Iris had been so worried when she first came to Cradle, and they had all done so much to make her feel welcome and at home. There had to be something she could do for them all in return. And it was safe to assume that Sirius would have some ideas. And that was where Iris was heading now; to his room to speak with him.
Iris hurried down the empty corridor, a nervous impatience nestling within her stomach. But just as she reached Sirius' door, something unexpected occurred. A bright light flashed throughout the corridor and Iris froze on the spot. But as it dissipated, Iris realized someone was standing in front of the door. Someone who hadn't been there a moment earlier, someone she didn't recognize. It was a man with black hair and glowing crimson eyes, a white patch covering one of them and dressed in a long beige trench coat and off-white scarf.
"Are you Alice?" the man asked.
As the man stared at Iris, the crimson glow faded from his eyes. Revealing them to just be a dark shade as he frowned at Iris, "Don't scream. Not if you want to sleep safely tonight, that is." he threatened. Iris tensed up, taking a single step away from the man as she spoke- "That depends on who you are." The man blinked, seeming more confused than anything as she frowned back at him. "I don't believe you're a member of the Black Army, are you?" she inquired, "Then, I'd appreciate you telling me who you are if you don't want me to scream."
His gaze slid away from hers, it was clear that he had no intention of answering her question anytime soon. He had clearly used magic to sneak in here, that was a bad enough sign as it was. The man's gaze moved to meet hers once again, and she glared up at him. But before any more words could be spoken, the door beside them swung open with a silent air. "I thought I sensed something odd, but I wasn't expecting it to be you." Sirius spoke, his tone nonchalant.
"We need to talk, Sirius. It won't take long." The man spoke, turning his attention to the Queen of Spades. The older man let out a sigh, placing a hand on his hip, "Well then, come inside, Harr." His gaze turned to the young white-haired girl, "You too, Iris. And keep it down." he instructed. The three of them quietly stepped inside Sirius' room. It was a simple room, aligned with a few bookshelves here and there with brown, white, and blue accents. A couple of plants could be seen placed about, too. Iris glanced around for a few moments, admiring how neat and tidy everything looked, before turning back to look at the intruder.
Judging from how Sirius had greeted the man, Iris could assume that he was a friend of his. But even so, that didn't mean he was entirely safe to be around. After all, why did he have to sneak in? The man, previously revealed to be Harr, stood just inside the door. His odd mask was glinting in the dim light as Iris studied him quietly. "Sit wherever you like." Sirius offered. "No. I'll be leaving soon." Harr affirmed. "At least let me put on some tea for you." Sirius insisted. Harr frowned, "I can't stay long. You should know that."
Sirius' gaze dropped as he sighed, "Yeah… I guess I do." "I only came because I have something to tell you." Harr spoke, "The time is ripe for action. I will expose the red darkness." Sirius' gaze narrowed in confusion, "What did you say?" he asked. Iris' grip on her sleeve tightened. The red darkness? What did that even mean? Sirius and Harr only stared at each other in silence as some sort of understanding passed between them, almost completely unnoticed. Iris held her breath, the air in the room feeling heavy with tension.
Harr's eyes glowed crimson once more, "I just wanted you to know. Sorry for intruding." "Harr, wait!" Sirius shouted as the room filled with bright light once again. Yet it went unheard, as once the light faded, Harr was gone. "..That was magic, wasn't it? But.." Iris muttered, bringing a hand to rest beneath her chin, "It didn't look like he had a magic crystal on him.." "There are people who can use magic without a magic crystal. They're very rare, though." Sirius spoke. Iris' hands dropped back down to her sides as she looked up at Sirius, "Who was he?" she asked. Sirius' eyes narrowed, hesitancy flashing through them. "Just… an old friend," he answered.
Iris narrowed her own gaze, seemingly suspicious. It was clear that Sirius was hiding something, but why? In her mind, she could still hear the intense urgency in his tone as he had shouted for his 'friend' to wait. He had faced off with the Red Army without even flinching, yet just a few words from Harr- Iris shook her head, there was clearly more to this than meets the eye. What did Harr mean about the 'red darkness'?
"But that's not important," Sirius began, "I'm more concerned about why you were coming to visit me." "What?" Iris questioned. Sirius took a step towards Iris, reminding her all over again just how easily he towered over her with his height. As the faint scent of soap drifted through the air, Iris figured he must've just returned from a bath. "You're not a child-" Sirius said, "Surely you understand what it means to visit a man's bedroom late at night, hm?" he questioned.
Iris tensed, her eyes widening as she stared up at him, fear flooding her chest as she laughed awkwardly, taking a few paces back. "C..Come again?" Sirius smiled, "Well, here I was, thinking you were sneaking in to fool around with me. But I guess I was wrong, huh?" he teased. Iris' jaw tightened as she clenched her fists and averted her gaze, not wanting him to see just how badly this little 'joke' of his was affecting her. "That.. That is the last thing that would ever be on my mind. Absolutely not!"
"Okay, I know! I'm just joking." Sirius reassured her. He grinned at her and reached out to gently ruffle her hair, but as the warmth of his touch seeped into her, Iris flinched away. She felt oddly flustered, but the thought alone brought horrific memories to the surface. She pushed it away, back down into the deep, cold waters it had tried to resurface from. But she still noticed the concerned look Sirius was giving her. "..Um.. Listen.. I'm not going to pry into your connection with Harr, and you're not going to pry into my past, okay..?" she mumbled, her voice shaking.
Sirius only nodded, quickly changing the subject- "I think I can guess why you're here. I'm sure you've heard about the Red Army's proclamation." Iris nodded, "I did." she confirmed. Iris stood up straighter, attempting to draw her courage together as she lifted her chin to meet his gaze. "When I first came here to Cradle, I promised that I would lend you all my strength, in exchange, I'd receive your protection." she began, "I don't honestly have any idea just how helpful my abilities will actually be, but- I want to help. Is there anything I can do?" "Well said." Sirius praised, "In that case-" Sirius inclined his head slightly, his amethyst eyes meeting her sapphire blue eyes. "Meet me in the kitchen tomorrow morning at first light."
The next morning-
"The job I'm about to ask you to do is very important, little lady." Sirius said. "Okay! I'll do anything you need me to." Iris smiled. "I want you to beat these guys into submission for me." he told her, setting a large bag filled with potatoes down onto the table, a thud bouncing off the wood as the bag landed on it. Iris stared at the bag with a blank expression. This was her important job? Was he being serious? "Er.. This wasn't exactly what I had in mind-" Iris began only to be interrupted. "No backtalk, now! Here's your knife."
Iris let out a sigh as she took the knife from him, "Sirius, just because you're nine years older than me doesn't mean you can treat me like a child." "What?" "Um! I.. I mean, yes, sir!" Iris spoke quickly. "Once you've peeled them, cut them into bite-sized pieces, and then rinse them. They're going into a stew," Sirius informed her, turning towards the door, "I'll be back around lunchtime. Good luck." "Um, thanks.." A moment later, Iris found herself alone in the kitchen, staring down at a bag of potatoes with a knife in hand. But then, something caught her attention.
Tucked inside the bag of potatoes was a small bag of cookies, a small note attached to the front that read, 'your morning snack'. Iris quickly recognized the note as being Sirius' handwriting. It was sweet of him, yes, but this wasn't the 'help' she had in mind. Deciding that this was just a small start to prove herself, Iris shrugged and got to work on peeling potatoes.
Later that morning-
"Sirius! I've finished peeling and dicing the potatoes!" Iris called out as she approached the Queen of Spades. Sirius turned to look at her, a surprised look in his eyes, "You work fast, little lady." he commented, then added- "After you've finished lunch, this will be your next task." Sirius handed her a small hand spade, "I want you to tend to the flower beds for me. If I let any of these brats do it, they'll dig up my seedlings as well as the weeds." he instructed. Iris' expression dropped, "Oh. But when can I-" "And take this, too. Thanks." Sirius smiled, dropping something into her hands and then quickly leaving. "And.. There he goes." she muttered.
The item he'd dropped into her hands was a small cardboard box. Inside was a large cream puff, along with another note: 'An afternoon snack for you.' Iris let out a disappointed sigh. Did Sirius actually think she was so easily bribed all because she enjoyed baking? This still wasn't the idea she had when she had stated she wanted to help.
The sun was just beginning to sink when she had finished tending to the flower beds and had made her way towards the Office. "Sirius, I've done the weeding! That being said, there weren't exactly many weeds to even begin with." Iris spoke. "Well, that's good to hear," he replied. But that was something Sirius should've already known. After all, he already tended to his plants- every single day. Iris let out a sigh, "About the jobs I'm doing-" Sirius interrupted, again, "Yes, I know. Come with me."
Sirius led Iris into the lounge where a dozen various dishes had been lined up on one of the tables. "I want you to sample some new dishes for me. After you're done, I want a full report on what you thought." Sirius informed her. "So.. You want me to taste test?" she questioned. "That's right," he smiled, "I look forward to hearing your detailed feedback." Sirius waved as he turned away, and he was gone before Iris could even think of a single thing to say. Iris stared at the plates before her, knowing just how bland her report was going to be considering how poor her taste was. But this wasn't even real work anymore. What was Sirius trying to pull?
Before Iris realized, the afternoon was over, dinner was over, and yet- "Sirius. You're going to talk to me now about this strange work I've been assigned. It's not exactly what I was expecting, and-" she began, but Sirius cut her off, wide-eyed, "What? You want to do more?" he questioned. "Well.. I guess, yes, I do, but-" "Then let me give you one last job for today."
"Sorry about this, Iris. I'll give you some lotion to soothe your hands afterwards." Sirius apologized. "Oh, no… it's fine. Really.." Sirius and Iris stood at the sink together, washing and drying an impossibly huge pile of various dishes. She knew she was helping. She knew he was grateful for her help. But this wasn't the deal she'd made when she came to stay here. Iris had to get through to him, somehow. Perhaps she should try being clearer about what she'd meant?
"Sirius, you know I'm pleased to provide you with my assistance in any way I can. But when I brought up 'helping' last night, I was thinking more-" she started, but- "Yeah- oh! We've got a problem." Iris stared at him, 'Is it your inability to listen?' she desperately wanted to ask. But instead, she asked- "What is it?" Sirius quickly turned off the water, dried his hands, then stepped around behind Iris. She froze as she was enfolded in his embrace, but she quickly realized that he was just rolling up the sleeves of her sweater. "There we go," he commented, but suddenly paused, his hand resting on her arm.
The room fell silent, uncomfortably silent, until suddenly, Sirius broke it. "Iris.. Can I ask about.. these scars?" he asked, his tone hesitant. Iris paused, "..They're not self inflicted or recent if that's your concern." she replied. "Iris-" Sirius started but- "Drop it… please." Sirius sighed, "Okay." "Anyway.. Thanks. But-" "No, thank you." Sirius smiled, "Having you readily available to assist me like this really helps me out." He moved away again and was soon washing another plate. But despite the gentle smile on his face, it didn't reach his eyes. Iris let out a small sigh, perhaps he just didn't want to talk about it. But couldn't he just say it rather than constantly avoiding it?
Sirius hadn't actually been holding her, yet she could still feel his warmth. It had felt strangely… soothing in a way, causing Iris to decide to put off their chat for a little bit longer. "Oh, that's right! When we're done here, there's lemon sherbet if you want it." Sirius told her, "Don't tell the others, okay? I'll never hear the end of it." He grinned at her over the plate he was washing, but Iris only stared at him. All she could think about was how just moments ago he had gently rolled up her sleeves for her, yet now his muscular arms were covered in soapy bubbles.
Sirius sometimes seemed so gruff and distant, but he was actually very caring and warm-hearted. When Iris was with him, and she could see how capable he was, she felt like such a child. Like she was just playing at life, not living it. The two of them were just washing dishes, so there was absolutely no reason for it, but something uneasily stirred in Iris' heart.
The next day was the same- every job Sirius gave her seemed like such a minor thing, and each came with some sort of treat as a reward. Here they were, protecting Iris' life, and all she was doing was odd jobs that meant absolutely nothing in return. "This just isn't right. It's not fair." Iris grumbled to no one in particular. "What isn't?" Sirius asked. Frustration only continued to build up within Iris as she helped Sirius clean up after lunch. And eventually, the glass tipped over. "I want to help!" Iris exclaimed, "Or is this all I'm good for? Such menial tasks that mean absolutely nothing?"
"Iris.." Sirius muttered, his eyes wide. But then, his expression fell back to a passive state, "I think you've misunderstood." Iris narrowed her gaze at him. How was she misunderstanding? "Well, I was about to give you this anyway." Sirius smiled. At first, Iris' frustration only grew as she thought Sirius was just handing her another paper bag with tasteless sweets in it, but she quickly noticed it was an envelope. Curious, Iris opened it and inside, she found money. Specifically, a wad of notes and a handful of coins. Iris stared at it, confused, "What is this for?" "That's your pay for this week." Sirius answered.
"Wait.. What?!" Iris exclaimed. "What you've been doing for me isn't just helping," Sirius started, "it's actual work. Don't mistake the two." Iris stared at Sirius, almost completely baffled, "I- That's not what I meant when I said I wanted to help!" Sirius shook his head, amused, "Either way, I want you to take it. Otherwise you're just causing trouble for our accountant- by which I mean me." He insisted. But before Iris could say anything further, Sirius continued- "By the way, we have a five-day work week. And that means you have a day off tomorrow. So go into town or something, get some fresh air, and relax. Maybe buy yourself something sugary to eat."
Iris let out a sigh. It all sounded ridiculous to her. She hadn't even done anything useful yet. But before she could say anything further, Sirius turned to Seth, who had been sweeping up the kitchen behind them. "Seth, you've got tomorrow off, right? Why don't you go shopping with Iris?" Sirius suggested. "Really?! I'd looooove to!" Seth exclaimed. "I- Wait just a minute!" Iris spoke. Not only was she NOT helping, she was now having another Black Army leader babysit her?!
Seth's eyes widened, "Oh my, Alice! Does that mean you don't want to go shopping with me?" he asked. "Ahh.. I.. Erm.. That's not it, Seth! It's just-" she stuttered over her words, struggling to properly form her thoughts. She frowned, angry at just how neatly Sirius had dodged the topic once again as Seth walked over to where she stood. "Come now, Alice. Don't knock it till you've tried it." Seth encouraged. What was he even talking about? He slid one finger under her chin, tilting her face towards his with an enticing smile. "Don't worry. If you spend some time with me, I'll make sure it's the best date you've ever had. Trust me." Seth whispered, way too close for Iris' comfort.
