DISCLAIMER: I do not own Batman or it's characters. I only own Athena and whoever else I write into this narrative.
Six:
Paint Me A Sweet Life
Alfred carried out every task with the utmost care, whether it was dinner, a snack, mild tidying, or a room for the guest-her room, specifically.
Paint brushes dried with hues of different shades strewn across the dark wooden floorboards, with paint splatters here and there, unfinished canvas' rested in every corner, while the finished artworks hung on the walls, like abstract pieces of adornments.
Alfred did make it his, strategic, duty to place the luggage beside the bed, and tidy up the dust and cobwebs, but he did not touch her art.
Her room, it was a madwoman's safehaven, and she had been preparing it since her younger days.
The pieces of colors, bright and dark, and illegible imagination almost made the room appear smaller than it was, a trick of the eye with all the clutter. A small smile making its way to her lips, she scoffed, blinking away tears of the past. Those pieces glimmered with gold, whether or not some high scale art gallery accepted them or not, and she preferred that it didn't. No one would understand the beauty, love, happiness, and pain, the story of life-her life in every single one. That clutter, was her buried treasure.
Bending down to her knees, attention pulled elsewhere. A small section of her old room was clear of paintings, a cushioned blue mat was abandoned. Rolling it up, she smiled to herself. Every object in this old place would guide her back to memory lane, this mat, led her back to when she would stubbornly insist on practicing gymnastics class in her room, because it was her 'happy place.'
To her father then insisting it was too dangerous and she could fall into something, he'd say this every time an argument happened: This is why we have a room for athletics, Athena.
But, little Athena would cross her arms and pout, and glare something terrible… eventually, he cleared away a space in her room for gymnastics alone.
Her hands rested on the mat, now in a cylinder shape once she was done rolling it up. Among the art, that decorated the redwine walls, a large poster stood alone in the gymnast's nook.
A black magnifying glass against a greyed canvas, pointed at a silhouette who wore a classic top hat and trench coat. The magnifying glass shone its white light of justice against the specimen, in this case, the man with the top hat.
Since a young age, she preferred reading opposed to going to the playground or being with the adults opposed to her peers(who would choose some snot nosed brats over Alfred, anyway?) colors were her first language, English second. That is what she understood, like a young girl having a silly crush in kindergarten, that was natural.
The colors here, were black, grey, white. The world is grey, because nothing's ever set in stone. The man, is a silhouette, because he is the corruption, he is the one who will shift the world to black, steal the only light that it has. And, the magnifying glass, yes, it had been black, but like every mortal thing, it contained light, and unlike the majority of mortal things, it chose to shine on those who needed it most. That, was what she called Justice.
Snapping her head away from the poster, Athena stood, having her body face the balcony, where outside, a rustle came from either the trees surrounding the manor or the bushes below.
Pushing the checkered doors open, a light breeze hit her face, the yard pitch beyond sight. The trees swayed in the wind, branches creaking and trembling, as if they themselves were cold. It was a scene out of a horror movie. Athena narrowed her eyes, inspecting the clearing, before bending over to look down.
"Come on, cat, don't stop being a pest now." The hairs on her arms and back, stood, tightly gripping the railing, as she squinted as hard as she possibly could.
"Come on, come on," she urged, through faintly gritted teeth.
Always finding herself cheering someone else on, she never learned how to do it for herself. A sound, unmistakable, brought her attention to the left, a snap of a twig. When she looked over at the spot, no one stood there, only the gloom of darkness. Her ears were not trained, but she had common sense, nothing could break a twig unless it was a large animal or a person. She sighed, letting her eyes go back to a neutral position. She could not see it, but her senses told her that she wasn't wrong.
A sensation crawling down her spine, told her many things, she couldn't quite comprehend yet. And, for once, her anxiety and paranoia did not intervene. The loud churning of her brain happened instead. Malice wouldn't do this, simply because, it didn't terrify her, it only made her curious and slightly annoyed that someone had been trespassing.
Athena looked back to the trees, squinting one last time. It was useless, still, she could not shake that a person was hiding within the lush greenery, staring back at her, watching her.
Nearly ready to leap down, a scratching at her door brought her attention away. One last glance, before she pulled the balcony doors shut, locking them behind her.
"Athena, open the door this instant!"
Rolling her eyes, she yelled back. "I'm coming!"
Pulling the door open, there was no click. "What are you, my mother?"
The black feline sauntered inside of the room, allowing for Athena to push the door all the way closed.
"The door wasn't even closed! You could have pushed it open with your nose."
"Hmm. That is quite brutish."
Athena blinked at the cat, before turning away, starting to pace back and forth.
"What's the matter, child? Do you need another pep talk?"
She stopped, walking to the side of her bed, picking up an old fashioned house phone. It still had the circular rotary dial pad, where she could simply twist until she reached Alfred's name. "I'm calling Alfred."
"For what reason?"
A short dial tone sounded, and then there was a click. "Yes, Lady Athena, how can I serve you this evening?"
This fact remained true for the butler years later, he was quick to answer a call or prepare a meal offhand, or even play a game of pac-man. Did he ever sleep?
"Alfred, I think we have an intruder. No, I know that we do."
Sage rolled her eyes. "Oh, dear."
Athena shot the cat a look.
"With all due respect, Lady Athena, that is impossible. There is simply too much security inside of this manor. I would have known by now."
"No, no. It's not inside the manor, its outside. In the trees."
Alfred paused. "In… the trees, you say?"
Taking a glance at the balcony, she nodded viciously, "yes, Alfred, please trust me on this and check the cameras, please?"
The man sighed, "yes, Lady Athena." Before the line went dead, she could have sworn he muttered on about how she was as paranoid as her father and how he had to check the outside cameras again.
With her focus now on Sage, she liked to think that she didn't listen for the rustles outside. The cat had her eyebrows raised at her, the slits of her eyes thankfully not thin.
"What?"
Sage stretched on the bed, before wrapping her tail around her body, covering her paws. "I thought you wouldn't worry them about your perils with the oni."
"I'm not. Why do you think I told him? It wasn't Malice, I don't know who-"
"You say who, as if you're sure it was a person."
Athena bent down to reach her level, "Sage, I know it was a person. It had to be."
She looked away, a movement unnatural to her. "Alright then."
She might not have looked it, but Sage might as well have been hunched over with her teeth baring and pelt fluffed outwards. Ending the conversation with as little indication as possible, it wasn't until the small creature curled up and closed her eyes. At that, she knew it was over.
Athena herself sat on a chair, who's fabric only remained in one piece due to the countless stitches in varying lengths. An eggplant color, which smelled of milk and cream, unlike most of the other furniture in the manor. A woman's scent, but not of her own. That was only hint of appeal it had, with all of its scars and chipped wood. Out of place in this room, out of place in this era.
"This chair, is so damn ugly." Hearing the words out loud, brought her relief she never knew she needed, for these were feelings harbored since she was younger. Dad would muse about how the chair was so important, especially the first time it was shown to her, and then he would ask what she thought about it, to which she would reluctantly respond.
It was so off-putting, yet she never wished to chuck it out of a window with all of its wear and years of women sewing, and crying, and nursing, and crying, and remaining strong. Within a house full of furniture, made of the finest woods and materials, it all happened here on this penniless chair, evolving it into something more. An heirloom, a throne for the queen.
Athena let out a scoff, leaning her head back into the cushion, squeezing the lion's paw of an armrest, it was so very ugly, but she found herself hoping that it would help her, like it did those before.
-x-
It hasn't happened in weeks now. The screaming, the sweats, not being able to breathe, the parasites. Now, Malice.
She managed to hold her mouth shut, upon waking, a sweet and rusty taste covered her buds, as she bit down on her cheek, taking deep breaths through her nose, small shudders passed through her bones, until she found herself fully in the waking world.
"Not quite what I meant, Grandma." Making light of the situation nearly helped as well as the company of another person.
Faint darkness filled the room, as the crack of dawn slowly took over. Sage was sprawled out on the bed, twitching slightly. Athena steadied her breathing, taking a shaky chance as she got to her feet, slowly walking out of the bedroom, on legs that sloshed down with every step, much like jelly at this point. She grunted as they gave way, leaving her only option to hold onto the rail of the balcony of the main staircase. Tilting forward, dark hair falling into her face, blocking the view of the dangerous height below. With a slight push, her head bobbed upwards.
Athena didn't flinch back, or even move with a quickness. All she did, was stare over the edge with tired eyes. The distance was from the second floor to the main floor, and with the extravagance of this manor, the fall was high enough to surely break her neck, or atleast give her some kind of damage that would eventually lead to fatality. It could all be over, with a simple tilt in the wrong direction.
She cocked her head to the side, blinking away the morbid thought and letting out a breath. She didn't want to die, at all. Not yet.
Pushing herself away from the rail and making her way to the kitchen, only one person inhabited the room designed to prepare a feast of the season, with one hand behind his back, he stirred the pot, steam drifted up into the air, blessing it with scents of vanilla and cinnamon.
Athena positioned herself on the wooden stool, closing her eyes once the weight was off her legs.
Alfred turned his head, within a few seconds of her presence, glancing over his shoulder. "Good morning, Lady Athena," he opened the cabinet, taking an ingredient with haste, as if it needed to be added to his concoction at this precise time, "apologies if you intended to continue stalking me from behind."
She smiled, "morning, Alfie."
He turned the burner to the lowest setting, dusting his gloved hands of the whole matter. "I attempted to reach you last night, in regards to the intruder. I'm sure you might have guessed, my investigation led to nothing of the sort."
Athena thought just as much, nodding her head, although he hadn't been looking at her to see it.
She squinted at the light shining in from the window, tempted to shy away from the sun's rays. A bluebird landing on the windowsill, made her do otherwise, as it chirped away to its brothers and sisters.
"You certainly look a bit drained," he raised an eyebrow, that expression always crossing his face when he was prodding, it was enough to make anyone start talking and he didn't even have to stare for very long. Alfred soon started to make coffee, right after.
That was one of those things about him. He always made the other person feel as if they didn't have to tell him anything, but that they could. He was the open arms they always talked about, lending his ear where it was needed.
For that, she would have smiled gratefully, if not for her current state.
"Something is wrong."
"It always is, in this house."
Athena opened her mouth, searching for words, "something is wrong with me, Alfred. And I know I need to tell dad, but…"
He outstretched his hand, she took the coffee, silently hoping it was that weird blend of paprika and cream.
"But you don't quite know how," he finished.
Nodding, she set the cup down. "Thank you. For the coffee, too."
Alfred stood behind the counter, facing her and smoothing down his mustache, similar to the stroking of a long beard, "might I ask why?"
The question floated around in her mind, with no answer to follow, like a puppy lost without its mother.
"Are you perhaps afraid of his response? In disagreement with it? Or, are you simply trying to handle it yourself, even if you very well know it's futile? A wise man once said, if you ponder for longer than a day, then reluctance is what drives you."
Athena rested her head on the table, her voice coming out muffed from the cocoon she had made for herself, "Alfred, you know me a little bit too well," picking her head up, making eye contact with him, "you know, I trust him, I do. I'm just scared of what might happen when he finds out my metagene is becoming more active than passive."
What scared her most was that she knew exactly what he would suggest and she also knew, that she wouldn't take a second to think it over, because if she took it that far, she was much closer to dealing with Malice.
"If there is one thing I know about you, Lady Athena, it's your attachment to the mundane. The world of science, logic and reason," he nodded, taking a step closer. "But, perhaps you could think about it in another way? Great scientists experience all worlds aside from their own, they digest knowledge like a meal, and there is nothing more knowledgeable than a world unknown. And, regardless to how many they travel to, they always know how to find their way back home."
Athena took a sip of the coffee, sweet and spice jolted her awake the very moment it touched her tongue. Closing her eyes, she nodded slowly, as she inhaled the paprika.
"And what if I can't find my way back, what then?"
Alfred rested a warm hand on hers, smiling, "Then, you shape that world to be somewhere you enjoy living."
R&R, at your leisure!