Lost Devotion // Sebastian Sallow

Impromptu

One letter.

Sent in the early hours of the morning when I awoke from a nightmare that I couldn't recall.

One singular note, scribbled with a short plea to meet. That's all it took to summon him to the Undercroft where I was now waiting and expecting to get the answers I needed.

As I stepped into the expansive room, a sense of stillness hung in the air, accompanied by a cool, musty scent that enveloped me. The remnants of destruction from my previous visit with Sebastian remained untouched, casting a somber atmosphere. Cleaning up the mess could wait; there were pressing matters demanding my attention.

At the sound of the metal gate clanging to the ground, I snapped my head in the direction of the sound and watched as he walked across the stone floor towards me.

"I'm over here." I called out, knowing he would need a signal.

Ominis looked better than the last time I had seen him in the common room with Poppy. I would have to extend my heartfelt thanks to her later for her thorough assistance, as he now stood unscathed, without a trace of injury.

Even though there was no tangible proof of the fight from the day before, he seemed a bit off. His hair was a bit disheveled, his clothes slightly rumpled; he appeared out of sorts, but only to those who were knew him well enough to notice.

"I got your note, what did you want to talk about?" He stood there, his milky gaze looking down at me for a response.

He was well aware of the reason behind his presence, and his courteous exchanges were simply a formality without any additional significance.

"What happened yesterday, Ominis? One moment you two are tense but fine and the next I find you at each others throats."

"He started it..."

"I'm not here for the blame game and frankly I don't care who started it. I just want to know why. You aren't one to just get physical like that." I sighed and leaned back against the stone pillar.

"Right...well...I wanted to talk to him about things and his behavior lately. Clearly he didn't take well to that..."

"His behavior? What are you talking about? You mean how you two are acting towards each other?"

"Yes that but also how is is acting towards you. I just...I don't want you to get caught up again in his world, whatever that even is right now."

I didn't say anything for a moment, the shock of what he said was settling in. Had he noticed Sebastian getting closer to me or perhaps there were secret conversations exchanged between them behind closed doors. Regardless, Ominis had picked up on something, but the extent of his knowledge remained a mystery to me.

"Ominis I...I'm not the same girl I was back in fifth year and Sebastian is...different. I thought we all wanted to try and be friends again?"

As he inhaled deeply, his hand instinctively went to the back of his neck for a soothing rub.

"Friends...right...but it's not as simple as I hoped. Things between all of us have changed a lot and I just don't want to see you get hurt again. I care a lot...I mean I care about your well-being."

"I understand, I really do but I'm tired of the fighting and the tension. I know how to protect myself now and I know myself a lot better than I did back then."

With a gentle hum escaping his lips, he bobbed his head ever so slightly, his face betraying his profound contemplation of my words. Silence enveloped us for a few moments, leaving me uncertain if he would resume our conversation. However, he surprised me by breaking the silence and finding his voice once more.