Beyond The Night - Bronze

VII. Griff

   Griff started counting from one to ten when he knocked on Caira's door. If he didn't answer in ten seconds he was going to go back to Liz's room and tell her he said no to the invitation. When Caira opened the door at the sixth second, his plans were ruined. But it wasn’t too late for Caira to tell him to go away. Usually Caira wanted to be left alone, he didn't spend time with his hoouse-mates. But today the universe must have something against Griff because when Caira had a relieved expression on his face when he saw Griff standing on his doorstep.
   "We are going to play some cards. Liz asks if you want to join in?" Griff wished for him to say no with all he had.
   Instead of saying no, Caira took his key from the door and stepped out of the room to stand next to Griff. He motioned for him to lead the way and followed him to Liz's room.
   "Caira!" The smile on Liz's face could compete with the joy in her voice. "Come, sit," she said as she scooted over on the bed, making space for Caira.
   "Can you even play cards with three people?", Caira complained but his voice lacked its usual weariness.
   Griff fought the urge to say you shouldn't have come, then. Any other time, Griff would've loved the fact that Caira wanted to spend time with them. It wasn’t like he didn't want Caira around, he was happy they were together. But deep down he wanted to strangle him for taking away his chance of spending time alone with Liz.
   "If you try hard enough you can play any game with three people."
   "How are you so sure?" Caira sat next to Liz.
   Griff settled down in front of them. He positioned his wings to hang down from the end of the bed and crossed his legs.
   "I used to play a lot of games when I was little." Liz had a faraway look on her face.
   "With?"
   "With my siblings." Liz didn't blink.
   "I didn't know you had siblings," said Griff.
   Liz shook her head like she wanted to get rid of the thoughts inside and plastered a forced smile on her face. "It never came up."
   Griff glanced at Caira, he was already looking at him.
   "I'll deal," Liz changed the subject. She started putting down the cards inside the triangle the three of them made on the bed.
   Griff decided to keep his questions to himself. It was obvious Liz didn't want to talk about it. Maybe later, when they were alone, but not now. It wasn’t a good idea to ask Liz questions about her past when they were in the middle of a job and Caira was with them.
   The two days until the ball, they didn't get out of their rooms except going to each other's rooms or going to the closest restaurant. The day of the ball Liz and Caira went to get their masks from the seamstress in town and Griff killed time frowning in his room. A few hours after lunch Griff and Caira left Liz's room and went to their own rooms to prepare for the ball.
   Griff looked at his reflection on the mirror for the last time after he got dressed. His red velvet slacks and the same color coat created a striking contrast with his golden mask and made his hazel eyes more noticeable. But it didn't matter what he thought. The only opinion that mattered was Liz's. That was why, as he walked the small distance from his room to her's, he fixed his black shirt six times, took off his mask and put it on and took it off again and decided to hold it in his hand. He stood in front of Liz's door and fixed the lapels of his shirt for the last time before he knocked.
   "Liz? Are you ready?"
   After a few seconds of silence, he heard Liz's footsteps behind the door. When the door opened Griff forgot how to breath.
   Liz's yellow dress reached the floor, surrounding her everywhere except her arms and neck. Her green scales reached all the way from her collarbones to her shoulders, shining more than her satin dress under the yellow light of the oil lamp burning in the hall. Her long hair, tied together with a bread that started on the top of her head, dissappeared behind her.
   "You're making a really stupid face right now."
   "Huh?" said Griff when he remembered how to breath.
   "Why are you standing there like an idiot? Get out of the way." Despite her harsh words she was smiling.
   "Oh. Sorry." Griff stepped aside and got out of her doorway.
   Liz stepped out to the hallway and closed the door behind her. "Caira?"
   "I came to get you first," said Griff, fighting with himself to not stare at her scales.
   Liz turned her back to Griff and started making her way to Caira's room without saying anything.
   Walking behind her, Griff couldn't stop himself from watching her. The dress moving with every step and her scales catching the light with every move, was beautiful. The thin fabric hanging down from both sides of her neck almost reached the ground. The back of the dress started at her waist and Liz's gold braid moved from left to right as she walked, showing the scales on her spine.
   When Liz stopped in front of Caira's door and turned Griff averted his eyes.
   "Caira?" Liz knocked on the door twice.
   The door opened a few seconds later and Caira asked with his usual frown, "Alvis?"
   "Not here, yet." Liz took the black mask in Caira's hand and stared at it with narrowed eyes.
   Caira sighed and got out of the room.
   "Did you cut this? I don't think it looked like this when we got it." Liz handed the mask back to Caira.
   "No," lied Caira. Griff haven't seen the mask before but he was pretty sure Caira's knife was responsible from the ridged line in the mask.
   "If you say so," Liz gave up.
   Right then the door next to Caira's opened and Alvis stepped outside. "I was waiting for you guys."
   "Waiting for us?" asked Caira gritting his teeth.
   Alvis's owl shaped mask's fake ears were lined up perfectly with the horns on his head, making the mask look like a part of his face. With his brown suit and moss green shirt, he looked less disturbing than usual. It's probably because you can't see most of his face behind that mask.
   "I was in my room since three o'clock."
   Liz put her hand on Alvis's shoulder and started walking. "Let's go, Alvis. We don't wanna be late."
   Caira closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
   Even though Griff knew that Caira wouldn't turn into a werewolf in the middle of the hallway, that didn't stop him from taking a step back.
   "If I try to kill him today," Caira said looking at Alvis's back. "Stop me."
   Even if Griff said, "Got it," he was sure that if Caira actually tried to kill Alvis, no one could stop him.
   They paid a carriage to take them to the Brimtzen castle. The castle was relatively close but Alvis trying to jump out of the carriage made the way feel longer than it was.
   "Put your mask on, bird boy."
   Griff stared at Caira with narrowed eyes as he put on his mask. Then he turned and watched Liz as she tied the shiny ribbon of her red lace mask behind her head. He cleaned his throat and turned his head to look at the castle.
   "Let's get this over with."