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Mon Coeur » Arcs » Breakfast

Tensions rise as the humans have breakfast together.

As written by: pieluver, slcam, Skwidge, FaddedFox, mjolnir, Miss Echo, Unwarranted, SlightlyInsane, ianna_334


30 pieces and 11 characters involved, written by 9 different authors.

1 places involved




So begins...

Breakfast


The ManorSetting: The Manor


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【"A new day, a new way to say hello!"】
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【Various Locations】
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【#E31230】
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The silence descended over the house like a spring shower, suddenly muting the usually boisterous demon and sending his companions skittering into their corners to occupy themselves without fear of intrusion. In the year since they took over this abandoned sprawl of land all the humans had settled back down, claiming their territory and making themselves at home in the old husk of a building. In the last few months it had grown a bit homier, a little more lived in, and anyone who so chose could disappear into the woodwork of the tangled hive of halls in the languid structure.

Sabine brooded like this frequently these days. It was undoubtedly better than the alternative, but the fits of catatonia tended to deeply affect the mood of the house. At times like this, the demon could sit, staring vacantly into the middle distance as if reliving memories, almost entirely unaware of his surroundings. These slow states were good for a good hair-brushing session, some reading, or a long cuddle, if one as willing to tolerate the iron grip of the demon for a few hours until an opportunity for escape made itself momentarily available or Sabine woke back up.

So the humans had nearly a week to do as they pleased, as long as they didn’t draw too close to the blank-eyed creature slumped over in an armchair in the library. The book he’d been trying to read before the mood hit him lay face down on the floor below him, still open to the last page he’d read before it slid from his suddenly nonexistent grip.

In the early evening on that warm, lazy spring day, however, the lanky figure started, suddenly sitting straight again. He blinked twice, looking around as if he couldn’t figure out how he’d ended up in this place. Slowly, like a man on stilts, he rose and wandered down the halls to his rooms, located at the heart of the winged manor. Thin fingers tugged through his mussed golden curls as he tried to remember which century he currently existed in. Where were they, exactly? The memories dribbled like sludge through his mind, out of reach for a few desperate moments.

While he did not need to sleep, the humans did, and as the hour grew later, he sensed sleep settle over the manor, along with that strange urge to hold his breath to remain perfectly quiet. He could not sleep, though, as much as he would like to. He couldn’t. Not anymore. At one point, sleep had been one more human delight to explore, but recently it was only a slog into his own fractured psyche something he had no particular desire to face. The nightmares plagued his dreams more often than not, and it was much easier to hide from these problems than to wake up again and again with the chill of fear wrapped around his throat. If one of the humans wanted him to lie with them until they fell asleep, he would be more than happy lie still and hold them close for a few hours, but he did not sleep. He mostly occupied himself with wondering what his sweet pets dreamt about.

The demon busied himself with cleaning up, gazing into the mirror that hung above the washstand in his room as he filled the basin from a porcelain jug. While they had a few rooms already furnished with running water, largely in and in the rooms surrounding the kitchen on the first floor, it was simply too difficult to try and run lines throughout the whole of the old house. As it was, the piping that led to one of the many wells on the vast grounds was painfully obvious against the significantly less modern façade of their home. The large roll top bath he’d put in was very nice, as was the cistern that flushed the toilet, they weren’t much more than luxuries for humans that no longer needed to eat or drink and therefore rarely perspired, and only truly needed a bath when the managed to get themselves somehow incredibly dirty. The would only produce waste when they bothered to eat, which was more for some than others, so the running water was mostly used to washing clothes and filling buckets to wash the floor and filling jugs for the washstands on the upper floors.

Nonetheless, there was something pleasurable about running the damp cloth along the slim lines of his form. How human he looked, in so many aspects! It was amazing to think that he’d made this body with his own two hands. While there had been unforeseen difficulties, especially when it came to his innards, he could hardly fix those things now—the pets would surely starve to death if he left. He had no clue how long it’d take to rewire everything, it had taken ages to get the outside of the body to work properly to begin with it. The only things he’d managed to build somewhat properly were the skeletal and muscular systems. His cardiovascular system was fairly accurate, but some of the humans had seemed surprised that his heart was near his core, instead of higher in his chest. He still didn’t understand why their hearts weren’t central, but he didn’t push the issue. It wasn’t important anyway, and neither was his lack of a digestive system. It wasn’t like he ate that much anyway, and he didn’t mind being ill for the sake of the pets when he did eat.

The demon studied himself for a few long moments in his mirror, a deep sigh escaping his lung. What sad blue eyes stared back at him. Wasn’t he acting the fool? How could he be so morose when there was so much here for him? This was his home, his family. Wasn’t this what he wanted? He had a safe place to live, he had company, what more could he ask for? Persisting in this gloomy manner simply would not do. It’d be akin to giving up. He couldn’t do that. He couldn’t let that happen. Time meandered on with or without him, and the humans followed it, despite their relative immortality. They didn’t deserve to be ignored in such a way. He shouldn’t burden them with such things. It was time to lift his chin up and carry on as usual. He had what he’d always wanted, he should be happy! The demon smiled at himself. This was a common ritual. Every time he fell back into that dark place, he had to remind himself that this was the life that he’d chosen. There were no other options. He’d made this. If he wasn’t proud of it, who would be? And these humans were his responsibility anyway. It would be cruel to neglect them.

After combing out his hair, he dressed again in soft greys and blues, draped a coat over his shoulders, and wandered outside. The moon hung, fat and overripe, at the apex of the sky. Moonlight spattered over the path, turning the flora and statuary into silver-haloed silhouettes. If there was another soul in his path, he either did not notice them, or they were too skilled at hiding for him to spot them. The night air was slightly chilly, a reminder of the freshly passed winter. A faint shiver crept up Sabine’s back as he observed the flower buds trying vainly to bloom. The last snow was long behind them, but spring struggled to manifest itself, only fitfully warming the air.

Sabine sighed. Even after all these centuries, he still couldn’t control these foreign human emotions. Even with memories of home far behind him, he remembered how much easier it had been to live in a body that had been made specifically for him, a form where his soul did fit, where it didn’t leak out haphazardly, leading to these fits of rage and moroseness he so despised. His dislike of these issues, however, seemed only to make them worse. Things had been so terrible lately, he couldn’t go even a month without breaking down at least once. Why? It wasn’t fair. He just wanted to live, take care of the humans and enjoy the earth. Why were things falling apart like this?

This peace, in the wake of such strong emotion, however, was much welcomed. It was one good thing about this world, about this body. No matter how sad or angry he became, everything always came back to this odd, still feeling in the pit of his being. Calm. It was a good feeling.

The fact that he was struggling with these stupid emotions that so easily and frequently bested him was not something he could share with any of the humans. Not even those closest to him. Theirs was supposed to be a carefree existence. He couldn’t burden them with his troubles, it wouldn’t be right. Even if this anger seemed to be doing the job for him. And the forgetfulness. Coming back to himself to see them broken and cowering was one thing, but to see their face fall when he forgot something important was even worse. And it had been happening so frequently lately. He should start keeping a list of important things nearby just in case. The fear of losing whatever continuum of memory he still clung to was a complex bundle of thoughts he’d been doing his very best to avoid thus far. If he didn’t think about it, it wasn’t a problem, right?

Right.

Sometimes, though, in the dead of night like this, he wondered if he should just let them all go. It wouldn’t be fair, though. They would die slow, agonizing deaths by starvation. How could he willingly play party to that? He still didn’t know exactly how they would die, other than suppositions based on how they began to act once they grew hungry, but he was fairly sure it’d be highly unpleasant. And he wasn’t about to experiment on a human to find out for sure. He wasn’t that kind of person.

They had enough troubles on their own anyway, didn’t they.

He just needed to remind himself to keep his chin up, to stay happy. Everything would turn out just fine, as long as he stayed content with the way things were. Life would continue on as it always had. As the sun began to stain the horizon with early morning color over the trees, Sabine sat down on a stone bench, facing an angelic fountain he’d acquired long ago and never really had the heart to get rid of. Now the stone had been worn down so much that the poor cherub was barely distinguishable. It was a trinket of a time since passed, a gift from someone long forgotten and longer dead.

It was funny. Sabine’s memory was incredibly vast, but as the years passed it worsened not because he lost the memories, but because it was too difficult to find them. It didn’t help that every fit of emptiness or anger caused little blips of nothingness on the fabric of his consciousness, and everything seemed to be fraying, connections lost and chaos reigning in his memory recall. He sighed, his shoulders rising and falling resignedly. He gazed up at the lightening sky for a few moments, one of millions of sunrises he’d seen. They were always so precious, though. He never tired of them. A new day. His eyes slid shut, head tilted back in an almost rapturous pose as peace settled over him. Life would continue for his little household as it always did. Everything would be fine.

Everything would be just fine.

As the sky blushed shyly, the sun finally poking its head over the trees, Sabine rose. Things had been altogether too quiet. He needed everyone to be together for a while. That usually cheered him up. It was an easy way to make sure everyone was doing alright anyway. A nice breakfast would do the trick. Everyone would come together to make food, those who desired to eat could eat, and those who did not could sit for a while. They would be a happy household for an hour or two. It would be fun!

They were all probably starting to get hungry anyway. He’d gotten into the habit of waiting for them to come to him if they needed to eat because, while some of them came willingly, trying to feed the others before the bite of hunger stirred them was like trying to drag a cat out of the attic. So it was easier to let them come to him, but he knew that some of the humans didn’t like to approach him when he was in catatonia. So hopefully those who required food would alert him during breakfast, and they could feed without issue.

Most of them did a good job about staying on top of their hunger. Perhaps they were ashamed by the violent measures they would inadvertently enact if they waited too long. He didn’t mind having his throat chewed out or his wrists scratched up on occasion—it was its own form of affection—but it seemed to bother several of them. It didn’t hurt him overmuch, but that didn’t seem to change the popular opinion.

It was a human thing.

A light, early morning breeze tugged at his long blond curls as he trotted back towards the manor, and the chill made him pull his jacket closer. It was time to gather the troops. Those who’d noticed that he’d vacated his spot from the night before would not be surprised to see him bouncing around, but those who hadn’t would certainly be caught off guard by his sudden mood change. Especially since he had the bad habit of bursting into places when he was excited about something.

It was a bit of a pain to find everyone. He’d let them choose their own rooms, so they were scattered all over. He didn’t linger long after finding any one pet, just long enough to tell them to go down to the kitchens and help prepare for breakfast. Any argument was met with a cheerful promise that if they didn’t come down, he’d carry them down himself and tie them to a chair. Some of the humans were still in their rooms—some still asleep—and others had already risen and were wandering about. Most of the time, meals were not spent together, since there was no real need to eat, but the best way to handle Sabine’s occasional whimsy was to sit at the table for a while until he floated off again, his attentions so easily diverted once he’d gotten what he wanted. It was also a good time to ask Sabine for new items, whether pets, clothing, or other trinkets, because he was usually in a fair mood when everyone was gathered together.

Once he’d finally assembled everyone, however, he made the realization that two members of the household were missing. The Blackbird he was unsurprised about, the golden-eyed boy was endlessly playing games, trying to keep a step out of reach. His Fox, however, came as a surprise, she usually attended when he called to her. But, as it was, he had two arms, he could carry them both down if he had to.
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【"I would face the rabble for my sweet Sabine any day."】
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【Sitting in Sabine’s arms】
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【#881309】
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As Sabine, master of the manor, sunk into a contemplative state, the house became more peaceful for a time. Even Natalia was subdued and more likely to avoid the other pets than seek them out. She felt as though she needed to hold her breath so as not to disturb the fragile peace. Sabine hardly noticed anyone when he was like this, but Natalia often sat quietly in the same room, perusing biographies of explorers or working on embroidering a pillow. She took care not to sit too close unless he was brushing her hair. She knew too well the danger of being trapped in a cuddle session for hours on end. If any others joined them, her very manner made it clear they were not welcome, but she did not go much past that. It did not feel right to disrupt the silence for something as foolish as a squabble. Often the stillness would become suffocating and she would relocate outdoors to wander through the gardens or to visit her mare in the stables. It was a time of waiting, and that seemingly endless waiting made Natalia tense. Those Natalia passed, she ignored entirely, her mood echoing Sabine’s with a pensive unease.

Just the evening before, Natalia had retired to her rooms early, forgoing her usual activity of watching the sunset from her favored sitting room. She sat in her bedroom at her desk, perusing some notes she had made a while before. At the time, a couple years before, she had been studying James Cook as word of his explorations returned to England. Of course, the news was often old and outdated by the time she had gotten hold of it, but she had felt as though she was experiencing it with him. At least that is what she imagined at the time. Currently, the thought held little interest for her. She was far too restless. Though she tried to make her mind settle so she could sleep, it raced and fretted over nameless worries.

Finally, she became too agitated to remain in her quarters. Natalia originally set off in search of Sabine, perhaps to have him brush her hair, but she took one look at the gardens, awash with the soft light of a newly risen moon, and changed her mind. It would be rather refreshing to take a short stroll outside. Perhaps she would visit her mare for a short while, though it was regrettably too late for a pleasure ride. As she stepped into the cool night air, she felt that she could breathe again. She stood a moment by the side entrance as the bright stars and even brighter moon caught her eye. Even as she moved off toward the small stables, her attention was more on the sky than her surroundings. If there were any in the gardens besides her, she failed to notice.

She spent only a short time in the stables, checking to see that her mare was well provided for, but the spring night was cold and she had left her shawl in her rooms. Shivering slightly, her skirts rustling gently as she walked, she made her way back inside, savoring the fresh air. The warmth of the house was welcome, though she hardly noticed as she returned to her rooms. She thoughtlessly readied for bed and was asleep almost as her head touched the pillow.

Nattia awoke to a gentle stream of sunlight sneaking through the eastern edge of her window, illuminating the pastel colors of her wallpaper. Her eyes studied the pattern of large, arching foliage of an amherst grey surrounding small clusters of flowers of every shape. Whenever she studied it, there was some new detail to admire, such as a small grouping of pale purple berries she noticed wrapped around the stem of a forget-me-not.

Her eyes wandered over the featureless ceiling until they reached the half canopy that stood guard over the head of her bed. Its heather-colored fabric draped at a central point over her, flowed down to either side, and was gathered by paired gold cords. The matching bedclothes that covered her form were spotted with embroidery in pale gold and green thread. The main geometric designs had always been there, but throughout the years, Natalia added her own designs, even filling in the spaces of the original embroidery. In fact, several other embroidered pieces inhabited the room: the curtains on either side of the window, a few pillows on the window seat, a throw blanket laid over the back of the desk chair, a couple hangings on the wall. Each lent a little spot of warmth.

After just a few moment’s contemplation of what she might do that day, Natalia arose and sauntered to the wardrobe, pausing on the way to scan the contents of her desk, still sprawled untidily over the surface where she had abandoned them the night prior, before moving on to dress for the day. Inside the capacious wardrobe were countless gowns of many stylings and eras. After a moment of ruffling through her collection, she chose a pale rose-colored gown with wide ruffles around a neckline that exposed the shoulders, and an empire-waist tied with a translucent red sash. She hung it from the front of the wardrobe and strode to her vanity, which was against the same wall as her bed, to apply her regular makeup.

Once her skin was an even tone and her lips were lightly rouged, she returned to the gown and began the work of dressing. The very thought was still odd to her, as lifetimes ago she had grown up with a personal servant to assist her in the task. Since coming to the manor, she had been forced to do it mostly on her own. After all, she hardly saw the other female ‘pets’ as anything more than a necessary nuisance, and she would hardly trust any of them even with so simple a task. So, she learned to manage on her own, though it had been a struggle at first.

She was just fidgeting with the last button when she heard the sound of tromping footsteps coming down the hall. Natalia scurried back over to her vanity and ran a brush through her hair until it satisfied her. She heard her sitting room door open, and a familiar voice called out for her, causing a thrill of excitement to run through her being. There was only one person that would seek her out at this time of morning. Or at any time for that matter, under normal circumstances. It had to be Sabine, and that meant that he was out of his slump. She felt a sudden new energy and purpose to her step. Natalia chuckled at herself, she was as cheery as a girl.

Only a moment later, she opened her bedroom door, immediately seeing the one she expected. Sabine was gathering the household for breakfast, and Natalia gave a small, "Hmph" at the request. Sabine seemed hardly to notice before he was whirling off to find the next person. “And if I would rather just dine with you?” she called to his retreating form. There was no response.

Breakfast was nice and all, but the tension could build so fast when the household was gathered all in one room. Even worse, she would be expected to contribute to the preparations if she went down now. She did not even want to think about the attempts at socializing. So, instead of continuing to get ready or heading down, she sat in her armchair with a slight scowl. Inwardly, she felt the buzzing happiness at seeing Sabine once again full of energy. As much as his quiet spells unsettled her, the release always inspired a thrill of joy in the red-haired woman.

Still, she continued her playacting at being sullen, picking up a book to peruse as she stubbornly remained in her rooms. She knew Sabine’s will ruled the house and, in the end, she would be with the others at breakfast. She also knew Sabine himself would likely come to retrieve her and the even that small time stolen alone together would be worthwhile. So, there she sat, skimming through a book that could not truly hold her interest as she stared at it for a myriad of minutes. Suddenly, Sabine once again burst through her door, startling her into slamming the book closed, as if guilty about it. She quickly covered her embarrassment, leisurely setting her book back on the shelf.

"Yes?" she asked innocently, though she knew full well he was back to insist she came to breakfast. He tried to put on a solemn face, but there was far too much cheer beneath for it to convince Natalia.

"Are you coming to breakfast, Starfire?" Though Natalia tried to maintain her own facade of innocence, she could not help the small, mischievous crook of her lips as Sabine called her by her favorite nickname. Still, she quickly resumed a sulky frown, not willing to give up on the game yet.

She demurely folded her hands in her lap, looking out the window with a stubborn air, "Ah, breakfast. What a bother. And if I refuse to come to the amusing charade we call breakfast? What then?" Her eyes turned back to the blond demon, a full pout on her lips. She had to work to keep it from turning to a smirk. As he grew closer, approaching her armchair, her pout faded and her eyes grew wide once more with pretended innocence.

"What then?" He asked, his voice melodious. "Why then, I'll have to sweep you up and carry you there myself! How could we possibly expect to have breakfast without your illustrious presence, my darling?" At his question, she scoffed, making a shooing motion at him and turning her face. Inwardly, however, she was warmly pleased. She felt his hand on her chair, and turned in surprise. This time she could not contain the smirk as Sabine leaned nearer. "Whatever would you do then?" he teased.

"What would I do, you ask? Well, I would stay right here and enjoy my solitude, of course. Who needs all that riotous rabble of a crowd you keep around?" She turned once more, this time positioning her back to him as she sat near the edge of the chair and folded her arms across her chest. Her hair was only inches from his face, tickling at his nose.

"Oh, you wound me, princess," he told her as she turned. Sabine laid a strand of her hair over her shoulder and she glanced back at him from the corner of her eye. He turned to leave, bemoaning her refusal, as he sighed, "I suppose I'll just have to leave then, and parley with my rabble all alone."

She replied with a slight tinge of victory in her tone, "I suppose you shall." She examined the nails of one hand, oblivious to Sabine's sudden turn.

"Or I could steal you away right now. You can brave the rabble for me, can't you?" She was surprised by the sudden lifting, letting out a shrill shriek that quickly dissolved into a giggle. She clasped her arm around his neck as though frightened of falling, though she was rather secure in the knowledge that Sabine would never drop her.

She gave a sigh of exasperation once more as he proposed facing the rabble for him. "Well, your argument does hold a certain persuasion, I suppose. I seem not to have much choice, now do I?" She could not help the slight giggle that once again bubbled from her lips when Sabine began moving. There was always something rather pleasurable about being carried. Sabine’s close smile warmed her as nothing else could, and she felt a slight flush rise to her pale cheeks, only partially concealed by the powder.

"You know I couldn't bear to be away from my beautiful girl for too long."

He spun her around and she laughed once more, nestling closer to avoid getting too giddy. “Stop, stop,” she said, breathless from her giggles. “You silly creature! You will make me dizzy.” He began to hum and tromped out of the door. He hesitated a moment, and Nattia peered inquiringly into his face.

"Ah, we have one more stop to make," he murmured, as if to himself. "Four didn't come down either. I hope you don't mind, Lovely."

A small, stricken “Oh,” emerged from her lips, and the corners curved into a dismayed frown.

She turned her face from Sabine and looked sullenly down the hall. A familiar, deep-seated resentment flared in her chest. Of course it would be Four who would refuse to go to breakfast. He was always trying to hide in the shadows, as though his pathetic attempts to conceal himself meant a thing when Sabine wanted him. Natalia’s annoyance only built as Sabine sought after the boy, and she ignored any further attempts at banter. She resentfully resolved to do nothing but sit in Sabine’s arms, staring ahead as they walked.

When they finally found Four, she continued to occupy Sabine’s arms, glaring at the dark-haired boy. It painted a rather comical picture, but Natalia was far from amused.
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【”Damn your morning and damn you."】
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Silence… eerie silence. The walls dripped with it, the floors creaked by it. Existence seemed to slow to a near standstill- a phenomena that occurred for the benefit of those under its roof. It was almost like a blessing forced to be given, something that the universe had to give them to make up for the hell that they were forced to suffer forever.

One would expect that when the head of the household lapsed into this kind of stagnation, Lonan would become livelier and more open, easier-going and more relaxed around the house. But they would be wrong; at least after a fashion. It was true that these things may occur to a small degree in the somber man, but it wasn’t something to be witnessed by the others in the house when this rarity of Sabine’s developed. It may have taken him a day or two to realize that Sabine’s demeanor had changed, as that was just how much Lonan avoided the man, but once the fact was established, Four seemed to disappear from existence entirely.

For once he assured himself that Sabine was indeed set in his lethargic ways, he lapsed into his own kind of altered state. Lonan would be gone for days, no one having the slightest clue as to where it was he went, or if he even had left and wasn’t instead simply hiding too well within the manor. Following the easing of his concerns in regards to a lively Sabine, Four had stolen away under the cover of darkness and solitude that first night of confirmation. While the others relished in the freedom they received to roam the house without any worry of the demon, Lonan had elsewhere to be.

When Sabine was consciously aware of himself, Lonan restricted his wanderings to the courtyards of the house at night to get his running and fresh air in, but when the chains were released and the leash around his throat went slack, Four ran with it the first chance he got. It was easy to slip away unnoticed- the other pets were too busy with themselves to really notice anything else and he had the skill tucked away under his belt to begin with.

He would run far and fast, relishing the stretching of his muscles and the change of scenery. He would put as much distance between himself, the house, and the town a day’s journey away- in fact, he would end up heading in the completely opposite direction of all of it. It didn’t matter the distance between the latter two, didn’t matter that the house was in the countryside. Lonan was always suffocating under the heaviness of civilization, of smoke and upgrading technology. He hated it all, hated that he knew things would only grow worse as time progressed. And all he had was time.

Four would escape into the forests of the countryside a few kilometers out, completely ignoring the small wooded area near the house. It was too small, too close to the source of his destruction. So Lonan would conceal himself to a past familiarity, a place devoid of any sort of humanity, to attempt to find solace and self. The outdoors were his peace of mind, where he felt closest, most connected to his past with some semblance of normalcy, where he could attempt to pretend that nothing had changed, forcefully ignoring, almost painfully ignoring, the obvious lack of everything he once knew. The sights and the smells… the feeling of a different age in a different place. He would go out hunting, living amidst the leaves and the dirt with the rough, familiar feeling of a quickly crafted bow conjured from the skills buried within the memory of his hands fitting comfortably within his palms. The long-misplaced familiarity of stretching tendons and muscles when he would pull back on the bowstring, strong shoulders set and eyes intently focused on whatever sort of prey he had honed in on, aiming with decades of past practice.

Four felt little in regards to taking the lives of the creatures in the forest. It was better them that he exerted his anger and frustrations on than the others in the house, than himself for a fleeting moment of time. Well, he felt little except for a melancholy jealousy; they could die, could pass from the earth and move on in their allotted time of existence. They wouldn’t discover the debilitating change that came with the turn of ages, wouldn’t live with the realization that everyone who ever cared about you, everyone you ever loved, had moved on and passed without you. That you must have been so easily forgotten. They would never be forced to face the terrifying reality of being utterly alone, being in a place that you did not belong, being crushed beneath the force of constricting eternity and helplessness.

He was doing them a favor, really. They would not have to suffer the future winters and hardships that came with life. It fulfilled Four in any case, so it honestly didn’t matter what the animals may have thought. He did not feel guilt, only relief that so desperately needed to flourish from his cooped up soul.

This was a game of torment and torture for Four, however. Lonan would delay the inevitable, ignore it despite the knowing certainty that it would always happen- that the hunger would inevitably return and break any poorly veiled spell he had tried to weave for himself. That his duty, his curse, beckoned to him like a siren’s song that could never be ignored. It would bring him crashing back down to reality- it would tear him from familiarity, from any possible happiness, back to the damnation he faced daily and suffered eternally. It was suddenly and slowly reliving every feeling from that very first day, the day he realized that nothing would ever be the same. The fear, the anger, the hopelessness… and then the dire feeling of all-consuming end- that everything was all over.

It was a sick and twisted game he played, where he would allow himself the possibility of relief, the possibility of solace, only to have it be utterly denied- harshly reminded by his own hand that it would not be allowed. He was not allowed to be happy, he was not allowed to find respite or something to soothe his aching, chaotic soul; he was not allowed to escape into his memories or to lose himself to them. Because the hunger always came back. It always came back… and with its return, the chains constricted around him once more. They dug into his flesh and tightened around his throat, suddenly and sharply dragging him back into the depths of a living, continuous hell.

It wasn’t so much the pain that forced him to return to Sabine’s side. No, the pain he could easily handle. He dished it out upon himself daily in every degree of the word anyway. Pain was nothing to Four, or at least when it wasn’t at the end of Sabine’s rod. The true monster was the madness that ensued, the primal hunger, the desperation and the loss of human self. This was the reason that he did not simply bare to end his existence- because he was a danger to everyone in England elsewise. Lonan reacted differently to Sabine’s blood than all the others. When it dwindled from his system, not only did he endure a climbing sense of excruciating pain, but he slipped into a sense of bloodlust and rage, unsatisfied with any pool of blood sticky and dripping through his fingers unless it were Sabine’s. While bloodlust was a natural occurrence for the pets later on in their timeframe of lacking the demon’s blood, Lonan’s was violent, unfiltered, and had a tendency to stir sooner than anyone else’s did. It was deadly and destructive, all-consuming and utterly ravenous. There was no escape from it, for him or for anyone else.

So Four was always aware of the time that passed between his last feeding and the distance he put between Sabine when the demon lulled. He could not bear the thought of harming anyone else, forcing others to suffer under his anger, to suffer the same way he suffered. That was one of the many reasons he did self-harm; on the now-increasingly-common occasion when the anger, chaos, or desperation stirred to an unbearable degree, Four would abate it using his own flesh as a canvas for expression and release….

Lonan had probably been absent from the manor for about three or four days when he felt the draw and duty to return from days spent amidst the quietness of the forest, to be pulled from the gentle rustle of leaves and the smell of life and earth, the warmth of the sun and the coolness of night paired with the choirs of chirping crickets and the distant hoot of an owl wishing to join the serenade, to regretfully abandon the comfortable roughness of a thick branch beneath him as he slept. The journey had been a quiet one with Lonan rarely speaking and instead listening to his own thoughts and the sounds of the earth. Was there regret to be leaving once again? Of course, but it was mellow, concealed. It was just another fact of his life, one he had come to terms with long ago.

Four returned to the manor the sixth night, dawn of the seventh day in the week of Sabine’s slumber. He snuck past familiar stone fences etched with ivy, past roses in bloom, and past the local crickets innocently chirping away their final notes of song before the predators began to stir. The sun had not yet peaked over the horizon, but its time was growing near, and Lonan did not want to be caught out in its rays. With eyes consistently focused upon each window of the house to ensure that there were no watching eyes, Lonan slipped seamlessly between bushes and trees, low walls and hedges, until he reached one of the back doors.

The house would begin to stir shortly with the earliest of risers, but Lonan had quite the opposite in mind. He need to re-familiarize himself with his room, find that small etched out nook he had made for himself in terms of accepting Sabine’s presence once more. But the haunting memories of the house would greet him as well, would loom over his mind and invade his being the moment he entered. He often had a great trouble sleeping and instead did something with himself at all hours of the day- out of the prying eyes of others, of course. That would not be the case today, however.

Four knew Sabine to a certain extent, what with having been stuck with him for a few centuries, so he usually had a good grasp on the demon’s timer when it came to these times of peace. Undoubtedly he would return to his usual self very shortly; if not today, then certainly tomorrow. But Lonan hoped to be far from him when that occurred, to find some peace and rest for his aching muscles, to hide beneath the sheets of his bed and never come out again. It would never happen, but he could still hope, foolish as it was.

The old wooden door at the back of the house creaked quietly open as Lonan pressed against it with his side, slipping inside and looking around for a moment, allowing his eyes to adjust to the low level of lighting. A hooded cloak of dark brown adorned his frame, hiding his face and appearance just in case he were to run into someone. He would not allow his place of respite to be disclosed to others, and the dirt and sweat that clung to his form would easily tell of a place he had been. He did not want others asking questions, trying to figure him out. It did not matter if one or two of them had somehow overseen him slipping away at one time or another, he always managed to lose the unwanted shadows of anyone who were to pursue and was always careful to cover his tracks. He unlaced his boots quickly so that he would not track mud in the halls, further disclosing that he had been up to something.

For a moment he paused, considering that he might have used the walls of the building instead to reach his room, but the thought was dismissed in the next instance when his body ached in a dull beat. No, he would be too tired to do so. Besides, he was fairly confident in his ability to avoid everyone- he did it every day anyway. Four left his muddy boots by the door; he would clean them later, or inevitably someone else would pick them up and do the job for him. He was not worried about them- the mud could easily be placed for that in the gardens outside.

It was quiet in the halls that he wandered through on socked feet. The wood was dark from the lack of any lighting, and the pathways rang with a cold from lack of any heating element, whether that be from a hearth or from the sunlight. Four liked the house when it was like this, it was quiet, familiar. He was left alone and the walls reverberated with his thoughts. He wandered past many pointless rooms, empty of any life or touch, simply there to make the house bigger and nothing more. Those were his rooms; they were just like him. Overlooked, ignored, left by the wayside to collect dust and dirt, never seeing the light of day and sort of just there. There for no reason.

On his way to one of the many sets of stairs in the building, Lonan paused by one of the washrooms. He was quick and efficient in washing the grime from his form, the water cold to his warm skin and sending a chill up his spine. It didn’t really matter though, his bed would be warm once he crawled into it. Four removed any traces of having been out in the wilderness for a few days, set the rag back into the basin, and departed once more.

The stairs creaked beneath the weight of his feet; it was strange, that the house seemed to be so much more talkative when all other voices fell silent, when it was just Lonan wandering its expanse. During the day you would never hear the creaks and squeaks, or at least never pay them any mind. It was hard to ignore them, however, when they were the only things making noise. Four ascended onto the second floor, feet falling into a familiar practice of wandering down the halls toward his room. He lived on the second floor of the house in the left-most wing, his room as far from Sabine’s as he felt was satisfactory. No others occupied any of the rooms adjacent, immediately across, or down from his own. There was a space of at least two doors in any direction before any of the rooms had an actual purpose.

If his room weren’t already different from all the others for the simple fact that he lived in it, there was also the matter of its doorknob being in abnormality from any of the other doors in the house. His was wooden instead of brass or silver. That was one thing he had taken into his own hands- switching out the mechanism with one of wood. It was just another reminder of his past, though a pleasant one- he was a woodsman, so it was no surprise that the object was made of wood. It was decoratively carved, done by Lonan’s own hand, with leaves and branches. Nothing fancy, but simple and well-done.

As his fingers closed over said object, he mused for a singular moment on how soft and familiar it felt in his hand. The wood was worn from hundreds of uses, sometimes not even to open the door, but instead a light rub of it for luck and/or remembrance. Four turned the knob, heard the light click from it releasing off of its hatch, and guided the door open. The room itself was dark, and not simply from the fact that it was early morning before the sun had risen. The walls were painted a maroon with light brown effects. It was rather a plain room, asides from the regal bed that stood slightly askew from the center of the room on the right side, pushed against the far wall, and the large window that rested slightly to the left of the center of the room. Dark curtains hung over the panes, blocking out any light that should dare to disturb the rest of the individual within. There was also a small room off to the left that was most likely a storage area initially, but one that Four mainly used for a washroom and the likes whenever he couldn’t be bothered to use the ones downstairs. It may be a hassle to bring water up that far, but it didn’t really matter to him.

The room was sparsely furnished, with little more than the bed, a desk and chair, a wardrobe, and a chest of drawers. Each piece of furniture was rather time-worn and a bit battered, but the bed itself stood out among the rest. It was a large four-poster of dark mahogany wood. Drapes sat tied tightly to the tops of the posts with dark cording, but it didn’t have much in regards to a headboard nor anything in regards to a footboard. It was hard to tell whether it had started off that way or whether Four had made the adjustments. He didn’t like being boxed in, and thus had secured for himself that it wouldn’t be an issue in regards to his bed.

Lonan’s room was also directly above an empty storage room, intentionally so. He would be able to slip out of the window and work his way down to its respite if it were ever required- specifically in the case of being cornered by a particularly persistent or dangerous Sabine, or if someone were annoyingly hanging outside of his room and he could not escape through the front door. He had the below room’s door locked and barricaded so that the space would not be disturbed, and also so that he would not run into anyone as he was making his escape.

Lonan’s facial features softened once he was within the safety of his room and the door had been quietly closed. He let out a small sigh of relief, removing the cloak he had donned once more after he had rubbed himself down with water. He simply tossed it off to the side, intending to pick it up in the morning. After he had shed that first bit of clothing, the rest were quick to follow as he slowly made his way over to the dresser pushed against the left wall. He changed into a lighter set of clothing- sleepwear made up of a light grey long-sleeved tunic and a soft pair of brown trousers. He was not one for nightshirts or sleep gowns or the likes.

After having accomplished the feat of worming out of stale clothes and into fresh ones, Lonan finally made it to his bed, tiredly crawling into the sheets and under the covers. Once his body had stilled, he allowed his muscles to relax and his form to rest. It was then, as he lay there staring up at the ceiling, that the darkness converged upon his mind. Every concern and burden he had left at the manor when he departed into the woods came rushing back on him. This was where the struggle lay in trying to sleep. Nightmares and sufferings: yet another fact of life he had simply accepted by now and fought through just like all the rest.

Lonan wasn’t sure how long he had laid there awake, tossing and turning, squirming about under the pressure from inner torment and physical stress. He wasn’t sure how many time he fell asleep only to wake up again, or if he had even fallen asleep at all in the first place. It was hard to tell, as any nightmares that may have occurred were too easily slurred between the lines of reality and the horrors of actual thoughts. He did recall, however, a moment of waking when he had gotten up and moved around. Or something like that. The details were heavily fuzzy.

Eventually, a general sense of stillness loomed about the room. Silence reigned in the atmosphere- a fact that was certainly not missed by the young man wrapped up in the sheets of his bed. Lonan had some random swath of cloth pulled over his head, covering one eye as the rest of him was curled up in the mess that was now his bed. Four had finally slipped into an unconscious state of dreaming and had finally gotten his weary mind and body to rest. He was completely unaware of the doom that was closing in upon him with gentle, upbeat footfalls.

Said doom had a red-headed serpent on his arm, attempting to try his little blackbird’s door but finding it not locked but wedged shut. It perplexed the demon for only a moment before he leaned against the door, one foot outstretched to set himself up, and pushed on it. A wickedly loud crash ensued, and with it came the singsong voice of Sabine, ”Four~!” The demon chirped with positive cheer, ”I told you to come down for breakfast a while ago, what are you still doing in bed?”

How long had it actually been? Two seconds perhaps? Lonan couldn’t tell. There was never any peace for the poor little bird that had nestled so deeply into his bedding, having only fallen back asleep moments ago. His mind had registered the turning of the door handle, yet he still hadn’t seemed to really hear it, or more-so simply ignored it. That skill had been trained so rigorously to perfection over the years, it wasn’t really surprising. However, what Four couldn’t ignore was the massive crash that followed. Not only was there a solid thunk on his door when Sabine pushed against it, but there was also the dresser.

It toppled over from its position in front of the door with the loudest crash imaginable- no doubt disturbing the entire house- falling over onto its face and undoubtedly damaging the aged wood and tarnished silver handles. It had been a very heavy piece of furniture, after all. Damn Sabine and his inhuman strength. It had really been a pointless measure to have attempted to barricade the door, which he was just now realizing was a thing that had happened, and Four really should have known better. But you couldn’t really blame his sleep-addled mind for it. Besides, it helped him sleep easier… or had, in this case.

Lonan had practically jumped out of his skin at the noise, having immediately startled and jolted upright a bit to prop his torso up by his hands, as he had been lying on his side beforehand. His heart was racing, hair ridiculously disheveled by his sleeping habits and eyes wide for a singular moment as he stared over at the chaos that had occurred right on his doorstep. His eyes now were mere slits and a very scornful look adorned his features. If he weren’t immortal now as well, he may have just suffered a heart attack at that sudden, loud show in his doorframe. But that wasn’t the worst thing. Sabine had waltzed right in, announcing his presence- as if he needed to speak to do it, and it seemed that he had also brought along something even worse than all that. But Lonan wasn’t concerned with Natalia now sitting atop the overturned dresser at that moment, because Sabine was approaching, dangerously fast.

Sleep still clung to his form- ironically so as he hadn’t actually gotten any sleep- so he did not have the speed or awareness to react properly in time. Sabine suddenly pounced him, crashing into the poor boy without a single concern for his wellbeing; though, it wasn’t like Lonan could die at this point anyway. Bearing the full weight of the sadistic, overly-powered demon, Lonan easily went down, collapsing on his arms and plunging face-first into the fluff of his mattress.

Sabine seemed to be oozing love and affection, completely unaware that he was suffocating his squawking blackbird, who was currently struggling and flailing under him to try to regain his limbs and get the leverage and strength he needed to push the demon off.

Somehow he managed to hear and understand Sabine speaking of breakfast and how he had already called him down once. That was strange, though… he hadn’t heard the demon, or he had and he just didn’t remember. Mayhaps that was why he had barricaded his door in the first place. Yeah, that sounded about right- he had gotten up and pushed the dresser to blockade the door sometime previously.

That didn’t really matter right now though, as Sabine was perched, cat-like, on top of him. The demon simply stared intently at the boy’s struggles, completely unconcerned. A few moments passed with a very smug look of triumph to his face before the demon slid off of him. ”Look at you, you’re such a mess; when’s the last time you had any sleep, love?” Sabine purred, a little hint of worry in his tone that was mostly drowned out by the excitement he held for the prospects of breakfast.

Once Sabine had finally gotten his fat body off of him and rolled over to sit next to him, Lonan had at last managed a breath of air, taking the action in a deep, gasping manner as he lifted his head up from the depths of his mattress. He glared at Sabine, eyes practically smoldering with irritation. Four ignored Sabine’s prior question, yet still deigned to humor him with an answer of sorts, ”None of your business.” His response was short and clipped, little more than a growl than anything else.

”Get out of my room, and take that thing with you.” Four’s harsh gaze travelled from Sabine’s shadowed form to that of the annoying redhead seated on his dresser. He’d have to burn that now, poor thing. Though not poor enough for Lonan to actually care about saving it. He would have to get a new dresser from one of the abandoned rooms, or perhaps he could simply ignore the need for one. That way he wouldn’t be spotted by any of the others and would not be bothered with their desire to help or the need to stare at him since he would be so out in the open and in plain sight.

”Oh, don’t be sour,” The demon spoke lightly, completely ignoring Lonan’s harsh gaze and even harsher words. ”And I told you, we’re all having breakfast, which means you too.” Sabine smiled and stretched out on Four’s mattress rather languidly, quirking an eyebrow at Lonan in an unspoken challenge. ”Of course, if you aren’t feeling well enough to walk, I can carry you~” The monster teased, reaching out with a swift agility unmatched by humanity to scruff Lonan’s already messy hair with one thin hand.

Lonan completely ignored that one, caring little of Sabine’s reasons and excuses. The devil was getting very comfortable in the boy’s personal space, and Lonan didn’t like it one bit. Four simply stared at him with a harsh gaze, not batting an eye as Sabine looked down on him with that quirked eyebrow of his. They seemed to be locked in combat now, neither one standing down. Lonan would not be going to breakfast if he had anything to say about it. Sabine would inevitably outvoice him, thus nulling the point, but he would put up a fight nonetheless.

When Sabine purred out his little tease and had his hand suddenly atop his head before he could get a word in edgewise, Four was further demeaned by the demon ruffling up his hair as if he were some child. His harsh golden orbs never left the demon’s own, a poisonous look oozing from them. With a swift hand he had Sabine’s own in his clutches, a harsh grip tightening around the slender palm and crushing it under the duress of his strength. Lonan removed the offending hand from his personal space, dropping it with utter disdain.

”I said, get out.” With a merciless look, Lonan tilted his chin up, suddenly pushing the man off the bed with a foot to the stomach.

However, Sabine only seemed to hum in the back of his throat with amusement in response to the hand crushing and removal, and another little hum with allowing himself to be pushed off the bed. However, he suddenly grabbed Lonan’s ankle at the last second and pulled him off with him. Four had foolishly assumed that he had rid himself of the demon being too close to him, but just like the leech that Sabine was, they still seemed to be attached at the end of it all.

They fell onto the floor, Sabine on his back and Four landing awkwardly on his hands over him, foot in the demon’s grasp and twisted in an awkward direction. A laugh burbled from the demon’s throat, who was completely unfazed by Lonan’s dour mood or by the collision with the floor. His excitement and happiness wasn’t to be dampened by anything, not even Lonan.

”I’ve got you now, little bird.” He spoke as he stood up and straightened, now holding Lonan upside-down for a moment, simply looking him over and inspecting him for the best way to turn him the right way up without losing a grip on his slippery catch. However, unlike Sabine’s facial features, Four’s were completely unamused. He allowed Sabine his little moment of victory, simply staring up at him with lips subtly turned down in a light frown, waiting for the demon to refocus on him, as he knew he would. Lonan would wipe that smirk right off the man’s face, literally.

Four shifted slightly, swaying ever so faintly in Sabine’s grasp, and suddenly a foot-to-face experience was shared between the two of them. A satisfying smack resounded in the room as the sole of his foot connected with Sabine’s face.

The demon hadn’t been expecting it at all, and with the connection between the human’s foot and his face, there was not only a loud smack, but a faint crunch as well as the bridge of his nose cracked and buckled under the force. Sabine let out a faint sound of surprise as blood dribbled from his face for a few seconds before the cartilage knitted back together. He did not, however, release Lonan like the boy had been holding out hope for. It hadn’t been likely to begin with, so it wasn’t too disappointing. Despite the fact, Lonan felt a bit of pride flourish when he heard the crack beneath the weight of his foot. It was true that it didn’t really affect the demon in any way, as was shown by the flesh just weaving back together, but it still felt good to take some of his anger out on the inhuman, even though at the moment he was more miffed than enraged. It was hard to catch Sabine off-guard, so his pride was well-founded despite being utterly insignificant.

Sabine’s face reddened and he dabbed at his face with his sleeve, effectively staining his shirt. ”You know, if you are hungry, you can just ask, not kick me in the face, Birdie.” Four hadn’t been expecting those words, and it was his turn to flush slightly. He had half a mind to kick Sabine again, but it would have been impossible; he had exhausted his body with the first round, what with being upside-down and working against gravity, not to mention already being drained from a still sleep-riddled body. A frown slipped onto his lips and his eyes shifted smoothly away from the demon’s face, arms crossed and cheeks faintly reddened from both irritation and some semblance of embarrassment.

”You’ll have to wait though, we’re keeping the others waiting, after all.” The demon then intoned. It was only then that it actually dawned on Four. A look of horror would have flooded his face if he hadn’t kept it so carefully controlled at that moment. He would be forced to be with the other people of the house, many of whom he harshly disliked, and be put on display for all to see. But at least it wasn’t a thing lightly suffered- he had gotten Sabine good today, and while the demon probably didn’t realize, there were still traces of blood on his face, a nice pink mark the size of a foot- quickly fading- and the fresh showings of a bruise just beginning to form. The signs of a struggle were definitely apparent.

However, Sabine suddenly shifted his grip on him, easily hefting the weight of his form and simply slinging him over his shoulder, arm secured across the boy’s thighs to ensure there would be no squirming away. But that didn’t mean that Lonan wouldn’t try, especially if it meant giving Sabine trouble. It would really only be for posterity’s sake, as he would quickly tire of the actions and settle into accepting his fate. At the first shift in position, Lonan had put his hands out to catch himself before he face-planted into Sabine’s back, but after settling himself, he dropped them and turned his head to the side, allowing it to bump against the demon’s lower back as Sabine carried him back over to the dresser where Natalia was impatiently waiting, looking completely fed up over the whole ordeal and having the most heinously sour expression towards Lonan. Lonan didn’t give a single inkling of concern towards her, didn’t even acknowledge her presence, just to get a further rise out of her.

If there was one good thing about this whole mess, it was getting the first spite of the day in against Nattia.

As Sabine scooped her back up in his free arm, Lonan firmly secured over his opposite shoulder, Sabine whistled cheerfully as he stepped over the dresser and back out into the hall, carrying his triumphantly caught quarry in one arm and his little lady in the other. Lonan would randomly burst into a fit of squirms and small kicks occasionally, arms flailing in the empty air, attempting to wrest himself free, but never to any avail.

And as such, the three of them headed down to breakfast.
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【"Damn it, when will you learn 'personal space'?"】
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It was still fairly early in the morning, before the sun could properly flood into the halls and light the cool passages of the manor house. Sabine was on a mission. A mission to find Aedan and beseech him to go downstairs. First stop, Aedan's room. He'd already encountered some of the others, in less than stellar moods, by this point, so he wasn't sure exactly how his little snow leopard would respond to the request, but there was nothing to do but to do it. And after all, whether he liked it or not, Aedan would go down to the kitchen. Sabine's track record so far was too impeccable for a single fussy human to stop him in his tracks.

So quietly, Sabine pushed into Aedan's room. It was still dark, and he could hear the soft, steady sounds of Aedan breathing. Oh, he was asleep. How cute. Aedan's tousled blond locks were sprawled over his face and some of the silky strands covered his closed eyes. Number 8's lips were slightly open and far more innocent and inviting than they were in his waking hours. Those lush lips were often frowning, stuck in a firm line or opened to growl at him in his anger. Yes, a snow leopard with fire in its eyes on the waking but now looked more a kitten than a ferocious cat. Sabine paused for a moment to appreciate the human's slumber. He tried to stay quiet as he crept nearer, bending down a little so he could whisper his little kitten's name to rouse him as he gently pushed the wayward strands away from the planes of his face.

The young knight himself was having a rare, pleasant dream. Usually his nights were plagued with nightmares. He often replayed the death of Ronan and then his own brutal assault and near death experience. But tonight, tonight the darkness had enfolded him in the world of the book sprawled open beside him. He had fallen asleep while reading which seemed to allow his brain to finally depart from the harsh reality and sooth him. His mind was far away from the mischevious demon, depicting of falling cherry blossoms over a pond with large koi dancing beneath the surface. Aedan extended his hand to let his fingers idly slip into the water and-

Aedan felt a presence too near. Something was telling him to wake, but he didn't rouse at first, too lost in the sweetness of his dreams and the aroma of the blossoms. Then he felt a subtle warmth moving closer and closer to his head until the lilting breath touched his ears as it whispered his name. The hairs on his skin immediately stood on end and his eyes snapped open. His nightmares and pain immediately screamed at him to defend himself, to prevent the agony he knew would be coming. He gasped and his hand, now curled into a fist, instinctively jolted upward to hit the head that was besides his to get some distance from him. Once he completed his punch with a satisfying 'smack', he scrambled backwards and fell right off the bed. He didn't have time to feel sorry or think about the pain in his rump. He grabbed his sword and sprang to his feet panting and eyes wild.

At the strike, Sabine reeled back a few steps, looking rather surprised, his hand gently touching the place Aedan had made contact. It stung vaguely for a moment before the bruise healed into nothingness again, as if it'd never happened. And now Aedan was standing again, holding his sword, his voice a low growl. Sabine just smiled, pleased that the human was awake now.

That's when Aedan realized the dark phantom was just Sabine.

Oh. Sabine. That is right; he lived with the strange demon. He wasn't at his lord's abode and he wasn't being attacked. He was fine. Safe. For the most part. Wait, wasn't Sabine catatonic in the library? He had been tiptoeing around him to get the books he wanted to read. It looked like Sabine was feeling better today at least. These mood swings Sabine had were quite unnerving and he didn't know what to do with the demon. Even though he had been happy Sabine wasn't all over him, he knew something had been wrong. Aedan exhaled a pent up breath he hadn't realized he was holding.


"What the hell are you doing? You scared me half to death!" he growled and slammed the sword back into its sheath.

"I'm sorry for scaring you, darling," Sabine said cheerfully, his hand moving from the place where a bruise had been for all of ten seconds to run through his hair instead. "I wanted to invite you down for breakfast with everyone. I thought it might be fun if I gathered everyone up to eat together." His voice was undeniably cheerful in the darkened room, as if it alone could illuminate the surroundings.

"Damn it, Sabine! Wake me up like a normal person next time! Just call my name and knock on the door. What if I had a dagger in my hand? I would have gutted you! Personal space! You'd think you'd learn by now, considering how many times I have already kicked and punched you." He shook his head and took a moment to calm himself. "Well I am up. Go on now," he said and tried to shoo him away. He was honestly a bit surprised when the demon all but skipped out of the room. Aedan arched an eye at the man before he shook his head. He sighed softly and ran a hand through his hair. "I was having such a nice dream..." he grumbled then before he locked the door though he didn't think that would stop Sabine from entering it.

He quickly went about his business getting ready. He donned his light clothing, a pale blue shirt and pants this time, and his black leather armor and adjusted his belt and his sword. He caressed the hilt gently, remember once more the life he couldn't return to. He wondered how his family was doing. Had they suffered terribly because of his blasphemy? Had they been kicked off the lord's lands and forced to scavenge or go back to the factories? His grip tightened on the hilt and forced his mind elsewhere.

Breakfast. Sabine had mentioned breakfast. Sabine had called for breakfast once before but he hadn't gone downstairs to join anyone. It had been a month after his life had changed and Sabine had given him the reprieve he needed. He hadn't been ready to be around all the other pets. What exactly did this breakfast consist of? Did they all just... sit there and wait to drink Sabine's blood? Did they all just drink? Did they actually sit down and have a normal human breakfast? He grew a bit queasy at the scene that developed in his mind; of all of them just hanging on the demon. It made him want to curl up under the covers again but he doubted that Sabine would let him stay up here again and he really didn't want to deal with a clingy demon dragging him downstairs.

Speaking of blood, Aedan felt the pang in his abdomen. He touched his stomach lightly and swallowed hard. The hunger had been bothering him for the past couple of days and today the sharpness of it made him ache. He had tried not drinking blood before and found that if he went too long without drinking, the hunger became maddening to the point he couldn't think of anything else. The agony that lurked was something he didn't want to experience. It had felt like someone had been sawing at his innards and he had become snappy to people around him. Not to mention he had been humiliated when he remembered the desperation he had fallen into at Sabine's feet, begging and shaking like an addict for his next fix.

That episode had occurred not long from when he had first arrived and it came with the realization that he was dependent on the demon and his blood. It didn't help with his mental state when he remembered the ecstatic euphoria that came over him when he drank the blood; the momentary monster he became in his need to consume that warm liquid. Even now he hated how his mouth watered at the very thought of it. And he knew he had to ask Sabine for blood today. He didn't want to be desperate again.
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【"Fuck you... Fuck this place... Fuck life."】
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【The Manor, Hallways】
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【#7e4393】
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7 days, 13 hours and 43 minutes… No… 6 days. How many days had it been? Imogen had a difficult enough time keeping the days of the week straight any given week. But what little sense of passing time she had flew out the window the second Sabine went catatonic. She would have bet money on that fact that some of the demon’s precious pets were in a tizzy without their over glorified demon available for whatever purposes they needed.

For Imogen that meant a week of whatever freedom she could muster. That was a rarity in that household. It wasn’t even 24 hours into Sabine’s minor coma that she attempted to escape… runaway. It’s not like any of the others were going to stop her or anything. They wanted her there as much as she wanted to be there. One of their few mutual standings in her eyes. But unfortunately for her she made it what? 5 miles? Before she felt the tug. Was it because she’s been tethered to Sabine for so many years? The blood was like a deep rooted magnetism with its claws hook deep inside her. With ever step she took away the strong the force tugging her back was.

She fought for as long as she could, and even then she made it another mile before she cracked. Imogen’s body caved in and collapsed to her knees. A cage for a cage. Her life was a joke. She didn’t know what she hated more the literal cage where people paid money to gawk at her deformity or physical cage that Sabine has trapped her in for eternity. It was cruel. Freedom was right there before her. She could taste its sweet nectar but with every outstretched hand and attempted clutch it was like trying to catch clouds.

On her trek back Imogen contemplated other options. She could drain some of Sabine’s blood if she could distract the other pets. But how long would that last her? How far could she make it? Scratch that. Her mind kept rolling over every idea… Every possibility. But it was pointless. She’s thought of everything before. Her only freedom would be death and well, being immortal sort of put a damper on that scenario.

After returning back to the manor Imogen made her way up to the dark abysmal pit that was her room and barricaded herself inside. Her sanctuary for lack of a better word. The only place that was darker than her heart was this room. If something wasn’t black it was navy blue or a dark purple… So everything was basically black.

She went straight for the little wooden desk that sat before the large windows draped in black tulle. Imogen tore through the drawers until she found an old stack of parchment with scribblings upon it. A list… At least 10 pages long. All with numerous forms of self-mutilation that in a normal person would all result in the same thing… Death. Who knew how long Sabine would be like this. But Imogen hoped more than anything that he’d wake to find himself less a pet.

With nothing better to do with her time she trailed her finger down the list until she found her next available option. Recovering her quill from its inkwell, she scratched a line through it. She then stood up. She stepped from her chair to the top of her desk. She pushed open the windows, leaning her head out to glance down at the ground far below. She was tempted… Oh was she tempted. But angrily she turned around and slammed the windows shut before plopping her rump down on her desk. She already knew the outcome. Her body would be a hot mangled mess and then she’d have to drag her ass towards Sabine who very well might pull her into unwanted contact if she tried to feed from him so she could heal. Yeah no.

Over the remaining period of days Imogen exhausted her list even trying somethings more than once. Drowning herself in the bathtub? Well honestly, it was much like lying in a bathtub absent water… Boring, useless and got her nowhere. Laudanum? Left her vomiting for the better half of a day... And so the list went on and on.

By this point Imogen was lying on the floor in the center of her room. Most of her wounds had began to scab over looking uglier than they were. But there were still hints of foul play plaguing her body. She rested her cheek upon a bent arm while she used a knife to chip at the dried blood that turned her dark ebony stained wood floors into the aftermath of a massacre. Her legs kicked back and forth in the air as she switched between picking at the blood, to carving into the wood and even playing that game many stupid young boys play where they quickly stab the blade between their fingers and see how long they can go before hitting a finger. With each slip up the blade piercing her skin withdrew a wince from her lips. No the wounds were nothing dire but still her fingers were plagued with little ticks. Turns out she was just adding to the blood upon the floor.

Footsteps could be heard approaching down the hall. Imogen cursed under her breath. No doubt who it could be because in all honesty he was the only one daft enough to come and initiate contact with her while she was barricaded in her room. Sure she could have gotten up and locked the door far before he even attempted to unlatch the door, but that took more effort than she was willing to emit. So she simply shifted so that she was laying on her back and began tossing the knife up into the air, allowing it to fall only to catch it before it impale her face.

She repeated and repeated again until the blade penetrated the palm of her left hand as she was distracted by the jiggling of the doorknob. Imogen quickly yanked the knife from her palm and hurled it towards the door just as it opened. The blade whizzed through the air and slammed into the doorframe missing Sabine’s nose by less than an inch.

“Damn.” Imogen grumbled. She half hoped it would gouge out his eye or take the tip of his nose in passing. But sadly no such luck. Glancing down she was brought back to reality with the blood and scratches that covered her digits. SHe quickly hid her hands behind her back before the almighty demon had a heart attack at her very minor wounds.

He made his way right into her room without asking for permission, nothing new. “Kitten~” Sabine said, leaning against the doorframe, “I was wondering if—”

“No.” Plain and to the point. She didn’t care what he had to say. She wanted no part in any of it.

Sabine paused, momentarily surprised by the interruption before continuing brightly. “Are you sure? I’m sure the others would be disappointed if they didn’t see you.”

Imogen busted out in almost full hearted laughing to only break it off abruptly to stare in dead in the eyes. “Even someone as stupid as you couldn’t believe that.”

He fixed her with a steady, challenging stare, though his voice never lost the cheerful edge. “And if I don’t see you down there when I go to check, I might just have to come up here and carry you down myself, princess. Wouldn’t that be fun!” He offered a brilliant smile and then bounced off without waiting for a response.

After Sabine left she quickly got up and made sure to slam her door… Then again… And again a third time for good measure. No she didn’t want to fucking go to breakfast with any of them. None. Period. But on the other hand he would just be back to take her by force. A locked door would only stop him for so long.

“Do I wanna go? Of course not.”

“But he’ll just be back for you if you don’t go.”

“Yeah I know.”

“And he’ll actually make you go…”

“I know.”

“… By force.”

“Yeah yeah I know.”

Imogen angrily kicked her door, yelled before rubbing her temples. “Oh my god… I’m going crazy. It starts with talking to myself… Next thing I know I’ll be going suicidal because ‘the voices’ tell me to.” She went to walk to her wardrobe and froze mid step. “Oh wait…” She laughed weakly at her own instability as she closed the distance towards her wardrobe.

She opened the door of the oak furnishing and let her hands diligently finger through the clothing. “Black, black or… Pink?” She yanked the piece of disgusting colored clothing and hastily chucked it out the window. “Fucking… people.”

Imogen stripped out of the clothes she has worn for the entire week without even a thought to changing. She decided if she was actually going to be seen she’d dress proper… Well proper enough. No matter how much threatening Sabine did he wouldn’t catch her in a dress. Instead she grabbed one of her many black suits and a purple blouse. It took no time to get dressed into the outfit when a corset and bustle weren’t necessary.

But the clothes weren’t the important part. Imogen knelt down before a lower drawer, slowly pulling it open to reveal her ascots with their matching gloves beside them. A weird hobby but something small that brought a little joy. She pulled out the black lace set then moved before the mirror so she could perfectly tie the ascot, and pin it down with a pearl pin. Before putting on her gloves she slips on her Mary Janes, lacing them up slower than what was properly necessary.

Deeming herself ready enough, Imogen exited her room and headed down the hall. She took her steps very slow, making no need to hurry to breakfast as she slips her gloves on slowly and carefully passed the cuts upon her hands.
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【"Back to the daily grind."】
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【Roof → Kitchen】
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【#4B0082】
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Indigo had long grown used to these periods of silence by now. The limbo of not knowing when Sabine would come out of his sprawl, of the uneasy, unspoken truce between the pets with no demon breathing down their necks. Those who had been there longer than others, the veterans, could more easily predict when the lapses would end. Indigo was one of these few, and had grown to enjoy these rare patches greatly. Even now, she let the quiet soak into her bones with little hesitation.

When Beez had first begun to fall into these spells, Indigo had been far, far more cautious, suspecting some sort of trick. A way to try and find out what his darling collections said about him behind his back, or perhaps an attempt to lull them into a false sense of security. Of course, this paranoia eventually faded, and she now put it to much better use. Surprisingly, the Second was among the several who became far more subdued in the face of Sabine’s catatonia. She became a far different person than the burbling fountain of energy that usually roamed the halls- using as little words as necessary, and, instead of seeking out the others, made herself especially scarce. In the few times when the Owl did show herself, it was typically within the walls of the library, or outside, tending to her small assortment of livestock. In both occasions, she would scurry back to wherever she had been hiding herself not long after, with little fanfare.

But Indigo never left the mansion during these times. The thought of doing so hardly crossed her mind these days.

Today, as the sun stretched flushed fingers across the sky, Two found herself on the rooftops- or, rather, hanging from them. She was currently in a bit of an awkward position; grip tight around the gutters, and feet hooked around the branch of a tree. This left most of her body dangling uncomfortably in midair, but Indigo remained in that pose for another few minutes before moving. Slowly, she stiffened to her full length, and began to inch her legs back into the leaves. Then her lower body. When only her fingertips remained, Indigo released her grasp, and swung back into the safety of her tree.

At least, not until she had slammed face-first into the bark with a loud smack, and a flurry of rather creative curses as she attempted to upright herself, one hand planted firmly on her hat.

It took several more minutes of shuffling and shimmying before Indigo made much progress, and a few more before she reached the entrance of her own room. Luckily, she had remembered to leave the window open this time, and instead of careening to the ground and ending up with a few broken legs for her efforts, she crawled safely inside. Little victories, Indigo thought. Little victories. On a whim, she struck a quick pose to congratulate herself on her acrobatic skill, before turning to pull the curtains shut.

Her room was a particularly...odd one, put in the kindest way possible. It was a mis-match of color and style, brought upon by her stubborn insistence of refusing any and all of Sabine’s help. Thick red and green curtains, motheaten and covered in a thin line of dust that didn’t quite seem to leave, covered the windows- transforming the room into a gloomy sepulcher. A large cupboard stood in the corner, filled to the brim with whatever wines Indigo had managed to hoard over the years, and, opposite to that, was a desk made of some kind of pale wood that the Owl couldn’t quite identify, and didn’t care to anytime soon. There were a few chairs of all shapes and sizes, a wardrobe painted in a delightful cream color, a large, king sized bed Indigo had somehow managed to smuggle in, complete with a canopy crudely stitched together from dresses and shirts…

Combined with the soft, sunset orange wallpaper, and the dark wood of the floor, some would consider the setup to be garish.

Indigo thought it was charming.

Nevertheless, she hadn’t come here to chew the scenery. Stretching her arms out high above her head, she strolled over to her closet, and began to paw through her collection of outfits. If her room could be considered unorthodox, her outfits were completely heretical- ranging from different years. Different periods. Different everything. Once again, Indigo didn’t spend too much time browsing, immediately reaching out to grab a soft blue thing that seemed more suitable for bedclothes than anything. Peeling the trousers and shirt from her body (for as unfortunate as it was, climbing the mansion walls tended to be a bit more uncomfortable in a dress than she would have hoped for), Indigo dressed herself in the gown, then folded up her old outfit and tucked it in neatly in the corner. She could wash it later, she supposed.


Typically, Indigo wouldn’t have returned to her room at all today. She had long discovered the lack of perspiration from hers and the other pets, and, as she didn’t particularly exert herself during Sabine’s little off periods, she could go several days before changing. However, like other, older pets, Indigo had a rough guess of when their “gracious” host would come out of his slump.

Today, she felt, was the day.

Combing her fingers through her mop of hair (she would have to cut it again, she decided. It was getting a bit too long for her liking), Indigo tossed her trilby back onto her head, and, resetting it to its customary cocked angle, went to leave the room. If today really was the day, there was no point sulking around in her room and waiting for the inevitable. Or hiding, for that matter. Once, during her rebellious days, Indigo had stuffed herself into the chimney in a desperate attempt to avoid Sabine’s grasp.

Of course, the demon found her soon enough, and had dragged her out in the same way one would extract a particularly angry cat. Indigo sometimes wondered if one of the demon’s powers was super-senses- with the sheer amount of strength Sabine had, she wouldn’t doubt it. Indigo paused in her little train of thought upon reaching the stairs. With a large grin, she hopped onto the handrail, and slid the rest of the way down, hat somehow glued to her head in spite of her speed. She remembered to keep a good grip on the rail this time, and landed without further trouble. In the past, she had been a bit too careless with her descent, and had ended up breaking her neck on landing. Hadn’t done much to affect her in the long run, but it had still been a rather unpleasant experience. Idly, Indigo rubbed the spot where her spine had bent like a twig, then entered the kitchen.

Out of all the rooms in the manor, the kitchen was the one she spent the third most time in- the others being her bedroom, and the library, respectively. Somewhat expected of a woman, she supposed, but Indigo didn’t care about that. She didn’t care about a lot of things, these days. Cracking her knuckles, she took out the flour from one of the shelves, and a few other basic ingredients. She would have to step out to collect a few eggs from her chickens, but that wouldn’t be too large of a problem.

Indigo had just tucked the flour into the oven when a bit of movement in the corner of her eye caught her attention. Instinctively placing one hand over her hat and pinning it there, she turned to face the intruder- and broke out in her large, crooked grin upon seeing who it was.
“Blondie!” She crowed. “Great timing, kid. G-reat. Timing, let me tell you.” Giving the oven a hearty smack, Indigo took a few steps forward, hand tentatively lowering from its spot on her head. “You mind getting a few eggs for me? Got the milk here, but you, ah, can’t really keep eggs fresh real easy.” She paused, then added, “Plus, I’m guessin’ the reason you’re not off in the corner today is cause Beez joined the livin’ again, and I really don’t want him to go chasing me down if I go get them myself. Really inconvenient for me, and for breakfast. And you probably care more about the breakfast more, amiright?” Indigo topped off her little rambling with her best imitation of a hyena, and gave the freshly placed coin in her mouth a loud smack.

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【"A busy mind is a happy mind. Wash. Rinse. Repeat."】
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【Where tf isn't she?】
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【#FB37CD】
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A week. Seven days? Had it been that long already? She thought for sure by now she'd have gotten through at least another wing, which lead to a brief moment of disappointment, but was quickly dispersed amidst the whirling vortex of chores that currently occupied her mind.

From the first time Sabine had fallen into his depression while she was a member of the household, she too couldn't help but feel glum, and when she started to feel this way, she couldn't help but notice how dirty and out of place things seemed to be. This lead to a marathon of dishes, dusting, sweeping, sponging, weeding, planting and otherwise tidying things up. It helped to keep her mind occupied so she wasn't focusing on less than favorable thoughts. She'd focus so intently on the task at hand, that she'd often catch herself muttering phrases, "back, forth, back, forth....left, right, left, right."

The other pets paid little attention to her, most of them preferring to go about their own business during Sabine's "down time". This couldn't have bothered her less, primarily because she felt that if Nattia had bothered to pay attention to her during these times, she would constantly harass her about missing spots, or not using the proper tool for the job. Not that she minded her opinion, but she hardly felt she would have been able to pay attention long enough to respond, and she didn't want to seem rude.

Through these days she managed little sleep, save for the naps she took propped against a broom or collapsed on the sofa in the library while she organized books. Regardless, they weren't long, and at night she found herself too restless from the day to clear her mind long enough to fall asleep. She twitched thinking of all the things she could be doing instead of sleeping, and after a while of tossing, turning and mentally scraping the grime off dishware, she'd give up on sleep, toss the covers and shuffle on to her next task. Though her limbs ached for rest, her mind urged her to continue.

At night was when she focused on her more physically demanding chores, it was easier to do when the sun wasn't beating down on her back, regardless of being less prone to perspiration, plus the melodious chirp of the crickets gave her a pleasant metronome to work to. She admired the crickets determination to play through the night, fancying herself a giant cricket hard at work, chirping her song for all to hear while oversize cricket forelegs struggled to grip a garden hoe. At those times, when she began to perceive reality as a giant cricket, she knew it was time to force a cat nap.

For the past three nights, she had busied herself with the task of weeding the entirety of the garden, and replanting those that didn't look like they were thriving in their current location. This involved plenty of shoveling, hoeing and wheelbarrow trips, at which points she was the most grateful for her decision to perform the task overnight, the cool night breeze washing over the garden while the bright glow of the moon offered just enough light to work to. The rest of her time was spent crawling between the plants and flowers with a small bucket and shears, trimming and plucking anything that didn't belong.

Throughout the years, she began to develop a sense of how long Sabine's sudden fits lasted, so on the sixth morning, she had begun decorating the entirety of Sabine's corridor with flowers. She called to mind all the one's she had seen him gaze upon before with a look of interest, a look of admiration. A vast assortment of roses, tulips, daisies, lilies, azaleas, begonias, camellias and carnations, until his corridor was a veritable greenhouse, sheltering dozens of hanging pots strung from wires, a large antique vase on every stand and shelf filled to burst. She saved this task for the wee hours of the morning, not wanting Nattia to catch her in the act, rather have her happen upon it while she wasn't around, and hopefully decide they would do some good for Sabine and not tear them down.


It was still early in the morning by the time she washed the dirt from her fingernails. She'd hoped it would be a little later, the sun had hardly begun to come up, she wouldn't feel comfortable catching another nap until at least midday. Clinging to that thought, she scrubbed harder at her fingers, washing away the last of the dirt and soil. She ran a little extra water, which she splashed against her cheeks, the cold shocking her senses, forcing her awake. She used the excess to tame a few loose strands of her hair, then shifted her bandanna, keeping her mess of hair in place. Heaving a sigh, she made her way back into the corridor, and her heart skipped a beat, no, two. A smile instinctively forced it's way to her lips even as her throat tightened as if she were about to cry. It was Sabine, finally awake, with a look about him that suggested he was currently in a much better place.

As he drew closer, he called for her, and she could feel the excitement building in her limbs, but for some reason she felt rooted to the spot. "
Madison! I've been looking for you, my little mouse." She could only blush a deep red and smile as he addressed her by her nickname, saying he'd been looking just for her. She crinkled her nose in the way that had helped coin her nickname, and she couldn't help but let a giggle escape her silly grin. Thankfully, he even reached out to lift her into a hug as he drew closer, to which she eagerly threw herself, or more simply fell forward into his grasp. It was like she was weightless, the way he effortlessly lifted her into his embrace and cuddled her close like a plush toy. She nuzzled close to his chest, savoring being so close to his scent. As her nose brushed against his chest, her mind suddenly twinged with the thought of feeding, and she began to realize her hunger. "I'm so glad to see you awake. Is there something you needed?" She continued to cling to him, surprisingly tight given her current state of fatigue, Sabine's very presence instilling a renewed vigor in her spirit.

She could feel the soft touch of his cheek resting on her head, and for a moment he seemed to have distanced himself from reality again. Suddenly, he shifted her position so that she was resting, almost cradled in one of his arms, tilting her up to eye level, using his other hand to tuck a piece of hair back into her bandanna. "
Darling," he began, his melodic tone enticing. "I know you still aren't entirely comfortable with the others yet, but I was hoping you might join us for breakfast?" The look in his eye was of the most inviting kind, and every syllable lingered in her mind like the slow drip of molasses. "I don't know if I can bear to not see your cute face for that long." His eyes adopted a sudden look of compassion, his voice shifting to something more reserved, secure. "If you're nervous, you can sit with me, and I won't let anything bad happen to you, I swear it."

The sentiment made her want to cry, even after the years she'd spent among the others, Sabine still pampered her in a way he might a young child. She picked at a part of his collar, trying to find the words. "
Of course I'll come to breakfast. As lovely as it sounds to be by your side, I'm sure there will be others more eager to be close to you so soon after waking up. You could seat me by Aedan or Nicholas, I've gotten along with them. And I won't make a fuss, promise. I'll be as quiet as a mouse. Right?" She playfully prodded his chest, eager to spend time with Sabine, but less excited about the possible outcomes of this breakfast he proposed.

Sabine appeared pleased with her response, almost more than he expected. This made her feel even more confident about the group meal. "
There's my brave girl." He kissed her gently on the cheek before setting her down, she could almost feel the vibrancy being pulled away from her as she distanced from his core. He stood for a moment longer with his hand on her back, keeping her close. Time escaped her for a moment, loathing the reality that Sabine would be leaving her grasp. "If you start to feel uncomfortable, my dear, don't hesitate to let me know, as long as you try your best, I'll be happy, and I don't want you to feel sad." He bent and pecked her on the forehead, offering a wave as he began to retreat down the corridor. "The others should be accumulating in the kitchen, I will see you again as soon as I've finished alerting everyone, my sweet." With his last fleeting pleasantry, he rounded the corner, and was gone.

She lingered in place for several long minutes, before deciding herself to make her way to the kitchen. Best to get their before the crowd.
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【”Breakfast need not be so early in the morning.”】
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【Bedroom → Kitchen】
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【#2C5D3F】
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The house had fallen into an almost eerie silence during the past week. The usually vivacious Sabine had slipped into his morose state, which Nicholas had seen him done many times before. Though used to the demons mood swings, when they would start still remained unpredictable to the First. He was unsure of what had brought on the sudden somberness and hoped that it had not been in any way caused by himself.

While having his poor friend in a catatonic state was certainly more favourable to an enraged one, it still made him sad to see Sabine in such a mood. Of course he did his best to hide this fact, carrying himself through the halls as he normally would and greeting the other pets should they cross paths, acting as though everything was just fine. He knew there was little he could do for Sabine at this time other than check in on him from time to time. A cuddle session would be good for the poor demon, but alas, his absolute favourite person in the house had kept quiet guard over her precious Sabine. Coupled with the fact that Nicholas’s dog Aggy hated Sabine, it didn’t seem like the best idea to draw too close to him.

Nicholas had spent the week reading, taking care of his pets, and generally being by himself. It was a nice time to relax before the chaos in the house decided to pick up again. As such, he was quite content to stay up a bit later than usual to savor the stillness of the night. It was the perfect time to sit outside and stare at the stars. They hung in the vast sky above him, on display for all to see. He couldn’t help but wonder how many of these stars he’d looked up at before. How many were there for him yet to see? Nicholas doubted he’d ever find the answer, as the stars had always seemed infinite to him.

He had no idea what time it was when he finally got into his bed. It didn’t matter to him, as he wasn’t expecting to rise for at least another seven hours. Hundreds of years ago he woke daily before the sun rose. Now, without the need to tend to his land, he’d grown accustomed to waking up later. Aggy curled up next to him, occupying the other side of the bed. He ran his fingers through her dark fur, small tufts coming lose in his fingers. With winter now over she would start to shed piles of fur in preparation for the summer. Lovely. After petting her for a few more minutes, Nicholas blew out the candle on the nightstand next to his bed. The light quickly extinguished.

Nicholas had chosen a room on the second floor of the north wing. His room, a corner room on the left side of the hallway, had three windows. All were nearly floor to ceiling in height. Two were on the back wall of the house while the other was on the north wall. All were covered by heavy, dark green curtains. The walls were painted beige, as Nicholas was not a huge fan of wallpaper. The floors were worn and slightly less dark than the dark wooden floors in the dining room. In the center of the room was a large, green rug. The rug did not add much to the overall aesthetics of the room. In fact, some might say it completely threw it off. Considering that the queen sized bed was in the corner, the rug in the middle of the room did not make much sense. Or perhaps it was the bed placement that made no sense. Whatever the case, Nicholas’s bed was located in the corner of the room and tucked between the two windows on their respective walls. The bed had a green quilt on top of it and a single pillow. The night stand sat beside it, just large enough to provide an adequate space to place a candle and book and just small enough to not be in front of the window. Against the opposite wall, the south wall, was a wardrobe and a desk. Like the rest of the wood furniture in his room, they were made of dark mahogany. Between the two windows on the outer wall was a beige chair Nick used for reading. The center of the room remained void of anything but the green rug and occasionally a sleeping Aggy.

The First was used to dreaming odd things. It had occurred a lot during his childhood but eventually the dreams became less vivid and fantastical. However, after Sabine had changed him the dreams he had were again inconceivable to anyone but himself. Tonight was one of the rare nights that he could not recall his dream.

Time slipped away entirely for him until he was awoken by Aggy barking and growling. He rose himself on his elbows and looked to his right, seeing his faithful canine standing with her attention turned to the door. In turn, he too set his gaze towards the door. It opened and a very joyous Sabine waltzed in. Aggy continued barking at him, though the demon took this as a ‘hello’ rather than a threat. Nicholas himself wasn’t exactly overjoyed to see Sabine. He was glad that his friend was out of his slump, but a little bit more sleep would have been nice. Oh well, it’d be useless to go back to bed at this point.

Once Sabine had delivered the news of breakfast and departed, Nicholas rose and stretched. Aggy laid back down on the bed as he pulled the sheets and covers back over the mattress. The First then left the room for a few minutes, walking down the hall to the nearest washroom in order to wash his face. He found that this helped to wake him up in the morning. Upon returning he dressed himself in his usual attire— minus his jacket. It would only get in the way or dirty when he helped to prepare breakfast.

Nicholas left his room with Aggy right behind him. He descended the steps to the first floor, messy black hair flopping a bit as he did so. He proceeded to walk to the kitchen, where he could hear Indie talking to someone. No doubt she was the ring leader in the efforts to make the breakfast. He didn’t object to this at all and would do all he could to help. He wasn’t sure what she had in mind and unfortunately cookies were not typically considered breakfast food.

He entered the kitchen to find Aedan and Indigo already there. “Good morning,” he said to them as he entered. Nick glanced behind him to see that Aggy had departed from him, opting to find a place with less people for the time being. “What are the orders for today, captain?” he asked with a small grin as he looked down at Indigo and saluted her.
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【"Home is where the heart is~"】
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【From the forest all the way home】
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【#15155E】
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Dawn in the forests was lovely, birdsong filling the cool crisp air. Little feet pattered back and forth in the silence, the small creatures gathering their food like every other day. It was a soft breeze that brought the first change, and the animals with sharp noses took notice. Something was coming. It wasn’t long before footsteps made the earth thrum with each vibration, and a bright blur of motion made the birds go silent, only to pick up once the movement was past and they were safe once more. Harsh panting filled the air, and to the most sensitive ears, it was matched by a pounding human heart.

Damien Moore lifted his head up to the sky, peering past the early budding leaves to check where the sun was in the sky. He’d been out in town for the past few days, visiting his lovers for a few nights and revelling in the illusion of freedom for a bit. This morning, between teasing comments and stealing snatches of food and being ushered out of the house before anyone saw him and wondered why he’d spent the night, his intuition had started to make him uneasy. Go home it whispered as he’d brushed off his garments. You’ve had your fun, now return to the manor

He’d left even before the sunrise and had been making a steady pace since then, trekking back through the woodlands, letting the branches catch on him, lending to his story of a walk in the woods. None of the others would believe him, he already knew. But the demon would, and if he returned to an active Sabine, then the more realistic the better. His white shirt, though loose, was made of a material so fine it was almost translucent, and now it clung to his body desperately, as did the pants curving around his legs. The pale grey coat was slung over his right arm for now, as he wasn’t particularly cold, and as Dami walked, he shifted it to his left and stretched as well as he could without losing speed.

His body was aching and it wasn’t pleased with the action he demanded from it. Dami mused that he could feel the individual bruises slowly fading away, but they’d remain there for some time until he could drink. Whether by a “family breakfast” or by stealing from Sabine’s still form, he’d be in top shape by noon. In top shape and bored…he wasn’t about to risk leaving once again. And the manor, despite its secrets, was home…

Wiping his hair from face, Dami continued onward, moving faster than before. The trees thinned soon, and beyond them rose the manor, stately in the morning light. The blond crossed quickly, bursting through the doors, and as they slammed shut, he tilted his head back and forth much like the small creatures he’d startled not long ago. He could hear footsteps, voices… Quietly, using the side stairwells, he got to his room without being seen.

He shut the door before stripping off, letting the clothing fall to the floor in crumpled heaps. They had served well, but for now their job was done. His skin, once bared, told a story of lust and pleasure written by hands and lips. As he drew a damp cloth over the marks, he smiled, remembering the moments. His time in town was never quiet, never lonely – he often felt his best there, most alive when playing his game. And truth be told, Dami was a champion of lust. He’d had years to hone his skills and rarely nowadays seduced consciously, thinking of each step. His cues were often nonverbal, layered under innuendo and tone, combined with shy, smouldering eyes. It was a system that had always worked, and the men who still welcomed him into their beds were a testament to his success.

The blue walls of his room enclosed him in familiarity as Dami went to sit on the large bed, and drew his comb from under the unused pillows to neaten up his hair. Navy curtains fluttered in a slight breeze, sunlight spilling in between them and brightening the surprisingly dark room. Damien had decorated in deep blues for fabrics and rich browns for furniture, the only lighter colour being silver, which was only present in accents. His room was meant to be somewhere where he could curl up and hide, not a place to entertain guests. He had another room for that, somewhere on the first floor, a place as bright and cheery as his typical attitude. It didn’t get much use, and most of Dami’s time in it was spent dusting and airing out. Even he disliked it, being honest to himself. There was a reason this was his bedroom and not the sunshiney room downstairs.

Plus everything of his was stored here, like the comb under the pillows, or the new clothing he pulled from the wardrobe. Neat form fitting black slacks, and a blue shirt very similar in form to the white one he’d worn before except for the high collar hiding one particularly noticeable love bite. He carelessly dropped the old clothes into the hamper behind his door, then fussed with his hair in the mirror, drew a smile onto his face, and wandered casually downstairs.

He caught Nick just as he was heading into the kitchen, but held back to watch – what, he hadn’t seen any of them for a few days! – and then fussed with his own appearance, hair and collar especially, hovering outside the room for a long few moments. He then checked his saunter – a lazy sway back and forth should do it – and sashayed into the room, where all the others, save for Four, Natalia, and Sabine, were present.

“Good Morning!” he sang, looking around with bright eyes. “Hello Madison, Imogen, ooo, is that French toast Indie? Good choice!” He danced over to take a closer look at the cooking in progress, then got up close and personal with Aedan, saying his good morning lowly, complete with bedroom eyes. He greeted Nicholas just as fondly but less invasively, and was just going to settle down when Sabine entered, with the last two pets being carried in his arms. The blond immediately fussed with his collar again, and was completely ready when their resident demon turned, saw him, and exclaimed, "Oh! My Hart, there you are!"

Dami beamed, chirping “Good Morning, Sabine” before throwing himself into the demon’s arms for a hug. He relished the warmth, then wiggled free, going to settle at the table. The smell of cinnamon filled the air as their breakfast cooked, and as he saw a large bowl of cream being whipped, he smiled wickedly, already getting the inklings of an idea into his pretty head.
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【"There's nothing better than being together!"】
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【Kitchen & Dining Room】
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【#E31230】
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Sabine strolled into the kitchen with a spring in his step, pleased to see the bustle that had already sprung up. Despite his first instinct to engage with everyone, the way Lonan kept struggling sporadically like a slowly suffocating fish was enough to remind him that he still had passengers to let down. Sabine's grip tightened on the boy as he lowered Nattia so she could daintily dismount from his arm. She swept off immediately through the door to the dining room, but the demon waited a moment before following her, shifting Lonan in his hands. He held the boy under the arms firmly so he couldn't make a wriggling escape, feet dangling down, and looked him dead in the eye. "If you try to escape again, I'll catch you and tie you down so you can't get away, my little birdie," he said cheerfully, though a cool expression iced over his eyes for a second. Just as quickly as it came, however, his countenance shifted again, and he grinned and wrinkled his nose a bit at his blackbird.

Through the archway, into the dining room they went. The adjoining room was spacious, the fair wall occupied by a yawning bay window looking over a smaller garden, tree-studded hills visible in the middle-distance. The sun slanted through the windows haphazardly, illuminating dark oak floors and paneling that was slowly fading from the near constant assault from the sun. The long table set in the center of the room atop a slightly threadbare red and gold runner carpet. The table looked much newer than the rest of the room, from the perpetually dusty maroon wallpaper and molding to the precariously hanging golden chandelier hung above (it was dubious whether the thing could hold candles anymore, but it looked pretty, so Sabine hadn't bothered to take it down yet.) Four chairs sat on one side of the table, and five on the other, and none at the head--or foot--of the table. Sabine liked to sit in the middle on the right side (where there were five chairs so he could be properly in the middle.)

Nattia was already seated beside his usual spot, and he shot her a fond smile as he forcibly sat Four down in the chair across from his. "
If he tries to make a break for it, give me a shout, would you, Red?" he said, glancing at her again before moving back towards the kitchen.

If he was correct, everyone was here now except..."
Oh! My Hart, there you are!" He said as he spotted the blond. The other smiled brilliantly at him and threw himself into a hug. As Sabine momentarily rested his cheek against the top of Damien's head, holding him tightly, he noted that the male smelled like the outdoors. Grass? Maybe that's why he hadn't been able to find him, he hadn't checked the gardens this morning yet, so perhaps the Deer had been outside on a morning walk and managed to reenter at a lucky time. He did not protest as the other pulled away, though he missed the warmth of the embrace already, and then continued on to investigate the making of breakfast.

Which meant persistently getting in the way of those who were cooking, as that was his only talent in the kitchen. He just wanted to be amidst the bustle and activity of his humans. And also make an attempt to put his hands on anyone who got too close. But, as he tended to when Nick was near and also doing things that didn't include paying attention to him, he primarily followed the dark haired male around, watching him work with mixed interest and curiosity on his face.

He did make himself useful in carrying things back and forth as the humans started to finish up on preparing the breakfast. Though he was not one for eating, he would still do it, especially if it was something made by one of the pets. He didn't understand food very well, but anything one of his humans made had to be good, right? Anyways, just having everyone together was enough to make him grin all over himself as breakfast preparations finished and everyone started to settle down at the table.
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【"I am here, deal with it."】
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【Sitting at the table, to the right of Sabine's spot】
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【#881309】
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They approached to Four’s quarters, and Natalia’s face grew stormier with each step. All her giddiness from just moments earlier dissolved into a brooding anger, directed mostly at Four. She never liked sharing Sabine’s attention, and this was no exception. That despised door lurked in a dim corridor, as far as possible from all others. It was suiting, really, for a fusty, reclusive bumpkin like Four. Natalia, still perched in the demon’s arm, gave a huff of annoyance as he tried to doorknob only to find the door unmoving. “How utterly unpleasant,” Natalia murmured to herself.

Sabine seemed to take little notice of her comment and set himself against the door, straining only the slightest bit against whatever dead weight denied him entry. His hold on Natalia remained as gentle as ever, and she could not help the small ray of pleasure that pierced her disgruntlement. Finally, with one final effort, there came the sound of something very large indeed toppling headlong to the floor. Despite expecting it, Natalia still jumped from the enormous clatter, her heart beating wildly. “God’s wounds!” she swore under her breath, bringing a hand to her heart to calm herself. Her venomous gaze immediately settled on Four, communicating her displeasure at the situation better than any insults would. In any case, with Sabine present, she could not be outright with insulting the lout of a boy, no matter if he did deserve it.

Though Four looked rather startled and barely half awake, rather like a young child, his expression soon turned to one of disgust that mirrored Nattia’s own glare. Sabine set her on the now overturned dresser, and Natalia arranged herself comfortably so she could sit up straight and continue her glare at Four. She hoped to communicate that she did not wish the boy to make more commotion than he already had. Still, she knew there was little chance that the thick-witted clod would stop acting like a spoiled child.

Sabine fairly tackled the boy to the bed, and, despite the stirrings of jealousy in her, she found herself interested to see how things would turn out. Four struggled and Nattia snorted derisively, amused by his helplessness. Sabine asked about how much sleep the boy had gotten, and only got a rebuff in response. Nattia scoffed once more at Four’s useless resistance. It truly was bothersome, even when directed at Sabine. When he levered a venomous gaze at her, supposedly for sitting on his dresser, she merely made herself more comfortable, refusing to drop her gaze, as if to say, “I am here, deal with it.” A smirk played on her features in response to his loathing.

Sabine ignored Four’s harsh gaze and tone and responded playfully, even ruffling the boy’s hair. The effect was rather comical, and it was clear how much Four disliked it. He looked like a cat being petted the wrong way. Natalia’s spiteful sneer only grew, even as the boy grabbed and moved Sabine’s arm. Or rather, Sabine allowed him to move it. Four commanded the demon to get out, kicking him off the bed, but Sabine dragged him along by his ankle. Nattia rolled her eyes in annoyance at the antics as Sabine merely dragged him up until he was hanging upside down in Sabine’s vice-like grip. What a comical sight! Still, Nattia thought that the embarrassment quite suited the boy. Maybe now he would give up and desist with the foolish resistance.

Nattia started when Four suddenly lurched, bringing his foot up to connect with Sabine’s face. The demon’s blood began to dribble from a nose that took on a crimson hue. Nattia let out a gasp of alarm and outrage at the ridiculous display. Sabine lightly took it as Four being hungry, but Nattia’s rage did not cool and hate for the boy gleamed in her eyes. When Sabine reminded him that they were keeping the others waiting for breakfast, the guarded look on Four’s face gave Nattia a twisted pleasure. He clearly did not like that idea, but it served him right.

“Yes, little soot bird,” she spat out the words like a curse, pausing to smirk before she continued. “We are late for breakfast. I am sure you would not want to miss that,” she purred, mocking him lightly.

Sabine slung him over his shoulder and came back to the dresser to retrieve her. Nattia started out trying to convince Sabine to let her walk with a, “No, no, my dear. I think I would be more comfortable-”

She was cut off as he picked her up anyway, hardly seeming to notice her protests. She was soon nestled back on Sabine’s arm. Though she attempted a couple glares at Lonan over Sabine’s shoulder, he firmly ignored her. This irked her to no end, her irritation plain on her face. The boy was so insufferable, and Nattia hardly knew why Sabine even kept him around. Even worse, he continued to struggle at random intervals. Sabine was too strong for these to have much effect, so Natalia was sure the boy was doing it just to be a nuisance.

Unfortunately, despite her attempts to ignore these childish irritations, by the time they reached the kitchen she was silently fuming. It would not be a good morning for any who got in her way. Still, luckily for Lonan, she wanted to get away from his idiocy as soon as possible. She had no patience for banter, for now.

As soon as they entered the kitchen, Nattia could feel the general attention shift in their direction. She straightened, levering a haughty gaze at whoever dared to look her way. She assumed that each glance was at her and glared accordingly, making it clear that this was not the time to test her. As soon as Sabine set her down, she fussily straightened her skirts, gave Lonan an acidic glare, then whirled off to the dining room without acknowledging anyone else. Nattia sat at her usual spot to the right of where Sabine usually sat and sulkily stared straight ahead.
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【"Fuck you... Fuck this place. Fuck life."】
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【Hallways then the Kitchen】
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【#7e4393】
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Imogen had zero intentions of actually arriving to this breakfast in a timely manner. As she walked her nimble fingers kept tugging and fidgeting with the lace of her gloves. Although pretty, they were irritating the slashes and cuts that she was trying to conceal. She prayed that they scabbed up relatively quickly so she didn't have to explain to clingy-mc-kidnapper why she was inflicting self harm. She's had that lecture one too many times.

She came to a stop when she passed by one of the many insignificant little tables in the halls. There were two rather large porcelain vases on either side with very very dead flowers draped over in them littering the floor with dead petals. But Imogen couldn't careless about any of that, it was the ornate mirror that hung on the wall above the table that made her stop.

Her reflection actually brought a gasp to her lips. She looked like death. Although, Imogen wished she was actually dead to match the appearance. There were dark circles under her eyes that would put most insomniacs and alcoholics to shame. Her skin was frightfully paler than it already was, giving her the appearance of a ghostly figure instead of a somewhat living and breathing creature. She pouted her lips. There wasn't much to be done at this point, she was halfway to the kitchen. So for the sake of some sort of effort, she gave her cheeks a couple smacks to put some color into them.

Imogen hadn't even noticed until that moment that her hair looked worst than a birds nest. She couldn't help but chuckle at it. Her eyes scanned around until she saw a ribbon tied to some of the dead flower stems. She yanked it free causing the flowers to be decapitated in the jerk. Bringing the ribbon to her lips, she held it there as she started to braid her hair while walking towards the kitchen. Just before Turning down the hallways that leads towards her destination she tied off the messy braid.

As she closed the distance to the kitchen the sounds of her shoes clicking on the floor echoed down the hall. There was no turning back now. Even if she ran off and hid or whatever else, she knew she was heard. Imogen hesitated when she placed her hand on the door. Family gatherings she despised almost as much as time with Sabine... alone. So before she could talk herself out of going, she pushed open the door and entered.

She refused to waste pointless breaths on saying hello or greeting anyone in the room. Imogen didn't even spare a passing glance as she made her way towards the edge of the table, pulling out her seat. As she lowered herself, her hands flipped back the tails of her suit jacket so she did not sit on them. Then she nonchalantly kicked her left foot up onto the table, and crossed the right over it. Imogen entangled her fingers as they rested upon her abdomen. It was only then that her gaze looked up from beneath loose dark curls to fixate on the others. Her right foot began to bounce impatiently as she waited for this damned breakfast to start so it'd be closer to ending.
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【"Keep your hands to yourself."】
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【Kitchen -> Dinning area】
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【#00688B】
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Aedan was not surprised to see Indigo already in the kitchen. And she was already fast at work cooking breakfast. Though he didn't need human food, Aedan couldn't help the instant desire for food. The aroma of something cooking in the oven was all he needed to get his mouth watering. He wondered just what she was making this morning. And as per usual, Indigo was a whirlwind all on her own. It was probably best if he left her to her work and stayed out of her way. He would help if required but actively trying to cook would only make more of a hassle. He still wasn't all that great at cooking. He had much to learn. And upon spotting him, Indigo immediately requested he gather some eggs.

"Yes, Ma'am," he answered her with a nod. He turned just in time to see Nicholas coming into the kitchen as well. He gave a wave to the man. "Good morning," Aedan greeted in return before he walked passed the man to proceed with his quest to gather the eggs.

It didn't take long for Aedan to return with the basket of eggs. And it looked like he wasn't the only one that had been relegated to messenger boy. Sabine was in the kitchen as well which meant disaster. Aedan didn't like to be around Sabine but in most other places, he could tolerate the demon as long as he didn't touch him. In the kitchen... in the kitchen Sabine was in the way. He really was. Sabine tried so hard to help but he was usually standing right behind someone which often had Aedan whirling around to snap crankily at the demon or he was just hovering over Nicholas. It looked like Sabine was doing a bit of both. Aedan sighed and did his best to calm his already frayed nerves. It was startling how the thirst made Aedan rather short tempered and cranky about the smallest things. Or maybe that was just Sabine in general. Aedan shook his head as he set the basket down and stiffened visibly when Sabine came up behind him to look at the basket. Sabine was too close and Aedan felt the subtle innocent brush. Oh and if that wasn't enough, he didn't just have Sabine too watch. Damien entered the kitchen then. He hoped the man would just say a hello and go to the table, but Aedan wasn't that lucky. Damien had to all but glomp him and purr is good morning suggestively. Aedan almost jumped clear to the ceiling like a cat running from a dog.

He felt like a prickly pear. This morning was clearly not his morning.

Though he wanted to run away at this point, Indigo wasn't finished with him. She began listing off other things that she needed for the cooking and it was up to him and Sabine to bring her the things she needed. And of course, the two of them nearly collided into each other a few times as they made their way around the kitchen. As the preparation came to an end and it was time to serve the food, Aedan picked up the plates of pancakes and some of the jam that was ready. Might as well start putting the food on the table. And of course, as he began walking, Sabine walked by him and the two of them ended bumping each other and Aedan had to play catch up with the plates he was carrying least they hit the ground and ruin the breakfast Indigo and Nicholas had created. At this point, Aedan's thirst and annoyance were really grating on his nerves.


"Damn it, Sabine! You are in the way!" he growled. "Just go sit down or something!" Aedan took a moment to take a breath and try and release some tension before he headed to the table again and started to set down the food. And wonderful Natalia and Imogen were both at the table. Imogen was a bit more tolerable than Natalia considering he didn't talk to Imogen and she didn't talk to him most of the time. Natalia though... he didn't want to deal with her and he was in no mood for her words.

With a sigh, he scanned the chairs and dropped down towards the end of the table, as far away from Sabine as he could get. That did put him a little close to Natalia and Imogen but there wasn't much he could do about that. At least... he was close to Four. He really wished he knew what his name was. He didn't like calling the mysterious male a number. It was very dehumanizing but that was the only name he had for the little dark cloud. He looked a bit ruffled this morning as well.
"Good morning," he said then to the other quiet male. He glanced very briefly at Damien who was also in the room. It was upsetting that their friendship had ended the way it did. To be polite, he did give him a nod in greeting, somewhat calmer from their earlier encounter. Aedan wasn't above still being somewhat civil to Damien but it was still very obvious that tension had been created between Sabine's Hart and leopard.
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【"Bon Appetit. That’s French. Like the toast. Get it?"】
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【Kitchen → Dining Hall】
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【#4B0082】
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Indigo had been busying herself with fetching a few more, less-perishable ingredients from the various cupboards when a familiar voice caught her attention (although, to be fair, every voice was familiar these days). Brightening, she placed a jar of honey upon the closest available countertop, turned on her heel, and placed a hand on her hip and leered.

“There you are! Was wondering if you’d ever show up, ya lazy prick.” Indie’s eyes flashed with light, and, without hesitance, she grabbed a bowl filled halfway with heavy cream and pushed it at Nicholas. “Here, go make yourself useful and whip this up some.” Then, to both of her little cooking crew, even as Aedan made his way out to fetch the eggs- “We’re going fancy today, boys!”

It was made increasingly clear that whatever had gripped Indigo during the past week was gone. She bounced around the kitchen, checking here, stirring there, eventually pulling out the tray from the oven- only to replace it just as quickly. Indigo would sometimes shoot an order or two to her de facto assistants, watching them for a few moments to ascertain that whatever she had asked was being carried out before returning to her own work- or, even less frequently, striding up to them to make corrections. Indigo had tutored Nicholas long enough that such mistakes were rare, but Aedan was still new to the kitchen. Still learning. However, he was making excellent progress, to which she was pleased.

Sabine, however, served to be little more than a distraction. He wandered around the room, occasionally fetching one or two ingredients for the recipe, but mostly just doing what Sabine did best.

Which translated to following around the chefs like a stray mutt, or grabbing at them at the most inopportune of times. Indigo made a noticeable effort to stay out of the demon’s grasp- keeping countertops and chairs and large bowls of mixture between them, and dancing to the other side of the kitchen whenever he came too close for comfort. While she had grown acceptant enough of Sabine’s affections throughout the years, she held little tolerance for him sticking his nose into her baking. It was a delicate art in itself, and any mistake caused would require unnecessary backtracking. Unnecessary wasting of time.

Of course, they had all of the time in the world, but that did not matter.

Eventually, even with the challenge of handling Sabine’s interference, the meal was completed- a fresh stack of french toast sticks, piled high upon the platter Indigo had placed them on. She didn’t quite allow Aedan and the others to bring them out just yet then, however. With the swiftness of someone who had performed the task many, many times, Indigo laid out the sticks on separate plates, stacking them with a neatness she had lacked when gathering them. She spun thin ribbons of honey across the dishes, covering them with a dusting of sugar after. Once that was completed, Indigo placed a dollop of whipped cream aside each stack, upon which sat a lone strawberry.

For whatever could be said about the Pelacour girl, she took great care in her work.

Once the table had been set, Indigo strode into the dining room, not at all surprised by the presence of the other pets. While she hadn’t noticed them gather while preparing breakfast, it was doubtful that Sabine would let them be so easily. Cracking her knuckles high above her head, Indigo grabbed a chair- the next-farthest one she could get, seeing as her other option had been taken- and settled in it with a plop.

“Mornin’,” she said simply, giving a short tip of the hat in the others’ general direction. Without waiting for Sabine’s blessing, Indigo grabbed one of the sticks off her plate, and, after a prompt dip from both the cream and her mug of coffee, she tossed it back into her mouth.

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【"If only cookies were an acceptable breakfast."】
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【Kitchen and Dining Room】
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【#2C5D3F】
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Nick grinned as Indigo turned her attention to him, (hopefully) jokingly calling him a 'lazy prick.' He took the bowl of cream that was given to him, holding it in one arm as he went to retrieve the whisk from its spot across the kitchen. As he did so, Aedan began to leave to fetch the eggs as Indigo proudly declared that they were going to have a fancy breakfast today. "Shall I get some glasses for champagne as well?" Nick teased, half turning his body so Indie could see him grinning. Turning back around, he removed the whisk from its place and set the bowl down on the counter in front of him.

Damien entered, greeting everyone happily before coming over to Nicholas and greeting him. The dark haired man felt himself warm up a bit at the sound of Dami's purring voice. "Hello to you as well my friend," he replied without turning from the counter or lifting his head. The two hadn't seen each other in days and though the greeting could be taken sarcastically, Nicholas genuinely meant it. As he continued whipping the cream, Sabine, Lonan, and the oh so lovely Nattia entered. He didn't pay any of them much mind, choosing to focus on the task of making whipped cream instead. He continued to move the whisk around in the cream repetitively, occasionally lifting it in order to mix it up a bit more and test its thickness.

Once finished with the whipped cream, he turned to take it to Indigo and was greeted by a hovering Sabine. He hadn't heard the demon come up behind him to peer over his shoulder. Nick jerked back a bit from the shock of having Sabine so close to him. He loved Sabine dearly, but the demon was not one for respecting personal space. "Sabine, could you please move?" Nick asked him gently, as if speaking to a child. "I need to take this to Indie."

"Oh, okay." Sabine took a half step to the side, staring at the contents of the bowl. Nick sighed a bit and stepped around him, taking the bowl over to the head chef. He could hear Sabine following close behind, as if to guard him from the very threatening task of making breakfast.

He continued helping Indie by making what was needed or finishing what she started, doing his best to avoid crashing into Aedan and Sabine as they too danced around the kitchen. Sabine especially was in the way, hovering over Nicholas quite frequently and at times giving him ill timed hugs. There would be time for hugging later, when he wasn't busy trying to prepare breakfast.

At last, the task was complete. The pancakes and french toast smelled wonderful and looked delicious. Nicholas grinned as Indigo quickly set out each plate. It was tempting to take a french toast stick and eat it right then and there, but he didn't want to be impolite. The pets had no need for human food, but the urge to eat it had remained quite strong for Nick even after centuries of being with Sabine. (It briefly occurred to him that it was his hunger for Sabine's blood which caused this, but he'd found himself compelled to eat even a few days after feeding.) Of course, it would be wonderful if they could have cookies and chocolate as a meal. However, he wasn't sure he'd be willing to share so many of his cookies with the other pets. No, he'd much rather offer them one or two and hoard the rest for himself.

Nick removed his apron as Aedan and Sabine departed the room, setting it on the counter behind him. It wasn't long before there was some angry yelling on Aedan's part, as Sabine of course had gotten in the way again. The First made a quick mental note to watch himself around the newest pet, as he seemed to be exceptionally irritated today. Nick shot a quick glance at Indie as she finished up the plates.

After helping Indie to distribute plates to everyone, he took the only open seat. He sat opposite of Indigo and Damien with Maddie on his left. He'd much prefer to be sitting next to Sabine, but Damien and Nattia had already claimed those spots. Oh well, he'd just have to wait until another family meal. Besides, he already knew that he was Sabine's favourite pet. The others could think it was them, but he doubted any of them had a stronger relationship to the demon than himself. Plus, neither Nattia nor Damien had been around as long as he had.

He gave a general greeting to the group after sitting down. The First raised an eyebrow as Indie began eating without Sabine saying anything first. To him, it was rather rude to begin eating without being granted permission. However, this was Indigo and she was not one to follow the rules. He glanced down at his own plate before turning his attention to Sabine, expecting his friend to speak before eating began.
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【"My, my… I’m certainly enjoying this cream"】
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【The Manor House Dining Room, Sitting to the Left of Sabine】
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【#15155E】
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The blond at the table pointedly looked away from Natalia, and sadly, by extension, the golden eyed Four sulking in his place. A dreamy smile played about his lips – he did so love Sabine’s hugs. He’d spent hours in the demon’s arms before, enjoying every minute of the time. It wasn’t even too sexual in nature, that was a misconception about Dami. He just really loved affectionate contact, and intimacy happened to be the easiest thing to win from strangers.

His fellow pets did not do much to alleviate his needs.

Still, the chaos he could observe from the kitchen, as well as the yelling coming from Aedan at one point, reminded him they weren’t the best partners to consider anyway but…what other choices did he have? Sighing softly, he rested an elbow on the table and placed his head on his palm. People were settling around him, but Damien had zoned out. Aedan was quite furious this morning, Dami had begun to feel awkward around Nicholas after the…incident, and Four was, well, Four. Translation: Unapproachable as all get out. At least one person was happy to see him – Nicholas had returned his greeting with enough good cheer.

Dami was, by nature, a very dainty person, and how he ate showed it. After taking French toast sticks and an extra, large dollop of whipped cream, he settled back into his place without fuss.


”I love cinnamon,” he commented, smiling at the three cooks. ”Thank you.” as if the choice of meal had everything to do with him. The blond then lifted fork and knife, carefully cutting himself a square of bread before dipping it into the whipped cream and bringing it to his mouth. He quietly observed the rest of the table as they ate, not much included in others’ conversations and not seeing much need to barge in.

Trouble only began once Damien was full.

He’d taken just a bit too much and now a forlorn breadstick lay on his plate beside the depleted, but still plentiful cream. Looking around the table once more, his brown eyes lit playfully as a sly smile touched his lips.

If the trouble had started when he was full, then the others should have noticed when the sixth began to use his hands.

The fingers that had so delicately held utensils nudged the last stick of toast to the center – it was a thick corner piece, perfect for what he had in mind. A quick motion, and all but a small portion at the end was resting in the freshly whipped cream. He turned it to coat thoroughly, buried it in the sweet stuff, and then brought it out, using his fingers to keep it straight. Checking if anyone was watching, Dami began.

The first moan was extremely light – so much that it could be mistaken for a sigh as Dami flicked his pink tongue against the edge of the toast, taking away a small touch of cream. The next was longer, not touching the toast, only skimming along the length where it was overloaded in white to bring some away. He waited until he made eye contact with Nicholas, then pressed his tongue to the underside of the unusually thick piece of bread, slowly dragging over the texture until he’d reached the end, where he coupled pleased noises with light little flicks.

He next waited to catch Aedan’s blues when they chanced look up, twining his tongue over the food as he lapped at the sweetness. Long strokes had deposited whipped cream in the corners of his mouth, and Dami licked his lips with another more audible moan. Only one more to go…

Four, the isolated one, didn’t look up often, but as soon as he did Dami seized the chance. In went the stick, the blond’s cheeks hollowing as he sucked to get the last of the cream out before drawing the toast stick back, teasing the surface with lips and teeth. He was clearly enjoying himself, his sounds being ones of pleasure as he lapped away the lasting remnants of the whipping cream. His eyes lidded but locked onto gold, he brought his fingers to his mouth to clean them off, one by one drawing them away with wet pops.

His performance had been blatantly obscene and he loved it. Dami brought the poor piece of French toast up for another teasing lick.
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【”I need some air…"】
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【Second Floor Halls --> Dining Room】
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【#cca31a】
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Ugh, why did Sabine have to smell this way? He wasn’t supposed to smell nice, Lonan wasn’t supposed to like anything about him! He smelled of freshly cleaned laundry, of rose, of… Sabine. Four inhaled quietly against the lower back of the demon’s shirt as he bobbed against the sway of the man’s footfalls. Couldn’t this have waited? For about another few hundred years? Why did Sabine have to do this to him, to make him suffer further? It hadn’t been enough to invade his space, hadn’t been enough to rip him from the first and only peaceful sleep he’d had in months, wasn’t enough to drive the nail in harder about the fact that he was in his life, the fact that Lonan was dependent on him, but now he was being forced to do the one thing he dreaded and avoided at all costs- the other pets? And speaking of which… Natalia. An angry frown flashed across his face at the thought of the redhead in Sabine’s other arm. The frown did no one good save for his own feelings, though- he was still staring down at the demon’s back. Well, there was nothing that could be done now. He would just have to brace himself.

As the trio walked along, windows slowly began to come into view, and with windows came sunlight. It was hellishly bright all of a sudden, especially for a ruffled little bird just pulled out of his dark hole. He honestly didn’t know where to look whenever they passed into the streams of blinding light; it was getting to be very disorienting being held upside-down over the demon’s shoulder, and damn if it wasn’t boring to just stare at the floorboards. He didn’t want to look at Sabine anymore either. But the alternative… Four almost shuddered. Gods forbid he actually have to look at Nattia. He would rather have his eyes burned thoroughly out by the slanted rays of sunlight, or by staring directly at the sun, or by doing it himself with a lighter- than have to look at her.

He quickly busied himself with picking at little threads that stuck out from the back of Sabine’s clothes so that he wouldn’t even have to think about her. Instead he settled back into the lull of Sabine’s consistent steps and breathing. It wasn’t like the walk downstairs was going to take forever, he’d just have to deal. It sure seemed to be taking forever, though. A grumpy little pout tugged mercilessly at his lips as they descended the stairs. At least it wouldn’t be long now. He still wasn’t looking forward to it. Not at all. Even if it did mean getting even a few more inches away from Natalia.

As the trio arrived in the lively kitchen, attention shifted around them, but honestly it didn’t even seem like any of the other pets really noticed Lonan. He was grateful for that, because he was still being carried rather unceremoniously right at that moment. It made him vulnerable and uncomfortable, but they seemed to be busier glancing at Nattia or whatever little jobs they were up to than looking at him. That idea was put to the test when Lonan suddenly felt Sabine’s grip tighten dangerously around his legs as the red snake dismounted and disappeared through the opposite doorway with a flourishing of her skirts- Four could see it around Sabine’s side. It was then that he was being moved, suddenly facing Sabine, held securely under the armpits like some stiff-limbed cat getting a stern talking-to. Sheer ice blues locked onto roiling golds, neither set of orbs flinching in the slightest despite the sugar-laced poison tumbling from those pale pink demonic lips. Four remained resolutely unimpressed under the harsh gaze and words of the demon, but truly only just managed to suppress an uneasy growl at the threat. He knew that Sabine was one-hundred percent serious, and not for lack of past experiences on the topic threatened. It had been… unpleasant to say the least. Whatever would get him out of the man’s grip though- Lonan gave the slightest of grudging nods- imperceptible except to the demon whose entire focus was directly on him- and Sabine finally walked him through the doorway after Nattia into the dining hall. At least those in the kitchen had seemed to miss that little exchange between he and their captor just as they had with their entrance.

Four was suddenly thrust into a chair by Sabine’s hands, the boy wincing as his ass hit the barely-cushioned seat. He leveled a harsh gaze up at the demon, but he was too busy chatting up Three and sealing her fate as Lonan’s prison guard to notice. Irritably narrowed eyes slid over across the table to glare at her before he grumblingly began to get more comfortable in his seat. He would be there for quite some time, after all. He watched as Sabine disappeared back into the kitchen, no doubt to cause trouble as no more than a minute passed before yelling could be heard from the other room, and rolled his fingertips over the wood of the table over and over. It took him all of three seconds as his eyes were wandering during this to realize he was seated directly across from Sabine’s usual chair. His mood soured even further.

It did not take Lonan long to tune out the noises around him, eventually pushing an arm out on top of the table and resting his head on it. He didn’t even bother to take note of the other arrivals, whether by presence or by voice. Instead, he let his eyes gaze about the room grumpily. He tilted his head further into the crook of his arm with a silent breath, sight sliding upwards and sunlight literally catching his orbs. But it did not burn this time. The light came from the window to the vegetable garden... The rays were warm, and gentle, and inviting this time, not harsh and grating like they had been in the hallways. It warmed his skin, soaked straight into him, touching him to the core. It caused his whole form to still to an absolute stop, eyes fixated steadily on the glass panes where the sunlight filtered in through. It really took all Four had not to just give in, to not just knock his chair over and run. Run towards that freedom, that warmth from the sun that seemed to call his name like a siren’s soft, faraway call. To go away, eff the consequences and just never stay. His heart pounded suddenly in his chest, eyes widening and form almost tilting forward. Four’s muscles were tensing, like he really was going to run; forget Sabine, forget the consequences, just run.

Actually, now he really was considering it; he lifted his head and began to sit up a bit straighter, eyes fixated on the door that would lead to freedom, form almost shifting out of his chair when he heard his name called, startling him out of his spell despite the voice being so calm and uneasily soothing. It was almost like it demanded his attention, or… rather, how had it so easily garnered it? He had tuned out all the others… Lonan whipped his head around, towards the voice that was still not familiar to him.

Aedan.

…Certainly it had been because the voice had reminded him that he definitely wasn’t alone in this house. That there were always eyes watching. That he had to maintain his façade. Or at least that was what Four was trying to convince himself of as to why Aedan had so easily tamed his frayed nerves and had broken his spell of unearthly focus. It was because the ‘good morning’ that had been aimed at him was by that unfamiliar voice of their newest house guest. Of course it had caught his attention. A leg jumped slightly in tightly tied but still baggy and loose grey pants, and a hand shifted to his chest in the maroon colored long-sleeved shirt that hid his wrists so easily, but whose v-neck was cut a little low- when he moved his position in that sharp manner to gaze upon he who had addressed him. It was quite apparent that Four had been stolen from his bed, simply by his apparel, which spoke of sleep, but he also had disheveled hair, and as he looked back to Aedan, he ran his hands through it to push his bangs back, quirking an eyebrow. But before Lonan could even think to attempt to say something, the blonde was already looking elsewhere.

Lonan simply blinked those golden eyes of his and instead just settled back into his chair, quickly looking elsewhere as well. With a huff of air, he brought his elbows up on the table and folded his hands in front of his lips, frowning at the far wall. With the shift of where he was looking, though, Four finally noticed that the other pets were finally gathering around the table, taking their seats or settling into them. He hadn’t noticed… there must have been some time missing when he was staring at the windows. He didn’t really care.

It was also only then that he realized there was food now. Indie and the others in the kitchen must have been setting it out- just finishing, actually, as the short little red-head brought out the last plates. It was only then that the scent hit his nostrils, and he took a quiet but deep inhale. It smelled really good, whatever it was. Strange that it had taken him this long to get on top of his surroundings. He was always so careful and on alert. The hunger must be getting to him. Or something. He found he didn’t really care about this either right now.

Four’s plate was set before him, and he finally got to inspect what that smell was coming from. French toast sticks. He picked one up limply between two fingers, inspecting it. This wasn’t toast. How could this abomination possibly be called toast? Nothing about it even slightly resembled the one perfection of the earth. It was soft, and limp, and squishy. Thick. It wasn’t toast. He wanted nothing to do with it. Well… that wasn’t entirely true. It did smell really good… and he was hungry. Granted, hungry for blood, but Lonan still desperately clung to any of the small shreds of humanity that he was humored with. It still wasn’t toast, though. Let that be known.

He started into his food, secretly enjoying the taste of the rare treat he was allowing himself- food cooked by another’s hand- but outwardly he looked fairly normal- a pretty straight face if not plagued with a few hints of irritation. He had ignored the greetings from all of the other pets who had bothered with them, even going so far as to ignore Sabine for the most part. This did mean that all of the pets were here, and that he was out in the open and put on display for the others to look at, but he did his damnedest to ignore as many of them as he could. Lonan only looked up on rare occasion to survey his surroundings and make sure no one was looking his way for too long, but otherwise he took his time eating and sipping at his own hot, bitter drink, his focus resting primarily on that.

Lonan was just about done with his breakfast, or as done as he had decided himself to be, since he wasn’t actually intending to eat everything in the first place, when he leaned forward to take a deep sip of his drink. He thought he had heard something strange from across the table, so he decided to investigate now, eyes flickering upwards from the rim of his cup towards where Dami was sitting. The warm, soothing liquid was just trickling down his throat when suddenly he found himself locked into Damien’s lusty gaze. There was movement below, however, and Four’s eyes immediately darted a few centimeters down to the man’s lips to investigate. He regretted it instantly.

In popped that innocent bread victim, into the warm, undoubtedly wet, confines of Dami’s mouth. Cheeks hollowed, deadly eye contact. Lonan immediately spluttered as soon as Dami had begun the deed, leaving the poor bird doing a spit-take and suddenly stiffening straight as an arrow in his chair, coughing very roughly. His chair had scooted loudly against the dulled wooden floor, shifting about an inch as Four had recoiled. It had taken everything he had not to just drop the mug he held in his hand, instead opting to set it down harshly on the table while bringing up his other arm to cover his mouth as he coughed uncontrollably, attempting to clear his throat of inhaled tea.

Slamming an open palm against the table as he finally got his airways clear, he attempted to throw Dami a deadly glare through slightly watering eyes, but found the man unabashedly sucking off his fingers with pleasured little grunts, eyes half lidded and locked onto the blackbird’s golds once more. As if he hadn’t violated that poor piece of French toast enough, he let his tongue take one more suggestive lick at its tip. Highly uncomfortable now for more reasons than just having made a scene and drawn attention to himself, Four threw his napkin on the table and pushed back from the edge of the wood, immediately getting up from his chair and blatantly walking out on the whole ordeal, cheeks flushing and shoulders tense. Damn, that man had no decency. And having judged from the state of that poor piece of bread, Lonan hadn’t been Damien’s only target. That only caused more agitation in the boy.

He needed some air.
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【"Wonder what Dami would do if I started just serving him scrambled eggs for the rest of forever."】
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【Dining Room】
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【#4B0082】
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It hadn’t taken too long for Indigo to finish her own serving, despite the hefty amount she had piled upon her plate. She had, after all, gotten a bit of a head start on the others, and had purposefully eaten as swiftly as possible. While she still enjoyed the pleasure of eating after so many years (perhaps it was just her own natural gluttony, she mused), Indigo had plans for today. To some, having a schedule might seem odd when one had unlimited time at their disposal, but the Owl was an odd one herself. Besides, she wasn’t too fond of the air in the dining hall. It reminded her too much of a group of parakeets, all forced into the same cage and made to get along. Slightly claustrophobic, and noticeably uncomfortable.

Speaking of which.

“Oi, Dami.” Lifting the last french toast stick from her plate, Indigo jabbed it over in the blond’s direction, waving a bit in case she hadn’t drawn his attention initially. "Look, I’m flattered you’ve taken a liking to my cooking there, but, eh...could you stop face fucking the thing like you owe it money? Kind of weird trying to eat while someone’s moaning in my ear. Makes me feel like I’m trapped in some kind of raunchy novel or something.” In one deft movement, she dunked the stick in her mug, tossed it into her mouth, and washed it down with the remainder of her coffee.

“Anyway,” she announced, plunking the emptied cup back onto the tabletop. “I think I’ll be heading out. Ophelia’s still in pretty piss poor shape right now. Need to check and see if she might end up kicking the bucket after all. You guys don’t mind washing up, right? Right.”

Ophelia was one of the goats that Indigo had taken to keeping a few decades ago. A third generation Nubian, the thing had recently given birth, and while the kid was fine (Indigo had decided to name her Cressida), the mother hadn’t been taking the whole experience too well. A few of the more observant pets, however, might have already taken notice of the milk that had been in the kitchen by the time everyone else had arrived, but Indigo didn’t concern herself about that. After all, most of the pets couldn’t really give a damn about what the others were up to.

Most.

Smacking her hat into her preferred angle, Indigo rose from her seat, then made to leave the room.
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【"Damn it Damien! Why did you ruin the moment? Again."】
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【Kitchen】
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【#00688B】
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Aedan sighed to himself as he got situated in his seat. He was looking forward to breakfast. The smell of the food made him hungrier though he knew what he was really hungry for but he wanted to delay that just a little bit longer. He didn't want to ask Sabine for blood right now. Maybe it was a bit of pride, but Aedan hated asking for things. Especially when he wasn't alone. He'd just have to find Sabine alone later and see if he could get some blood. For now, he would let the delicious food on the table distract him from his real needs and keep his mind off the other pets. He didn't want to get involved in any arguments or discourse. He just wanted to eat and go on his way. He hoped Sabine didn't decide that this was going to be a family day or something. He wouldn't be able to handle it if they all had to be together the whole time. It was too overwhelming for Aedan. He gave a small wry smirk at that thought. Too overwhelming to be around a group of people? How strange he had become considering he never had a solitary moment before all of this. He had always been with the men and training or in town. And now he was overwhelmed by a tiny group of people. He really had changed.

The soldier put those thoughts away as he reached over to grab some of the toast in his plate and used a knife to smother each stick with some of the frosting and poured coffee in his own cup to begin the amazing breakfast in front of him. He successfully began to ignore the others as he busied himself with eating. He was surprised how tame breakfast actually was. He knew that none of them really got along so he had expected some sort of fight from the get-go so it was nice to see they could act a little civilized for the get together, his own outburst not withstanding. He hadn't yelled at the pets after all, just Sabine for nearly making him drop said breakfast.

Aedan was just reached over for some more French toast when he started to hear something out of place. Moaning? Why would anyone be moaning at the table? That didn't sound like 'I am going to be sick' moaning. The new pet lifted his gaze from his plate briefly but did a double take, his eyes suddenly glued to the scene. His eyes widened in surprised and the toast he had grabbed with his fork dropped into his plate forgotten as he watched Damien's indecent display. His mouth hung open as the other blond licked at the toast while he made his sounds of pleasure, his fingers wiping at the cream on the corners of his mouth. He couldn't believe what he was seeing or hearing. The moans were really what got him. Damien made convincing noises and he felt a bit of tightness at the sounds which immediately made him more uncomfortable with the situation. He shouldn't have looked up.

Number Four's sudden chocking brought him out of his own stupor and he tore his gaze away from Damien's lips. He was feeling sick to his stomach and uneasy. He watched as Four rushed away from the table and Indigo scolded Dami for his display, not that it would have really changed anything. Lately Damien was becoming more and more uncomfortable to be around. It really wasn't that he hated Damien but his displays of homosexuality... they were hard to watch and it made Aedan hate being in his skin. Blatant displays made him angry and upset and jealous. He hadn't been allowed to show any love outside of his room towards his lover and just a mention of his affections had ended up with torture and death and here Damien was... Damien was flaunting it like it didn't matter. That rules didn't matter. He could be as free as a bird with it and it hurt that he couldn't be that way and any touch now brought anger and hurt. It only reminded him of the internal fire that had brought him into this situation in the first place and how a caress had turned into a knife. And the worst part was that Damien's moans had managed to turn him on a little bit. He loathed his bodily reaction to it and berated himself. Nothing would come out of this but more pain.

Aedan got out of his chair and grabbed the empty plates and hurried off to the kitchen to get out of the room. He needed to be out of the room. It felt suffocating to be surrounded by everyone. He would have preferred to just go outside and get some air but maybe doing the dishes would get his mind off of his feelings and what he had seen. The soldier filled the basin with water and started to scrub the dishes far harder than he needed to to clean them. It was a miracle the plates didn't break he was holding them so hard. All the while Damien was in his head, fueling his frustration with the situation. And here he thought they could have a civilized breakfast. He should have known better. At least he wasn't thinking about Sabine and his blood. Well at least until that thought just crossed his mind. Aedan dropped his head forward and just stared into the soapy water, doing his best to keep the tears at bay. So much had changed, he didn't want to be a cry baby to. He had already cried far more than he would ever admit to anyone. He wanted to at least keep up the pride he had had as a soldier.
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【"Fuck you... Fuck this place. Fuck life."】
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【Dining Room】
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【#7e4393】
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The whirlwind of cooking and whatever else that was going on inside the kitchen made Imogen more content in her current location. Of course she had no desire to be within a mile of this group, but here she was. It wasn't like she had a choice. A prison without bars but a prison none the less. It was either she came willingly or she'd have to tolerate the touch of that disgusting lecher.

She hardly spared a glance to any of the commotion of the joining members or anything else. Her gaze was fixated on the table cloth while she mindlessly toyed at her lace gloves. Imogen tried not to visibly wince as she plucked the fabric from her slowly healing wounds. The blood was attempting to coagulate with the fabric and each tug reopened any attempts at a scab. It was annoying and no doubt ruining her gloves. It'd be easier just to take them off, let them heal with the fresh air, but she didn't need Sabine's gaze to fall upon them. She was in no mood for a lecture and hoped he stayed preoccupied with the ass licking pets and left her alone.

When a plate was set down before her it shut off Imogen's train of thought. Her brows furrowed while her nostrils flared at the sight. She stabbed a piece of the floppy bread, lifting it as if to expect it.
"Is there any food under all this fucking sugar?" Imogen mumbled to herself while her face blatantly showed her disgust. She picked up her knife and quite the opposite of everyone else in the room she scraped whatever the fuck was on the french toast off as much as possible before placing it between her lips and taking a bite. The lingering taste of honey and whipped cream tainted the food making her frown as she ingested it. "What happened to eating French Toast like normal people... With syrup?"

Instead of attempting to eat another piece of overly sugar smothered bread, Imogen snatched up the strawberry that rested in the pile of whipped cream. Just as she placed the fresh fruit between her lips and had sunken her teeth into its juicy plump redness she heard a moan come from the opposite side of the table. Her eyes shifted to glance to her left all the way down to the other end of the table, her body frozen in its current pose. The sight was appalling and disgusting. It made Imogen become tense and drop the berry onto her plate.

Lonan's shocking outburst and coughing fight shook her mind free from the sight. She watched him leave as the lingering revelation of what she just witnessed turned the already unstable contents of her stomach into knots. Imogen shoved her plate away from her as she swung her legs off the table. She stood up, kicking her chair backwards with so much force she knocked it over.
"Well I lost my fucking appetite."

Imogen stormed her way out of the dining room, mumbling to herself
"Disgusting fucking whore... Who does that at breakfast... Oh, right. These fucking pricks." She slammed the door harder than what was necessary and walked down the hall with a mad fury. Her stomps where loud and echoed off the walls. She needed air and distance and didn't have the patience to find the fucking door outside. She bee lined for the first set of large bay windows, unlocked them and through them open. She pressed her hands on the insides of the window as she stepped up onto the ledge and hopped down the four foot drop, landing in the garden. Imogen trudged her way through until she was a good twenty or so yards from the manor. She then plopped her ass down in the grass. She yanked off her gloves and tossed them into the wind before letting herself fall backwards on the grass with a sigh.
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【"Our dear Deer, what a laughingstock."】
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【On Sabine’s right, leering like a fiend】
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【#881309】
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Dami was already at the table, but Nattia soundly ignored him. She slumped forward, her head held up in one hand, as she glared out the window. It was hardly proper table etiquette, but she was too nettled to care. Even when Sabine carried Four into the room, firmly placing the sullen boy in a chair, she barely gave Sabine a thin smile before she was returning Four’s glare, tapping a staccato beat on the table with well-manicured fingertips.

Though she rarely missed a chance to exchange venomous taunts and thinly-veiled glares with Imogen, Nattia only glanced at her as she entered. She heaved a sigh when the saturnine woman rudely heaved her feet onto the table, but was too busy pointedly ignoring Lonan to nag Imogen about it. In any case, these rare household gatherings were a good opportunity to glower at everyone equally, to make sure they all knew they were still in her bad graces. There would be time to spat with Imogen later.

At the shouting from the kitchen, Nattia finally straightened from her sulky slump. She wondered at the short ruckus, but soon dismissed it. Conflict was by no means rare in this household. Still, she was getting bored, which boded well for no one. At last, the last few pets trickled into the room as the table was set with sugary French toast. She regarded each of them coolly. Aedan entered, sitting across from her and next to Four. He greeted the morose little soot bird, but didn’t give Nattia a second glance.

A scowl deepened on her features, but her pout was interrupted when the ever-energetic Indie bounded into the room. She hardly sat down, giving a general greeting, before she stuffed one of the French toast sticks into her mouth. Natalia rolled her eyes at the girl’s blatant lack of manners, even as Nicholas joined them. He greeted the group as well, but Nattia only raised her brows and scoffed at the useless gesture, instead turning her attention to Sabine with a warm smile.

When everyone was settling into eating, she took up her utensils, cutting dainty bites out. Though her expression never betrayed it, she was very much enjoying the breakfast. At least Indigo was useful for something. Imogen mumbled, obviously disgruntled about how sugary it was, and Natalia responded with a smirk, shoveling an unladylike amount of cream on her next bite and eating it with relish. She delicately dabbed her lips with a napkin before moving her sneer back to the rest of the table.

Nattia finished one stick and was just beginning on the other when she noticed the disturbance moving around the table. She paused with the fork midway from her plate as she noted the odd, lewd moans proceeding from the other side of Sabine, out of her view. Four gave several dramatic, choking coughs and Aedan’s previous glazed stare transformed into a look that seemed almost furious. Nattia craned to look around, catching Dami’s last few licks at a now rather ravaged piece of French toast. It was no wonder everyone on that side of the table looked so green. Dami, on the other hand, seemed rather pleased with himself.

Four dashed out, seeming rather off-balance. Aedan soon followed, covering his disgust more gracefully by hastily grabbing empty dishes on his way out. Both Indie and Imogen scolded the lewd man with strongly worded rants, each following Lonan’s example and fleeing when finished. That was quite the mass exodus if she had ever seen one.

She raised any eyebrow, turning to glance at Sabine, wondering how the oblivious demon would take all this. She turned in her seat until she could level a mocking smirk at the Dami.

“How dreadfully obscene,” she said, a measure of amusement in her tone.

Nattia smoothed her fingers against her napkin, breathing deeply to force down the threat of bubbling laughter caused by the suddenness of all the dramatic reactions. The room was suddenly much less crowded, which lightened her mood. Dami did have his ways, she supposed.

“Well, at least our special Dami had his fun ruining everyone’s breakfast. Didn’t you, dear?” she said, her tone honeyed and cloying.

She leaned forward to fleer across at the man. Despite her words, she lifted her fork to her mouth, nonchalantly eating her last delicate piece of French toast. She kept eye contact, her expression as derisive as her words and laugh had been. Perhaps she could even get a rise out of Dami, if she was lucky.
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【"I didn't know French toast could be so sexual."】
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【Dining Room, to the left of Maddie】
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【#2C5D3F】
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Nicholas was quite happy with the results of the kitchen crew's work. Of course, it wasn't hard to please him when sweet food was involved. He was content to eat with his fingers, dipping his French toast sticks into the whipped cream to coat them with a generous amount before taking a bite. He had settled for water instead of coffee, taking a sip from his glass in between sticks. Some things just never changed, even after centuries.

The First had two French toast sticks left on his plate when the breakfast took a rather unexpected turn. He had just taken a bite of one of them when he heard an soft moaning coming from Damien. Looking towards his friend, he was met with twinkling brown eyes and Dami's tongue slowly licking the underside of the helpless piece of food. Nicholas stopped mid-chew, frozen in place. The moaning continued as he continued his display of... affection towards the French toast stick before looking to Aedan and then Lonan. Had that really just happened? Despite being uncomfortable with the whole display, he couldn't help but continue to watch until the very last finger was licked clean.

The bite of French toast was still in his mouth and upon realizing it was there he quickly swallowed it. He could feel his cheeks were warm, having turned red from the situation. Thankfully, he was not the center of attention as Four had begun choking, followed by him slamming a hand on the table and leaving without a word. Nicholas looked down at his plate as Indigo admonished Dami before dismissing herself. Glancing to the other end of the table at Imogen as she left he noted that Aedan had departed as well.

He scooted his chair in towards the table so that there was barely any space between it and himself, inwardly cringing a bit with each scraping noise the legs made against the floor. As awkward as it was to admit, Damien's performance had caused his body to react in the way expected when one heard lustful moans accompanied by sexually suggestive imagery. Memories of his wife had returned and though they were brief, they certainly didn't help. Nicholas was in no position to be dismissing himself lest he have Nattia smirking at him, Sabine questioning him, and Dami having the satisfaction that the display had successfully affected him both mentally and physically.

Looking at his plate as he resumed eating, albeit slower than before, thoughts began to scramble in his brain. He was confused enough as it was about his sexuality and this didn't help. As he thought about his hidden romantic feelings towards Damien, his wife, and the things he'd been taught about homosexuality, he continued to eat. He heard Nattia speaking but didn't really process the words, not that it was likely to be beneficial to him anyways. The usually self possessed pet seemed to be in an emotionless trance, lost in thought and resembling Four more than himself.
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【"Umm, am I doing it wrong?"】
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【At the table, seated next to Aedan】
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【#FB37CD】
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By the time Madison had finished getting cleaned up for breakfast and arrived in the dining hall, most of the others had already taken their seats, save for the ones that were in the kitchen preparing the meal. Her nostrils were assailed with the scent of cinnamon, and she couldn't help but quirk a little grin. It was a lovely, soothing smell, almost enough to alleviate the tension she could feel all across the room.

She quietly took a seat next to Aedan, giving him a slight nod as she sat. She didn't bother starting a conversation, the two had only spoken briefly in times past, and she didn't want to make breakfast more awkward than it already was. When the food was brought out, the reactions differed from pet to pet. Some were concerned with the amount of sugar the meal consisted of, but it hardly mattered to her. It was sure to be a treat, and with their immortality, she had a life time to work off any weight the excess sugar might entail.

She gingerly cut into one of the sticks as the others started eating, using her fork to dunk the bread into the cream before taking her first bite. It was delicious, more so than she had expected. She savored the flavor for a long moment, chewing slowly before swallowing. She glanced at Sabine several times during the meal, just to see how he was holding up. It wasn't uncommon for him to slip into another mood so soon after coming out of his previous one, and she worried.

As she took a small drought of her coffee, she heard something unusual for the breakfast table. It sounded like, moaning? She glanced over to Dami, seeing him behaving in a way she'd never seen before. He brought the food to his mouth, smothered in cream, and licked at it tantalizingly, while keeping his eyes locked on some of the other pets. As his display continued, she looked down to her fork and knife. Was she eating her toast the wrong way? She had only assumed that using utensils was common place for the sticky sweets they enjoyed, but perhaps Dami was the most cultured out of them. She assumed his moans were more akin to the flavor as opposed to anything sexual. Perhaps he was doing this to let the chefs know how good their craft was.

Immediately, she felt as though her method of eating was the wrong way. She hefted the last chunk of her toast with her hand, dunking the piece in it's entirety into the mug of cream. Heaps of cream spewed over the edges and coated her fingers, and she brought the monstrosity from the mug, copying Dami by keeping it propped upright with her other hand. She opened her mouth wide, unsure as to whether she would be able to eat that much at once, but she stuffed as much of the cream coated bread into her mouth as she could. She helplessly gnawed off the enormous bite, her cheeks puffed out like a squirrel storing food for the winter.
"Mmmm! Mmmm!" she groaned enthusiastically through her maw full of food. She didn't want the other pets to think she wasn't enjoying her meal, that would have been rude. She managed to chew and swallow the tremendous bite, and offered Dami another glance. By this point, he was licking his fingers clean, one by one. Following suit, she licked her fingers clean from the excess cream, ignoring the napkin that lay folded neatly next to her plate.

At this point, several of the others had some sort of reaction to Dami's display, and she wondered if Dami was doing it wrong, for the reactions seemed to be mostly in disgust. As Aedan got up to leave, her face immediately flushed red. She buried her hands in her lap, ignoring the cream still lingering in the webs. She bowed her head to hide her shame. Had she just made a complete fool of herself?

Pushing away from her spot at the table, she gathered as many dishes as she could carry, and scurried away to the kitchen, keeping her head hung low, her face still a bright red from her antics in an attempt to be socially correct among the other pets.
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【"Where is everyone going...?"】
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【Dining Room】
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【#E31230】
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Sabine didn't notice the tension that lingered above the table as he sat down, despite just being snapped at by Aedan. He merely obliged the blonde, wandering to go sit at the table where most of the others had already accumulated. Indigo finished bringing food out, and the demon surveyed his table, feeling very well pleased with himself. Everyone was together. He hadn't had to chase anyone down or fight to bring them here. (Lonan didn't count. That had been a fun game.) He smiled fondly at Nattia when she turned her gaze his way, and then at Nick, who was also looking at him expectantly, though the others had already begun to eat. "It looks lovely, darlings, good work," he praised, looking down at the delicately arranged plate.

Of course, looks and taste were two different things. And eating was not one of Sabine's skills, even after all this time. Despite the fact that the others were so obviously enjoying their food, lapsing into silence punctuated by the tinging and scraping of forks against plates, the only thing Sabine knew he could enjoy from this food was the knowledge that the humans had put such work into it. Which was why he really only ate when the others were nearby--for the social experience rather than the visceral enjoyment.

Nonetheless, he smiled as he ate, though his clumsiness, along with the hesitance and erratic pauses in his chewing, belied at the very least his gustatory ineptitude. If any of the humans had actually known, they would have been able to see the nausea rising in his posturing, but that was a secret he'd guarded jealously. The humans seemed to like eating and making food so much, he didn't want to disappoint them. He could keep food down for a good hour or two now, which gave him time to abscond after the meal was over without seeming suspicious. Pressure was building within his thoracic cavity nonetheless, threatening him with every new particle of food he added to the burden in organ to which he'd assigned the functionality of stomach. It hadn't stopped him yet, and he wasn't planning on letting it do so now.

His stomach was starting to really complain when there was a noise to his left. At first he thought it was a sound of pain, and was mildly confused at the scene currently playing out beside him. Dami was licking at a french toast stick, his expression light and playful. Was he full and just playing fun with the last one? Though he couldn't tell what exactly would be so fun about this activity... It seemed to be directed towards Nick. Nick's face was slowly rising in colour. Sabine didn't get it. Was he teasing him or something? Was this a joke between the two of them? Then Dami switched his attention to Aedan, whose mouth hung open, speechless. Once he'd gotten his attention, he moved to Lonan. Sabine looked from one to the (as yet unawares) other, wondering what Damien's end goal was here. Was he looking for a specific reaction?

Was Lonan's reaction what he'd been looking for? The blackbird spat out his drink, sputtering all over himself, shock written across his features. Sabine didn't understand why he was so startled, but before he could reason something out, Lonan was out of his seat and heading out the door with utmost haste. As was Imogen. And Aedan was headed towards the kitchen, as was a flushed Maddie. And there went Indigo too. Sabine stood hastily, unsure what to do about all the humans leaving so abruptly. He didn't catch what Nattia said, focused on the Owl's retreating back. He was to his feet and behind her quickly, though the discomfort in his torso was hindering his movement somewhat.

He managed to catch up to her before she left entirely, hands around her waist from behind to lift her up and prevent her from escaping just yet. "
Where do you think you're going?" he said softly before setting her back on her feet and patting her hat-covered head. "Come help with the dishes, little owl." At least he could keep one of them from escaping entirely.

Then he turned to stroll back over to Damien, the surmised cause of the mass exodus, though Sabine was at loss as to exactly why. "
Hold still, Hart, you've still got cream on your face," he said, bending slightly closer to the other and reaching out to wipe away a blot of cream from the other's cheek with his thumb and then innocently licking it off his own hand. Then he ruffled the blonde's hair affectionately. "You're too silly, Deer." he added as he turned to collect plates and help Aedan and Maddie with the dishes in the kitchen.
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【"Stop trying. I’ve held my head up through- well hellooo boys~ Need some help with that? Yes, that. You know what I mean."】
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【The Manor House Dining Room, Sitting to the Left of Sabine】
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【#15155E】
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Dami’s eyes sparkled as he watched the fallout of his little display. While considering it, he had only considered the males true, but it wasn’t hard to notice the affect he’d had on the women as well. No one but Dami himself was amused, but then again, had he been trying for amusement, he had better tricks. No, he’d gotten the reactions he wanted from the men.

Was it wrong that he felt a thrill of power whenever he pulled something like this? Because he did, along with a tingling of revenge, satisfaction…Aedan, Four, even Nicholas, they had all rejected him one way or another, but he could still manipulate them this way. He could make them notice him, knew that whether they wanted to or not, their bodies desired him, desired what he promised with his teasing licks. Shock, red cheeks… as first one, then the other left the room, his smiled grew. Nick chose to stay, pressing closer to the table instead, and Dami could guess why… He winked at him, running his tongue over his lips.

He cared not for Imogen’s disgust, and chuckled lightly at Indigo’s complaint. By the time he formulated his quip about raunchy novels not being nearly so boring, or perhaps something about him wishing he lived in one, she had left to check on one of her goats. Well, Dami could understand concern over their own pets. Though one couldn’t deny that Indie’s goats were more useful than his own rabbits, he knew she had bonded with them.

Guilt only entered his gaze when he noted Madison’s misunderstanding, the village girl choosing him to model her manners off of despite him distinctly lacking any in that moment. She had fled before he could comment, not that he knew how to make it better. He pushed it from his mind then, instead leaning into Sabine’s touch as the demon came around.
”I know…” he murmured quietly, looking up at the other blond with soft eyes. The demon had missed the innuendo, of course he had, and Dami couldn’t say he was upset. He had what he wanted from the demon most of the time… He gazed after Sabine as the demon left the room, until he was stirred from his reverie by Natalia’s snide mocking voice. "Ruin? My dear, you misunderstand. They didn't leave because they felt sick..." Dami paused, then gave a light gasp, as if shocked. "My goodness! Oh, my apologies, dear Natalia. Next time, I'll ensure that I sit so you have a better view. Maybe you'll learn a thing or two on how to properly pleasure a man? I don't suppose you have much experience with that, as you were still unmarried at, what was it, 35?"
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【"Leave me alone!"】
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【Kitchen -> hallway】
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【#00688B】
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Aedan heard the door to the kitchen open and sighed. What now? Couldn't he just be left in peace to calm down? His hands tightened into fists and he kept his gaze down at the soapy water. The foot fall he heard however, didn't sound like Sabine's. It was much quieter, softer. Who had come into the kitchen then? He glanced back to see Madison and he gave a sigh, releasing the pent up breath he had been holding and let the rising tension go. He wasn't mad at her after all. He shook his head and straightened a little but kept his head down as he started to clean the dishes again. He and Madison never said overly much to each other but the company was pleasant and peaceful. Maybe with her there he'd calm. And even if he wanted to say something, he didn't trust himself right then not be cold towards her too and he did not want to break the thread of friendship that they had.




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【"AWW GEEZE, HERE'S A QUOTE"】
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【Kitchen】
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The deep shade of red that Madison's face adopted followed her into the kitchen. How could she have been so careless? She should have known it was something inappropriate, her child like mind had only just a brief moment too late made the connection. She scolded herself under her breath for being so careless, more or less for the fact that she was still overcome with such profound embarrassment, the other pets would likely never take her seriously, being seen as either an imitator or a dimwit.

Once she pushed past the door and crossed the threshold into the kitchen, she noticed Aedan busying himself with dishes and such. She took in a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. Aedan shot a glance over his shoulder, acknowledging her presence with a brief, blank stare. They hadn't spoken much before, and when they did they kept it brief. Madison cleared her throat timidly, gesturing at the pile of dishes she held in her arms.
"Do..um...you mind if I help? Or would you rather I just set these to the side? I don't want to be in the way...I...I'm so, so sorry if my display in the dining room came off as...anything but appropriate. I...had no idea." It was obvious in the brief pauses of her words that she was struggling to fight down a lump in her throat and hold back tears. She shimmied toward the counter, gently placing the pile down on the counter, being sure not to get too close to Aedan.

Aedan looked back at her and hesitated. He didn't really want help. He'd come in here as an escape but it was obvious this was something she needed to.
"You can help," he answered her. He wasn't going to tell her no. At her comment, he faltered. Her display? He'd been so preoccupied with what Dami was doing, he hadn't looked at her. "I didn't notice what you were doing," he admitted. He was a little curious but he wasn't sure he wanted to know if she was worried about it being inappropriate. "I am sure the way Four and I left the table wasn't much better in the realm of what is appropriate table manner."

Maddie heaved a sigh of relief when Aedan insisted he hadn't seen anything, and it made her feel a bit less tense around him. She began to busy herself by drying the dishes as Aedan washed them, and before long they had put a sizable dent in the pile.

"I just...I was so worried something was going to go wrong, and I feel like my negative thoughts might have projected into the world. I wanted so badly for this to go well. It was my first meal with everyone, and now it's left a bad taste in their mouths, they are going to expect such idiocy of me in the future. I..." She trailed off, trying to hide the fact that tears started to trickle down her cheeks, fighting the urge to sniffle at the snot building up in her nose.

Aedan wasn't sure he was in the right state of mind to deal with this. He was crumbling at the seams himself. There was so much going on in his head. This breakfast had left a bad taste in all of their mouths. Except Dami anyway.

"Don't worry about it. I am sure everyone will forget whatever it is you did. Dami's actions will be what people remembered," he assured her. "Four left before me and then I left. I don't know what happened afterward but Nickolas won't be rude to you I don't think. Doesn't seem like the man to hold a slight against you. You needn't fret. The other two... Natalia might be the only one who'd hold it against you."

Maddie tried to take solace in his reassurance, but she couldn't manage to quite stifle it completely. "If you'll excuse me.." She squeaked, cupping her hand over her mouth before she started to sob uncontrollably. She wheeled around to hurry out of the kitchen, and in her haste she was hardly paying attention, and nearly crashed right into Sabine as he entered the kitchen as well.



"God damn it!" he hissed to himself when he heard the door open to allow Sabine entry and Madison to flee. He'd made Madison cry. He had been trying to console her and he'd failed that terribly. He wasn't cut out for this. He raised a hand to rub his forehead. This time he was well aware that the footsteps behind him where Sabine's. The demon was going to get too close or do something to annoy him and having him close made him very aware of his thumbing heart beat, the need to drink. He didn't want to ask for blood. They all had to do it but he didn't want to look week or sound like he was begging. Sabine seeing that was all he could bear. God above he hated being so dependent on someone else for his life. He focused on breathing again as Sabine came to a stop.

At Sabine's question he shook his head.
"No I don't." Madison had helped a bit and the rest that was there were easily manageable. Besides, this was something he wanted to do alone to try and ease his thoughts. Thankfully the others were still eating and the plates were being used so he grabbed a towel to dry off the dishes and put them away. The others could deal with the other dishes as breakfast came to an end. He had done his part. He rolled down his sleeves and turned away from Sabine.

"If you'll excuse me." Aedan said, echoing Madison's early departure and left the kitchen then. Aedan didn't look at anyone still at the table as he passed through the dinning room and into the hallways. He rested his hand lazily on his sword and just... patrolled. It was a habit he picked up. He knew the house was safe but he still couldn't give up the old habit of patrolling the residence just in case something was amiss. And the wandering sometimes helped him calm himself down and think of other things. Other times it just helped the words come to his poetry.

"Locked in Oblivion to dance
upon his stage...
Agony in the ecstasy upon my tongue.
Light in dark - I burn.
Take solace in silence yet
chagrin the stillness."
he mused. He stopped in front of a window displaying the backyard and reached a hand out to lay it flat against the glass. "Lead us not into temptation, but what do we do when temptation's all that's left?"Aedan shook his head and sat down beside the glass and closed his eyes to try and enjoy the quiet. He was already feeling the anger bleed away with the filtered warmth from the window.
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【"And the fangs come out..."】
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【Spatting with Dami in the dining room】
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【#881309】
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Nattia watched Sabine closely as he rose, feeling the rising jealousy at the demon’s easy contact with Dami. As repulsive as the man’s actions had been, it never failed to annoy her how easily Dami got these bits of affection. By that time, it seemed that all but Nicholas had dispersed, including her beloved Sabine who disappeared into the kitchen. No longer needing to conceal her irritation, Natalia’s cool gaze turned to Dami as he started out his puerile excuse. It was all too naive coming from him. Soon, he switched topics to her, acting as though it would be some sort of boon to make sure she had a better view of such things. Her eyes narrowed at his comment at her age, the subtle tightening of her expression the only fleeting sign that he had raised her ire. Well, there was no one she needed to watch her behavior for now, so she could say whatever she wished. Maybe this would be fun.

“You must be blind or a beef-witted yokel to think none of these poor sods felt sick at that….” she started out, giving Nicholas a knowing look toward his new positioning close to the table. She wondered if she could drive either away. Or preferably, both.

“If I recall,” she said, the words falling from quirked lips, “each and every one of these men rejected you, have they not? Or do you think one like you could still win them with such atrocious displays? You sound like a besotted mooncalf, yet you wish to advise me? It’s perplexing, truly.”

She continued to look at Nicholas, trying to catch his eye. Her gaze eventually flicked to Dami, wondering just how well he would play along with that.





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【"This again? Natalia, by know you must know you can’t win."】
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【In the dining room spatting with Natalia】
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【#15155E】
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“That wasn’t sickness.” Dami said indulgently, leaning an elbow on the table and resting his head on his hand. “You’re so...innocent. It’s quite endearing.” he said, as if speaking to someone much younger, a child who thought they knew everything. His eyes flashed at the jab about rejection, but despite his own worries, he wasn’t about to let Natalia get the best of him.

He straightened languidly, looking at the redhead with curious eyes before shutting them halfway, leaning on his hands again.
“Well…” he began slowly. “I am working against a considerable handicap here. And yet, despite that, and in a household with four women, only I get them to stand at attention… what does that say about your, ah,” he paused, as if searching for the word, “‘feminine charm’ when it’s not really, well, working?” he smiled again, as lazy as his other movements. “Although I don’t think charm is really the correct word for what you exude...”




Her lip curled in pure disgust, looking as though he had asked why she didn’t sleep in the goat pen. “I have no such interest. Even a dolt like you should know that I would see all of you left on the streets where such refuse belongs.”

She gave a hard huff, her lips pursing for a moment. Soon, her expression softened. “A handicap, you say? I would say your main handicap is being… unwanted.”

At her last word, she turned to catch his gaze, watching keenly for any satisfying sign of an effect.




“Very charming.” Dami commented dryly. “Were you like that in the past too? A blessing in disguise, I suppose, no one probably cared much when you were taken away.” He typically wouldn’t go for something so blatant, but her last comment was a bit too far. Had it been anyone else, he would have had to give them reluctant commendations for their metaphorical aim.

Unwanted? That was true. He’d never been wanted until Sabine had come, and the demon was the only one who wanted him still. But the cloud over his face cleared as a thought came to him, and the slowly spreading smile was back as he looked up. From what he knew of it, Natalia and him were similar in that respect.


“Now, Natalia. It isn’t good to project your own shortcomings onto others.”




Now this, this right here was why spatting with Dami never went well. Perhaps they were too similar for their own good. She felt her jaw clench, a niggling tightness in her throat. She tried to push it down, to get herself to relax and regain control. They’d had this conversation too many times not to know how to prod just where it hurt. Even now, Nattia distantly knew she’d be in a foul mood the rest of the day.

Her eyes flicked toward the kitchen door. She wouldn’t want any interruptions to this little conversation, especially in the form of a blond-haired demon. She could not get too involved in this now, she wouldn’t want Sabine hearing her insults. She heaved a sigh giving him a thoughtful look. That truly was a rude remark, but not one she would ever admit was true. She had never admitted her insecurities to any in the household, not that it had kept Dami from hitting them in their many squabbles.

“Oh, you poor thing. It’s not projection if it’s true, now is it?” she said, her tone honeyed and her face an emphatic facsimile of pity.




Dami followed Nattia’s eyes, knowing she cared too much about her image to keep going in Sabine came back. How the demon didn’t know how waspish she could be was a mystery to him. The trouble was claiming it wasn’t true would be a blatant lie that Nattia would pick on mercilessly. He had only made that mistake once and...never again.

“We were actually quite rich when I was human.” he commented absently instead, checking his nails before looking back to her. “And they say projection is a sign of deeper rooted problems. Is everything alright?” he asked with false concern, his own voice reaching a higher pitched as he mimicked her delivery.




“It is not, actually, since I'm stuck talking to a tiresome lout who lacks even an ounce of dignity. Mocking me like some young brat still in the nursery. If you--”

She cut off abruptly as the door to the kitchen opened, and straightened. As she saw who it was, her expression brightened in an instant, and she moved to get up and go to him.
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【"I suppose you can't ask for much when we have a family meal."】
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【Dining Room --> Vegetable Garden】
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【#2C5D3F】
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More than a bit distracted at the moment, Nicholas had only partially noticed Madison's unfortunate misunderstanding and subsequent embarrassment. He could easily guess what had happened though, as he'd seen her lick her fingers after Dami had. By the time she had fled, the First had become preoccupied with trying to remaining calm and finishing his meal. He took slow bites, allowing the repetitive action to help him clear his mind of the mix of memories, thoughts, and feelings swirling about.

Once he regained his composure, he became aware that Sabine had departed them as well and that someone had just run through the room and down the hall as he heard their rushed footsteps nearby. Nattia and Damien seemed to be having a discussion. Unsurprisingly, the two were going at each other with much disdain and sharpened quips. He'd only tuned back in as Nattia took a brief pause to check the kitchen door for the demon. He too glanced at the door, as if by doing so would cause Sabine to appear and hopefully shut her up. How she could go from being an absolute pain in the ass to a somewhat tolerable but pretentious lady at the flick of a switch was beyond him.

As Nicholas was not involved in the current conversation, did not want to be, and had returned to his usual state, he picked up his plate and excused himself from the table without a word. He paused towards the end of the table as Aedan went by before turning and going into he kitchen where he found Sabine. "Thank you for the family breakfast, Sabine," he told the demon as he moved to the sink to wash his plate. Though his friend had done nothing in terms of food prep, Nick still felt he should thank him for at least trying to hold a civilized family occasion. He also didn't want Sabine to feel bad about the meal abruptly ending, as it was by no means his fault. "It wasn't perfect but it was lovely to sit together for just a bit."

With that being said he turned to wash his plate. Once he had dried it, he placed it back with the others before exiting into the hallway which adjoined the kitchen and led to the vegetable garden. Here, he found Aggy laying on the floor. "Let's get some fresh air, shall we?" Nicholas opened the door leading out to the garden, allowing the large black dog to go first. Once outside he took a seat on the stone bench against the kitchen's exterior wall and took out a cigarette. He placed it in his mouth before lighting it, setting the discarded match on the bench next to him as Aggy laid down at his feet. The day was off to a more dramatic start than usual and he could use a little alone time.
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【”Existence is pain and nothing mo- ?"】
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【Under the Sun --> Aedan’s Hallway】
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Desperate to put as much distance between himself and Dami- well all the pets truly, just him in particular- Lonan’s footfalls were heavy and uncharacteristically loud as he fled, heart pounding unnaturally in his chest. The little bird bumped into a few tight corners in his scramble to get to the freedom of unshielded skies, but his only goal was to escape, so the means to achieve it needn’t any particulars. It didn’t matter, then, that he was being loud, or that he might be a little clumsy. Especially since everyone was still in the dining room.

He wasn’t used to his body acting like this out of the privacy of solitude, and the fact that it had gone so easily noticed, that Four had made it so easily noticed by his actions at the table, made it as though he had been dumped in the middle of an endless sea with no means of reaching any shore. Completely out of his element, he was understandably in a bit of a fluster. He wouldn’t be like this though if not for the fault of being gone for so long while Sabine slumbered. These actions were not unusual for Damien, hardly so, and Four was quite used to being at the butt end of them whenever caught in the crosshairs of the lusty tyrant, but Lonan had been absent in the forests for days, pleasantly lost to his own mind… had he truly forgotten about Six’s nonsense?

…Nay. It was a culmination of so many different things; like it always was. Unique cycles of events combining into these end results. Lonan couldn’t possibly prepare for them, no matter how hard he tried. No dawn mirrored another, and no dusk ended similarly to the one prior. This was why he kept his distance. He should’ve just run as soon as he saw that toast trickery. Nothing good comes from not-toast. The boy’s gaze glanced downward for a moment. Nothing good. It was in that moment that he was immeasurably grateful for his baggy sleeping choices, lest he be even more uncomfortable right now.

Two or three sparrows sang cheerfully from the bows of a nearby tree until they were abruptly cut off as Lonan burst forth from one of the manor doors. The door itself creaked in protest as it was flung against its hinges towards the wall, missing by mere centimeters slamming against the bricks, for the offender’s fingers curled against the side of the barrier, halting it in its tracks before pressing the tips of his digits opposite its momentum, resulting in it swinging back and clicking into closed place. Four continued this smooth, purposeful motion by proceeding straight down the single stone step and into the still-dewy grass of morning. The moisture sank into his socks- a wardrobe choice he was not grateful for- and it contrasted cold against the warm rays of light soaking into his form. Damp splotches against his soles soundly ignored, the Blackbird marched a few more steps forward before coming to a frustrated, angered halt. His lips twisted into a frown and his eyes scrunched closed, hands suddenly curling into fists and fingernails digging angry red crescents into his palms. He just- he couldn’t take it anymore. With no remorse, as he was plenty far from all of the other pets, he let out a yell (who was this person?) and dropped his head toward the ground. It seemed to help. Or at least for a small moment before his mind started replaying what had happened at the breakfast table.

He had calmed down after his little episode, but at the thought of Damien and that damned breakfast, his cheeks were flushing once more, unbidden despite his behest. His heartbeat spiked again. He didn’t want any of how his body was behaving right now. Fortunately though, he was only lost to the teetering, unwelcome dizziness of reviewing that lustful scene for nigh but a fraction of a moment, almost more-so not even dwelling on that aspect of the event before suddenly festering at the glaring fact that the truth was, the molestation of that piece of bread had been so openly and uncaringly meant as a display for everyone at the table. There was nothing special about it. Obviously nothing special about him. Clearly. That was what agonized and angered Lonan the most. These sorts of moments only dredged up further the reasons why Four was here, how he wasn’t particularly wanted. Why he was essentially nothing more than another piece of dusty furniture in this God-forsaken household.

His frustration was building again now; why did Six have to do these things? Did he not know how much agony and discomfort he caused? Did he just not care? Did he delight in this pain, hunger for it? It clearly must be so, for Lonan could not fathom a single contrary reason. Just to see how many people he could get under his thumb, surely. Realization hit then. That, once again, Lonan had been reduced to nothing more than someone else’s toy- used only when fancy struck, abused wholly by inconsiderate, heinous hands, and then abandoned all over again when he inevitably became broken or would no longer play in return. It stung all over again. His deepest insecurity… his most hated attribute- something that had been given to him by Sabine. This sudden onslaught of acute sorrow, this feeling of absolute helplessness, wracked his entire body until the corners of his eyes almost dripped. But before they could truly take root in his mind, these feelings were immediately ushered away in an instantaneous maneuver of defense. This hurt was replaced with a burning rage that scoured every inch of his being, singeing away all of that self-pity and renewing instead a sense of seething hatred and fiery anger. Why him?! Why always him? It built up in his throat, pooling higher, higher. Something in desperate need of being purged from his system. A consuming acid he could no longer contain. A freeing utterance that should take flight and then be lost to the wind. His jaw shifted, lips parted, mouth opened.

But no sound came.

No. That one yell was all that he would allow himself. He had been loud enough for one eternity. “Augh,” he breathed instead, defeated. Nothing would change. It didn’t matter. None of it bloody mattered. His index, middle, and thumb fingers curled into the soft maroon cuffs of the sleeves that so carefully hid his arms. Never mind any of that. He slid that same cloth back against his elbows, allowing the sun to hit the lightly tanned flesh that was always, always hidden from sight. The warm, bright rays revealed and illuminated twenty-something odd, whitened scars adorning each forearm, a motley of carvings thrown haphazardly across his skin. They were still in the process of healing away thanks to Sabine’s blood, but at an especially slower rate than they usually would now that it had been such a long time since Four had last fed. Arms now wondrously exposed to the open and cool air, he lifted those same limbs to run both hands over his shut eyes and then into his hair, fingers tangling lightly into the brown locks atop his head. With his back to the house, head tilted up to the clear sky, and eyes closed against the warm caress of the sun, Lonan took a deep breath, hands lingering comfortably right where they were. It may have been difficult to see the scars on his arms from their position at his sides before, but they were now on clear display out of the shadow of the sun’s position and at either side of his head. The frustration seemed to ebb from his form, and he just existed there for a few blissful seconds.

It was then that Lonan thought he heard a sound, and he dropped his hands, taking an instinctive step backwards as he shrunk into himself again, sleeves falling back into place at his wrists. He was suddenly alert, eyes peering around like a hawk’s, face utterly blank other than the natural harshness of his golden orbs. It was quite the contrast to how he had been just a few moments prior. All of his defenses were back up. Four would never allow anyone to see him as he just was- over his dead body. Now, if only he could die. No one seemed to be around though as far as he could tell. If anything, another pet was somewhere far off out of sight. He needn’t worry about that much. If they were out of sight, then he was out of mind. Safe. But Lonan had been outside for far too long now, he had taken enough leniencies, and now a pang of true hunger made his fingers twitch. It was time to return to Sabine.

Turning his back now to the sun, Four walked towards the shadows of the house, its darkness eagerly ushering him back inside its jaws. He closed the door on the fresh air and the warmth and the freedom, and the sparrows resumed their song as though nothing had even happened, as though the Blackbird had never even been there in the first place.

Upon reentry and a few steps later, Four could not help but come to a momentary stop. Irritation ran gently beneath his fingertips as he lay one hand on the wall and leaned over to use the other to pry his damp socks from his feet. They had been sticking to the wooden floors just maddeningly enough to make him notice and do something about it. He stuffed both of them carelessly into one pocket and continued on his way down the halls to the kitchen. He did not get very far though.



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【"Four… what darkness shrouds thee and make mine heart quicken?"】
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And to be true, there weren’t any pets outside, but there was one who had seen the pretty Blackbird in all of its glory in the sunlight. Aedan was still resting at the window after all. He hadn’t noticed Lonan at first on the other side, distracted by his own thoughts as he wove stanzas of poetry against the cooling, calming glass. But then Four was moving outside, raising his hands, and the motion quickly caught the newest pet’s eyes. Aedan straightened a bit, caught off guard, though what hadn’t caught him off guard all morning?

Aedan just watched him a moment. With the sun kissing his skin, it looked like a halo around him. It shone off his hair and his skin in a tantalizing way. Aedan may not want to face the fact that he was gay and push away all thoughts of desire, which was why he bristled at Damien’s constant displays, but he couldn’t help but appreciate Four’s good looks. Feeling a bit odd watching him, Aedan began to turn away but then something caught his eyes and his gaze fell on the scars at the other’s wrists. His heart tugged at the sight of them; one still healing. Four was cutting at his wrists? Was he trying to kill himself or was there something more behind that gesture? The sight made him ache. How much was he suffering? What did he hide beyond that golden gaze? Aedan wanted to ask, wanted to help but it wasn’t his place. If he asked, then Four might ask about him and he wasn’t sure he was ready to talk about it.

Then Four was coming back into the house and Aedan didn’t have the time to get up from his perch. As soon as Lonan came into the hall, the two caught each other’s gaze and Aedan hesitated. He knew Four would vanish in just moments, a bird in midflight. “...Are you alright?” he asked generally. He wanted to mention the wrists but perhaps it really wasn’t the time.



Eyes nonchalantly gazing about as he went, Lonan strode confidently through the doorway to the next hallway. However, he made it only about a step and a half before those same eyes noticed something that wasn’t supposed to be there. Lonan came to an abrupt halt, his golds going wide with surprise as he automatically froze in place. He was met with a form clad in dark pants and contrastingly white shirt, angel blonde hair and eyes the color of the sky on a cloudless day in a baby hue, and a boyish face with as much surprise as his own. Lonan swallowed.

Aedan.

What was he doing there? Sitting at the window… Four’s orbs flickered over to the glass panes to see what Eight could have been looking at, only to find that the view was dangerously close to where he had been outside. Fortunately, he analyzed in a second, the window was safely too far to the right- if looking at the house- from where he had been standing under the sky. The angles were wrong. Too bad Lonan didn’t realize that from where Aedan had been sitting prior, leaned against the crook of the window, the older pet had been in view of the younger if he looked the right way. Which, unbeknownst to Four, he had.

Nevertheless, the close call still had him uneasy, and it caused Lonan to straighten his form and tighten his muscles in a defensive manner. He was getting ready to bolt before Aedan could comment, to resume his stride past him as though nothing had happened, but then Aedan was speaking, and it caused hesitation in the brown-haired hunter. In that hesitation, Four was captured.

The... sincerity in his voice.... Lonan was completely caught off guard. When was the last- no, when had anyone ever talked to him in this manner? Defensiveness forgotten in his surprise, Lonan found himself rooted to the spot and responding before he even realized what was happening. It had been such a simple, innocent question, but one that Lonan had never been asked before. Not in a long, long time. Before Sabine long. Perhaps that was why he was answering.

”Nothing I haven't dealt with a thousand times before.” He spoke in stark contrast to what Aedan would be used to, which was his spiteful, agitated voice- the one he used with Nattia and Sabine, which consequently was the only time he ever did speak, unless it were to yell at Damien. Instead, his voice was quiet, far gentler, but still carrying well and with no qualms about it. This particular sentence was still a little bit short in tone, almost tired, but that which left little in terms of being able to respond. That is, until Lonan paused, suddenly feeling the very unnatural need to be polite, to express some form of gratitude for being asked it in the first place. That... was how conversations were supposed to go, right? He cleared his throat softly, “And… you? Are you doing,” he coughed awkwardly to clear his throat once more, “A-alright?” He stood a little stiffly, but not for lack of trying to appear like a normal human being. One who could actually have a conversation. A normal, definitely-not-broken person. It… probably wasn’t going very well. At least he was trying. Maybe he could pull it off.



Aedan was honestly surprised that Four had responded. He half expected the other pet to give a nod or some short quirk of the body before running off. They didn’t really interact after all. He’d only ever seen the anger in his motions when dealing with Nattie and Dami and Sabine. This tone of voice was so much softer, an interesting lilt to his words. He was so tense though. Aedan could easily see the man was uncomfortable in the way he had set himself. The body always gave you away. At least it did when one was trained to notice the subtleties of movements.

Even more surprising than the answer was the question Four asked. His eyes widened and he looked up into the other’s face. Not only had the fleeting dark cloud answered him, but he was now asking about his welfare. Again, Aedan had assumed he’d hurry away, not idle and continue conversation. “I…suppose I’m alright,” he answered, a flicker of a smile touching the corners of his lips before it was gone again. Aedan knew the answer was true but also a lie. There was so much more beneath physical well-being he couldn’t bring up. He wondered what it was Four was hiding, locked away behind those smoldering golden hues. Aedan felt trapped. He wanted to grasp at the fleeting conversation but it was coming to an end. He knew he wouldn’t be able to keep him longer and he didn’t know what to say. “Thank you. For asking.”



Lonan was taken aback once again when Aedan's head suddenly tilted up at his question, the boy looking straight at him with surprise so palpable that it made Lonan worry he had done something wrong. But then the boy answered, and, had that been a smile? Was that really because of him? Was it truly genuine? Four couldn’t tell; it was already gone. Still, his heart seemed to tighten in his chest, though outwardly the Blackbird simply shifted a bit, attributing this strange development instead to the fact that it was the first conversation he’d had in a while. Not because it had been the first smile given to him in eons. A smile without strings attached, without malice behind it, and without pity dripping from its fake luster. Still, this smile would not be returned- not only because Lonan was becoming more and more unsure if he had even seen it in the first place, but more-so because Four just did not smile. Ever. He didn’t have a reason to. In fact, the thought did not even cross his mind.

There was gratitude now from the soldier at ease before him. Aedan had thanked him for asking. He had been thanked for talking? Another surprise, and one he did not know how to respond to. All these...- Aedan was the complete opposite of everything that Lonan was used to and familiar with. It made him feel strange and keenly uncertain as well as unmistakably uncomfortable. This was all new territory, or rather exceptionally old territory that he could not remember, and Lonan could actually feel himself being pressed further and further out of his comfort zone by some invisible, moving barrier. But suddenly something stirred, something deep and familiar, something that made him regain control over himself and this situation. It made him chew on his lower lip, but this too helped.

Hunger.

Four was no longer hesitant. Aedan may have thrown him for a bit of an unintentional loop there, but this unnatural need to feed seemed to put him right back on track, right back into the darkness. The hunter straightened, giving a nod to Aedan, indicating that he had both heard and understood him, but also in doing so inevitably signifying that this conversation was over. Though… there was the slightest bit of hesitation to his first step, almost like he did not want to go, but it was gone in the next instance as he executed that step and walked past Aedan.

Four was starving, and he did not want his bloodlust to emerge. Violent and savage, unmerciful and ugly. He was looking forward to Sabine bleeding though, even if the demon didn’t really feel much pain. Lonan shoved his hands abruptly into his pockets, fingers harshly jabbing through the fabric and pushing past whatever was in them. He pressed his socks further into his left pocket, but with his right, the sudden, sharp motion caused something to roll up the back of his hand and hop out. He was only a few feet from Aedan when this occurred, but the boy seemed to have no intention of stopping even as the small object plinked against the wooden floor. Lonan had neither heard it nor noticed that it had left his pocket.



Aedan however noticed said object. He heard its little ‘tap’ as it hit the floor and rolled a little towards him. He hesitated just a moment, assuming the other would have noticed the drop and reach for it quicker than Aedan would have been able to retrieve it, but Four kept moving away. Aedan got up from his seat then and moved forward to pick up the forgotten item, a graphite pencil. It looked worn. Most likely Four used it often. It probably meant far more than that, just like Aedan’s own fountain pens he asked Sabine for.

“Four!” he called. “Wait!” he hurried forward to catch up with him. “You dropped your pencil,” he explained and offered it up to the other male.



As he heard his name called by Aedan’s voice, Four’s whole body froze in place. He did not even need to hear the other beckon his hold, for his name alone, from lips he had never heard it uttered from before, did it for him. As he turned to look at Eight’s hurried form, eyebrow raised in curiosity, the other male suddenly held out his hand. Four’s golden gaze fell to the other’s palm, only to find one of his closely guarded graphite sketching tools. He had dropped it? Lonan didn’t even remember having it in his pocket in the first place. It must have been left there weeks ago and he hadn’t even noticed.

The thing was indeed precious to him. They were difficult to come across, and Lonan absolutely despised asking Sabine for more, which made them even rarer. A sudden sense of relief washed over him at the fact that Aedan had retrieved it for him before it had been crushed underfoot or lost under some bit of furniture for the next several centuries.

The subtlest look of gratitude broke through his stoic façade, and Lonan took a step into Aedan’s form, hand moving through the air atop the other’s to take the small object. Lonan’s fingers brushed gently against Aedan’s palm, like the gentle flutter of a butterfly’s wings, careful and soft and timid despite the callouses adorning their tips. His hand was quick to retreat though, clasping the pencil tightly. Four glanced downward while he reached into his pocket, depositing said item. Upon release, Lonan was looking back up at the blonde, opening his mouth to express his gratitude, but seemed to get distracted once he found his warm golds suddenly meeting Aedan’s cool blues. With a rapid double blink, Lonan quickly looked elsewhere, feeling his cheeks warming for some strange reason. “Thank you.” He quickly spoke, hoping to distract both he and Aedan from this whole unusual situation. How awkward… He thought embarrassedly to himself.

Certainly these unfamiliar feelings were from being so hungry. He was becoming lightheaded because of it. Being lightheaded made a person do strange things and feel weird. Surely that was it. Lonan turned on his heel, giving a slight nod in departure as he quickly made his way away from Aedan. He was uncomfortable with this situation now again, and he could feel his heart thumping oddly in his chest.

It was actually thrilling, feeling so many different emotions that he hadn’t felt in so long- gratitude, honesty, sincerity, concern, awkwardness, a few others he couldn’t quite name at that exact moment, as well as having a real conversation. It was borderline terrifying. He wanted to get away from it and collect his thoughts.

But first, Sabine.

Four hurriedly made his way back to the kitchen.



Aedan watched as Four reached out for the pen. When Four finally touched him, it was feather light, barely there and yet it sent electricity through his nerves. He found himself watching the hand as it drew away. There was an elegance to the motion that was hypnotizing. When the soldier looked up into the golden hues, he felt himself drawn into the mysterious depths. He almost moved forward to follow the man when he pulled away. “You’re welcome…” Aedan called after Four’s retreating form. He was so skittish. Aedan found himself wanting to know Four but if he tried to pry, wouldn’t Four retreat more? He didn’t want to press him. And if he did pester him, no doubt Four would expect Aedan to reveal his past too. It was a natural give and take. Why was he feeling this way? He had no place for this. He couldn’t even entertain it. He sighed inwardly and shook his head to clear the dangerous feelings and creeping thoughts. He was back to being the hollowed soldier. At least until the pang of hunger came again. He gripped his stomach as a wave of nausea hit him through the pain.

“Damn it…” he growled. Sabine was still in the kitchen, wasn’t he? But there were other pets there. Even though he was starving, the idea of others watching made him sick with shame. When would Sabine be alone again? He groaned and made his way back to the little cushioned settee he’d been sitting in before Four came in and plopped down on it and pressed his face against the glass, the coolness of it calming him. He opened his eyes again and watched the hallway, watching for Sabine.
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【"My sweet wolves eye me hungrily."】
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【Kitchen --> WC】
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【#E31230】
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Upon entering the kitchen, Sabine was met with a teary-eyed little figure about to run right into him. He shifted the dishes into one hand, reaching out to catch Maddie with the other."
Hello, little mouse," he said, setting the plates down on the counter. "Do you need any help?" he asked Aedan over her head, but was met with a terse declination. So he turned his attention back to Maddie, brushing the tears from her eyes. "What's the matter, darling?" he asked, concerned. She did not answer, just turned her face away, shining droplets still welling from under her lashes. She pulled away from him with a faint explanation that she was fine, she just needed to be by herself for a moment.

As Maddie fled, Sabine stood for a moment, his hands still out a little, as if he'd momentarily forgotten what he was doing. But then he turned his attention back to Adrian, but the other was already rolling down his sleeves and excusing himself. And then he was gone as well. Sabine stood still for a few more long moments, as if he'd shorted out, and then turned around, tracing the much used path out of the kitchen. When he pushed through into the dining room again, he was greeted almost immediately by Nattia. As she came closer, he lifted her up around the waist so he could kiss her forehead. "
Hello, there, Starfire, " he said, suddenly animated again. "Thank you for coming down for breakfast," he murmured, his voice soft and low in her ear as he continued to hold her by the waist.

After a beat and another kiss on the forehead, though, he set her down on her feet, bending instead to retain the soft voice. "
If you're hungry, my dear, wait for me in the morning room, I'll be there soon," He whispered in an almost conspiratorial tone. He had made her come down even though she didn't want to, after all. He should pay her back for that. But first, the nausea was rising already, his stomach pressing mercilessly against his ribs. Time to purge what didn't belong in his system.

He left the dining room hastily, expression very focused. He had been terribly careful about guarding this secret. He didn't want any of the pets to think him ungrateful. Or inhuman. He'd made this mistake himself, and it was his weight to bear. He liked them making food and sharing it with him. He didn't want that to end, no matter how unpleasant it ultimately made him feel.

Very firmly he closed the door to the bath behind him, locking it, and then closed the door to the WC as well. Then he leaned against the door for a moment, groaning softly, a hand gripping his abdomen, where his insides were starting to squirm, trying to get the foreign material out, heaving upwards. His stomach was where he had later learned humans had one of their lungs. (They had two, who knew.) That didn't stop the myriad of unconnected guts in his abdomen from getting in his digestive business as his stomach sat heavily on what was below. His heart squeezed as his chest tried to rearrange itself, avoiding his too-full stomach, and he let out a little gasp. Oh, that smarted.

He always dressed so nice for family meals, always forgot that this would come after, and his trembling fingers would hasten to pull off his jacket, his tie, his collar, dropping them on the stone floor as his knees met the ground in the most instinctively human act he routinely performed. Sabine vomited. Several times, in fact. There was no stomach acid to ease his quiet purge. Just the kind of pain only his own body could inflict on itself--the twisting of his gut, the burning of his eyes, the pang of his heart and throat and lungs. At length he rose, trembling still, and let out a deep breath. He pulled the chain on the cistern, washing breakfast away, and leaned on the sink with pale palms, steadying himself. When he looked at his face in the mirror, nothing seemed out of place, aside from the disarray of his hair and the paleness of his face. He touched the now crusted flecks of blood he'd missed from Lonan's kick. He'd need to feed him too, at some point. No reason to hunt him down, though, he'd show up in his own sweet time. Everyone would.

Sabine washed the twice-tasted sweetness of honey and powdered sugar out of his mouth--no sourness, thanks to his lack of bile--and then washed his face. Combed his fingers through his hair. Re-ordered his outfit, straightened his clothes, pressed his fingers against his cheeks to bring the blood back to the surface, blinked several times, wiping the dewdrop tears that had sprung up out of his eyelashes. Sighed. All better now.

He exited the pair of rooms and strolled down the hall towards the place he'd promised to meet Nattia. The day had only just begun, after all. It was time to live again.