Darkwood: The Crimson Cavalier

Sins of the Father

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Onyx walked through the large double doors of the mortuary, a content sigh escaping his lips. The stress from the past week or so from school has been taking its toll on him. He ran a hand through his long, luscious black locs before he sat his work back on the floor.

"I'm home!" he called out to either of his parents. There was a sudden clatter of China (probably from his mother's tea  set). He immediately rushed towards where the sound came from to find his mother putting up her tea set.

"Hey there, Nyx! Are you ok? How was school?" his mother asked in a gentle and soothing manner. Her shoulder length, curly afro, cascaded down, framing her face perfectly. Her vitiligo didn't do anything but showcase her features perfectly.

Onyx sighed in relief before he nodded. "Yeah. You really need to be more careful with those!" he rushes over to help his my put the tea set up. He delicately places it in the cupboard before closing it silently.

His mother smiled, a grateful expression on her face. "Thank you, dear." she cooed before gesturing him to follow along. Onyx raised his eyebrows before following close behind his mother. She led him to the main entrance of the mortuary, where all the caskets for viewing resided, all empty and ready for another body to inhabit it.

They stopped just in front of his father's office. They both could hear him yelling at something before the door flung open, and a small, petite cat ran out. Onyx's father nearly ran into him and his mother when he emerged from his office, hair tousled, shit slightly undone, and small scratches on his forearms.

"Onyx, for the 300TH TIME! Keep the damn cat in your room!" he bellowed, glaring at Onyx. His eyes fitted between him and his mother before he sighed.  "I don't want to see another pet in my office or anywhere out of the apartment for that matter." Onyx clenched his jaw, a sense of familiar frustration in his eyes.

"Right." Was all Onyx said, his tone clearly restraining any sort of attitude he had. His mother eyes softened towards Onyx, then hardened towards his father a bit. "Gerald. Maybe you should calm down. He just walked through the door, after all." her tone wqs slightly warning.

Gerald's mouth twitched a bit, but he relented nonetheless. Onyx rolled his eyes before he headed towards his room. "Let me know if we get any autopsies, please." he called back before ascending up the staircase. Both parents stood there, staring at the staircase before going on about their day.

Onyx reaches the top of the staircase before locking eyes with his cat. "Edgar, how the hell did you even get into Dad's office?" he sighed. Edgar meowed back in an almost sassy tone. Onyx rolled his eyes before scooping the small ball of grey fur and carrying him into his bedroom.

They both plopped onto the small, comfy twin size bed, the burgundy sheets ruffling slightly under their combined weight. Onyx stared out of his window, the sound of rain hitting the window pane in a methodical pattern. It was almost soothing in a way. Combined with him gently stroking Edgar's soft, fluffy, grey fur, he was slowly drifting off to sleep.

Before he could even doze off completely, he saw a bright, vibrant red figure saunter towards the mortuary. A wide brimmed hat covering the face of the mysterious figure. He watched closely as it stood there for a moment, stooped down to put something down, and then walked away. Onyx immediately rose out of bed and walked out of his room, Edgar following close behind him, meowing in curiosity.

Gerald approached, holding a large basket filled with a variety of wine, cheese, and other accessories. "Look what the new guy in town brought us!" Gerald said in a . Onyx arched an eyebrow before replying. "New guy?" his tone was puzzled and uninterested. Gerald looked up at Onyx before rolling his eyes. "If you would actually leave the house for once, you'd know this already. We had a new guy, a wine specialist, move here in town. He's opening a wine dispensary here, and he's been giving everyone in town these baskets.

Onyx's mom smiled softly. "Well, what a kind thing to do!" she said with gratitude. "Letting everyone try out his product for free." Gerald opened a card and read it to himself. "Hmph, just another fake ass campaign pitch!" he grumbled before dropping the basket onto the small coffee table and walked back towards his office.

Onyx twisted his face a bit. "So? At least they gave us something!" he said, slightly annoyed. Gerald stopped for a moment to reply. "I don't have time for your attitude, boy!" he retorted.

Onyx narrowed his eyes. "OH really? And why is that?" he asked, holding back a smirk. Gerald's mouth twitched before he just went into his office and closed the door. Onyx rolled his eyes before heading back towards the staircase.

Onyx and his father used to be closer than this. Always doing almost everything together. As soon as puberty took place, the two seemed to drift apart. Especially emotionally wise. Onyx grew tired of trying to figure out why and just adapted to it. He and Edgar went back into his room and laid back down. Onyx scrolled aimlessly through his social media feed before finally falling asleep.

On his office, Gerald had a nervous sweat on his brow as he re-read the card from the basket. It read:

The King isn't done with you....

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