Welcome to chapter 3!
Again this one is set in the Institute of War era, and I guess you could consider it somewhat a sequel to the first chapter. But really loosely related maybe, I don't know. The most important part is that it has mamma riven, lol. Anyways enjoy!
It was dark in the Institute of War. The stars sparkled in the pure black backdrop of the night. The only source of light was the moon beams that danced through the windows. The pristine white halls of the institute were empty except for one. A little girl with bright red hair shuffled through the moonlight lit hallway. She was Annie Hastur, the youngest member of the Institute of War and one of the most promising pyro-mages around. She was in a purple night gown with white bunny slippers. In her arms she carried her iconic teddy bear, Tibbers.
When most see Annie, they would either quickly start walking in the other direction or ignore her completely. Annie's temper was ferocious, and few dared to face her when she was angry. To many, simply avoiding her was the best solution which left the little girl with almost no friends.
Annie walked past many doors until she reached one at the end of the hall. This door stood out as it was much bigger then the rest. Otherwise there was nothing else remarkable about it. Standing on her tip-toes, Annie knocked on the door.
She waited for a moment before a quiet rumble could be heard. A few more followed as they got louder. Slowly the knob began to turn, and the door was slowly opened. In the doorway stood Nautilus, the Titan of the Depth. His metal body glowed from a soft light behind him. His red eyes pulsed with power as he looked down at Annie. Annie just simply stared up into the red eyes. She didn't say anything as she just turned back and forth with her arms crossed around Tibbers. Nautilus to didn't say anything as he stepped aside to allow the little fire mage in.
"Another nightmare Annie…?" Nautilus asked as Annie jumped on to a small bed in the corner of the room.
"No… I just, didn't want to be alone," Annie said in a whisper. She laid down on the bed and just stared at the ceiling.
Nautilus said nothing before he sat on his own bed. The bed groaned from his weight but nothing else. Quietly as possible, the titan reached over to his bookshelf and grabbed a large tome like book.
"Would you like… to listen to the stories… of the sea again?" Nautilus asked as softly as he could in his deep gravelly voice.
Annie just nodded her head, her eyes never leaving the ceiling. Nautilus opened the tome's cover and began to read the first page. Annie said nothing as she laid in the small bed. As the titan read the stories of the sea, Annie's eyes started to blink close. When Nautilus finished the first tale he gently closed the tome and placed it back on its shelf. He stared at the little girl who was now sprawled across her bed, with Tibber clutched tightly in one hand. He stood from his bed and kneeled before Annie's bed.
"Sleep well… young one…" Nautilus said as he pulled the covers over Annie.
"Thank you, Nauty." Annie said with a small smile.
Nautilus looked at Annie before his eyes turned into upside down u's. He sat back down on his bed and leaned against the wall. His eyes dimmed before they disappeared from his black visage. The only sound in the room was the soft ticking of a clock.
Before long gentle moonlight faded away to the burning beams of sunlight. Just as the first light broke past the treetops, a knock sounded on Nautilus door. As if it was never gone, Nautilus red eyes pulsed with power as he stood from his bed as quite as possible. Annie was stilled sprawled everywhere and had kicked the blanket off in her sleep. Just as before Nautilus opened the door slowly. Before the titan stood a white-haired lady with large shoulder pads and carrying a large but broken sword on her hip. She was Riven, the Exiled. Her brown eyes looked up at Nautilus with a slight glare. Nautilus just nodded before he stepped aside and allowed Riven to enter the room.
Riven immediately walked in, making no noise, and turned to the child in the room. With a soft sigh she sat in a plush chair that was much to small for Nautilus.
"Nightmares?" Riven asked the titan in a whisper.
Nautilus shook his head causing Riven to look up at him questioningly.
"She said she was lonely…"
This cause Riven to frown before she leaned over and started to pet the little girl's hair.
"She's to young for this place. The constant killing and deaths we face here. She shouldn't have to. Its not fair."
"No… but if she was not here… the Institute would have… hunted her down… They fear her potential…"
Riven sighed but said nothing future. Nautilus just stood there unmoving, watching Riven play with Annie's hair. Annie started to squirm a little, before her eyes flutter open. She looked around the room before her eyes landed on Riven.
"Rivvy!" Annie said before lunging at Riven.
Riven just smiled and caught the little girl in a hug. She held Annie close before holding Annie before her.
"Morning to you to Annie. Now what did I say about telling me where go?" Riven said.
"That I must tell you before I wander around. But I didn't wander around, I went straight to Nauty. And I didn't want to disturb you since you fought a lot yesterday." Annie said as she sat in Riven lap.
"But you could bother Nautilus?" Riven asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Because Nauty said he never sleeps. Right Nauty?" Annie said looking towards the titan.
Riven glared at the titan which made Nautilus hesitate for a second.
"Yes Annie… I do not sleep…"
"Fine fine, just leave a note next time you visit Nautilus in the middle of the night okay." Riven said letting out a sigh.
"Okay!" Annie chirped before she jumped out of Riven lap and put on her bunny slippers. "Let's go get ready Rivvy!"
Before Riven could even move Annie was out the door. With a sigh Riven stood from her seat before sending Nautilus a smile.
"Thank you for always putting up with her. Is it true you don't actually sleep?"
"Yes… and my pleasure… she reminds me of my daughters…"
Riven eyes widen before a small smile appeared. She gently patted Nautilus arm before leaving the room and following after Annie who was tapping her foot at the end of the hall.
Nautilus let out a soft chuckle at the sight before he closed the door again.
So how was that? Good? Bad? Down right weird?
Leave a review to let me know!
To LoonyDip: Glad the interactions are melting your heart. I found this dynamic in a few other stories and I thought it might be perfect to write about. Hope you enjoyed!
PK out!