Hey everyone, Areli White-Wings here, I've been helping my friend, who doesn't have a account here, as an editor on this amazing story. She's also the one who pulled me into Pandora Hearts, so a few more stories and chapters can be expected soon.;)
Gil watched Oz as they walked, unable to keep the small smile from his lips at the carefree steps of his master. The young Vessalius flitted from stand to stand, his emerald eyes shining as he gazed upon the various trinkets the market had to offer.
The two boys had been given Uncle Oscar's permission to wander the stalls while he finished up some business in town. The kind man had invited Oz, Gil, and Ada to come along with him to one of the Vessalius' summer mansions while he attended to a few affairs in the nearby towns. The three children had jumped at the offer to go somewhere other than the main house, and Oscar had asked Oz and Gil if they wanted to come to town with him while Mrs. Kate took Ada shopping.
It was a beautiful afternoon, not too hot, not too cold, and just the right amount of clouds dotting the sky. Their dappled shadows floated gently over the marketplace, enveloping everyone in warm summer nostalgia.
Lunchtime had long since passed, but Oz had seemed content to continue their wandering rather than stop for a bite to eat. By now, Gilbert was starting to feel a bit hungry and hoped his master was feeling the same.
"Young Master, you must be getting hungry. Maybe we should stop for a bit…." Oz looked over at him and Gilbert bit his lip. "Um, is there anywhere you'd like to eat?"
The blond teen straightened up, glancing at the sky. "Yeah, I think you're right." He glanced at Gil, sending him a sympathetic smile when he noticed the raven's apparent exhaustion. "Why don't you stay here while I run ahead a sec and find somewhere to sit?" Gil nodded, despite his reluctance to leave the Oz alone, and the young noble vanished into the crowd.
Knowing he had to work quickly, Gilbert spun on his heel and ducked through the throng, glancing quickly at each stall until he found the one he was looking for. The small shop sold an assortment of beautiful jewelry, and one of the necklaces had seemed to catch Oz's eye. It was a small silver locket, the embellished stone a murky greenish-blue.
He'd been sure Oz was going to buy it, but the blond had caught Gil watching him and had merely moved on to the next stall.
The merchant grinned at Gilbert as the boy approached, taking the locket from its hook and holding it out to him. Gil blinked in surprise.
"I remembered you from earlier. Figured you were getting it for your friend." The man winked.
Gil flushed, taking the locket in exchange for his money. "Th-Thank you so much, Sir!" He bowed gratefully before slipping the necklace into his pocket and dashing back to where Oz had left him, relieved to find that the blond had not yet returned.
He couldn't keep the smile from his lips as he waited. He really hoped Oz would be happy. The boy had seemed a little down lately, as the family had begun to plan his ever-nearing Coming-of-Age Ceremony. The young blond dreaded the thought of having to take part in the responsibilities of a noble, and to make matters worse, they'd gotten a letter from his father stating that he'd be on a business trip and wouldn't be able to make the ceremony. To say Oz was disappointed was an understatement.
"Gil!" The raven turned at the call, smiling as Oz approached.
"Did you find somewhere that looked appealing, Young Master?"
Oz grabbed his hand and tugged him forward through the crowd, the motion eliciting a startled gasp from his servant. They weaved through the streets, finally bursting out into the small square. Oz leads him to a small cafe, sitting him down while he went inside and grabbed them some water and a few cookies. They munched in silence for a while, each just enjoying the company of the other in the warm summer air. Finally, Gilbert could wait no longer. He slipped a hand into his pocket, letting his fingers brush the cool chain of the locket.
"Um, Y-Young Master...I...have something for you…" The words came out a jumbled mess, and Gil flushed in embarrassment. This was not how he'd hoped this would go. Oz stared at him curiously. Mustering up all his courage, Gilbert pulled out the locket and shoved it across the table, immediately forcing his eyes to the ground. But he couldn't help sneaking a peek at Oz out of the corner of his eye.
The blond was staring at the locket with wide eyes. He reached out a hand to touch it. "Gil….you…" His voice wavered, and Gil's head shot up in surprise. A twist of anxiety flared in his stomach. Did Oz not like it? Oz's hand raised to his mouth, and Gil was startled to find the boy blinking back tears. Gilbert gasped.
"Young Mast—"
"Gil," Oz interrupted, taking the locket in his hands. "Uncle Oscar gave you that money to buy something for yourself, why would you spend it on me?"
Gilbert blinked at him. "I saw the way you looked at it…." He fidgeted with his hands nervously. "I figured you didn't buy it because you thought I might look down on you for buying something like a locket…." Oz gaped at him.
"But Gil, this must've used up all your money…."
The raven looked away. "There wasn't really anything that caught my eye any—" He broke off with a yelp as suddenly Oz's arms caught him from behind.
"Thank you, Gil. I mean it."
Gilbert blushed furiously. "Y-You're welcome, Young Master,"
The two laughed and chatted until Oz decided he wanted more cookies. He offered Gil a few when he returned with the plate, but the raven insisted he wasn't hungry. He was beginning to wonder what was taking Lord Oscar so long. Gilbert sighed. The man had probably gotten distracted along the way by some beautiful woman. He hadn't realized he was staring until a sudden movement in his line of vision caught his eye. A white-haired girl across the street was giving him a strange look, having noticed his blank gaze.
Gilbert flushed and quickly looked away, hoping Oz hadn't caught the exchange. He was mortified to find his master giggling relentlessly at his embarrassment.
"Look, Gil, here she comes," Oz snickered. The raven-haired boy whirled in horror. Sure enough–the girl had almost made it to their table. Gilbert buried his face in his hands.
"Ah, can I help you with something?" When her only answer was another fit of giggles from Oz, the girl crossed his arms. "Look, I'm not trying to be rude or anything, I just think it's a little impolite to stare at people." She smirked, catching sight of Gil's red face. "Like, I know I'm good-looking, but honestly-"
Oz could no longer contain his laughter, his loud guffaws eliciting the curious eyes of most passerby. Gil wished the ground would swallow him up. He lifted his face from his hands just in time to see Oz's chair begin to tip back a little too far.
Gil jolted forward, knowing he was too far away, too slow, and that his incompetence was going to leave a nasty bruise on his master's back. He closed his eyes and flinched in anticipation of the sound, but upon opening them he was surprised to find that the mysterious girl had caught Oz, and was now holding the young noble off the ground. Oz looked just as surprised as Gilbert felt, his green eyes wide as they stared at the face only inches from his own.
"N-Nice catch."
Gil waited, but she didn't seem to be about to move anytime soon. He cleared his throat. The girl jumped. She carefully helped Oz into a standing position. The young noble reached down to pick up his chair, and Gil caught the other's eyes following Oz as he moved. Gil frowned.
"You're a Vessalius, aren't you?" The girl blurted suddenly. Oz looked up at her in surprise.
"How'd you know?"
The girl fidgeted with her shirt. "Your eyes." She blinked suddenly. "I'm Zwei, I probably should've introduced myself earlier." She offered them her most charming smile. Gil wasn't impressed. "I'm not from around here," the girl continued, "my family moved just recently, and we've been having a little trouble finding work." She looked away sheepishly.
Gilbert glared down at his glass of water. "If you're so new here, how'd you recognize my Master?" he muttered. Zwei laughed, and Gil started, not expecting to have been heard.
The girl leaned toward Oz with a grin. "I'd recognize those Vessalius eyes anywhere." Oz smiled, but his eyes caught the way her clothes hung from her too-thin frame. A sudden idea occurred to him.
"Why don't you come and have dinner with us? One of our summer mansions is near here, and you could probably stay the night if you wanted to."
Gil's eyes widened. "Young Mas-"
Zwei gave the noble a warm smile. "There's no way I could refuse such a kind offer, thank you." She bowed deeply in gratitude.
Gilbert frowned anxiously at Oz. "Young Master, you can't just invite strangers to come over for dinner…"
Oz patted Gil's arm reassuringly. "It's okay Gil, Uncle Oscar won't care."
"Uncle Oscar won't care about what?" came a deep voice from behind them.
"Uncleeee, this nice girl saved me from falling out of my chair, can we have her over for dinner, pleassseeee?"
Oscar paused for a moment in thought. "Well...I suppose Ada might like the company as well..." He read the hope in Oz's expression and sighed. "Alright, I suppose it's fine with me," Turning, he flashed Zwei a smile. "We do have to show our thanks for such a helpful Lady, after all."
Oz plopped down onto his bed with a laugh, patting the space next to him for Zwei to come and sit. "Dinner won't be ready for a while yet, so I figured we could hang out in here 'till Mrs. Kate calls us." Zwei nodded, but Gilbert hovered anxiously.
"Young Master, I really don't think you should take a stranger into your room like this. Last time-"
Suddenly Oz's eyes were fire. "This isn't like last time, Gilbert." he snapped. Gil flinched back, stung by the sharp tone. He bit his lip. He couldn't back down so easily, not when it concerned his master. The small boy straightened up.
"I'm just trying to keep you safe!"
"Stay out of it! You'll probably be just as useless at that as everything else!"
Gil stared at the blond, stunned. Even Zwei looked surprised. Gilbert could feel the tears beginning to form behind his eyes and blinked furiously. He spun on his heel, whirling toward the door.
"If I'm so useless to you, then maybe I should just leave!"
The door slammed shut behind him.
Gilbert flew through the hall, the tears gaining courage and beginning to slide down his cheeks. He wiped at them furiously, but couldn't make them stop. They ran, blurring his vision until he couldn't see, and the raven nearly stumbled over the edge of a staircase in his blindness. Finally, he managed to reach the second kitchen, sinking down behind the counters while he cried.
Did Oz really think he was useless? Did the boy only keep him around out of pity? He'd always feared that reality, but for it to have been true all along...Gil sat still for a moment, pondering. If Oz didn't want him, then there was nothing left for him. Oz was everything, his brother, his best friend, his master, without Oz, Gilbert wouldn't have a purpose. He stood resolutely, ignoring the trembling in his legs as he prepared tea. If Oz thought he was useless, then he would make himself useful.
Gil paused in front of the door. Standing before it now, knowing his master was on the other side made him nervous. Still, he mustered his courage and reached out a hand to knock lightly.
"Young Master?"
There was no reply. Gil sighed. He really wasn't wanted then. Oh well, he'd made them tea, at least he could give them that before heading out to find a way to be useful to Oz. Gilbert leaned the tea tray on one arm and turned the knob, relieved to find it unlocked. He wanted the tea to be warm when he gave it to them.
"Young Master, I–"
The tray slipped from his hands, the dishes shattering loudly against the carpet. The room was empty, untouched save for a small folded note on the floor. Gil's knees buckled. There, beside it, was the locket he had given Oz, the chain snapped in half.
Fingers trembling, Gil reached to pick up the note. The handwriting was unfamiliar, chicken scratch compared to Oz's elegant scrawl, but the words that weaved across the page were enough to stop his heart.
Gilbert screamed. Suddenly he couldn't breathe, and then he was on all fours, body shuddering as he retched up their lunch of chocolate chip cookies.
If you ever wish to see Oz Vessalius again,
Zai Vessalius must bring $500 to the old Reveil warehouse by midnight tonight.
Tick tock.