Louie set the food on the dining table and served them both. Idalia refused to eat despite her growling stomach. She didn't move, not until Louie had eaten a good portion of it and had not hit his head against the table in death.
She sensed that it would be stupid for him to poison her, but then, one could never be too careful. She thought he would laugh at her when she began to eat, but he didn't. Instead, he said nothing, and only flashed her a warm smile.
With the raven nowhere in sight, the dining section felt a little relaxing; a completely different feeling than she had experienced here about maybe two hours ago.
Although, human food rarely impressed Idalia, considering the fact that she was used to dishes made up of blood and meat, she found Louie to be an impressive chef. Maybe because he hadn't maliciously salted her food as he had jokingly claimed he would do, or maybe it was because this food had a lot of meat, or maybe he was just that good.
"Compliment to the chef."
"The chef is glad. It is all part of my Master plan."
He laughed, and she laughed.
Maybe interacting with humans wasn't that bad. Grandpa Alfred had said they were good, as long as they didn't know exactly who you were. What you were.
By Argon, she couldn't allow herself to be distracted by a guise of friendship. Even if it were true, if he were to discover what she and Arik were, he wouldn't be so friendly anymore. He seemed to have close ties with Mr. Lythoryn, and Idalia was certain that he would, to a good extent, know his way around a gun.
"Why do you want me as your friend?" She asked as she struggled to keep Arik's hands out of her plate.
He loved grabbing everything, and his grip was surprisingly tight for a baby.
Her hair could testify to her.
By Argon, her poor hair.
"You are the perfect option."
She frowned. "For what?"
"You stay in this house, Julie. Look around, how many people do you see in this mansion? The thing is, Mr L.Y—-"
"Mr. L.Y?"
He dropped his fork, done with eating. "Mr. Lythoryn is a mouthful."
"Just use his first name if it is shorter. He is not here, and I won't tell." She winked at him.
He laughed. "I don't know it. So we'll stick with Mr. L.Y."
"Oh."
Why was that, though? Was he hiding his real identity like she was too? Or was it something else?
What was she doing?
That was none of her business. He wasn't a mystery for all to unravel. All she needed to do was follow her three rules so she could lay low here and get out when required.
"So Mr. L.Y is kind of like on my brother's team—"
"The inked man is your brother?"
He huffed. "People are always surprised about that."
Maybe because they looked nothing alike. The tattooed man looked more tanner than Louie was, and their faces looked really different. In fact, she would have never guessed that they were a family.
Perhaps it was just like the situation between her and Grandpa Alfred.
Her hand tightened around her spoon as she tried to shake the memories away and stop the tears from fogging her sight.
Not here. Not now.
When she looked up, she realized that Louie seemed to be lost in his own thoughts, too.
Maybe things weren't well between the brothers. Maybe she could use that to her advantage. She would have to take note of it and use it later. Although this wasn't something Idalia liked to do, nor was it something she believed she was any good at, for her son, she would do anything.
Before Idalia could even express her concern for him and lay the foundation for a later conversation, Louie was speaking again, with the twinkle back in his eyes, like nothing had happened.
Interesting.
"It is usually two against one here, but with you now on my side, the playing field has been leveled."
"So that's it?"
He shrugged. "If the boring people can have friends, why can't I?"
"Boring people?" She set Arik on the table, pretending not to see Louie's outstretched arms from across her, offering to carry him.
He was too kind, too quickly.
That was never good. She would know.
"Boring." He nodded, withdrawing his offer, most likely sensing her hesitation. "Watch them nod and hum and expect that you know what they are saying. It is exhausting."
"You don't seem to like them very much."
"I don't."
Oh. OH!
"So you hate them?"
"What?" He straightened up in his chair. "Not liking someone doesn't mean you hate them. I mean, at the end of the day, they are still my family, and I still love them."
"Family? I thought he was just like a boss to you."
"He is more."
She spat out her hand water.
More?!
"Not like that, Julie!" He passed her a napkin to clean up the mess. "I like women."
She paused.
"I don't like you."
"What? You don't like me?" She pretended to be offended.
"Not like that."
"You are rejecting me?! So soon? Wow."
"My goodness." He threw his head back in laughter. "Julie, please stop."
Her lips widened in a smile. "Sooooo, what is your relationship with Mr. Lythoryn then?"
"Bodyguard, like my brother."
"For how long?"
"Recently. My brother has been working for him for a long time now. That is why they are so close."
"Hmm. What is your brother's name? I'd like to stop thinking of him as Inked Man."
"So you've been thinking about Theon. Why?" He leaned forward from the other side of the table with a smirk on his face. "You like him?"
She leaned forward, too. "Don't think so. My kidnappers are hardly ever my type. And I always go for the guy with the most money. It's my thing." Then she leaned back. She added the last part to ensure that her lifestyle would align with her story of how she had gotten on that train. If he were to report this conversation to Mr. Lythoryn, which she felt that he would, nothing would be suspicious. "Does Mr Lythoryn have a family? I see no pictures anywhere."
"Interested in him?"
"Might be?" She smirked. "He seems to be the one with the most money around here."
Louie laughed, then rose to his feet. "You know, Julie." His voice was eerily calm as he began to stack the plates. "You should really learn your place." He reached for her plate, his gaze pinning her to a spot. "And stay in it."
She waited for his tone to shift as it had by the sofa, but it didn't. His golden eyes had turned cold, and just as suddenly, the plate in his grip shattered.
What?!