Chapter title: I hate and I love.
The time when the apprentices were sent to appease a certain Spaniard was fast approaching. Vega's estate was located a few days of travel away, hidden behind endless snow-clad landscapes, acres of land, a surrounding frozen lake, and a gate that led to a long gravel road. No busses traveled remotely out here, thus Vega had sent a female groundskeeper to pick them up by the last bus stop.
It was a black van with blacked-out windows that sent a slew of bad memories to the front of Menat's mind. They were driven to what looked like a massive fairytale castle, and released out to its ridiculously symmetric courtyard. It looked like something out of a storybook and Menat would be more than happy if she also didn't feel as if she was walking right into the den of a beast.
She would have to remain optimistic, however. Keep her manners and curb her temper, which wasn't that bad for the most part. Rather she had to keep Maggio in check. Next to Charlie, Maggio held the most animosity towards Vega, and the Spaniard inviting them to his estate didn't seem like nearly enough to remotely mend the bad blood between them.
Once inside, Menat was nearly overwhelmed with how magnificent everything was. Shiny, spotless floors that doubled like a mirror, meticulously crafted portraits (all of Vega) adorning the wall, crystal-like chandeliers that glistened in the daylight, and large windows that provided a view over the endless land. Not a single speck of dust was present but on the other hand, an entire football team of staff was.
All incredibly shapely, stunningly beautiful, and divine like goddesses. Goddesses because every single one of them was a woman. All dressed as French maids from one of Maggio's adult movies he forgot to hide. All with a stone-cold, professional expression. In perfect unison, they all bowed to the apprentices. Given what was known of Vega, the sight of them was thoroughly creepy. Menat couldn't help but wonder if he wooed all of them too.
One of them stepped forth, a tall dark-haired woman that towered over both Menat and Maggio. She gestured towards the grand staircase behind her. "Greetings. The Lord will be with you later today. Please follow me and I will take you to your quarters."
Soon, they ascended a sprawling staircase and met with more paintings of Vega, most of which depicted him as an Adonis or a "paragon of beauty", to quote the man himself. As fascinating as the castle was, it made Menat retch, and she was pleasantly unsurprised that her feelings were mirrored in Maggio.
"This place is creeping me out. Every single one of those maids is like a robot. What is this, the Playboy Mansion?" he leaned closer, lowering his voice to a whisper and Menat followed suit, casting a look at the maid in front of them to make sure, she wasn't listening in.
"You'd think."
Soon, they were taken to two doors. The maid opened them both and directed each apprentice to enter. Inside, they were greeted by a spotless bedchamber with lots of chairs, a table, a fireplace, a wide window with a balcony accompanied by a view over the lake, and a canopy bed with wrinkleless sheets. The identical rooms were adjacent to a third one between them, which turned out to be a bathroom.
The head maid, assumedly, left them alone after that while the apprentices gathered their bearings. Even here, everything looked unblemished and Menat felt strange about having to touch anything, let alone sleep on the massive bed, that surpassed even Rose's in size. Putting her luggage on the floor, she went out to the balcony, staring out at the lake and estimating the distance from here to the water. Not that she needed to make a daring escape or anything, especially when her fear of heights still persisted.
She texted Rose to mention that they had arrived safely…only to rant about everything so far from the endless portraits of Vega to the weird staff, polite as they were. Afterward, she snapped a picture and sent it to Charlie with the message of distance speculation.
He had been gifted a phone as a late Christmas present from Guile who was a little sick of sending letters, citing that he didn't "need to feel any more like an old man than he already was".
Menat retreated from the balcony and headed to the bathroom, lest she passed out. Inside, there was a bathtub at level with the floor, big enough to fit more than one person, a sink with two bowls, and a separate restroom behind another, narrow door. Curiously, there was also a sauna and a separate shower. From the door directly across Menat, Maggio stood, scanning every object he lay eyes on.
"So, we have to share the bathroom, huh?" he asked, sounding less stunned at the aristocratic beauty around him than he looked.
"Just like back home," Menat mused, estimating that since there were two sinks, they didn't have to nudge each other with their elbows while brushing their teeth whenever they had the misfortune of entering the bathroom at the same time.
"Do you think Vega brainwashed his horde of whores? You know, since they all look like models but have the outward personality of sexbots?" Maggio skipped inside the bathroom, all the way to the opposite doorway, only to get blocked out by Menat.
"Geez! They are just staff here."
"Do you think their work also involves riding his dick? Don't look at me and tell me, he didn't plow one or all of 'em."
She was about to chastise him for such comments, until it occurred to her that yes, Vega most likely did "plow" through the women he employed. That was if his playboy persona really did proceed him.
She had to give Maggio this one. "…That wouldn't surprise me if he had."
Hours would pass by before there was any change of pace. During this time, Menat spent her time exploring the castle with Maggio – the part of which the sex doll staff would allow them to enter, snapping pictures and sending them to Rose and Charlie. Menat received vastly different reactions from the two of them; mild curiosity under subtle jabs from Rose and outright insults from Charlie, both of which made her snicker.
From the little adventure, it was discovered that the castle had a massive library, a tearoom, a ballroom, and a dining hall among countless facilities. All were kept in pristine condition. There happened to be a gym as well. Now it began to make sense why Vega had a legion of staff to keep the place tidy and clean.
On their way, the apprentices meet more maids, who all did their best to make sure everything was perfect. A few silly faces and gestures from Maggio made some of them giggle a bit. It was the one sign they were not at all brainwashed androids, facetious as that idea was.
By evening, there was finally a substantial change as the head maid approach the apprentices, who had spent the late afternoon drinking soda and eating lemon cookies. Well, more so Maggio, whose sugary appetite knew absolutely no bounds. The staff was uncomfortably attentive, but it seemed like they just enjoyed his company.
Heaven forbid he began "plowing" them.
"Lord Vega has invited you to break bread with him," The head maid stood in the doorway, bowing upon her announcement.
Break bread. Menat recalled reading a quote that went a little something like "It's hard to stay enemies when you've broken bread together".
She hoped that it would be true even in this case. The head maid guided her and Maggio to the elaborate dining hall, where a feast had been prepared. More maids stood ready, watching the table, pulling out chairs for them, and serving them a mix of juice and red wine. Most important was the presence of Vega standing by the opposite side of the very long table, with a frighteningly frigid expression on his face.
Despite the width of the table, Menat and Maggio had to sit directly in front of him so he could stare into their souls. In silence which carried over to the meal itself. The atmosphere was choking and highly unpleasant compared to the wonderful delicacy of the meal. Menat looked at Maggio, who only nibbled at his steak, looking thoroughly uncomfortable.
She felt his pain.
"Uhm so, this place really amazing," she blurted out, her cheeks now aflame with crimson. That compliment probably meant nothing to him and she found herself anxious of his reaction suddenly. Endear yourself, it rang from the back of her mind. They had been sent here for a reason, after all.
Vega, who ate as a lord of his caliber probably would, halted and stared right back at her for the longest time and she wished he'd just hurry up and make his emotions known.
"Oh, you think so?" the words fell from his lips dripping with sarcasm. He had raised his brow; that and his mouth being the only part of him that moved. No wonder his staff carried such emotionless attitudes. Vega had a venomous tongue, and the women would no doubt keep their feelings under wraps lest they felt struck by it like a whip against a horse's rear end.
"Mm-hm. Like something out of a fairytale. Do you live here alone? Staff notwithstanding?" Menat asked like she didn't feel the sardonicism, overwhelmingly shaking under the table. A kick to the shin by Maggio temporarily made her relax. Vega was hardly defrosted by the question, picking at the words before he took a sip from his wine and sat back in his chair.
"I live in many places. But I am always in my own company," he answered like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Oh…" Menat put her fork down, about to comment on how lonely it sounded. But that would probably get her eyes clawed out by his freakishly long nails. Instead, she asked about something less piercing.
"Is it fun?"
Vega snorted. "Manageable. The world does not have enough people that are worth my attention. So I'd rather be alone."
"Sure but having at least someone in your life is good too. Not a bunch of people but maybe one or four. I think it could do you a lot of good. Maybe with the…Divination Association," Menat shrugged, hoping, she wasn't being too on the nose with that last bit.
Despite the image, she was beginning to gather of Vega, she ought to remember that she hadn't come here to be his friend. She was here to make him donate and enter his good graces, as bootlicking as that felt. Vega seemed subtly surprised at this, still staring at her.
"Perhaps," he mulled on her words. Maybe taking her words to heart, maybe not. Only time would tell.
Two days were allowed to pass where a routine was established. Breakfast with Maggio, running around in the castle, lunch with Maggio, running around outside the castle, snacking on sweets and tea, running through the castle without the maids knowing it, watching movies with Maggio, dinner with Maggio…and Vega. It was a strange coexistence the three of them shared if one could even call it that.
During the times when Menat actually managed to see Vega, she did everything in her power to act natural while also entering his good graces but all he ever did was to probe her with jabbing remarks while they made stilted small talk. If Menat made any progress, it sure as heck didn't feel like that. If there were any positives to this, it was that Maggio kept his temper in check and subsequently eased her sanity. For the monotony made the longing for home and Charlie stronger with every hour.
One night after dinner, Menat found herself sitting on her bed, staring into the darkness outside. It occurred to her that she had received no reference of time for how long, she and Maggio were to stay here. She wondered for how long Vega would let them stay. Probably until he got bored of them or decided to donate once again. The chill of winter caused Menat to shudder where she sat, and she climbed from the bed to light the fireplace.
For a moment, she wondered what it would be like to sit in front of the fire and bask in its warmth, huddled up under a blanket with Charlie, eating lemon cookies and drinking hot chocolate. Oh no, she was beginning to miss him already; missing the warmth of him and how he'd get a gleam in his eye every time he talked about books he liked, the faint smile on his face when she'd tell tales of her life. Or the feeling of his arms around her whenever they slept next to each other.
A knock on the door distracted her imagination and musings and she stood up, unsure of how to react. It certainly was not Maggio; he exclusively came to her room through the bathroom to mess with her.
No, instead it was the head maid, bowing before she spoke. "The lord has requested to go for a walk with you."
Menat swallowed and followed the woman all the way to the main entrance of the castle, where Vega stood, dressed in the same suit he wore when visiting the Palace of Mysteries but now also accompanied by a long red cape. The maid bowed and opened the door for him as he walked out with Menat in tow, and it suddenly occurred to her that she had forgotten her jacket.
Yet, she remained quiet, following behind while they ventured into the frozen land. Vega walked at a moderately fast pace with purpose, like he was going somewhere. Maybe he just needed to warm himself in the dark of winter.
But why go outside even?
"You're turning blue," he noted, and she gazed up at him, having to admit defeat and nod. Vega watched her, then took off his cape and wrapped it around her.
"Oh! Th-thanks!" she stuttered in a shiver, tugging the cape around her. She couldn't help but wonder about the legitimacy of his actions. There was no one around them, here in the middle of a snow-covered landscape so if he was doing this for theatrics and public recognition, now surely wouldn't be the time.
But it made Menat wonder; was she getting through him after all? Soon, they neared a greenhouse that turned on its lights upon them coming closer. Inside, it was much warmer, and the air was thick with floral aromas; exclusively endless rainbows of roses.
"How is your…friend doing?" Vega asked, doing absolutely nothing to hide the sneer. Momentarily Menat felt bitter but chose to forgo it for the sake of her mission.
"Oh, Charlie? He's doing great," she answered honestly, particularly fascinated by a bush of vibrantly purple roses. As she looked at it, she sighed and thought of Charlie dropping by with flowers. He'd never quite do something as corny as that and she didn't expect him to. They'd both laugh about it if he did, and she'd use her minimal skills to butcher a flower crown or something equally lightheartedly silly.
"I miss him," Menat ended up blurting out, then covered her mouth as if to catch the words that had already escaped. Shoot, she wasn't meant to say that! It must have been quite comical to listen to, given the snort that came from Vega.
"What is your relationship to him? Do you slap him around? Does he like that?" he asked and she gazed up at him, her cheeks growing hot and red with shame or fury.
"No. Y-you see he's my partner. You and I both know what happened to him and we can both imagine that he's gone beyond normal human boundaries, but it never mattered to me. I was curious when I met him, but I always saw him as a living person. I've always liked him – until I began loving him. I like it when he talks about books to me or stories from his military service or adventures with Guile. I like it when he's around and we spend time together - time that's running out. I don't know what fate has in store for us but…I want to enjoy it while it lasts," Menat shrugged, chewing on the inside of her lip.
The brittle jar of glass that was her heart began to open itself involuntarily. Worse yet, she felt Vega's eyes linger on her. She had to stare back and feign courage just so she wouldn't be bullied by him. Several emotions sparked in his eyes; disgust, anger then fascination, and finally sadness. The admission that Menat loved someone for something else than their appearances, that she had found someone better than Vega, was a tough pill to swallow it seemed.
"Did I say something wrong?" she asked uneasily, feeling a slither of dread creeping up on her for spilling her guts like that, considering why she even stood here in the first place. Vega didn't answer her, the sadness in his eyes morphed into something different. This time, Menat couldn't pinpoint its identity, but she sure did see his smile. Despite his handsome face, it looked unnerving. It never matched his eyes. Too practiced or marred by something else.
The discomfort made Menat shuffle on her feet for a bit. She had seen Vega many times in the short period during which they knew each other but never something as expressive as this. Something so human. For the longest time, she wondered if he was even capable of that.
"Did I say something dumb?" Menat asked with sarcasm edged in her voice. Had she just been spilling her heart and he thought of it as a comedic act or had she been breaking through to him? Of course, he didn't just open his dumb mouth and give a clear-cut answer, moving past her to one of the rose bushes. Plucking away the thorns, he broke one flower off the stem and handed it to her.
He did quite the elegant movement to hand it over. "A rose for the fair maiden."
"Oh, thanks!" Menat mused over the sudden gift, taken aback by how good the petals smelled. She temporarily dropped her attention on the looming Vega until he asked her a rather cryptic question. "Do you think someone could learn to appreciate the ugly as much as they appreciate beauty just from observations?"
What did that even mean?
Menat had to mull over those words in case she ended up answering with a non-related answer. But taking their conversation into context and what she knew of the man, she decided to make a blind guess.
"If you're talking about people, sure! Looks fade but personalities are more rigid. If you observe people that you care about, you'll appreciate them a lot more over what they look like."
"Hm. Spoken like a true doe-eyed, sickeningly optimistic maiden. Now, shall we head inside?" Vega chuckled, a little too hollow to be fully genuine but maybe he didn't intend to mock her. He offered her his arm and she took it, not too sure of what to make of the night's event.
But she had a good feeling upon accepting the generous gesture.
Upon parting for the night, Menat looked at Vega, wondering how her tone of voice should be when wishing him a good night but ended out stumbling through the words. "Have a goa-good night, Vega. Thanks for walking with me."
He stopped to look at her and reached out for her. Menat couldn't help but flinch when his hand briefly landed against her throat like he considered strangling her to death, only to slide upwards across her neck and settle for her cheek. The way his fingers dented into her skin made her warily aware of his nails.
"Likewise," he said, leaning closer until his lips brushed against hers. It took Menat far too long to register his actions and a flare of fury almost welled up inside of him. She could slap him for having the audacity to pull such a stunt again. But she needed to endear herself to him, chained to the power imbalance between them.
A smirk formed on Vega's lips. "Forbidden fruit always tastes the sweetest, mi querida."
Menat did not expect to hear such a nickname spoken right back at her again. It was almost enough to make her forget how uncomfortable she was. Thus, she stood speechless while he returned to his private quarters and one of the maids urged her to retire for the night. Soon, she stood alone in her room, warmed by the flames in the fireplace. It did wonders in defrosting the chill from the walk.
The rose replaced a candle in a glass and was allowed to sit on the windowsill next to the door to the balcony. Wanting to feel warmth before sleep, Menat went to poke around in the fire, feeding it a few logs before crawling into bed and covering herself with the sheets. It was a fantastic mattress but it paled in comparison to the pleasant familiarity of her bed back home.
Or Charlie's.
The tiredness that came from staring into the dancing flames, casting the room into a warm orange made her close her eyes and think of him, imagining him snuggling up next to her, keeping her warm before she slept.
Just so she could forget about Vega.