"Oh," she said, realizing she has sort of spaced off. "Sure, I'd love to look around! I was actually just thinking about that, looking around I mean. This room is just so different from the other room I've seen a few times, it just had me curious. But if you'd like to share, then I wouldn't decline!" she said, swirling the last drops of tea around in her cup before swigging them down and placing her cup gently down on the tray.
Pitch continued to watch her closely, smirking when she finished her tea so quickly. He glanced down into his still half-full cup, then took another sip before he set it down on the tray beside hers. "Well… if you're done, I will show you." He gestured to her empty cup and the still full plate of cookies. "Would you like more, or are you finished?"
"Hmm, I think I'm good for now. We can make more later if we want," she smiled. Her wings picked her up from the great plush chair and set her back down in front of him. "Ready when you are," she smiled.
Pitch smiled at her and stood, picking up the tray. "Let me take care of this first, then we'll be off." He strode into the kitchen and deposited the tray on the nearest counter, then met her back in the other room. "I'll show you the guest rooms first, then we'll go from there. Perhaps next we will visit my treasure and antiques room." He began to walk in the direction of a long, tall hallway and he gestured for her to follow him. "Come."
She nodded her head in appreciation as he took the tray away to the kitchen. When he returned and asked her to follow him, she politely obliged. She followed his long trailing robes down a dark, cavernous hallway. Feeling a bit spooked, she had to remind herself that she was not alone and that Pitch was here to make sure none of his Fearlings or Nightmare Men sensed her small bit of fear and came lurking out to smell fresh meat. She squinted in the dark, not being able to see anything at all. How could Pitch see in absolute blackness? She wondered. Instinctively she reached for his arm and held him by the crook of his elbow. She looked up to him, of what at least she could see, and gave him a sheepish smile hoping he would see that she was looking to him for protection.
The dark hallway led into one that was more furnished, bearing rich tapestries and and decorations that varied between mostly royal blues and purples. The furniture in it was stained a deep mahogany color. He enjoyed cooler and dark colors the most, and much of his home was decorated with them aside from the areas that were decorated with shades of rich vermilion or gold.
Pitch sensed her fear and turned to smile at her reassuringly. "You have no need to fear, you will come to no harm as long as you are with me. Even if you stray, the most you have to worry about is getting lost for I have ordered my Nightmares and fearlings not to harm you." He allowed her to take his arm, realizing that she couldn't see very well. As they went, he switched on the small gas torches that lined the walls.
Quite some time later, he led her back into the they'd originally sat in. "..And those were my guest chambers." The tour had consisted so far of visiting the numerous guest rooms (There were about 25-30) and traveling the halls between, all of them decorated differently. "Now, shall we go visit my treasure room?"
"Wow, those were really pretty. I'm especially fond of the blues and greens you have," she smiled, hovering slightly above the ground. "Although, I might be a bit biased," she chuckled. "Ah, you have a treasure room?" her brows rose. "Do you collect things or…?" she left the end of her question up in the air and she turned to face Pitch in the direction he was taking.
Pitch nodded, pleased that she'd seemed to enjoy his furnishings. "Those are some of my favorite colors myself, along with the deep reds and violets." His expression grew proud and he indicated the direction the treasure room was in. "Yes. I collect many things and I have over the centuries. It is quite large. And if you promise not to break anything, I shall allow you to see it." He said, his last words teasing though he was half serious. He possessions meant a lot to him, as he'd spent countless centuries procuring them.
"Of course I'm not going to break anything, silly," she teased, hovering above the ground. She followed him once again down another cavernous hallway, similar to the other one she went down earlier. It was again just as dark and she felt just as spooked, grasping his arm again to help her be guided. "How many room and hallways do you have?" she pondered. His lair was much bigger than she anticipated and it made her curious.
Pitch once again began lighting the small torches along the walls. Though the light should have made it so she didn't need to grasp him for guidance, he still allowed her to do so. His heart warmed by her trust of him as it had before, so he didn't mind her touch in the least. He glanced at her, a half smile tugging at his lips. "Even I myself have lost count, but the rooms along amount to at least 40. I am not sure about the hallways, however. Perhaps I should take the time to count sometime."
At the end of the hallway, they came to a huge set of guided doors, each decorated with various designs. On closer inspection, you can see that they were modeled after Auguste Rodin's work, The Gates of Hell. How fitting for the King of Nightmares.
"Well, here we are." A smile touched his lips as he gazed at the intricate and detailed work. He was rather proud of it, despite it not being the original He placed his hand on the door and pushed, soon revealing a large room that resembled the interior of a museum, though the objects and treasures inside were much closer together than they would be in a actual exhibit. He led her inside, then opened his arms wide and gestured to the room around them. "What do you think?"
The doors to his treasury spooked her a bit, but she guessed that was the reaction the artist would want from their audience. She floated inside of the room careful not to bump into everything. His collection spanned across the mass of the room. A mysterious shadow was cast from every artifact by the small flames of the candles around. Her eyes opened wide, taking in every detail of his treasures. "This is quite impressive," she sighed looking back to him. "How did you manage to collect all of them?"
Pitch lowered his arms and stepped up to her, pleased by her reaction. "When one has lived as many centuries as I, one has more than enough time to collect such treasures. Some of these are rather rare." He ran his finger delicately over a nearby statue, one that appeared as if it was probably from around the Neolithic era. He'd acquired them a multitude of ways. not all of which were honest.. though the ratio bought objects to thieved objects was more than what might possibly have been thought.
"Well, this collection is mighty fine," she said circling around the room in the air. She was careful on where she fluttered her wings so she wouldn't disturb his treasures. She eyed his statues and studied over his riches. After taking it all in, she touched down back in front of him. "Thank you for showing me this," she smiled, gesturing to the open room. "Have you got any other interesting rooms to show me as well?"
"I'm glad you like it." He smiled at her and extended his arm for her to take again. "Well, if you wish, I can show you my library. It's rather vast, though probably not quite as impressive as this one. I would offer to show you my cage room, but you have seen it before and I highly doubt you'd want to see it again." Pitch chuckled softly, a wry smile touching at his lips. "There are quite a few more rooms, but many of them are similar to those you have already seen and the ones that aren't are dungeons or those of a darker nature. Deep tunnels and all that. You probably wouldn't be interested in seeing those."
She gracefully took his arm, pulling up closer to him. "I'd love to see the library. I bet you've got tons of books in there! But where do you sleep? You must have a bedroom or some sort of sleeping quarters?" she asked. "Unless that place is too spooky to visit?" she teased, sticking her tongue out. His lair had many more rooms than her Palace and was filled with more rooms of practical use than hers. She had no collection of books or a treasury as vast as his. She was curious to see everything that she possibly could.
He nodded as he began walking. "I do have many books in it, as I have collected them even more avidly than my many treasures. And I do have sleeping quarters. But, surely you wouldn't want to see my bedroom." He teased, grinning playfully at her. "My library also has a fireplace and a sitting area inside it. One always enjoys a comfortable place to read. What better place is there than a comfortable arm chair near the hearth?" He wished he had more to show her, as he enjoyed fascinating her with the many sights in his home. It pleased him to see her enjoying it so.
"Ah, alrighty then! Show me this grand library then! And that fire better be burning because it's quite chilly down here actually," she said, rubbing her arms to try to warm herself up. Her feathers were thin and were better at keeping her cool than keeping her warm. "Also, I will be a bit disappointed if you don't have one of those big ol' ladders that wheel from shelf to shelf," she winked, following him down another damp hallway dimly lit with small flickering candles. She was beginning to ease up, not being so afraid of the dark. Every so often a Fearling would slither around her ankles and down the opposite ends of the hallway. She looked up and couldn't make out where the ceiling was, or if there even was a ceiling. She figured that she would rather not ask and just leave it to her imagination.
"Yes, I usually have it going when I am at home. It is easier than having to light a fire every time I wish to relax and read a book, which is actually quite often." He glanced at her as they traveled down another long, dark hallway. He wished he could help warm her up.. but alas, due to his cooler temperature, he could not. This bothered him slightly. Not only because of his inability, but because such a thought had crossed his mind. It wasn't that he wouldn't want to have the chance to keep her warm, for it was becoming more and more of a possibility to him as time went on, it was that he really wasn't sure what would happen if they entered into a relationship together. The other guardians would most likely be shocked. A low chuckle threatened to escape his lips at the thought, but he repressed it. He was getting much to far ahead of himself.
He chuckled softly at her next words. "Indeed, I do have one of those. Though I could use my shadows to reach them, I don't mind using the ladder. Also, many of my guests cannot fly as you can, so such a thing is needed." He stopped as they came to another large set of doors, this time of a rich mahogany. "Here we are." He opened the doors and led her inside the vast room that was lines wall to wall with shelves filled with books, obviously as pleased with it as he was with his trophy room. "So, what do you think?"