I had the idea for this...I'm just a lazy authoress that likes to torture her reading audience...nah not really. I been drawing so much lately that I didn't get around to writing. Shame on me but unto your new chapter! Review Response Time!
Miracle of Oracles: Aren't the soundtracks awesome? Lol and 'Tosk's bodyguard ways are actually gonna come up in later chapters...
AntiSora: Oh, they will meet...they have too XD and that'll be one hell of a day. Btw, I found that pic and had a gigglefit. I'm glad you like this so much =w=
Latias Eevee: Oh wow lol I found out about that ability AFTER starting the game and I was all like "...wait, what now?" XD and if you like Emil in a maid outfit, just wait till MUUUUUCH later. Stick around with me, kay?
Transformers123124: LOL THEN THIS CHAPTER IS FOR YOU
Raie: aww, thanks a lot and I know ;m; darn you fanfiction shortages. We need more writers lol
midheal: that made me giggle for no apparent reason but I'll continue to try my best for you guys owo
~Garterbelt~
'Ugh...felt like someone was touching me again...' the young green eyed boy mentally groaned. They stopped for reasons beyond him. Ruri didn't have a problem with it when she was handling him. Then again...that girl was a special case all her own. He figured since he could actually think on what was happening, he finally returned to consciousness. May the goddess hope no one used that tranquilizer for evil purposes... Sitting up he tried to gain his bearings only to noticed a blue-haired girl cowering away from him when his vision finally cleared.
"S-Stay back!" she didn't sound threatening to him. Quite the opposite. As he went to stand he took note of something...he'd been changed again... A mental face-palm.
"M-miss...I'm not going to hurt you. What's your name?" he inquired, sounding as friendly as he could. He was approaching her as if she was a random pet but ignored that little voice laughing at him.
"Stay away!" she stepped back, glaring at him and making sure he couldn't reach her.
"I'm not going to do anything, I promise. Tell me your name. I'm Emil." he took a step towards her just for her to retreat again.
"M-Master Riiiichteeeer!" and with that, she was out the door. Realizing that wasn't a good sign, he took off after her, glad that she hadn't gotten around to placing the shoes on him. That would make it difficult to catch her.
"P-please wait! H-hey!" it was only when they had run through three corridors, a couple flights of stairs and a few halls that he realized he had no clue of where they were running. Half of him just wanted to give up and the other wanted to stop her. He was getting tired but there was no way of knowing exactly what would happen if she actually were able to tell the master of the villa about him. He didn't even want this situation but there was no way out.
"Oh!" the girl squeaked falling back. Finally a chance to stop her.
"Oh thank goodness...I was trying to tell you-"
"Aqua, why are you and the new maid running amok?" the stern voice of the one she ran into questioned. He mentally noted that her name was Aqua and mused that it fit her hair but the new person on the scene seemed to be important. He wore pants that could almost be mistaken for black and a purple tunic type shirt that was long sleeved with a lilac collared shirt underneath. The most noticeable things about him though was his long dark red hair, his glasses that were oddly shaped and almost freezingly cold green eyes staring past the lenses.
"M-Master Richter!" the blonde was dumbfounded. Although he managed to catch up with her as he needed to it put him in the exact place he didn't want to be. He didn't want to be caught by anyone of the same gender as him let alone the lord of this place. Boy was he screwed right now... "This-this maid is-"
"V-very sorry! I didn't mean to cause any problems! I just wanted to talk to...t-to Aqua so I could get some things straightened out-!" he stopped due to the lord bending down to his height to look him in the eye. "I-is something the matter? You seem to be looking for something..."
"Not at all...just checking. I see you matched her clothes with her eyes...very well then..."
"B-but Master! It's not 'she' it's-"
"What?" he seemed a bit irritated as he turned to her. She was freaked out and that rarely happened. The last time that happened there was a snake in the maids quarters... "Would you spit it out so you can show her around?"
"Stop saying 'her', especially with how he looks!" she blurted. He quipped a brow at her. She looked to Emil, a tale tail 'tell him already' look.
"Um..well...you see...I'm...uh..."
"What is wrong with you two?" he huffed, now folding his arms at the apparent stupidity of the others in his presence..
"I'm not a girl!" he shouted.
"He's not a girl!" she also yelled at the same time. It was then he just stood there, arms almost coming out of their folded positions.
"...so you..." the taller's gaze went down for a moment before looking back at the other male. "What is your name?"
"E-Emil...Castangier..." he mumbled, looking away from the others emerald gaze. He sighed before mumbling to himself: "What did Ruri get me into..."
"Ruri?" Richter repeated and suddenly it all made sense. Even at the time, all those questions seemed so unnecessary but seeing as they were in the situation because of them, it was logical."It seems we have to pay that girl another visit..." there was a lining of irritance with that statement as his gaze darkened considerably. "Come Aqua..."
"...what?"
"Tell the others to ready the carriage once again. Now as for you..." he grabbed the wrist of the younger male, causing a surprised squeak from the other. "You are coming with me."
"W-w-wait! Where are we going?" he stuttered, stumbling over not only his steps but his words. The other said nothing but continued yanking the younger forward. He attempted to ask again but was met by a small agitated grunt, something he took as a clear warning to stop for fear of a worsened outcome. Following behind, a bit fearfully but nonetheless slightly willingly. They arrived at a grand sized door, a thwacking sound reverberated through the halls due to Richter shoving it open. Stopping at the over-king sized bed, he pulled Emil in front of him and sat the boy down.
"You are staying in here. Do not leave. I don't need you fooling around in my estate while I'm gone."
"While you're-why not take me with you?"
"Pardon?" he quipped a brow at the others sudden shout. And who was this kid to question him anyway?
"Well, if you wanted to get rid of me, shouldn't you take me with you so that they can...I don't know, take me back or something? And well...it would take less time that way..." he trailed, going quiet under the others stare. Why did he have to look so intimidating? The redhead huffed and pushed his glasses up a bit before looking to the only window in the room.
"If I take you with me, you could try and escape. That's easily done from a carriage and I'm not having it. It's basically a loss of money. And it won't be making extra trips because I'll have them to come back here to get you." the little blonde pondered this. Something else just didn't make sense in this plan...
"Well you say I can escape from it but why not from here?"
"You wouldn't even make it three steps outside before the guards handled you. And dressed like that..." he did a hand gesture towards his newly acquired outfit, "I don't think you'd like what were to happen if you were to try it, am I wrong?" Emil outwardly shuddered at the thought. Glancing over at the mirror, he had to admit, dolled up like that he really did look like a genuine girl. A sigh escaped him as he put his head down, groaning in his head. The other cocked a brow at the odd behavior but shrugged it off as he turned to the door. "This is something that can go unsaid but don't do anything stupid..."
"R...right..." was the small mumble as the door was closed on him, as if he had any choice in the matter. He wondered if his brothers had found out he was missing or if Marta was okay. Things he wouldn't know unless he was able to get away. But then again, that guy told him not to do anything stupid and trying to escape a place you had no clue about definitely fit in that category. Well, might as well check this place out. Seeing as he knew the personality of the girl Richter would be dealing with, he doubted he'd be going anywhere any time soon...
~Ribbons~
"For the last time! If you don't like how it looks then don't eat it!" the red-eyed teen nearly roared for the fifth time. It was also the fifth time Marta said that the food looked weird and maybe even inedible.
"Marta dear, it's fine. Trust me. I had to eat his cooking whenever Emmy got sick. It may look awful but it tastes good."
"...well...ok-"
"That's real nice to say for having made me cook this stupid food in the first place! Ungrateful-"
"Oh hey! This actually does taste good!"
"See? I told you. Say 'thank you 'tosk.'"
"Thanks Ratatosk!" she chimed with a small giggle. He halfheartedly glared at them before mumbling a "Sure..." back, causing them both to smile. Mid dinner though, they all found themselves thinking about him. Tonight, they ate in silence. Aster, who usually made comments had no one to direct it to. Ratatosk, who usually was one of the targets of those comments had no reason to get angry. Marta, who was most likely the one to get Emil to stop freaking out had no one to calm down. With this, they realized most of the things they did in a group sort of centered around him.
"Hey...name a reason you guys want to get Emil back..." the other two then looked to Aster, who had spoken up out of nowhere but looked as if he was lost in thought over something.
"That's a stupid question." he grumbled between bites.
"No, it's not..." he shot back quickly. "Well..." he sighed. "I just mean to say...do we all want him to come back for the right reasons? We haven't really done much for him and he basically takes care of all of us even though he's the youngest of us..."
"So then, why don't you start...why do you want him back?" Marta cut in, actually curious for the answer considering it was Aster who would be thinking of it.
"Because it's no fun without him..." she tilted her head in small response and a small smile crossed his face. "I can't mess with 'tosk if Emmy's not here, now can I?"
"Well, that's true..." the girl mumbled, distracting the attention of the red-eyed one that was about to interrupt. "Well, for me, I want him to continue teaching me more and more! He actually makes it fun to learn how to do what those teachers didn't teach me well..." she gave a distant smile as if remembering him from not that long ago as she was watching him do the laundry.
"So then, Ratatosk, what about you?" the middle child cut in after the lone girl trailed off in thought. Tosk folded his arms, closed his eyes and sighed. It was a moment before he murmured:
"So I can have some peace..."
"...huh?" thee brunette asked suddenly. He looked over at her, a bit irritated.
"Well...you know...he's like...calming I guess...like when I'm frustrated from something, bein' around the kid usually makes me chill...it also stops me from killing Aster, like I'm gonna do if he dares say anything with that smug ass look on his face."
"Ha, ok. I promise I won't mess with you right now. But yeah..." a purposeful, almost wishful glance towards the large bay window of the den. "Let's hope our reasons work for us, hmm?"
~Petticoat~
It'd been almost an hour since he left the house so suddenly so of course he was in more of a foul mood than usual. No one, and he made sure that no one ever pulled anything on him and got away with it. Ruri would pay if he found her, no questions about it. But then again, he could only be blamed for not figuring out himself that Emil wasn't a girl. Then again, who would figure that out at first glance? The boy had a rounded face, quite fair skin and although it wouldn't be admitted with the current knowledge of the person, quite the cute sleeping face, how would anyone find out immediately. Then something caught his attention.
"Aqua..."
"Ah, yes Master Richter?"
"...how did you find out Emil was a boy?"
"..." after a minute or so of not getting an answer, he looked at her just to find her staring at her lap with the strongest focus in the world. He tapped the back of his hand against her shoulder as an urge to continue. She mumbled something before taking a breath and sighing. She still wouldn't look up at him though. "Uh...don't you know how you...uh...told me to get 'her' dressed?"
"Yes."
"Well...in the middle of it...uh...um...let us just say my hand ran across something that definitely doesn't belong to any girl I know..." something about that sentence made him want to laugh but, being who he was, he didn't. He regained all seriousness when he saw the building coming into view. Right, back to 'business mode' he had to remind himself. Not waiting for the contraption to completely stop, he hopped out of it when the horse was at a trot. Before Aqua could fully figure out what he was doing, he was almost already at the front door, her chasing to follow. He rapped at the door with the door knocker, he took note that it looked like a Fenrir out of the sheer fact that it was taking them forever to come to the door. He tried it again before settling with 'knocking' with his foot. Of course the person he didn't want to see would answer the door. She stood there in a half open night gown looking partial groggy and other part drunk. Once she got a good look at who it was, that smile crossed her face.
"Why my dear lord Richter...it can be no less than three in the morning so I would expect you want some...business with me?" within that pause, she gave him a sultry look that would've gotten her the 'it's not very effective' response if they were playing Pokemon.
"No, not you. Your assistant. It's urgent."
A clearly irritated sigh. "Her again? What is it with you? And why do you need to see her again? You just saw her earlier."
"That, in itself is the problem. I need to speak with her since you don't know of the terms of our agreement on a maid that she sold me so I would highly appreciate if you would let me inside..." an unusual pout formed on her lips as she stepped to the side.
"Sure if you think you can find her. That girl never sleeps in her room."
"Oh that, I believe I have someone that can help me with that, right Aqua?" instead of speaking, she simply nodded her head, not wanted to say anything in front of her previous trainer. They walked past the now cross woman in search of the mischievous girl. The first destination was, of course, the girl's room itself. Well, Pronyma was right about one thing. She definitely wasn't there. The ocean haired girl placed a hand to her chin. Where did she always find her in the mornings? Well, either in her room because someone took her there but that clear hadn't happened so...
"Let's check the kitchen." and with that, she started walking in a direction. Down the halls and one flight of stairs to the basement. As she reached up for a candle, he grabbed for it ahead of her before looking at her questionably. "Ah-ha..." she giggled nervously. "Almost, almost. She has the kitchen in the basement so that the whole upstairs can be all business. It's right here actually." she pointed at an open doorway with a light coming from inside. Stepping inside, the very girl was asleep at a table with some type of food in front of her. And yet, she was asleep, head bobbing with the heavier of her breaths.
"...may I ask why she's asleep in the kitchen of all places?"
"Well it would have either been here or the pantry. She doesn't eat during the day because she's mostly handling the business. After she came here, Pronyma got around to the life of self indulgence and she's basically taken over the trade. And because of that, she barely eats and that dolt upstairs is only interested in men and what they can give her in more than one way."
"...how long?"
"Since she got here. That's all I know. I got here after her." she shrugged. "Ruuurii. Wake up. We need to talk to you." There was no response from her. She just continued sleeping soundly as if they weren't there. She shook the girl lightly. She didn't need those fighting instincts going off on her. "Come on, wake up now. I know you're tired but please?" More mumbling before a grumble and her shaking the hand off her shoulder. A weak laugh before Aqua tried again to get just about the same reaction. "...Master Richter...do me a favor..."
"...what is it?"
"...try to hit her..."
"...excuse me?"
"She'll have a reaction. Please trust me. Do it as hard as you can and...put your guard up for a moment at least. She needs to sense it coming."
"..." shaking his head, he stepped up as she stepped away. Well, hopefully she'd dodge, if she didn't...they'd need a medical facility... He swung fast, closed fist strait at her. Before they could even notice, her eyes flew open and she leaned back quickly. She grabbed unto his forearm and wrists, about to do more until the blue-haired maid quickly stepped in.
"N-no! No! Stop! Stop! Stop!" she latched unto hands from the opposite direction of the male. She glanced in the girls direction before squinting a moment.
"...Aqua? What the hell?" as the sleep fogging her mind diminished, the realization came in full. "Oh crap..." brown eyes met with green as he glared at her.
"That's the least of your worries. Release me. Now. We have some talking to do..."
"...I'm not sure I'm willing to let go yet...you look like you actually want to hit me..." at that statement, he pulled back just to feel her hold tighter. Looking from his wrist back to her face his frown worsened.
"That doesn't sound half bad at the moment for what you tricked me into..."
"No trick there. I asked if you could handle it or if you'd over-react. Looks like you lied on both of those..." Aqua couldn't help a small laugh at that. A glance at her from her master made her stop.
"You're the one to say something about lying."
"Not true. You never asked if Emil was a girl, didja?"
"You-..." he stopped. True enough, that question was never asked. In a usual case, that question wouldn't have even have needed to be asked but then again, this wasn't the correct place of business. He huffed, yanking his arms from her, the girl releasing them this time. "So you're the type of person that works in loopholes I see."
"Best way to do business and stay in it. I've got the best sales track I'll have you know." she chuckled. He found no amusement in her statement but he didn't detect a lie in it either. He sighed, pulling out a chair a sitting in it. With his hand against his head he sighed.
"So I take it, there's nothing I can do about this situation?"
"Nope!" she smiled. "If there was, do you really think place would still be running?" she walked over to the sink and let the water run after rummaging through a cabinet. "Truthfully, I'd love to help you but I promised Emil I'd help him first. I can't go around breaking those you know."
"And yet, you'd break customer confidentiality, huh?"
"I never did. It was broken the moment this place was made. You knew that and yet you still came here. Not once for a maid but twice. Your own fault if you ask me..."
"I don't believe I asked you that."
"Oh, I know. Tea?" taking his hand down, he noted in her hand was a tea pot with a couple of cups. A brow was raised. "Ok. I don't act like a maid but I know how to be one if need be. Don't doubt me" she laughed. As if to showcase her fact, she offered a cup to Aqua as well, fixing it up appropriately as well as make herself one.
"I guess it will do..."
"Heh, you must be tired anyway. I take it you're leaving right after this?"
"As if I'd let you be that lucky..." he grumbled, picking up the cup she placed for him. She gave a fake whine while sitting down herself. "You need to do something about that boy."
"I can't. No matter how much you want me to, I can't."
"You still haven't told me why..."
"Oh...for one thing, in order to have returned merchandise you have to return it after a certain amount of days. You haven't even had him for one so how do you expect to-"
"What is the limit?"
"...oh come on...give Emmy a chance. He's a good kid. I bet he'd be a better maid than any other one out there."
"And what makes you say that? You've known him for less than a day so how am I to trust your judgment?" he murmured, eying her over the rim of the mug. She smirked, raising a brow at him.
"I'm a good judge of character. Plus he's like meek and docile. He wouldn't fit into your 'world of men' any more than she could." she laughed, forwarding towards Aqua. "Before you ask, we talked a few times. Trust me. Trust him. And if you still don't, you have a month to try. You can't bring him back before that. I won't allow it." Taking a swallow of the mild-warm tea, she added, "And even then I might not let you give him back. I promised him I'd find him a good place and you seem well enough to me."
"Your judge of character tell you that too?"
"That plus intuition and knowledge."
It was then that he put the cup down. "Knowledge? Of what?"
"Your 'track record' of the way you run your workers. You don't abuse them, any of them in any sexual or non-sexual way and you haven't fired a single person that works for you and didn't deserve it and even if you had to you set something up for them. You aren't a bad person, stop trying to get me to see you as one. And I think Aqua there is also living proof, don'tcha think?" He just stared at the girl for a moment before sighing.
"I suppose that's correct...you really don't leave much of a way out of this..."
"Sure don't." she beamed. "And if that is the end of your business with me, I will lead you two safely back to the door."
"Safely? What would be the difference from when we came in?"
"Pronyma will have gotten desperate at this point. If you leave on your own, no matter how stubborn she is she'll-"
"Safe way it is then..." a giggle from the coffee haired girl.
~Uniform~
"...what is this?" the master of the house nearly growled at all the girls in his room. Sure, his glare could scare the dead but something must've been negating it. He folded his arms at the hen house display. "I'll ask this again, what are you-"
"Master Richter, he's sleeping!" he blinked. There had to be at least six maids in his room all staring at the boy, the reason unfathomable. Just yesterday Aqua was running scared of him so why...
"Why are you in here ogling the boy in his sleep?"
"Oh...well...you see, he was a big help while you were gone and went and tired himself out. He's just adorable though. You found a hard worker. We barely had to do a thing!"
"That still doesn't explain why you're in here right now, now does it?" his frown grew at the embarrassed looks on their faces after that statement.
"Well, he tuckered himself out so we brought him back in here because...well...it was our fault to begin with. We're sorry..." they all bowed and filed the room slowly, Aqua choosing to take her leave as well. Once the door closed, he sighed heavily. Whatever this...Emil did, he'd have to find out exactly what it was at some other time. He was tired and dragging an explanation out before he had any proper rest was not his priority. He slid out of his shoes and began the usual change into night clothes, a thought crossing his mind to see if he had any for his apparent bed guest but he brushed that aside. For now, it didn't matter. That would be seen to tomorrow, as would anything else. Not too particularly focused on the usual mannerisms of bedtimes, he lazed about to the bed, lying down and placing his glasses on the bed stand. He couldn't help but smell the cleaning liquids on the boy that he'd probably used earlier on that day. Not too loud to be irritating but not low enough to be wondered about, just right to be pleasant. And if he was correct, it was a citrus, lemon maybe. That was his lingering thought as he drifted off for some much needed rest.
A/N: No, I'm not dead...I just had an extremely long and hard time writing. This is the only chapter I have been able to finish. I'm in the middle of like...four different chapters but yeah, this is what came out. Sorry if this is shorter than usual too... Next will either be the one shot I wrote, a new chapter of Don't Bring Books to the Beach or My Silent Hero. Be lookin out!
~Ruru out