Kane took a few moments of silence to look at the butler, who simply kept his eyes shut and remained as a statue pointing with an extended arm to the double doors. He squinted, before looking around, wondering exactly what prying eyes were around.
As he looked back, he saw nothing, not even a flickering shadow of someone who might've been watching, save for the moon that stood atop a building not far off. Confused, he continued forward, studying the rest of the manor.
It was far larger now than it was outside the gate, he had to look straight up to see a steeple, where an unlit lantern, caged within, laid atop the belfry housing a giant, cracked and chipped, black bell.
He looked back, taking notice of the butler walking behind him with his hands held behind his back, ignoring Kane's inquisitive gaze.
Something is strange, so he thought, frowning as he looked at the ground, taking notice of the cracks and erosion in the stone path, there's more to this... ancient feeling. It's like a war zone, reeking with the stench of death and decay.
"Sir," he called out, taking the steps up, "what is this manor?"
"This is my master's demesne," he replied, stepping past Kane to open the large, creaking, wooden doors, letting the moonlight cast their long shadows along a velvet carpet, with streams of gold highlighting its thin rectangular shape. "It is older than me and you combined."
Kane looked from one side of the room to the other. Though it was dark inside, which confirmed his previous suspicions, he could clearly see the diagonally laid, white square tiles that spanned across the entire floor. Two curving staircases let the carpet split into two paths, leading to a balcony atop. Directly underneath it was a set of stairs leading down.
As he stepped in, things became clearer. Several grand chandeliers lined up along the ceiling, straight down the large hall, their frames glistening in the moonlight, allowing some natural lighting to reveal more to the entrance. Off to his left and right, several archways held within them brown furnishings, still well kept, free of even a single piece of dust, some even with built in fireplaces, waiting to be rekindled. Atop the archways were halls that spanned to the very back of the room and the walls behind him, where two spiralling staircases on either end led upward.
And yet, while the interior was certainly breathtakingly beautiful, a foreboding sense grew on Kane, hinting that the manor now was merely a reflection into the past; a shadow of its former glory.
He looked back as he heard the slow creaking of the heavy, double doors being closed, expelling the moonlight. The butler slowly turned around to look back at Kane, before taking a moment to revel in his master's manor as he took a deep breath.
"What is it you seek, young man?" he asked, returning to his idle posture. "Or rather, who is it you seek?"
Kane hesitated, before slowly turning back and saying, "I'm looking for an artificer. Is there someone here who can help me?"
"An artificer?" repeated the butler, the confusion in his tone raising as much as his brows. He looked down, rubbing his chin as he returned his brows to a light frown. "For what purpose do you seek an artificer?"
"I... need some items appraised," he said. It wasn't entirely a lie, but it also wasn't the whole truth. He wanted to conceal the fact that he was a practitioner of magic, though on what basis did he feel the need to? Who knows.
The butler raised a brow as he angled his head up. "Surely you could have visited one of the many shops around Tyraleth? There are many who can perform appraisals for you."
"This is different." Kane started to have his doubts about some artificer being so far out of the way, especially with how the butler wasn't instantly taking him to one after mentioning the phrase.
The butler paused, squinting his eyes as he stared at Kane. "Follow me," he said, walking past Kane and taking the stairs up.
Kane, hesitant at first, trailed behind, letting his callused hand run along the smooth, polished railings. As he drew nearer to the top, his eyes glued onto a brass double door, laid with intricate, textured, floral designs, along with the sun and moon, with the butler standing only at three-quarters of its height. Its large, yet comparatively thin, brass handles spanned all the way from top to bottom, instilling the notion within him that only the master of the manor could possibly be hiding behind those doors... or perhaps something rather valuable.
The butler raised a hand to cover the side of his mouth as his ringing voice said, "My lady, I have returned with a guest."
"Oh, a guest?" repeated a heavily muffled voice, filled with curiosity. "Let our guest in."
"Very well," he replied, though his tone didn't sound too fond of the idea, pulling against the brass handles with all his might, slowly opening them just enough for the two of them to walk through.
Kane stood in silence, beholding a room where, directly ahead, a large bed laid empty, neatly fixed with its white curtains drawn back. Two windows laid on either side of the wall, allowing one to grace their eyes with the beautiful sight of Tyraleth's rooftops and ancient buildings during a sunset.
"Oh, you're new," said the same voice, though this time, it was clear, silvery, smooth, and graceful, grabbing Kane's attention immediately.
He looked to his right and instantly entered a state of petrification. With pupils that had dilated like a cat's, he stared at the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, sat along a large white sheet of paper that she painted on. Her hair was long and white like silk, fairer when compared to the moon and her pale, ghostly skin. She wore a loose violet dress, yet with several layers including a shawl. Oddly enough, however, her eyes remained closed, which had him wondering how she knew that someone new had stumbled about the manor, and why she was painting with them closed to begin with.
Yeah, wouldn't you want to see what you're painting? he wondered, scratching his forehead as he looked at the paper filled with various shades of red, orange, blue, and violet streaks and mixes filling the large page. Hmm, an abstract artist?
"Come hither," she called out, looking back down at the page—well, at least, her face pointed down to it. "Join me on this canvas."
Kane hesitated, looking first to the butler, who simply closed his eyes as he nodded once. Without any more delay, he slowly walked over, sat against his knees as he wondered what he was supposed to do.
Wait, he raised a brow, she didn't mean to paint with her right? Fuck, I don't want to paint. He truly wanted to show his displeasure at the thought by whipping his head back.
After a few moments of silence, the lady stopped with the brush strokes, looking up at the butler. "You may leave us."
The butler's brows flew up, though his eyes barely opened much more. "B-but my lady—"
"Do not worry," she said with a comforting and slow voice, returning her gaze to the painting, pushing her hair out of the way. "We will be fine. Now please go, Calus."
"V-very well," he replied, slowly exiting the room, pulling the doors shut, though just before he could, he poked his head through the gap and looked at her. "My lady, shall I make tea?"
"No."
"What about our guest?"
"No."
Do I ever get a say in anything? wondered Kane as he watched the brush.
"Perhaps you both are peckish?"
"Calus, there is no reason for you to come back until our guest wants to leave. Now go, please."
Calus sighed, closing his eyes as he returned to slowly closing the door, saying, "Yes, my lady."
Kane watched as the doors were shut completely, before looking back at the painting, sitting in silence for a while as he listened to the gentle sound of the brush grazing paper.
"Your face," said the lady, breaking the silence as she put down the brush.
Kane's eyes darted up, noticing that she was looking straight at him, though her eyes still remained shut.
"Can I see it?" she asked.