All is Fair in Love and War (Alastor x Reader)

Chapter 46

You hummed quietly with a soft smile as you dragged your claws daintily along the walls, tapping them periodically as your feet carried you down the labyrinthian hallways, the repetition of patterns along the carpet and walls beginning to play tricks on your eyes as they scanned each room; finding no trace of the sheep in question.

"I wonder if this is how Little Bo Peep felt." You joked quietly to yourself.

You walked until you reached the end of a hall and looked out the familiar tall glass door that lead out into the garden. Deciding to abandon your search for a moment and take a quick stroll, you opened the door and meandered on outside.

You breathed in the warm air around you, savoring the sweet floral smell that filled the area. Rose bushes grew proudly this way and that way, along with bleeding hearts that cascaded down in a vine-like manner, and hydrangeas which colors reminded you a little of cotton candy. An abundance of colors scattered amongst the greenery around them made you smile warmly as you walked along the moss covered cobblestone path.

You marveled at the botanical beauties as you walked slowly, stopping every once in a while to smell a flower or two, until a fluffy white and pink silhouette was seen in your peripheral vision. Your eyes lit up a little as you spotted Molly on the far side of the open center of the garden, seated on a wooden bench with a book and pencil seemingly deep in thought.

Your smile turned into a smirk as you slowly made your way over to her, putting a tiny bit more emphasis in your step so she would hear the clicking of your heals and not be as startled to see you.

But needless to say when she did finally look up, her eyes went wide and her pupils shrunk in alarm. She scampered further back into the bench and you held your hands up, palms facing her as a nonverbal gesture of not wishing to start anything.

"Chill babe, I just wanna talk. Relax." You chuckled.

She swallowed hard and watched you with caution as her body language slowly relaxed, easing back to how she was sitting before but not taking her eyes off you. You tilted your head in amusement as she cleared her throat before speaking. "G-Glad to see you're doing well..." she stated quietly.

You nodded and sat down beside her, leaning back against the bench and nestled both your elbows on the rest behind you as you reclined into it. "I'm glad to be doing well." You said with a smirk, looking up at the sky before averting your gaze back at her. She shifted uncomfortably under your stare, you could easily tell she was mortified by you and the thought of what you might do after the incident. A reasonable fear, but she needn't worry.

"Are... Are you mad at me?" She asked hesitantly.

How precious. You shook your head and pursed your lips. "Mad? No. Just disappointed."

"Aw that's worse, everyone knows that's worse!" She whined, setting her sketchbook down next to her with defiance. You couldn't help but laugh.

"I just want to know why you did it- and, more so, why you backed out. I know you're probably tired of explaining it, but I haven't heard much exposition myself. Besides," you said, manifesting a cigarette between your fingers. At least I can still do that, you thought as you lit it and greedily inhaled. "I'd rather hear it from the source instead of through the grapevine."

You exhaled the smoke from the corner of your mouth, blowing the smoke away from her as you patiently awaited her answer. She looked down at her feet as she thought, you could practically feel her anxiety radiating off of her in waves and decided to ease her nerves a little.

"Molly?" You asked gently. She looked up at you, fear lingering behind her pink and bright blue eyes despite her neutral face. "I swear, I'm way more mad at the fuckers who dragged you into their shenanigans than I am at you. Besides, you're under Charlie's care now, if me -or Al- were to try anything against you she'd probably have our heads mounted on the foyer wall." You joked.