Madoka had worked here for a few weeks now, the monotony of cleaning finally rearing its ugly head despite the plethora of fascinating and near-mythical artifacts. There was only a limited number of times you could shine the goblet of King Tutankhamun.
She sighed and set it down, her head tilting up to stare at the candlelit roof, her bottom lip sticking out in a small pout. Yeah, it was pretty boring. She had gotten her first paycheck a little over a week ago which more than justified the rather mundane occupation she had acquired, but it did little to stem said mundanity. The only escape was her lady; the ever kind Lady Akemi, as exotic as the objects she collected yet endlessly interesting unlike them.
Sometimes, when Madoka would see her around the manor, she would be compelled to turn and walk away, her hairs standing on end for no apparent reason. Especially when she drank from her glasses of red drink (which she still didn't know the contents of, worryingly enough), or when she would flash a more jovial smirk which, strangely, showed a bit of fang. To have such fine canines spoke well of her lady's dental hygiene!
Madoka looked down at the goblet, humming as she ran a finger around its rim. She never ran from her lady, but sometimes she did think about it. Lady Akemi never did anything aggressive or hostile - no, she was never not kind, polite, or even downright sweet to her.
But sometimes… At night, when she was asleep, she had dreams of the regal woman standing over her, with her purple eyes shining vibrantly against the darkness of night. She would lean down until her face was pressed firmly against her neck and she would feel a smidgen of pain. Madoka would wake up and check her neck in the mirror only to find nothing, guaranteeing the dream to be just that, but it still left her unnerved around the woman.
It wasn't often she would have the same dream twice, let alone half a dozen times. It was probably just the environment, not unlike one of Lady Akemi's odd paintings in her foyer, she concluded after the fourth dream, though their occasional return made her doubt herself.
"My dear?"
Madoka spun around, jumping slightly from surprise. She should be used to this by now, but Lady Akemi was just too quiet! "Ah, yes ma'am? Is something the matter?"
"Oh no, nothing of the sort," she said, her face close enough for Madoka to smell her breath. It smelt oddly pleasant, but with a twinge of iron - a curious mixture, albeit not an unwelcome one. "I'm merely curious about your activities. We've yet to speak today, I was beginning to worry you've grown tired of my company."
"No!" Madoka immediately replied before her hand slapped itself over her mouth. "I-I mean, no ma'am. I'm not tired of being around you. I just figured you were busy."
Lady Akemi smirked, that same fang revealing itself to her as she stepped closer. The height difference made her look up, her lady's bright eyes shining down upon her. She's right there! Not even a foot away! How didn't I notice her before?! Her breath breezed against Madoka's cheek now, forcing a rush of heat to crawl up her neck. "M-My Lady?"
"Forgive me, Miss Kaname," she said, stepping back as quickly as she approached. Madoka pretended to ignore the sudden chill on her face. "I'm feeling rather ill today. I'm not quite myself."
"Would you like me to make you some tea, then? Perhaps a bowl of tomato soup? My mother always had me sip on some when I was younger, it helps quite a lot!"
Lady Akemi chuckled and shook her head, her eyes radiating with amusement. Madoka flushed once more, realizing how childish she sounded. "I'll be fine, Miss Kaname. Thank you, however, that is a very gracious offer, and one I won't soon forget."
Was that her way of saying she'd tease her for that? Noooo…
"Regardless, I believe your companionship will be all I need to rejuvenate. Care to join me in my study? I'd love to converse."
Looking back at the polished china, Madoka chewed on her lower lip. She was done with this section, but she still had an entire corridor to do before the day's end. "Worry not, I'll pay you for a full day's work. I would not whisk you away from your duties for free."
She wasn't too worried about the money. She'd already been paid enough for an entire year in just a month, including her mom's medical bills. It was more so being alone with her lady once more - an ever embarrassing concept, one that has been significantly more something since she'd been having those strange dreams.
But, alas, who was she to turn down the woman? Part of her didn't exactly want to, anyways. The scholar in her; the one that studied overnight in college with a dream of exploring the world, enjoying its rich cultures and histories. Lady Akemi, in that aspect, was a portal to those places. Her experience was unmatched, even if she compared it to her professors'.
She rightfully pretended to ignore another deep, but much more confusing, part of her that just wanted to be around the good lady.
"It would be my pleasure, my lady," she said in the end, knowing any longer a silence would only result in an assumed denial.
Lady Akemi smiled, her face lifting pleasantly. Madoka had to look away, checking back on the fine china with renewed interest. "You may get changed first if you wish. As much as I find your uniform adorable, I'd hate for you to be uncomfortable while relaxing with me."
A-Adorable?! Madoka gulped and nodded, voicing her temporary farewells quickly before leaving. She did not jog away from her lady, she just… Walked with gusto. Her excitement at a short day simply overtook her discipline. That was all. It most certainly was not embarrassment!
Not twenty minutes later, she stood inside the spacious study, dressed in her usual pink hoodie and jeans. She never stopped feeling underdressed, even when her lady wore her relatively plain pajamas (as in infinitely more refined than even her own prom dress, but infinitely less so than the rest of her lady's wardrobe), but the kind woman never seemed to mind.
"Welcome, my sweet," Lady Akemi greeted her, smiling at Madoka as she sat upon her chair. "Would you care for something to drink? I made sure to have some tea made for you."
Madoka nodded and took her usual seat; a soft stool to the side of the desk. "Yes, please. Thank you," she said, grabbing the offered cup as Lady Akemi held it out. "What did you wish to speak about, my lady?"
"You may call me Homura," the woman said. Madoka blinked and looked at her, her face going slack in surprise. It must have shown, for her lady laughed with a hand over her mouth. "Is it that difficult to believe even I grow weary of the fanciful titles this world is so fond of?" She sighed, leaning into her chair, somehow looking far older than she usually did. "I've not had proper companionship in a long time. Oriko was close, but she was… Distant. Understandably so."
"Understandably? Why is that, if I might ask?"
Lady Ake- Homura looked at her for a long moment, her eyes searching hers for something that Madoka had no hope of knowing. "Oriko was clairvoyant, you see. She could see the future with terrifying accuracy. She knew how her life would end since she was but a girl, back when I took her under my care." Madoka's eyebrows furrowed, her mind wandering to what she knew of the woman.
"But… Didn't she die of old age?" How could Homura have adopted her when she was clearly no older than 25?
"Ah," she gasped gently, a hand cupping over her eyes. "A slip of the tongue. My illness seems to be affecting even my dialogue. I merely meant my family, I'd been thinking of something else when I spoke."
"Right…" She bit her inner cheek, looking at the slumped form of Homura, her own gaze inquisitive. She was ignored, however, and Homura continued her story.
"Nonetheless, she knew what would come. She was a firm determinist; somehow who thought time was linear and unchanging. Anything that may come to pass has already happened, we simply haven't perceived it, she would often tell me."
"I apologize if this sounds rude, but what does this have to do with her being distant, my- Homura? I'm not sure where this is leading." Let alone its accuracy. Clairvoyance was an often claimed ability, but just as often was it disproved. Madoka wasn't necessarily Christian, as much as she'd never say in public, so she had a healthy doubt of the spiritual or supernatural, as much as she enjoyed the concept of it.
Though that healthy doubt itself has been under more healthy doubt recently.
"Ah, my apologies, I'm rambling a bit," Homura chuckled, shaking her head. She smiled at Madoka, showing her forgiveness at the blunt question. "She knew she'd die… Early, in my life. So she refrained from growing attachments at my benefit."
"I see…" She didn't. Her inner scholar was fighting tooth and nail to dig into this, uncover the truth.
As if reading her mind, Homura spoke up, "Speak your mind, darling. I wouldn't bring you here if I wanted a one-sided conversation, now would I?"
No, she supposed not. "How did you know she was clairvoyant? I'm no scientist," and wasn't that the truth. She was a historian, a teacher, but good at math and copious data digging? Nope! "But that seems…"
"Supernatural? Impossible? Magical? Yes," Homura chuckled, her eyes narrowing slightly as the edges of her lips twitched up. She looked like a wolf - a very sultry wolf. The flushing was back and Madoka looked away, gulping down a wad of whatever emotion that was. "Indeed. It was, as is a vast majority of things in this world. My dear Madoka, there's so much you don't know, but I do not blame you."
Homura reached over, her hand brushing against her cheek slowly. Her voice lowered into a whisper, one as smooth as silk but as excited as fire. "No, I'd never blame you for that. Not when I can teach you, expose you to the world we live in, change your reality into that of my own."
Madoka backed away, the cold touch of her lady leaving a stinging freeze on her cheek. She gulped again, this time the slight fear she felt. "I… I'm not sure what you mean. I'm not comfortable with this."
"Comfort is a commodity of the blissfully unaware, my love," Homura said as she stood up. The lights seemed to flicker simultaneously - an odd occurrence, since they were all candles and torches - and her eyes appeared to increase in luminosity. "Yet no comfort can compare to the joy of the unnatural. Of being awakened to the truths of reality. You are a scholar, my Madoka, you should be jumping at the chance to learn the true history of man."
Madoka made to back away some more, only for her back to hit the wall behind her. Darn stool! Why didn't I move it?! She stared up at the taller woman, her heart racing in her chest with the intensity of a thunderstorm. "H-Homura, you're scaring me."
"Fear is normal," she said. "Fear is expected. But fear will not last forever, not like myself." She leaned down, her upper body bending down towards her in an inhumane way. Her violet eyes, normally so alluring, shone with the power of a star. "Nor like you, soon enough."
Standing up, Madoka knocked the stool over, before she rushed to the door, all manners leaving her as her brain urged her to leave. "You may run, but how far? How long?" Madoka ignored her as she ran down the hall, eyes wide in panic.
Shooting up, sweat dripping down her brow, and breath deep and heavy, Madoka looked around her room. It looked the same, felt the same, and was totally, completely normal. No Homura around to say scary things or try anything. Her hand came up to her chest, her heart hammering against it as she took deep, calming gulps of air, her mind racing to understand what she just experienced.
Or did she experience it? She looked down at the white sheets of her bed, haphazardly thrown about in a way that could only be achieved by her sleep. Did she just… Dream all of that? It was all so realistic. She rubbed her head with a sigh, closing her eyes to mitigate the confusion. It didn't help.
"I need some coffee…" She mumbled, sliding out of her bed with the grace of an anvil. Stumbling over to her dresser to get properly dressed, she stopped as her eyes fell upon a letter that sat atop. Picking it up, she frowned as she read through it. "I'll be gone for the morning. I went off to meet an old acquaintance of mine, I shall return by noon. Homura," Madoka said, reciting the message out loud.
She laid it back down and eyed it for a long moment.
Homura snuck into her room to set the letter down. Her hand absent-mindedly rubbed her neck, feeling nothing but smooth skin as always, and she frowned. The idea didn't bother her too much - it was her own house, she was but a guest, but still. Madoka wasn't a light sleeper by any means, but she wasn't too heavy one to not notice someone walking around, either.
Ah. But the lady was a silent mover, wasn't she? Sighing, she slipped on her uniform before heading out, already knowing the list of chores to be done for the day by memorization alone.
But that would come after the coffee.
The morning was simple. She cleaned the dining room and the main hall, two of the easiest rooms to do despite their vast sizes, and even managed to get some of the smaller halls down. More than was asked of her, but she was in a good mood. Her strange dream aside, her lady (while dream Lady Akemi was fine with the casual name drop, real her wasn't in that same clear!) was thoughtful enough to leave pancakes, eggs, and sausage for breakfast, a simple but tasty meal that she hadn't had since before her mom got sick.
True to her lady's words, Lady Akemi returned an hour past noon, looking slightly more haggard than usual; her attire, one normally perfectly pressed and clean, showed evidence of blemishing and smudges of earth. Her hair had a few follicles out of place, nearly imperceptible to anyone but herself. To top it off, her cheeks were flushed - a truly odd and unique color unseen on her lady before. A spike of emotion that felt like a punch to her gut ran through Madoka and it took a whole lot of effort to pretend it didn't happen.
"My lady," she said, her concern a bit stronger than was likely professional. They stood just up the stairs of the foyer, Madoka having been waiting to greet the woman. "Are you okay? You look… Um, well, not so great."
Her amethyst eyes locked onto her and the taller woman strode forward, her arms wrapping around Madoka's shoulders in an uncharacteristic display of affection. "I'm sorry, darling, I didn't seek to worry you like this."
She smelled like burnt wood and… Garlic? Befuddled, Madoka just stood there, her eyes glancing about the room as her face heated up. "U-Um, my lady-"
"Homura," she interjected.
Just like the dream, Madoka thought, her teeth gnawing on her lower lip. But dream her didn't look like she'd just finished- She knocked the thought away, another gut-punch emotion making the task much easier than expected.
"H-Homura," she said, tasting the sound. It felt right. Comfortable. "Don't apologize, it's my duty to look after you, isn't it?"
Technically, the woman herself wasn't in the contract. Just her property. But seeing as she had no one else, aside from the mysterious and ever-elusive chef, Madoka felt justified in her self-proposed responsibility.
Homura chuckled, the soft velvety sound calming Madoka's nerves. Before she could return the hug, her mind finally deciding it the appropriate response, the fine lady pulled away, her lips pulled up in a graceful smile. "You wish to look after your lady? My, that's quite the leap, my sweet. I hope you'll take responsibility."
"W-Wha-?!"
Homura giggled, a much rarer sound than her chortles but all the more rewarding for it, and covered her mouth with a gloved hand. "I jest, of course. It's most definitely the other way around."
What does that even mean?!
"I'll let you return to your prior duties, my sweet Madoka. If you can't tell, I'm in dire need of a bath and a strong drink. My meeting was… Well, the less said about it, the better."
Madoka nodded, her heart still not calmed down from the rollercoaster of emotions. "R-Right! Yes, of course. I shall see you at dinner then, m-Homura?"
She smiled wide with a nod, her bangs falling down to the top of her eyes before she walked off, her earlier upset demeanor non-existent if the skip in her step was anything to go by.
"What a strange woman," Madoka mumbled, her hands fiddling with the hem of her skirt. First, she was polite but distant, the next she plagued her dreams as some horrifying thing, and now she was as bubbly as a schoolgirl. It kind of reminded her of Sayaka when she started hanging around Kyoko more-
No… Don't go that direction. Down that path lay madness, Madoka.
Shaking her head, she walked off to her own destination, pushing aside any and all thoughts of Homura until the end of the workday.
"Lobster?" Madoka poked the very large crustacean with her fork, mouth salivating at the aroma it gave off. She wasn't a glutton… But seafood! She loved it with sinful passion. They hadn't eaten any since she arrived, each of their meals normally consisting of red meats, something Homura seemed insistent on having.
"Is it not to your taste?" Said woman asked, her lips tugging down in a small frown. She's expressive today, Madoka mused absentmindedly.
"No no," Madoka waved her free hand to dismiss the concern. She flashed an embarrassed smile, not sure how to soothe the usually stoic, if not eternally amused, woman. "I love lobster. I just thought you might have an allergy or something."
Homura smirked with a raised eyebrow, her fork picking up a piece of lobster with an expertise that only she could achieve. "I simply prefer to savor the taste of it by ensuring its rarity. Too much exposure leads to immunity of its charm, so I make an effort to minimize it in my palate to keep it delicious."
Makes sense, she hummed, chowing down on her own plate. One could say her attempt at maintaining a refined and mannered front was admirable, but it failed so utterly that even Homura stopped to stare at Madoka with a look of bemusement.
Blushing, the girl swallowed her mouthful and set her fork down. Her hands busied themselves on wiping off the juices and bits of lobster shell on her lips and cheeks. "I, um, really like lobster…"
"That much is obvious." Despite the deadpan expression, Homura's tone leaked of a teasing amusement, her eyes practically sparkling in delight. It only made Madoka blush worse. "I'll be sure to remember this, though maybe we'll have you practice on table etiquette some, hm?"
This is so embarrassing! All my hard work at appearing like anything but a peasant, ruined! Keeping her shame to herself, she just nodded and mumbled an apology before returning to her meal - this time with much less gusto, as much as she wished she could bury her face into the plate.
"Don't look like that," Homura said, her hand reaching out to rub a spot on her cheek that she must have missed. Her face flushed further, making her wonder how it hadn't burst into flames yet. "You look pitiful. Like an admonished puppy, or a neglected kitten."
Suppressing a whine at the indirect adorable compliments, Madoka instead directed her energy into vigorously cleaning her entire face. Every time she spoke with this woman, she came away flushed with her heart beating a thousand miles a minute; something that should've stopped the first week on the job!
"S-Sorry," she said, her tongue darting out to lick her suddenly dry lips. "I'll, uh, try not to."
Homura's smirk told her plenty of her faith in that statement, making the girl pout slightly. "Nevermind that, how was your day? I apologize for not being here this morning. It was a rather sudden meeting."
"It was fine," Madoka said, her fork playing with the asparagus on the side. Demon plants, she hissed internally. Filth. "Um, what was your meeting about? If I may ask, my lady."
"Homura," the woman corrected with a smile. "But it was nothing special. An old acquaintance from days gone wanted to chat."
'Chat'? Is that why you came back looking like you'd been in a tornado? She was exaggerating, of course. Homura didn't look any different than normal that morning, Madoka was just around her often enough to notice minute changes than no one else probably could. "Chat about what?"
"Hmm, nosey today, are we?" Homura rested her cheek on an open palm, her plate empty of all but the lobster shell. "I respect a healthy curiosity. We spoke of our differences, that's all."
Madoka pursed her lips, sipping from a glass of water to hide the pensive look as best as possible. Why meet up just to talk about what's different? Did you fight? "Was it one of those royal honor duels?" She mumbled before her eyes widened. "I, uh, didn't mean to say that out loud."
Homura stared at her long and hard, her eyes hardened similarly to the stone they're colored like. "Something like that. It wasn't exactly a pleasant visit, I suppose I'll say."
Madoka's chest swelled with a pleasant feeling. She felt guilty for being happy that it was an altercation, but the alternative made her feel much worse. "Who did you meet with?"
"That, my dear, I believe I'll keep to myself."
Realizing she was digging too much, Madoka nodded and laid her fork down. "I apologize, I got ahead of myself. I was just… Concerned after I saw you come home like that."
Homura nodded and drank from her ever-present wine glass, her eyes looking to the side. "I wasn't expecting you to wait for me at the door. I figured I'd have time to clean up before I sought you out."
Why had she waited near the entrance? Her dream last night should have her wary, if not avoidant, of the good lady. Something kept dragging her to Homura, something she wasn't entirely sure she liked.
Something she wasn't entirely sure she disliked, either.
"I see," she said simply, looking at Homura for a few lingering moments. "I'm glad you came back okay. Please don't feel like you have to hide that from me, I'd worry myself to death if something happened and I didn't know sooner."
Homura seemed almost surprised at that if the widening of her eyes was any indication. They quickly returned to normal and she nodded, her soft smile radiating pure pleasure from the sentiment. "I'll be sure to inform you of any such events in the future. As of now, there are none, so you may rest easy, my beaut."
"What about you?"
"Hm?"
"Will you rest easy?"
"Knowing you've such concern for my well-being? I'll rest as easy as the dead for as long as I live."
Took a little while. That'll be pretty common, sorry to say. The hope is to have this all published by Halloween, but we'll see!
Hope you enjoyed despite the wait.