yes she did. She said you miss Cammeo and once she gets here you'll be back to normal.
GRACE:
… Cammeo’s his girlfriend. She’s still in San Francisco where we used to
live. I don’t see how he could miss her since he texts her and talks to her on the phone all the time, yes he does. I know cause I've seen him.
MEZ:
I’m gonna kill you.
GRACE:
There’s that bad mood I was telling you about, yes it is.
Anyway, did you know that Phae is going on a date with Zyfan?
GRACE…:
… Isn’t it romantic? I think it is, yes I do.
MEZ:
You and Zyfan, on a date, really?
PHAE:
Oh yes, I can’t wait. I was so excited when he asked me.
I hope to marry him someday. I think he's just so wonderful.
KARANTHIR:
I couldn’t agree with you more, Miss Phae. Don’t you
think he’s wonderful too Mez?
MEZ:
I must be missing something.
GRACE:
Can we go to the park now?
PHAE:
Oh sure. Excuse us.
The girls leave.
MEZ:
Does Phae know about you?
KARANTHIR:
Does she know what about me, exactly?
MEZ:
That you and Zyfan are …
KARANTHIR:
Are what?
MEZ:
… A couple.
KARANTHIR:
What an absolute dull way of phrasing it. I should think you'd be more
creative and say 'performing the horizontal mambo’, or you could be more
graphic and suggest we're acting as the 'beast with two heads'.
MEZ:
I don't know why I talk to you.
KARANTHIR:
... Because you're simply drawn to me. I'm your mentor. Now, in answer to your question - yes, Miss Phae is perfectly aware of my relationship
with the prince, at least she says she is.
MEZ:
And you’re OK with Zyfan dating someone else?
KARANTHIR:
I certainly am. As a matter in fact, I'll be acting as chaperone.
MEZ:
You - a chaperone?
KARANTHIR:
Are you implying that I would not make a good chaperone?
Seriously Mez, who is more qualified than me to supervise
this date? I – who's already experienced everything
that could possible happen during it.
ZYFAN:
I don’t get it. Zyfan doesn’t like girls, I mean that’s what
he told me. So why is he going out with her?
KARANTHIR:
Oh my poor confused Mez, allow me to explain it all. Now pay close
attention. Zyfan will one day inherit his Uncle’s throne, before he does he'll need a wife. Miss Phae is openly vying for the position.
MEZ:
… But, what about you?
