Dopamine

Being in Cerynia was not all fun and games. Vincze saw it as an opportunity t o learn more about the world and have a good time. But his parents had a hidden agenda. They wanted the world to see him and to get to know him better. They were a very small country, but that did not mean they were not relevant.

Vincze wore his best and most expensive dark blue suit. The whole evening he’d been talking to his guests, all carefully picked out by his parents. He was told to leave a good impression, so he kept smiling the whole evening, discussed all kinds of boring topics and laughed at the most boring jokes. It was very draining, but it seemed to be a success.

With a small nod he said goodbye to some man who went to talk to someone else. For once no one seemed to have their eyes on him. Vincze took a deep breath, reminding himself that it was not over yet. He should engage in some important conversation, but he needed just a few seconds to himself.

Which he apparently was not allowed to have. A glass appeared before him, handed to him by a young man. Much better than all those old people. “You read my mind, thank you,” he said with a polite smile, accepting the glass. “I don’t believe we’ve met before, I’m Vincze of Искра.” Vincze extended a slender hand. How he hated the formalities, but because this person was here, meant he was also someone important.

Was this person even listening to him? It did not look like it. Vincze kept the friendly smile on his lips but an awkward laugh escaped. He wanted to say that this was a new one for him, but sadly enough no. It was fine, maybe he had a lot on his mind. Well, this was a bit awkward for the both of them.

The other seemed to come back to reality. “Iskra,” he repeated himself. Vincze assumed everyone here knew who exactly he was as he set up this whole thing, but apparently he was mistaken. “That’s alright, it happens to the best of us.” Vincze wanted to grab one of his braids, but they were not there. For the occasion he’d bound his long hair together in a neat ponytail. “I’ve had it happen a few times too tonight,” he said with a wink. What he did was pretend he’d heard them and laugh when they were laughing. It worked perfectly.

The other introduced himself as Ruìsāng, but Sāng for short. “A rather unusual name,” he noticed. When the other looked over his shoulder, Vincze followed his gaze and slightly tilted his head when there was nothing to be seen. Now he was slightly starting to worry.

“I don’t think I have seen you either. I’m going for my master in business administration, although— not my first choice, like at all.” Vincze’s smile faltered for a second as he realized what he just said. It was but a minor slip up, but he should have said how much he liked the study and everything. Having conversed with numerous significant older individuals, he simply found joy in talking to someone of his own age. And someone pleasant to look at too. “How about you?” he said in an attempt to save this before taking a big sip of his wine.

If Vincze had a choice in this, he would also not be here. Being at home with a good movie, some company and snacks was a far better option, but everyone here had an important reason to be here. If he suddenly disappeared, it would only worsen his reputation even more. “You have no idea. The amount of times I’ve been forced to listen to some old man talking about— to be honest I don’t even know what they were talking about,” Vincze laughed. Even when he had not been paying much attention, he had managed to finish each and every conversation smoothly.

He twirled the wine in his glass around for a bit and tucked one hand in the pocket of his pants. “Really? I’ve heard a lot about that country. Sadly enough I never had the chance to visit it myself. “ Maybe one day he would.

It felt good to be able to talk to someone who felt a bit more normal among all these people of high status. Even when they were a bit odd. Vincze kept a smile on his face as he talked, even when the other did not want to tell him what he was studying. “Nothing special?” he asked amusedly, followed by a laugh. “Never heard about that one before, is it difficult?”

Sadly enough, the conversation was over before it had even begun. The smile finally faltered and he looked at Ruìsāng in confusion. “Uhm— yeah sure— of course. You too.” Vincze raised his glass for a moment before lifting it to his lips. Well, that was awkward.