Coffin & Feathers [Elisop]

Chapter 2

A week passed since Aesop's arrival at the manor. During the last few days, Emily had been explaining to him how the manor worked, especially the 'matches' that were the main activity of the place. All of this was still new to the young man and having to cooperate with strangers on top of that didn't exactly thrill him. Not to mention that after discovering that he was an embalmer, some people started to avoid him like the plague, such as Freddy Riley, also known as the Lawyer. Well, it's not like he minded or anything.

The more he was left alone, the better he was doing, truthfully. He had no desire to socialise and make friends. He initially came here to continue on the path his uncle had set for him but now all he wanted was to get the hell out of this place. Nevertheless, there were a few exceptions among the survivors who were not afraid to hang around Aesop. For example, there was the Prospector, Norton Campbell. And often with him too, Patricia the Enchantress. The man with the scar would sometimes smile at him when they passed each other, but Aesop simply ignored the gesture and went on his way.

Again today, the Embalmer went straight to his room on the third floor after his day's matches and having dinner. The residents in the living room were making too much noise for him, and fortunately the walls of the rooms were thick enough to block out the sounds coming from outside. He could finally relax and enjoy the silence... Well, maybe not exactly. He didn't really know what it was but... Every night when he looked out his window he could see that same bluish glow through the opposite window. What was it ? He didn't know.

According to Emily's instructions, the wing on the other side from the one he was in was where the hunters, the other faction that lived in the big house, stayed. While the survivors, as their name implied, had to do their best to decode and survive the games, the hunters had to hunt them down and beat them back to the mansion by putting them on chairs with strange rockets attached to them. The mysterious blue light was definitely coming from a hunter's room. He wondered what it was, though, and why he felt like he was being watched every time he looked at it.

A slight knock against the window brought him out of his reverie. He got up from his bed and walked over to the window to open it. He looked to the left and then to the right but nothing. However, when he was about to close the window he saw a shadow suddenly move and the next moment, an owl was on the windowsill.

"An owl...?"

Aesop was not a very talkative man, but he met most of the survivors, and it didn't seem to him that any of them had an owl. Murro had a boar and Victor had a dog, Wick. So this animal could only belong to a hunter. But who...? And why had this one come to him ? Unless it got lost by chance, he couldn't think of any other reason. The bird hooted to attract the embalmer's attention. Strangely, the bird had blue feathers similar to the glow he saw every night. Was this what he saw ? A mere bird ? That seemed the most plausible answer, but at the same time he didn't feel like that was the case.

He stroked the animal's head with a smile. The owl's presence was mysteriously more comforting than that of a human. He stayed with the beast for a short while and then it eventually left for who knows where. Aesop closed his window after it left and lay down in his bed for a good night's sleep. How long was this going to last ? What he heard from the other survivors was that even though they were winning the games, nothing was happening. Serious wounds disappeared, leaving only light scratches or sometimes a few scars when they were quite deep. 

No one knew what the reward for this game was and some even doubted that it really existed. Some had been there for weeks, some for months, some for over a year. They had all set foot in a hell with no end and no escape.

A month passed. The embalmer was already more familiar with the matches and some of the survivors. In particular the Prospector, the Enchantress, the Postman and the Gravekeeper. He was probably the closest to Norton, Patricia often hanging out with Fiona, the Priestess, then even though Andrew and Victor were easy to talk to, they'd known each other for a while before he arrived so he couldn't see himself barging into the middle of their friendship sometimes. On the other hand, Norton was like a free electron, never staying in one place. He wasn't intrusive like the others and their introverted nature meant they were a great fit.

"How's life at the manor, Aesop ?" the Prospector asked in a nonchalant tone as he played with his magnet on the floor of the embalmer's room.

"I-it is fine..."

Norton nodded as if satisfied with his answer. Aesop didn't know if he was staying with him out of pity or not, but his presence was not annoying, unlike the others. Perhaps if it was him, he would know how to answer him...?

"Um... By any chance, do you know if anyone in the manor has an owl ?"

The prospector stopped touching his magnet at his question. He was frozen in place. The embalmer began to panic inwardly, wondering if he said something wrong. Norton suddenly stood up and took him by the shoulders, a worried and restless expression on his face.

"You've seen Brooke Rose !?" he shouted.

Aesop was startled to hear his friend raise his voice like that. He didn't understand what was happening now. Brooke Rose ? Was that the name of the bird ? If it was, it must mean that Norton knew something about it. But from the look on his face, it didn't seem like a very positive thing to know about the existence of the bird. It was probably better to lie about it and remain evasive for now, he thought.

"N-no...? I just saw a funny blue owl through my window..." he muttered.

"O-oh... I forgot that your room was facing his..."

'His ?' The embalmer would have liked to ask him who he was talking about, but the man didn't give him the time to do so and tightened his grip slightly on his shoulders. 

"Listen to me carefully. Don't go anywhere near that owl, okay ? Try to stay away from it at all costs. And if you should happen to run into its owner, run as far away as you can and don't look back, don't make eye contact with him."

"O-okay..."

Norton released his hold on the grey-haired young man with a sigh. He apologized for his attitude and then left the man's room to clear his head. Aesop stood there, trying to figure out what the hell was going on. Why did the prospector want him to stay away from this owl so badly ? Unfortunately, the deed was already done and his curiosity was only growing...