Siren Alternate Universe | Alastor X OC

Stay

(Prompt: A "one-shot" that takes place sometime after book 2, 'A Siren's Hunt'...)

The hotel is quiet tonight, with many of the patrons having gone to their respective rooms. Alastor sits by the fire in the parlor while reading a book and sipping on a glass of rye. Behind him, Esme sits at the piano that Charlie presented her with during the remodeling. Her small fingers dance along the ivory, creating a string of notes that blend perfectly with one another. As she relaxes, she begins to sing the notes softly under her breath, her voice soon carrying and filling up the space with a hypnotic call. The walls begin to glow a faint green and a blueish hue overtakes the floorboards. Alastor's ears perk up at her melody, smirking to himself as he feels them instantly falling back to his head from the effect, "Now, dear, you oughta be careful with your voice." He says loud enough for her to hear him. Esme looks at him, seemingly lost in thought, when her eyes widen and she stops her voice from growing further, "Aha, sorry about that - force of habit." She says, gently ending her last cord on the keys. "I just want this to be perfect for Her Highness..." She whispers.

Alastor chuckles and holds up his hand in the air, using his finger to motion her to come to him without turning to face her. Esme smiles and follows his order, standing and walking to him, sitting next to him by the fire. "Sooo, what did you do today while I was gone?" She asks, sliding closer to him. Alastor chuckles, looking at her momentarily and swiping his finger along her chin, "Not much, darling." He smiles, "Just the usual, broadcasting and dealing with simpletons." He turns back to his book, "But it is nice to have you back from your travels."

Esme giggles, "You're too harsh on the sinners here, you know?" She smiles, nudging his shoulder softly. "And yes, the water was lovely. I was almost tempted to swim to a whole other ring." She jokes. She spent this particular day down by the shore, swimming peacefully and exploring the reefs. There was so much chaos happening in the hotel nowadays, that sometimes she needed some time to disconnect and be in her element, not knowing that a certain black entity would follow her every time to ensure her safety.

Like she needed it...

He chuckled again, rolling his eyes, "Oh, come now, love. They're all a bunch of fools. Why should I be polite to them when they can't even appreciate the art of a simple conversation?" He leaned back against the couch, resting the back of his head on the cushion, placing his book down on his lap.

"Oh they can, you just don't like their topics of discussion."

"Well, can you blame me? I've spent decades surrounded by idiots. I think I've earned the right to dislike their inane ramblings."

"Mmm." She hums, "Oh!" She perks up, her fins sprouting from her head, "I almost forgot." She stands up from the couch, seeming extremely excited. She rushes over to the piano bench, digging in her jacket pocket. Alastor turns to watch her, his head and ears turning to the side in curiosity, "Forgot what?" She pulls her hand out with a small seashell in her hands, "This!" She cheers happily, trotting over and showing him the small treasure, "I found it during my swim today!" She beams, leaning over the back of the couch to show him, "Isn't it pretty?"

"It's quite lovely." He smiles fondly, looking down at her hands. He picks up the small shell, running his fingers over the smooth surface, a pang of nostalgia hitting him briefly, "You know, my dear..." He says, "It's quite the coincidence that you picked this up during your expedition." Esme's fins droop in response, "Hm, how come?" She questions, "I'm a siren, I find countless marvelous finds in the ocean." She motions to her bag full of sea rocks.

He shakes his head with a small chuckle, "Well, my sweet little fish, I can't help but notice that this shell looks oddly familiar.." He hands it back to her, his eyes sparkling with mischief as he returns to his book, clearly enjoying this little game. "Well, don't keep me in suspense...talk!" She pouts, holding the shell close to her chest and walking around the couch to stand in front of him.