Child of the Moon.

~Chapter Seven~

Hector shouted and shot up out of his makeshift bed as freezing cold water came pouring down onto him, soaking through his clothes. He wrapped his arms around himself in an attempt to stop the shivering. He looked up to see his smirking sister holding a now empty bucket.

"Rise and shine!" she said gleefully. "Oh, don't look at me like that! You needed to take a bath anyway."

"I'll look at you however I want! How'd you like it if I dumped a bucket of cold water on your head at... what time is it?"

"About 6:00 in the morning."

"At about 6:00 in the morning! How'd you like it, huh?! You wouldn't!"

"You'd never even be able to do that. Your walking would alert me of your presence before you got within five feet of me. You walk loud."

"No, I don't!"

"Yes, you do."

"No!"

"Yes!"

"Well, well," Eugene said sleepily, sitting up in his own bed. "It seems the nickname twins have awakened, ready to bless us with their bickering. How generous."

"That's one word for it," Cassandra mumbled from under her pillow.

"Hey!" Lance joined. "Don't blame Adira! She was just trying to get Hector up!"

"I wasn't blaming her at all!"

"Well," Rapunzel said, trying to keep the peace. "Since we're all up, why don't we get some breakfast?"

Everyone nodded their sleepy agreement and got to work making their beds and getting dressed. Hector took the longest since he also had to dry himself off and fetch dry blankets and pillows from one of the rooms upstairs. All his other clothes were still in the caravan outside, so he'd had to look around for a pair of clothes to fit him.

After about fifteen minutes, he'd found a black, long, formal robe and undershirt with dark red trim, trousers to match, and a decorated belt for around the waist. The robe reached the floor and had two thick, long slits up the sides. The outfit came with tall, fitted, medium-heeled black boots which Hector found to be rather impractical. He slipped a dagger into both the boots so he would have a way to defend himself without his gloves. Hector also wasn't overly fond of the tight collar and pointed shoulder pads, but the outfit would have to do until his own clothes dried.

When he was finally dressed, he walked downstairs to the parlor, his arms crossed tightly over his chest and a scowl darkening his face.

"There you are!" Adira said, striding over to stand next to her brother. "We've been waiting over thirty-five minutes for you to wrap up getting ready! Nice robe."

"I look like Matthews," Hector grumbled.

"Would you rather look naked?" Eugene said with a laugh.

"Do ya want the honest answer to that?"

The others laughed, and Hector's scowl deepened. After a pat on the back from Adira and much goading, Hector finally agreed to follow the others to the dining room for breakfast.

The meal itself was not particularly special. It was simply made up of anything they could find in the kitchen's vast cabinets. Hector didn't eat much and didn't speak at all. He just glared at his plate, taking a few sips of the tea Adira had made for herself and him, and pulling at the collar of his robe; it'd been decades since he'd worn something this formal and uncomfortable! He'd almost forgotten how much he hated it. Almost.

After breakfast, Eugene was given the job of checking outside to see if the storm had passed or was at least safe enough for the party to leave. Eugene, returning soaking wet and glaring, told them the weather was still determined to keep them in the House of Yesterday's Tomorrows.