The Elegance of What is Mine (Albel's side)

Fandom: Star Ocean 3: Till the End of Time
Author: Ciissi
Pairing(s): Mainly Albel Nox x Fayt Leingod; mentions of AlbelMirage (XD) and MirageMaria
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: SO3: TtEoT is owned by SquareEnix.
Summary: AU. Albel Nox is an aristocrat whose home his servant brings something cute and his world is shattered. He does not know what to think of this intruder…
Author's Note 1: An older fic, but I decided to post it, because I needed to test something…

ooooo

Albel purred in half-sleep satisfaction under the warm, woolen quilt which black and red colors matched perfectly with his black-and-gold hair and – for now – closed crimson eyes. He yawned openly – after all there was no one in the house aside him – and snuggled deeper into his quilt. He really did not find a reason to get up and act busy so he drifted back to hazy half-sleep in which he had spent most of his day. He really preferred nighttime over daytime. Really. And he liked being annoying and an ass.

Albel's ear twitched once to affirm that his servant-maid was not home yet. Not that he cared. He was not hungry and he was not interested in going out although he had seen some beautifully colored leaves fluttering in the air, carelessly playing, gamboling in the wind, within the wind. It was fall after all.

Albel did not like the fall. Too much fuss. Too much leaves, colors and… water… cold water… Albel did not like the fall… but he did not exactly hate it either… Just too much fuss for his taste. He preferred winter.

After a span of time that might have been several hours or just few measly seconds Albel woke up from his sleep when he heard a door closing which was followed by his servant-maid's voice from the lobby informing him – without real reason, really! – that she was back home. His servant-maid's voice was always warm, soft, motherly and low. Of course she *never* yelled at Albel no matter how ass he had been – certainly she would not have dared! – but he knew well that even when angry her voice never hurt his ears.

It was not like Albel but after some time with his new servant-maid he was ready to admit to himself that he was almost in love with her. She knew exactly when he was going to get hungry or thirsty or he was in fighting mode or needed to sharpen his claws or did not want to be disturbed. But what was almost the best – or the worst depending on how Albel was feeling – thing was that she simply adored her Master and did anything to please him.

Albel's ear twitched as he heard his servant-maid calling his name again and asking him to come see something that she had brought with her to the lobby. Albel sighed, stretched out and gracefully slipped out of his bedding.

Now really Albel was not going to meet his servant-maid to the lobby because she was calling but because – Albel decided – he was in need of using bathroom and one could only get into bathroom only through the lobby. Albel reminded himself that he was the master of the house and he definitely was not interested of whatever she had brought with her.

… unless the servant-maid had bought some salmon and cream… Yeah… maybe then…

… but only little even then.

Albel's eyes flashed as he set his way towards the door of the lobby. He deliberately put some extra sway on his hips which he knew made him look enchanting and knockout. Not that he was in need of being sexy or anything – god's sake this was just his servant-maid! – but he knew how she loved when he was acting slutty in front of her. He had a reputation to keep up!

Albel would have never thought of coupling with or bedding his servant-maid although somewhere deep down he was very aware that he was fond of her and even little bit loved her. He and she had lived together already two months and there had not even once been a situation in which Albel would have wanted to leave her. So he had accepted that he was fond of her, loved her and he had more than a little bit of attachment to her. Perhaps Albel's unwillingness to bed her made him respect her in a strange way and because of that he thought of finding his pleasures from somewhere else and keeping them as secret.

The distance from Albel's sleeping place to the door leading to the lobby was not that long at all, but during the time it took from him to cross the distance, it was like his entire demeanor changed. It came to him as afterthought that his servant-maid might have brought with her the blue-haired young woman and though Albel thought of her as a nuance, in a way it was fun to mess up her head. Besides she was good at petting and combing.

Albel stopped for a moment before he pushed the door open and stepped into the lobby.

In the green-colored lobby stood a tall, blonde woman clothed into blackish and grayish trousers and blouse. She was cradling something furry and blue that was shivering in her arms. She broke into a warm, big smile and greeted Albel with respect and affection. She kneeled, beckoned Albel to come closer and carefully put the blue furball on the floor.

The bluish ball unraveled and revealed a pair of delicate ears, a pair of emerald-green eyes, two pairs of soft paws, a pink, moist nose and a thin, long tail. The tail whooshed around nervously and finally the tip of the tail touched on the small kitten's nose and he smiled unsurely.

Albel was faintly aware that he had never seen anything this cute as this bright-blue furball that was timidly approaching him. He was small, fluffy and he had these gorgeous, big emerald-green eyes that looked into Albel's ruby-red eyes adoringly. The furball's name was Fayt Leingod and he was a little bit older than one month. Timidly he told to Albel that he was going to now on live with Albel and his servant-maid.

Albel stepped closer and his cold blood-eyes had a malicious sheen on them.

Later on Albel could not remember what he had said, but he saw the crushed look on little kitten's face and the utter defeat. That look pierced through Albel's heart and he could not move or do anything to undo his words and actions.

This was the elegance of what was Albel Nox.

ooooo

Author's Note 2: Yes, I know. Very vague and very cliché, but I could not help it. But Fayt really makes cute kitten and it really screamed to be written.

/ 2 pages in Word 2010 and 1 028 words