stormy weather (dreamnotfound)

chapter 23 - brewing storm

??? POV

Schlatt slammed his fists down on the table, making the entire ballroom go silent, the sound echoing off the walls. He made his way over to me slowly, tracing his fingers across the wooden table. I shrunk back in my seat once he stood at my side.

"Do you know why I brought you here?" he whispered as he leaned over to my ear. Just his presence gave me the chills, but now that I was sitting right beside him I was physically trembling.

"Answer me, goddammit!" he hit his hands on the table again and I flinched, quickly shaking my head.

He calmed down after a moment and turned to the waitress that stood completely still behind him, grabbing the glass of wine off her platter and gulping it down hurriedly. I looked away in surprise, my stomach churning with fear and disgust.

He placed the glass on the table and wiped his mouth off. "I want you to do me a favor."

"Why should I help you?" I spoke up, struggling to keep my voice from quivering. He let out a deep chuckle before shaking his head in disappointment.

Schlatt pointed to the corner of the room, down the dark hallway where I couldn't see. As soon as I focused my eyes I immediately noticed the outline of a body, making their way towards us. As they emerged into the hazy chandelier light, my heart dropped to my stomach and I knew I was screwed.

Anyone who had at least a little bit of sanity left in this kingdom would recognize the pink haired man. He slowly made his way towards us, a sly smile forming on his chapped lips. His sword dragged on the ground behind him, scratching up the tile carelessly, the erosive sound filling the silent ballroom. "I think it's time you meet-"

"Techno," I muttered, clenching my jaw.

"So you do know my name," he chuckled, swiping his blade over his cape. He pulled out a chair opposite Schlatt and turned it around so he sat on it backwards, placing his hands over the back of the chair and pulling up his white gloves.

"I want you to deliver this note," Schlatt threatened, handing me a small piece of paper. I read over it quickly and gasped. "You-"

"And if you don't, you might not want to sleep at night," he advised, looking at Techno for a moment. Techno licked his lips and stared at me again, running his fingers around the rim of his wine glass on the table. He inspected his fingers before placing his hands under his chin.

"Well- what if I got away? What if Techno wasn't good enough?" I spat, keeping my squinted eyes on the pink haired man.

They both laughed, making me squirm in my seat. Their chilling chuckles filled my head with unending worries, and I realized how foolish I sounded.

"You know that won't happen, besides. A little birdie told us about you and my daughter," Schlatt admitted slowly. My eyes widened as I stared into his, trying to spot any source of sympathy or dishonesty. To my defeat I found none.

Techno tapped his fingers on the table, the obnoxious sound hitting a certain part of my brain. The hair on the back of my neck stood on it's ends, and I waited stiffly for one of them to speak again.

"Now. You will deliver this note, tell not a soul it was you, and watch as my plan unfolds."

"How will that relationship affect your so called plans? How do you even know them?" I asked quickly, cutting off the end of his sentence.

He chuckled to himself once more. "So clueless," he added as he shared a glance with Techno. "It will cause confusion, keep them occupied. They won't see it coming," he objected, scratching his sideburns. I let out a heavy breath of acceptance.