Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any of the characters
Dia chocked on his words for a moment as Platina only stared up at him with prying eyes. How could she have known that it was him from just the letter he left behind? He couldn't just leave her when she looked so sadden so left the note for her but know it seemed that it was his downfall. He expected her to be angry but she merely stared up at him, as if she was waiting to see what he would say.
"I'm sorry but when-" He began, stumbling over his words but she raised her hands to stop him. She stood and even if she only reached his shoulders, he felt all of two feet tall.
"It is I who is sorry," she said softly and he was taken back for a moment. He bit his tongue, allowing her to go on. Her eyes glazed over with love as she held a letter close to her heart. "You are clearly Pearl's servant he sent to me to deliver this letter I found after you spoke with me. He must've known that I was upset. Please thank him for me."
Dia wringed his finger together and looked at his feet, not wanting to correct her and break the illusion of her fiancé she obviously loved. His heart broke as he lied to her. It was harder to lie when gazing into her gilded eyes but he did so, "He said that your past few letters were surprisingly short and was worried that there was something wrong. He told me to watch over you under the guise of being Lord Jhoto's valet."
"Pearl is a caring man," Platina sighed. "And I thank you for coming on his behalf as well as agreeing to stay and helping me. I'm confident that we can work so that this estate can make profits again."
Gold stopped at the door and looked down at Crystal, giving her a coy smile even as he could hear the panic cries of the maids on the other side. "I must warn you that I have a soft spot for animals. I took in some animals I found in the forest that were hurt. I hope that they don't bother you while you're staying here. My Aunt is always telling me to get rid of some of them but I can't bring myself to do so."
Crystal looked doubtfully up at him, how many animals could he have? Gold threw open the door and she was almost taken down by a large dog. Gold knelt down and hugged the dog even as it tried to bite him. Crystal looked past them and saw the maids run after a goat. Several other animals ran through the house and it was more of forest than an organized estate.
"Come, I'll show you to your room." Gold stood and lead her to the east wing but she looked back at the dog that fought against the maids. She stopped and wondered about the dog's behaviour. She studied the dog's movement and noticed that it favoured its left.
"Was that dog hurt when you found him?" Crystal asked and Gold nodded. When she would've gone to the dog, Gold stopped her.
"He's aggressive and can hurt you." Gold warned her. "I found him injured on the side of the road last week, I think he was wild and attacked. We healed his injuries but he still acts out and I wonder if he ever will. I was hoping to breed him since he's a fine dog."
Crystal pulled her hand from his, approaching the dog slowly. When it lashed out at her, she gracefully stepped back and dodged his teeth. Gold went next to her and held the dog down trying to hold down the animal. Crystal held onto the dog's head and tilted it slightly and saw its right eye was closed shut. She frowned.
"His right eye is hurt, that's why he's acting out." Crystal explained, "You should have it taken care of soon. I saw that he was stumbling around and the movements weren't fluid as it should be. I realized that he might've been injured, one way or another. What did you name him?"
"I was going to name him Arcanine but it seems that he's much more taken with you so it should be you to name him," He offered and she looked back at the dog. She tapped her chin before she answered, "I'll name him Winypon. He shall be taken care of, I'm hoping."
"Of course, but let me show you around now." Gold gave the dog one last pat before leading Crystal to the east wing again. He slowed at the library and noticed that his butler going over the books. He walked into the library and knocked on the desk to gain his attention. The man jumped which perked Gold's suspicion. The man didn't seem to enjoy to his presence ever since he first came.
Crystal stopped and followed him into the room. "I want to speak with you. I have some question about what happened with my mother and what came of me. My aunt tells me that you've worked here the longest so I was hoping that you would be able to tell me."
"We don't know what came of your mother," The butler spoke softly. "We thought she was a wonderful but that seems to a misjudgement on our part but blessed my past employer's heart, he was so taken with her he couldn't see her evil."
Gold bit his tongue, he always imagined his mother being a generous loving woman that forced to leave him to help ease the pain and that it was his father that forced her into action but it seemed that it was just a fantasy. He told himself that this was what he wanted, the truth. "What was it my… mother did?"
"She was an unfaithful witch." The butler spat, "Nothing more than a fortune hunter after the marquis's money. She took lover after lover before she ran off in the night, leaving a note and taking the only heir this family had. He searched for you but the depression he was thrown into soon took away his longing to live. He loved her more than I can tell you."
"May I see this letter?" He asked through the anger clutching his throat. He was wrong in judging the man that never looked for him, not from disinterest but from depression. The butler shook his head and went on to tell his story.
"After the marquis woke and found the letter, his first thought was to protect the family from the scandal your mother would no doubt create. He hid the letter and told the ton that she went mad and threw herself into the river, taking you with her. He couldn't bring you back without it being revealed that his wife was an unfaithful witch. But I am sure that the marquis hid the letter among his things, perhaps you can find it for yourself."
"Thank you," Gold sighed and dismissed the butler. Crystal placed a hand on his arm and he gave her a smile so she couldn't see how saddened he truly was. Her look of concern touched him but he had the answer he was looking for. "Come, I shall show you to your room. It's near mine so that if you have any concern, you only have to knock on my door."
Crystal knew that he must've been troubled by the thought that his mother wasn't the lady he probably imagined she was. But something was troubling her, "I didn't think that a woman like Lady Beatrice would be unfaithful. She helped Platina's rapidash while she was sick and she said that your mother was a nice woman. Platina is a good judge of character, I would like to think."
"I really don't know what to think, I need a night to think this over before we start my lessons again. This is your room," He stopped at the door and opened it or her. She raised a brow at her and noticed what room it was. She wondered if it was deliberate or just an oversight by him.
"I gather that your room is next to this one," He nodded but looked at her confused. She let out a frustrated breath, "This room is actually meant for your future wife and it wouldn't be right for me to sleep here. That door leads to your room."
Any other gentleman would have the decency to blush but Gold only threw back his head and laughed. "I wondered where that door led to. But there's a lock so you needn't be worried about me coming into your room and ravishing you. I am sorry though, this is the only room made available and furnished."
Crystal sighed but walked into the room since it would be too much trouble for the maids to prepare another room in such a short time. "It should be fine as long is the door is locked but it's awkward since this room is meant for your wife."
"Married couples don't sleep together?" He scoffed. "Shouldn't my wife and I sleep together? I can never understand these traditions you insist to put yourself through. Every married couple I know sleep in the same room, even in the past most couples would sleep together."
"Most don't marry for love so such contact is useless and unwanted. Man and woman marry for money and titles." Crystal explained. Gold sighed and moved so suddenly that she barely had time to step back when he cupped her face and brought her closer to him. She stood frozen, his strong arms around her but it was more his tawny eyes that trapped her.
"No one should marry for money and no woman should be tied to man she doesn't even love, let alone be forced to give herself to him." He whispered against her lips, "You don't need to follow those rules. Dance more freely, my dancing water nymph."
Sapphire let out a frustrated breath as she went through her satchel that she brought with her to the garden party and was glad that she took some food from the kitchen before they left. They had floated in the air balloon for a few mere hours but she was more than willing to jump out of the balloon! He did nothing but complain while she shared the food she took, though she did wake with his coat on her shoulder.
She had lost track of where they had drifted so would have to wait 'til it was night again to read the stars to find their location. She held the satchel closer to her since it held the astronomy text she kept. She looked back to Ruby who was playing with the burner keeping the balloon afloat, trying to discover how it worked.
He pulled at the valve and the flame grew, making the balloon lift sharply and Sapphire almost lost her footing as she leaned over the side to see how far they had drifted. She turned a quick glare at Ruby but he was concentrated on the burner. She turned to him and yelled, "Can ya stop that? We need to get to the ground and travel by foot."
"I'm trying to get his down," He argued frustrated from their situation and hunger. He found that there was no system to steer except for maneuvering the balloon up or down. Even if he was able to control the balloon, he didn't know how to land the thing without crashing. Sapphire let out a frustrated breath and eyed a dense forest. Ruby raised his brow when she took out a knife and began to cut at the rope.
"Stop!" Ruby grabbed her hand when she began to cut at the ropes.
"We canna control this and we need to get down. If we cut down this balloon in a dense forest, it shouldn't be too hard." She explained but Ruby only gave her a skeptical look. He took the knife from her and placed it in his boot.
"Are you mad?" Ruby yelled. "Do you know how dangerous that is? We might as well jump to our death! I'll try to set this balloon down as slowly as possible and hopefully the trees will cushion our fall. Hold onto something while I lower this thing."
Ruby saw her hold onto the basket's edge before looking over the edge, waiting until they were over the forest. He closed the valve and the balloon quickly dropped from the sky. He stumbled and tried to grab at the rope but it slipped from his fingers just as the basket hit the trees.
"Ruby!" Sapphire saw him go over the edge and even before the basket came to an ungraceful stop, she climbed out to rescue him. She jumped from branch to branch and grabbed his wrist before he reached the ground. His weight pulled her down though and she went tumbling after him. She tried to grab any branch to stop their fall.
She let out a breath of relief when she finally caught the branch, still holding Ruby by his hand. Her strength let out and they dropped the last few feet to the ground. Ruby noticed that she body began to grow limp and held her closer to save her from the impact. They rolled to a stop and they were both breathing heavily.
"You saved me," Ruby gaped at her even as they he struggled to stand but Sapphire struggle to merely lift herself to her knees. He knelt next to her and looked over the cuts she gained trying to save him. Her dress was ruined and her hair was dishevelled, making her look like an animal but he felt guilt. Would it have been better if they just cut the rope like she suggested?
"Sapphire?" He patted her cheeks but she merely pushed his hands away. She leaned her head on his chest, insisting that she only needed to rest. He worried that she had a concussion and opened her eyes. They weren't glazed over which was a relief to him and he went to her satchel which he realized that it was Blue's.
Knowing his sister, he emptied the bag and searched for a hidden seam and pulled at the seam. A hidden compartment was revealed with several items inside. His sister had already taught them about being prepared and placed things in a hidden slot in their bags. Inside was a bag of money and bandages with salve. He took it and began dressing her cuts but the state of her dress would draw too much attention to them from thieves. He took off his coat and found the sewing case that Blue had left for him.
Blue pulled her bonnet lower as she walked toward the theater. But the sounds of the actors didn't bring her the comfort that it once did, not because she grew apart from her passion but because she knew that Green would be waiting for him. It was only a rehearsal but knew that he would insist to watch the rehearsal and she didn't care to face him.
She forced the heavy door open but stumbled forward when the door was thrown open. She turned and saw Green standing behind her and gently ushered her forward and she frowned at his sudden appearance. It was most likely that he had been waiting for her to arrive and she turned a glare up at him. Green didn't remark on her glare, only focusing on the others around her.
"Have you thought about what I said?" He asked as he followed her into her dressing room. Blue pulled off her wig once Green turned the door, more comfortable without it and knew that she didn't have to pretend to be Aqua around him.
"Yes but I want you to know that I find it degrading that I am only worth my body." She sighed and sat in her chair. "But know that I'll agree to your plan to help White. She's a close friend and I have taken advantage of her kindness, even if it was unintentional. But we won't need to return to your townhouse tonight since it's only a rehearsal and there won't be a crowd as there would be during a show."
Green nodded and was glad that she agreed with him since he thought she would argue with him more. "But let me bring you home, just to be safe."
Blue let out a frustrated breath and threw the script at him, "Is there anything more you wish to control? If not, you may help me practice my lines until rehearsal starts in an hour. Start on page ten and you shall be Chris while I shall be Iris."
Green sighed and looked down at the script. He began to read in a monotone that made Blue flinch, "You are exactly who I suspect you to be, you always were just a thief after the artifact. No matter whom you pretend to be, you will not change who you really are inside."
"You're supposed to be angry," Blue sighed. "Actors are a team and we need to act on each other. You need to get angry so it can create a more real atmosphere and can make it easier for me to portray the emotion Iris is feeling when the man she loves doubts her."
"Just read the line," Green let out a frustrated breath and repeated the line. Blue's posture changed and she came close to him and lifted a trembling hand to his face, almost as if she was afraid that he would leave if she touched him. Tears glossed over his eyes and he felt an oddly protective over her at the sight.
"You never gave me a choice," She recited her lines. Even though tears clouded her eyes, confused angry laced her words as she yelled. "You already hated me! You hated me even before you knew my name, what was I to do? Tell you that I brought years of darkness over this world? That it was my blind trust that caused the death of many people, my family included."
Green stepped back, worried at the feeling her closeness evoked and continued to read the script. "Do you think that your lies can make me sympathise with you? You brought that monster and you are going to help me defeat him! You care coming with me."
"Scene," Blue stood straighter and gone was the lost look in her eyes, in its place was a guarded glaze. How could she change so easily? How could he ever know what she was truly feeling? Blue breathed in deeply, dashing away the stray tears from her act and went on to the next act. "I know you do not trust me but there is no need to glare at me such."
"Who shall be Ralph?" Green asked, reading ahead in the script. "There are four people in this scene and a battle. We cannot possibly practise this alone."
"Details, but if it is a concern of yours, we shall only practise the parts with Iris and another character," Blue waved away his concern. Then she asked him, "It's quite saddening how Chris refuses to trust Iris when she is only a victim of her own circumstance, don't you think?"
"He doesn't know if he should believe her words when she hid so much from him and I know the feeling," Green whispered his response. "Who is she truly? How is to know that he to know if she was a spy or a coward running from her problems. How is he to know that she is speaking the truth?"
"He has to believe that she would never lie to the one she loves," Blue answered easily. "And to your question about who she is, she is scared and I know the feeling."
Her eyes challenged him but he found himself pulled deeper into the mystery of who she truly was inside, "He doesn't have any reason to trust her at this point then since he doesn't realize he loves her until the third act. But you find yourself empathizing with Iris, so does she remind you of yourself?"
"No," She laughed. Iris was stronger than she could ever wish to be since in the end, she knew who she truly was while Blue had never felt safe enough to venture to look into herself. She had to be so many people to stay alive that she doubted that she would find anything in herself beside an act. "Iris is nothing like me, she reminds me of my sister, Yellow."
Before Green could ask her anymore, there was a knock on the door and Blue rushed to put on her wig even as Green ran to keep the door close. She nodded to him as he opened the door to see Black peer inside. He looked from Green to Blue's dishevelled hair with a confused look before a knowing smile flashed in his eyes. Green was about to correct the man but it would be better not to if he were to put on a guise of being lovers.
"It's time for rehearsal." Black nodded to Blue and Green followed the two to the stage. Blue waited at the steps and Green begrudgingly held out his hand at help her onto the stage. He held her hand a little longer than was needed but she didn't say anything of it. He convinced himself that it was only for show and gave it a gentle squeeze.
"I shall be watching," He spoke to her softly and she rewarded him with a smile. He went to sit next to White and watched the play. She gave him a confused smile and he shrugged. "We found an arrangement that agrees with. We agree on more than I thought we would, she is to be my mistress. She is quite a… passionate woman."
"You are a horrid actor," White sighed as she watched the actors. "But I shall help you with this game you two started. But Aqua is still a close friend of mine and I want you to promise me that she will not be hurt when this is over."
"I don't see how I can hurt her," His gaze focused on Blue and something warm spread through him but he ignored the sensation. He wondered about who she truly was but told himself that he wouldn't be privy to the knowledge.
Yellow looked from the ledger she took from Red's townhouse to the sketchbook she had in her hands. The moon was hidden behind misted cloud so she had to draw by candlelight. She sighed and moved the charcoal over the page, trying to bring the jewelry to life before her. She thought it would be best to make a reference for Red when he was searching for the jewelry.
She knew in her heart that she was helping a thief but Red would be able to help her family. The determination in his crimson eyes flashed before her and knew that there was nothing she could say to keep him from committing the act. He obviously thought he was in the right but why did he not hire a private investigator to find the killer? The answer came to her rather quickly: pride.
She went back to her sketch and tried to imagine the design of the ring in her mind before adding the detail to the ring on the page. She made a quick note of the design next to the sketch before turning the page. She needed her next concept for her next painting. She was still determined to sell her paintings to bring in money for her family.
She absentmindedly moved to her art case and decided what kind of paint she would use. She wanted to make a still life since she had made many landscape. Acrylic would be best to bring out the colour and she pulled another canvas from the corner and placed it on the stand. She started to sketch the outline of a human face, not really thinking of who she wanted to paint.
She breathed in sharply when the window opened and the candle's flame danced until it was over taken, leaving her in the little moonlight around her. She rushed to the candle but a hand lashed out and grabbed her hand, stopping her. She turned but she knew in her heart that it was Red and her heart raced at the crimson eyes staring down at her.
Red saw the fear in her eyes and smiled reassuring at her. He should've known better than to sneak into her art room, "I am here to steal you away in the night."
She was still gaping at him so he went on, "This is shall be our first stealing back what is mine."
Crystal woke to the sound of scratching. She forced herself awake, even as her head registered the fear of what caused by the sound. The sound came from her door and she hesitantly opened it to find Winypon, the dog she saw that morning. It bound into her room until it stopped on the carpet in front of her bed and slept.
Crystal sighed, she couldn't possibly move that large dog and her heart went out to the animal. She sat next to the animal and stroked the dog's fur. It nudged her with its nose before following an unseen path towards the vanity. It began scratching at the legs until it began to tilt over.
"No," she ran to the vanity and pushed it back into place even as drawers fell to the ground. She sighed and gathered the letters that filled the drawer. She turned back to the dog but it only lay on her bed. "I hope you're happy with yourself. If you wish to stay, you must act appropriately. I am already civilizing one man, I do not wish for another."
But like that other man, it gave her a pouting look and she found her heart melting in compassion. She went back to organizing the letters once again until she came across a letter, with blood staining the edges.
That Commonershipping part is so short T^T but there shall be more of them in later chapters. Anyone who knows me know I love Arcanine and just had to put him in. I used his japanesse name since I thought it sounded cuter than Archy. To those that don't know, I started writing my own trilogy a couple years ago and Iris and Chris from that. To think one of my favourite OC share a name with a character I don't like -.-
Review if you like ^-^