28Hellooooo everyone! I guess it's been a while again... sorry! If you're bothering to read this still thank you very much!
I apologize in advance. Not a lot of exciting things happen in this chapter. But not every chapter can be exciting. I promise lots of action and drama is in the works for the future in exchange for a few slow chapters. I guess you could call this "character development" Lol.
The GOOD news is that I've spent this last month (ok like 2 or 3 months) planning out the rest of this story. So it is all planned, and just needs to be typed and put online. So hopefully updates will be quicker.
Anyway. I have a few questions I would like to ask any readers, so if you would be kind enough to leave a short answer in a reply, I would greatly appreciate it.
1. Would you prefer longer chapters like this, or shorter chapters with a shorter wait in between?
2. If you have read "Skin Deep", and remember the character of Resten, I have been thinking of starting a story for him. Would you be interested in reading it?
3. Who is your favorite character in this so far? xP
Another random question... Exactly how far is too far for the mature rating on FP? Exactly how much can I get away with in this story? I tried reading over the guidelines but they seemed very vague. . Maybe I'm just dumb?
Copperlily Chapter 5
"Well we have to do something," Anastius argued.
"Yes," Lilith replied as if speaking to an extra slow child. "And even better, we know some things that we should not do. One of those being the option of 'get rid of him' that you keep mentioning."
"We should have thrown him out on the street the first night," Anastius crossed his arms.
"You did do that, dolt," Lilith sounded angry now. "And all that did was trigger the…" her voice trailed off, as if not even wanting to think about the thing that could inhabit the boy Seram's body at will.
"Anyway," Ana interrupted, taking the subject away from the thing that seemed to be bothering the woman the last few days. "At least we've had a few days of reprieve. He still hasn't woken up?"
Scythe, sitting behind his desk with his hands folded before him, shook his head.
"Alright," Anastius heaved a sigh. Neither Scythe nor Lilith would talk much these days, so it had all fallen on him to be the smart one. "Then let's lay out what we know. We can't get rid of him. We can't keep him locked up out of sight where he gets depressed and loses… his connection to life. Whatever that means…"
The bottom of Lilith's frilly dress began to ruffle, and a mouse appeared from beneath the folds to scurry across the room. Anastius blinked twice at it before returning to his list. "And we can't let him roam free, because with the holy pheromones, everybody wants him. And if they touch him…" he drug his thumb across his throat with a slicing sound.
"And the best part," he leaned back in his chair, tucking his hands behind his head, "is that we get to do all of this for free."
"You don't have to be involved in this," Scythe's voice broke the unease in the room. He stared into the middle of the room at nothing in particular. "You can walk away."
"You've got a kid who can be possessed by a crazy thing everyone thought didn't even exist anymore tied up in a bed because he keeps trying to claw his face off in his sleep- which has lasted three days. Yeah, I'm leaving you to deal with that by yourself," Ana argued sarcastically, snapping the chair back down on all fours to make his point.
"As much as I dislike agreeing with overzealous people, yes. This is our problem, not yours alone, Master," Lilith chimed in.
"You got something ya wanna say to me?" Ana stood from his chair, hands at the hilt of his sword. His street talk from his younger years was bleeding through again.
"Well, if we can't think of anything productive in this regard, then let's change the subject. I've managed to collect a bit of information on the recent influx of kidnappings I believe Master should look at," Lilith pulled a file from seemingly nowhere.
Ana stood straight and crossed his arms in defiance. "I told you we should stay out of that. That shit's an issue for the royal guard, not underbelly dogs like us."
Lilith's normally calm demeanor changed almost instantly, her brows snapping together as she glared at the taller man. "People who count on the Shadow's for protection where the Crown fails them are coming to us in droves. You want to ignore them? Our purpose is not only to control the underside of this city, but to keep it one piece!"
"Just because we cleaned up a chunk of the immoral rift raft when we took over doesn't make us guards-for-hire for any bumpkin with a small problem. We can't be bothered with every little trivial thing; our focus is on the bigger picture and keeping things from being overrun by others who would take advantage of that."
"This is not trivial!" Lilith's voice rose as she waved the file at Ana. "And by not doing anything we are making the statement that we are the exact same as the past four Shadowmasters, each of who allowed illegal trading, human trafficking, and worse to go unchecked for decades. Sencaln was known as the shithole of the entire realm for how dangerous and outright evil it was. You remember what it was like growing up on the streets. You want children growing up in filth and volunteering for the cages like you had to?"
"At least it's better than doing nothing and living off of others who sacrifice themselves! Or letting people die for you!" Ana yelled without thinking.
A heavy silence pervaded over the room for a few seconds, the pain on Lilith's face showing for but a second before she quickly replaced her mask of indifference.
"Lil…" Ana started, knowing he had gone too far.
"Enough," the angry order came from Scythe, who had kept quiet as usual. "What is the matter with you two?"
Scythe straightened in his chair, staring at both of his childhood friends in disapproval. "Our histories, no matter how difficult they were, are what brought us together and made us strong. The memories, no matter how terrible, are what drive us to do what we can to change things. And you dare use that as weapons to hurt one another and drive us apart? You will both get a hold of yourselves before I lock you in the dungeons until you calm down!"
Lilith and Ana both directed their attention to their leader. After a few moments of heavy silence, Ana folded his arms and sat back in his chair. "It's been a while since you scolded us, Scy," he said with a wry grin. "That's why you're the boss."
Lilith said nothing, merely staring at the floor as if waiting to be dismissed.
Scy continued, as if the fighting had not happened. "You both have valid points. But we do have to look at the bigger picture, and what use is keeping the city in one piece if there is no one left to inherit it?"
"All I'm saying," Ana slouched in his chair, "is that if you go messing in every small thing the real authorities are going to notice and take more interest in us than necessary. If we get shut down, there's no telling who will take our place and let things go to hell again."
"I'll call a meeting of the Corpse Leaders," Scy said, ignoring the faces his two subordinates made. "Which ends our current conversation. Let's return to our first, and most pressing, issue. Once the boy wakes up we'll need a plan… and probably a story to explain the coma."
"Why doesn't Miss Mouse over here try digging up info on that Home place?" Ana pointed a finger at the quiet Lilith.
"I am trying," the woman's voice was barely audible. "There is almost nothing out there. Most of what I know I've learned from Seram."
"While you're at it," Scythe was already leafing through a stack of papers on his desk, "look up what you can about something called a Copperlily. The ancient has mentioned it more than once in reference to the boy. It could explain some things."
Lilith stomped across the room, her boots echoing from the floor as she approached the Shadowmaster's desk. Slapping the file on the recent kidnappings onto the desk in front of him, directly on top of the other things he had begun to look at, she stared at the man as she spoke.
"The boy's name is Seram," she said softly, her voice serious. "He is easily your best source of any information. So regarding a plan for when he wakes up, how about treating him like a human and talking to him?" She turned on her heel, exiting the room without another word or a look at either of them.
Seram blinked his eyes open slowly. His head was pounding, and everything was filtering through his vision in a blurry mass. His initial attempt to sit up had sent everything spinning, and he quickly returned to his sanctuary, curled up within the many blankets.
Something moved under the blanket on his chest, catching his attention. He watched as a small fuzzy nose peeked out from the warm cave, followed by whiskers, beady eyes, and twitchy ears.
"Chizu," he croaked. "Mice in your bed are not the first thing you want to wake up to in the morning…"
The small creature actually squeaked at him, as if to disagree with such a sentiment. Seram merely blinked in return.
Attempting to move, he quickly found that every muscle in his body was terribly sore. He had no recollection of anything happening that could have left his body in this state. The last thing he remembered… was being attacked by those men in the alleyway of the city. No, that wasn't quite right. Afterwards, he definitely remembered the Shadow man and the redhead discussing how he would probably never be let outside again.
Before Seram could even frown at the memory he heard the door open. Expecting to find the doll-girl, or Lilith he thought her name was, he turned his head to glance at the door. Surprised to find the Shadow man walking towards him, he tried to sit up before a dull ache ran through his abdomen, causing him to lie down again. He stared up quietly at the Shadow man, unsure if he should say anything. The man had never come to visit him before.
"So you're awake," Shadows said in a slow drawl.
Seram rose an eyebrow as if to say that was obvious. "What happened?" he asked quietly.
"Chizu the mouse found you a few days ago and alerted Lilith. You've been out cold since then. You were running a fever and… talking… in your sleep."
Seram found it strange, as if the man was trying to avoid admitting something directly. Had he done more than talk? He couldn't imagine talking about anything too interesting, even if he had been asleep during it. But the man had said… a few days?
"I'm sorry for causing trouble," Seram said, looking down at his blankets. "I… I don't know what happened." It only took a few seconds of wracking his empty memory before he gave up. He sighed, "Are you here to tell me how you've decided to get rid of me?"
The Shadow man looked surprised, possibly the first emotion Seram could remember seeing on his face. "No…" Shadows said slowly, as if unsure how to react to the assumption they would get rid of him. Rather than assess the issue, he merely continued. "We think that something you ate or have been eating set off the reaction. Did you follow any dietary restrictions where you were before?"
Seram hesitated before answering. This was the most he had talked to the man that seemed to control his fate since his arrival. "Well," he cleared his throat before addressing the Shadow man. "We only ever ate the vegetables and fruits that we grew ourselves. The only meat we ever ate was fish. Bread only really happened a few times a month, whenever the Grande Priest felt like firing up the ovens." Seram smiled at the memory. "But we always had really good fruit pies during those times too."
Shadows looked away, as if avoiding the smile. "That must be it," he spoke aloud, but not to Seram directly. "We'll be more careful with your diet from now on."
Seram frowned, unhappy with this declaration. First he wasn't allowed out of this stupid room, then he was attacked by men on the street, and of course tied up in the collar for every single "party". And now he could not even eat the delicious food, one of the last things he had been able to enjoy.
"Great," Seram groaned, turning onto his side away from the Shadow man. "Can I still have dessert at least? Sometimes?" he murmured in a quieter voice.
A few moments of silence passed, and Seram was beginning to wonder if the Shadow man was angry. Had he said something offensive on accident? He was considering apologizing when the other man broke the silence unexpectedly.
"I owe you an apology… Seram," Shadows said seriously.
Seram slowly turned back towards the tall man, staring in surprise. He hadn't thought the Shadow man even remembered his name, let alone would be willing to apologize to him about anything. When he did not reply, the Shadow man continued. "You have not been treated very well since you arrived here. We'll make more of an effort to help you adjust and work together to find some things for you to do from now on."
Seram stared wide-eyed at the man standing over him. Somehow… he felt really happy about this. He could not quite explain why or even how he could feel happy over such a thing, but he did. Maybe things wouldn't turn out so badly after all?
"So… um…" Seram wrapped his hands around the top of the blanket near his face. "Does… that mean you'll talk to me more?"
The shadow man blinked down at him. "You want me to?"
"Y-Yes…?" Seram hid beneath the covers a little more. Why did the man seem so surprised? Was it not normal to talk to people here? "Um… in the end, you haven't hurt me. Or let anyone else hurt me…" he scrunched his brows as he thought, trying to put what he was thinking into words. "How can I find a way to say thank you, or help you out, without talking with you?"
Shadows stared at him, as if sizing up an opponent. "Alright," he finally conceded. "Is there anything you would like to do once you're better?"
"Could… I go see the baker man in the market?" Seram brightened.
"No," Shadows griped.
Seram frowned. "Can I have a pet?"
"No."
"A garden?"
"No."
Seram frowned, staring at the Shadow man as if suspecting this was all some sort of terrible joke. He was surprised when a sigh escaped the man.
"I'll talk with the cook and apothecary and see if you can help with their gardens," the man finally muttered, as if defeated. "As for pets, you can have the mouse," he pointed at the tail wiggling by Seram's ear. "We'll wait till you've recovered to discuss going out into the market again."
"Ok," Seram grinned, feeling sleepy from the good mood that had hit him. Perhaps things were looking up. The man turned to leave, obviously finished with the conversation. Seram reached out and grabbed the Shadow's hand. "Wait…"
Shadows turned and looked at the hand holding onto him. "Yes?"
Seram let go of the man, surprised at himself. After all the years of training and knowing that anyone he touched could possibly be struck dead, he had never reached out to anyone on his own. "Um… do you… have a name?" he asked timidly.
Shadows stared at him for a moment, as if wrestling with the pros and cons of admitting such a thing to this boy. "Scythe," he finally said quietly, turning for the door. "But you will address me as Shadowmaster in the presence of others," he tacked on before shutting the door behind him.
Seram continued to stare in the direction of the now closed door for a moment. "Scythe, huh," he murmured. Chizu crawled around the top of his pillow to interrupt his staring. "Somehow, it's a rather appropriate name for someone like him," Seram laughed to himself, scratching Chizu's ears before closing his eyes to return to a much more peaceful sleep.
Time seemed to pass as slowly as possible while Seram was recovering. While Lilith came to visit a few times, her normal demeanor was changed somehow, as if she was constantly concerned with something else in the back of her mind. Despite Seram's few attempts to inquire what was wrong, she assured him it was nothing. Although he wanted to help one of the only people who had been nice to him up to now, he did not want to press too far either. If there was one thing he had learned at Home, filled with solitary people destined to live for their Provident Ancient only, it was to leave personal matters to that person if they were not willing to open up.
It was almost a week before Seram had regained his former energy. He was sorely disappointed in the new food he had to eat, but not everything was bad. When he was finally up and walking again, the Shadows… well, Scythe… came to visit again. Following the man at his request, he was taken to the hallway where Shad- Scythe's office was. The entered another door at the end of the hallway, leading to a comfortably sized room with plenty of furniture.
"This will be your new room," Scythe said unenthusiastically, as if talking about the weather. "You can walk around, but don't leave the building without permission."
"I get this whole room?" Seram gawked at the splendor. It was even bigger than his assigned room at Home! Granted, the upper priests were convinced he was only there by accident and so had given him the smallest quarters possible. This room, however, included floor-length navy drapes over the window which matched the navy couch against one wall. A desk sat across the room, a few feet away from a large armoire. The best addition, obviously, was the large bed waiting in the corner. Running over, Seram jumped into the blue sheets, rolling around once Chizu had escaped from his shoulder into one of the feather pillows.
"It's amazing," Seram sat up, facing Scythe. "Thanks a lot… Scythe."
The man made a strange expression that Seram was not quite sure how to place before turning away back towards the door. He had only said Seram was to call him Shadowmaster in front of other people… was he not supposed to use the man's true name in private either? He slowly crawled off the bed, wondering if he had messed up.
"It's good that you like it," Scythe said almost grumpily from the doorway. "However, we're not finished."
Seram skipped across the room after scooping Chizu up from the pillow to follow Scythe back out into the hall. He followed the taller man down a few stairwells, thinking about his new bedroom. It felt much more… permanent, than the first one. He decided he was very happy about this, but he should probably not say so. At least not out loud.
When they reached the bottom floor, they entered an area that Seram had never seen before. It was obviously the kitchen and dining areas for the working staff and other people who lived in this complex from the setup, although it was empty but for a few cooks at the moment. They approached an old man who was watching a large woman chop vegetables easily at top speed.
"Edna, Phillip," Scythe nodded to each of the people in turn. "This is the boy I told you about. His name is Seram. He says he wants to garden."
The woman looked up from her vegetables, peering over Seram from head to toe. "Well, he's a pretty 'un, I give ya that. But he sure is tiny! Have you been giving him all the food I send up?"
"He eats what he eats," Scythe replied.
The woman lodged the large knife into the cutting board with a flick of her wrist, making Seram raise his brows in surprise. "Don't give me none of that not-answer crap, Shadow Master," the woman pointed a large finger at him. "You done tell me that I gotta make special food for 'im without certain ingredients, then bring him a'fore me malnourished like this? I ain't havin' it!" Her critiquing gaze returned to Seram, making him take a step behind Scythe in nervousness.
"Now now, Edna, you're scaring the poor lad, ye are," the old man grinned at Seram through his beard. "I'm Phillip, and this fireball here is Edna, the head cook."
"Phillip is the best apothecary in Sencaln," Scythe informed him. "He works directly for us."
"Now, now," the old man waved his hand as if to brush the compliment from the air. "Don't go telling falsehoods, Master Shadows. I just make a living best ways I know how."
"I," Seram squeaked, his voice catching in his throat. Coughing slightly, he continued from his spot behind Scythe. "I helped the medical priests at Home sometimes. Making medicines and things… only simple stuff."
"Well then, you might verily be a nice assistant to an old man like me!" Phillip shook Seram's hand. "Come, I'll show you to my personal herb garden. We keep it separate from the kitchen's, just in case."
Seram glanced up at Scythe, as if unsure if he would be in trouble for going somewhere that wasn't his room. The man was already in an argument with Edna about dinner.
"Leave them to it," Phillip assured Seram. "Edna's always got a few choice words for the Shadow Master, she does."
"And why have you been returning food recently?" Edna's voice carried through the large room, her ham-like fingers pointing at Scythe.
"Because you prepare too much food!" Scythe actually sounded exasperated.
"Too much food!" Edna's voice rose again. "You're a busy man, Shadow Master, you need too much food!"
"I can't believe she's arguing with the Shadow man like that…" Seram mused allowed as he followed Phillip to an outdoor area. "She's pretty intimidating."
Phillip chuckled. "I'd think in a place like the Underworld headquarters, everybody would be a little intimidating in their own way, no?"
Seram thought about this statement. Even Lilith, who had always been kind to him, had shown a ruthless moment against that Duruk clone a few weeks ago. "You seem very kind though," Seram complimented Phillip.
Phillip laughed aloud as he unlocked a door. "Of course! I can afford to be friendly with people, because they know if they upset me I just have to accidentally lose a few drops of Belladonna in their soothing wine. The apothecary has the easiest access to everyone's health after all."
Seram hesitated to follow the laughing old man into the greenhouse, wondering not for the first time exactly what kind of place this was.
In the weeks afterward, Seram's days took on a pleasant routine. He enjoyed a late breakfast with Chizu, and sometimes Lilith, in the morning before walking through the halls of the complex. He usually worked up an appetite in time for lunch, which he had begun attending in the large cafeteria area. At first, it seemed people were excessively wary about approaching him, but once Edna and Phillip interacted with him, more people came to speak with him as well. His afternoons were spent helping Phillip in the greenhouse, nurturing the ingredients to future medicines. Phillip sweared by gods that Seram's presence made his plants flourish more than they had in years, but Seram always argued otherwise.
The best part of the day came in the evenings. Seram would usually take his dinner over to Scythe's office, and if the man was not too busy with work they would eat together. Although 'eat together' generally consisted of Seram talking about his day, what area of the surprisingly large complex he had explored, what plants he had worked with in the greenhouse, and so on. He found quickly that Scythe was not very prone to answering questions or talking about his day.
For a while, Seram began to doubt that Scythe even listened to him. He was surprised when, one day, he was talking about the food from Home and Scythe remembered the fruit pies he had once mentioned. He began to wonder if he could manage to make something like a fruit pie for Scythe… but he had been banned from the kitchens at Home for his relatively terrible cooking. How someone could mix herbs together to make medicine, but not food, was a mystery even to him. Since making any sort of pie seemed a hopeless endeavor, he decided to do something else for Scythe. In the corner of the greenhouse, he began to secretly grow one of his family's famous flowers.
One evening when he entered Scythe's office for dinner, he hesitated when he found Lilith in the room. Usually if Lilith or Anastius was around, there was some sort of important work being done.
"There you are," Scythe murmured, looking at a clock on the wall. "You're late."
"S-Sorry," Seram looked at Lilith curiously. She smiled at him, but it only thinly veiled the exhaustion in her eyes.
"Well then," she stood to leave, "I'll report after my check through the city tomorrow."
"You're going into the city?" Seram asked. "Will you… go to the market area?"
"I might pass through," Lilith answered, glancing at Scythe. "Why… don't you come with me?"
Seram followed Lilith's glance to look at Scythe, and was not surprised to see the man glaring at the girl. "Um… no, it's ok," he lied. Truthfully, he really wanted to visit the market again. It was always vibrant and interesting.
Lilith turned towards Scythe, not even pretending to not be talking to him anymore. "Wonderful, you have him trained," she commented, frowning at the larger man sitting at the desk. "Just because you let him wander the halls of this place doesn't mean you've given him any amount of freedom."
Scythe glared at Lilith through his bangs another few moments before glancing at Seram, and then down at his desk. "Fine," he said simply. "You'll be responsible for his safety."
Lilith blinked, as if surprised by the quick agreement. "Done," she said and grinned at Seram before exiting the room.
Seram quietly set his dinner on the table he always used. There was an awkward silence in the room. When Scythe finally looked up at him, he looked away while playing with the hem of his shirt. "Um. I don't have to go, if you don't want me to."
Scythe sighed. "You're life isn't about what I want. Be a little more honest from now on."
Seram wanted to argue that such a statement seemed ironically opposite to the way he had been treated since he had arrived, but he kept the comment to himself. "Ok," he answered as he began to eat.
"And make sure you don't wander off," Scythe added after a few minutes. "And listen to everything Lilith says. Don't get into trouble. You better get back here in one piece, or I'll know why."
Seram could not help but grin as he answered, "Alright. I promise."
The next morning, Seram was ready to head into town with Chizu in tow. The mouse kept trying to climb into his hat, so he had to retie it for the third time. He was watching Lilith get the last of the things she needed for the day when a large presence appeared next to him. Startled, he looked up at Scythe.
"Remember what I said yesterday," he frowned.
"Don't worry," Seram grinned brightly, unable to hold back the excitement of going into town again. "I'll be careful, and definitely come back in time for dinner."
"That's not what I said," Scythe commented while rolling his fingers in small circles on the opposite palm. When he removed them, a small black sphere sat in his hand. "Take this," he grabbed Seram's right hand.
Seram blinked at the touch, but did not pull away. Scythe paused, as if thinking about something before pressing the small marble-like object against Seram's skin. He was surprised to find it was very cold, like touching ice, before watching it melt under his skin until it was no longer visible.
"What did you do?" Seram asked, holding his hand up and looking at it curiously.
"Safety precaution," Scythe commented, before turning to go.
"You shouldn't magic people without their consent," Lilith muttered under her breath angrily before stomping out the door followed by two guards dressed in civilian clothes.
Scythe stared angrily out the door before returning to the stairwell leading to his office. Seram headed for the door nervously, wondering why there had been such tension between Lilith and the others recently. Hoping it was not because of him in some way; he hopped out into the open air of the street and smiled at the fresh air.
The streets were as busy as he remembered, with more colors flashing by than he thought could exist in one place at the same time. People stood at the edge of their shops, calling out the special bargains of the day. Children ran between the legs of the adults, chasing after dogs and cats. Humans of every shape, size, and color walked past him in a hurry to get to their destination.
Seram was enjoying the scenery and hustle of the market before he realized that something was very different from the last time he had visited the city. Despite being clad in a brown overcoat and large hat, it seemed that many people were staring at him as he passed. No, not many… almost everyone was staring at him in some fashion. The areas he walked through seem to quiet in his presence as people glanced and whispered. Unsure as to what he was doing to stand out so badly, he increased his pace to line up next to Lilith.
"You seem to be attracting a lot of attention," she commented before he could say anything.
"I… I didn't mean to!" he whispered, trying not to be overheard.
"Don't worry about it too much," she smiled at him slightly. "You're the Shadow Token. There hasn't been one in a while, so I'm sure everyone just wants to see you. Especially since you haven't been out in public very much."
"But… how do they know who I am?" he muttered, pulling the collar of his jacket up to hide his face.
"Well people who attend the weekly meetings have seen you, and they've probably spread word from that," Lilith looked around. "Well here we are."
"Where's here?" Seram asked, looking around but not recognizing anything.
"I called in a favor," Lilith commented, opening the door of a small shop.
Once they entered, the delicious smell of freshly baked bread and various spices filled the air. Seram was just having a bout of nostalgia when a familiar face appeared.
"Ah! The baker man," Seram smiled as he ran up to the counter. "I haven't seen you in a while!"
"Alen," Lilith greeted the man with a nod, following Seram. "Do you mind if I call in a favor today?"
"A'course not, miss," the older man smiled tiredly. "It's always a pleasure ta see lil' Seram here."
"Sorry, Seram," Lilith looked at him. "But you're drawing a little too much attention for the work I need to do today. Stay here with Alen until I return for you. I'll be leaving a guard at the front and back entrances, so you shouldn't be disturbed. I'll return in a few hours." Before Seram could reply, she was out the door and out of sight.
"It's been a while, lad," the older man smiled as he began arranging some pastries on large plates. "How were the things I sent back with you last time?"
Seram remembered the fate of the bag of delicious looking pastries he had received last time… stomped into the ground by some men who had tried to attack him. He was trying to decide how to reply when a plate holding a large circular sugar-covered something was placed in front of him.
"Mayhaps this'll refresh ya memory?"
Seram smiled before taking a big bite of the bread, humming in appreciation of the deliciousness. "It's amazing!" he said through a mouthful.
Seram sat at the counter of the shop, talking with the old man nonstop. It turned out that Seram had never asked the old man for his name before, but now found it was Mr. Alen of the Buttered Bakery. The shop they were in now was the main workplace, but he would take the movable cart they had met at before out during the afternoon lunch rushes. Unfortunately, no news had come of the man's son, but he, his wife, and two daughters had managed to continue with their lives although they still missed him.
"Ya'know," Alen sighed as he was covering a plate of croissants with melted maple butter, "Back when the new Shadow Master came inta power, a lot of change happened in those first few years. Human trafficking was reduced, and illegal child trafficking all but stopped. The streets came a bit more respectable after that, 'n more countries was willing to trade with us- boostin' the economy up fer people like me and my family."
"And then," he continued, "the new Shadow Master didn't do nothing like the former ones. Never took on a harem of tokens to show off, never had people murdered in the street to make a warning. But now…" he sighed. "Now things is getting pretty bad again. Kids disappearing outta their beds, crime is up again. And then he goes and takes a nice boy like you as his plaything. Seems like it was all too good to be true."
"No," Seram shook his head, holding a bite of his third pastry on a fork. "Don't think like that! Scy… The Shadow Master is really kind in his own way."
"I'm sure ya has to say that," Alen looked at Seram sadly, as if he already understood the whole situation.
"No, really!" Seram hit the table to emphasize his point. "He tried to let me go, but I don't actually have anywhere to go back to. Rather than let me die on the street, he's been taking care of me. And he listens to me when I talk to him… He even remembered the fruit pies I told him about from Home!"
"Fruit pies?" Alen tilted his head, as if not following Seram's explanation.
"Yes, the fruit pies! And now I work in the greenhouse and am learning how to make medicine from the Apothecary, Phillip. And we eat dinner together, but if I'm late he doesn't start without me…"
Seram stopped and thought about everything he was saying. Alen's face betrayed his confusion, or lack of understanding of how any of these things made the Shadow Master a "good person". He wondered if most people saw Scythe the way Alen did.
"I think…" he continued, a little more calmly, "that the man beneath the Shadow Master is not a person everyone will be able to understand. He's in a position which makes him inaccessible from the people he works for. Everybody sees and respects the Shadow Master who runs the 'Underworld' as everyone keeps calling it, but… to really understand the good that's hidden there you have to see the person under the shadows too…"
"I think you're the only one in a position to be able to see it that way," Alen said as he put the last plate of croissants in a glass display case. "But, fer some reason when ya talk so earnestly about him like that… I feel like I've no choice but ta believe ya. I'll take you're word 'bout him."
"Thanks," Seram sad, wondering if he had really managed to convince Alen of Scythe's good parts.
It was not long before Lilith reappeared to take Seram back with her to the headquarters. Alen refused the money she offered for the four items Seram had eaten, claiming Seram was always welcome there no matter how much he ate. Before they left, he handed Seram a bag.
"They're left over from this morning, but they should be well enough if ya heat em up a little before eatin," he said. "Prolly not as good as whatever you were talkin 'bout, but I'll work on making ya a real one next time. Share these with that 'kind" fella of your's."
Seram opened the bag to find it full of miniature sized fruit tarts. Thanking Alen the entire time they were leaving the shop, he turned to follow Lilith back through the street.
When they reached the headquarters, Seram attempted to get out of his jacket and hat as quickly as possible. For some reason, he was really excited about begin able to eat the fruit tarts with Scythe. For one, it had been a while since he had been able to eat some of Alen's delicious baking… even though he had eaten more than enough at the shop. Second, after the fruit pies were the first thing Scythe obviously remembered from his stories, he was sure the man would definitely like them.
"Seram," Lilith said from the coat closet. "You should probably eat dinner and go straight to bed tonight."
Seram repositioned the sleepy Chizu on his shoulder before heading up the staircase. "Ok, I will once I heat these up."
"Seram, you're not listening to me. I don't think it's a good idea to…" Lilith's voice was lost in the hallway as Seram trotted towards the kitchen.
Once there, he was dismayed to find nobody around. He did not think it was particularly late, but none of the kitchen workers were to be found. Walking around the kitchen a second time, he stared at the opening to the brick oven. He knew that if he tried to heat these up on his own it would turn out horribly…
"Whatchya doin down here in ma kitchen?" a familiar boisterous voice asked.
Seram turned to face Edna. While he had talked with her on more than one occasion, he couldn't help but feel nervous around her still. Her skills with knives were a little too good…
"I just… well I got these fruit tarts," Seram held up the bag. "And I wanted to eat them with Scy… with the Shadow Master. But… I'm no real hand at anything in the kitchen," he sounded dejected.
"Ha!" Edna barked a laugh as she approached the oven. "You just leave that ta me!"
Taking the bag from Seram's hands, she had the tarts spread on a baking sheet and in the warm oven in no time. "Tha secret to warmin things up is ta put 'em in low heat for a longer time. If ya try ta fry 'em real hot real quick, they burn! And ya can't let 'em get too close to the flames neither."
"I see," Seram said while watching what she did closely.
Once they were out, Edna took care to place the tarts in a pleasant design in the top of a special two-tiered basket. In the bottom, she added a pot of tea and two cups. "This tea we got from the Amedyn traders goes real well with fruit," she said, as if she'd just won some sort of huge victory. "Now that Shadow Master… he don't ever tell me what kinda food he likes or nothing. No compliments, no complaints. So if you find something that he seems ta like more than usual, you let me know alright? Or even if there's something he won't eat, you tell me so I can put it in more dinners. You can be my informant!"
Seram couldn't help but laugh and insisted that Edna take one of the many tarts for herself before he left. He was careful as he walked up the stairs, not wanting to spill any of the tea or move the tarts too much. Finally reaching the top hallway, he stopped to catch his breath before approaching the door to Scythe's office. Unable to remove his hands from the heavy basket to knock, he nudged the door open with his foot.
"Scythe! Look what I got…" he stopped, looking around the empty room. A few candles were lit along the walls, making the emptiness seem even more vast than it was. He tried to remember if Scythe had said anything about not being here tonight… but then realized that Scythe never really said anything.
Suddenly, a familiar voice reached his ears. Turning, he realized he heard Scythe's voice coming from the door to the extra area of the office. Walking over, he attempted to hold the heavy basket one-handed to knock, but lost his balance and fell forward through the door.
"Ah, Oh sorry Scy-Woah!" he yelled as something flew directly at him, the sound of swords and other weapons being drawn. The basket dropped to the floor as Seram raised both of his hands to cover his face from the attacking figure.
A few seconds passed, and when nothing happened, Seram opened his eyes and lowered his hands. The point of a long, thin blade was only inches from his face, making him back up against the wall in surprise. The weapon was being held by a very young person dressed all in black so the only skin showing was around their face, and their hair was cut jaggedly and stood on end.
More surprising than the person was what was around them. A black substance had risen from the floor to wrap around the person's limbs, freezing them in their tracks and making them immobile.
"Xii," a familiar voice said angrily nearby, "You will not touch him."
The person trapped in the shadows frowned, staring at Seram angrily. It was a few moments before they answered, "If you wish."
Scythe walked over, holding his hand above the black substance that held the other person in place, and Seram watched in shock as it all returned to a small ball in the Shadow Master's hand.
"Sit," Scythe ordered.
The person returned the blade to the sheathe on their back, glaring at Seram the entire time. As Seram watched them return to their seat, he realized that there were plenty of other people in the room staring at him, too. The only ones he recognized were Scythe standing next to him, Lilith at the far end of the table, and Anastius closest to him. A total of nine pairs of eyes stared at him with varying levels of interest, and some with anger.
"What are you doing here?" Scythe asked, his voice only a little softer than when he spoke to the other person named Xii.
"I… Sorry," Seram looked down and frowned when he saw the basket. Thankfully, it had not tipped over completely but the tea was spilt and the tarts were completely disordered.
Scythe followed the boy's stare and leaned down to pick the basket up with one hand. "Go back to your room for the evening," he ordered, stuffing the basket into Seram's hands and pushing him back out the door. "Stay there until I come find you."
Seram looked up at Scythe's face as the man began to shut the door. "S-Sorry, Shadow Master," he murmured quietly. The man gave no reply as the door clicked shut in front of his face.
Seram slowly made his way back down the hallway and into his room, setting the destroyed basket onto his desk. He had no idea who all those people were, or what he had just walked in on but it was obvious he had just messed up big time. Crawling into bed, he curled up in a ball to wait for Scythe to come for him, wondering if this would be the final straw for them to stop helping and finally get rid of him.