That night I kept tossing and turning on my bed. Unable to earn a wink of sleep.
I know my body is tired but my mind was wide awake. Maybe it's because of the soft mattress or the fact that I'm alone in this huge bedroom. I suppose it's too good to be true that all those days are over.
I stared at the canopy while hoping my eyelids will soon feel heavy but instead, I sensed someone coming.
I reached for the lamp beside me and opened it. My bedroom door opens and Stray walks in nonchalantly, wearing a black matching pair of pajamas, perhaps a provided clothes for them. He closed the door behind him and strode across the room and then jumps to the other side of my bed.
Surprised and confused, I glared at him. "Are you lost or something?"
Getting in, he laid on one side and looked at me. "I can't sleep. The bed provided was too soft." he says and then he lays down flat on his back. "And this pillow is too soft too!" he pulls the pillow from under his head and tossed it to the middle of the bed, situating between the two of us. "How about you? What's your excuse?"
I sighed. Stray has always been like this after all. It's nothing new. So I just laid flat on my back as well and pulled the pillow under my head and placed it on our middle like he did, creating a longer pillow wall between us.
"Perhaps the exact same reason why you can't sleep either," I replied. "But you didn't have to come over to check on me. I'm fine, Stray."
I can hear him snicker. "Then try to go to sleep. I'll leave when you do."
I turned my head over and saw him with eyes closed while he laid with an arm under his head. He's just worried about me, I thought. Remembering how he took me to the highest ground so that I can cry it all out.
He's very attentive and kind.
I guess that's what you get when you're taking care of little children all the time.
I turned to my bedside lamp and closed the lights. "Good night, Aerra." He says as I closed my eyes. "Good night, Stray."
The entire room was silent. I became very aware of every little detail around me like a grown habit from how Master Faram trained me.
Suddenly, the events that happened back at the Ouboros flashed in my mind. I tossed to my side on reflex. I want to shut the thoughts away. I don't even want to remember any longer.
I took a deep breath and concentrated to the sounds instead. There's the wind blowing outside my window, the floor creaking while this ship tediously sails, the sound of my breathing and also Stray's.
It wasn't exactly silent. It was rather peaceful.
I no longer feel the odd feeling of being watched.
That man will no longer watch any of us,in fact, because he's dead thanks to—
I turned to my other side impatiently.
Why is my mind against me?
I said I want to forget!!!
"You still can't sleep?" His calm voice spoke just above a sound of a whisper.
"I'm trying." I replied, whispering.
"Give me your hand"
I reached my right hand across the pillow wall between us. He grabs it and held it in a tight but gentle grip. "It can't be helped then. I don't sing so I will just hold on to your hand like this until you fall asleep. So little girls like you should go to dreamland."
He's treating me like a child...
But then again it actually feels rather reassuring and calming.
He brings my hand away from the pillow walls until it lays down flat on the bed in between the open space where I can see it.
I looked at him beyond our folded hands but the darkness only allowed me to see the silhouette of his face.
I remembered how I first laid my eyes on him. He emerged from the dust clouds, soaring high above the ground while wind circled around him. I was so amazed back then...
His face was covered with straps of cloth like bandages all except for his eyes, his dark purple eyes that resemble the starry night sky.
My body began to relax.
I closed my eyes and listened to all the sounds around me once again.
The sound of wind outside. The creaking of floorboards as we sail. His quiet breathing beyond the pillow wall between us. My own breathing. And also ...the footsteps by the hallways beyond my door.
My eyes sprung open.
My mind listened intensely to the familiar footsteps. It walked calmly with shoes that has heels, no... not heels. Its the sound of tapping leather shoes that Lords usually wear. There's confidence in the way it walks as if he owns the place but also reserved as if padding across the hallway quietly because it wants to only visit but not disturb.
I bolted up from the bed, pulling my hands away. "Levi is coming!" I ran my hands to my lamp and opened it. Stray eyed me impassively. "Okay. Go ahead and open the door then."
No—!
How would I explain why Stray is here?
It's not even lady like to welcome a boy four years older than me to a Lady's bedroom, let alone allow him to lay on her bed ...with her—
"Why are you panicking?" murmured Stray as he stretches while yawning.
"I don't know. No, I mean—!"
Someone knocks on the door, "Are you awake? It's me, Levi."
"Yes! Just a moment!" I hollered. And then I glared at Stray. "I don't want him to misunderstand, okay? Just come with me!"
I check under the bed but there was no space, the bed is made along with the floor and wall.
There was no wardrobe either. The curtains drape inches away from the floor, his feet will be seen if I hid him there.
I strode across the room and grabbed Stray's wrist along while he followed my lead like a stringless puppet.
I look around and my focus narrowed at the living room area at the other end of the room. I pulled him there and made him sit on the sofa. "Stay here!" I told him. He just arched an eyebrow at me. "Why are you so worked up for? Do you really like the boy?" He sneers.
"Just... stay put. Okay?" I replied as I turned around and marched across the room to where the door is.
I have no idea why I'm panicking, honestly. I'm only ten! There's nothing wrong spending time with a friend even if its my room and in the middle of the night,
—alone in the dark
"...!?"
The lights!!!
Where hell are the freakin switches!?
The only light providing the entire room right now was the lamp at the bedside table. The entire room was otherwise dark.
I turned to where the switch are and blasted all the lights open on full brightness.
I can hear Stray dramatically reacting from getting blinded from the other end of the room.
I quickly moved to the door and opened it. "Lord Levi! Good evening!" I greeted.
He looks at me, surprised. "Did something happen?" he asks. "You're out of breath."
"No, I just jogged my way to open the door for you. That's all." I replied. Even that sounded weird for me. "Anyway, what brings you here?"
"I was just checking if you're well. I haven't had chance to talk ever since you return. So if it's all right if we can chat for a bit?"
I pulled the door open, "Perfect timing. I have a visitor as well. Please join us."
"A visitor?" he murmured as he stepped in and I closed the door behind him. I led him to the living room area, "He's name is Stray. Well not really but we call him that. He's a friend of ours, we met at—"
I stopped dead in my tracks and froze in place to see Stray still sitting on the sofa where I left him
—but this time he was topless.
"Oh, you're back!" he greeted me with a wave. "Hello, Levi was it?"
Levi stopped behind me, seeing him.
I scowled at Stray, mouthing at him 'Why did you took your shirt off!?'
He just eyed me in a chuckle. "Sorry, I'm not used to the clothes provided so I took it off. Anyway, just go ahead and sit down. Don't mind me!"
I ran my hand across my face and sighed.
He's obviously messing around.
"Lord Levi. Please, sit." I said, turning to him.
Levi wore his usual calm and expressionless face. He nodded and sat down the sofa opposite to where Stray sat.
I joined them and sat on a smaller chair in the middle which faced the coffee table closer than the rest. Levi sat by my left side, while Stray sat by my right.
Stray lays both his feet up to the coffee table between us. "So what brings you here, Levi?"
"It's Lord Levi..." says he crossing one leg over his knee while he lays an elbow on the armrest, he leans his head down to his hand, his fingers ran the lining of his face. "I'm here to visit my fiancée. How about you, what brings you to a Lady's room in the middle of the night?"
Stray stretches his arms across the entire length of the sofa, obviously flaunting his well chiselled body. "Well, LORD Levi. I came to check up on her. We usually stayed in one room back at the deserts so I came to make sure she's asleep like I usually do."
I saw Levi's lips twitch in a split second. Did I imagine it? "I'm thankful to hear you've taken good care her. As you might not know yet. We are to be wed when she comes of age. But her family and mine had started to decide on early living arrangements."
I shot Levi a glance.
Why is he bringing that up now?
"Actually, I have heard about it you. You're from House Morlock, right? Aeron mentioned somethings about you including being her fiancé. But those kind of things are just temporary, isn't it? There's no real assurance that you two must be joined in the future. Who knows— some random rich and bratty daughter of some Lords might one day pop out and decide the two of you should be married instead and because her father is a business associate, you will concede and officially cancel your engagement with Aerra. That's the common thing with noble affairs, isn't it?"
'What are you doing?!' I mouthed at Stray in a grimace as he only glance his eyes at me while wearing a smug.
"I appreciate your concern and curiosity regarding that matter. However, that won't be the case, I assure you. We will surely be wed and she will bear the name of my house. No business matters will get in between our union. I won't even bother my time with any other girl if it's not lady Aerra." I can see how fixated Levi's eyes are on Stray.
"If it's like that then..." Stray shrugs and offers a handshake, "—I hope we get along well."
I looked at Levi.
His brows furrow.
Stray sniggers, "Oh you don't know yet? Tsh. Sorry about that!" He muses. I glared at Stray as he pulled his hand away and used it to comb one side of his hair as he sneers, "You see, she's my Meister. She's bound to me for life. It's a soul contract kind of thing so it's irreversible."
Wait— what?!
Ah. He did mentioned before its a permanent kind of thing. But it's still odd when he say it that way.
I look back at Levi and I can see his jaws are tightening. But he did not faze at Stray's statement.
I wanted to silence Stray but he wasn't glancing at me anymore. They are just staring directly at each others eyes as I sat there like an owl looking and turning my head over at one side to another with widened eyes.
Stray broke the silence, "Let me share how that happened, when we became one—"
I slammed my hands over the coffee table. "Oookay! HE MEANT SYNCHRONIZE! I tried to summon him one time when something bad was happening and our minds linked somehow, I don't how— it just did... and he suddenly appeared, responding to my call. After that I became his Meister but Aeron was able to wield him as well though! So—" the volume of my voice slowly decreasing, "It's not exactly just me, he's also somewhat Aeron's Meister too, I think?" I wanted to explain more how it was still unclear if Aeron is an official thing too but I figured both of them weren't listening to me anymore.
They just sat there unmoving, perhaps unblinking as well.
I cleared my throat. "So ummm..."
Stray look amused. He's enjoying!
This jerk—?!
Levi, on the contrary, still looks the same. Placid.
But then again, he's good at controlling his real emotions from his face.
The silence went on for a while.
I can sense Aeron coming. "I think someone is by the door now, I'll just see who it is!" I said in a cheerful tone as I got up to my feet and strode across the room.
When I opened the door, Aeron was already there, standing with a fist raised. "I was about to knock. Are you going somewhere?" he says in surprise. I just pulled him inside and dragged him to the living room.
"Levi? And even Stray! Is there a tea party going on here? Why is everyone in here?!" he complained as I forced him to sit on the chair where I sat awhile ago. "Tea! That's actually a great idea!" I replied, "I'll just go and ask for tea. Aeron, go ahead and join in the conversation!"
I saw Aeron's brows crunch in disagreement but I left anyway and searched for a maid outside in a hurry.
When I went back to my room, I instantly felt the stiff atmosphere. I walked further in and found them sitting in silence like some kind of warlords in a meeting.
I made my way to the chair opposite to where Aeron sat as a maid comes in and sets tea on the coffee table. "Ahh, its been so long since I last had this!" I said, breaking the silence. I took a sip. "This is good!"
The maid leaves the room.
Levi sighs and finally moved. "I'm glad you like it. I'll be sure to send some to your Household some other time." He took the tea to his hands and drank from it. I felt relieved to see him do so. Stray took his feet down and sat a bit more properly.
Aeron suddenly stood up. "Can someone tell me already why are these two inside your room?"
"What's the sudden outburst? You're acting as if she doesn't have the right to have us here." murmured Stray.
"It's actually the other way around! This is a Lady's bedroom! She's not suppose to allow men inside it especially in the middle of the night!" Aeron retorted,
"And you're an exemption, is that it? If you have forgotten already, we all share one room back at the deserts."
"Yes, because I'm her brother! And we didn't had a choice then! This is different now. She's a Lady of a known House, she needs to follow proper decorum and—!"
"She still have a choice. It's her own bedroom so she can allow anybody in whenever she wants to." Stray shrugged "I think you're just having a relapse with your over protectiveness with your sister again."
"Relapse? This is not—! Why are you even here anyway?! And you're naked!!!" Aeron went on fuming.
I just drank my tea in silence.
It's pointless to talk.
"It's just the shirt. It was uncomfortable so I took it off. If you're so bothered about it, just take your own shirt off that way we're even."
"Why would I ta—! This is a Lady's bedroom!!!"
"If we're going to talk about ownership..." Levi finally cuts in, "Since I own this airship, I can assign which room will be his. And I say, you two can just stay here if you want. " He stood up and looked at me. "Aerra, just stay in my room tonight, it's too noisy and crowded in here."
"Wait—! Why would she sleep in your room!? She can just stay with me! We shared a room when we were little!" Aeron retorted.
"Like I said, let her decide on her own" Stray stood up, grabbing his shirt and throwing it over his shoulder.
"And what— have her stay with you because you can lull her to sleep?" Levi scoffed in a sarcastic chuckle.
Oh. Levi finally lost his composure.
"No, but if she wants to I won't mind." Stray replied in sneer. Obviously just adding fuel to the fire.
"But I do! So I say she stays in my room!" Levi's voice began to rise.
"And why would she—!?" Aeron stomps his feet stubbornly.
"Because I'm her fiancé!"
"Well, she's my twin sister!"
"She's my Meister...?"
"ENOUGH!!!!!!" I slammed both my hand on the table. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm tired and I'm sleepy. So get out of my room! ALL OF YOU—!!!"
I kicked the three of them out my room and slammed the door shut. This time locking it.
I slid down the floor in exhaustion.
That seriously drained my energy.
Well thanks to them I finally found myself actually yawning.
I turned all the lights off and dragged my self to bed. It was chaotic to have all three of them together. I think it's because I failed to introduce them with each other in a better setting?
I'll work on that next time.
But for now—
As I pulled the blankets over me and closed my eyes, I realized that I don't need to push myself forgetting about a friend I lost because the truth is, I still have my other friends around and they are all worried about me.
Even though it was chaotic, it was actually nice having them over. Although next time I hope they can all get along well.
I wonder how things will become few more years from now?
----------