Jax's eyes snapped open at 4:47 AM.
Three hours early. Three hours to prepare for what might be the most important day of his life, or at least the most important quest deadline.
He rolled out of bed
His bag sat open on the desk. Time to pack the essentials.
Comb. Check. Perfume, the expensive one he'd bought yesterday at Neo Veridia's luxury district. Check. Mouth freshener. Check.
Then the optimistic additions: a small bottle of lube and a dozen of condom.
Jax paused, staring at them.
'What the fuck am I doing?'
He threw them in anyway. 'Hope dies last, I guess.'
Last night, he'd sent Thalia a message on InstaRlight, the academy's messaging app. A whole paragraph asking what to wear: 'Royal casual? Fancy ethnic? Tailored suit? Traditional formal?'
Her reply came two hours later.
[Thalia: Just wear your school uniform.]
That was it. No elaboration. No emoji. Nothing.
Jax had stared at the screen, blinking. 'I wrote a dissertation and got a text message back.'
