Coffin & Feathers [Elisop]

Chapter 6

Almost two months passed. Aesop was now used to the games and was doing much better than when he arrived. However, this did not mean that he had suddenly become a professional. His anxiety was still present and his tension rose a notch every time he decoded with someone else, making him miss his calibrations or slow him down.

On the other hand, the embalmer noticed something strange. His 'friend', if he could truly allow himself to call him that, Norton, seemed to be coming back from his matches more and more often covered in blood and with multiple injuries. For him to be in such a state, the hunter who was against him must have held a certain resentment towards the prospector.

However, even if he tried to ask him who he was playing against, the man with the scar refused to reveal his name or somehow managed to change the subject of the conversation. Strange. Nevertheless, Aesop was far from stupid and it didn't take him long to assimilate the pieces on the chessboard. The only reason Norton would have a reason to keep all this from him was if there was a connection to Eli Clark, the seer.

However, he wasn't sure why the prospector was having fun keeping this from him. At least the embalmer now knew that some of the rumors about Eli were true, in terms of his violent and brutal nature. But taking into account the latest events, it was obvious that his attacks seemed to be aimed at Campbell in particular. Why ?

Could it be that he had done something to upset him ? If so, he should apologize to end his suffering. It would be a shame if Aesop had to start his work so soon... The young man with the gray hair was walking down the hall when he just happened to run into the prospector, his clothes stained with a scarlet red once again...

"Norton... You look pretty beat up..."

"Ha, you think so ? I guess all that blood didn't tip me off..." he said in a sarcastic tone.

"Why don't you come to my room so I can tend to your wounds ? That would give Ms. Dyer one less workload as well..."

He seemed to think for a moment and then agreed to the embalmer's suggestion. And so the two men went to the embalmer's room. Norton was a little surprised by the cleanliness of his friend's room, unlike his own, Aesop's room almost gave the impression that the place was still new and that no one lived there.

Well, coming from someone who worked with corpses, it was probably not that surprising. The prospector respected his choices but he wondered what was so attractive about hanging around the departed, it's not like they could come back to life anyway.

Precisely, they were dead. So they couldn't talk anymore and all Aesop had to do was to make them glow even after their pulse had stopped. The silence around him was the most relaxing and he wouldn't trade that for anything. He had no need for the living who were too loud.

"That should be fine..."

"Thanks."

Aesop began to put away the antiseptic and bandages after he had finished his work. As he did so, Norton's gaze did not seem to leave him. Attentive to his surroundings, the embalmer was quick to notice.

"Is there anything you wish to know...?" he asked in a quiet voice.

"Huh ? No..."

The prospector's tone seemed hesitant. He looked like he wanted to say something, it wasn't the first time it happened but every time he tried to ask him what was bothering him, he frowned and answered similar things like just now, a pink tinge sometimes coming to color the tips of his ears.

Anyway, Aesop was not the kind of person to meddle in matters that did not concern him, so he preferred to ignore the strange behavior of his friend. He put the first aid kit on the edge of his table and then turned to Norton, lowering his mask at the same time to speak. They were both in his room and the latter was one of the few people he didn't mind showing his face to.

"Can I ask a question ?"

The embalmer's determined look slightly surprised the prospector.

"Sure."

"I've noticed you've been coming back injured from games a lot lately..."

"So what ?"

"I'm not stupid Norton. Our injuries are healed after the match is over unless they're particularly serious and you come back covered in blood every match... That's... Eli Clark, isn't it ?"

The prospector's face darkened for a moment. He obviously didn't feel like talking about it with him. Unfortunately for Campbell, Aesop could be quite persistent about some things at times, and it was clear that he wasn't going to give up easily.

The embalmer came and sat down next to the prospector who was sitting on his bed.

"I don't know what you did, but you should ask for forgiveness."

Confusion then mingled with Campbell's expression. Aesop didn't really understand why he deserved such a look and tilted his head slightly to the side. Suddenly, he felt his body being pushed backwards. He was lying on the mattress and Norton was on top of him, one hand on both sides of his head. What was going on ?

"That's a bit cocky coming from you when it's your fault..."

"Mine ? Why ?"

The embalmer's gaze didn't waver despite the situation he was in and the prospector looked amused by all the play, letting a laugh escape his lips.

"Yes, Aesop Carl.How do you plan to take responsibility now ?" he said, leaning in a little more.

"Hmm..."

The young man with the ashen hair brought his hand up to the prospector's face and then placed it on his cheek. Campbell raised an eyebrow slightly at the touch from nowhere but didn't move and let the fabric of the embalmer's gloves touch his skin. That was warm, Aesop thought.

"Should I...?"

Norton suddenly pulled away from Aesop. What was that ? Something in the embalmer's gaze wasn't right. Something that sent a shiver down his spine. For a moment, he felt as if he had stepped into the lair of the beast when he was supposed to be the beast in this case.

He frowned and got up from the bed, rubbing the back of his head. He didn't like to think and something inside him said he'd rather not know the meaning behind Aesop's words. The other male straightened up in his turn, a little puzzled. To him, Campbell had been acting strangely for some time.

Norton glanced at the embalmer behind him and then sighed.

"It doesn't matter. I've got nothing to complain about to this hunter so don't worry too much."

"What about those wounds ?"

"I don't know, maybe he doesn't hold me in his heart."

"There must be a reason for that."

"Maybe. But he's hard to figure out so I don't know what it could be."

Norton gently patted the gray head with a smile. Maybe it was the embalmer's way of showing his concern earlier ? He wasn't sure, but he preferred to think that was the case.

"Stop thinking about it and go to sleep."

Aesop nodded, still a little confused. Norton was one of the few who dared to hang out with him in the mansion and it would be unfortunate to deal with him so quickly, he thought. He made a decision. He would go directly to the source of the issue, Eli Clark.