The weekend of the dreaded tea party arrived faster than anyone was prepared for. A level of tension settled in the car as it drove off towards the village. Between the two of them, Heisenberg knew the route to his siblings' abodes, so he was the one behind the wheel. It was just easier than sitting on the passenger's seat and barking directions.
And there was something amusing about the scruffy Heisenberg behind the wheels of a common hatchback; it clashed like water and oil. But Ethan was less amused by that and more focused on some looming questions that were beginning to rear their ugly heads. He hadn't given them any thought until now when he found himself in the village again.
Without Rose here, he felt a little at ease, but he'd be lying if he didn't admit to being just a tad restless and anything pertaining to a certain someone just added to that. It all culminated in an internal battle, that concluded with a much-warranted question.
"Why would Miranda focus so much on Rose?" Why Rose at all?
"She never recovered from Eva. Ever since the funeral, she has superimposed on every young female child within her vicinity. Doesn't like to get told that Eva is gone, no matter how much she tries to control the narrative," Heisenberg spoke with disdain as if he had no amicable feelings towards the struggles of that woman. Ethan didn't blame him but on the other hand, there was a part of him that was beginning to pity Miranda.
"Sounds like she could use some therapy – or antidepressants. I don't know," he mused, not sure of what to make of the wry and curt laugh he received in return.
"Pills go against the faith of the Black God. Even if they didn't, Miranda would never admit that she's crazy in the head. You can't help someone who doesn't want to get helped."
"Sounds sad, really," Ethan responded. To this, he saw the visible confusion in Heisenberg's eyes, as he shot a sideways glance and furrowed his brow just a bit.
"How?" he asked, like the implied sympathetic qualities of someone he hated were a completely alien and ludicrous concept to him.
"I guess I just pity her. I learned in…" Ethan paused, shivers shooting up his spine whenever Louisiana was discussed. He couldn't help it. It was just part of him now. "Dulvey taught me that there's a lot of, well complexity to people's feelings and they make us irrational. Like it or not, that's how it is."
A reflective silence filled the car as it drove towards the outskirts of the village, between fringe houses and the edges of a dense forest and a deep valley containing a river. The road here was extra rough, bumpy, and uneven. People probably didn't drive here much and Ethan didn't blame them.
The lack of guard rails was enough to give anyone anxiety. At last, Heisenberg broke the silence. "One day, you have to tell me what happened. It's one of those relationship things we call transparency."
It was so outrageously ironic that he'd say that when he'd spent a couple of days, hiding away outside instead of being transparent with what was troubling him – and then there was the incident with the Winter Jubilee. Ethan loved the man but actions like that stung. They were getting better at trusting and confiding in each other but there were still a few kinks to be ironed out. As if picking up on his own unintentional hypocrisy, Heisenberg deflated a bit in his seat, thinning his lips a bit.
"Sorry. I know; it goes both ways."
"I forgive you," Ethan put a hand on his knee, endeared by the efforts he made. "If you do well today, I'll pull it together and spill the beans."
"Come on now. I was half-joking. You don't have to force yourself through it."
Active relief washed over Ethan even though it probably shouldn't. He wanted to tell that tale, but it was just so unbelievably hard and he couldn't help but smile at the lifeline given. "Thank you. That's very sweet."
The car pulled to a stop under the shed of a lone building at a comfortable distance from the cliff. It looked to be abandoned so no one would give Ethan the village version of a parking ticket while they were gone – whatever that looked like. Heisenberg hopped out of the car first, locking it before tossing the keys to Ethan.
He was quick to light a cigar, inhaling and letting out a deep puff of smoke as they made their way alongside the edge – at a safe distance. Finally, they made their way to a drawbridge that thankfully looked sturdy enough to carry two men. Didn't help Ethan's nerves from tightening when he followed Heisenberg across the bridge.
"What type of person is uh…?" he asked, once he could see the end of the bridge for the thick fog that seemed to surround the connecting area. It occurred to him now that they hadn't really been talking much about the person they were visiting, let alone exchanging a name. Reflecting on his curiosity was a nice way for Ethan to ignore the slight ping of anxiety over crossing the draw bridge.
"Donna Beneviento," Heisenberg sighed with less indignation than when he spoke of Alcina. Although he was far from excited. "A batshit wallflower with her ugly-ass psycho dolls. You wouldn't believe me if I went into detail so when you meet her, just roll with it and don't use your brain lest you want a migraine. Moreau will be there too so you'll get one regardless though."
"Moreau?"
"Last sibling. A moronic freak."
Ouch. Somehow that remained the nicest insult Heisenberg had levied at his siblings. But then again, that was like being the sweetest salt lick. Ethan could only hum musingly as they stepped off the draw bridge into a pale void. Just to be safe, he reached out to take Heisenberg by the hand while they walked past body-wide trees, overgrown flora, and a fog so thick, it obscured most of the path.
It was a good thing, Ethan stuck to Heisenberg, who seemed familiar with the area, or he'd get lost for sure despite the downtrodden path they were traversing on. Upon passing the first set of gloomy trees, it suddenly became clear as to why Heisenberg moved with such confidence; several threads of various, faded colors were tied to the branches and the trunks like a guideline, taking them deeper into the forest.
Ethan wasn't expecting much from that point on, much less the sudden appearance of dolls hanging from the trees, tied together by strings. They had been exposed to the elements and looked far more horrifying in the backdrop of a foggy forest.
"Oh…" Ethan swallowed a tiny slither of fear tempered by Heisenberg's chuckle.
"Not the reaction I expected, but then again you're a hard man to predict."
"It actually reminds me of a tourist location in New Mexico, aptly called The Island of the Dolls. A friend once took me there on a dare and it gave me nightmares for a week. I'm not afraid of dolls but…uhm, this is freaky," Ethan stopped by one doll that happened to hang the closets to the ground. All its color had faded, its dress was tattered, and nests of bugs had taken residency in its eyeball…just like the dolls on that chinampa.
"I bet you're gonna have a wonderful time when Rose starts to collect her own," Heisenberg laughed, nudging Ethan's ribs.
"Ugh," he groaned. "Don't remind me."
While Ethan was dreaming of a perfect future where Rose would settle for teddies throughout her entire childhood, the rumbling roars of a waterfall grew increasingly louder to the point where it was almost deafening. The fog slowly began to dissipate, and a wall of rock replaced one half of the forest while an unguarded cliff replaced the other. And indeed, there was a massive waterfall with a frothing, white stream rushing into the valley below.
Ethan would probably need a hearing aid when the day was done. Despite the loudness, the antique mansion that stood situated by the edge of the cliff quickly caught his attention. Its color was dark and in the misty winter weather, it looked like a gloomy haunted house. Ethan would reckon that it must have looked quite beautiful in the summertime with the waterfall in the background.
Heisenberg, on account of being familiar with the area already, spent no time admiring the locale and headed straight for the door, knocking on it with no grace whatsoever. There was a brief pause before it opened slightly, and a woman stared at the pair through the crack.
Shockingly, she was not dressed in clothes that would be in fashion two centuries ago. She looked like an outsider in the village. She bore a stern expression that bordered on disdain when she looked at Heisenberg. It softened somewhat upon looking at Ethan, even more so when he waved at her.
"Welcome. My cousin has been expecting you," she nodded and opened the door to let them into the foyer.
Where they stood, Ethan gained a good view of the mansion. It wasn't as extravagant as Castle Dimitrescu but it was still upscale on its own. The woman headed up the staircase, while Ethan found himself staring at the numerous portraits and paintings on the walls instead. Most of it was nature, one of the mansion, one was of children, and a creepy cat.
The biggest however was one of a woman in black with a horrific doll on her lap. The woman bore a dignified expression, but her eyes were dark and hollow. In ways, she reminded Ethan a lot of Miranda despite looking nothing like that woman. She did however look like the person who let them into the mansion.
"Is that her in the portrait? I mean, Donna?" Ethan asked as he followed Heisenberg to one of the rooms on the ground floor. It looked like a fancy living room with a desk placed in front of a large fireplace and a dinner table already dressed with antique teacups and a jar of cookies. For a supposed batshit person, this Donna didn't seem so maladjusted.
"Yes," Heisenberg answered, eying the cookies intently. The man tried to hide it, but his sweet tooth was acting up again. Suppose sugar just tasted better after a session of tobacco. "Appearances will be deceiving."
"So who's the other lady?"
They found a suitable standing spot by a smaller table that was occupied by a box and a basket filled with apples, so vibrantly red it reminded Ethan of Rose when she'd have one of her crying spells.
"Her well-adjusted cousin, Claudia. Went to the outside world before Miranda could sink her teeth into her. She doesn't like any of us very much."
Ethan couldn't help but laugh ruefully. "You call her cousin batshit, Karl."
"Truth hurts, doesn't it?" Heisenberg smirked smugly.
Before they could exchange any more quips, subtle noises brought an end to the banter and footsteps shuffled against the wooden floorboards and rugs until a hunched-over figure joined them. A man, who'd probably tower over Ethan if he stood up straight, walked in. He had a black, tattered shirt with a hood pulled over his head that covered most of his face.
Matted oily thin hair hung from the edges. A subtle stench emanated from him that resembled a salty sea breeze, mixed with BO and fish. Given what Ethan knew of Miranda and the effect she had on her adopted children, he couldn't help but pity this person who now lifted his head, staring at Ethan with eyes that were reminiscent of a depressed bloodhound. He stepped closer and subsequently the stench became stronger. Ethan tried not to gag, forcing a strained smile across his face. It was a little awkward when it wasn't returned.
"Is it you? The child's father? Oh, momma is gonna be so happy…" the stranger said, and a shiver ran down Ethan's spine. He had heard that voice before. It was the mysterious visitor from that night, he realized like he had reached Nirvana. More disturbingly, was that nickname. Possibly as a result of that family meeting which caused Heisenberg to sulk for a few days.
And then there was Miranda.
"Leave him alone, Moreau. I only brought him along because he wanted to meet you, unbelievable as it is," Heisenberg interjected, for once not brazen with anger when his temper got the better of him. The elusive Moreau was probably used to it and so he focused his stare at Ethan, pale sunken eyes shining bright with surprise and amazement.
"You wanted to meet me?" he asked as if it had never happened to him before now.
Ethan probably shouldn't but not feeling sorry for this man was nigh impossible. So he shrugged, his lips curling into an uneasy smirk. "Yeah."
Moreau continued to stare at him, his mouth moving agape to reveal uneven yellow crooked teeth. His breath smelled somehow worse than his body odor. He clasped his hands together and smiled, staring at Ethan like he was the second coming of Christ, a triple cheeseburger and a winning lottery ticket all rolled into one.
It was as pitiable as it was adorable, but it brought forth another layer of dislike for Miranda. There was no way Moreau developed into this naturally; she must have done that to him. As much as Ethan should hate Miranda for it, he couldn't help but sympathize with the lot of them.
Moments later, Claudia entered the room with a pot and some napkins, looking towards the doorway where a figure in black stood, presumably Donna judging from the doll in her hands. She had appeared like a shadow, silent as the night. Her face was covered by a black headdress so reading her was impossible.
"Please, why don't you have a seat and stay for a while. Perhaps even forever?" she said in a shrill, annoying voice. Possibly to invoke the spirit of the doll in her hands.
Ethan could attest to the fact that this was thoroughly weird but not surprising. He had come to expect something unusual based on Heisenberg's explanation. Donna's antics seemed to surprise no one but Ethan and they simply surrounded the table before sitting down.
Heisenberg was quick to turn his cup upside down, a signal that could politely be described as a no thank you. Claudia soured at this but remained silent, pouring tea into the other cups before silence filled the room. Tense, awkward, dragging, endless. Maddening with the ticking of a nearby clock and the occasional crunch from Moreau eating cookies. Not even the teacups being put in their saucers made much noise.
Unfortunate memories began to simmer in the back of Ethan's mind; reminiscent of long wait times in the waiting room of a therapist's office, long pauses with said therapist before he began to open up, the divorce proceedings, the court hearings, negotiations with the lawyers, the first amicable meeting after the divorce being finalized and the revelation that Alan had swooped in.
Now, Ethan wasn't sitting in the middle of a domestic war or an armchair, expected to air out his traumas but he still felt like his heart was about to fall out of his ass. Nervous, he looked around, just to get a feel for the mood; Claudia scrolled endlessly on her phone, Moreau was still consuming, Donna sat like a statue and Heisenberg sat slumped in his chair, occasionally glancing back at Ethan before he leaned forward, putting his arms the table. His knee began to bounce under the table and Ethan had to put a hand on it to keep it still.
"Before I lose my mind, I might as well throw it out there. We should…stop wanting to kill each other," Heisenberg said finally, leaning back as if to let the pantomime flood in before someone inevitably stated their reaction.
"Mother's orders?" Moreau asked, deflating when he was answered with; "No, my suggestion."
Claudia looked at Donna for a moment before she responded with suspicion. "This is new. Why?"
"Thought some amicability between us could be…healthy. I don't particularly enjoy getting summoned to whatever shit Miranda drags us through, only for things to end in a bitch fight with one of you. I'm sure I'm not alone in that," Heisenberg said, not exactly forthcoming with his proposal. Even if he was on guard, he was at least making an effort. A for effort.
Moreau lightened up a little. "Are you going to be nicer to me?"
"If you don't piss me off."
Moreau looked at Ethan then, licking cookie crumbs from his lips despite a napkin being right next to his teacup. "Is it…because of you…?"
"Might be. People tend to attune to those around them," Ethan answered, considering taking a cookie for himself but his minuscule hunger for carbs was waning, while Moreau's elation increased.
"Mama will be so proud!"
"Yeah, well. I'm not doing this for her so cool your jets before you urinate all over the floor," Heisenberg said sharply, but his sternness was thoroughly ignored.
In the meantime, Donna and Claudia sat close, whispering amongst themselves although with the way the former moved her doll, it was more so a conversation between that thing and Claudia. She nodded, then sat back, pinning Ethan with a stare and a practiced smile. "Could you help Donna and Angie with getting some more biscuits from the basement?"
"Sure," Ethan nodded, weirded out by being a guest now asked to do chores. Angie was probably the doll. That little fact helped ease the anticipation and anxiety of being alone with Donna.
Unlike a certain Southerner with a hood on, she didn't seem like the type of person who'd set up a game of dangerous games in an old house somewhere and laugh when someone got their hand chopped in half. The biggest issue however was that Ethan didn't know how to read Donna but Heisenberg didn't openly protest this so maybe, hopefully, nothing would happen. Ethan stood up and followed Donna out of the common room, down an adjacent corridor that had an elevator.
The space within was rather cramped with two people despite the slender frame of Donna. The elevator ride took little less than a minute, but it felt like an eternity before it stopped. More portraits littered the walls, depicting a married couple with a tiny little girl, holding Angie. Yeah, the answer was self-explanatory and Ethan let the matter be as they continued down a less upscale corridor, filled with dolls on the cabinets, and took a turn into what looked like an operating room with doll limbs hanging from the ceiling. There was a desk covered by a cloth and another with a sewing machine on it.
Well, that would explain the dolls hanging in the forests.
Donna put Angie on a nearby chair and pulled the cloth off the desk. There lay a couple of incomplete dolls, some with facial features, others blank. All without clothes or hair. As fascinating as this was, it didn't answer why Ethan had been taken here.
"You make these?" he asked, just to soften the blow when he'd inevitably ask why he was even in a position to witness this.
She paused for a moment, then reached for Angie again before she began speaking, "Donna likes making dolls. Lots of cute friends for me and others. You want a cute friend too?"
Unlike the horror show in the surrounding forest, these dolls didn't seem so terrifying. Ethan however was naturally apprehensive, even if he nodded. "Uh, sure?"
Without hesitation, Donna moved away from the desk to a shelf with supplies for doll-making. She probably made bank from this. While she assembled pieces of cloth for a dress, Ethan's phone began buzzing in his pocket. It was a wonder that there was even reception out here but then again, Heisenberg did say Donna sent him an email. And with Claudia, the mansion was probably more modernized than most areas in the village.
Speaking of Heisenberg, the man had sent a text message that read; "You alright? Got the biscuits? Is she creeping you out in the basement? Want me to come and rescue you?"
"I'm fine, babe ;-)," Ethan replied, feeling confident and cheeky. Heisenberg had one of those outdated brick phones that could survive getting hurled into a wall, so the smiley had to be typed in manually.
He also happened to find such pet names corny and ridiculous so hopefully, he would get the implication that everything was fine. It would seem that he did as he sent an angry smiley in return, which caused Ethan to snort a bit. A blush spread over his face as it was quite audible in this quiet basement. He cleared his throat, sending a heart before putting his device down his pocket.
Donna didn't stop to look at him, not until she had painted a face on the doll in her hands and put it down to dry. She then turned around and headed for the sewing machine and folded the cloth for the dress. The veil over her face was lifted so it wouldn't get caught in the machine but it sure as hell didn't reveal her face from this angle.
"So why did you take me here? I don't think there's biscuits in this place," Ethan asked, circumventing the "presence" of Angie. Of course, Donna looked at the doll first, then headed over to pick it up before she spoke. One would have to wonder how she'd function without it.
"You must be super special if you managed to command Heisenberg around. He likes machines more than people so him making a truce with us is absurd. I want to hear how you did him in. I'm so curious! Maybe he'll be nicer."
Aha. So that was what it came down to, was it? Ethan took a quick breath and answered honestly - mostly. "First off, he's my friend. Secondly, it was his idea. I just supported him – as friends do. I think him seeing me with my daughter made him reconsider his own familial relationships."
"He doesn't have friends so what are you to him really? Alcina says a lot of bad things – in jest, I might add but I want to hear it from you," Donna answered, followed by a shrill, ear-piercing giggle that would probably drive lesser men insane. It wouldn't make much sense for Heisenberg to just overshare, especially with Alcina. But given her interrogation during the Winter Jubilee, it caused a bitter taste to spring alive in Ethan's mouth, which he had to swallow before he answered.
"You can tell Lady D that people bond like friends over good drinks. I take it you're not someone who goes out to bars much."
"It would make my cute friends lonely if I left, silly!" Donna juggled Angie about a bit before putting "her" down and continuing with the dolls. "And we don't like alcohol anyway."
Ethan wasn't one to assume someone's hobbies based on their appearances but hearing those words from Donna didn't sound so surprising. So, he didn't comment further on it, simply watching while she sewed together a dress of pink frills, fit for a princess.
Afterward, she returned to one of her other projects, testing that the paint was dry before fitting it into the dress. Thereafter, she made the hair, created from the thinnest threads of yellow yarn. Finally, the doll was finished with a golden crown and a pair of matching pink shoes, then wrapped up in transparent gift paper.
"Wow, thanks," Ethan looked over the doll through the wrap, noting all the meticulous details that had gone into painting it. For as weird as this experience had been, he couldn't say he hated it.
The tea party evolved into a digestible affair. Moreau still stuck to Ethan and Donna only conversed with her cousin Claudia, but Heisenberg wasn't looking like he wanted the floor to split in half and swallow him. He was however suspicious of the bag of dried flowers Ethan received, ignoring the doll completely.
"So?" he asked, once they were far enough away from the cliff and on their way out of the village within the comforts of the car. It took Ethan a few moments to figure out he was talking about the meeting in the basement. And invertedly, it got Ethan thinking about the rather secretive nature of their relationship. That was never something they brought up; it hadn't been much of a problem. But it wasn't like they were actively debating to keep it hidden. Ethan just didn't want to put the guy on the spot like a selfish ass.
"Alcina likes to talk smack about us, and Donna asked me about it. I don't know if I can tell them that we're going out. Is it taboo?" he asked, letting out a breath of relief when Heisenberg laughed wholeheartedly.
"No, I think they'd react the same way if you were a woman. Lady super-sized bitch is just being petty, and Donna is annoyingly observant. But all in all, it's childlike curiosity."
That suggested a whole host of interesting, almost adorable things but nothing Ethan decided to chase. He was just elated that he could bring some level of easygoing feeling into the complicated relationships that were between the siblings.
"So, I can stop calling you my friend," he concluded, smiling widely when Heisenberg laughed again.
"You already ruined our friendship, Ethan. Remember?"
And it was the best thing that had happened recently. Ethan still sat with the blissful feeling of unreality but as he leaned closer to kiss Heisenberg on the cheek, feeling his warmth and the subtle scruff of his beard, he knew this to be very real. The car drove through the village without streetlights, it was a little anxiety-inducing driving out here, but Heisenberg was familiar with the area enough to navigate safely until they reached the main road that would take them to the city.
"Do you think I can show up like this at that wedding?" he asked one they drove past the first pair of headlights.
"Nope. Don't worry though. I'll find you something nice but comfortable to wear," Ethan answered, grinning at the way the other man sank into his seat. Something would have to be done with his beard too and his hair as well. Nothing fancy, just attractive enough to not raise eyebrows and give Ethan some eye candy to bask in when he wouldn't be getting ready to barf up his own lungs.
It would be okay. It would put an end to Louisiana. Hopefully.
They made it home soon after, tired and silently agreeing to sleep in tomorrow. Outside, it began to rain, although not without being affected by the cold temperatures. Freezing rain, it was called. Thankfully, as they were already inside, no one paid attention to it. Without his hat or shades on, Heisenberg sat on the couch, splayed out like a tired dad after a hard day's work. Ethan didn't blame him however as today had been eventful, to put it mildly.
He headed over to cup the man's face and pull him into a deep, rewarding kiss, filled with warmth as if to melt all the residue anxiety away. He climbed into Heisenberg's lap, supported by an arm that swung around his waist, humming against the hot breath that tickled against his skin.
Soon, desire got the better of Ethan and he began to grind slowly against Heisenberg, moaning softly against the hands firmly caressing his hips. He pulled back, partly for air and partly to discern how the mood evolved between them. For a moment he sat back in silence, swallowing under the weight of Heisenberg's piercing stare.
"Do dolls get you off?" he asked, completely facetious.
"No, but you doing so well is a turn-on. So quick round?"
Heisenberg simply nodded and no other words needed to be expressed after that. With a giddy grin, Ethan slid his hands down Heisenberg's chest until he reached his belt and unbuckled it before pulling off his hoodshirt and tossing it to the floor. The apartment was fairly warm, yet he felt a tiny chill across his skin for sitting here bare-chested but Heisenberg's hands palming his back was a nice comfort. Before long they both sat without shirts on, lost in the tasting lips of the other.
A sultry purr came from Ethan as his pants were unbuttoned and his growing erection uncovered. It took a few strokes before precum began beading on its tip, making him mewl with want. He arched his back, burying his face in the crook of Heisenberg's neck and clumsily reaching for the rim of the other man's pants until he could wrap a hand around his partly erect cock – as well as his own.
The guttural grunt from Heisenberg was a good sign as he pulled Ethan closer while they sat there, dicks pressed together. Ethan was meticulous in his strokes, despite lust compelling him to move his hand faster. He shuddered and whimpered with delight at the trail of kisses across his naked shoulder to the base of his neck.
"Fuck, so good…" he groaned, closing his eyes as his body tightened with an intense, familiar heat spreading over his body, like a bubble that burst into overwhelming release. Heisenberg tightened his grip, digging his fingers into Ethan's skin, grunting from the back of his throat, and uttering a curse that wasn't decipherable, not that anyone cared.
Under Ethan's grasp, cum spurted over his hand, and in his fogged mind, he couldn't figure out who came first. It didn't matter anyway, not with the afterglow hitting them like a crashing wave, turning the two of them into two breathing sacks of jelly.
Spent and sated, he rolled onto the empty spot of the couch, sinking into its cushions with his pants down his ankles and his hand drenched in semen. Meanwhile, Heisenberg stood and vanished for a moment before he returned with some wet tissues. He was kind enough to wipe them both clean before vanishing again, this time out on the balcony that overlooked the city skyline to smoke his cigar.
Suppose the cliché about tobacco after sex were true after all. Ethan rolled off the couch and dressed himself somewhat before snatching a blanket from a nearby chair and heading out on the balcony.
"Want a hit?" Heisenberg offered his cigar, inching closer upon the blanket being draped over them both. The rain was rebuffed by the balcony above them.
"I guess a little kick doesn't hurt," Ethan took the cigar and drew a deep inhale from it, his mind lightening for a moment at the rush from never having smoked before. He breathed out the vapor and leaned against Heisenberg, humming at the man's arm wrapped around his shoulder, watching the night pass peacefully.