Heart of the Cards
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Chapter Nine: "But You Can Call Me Doma"
(Ivy's P.O.V.)
I stepped outside into the hallway, rubbing my hands up and down the length of my arms. It was indeed chilly out here, even though we were indoors. Closing the stone door behind me, I peered down either corridors of the hall, squinting in the darkness.
"Blaine...?"
No answer. Not good.
I sighed and began walking in a random direction. I wasn't afraid that Blaine would get very far; I knew he was a peaceful wanderer, one who liked to take his time and observe things.
I was however, worried that he might run into a psychopath card person during his walk.
It was late; much, much too late to be meandering in the expanses of an unfamiliar castle. I guessed it to be about around two in the morning my now.
"Blaine." I hissed into the emptiness. My voice echoed in the slightest of ways.
After once again not receiving a response, I picked up the pace a little, and hoped I hadn't chosen the wrong pathway. The starlight from outside provided some strained form of illumination whenever a window made its presence known, but that was rare. This entire place reeked of captivity, just a lot of miserable confining walls devoid of balconies or any opening to the outside world.
"Blaine, where are you?!" I whisper-shouted.
"... Are you new?"
"A-Aaaah!!" I exclaimed, jumping and spinning around to find the source of the voice. I cringed as my own shout echoed across the walls.
A tall, dark figure stood at a mere four feet away. How they had snuck up on me like that, I had no idea. I gulped slightly and said, "Y-yes, I'm s- sorry if I woke you up, I was just looking for someo-"
"No, it's alright. I was just walking." The figure stepped into the pale light from the nearest window, and I could see their features a bit more clearly.
He had some light color in his eyes, I could have sworn it was yellow, but there was poor lighting, and they were probably actually green. A few strands of shockingly bright, long white hair fell forward against a high cheekbone, and he reached up with delicate fingers and brushed them away. "Can I help you find something?"
I squinted instead of responding. There was something vaguely familiar about this person's appearance, just the way he moved and something about his face...
It came to me suddenly.
"Hey... are you...? Doma?"
He looked shocked. "Oh? Why, yes, how did you-... oh, I see. I remember now; you and your friends saw my defeat earlier today, yes?" He seemed sheepishly embarrassed, but not at all pained by this fact.
I didn't answer, but then again, I didn't really need to. I think he knew that the answer was yes. How could I forget? Gaia the Fierce Knight had almost ruthlessly charged into battle against him, and yet I could tell that he held no spiteful feelings towards the knight. Although, Gaia did seem remorseful after the fact. This person didn't speak with anger regarding the outcome, nor did he even seem to retain a scratch from the battle. I was a bit dazed by this fact. Perhaps it was because he had been here longer than we, but I still found it amazing. I mean, this person had been K.O.ed in the duel just before Ebon and Will's, and he was fine, while they didn't even go three turns into the game, and were both splayed out in our room-turned-hospital.
"What's your name?" He asked politely, leaning back against the wall once it was obvious that I wasn't going anywhere. I snapped out of my thoughts.
"Ivy. Pleased to meet you." I felt funny saying that, such a default and normal greeting in such a strange place.
He stared at me with wide eyes for I swear, a good minute. It seemed as though he recognized my name, but in an unsure sense, as if he couldn't associate it with my face. Then, he shook out his head and said, "Likewise. I'm Dirk... but you can call me Doma if you want. Everyone does."
I smiled, and nodded, feeling a bit uncomfortable. I wasn't too good at making small talk, and sleep deprivation didn't help much. "I'd... better try to find Blaine... could you tell me if you see a boy about this tall," I motioned to just under my chin with my hand. "With blonde hair and green- blue eyes? He's... a Celtic Guardian, if that helps."
Doma nodded. "Sure thing. See you around, Ivy." With that, he straightened up and glided down the hallway. I could see why he'd managed to surprise me so suddenly; he was as stealthy as a ninja.
I sighed and turned back up the corridor. If Blaine were down here, he would have heard us talking and come up to join us. So chances were, I WAS in the wrong place.
I had only just made it back up to the hallway just outside our room when another unexpected visitor arrived.
"Doppelganger?" I frowned. Then, I noticed whom he was carrying over his shoulder. "Oh my goodness, what happened to Blaine?!" I exclaimed.
Doppelganger put his free hand up defensively and shrugged. "Hey, no biggy. I just took the kid on a little field trip, that's all. He fell asleep." He smirked a bit in a way that irritated me. "Here ya go."
He dumped Blaine into my arms, and I 'oomph'ed under the sudden weight.
"Poor kid's exhausted, you must be to, M'Lady. I'll get that for you." He tapped the door open with one hand, and then stepped aside and elaborately bowed. I shot him an irritated look and walked inside. Placing Blaine down on the bed, I was turned around to give Doppelganger a piece of my mind about talking Blaine out late at night without telling anyone...
Only to see a door closing in my face. I sighed, it really wasn't too surprising.
Sitting down, I examined Blaine, just to make sure he wasn't hurt. I seriously doubted that Doppelganger was evil, but still. I suppose I felt it a responsibility of mine to make absolute certainty that no one else got hurt.
I glanced sidelong at Will and Ebon. The two of them were laying side-by- side on the beds opposite from me. They could pass of as twins, almost. Both with black hair and dark eyes, very similar personalities and strong protectiveness of their loved ones.
Will was always fiery, even in a simple game of chess. He had the strong, bold features of an Aries-Dragon, and usually carried a flushed hue to his tanned skin. He kept his hair short, but not too short. And it was always slightly messy, whether from stress, sports, or simple lack of brushing. He was around average build, with a few extra muscle lines here and there from constant weight lifting. Everything he did was with undying ambition... and I could have sworn that I heard Blaine talking to him once, reminding him to mind his blood pressure.
Ebon, on the other hand, while just as competitive as Will in every aspect, went about life in a more collected, analytical manner. He liked to keep his emotions in check, and for as long as I'd known him, he'd felt and thought with his head over his heart. It was even hard for him to show his emotions to me, and we'd been best friends forever. Ebon was (unfortunately for him) smaller in build, and therefore, had been the source of school bullies. I had vivid memorized of helping him out of a locker many times in freshman year at high school. Ebon's hair was a bit longer than Will's, falling into his eyes by design. He had medium gray eyes, which were constantly studying his surroundings. One odd thing about Ebon, though, was his skin tone. He was very, very pale, compared to most other boys. Although, I thought that might be in part due to the fact that Ebon spent most of his time inside. In a way, Ebon had an almost feminine touch to him. I giggled a bit; if I ever said THAT to his face, he'd never forgive me!
Will and Ebon always found some excuse to be mad at each other. Their history stretched back almost as far as mine did with Ebon. When they were only six, they'd been the top two boys in everything. Ebon's writings were excellent, Will's art was astounding. They enjoyed competing in P.E., band, wit, and above all else, Duel Monsters.
They won against each other about equally. Ebon's tactics required a lot of suffering in order to get a perfect field, while Will's were full on attacks with well played cards. I enjoyed watching them duel sometimes on hot summer days, sitting on my sea-foam green painted porch with a glass of lemonade and a big ol' floppy hat to keep the sun out of my eyes. The wind seemed to blow stronger whenever they fought.
In all aspects, Ebon and Will were completely equal. It was hard to say how they felt about each other. At first, they just couldn't STAND one another. Then, with age they had mellowed out (a LITTLE) and learned to tolerate one another (sometimes). Now, they COULD be friends, but something kept stopping them.
Most likely, pride. Those two just couldn't accept how similar they were.
But for that moment, both were still out cold, but hopefully just in a recuperating rest. I looked back to Blaine, and marveled at how happy he looked. Blaine never looked this peaceful, and either he really enjoyed sleeping, or Doppelganger had made friends with him, which I knew was very hard to do.
I smiled slightly. Perhaps Doppelganger wasn't THAT bad, even though I didn't exactly want to be stranded on a desert island with him.
Blaine muttered something, rolling over in content as I tucked him in. Walking over to Will and Ebon, I was just about to check their bandages, when...
BANG!!!
The door exploded open sharply, crashing against the wall and causing me to scream in shock and nearly suffer a heart attack. I glanced over with frazzled nerves.
And there, standing silhouetted in the frame was the last person I ever expected to see.
******
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Chapter Nine: "But You Can Call Me Doma"
(Ivy's P.O.V.)
I stepped outside into the hallway, rubbing my hands up and down the length of my arms. It was indeed chilly out here, even though we were indoors. Closing the stone door behind me, I peered down either corridors of the hall, squinting in the darkness.
"Blaine...?"
No answer. Not good.
I sighed and began walking in a random direction. I wasn't afraid that Blaine would get very far; I knew he was a peaceful wanderer, one who liked to take his time and observe things.
I was however, worried that he might run into a psychopath card person during his walk.
It was late; much, much too late to be meandering in the expanses of an unfamiliar castle. I guessed it to be about around two in the morning my now.
"Blaine." I hissed into the emptiness. My voice echoed in the slightest of ways.
After once again not receiving a response, I picked up the pace a little, and hoped I hadn't chosen the wrong pathway. The starlight from outside provided some strained form of illumination whenever a window made its presence known, but that was rare. This entire place reeked of captivity, just a lot of miserable confining walls devoid of balconies or any opening to the outside world.
"Blaine, where are you?!" I whisper-shouted.
"... Are you new?"
"A-Aaaah!!" I exclaimed, jumping and spinning around to find the source of the voice. I cringed as my own shout echoed across the walls.
A tall, dark figure stood at a mere four feet away. How they had snuck up on me like that, I had no idea. I gulped slightly and said, "Y-yes, I'm s- sorry if I woke you up, I was just looking for someo-"
"No, it's alright. I was just walking." The figure stepped into the pale light from the nearest window, and I could see their features a bit more clearly.
He had some light color in his eyes, I could have sworn it was yellow, but there was poor lighting, and they were probably actually green. A few strands of shockingly bright, long white hair fell forward against a high cheekbone, and he reached up with delicate fingers and brushed them away. "Can I help you find something?"
I squinted instead of responding. There was something vaguely familiar about this person's appearance, just the way he moved and something about his face...
It came to me suddenly.
"Hey... are you...? Doma?"
He looked shocked. "Oh? Why, yes, how did you-... oh, I see. I remember now; you and your friends saw my defeat earlier today, yes?" He seemed sheepishly embarrassed, but not at all pained by this fact.
I didn't answer, but then again, I didn't really need to. I think he knew that the answer was yes. How could I forget? Gaia the Fierce Knight had almost ruthlessly charged into battle against him, and yet I could tell that he held no spiteful feelings towards the knight. Although, Gaia did seem remorseful after the fact. This person didn't speak with anger regarding the outcome, nor did he even seem to retain a scratch from the battle. I was a bit dazed by this fact. Perhaps it was because he had been here longer than we, but I still found it amazing. I mean, this person had been K.O.ed in the duel just before Ebon and Will's, and he was fine, while they didn't even go three turns into the game, and were both splayed out in our room-turned-hospital.
"What's your name?" He asked politely, leaning back against the wall once it was obvious that I wasn't going anywhere. I snapped out of my thoughts.
"Ivy. Pleased to meet you." I felt funny saying that, such a default and normal greeting in such a strange place.
He stared at me with wide eyes for I swear, a good minute. It seemed as though he recognized my name, but in an unsure sense, as if he couldn't associate it with my face. Then, he shook out his head and said, "Likewise. I'm Dirk... but you can call me Doma if you want. Everyone does."
I smiled, and nodded, feeling a bit uncomfortable. I wasn't too good at making small talk, and sleep deprivation didn't help much. "I'd... better try to find Blaine... could you tell me if you see a boy about this tall," I motioned to just under my chin with my hand. "With blonde hair and green- blue eyes? He's... a Celtic Guardian, if that helps."
Doma nodded. "Sure thing. See you around, Ivy." With that, he straightened up and glided down the hallway. I could see why he'd managed to surprise me so suddenly; he was as stealthy as a ninja.
I sighed and turned back up the corridor. If Blaine were down here, he would have heard us talking and come up to join us. So chances were, I WAS in the wrong place.
I had only just made it back up to the hallway just outside our room when another unexpected visitor arrived.
"Doppelganger?" I frowned. Then, I noticed whom he was carrying over his shoulder. "Oh my goodness, what happened to Blaine?!" I exclaimed.
Doppelganger put his free hand up defensively and shrugged. "Hey, no biggy. I just took the kid on a little field trip, that's all. He fell asleep." He smirked a bit in a way that irritated me. "Here ya go."
He dumped Blaine into my arms, and I 'oomph'ed under the sudden weight.
"Poor kid's exhausted, you must be to, M'Lady. I'll get that for you." He tapped the door open with one hand, and then stepped aside and elaborately bowed. I shot him an irritated look and walked inside. Placing Blaine down on the bed, I was turned around to give Doppelganger a piece of my mind about talking Blaine out late at night without telling anyone...
Only to see a door closing in my face. I sighed, it really wasn't too surprising.
Sitting down, I examined Blaine, just to make sure he wasn't hurt. I seriously doubted that Doppelganger was evil, but still. I suppose I felt it a responsibility of mine to make absolute certainty that no one else got hurt.
I glanced sidelong at Will and Ebon. The two of them were laying side-by- side on the beds opposite from me. They could pass of as twins, almost. Both with black hair and dark eyes, very similar personalities and strong protectiveness of their loved ones.
Will was always fiery, even in a simple game of chess. He had the strong, bold features of an Aries-Dragon, and usually carried a flushed hue to his tanned skin. He kept his hair short, but not too short. And it was always slightly messy, whether from stress, sports, or simple lack of brushing. He was around average build, with a few extra muscle lines here and there from constant weight lifting. Everything he did was with undying ambition... and I could have sworn that I heard Blaine talking to him once, reminding him to mind his blood pressure.
Ebon, on the other hand, while just as competitive as Will in every aspect, went about life in a more collected, analytical manner. He liked to keep his emotions in check, and for as long as I'd known him, he'd felt and thought with his head over his heart. It was even hard for him to show his emotions to me, and we'd been best friends forever. Ebon was (unfortunately for him) smaller in build, and therefore, had been the source of school bullies. I had vivid memorized of helping him out of a locker many times in freshman year at high school. Ebon's hair was a bit longer than Will's, falling into his eyes by design. He had medium gray eyes, which were constantly studying his surroundings. One odd thing about Ebon, though, was his skin tone. He was very, very pale, compared to most other boys. Although, I thought that might be in part due to the fact that Ebon spent most of his time inside. In a way, Ebon had an almost feminine touch to him. I giggled a bit; if I ever said THAT to his face, he'd never forgive me!
Will and Ebon always found some excuse to be mad at each other. Their history stretched back almost as far as mine did with Ebon. When they were only six, they'd been the top two boys in everything. Ebon's writings were excellent, Will's art was astounding. They enjoyed competing in P.E., band, wit, and above all else, Duel Monsters.
They won against each other about equally. Ebon's tactics required a lot of suffering in order to get a perfect field, while Will's were full on attacks with well played cards. I enjoyed watching them duel sometimes on hot summer days, sitting on my sea-foam green painted porch with a glass of lemonade and a big ol' floppy hat to keep the sun out of my eyes. The wind seemed to blow stronger whenever they fought.
In all aspects, Ebon and Will were completely equal. It was hard to say how they felt about each other. At first, they just couldn't STAND one another. Then, with age they had mellowed out (a LITTLE) and learned to tolerate one another (sometimes). Now, they COULD be friends, but something kept stopping them.
Most likely, pride. Those two just couldn't accept how similar they were.
But for that moment, both were still out cold, but hopefully just in a recuperating rest. I looked back to Blaine, and marveled at how happy he looked. Blaine never looked this peaceful, and either he really enjoyed sleeping, or Doppelganger had made friends with him, which I knew was very hard to do.
I smiled slightly. Perhaps Doppelganger wasn't THAT bad, even though I didn't exactly want to be stranded on a desert island with him.
Blaine muttered something, rolling over in content as I tucked him in. Walking over to Will and Ebon, I was just about to check their bandages, when...
BANG!!!
The door exploded open sharply, crashing against the wall and causing me to scream in shock and nearly suffer a heart attack. I glanced over with frazzled nerves.
And there, standing silhouetted in the frame was the last person I ever expected to see.
******