Zariel placed the tray that has the tea on the bedside table. She looked at the clock by the side. It was past ten, and this was the third time she was warming the tea. He's still not back yet. What could have kept him?
She turned to leave and then Ryan appeared in front of her. On the floor actually.
She flinched "Ah.. young master. What are you doing on the floor?" She rushed to him, crouching to his level. Her eyes caught the blood on his face and clothes, and the cuts, she gasped. Her hand flying over her mouth.
"Aigu! Aigu!" She exclaimed shakily "Y-Young master, h-how did you get hurt?"
"Argh...." Ryan whimpered in pain.
"H-how did this happen?" She kept asking with shaky breaths. Ryan gasped for so much air. Everywhere seemed so suffocating.
"Get up. Get up" she said, helping him stand "Let's take you to the hospital"
"No, there's.... there's no..need for that" Ryan said. If there's anything he hated was hospital. Especially the look on some people's faces when his wounds heal abnormally.
"Young master, you're loosing blood" Zariel tried to persuade him to get treated.
"It stopped" he said.
With her help, Ryan managed to stand, feeling every bit of the pain that burned his flesh. Zariel placed his arm around her neck while the other held him by his back, she walked him to the bed. Ryan mostly groaned at every step, holding unto his chest. She made him lie on the bed, placing his head in the bed head.
Ryan hissed "Argh.."
"Sorry..." she said and undid the buttons of his inner shirt and pushed it to either sides. Seeing the wound on his chest, she gasped again.
"T-t-this is q-quiet deep" she stuttered "Young master, let's go to the hospital. You need a stitch"
"No" he said in a loud voice and then hissed at the pain that followed it.
"Fine! Let me get the first aid box"
Zariel rushed out of the room like she was being chased. She hurriedly took the box and went back. On her way she met Leonel, and his brows creased when he how she panicked, and the box she held.
"Where are you going with that?" he asked
"Young master is badly hurt" she replied with all worries in her voice.
"Pardon?! Young master is hurt?!" he exclaimed
"Yes, badly" she said, running to Ryan's room, with Leonel following behind. They both barged in, enough to startle anyone. Seeing Ryan's state, Leonel gasped as well.
"How did this happen?" he said closing the door. Zariel sat in front of him, slowly taking off his overcoat before his shirt. Her heart ached at the wounds inflicted on him.
"How did you get all this wounds?"
"I....I got into a fight...with a demon" he finally managed to reply. "He ...he was stronger than I expected"
"Aish! You've lost so much blood." Leonel said "And your wounds are quite deep. Isn't it best to go to the hospital?"
"NO!" Ryan said immediately, and they wondered where he got the strength to shout.
"Why weren't you careful?" Zariel scolded him like a mother, while dressing the bruises on his face.
"It's okay, I'm fine--"
"You are not fine" Leonel snapped. "Look at yourself. You're so pale!" He was literally shouting at him now and Ryan just kept his eyes down like a child.
"I'm fine. The wounds would heal" he said.
"You know your wounds don't heal fast" Zariel said "How couldn't you be careful?!"
Ryan kept his eyes down as he was being scolded for letting himself get hurt. Was it his fault? No, it wasn't. Why are they scolding him?
Whenever it comes to times like this, Ryan would get scolded by people who work for him. No one cared about position, only caring about him and scolding him on his faults. His wounds don't heal fast like every other demon because he was part human. The bruise on his face might take the whole night, while the other wounds might take three days. Unlike full demons who their wound would take just a few minutes.
Gently, Zariel wiped the blood off his body with a cotton wool. There were so many stained with blood which she had thrown into the small thrash can beside her. She applied ointment and covered his wounds with bandage, while Leonel brought clothes for him. She helped him in wearing.
"Thank you" Ryan said
"Next time, do not let yourself get hurt" she warned, instead of appreciating.
"I won't " Ryan said, even when he was sure of it.
She made him lie on the bed and rubbed his hair. Soon, he drifted to sleep, ignoring every pain he felt.
"I wonder who that demon was" Leonel blurted.
"It doesn't matter now. All that matters is that young master his fine" Zariel said.
"Since he's asleep and fine, let's leave. It wouldn't be okay to disturb him" he said, as matter of fact. Because Ryan gets angered sometimes when he's being cared for too much. If he wakes up finding them sleeping in his room in the name of keeping watch over him, he would bring the whole roof down with those words: 'GET OUT' He really didn't like it when they pester him like that. He wasn't a child!
"Okay" Zariel said and packed the blood stained clothes, while Leonel helped her in carrying the tea. Lucky him, this tea is all his. Switching off the lights they closed the door.
*....*.....*...*....*....*...*...*....*
"How was your date?" Arianna asked, on the phone with Jia, while she dressed her bed.
"It was great. I had another best night ever" Jia replied.
"I'm happy for you" Arianna said.
"Have you been well?"
"Hmm.... I have" she replied, but her voice said otherwise. And Jia could sense it. She knew her friend to be very curious on matters like this, and even ask for detailed information on the date. But today she isn't.
"You don't sound okay, Anna. Is something wrong?" She asked.
Arianna exhaled and sat on the bed "I dreamt of mum again " she replied "I really want to get over her, but I can't. It seems so impossible"
"You miss her so much, that's why." Jia said " Maybe you should go for some therapy."
"It won't work, Jia" she really hated that idea.
"Why not? You just have to try"
"Not when I'm locked up in the walls of this.....huge mansion" she breathed.
"Oh... I forgot you're still a prisoner" Jia said, trying to ease atmosphere she could feel around her.
"I'm not" Arianna snapped.
"Yes, you are. What the difference between you and a prisoner?"
"Well, I'm not being held up in chains and I am as free as a bird." Arianna replied "Can we not talk about this?" She knew Jia would keep poundering on it till God knows when. She wasn't ready for that this morning.
"Want to talk about seeing a therapist then?" She asked
"I don't think that would help. Besides, I've seen one and nothing worked"
Oh..she did that? The how comes she never knew?
"Then... Maybe with time you'll get over her. Just try not to think about her, or miss her, or even look at her picture" she suggested.
"You think so?" Arianna asked
"Hmm. Alright, I have to go work now"
"Okay, bye"