I own nothing except the story Asher, Rotto, and Agatha... I suppose.

"Pardon me, young master."

The young man paused in his work and looked towards the source of the somewhat echoing voice coming from a maid standing in the large door-frame.

"I told you once, Agatha... there is no need to call me master." he said his light green eyes soft as he looked at her. "Just Rotto is fine."

"Y-yes of course." she said bashfully her hand folded in front of her as she looked at the young black haired young man as he carefully put the black ivory violin back in its case. She watched as his elegant hands carefully tied the straps in place. "It's just that the old master..." the young maid was stopped in her speech when the young man named Rotto gently put a finger to her lips.

"Speak no more of that man." Rotto sighed his jet black hair falling over his eyes a nearly quite nearly cold glint in them. "His time has long passed from this earth. Not even the gracious ones on mars would care to speak of him in such a light as you have, Agatha."

"Yes. Of course, Rotto..." Agatha said smiling softly as Rotto stepped away from her.

"What is it you wanted to ask me about? Isn't your car waiting? Were you not told to go back to your homes for the remaining month like the other or did Asher drop that note?" Rotto asked her.

"No sir. Its just that..." Agatha sighed and looked towards the windows frosted over with the first appearance of white snow and turned back to Rotto a worried look in her eyes. "They say It is going to be a very heavy snow storm this month. It was so kind of you to give us a paid vacation but... all the same you and that other boy will be all alone here on the top of a tall mountain miles from the nearest town... Please sir if something were to happen to you, she said taking his hands. "Come and spend the month in my home I am sure most of my family would love to meet the only son and heir of the Lilii family..."

"Most hmm?" Rotto said smiling a little at that. "So... the other side of my late fathers life has just now come to light?" the young italian said with a friendly smile.

"N-no it is not that!" the young woman said quickly. Rotto chuckled slightly.

"Please... there is no need to be so nervous with me." he sighed his green eyes looking at her gently with genuine and true kindness quite unlike the ones he got them from.

Asher grimaced as he walked the empty cold marble halls shivering slightly silently cursing Rotto.

"Otdoknut' ubezhdayet, nichego ne sluchitsya s nami zdes'..." he heard a voice that sounded very similar to Rotto's coming in towards the music room and a moment later one of the maids came out of the door-way and jumped a little when she saw him. Rotto glared up at the woman eyes flashing red for a moment in annoyance.

"Oy... Izinite" she said quickly bowing a little to him and left down the long halls.

"Why does she talk to me in her tongue when she knows I can't understand her?" Asher growled his pointed teeth showing as he sat down cross legged on a chair near one of the wide and gracefully carved windows.

"Well if you had read some of the books before we came here that wouldn't have been a problem would it now?" Rotto asked watching as the young woman made her way through the falling snow towards the last awaiting car. He watched as she paused before getting in and glanced back at the window before climbing inside and was whisked away in a flurry of white. In the distance through the snow he could nearly see down from the

"That ain't my fault... I just find the language rather crass for my liking..." Asher sighed leaning his chair until it was nearly touching the black wall. "You know Rotto Its a good thing you made everyone believe that fake, polite gentleman goody, goody act otherwise there'll be a lot of raised eye-brows 'Bout a man in his twenties alone with a teenaged boy... All alone in the mountains..."

"Ah..." Rotto said turning to him. "But technically you are much older then me. And its not fake this is who I truly am." he finished turning back towards the window.

"Even when you are going to kill them all one of these days?" Asher asked his hands behind his head as he leaned back in his chair to look at him as he saw a smile spread across the older mans face.

"Yes." Rotto said placing softly his hand on the window letting the chill run through his hands. "That is exactly right..." he finished in a voice just as soft as the white snakes that decorated the high celling.