Starting from the next morning, Valentine gave Cynthia the order that she was to study with Jonathan. And there was a curious new rule as well. She had to get into the habit of calling him Sebastian.
"You sound like a French ponce." Cynthia told him smugly as they lay upon the floor in the living room, Jonathan going through endless papers it seemed. She'd soon understood that he was to be a spy in Alicante. No, they both were. She was going to be his 'friend.' That annoyed Cynthia. Why couldn't they twist it and be partners on this bloody mission?
"Sebastian Verlac. What a sap." Jonathan mused as he started the task of memorizing passages of the boys life in Paris and his past. Cynthia arched a brow. "You killed him, didn't you?"
"Indeed I did. Tossed him into a canal. I think he was dead, I didn't pause to look really."
Cynthia rolled her eyes at that, snagging the paper from his hand and stared at the boy, noticing one thing instantly.
"He has black hair."
"I know." He sounded sulky.
"Which means you have to as well." Cynthia mused, cocking her head at the boy, trying to imagine him with black hair. She stared for so long that Jonathan just told her "I have dye… you-"
"Oh! Let me dye your hair! I've always wanted to try it!"
"I don't trust you to get it in my hair. You'll get it all over my face."
"Coward."
Jonathan scowled at that, sitting up and stealing the sheaf of paper back "Don't you have something to be studying?"
Cynthia smiled sweetly at that, snatching the paper back. "Yes. The same as you, Sebastian. Sebby. Seb. Sebbers."
"I'm going to punch you in a moment."
"I love you too."
But Cynthia did have her own kind of background to brush up on. She was living with her aunt on the far side of Idris. She was a friend of Sebastian's from when she'd met him in Paris a good few years back. While he was in Alicante, she was going to stay with him while he visited the… Penhallows?
She was getting there. At least she didn't have to change her name too.
Valentine was gone for a good few days while they revised as Cynthia jokingly called it, the pair of them spending most of the time rolling around together on top of the papers, screwing them up. It wasn't often they had the house utterly to themselves since the maids had been released. Killed. Silenced. Cynthia corrected herself.
It was a week later as they lay twined together before the fire, Cynthia successfully having pushed away any of his advances on going further that Valentine returned. She didn't want to do anything with the demon boy. Not yet at least. Jonathan had enough sense to know that if he pushed too hard, she'd never ever give him anything. Well, more than she'd already let him have.
Valentine ignored the pair upon the floor, just asking Jonathan in a cold voice "I sincerely hope you have been following orders, not messing around."
Jonathan rolled onto his back, gazing up at his father "Everything is memorized."
"It better be." Valentine shot, then turned his attention to Cynthia "Is he telling the truth?"
"He is." She told him. Silence and the man nodded. "Excellent."
He seemed annoyed and bugged for some reason, which was what led Jonathan to ask "Why were you gone for quite so long? You told me it would be three days at least."
"The ship is gone."
Cynthia blinked and Jonathan inquired as to how that had happened. Valentine merely said "Clarissa. Your sister, Jonathan. She utterly and completely destroyed it. A rune of immense power and the ship tore itself apart. Every single metal plate fell apart and the demons upon there were killed or drowned." He seemed to cheer up as he noted "The Ritual of Infernal Conversion is finally complete. That is the sole reason I was away for longer than I anticipated." Cynthia watched his black eyes flicker to the necklace that was lying upon her chest for a few moments before looking away, telling them "Jonathan, be in Alicante for morning."
"And Cynthia." He told his father. There was an awkward pause before the man simply walked off, and the pair took it as a 'fine. Whatever.'
Cynthia was excited. She'd seen the City of Glass from a distance, but never been in the actual place. It was something she'd always wanted to do.
Before Jonathan looked around, she was already gone to her room to pack.
-LightInYourNightmare-
There was one more thing to do before they left the next morning, and that was for Cynthia to dye Jonathan's hair. Something he wasn't happy about.
Cynthia hummed to herself as she mixed the dye together, threatening the boy cheerfully that if he moved while she was doing this, she'd get it all over his face on purpose.
He fidgeted, so she deliberately patted his cheek that was covered in black dye.
When she was done and Jonathan had showered, he stepped out with his hair sopping, opening his arms a little "Do I look das-?" he started, but stopped dead with a scowl as Cynthia snapped his photo, laughing out. "Yes, you look perfectly ravishable."
"Where did you get that camera from?"
"Father got it me a few years back. I'm taking it to Alicante with us."
"Fine. But delete that photo."
"Why?"
"Because it's disgusting."
Cynthia smiled sweetly and stepped forwards, pressing a kiss to the tip of his nose. "Then you don't want to see the picture I got of Father fast asleep, snoring with his mouth open from last month?"
A devilish grin appeared upon his face at that.
The next morning, Cynthia pulled her bag onto her shoulder, camera around her neck as she beamed at Jonathan. "This is going to be fun."
"Leave that camera behind, or I'll break it." He warned, sighing in relief as Valentine stepped out to see them off. "Take that camera from her and smash it up before I do." He warned, but the man cocked a brow at that, simply looking to Cynthia and asking "I don't recall us all ever posing for a family photo before."
Jonathan was more than sulky by now. Cynthia grinned and set up the timer, hanging it from a tree as the trio stood before the house, either side of their father.
It was the first family photo. And the last.
-LightInYourNightmare-
When they arrived in Alicante, Jonathan merely ignored Cynthia as she took photos of him whenever possible. But he had to admit, after a little while he saw the fun side in it, squashing his face next to her own and letting her take a photo of them together.
She made him feel… free.
It was just before they arrived on Princewater Street that Cynthia suddenly doubled over, a gasp escaping her as she muttered out "Oh shit. Not now-" it was all Jonathan needed to hear to drag her into one of the back alleys, cutting his wrist a fraction and letting her bring it to her lips. He kept an eye out as the girl clung to his arm, very nearly moaning into his wrist as she drank his blood as if she was a vampire. It was a weird pattern of sorts that they had. Almost a ritual- the moment Cynthia got hit by her more demonic side craving the blood that kept her alive, he willingly and instantly cut his wrist over the old scar and pressed it to her mouth.
But she'd die without him. Hesitating could be fatal in her case.
Cynthia pulled away a moment later, resting with her back to the wall as she caught her breath once more, blood upon her lips. She panted out "That one… was worse than the last. I didn't even have a headache to warn me." She stared at Jonathan now, sighing "What's happening to me Jon? What am I turning into?"
The demon boy raised a hand and brushed the breads of blood from her lips, replying with "I wouldn't worry Cyn."
"But I am worried!" she frowned out "I'm scared of losing myself. What if… I become some demon?"
"You won't."
"But what if I do?"
Jonathan rolled his eyes and scrawled an iratze onto his wrist, telling her "Come on. Stop fussing- you're doing my head in."
Cynthia glared and refused to budge as he went to pull her along, snapping out "Would you even care if that happened to me?" a pause. "Well?" she demanded. Jonathan snorted and turned back to her, laughing out "You're making it sound like you're dying, Cynthia. It's hilarious. Now get yourself back together and come on. Or do you want to get off on drinking my blood again? Nope? Exactly."
She watched him walk on with sad eyes, truly wondering- would he mourn her if she died? No. She didn't think he would.
Cynthia caught him up as he faced the house that she recognized from photos- the Penhallows. Sebastian, the boy Jonathan was impersonating was their cousin or something. She stood next to him as he knocked the door, waiting for an answer. Cynthia tugged her midnight blue cloak around her more.
It was a moment later that it was opened and they were faced with a girl that Cynthia had never seen before. She watched Jonathan grin and say "You were expecting me?"
She frowned "Whoa. Wait. Who are you?"
"Sebastian. Sebastian Verlac."
Her face softened a little at that, a smile slightly appearing on her face as she opened the door and let them in, asking Cynthia "And who is this?'
"This is Cynthia. An old friend of mine. She's staying with me for the duration of my stay."
Cynthia grinned and held out her hand to the girl who took it, saying "I'm Aline. Aline Penhallow. Mom and dad are out at the moment. Not sure when they'll be back, so make yourself comfortable. Actually, we're expecting company rather soon, so go grab the best rooms I say. Are you sharing?"
Jonathan laughed at that, shaking his head "No. We're just friends."
That hit Cynthia like a heavy blow to the chest.
They both went upstairs and Jonathan merely told her "I forgot to tell you. While we're here, we're not together, okay?"
Cynthia scowled "Are you breaking up with me for the duration of this-? What the fuck-!"
The demon boy cocked a brow, laughing out "Well we can't kiss or anything for the stay, so we might as well. Besides, I'm probably going to have to do some things you won't like."
She clenched her jaw at that, squaring up to him "Fine. If you're going to run off and kiss other girls, using this as an excuse… I'll play too and hook up with guys."
"I didn't mean it like that Cyn. I'm faking some Frenchy with no romantic background to you. Don't be so bloody-" but he was silenced as Cynthia slapped him across the face, snapping out "You just dismissed me and what I'd think in an instant. Fuck off." she turned away and dragged her case out, tossing it into the room furthest from him and locking the door.
Why did he have to be such a tactless demon boy at times?