“I figured we’d start this party off with something fun, but simple. First, everyone will be in groups of six, so I’ll give you all a minute to pick your groups and a name for your team.”
Peri was quick to ask their neighbors to form a group, so he didn't have to worry about somehow getting teamed up with Elijah. His brother ended up in a group with Maverick and Isaac, as well as the lead for the entertainment division and his boyfriend who he’d brought along. They weren’t anywhere near each other, and because the game required their answers to be kept a secret, they had to keep their distance, which Wash appreciated.
“Alright. The name of the game is to figure out what’s inside the box. No peeking, but you can handle it all you want. Don’t worry about breaking it, there’s nothing breakable inside,” Taron explained, while a member of the retreat staff handed big boxes out to each group.
“Who filled the boxes?” Maverick asked suspiciously.
“I did,” Tony spoke up from where he was seated at his own table with a pile of sweets that Peri had made him, while Taron stuck his tongue out at the dragon shifter. “Don’t worry. Taron doesn’t know what’s inside. I picked the filler items with an intern while he was in a meeting.”
Smart man. From the pout Taron shot his mate, he’d hoped at one point to gain some insider knowledge, and Tony had turned him down. Maverick seemed satisfied with Tony’s answer, leaning back in his seat while Isaac accepted the box.
“Tony will have the timer, everyone has five minutes to make their guess. Ready, set, start!”
Peri didn’t need to be told twice and snatched up the box, squeaking in surprise when it turned out to be heavier than he expected. Wash had to catch it to stop him from dropping it on his toes. He grunted with the effort, stunned.
“What the hell?”
“What? Is it heavy?” Kian asked, plucking the box out of Wash’s hands when he offered it. He sucked in a breath, hefting the thing a few times with a confused look on his face. “What is this?”
“Is there perhaps a spell to make it seem heavy?” Brennus asked curiously during his own turn holding the box. “The items were all procured by Tony, so I assumed they wouldn’t be so heavy.”
“Unless he had help?” Peri suggested. “Can you shake it?”
Brennus did as he requested, shaking the box. The heavy thudding sound wasn’t any more illuminating than holding it had been.
Wash looked around the room, studying the different groups. Alistair seemed to be trying to use his magic, his hand glowing, while Taron was trying to wheedle his mate from across the room to give him hints. No one else seemed to know what it was, all in deep discussions with each other.
“It has to be something off the wall,” Wash said, more to himself. “In order to have Taron enjoy himself, Tony would have wanted to make it difficult. And it was probably something in the office too, since neither of his mates would be comfortable letting him stray.”
Dorian leaned forward, eyes intent on Wash. “You think we should treat this like an intellectual puzzle instead of a guessing game?”
Wash nodded once. “What can we think of that Tony and an intern would have access to in the office, that weighs this much and would fit inside a box this size?”
They started throwing out ideas, occasionally picking up the box again to test the weight of it. They had a few ideas when Peri pointed out, “Would it only be from the main office? Is Tony allowed in the other divisions?”
Whipping his head up, Wash and Dorian locked eyes with each other, coming to the same conclusion at the same time.
“Stage weights.”
Twenty-Three
The timer went off, signaling the end of the round, and one person from each team brought Tony a piece of paper with their guess scribbled on it. He went through them, and Peri saw his mouth quirk before he grabbed the dry erase marker and stroked one line under their team name on the white board. The team name Peri chose, of course, since no one else seemed to care.
“Team Sparkle Squad has it,” Tony informed them. “Go ahead and open your boxes.”
Peri squealed and clapped as Brennus used a claw to cut open the box so they could confirm their answer. Sure enough, there was a stage weight at the bottom, more compact than he’d guessed given the size of the box and how heavy it was.
He plopped back down in his chair as the staff came around to collect their boxes and hand them another. He beamed at his boyfriend, hugging his arm. “That was awesome. I would have never thought to puzzle it out like that.”
Wash lifted a shoulder, more at ease now that he’d gotten into the game. Peri had been worried before, seeing how upset he was. He would have made up some kind of excuse if Wash really wanted some time away from the group, but he was gladWash decided to give the games a try. At least now he was relaxed and enjoying himself.
With Dorian and Wash treating the game like an intellectual puzzle, the next rounds had similar results. The rest of their group asked questions, which helped them rule things out and narrow it down, but together, they were unstoppable.
“Dorian likes puzzles,” Kian commented during the third round as Dorian and Wash passed the box back and forth, listening to the sound it made together. “I should have known he would enjoy this kind of thing.” He took another bite of his cupcake, because of course Peri made enough for everyone, sighing happily as he chewed. “Dorian better be careful. If you keep feeding me like this, he’s going to get sugar highs whenever he feeds.”
Peri snickered, crossing his legs underneath him. “I can start making sugar free treats if you want? I have a few recipes.”
Kian shot him a mock glare, popping the rest of the treat into his mouth. “If you do, I’ll make your next assignment in a different building from your boyfriend.”