The sound of the door clicking wakes Subin. He shoots into a sitting position, one hand gripping the blanket and the other grabbing for the closest thing to protect himself with, eventually grabbing something.
No other sounds reach him as he stays motionless for what feels like an eternity.
Slowly, he moves towards the edge of the bed and carefully sets one foot down, then the other, praying the floor doesn't creak.
He lets a soft breath of relief out through his nose when it doesn't, and he creeps towards the stairs, tilting his head to try and get a peek down below.
Only Harker has entered this room before, so it's probably just him, but Subin can't fully shake the anxiety twisting in his stomach.
If he messed up on the first task, and there was anything wrong why wouldn't the generals the writer mentioned come check on him? Subin has no idea who or what they might be, but Harker has horns, a tail, and magic.
And he's just an aide.
Who knows what the generals of The Demon Lord are like?
Finally, he catches a glimpse of familiar horns, immediately breathing a sigh of relief.
"Harker?" He calls standing up from his crouched position.
"Yes, My Lo-" Harker's voice cuts off as he looks at Subin, his expression twitching slightly from the composed look, "why- ahem Is there any reason you are holding a pillow My Lord?"
Subin freezes before glancing down at his hand. The hand that he thought had grabbed something he could defend himself with. That was holding a pillow.
He can feel as his face heats up, and he glances to the side away from Harker below him.
"I forgot I had grabbed it. That's all." He shoots a look at Harker from the corner of his eye, trying to gauge his reaction.
The corners of the man's mouth twitch for a moment before he composes himself, tucking both hands behind his back. "Very well, My Lord."
Subin stares down at the man, waiting for him to say more before it occurs to him that Harker is waiting for him to say something. He chews on the corner of his lip before deciding on what feels safe.
"You're here early."
"I came to collect the dishes from last night."
Subin nods, and turns away from him to place the pillow back on the bed. He still felt on edge, Harker is a person who feels safe, but what would happen if he found out that Subin didn't know anything?
He hesitates for a moment before grabbing the journal and making his way down the stairs. Harker turns his head to watch him out of the corner of his eye as Subin does so.
The man's hands move quickly, and watching him Subin can understand how he cleaned the room so quickly when they first got here. Every move he makes is calculated, and when something is in the way of where he needs to wipe or grab something he taps it quickly and the item floats out of the way until he's done.
"Would you like me to collect everything for you to bathe?" He asks as a candelabra floats back into place behind a wipe of his cloth.
"I do not know how the items in your wash room have held up compared to those in the preserved storage, so I would need to check on them if you'd like to bathe."
Subin blinks, surprised. He didn't think about anything being preserved, but that was part of the message wasn't it? To find out how long it had been since they were last awake. It makes sense for the food and whatever else may be in storage that would decay quickly but - "Wouldn't soap and similar items survive time passing relatively well though?"
The question seems to amuse Harker slightly if the tilt of his lips is anything to go by, "Well, yes and no. will they still clean whatever they're used for? Yes. But they may not have the same scents or efficacy on use. Anything left out during the time you are away will be used to clean surfaces instead of people."
"Oh, that makes sense." He couldn't honestly find any fault with what Harker said, and honestly he really did want to take a bath. He's been in these clothes for at least two days and he doesn't want to think about how long that might have been before that if he was in the coffin the entire time.
Harker finishes his cleaning, tapping the dishes so they float beside him before he heads towards a wooden door inlaid under the stairs to his bed.
"Yes, it was something you put into place after spending some time on one of your slumbers making soaps in a world where supplies were scarce. You didn't want anything to go to waste after that for a while."
He pauses for a moment before turning to Subin, "Honestly, I am always at least slightly excited to see what you bring back from your slumbers. At least something good comes from those horrid moments."
The words stop Subin in his tracks. He doesn't know how to respond, especially when it seems clear that Harker is just trying to be kind. But every word just feels like a pressing reminder that to the man before him, Subin's whole life is just a temporary moment.
Subin's life isn't significant to him, just who he was supposed to be.
"I'll be back with proper supplies in a moment, My Lord."
Harker's voice causes Subin to jump, he hadn't realized Harker had gone into what he assumed to be the bathroom and come out already.
"Alright." He replies praying that his voice doesn't sound as rough as he feels.
He's got to pull himself together. If not, who knows what the next month will be like, especially when he meets other people.
The door clangs behind Harker, and Subin takes a deep breath. He can continue looking through the journal, and exploring his room. It seems so far that he isnt needed outside the room, which is good, but if he is needed the list should tell him. Hopefully.
It is a bit hard to place his trust in a man who admitted he didn't even want to tell the truth to the person who he fucked up his life.
Apparently only one other person knows any of this, and who knows where they are.
He peeks into the bathroom for a moment, just to see what its like, and immediately is shocked by how large it is.
Who needs a bathroom the size of a living room?
Although, when he glances back at the main room it at least looks like it fits that room's size.
He shakes his head, then heads for the sitting area closer to the apothecary-like area, and hopefully not magically reclining seats. He'll hear when Harker comes back and then he can relax in a bath… and maybe keep reading.
Cracking open the journal, he finds the line where he left off last night.
'You will need to familiarize yourself with your generals. Below are quick descriptions of each of them, but I do not have enough time to be able to give you anything deep on all of them. That information is already here in the journal listed further on, I have taken notes after every death to recount important information I may forget, or skills I learned in the other worlds.'
Subin tilts his head at that, good to know the rest of this journal is also important and might help him if he needs to,,, make soap he guesses.
On the other hand, he has to filter through this whole ass journal to find information that is HIGHLY IMPORTANT. He's definitely not frustrated by that.
'It shouldn't truly impact you for the first month, as only Harker is allowed in my chambers until I awaken, but if you can use the time to memorize whatever you can about them it will benefit you greatly'
Upon reading that line, Subin can't decide if he is relieved or frustrated. It sounds like he won't need to worry about other people but also that he doesn't get to leave the room? Unless there's something he's missing.
'First is Merren, you will know him easily by his six arms. He should know you won't remember anything as I mad-' the line is scribbled out again, '- asked him to do so. He is most skilled in magic, and is aloof to say the least, I- hopefully he will be in the castle when you return, but there is talks of him going on a mission.'
Oh. Great.
The only man who knows he doesn't know shit, is maybe here? Maybe not?
Its- fine. He can work with this.
If he can find Merren, he can weasel more information out of him.
Well, if he can find a way to check who is in the castle at least.
He shakes his head, continuing on.
'Next is Celena, she is, well, an imposing figure. Tall and strong, she is a force to be reckoned with, and will not tolerate tomfoolery. She takes her position seriously and expects everyone else to as well. You can recognize her from the tint to her skin, and the fins, even if they are well hidden they peek out slightly.'
'Third is Mica, who while brilliant is too headstrong for his own good, he will most likely-
Subin's attention is ripped from the journal when raised voices outside his room seep inside.
"Harker! I swear to Hena, just let me talk to him!" It's a woman's voice, one laced with anger.
Subin moves quickly, stashing the journal within his shirt, and moving quickly behind the room dividers separating the apothecary area from the main door. He doubts Harker will let whoever it is in, but he's dealt with annoying customers before.
If it's someone determined enough and they see him, they'll try and force their way in, which he doesn't want to deal with in a world with magic.
"You know the way things are. You can speak with him after he awakens." Harker's voice is firm, almost cold. It's nothing like how he's talked to Subin so far, and the difference is shocking.
"I'm not- This is important. I need to speak to him as soon as possible."
"No, you do not."
"You are not the one who gets to decide that." The woman's voice drops into a dangerous tone, "Do not think just because you are the one who relays information to and from him that you speak for him."
There is a beat of silence that follows, Subin leaning closer to the divider to try and hear anything that might be happening.
"Fine. I will ask him." The cold tone is in full force as Harker speaks, and the door creaks open, then shuts quickly.
"My Lord?" Harker asks.
It's quiet, almost gentle compared to how he just was, and Subin peeks out from behind the divider carefully. He doubts Harker would have let the woman in after him, but it never hurts to be cautious, when he only sees the familiar man at the door with a basket of toiletries, he calls out.
"I'm here," He steps out from behind the divider, and has to bite back a laugh at the way Harker jumps.
The man looks him over then sighs, tilting his head downwards.
"You were listening in, My Lord?" He says glancing towards the door.
"Well," Subin says, leaning against a chair back. "It wasn't difficult with your volume."
It's Harker's turn to fight back a laugh as he sets down the basket. "And the walls near your room being designed to hear outside more easily was not a help at all in that endeavor."
"Mmmm no I don't think so," He mentally files that information away for later. The walls were literally built to make it easier for him to spy on people.
"Then I'm sure I do not need to stay for much longer before I tell Cel to move on and let you recuperate."
"Wait- Cel?" Subin blurts out before he can think about it. "Like Celena?"
"Yes, My Lord. She is demanding to speak to you, but she knows that this is time for you to adjust, and besides when you are in your current state you refuse all visitors."
Harker keeps talking, but Subin misses most of it in a panic. None of the generals were supposed to try and see him during the first month.
Did that mean he can't trust the journal?
Or did that mean he messed up with the message?
He presses an arm into his side, the journal under his shirt digging into his skin to the point where it feels like it's burning.
Was his only lifeline a lie?