The daily life of a ghost in Oletus manor

Chapter 20

The meeting with the Photographer left Aesop's emotions in a turmoil. So much new information, so many things to process and it all just made him more and more confused. For starters, the deal with the Host. It seems the hunters' side of the Manor got this much harder than the rest of them did, mainly because the owner didn't like how they went out of his control, disobeying his rules and playing nice with the survivors' faction. And then, there was the thing between Jack and Naib, or the strange conversation with the photographer.

Before their talk, it didn't even cross his mind that the hunters were not willing participants in the game. Or more like, the fact that not all of them enjoyed the pain they caused to the survivors. And the Owner? What kind of person was he? Who would even think of something like this? How can someone see living human (well, mostly human) beings as nothing more than pawns to use in a game? What was the reason they were even here?

If there truly wasn't a chance to win, why were they here? And how much longer before that man would get tired of his current playthings, and look for something else, some other people to mess with? And what would that mean for them?

For him?

Aesop did not want to die in a place like this. He might not be as much against the idea of dying, as most of his teammates were, but it still didn't mean that he wanted to leave this world so soon. Not now, that he finally started to get better.

Then again, there was the thing with the photographer. He was so interesting, such a fascinating being, a new puzzle, a mystery Aesop was more than ready to solve. Joseph. Joseph Desaulnier, the prettiest hunter. The brother of his strange, dead friend.

Why was he even talking to Aesop though? He wasn't that interesting. He wasn't good-looking like Norton, nor pretty like Edgar, he wasn't even brave like their mercenary. Sure, he might seem unfazed at some times, but still. When it came to things that truly mattered, he hid away from reality, just like the coward he was.

He was such a disappointment.

"Hey, Carl." his thoughts were interrupted by the mercenary, who just entered the dining room. It wasn't lunchtime yet, Aesop just wanted some peace and some nice, hot black tea, so he could get himself ready for the match he would be playing later.

"Naib." the other boy walked towards the freezer, taking out some of the leftover food from yesterday. He seemed to be hesitating a little, a frown on his face, then he put the food away, taking the slice of cake instead, that he hid away from the others just the night before.

"Ready for today's match?"

"No, not really."

"Me neither." Naib sighed tiredly, taking the seat beside Aesop, starting to munch on his cake. "The new adjustments... I don't want any of our teammates to get hurt because of me." Aesop watched silently, his eyes growing wide, as the boy ate the cake in one bite, stuffing the whole thing into his mouth. There was some cream left on his lips, but he wiped it down with his fingers, licking them clean without a second thought.

Aesop just watched, sitting very still, horrified. He knew that Naib was a stress eater, but damn.

"It wasn't your fault though." he cleared his throat slightly, moving around a little on the chair, trying to get more comfortable.

"Yes, it was. Look, I appreciate that you are trying to sugarcoat things, but I can't lie to myself. It was my fault. I couldn't keep it in my pants, y' know." he let a humorless laugh out, hiding his face in his hands, taking a deep breath in. "Damnit! Why couldn't I keep myself away from him?"

"It wasn't you, though? Wasn't Jack the one chasing after you?" he gave the boy a deadpan, not really wanting to hear about their sexual life, though he decided to not say anything on that matter.