Warning! There is some Remile in this chapter, and there will be for the duration of the second book.

"Sir, I must insist! They've already killed one of our men and their horse has slaughtered four men and wounded five! These beasts are dangerous!" The small man chased after the taller lean one.

"Nonsense, Emile. They're in cages!" The tall man slowed his pace so the other could catch up with him. "Besides, that's why we need to build up a level of trust. We could get them to help us - and their winged creatures are such interesting beasts! They are sentient!" He projected, tilting his shaded glasses for a moment as he looked at the other man.

Emile swallowed, clutching tightly to his notebook. "I'd much rather look at the children, this one isn't even under 18 years! They've matured."

"All the more curious!" Protested the taller man, pushing his glasses back up his nose. "C'mon, babe, this'll be interesting." He wrapped an arm around Emile, smirking down at the pastel man flirtatiously.

Emile froze for a moment, before unhooking himself from the other with a blush across his cheeks. "That's incredibly unprofessional, Remy. I didn't volunteer for this expedition to be your next boy toy!"

Remy laughed, with a shrug. "Fair, fair! I have a history of flirting. Get me a coffee, will you?"

The assistant paused, scowled, and ran off obediently, completely aware of Remy's' eyes tracing after him.

.:*:.

Remy sipped his coffee slowly, as he waited outside the prisoner's' room. Emile stood opposite him, making notes of times, names and locations that were coming through his headset. The pastel man had been given quite an important job - everyone reported to him and he reported to Remy and Remy reported to the King. Thomas answered to no one.

"Sir," Emile said, tapping off his headset. "We're ready to go through."

"Thanks, honey," Remy smirked, pushing upon the door as he ignored Emile's' vibrant blush.

The prisoner was in a cage that was rather spacious. It was about three metres in width and four metres in length, situated in the centre of the square room. A bundle of blankets was curled up in the corner, shaking slightly.

A tuft of purple hair peered out. "Send me home."

"No can do, Mr Blankets!" Remy snapped his fingers at people who sat in front of a monitor. They scurried out like rats. "We have a few questions to ask you for our King."

The prisoner scowled. "I follow one King. And he sure as hell isn't yours. Send me home."

Emile grabbed a spinny chair, trying very hard not the swirl around in it. Remy found his self-control adorable. Emile didn't notice his companions' gaze, kicking over to the prisoner. "Now, kiddo, we don't mean to harm you. Could we learn your name and gender?"

"What?"

"Your name and gender, please?"

"No, what did you call me?"

Emile glanced up at Remy in confusion. "I... I called you 'kiddo'... Is there a problem?"

The prisoner shook their head slowly. "Nevermind..."

Remy cleared his throat. "Name and gender?"

"I'm male." Snapped the prisoner, still refusing to emerge from the blankets. "And you can call me Anxiety."

"Your name is Anxiety?" Emile mused, scribbling down quickly.

The prisoner shook his head from under the blankets. "That's what you can call me. Only my friends can call me by my name."

Emile paused for a moment, the smile dropping before he picked it back up and plastered it on. "Well, my name is Emile and my pronouns are he and him! My friend is Remy, and he is also of male pronouns."

"Send me home." Anxiety demanded. His voice carried such importance that intrigued Remy heavily. He didn't act like the others, but that may have been his maturity. 

Remy smirked, swallowing his curiosity as he sipped his coffee. "Again, can't do that. We want to know about your world out there. We want to know about your horse - he's a curious fellow. And your winged beasts are sentient. We sent one of them away-"

That got Anxiety's' attention. In a flash, he was out of the cage, though still shackled as he snatched Remy up by the collar. "What have you done with them?" He snarled.

Emile screamed, falling off the chair as Remy swung from the prisoner's' hand with a smirk to hide his fear. "We let it go! Told to go home to tell your family you're alive!"

"Which one?"

"The yellow one, damn it!" Remy spat from his hoisted point.

Anxiety dropped him, reappearing in his cage. "Is she safe? Are they safe?" He stiffened suddenly. "What have you done with Storm?"

Remy rubbed at his throat self consciously. "Don't know who Storm is... The winged people are being treated..."

"Kiddo..." Emile said, leaving the toppled chair as he walked towards the cage. Anxiety stiffened, turning around as if in a trance. He walked slowly over to Emile, eyes wide in uncertainty but unconditional trust. Emile smiled softly. "Kiddo, who's Storm?"

"Storm is my thestral. He's my steed. A skeletal pegasus, you could say."

Emile nodded softly, taking notes. Anxiety watched him take notes, with a tiny flinch. "How did you get out of the cage, kiddo?" Emile asked, projecting as much warmth and security into his voice as he could.

Anxiety blinked slowly. "I used magic. I've always been able to use magic. I can turn into a giant spider, I can grow wings, I can raise your anxiety and I can lower your anxiety, and I can make things explode or disappear. I can do all kind of things. I've learned how to teleport to places I can see."

"That's awesome, kiddo! We'll leave you to rest now." Emile beamed, shutting his notebook and Anxiety snapped out of his trance, backing away to the blankets again.

The two men walked out of the room, leaving the prisoner curled in on himself.

.:*:.

The door shut and Emile instantly jumped to his tip-toes to try to check Remy's' neck. "Are you okay? I can't see any bruising!" He fussed.

Remy snickered. "Aw, you do care!"

Emile blushed but didn't stop his inspection. "Shut up, Remy. We can't have King Thomas know the prisoner attacked you!"

"I'm fine, Emile!" Remy pushed the assistants' attempts away. "But what is far more interesting then my neck, even if you want to bury your face in it, is his reaction to you calling him kiddo."

"Yes," Emile nodded, lowering back to the ground. "It put him in an almost trance."

Remy gestured with his arm at nothing in particular as he pointed out, "So did the note-taking. He watched you as you wrote."

"He is definitely far more intelligent and curious than the other people." Emile agreed.

"I'm going to go to King Thomas. I'll order him to instruct that no one is allowed in there without our permission - we need to build up trust with that guy." Remy said, sipping the last remains of his coffee.

"I don't need to build up trust. He's hooked to me the moment I call him 'Kiddo'!" Emile shared a smug smile with Remy; it was adorable.

Remy rolled his eyes, wrapping an arm around the pastel mans' shoulders. "Yeah, yeah, cute stuff. Want to come with me to get coffee before we have to work again?"

Emile went red, pushing Remy's' arm off him. "I can't, I-I'm afraid! I need to go to a conference!"

"Eh, you can be late! Just say you needed to discuss urgent matters with me!" Remy shrugged, this time wrapping his arm around Emile's' waist as he pulled him along. "Besides, you got me coffee, I get you coffee. Think of it as a date!"

"B-But that's the thing! I don't want to go out on a date with you!"

"Save it, babes, your face says otherwise."

There was a moment of silence as they walked along before Remy broke it. "And feel free to bury your face into my neck. I'm more than willing to let you."

"Shut up."