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Sylanwood, Diremaw's Castle: The Grand Lounge, Time: 14:45 AM
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Mianne and the others returned from shopping and decided to get Ace and Ezra's input on her new outfit.
"Sooo, what do you think?" Mianne twirled around to present herself.
Ezra sighed and picked a page from Ace's book, "Eh, 6/10," he stated realistically.
"Ezra! At least try to be positive! You like this, right Ace?" Mianne pointed at him, putting some pressure on him.
"It looks better than the nun outfit, I guess...?" Ace shrugged. Honestly, he's not much of a fashion guy, so he doesn't know that much.
"At least James was honest and not mean with his answer." Mianne shot a glare at Ezra, who could only roll his eyes.
James was playing with Princess Elowen as they continued their game of tag. Elowen decided to hide herself on the couch, and James acted like he didn't notice.
"Oh, where could you go?" James looked around, trying to act clueless. "Maybe you could be under here!" James looked under the tables but spotted no one.
James continued searching around, feigning surprise. "Hmm, not under the tables. Where else could Princess Elowen be hiding?" He glanced around the room, playing along with the game.
Meanwhile, Elowen struggled to contain her giggles as she hid behind a large cushion. She watched James with playful eyes, enjoying the moment.
James approached the couch, pretending not to notice Elowen peeking from behind the cushion.
"Oh, maybe behind this...?" He dramatically lifted the cushion, revealing a giggling Princess Elowen.
"Gotcha!" James grinned, scooping her up in his arms. Elowen burst into laughter, clearly delighted by the playful pursuit.
Mianne still focused on her outfit, couldn't help but glance over at the heartwarming scene. "Well, it seems James has a talent for catching more than just trouble," she teased, earning a playful glare from Ezra.
"Alright, enough games. Let's get back to relaxing," Ezra suggested, steering the attention back to the main event.
"And eating!" Ace stated as he was chewing on a biscuit.
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Sylanwood, Diremaw: The Guest Rooms, Time: 7:30 PM
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As James and Mianne settled into their room, the decor echoed the warm and inviting aesthetics of Diremaw.
The soft hues of autumn adorned the walls, and a large window allowed them to catch a glimpse of the moonlit town. It was a peaceful setting, a far cry from their usual travels and adventures.
In the adjoining room, Ezra and Ace had a different view. Their window overlooked the palace gardens, offering a serene backdrop of lush greenery and the occasional chirping of night creatures.
As James and Mianne exchanged a few words, preparing for a good night's sleep, James remarked, "You know, today was a surprising turn of events."
Mianne nodded, still feeling the weight of the mysterious book she had discovered in the library. "Yes, it certainly was. That book… It feels like it holds some important information."
Climbing into bed, James turned to Mianne with a warm smile. "Well, we'll figure it out together, as always."
"Jeez, you sure are patient to figure out a solution," Mianne remarked, appreciating James's willingness to wait for the right answers.
"What? You want me to fix the problem right now, I'll bite." James sat up straight on the bed, playfully gesturing as if exorcising ghosts.
"Ooooh, Mianne. You will get rid of the ghost that haunts you in that mirror ooooo." He gestured with his hands, attempting a ghostly exorcism, but with a humorous twist.
Mianne sneakily grabbed her pillow and playfully hit James with it. "Aw, thanks a lot. Now you make my spirit lift." She laughed before James retaliated with his pillow.
"Oh no! My arms are now possessed by the evil ghost!" Mianne continued the playful banter, creating a small pillow fight between them.
"Well, that was fun. Isn't it?" Mianne lay back on her side of the bed while James did the same.
"Mhm, like I said, we will figure it out somehow." James stretched his back, making a satisfying pop noise.
"Well, Goodnight, James." Mianne turned off her lamp as she drifted to sleep.
"Goodnight, Mianne." James smiled before turning off his lamp as well. Both of them drifted into slumber, each looking to the other side, their connection deepening with each shared moment.
In the adjacent room, Ezra and Ace were also getting ready for bed. Ezra was reading a book he had found on a nearby shelf while Ace stretched his limbs.
"Interesting read?" Ace asked, glancing at the book in Ezra's hands.
Ezra looked up, adjusting his glasses. "Yes, quite. It's about the history of Diremaw's diplomacy with neighboring towns. Fascinating stuff."
Ace chuckled. "You and your history books. Well, it's good to unwind a bit, especially after today."
Ezra decided to address the elephant in the room during their library visit, "Since this room is soundproof, when are we going to tell them about it?" Ezra asked. Ace paused for a moment before turning toward Ezra.
"You mean, tell them about it, right?" Ace clarified, and Ezra nodded. The room fell silent for a minute before Ace finally made up his mind.
"One day, I don't know when, but we will tell them, one day," Ace replied, and Ezra sighed to himself. They had been keeping this secret from them for so long, almost 15 years ever since they first met.
"Are you sure? I could train her to get a grip on it." Ezra suggested, aware that hiding this truth might not be a sustainable solution.
"Yes! What? Do you want to tell them that there's an eldritch living inside their head ever since birth?" Ace almost yelled a little but stopped himself from doing so. He didn't want a repeat of what happened with Nourtuck.
"Maybe." Ezra closed his book but realized something. Does James...
"You think James also has one?" Ezra pondered about it. Almost three of them had that, including Ezra and Ace, but what about James?
"No, it shouldn't be possible. They should have shown a sign during those 15 years ago, so that would mean James doesn't possess one." Ace stated, recalling the information from the books Ezra had shared with him. The phenomenon of birth eldritch being inside their bloodline for generations.
"Maybe, he's too kind-hearted to be affected by it." Ezra proposed the theory that perhaps James needed a specific method to activate the eldritch, and he had already failed that.
"Hmph. I still stand by my word; we need to keep this secret until they are ready to know about it." Ace suggested, deciding to get into his bed. "Night, night, eyebags."
Ezra rolled his eyes at the joking nickname Ace gave him before deciding to continue reading his book in his bed.
On the balcony, someone was hiding from plain sight. It was Sugar, eavesdropping this whole time, listening to their conversation.
"So that kid has a birth eldritch inside him, huh?" Sugar muttered to himself, grinning at the thought.
"Interesting, this might be an interesting experiment after all." Sugar chuckled before descending from the palace, disappearing into the shadows.
Back in James and Mianne's room, she watched over James as he slept, a mixture of lust and determination in her crimson eyes.
She caressed his face gently with the knife, a strange juxtaposition of care and secrecy, before giving his finger a cut, letting a drop of blood slip out.
James continued sleeping as Mianne brought his hand to her mouth, licking his bloody finger.
She then put his finger in her mouth, her face showing a mixture of affection and pleasure with a giant blush.
After pulling his finger out, she applied a bandage to it. "You slumber so peacefully, my dear," she whispered. Her fingers ruffled his hair, and his peaceful laughter in sleep brought a smile to her face.
As she turned away from him to look out into the night, the new moon illuminated their room. Mianne sighed, a touch of annoyance in her voice.
"That day, our destinies will intertwine, my love," she murmured as she fanned herself with her rose fan, her thoughts full of the future she envisioned.
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