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It was a busy Friday in the streets of Hong Kong, Mathias observed. He had been haphazardly dragged to the semi-crowded street shops from their world meeting hotel on 5 in the morning due to Lukas needing something.
It was urgent, he said. It’ll be quick, he said. Matthias scoffed to himself as he made himself comfortable on the gutter outside the shop. It was now 6 in the morning, and Lukas hadn’t shown signs of ever leaving soon.
His eyelids felt heavy and he longed for the sweet soft bedsheets of their hotel room and yet Lukas remained inside. There was the usual passer-bys also, giving him looks of confusion and concern as the sun rose higher.
He had no energy to create a carton sign saying he was a beggar that needs to return to his own country, but that’s what he wanted to do nonetheless. Might as well get some extra cash as Lukas owed him a good night’s sleep.
The store’s bell rang as the door was opened, and his drowsiness almost went down the drain. He was met with familiar blonde hair instead.
“ Matthias? ”
“ Alfred? ”
The American seemed just as perplexed to see him there. He made his way down and sat beside him on the gutter.
“ Yo, ” Alfred said before yawning, “ Sup? You’re with Lukas, right? ”
He nodded. Considering the way Alfred’s eyes were just as teary and glassy as his beneath those glasses, they must have been tricked by the same scam.
“ Let me guess, Arthur’s also in there, ” Matthias groaned, frowning at the ground, “ Called it. ”
“ Yeah, they’re geeking over some talking book and cards and shit, ” Alfred said, “ Like, for an hour now. ”
“ There’s a meeting this 10am, they knew that right? ” They both scoffed and bumped fists, resorting to the two resting their heads on their palms.
“ Probably not, ” a familiar voice answered.
The two opened their heavy eyes and saw another country waving at them, hair in a constant state of mess just like theirs.
“Should have expected you too, Boris,” Matthias raised a hand and gave the Bulgarian a space beside them.
Alfred nodded. “Where’s Vlad?”
Boris doesn’t look happy at the question. “Well, how were you guys dragged here?”
“Literally,” Matthias answered.
“Figuratively,” Alfred said.
“Well, Vlad woke me up in the middle of the night and told me to make sure his brother gets his breakfast from the hotel crew,” Boris said, sinking closer to himself, “And when I asked him where he was going, he said: to the magic store!”
Matthias and Alfred nodded, which Boris repeated subconsciously. The three boys sat with all their heads on their hands.
“He said he’ll try his new teleportation spell. I guess it didn’t work—“
A loud chorus of “Vlad!” from the inside made them pause.
“Did work. It did work,” Boris sighed, yawning.
The three boys dazed half-asleep outside the magic store, with various thoughts and intent in which only two they all had in common: the desire to sleep and the realization that they should have read more onto what they got themselves into right from the start.