A Rich Man's Son

Jai walked towards the main hall looking the handsomest he has ever remembered. He wore a white suit the fit him perfectly and had a fake sword on his waist. He also had a badge on the left side of his heart. This was his "costume." His face was still a tinge red because the first maid that came in had called others in and they were the ones to dress him. They were all professional and only the maid with auburn hair ever said anything. However, Jai was still a hormonal young man and he couldn't help but be embarrassed.

He entered the hall and saw Michael in a green colored suit. He looked dashing and on his ears were prosthetic points that made his ears look longer and slender.

Jai burst into laughter when Michael turned around at the sound of footsteps. "Hahaha, what kind of elf has a face like yours? Were you so in-tuned with nature that the night sky gave you its' stars?"

Michael had a wide grin, "Hahaha well dude, I didn't ask you to be knight escort. Besides, what kind of knight has never wielded a sword before? You are more likely to hurt yourself with that than protect or defend me."

The two approached each other and gave a fist bump and Jai went in for a brotherly hug.

"Woah, woah, woah there. I was serious about you hurting someone with that." Michael put his hands out to stop Jai, still grinning. "Dude, be careful. I would never parry swords with another guy. Even if we did, mine would definitely be sharper than yours."

"Ptch, stop joking around. Who's here to parry swords with you?" Jai scoffed back at him. "You should go parry with other people, I hear exercise is great for getting rid of that mess on your face."

"All right, touche. Now lets get moving. You've been making me wait in this hall for so long, I was starting to think you were going to make an excuse not to come." Michael started to head towards the front door. "It's great that you are a rich man's son now, but you have to start socializing with nobility. My carriage is right out front. I got new horses from the west, they look majestic. Can't wait to show off, so hurry it up."

Jai was originally following behind Michael, but he stopped when he heard wheat Michael had just said, "Son? I have a dad? And he's rich?"

Originally Jai had no family, he was an orphan. His parents had died early and only left him with a first and middle name. He had no other family member claim him and so for as long as he could remember he had been going between foster homes and shelters. It wasn't because Jai was a difficult child or that anything was wrong with him. Jai was just lucky, in a way. Every time he was adopted, the new family would be doing great and Jai was a model child. However something always happened. The first time it was because his foster mom got pregnant and when the child was born, they realized they could not afford Jai. The second time he was adopted, a few months later the couple got a divorce and Jai went back to the shelter. Jai did what he could, but the people in his life wasn't always consistent.

He had given up on the system when he was thirteen and started doing odd jobs after school. For three years, until he was sixteen he saved up all he could. At sixteen he got a part-time job that he kept till he was eighteen. He used all of his money as well as a scholarship to get into college and start living on his own.

Michael had been his first real and consistent friend since Jai was fifteen. He was doing a job, helping to scavenge car parts in a junkyard when he met Michael. Jai didn't know why Michael was there. Michael didn't fit in with his new clothes and dainty hands that seemed to have never lifted anything heavier than a spoon before. However, Jai caught Michael's attention and their personalities seemed to have clicked. Michael was the one who introduced him to a part-time job at sixteen. Jai also guessed that Michael was the one that "convinced" the school to give him a scholarship, but Michael would never admit it.

And now, Michael told him he has a family and that he is rich. Jai already noticed that the place he woke up to was fancy and exuded wealth. However, Jai thought that where ever he was, if it involves money, then Michael is the one with a hand in it. Except, right now, that person just alluded to the fact that this place was his. Or at least his family's. His servants and his garden with a hedge maze. More importantly he has a family.

Jai sped up and reached for Michael's shoulder. "I have a dad? Do you know where he is? Is he my real dad? Do I have a mother?"

Michael spun around as Jai's questions ran a mile a minute. "Hey dude. What's wrong with you? Calm down dude. It's your family, how am I supposed to know? We might call ourselves brothers, but how am I supposed to keep track with the inner working of your family?"

Jai stopped his questions. "You're right. I just seem to be having a selective case of forgetfulness. But please, can you answer any of my questions about my family?"

Michael looked at Jai with dumbfound expression. "Dude, seriously? Um, yeah sure I guess. Let's just get on the carriage and I'll answer some questions on the way. It'll take fifteen minutes to get there and that should be enough time to jog your memory." Michael gave up with making sense of Jai right now and turned back to head towards the carriage.

"Okay, okay, yeah. I have a family." Jai mumbled to himself while smiling. He was trying to wrap his head around the circumstances and the questions he would ask Michael in the carriage.

They hopped on and Michael signaled to the coachman to start going. Jai was looking expectedly at Michael with an eager face. Michael sighed. "Dude what's up? You look like a poor man and I'm dangling a slab of meat in front of you. Just go ahead and ask, if you are so eager."