Knock knock—
Videre jerked away from Obrecht like a frightened kitten. He could hear the conversation of two people outside the door. Recognizing the sound of their footsteps, he knew that Raguk was the one knocking and that Laris was just behind him.
Having realized what he had just done, Videre dashed out the window, his coat swallowed by a shadow and disappearing just as fast as him. It should've been taken by him.
"Let me do it", Laris said as he took over Raguk, knocking harder before opening the door without waiting for a reply.
There was no one but Obrecht inside the room, leaning on the small bedframe, eyeing the two intrusive people darkly. Laris' wolf instincts were alarmed by the dangerous mood, but outside, his smile was perfectly plastered.
"We were worried something happened since you were both taking your time. Glad nothing happened", Laris put emphasis on the last statement. "Where's Videre?" Laris smiled, his eyes forming crescents. He clearly knew something was happening and went to interrupt immediately, and then after rubbing it in Obrecht's face, he ruthlessly changed the topic.
Obrecht's earlier bad mood that had vanished, had now returned by triple. He habitually touched the rune on his arm. A soft touch on top of his hand made him pause. He looked down and saw the trail of black extending to under the bed. Ignoring two people, he looked under low bed and saw two empty eye sockets staring back shyly. Obrecht hid away his expression and smiled, extending a hand and pulling out the child's form. He sat it on top of his lap and kissed its forehead.
The 'child' shook minimally, looking as if it was giggling with no sound.
"He's hiding nearby?" Obrecht softly asked. The little dark mass nodded cutely.
Laris walked over and bent down. "Hello. Why don't you come with this uncle for a while?" He had an amiable smile. However, Laris misjudged. Besides sounding like some perverted sketchy 'uncle' who abducts little children, Laris thought the child was somehow a different entity from Videre—something born out of his ability's disharmony with his body.
Obrecht smirked, "You want your little cousin to call you uncle?" He looked down. "Your uncle's calling you ah", he said, implying his question whether it wanted to be transferred to his uncle's arms.
The little dark mass didn't even look at Laris. Although it froze at the suggestion, it tightly clung to Obrecht's embrace right after, not giving Laris any face whatsoever.
Laris pouted, sulking. He stood straight and started to change the subject, "Is this fine? Aren't your methods backfiring?"
From the very start, Lady Amani did not intent to hide Videre's present constitution. With a few words of probing, Laris easily got his answers.
"There's no such thing."
"If you keep pushing yourself on him, he might lose control again like last time", Laris insisted. If it weren't for Tukare hitting Videre unconscious, the consequences might've been worse.
"It doesn't matter."
Laris' frowned, "What do you mean it doesn't matter?"
"I won't let him discard his emotions. You'll help, won't you?" Obrecht said the last sentence to the little dark mass in his arms. "If Videre's stimulated, you can't eat his emotions, alright?"
Eagerly, it nodded.
Laris puzzled over their conversation. Unable to keep quiet, he asked.
"This is the physical manifestation of Videre's ability. You should be familiar with this since I heard it's similar to a Lycan's 'wolf'."
This small revelation let Laris understand. "Technically, only Lycans have a history of having something as close as a physical power or ability manifestation. But Videre doesn't have Lycan blood. I'd know if he did. I'd have scented it."
Obrecht gave Laris an observant look. He knew about Videre's ability. When left alone, he'd teach Videre's ability not to eat Videre's emotions, no matter how tempting it was They can't eat it, but they can duplicate it—that's what Obrecht insisted. That's why, the little dark mass was now similar to a real time monitor.
Although Obrecht knew all these, he didn't really want to say. Even if he had a reason to, he'd still have a negative answer for default. After all, he doesn't really want to share the things he knew about his lover. Even that type of information is his.
"He's stable right now." That's all you need to know, Obrecht thoughtfully added in his mind. "More than that, shouldn't you be worried about what you'll be doing to convince their Queen?"
"If all things go well, their Queen might agree, after all, Afzal likes me."
"Oh."
"What's with that answer?"
Obrecht only wanted to divert the topic. He really had no care what was talked about.
"Raguk, do something about your fellow", Laris complained. The suddenly-involved Raguk looked up and was caught by Obrecht's pointed gaze. These days, Obrecht seemed scarier whenever he looked at him. He couldn't help but want to flinch, but he feels like he'd eternally be second place if he lost; (third place if you count Videre).
Laris, "I haven't said a thing about your relationship with Videre until now—"
"What about my wife?" Obrecht interrupted.
"Wife", Laris choked, and then erupted, "He's not your wife!"
"Oh", Obrecht paused. "Husband, then. I'll be his wife", he said, not minding either as long as Videre was his partner in life.
Fuming, the clenched hands of Laris had signs of turning into claws. He was so angry, he's wolf was showing. But the little dark mass whipped its small head as if looking at something outside the window, and then down at the floor.
Obrecht kissed its cheek one more time before nodding. In a tacit understanding, the little dark mass cuddled Obrecht one last time before dispersing like black mist that sank to the floor.
"Where were we? Right, my relationship with my husband." Obrecht intended to win this argument.
Busy with their own banter, the three of them didn't notice the quiet movements on the first floor. A hand emerges out of nowhere and rummages through the bags silently until a glint shines through. A gray-black sword was covered halfway.
Peeking out of the invisible floor-length cloak that was soaked with their mountain flower's nectar, a young guard eyes the stairs carefully.
When did they get in? How long have they been there?
The Faerie grabbed the hilt and pulled, but to his surprise, it did not move a millimeter. Bracing his knees, he tried again, unaware of the two empty eye sockets watching him in the dark space between the chairs and floor.
Unable to move the heavy sword, he signals just outside the round window. A while later, three more heads pop out of thin air, wrapping the nectar-coated cloaks tightly on their bodies so that only their heads were visible. It may have been bizarre to see four floating heads hovering.
The little dark mass stared at four faces before turning to the sword. It wanted to take it with it, but it felt a tug. The main body was moving further and further away. Stubbornly staying where Obrecht was, it was no longer possible.
With three people distributing the weight of the sword, and one on the lookout, a thievery has happened.
A few feet away from the house, the little dark mass watched silently as four Faerie-kinds dash away. They could have been hidden by their nectar-coated cloaks, but their shadows could not. It then sank to the ground and disappeared.
In a low residential house used, the young guard that complimented Obrecht's sword at the gate, kissed the side of Afzal's lips.
"Shouldn't you be somewhere else?" He drew circles on Afzal's chest. He was older in age despite the younger look.
"Why can't I be here, Muzi?" Afzal replied with a question of his own, a hint of complain in his tone.
Noticing him sulking, Muzi laughed a little and said, "It's not that I don't want you here, your Highness, Afzal. I just assumed you'd be busy with your 'guests'."
"Are you jealous, Muzi? Tell me you're jealous! If you're jealous, I'll give you another gift."
"Oh, then maybe I am a little bit jealous", Muzi acquiesced, smiling amiably.
"But you are right, I do have to greet the Queen and report Laris' arrival. She'll want to meet him." Afzal looked reluctant to leave.
"You can go. I'll still be here when you get back. Why don't we eat dinner together later?" Muzi titled his head, looking up cutely. Afzal was taken in that moment, and agreed. He took his leave right after.
The smile on Muzi's face never left, but it was morphed into a more calculating smirk. He walked to the stairs, going down to the lower levels of the house.
The Faerie-kind were earth-lovers. Their houses only had one to two levels above ground, while the rest are dug beneath the cool earth. The roots of the trees near their homes help them regulate the heat and cold underground.
Muzi's house was a little bigger, as it was given to him by Afzal. He walked a while until he reached a bright room, with a wide round window slightly on the top. He sat down on a soft couch, waiting.
Fluttering sounds came from the open window and four sweaty guards emerged.
"Did you get it?" Muzi eyed them, looking unconcerned.
The four nodded vehemently, showing the beautiful heavy sword hidden in their cloaks. They tried their best to lay it down carefully on the ground, but still clanged loudly. It was so heavy that their arms felt sore, ready to be plucked out of their shoulders.
"It's heavier than I anticipated", Muzi raised his eyebrows as he watched them. He smiled at the beautiful sword, already prepared where to put it. Surely Afzal's guests won't even miss a servant's sword. Afzal won't get angry with him either. If he did, Muzi would just need to act cute and he'd get what he wanted. Afzal had never been the stingy one.
But just to be sure, Muzi thought.
"Listen", he told the four guards. "I didn't want this sword, understood? You brought this and offered this to me on your own accord, to gain favor, isn't that right?"
The guards briefly side-glanced at each other before nodding their heads like pecking chicken.
Upon watching them, Muzi gave another amiable smile.