Chapter Seven (Part One): Lust and Chasity

The house before him was the same: same white shutters on all two floors of windows and same dark red door blocking him from entering. Nothing had changed, and yet, everything had as Endymion gingerly walked up and knocked on Beryl's door. The Tungston household was just like the family, pretty for what it was but not the richest. It showed its age in places, a crack in the brick here and a foggy window there. The inside was immaculate from what Endymion could tell, but he had yet to be invited inside. If the family had the funds, they could afford to have the outside as clean as the inside. As it were, the mother and daughters of the house took care of the interior, and that alone was why it was so clean.

He knew they had a cook; Endymion had overheard Beryl complaining about a dish their cook made one evening. The cook had added walnuts to Beryl's disdain while Endymion struggled to remember the last time he'd had a peanut, let alone a walnut.

Endymion had been shaking since Serena revealed herself. Since he'd gotten the job and she disappeared. But as he lifted his hand to knock, his shaking had disappeared. It proved that this -precisely- was where he needed to be.

His knock was answered soon enough, an older version of Beryl coming to answer. There was only one person this could be, and Endymion bowed his head. "Good afternoon, Mrs. Tungston. My name is Endymion Bulwark, and I was hoping to speak with you and your husband about your daughter, Ms. Beryl."

Finished, he lifted his head and found Mrs. Tungston eyeing his suit closely even as she stepped aside to allow him entrance. "Please, come in."

oOo

Endymion's smile wouldn't fade, not as he went to the grocer on his way home from work. Every day now, he was able to buy tomatoes, meat, and oranges, all fresh. Since Luna paid all their employees at the end of the day, Endymion was flush with cash daily since he started. And although he had a rough start, it turned out that going to Luna had been the best decision of his life.

His mother met him at the door, taking the food from him and kissing his cheek. No longer bedridden, the rest of his family sat leisurely at the small table in the middle of the house, a one-room shack that Endymion was planning to leave behind as soon as he saved a little more money.

"Endymion!" "Come here, good man, and sit with us!" His grandparents called to him, holding out hands for him to kiss or shake. He sat and grinned broadly; Endymion's new favorite pastime was sitting with his elders and chatting.

"Grand, show him!"

Endymion looked, watching as his Grand pulled her sleeve back. The sore that had developed a month ago was gone. Like it never happened. "The ointment you gave me worked like magic!"

He chuckled, "well, it's not magic; it's medicine—the good stuff from Luna."

Papa huffed, "if it works so well, they should give it out for free!"

Endymion smirked at his grandfather, "they do, now."

"What?!" The four of them said at once.

Endymion just smiled, removing his nice jacket from work and pushing out his chair to head to the kitchen, "yes, they now offer all their medicine to those in need for free. They make more than enough on their other endeavors to afford it." Endymion left them to discuss; even if they did whisper, he would hear them as he stepped to his mother's side. "May I help?"

He watched the gentle shake of his mother's hands while holding a knife and took it from her. She rubbed hard from her wrist to her palm, trying to stop her tremors. "You are such a kind man, Endymion. How did I get so lucky?"

"It's not luck; it's hard work. So you deserve to rest."

She shook her head but said nothing more. Endymion wanted her to quit and stay home, but his mother had only cut her hours back. His mother had insisted that two paychecks were better than one, no matter the size. Endymion was sure his mother knew she would miss it. Not the money but the sewing. It was her passion, in the end, making delicate dresses for others. It had bothered Endymion for the longest time, watching others dance around in the intricate works his mother made while she wore next to rags. But the way his mother's face lit up? It had him wishing she'd seen Serenity in her dress.

He shook his head of these thoughts and chopped the onion before him.

oOo

He dug his fingers into the soft soil, switching from the trawl to his hands as Endymion transplanted the strange and beautiful Jewelweed. It fit in nicely with the Fushia and Yarrow he planted last week.

Sweat beaded on his brow but not from the work, from the hot temp of the greenhouse. If he stepped outside, he would catch a cold, covered in a sweat fitting of summer and his jacket back at his desk. His sleeves rolled up to his elbows; Endymion used the back of his hand to clear his sweat before it reached his eyes and continued. A few others crotched near him, working in the soil with him, but they were supposed to be here. It was why he wasn't surprised when a shadow fell over him.

"Aren't you supposed to be in the science division, Endymion?"

He glanced up, smiling back at Lita as she tried to be irritable with him. "Yes, but what better way to understand my supplies than to grow them myself?"

Lita rolled her eyes and gave him a hand to get to his feet. He took it but only because he didn't want to offend and start another argument about equality. Endymion could stand on his own, but Lita didn't see it that way. Instead, she saw it as a slight, that he was calling her weak.

He let his eyes wander over the crow; it was doing well. "The new irrigation system is working well, I see?"

Lita smirked, "Yes. Thank you for helping with the design."

"Any time."

With that, Lita pushed him away from the greenhouse, and Endymion was forced to settle back at his desk. It wasn't that he disliked his position, quite the opposite. But he was yet to formulate a cure for his mother's shaking, and he had hoped to get inspiration in the green room.

Amy swung by his desk, looking him over and smiling softly. "Planting again? You have a green thumb, Endymion. I wonder what other talents you possess?"

He sighed at the compliment. "Not one in medicinal formulations, I'm afraid."

"Still no cure?" He shook his head, "you'll get there. Your determination will be rewarded, I'm sure." Amy got a look on her face and stepped away. Endymion knew that look, and he waited as patiently as possible for her return. A few moments later, Amy placed a small stone before him. "Try this."

"What is it?"

"We call it the imperial crystal. We make it here in the factory, a manufactured stone. So it has little value as jewelry. But it has properties within it that will help your mom, I believe. If she were to wear it."

Endymion trusted Amy; he did. But this seemed a bit… "How can wearing a stone benefit?"

"Have a little faith, Endymion," Amy smirked. It was a strange thing to ask, a scientist like Amy didn't rely on faith, nor did Endymion. But, so he supposed, if it was Amy telling him to trust the stone, he should take it at face value. "When you have a moment, take it to Raye so she can fashion you something to wear it in."

Endymion didn't need a moment; he only had to wait for lunch. So he focused on his work, putting his mother's medicine to the side. Aside from ending tremors, Endymion had created ointments for many aliments his family suffered from. They were what the company now gave out for free and why Endymion enjoyed his work all the more.

He took his small sack of food back to the green room, sitting in the small grassy field most congregated to for lunch. It wasn't long before Raye fell next to him in an unladylike manner. Her overalls were coated with streaks of something dark as usual, and she smelled of wood. He waited for her to remove her gloves before passing a thick piece of white bread with cheese slices in the middle.

"Thanks," she said seconds before shoving it into her mouth.

"I have this for you as well," he held the stone out to Raye between his pointer and thumb, the light twinkling on it. It was pretty, like a diamond. Endymion would never be able to tell the difference himself.

Raye snatched it, and Endymion held his breath from her reaction. "Where did you get this?!"

"Amy. She told me you could fashion it into something wearable?"

Now Raye held it up in the light; the jewel made rainbows of color on the woman's face. "Amy gave you this? Do you know how much a piece this small costs?"

Endymion shrugged, "I was assured it would help my cause, and that's the only fortune I need."

Eyeing him strangely, Raye lowered the shimmering crystal a little. "And how should I fashion it? As a bracelet, necklace…ring?"

Given the way his mother's hands shook, he shuddered at the thought of her trying to put on a ring. With the way her fingers swelled at night, she would have to remove it daily too. "I think a necklace would suit. I don't know the right ring size to tell you."

Raye frowned but quickly pocketed the imperial crystal as if it were stolen. "I'll have it for you by the end of business today."

"Have what ready?" Lita was already sitting with her giant box of food—this was what the two of them waited for every day, Lita's cooking.

Endymion and Raye ignored the question, too excited for whatever Lita had prepared for the day. "A work thing," they both answered flippantly, and Lita lost interest. They were deep in a sea of cucumber sandwiches, freshly baked scones, savory meat pies, and even some rose-scented tea when Endymion took notice of their small group.

"Where's Mina?"

He'd become accustomed to the woman's endless prattling of news and gossip. At first, he found it incessant, but now Endymion was addicted, so he quickly noticed the missing member. He would never admit it, but he longed to hear the goings-on of the town as he had never known it before.

The two women looked at one another, then back at Endymion with frowns on their faces. "She's too busy."

"Busy with what? The new line?"

Endymion knew there was a new line of men's clothing. He had tried it on, and Mina was constantly bringing him more to 'model' and leaving it with him when he was done. He knew what she was up to, not so secretly dressing him how she pleased. But Mina had hardly seemed busy with her work. She always had time to devote to their lunches.

"No, not with work. She's…" Raye stopped and looked at Lita.

The bold woman looked straight at Endymion, "she's getting a party together. An engagement party."

It was as if he'd been punched in the lungs again. The last time had been when Serenity revealed herself, and this was far worse. His chest ached with his lungs as both struggled to do their jobs. "Oh, I see." He barely got out.

"You should expect an invitation," Raye added, wiping some cream onto her scone with her finger, "and as an employee here, you must attend."

That didn't sound right, turning to glare at the woman, "since when is formal gatherings a work requirement?"

"Serenity demanded it," Lita said rushed, "since you're new here and have done so much in such a small amount of time. Think of it as…."

"A reward," Raye finished for her.

"Yes! A reward! And you can bring someone with you? A family member, perhaps?"

Endymion kept his sights dancing between the two women, who were acting stranger than usual. "A family member?"

"Ah, yes, Serenity wants to meet your family. And the Tungstons have already been invited as well."

Lita wasn't looking at him, and Raye babbled. Something was up, but he had nothing to go on other than the oddness of it all. "I see."

Although he didn't. Since he couldn't imagine a reason why the Tungston's were invited. In the end, it would be an opportunity to show some elegance to those he desired the most finally. However, there was one problem, "I don't own anything fine enough for such an event. Nor does anyone I would bring…."

"Mina will handle that, so don't fret," Raye answered smoothly.

Lita waved a hand at him, "she loves dressing you; you know this already."

Yes, he did. So now, he would need to see Mina at the end of the day to discuss the required party and what he would wear.

oOo

Mina held up a white mask to him, "it's a Masquerade!"

Taking the small thing that would only cover his eyes, he flipped back and forth before settling it on his face. "A masquerade?"

"Yes! Everyone will hide their identity until the end of the evening! Isn't that fun?!"

Endymion chuckled as Mina giggled. The woman was in fine form today, glowing with her happiness. "I suppose. You must be so proud; this engagement was all you ever wanted from the start, wasn't it?"

He tried to keep the coolness out of his tone, and Mina was too jazzed to notice if he failed. "Oh, it's what I've dreamed of for years! Ever since my mother told me of her plans to marry off Serenity! The eldest sibling should marry first, you know. Before the younger sister."

Endymion had no siblings or fortune, so he supposed that was something families like Mina's worried over. "Yes, they should."

"I didn't expect it to happen this way. This wasn't how any of us expected it to go. But who could refuse such an offer? He's such a fine man."

"Who?" Endymion asked, not sure he would like the answer. But he had to know who had captured Serenity's hand.

Mina smiled brightly as if clueless to Endymion's feelings, "the Duke of Lazaburg, Lord Kunzite."

Endymion's heart cracked in his chest and came out in a shattered huff. That man was always around to make him struggle. It was as if Kunzite was born to be Endymion's adversary. But Endymion didn't have a dog in this fight, Kunzite had won, and Endymion had no reason to push it. There was no comparison, just as the last time Endymion came up against the Duke. He had no choice but to fold when he had no intention of fighting, to begin with. It still made his heartbeat slower as if it was planning to stop soon.

"Do you need something else?" Mina asked sweetly, missing his heart breaking, but that was fine.

"Yes," he muttered, clearing his throat from the lump that blocked it, "I need something for my mother? I plan to bring her with me."

"Oh? I thought you would bring Ms. Beryl?"

Endymion slowly shook his head at the thought. "Why would I? She has her own invitation, doesn't she? And my mother would greatly enjoy the evening."

"Ms. Beryl would as well, I suppose?"

"Then it is a good thing she has her own means."