Chapter Text
Aesop had been walking around the hallway, still hesitating if he should barge in the Seer's room. Emily reminded him not to disturb the other male since he looked tired, much to the Photographer and Embalmer's dismay. But it's already noon and he barely even slept because he had been too eager to visit Eli, especially after all the days that he had been gone.
“Aesop, just knock.” he muttered to himself, gathering enough courage before knocking at the door, “E-Eli?”
“Aesop?”
Just hearing Eli's voice lightened up the grey-haired male and nodded furiously, not even hiding his excitement at all “Y-Yes!”
”Oh. Is there something that you need?”
“It's already noon and you still haven't eaten since breakfast so I was hoping that I could invite you for lunch..”
“Ah, I see..” Aesop heard footsteps as the door opened, revealing the male in blue robes, “Alright, shall we head to the dining room?”
“Y-Yes. Let’s go,” Aesop nods as the male in blue robes started walking beside him.
Aesop can’t help but feel a bit of dismay when Eli didn’t even held his hand, he usually holds his hand whenever they walk side by side to assist the Seer on walking whenever Brooke is resting somewhere else. Yet the feeling of walking besides the man that he cherish is too overwhelming for the grey-haired male, it’s been a while and he had been in such despair because of his absence. He would never let himself feel that way again, he swear to all of the Gods out there to make sure that Eli will be staying for good— even if he had to do something in his own hands.
“Say..” The embalmer was caught off from his train of thoughts when Eli broke the silence, just as he usually do “What happened during the time that I wasn’t present?”
“Just the usual but with everyone getting worried and distracted because of your disappearance, even Yidhra couldn’t focus on matches and would go friendly at times to ask if there were news about your whereabouts.” Aesop replied as a small smile crept on his face, “You’re really loved by everyone in this manor, Eli.”
“Ah, Lady Yidhra..” Eli lets out a chuckle yet Aesop felt like there’s something not right with it “I see.”
“No, you can’t see.” Aesop immediately covered his mouth when Eli froze on his tracks and turned his head towards his direction.
It was definitely awkward because Eli seems to be looking at him using Brooke without any expression painted in his face and Aesop was already planning on running back to his room and lock himself forever. He probably offended Eli with his disability and the other male is most likely to be disappointed with his behaviour. Aesop can’t help but shut his eyes close yet before he was able to shout out an apology, he was surprised with Eli laughing in all of the sudden.
“W-Wha—”
“That was funny, Aesop.” Eli was laughing as he leaned in the wall for support, grinning towards the grey-haired male “What makes it funnier is that you weren’t even expecting that you’ll blurt it out that loud.”
“I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to offend you in any way!”
Eli shook his head, “No. It was actually funny. You’re quite a joker whenever you’re in the mood, Aesop. I like it.”
I like it. The embalmer can’t help but feel too much happiness on what he just heard from the Seer, it’s been a while since he had a conversation and heard the Seer’s laugh so it can’t be helped if he gets too overwhelmed by the emotions deep inside him.
They went towards the dining hall in which the moment that Eli stepped in, a group of survivors was already on their way to tackle him as Aesop immediately dodges away from them.
“Eli! Man, where the hell have you been?!” William shouted.
“Dude, I swear! They’ve been looking for you all the time!” Ganji exclaimed as he patted the Seer’s shoulder, “Welcome back!”
“Eli! We were so worried!” Fiona was already tearing up as Eli pats her head, “You suddenly disappeared!”
“Eli! We were really worried when you didn’t went back along with us that time!” Tracy cried out.
“I’m terribly sorry for making all of you worry about me,” Eli stated as he smiled apologetically at them, “I just took care of some personal stuff but I’m back now.”
“Don’t you dare disappear just like that again!” Fiona snapped, crossing her arms.
“I won’t! I won’t!” Eli said, chuckling at the Priestess’ actions and raised both of his hands as a sign of surrender.
“Give Eli some space, let him eat first.” Emily stated in which the survivors went back to their seats.
As expected, he went towards the vacant seat next to Aesop as it always had been like that, the Seer looking for the Embalmer most of the time that their bond cannot be severed by anything at all. Aesop took off his mask as he silently ate along with Eli, sometimes stealing glances at the Seer that is eating in peace while the other survivors are telling him what happened in the manor during the time that he was gone.
“Also! We barged in the hunter’s side!”
“You what?” Eli was kind of surprise on what Emma had told him.
“We did.” Jose replies, chuckling at the Seer’s surprised state “They brought the rescuers and barged in there. We had a wee bit of argument with the hunters too but the Feaster calmed everyone down.”
“I mean, I would calm down if it’s a God that ordered me to. Who knows what they can do if we’ve angered them too much?” Naib replies as he took an another bite of the chicken in his plate.
“That’s too reckless!” Eli exclaimed in worry.
“Heh, you could’ve seen how Aesop talked back to Joseph that time. If looks can kill then both of them must’ve been torn apart from limb to limb by each other!” Naib grinned as Eli’s face paled.
Martha smacked his head in annoyance, “We’re in a middle of a meal yet you’ve managed to say such gruesome stuff, dimwit. You’re gonna ruin their appetite!”
“Ah! Sorry about that!” Naib said, looking at Eli’s reaction “Aesop doesn’t even dare to talk back to us yet he spat out such words towards Joseph.”
“Aesop!” Eli cried out, making the Embalmer jump a bit in surprise as he look at the Seer, “Don’t do that!”
“B-But I was really worried and scared for your safety and he’s the one that is most likely to abduct you,” Aesop mutters, his ash-colored orbs looking at the ethereal male in front of him “I don’t even know what am I going to do if I ever lose you, Eli.”
Eli noticed how the Embalmer was shaking and held his hand, making Aesop flinch a bit yet he immediately relaxed on the Seer’s touch, “Don’t worry, Aesop. You won’t.”
“Okay! Enough of that!” Everyone got distracted when Demi screamed in joy, “Let’s start eating now and enjoy Eli’s presence once again!”
Vera smiled in relief, giving Demi a silent ‘thanks’ as the Barmaid managed to distract Aesop from a panic attack in the dining room. And the once gloomy dining room had its radiance back once again when Eli returned, the Perfumer just watched them in a corner as she hoped that it’ll always be like this.
“So, Eli. I’ve heard that you’ll be in a match later. Are you sure that you’re okay to go on matches now?” Emily asked.
Eli nods, “Thank you for the concern, Emily. But I’ve missed a lot of matches that I have to catch up on everyone else, I’m physically okay to go on matches now. No worries.”
“I’ll be in the match Clark will be in so you don’t need to worry that much,” Edgar stated as everyone looked at him, a confident aura radiating on the Painter “I’ll do my best to contain the hunter.”
“Oh. Me and Andrew will be there too! We’ll make sure to get a perfect victory and support each other!” Fiona beamed, looking at the timid Grave keeper in which just looked down because he still wasn’t used to interaction.
“Of course, Andrew would definitely be a best support and rescuer. He is one of the best,” Edgar proudly claimed as he looked at the Grave keeper, “Raise your head, Andrew!”
“O-Okay!” The Grave Keeper jolted in surprise as he nodded furiously before looking away, “I-I will do my best.”
“You can assure Clark’s safety on our hands, everyone.” A smug expression was painted in the Painter’s face and everyone knew how Edgar can be much of a nuisance to hunters when he’s too fired up.
“Don’t worry, everyone. I am not a damsel in distress and just like everyone else, I’ll do my best as a support survivor to help out my team.” Eli puts his hand on his chest as if he’s making an oath and lets out a grin, “I might be a little rusty now because I haven’t been able to go to a match for a week so I have to practice.”
“You’re one of the best, Eli! You’ll rock it!” Naib cheered.
William nods in agreement, “Indeed! A week without matches wouldn’t make you weak, Eli!”
“Thank you,” Eli said.
“Alright, everyone. Settle down and continue on your meals,” Emily stated as they went back on eating, a few conversations were exchanged but they focused on finishing their meals as soon as possible.
Aesop wished that it would be like this everyday because despite the noisy and chaotic environment, this place is the one that only appreciates people like him. This is the only place where Eli Clark would always be in his sight. This cursed manor is a paradise in disguise for Aesop because if he didn’t took the invitation then he wouldn’t be able to meet the person that taught him how to live like a normal human being should— not as someone that steals his client’s life in his own accord.
Thank you for saving me, Eli Clark.
----
Eli opened his eyes just to see that he was spawned in front of the factory and he can see the silhouette of the hunter. Bloody Queen—no, scratch that, Mary. The brown-haired male is aware how the queen didn’t want to be addressed as a hunter but as her own self, being the first one to see her in such a state when she was just new to this game of tag..
He immediately pings ‘The hunter has changed target! Beware!’, letting them get an idea who the hunter is as they went to the cipher machines and starts to decode since it’s the ping he assigned for hunters with teleportation skills such as Wu Chang, Hell Ember and the Bloody Queen. Eli knew how much of a talented hunter she was, being one of the best in this game along with Galatea and Lady Yidhra. Just remembering her first days in the manor makes the Seer a wee bit nostalgic because it’s quite nice for her to embrace this new life that she was given and did her best to accomplish her tasks in every match. This is kind of weird for a survivor to say but he’s proud of the queen to be able to stand up and show how a queen would never be take down that easily without a fight— unlike her thoughts about how a queen is such an easy chess piece to be taken down.
“You’re back,” he stated when Brooke Rose perched in his shoulder while he’s decoding, “Let’s do our best in this match, okay?”
The owl lets out a hoot as he chuckled, continuing on decoding the machine while Edgar, the team’s kiter pinged that he was being chased by the queen. Eli is quite confident on Edgar, knowing how the prideful man wouldn’t get down that easily and his paintings can be a pain in the ass to deal with unless the hunter brings Excitement with them. The painter was looping Mary in the ruins at the back gate, vaulting over windows and juking the hunter’s attacks.
While Edgar was kiting Mary, Eli along with Andrew and Fiona sent their pings showing that they’re about to finish the ciphers that they’re decoding. Eli managed to finish his own cipher then Fiona’s cipher popped a few seconds later, only a few more seconds for Andrew to finish his own. Eli immediately ran towards the nearest cipher which was in the middle and started to decode it as Edgar already used his first painting to distract Mary, giving him some spare time to kite the hunter in the factory since Eli had finished the cipher machine in there.
‘Come on! Keep it up!’ the three of them pinged to cheer the kiter as Fiona was decoding the cipher machine near the gate. Andrew immediately ran towards Eli and helped him decode, a ring was heard throughout the map as Mary finally got a hit on the Painter.
“One cipher left and we’re good to go~” Eli chirped as he looked at the Grave keeper beside him, “Don’t worry about Edgar, I’m definitely sure that he can distract Mary until the last cipher is primed.”
“He’s been working too hard lately,” Andrew muttered as he looked at the direction where Edgar and Mary was.
“Of course, he would. He’s such a passionate fellow despite having such a sharp tongue,” Eli replied, nodding in agreement “Have a little faith in him. Besides, if he was chaired, you’re still in there to rescue him.”
“You’re right..” The grave keeper looked down as he smiled, “I should trust him just like how he trusts me.”
“That’s the spirit,” Eli said as he patted his shoulder, “I’ll go and help Fiona decode the last cipher and just go to the other gate so we can open both of it.”
The two males went on separate ways as Edgar was still kiting the queen, her humming seems to be a bit out of tune, a sign that she’s getting impatient on chasing the Painter and wanting to down him as soon as possible. The male had predicted her blink twice and it’s taking a toll on her patience, she swore that she would definitely hit his chair to let this frustration out.
“Aren’t you getting tired of hitting me, Your Highness?” Edgar mocked, letting out a smirk as he held his painting upwards, “I just want to remind you that I still have this one.”
“You’re getting too cocky, Valden. Wait until I strap you on a rocket chair and make sure that you won’t be saved by anyone.” Mary said as she gripped on her weapon tightly.
“As if I’d let that happen. I’m feeling a bit confident on kiting you today and I’m going all out on it,” Edgar said as he grinned, “I’m aiming for a four-man escape on this match.”
“Doing that against me will be quite difficult,” Mary said as she raised her weapon to slash him but didn’t noticed the pallet beside her, making the painter smirk.
“A piece of cake for me.”
The moment Mary was stunned by the pallet, Fiona and Eli immediately popped the last cipher then ran at the gate, inserting the password in it. Andrew did the same on the other gate as Edgar was able to buy some time for himself to get some distance between him and Mary. He knew the dungeon was in the small ruins in front of the factory and he’s quite far from that area but knowing that Andrew and Fiona are opening both of the gates, they’re having a guaranteed win.
“Come on, Bloody Queen. I thought that you’ll be chairing me?” Edgar mocked as he grinned towards the hunter that was already fuming.
“That’s it, Valden! You’re going down!” Mary screeched as she released an another mirror.
“Fuck..” The painter muttered as he did his best to juke the mirror image’s attack while slowly transitioning towards the dungeon’s location.
“Ha! As if I’ll let you get away!” Mary was so close to him and he was prepared to take a hit from the mirror image when Brooke Rose appeared and blocked it, causing Mary to frown as her mirror disappeared.
“Nice save, Clark!” Edgar exclaimed as he put his painting in front of the dungeon.
‘The dungeon is here!’
The moment he sent the ping, the other three immediately got out of the match area as the dungeon opened. He can feel his heartbeat as Mary was approaching him but the hunter knew that the painting would just distract her and she didn’t brought Trump Card to change her trait into Excitement. She just stood a few meters away from the painter as Edgar smiled apologetically towards her.
“I’m truly sorry for the words I’ve stated throughout the match, I just need you to keep your eyes on me to prevent anyone from getting hurt.”
Mary smiled, “No worries. It was quite frustrating and I really want to chair you but I knew that it’s already a lose for me. I’ll take it. But I’ll definitely get my victory against you soon enough.”
“Of course, you will. That’s why I’m doing my best right now, it’s not like I can kite one of the best hunters every single match.” Edgar bowed towards her, “You did well, Your Highness.”
“Stop it. I am no longer a queen, I’m just Mary now.”
“You’re still a queen in our eyes. If you were given a chance, I believe that you’d be a great ruler.”
Mary scoffed, “Try again, Valden. That is something that I’ll never be, I’ll always end up as a tyrant in everyone’s eyes. I’ll never be loved just like the other queens that existed.”
“Everyone deserves a second chance and I bet that you wouldn’t waste that, I knew that deep inside, you’ve wanted to be the queen that everyone adored.”
“Heh, I never thought that the sharp-tongued Edgar Valden would say such comforting words. It’s like you’ve gone soft or something,” Mary mused as she smiles, the red eyes she got from detention had fade away “It’s definitely because of the Grave keeper, isn’t it?”
Edgar can’t help but look away at the queen as the pink tint on his cheeks confirmed Mary’s statement “W-Who knows?”
“Ah, the power of love.” Mary giggled at the Painter’s expression as she ushered him, “Off you go now, Valden. We can’t waste any of our time in this map when it’s already a guaranteed win for you. I’m sure that you’ve want to spend time with Kreiss, tell Eli that I said hello too.”
Edgar looked at his device before looking at the smiling queen in front of him, it was quite a pity to let her lose since a lot of points would be deducted to her. Mary was surprised when Edgar surrendered as they were sent back into the match room, meeting the other three survivors looking at Edgar with a bewildered expression.
“That was quite a surprise, Valden.” Mary said as she sighs, “Don’t pity me that much. I can gathered the points that was deducted that easily.”
“It’s not like I pity you, Your Highness. I just feel like surrendering since I’m in a good mood,” Edgar said then smiled at her, “Maybe you’re just right about me getting a bit soft. Besides, I got the best deduction and we won so it’s still a win-win situation for me.”
“Edgar..”
The brunette looked at the albino then patted his shoulder, “Everyone did well so let’s head back to our rooms and take a rest. It’s not like we’ll be having an another match in an hour or two.”
“You’re right about that,” Fiona mused as she looked at Mary, “It was a great match, Miss Mary!”
“Thank you kindly,” the queen bowed politely as she smiled towards the priestess.
“I should get going now,” Fiona said as she went out of the match room then Andrew along with Edgar followed suit.
Mary stared at the Seer sitting in one of the chair, taking a rest as his owl was nuzzling on his cheek “Eli, it’s been a while.”
“Oh, Mary. Hello to you too, it’s quite unfortunate that we haven’t met in the entire match.” The Seer stood then bowed towards her before going back on his seat.
“Valden did a great job on containing me throughout that match,” Mary replies as she walked towards the Seer, “How are you? You’ve been gone for days that everyone had been worried about you, especially Joseph.”
“Joseph?”
Mary chuckled when she saw Eli tilting his head in confusion, “You know how that lad adores you, Eli. You’re a precious person for Joseph and unfortunately, he’s on a break which is why I am filling up with his matches along with the guards and Smiley.”
“I see.”
“If you’re free tonight, can I ask you a favor and accompany a certain loner? He’s usually in the middle of the woods, probably painting again.”
Eli tilted his head in confusion, “Painting?”
“He used to be someone that is immersed in arts before dedicating his life in creating his so-called cameras.” Mary replies, smiling towards the Seer “It’s kind of a relief that he’s back on his former hobby before he got corrupted by his desperation on getting his brother back.”
“Brother?” Eli asked once again, tilting his head in confusion once again.
“Oh? He hasn’t told you about his brother yet?” Mary asked.
Eli shook his head, “Something like that is kind of personal and I’d understand if he won’t tell me about it, it’s not like we’re as close as the two of you. Aside from that, we’re from different factions.”
“But you know what they say, Eli.” Mary giggled as she patted the Seer’s head, “Opposite attracts.”
“Just like Norton’s magnets?” Eli asked, smiling brightly at the Queen that cooed at his actions.
Mary nods, “Indeed, Eli. Just like the Prospector’s magnets. You tend to be quite adorable at times.”
“A lot of people says that.”
“Joseph must’ve been in the woods right now so kindly visit the lad for a while to cheer him up, Eli. I’ll be heading back to our quarters to take a short rest because I’ll be having a match against the Forward, Enchantress, Batter and Prisoner later.” Mary said, frowning a bit as she recalls how much of a nuisance the team combination is.
“Rest well, Mary. Just bring Excitement so you can worry less about the three!” Eli said as they bowed at each other before Mary went back towards the door.
The moment that Mary was out of his sight, he started to walk towards the woods just like what the Queen had told him. It’s currently a full moon so a passageway towards the hunter’s headquarters are visible in naked eye but there’s a part of the woods where the hunters and survivors can access which is nearby a lake, they didn’t know where the lake ends because of the mist covering it and Nightingale already warned them not to get through it because it’ll take them back no matter what. Brooke Rose already left Eli to hunt some dinner for herself so he was left with his blurry eyesight, something that is risky in an area like this.
“Where’s Joseph?” The Seer muttered, looking around the woods.
He just followed where the wind will take him, lets it blow him away towards the Photographer’s whereabouts. The Seer smiled a bit as he felt the breeze gets in contact with his skin, it seems that his connection with the druids is still in tact. The Manor owner was right, the druid is still in his side and he has to do his best to redeem himself from his past mistakes. If I managed to get out of the manor then I’ll be worthy enough for their guidance once again, I won’t let them down.
“Who’s there?” Eli froze on his tracks when he heard the icy tone of the Photographer.
“Photographer?”
“Mon cher!” As if the hunter didn’t used such a cold tone a few seconds ago, he beams as he stood then ran towards the Seer with such a wide smile in his face “Ah! I missed you!”
“It’s nice to see you too, Photograp—” He wasn’t even able to finish what’s he currently saying when he was caught off-guard by the Photographer that embraced him tightly.
“Where have you been, Mon cher?! I was so worried!” The Seer wasn’t able to understand the hunter’s action as it overflows with affection that overwhelms him.
“H-Hey, Photographer.”
The hunter hummed, “Yes, Mon cher?”
“You’re too close..”
“Oh.” Joseph immediately lets go of the survivor that smiled awkwardly at him, “Forgive me for my rudeness, mon petit Seer.”
“It’s alright, Photographer. I was just caught off-guard,” Eli replies.
“I just missed you a lot and I was worried sick because you suddenly disappeared,” Joseph said, looking down as he felt the dread that had been creeping behind him when his twin brother passed away.
“I’m sorry for making you worry,” Eli said as he patted the Photographer’s shoulder.
“I’m glad that you’re back,” Joseph says, raising his head as a genuine smile was seen in his face.
Eli can’t understand this hunter at all, he was kinda used to some of the hunters’ affection on him since he wasn’t as annoying as he is during matches but the way how Photographer cherishes him is kind of overwhelming him most of the time.
“Mary told me that you might’ve been hanging around in the woods so I decided to give you a short visit,” Eli stated.
“Ah. Of course, she’ll definitely say something like that.” Joseph is quite thankful of the Bloody Queen rooting for his feelings towards the survivor in front of him.
“What are you doing here, Photographer?” The seer asked, knowing how the hunter prefers to lock himself in his own room— which reminds him of Aesop a lot, the two had a lot of similarities.
“I was just painting,” Joseph replies as he covered his work in progress in a thin fabric, “I need some peace of mind and the woods have provided me that in order to continue on this work of mine.”
“Painting, huh? Never thought of you as an artsy one but then again, Photography is also a form of art.”
Joseph chuckled at the Seer’s amused expression, “I’m a noble, darling. Of course, I was taught with a lot of stuff. Photography is just a passion that I decided to offer all my time and life towards after that tragic incident but before that, I was a young lad that loved art so much.”
“I really wasn’t knowledgeable about art at all since my hometown doesn’t have a lot about it so I was just someone that’s quite curious of a lot of things,” Eli stated as he looked at the Photographer, “That’s why people like you never fails to amuse me. I’m sure that your works must’ve been wonderful, Photographer.”
“Thank you,” Joseph curtly replies yet deep inside, he wanted to let out a scream because he was praised by the male that he admires “As much as I wanted to show you the art I’m currently working at, it’s still in progress but I promise you that on the moment I'm done with it, you’ll be the first one to see it.”
“Oh! I’m looking forward to it!” Eli mused as he clasped his hands.
“Hearing that from you makes me want to finish it as soon as possible.”
“No! Just take your time!” Eli shook his head along with his hands as a worried expression was painted on his face, “As much as I want to see it, you should go on your own pace!”
“Indeed. I’m glad that you’re able to sympathize with me that much, artists tends to be pressured by their mentors a lot.”
“Edgar mentioned something like that before too so I don’t want you to be stressed over something like that,” Eli replies.
Joseph can’t believe that the Seer was beside him and trying to continue a conversation in which the Seer isn’t that knowledgeable enough, Eli’s concern for him made him feel a bit elated as the Seer is worried about him despite being a hunter that is supposed to be feared by survivors. The Photographer wasn’t able to get his eyes off the Seer as the Seer talks about Edgar’s rants about him then he talked about the things that the survivors have done when he arrived, a worried expression was painted on the other male’s face.
“I was having a chat with Mary during that time, it was quite surprising how they suddenly barged in.”
“Indeed! They were too reckless! What if they angered Lady Yidhra and Lord Hastur?” Eli replies as he pouted.
Joseph chuckled at the Seer’s expression before pinching his cheeks slightly, “Well, they were really desperate to find a certain someone. So who’s fault is that?”
“Oh..”
“You should’ve told them that you were going somewhere, mon cher. You’re an important person to everyone in this manor and I hope that you’re aware of that,” Joseph stated, resting his hands on the male’s cheeks and smiled sadly at him “Everyone is thankful of having the chance to meet Eli Clark in this lifetime.”
“You flatter me too much, Photographer.” Eli can’t help but feel some sort of sensation on how gentle the hunter sounds along with that gaze from the blue orbs.
“You think too low of yourself and someone has to pull you up,” the hunter stated before patting the survivor’s brown locks.
“I never thought of myself that much,” Eli sheepishly said as he scratched his cheek.
“That’s why I’m here to tell you every single day how you’re an important person for everyone. You always think that you weren’t as great as the others yet you shine in your own way,”
“I..” Eli doesn’t even know what to say, the way how the hunter expressed his thoughts makes him feel a bit of warmth.
“You might’ve been known as a reliable survivor but there are times that someone needs to lift you up,” Joseph added as he huffed, “You don’t value yourself that much. Someone needs to remind you of your worth.”
“Someone..” Eli mutters as he looked down, “Thank you, Photographer.”
“You don’t need to thank me, mon cher. I’m doing this in my own accord,” Joseph stated, grinning at the survivor as he looked at the sky “The moon is beautiful tonight, mon cher.”
“Ah..” Eli squinted his eyes as he looked at the moon yet huffs in disappointment, “I’m sorry, I haven’t been able to see clearly without Brooke’s eye.”
“Oh. Such a shame,” Joseph replies, “Don’t worry, we can look at it next time.”
“Next time?” Eli tilted his head in confusion towards the Photographer.
“Indeed. I’d invite you to my room for a tea and chat for a while? Matches are starting to bore me so I might need someone to accompany me at times.”
“Why me? How about the hunters?”
Joseph grunts as he thought of his fellow hunters, “Mary is always in matches, the guards are either in matches or babysitting Robbie along with the Geisha. Don’t get me started with Ripper, I’m so sick of his presence.”
“Oh.”
“And survivors can visit us, Hell Ember’s daughter along with that Lucky Guy often visits our quarters. Some of your friends comes along for a chat and to play with Robbie and Dream Witch’s followers so I wanted someone from your faction to accompany me whenever I get bored.”
Eli can’t help but wonder why the Photographer is too immersed in him yet instead of feeling uncomfortable about it, it makes him feel at ease. He knew how he should avoid interacting with Dream Witch and the Feaster after everything that happened when he went out of the manor and going to their quarters is alreary a bad idea yet the way how the Photographer tried to lift his spirits makes him feel bad to decline the offer.
“Okay then. I’ll come along for a short tea party,” Eli stated as he lets out a small grin towards the Photographer, “I’m quite afraid that I might bore you with the tales that I knew.”
“You’re a living enigma, mon cher. I would never get bored of everything that you talk about,” Joseph mused, too elated on the fact that Eli had agreed on his ‘date’
“I talk a lot about the god I worship, my lovely fiance, my beloved Brooke Rose and even the small details that I’ve observed,” Eli stated as he looked at the stars, squinting his eyes as everything above him is blurry because of his poor eyesight “I wish I could see the stars right now but Brooke is hunting so I had to go alone.”
“Why do you even have to go and find me if it’ll be an inconvenience for you?” Joseph asks as he looked at the Seer worriedly.
Eli smiled, “I just feel like visiting you.”
“That’s so sweet of you, mon cher.” Joseph patted the Seer’s head, making the Seer giggle a bit “I appreciate that.”
Joseph noticed how the Seer seems to stumble a bit and held his shoulder to assure that he wouldn’t fall to the ground, knowing that he wasn’t able to see clearly without his companion’s eye. The Photographer is aware of how he’s matched against the Bloody Queen a while ago and the Seer just came back after disappearing for a week.
He wanted to ask a lot about his sudden disappearance, he wants to talk a lot about his life to Eli and for the Seer to do the same. Joseph wants the Seer to feel comfortable with his presence and maybe one day, he’ll be able to get a happy ending that was stolen from him when his twin brother died. Right now, Eli Clark is the only reason for him to be a hunter with sympathy towards humankind.
“Are you alright, mon cher?”
“Ah.” Eli shook his head a bit, “I was just a bit tired because I haven’t slept properly last night and I had to go to a match a while ago.”
“Oh. Why don’t you take a short nap? The tree behind us is cozy enough for you to snooze a bit,” Joseph said as he escorts the Seer and helped him sit in it, “You seem to be quite tired, mon cher.”
“I wasn’t able to sleep, Photographer.” Eli lets out a chuckle as he leans on the wood, “I came here to have a chat with you yet here I am, letting my fatigue get the best of me. Sorry for the inconvenience.”
“Non~ Non~” Joseph sat beside him and leaned on the tree also as he looked at the Seer, “I also had to take a short break since I’ve been painting nonstop so feel free to take a nap and I’ll wake you up later.”
“Are you sure?”
Joseph nods, “Oui~ Hunters needs to sleep too, you know?”
“O-Okay then..” The Seer lets out a yawn as his head drooped low, “I’ll just take a short nap then. Good night, Photographer.”
“Sleep tight, Seer.” Joseph mutters.
He watched as the Seer was slowly being cradled by Hypnos and gently placed the survivor’s head on his shoulder, somehow feeling giddy at how close they are right now. If only he can take a picture of both of them right now, he’d do it in a heartbeat. He can feel the warmth and the soft snores coming from the human beside him and smiled.
“I wish that you’d call my name soon enough,” Joseph mutters as he tucked the brown locks into his ear, “You’re so lovely, Eli. I’m really happy to see you once again.”
He felt bad for lying to the Seer a while ago because hunters doesn’t need sleep at all. Sleep isn’t that essential especially when they’re not even a human being anymore, sleeping won’t even remove the exhaustion that they feel. But seeing how the Seer was comfortable on his own dream world, Joseph would like to shut everything and take a short break. Maybe a short nap would do, he’ll wake up Eli in a while and accompany him towards the survivors’ quarters but for now, he’ll enjoy the moment.
----
Galatea was currently on her evening stroll with Violetta, Antonio and Edgar that was pulling her wheelchair to avoid her using too much of her power to control it on herself, the girl was thankful of the Painter’s kindness towards her despite his personality and hers is the exact opposite. Maybe it's because that they're related in one thing, the passion that they have for art.
The trio behind him were talking about Violetta's latest work, a quilt that was knitted perfectly from the silk the manor owner had gave her in exchange of a win streak. Antonio and Edgar were quite immersed on the work as Galatea was looking around the pathway, enjoying the view and how the breeze would kiss her cheeks. It's not like they can get some spare time like this especially when Galatea was always called to have a match, she was quite thankful that there are some people that accompanies her on her stroll.
In all of the sudden, she saw a figure behind the huge tree in front of the lake in which she hummed, “Someone's over there.”
Edgar paused to look over along with Violetta and Antonio as they looked at the direction Galatea was looking at “Oh. It's probably Joseph, he paints there.”
“Wait!” Violetta said as she squinted her eyes a bit, “There's someone beside him!”
“Ah, someone beside Joseph? Whoever that is, they got guts for being able to lie down beside him.” Antonio mused.
Galatea hummed in agreement, Joseph isn't that approachable and the sculptor tends to get some distance with the former Count because of his aura, “Let's take a peek?”
“You know that he will get mad at us if he caught us,” Violetta warned.
Galatea puts her index finger in between of her lips and smiled mischievously, “Then we have to be sneaky so we won't get caught.”
“Ah, mischief. I like it, I'm in.” The Violinist nods.
“Two of them are going to look at it even if you warn them, Violetta.” Edgar sighed as he patted the lady's back, “Let's come along so they wouldn't be the only ones that'll get yelled at.”
“Welp.” The hunter slumped as she followed the trio.
In their surprise, they saw the melancholic hunter leaning in the tree with his eyes closed as Hypnos cradled him. But what surprised them more is that beside him was the Seer that rests his head in the hunter's shoulder, both of them were sleeping so peacefully as if the cold breeze never bothered them.
“If only we had a camera, I'd definitely get a copy of a picture of them.” Antonio mused as he chuckled, “Imagine the grumpy old man getting too flustered because we caught him like this.”
“Unfortunately for us, we don't and if there's someone in the manor that has one, it's him.” Violetta added.
“Welp.” Edgar muttered as he smirked, “It seems that I can use something to distract Joseph if I’d ever have a match against him.”
“That’s unfair,” Violetta scoffs.
“It’ll be fun to see him distracted and blush furiously about this, knowing how aloof he is.”
“On a second thought, that is a nice idea.” Violetta nodded in agreement, “I’ll make sure to spectate if both of you will be in one match.”
“Should we wake them up? It’s quite cold out here.” Antonio says as he looked around, “They’ll catch a cold if they’d stay in here for a wee bit longer.”
“Y’know that hunters can’t get sick, right?” Galatea deadpanned as he looked at Eli, “Eli might get a cold though. I mean it’s normal for them to get mild diseases in this manor but nothing too severe had happened and they have a doctor in their quarters.”
“May I remind you that our doctor can only heal us in the match yet outside of it, she’s not that knowledgeable on the medical field aside from the pregnancy stuff?” Edgar said as he crossed his arms, “We might need to wake them up and ruin the moment.”
“Wait!” The trio looked at Violetta which was holding her quilt, “I actually want to show this to everyone else but I’d lend them this for a while. We don’t want to ruin this because Photographer barely even open his heart towards the others.”
“Agreed.” Edgar nods as he looked down at the sleeping duo, “Joseph was quite smitten on Eli so a moment like this can warm that stone-like heart of his.”
“It’s all up to you, Vio~” Galatea hummed as she spun her wheelchair around, “Mr. Joseph would definitely return it to you since it’s either you or Ms. Michiko that was sewing in our quarters!”
“Then it’s settled. Let them use the quilt for a while,” Antonio said and looked at Edgar, “We’re quite having such problems on tucking people in so it’d up to you to do that.”
Edgar just sighed and held the quilt from Violetta before tucking the two males in it then looked at his companion’s amused expression. He wouldn’t blame them for acting like this because living in this manor has been quite boring so everyone would do anything to amuse themselves and love is something that is quite uncommon for them.
“Let’s go, guys. Let’s give them some privacy,” Edgar stated as the trio nodded in agreement.
The Painter can’t help but feel a bit inspired from what he just witnessed a while ago and he’s quite sure that the hunters with him felt the same. It seems that they’ll be locking themselves in their quarters doing their own stuff once again. Maybe rooting for the Photographer to get the Seer’s heart is one of the best decision that he ever made.