Game On

Chapter Thirty: Bad Memories

Sean watched the raven fly off with the note but stayed out of sight. He watched the maid close the window, but she didn't lock it. Instead, she looked around the room and quickly slipped into a side room. Peeking in a bit more, he saw her leave that room into another. Allowing him to dash across the room toward the window. Without opening it, he looked out in the hopes of seeing the raven. He wanted to know where it was going. He briefly saw it fly out away from the house to catch the wind, before swooping back. It was heading to a room somewhere upstairs. Was it possible the witch was living in the house? Turning around, he gasped with a start. The maid stood a short distance away from him, her eyes kind but curious when she asked him. "Can I help you with something?" Shaking his head, he tried to swallow down his nervousness and surprise by admitting. "I just... was looking for a place to calm down. Seeing what they are. I... It overwhelmed me."

Fixing her dress, the maid smiled and admitted innocently. "Yes. I was a bit of a shock to me as well. But they aren't so bad. Spoiled, certainly. Though you didn't hear that from me." Chuckling a little, Sean replied honestly. "You don't have to tell me that. I can see it." Moving to rest her arm on the back of a chair, she asked him so sweetly. "I've no doubt. With eyes like yours. So blue. They remind me of a clear spring sky. Right when the world brightens with color again after a long winter." Blushing, Sean mumbled out. "Thank you." Her fingers began to stroke the fabric of the chair as she looked him over and commented warmly. "You're welcome. You'll have to forgive me. I've been in the presence of darkness for so long... that the light you bring is... rather a welcome sight." Sean raised an eyebrow, until he looked himself over. He hadn't noticed that his skin was sparkling a little like he was covered in glitter. Even with no light in the dark room.

Biting her lip, she asked him curiously. "Is it true what they say about you Ljosalfar? That you managed to control the light of Alfheim?" Swallowing, Sean found himself honestly replying without thinking about it. "I'd rather not talk about it." His own answer surprised him. Where had that come from? Reaching up to rub his collarbone nervously, he wondered if his avatar had acted on its own. Was it an in-game response that he wasn't told about? He was so distracted by the outburst that he didn't notice she had moved closer to him, until she whispered over his shoulder. "You best be careful in a place of death like this... There is nothing Draugr want more than to possess the power over life and death. Within your veins... they could drain the light of Alfheim from you." Sean leaned away from her a bit, mumbling out uneasily. "Draugr? The zombies and skeletons?" Grinning, she reached out to lightly touch his chest wear the outfit would normally reveal cleavage. Her voice dropping a bit lower when she whispered again. "Draugr. It means Undead. That includes Zombies, Skeletons... vampires. Any living tissue reanimated from death."

Grabbing her wrist to stop her from touching him, he locked eyes with her and asked a little confused. "Why do you stay here? You could leave. Start over somewhere else." Her eyes lowered from his when she replied grimly. "I can't. This place is all I've ever known. I was born here. I... I will die here." Releasing her hand, Sean softly told her. "You don't have to. That's your choice. Not your fate." A small smile spread on her face, when she peered up at him and said playfully. "You are so different from them. So full of life. You live in a beautiful bright world... but that is no place for monsters like me." Furrowing his brows, Sean wispily asks her. "You don't look like a monster to me." Her slender hand rose to slide her fingertips across his jaw, before removing the mask from his face. Dropping the mask, her face draws closer to his as she puts her hand on his cheek and whispers to him in a sudden breathless voice. "Not all monsters are ugly on the outside. Some wear masks." Her lips moved in for a kiss, but he tilted his head back from her.

Her face falling into a heartbroken expression that Sean quickly tells gently. "I'm sorry. You're very pretty... but you're better than this." Her eyes glaze over with tears, her voice breaking a little when she asks him. "What...? How can you say that to me? Do you think I'm a..." Carefully taking her wrist to pull it away from his cheek, he looked her in the eyes and answered genuinely. "No. I don't believe you are. But I can see the pain in your eyes. I recognize it. You want something that you know you can't have." Her fingers curled and a tear slid down her cheek as she stared at him in surprise. Releasing her wrist, he moved his hand to hers to brush her tear away with his thumb. He was a little shocked that she let him do it, but he whispered to her lovingly. "The mask you claim to wear isn't making you happy. So... maybe you should get rid of it." Giving him a tiny smile, she lowered her eyes to the rug and asked him darkly. "Pretty words. But do you really believe in them?"