Geralf reached for the needle and thread on the table next to the slab, the as yet motionless skaab he was working on lying there. Humming to himself as he sewed its forehead together before he set the needle back on the table, giving his newest creation a once over.
"Let's see my 'dear' sister and her zombies take my masterpiece down this time." He chuckled to himself, adjusting the eyepiece covering his left eye. Pulling off his gloves he set them down beside the skaab, wiping his hands on the apron covering his waist. "I haven't seen Ailis for a while. I hope she isn't in the company of my sister. Who knows what lies Gisa's telling her right now." He muttered as he strode across the labratory to find the door wide open and he frowned. "Ailis could have at least closed the door behind her."
Moving through the open doorway, Geralf closed the door quietly behind him.
Now where to look first, he thought. Purely on a whim he walked the short distance to his bedroom and as he reached for the doorknob he froze, listening as someone called out.
"Who's there?" Geralf called out, mentally scolding himself when his voice cracked slightly. Swallowing he very slowly opened the door to find his bedroom already occupied. Once he closed the door he approached the bed, wondering if this was a prank by Gisa until he found Ailis curled up, her knees pressed tightly against her stomach. Despite being a little annoyed at having his bed taken over he couldn't help a tiny smile when she turned over, one of her arms dangling over the bed.
"That is my bed you're occupying, Ailis." Geralf scolded and Ailis groaned when he very rudely poked her in the cheek with an index finger. "Truthfully it wasn't my bedroom to begin with but the previous owner had no need for it after we found them wandering outside." He added, grimacing as he remembered seeing that twisted creature attacking the few remaining humans left in Thraben. "What that titan...thing had turned it into anyway." He muttered more to himself with a shudder, the image of tentacles a little hard to forget.
His mind occupied with thoughts of what happened in Thraben to leave it a virtual ghost town Geralf didn't notice an eye staring at him and when he continued to mutter to himself he heard a loud sigh. "Could you keep the noise down? Some of us are trying to sleep." I asked and Geralf raised an eyebrow at me.
"Some of us would appreciate it if someone didn't take over their bed." Geralf countered and I opened my other eye, glaring at him once I was a little more awake. "Is that expression supposed to be scary? If so you do realize I spend most of my time creating skaabs?" He told me and I rolled my eyes, sitting up before I pulled my cloak tighter around me once I noticed Geralf's eyes wandering.
"Will you stop that?" I scolded and he blinked, one eye going wide once Geralf understood why I was so mad. "Oh don't act like that. You were looking me up and down a few seconds ago." I answered and he coughed, turning his head slightly to hide his glowing cheeks. "Hmph you men are all alike."
"Excuse me?" Geralf spluttered, turning back to glare at me this time. "I'll have you know I am a respectable man and..." He trailed off when I gave him a tiny smile, a snort escaping my nose.
"Respectable? Yeah right, Geralf. Flash a bit of skin and you go all red." I teased and Geralf crossed his arms against his chest, trying to look innocent.
"It's your own fault for wearing such a revealing dress." Geralf countered and I rose from my spot on his bed. I stepped forward and he blinked at me when I poked him right in the chest.
"For your information, stitcher, this dress was...well, a gift would be pushing it but it was from Liliana anyway so...oh who cares?!" I snapped and Geralf took a step back before he could prevent it making me raise an eyebrow in annoyance. "Geeze calm down would you? I'm not that scary am I?" I muttered and Geralf straightened the apron he was wearing, unable to think of a suitable answer. "I'm so hideous that even someone who hangs around with rotting body parts all day finds me frightening?" I muttered and Geralf cleared his throat, looking slightly uncomfortable when I swallowed the lump in my throat.
"I didn't say that, Ailis." Geralf quickly answered and I wiped my now watery eyes, slightly ashamed at myself for being worried about my appearence. "I don't think you are ugly."
"Thank you I guess?" I answered in the silence that filled the small bedroom.
"Did you have a very traumatic death?" Geralf asked me and I stared at him, the question shocking me into silence until he cleared his throat again. "I should not have asked such a personal question." He admitted and I growled, muttering under my breath as I pushed past him.
Slamming the door in his face seemed a little over the top as I sat in a grave marker but after a few more minutes careful thought I shook my head, angrily wiping at my wet eyes.
How would he like going through what I did? Being murdered by the same monster that took away your parents?
I sighed to myself, shaking my head as the last image of my home burning popped into my mind. Sniffing I wiped at my eyes again, pulling my cloak around myself when I started to shiver. "I can't believe I still get cold. I'm supposed to be dead for crying out loud." I muttered to myself, pulling the hood of the cloak to cover my head. "This sucks."
"That is an unusual drawback for a zombie." A voice said and my head jerked up to find Geralf standing a foot from me. "Why did you wander all the way out here?" He asked and I just shrugged, still hiding my face. "Ailis?"
"I should be asking you that, stitcher. I just needed some fresh air...Innistrad's attempt anyway." I answered and he nodded, stepping close enough to stand over me. "Could you move a little? I was enjoying the sunshine." I asked and he actually laughed, still chuckling when I found myself blushing. "Okay well maybe the moonlight anyway." I admitted.
A cold wind blew over me and I shivered, pulling the cloak tighter to keep myself warm. Geralf stood there for a few seconds before there was a light tap on my left shoulder and I raised my head to see Geralf staring at me. "Do you need something, Geralf?" I sighed and he shook his head, extending his hand to me. A little curious I allowed him to help me from the grave marker, not looking back at the open grave and the light fingernail marks that suggested the owner had recently vacated it.
We arrived back at the castle without running into Gisa which made me wonder just where the ghoulcaller had disappeared to.
"My dear sister is probably wandering the nearby town looking for corpses to call. I wouldn't worry about her as she can take care of herself." Geralf told me as we headed back into his labratory and I couldn't help a brief smile when I heard him add. "Even if I was the one rescuing her and not the other way around."
"Is there a reason you brought me back here other than to critize your sister?" I asked him, stepping over to the slab. I immediately froze once I found it was empty and I turned back to Geralf. "I hate to tell you this but I think your creation's escaped." I pointed out and he gave me a tiny smile just before something crashed through the wall behind me. I screamed, trying to dodge the flying debris but I wasn't quick enough and a large piece of plaster struck me in the back of my head, knocking me to the floor at the same time.
Waking a second time with a pounding headache was a little embarrassing and it grew worse when I tried to sit up from the soft blanket someone had set me down on.
"Not a good idea, Ailis." Someone told me, a strong pair of hands pushing me back by my shoulders and I blinked open my eyes to see Gisa standing nearby, her eyes focused on someone sitting beside the bed. "Geralf tried to kill you a second time." Gisa told me and on the seat beside the bed Geralf fixed her with a glare.
"I did nothing of the sort, sister. The wall injured Ailis not me." Geralf countered and I stared at him, my focus blurring a little. "Though my masterpiece did cause that accident." He admitted in a quieter voice.
"You mean your skaab, dear brother." Gisa taunted and I shook my head, making a second attempt to sit up. With her arms crossed against her chest, Gisa looked on with a small smile as Geralf pressed a hand to my left shoulder.
"I remember something broke through the wall and then it kind of goes a bit dark after that." I told them and at my side, Geralf grimaced. "Wait a minute. You caused this?" I shouted once the image of that creature tearing through the wall popped into my head.
"It was an accident, Ailis." Geralf assured me and that's right when I noticed the needle and thread in his open palm. Seeing it my eyes widened and he stared at me for a moment. "I was just finishing stitching...never mind." He quickly added so I turned my head to face Gisa and she giggled.
"Geralf's 'creation' grabbed you after that flying piece of stone knocked you out cold. He doesn't want to tell you that you have a wound in the back of your head." Gisa teased and I blinked as she pointed. Despite Geralf's objections I reached up towards the spot directly beween my ears, gasping from both the dull throbbing and the feeling of a set of neat stitches across the back of my skull.
The wound ached and so did my head but I managed to snap at Geralf when he tried to move closer and he quickly pulled his hand back. "Keep your hands to yourself, stitcher." I snapped at him, slumping onto the bed. "If you touch me ever again you'll need more than a needle and thread to put yourself back together." I hissed and he climbed to his feet, dusting off his apron. Facing the wall so I wouldn't have to look at either of the mad siblings I started to growl under my breath until I heard their retreating footsteps and as the door clicked behind them I closed my eyes letting out a tiny sniffle.
"Nice one, dear brother. You have such a way with people." Gisa laughed as she followed her brother from his bedroom. "The only woman who showed any interest in you, Avacyn knows why, and you set your monster on her." She continued to taunt him as he headed down the stairs leading back to the ground floor and his labratory.
"It was a mistake, Gisa. The next time we talk I will show her how a real man acts towards an attractive woman." Geralf protested and Gisa paused on the fifth step, eyes widening before she cracked a huge smile. As soon as she started to giggle, Geralf knew he'd walked right into her trap. "That came out all wrong. I meant to show her compassion not what you think I said." He added in a low voice though the damage was already done and with a head shake he headed as quickly as he could away from his sister, who continued to bay like a hyena at her brother.
Returning to his laboratory, Geralf found his creation wandering around aimlessly. Without any orders it had waited for him to return and once he did it stood over him, easily seven foot tall with four arms and a mismatched set of brown and green eyes that peered at him silently. "I need you to stand guard over the entrance to this castle. If you see anything approach send it away...unless it's my sister." He quickly added as it started to stumble towards the doorway and he sighed, staring at its two left feet. Literally two left since he couldn't find a right one.
Now what do I say to Ailis? She isn't acting like I thought she would after I kindly stitched up her head. Hopefully all of those lessons in etiquette our parents made me suffer through will have some use. They certainly did nothing for Gisa.