They stood before the butterfly gilded in gold, a sandy-haired man who held his cloak up as he sat down before the two of them with a smile on his face.
“To me, it almost seems as if you haven’t come here as friends.” Omen spoke softly as he looked up towards them.
The glare of his eyes was apparent, in such a way that it took the entirety of the two Knight’s strength not to fold to the sharpness of his gaze.
“Yesterday was a mess, Omen.” Howl glared at him. “You know this much. We were able to play it off, but that won’t work much longer. Everyone has now assumed her dead, and I’m sure it won’t take long for one of Master’s crows to pick up on its falsity…”
He looked away from the two Knights, unable to meet their gaze as his smile faded.
“I know that its not viable, at least not for much longer…” He spoke softly, “But having her here… it makes everything feel normal somehow.”
“You… you’ve never been able to lead a life of normalcy, have you?” Lace frowned. “A life bred to have been nothing more than a Paragon, from birth you’ve never had a chance to experience your wishes. Is that why you want to be so close to her? Does she remind you of yourself?”
“’If I can’t live life as me, then maybe I can help her live the life she wants to lead’.” Howl muttered. “Is that the stupid shit you’re thinking of?”
He walked up to the Knight who could still not meet his gaze, sitting upon a chair before him, and grasped him by the collar of his shirt, pulling him in close. Howl’s gaze was tense, holding back an insatiable fury at the though of Omen’s actions.
“What happens when that begins to affect us? You’re pushing what you want onto her- but have you ever considered if that’s something she even wants?”
Omen looked up towards Howl suddenly. His calm expression had all but faded, and his irises looked as if they had deepened endlessly, as if his still mind did not sit behind them. A shiver ran up Howl’s spine in that instant, but his body had frozen, so he couldn’t let go of Omen’s collar.
“When have you ever cared about what she wants, dog?” He spoke coldly. “I won’t enforce my will onto her. I’ll simply fulfill the wishes she has, as long as she tells me what it is she wants. Perhaps you’re right- this is my vicarious attempt to live a life of normalcy. Wouldn’t you do so, if for once, you met a person who didn’t feel human, like you have always felt?”
Howl clicked his tongue in response.
“To pull this card in every argument…” He muttered callously, “When have we ever treated you like you weren’t wholly human…? No matter how many times we say it, you refuse to use your powers.”
“I see how you look at me, at every turn.”
“Its not your existence that leads us to look at you different.” Howl shook his head, staring back into Omen’s endless eyes, as if his sentences had meaning that he could not hide behind his fear. “It’s the line you drawn between us, almost purposefully. You can be human along with us- but that’s it. You have to be with us.”
Omen’s eyes seemed to return to their state, holding his ego within them as he bit at his tongue. His gaze shook along with his hands, and he forced Howl away just as instantly.
“I’ll be leaving.” Omen spoke suddenly as he stood up.
“Where will you go?” Lace asked of him.
“I’ll go help her find the Dragon’s name.” He responded, refusing to look back, as if he could not bear to meet their gazes in that moment.
As always, he feared how they were looking at him.
He would rather have ignored it completely.
—
Aelem sat at the edge of her bed, staring at the book that sat upon a chipped sky-blue nightstand. She wondered, as she stared at the burnt and tattered edges of its pages, if she wished she could read the lettering upon its paper surface. She wondered, if she had been allowed into that magical world of fantasy, that she would never want to leave it.
As she had lost herself within her thoughts, the door to her room had been knocked upon, and as she looked upwards, it opened slightly with a small creak echoing through the chamber.Standing once again in the archway that led to her room, she met the gaze of a smiling man gilded by gold.
“You should get dressed, Ms. La’arte. We’re going on a little adventure.” He spoke with a smile. “Rather, it’s not too fun of a journey, but I’ll make sure that you can hold a happy expression in the end.”
So, without making too much of a fuss, she changed into a new set of clothes. Omen stood at the other end of her closed door, waiting patiently until she had called for his presence once more. As he entered once more, he saw that she had dressed herself in frilly white lace, with a furred cloak draped over her shoulders as if to shield her bright-pink skin from the chill of the winter air.
It was an aesthetic he had never seen bound to her, so for a moment, he stood in silence as he stared.
“While I’m happy to oblige your eyes, Sir, I think that you came to me with a sense of urgency.” Aelem spoke softly as she met his gaze. “Although… I’m afraid I can’t quite move along with your desired pace.”
She looked down towards her feet, which had been slipped into softly-embroidered cloth-and-leather boots, which sat unlaced.
“I’m not quite sure how to tie them.” She spoke sheepishly.
So, without saying a word, Omen bent down towards the ground.
Kneeling at her feet, his hands messed around with the tangled laces of her boot, tying them tightly so that they wouldn’t have fallen away from her heels. Looking up, his expression beamed, and Aelem couldn’t help but blush in response.
Through the city, the two walked softly, so close in proximity that their hands brushed up against each other so often. Aelem was happy for it to occur. His warmth kept filling her mind with memories that she had chosen to hold dear in her mind which had none.
“About last night…” Aelem spoke softly as they walked, pulling the scarf up against her cheeks as she tried desperately to hide its bright-red flush.
“Yes, Ms. La’arte?”
“You… don’t have to be so respectful…” She said in quiet demeanor. “You can call me by my name, if it suits you to do so…”
“Then, I’ll call you Aelem.” He smiled. “I hope you’ll do the same, for my nervous sake.”
Sitting down on a floral bed that had been lined with stone bricks that had simple designs on their surface, Aelem laid her head down beside Omen. Staring up at his face against a backdrop of a misty sky, she couldn’t help but leave her mouth hanging open, as if it was an alluring sight just to look at him.
“Because we…” She spoke sheepishly, turning her gaze away, “Does that mean we’re married…?”
He looked down towards her with a flustered expression on his face, his cheeks brightening up in an instant as he spoke in response. A Knight was always on guard, but he did not consider for a moment he would have had to steel his heart against the fluttering warmth of butterflies.
“What brought that on?” He asked of her, trying desperately not to stammer out his words, and keep a calm smile.
“I’ve seen it, and heard it many times…” She replied in a hushed tone. “Something like that, it’s only something that married people do- right…?”
“Then you would be Mrs. Veilfourte, wouldn’t you?” Omen laughed. “Rather, maybe its better you don’t take my name… then wouldn’t I be Mr. La’arte?”
Aelem shook her head, still meeting his gaze which paralleled the grey sky well.
“No, I would like to take your name. To me, it is beautiful.”
“Why do you think so?” He wondered.
To that question, she simply smiled.
“To me, everything about you is beautiful.”
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