Hung by chains

12. An assassin's teapot

Solace resurfaced the icy water with a gasp, her breathing was heavy, and her eyes slowly gained lucidity. The blurry colours put together the face of a person. Their mellow black eyes were laced with worry. Both she and they were in her designated room, sitting on her bed with a plastic tub full of ice water.

"Solace!"

Esvidaijah's voice... was she in danger?

"H-huh..?" her raspy voice muttered.

"Solace..." He repeated with sadness. "Quick, wake up!" Esvidaijah shook her gently.

Solace started to cry again: she shoved him away and backed off in a panic.

"G-GET AWAY FROM ME!"

"Solace! Solace. Solace." He got closer and held her shoulders firmly as if to connect her back to earth after putting the tub under the bed.

"I understand why you're panicking right now." He explained softly. "But I need you to hold on just a bit longer for me, k? I will explain later, but Skafil is about to come in. Whatever happens...

...You mustn't drink whatever he gives you."

Solace's watery and panicked gaze softened, and her breathing gradually slowed as she looked into Esvidaijah's grounded regard. It was firm and understanding. It comforted her and gave her strength.

How did he manage to get to her so quickly?

A knock on the door snapped them out of their daze, their heads whipping towards the noise. They looked at each other one last time. Esvidaijah gave a bittersweet and comforting smile. He rubbed her arm and quickly left through the window.

Skafil entered calmly and gracefully, a wooden tray in hand. On top of it rested a china tea set with milk, tea, sugar, and delicious-looking cookies. His steps were light but strict. Every movement seemed perfectly calculated and measured. He was even more threatening than before with that kind of control over his body. His regular cold gaze was directed at nothing. It made Solace feel like she had a moment to breathe before the daggers he glared into her pierced her once more. He set the tray onto the small bedside table and reached for the teapot, his hands gentle and light as a feather.

"You were screaming like a madwoman earlier. What made you do that?" Skafil interrupted her train of thought, being as direct as a shot to the head. He didn't even spare her a glance, uninterruptedly serving the tea. The only noise in the room came from Skafil's handling of the tea set.

She watched the tea pour into the tiny teacup, then looked at Skafil. "...W-well, I had a panic attack." Skafil interrupted his action. "... I have them occasionally...." Solace stammered.

After a short pause, Skafil grabbed the milk and served it into his cup, still not looking in the woman's direction.

"Do you know what triggered it?" he inquired casually.

"..."

"I won't take silence for an answer, Solace. And I won't have you causing me any more headaches with your tantrums..." Skafil warned.

"...Tell me what triggered it."

Solace stayed quiet for a moment as Skafil served the drinks. She noticed his thumb shift from one of the holes in the teapot to another and the slight difference in colour between the tea he served in the previous cup and the one he was pouring now.

"An assassin's teapot..!" She thought to herself.

"Solace." Skafil interrupted yet again. A sigh escaped him as he hid his arms behind his back. "You aren't really bright now, are you?"

"..." Solace stayed quiet.

"From not cleaning your clothes from the smell of mud to rebelling... Tell me: do you have any sort of intelligence in you?" He smirked despicably

"Oh, I don't know, maybe the fact that I've been detained with a pair of lunatics, one of which is constantly threatening me and the other who seems to live on another planet has me thinking of something other than your moronic comments." Solace spat back, getting up and nose to nose with Skafil.

He backed off slightly, his resting bitch face returning.

"But don't get it twisted: I might've had a panic attack, and you can bring tens, hundreds, or even thousands of idiots like yourselves...."

"I. will. not. fall."

Solace glared into Skafil's eyes. She desperately looked for emotion, but an ice wall separated her from his soul. The ice was so cold it burned. Anger. Pure rage that froze everything in its path.

"Refrain from calling my brother a lunatic, or an idiot; it greatly angers me." Threatened Skafil full of cryophilic fury.

And with that, he picked up the tea set and left the room.

"Oh, and one more thing;" he interrupted his stride.

"I'm glad you'll be able to hold your own against the others who will stay next week."

SLAM

"..."

"OTHERS???"
___________________________

Skafil entered the kitchen to find about two slices of banana bread that Solace and Kasvald had left him. Solace's words still swarmed around his head. An annoyed grunt left him and dissipated the thoughts that clouded his vision. He picked up the last pieces of banana bread and returned to his room: the second room on the second story.

Skafil was very obsessive over many things. Even as a child, he wasn't one to enjoy the loud or agitated company, so he insisted on having the furthest room from the entrance, far away from annoying guests... or siblings.

He'd spend hours locked inside his room, nose deep into a Mycology or Pomology book, continuously testing everything the records implied passionately. Small smirks or grins made their way onto his features when he successfully found his way to understand what the book said and why it was that way. He was always more prone to understand things when interacting with the subject directly.

Sadly, he only found out about this style of learning after becoming an adult, when it was much more challenging to find time to study: he had to find a way to keep living in the house without a job, maintain the Sutton manor proper without assistance, take care of his brother, etc. added to all of that was now a loud woman that endlessly irked Kasvald and him.

He opened the door into his dimly lit room. Despite his lack of contact with the outside world, his room did scream "dark academia", only illuminated by dark green lights and a few desk lamps. Layers upon layers of books were scattered everywhere around his room: on his dark bed, his carpet floor, his shelves, his desks, and even nightstands. Most of them were eaten away by time: the once clear covers were now covered in spots and ripped down apart, almost as if they belonged to a remote past, centuries old. The ink was partially smudged in some places. Sometimes, however, it would be chipped off. Time also shred the spines mercilessly. Now, most seemed to have a torn-down piece of brown paper for a spine.

Skafil gently pushed away the books off his desk and set the plate with the banana bread. He ate the sweet with frustration: his plan would be slowed down if he didn't find the cracks in her armour.

With a pumping vein in his temple, Skafil shoved the books on his desk onto the floor, his breathing heavy and his face red.

She wasn't going to be left unharmed for long.

..............................................................

WOHOOO AFTER TWO MONTHS I'M FINALLY BACK BABY!!!

Did ya miss me? Cuz I did lmao

I wish I could dedicate my life solely to writing and improving TwT

Sadly, it is time for me to say "until next time"

Have a wonderful week! :)