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Well, worst comes to worst, we'll find a different bed and try again. It sounds like there are plenty lying around. But I wouldn't worry too much. I think between the two of us, we should be able to manage it.

[ Even if Noah is no help, Nikolai is entirely confident in his abilities to disassemble and reassemble something as simple as a bed. But he is careful to phrase it as 'we', not wanting to appear condescending. ]

Not a big deal at all. Truth is, Noah, I'm no good at just sitting around. I'm happy for some way to be useful. I should be thanking you, really, for the project.

[He couldn't help but imagine dozens of beds left in disarray, with pieces screwed in where they didn't belong, sticking out comically.

On the bright side though, Noah was a pretty good student. He'd get the hang of things if someone was patient.]

I'm glad you've got confidence in us.

[He blushed a smidge.]

That's a lot like something one of my friends back home would say. He's a- can I say 'workaholic' affectionately? Like, I think a vacation would break him.

Is there a lot of down time here?

Complete confidence. I've already got some tools that could be useful, I'll bring them along.

[ Nikolai had hit up the hardware store on his very first day here. Why? That's not important right now!

He smiles at Noah's description of his friend. ]

That's not a term I've heard before, but the meaning is clear enough. Sounds like your friend and I might have something in common.

[ Vacations really aren't an option when you're running a country. Especially not one that is in such a sorry state as Ravka. ]

I'm afraid I'm not the best person to ask - it's only my third day here. Hardly an expert on the place. It certainly seems that way, though, doesn't it?

Oh, good! I don't have much of anything here yet.

[And he definitely didn't have any tools. All he really had, besides food, was a snow globe- with glitter in it. That would be no help what-so-ever with bed assembly.]

He works three jobs and goes to school. He's got a lot more dedication than I probably have in my pinky.

[Noah wasn't sure how he'd handle one job, let alone three.]

Oh! Sorry. Yeah, that's fair not to know. But also, yeah, I'm not sure how this place could be like, hopping. It's weird seeing somewhere even quieter than home.

Must be ambitious.

[ There's clear approval in Nikolai's voice. He knows it's not the same for everyone, of course. Some people worked themselves to the bone because they had no choice. But he can't help admiring it - he'd grown up surrounded by royals and nobles who made it a virtue to do absolutely nothing at all. Some part of Nikolai will always recoil from the sort of foolish lazy self-satisfaction that he associated with his older brother. ]

You must have something you're dedicated to, surely? Even if it's not your job. Or are you a student as well?

[ Nikolai can only guess at this boy's age from the video. Sixteen? Seventeen? Around the age he'd been when he was in the army. Around the age Dominik had been, when he died.

Strange how that can feel so recent, and yet a whole lifetime away. ]

Where was home for you?

[ He knows he'll probably never have heard of the place, but it's still polite to ask. ]

I'm from a place called Ravka.

Yeah, he's got lots of dreams.

[And...sometimes, Noah worried about Adam. He took risks and pushed friends away sometimes, he fought a lot with Gansey, but sometimes Noah couldn't blame him. He knew Adam had a very 'my way or no way' attitude when it came to shaping his life.]

I- don't know. I was a student- a long time ago.

[But he'd never got to graduate high school, and he would never get a chance, no matter what. Not unless being here pulled off some kind of miracle and he went home alive. But that also sounded like it would be a whole lot of trouble and chaos and emotions and confusion. He didn't know what he'd do about his family or...any part of being alive there again.]

Henrietta! It's a town in Virginia.

[But then, upon realizing he'd never heard of Ravka, he realized he should add some more context to that.]

It's a state, in the United States of America- which is a country. I've heard people come from different places so I thought more information was better than, um, the minimum. What's Ravka like?

[ At first, Nikolai finds himself amused. How long ago could it really have been? Noah is a teenager. But then... he'd made that assumption about Brook and it turned out he was a century old. He keeps getting these reminders that he can't make any assumptions, here.

So, with a slightly lopsided smile, he asks: ]

Forgive me a terribly rude question, but how old are you?

[ Nikolai's face shows absolutely no recognition of Henrietta, or Virginia, or the United States of America. But he files the names away for the future, in case he meets others from the same place. ]

It's a sensible strategy. I appreciate the extra information, though I'm afraid I'm totally unfamiliar with that country.

[ Nikolai can't help a startled laugh when Noah asks what Ravka is like. A dozen answers spring to mind, none of which are appropriate for the conversation he's having and the intentions of the question. Nikolai has a complex, bitter, loving, honestly unhealthy relationship with his country. His entire life, before he was brought here, revolved around nursing it back to health, fixing the damage that had been done by his family and the civil war. Ravka demanded everything from him, and Nikolai knows it is never, ever going to be enough.

But he has to give some answer. ]

Ravka is... complicated. Perhaps I can tell you about it in person, while we transport the bed. If you send along the address, I can make my way to you.

I don't think that's rude. I'm seventeen.

[Plus another seven years...but he'd absolutely never once felt or acted or seemed like twenty-four. He didn't have any of the life experiences or the maturity that was supposed to go along with that sort of age.]

That's okay! You're probably not missing out on a lot, anyway.

[He was 100% chill in waiting for a reply about Ravka and honestly, wasn't 'it's complicated' such a mood on so many levels?]

Oh! Yeah, sure. Lemme text that.

[He figured having the address in text would be better for like, double-checking and in case of getting lost or whatever. So, he did that, after taking a moment to double-check the number of the apartment he was in.]

There you go.

[ It's 20 minutes before Nikolai turns up. He's a quick walker, but also still figuring out how to navigate the city. Someone had shown him how to access the map on his device, but the map doesn't exactly suggest most efficient routes.

When he does turn up, Nikolai has a small bag slung over one shoulder with a few basic tools - hammer, wrench, screwdriver, etc. - they can use. He's also dressed in clothes that probably look comically old-fashioned and stuffy to Noah. ]

Ah, here you are! Noah, I presume.

[ He extends a gloved hand for a handshake, a warm smile on his face. ]

Let's steal you a bed, shall we?

[Noah waited patiently, which involved a lot of pacing his nearly empty apartment and occasionally shaking his snow globe upside-down, and then going back to pacing.

He perked up when Nikolai arrived, looking him up and down--not in a judgy way, but definitely appraising. After a moment, he grinned brightly.]

You look like a prince. And yeah.

[Noah, on the other hand, had found clothes so he didn't have to wear his old Aglionby uniform forever. So instead it was a t-shirt and jeans.

He didn't hesitate about shaking Nikolai's hand, which really was progress for him, already.]

Let's! [He agreed, heading out into the hall.] I'm not even, like, super picky about the kind of bed.

[So long as it looked sturdy. And not haunted.]

[ Nikolai, for his part, seems entirely at ease with being appraised. He matches Noah's grin, amusement sparkling in his eyes. ]

Do I?

[ It's the perfect opportunity for Nikolai to disclose that he is, in fact, royalty. But the fact of the matter is, he's been enjoying keeping that not-so-little detail a secret. Even if no one here knows anything about his country, it would change the way they treated him, wouldn't it? He's enjoying his vacation from being king, even if he knows it can't last. ]

Are there many princes in Henrietta?

[ Nikolai happily falls into step beside Noah, letting him lead the way to whichever furnished room they were going to liberate a bed from. ]

No, I don't imagine you are. When I was your age I think I could've slept on a pile of lumpy rocks and still felt spry in the morning.

[ Nikolai is not even a decade older than Noah, he's just an old man at heart. ]

You do. Very dashing and charming.

[And handsome.

Laughing, Noah shook his head.]

No, no princes.

[They did have some pseudo-royalty but they were only considered kings on reputation and influence. It was both odd and interesting how small towns were structured, sometimes.

Smiling, Noah paused to peek into one of the unoccupied apartments before realizing it was one that felt off, and moved on to the next. He lingered in that doorway for a few long seconds before nodding and stepping in.]

You're not that old. I mean- [He eyed Nikolai for a moment.] -are you even thirty?

[ Nikolai laughs softly when Noah calls him dashing and charming, looking not the least bit humble or shy. He works hard to be both of those things, after all. He's pleased at his choice to keep his identity a secret. Compliments land differently when they come from someone who doesn't know he's got a crown back home. ]

Yes, well, that doesn't surprise me so much, if your first association with princes is 'dashing and charming', rather than 'foolish, selfish, and astonishingly cruel'.

[ Nikolai's smile shows just a touch of bitterness, for a moment. Unfortunately, royals who put any effort whatsoever into being charming are few and far between in his experience. Most of them are more like his older brother, Vasily - cold-hearted and empty-headed. Nikolai knows that, had circumstances been different, he might have turned out that way, too. But he's made it his life's work not to.

He glances back over his shoulder when Noah peeks into an apartment, seems to make an assessment, and then moves on. ]

Nearly.

[ Give or take a few years. He waves that off, asking: ]

May I ask - what was wrong with that last apartment?

[ There's no impatience in his voice, just curiosity. He hadn't noticed anything particularly wrong with it. The furniture hadn't been ugly, there hadn't been a lingering smell. So why the rejection? ]

Are there princes where you're from who're like that? Cruel and stuff?

[He knew royalty usually got a bad reputation--at least according to the history books--but surely all of them couldn't be dicks, right?]

My sisters are- uh, were- into cartoon princesses and princes. I don't think they're accurate to real royalty though, since it's for kids.

[By which he meant, of course the princes there were all charming and dashing. Something about teaching good examples to children, probably.

He was about to say something about Nikolai's age when he asked about the previous apartment. Noah tipped his head to the side, considering.]

It felt too creepy. I remembered it was one of the ones I'd checked out before.

[And he wasn't sure if there was actually something wrong with the apartment or if he was just letting his imagination run wild, but- he couldn't help but wonder what (if anything) would happen if he took a bed from a place that felt extra creepy. As opposed to one from an apartment that was just mildly creepy.]

[ Nikolai doesn't answer Noah right away. He is deciding, at this moment, how far he wants the lie to go. It's his own doing, of course. If he'd dropped the subject, Noah wouldn't be asking more questions about princes.

It's not that Nikolai has anything against lying. The truth is a very malleable thing. He's basically lying all the time, sometimes in little ways, sometimes in huge ones. But it's not something he typically does without a reason. There's nothing to be protected or gained here, by lying to this boy. It's just for novelty and fun. And there is potential, when the truth comes out, of causing unnecessary hurt feelings. Best to avoid that. ]

Some are like that. My brother was. I'm doing my best not to follow in those footsteps.

[ He gives a slightly lopsided smile, admitting: ]

Although technically I am a king, not a prince. Coronation was three years ago.

[ Hopefully, if Noah comes from a world where royalty isn't a part of everyday life, his manner towards Nikolai won't change all that much. Hopefully. ]

I'm afraid you're going to have to explain to me what 'cartoon' means, because whatever lovely magic is allowing me to hear your words in perfect Ravkan does not, unfortunately, go so far as to define unfamiliar terms.

[ Nikolai nods at the explanation about the room, though he wonders what exactly makes it creepy. Perhaps Noah can sense something he cannot? Perhaps that impression is founded on superstitions entirely alien to him. Not worth making a fuss over. ]

Well fair enough, there's certainly plenty of rooms to choose from.

Oh!

[Noah nearly tripped over his own two feet at the admission. He grinned, bright and sweet- he was clearly unbothered by the bit of deception. All of his friends at home had some sort of secret or another, after all.]

No wonder you're so handsome, then. I mean-! You look like a king, for sure.

[Was he blushing? A little. Also he had no idea how you were supposed to treat royalty, but Nikolai didn't seem snobby or anything, and he also didn't seem to have an issue with how Noah had been behaving so far, so...Noah was just going to keep on doing the same.]

Sorry your brother was, uh...less than stellar.

[Oh! Right, cartoons. It was easy for him to forget that he didn't know what was and wasn't common or even existed at all in other people's worlds.]

Right, right- wait, so I'm hearing you in English, then?

[Cartoons, Noah.]

So, cartoons are like...they're animated drawings. Like, the artists who make them draw each frame of motion- and yeah, they end up drawing like, thousands of frames- it's like a flip book, if you've ever seen one of those? Where there's a bunch of drawings and flipping fast enough makes it look like it's moving?

[Honestly, Noah was just relieved Nikolai didn't tease him or something. He was used to it from his friends back home.]

Exactly!

[He poked through the apartment he'd deemed 'okay' until he found the bedroom.]

I just- I didn't wanna risk a cursed bed or something.

[ Nikolai lets out a small, surprised laugh at that compliment. Of course, Noah has no way of knowing just how funny his words are. Nikolai's good looks are, after all, an almost perfect replica of his father's. His biological father, that is, who is decidedly not the former king of Ravka. Or any kind of royalty at all. Nikolai's handsome precisely because he's a bastard.

But he's not going to say that out loud, of course. His parentage may be an open secret in his own world, but that doesn't mean he's ever ever ever going to confirm it, apart from with his very closest allies. ]

I suppose I must look like one, since you guessed right away. But will you do me a favor, Noah? I'm trying to keep the whole royal situation discreet, while I'm here.

[ He sets one gloved finger to his lips, eyes still dancing with mirth. ]

Could we maybe keep this between us?

[ Nikolai knows people; he knows that a fast way to make friends is to give people a little secret of yours to keep. It makes them feel special for having the information, and inclined to help, especially since it asks very little actual work on their part.

Nikolai smiles at Noah, all hopeful and handsome. It's not that he's consciously trying to be manipulative. It's just that this is how his mind works. He had long ago deeply internalized the idea that no one would ever love him, and so he'd begun teaching himself strategies to make himself irresistibly charming to anyone and everyone.

He shrugs off the comment about Vasily, letting the matter drop there. There's not much about his brother's life or death that makes very pleasant conversation, so he'll spare Noah the details. Much more fascinating is the question of translation, as well as concepts from other worlds. ]

You must be, which is a marvel because I've never heard of a language called 'English'. But I do know about flip books! There was a soldier in my regiment who spent his free time drawing some that were decidedly not intended for kids.

[ He follows Noah into the apartment, back to the room with the bed in it. Nikolai approaches it, his head tilting to the side with interest as he takes it in. Very workable, he thinks. He drops to his knees without ceremony, examining it closely, trying to get a sense of where the various parts are joined together and what tools he'll need to deconstruct it. ]

No, nobody needs that. How does one recognize a cursed bed?

[ There's no teasing in his voice, only pure curiosity. For all he knows, curses are real and quite serious business in Noah's world. ]

[Noah smiled brightly.]

Of course! I'm good at keeping secrets, and I can only imagine how stressful it must be to be a king. Even if you're here.

[Away from a country to rule, he meant.

Besides, Nikolai had been nothing but nice to him so far, which mean Noah felt even more inclined to keep his secret. He also understood the importance of being able to tell someone something yourself and not having someone else spill the beans when you weren't ready.]

Oh!

[He perked up for a moment when Nikolai said he knew about flip books, faltering for a moment while 'not intended for kids' sank in. He couldn't help but laugh, even if he was a little flustered, too.]

I probably shouldn't be surprised about that.

[Where there was a will, there was a way, and all of that.

He watched Nikolai eyeing the bed, and then crouched down next to him, like he knew exactly what the pair of them were looking at and for what reason.]

I don't know, actually! But it's better to be safe than sorry, right?

[Noah didn't know if beds specifically could be cursed, but he knew general places could be--and people. Though he wasn't entirely sure if Blue was actually cursed or if it was just a series of unfortunate events that happened to line up just right.]

Yes, better safe than sorry. Exactly my philosophy.

[ Nikolai slaps his hands against his knees and stands up, seeming satisfied with his assessment of the bed frame's design. He gestures towards the bed, telling Noah: ]

Let's get the linens and mattress off, first, then we can start to take it apart.

[ He sets about the task without hesitation, stripping the bed and neatly folding blankets and sheets. For a king, he certainly seems comfortable with little domestic tasks such as this. The elastic of the fitted sheet does draw an odd look from him, but Nikolai doesn't let himself get derailed by it. ]

Anyway, that's quite enough talking about me for a little while. Tell me, what is it that young men do for fun in Henrietta? I have to admit, I'm very curious to hear about other worlds. Positively nosy.

Yeah, I've had enough of weird things and curses. A normal bed is just fine.

[Straightening up, Noah helped out with getting the bed stripped. As far as the fitted sheet went though- he saw that look. Nikolai might have moved on from it, but Noah wasn't going to.]

Fitted sheets are awful. I've never known anyone who can fold them without it looking like they just decided to crumple it up into a ball.

[He was perfectly happy to talk about what people did for fun in Henrietta...though he was absolutely certain Gansey was an outlier and should not be counted with the others.]

I'm not sure that counts as nosy. [He smiled brightly.] Just a healthy curiosity.

Mmm, let's see. Parties, lots of parties. One of my friends street races. [Okay, maybe he shouldn't mention the actually illegal things-] Uh- hm. It's a small town there's not really a lot to do.

So you have a lot of experience with curses, then?

[ Nikolai can't help but be intrigued. It would explain Noah's caution around choosing the right bed from the right apartment. So Nikolai prompts him, gently, eyebrows raised with interest. ]

Ah, is that what this is called? A 'fitted' sheet. I've never seen one before. It does seem rather unwilling to be neat.

[ With the sheets, pillows, and mattress all removed, they can get to work on the bed frame. Nikolai sits on the floor, finding the first set of screws he would need to take out. He begins loosening one as Noah talks about Henrietta. Curious - this is the second time Noah has answered by giving some detail about a friend rather than himself. His friend who worked too much, his friend who street races... add to that the fact that Noah really doesn't seem like he's trying to conceal anything. Just like he is, perhaps, not all that used to talking about himself. ]

By the sound of it my friend Genya would love it there. She's extremely fond of parties.

[ He has the first screw out and sets it down carefully in his bag. Nikolai doesn't want to lose anything that they'll need to put the bed back together. ]

Have you lived there your whole life?

Something like that, yeah. I definitely wouldn't say I'm an expert but like- cursed places? Yup, been there. Cursed people? Yup, I know them.

[And even without those things, Noah was pretty cautious- at least since he'd become a ghost, anyway.]

Yeah! The elastic is supposed to make it stay on the mattress, and it does do that, but it's also a huge pain for like, folding it...or putting it on in the first place.

[He'd definitely struggled with getting a fitted sheet aligned right on a bed, he just couldn't say how many times because he really couldn't remember.

He crouched down again so he could watch what Nikolai was doing.]

I've been told the parties are pretty great. But I haven't been to one in a long time, myself.

[Though he could remember going to parties, before, and enjoying them.]

Mmm, yeah. As far as I can remember.

[ Nikolai can't help but wonder if Noah would consider him a cursed person, if he knew the facts. Probably. All the more reason to smile and feign utter ignorance. ]

I don't know, sounds like you're at least halfway to becoming an expert, if you ask me. You said you know cursed people - what sorts of curses? I'm terribly curious.

[ Not aimlessly curious, either. It's useful information for him to have, just how Noah talks about these cursed people. But Nikolai keeps any particular interest out of his voice or face, asking as if it's just idle interest. ]

Well, we'll have to change that, here. Throw a great party that you can attend.

Mmmm.

[Was it okay to talk about Blue's curse? She wasn't here to tell him whether or not it was okay to share, after all, and he didn't like spilling other people's business...but he didn't think it exactly counted as a secret, so...]

My friend- she's always been told that if she were to kiss her true love, he would die. Soooo...cursed. But it's not very specific beyond that, you know?

[He shrugged.]

Oh- um-

[The idea of going to a party was both interesting and terrifying. What was he supposed to do with himself around so many people? He didn't even know how to dance!]

Maybe, yeah. I guess it wouldn't be like, bad or anything.

[ Nikolai actually stops disassembling the bed, looking over at Noah and blinking in surprise. His friend's curse doesn't sound at all like what Nikolai had been expecting.

(And some part of him registers, with a surprising amount of relief, that Noah still counts this cursed girl as one of his friends, in spite of the fact that she's cursed. That's reassuring.) ]

That's surprisingly devious. How is she even supposed to know who her true love is?

[ Zoya is always teasing Nikolai for his romantic streak, but even he doesn't believe in love at first sight. And as for something as nebulous as a 'true love', well, how the hell is anyone supposed to really know if they've found that person? ]

If she can't be sure, that makes the prospect of kissing anyone at all rather dangerous, doesn't it?

[ He goes back to loosening the screws, managing to get one of the legs of the bed free and setting it aside so he can move on to another. Noah's tepid response to his offer brings a wry smile to Nikolai's lips. ]

Not exactly the most enthusiastic response I've ever heard.

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