Project Chaos: Disneyland

Chapter Seven

According to Cass, dinner at the mansion was a formal affair. Everyone was to dress nicely and attend, putting on their best face for everyone else at the end of the day.

Teddy found nice outfits in the wardrobe, and picked out a pale suit, checking various ties in the bathroom mirror. Cass had said that everyone in the mansion would be attending and it was his time to make an impression.

Hayato passed the bathroom door and thumb-downed the current tie. Frowning, Teddy gave up and just left the tie off, slicking his hair back. One long piece kept falling over his forehead, and he decided to leave it there. He was beginning to like the face in the mirror, as if his style were a way of claiming part of an identity that had been taken from him. Grinning, Teddy left the bathroom with his jacket slung over one shoulder, top buttons of his white shirt undone.

Hayato was loosening his tie, waiting for Teddy. He was wearing a red suit with a blue shirt, sleeves rolled up to his elbows and signature biker goggles still messing up his hair. He just blinked at Teddy and then opened the door.

"You ready, Ralph Lauren?" Hayato led the way out of their room, down the hall.

Cass was waiting outside the door to the dining room, wearing a long violet gown with a slit up the leg. She smiled at Teddy and Hayato, giving them both approving nods. Hayato smirked at her and went straight in.

"Well Teddy, we know one thing about you," she commented, tugging the collar of his shirt open wider. "You look great in a suit. Good choice in saving those glasses for reading."

Teddy flashed a grin at her and offered his arm. Together, they stepped into the dining room.

Sets of candelabras had been lit along the table and fires glowed at either end of the room, offering enough light to see that quite a few seats had been taken. At the head of the table, Janus rested his chin on his hands, fingers laced together, elbows on the table. The butler offered Teddy and Cass a small nod of his head.

"For dinner," Cass murmured, "you sit across from your roommate, and the seats are permanent. Where you sit tonight will be where you sit every night."

Hayato was sitting where he'd been that morning and Cass sat in the seat beside him, across from Wren, once again. Teddy's seat would be the one Nick had occupied earlier. Glancing around, he spotted Nick's red hair closer to Janus, sitting across from a man with hair just like Teddy's and ridiculously angled eyebrows. 

As Teddy took his seat, he noticed the place at his end of the table was set but empty. Before he could mention it, a small bell rang and dinner was served.

The dining room filled with the murmur of lowered voices and the clinking of silverware. The person on Teddy's other side introduced himself as Baz. He was covered in tattoos - around his neck, down his arms and over his fingers - and had a ring in his lip and various piercings up one ear. The side of his head was shaved, but his black hair came down below his shoulders on the other side. Despite his intimidating appearance, Baz was a very quiet, quirky person, and Teddy enjoyed talking with him.

According to Baz, the seat at their end of the table was always prepared for Grimm, but the master of the house rarely came to dinner. Baz, being one of the newer members of the mansion, had yet to even see Grimm.

"Where does he stay?" Teddy asked, and Baz shrugged.

"I heard there might be a secret suite somewhere in the mansion, and only the Spooks who have total control over the doors here can find it." Baz looked thoughtful over his forkful of food. "That would be an adventure, exploring the house. Could be fun."

As the dinner dwindled, there was the distinct chime of a ringing glass. Everyone turned their attention to Janus, who was standing with his glass raised.

"Good evening, all. We should thank Master Nick for this delicious feast." Janus tipped his glass to Nick, who accepted the compliment with a tilt of his head and a rueful grin. "I believe he has earned his way back into our good graces."

There was laughter and applause down the table, though Janus barely smiled. Wren gave a loud wolf whistle beside Teddy, who grinned.

"Now, before we leave the table to enjoy our evening, we have a new Spook to welcome." Janus caught Teddy's eye and motioned him to stand. "Master Teddy, welcome and good luck."

"To Teddy," echoed around the table as everyone toasted him. Teddy smoothly nodded his thanks and then dinner was over. People came to greet him and then left the room.

"We get our evenings to ourselves," Cass said after the last of the Spooks had shaken Teddy's hand. "Most everyone goes to the billiards room for games. I'll lead you there but I have special training to do with Wren tonight."

The billiards room was right across the hall from the dining room, and Cass bid Teddy a good night at the open door, the lamplight reflected in her glasses.

"I'll be back to collect you at your room for breakfast tomorrow. Till then, enjoy your evening Teddy." Cass smiled at him before turning to head down the hall alone. Then she paused and turned back for a second. "Make sure Hayato comes with you back to your room!"

Teddy gave her a mock solute, smiling softly.

When he walked into the billiards room, he spotted Hayato almost instantly. His roommate was lingering by the bookshelves across the room, wearing that intensely bored expression he'd shown last night. As Teddy watched, Hayato causally slipped back out of the billiards room.

Teddy was walking before he realized it, his feet shuffling along under power of his instincts. He felt that it was important to know where his roommate was going.

Out in the hallway, Teddy caught sight of Hayato turning the corner to where Teddy was fairly certain the front door belonged. It occurred to him that he had no idea if Spooks were allowed out of the mansion.

Regardless, Hayato was walking out the door, and Teddy was following him.

Out of the mansion and down the path, past the garden and the hearse with its invisible horse. All the way to the front gate, which Teddy could clearly see was locked. But as he watched, Hayato never paused and walked right on through the wrought iron.

Teddy stared for a minute before deciding that he wouldn't let his roommate escape so easily. He hurried over to the gate, intent on climbing over, but as he reached out and touched the metal bars, the gate clicked and swung open. Filing his surprise away for later, Teddy scanned the area for Hayato and spotted him slinking around the fence of the mansion towards a tall hill surrounded by ridiculously sized briars. Teddy snuck off after him.

Just as Hayato rounded a bend in the path, he completely vanished from sight, and Teddy slowed down, instinct urging him that something wasn't right. Sure enough, the moment Teddy turned around the corner, he skidded to a halt when Hayato reappeared out of nowhere on the empty path and thumped Teddy's forehead.