Thanks to Serena Heartfilia for beta-ing this! :)
I Can't See The Light Yet; Chapter 8
"Semar, we're going swimming! Wanna come?" Oz asked the Rainsworth, peeking into the study. The man looked up from his desk, chewing on a quill. There was a smudge of ink on his forehead.
"Unless I can blackmail Reim into doing this dumb paperwork when he gets back, no. Thanks for offering."
"You've been inside for three days! Ever since you got back from your Pandora mission! Sharon-chan says you should take a break, and come outside."
"Tell my dear sister that when she comes back from a tiring mission for Pandora, I won't pester her, and that I expect her to do the same."
"More meat for me, then." Oz felt Alice sidle up to the doorway next to him. "Let's go, Oz."
"What are you wearing?!" Oz demanded. The girl had on short white shorts, and a white-laced corset, with a transparent shirt thrown over it. Alice grimaced.
"Shar- I mean, Onee-sama, said it's what girls must wear when they go swimming. She wouldn't let me take off all my clothes." Alice looked Oz up and down. "Why's it matter? You're just wearing shorts. Why can't I wear just shorts? Shirts and corsets are annoying."
Sweating, Oz forced a smile. "That's probably not a good thing. Keep your shirt on."
"Shut the door when you leave," Semar said, looking at them both with a smile.
"'Kay, then, see you later, Semar." Oz shut the door, then ran after Alice, wondering why the girl didn't have any shoes on.
The afternoon was perfect for swimming in the pond next to the manor. Flowers bloomed everywhere, bees buzzed, and yellow sunlight made everything bright. It was hot, but as soon as Oz leapt into the pond, he cooled down.
"Is Semar coming?" Sharon called to him.
"Naw, he has to do paperwork. Alice, come on!" Alice stood on the edge of the pond, looking down.
"I didn't know rabbits were scared of water," Break called from the patio. There were chairs scattered around the pond. Sharon-chan and Break sat underneath a large umbrella, both fully clothed. Evidently neither wanted to go swimming.
Gil sat a few feet away, in his normal white shirt, and black pants. His cigarettes had been confiscated by Sharon earlier, so he sullenly took sips from lemonade every-so-often.
"I'm not scared! You dumb old clown!" Alice spat at Break. "It's just-"
Oz grabbed her hand, pulling in her in. She spat and kicked at him, but he just laughed and kept ahold.
"You- you- insolent contrac-!" She tried to run through the water, but Oz's foot slipped in the mud, and they both went under the water.
He felt Alice's foot connect solidly with his lower abdomen, and coughed, taking in water. Both of them made it to the surface, Oz fighting his way to the shore, still coughing.
"Alice- don't kick that hard," he gasped. There was a tittering from above him, and he looked up.
Crimson stood a few away, dressed in a frilly outfit that left Oz blushing and stuttering. It was the most revealing thing the poor blonde had ever seen a girl in. It covered her torso, but left her shoulders and legs bare. There were lacy straps, and flowery patterns dotted all over it.
"What- she's nearly naked, why can't I be?" Alice muttered behind him. "And where's that meat the cook's making?"
"It's a one-piece," the red-head said to Alice, her smile seeming forced to Oz. Crimson stepped into the water, shivering.
"I swam a lot as a child, so water's like a second skin to me," she said loudly. "I'm sort of like a mermaid, tee hee!"
Oz and Alice didn't really see what was funny.
Sounds like Crimson made it out there, Semara thought. She could hear the Sue's loud voice through the open window in the room. Something about being a mermaid.
"Why would a Mary Sue want to go swimming?" the brunette mused aloud. There was the beauty factor, definitely, with a skimpy swimsuit.
Usually, though, Crimson was more interested in the drama part of things. How would there be drama involved with a pond in summer?
"Oh, stars," Semara gasped. Of course! Xerxes was sitting out next to the pond, and he probably knew some form of CPR, because that was just the man he was, and there would be drama if someone 'accidentally drowned.'
Standing up so fast she knocked the wooden chair over, (a bad habit that would need to be fixed), Semara ran like the wind down the hall.
She trucked down a maid, but kept running, yelling apologies at Marcy over her shoulder. She could just let Xerxes save Crimson, Semara thought, even as she kept running. That felt like letting Crimson win. Even if she was a 'mature' adult, Semara still didn't want to let a dumb Mary Sue win.
She could hear Oz and Alice splashing in the pond, with the undertone of Sharon talking quietly. There was no sound of Crimson's voice. The high-pitched chatter coming from the red-head had stopped.
The sunlight hit Semara like a brick, making everything contrasted. She squinted, adjusting, then promptly tripped on the first stair down to the yard, falling down the rest.
"Oww," the brunette groaned. "I swear stairs across the world are out to get me..." Then she remembered the drowning scheme that was probably about to happen.
"Having some troubles, brat?" a familiar voice called to her. Semara ignored Xerxes. She looked around the backyard of the villa, at the large, glimmering pond. Alice and Oz were looking back at her, but there was no sign of that stupid red-headed Sue.
"CRIMSON! YOU GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF THAT WATER RIGHT NOW, OR I SWEAR I'M GONNA RIP UP ALL THE PRETTY DRESSES YOU OWN!" Semara yelled at the top of her lungs in the direction of the pond, running at top speed towards the water. Stopping at the edge, she scanned the water.
"What's wrong, Semar?! Crimson said she can swim just fine." Oz said. "Also, why are you barefoot?"
"I forgot to put on shoes," Semara replied, still scanning. There was mud stuck between her toes, that was nice. "Crimson lies about everything, so don't trust anything she says." A few bubbles surfaced out in the middle of the pond.
"Found her!" Semara jumped into the pond, the water cold. Her clothes clung to her skin, weighing her down, but she persevered. The last thing she heard before going underneath the water was Sharon and Xerxes calling her name in confusion.
She had never been able to open her eyes underneath water like other people, but she still tried it then. Crimson was obviously trying to drown herself so Xerxes would come and save her, otherwise she'd have never gone near the murky water.
Her pink eyes stinging, Semara kept swimming down, and towards the middle of the pond. It got quite deep, twelve or thirteen feet. The color of the water made it seem colder and deeper.
Through her slitted vision, she caught a glimpse of red hair. There she was! Crimson was laying dramatically against the bottom of the pond, looking composed and tranquil. If she could've, Semara would have rolled her eyes.
There were no air bubbles coming out of Crimson's nose. She was completely still. Semara kicked once more, reaching the woman. The brunette wrapped her arms around Crimson's waist, then pushed off the muddy bottom of the pond. Crimson kept her eyes closed, but slowly reached her arms around Semara's shoulders.
They reached the surface, gasping for air. Crimson opened her eyes, a faint smile on her face, which immediately dropped when she realized that Semara was not a certain albino man.
"What- You're not-!" Crimson spluttered. Semara breathed heavily for a few seconds.
"Yeahh, I know I'm not Xerxes. You were fake-drowning, and I'm the only who noticed. You're lucky I don't need to give you CPR." Semara's legs were getting tired from treading water to hold them both above the surface. "Come on, I know you can swim."
Crimson slapped her angrily. Semara's head twisted with the impact, her head falling underneath the surface for a second. By the time she had blinked the water out of her eyes, the red-head was already swimming back to the shore of the pond.
"That's what I get for thanks," Semara muttered to herself. "The dumb clown didn't even notice she'd been under for a while."
Is Gil around? a voice asked in her head.
I'm not feeling like talking right now, Shadow Star, so if you would just-
IS HE?
Kicking, Semara began to make her way back after Crimson. Yeah. He's over there. No need to yell.
Perfect. I'm sorry about this in advance.
Semara felt a chill creep over her, and then there was something controlling her body, so she couldn't control her own actions.
Her pink eyes went wide. She looked across the yards of water and trees, searching for someone who could see what was going on. Sharon and Xerxes were looking at her, and she tried to open her mouth, but couldn't. Xerxes stood up, his mouth forming words, but Semara's ears were underwater, and then her entire body was slipping down, down...
Shadow Star, stop this! I'm gonna drown! I can't swim when you immobilize me!
Don't worry, my little Mary Sue. Gilbert will come and save you.
But I don't want him to save me, Semara thought, I don't need anybody to save me, and then there was too much water in her lungs, and-
What in star's name is going on with Semar and Crimson? Xerxes thought, watching the action between the two. Semar had come leaping out of the house, falling down the stairs, and then jumped into the pond. His hair was still messy, he was barefoot, and Xerxes had caught sight of a smudge of ink on his face. What a mess.
The man was a good swimmer, but Xerxes didn't know why he was yelling at Crimson. The devil-woman was obviously underwater, swimming, and couldn't hear him.
Wait- had she been drowning? Xerxes himself hadn't even noticed.
The two had made it back to the surface. Crimson had some issue with the younger Rainsworth twin, slapping him, and then swimming furiously back towards shore.
That was when something weird happened. Xerxes focused back onto Semar, watching him start swimming after Crimson, but then his pink eyes had gone wide, and everything around him froze. Semar had just-stopped moving. Xerxes' pinkie felt like it had been cut off.
"Semar, what's-" he yelled across the yards between them, but the man was already underwater.
"Break? Is something wrong?" Sharon looked at the albino, then out on the pond. "Where did Semar go? He was just right there."
"Raven! Something's wrong with the Rainsworth kid!" Xerxes called to the seaweed-head. "You're a better swimmer, go get him!"
In response, Gilbert dropped his lemonade cup, and with long strides, covered the dirt and mud, and was into the pond within seconds.
"Semar's drowning?" Sharon gasped. "Break, he can swim perfectly! He's been swimming since he was a child!"
"I saw his face, oujou-sama. Something's wrong with him."
"Then go help Raven, you idiot!" A frantic edge was in Sharon's voice.
A few seconds passed. Oz and Alice were standing on the edge of the pond, dripping, looking on in worry.
Xerxes felt the familiar dread, the same feeling he had felt when the illegal Chain had grabbed the Rainsworth in Copperton. He pressed his hand into his side, clenching his fingers, willing his pinkie to stop hurting.
Stars, if that kid dies-
Raven burst out of the water, cursing like a sailor, his arm around a sopping wet, limp body. Raven looked weighed down with the weight of Semar. Xerxes took the brunette from his arms, carrying him bridal-style higher onto the shore.
Semar was heavy. His head flopped backwards, his neck startling pale. Xerxes didn't mind that his arms were getting soaked from holding the man.
Sharon and Raven both helped him lay the man down on the grass-spotted dirt.
"He's not breathing, Xerx-niisan, what do we do?!" Sharon cried, kneeling next to her brother. "He was barely under the water for two minutes, he's not going to die! Right?!"
"There's water in his lungs," Xerxes said. "We have to push it out." Stars, why was the brunette so pale? Why did he have to go save Crimson? The stupid red-headed devil was a few feet away, sulking, and not doing anything to help.
Without a moment's hesitation, Xerxes straddled Semar, pressing his hands on the man's chest. Pushing down twice, hard, he bent his head down, ear just brushing Semar's lips. There was still no sound.
"Rainsworth needs air. You're going to have to breathe into him," Raven said, kneeling with Sharon.
"Don't press too hard on his chest," Sharon cried. "It'll him-"
"Oujou-sama, I'd rat hurt her him be alive and hurt, than dead," Xerxes breathed. "Alright, I'll try breathing into him." He tilted Semar's head back, parting his lips. Giving two more pushes on the man's chest, he bent down and-
Semar's pink eyes opened, focusing, then met Xerxes'. Everything froze. The albino's lips were suspended, an inch away from meeting Semar's.
The moment was broken when the Rainsworth gave a cough, and jerked, curling up slightly. His forehead met Xerxes' nose, and his knee went straight up into Xerxes' groin.
They were both coughing then, Semar rolling onto his side, throwing up water, and Xerxes trying not to show exactly how much pain he was in. He fell off Semar, closing his eyes, groaning.
"Semar! Xerx- That- ouch," Sharon said, relief and laughter in her voice.
"He's fine," Xerxes said through gritted teeth. "After throwing up water in my face, evidently he is himself." Did Semar really have to knee him straight in the groin? Having children wasn't in Xerxes' list of life goals, but there was a limit to the amount of pain a man could take.
The man kept coughing. Raven and Sharon bent over him, Sharon's hand on his shoulder.
"Brother, are you alright?" she asked him. There were a few final hacks in response. Oz handed Sharon a towel.
"Break, your nose is bleeding," Raven told the albino.
Touching a finger to his nose, Xerxes found red blood covering it. "Stars, that brat's forehead is like a brick."
"Mo- Molested by- clown," Semar got out, still coughing. Sharon gave a relieved laugh.
"Break was saving your life, stupid brother. He pushed on your chest to get the water out of your lungs."
"What?!" Semar said, sitting up. There was mud all over his face and white shirt, where he had been pressed into the ground. His eyes were wide and fearful.
Sharon seemed to realize something as well, because she sucked in a breath, turning to look at Xerxes. Both of the twins watched him carefully.
"What is it?" Xerxes asked, pinching his nose. He would have to change out of his favorite white-and-purple outfit, later.
"Nothing," Semar said. His voice was hoarse. "I just had a muscle cramp, so I couldn't keep my head above the surface."
Xerxes looked the man over. Semar's wet clothes stuck to his skin, clinging to him. His form seemed more obvious than it had been, his clothes less baggy. Stars, the man was feminine. He didn't have the skinny hips that a man should have, but was slightly more curvy, with an almost hourglass figure. There was still one tuft of hair that stuck up. Even water couldn't keep that hair from being messy.
Xerxes blinked. Had he just been feeling... fondness? About that dumb Rainsworth twin? No, it couldn't have been. Just irritation.
"You don't really have muscle to keep you afloat, I'm not surprised," the albino said to Semar, gesturing at his form. "Just chest muscle, from what I could tell."
Standing up, Xerxes checked his nose. It had stopped bleeding. He could walk without feeling agony between his legs, too. Looking down at Semar, he went to offer a hand, but stopped.
The man was blushing like a bride, up to his ears. "I do- I have more muscle than just chest muscle! It's weird for you to notice that another man has chest muscle!" His voice was still hoarse, and broke a few times
Xerxes sighed. "Stop being embarrassed that you're so skinny."
"I'm going to call for honey tea, Semar, your throat sounds terrible. Stay outside, the fresh air will do you good," Sharon said, then left the group in the yard.
Semar and Xerxes both sat in chairs on the patio, watching Oz and Alice return to swimming. Crimson sat on the edge of the pond, looking mystic as she skipped stones.
"You've got blood all over your shirt," the brunette said.
"It's from you hitting me in the nose."
"Sorry."
Xerxes looked over at Semar, noticing he still had a faint blush. Why was he so embarrassed over some chest muscles? Just because Xerxes could feel them when he was pushing water out of Semar, didn't mean it was bad to have well-defined muscles. Stars, Semar was acting like a such a woman.
"The devil-woman is trying to look dramatic," Semar said, nodding towards Crimson. "She's mortified that her plot didn't work."
"What plot?"
"You didn't notice? That was why I had to go jump into the water in the first place. She was trying to drown herself so you would go save her, and give her CPR."
"CPR? What's that? She was trying to drown herself?" Xerxes was bewildered.
"CPR, I mean, you'd have to breathe into her, to get water out of her lungs. To her, it's one of the most romantic things that can happen."
Xerxes chuckled. "I'd be tempted to let her drown."
"Shh, she'll hear you." They both laughed together, trying to keep it down. Xerxes looked over at Semar, covered in mud and sopping wet. The albino's own pants were soaked, from sitting on Semar.
"We're a mess."
"Yeah. And to think that Crimson wanted to be kissed by an old man like you."
Instead of being offended, Xerxes dissolved into laughter. "I can't imagine why. Maybe it's the empty eye socket?"
"Or the white, balding hair?"
"It's not as bald as yours, Rainsworth."
"It's definitely the lack of a tan."
"No, my paleness attracts women like flies to a white light." Xerxes smiled, looking at the blue sky. "Not that I'd ever want a woman."
"You don't want to ever get married?" Semar followed his gaze, watching a far away bird spiral lazily. "I don't want to either."
"Not if she's anything like Crimson."
"That's true."
There was a dried piece of dirt on Semar's cheek. Xerxes reached out, flicking it off. "Here comes your sister.. Don't tell her about me not wanting a woman. She's convinced I'll find the 'right one' someday."
"Here's some tea!" Sharon called. She set the tray down on a small table in the middle of the lawn chairs. Semar grabbed a cup, sipping.
The three of them sat. Semar was in the middle, Sharon and Xerxes on either side. Oz and Alice played happily in the water, Raven was a few yards away, reading. Crimson was too far away to touch Xerxes, thank heavens.
The man sat back in his chair. Even with the blood all over the front of his collar, and being half-soaked, he was content.
"Mother! I can't believe you missed it! Semara nearly drowned!"
Shelly Rainsworth looked up from the mirror, still dabbing her lipstick off. "Semara?! When was this?"
"In the afternoon." It was evening then.
"That girl's been swimming since she was tiny. Why would she nearly drown?"
"I don't know..." Sharon laid down across her mother's bed. "I didn't even notice, until Xerx-niisan yelled. If it weren't for him and Raven, Semara might've died."
"I'm glad they were there." There was the sound of water splashing from the open bathroom door, as Shelly washed her face.
"Xerx-niisan rarely gets as flustered as he was then. He sat on Semara, and was going to give her mouth-to-mouth, but then she woke up."
"He sat on Semara?" Shelly looked at Sharon. "I'm not sure how I feel about that."
"It's not like that, Mother." Sharon sighed. "He was just trying to save her." She giggled. "It was so funny, though! When Semara regained consciousness, she kicked him in the groin, and then head butted him in the nose! He looked so pained!"
"He didn't notice anything about Semara's physical body? Doesn't reviving someone involve pushing on their lungs?"
"No. He just said that 'Semar' has good chest muscles." Sharon dissolved into laughter, rolling around. Shelly came and sat on the bed with her, smiling.
"They already seem like such good friends, especially after the Copperton mission. Even though Xerx-niisan got hurt, he seems happier now," Sharon said, putting her head in her mother's lap. Shelly smoothed Sharon's bangs away from her eyes.
"I'm glad. Xerxes needs to get out of his shell a little bit more. If Semara can become friends with him, the better."
Xerxes yawned, stretching his arms, and tilting his chair back. It was nearly midnight, but he knew that Reim would be getting back from Pandora the next day, and would want a full report. Unlike the younger Rainsworth twin, Xerxes had procrastinated on his paperwork.
He sat in the dining room. Everybody else, including the servants, had long since gone to bed. The only light came from two candles on the middle of the table he sat at.
There was a shuffling nose behind him, and Xerxes flipped his head around, startled. Semar Rainsworth stood in the doorway, rubbing his eyes. That dumb brown hair was sticking in ever possible direction.
"Why are you up?" Xerxes asked, standing up, and gathering his papers. Semar sighed sleepily.
"..mmm."
"That's specific." Holding his papers in one hand, Xerxes faced Semar. The man's eyes were creased from sleep, and he blinked.
"'pinkie hurt, 'ppose..." The brunette's head tilted down, and Xerxes grabbed his arm to keep him from falling over. Some papers fell from his grasp.
"Better get you back to bed, sleeping beauty," Xerxes chuckled. Semar looked up at him, guard less. His eyes were wide and thoughtful. Xerxes felt like he was seeing something intimate.
It felt like a moment that was important, memorable, between the two, but then Semar opened his mouth and muttered, "...toilet."
"That's it, go to bed," Xerxes said, bending to pick up his dropped papers. He trailed off as he glanced upwards, freezing.
Semar was wearing a white nightshirt, which wasn't weird, except that normally men wore pajama pants underneath them. The shirt stopped just above the man's knees. Semar wore no pajama pants underneath.
Oh, stars, those legs. Those calves that seemed perfectly pale, perfectly curved, perfectly soft-
Blushing, Xerxes fell backwards onto his butt, staring at at Semar's legs. What the heck is wrong with me?!
Semar sighed sleepily, then trotted away, back into the darkness of the house. The lighting from the two candles highlighted the contours of those legs perfectly, as they receded-
That would have to stop. He was acting like he'd never seen legs before. He had, (in entirely appropriate instances), before. Of course, none of the previous events had him feeling the amount of... feeling... he was feeling now.
Xerxes breathed in, then breathed out. Semar was a man. No matter if he had legs like a woman, like a perfectly sculpted wo-
"Stop. Stop it. Stoppp," the albino groaned. He needed something to take his mind off those legs. Where was his candy when he needed it? "Need to go to bed."
Semara's dream was strange. She was Sleeping Beauty, from the old Disney movie in her past life. The black dragon was Raven, while Crimson, Shadow Star, and Sharon were all fairy godmothers. They kept arguing over whether Semara should get the gift of love. Crimson was shaking her head. Raven looked confused, he kept moving his dragon head back and forth. Xerxes appeared and flicked her forehead, and she woke up.
"Ah, he's awake, oujou-sama." Hearing that voice, Semara's brow creased.
"Why is that clown in my bedroom?" she muttered into her pillow. She could see Xerxes' silhouette against the window next to her bed. How that man ever could fit in the windowsill was beyond her. "You know there's a bunch of dead flies in that windowsill, right? They're all over your butt now."
"Oujou-sama, he's being mean," Xerxes pouted. "I think he's jealous of my purple outfit."
"I'm not! That rag is the ugliest thing ever. I mean, who clips their jacket onto the back of their neck?"
"I hear it looks dashing," Sharon offered. She sat in a chair next to the bed, holding a book in her lap. "Prince Javiere wears something like it, in this book, and he's the hero."
"'Prince Javiere' isn't a middle-aged albino clown," Semara said.
"Maybe I should change into my pink outfit," Xerxes mused. "Would the young Rainsworth brat like that better?"
"Stars, no. Pink and red look terrible together."
"They don't look that bad together on me. I guess being surrounded by women in your upbringing has made you the perfect advice on fashion?" Xerxes asked. Semara met his red eye. He had a playful smile on his face. She couldn't help it, and smiled back, but stuck her tongue out.
"Of course. Mother has raised me to be only the top expert in the area of fashion expertise," Semara said, running a hand through her hair, dramatically lifting her chin. She sniffed, freezing. "Is that bacon?"
Sharon laughed. "Yes, it is, Semar. We've got to get you cleaned up before you go down to breakfast, though."
"Try fixing his hair," Xerxes suggested, jumping down from the windowsill.
Semara glared at him. "My hair is a gorgeous mane of a lion. It cannot be tamed." She slipped out of the bed, warm feet touching the wooden floor.
"I'd say it was more like a bird's nest." Xerxes reached out a hand, absently rubbing it through Semara's hair. She looked up at him, blinking. He seemed to realize what he'd done, and awkwardly pulled his hand away. "D-definitely a bird's nest."
Semara's pinkie throbbed. She tried to remember what they'd been talking about, before his touch made little shivers fall down her spine.
Xerxes left the room quickly. "I'll meet you downstairs," he said to the twins, and then shut the door behind him.
"He's going to eat all bacon," Semara said, trying to slow her heart down. What was wrong with it? Premature cardiac arrest?
"Mm. Get changed. You really need a better nightgown. That one is much too short for any self-respecting man."
"It reaches my knees!"
"Your legs are the most feminine part of you, next to your face. Xerxes was a little spooked by them."
"How do you mean?" Semara asked, quickly changing.
"He kept glancing at them with a strange look on his face. I've never seen him wear that expression before."
"Weird."
By the way, it's not okay to flirt with other men, a sullen voice echoed. Semara dropped the sock she was holding.
"I wasn't flirting!" she yelled. Sharon closed her book, giving her a look.
"What? I never said you were flirting- wait, with Break?"
"Forget it. My mind was on something else," Semara quickly said.
I wasn't flirting, she thought more calmly to Shadow Star. There was silence on the receiving end.
"Thanks!" Oz said brightly. The cook had laid out a beautiful breakfast, full of pastries and meat. Alice already had her plate piled high with ham and sausage.
"Good morning, Break," Gilbert said, and Oz looked up to find the mad hatter leaning against the wall. The blonde studied his face.
Break looked frazzled. He kept clenching his hand, and shaking his hand.
"What's wrong, Break?" Oz asked. "Come and sit down. There's plenty of food."
The albino sat down next to Gilbert. He automatically reached for the sugariest cake, popping the strawberry into his mouth. "Nothing's wrong."
"I haven't seen you look this confused since, well, never," Gilbert said.
"Where's the bacon?" a cheerful voice said. Semar leapt into a chair, right across from Xerxes. He was wearing the same outfit as usual, white shirt and dark pants.
"Don't eat all of my meat," Alice said, pouting. Semar smiled at her.
"I won't! Just a little bit here, and there..." His plate was filled almost as much as Alice's.
"You're going to get fat, Semar," Xerxes said. "Don't hog all the bacon." He stuck out his fork, reaching across and snatching some up.
"My metabolism is healthy and youthful, old man, while yours is the one that has trouble. You might get constipated," Semar countered, stealing a piece of the albino's cake. Oz, Alice, and Gilbert looked on in amusement.
Xerxes' eye widened, he seemed offended that someone else touch his precious cake. Just as he was about to spear it back, another person entered.
With a dramatic sigh and hair flip, Crimson came in. "Ah, the sunlight was so beautiful this morning. There were birds chirping, and I just had to sing along!" She tittered.
"So that was the shrieking I heard earlier," Semar muttered under his breath. "I thought it was a possessed servant or something." Oz stifled a laugh.
"Xerxey! It's nice to see you." Crimson twirled her hair around her finger. Semar groaned, putting his head down on the table. Oz tried not to do the same.
The day was already starting off with the bitter taste of perfection in the air.
Thanks for reading! :)