"A date?" Hoshimi's brow furrowed, a rare display of genuine surprise on his usually calm face. "What's the sudden confession for?"
Audrey closed her eyes, a slow, deliberate shake of her finger cutting off his words. Her tongue clicked in mild irritation. "Don't flatter yourself. I'm only asking you out because I'm desperate. It's not like they're ever going to let me out of this estate again after the experiments came out."
"So, why me, then?"
"Because you're the easiest one to talk to, dumbass. I'm certainly not going to ask one of the servants for a playdate and certainly not one of your friends." She punctuated her point by poking his cheek with her finger, a sharp, insistent jab as she looked away from his face, her voice came out as a whisper. "I just want to experience it for once in my life, I want to see what all the fuss is about".
"No way in hell I'm going with you on a—"
Her eyes snapped open, blazing with a vibrant, unsettling green. They bored into his, radiating a cold, almost predatory aura that made the hairs on his arms prickle. It wasn't just magic; it was the chilling void of something fundamental missing. A beat of silence. The garden birds seemed to hold their breath.
Hoshimi sighed, a sound barely audible, a concession. "Fine. Fine, I'll 'play along.' But don't expect fireworks, princess".
"It's not like you could reject me, anyway." Audrey cracked her neck, the sound sharp in the warm air. "You're working under me, you know?" She stepped closer, her breath warm against his cheek, yet her wide-open eyes remained unnervingly vacant. "You have to listen to everything I say."
He stared at her with a blank expression on his face, the sunlight hitting the rim of his jawline, his mouth slightly open as his pearly white teeth poked through.
"What? What's up with the expression?" She slapped his back, a surprising force that sent him stumbling forward. "You're frozen in place. Did something happen that warranted that expression on your face?"
"No, it's nothing…" Hoshimi brushed it off, his voice flat, but the subtle tremor in his hand as he adjusted his cargo pants was almost imperceptible.
"Didn't you say that I was pretty before"? She stared daggers into him as she pointed her finger towards her own chest, almost playfully. "So you should be glad that you're going on a date with such a pretty girl".
He rolled his eyes. "Pretty girl, huh".
"You're not going back on your own words are you"??? She dug her fingers into the side of his stomach.She jumped back from him, already striding towards the fountain. "Good. You have to make this fun. And I mean genuinely fun for me, not just for you." She turned, a ghost of a smile touching her lips, but her eyes remained the haunting green of a predator. "Even I haven't seen every single corner of this estate so you can still surprise me".
Hoshimi pushed his hands deeper into his pockets, his violet eyes still shadowed by the lingering perception. "Do I really have to do this"?
Audrey paused, her head tilted, she stared into his eyes. "I don't know when I might die". Her voice was shaking. "And frankly I'm scared… I just want to make the most of what's left of me, going on a date was on my bucket list y'know? I guess you were just the most accessible person, you'll just have to do".
"Fine". Hoshimi's eyes softened.
Her finger, still pressing against his solar plexus, seemed to gather unexpected resolve. "Well then Mister, let's go out on a date then."
Hoshimi pulled back slightly, enough to meet her gaze directly. Her emerald eyes, though still holding traces of the deeper black, shone with a vulnerability and a fierce, stubborn hope that genuinely caught him off guard.
"So, do I need to change my clothes then"? He glanced around the manicured garden, the oppressive grandeur of the estate. "I really only brought a few pair of clothes".
Audrey's face brightened, a genuine smile. "It's time to play dress up then, Adrian has a fuck ton of clothes that he never even wears, I'll let you borrow some of them."
Hoshimi sighed, running a hand through his black hair. "I'm not a barbie doll, you know"?
Later that afternoon, the garden was bathed in the soft, diffused light of a perpetually overcast sky, a subtle concession by the estate's weather manipulation system, masking the harsh sun.
Audrey came out of the door with a white t-shirt and short jeans, the corset underneath her shirt made her waist look smaller, showing off an hourglass figure that she never had, a choker hugged tightly around her neck, her golden hair pulled up into a bun, she wore tight black stockings that showed off her long legs.
Hoshimi took a bite of a red velvet cookie, dirtying his white gloves with a crimson, his free hand shoved down deep inside his pocket as he calmly walked up to her. His long black coat swayed in the wind as a gold chain swung from one side of his coat to the other.
"Is this supposed to be a butler costume? You really are treating me like a servant, aren't you"?
Audrey looked at him, a confused expression in her dark green eyes. "You really think so? It's supposed to be a prince. Aren't you supposed to be my knight in shining armor"? She sighed, then laughed, a genuine, albeit short, burst of sound. "This is probably the most normal thing I've done in years. My entire life, actually. I'm really glad that Adrian isn't here anymore."
Hoshimi noted the ease with which she spoke of "Adrian" now, without the emotional spikes he'd observed previously.
[I shouldn't tell her about Elias, that'll just make her in a worse condition than she is now. I can tell by the fluctuations in her mana, it's diminishing]
"So," Audrey began, turning to Hoshimi, a playful glint in her eye. "Come on, let's go somewhere already".
"So". He stared at her pale skin with empty eyes, his mouth slightly shaking as he asked. "So where are we going now"?
"There's been a part of the estate that I always wanted to go to". She pressed a finger softly against her lips. "Adrian would never let me go there".
"Then he must've been hiding something, no"?
"Probably". She cracked her knuckles, as she let out a sigh. "But he despised me, you know? He was probably doing it so I wouldn't get to experience any form of happiness".
Hoshimi opened the large wooden doors as he walked in, leaving the door open for Audrey to walk in. "After you".
"Such a gentleman, aren't you"?
He slightly bowed his head as Audrey walked past him, the whiff of her perfume shooting through his nose. "This is just basic courtesy".
[This perfume is so fucking strong, I'm getting dizzy, I really don't like this, better try to keep my distance]
Hoshimi walked behind her, his footsteps echoing in the large empty halls, the sunlight poked through the open reinforced glass windows, shining brightly onto her face.
Audrey bounced with every step, jumping joyfully as Hoshimi followed closely behind, watching the messy shelves of assorted items passing by.
"You sure do seem happy about this".
"What"? She stared back, a scowl on her face. "So I can't be happy now"?
"No". He turned his head slightly, scratching his cheek as he looked at her from the side, his voice going down to a murmur. "I wasn't saying that, I was just surprised at your resilience after everything happened".
"Well it's in the past isn't it"? She replied, standing on her tiptoes. "So why do I need to care about it now? It'll only worry me".
[She's choosing ignorance, I guess that's one way to get over her trauma. I can't forget mine on the other hand]
"Good for you Audrey".
"You don't sound very happy". She commented, pushing her finger into his cheek. "It's really infuriating, I really can't seem to get anything out of you, what's up with that"?
"I'm not emotionless". He flicked her finger away from his cheek. "It's just a side effect of trauma, I can't really feel the same way".
"I've seen you smile before though".
"Just because I feel very little doesn't mean that I can't express anything at all, I still feel enough to feel human". His eyes softened slightly. "You can still get a reaction out of me if you provoke me hard enough".
"Oh reeally"? A mischievous smirk appeared across her face, her hand moved faster than he could react, snatching the half eaten red velvet cookie out of his hand. She took a deliberate bite, crumbs dusting her choker, her eyes fixed on his. "Let's see if that does it, Mister 'Emotionless'."
He stared back, his eyes still hollow. "Was that really necessary"?
"We're going on a date, you should at least try to be more formal". Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Have some respect, Hoshimi, don't you want to make me happy"? She opened her palm in front of him, red cookie crumbs in her palms as she offered it to him."You want any"?
"No thanks". He brushed her off, staring straight at the infinitely stretching hallway in front of him. "If you really consider this a date, then where are my flowers"?
"There are some in the garden, go pick them up yourself".She crossed her arms. "Aren't guys supposed to give the girl the flowers in the first place"?
"I think we should be able to break gender norms". He smirked slightly, "Audrey, you sure are being sexist, that's not very good, you know"?
She slapped his back hard, with a surprising amount of strength for her tiny hands. "You're just saying that because you're lazy".
They reached a grand, ornate door at the end of the hall, carved with intricate symbols that seemed almost too ancient for the mansion's modern aesthetic. Adrian must have guarded this meticulously.
"Here we are," Audrey announced, a triumphant gleam in her emerald eyes. She placed her hand on the cold, polished wood. "The place Adrian swore was 'off-limits to witches.'" A challenging smirk played on her lips. "Let's see what secrets this one holds."
Meanwhile, in a dimly lit, lavishly decorated chamber within the Mirlo estate, far from the 'normal' picnic, Elias laid down in his bed, curled up into a ball.
"Damn it, what the hell did I do wrong!?," Elias murmured, trying to keep his voice down, his brows furrowing. "He's finding dirt on me! I hate this situation, I wished that he wasn't even here in the first place"!
[I should never have killed him when they were here! I underestimated all of them, I did it when they were here as a backup plan to save my big sister]
His fingers clawed against the bedsheets, biting his bottom lip until it bled.
His breathing slowed down as he grabbed his cheeks, calming himself down, a cold gleam in his blue eyes. "I really should come up with a plan to subdue him and stop him from ever reporting me to the authorities." He reached over towards his bedstand and grabbed his cup and took a sip of tea, his gaze fixed on a distant, ornate tapestry. "I still have that thing in the basement, I can finish him off with that, but it's too risky, big sis might get injured."
A knock on the door.
[Should I really do this?Is the risk really worth it?]
Another knock on the door
[I don't want to go to prison either, I can't go there!]
The door came crashing down as the frames cracked, the steel hinges bent, Neila stood in the doorframe with one leg stretched outwards, she had kicked the door down.
Her blue eyes stared deep into Elias as a large grin ran from one side of her face to the other, her dirty blonde hair came down to her shoulders, her ripped jeans came loosely around her legs.
"I knocked twice and you didn't answer, don't blame me".
Elias's eyes widened as she jumped backwards slightly, dropping the cup of tea in his hand as it spilt all ove rhis bed.
"What are you doing here"!?
Her eyes became slit as she walked closer towards him, her heels clicking against the wooden floor, she slightly tilted her head as her voice came out as a sultry whisper. "You murdered the patriarch didn't you"?
His body froze, his heartbeat sped up once again, yet he calmed himself down, smiling softly. "Of course not, you think someone like me could do such a thing"?
"Drop the act". She commanded, her eyes glowing a vicious blue as her mana pulsed further. "You think I don't know"?
"Did Hoshimi tell you"?
"Him"? She tapped her finger against her chin as she stared up at the ceiling, pretending to think. "Of course not, I figured it out myself, do you really think that I was an idiot"?
A shaky smile spread across his face, as he backed up onto the cold wall. "What are you going to do about it"!?
"You". She punctuated the word. "Are Going To Do Everything I Say".
"You're blackmailing me now"!?
"Of course I am". Neila smiled softly, a malicious expression unfit of her pretty face.
Elias flinched, pressing harder against the wall. "What do you want?" he demanded, forcing a tremor from his voice. "Money? Influence? I can give you both!"
"I'm from one of the four great families". She pressed her heel into his shin, as he started screaming in pain. "Scream and you'll end up dead".
She stared down at him, staring into his very eyes like he was an ant.
"Just because you're a child doesn't mean that they'll let you off easy. You killed someone high in power you know? You'll likely end up dead".
"What do you want huh"!?
"What do I want"? She pointed towards her own chest. "I want you to be my slave, I want you to listen to my every move, you're smarter than you lead on Elias, I want to use you".
Elias fingers trembled as he felt chains wrap around his very soul, the metaphorical cold steel slowly crushing his very soul.
The sun shone through the glass window, yet Elias's vision started to blur.
"Aren't you an undeveloped witch, Elias"? She asked. "Let's make a Witch's Oath shall we"?