Nightshade

luka - believe me

Luka froze, completely unsure of what to do... what did he say? "I... apologize, that caught me off guard. What exactly are you?" Luka swallowed and began to scratch his arm "a-ah, well... I uh... i- I'm a f- faerie" Shavronne looked curiously at his wings, making the tips of luka's pointed ears redden "how did you hide it? do you have magic, and if so, why not use it to attempt an escape?" Luka looked down "c- cause I d- don't have much s-sir" Shavronne nodded "I figured as much..." He stayed silent a moment "was your friend a faerie as well? The one you met with at the Cafe?" Luka quickly shook his head, fear clawing at him at the idea he might take Kelli as well. At that moment, it hit him that Jeremy and Henry were alone. Overwhelmed. Luka started sobbing, trying to apologize through his tears for his rudeness. Shavronne seemed unsure of how to react, but he spoke with the same surety as ever. "I won't hurt him, I swear it. I don't hurt people without reason." Luka calmed down enough to speak, though it came out more like a whimper than he was hoping "i-i have t-to take care of my friends... p- please bring them h- here, please keep th- them safe even if y- you decide to hurt me" Shavronne looked a bit confused "I thought you didn't want me to bring your friend?" Luka took another few breaths before continuing, still scratching his arm "i-i mean my p-plant and worm friends... th- they're at my home" shavronne nodded "ah, of course little Libelle. When we finish dinner, you may speak with Friedrich, he'll personally see to the safe retrieval of your friends, alright?" He seemed... so genuine... Luka took another moment, calming himself and he straightened in his seat, biting his lip, ashamed of his outburst "i-i... forgive me... I'm n- not good around p- people and I uh... i- I'm just real overwhelmed..." Shavronne smiled slightly and began to eat again "please, there's no need to apologize. I understand how stressful this must be for you. I was suprised to see you meet with the other man to be honest, I see you so rarely," Shavronne stopped talking, a faint bit of color staining his pale skin "I know how that must sound, I... haven't been following you, I simply see you around the city at times..." Luka couldn't hold in the little giggle at the bizarre shyness of a man with such power over his life, and he looked over at shavronne "so... w-what am I to do here? What e- exactly do you want from me?" Shavronne suddenly looked more tired, as if he'd aged in an instant "i want... I'm not sure... reassurance? Absolution? Confirmation? I want to know if the things I have done are right, and if they are not... I need to find a way to fix it..." He pushed his chair back from the table "I have things to think about. Please see Friedrich about your friends, and answer any questions he has, as there's things I'd like to know about you." Luka nodded and watched him go, then finished his food and got up, heading back to his room, where Friedrich was waiting for him. The man smiled at him "how was tonight's-" he trailed off as he saw Luka's wings and ears "mein gott..." Luka looked down "i-i know, I'm a f- freak" "no, not at all, your wings are beautiful. I'd love to know more" Luka bit his lip "t-to be honest, I don't know m- much... my parents r-raised me pretty s-secluded..." Luka looked down and curled his fingers into a fist to prevent himself from scratching his arm further. He looked at Friedrich and found the man watching him patiently, waiting for him to continue. "I ah... I am n-not sure of what exactly i-it all entails... b-but I am a fa-aerie. Faerie. S- sorry... damn s-stutter..." Friedrich looked at the younger man and nodded "This world is much bigger than most know. There are others like you, at least in the sense that they are not what they appear. Master Shavronne has... hunted a great deal of humans who he thought were lying about who they were, and I suspect there were... others who got caught up in it, but the truth is, you are the first person he has met apart from myself that he knows is not human. So in addition to his... current unsurety about his path in life, this will likely give him much to think about. I have a favor to ask of you, young luka." Luka looked back up at Friedrich. "Please, do not let my Master slip back into darkness. He has been lost for so very long, and it is not my place to say anything more than what he asks of me. You on the other hand, have the opportunity to show him... something more than he has known." Luka looked down, biting his lip. What could he teach someone like Shavronne? What could he do at all, in the situation he was in? Despite it all, he nodded, then stopped. Wait, did Friedrich say he was... also not human? Luka looked back at the other, who was beginning to lead him off to his room again. "W- wait... what a- are you, if n- not human?" Friedrichs eyes turned a bit sad. "A conversation for another time, I'm afraid, ein bisschen Hoffnung." Luka was intensely curious, but he simply nodded and let his host's caretaker lead him to his room, where he was further given instructions on how to behave and was shown a closet with several more suits, each precisely fitted to him, as well as silk nightclothes, comfortable and well tailored looking. "We will see you tomorrow. You are, as my Master said, free to wander of course, but ensure you do not leave the manse under any circumstance. You are safe, for the time being. Please do not jeopardize that." Luka nodded and as the man left, he looked at the nightclothes, running a slender hand over the soft blue silk. It was a deep navy color, with a simple but elegant "LP" embroidered on the breast pocket. Luka looked around the room, trying to familiarize himself with his surroundings, and then stopped in front of the mirror, looking at himself for a moment. Despite the unfamiliar and beautiful clothing and surroundings, he was reassured to take in his own face, and he let his eyes linger on his wings a moment, his pointed ears, and teeth. He worried his lip with a sharp canine, and smiled a little. Things weren't so bad, at least for the moment. His thoughts trailed off as he took in a soft, haunting melody, coming from somewhere else in the mansion. He thought a moment, before deciding to follow the lovely yet sad melody. He wandered a while, his sharp senses helping him find the source. He went upstairs slowly, trying not to make any noise as he reached a balcony, looking out onto a gorgeous sunset over autumnal woods. The sound came from a record player at the doorway, and out on the balcony, standing in silence and what appeared to be deep thought, was Shavronne. Luka's shoe made a quiet click as he stepped out onto the marble balcony, and Shavronne turned quickly to face the noise, snapped out of his reverie.