Mako's first week at the Royal Court was torture. Let's just say it didn't start on the best terms.
"Stop being lazy!" a deep voice bellowed in Mako's office. "Look at all the paperwork piling up. Is this how a noble behaves? I think not!"
Despite the scolding, Mako's face remained sullen, almost lifeless.
"He's not even listening!" the deep voice roared again.
Zoe and Andrew, Mako's two coworkers, overheard this from their desks, exchanging knowing glances.
Neither said a word, but their eyes sparkled with scheming mischief.
Meanwhile, Mako just sighed. The shouts went in one ear and out the other.
The one berating Mako was none other than an orc: Zork Killan, a noble orc tasked with ensuring the other nobles submitted their reports and paperwork on time.
Life in the castle was, without a doubt, deeply bureaucratic and bizarre.
"You're in charge of protecting the royal family. Doesn't that mean anything to you?" Zork demanded.
Mako, with little enthusiasm, managed a long, listless "Yes."
"These youngsters!" Zork said, clutching his chest. "I, Zork, am a civilized orc, but people like you drive me up the wall! Lazy, disrespectful, utterly unmotivated!"
Zork stormed out of the office, thrusting a finger skyward in indignation, capping his rant with:
"You'll get my formal reprimand, Mako Sol. Mark my words!"
With that, Zork slammed the door and vanished down one of the castle's many hallways…
Mako, however, just stared at the papers with disinterest. He toyed with an inkless quill, rolling it between his fingers.
'What do I do now?' Mako wondered, depressed. 'I worked so hard, and now I'm in this pathetic situation. Ugh…'
With a final sigh, Mako began shuffling papers, preparing to work with zero enthusiasm.
Moments later, he heard a knock at the door.
Mako caught the sound of odd whispering. He opened the door himself, finding none other than Zoe, with Andrew lurking behind her.
"You must be Mako, right?" Zoe, the blue-haired woman, said energetically. "I know you've been here a while, but we haven't properly introduced ourselves, have we? Have we? Have we?"
Andrew shot Zoe a sidelong glance, slightly uncomfortable with her boundless energy. But he wasn't one to be outdone.
Andrew snapped a military salute and said in a loud, clear voice:
"And I'm Andrew, in charge of supplying military equipment to all the kingdom's troops!" he declared with pride.
"Oh, right!" Zoe chimed in. "I handle the sorcery and mages department," she finished with a grin.
Mako, however, remained downcast, eyeing them up and down without a clear response.
Zoe and Andrew exchanged puzzled looks.
"Well…" Zoe said, her tone a bit awkward, "we're at your disposal?"
"Exactly!" Andrew affirmed sternly. "Protecting the king and his royal family is important, but we contribute by defending the kingdom, the city… its people…!"
Mako's gaze stayed dull, fixed on both of them.
"Great," Mako said.
"Great," Andrew echoed.
Not to be outdone, Zoe added, "More than great!"
After an excruciatingly awkward minute of silence, Mako moved to end the conversation.
"If that's all," he said, about to close the door.
But before he could, Andrew, the burly redhead, placed a hand on Mako's shoulder.
"Mako Sol," Andrew said with grave seriousness, locking eyes with him.
Mako froze for a second. 'What the hell's wrong with this guy?' he thought.
"I understand exactly what you're going through," Andrew said, his voice even heavier.
"You do?" Mako asked, bewildered.
"Of course… Every man has felt your pain!" Andrew exclaimed, his eyes brimming with tears. "The cruel sting of a woman's rejection!"
Mako turned to stone.
Zoe didn't even know how to look at Andrew.
"N-no… I don't think you know what you're talking about," Mako said, uncomfortable.
"Yeah, Andrew. You're jumping to conclusions," Zoe added.
Andrew, clenching his fist with passion, looked at them both with mock outrage.
"No way. I get it from Zoe—she doesn't know the struggles we endure—but you, Mako? Denying your pain?" Andrew said, removing his hand from Mako's shoulder to clutch both fists to his chest.
Mako remained petrified by Andrew's absurdity.
Zoe, growing more nervous, tried to nudge Andrew aside and said:
"What we're trying to say…" Zoe began, shooting Andrew a scowl before turning to Mako, "is that you're our immediate superior. We're worried, you know, about our jobs?"
"And your feelings!" Andrew cried, tears streaming passionately. "Your feelings matter, brother!"
Mako stared, utterly baffled by Andrew's words.
"Sure… Why not?" Zoe sighed. "But we want you to know things need to move around here."
Though Zoe was lively and upbeat, her last words carried firm seriousness.
Mako snapped out of his daze, shaken by Andrew's theatrics. Reflecting on Zoe's words, he replied:
"You're right. And, I'm sorry to say, you don't need to worry about my feelings."
Andrew abruptly stopped his crocodile tears at those words.
"Huh, really?" he asked, incredulous.
"No… That's not my problem. No one rejected me," Mako clarified.
Both looked at him in disbelief. After all, they were certain they'd heard a woman's name when Mako was wallowing on his first day at the Royal Court.
Seeing their reactions, Mako grimaced.
"Well, it is about a girl," Mako admitted.
Andrew's eyes lit up with excitement instead of tears. He shot Zoe a look that screamed, "I told you so," loud and clear.
Andrew reached to pat Mako's shoulder again, but Mako dodged it in time.
"It's not about heartbreak either," Mako insisted.
Now Zoe's eyes sparkled like fireworks, giving Andrew a look that said, "Who's laughing now?"
"She was recruited for the royal army," Mako finished.
Zoe and Andrew's expressions shifted entirely at those words.
Both their faces turned to Mako, conveying one clear message: "Oh, no."