Sakuya's POV
"You know what to do, it's about time for Flan's lunch," 'Her Royal Highness' stated rudely, and flashed a smirk.
You know, Scarlet, I could have let you melt there and then. The beautiful, warm rays of the sun that were destroying you, was my only amusement so far in these couple of weeks. Burn, baby, burn.
I held back a grin. Well, this means that I don't have to change the madeleines I dropped earlier, then. Time manipulation can be so convenient sometimes, although, the old hag would have sensed that I manipulated time with her around if I took too long.
I sincerely hope you choke on the dirty madeleines, vampire. I yearn for more entertainment every single day as I lead this dreary, routined life you bestowed upon me.
Yes; every single day, I'm stuck in this sad, dark mansion, dusting corners and old frames. Using my awesome time manipulation skills, to boil the perfect tasting soup.
Every single damn week, I have to let the demonic pest stare at my breasts without gloating back at her, that she, a vampire of 500 years, is as flat as a pancake.
The only time I ever get a break is when I get to watch my colleague, Hong Meiling, prance around the gate. She always brings a smile to my face.
And then, there's lunchtime with the Mini Scarlet. The psycho one.
This is how it goes: I take Mini Scarlet's lunch into the basement where she is supposed to be trapped for all eternity because the old hag said so. Then we play a game of intellectual tag, where she tries, in futile attempts, to set me on fire and threaten to drink my blood, because, she claims, "it's fun that way". This is when she pounces on me and I stop time, putting down her lunch tray and folding her newly dry-cleaned clothes next to it. She has this look of hysteria going on, flying in mid-air, and I take my time to snigger and sew frayed patches on her clothes and hat.
However, there have been times when she is still too quick for me, as after I resume time, she manages to dash out of my grasp and into the great hall, leading towards the library. Every time she manages to do so, she yells and chortles, "Outside! Outside!" about a bloody million times, and shrieks 'Her Non-Holiness's' name while comparing her to a 'fuddy-duddy pomegranate juice loser', which I think is actually a mockery of Scarlet drinking diluted, and very little blood.
Though sometimes, we just sit together and I listen to Mini Scarlet's childish dreams of being able to meet new people and bask in the sun, toes fiddling with the grass and laughing genuinely for the first time in 480 years of her life; three quarters having it spent in a dark, cold basement alone. We also mimic Scarlet and laugh about it. I am actually fonder of her than the old hag.
Sometimes, I wonder why I even continue working here. I get minimum wage, my room is filled with old stuff and I can't put up my posters; I eat European dishes or leftovers everyday and I would literally kill for some sushi. I could quit faster than lightning can strike. I have the power to stop time. I could murder Scarlet if I wanted to. Rumors said people were willing to pay high prices and huge rewards for the death of vampires, especially the ones who don't burn, but were particularly shiny in the sunlight. So why won't I become a vampire slayer? Am I afraid of competition with the one named Buffy?
I walked towards the kitchen and the assistant maids stood aside and bowed. I order them to take care of the garden while I arrange Mini Scarlet's lunch onto my tray, and as I do, I see my name engraved finely on the side of the circular, silver piece of art.
Back then…
Humans have always needed money to buy food in order to survive. During that time, I just learnt how to manipulate my powers and it was so much fun to abuse them. If only I knew better back then, what freedom meant to me now. I could run freely anyway I wanted, pick pockets, prank anyone, everyone; steal accessories and draw on their faces in public and in broad daylight! What joy, what beautiful memories I had created.
But then the recession came.
"Miss Iyazoi, your resume isn't very… …how you say, appealing," The fairly plump woman behind the desk raised her eyebrows at me. "20 years of age, and all you can do is, what you scrawled here, manipulate minutes and seconds?" She scanned through my resume again. "And throw knives? That's all there is to your skills?" She drawled words that were dripping with doubt as she analyzed me from head to toe with her little beady eyes.
Hey, fatty, I didn't wanna come, alright? My Mama wanted me to come here to get a job to support the family. You should be thankful I ain't going to steal your gaudy looking purse.
"Oh yes. Manipulation of time is very useful. I can do things quicker than everybody else," I forced a smile. I could feel my cheeks twitching.
She sighed loudly and pushed her glasses up her big-ass nose. "Miss Iyazoi, don't you mean, quicker than average people?" She snorted. "It's not good to brag, kiddy."
Oh and I suppose you must be a thousand years old and weigh about a thousand pounds, I didn't ask for your snarky comment, fatty, I came for a job, not here to suffer while looking at your face.
"Yes, Miss, you're right. Pardon me please! I am new at job-finding and these kind of stuff," I could swear my voice cracked at the pardon me part. My god I want to throw knives into her cellulite. She snorted again and her giant bosom heaved.
I clenched my fist and my teeth. You're testing my patience, lady.
Typing furiously, she continued drawling.
"We got… street performer, there you go, oh- no? What's with that look of disapproval, honey? Too fancy to be a basker? " She clucked her tongue and shook her head.
"Well, you could be a maid at… this Phantomhive Mansion in Europe, wow- whoops, that just got taken by another guy who can hurl knives too." She clicked multiple times and her eyes popped out. "Oh my goodness. And he's hot, you can't win," she shrugged.
"Next, we've got…what's this place, Gensokyo? What kind of a town is this…?" She frowned and her bushy eyebrows stuck together like a unibrow, while she continued to click furiously. "No matter, your manners and your 'time manipulation skills' should be perfect for this job, Miss Iyazoi," She snorted softly this time, and gave me a despising look that was the final straw. I was about to sock her in the face when she said my favorite word.
"The Scarlet Mansion… sounds awfully rich, doesn't it?"
Mama was so excited, she and Papa got out their life savings to buy me this pure silver tray with my name engraved on it. Who would have thought someone would be so ecstatic to let the daughter become a maid? Huh. Papa even told me he did some research on the Scarlet Mansion and told me it was rumored to have vampires haunting the mansion and I should hold the tray whenever I saw one, so I can whack it to death while they melt under the gleam of the silver or something.
Little did I know, I would have to be stuck here for the next millennium.
I made my way towards the library and into a secret passageway, leading to a corridor of lit candles and spider webs. I looked down at the tray. A big cup of human blood bought from a local hospital, a bowl of minestrone soup, a bloody steak with mashed potato along with four rolls of croissant. She should be satisfied.
As human as I was, I had to do something to myself to work for the vampires. I asked the bookworm in the mansion to help me research on time-manipulation to manipulate myself. Can't believe it actually worked. Now everything about me is stuck in the time space of eighty years ago.
A few steps left to my destination, I thought about Mini Scarlet and how my sessions with her sometimes were strangely amusing. She gave me a sense of belonging, which I didn't know how to place in words. She's a pain in the butt, but a good kind of pain.
As I opened the door to the basement, I thought about when my parents were still alive and how Scarlet kept giving me promotions and advanced pays often to support them and let them live to the fullest. Even though Scarlet can have an attitude, and she's a vampire, I know she still has a heart. A rotted, grotesque one shriveled up like a prune, probably, but, it's there. I know it. Maybe that's why I never left.
"Miss Flandre, it's time for your lunch," I called out, continuing to focus with the task I had on hand.
CHAPTER 2 END! YAYYY. hurrhurr, chapter three is FLANDRE'S SCARLETS 8'D
Pls feel free to leave feedback :)
