the-fools-route - Tumblr blog

the-fools-route · 25 days ago

Text

THE FOOLS ROUTE

Chapter 4

There will be spelling errors

-------------------------------------------------------

So, it's been a while.

I'm not one for writing, my hands cramp so I need to take inconvenient breaks. But I thought it would be helpful, something to look back on. It's been a few weeks, maybe 3? Nearly 4. Much has happened, where to start? My heart sank when Julian was revealed as the killer. It just felt wrong, he didn't feel bad. I don't like strangers, they make me uncomfortable. But Julian? I didn't get one bad vibe from him. He was a bit odd, but not bad.

That night I snuck out of bed to find the truth. The floor sent a fridged spike up my back, keeping on my toes. At night I almost always walk on the front of my feet, it not only feels comfortable but it makes less sound. I try to avoid walking in such a strange manor around people. It's embarrassing when I get caught. I open the door to Lucio's somber bedroom. How's the best way to put this? The room felt stale, empty. He wasn't here. He had an entire wing of the palace, he has to be somewhere.

Evey room I searched felt empty and cold. I was wondering around for maybe 10 minutes or so? How is it this hard to find a giant Goat? This Is worse then a " Where's Waldo " book. I heard a loud crash and the sound of dogs barking from a few room down. Found him. I open the door and a ottoman flew over my head crashing into the wall behind me.

" Leave me be! " He snarled.

" Lucio! It's me! "

He whips around, and his body relaxes one he sees me. His dogs bounce toward me, expecting affection. The tall, dusty windows behind him give off a soft light, causing Lucio to illuminate like a lamp. The room is littered with broken furniture, I probably shouldn't walk much farther into the room. Bear feet and splinters are not a good mix.

" Why are you breaking stuff? "

He scoffs and kicks a broken table away.

" None of your damn business. " He spits with annoyance.

" Why are you here so late? Y-you need sleep, stop being stupid and go to bed. "

He acts all big and bad all the time, but I can tell he cares. At least a little bit.

" I have a question to ask you, but first let's leave this room. I don't really want to be in here, and you probably don't want to either. "

I lead him to the dreary halls to talk. Me, Lucio, and his dogs walk the long winding corridors as we talk softy of his destructive tendencies. He expressed his anger of being dead, he's envious of the fact that I am living. And he is not. He misses food, alcohol, and partying. He misses attention. I reassured him that I'd visit very often, so he wouldn't be lonely. He was skeptical of my kindness, but didn't oppose it. We eventually got to the topic of Julian, and of the murder. When I asked the question, Lucio laughed. No, he didn't laugh. He cackled with amusement.

" That poor excuse of a docter could never kill me, he's to soft. " he snorts.

Apparently, Julian never killed him. Lucio wouldn't tell me how exactly he died, so it was probably embarrassing. He shooed me away complaining that " it was too late for company " . His dogs follow me close behind as I leave his wing, the pitter patter of their narrow paws are drowned out by my racing thoughts. This knowledge entrusted to me can change the fate of what seems like everything. Even though Lucio told me like it was nothing, this weighs heavy on my shoulders. Can I tell anyone? Anyone at all?

" Leigh? "

I was so stuck in my head that I didn't hear or see Portia walk up to me.

" Are you ok? I heard loud noises. Was that you? "

Time to panic.

" Uh-no, no that wasn't me. "

She crossed her arm and raised a playful brow.

" So all that loud noise didn't come from you? None of it? "

Mercedes sneezes and gives me an idea.

" Uh-yeah, yeah! I couldnt sleep so i went for a walk and heard a load noise, the dogs had knocked something over. "

Portia crosses her arms and shifts most of her weight on one leg, a very sassy pose if I must say.

" Yep, that's what happened. "

"Mmm, ok. But I don't believe you. "

I've become familiar to the faces that blur by me as I run the winding halls. Me and Portia are practically best friends now. We make pillow forts at her cottage and talk about books we've read with a cup of sweet tea. I taught her how to make southern style sweet tea and she was sold, she now makes it on hot days at the palace for everyone to enjoy. It's too sweet for Nadia however, so Portia make half and half for her.

Asra has been teaching me magic, real magic. Not that that hocas pocas " There's a quarter behind your ear " stuff. I told them that I was likely incapable of learning. But they haven't given up on me yet. I had meny lessons to learn very simple spells, all were fruitless until more recently. We were at his shop, how do I describe it? Smells like incense, and some of the crystals make me think of hard candy. It's fuzzy? The floor and walls are adorned with fabrics and rugs. It's homey. After a few days of learning, I made small blinding sparks crackle from my hands. It happened so fast I screamed and shook my hands rapidly, sending the sparks everywhere. They popped and fizzed as they scattered and bounced off every surface.

Asra leaned back and cackled with amusement. I giggle with him and ask if that was supposed to happen.

"Hmm, probably not." He said with a grin.

Eventually, I was able to successfully use magic. Kinda. I made a small bubble. Literally a soapy bubble. We were sitting on the floor wrapped in blankets when they asked me a weird question.

" What makes you feel safe? "

I had to think about my answer.

" Confinement, like a blanket. Blankets make me feel safe. "

My cupped hands start to feel wet, but they look dry. A shimmering bubble emerges from my skin. Blowing up, it separates from my hand and floats gently. Asra looks at me with an " I told you so " face and leans toward my bubble, inspecting it.

" I think- " they begin.

" You have ward like magic, for protection of self and for others. "

They poke my bubble and his finger sinks in without penitrating the glistening orb, he pulls back and the bubble jiggles back to its original shape

" Huh, neat. "

My favorite thing to do now is make finger guns and " shoot " bubbles at people.

In these few weeks I've even befriended most of the courters. I baked Volta cookies, chocolate chip and a poor attempt at oreos. I made a dozen of each and when I presented the sweet treats to her, she started bawling with appreciation. I'm a sucker for sugar but I have never seen someone inhale 24 cookies in a few minutes. She thanked me and said I was so kind to her, she invited me to her manor if I bring more cookies. Meny more cookies. I was up all night with Portia baking in the kitchen that night, we both ate way too much raw cookie dough then we should have. We were covered in flour and eggs and laughed together all night.

The next day, when Volta saw me she drew her small hands to her mouth and shreeked with glee. She ran to me and wrapped her small body around my waist and thanked me a thousand times. She pulled me by my pants and led me indoors. Her manor was filled with junk, cool junk. " Normal " people probably wouldn't much like all the stuff laying around, I however am not normal. She had old suits of armor and gorgeously carved wooden tables. So meny fascinating thing piled in tall dusty towers. I asked her where she found all of these things,

She scampered around telling me everything.

After a while we sat on a stiff red cushioned couch and I showed her some cooking shows on my phone. She was so engrossed into the phone, it was like a toddler watching CocoMelon. For some reason, my phone battery will not drain. My internet works perfectly fine, the only things I can't do is check my location and send messages. I've been taking lots of pictures of where I've been. The market, my bedroom, the palace. Pictures of Lucio look kinda funny, he's either near invisible or a bright glare.

A few days later I was in the garden after a particularly hard rain to admire the wet foliage, when I found Vlastomil on his knees swiping his boney hands on the slick cobblestone, he spotted me and desperately waved me over. He wailed his woes before I even got to him. Apparently, he was distressed regarding the earthworms scattered on the ground. He didn't want them to shrivel once the sun came out. He begged for my help, so I did. We gathered worms for around a hour, they wriggled in my hands and it was a little bit gross but Vlastomil looked so pleased. He told me that I was a very kind person and that he very much appreciated the help.

Then later that day Volgora talked me into hide and seek, but with a twist. I guess after a long meeting of some kind, Volgora was so bored from that " stupid meeting " they were willing to do anything to keep busy for a while. I agreed and immediately after Volgora yelled " Run! ". I hid in a tiny broom closet, I wasn't there for very long. I heard Volgora sprint down the hall towards me. They then proceeded to nearly rip the door off of the wall and yank me out of stuffed closet. I am held in the air over their head as Volgora screams triumphantly.

" How did you find me so fast ? "

" Because I'm better then you! " they yell.

They run off while I'm still flailing around trying to break free. Volgora came across a parlor and found a couch. I was then not tossed but thrown into said couch. Volgora now throws me into chairs and couches every time we meet, which really threw Nadia off one day.

And then, once at dinner, I discussed the black plague with Vladimar. They seemed quite interested with my knowledge and kept asking questions, most I didn't have answers for. Valarias ( forgot how to spell his name ) looked disgusted with the conversation and asked if I knew anything of " actual importance. " He doesn't seem to like me very much. His loss, I guess.

Nadia has been planning a masquerade, and she's been asking for my advice. I didn't think i had been very much help with the first few questions she asked. She needed a few more ideas for themed rooms. She seemed to like my ideas, though. I suggested a quiet room to get away from the party. Not everyone likes being around so many people.

Honestly, I'm kinda excited for the masquerade. There will be delicious food, fun games, and ( hopefully ) even nicer people.

But I think that's all I will write today. My hand hurts.

-Leigh

___________________________________________

I set my quill down and lean back in my chair sighing, my hand is cramping like crazy after all that writing. My room has changed a bit. I have a desk and a chair now, for writing and drawing. I have a plush pillow under my desk for Candlewick to lay on, he's so big that he sinks into the cushion. I'm finally wrapping my head around my predicament. Asra has been trying to help me find out how I came here. But so far, nothing. I'm going to hang out with him again today, something about visiting a friend. Its mid day so they should be here soon.

*Knock*

" Speak of the devil. "

Outside the city walls lie wheat fields, golden and glowing from the sun's warm rays. I let the plants brush over my hands as I walk by. I decided to bring Candlewick with us, Nadia had a beautiful bag made for him to make traveling easy. I wear it like a backpack and he sits inside, very simple and practical. Past the fields, I can see where the forest begins. The gnarled trees wrap around eachother, acting almost as a wall trying to ward us away. But when has a wall ever stopped me.

The ground is soft under my boots, and the air smells of sweet dirt.

" So, why are we out here again? " I kick a rock into the weeds as we enter the forest.

" Because I know someone who has a similar kind of magic as you, and he might be able to teach you a thing or two. He's due for a visit anyway. "

The sun is overhead and hot. Bugs swarm and pester me, I think I saw Candlewick swat at a few from behind my head. The trees soon become thick, blocking out the light.

" You know know, my friend does like to visit a stream. Not too far from here, why don't you go check. I'll catch up in a bit. I need to do something alone. " Asra points me in a direction, I ask I'd it's safe for me to be alone. He assures me that nothing will happen.

The leave crunch and sticks break under my boots as I walk the way Asra instructed me too when I thought I heard him catch up to me.

" Am I going in the right way Asra? "

I turn, waiting for his response. But Asra wasn't behind me. A wolf was. I had never seen one in person before. She was huge. I was frozen in fear and couldn't move. Candlewick, however, was not afraid. He climbed onto my shoulders, causing me to nearly lose my footing, and he jumped off. Candlewick approached the wolf and sat. The wolf just stared. I have never seen a more serious starting contest. The wolf then walks around Candlewick and past me. I turned to watch the wolf disappear into the bushes, but she hardly walked a few feet before she stopped and locked eyes with me. She wants me to follow her. So I do. I seriously need to stop following random animals. Me and Wicky are led to a beautiful creek. The water looks cool and inviting. But the closer I get to the water, I see someone.

A man, a very big man. He was dead silent and hardly moved. The wolf walked down to greet him. A large hand reached out from a black cloak and petted her.

" Hello? "

He tenses. He grabs his cloak and pulls it tighter around him.

" Leave. . . Please. "

He sounds scared. Why does he sound so scared?

" I'm sorry to bother, I'm looking for a friend of asras. "

He sighs deeply.

" That's me. " he replies in an emotionless tone.

Why are you out here all alone?

" Because I like it, and I'm not alone. "

The wolf stands vigilant at his side, protecting him. She wanted me here, she lead me to him.

" Is she your friend? "

No answer.

I slowly walk to the creek bed to sit on the rocks, and I make sure to give him a lot of space between us. I sit on a bolder, we'll not quite a bolder, but it was large enough for me to sit on. I watch the cold water rush by for a while. We don't share any words, but I feel the tension dissipate. I glance at him a few times and see his shoulders are no longer tense and that he's playing in the water, too.

I've always liked rocks. smooth rocks, sharp rocks, sparkling rocks, I love them all. I saw something glitter from the middle of the stream, so I had to see what it was. I took my boots and socks off and wade to nearly the middle of the stream. It was slippery and cold and didn't anticipate falling. But I did. I slipped and fell forward in the water. It became deep. Well, not really deep, but my head was underwater. I then feel someone grab me and lift me out of the water. I'm thrusted into the air by that man with my feet dangling and his hands under my arms. His hood fell from his head. I can see his scars and his eyes. He has sad eyes.

" It's good to know you are both well acquainted now. "

Asra leans against a mossy tree with Candlewick at his feet, smiling. He definitely saw me fall.

" How much of that did you see? " I ask

" Oh, don't worry, I saw everything. " they smirk.

" Is this. . .yours? " the man asks as he still holds me as far away from himself as he can.

" Leigh, this is Muriel. Muriel, this is Leigh. She's stuck here in Vesuvia, so I'm showing her around. " they start walk down to the creek to join us.

" Can I. . .put her down? " Muriels deep voice whispers.

Not much happened after that. We went to Muriels home a bit farther in the woods. It was a small warm hut, it was sparsely decorated but it was very homey. I was plopped by the fire to warm up after my " little tumble." I kept to myself as Asra and Muriel quietly discussed something. But I heard bits and pieces. Stuff about wards and spells, but one thing mentioned made me feel sick. They were talking about Julian and the murder. I feel a disgusting pit form in my stomach. I need to tell someone. I can't just keep this to myself. So I wait till we leave, I wait till we are out of the woods and into the city. A bell rings as Asra, Candlewick, and I enter his store.

" Hey, Asra? "

They hum, waiting for my question as they prepare some tea immediately.

" I need to tell you something. It's kinda really important. "

" Go on. "

" Julian didn't kill Lucio. "

" Oh yeah? How do you know. " They pour tea in a small white cup

" Because Lucio told me so. "

He freezes. The tea stops pouring. He places the kettle down and turns to me and asks very softly.

" What did you say? "

#the arcana #pontifex vulgora #the fools route #the arcana game #the arcana oc #the arcana original character #asra alnazar #muriel the arcana #muriel the mountain man #muriel the hermit #lucio morgasson #lucio the arcana #count lucio #asrathearcana #asra the arcana #the arcana fanfic

5 notes · View notes

the-fools-route · 9 months ago

Text

THE FOOLS ROUTE

Chapter 3

Google docs isn't working so I don't know the word count. 😐

Expect grammar mistakes

----------------------------------------------------------

" Rise and shine! "

Portia opens the curtains, filling the room with light. I pull the covers over my head, it's way too bright right now.

" Not a morning person huh? Maybe I can convince you to get up with some breakfast? "

I slowly pull the blanket from my face.

" I might be interested."

She laughs at that. She sets a silver tray on the dresser next to my bed. It's filled with warm flaky pastries.

" I also brought a fresh set of clothes for you to wear. "

She sets the clothes pile on my bed, and she looks at me funny.

" Are you ok? You look like you're thinking of something important. "

The golden corridors still cloud my mind.

" Just a weird dream. "

She makes a sound of acknowledgement.

" You have a pretty free day today, all you really have to do is join milady for dinner tonight. I have to leave to run some errands. But till then, the world is your oyster! "

The door clicks and all is quiet. But my mind is not. I cannot stop thinking about last night. I usually have weird dreams, but this one takes the cake. Candlewick lightly lifts his head, swaying. He first slowly surveys the room, then trots to the edge of the bed and slides off. He lazily wanders around the room, exploring his new domain. I pull my phone from my pocket, the battery level is still the same. Strange. I sigh heavily, loud enough to make Wick look at me.

" What do I do now? "

Candlewick sits, as if he was thinking. He then trots to the bed pawing toward the folded clothes.

" Yeah, I should probably change. "

I've been given loose steel blue pants and a lighter blue top. The sleeves are wide and flowing. The outfit clashes with my red shoes, but I don't mind much.

" You know, for a cat you seem to understand me pretty well. "

He rolls on his back ignoring me. The platter Portia left me was fairly large, and very expensive looking. I trace the intricate designs of the silver platter with my finger. There were 5 pastries, some with what looks like fruit jam inside. Don't get me wrong, I love fruit. I'm just picky about how I eat them. Jam is a no no. I take the most plain looking bread roll. I be careful to not drop any crumbs on the floor, which proved to be more of a problem then I thought it would.

I leave my room to explore for the day since I'm not very busy. Candlewick trots close behind me, he seems to be a great travel buddy. I'm glad I'm not alone. The halls are brilliantly lit by the golden sun. The silk curtains gleam and the floors I swear were mirrors in their past life. The halls are much more lively than they were yesterday, people with big hats and bigger feathers adorned on them walk the halls. Some are holding papers or baskets, and some wave at me. I shyly wave back. I really don't belong here, I'm like a stray dog. At least dogs are cute. I explore different rooms, and believe me there are plenty of them here for me to stoop in. I found a a room filled with instruments, and another with chairs and couches. I hope nobody minds that I'm snooping around.

I eventually find large double doors that lead into an empty ballroom, a very big empty ballroom. A glass dome ceiling lets streams of light in, sending gold streaks to dance around the room. I Imagine the light morphing into people in regal dresses and suits, spinning and gliding effortlessly across the floor. It's beautiful. I personally don't know how to dance, but it feel like the right thing to do right now. I pick Candlewick up and hold him in my arms.

" May I have this dance? "

He peeps.

" That's probably a yes. "

I spin around the room trying to copy the golden phantoms around me, it's not easy. I keep tripping over my feet, but I don't mind. I sing to Candlewick a song that doesn't exist here, something only known by me. He purrs contentedly, I swear he's swaying with me. A cloud passes over the skylight dimming the light. The gold dancers disappear leaving us alone. I drop Candlewick and bow, and I can't help myself but laugh. Who knew dancing could be fun? The cloud passes and the room is bright again.

" Where to now? "

He stares at me for exactly two seconds then takes off running to a door on the right. I chase after him.

" Whoa! Can't we just walk or something? "

I dont understand how he can run so fast with so little traction. He slips through a cracked door and disappears. I persue to to little avail. The aroma of flowers swirl around my head as I open the door. I must be on the balcony from yesterday. Large marble stairs lead me down from the balcony to the gardens.

Morning dew blankets vibrant flowers of all shapes and sizes, I recognize a few of them. Peonies, roses, lavender, so on so forth. I move at a slow pace around the garden beds trying to find where that dang cat went, I find nothing but the sound of the early birds and the first sunshine of the day. I end up not finding him in the end, but instead finding a large white pavilion with a table and some chairs. I take a break from searching, he will show up eventually.

A cockatoo lands on the table I'm sitting at. He hops around and surveys me with his red eyes.

" Hello there friend. "

He skips to my hand and nibbles on my fingers. I attempt to pet him with my other hand. He puffs up and hisses at me.

" Fuck you! "

I'm left absolutely stunned. He just cursed at me!

" Excuse me? "

He squawks at me and flys away.

" Well, screw you too bird. "

He taunts me from a tree branch, hopping around puffing his feathers.

" My my, such colorful language. "

I know that voice. I whip around to see Nadia behind me, I didn't even hear her approach me.

" Do you know that bird? "

She sighs.

" Yes, I believe he was my husband's. "

She doesn't look as if she was fond of his bird.

" He always had such a temper. " she sighs.

" Your husband or the bird? "

She looks shocked, I probably shouldn't have said that. I attempt to apologize, but she laughs.

" I believe both, if possible. "

She pulls a chair from the table to sit in.

" I believe I have found a friend of yours. "

She looks to the side were lo and behold, Candlewick emerges from a bush. I think he goes out of his way to give me a hard time.

" How has your time here been? Are you comfortable? "

My hands fidget underneath the table.

*Pick*

" I've been fine, I don't have any complaints. "

Her voice is so soothing, she's so easy to listen to. She looks to the sky and smiles.

" It's been a while since I've gotten a chance to sit out here, every time I have a moment to myself another problem arises. "

When was the last time she had a day to herself?

" You could take the day off, go into town, I'm sure nothing too horrible could happen. Worse case scenario a painting falls over. "

She looks at me with wide eyes. Then looks to the side, concentrating. A small sound leaves her mouth with finality.

" Then we shall go to town. "

" We? "

The streets are bustling with noise as people start their day. Shouting and laughing become white noise, almost unnoticed. Almost. Nadia had wrapped herself in a purple shaw to blend in with the crowd. I was dressed ths same, I had no title to draw unwanted eyes, well other than being a thief in that one specific market that I will be sure to avoid, but that's beside the point. I have an ( nearly ) blank slate.

I point out stalls with strange oddities that I had never seen before. The shiny items beckon for me like a siren calling to an unsuspecting sailor. We visit meny vendors selling high quality goods, Nadia has told me at least a billion times that i can get whatever I wanted. Yes, I saw meny nice things. And also yes, I picked up said meny things to admire them with my hands. Feeling the bumps and ridges on everything. But I had no need or want for such things, they're just nice to look at. Time flew by without acknowledgement, we had shared a lunch in some high-rated inn. We had made small talk about restaurants from home.

" So, the owners knew the food was unhealthy? And they sold it anyway? "

I laugh at Nadia's confusion.

" Yep. But everyone still loved McDonald's, as bad as it was. "

I pick at my food before me. I had a plate of some sort of spiced meat drowned in a sauce. I ate most of it but I honestly wasn't all that hungry. I don't want to say we were running out of things to do, but it felt as if we were. There was much more to be done, just not today.

" What do we do now? "

Nadia readjusts her shaw to ensure anonymity, but her eyes never leave me. Once she is satisfied with her disguise she takes my hand into hers and smiles.

" Why don't I take you to a tailor to get yourself outfitted to your preference. I'd love to treat you as a thank you, I haven't had this much fun in a while. "

*Pick*

I tear at my nails with uncertainty.

" Are you sure? Do we have time? "

She smiles that beautiful smile once again.

" With certainly. "

So Nadia took me to see a tailor.

She expressed mild worry, as she had never been to this peticular store before. She has high standards for such things, and wanted it to be perfect or it was just a waste of time in her opinion. Once we enter and observe the room to be empty other then the man at the front desk, she removed her "disguise". Two things happen.

First, the man behind the front counter froze for a moment and stuttered his welcome slightly. I bet he didn't count on seeing the Countess in his store today. Secondly, I wondered how the hell is her hair so perfect after being covered and walking around all day.

We are each lead to a room to be measured. I stood on a small platform in the middle of said room, it was filled with mannequins and long rolls of patterned fabric. The room was filled yet was still orderly. I had never been measured before, I just grabbed clothes from my local Walmart and called it a day. I felt as if it was mildly invasive but that was to be expected. Once the man was done he lead me to an even larger room with clothes, he told me they were my size. Or at least close too.

I'm surrounded by suits, evening gowns, and robes. I try on a dress or two. But I don't keep them, i'm not really a dress person. Makes me feel silly for some reason, but the idea of wearing one is nice I guess. If I did wear dresses, i want it to "feel" like me. I don't want to look in the mirror and see someone else. I don't quite know what I'm looking for, as of now I am simply grabbing clothes and trying them on. But nothing really sticks. Not until I find a white blouse. It has puffy sleeves that cinch at the wrists and a simple v-line collar. I back track through the clothes till I find a pair of very dark pants, I try both on. I tuck the blouse in for a cleaner look, yet it's still a bit plain. I search the clothing racks for something to add. A mannequin catches my eye. A leather underbust corset lies wrapped around the wooden waist. I trace my fingers along the strings. This will work.

I stand in front of a tall mirror admiring my work. My white blouse tucked into my pants, then wrapped in the corset. Dark brown leather boots with a pair of slightly lighter half chaps, for a bit of pizzazz. I look at myself in the mirror, admiring my work. Maybe I should find a pretty collar for Candlewick, so he can be fancy too. But that will have to wait, I have a bigger problem at the moment. I need to leave the changing room.

What if my outfit is wrong? What if it's not nice enough? My hand hangs over the doorknob shaking, trembling. I don't understand why I am so hesitant to be seen. Maybe I don't want to be judged. Candlewick leans against my boot, he's either comforting me or demanding attention. Regardless, it calms me. I place my hand on the doorknob, no turning back now.

I'd like to say that the changing room door creaked horrendously loud causing strangers to look at me, and that they turned their heads away with disgust. And that some random woman shielded her baby's eye in fear of it crying because of me. But that's not what happened. The door didn't make a sound, no creaking. It was silent. And the room wasn't filled with potentially upset people, it was nearly empty. Filled only Nadia and a man measuring her clothing size. The tailor barely notices me, Nadia on the other hand definitely saw me.

* Pick *

She smiles but says nothing.

I wait around awkwardly until she was satisfied with browsing the store. She waves her hand to dismiss the tailor. He leaves for a few minutes before returning with a few rolls of fabric.

" I summoned a carriage for us while you were changing, it's late in the afternoon and I don't want to tire you out. Our duties are not yet finished. "

*Pick*

" Ok. "

I respond in a small quiet voice, my nerves always get the best of me.

I had never been in a carriage before this. The seats were plush and soft, very inviting. They were a beautiful crimson, like a fine wine. Total upgrade from the hard dirty seats on the bus.

She pat the seat beside her, signaling me to sit. She gently lays her hand on mine, her rings feeling cool on my warm skin.

" You look beautiful in your new clothes, I only hope you shall allow me to spoil you in the future again. "

My face flushes red, I'm not used to such treatment. It made me feel weird. Tingly? I felt warm, I felt . . .

Loved.

The ride wasn't very long, so we were back by sunset. Nadia was pleased that nothing horrific had happened with her temporary absence, as was I. Nadia told me to have some fun before dinner so she sent me on my way. I wasn't really sure what to do, so I just wondered around. I walked with a bounce in my step, I felt like I was shinning.

I feel great here. At home, I felt like I was just some other ordinary teen. No one paid any mind to me. But here? I think I can make something good for myself.

I went to Lucio to show him my new outfit, he was expectedly unimpressed by the lack of "flair and gold ". But he did say it was nice. I told him about my trip with Nadia, and about the new things I had seen. He seemed sour, grumbling how Nadia never took him to town.

We had laid on the rug by the grand window and talked for a long time. He talked about a "red market" and how he loved to romp around and buy whatever he wanted. And I talked about video games I had played and movies I had seen. Lucio seemed quite content with himself, he practically melted into the carpet while I told him the plot of a Disney movie. His eyes were soft and his breathing was steady.

He looked happy.

I obviously couldn't stay forever as I had a dinner to attend, I bid fairwell to Lucio and left. I felt him follow me, although I couldn't see him i knew he was there. I found his dogs lounging about toward the staircase that lead to his side of the palace. I made sure to scratch their ears as I passed. I think Lucio stayed with his dogs because of a sudden feeling of loneliness that came apon me as I left.

I enter the grand dinning room to see Asra and Nadia talking amongst themselves.

" I'm sorry I'm a little bit late, I got lost. "

"With time you will be acoctomed with the layout. What matters is you are here now."

Nadia reassures me that all is well. Thank God, this place is a damn labyrinth.

The long table welcoming, Nadia sits at an end with an empty chair to her side. I'll be between her and Asra. Me and Asra haven't really talked much and I had a few questions. Nothing of importance, I'm just curious of his character. We are brought meals one by one. First a light salad, then some butterd bread, and finally a spiced fish. I'm not really a salad person. I don't prefer it with ranch, although most people do. And I hate croutons. Yes, croutons. But this salad? The one before me?

Heavenly. It was lightly peppered and had a dressing that wasn't overpowering.

This place is awsome.

We had nice conversations about our pasts. I shared pleasant memories of a rainbow xylophone I had when I was young. Asra spoke of adventures to far away places. And Nadia of her childhood home. Eventually Nadia got on the topic of her late husband. No one seemed somber when his death was brought up. Asra briefed Nadia on their recent findings regarding said event. I know it's not my place to ask, but I need to know. Half of his room is suffocated by ash. I want to know why. How do I ask this in a nice way?

" How did he pass away? "

Nailed it.

Asra didn't look uncomfortable, but he didn't look thrilled that I asked.

" 3 years ago my husband was murdered by his personal doctor. "

Time to ask another dumb question.

" His doctor? Was he sick? "

Asra answers my second question.

" He was affected by the red plague. It killed hundreds of innocents. Noone afflicted survived. "

They looked sad now.

" Meny of the deaths, were of people I knew. "

Hundreds? That's horrible. Was it because of the lack of modern medicine? How were so meny lives lost?

" We are still on a man hunt for the man responsible for my husband's death. Dr. Julian Devorak. "

. . .

I pause. Murder? No, not possible. He was so kind to me, to Asra. But Asra is looking for him? We saw him yesterday?

I look at him next to me, we lock eyes. The look he's giving me tells me to stay silent. Dont say anything.

So I said nothing.

#the arcana #the fools route #nadia stratinava #asra alnazar #the arcana fanfic #portia devorak #lucio morgasson #count lucio #the arcana game #the arcana oc #the arcana original character

11 notes · View notes