"Virgil?" Thalia called.

"Mhm?" Virgil asked, not looking up from mending one of his shirts. He heard Thalia enter with a rustle of silks.

"Do I look alright?" She asked nervously, biting her nail. Virgil shot her a fleeting glance.

"Mhm." He said. Really, Thalia looked like a pink fondant fancy but Virgil wasn't going to say that in a hurry.

"Really?" Thalia asked.

"Yep." Virgil said, groping for another button in the cinders of the fire. "You look beautiful. Good enough for a prince."

Thalia's face lit up in a sunshine smile. "You really think so?" She asked, dropping her hand from her mouth.

"Uh-huh." Virgil said, sewing another button onto his shirt. "But be careful. If you get any dirt on the hem of your skirt, it'll never wash out. That's one thing working for you and Edin has taught me." He said the last bit under his breath but by Thalia's expression, he guessed she'd heard.

Thalia plucked at some of the stiches in her dress. "Thank you." She said quietly. "For standing up for me."

Virgil shrugged. "No problem. Just my job as your older step-brother."

"Also, I pity you." Virgil thought. "I pity you so much. Living in your own little bubble of life, still getting to act like you're 15 when you're of age."

Thalia smoothed down her voluminous skirts. "Anyway, yeah, thank you." She smiled at Virgil again before turning and leaving the kitchen.

Virgil looked back at his shirt and realised he'd gotten soot all over it. He sighed. "Shit." He thought. "That's never coming out."

"Guess it'll fit, though." He muttered, laughing a little. "Instead of soot under my eyes, soot on my shirt."

Virgil looked up as he heard a noise outside the window. He dropped his shirt, most probably in the cinders, and bolted to the window.

"Janus, what are you doing here?!" He hissed. Janus shrugged.

"I was bored so I came down here." They said.

"If Edin and Thalia see you-" Virgil started.

"They won't." Janus said. "Believe me, I can see the imminent future, I know."

"Little Devil?" Edin yelled. Virgil whipped around, hiding the window from view.

"Yeah?" He asked.

"Where's my shirt?!" Edin yelled.

"Which one?!"

"The one I was going to wear for the ball tonight, you half-wit!" Edin yelled.

Virgil ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know!" He yelled. "I don't keep track of every piece of laundry in this house!"

There was a stomp that seemed to shake the entire house and then silence. Virgil turned back to Janus, glaring.

"What?" They asked. "I didn't do anything." A smirk crossed Janus' face. "And I was right. They didn't see me."

"What are you doing here?" Virgil asked. "You must have a reason."

Janus shrugged. "How'd it go last night with the prince?" He grinned. "You two seemed to be getting along real nice-like."

Virgil felt himself pink and shoved Janus. "Shut up." He muttered. Janus grinned.

"So... when you gonna kiss him?" They asked.

"Never!" Virgil spluttered. "Never in a million years! He's a prince and I'm me and I don't even know if-"

"Hey, hey, calm down." Janus said quickly. "Elven mischief, I forgot how much mortals over-think. It was just a joke." They grinned. "He's going to kiss you."

Virgil blushed even more. Janus laughed and disappeared.

Any chapter with Janus in is just gold.
Bye,
Blaize