A small form straddled one of the lower ridges of the roof, green eyes alert. His back rested against on of the many chimneys that seemingly sprouted from the top of the manor. Below he could see a pale form traveling the path to the building, a dark shape in it's arms. Above the shape the sun was just beginning to set, sending unassuming rays down onto the house below to make the windows sparkle and flash in the light. And make the bars that crisscrossed them sparkle as well. The light male pushed the gate open, shifting the body in his arms so he could lock the tall wrought iron gate behind him. As he continued down the cobble-and-brick path the child stirred himself, hastily standing and sliding down the steep incline to the open window.
The only unbarred windows were the ones of the attic, where James lived. Correction. Where the servants lived. Hassan had one half and James had the other. Drake had been smart enough to separate them with a a wall though, and they each had their own flight of stairs down into the main part of the building. James hurried down those steps, feet sliding in his shoes, Drake never bothered to find clothes that would actually fit James, even though he went the extra kilometer for Hassen, as the bloke hadn't been able to walk properly for a long while after his...accident.
When James made it to the wide, door-lined hall, Drake and Hassen where already there. The human looked anxious, but then again, he'd looked like that all day. All the humans and activity seemed to be doing a number on him. in the earlier part of the day he'd haunted the second floor room, acting like a guard dog. Whenever James showed his face around the corner of that hall, Hassen's head would bolt upright and he'd tense into an aggressive pose. James, even though a good fight was what he craved at the moment, always withdrew his head almost immediately. Drake had given him orders, and he couldn't perform any type of detour, even if the same was allowable when Hassen was the transgressor. Damn that human.
--
They waited. No, James waited. Drake wandered off, issuing James an order and Hassen a glance that plainly spoke, do what you like. Hassen promptly followed the light daemon down the hall and away, around the corner. James slid down the wall and rested his forehead on his knees to wait for the carefully administered drugs to wear off. Enough of a dosage that each of them would wake at approximately the same time. They were each in their assigned room, sleeping off the effects of the heavy, anesthesia-like drug. They'd awake groggy and confused but still to sedated to attack anyone or to flee.
--
Suddenly Drake reappeared, his normal grin curving his lips. Hassen trailed a meter or so behind him. James didn't care what Drake had been doing, he was feeling rather irritable, actually. He could guess though. Drake had either strolled over to the kitchen, which was on the other side of the first floor, and prepared food for the poor souls or worked on an illustration of one of his guests. Or Hassen. He'd taken to drawing Hassen much in the same way he'd often drawn James not a year before.
"Stir yourself, James." Drake said, making the boy start with surprise. He was pulled up by his upper arm, and Drake gave him a sharp little push towards one of the doors. He followed up by issuing a similar, but perhaps a touch gentler, push to Hassen.
"Line them up so we can discuss." He said vaguely.
James took the left side of the hall and Hassen took the right. First out was a light haired girl, guided out of her room. Linnet. Then came the also blonde Elizabeth from Hassen's side, from the door facing Linnet's. Then, from the door next to Linnet's came Dom, followed by Lira from the door facing his, and finally Allease was herded by James out of the door at the far end of the hall, right next to the wall. Across from it was the servant stairwell up to the second floor. The hallways was wide enough to fit all five of them shoulder to shoulder with half an arm-span of space between each.
The countenances displayed an assortment of groggy and confused faces, they still didn't seem too aware of what was going on. Drake planned to fix that, however. His red gaze traveled over each face, how different they all looked, and he paused for a moment, his jaw moving slightly as if he was chewing on his words.
"Welcome, my friends." He said warmly. The look in his eye, however, completely juxtaposed the words. "I'm glad that you have woken up. We have much to discuss. But first I feel that I should introduce everyone. It isn't fun to attend a game when you don't know your fellow player's name."
The pale male walked slowly, deliberately. He paused beside the odd-eyed blonde. He didn't meet her eyes though, as his gaze was wandering the rest of the group. "This little one is Linnet Mallory. Say hello, Linnet." He rested his slender had briefly on her shoulder before he continued, stepping behind her to reach the next person, the male who was nearly as tall as him. "This is Dominic Brecht. You may say hello too." He clapped the man on the shoulder as he moved on to the next human in the row. The blue-eyed brunette was next, His hand rested on her shoulder-blade as he introduced her. "This is Allease LaVera, you may follow with the pleasantries."
Three down, two to go.
The next was a tall twig of a man, standing slightly taller than him. Drake caught the male's upper arm briefly in his grip as he spoke. "This one is Lira Devine, Say hello, my fellow." And then to the last one, the other blonde. He paused for a moment with a hand on either shoulder as he announced the name of the last player of his game. "And finally we have Elizabeth Richardson, who may also greet the people."
In a flash he was back in front of them, shooting a glance at Hassen to make sure he was alright. He looked extremely anxious, and had taken to hovering near James when Drake moved among the other humans. James looked mildly uncomfortable with the hand on his shoulder. When the finger started tapping, James shot a glance at the other servant. The blue-green eyes were not on him, however, so he resumed his gazing at the floor. Drake's eyes traveled the pack again, they looked much more alert now.
"You are wondering why you are here at this point, I imagine." He stated, clasping his hands behind his back. "And the reason is, you are going to play a game. it is called Last Man Standing, and as such, I must lay down some rules. Firstly, if you are going to bleed to death, or inflict such an end on someone else, please make sure you don't get blood on the carpet. It takes James a devil of a time to get those stains out. Second, if you dally in the game or try to escape, you lose, and Hassen will make your end swift. Maybe." Drake jerked a thumb at the taller servant as he spoke. "Third, stay out of the room with the closed door on the second floor, or you will certainly die in the most painful way I can devise. Which would most likely result in you being ripped in half."
The daemon paused for a moment, shooting a glance at Hassen to make sure he was still alright. He could feel the poor chap's tension rising quickly. He shooed the taller out of the way, reached out, and looped his arm around James's neck, to make sure they knew that he was serious. "Also, stay out of my room and the library. And the attic. Other than that, you may go where you please. Don't steal food from the kitchens though, I will provide sustenance as you require it. Oh, and don't have sex, don't attempt to harm James or Hassen, and really, don't destroy anything other than each other. Please. And that, I think, is it. Thank you for your time."
Drake smiled winningly. The boy was slowly turning blue, his lips already a macabre purple, and had began to pull at Drake's arm frantically, his lungs complaining with the pain of not receiving oxygen. the chocolate haired servant was released suddenly, and he fell to the ground, gasping, and Drake turned on heel, vanishing around the corner without even a look at Hassen.
Let the games begin.