House of Anubis: Triad of Memphis

House of Absence/House of Connections

During the day, Sarah and Jonah spotted Jared and Lucille apart from everyone else. They seemed to be bonding all over again, making up for the time spent that they had broken up.

"Well they waste no time at all," Jonah commented.

"Yeah, except when it comes to kissing," Sarah mentioned as the two of them sat on some couches.

Jonah shrugged his eyebrows in agreement.

"You know," Sarah chucked nervously, "when you told me Lucille had kissed you...I was a bit jealous."

"W-were you?" Jonah inquired, barely believing what he had just heard.

"Maybe."

Jonah opened his mouth, but no sound came out. It took a few moments of them just staring at eachother awkwardly before Jonah finally asked, "Do you ever want to like-I don't know-do somethin-"

"-yes."

"Oka-"

"-I'd love to."

~~~~~
"And that's the story of how we broke up," William concluded his description to Niamh of the events leading to his and Rachel's subtle break up. They were standing in the halls of the school near William's locker, and Niamh stared at him in disbelief.

"You don't seem too heartbroken by it," Niamh admitted.

William gave a slight smile and then forced it to become an ever wider one of reassurance. "Life is too short to be unhappy anyway..." He shrugged and turned back toward his locker.

"You're such a pacifist," Niamh remarked. He shut his locker and nodded for Niamh to join him as they walked down the hall. Niamh continued. "Normally people would be screaming and crying at this point. And I know you really liked her, so it definitely isn't that you were pretending the whole time."

"People don't usually understand," William explained, "why I never get angry, I never hold grudges...Sure I'm sad and heartbroken, but there's so much else to be happy about. So I try to be happy about it."

The two of them walked into their next class and sat next to eachother. Niamh didn't say anything more, but she understood William just a bit more than she had before.

~~~~~
Sibuna reunited just as they were back at Anubis house. They set down their things in their rooms and hurried to the kitchen before anyone could spot them crawling through the bread oven to get down to the cellar.

They went straight to the table but instantly noticed something wrong.

"Guys, where's the third bag?" Jonah asked aloud.

"Do you think they hid it or something?" Lucille inquired.

"Jared, Lucille, William search around; see if you see it anywhere," Sarah instructed. "Jonah and I will look through these to see if they contain any of the staff pieces."

They all did as guided. Jonah took out the riddle and reread it to himself and Sarah:

"'Hidden below this accursed treasure,
Hail the begotten son.
And his staff forged from the primeval waters,
The embodiment of Nun.
The bud of the lotus,
May it be flourished,
And as so, blessed,
By she who weeps the sacred tears,
In the time of sunset.'"

"Here is the lotus bud," Sarah declared, pulling out a metal flower, not having "bloomed". It was a pearl color with a purplish-pink at the tips of the petals. She set that down as she found other staff pieces made of material which appeared as glass but was definitely more durable. Inside, water seemed to course throughout, and there were five pieces which were just the same, the final one with a rubber sole at the bottom.

"Are these all the pieces?" Jonah asked.

Sarah began piecing them together, and once the last was attached, the staff sealed together with a dim glow.

"It seems like it," Sarah declared. "But if we don't find that last bag, how will we know if we can find all the pieces to the last staff?"

"Let's not worry about that right now, yeah?"

Lucille, Jared, and William finally quit searching when they realized the bag was nowhere to be found. They just focused on the current staff and task, still having to fulfill the final part of the riddle.

"So, the sacred tears are probably the Chosen One's," Sarah told them. "Lucy, you have to cry at sunset."

"How can she just decide when to cry?" Jared asked.

"You underestimate her capabilities," William smirked. "She can cry at will."

Lucille shrugged.

"Jared is impressed," Jared admitted in third-person.

~~~~~
Mr. Rainier scheduled a private meeting with Rusk. It took place around sunset at the gatehouse, and although they weren't particularly friends, Rusk took up his offer.

Mr. Rainier was invited inside and offered tea. They sat across from eachother in two chairs which Rusk had set up.

"You're not getting the bag back," Rusk declared. "And eventually I'll have all three."

"What if you join our society?" Mr. Rainier attempted to compromise. "We can make room, I'm sur-"

"I don't want to be part of any society. I have all the connections I need, and nothing you say will convince me to join."

"Think about how more efficient it would be. We're fighting for the same cause, and yet you're blinded by your greed. As you've always been."

"Then let me be blind," Rusk spat at him.

Mr. Rainier hesitated for a moment. He wasn't too fond of Rusk joining their team, but he'd try everything he could in order make it happen. "We know who the Chosen One is."

"As do I," a Rusk admitted with a smirk.

"How?" Mr. Rainier jerked to his feet and set the tea on the table.

Mr. Rainier still had the idea that it was Niamh (not that he knew she was Rusk's stepsister), but Rusk knew the actual Chosen One was Lucille, although he wasn't aware of her name, but he did know her face.

"I have my ways," Rusk told him.

Mr. Rainier turned to head out.

"Before you go," Rusk stood to his feet, "keep a careful eye on your students. And get rid of this lockdown, will you?"

Mr. Rainier didn't say anything, but he just left, not wanting to stay there any longer.

~~~~~
Well, good news is that I've finished up the last of my exams on Wednesday! Hopefully updates will regulate again. I'm still a bit busy towards the beginning of summer vacation/break/holiday but still more liberated than I was. And discussion questions are coming back. So...

This actually isn't a question, but Jarah is finally starting to happen.

Do you think Sibuna, the society, or Rusk will be successful to awaken the Triad?

And also thank you so much for 5k reads! I just realized that last night.

Okay, and that's all I have for now. Until next time, Aristocrats!