Chapter 953: Perfect Humanoid Specimens

The Australian security team returned through the portal to report on what they had found. Jason sent Lu Yan through a separate portal, to join with the government officials eating frozen desserts. Lu would join their tour, led by the Concierge, allowing Jason to get back to family. In theory.

He stepped out of a Shade body onto his cloud ship, but Shade spoke up before Jason had the chance to move.

“Mr Asano.”

“Please tell me there isn’t something I have to go do. I’m trying to introduce all my friends to my family.”

“Mrs Tilden requires your input. She has what she believes are adequate terms for delivering the dimensional refugees back to Earth. She said it would be best if you could appear in person to ratify the agreement.”

“Why did it have to be today?” he grumbled. “How much leeway do I have in terms of time?”

“Knowing that you are occupied, Mrs Tilden set up a meeting for this afternoon in Canberra, with a number of ambassadors and officials representing the nations and factions whose people were displaced. It is scheduled for one hour and forty-seven minutes from now.”

Jason let out a frustrated groan.

“Okay, that is worth showing up for. If I want people to take me seriously.”

“On that note, Mr Asano, Mrs Tilden suggested you not arrive in short pants. She went as far as to express a hope that you might see your way into donning an actual suit. Might I suggest one of the new outfits from Mr Bertinelli, in the Vitesse style. Something reflecting the formality of Earth business fashion while clearly drawing a distinction. I would, I believe, send the message you are going for.”

Jason nodded.

“As always, Shade, your taste is impeccable.”

“Then might I convince you to reread The Remains of the Day, which encapsulates attitudes of—”

“You realise that’s a sad book about a guy who gave up love out of dedication to a Nazi sympathiser.”

“It is a work containing many fine lessons on the nature of service, Mr Asano. And I would hope that you are discerning in your sympathies.”

“Me too. Look, we’ll watch the film version tonight, with Emi and her parents, alright? Assuming things stop coming up.”

“That would be very fine, Mr Asano. Even if I do not approve of Sir Anthony’s choice of essences. Potent, Fertile, Vast and Edifice. Wholly undignified.”

***

The meeting proved mercifully uneventful. There were some questions from the Australian Foreign Minister about the portal still in the Canberra office, but he fobbed the man off onto Anna. Most of the attendees seemed nervous about Jason, although curiosity and ambition warred with fear in their auras.

As Jason wanted to stall out his time in Australia, despite his claims, he allowed himself to be talked into waiting for a location to be set up on the coast. The refugees would be released there to their respective nations and organisations.

As most of the refugees belonged to both magical factions and nations, there was some contention over would be collecting them. While some nations had merged with various factions, or at least had very close relations, others did not. Some factions, like the Engineers of Ascension and various iterations of the Network, no longer existed at all.

Jason noticed that none of the people suggested asking the refugees themselves, but he happily stayed out of those negotiations. There were a few attempts to bring him into the discussion, but he stayed out of it. Unless and until some of the refugees requested some kind of asylum from whoever arrived to pick them up, he had no horse in that race. He was grateful for Anna’s assistance in avoiding entanglements diplomatically.

He left the ambassadors to their deliberations, returning to his ship once the logistical details that concerned him were finalised. Anna came with him, likewise happy to escape the affair. She had been there far longer than him and had exhausted what productive moves she could make.

“You did well, Jason,” she said after they appeared in a room on the ship set aside for teleport arrivals. “And an excellent choice on the suit.”

“Thank you.”

“Shade?”

“He did help pick it out,” Jason conceded. “My family is having a barbecue on the deck eight terrace lounge, if you want something to eat.”

“I wouldn’t want to intrude.”

“Rufus, Taika and Gary are there. And I’m finally going to bring my friends from the other world to meet everyone. I know you’ve been waiting to connect with Danielle Geller.”

“Then I shall refresh myself and make my way down.”

***

“Wait, were we meant to dress up?” Neil asked. “You said the dress code was casual.”

“It is,” Jason assured him. “I just had a meeting with the Earthlings.”

“I hope you didn’t call them that,” Danielle said.

“I totally did. Even told them to take me to their leader.”

She rolled her eyes as Jason flashed an impish grin.

Jason’s friends were gathering in the hall outside their suites. His team, minus Zara. Farrah and Danielle. Emir and Constance, Arabelle and Gabriel. Valdis and his wife Sigrid. Belinda had Estella with her, trying not to be awkward around Jory. Travis was nervously clasping the hand of his wife Gabrielle.

“Travis, you were one of the first outsiders to sign on with the Asano Clan. You could have been down there the whole time.”

“I don’t know,” he said. “It’s been so long, you know?”

“You don’t have to worry,” Jason assured him. “You’re amongst friends. Family. And I know we’ve had our differences, Gabrielle, but you’re family too, now.”

He looked around.

“No Zara?”

“She’s still with the Rimaros diplomatic contingent,” Danielle said.

“I told her this was happening,” Sophie said. “She’ll join us or she won’t.”

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“I’ll call in on them,” Jason said. “But not until after. I’ve been waiting too long to put this off anymore.”

***

The Storm kingdom royal family was sprawling, making up almost a quarter of the kingdom’s nobility. Even the least prominent of noble houses had at least a few royals tucked away in the family tree, all carefully tracked to keep families from becoming too close. Royals on the level of Zara were rare, with most of the princes and princesses being far less influential than upper-tier nobility.

Zareen Rimaros was technically a princess, but far enough down the hierarchy that she was formally referred to as ‘lady’ rather than ‘princess’ or ‘your highness.’ The same was true for many of the diplomatic team sent to engage with the authorities of Earth.

According with her status, she had served as something like a lady in waiting for princess Zara, and they had become close during the journey. It helped that Zareen also had a history with Jason, although Zareen’s was far less complicated. It was mostly a social connection, through her mother, Liara. Liara was likewise a lesser royal, but her personal power and position in the Adventure Society made her a political force nonetheless.

Zareen sat on Zara’s bed, watching the other princess pace back and forth.

“You should just go,” she told Zara. “This is only a big deal in your head.”

“What if I’m being presumptuous?”

“Presumptuous? We’ve all been watching the pair of you eye-humping every time you’re in a room together.”

Zara stopped to give her a scathing look. Zareen responded by putting her wrist to her forehead and falling back, as if taken feint.

“Oh Captain, I am but a wayward princess, cast adrift on a dimensional sea. Take me in your manly arms and—”

She was cut off by a thrown pillow, laughing as it bounced away.

***

While Jason was corralling his friends, the group at the gathering was growing as well. More clan members were appearing through a shadow portal, including Jason’s oldest uncle, Shiro Asano. He arrived with the former members of the Network’s Asano Clan, exiled to the Australian Clan for siding with Jason during his last trip to Earth. The head of that group was the Japanese Asano Clan’s former patriarch, also named Shiro Asano. The Two Shiros, as they had become known, had struck up a friendship during the course of Jason’s long absence.

With them were former members of the Tiwari Clan. Like the Japanese Asanos, they had been exiled from their family for siding with Jason. Jason’s previous time on earth had been filled with betrayal and deceit, so he greatly appreciated those who had demonstrated integrity, even when it cost them dearly.

Leading his friends, Jason paused outside the door to the lounge, as nervous as Nik had been earlier. Humphrey placed a hand on his shoulder.

“It’ll be fine, Jason.”