Duo stared at a pair of icy blue eyes that regarded him with as much calm as he could stand. He was filthy, and room was rapidly heating from the hot bath Milliardo had ordered drawn for him. As he stared at the count, Duo felt little twinges of malignance and malice rise in his chest, and held them down. There was no reason to yell at the noble.
"but I'm not taking any bath!"
Milliardo held his gaze in a patient wait that was staring to make Duo nervous. He didn't even fidgit. What was this man made of!?
"Mrs. Maya. Please make sure he is clean."
Milliardo turned just as Duo felt a soft arm on his arm. He whirled to see a short plump woman smiling at him sweetly and talking in a constant mellow voice,
"Come now, dear, we'll get you all washed up and clean, just like the Lord said, now come on, let's get in the tub..."
Duo pulled and turned to Milliardo, mentally cursing the sneaky bastard. The lady's grip suddenly became viselike and she seized both his arms, turning him around and clucking to her assistants to help. Duo felt suddenly beseiged by a kindly old woman. She reached forward and hooked her finger in his collar, pulling down until all the buttons popped off. Dou glared at her happy, smiling face and tried to free himself, but the tiny woman quickly hefted him off his feet. He caught his breath in wonder, and she easily swung him around and dumped him in the nearly scalding water,
"now, then honey, we'll get you all cleaned, just like Lord Peacecraft has asked, and be a good dear and get clean..."
Duo yelped and one of the helpers seized his braind and began to undo it, while another poured a bucket of water over his head, leaving him sputting and breathless, and even a third dumped a bar of soap into the water. Mrs. Maya rolled up her sleeves, he smile still fixed, and kneeled next to the tub, plucking out the soap and beginning to scrub it against a long handled brush that looked like it would be better fit for scrubbing rust off of chain mail.
Another bucket of water was poured over Duo's head and his gaping jaw caught a hefty mouthful. Mrs. Maya gave the brush one last scrub and the helper finished his braid and stood away, picking up a towel. Duo spit out the water and looked at her.
"Did...you say Peacecraft?"
She smiled at him and leaned against the edge of the tub, brush weilded like a one handed barbarian club.
Duo gulped and forgot his questions for a moment. He didn't like the look on her face at all.
_____________
Heero sat again in silence, cursing, cursing, cursing. Why had he run? What was the point? There was no where to go. He could not escape this stupid room, or that strange boy by backing into a corner like some frightened child! He could see in the mirror dark hair flung down over stormy, resolute eyes, and wondered remotely if that was how other people really saw him. Was that how the other boy had seen him? He cursed and cursed and cursed again inside his head, the top of his fist covering his mouth to stop himself from saying anything out loud. It wasn't that he actually needed the gesture anymore, no he had perfected that particular control over himself long, long ago; it was he felt some obscure...feeling after seeing that boy walk in. Half of his mind screamed at him that he hadn't seen the boy, nothing was there, and it hadn't existed, and the other half was raving mad that any of it had happened at all. If it had happened. No, it had, it definitely had. But what if it hadn't? Wasn't he going mad? Wasn't he going to loose himself to the sickness like his father had? That thought shook his perfect countenance and a grim surprise flickered over his face for a single breath. He stood, making the chair jump back, and resumed putting his fist over his lips standing up, his other arm wrapped around his chest. Something was wrong, but he was muddled. That boy had done something, caused something, been the result of something, had nothing to do with anything? He wanted to pace, even felt the muscles twitch, but he would not. He knew something now that would please Lady Po to know. The wall mirrors were doorways, which meant there were secret hallways, which could mean many things for Heero, but the list of possibilities was much smaller than it had been before. This discovery settled him, and he found himself maybe even wanting to sit down again. It made him feel more at home, like General Noin were here to discover the truth. It calmed him immensely, took away his thoughts. After all, deep down they were all tacticians, and all that went on was merely tactics.
__________
Treize turned up his face, lying back in his chair, and rested his hand upon it. He remained in this position even as he heard Milliardo's soft steps on the rugs as he quietly shut the door behind himself. The room was dark; hardly a single shaft of light ever touched upon the thick wall to wall scarlet rugs Treize had ordered placed inside upon the room's discovery. Milliardo stood out in the cool gloom like a swan on a lake in the new moon. Ever somber the noble waited for Treize to speak, a trait so rare he would award it honors if the act of rewarding wouldn't destroy the trait's worth. He pondered still, staring at the dark ceiling, in which on his long accustomed eyes could see the patterns of stone. He took a deep breath and turned slowly, and Milliardo began his address. Before he could speak, Treize's voice interrupted like a chilled current in river,
"I grow tired of waiting."
Milliardo stared at him surprise. His impatience was not totally unexpected, but nor was is convenient or easy to manage. Treize took his hand away form his face and sat up to look at him. Milliardo tried to speak again, but was silenced.
"You know I only care for one thing in this, Milliardo. You know that."
He shut his eyes and steepled his fingers in front of his face,
"this is dirty business."
Milliardo only nodded, unfathomable words passing between them with darkness their conduit. Treize stilled again like a sighing statue, and Milliardo bowed, turning slowly and walking out as softly as he had walked in.
__________________
Heero stood for a few long moments outside of his door, thinking. Sluggishly, his mind began to push up coherant blurbs of thought. He knew his face must look as if it was all a big bother, but he wondered if it was just Noin and Lady Po who could tell. The soldiers back at the castle...
No.
He had to think.
He glanced in each direction down the long white hallway and decided to go left. He knew, somehow, that if that other boy had not wanted to stay in the wing of the castle to the right, then he would not want to go. Yet. He turned, feeling as stiff as his clothing, and walked down the hallway with even, measured paces. He didn't know why he was leaving his room, other than he didn't want to be there. He didn't know why...he didn't know what...he wanted to know... his mind became confusion again and he resisted the urge to rest his head in his hands until the buzzing went away. He shoved all the thoughts away and got down to the thought which was necessary to his destination. He wanted to find that boy, and question him. There was something similar between them; he could tell. There was some reasoning behind it, certainly. And He would not stay in the room that King Treize had assigned him. He had his own addenda to follow for the moment. He would follow it.
_________________
**********
oi, editing editing editing! I should've been more careful! This chapter made less sense than it should have becuase it was missing a hefty chunk. that's not to say that it makes very mcuh sense right now, but still, it's better than it was. I'm sorry about that, spirits, but you know how it goes.
Go Well, Spirits!
Kitten
"but I'm not taking any bath!"
Milliardo held his gaze in a patient wait that was staring to make Duo nervous. He didn't even fidgit. What was this man made of!?
"Mrs. Maya. Please make sure he is clean."
Milliardo turned just as Duo felt a soft arm on his arm. He whirled to see a short plump woman smiling at him sweetly and talking in a constant mellow voice,
"Come now, dear, we'll get you all washed up and clean, just like the Lord said, now come on, let's get in the tub..."
Duo pulled and turned to Milliardo, mentally cursing the sneaky bastard. The lady's grip suddenly became viselike and she seized both his arms, turning him around and clucking to her assistants to help. Duo felt suddenly beseiged by a kindly old woman. She reached forward and hooked her finger in his collar, pulling down until all the buttons popped off. Dou glared at her happy, smiling face and tried to free himself, but the tiny woman quickly hefted him off his feet. He caught his breath in wonder, and she easily swung him around and dumped him in the nearly scalding water,
"now, then honey, we'll get you all cleaned, just like Lord Peacecraft has asked, and be a good dear and get clean..."
Duo yelped and one of the helpers seized his braind and began to undo it, while another poured a bucket of water over his head, leaving him sputting and breathless, and even a third dumped a bar of soap into the water. Mrs. Maya rolled up her sleeves, he smile still fixed, and kneeled next to the tub, plucking out the soap and beginning to scrub it against a long handled brush that looked like it would be better fit for scrubbing rust off of chain mail.
Another bucket of water was poured over Duo's head and his gaping jaw caught a hefty mouthful. Mrs. Maya gave the brush one last scrub and the helper finished his braid and stood away, picking up a towel. Duo spit out the water and looked at her.
"Did...you say Peacecraft?"
She smiled at him and leaned against the edge of the tub, brush weilded like a one handed barbarian club.
Duo gulped and forgot his questions for a moment. He didn't like the look on her face at all.
_____________
Heero sat again in silence, cursing, cursing, cursing. Why had he run? What was the point? There was no where to go. He could not escape this stupid room, or that strange boy by backing into a corner like some frightened child! He could see in the mirror dark hair flung down over stormy, resolute eyes, and wondered remotely if that was how other people really saw him. Was that how the other boy had seen him? He cursed and cursed and cursed again inside his head, the top of his fist covering his mouth to stop himself from saying anything out loud. It wasn't that he actually needed the gesture anymore, no he had perfected that particular control over himself long, long ago; it was he felt some obscure...feeling after seeing that boy walk in. Half of his mind screamed at him that he hadn't seen the boy, nothing was there, and it hadn't existed, and the other half was raving mad that any of it had happened at all. If it had happened. No, it had, it definitely had. But what if it hadn't? Wasn't he going mad? Wasn't he going to loose himself to the sickness like his father had? That thought shook his perfect countenance and a grim surprise flickered over his face for a single breath. He stood, making the chair jump back, and resumed putting his fist over his lips standing up, his other arm wrapped around his chest. Something was wrong, but he was muddled. That boy had done something, caused something, been the result of something, had nothing to do with anything? He wanted to pace, even felt the muscles twitch, but he would not. He knew something now that would please Lady Po to know. The wall mirrors were doorways, which meant there were secret hallways, which could mean many things for Heero, but the list of possibilities was much smaller than it had been before. This discovery settled him, and he found himself maybe even wanting to sit down again. It made him feel more at home, like General Noin were here to discover the truth. It calmed him immensely, took away his thoughts. After all, deep down they were all tacticians, and all that went on was merely tactics.
__________
Treize turned up his face, lying back in his chair, and rested his hand upon it. He remained in this position even as he heard Milliardo's soft steps on the rugs as he quietly shut the door behind himself. The room was dark; hardly a single shaft of light ever touched upon the thick wall to wall scarlet rugs Treize had ordered placed inside upon the room's discovery. Milliardo stood out in the cool gloom like a swan on a lake in the new moon. Ever somber the noble waited for Treize to speak, a trait so rare he would award it honors if the act of rewarding wouldn't destroy the trait's worth. He pondered still, staring at the dark ceiling, in which on his long accustomed eyes could see the patterns of stone. He took a deep breath and turned slowly, and Milliardo began his address. Before he could speak, Treize's voice interrupted like a chilled current in river,
"I grow tired of waiting."
Milliardo stared at him surprise. His impatience was not totally unexpected, but nor was is convenient or easy to manage. Treize took his hand away form his face and sat up to look at him. Milliardo tried to speak again, but was silenced.
"You know I only care for one thing in this, Milliardo. You know that."
He shut his eyes and steepled his fingers in front of his face,
"this is dirty business."
Milliardo only nodded, unfathomable words passing between them with darkness their conduit. Treize stilled again like a sighing statue, and Milliardo bowed, turning slowly and walking out as softly as he had walked in.
__________________
Heero stood for a few long moments outside of his door, thinking. Sluggishly, his mind began to push up coherant blurbs of thought. He knew his face must look as if it was all a big bother, but he wondered if it was just Noin and Lady Po who could tell. The soldiers back at the castle...
No.
He had to think.
He glanced in each direction down the long white hallway and decided to go left. He knew, somehow, that if that other boy had not wanted to stay in the wing of the castle to the right, then he would not want to go. Yet. He turned, feeling as stiff as his clothing, and walked down the hallway with even, measured paces. He didn't know why he was leaving his room, other than he didn't want to be there. He didn't know why...he didn't know what...he wanted to know... his mind became confusion again and he resisted the urge to rest his head in his hands until the buzzing went away. He shoved all the thoughts away and got down to the thought which was necessary to his destination. He wanted to find that boy, and question him. There was something similar between them; he could tell. There was some reasoning behind it, certainly. And He would not stay in the room that King Treize had assigned him. He had his own addenda to follow for the moment. He would follow it.
_________________
**********
oi, editing editing editing! I should've been more careful! This chapter made less sense than it should have becuase it was missing a hefty chunk. that's not to say that it makes very mcuh sense right now, but still, it's better than it was. I'm sorry about that, spirits, but you know how it goes.
Go Well, Spirits!
Kitten