Quest for the Eighty-Eight Keys

Chapter Twenty-Six: Guess the Card

WARNING: GAMBLING AND MENTIONS OF CHILD ABUSE AND DEATH!

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Midnight sighed as he made his way back to the rooms that he had left Lucy, Rufus, and Freed in. His hands were stuffed into his pockets and his head was down. He had spent the entire night in Narcisse, walking through the town and trying to calm his mind. He wasn't happy with himself for leaving so suddenly after she had asked him about his past with la Cour de Velours.

He stared down at the floor, questioning why he was there. What was he hoping to achieve? Earning Lucy's forgiveness? Making himself feel redeemed? It was stupid to think that he could accomplish that when he wasn't even able to push aside his hatred for these gambling dens. He had come along to help, but he was doing anything but helping. He let Lucy think that she had to play every game that they came to, he let Freed play against two den owners who were clearly cheating and didn't bother to help him figure it out at any point, and he let Rufus face death and endure a traumatizing game.

What has Midnight done to help? Give them a rundown of the dens. He furrowed his brow, disappointed in himself for his lack of active role in the mission that he had inserted himself into.

A loud crash sounded in a room on his right. He glanced at the closed door before looking back at the floor. La Cour de Velours wasn't as bad as he remembered. That was a surprise, if he was being honest. The smell of alcohol was still present and strong, making his stomach turn.

As he got closer to his assigned quarters, he wondered how he was going to explain his absence. He couldn't tell them that he needed some air because he was about to cry. He couldn't even tell Lucy straight that Brain would frequently yell and hit him whenever they were there. What excuse could he give? Saying that he just wanted some fresh air might be enough for Lucy, but he doubted that it would be enough for Freed or Rufus. That wasn't a surprise, though, as he got a feeling that the two men weren't very fond of him. That was fine. He was here for Lucy, not either of those guys.

When he reached the door to the main room that he and the rest of his group have been staying in, he reached for the doorknob, pausing for a few moments to prepare himself for questions about his absence. Once he had readied himself, he opened the door and stepped inside, closing the door behind him. He looked around the room, finding that nobody was there. Did they decide to go out gambling without him? While the idea did disappoint him, he didn't necessarily mind. It would give him some time to think of a good reason for why he was gone all night.

He walked through the room, looking for a note left behind by Lucy that told him where they had gone. When he found no note, he became confused. He was about to call out, but stopped when he found something that caused worry to rise from within his gut.

A small pool of blood was on the floor, right in front of the couch.

He turned around and rushed to the bedroom that he and Rufus shared, opening it to see if anybody was in there. When he found nobody in the room, he ran to the other bedroom and threw open the door, finding that Freed and Rufus were standing beside one of the beds. He looked to the bed and saw that Lucy was wrapped up in her covers, Virgo dabbing at her forehead with a wet washcloth.

Midnight walked into the bedroom, questioning, "what happened?" He had asked everybody in the room, but his eyes were set on Lucy. Was she sick? Was she hurt? Could he have done something to prevent whatever had happened to her if he hadn't left? Was the blood in the main room hers? It had to be. Freed and Rufus didn't seem to be hurt.

Freed answered, "we've been trying to figure that out ourselves." The three men looked to Virgo as the rune mage questioned her, "what happened to Lucy? She can't just be sick, there is blood in the other room."