CH.4: Indeed Real
That smiling husk
That enchanted dusk
They say the most brilliant are the most unstable
It is yet another part of this winding fable
It did not take long for Estelle to realize that this place is nothing like her dreams. Indeed her surroundings are dark, but she never saw such a poisoned appearance to a castle. The white walls are covered with thin, black veins. At the base of either wall, some strange violet gel is caked against the it. Like the room before, a thin layer of mist hung over the floor, but it lacks the hollow, black color from before.
"What are you staring at?"
"Nothing."
Aside from her surroundings, this man that she saw so often is nothing like in her dreams. Is it possible for someone who seems so... what's the word... sarcastic, to be a heated kisser? All these thoughts ran through Estelle's mind as she followed Yuri through the lower levels of the castle. Due to the sheer strangeness of it, her eyes just could not look away from his long, black, rabbit ears.
"Is there something on my face?"
"No."
"Then why are you staring at me?"
"I'm sorry."
....
....
....
"Estelle?"
"Yes?"
"Seriously, what's with the staring?"
"Nothing."
Absentmindedly, her hand went up to touch her cat-like ears, and then her tail. Is it normal for people to have animal features in this place? She started running the possibilities through her head, and giggled at the results.
"Hmm?" Yuri looked back at her in question, "Now what?"
Estelle shook her head, "It's nothing, I just had a humorous thought, that's all."
"Uh huh," Yuri slowly faced forward once more, "are we still going the right way?" He had stopped hearing the Nightingale a few minutes ago, of course the echo in the hallway didn't help much.
"Yes, its still going forward." Estelle looked at all the doors they had passed since leaving the room that once imprisoned Yuri. Some looked like a large animal had slammed into it, while others looks solidly locked for all eternity. "Are you familiar with this castle?"
Yuri shrugged, "I know where to take my lefts and rights."
Estelle frowned, "You never give a straight answer do you?"
"Yes Estelle," Yuri looked back at her with a friendly smirk, "I know my way around the castle." He chuckled at her pout, "Straight enough for you?"
"Somehow, I feel like you're making fun of me." Estelle's pout deepened.
Yuri shrugged, "Nope." He continued on without another word. The pair steadily made their way through the lower level of the castle until finally spotting a lit lantern on the wall. The eerie blue flame illuminated a set of stairs.
The Nightingale tweeted once more before shooting upwards, into the darkness that hung away from the lantern. Estelle quickly followed using the stairs, oblivious to the look on Yuri's face. He didn't say it out loud – and highly doubts he'll ever say it out loud – but he feels uneasy. While he followed Estelle up the stairs, he vaguely recalled why he had been imprisoned. "I should probably ditch her for her own good." His advance sharply stopped when he bumped into his petite companion, "Estelle?"
Ear pressed to the closed door at the top of the stairs, Estelle waved him over, "Listen, do you hear that?" The cat ear pressed to the door twitched at the sound.
"Hmm," Yuri listened closely, "sounds like the clunky noise of running knights."
"Knights!?" Estelle's eyes brightened despite Yuri's dry tone, "Perfect, they can help us find a way out."
Yuri resisted the instinct to curse sharply, "Estelle wait!"
It was too late. Estelle grabbed the handle of the door and swung it open. However, she quickly gasped and leaped back against Yuri when a low blur passed by. Before she could utter a question, the noisy knights rushed past the door as well, nearly fumbling over each other.
"There it is, get it!"
"That blasted hound, it stole my last piece of jerky!"
"Screw your jerky. It's that man's accomplice, we must capture the beast!"
Yuri smirked through his shock and stepped out into the hallway. If his guess is right, then it would be a good idea to follow the clumsy men in armor. "At least he kept himself busy."
"Come on Yuri, we have to help them!" Estelle recklessly yelled out his name and started rushing after the knights. The moment she did, however, the knights stopped in their tracks and turned around. Their target forgotten, the knights stared past Estelle and to the swordsman with his mouth agape. Estelle looked between the knights and Yuri, confused by the awkward silence, "Um-"
"It's Yuri 'Black Jack' Lowell!"
Yuri sighed, "Oh man, things are never easy."
"He's broken out of his prison! That's impossible!"
"Morning LaBlanc, I see you and the Tweedle Brigade are hard at work." Yuri scratched his ear and looked to the wall with an aloof expression.
The officer in the group of knights growled, "Black Jack Lowell, I see your time in imprisoned in the castle jails did nothing to dull that tongue of yours."
"Eh? J-Jail!?" Estelle looked back at Yuri in shock. He's a criminal?
"Just what is a Tweedle!?" Two voices chorused.
Yuri turned around, and ignored the pack of dog-eared knights, "I'm getting a little hungry, I wonder if they have anything good in the Dining Hall."
"Yuri, please don't be rude to the knights!" She looked to him sternly, "You're in enough trouble as it is." She frowned when he scratched his rabbit ear. "You're not going to behave, are you." Her frown deepened when Yuri yawned.
LaBlanc looked at Estelle and blinked. "I don't recall seeing a beautiful young lady with pink hair around here before." He looked back to his subordinates, "Have you ever seen her before?" He received multiple negative answers. "As I thought. So you had a girl sneak into the castle to free you." He looked at Yuri accusingly, "That's low, even for you Black Jack."
"If you're going to give a guy a nickname, try and be more original than Black Jack." Yuri quickly grabbed Estelle's hand and bolted in the opposite direction.
Estelle felt her head spin at the sudden development. She's in a dark castle, freed an alleged criminal, and is now labeled an accomplice. How did a simple night in her normal life end up becoming such a strange mess? Deciding that now isn't the time to ponder these things, she voiced a question, "Who were they chasing anyway?"
"You'll see." Yuri smirked and continued to run from their clunky pursuers.
"Where are we going?" She hoped somewhere brighter.
"I wasn't joking about being hungry." His smirk grew into an amused smile when he heard someone's stomach roar, "It seems you are too."
Estelle blushed, "Y-Yes I am. It seems all this excitement got to me." She looked away from him, and scolded herself for allowing such a thing to happen. A proper lady never makes bodily noises in front of people. It's rude. Her scolding ended when she heard a louder growl.
"Ugh, that's what a few months of imprisonment will do to a guy." Yuri rubbed his stomach. He didn't notice Estelle staring at him in shock. Isn't he embarrassed?
Again, Estelle pushed the thought aside. Later, she'll have to organize all that she's experienced in a matter of an hour. She sharply yelped when Yuri pulled her into a left turn, and pressed her against himself as they hid in a shadowed corner. A few breaths later, LaBlanc and his knights clunked by, unaware of their hiding spot.
"That was close." Yuri stepped out of the shadowed corner and stretched. He turned to walk in the opposite direction, but stopped when he noticed Estelle staring at him. The look in her eyes told him why she stood in his way. He sighed, "Look Estelle-"
"It was a misunderstanding!" Yuri blinked at her sharp interruption. Estelle's face softened, as if she knew that, in some way, she is lying to herself. "You were imprisoned because of a misunderstanding, so it's fine." She met his dark eyes, "Right?"
Yuri stared at her with mixed feelings. A part of him wanted to clear this all up, but another didn't want to risk getting her involved. Another part wanted to follow her, and by extension, the Nightingale. A dog's bark broke his trance. Turning, he spotted a four-legged figure sauntering over to him, "Hey Repede, so you're awake too."
"Woof!" Estelle gasped at the hound that approached Yuri. Its dark blue coat almost made him invisible in the shadows that danced in the hallway. When he stepped into the light of the lanterns lining the wall, she could see his scared eye. She smiled at the pipe in its mouth. As if feeling eyes on him, Repede looked at Estelle.
"Repede, Estelle," Yuri motioned to the wide-eyed girl, "Estelle, Repede." He watched as Repede walked over to Estelle.
Estelle kneeled down to pet him, "Hello there Repede!" Her bright smile fell when Repede turned away from her hand and started down the hallway. She frowned, "Did I do something wrong?" Animals usually like her.
"That's funny," Yuri chuckled, "he usually likes women." His eyes dropped below Estelle's neck, "Maybe that's why."
Oblivious to his implication, Estelle tilted her head in confusion. "Maybe what is why?"
Yuri coughed, "Ahem, nothing, let's hit the Dining Hall."
Estelle frowned at his retreating back, "I missed something." The trio continued a short distance to the Dining Hall. All along the way, Estelle kept trying to get close to the rugged hound, only to be met with rejection. If she tried to walk next to Repede, he'd drop back to Yuri. If she tried to touch him, he'd weave away from her hand and yawn. It was as if Repede ignored her existence. Finally, they reached elegant doors to the Dining Hall.
What met Estelle's eyes caused her to take in a breath of astonishment. She is familiar with noble décor for Dining Halls, but this out-shined all she's ever seen. The floors and matching ivory walls were bathed in a warm light. Finely covered tables filled the floor, each nearly stretching the length of the room. On either side of the spacious Dining Hall, ivory steps led up to a second level. From her view, the second floor looked absent of tables, probably meant as a place for people to stand and socialize. The entire left wall was made of glass, allowing the sapphire moonlight to spill into the hall.
As if by magic, Yuri and Estelle's stomachs growled at the same time. It felt like a force had caused the rare moment, and caught the attention of a lone man in a butler's garb. He stared at the trio before a large grin formed on his face. Flicking his pointy mustache, he turned to the kitchen to their right, "We have a party of three!"
Before Yuri could voice a question, the kitchen door burst open to allow rows of butlers to waltz in. The perfectly aligned servers marched into the Dining Hall, each bellowing a low tune. The scene grew more interesting when maids descended the large staircases, humming a light tune themselves. In perfect sync, they joined the butlers between the long tables.
Estelle waited anxiously. She could feel the energy in the room. To her delight, the butlers and maids picked a partner and began dancing a number for them. A perfectly orchestrated series of twirls, smooth lifts, and jolly singing brought a huge smile to her face.
The kitchen doors opened once more, and a torrent of cooks came dancing into the large room. With butlers and maids twirling about them, the cooks carried their trays to one of the tables and set down the covered dishes. From one side to the other, they uncovered their trays and displayed the fresh food that seemed too large to fit in trays. With bright smiles, the cooks bowed and retreated back into the kitchen.
Yuri felt his eyebrow rise, while Estelle clapped gently in amusement. However, the show was not finished. A hush came over the butlers and maids, as they cleared a space at the head of the long table. In the cleared space, a man and a young woman stood side-by-side.
Estelle felt her heart leap when the white-haired butler tapped his feet on the smooth floor. On the third tap, his partner fell into his awaiting arm, and strongly spun when he twirled her. The young woman smoothly twirled to an unheard melody, and gracefully made her way to the other side of her partner. When she passed in front of him, he caught her in his arms.
Twirling her once again, he swiftly turned to the table and placed two silver candles on the table. The moment he set the second candle down, the young woman stopped spinning and fired a small fireball. The speck of flame shot across the both candles and lit them. Its task finished, the butler caught the flame and put it out on his tongue. With a bow, he motioned for them to sit, "Bon appetite."
"Well that was new." Yuri shrugged and made his way over to the table. He didn't recognize any faces, – though that white-haired butler looked familiar – so he didn't bother hiding his face or anything.
Repede quickly followed him, eyeing the steaming turkey leg. He stopped, however, when he heard light footsteps heading in another direction. Curious, he looked over to see Estelle making her way towards the young woman that lit the candles. His ears twitched with curiosity, but with a flick of his pipe, he ignored the issue.
Yuri, on the other hand, couldn't help but observe. No doubt Estelle will draw attention to herself in some way. Heck, he was surprised that she hasn't received a question about her pink hair yet. His attention shifted when he saw the white-haired butler heading his way. Again, his face seemed familiar, but Yuri couldn't place it. That is, until he saw a pair of wolf ears perk up in the moonlight.
On the other side of the Dining Hall, Estelle finally made her way over to the fire-spitting maid. She noticed that she had cat ears amongst her auburn hair, and her face looked less that pleased at the moment. Nevertheless, Estelle approached her with a friendly smile, "Um, excuse me."
"Huh," She turned her bored, green eyes to Estelle, "what is it?" A stern look from one of the senior butlers made her flinch, "I mean, how can I... be of service?" She looked on the verge of gagging at her polite tone.
"I just wanted to say that you were really good." Estelle looked at her with admiration, "I've never seen someone dance like that."
She shrugged, "Eh, it gets me free room and board." Yet another stern look changed her attitude, "Oh my, it was my pleasure to entertain you." Her smile looked awkwardly forced, but Estelle seemed oblivious to it.
"My name is Estellise, but please, call me Estelle." She raised her hand with a bright smile, and missed the strange look the girl gave her.
Uncomfortable, she glanced around, "Uh, my name's Rita?" She continued to look around awkwardly when Estelle kept her hand up, "Um, listen, I have a few things to take care of. It was... a pleasure to meet you." Rita shot a nasty look to the senior butler, as if asking, 'are you happy now!?'.
"Oh, I'm sorry for holding you up." Estelle's smile never wavered, "I hope we run into each other again." She waved goodbye to Rita and started back for Yuri and Repede.
Rita watched her go for a few moments before turning towards the kitchen, "I am so glad my shift ends in three minutes." She kicked open the door to the kitchen, "I even had to do that ridiculous routine! Who do they think I am?" Her tail erect, Rita made her way through the hard working cooks.
Outside, Estelle slowly made her way to the table. She took her time, and enjoyed the atmosphere that the butlers and maids created in the Dining Hall. Her emerald eyes dropped to meet the sharp gaze of the man that had danced with Rita. He gave her a small wave and a smile as he walked by. "Did you talk to him?" She questioned Yuri and watched the young man as he met Rita by the kitchen door.
Yuri chuckled when the wolf-eared butler lifted Rita's skirt and made a crude comment, earning him an elbow in the gut, "Yep." He lifted his bowl to finish his soup.
"Is he a friend of yours?" Estelle carefully picked out some fruit and started nibbling on a piece of bread. Unaware she was doing so, her eyes drifted upwards to stare at the oddity atop Yuri's head.
Ignoring her perfect table-manners, Yuri wolfed down another plate of mixed meats, vegetables, and used a dinner-roll to clean up the remains. If Estelle didn't know better, she'd think he's in some sort of rush. "His name is Fen. We met not too long ago," Yuri stopped to smirk, "well, not too long before I was imprisoned." He looked at Estelle and his face fell. She was sitting there with a piece of bread hanging from her lips, and her bright eyes were focused just above his head.
Finally, it clicked, and Yuri sighed. Tilting his head towards her, he wiggled his black bunny ears, "Go ahead."
Like a child who just discovered the most interesting thing in the world, Estelle poked and rubbed his ears. Satisfied, she came to the conclusion that they are, indeed, real.
A/N: What a fun chapter, don't you think? For those wondering: yes, the dance scene does have significance. Anyway, until next chapter, please feel free to drop a review. Thank you for reading!