Uploaded: 09 November 2013
"That's a nice watch." Sewell's eyes followed the watch swinging from the gold chain. He sat slouched on the sofa with next to a middle aged woman and her son, both of whom stared blankly at the wall opposite.
Ansel caught the watch mid-swing.
"Thanks." He ran a hand through his black hair, which had gotten shaggier since the last time Sewell had seen him. He fell back into an armchair and pressed his fingers together, one hand wrapped in the watch chain. "I'm surprised to see you here. Last time I saw you, you didn't seem to interested in my sister's doings."
Sewell pushed some hair out of his eyes and snorted. "Your sister, has a way of making people interested."
Ansel laughed. "Yes, she's had to get good at grabbing peoples' attention."
Sewell's eyes wondered up to the ceiling where, somewhere above him Sable was bathing. Ansel jumped from his chair and began pacing.
"She had a lot of trouble growing up, not being able to speak and all, our parents thought she was mad. Kept her up in her room so she wouldn't disturb people."
"And she was sent to be a temple servant because she couldn't be married off?" Sewell let out a yawn as he stretched and leaned back on the sofa.
"Nobody wants a broken bride," Ansel sang out the line, swinging his pocket watch again. "Well, that's not quite true, our father just couldn't pay anyone enough to take her," he sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "But she's so much brighter than they gave her credit for," Ansel suddenly went quiet, like he was lost in thought for a while and was then pulled back into reality. "She had some trouble learning to read, but there are no problems now. Oh, did you want some tea?"
Before Sewell could answer, Ansel stuck his head out of the room and shouted, "Bartholomew!" then returned to his armchair, sinking himself down and drumming his fingers on his chest.
"Now, how exactly did you get here?" Sewell asked Ansel, eyeing the two glassy eyed people next to him.
"Well I ran," Ansel tapped his temple with his finger. "I ran from the 'hospital' a good long time. Stayed off roads and cut through fields. I was supposed to jump a train to Vale, but I met an old priest who had this," he held up the pocket watch, "and I just had to have it." Ansel leaned forward, whispering, "I don't think he was aware of what it was, but he was also unusually resilient to magic. He was a bit of a bother, so I had to end up getting rid of him." Ansel nodded. "So I was delayed. I didn't get to Vale until after the bombing, but Sable left me instructions to come Sophiasburg."
A hunched old man, with hanging jowls and red, glassy eyes shuffled into the room with a tea tray. The woman and her son looked up at him, their eyes starting to widen.
"Oh, no you don't!" Ansel barked at them, and the two snapped back to the wall.
Sewell took a cup of tea from the tray the old man offered. It was as if he didn't see him do it, and Sewell had to shoo him away. "You know, the deepest circles of Hell are for those who take the will of another," Sewell blew on his tea.
Ansel let out a laugh that shook the walls. "You and I both know that the only Hell there is, is here."
"Well, for you," Sewell raised his cup to Ansel and took a sip. "Ah, yes," Ansel's eyes became dreamy, "The Void waits for you," he giggled, then leaned forward again and said in a hoarse whisper, "The Void will be opened and the demons released. She has seen it."
Sewell held the tea in his lap. "So that is what she's doing?"
Ansel grinned. "Stir up enough chaos here, and one could use it to open the Void."
"And a human could do it unnoticed," Sewell smiled. "Your sister really is clever."
"The Order of Cyrus has already claimed that Vale was demons' work. The Order of Hyram is turning all it's attention to demon hunting while we slip by to sow discord!" Ansel stood, throwing out his arms. "Cyrus will be so intent on eradicating the demons, he won't even notice us puny, little humans. He'll think it's Uzo all over again." Ansel was breathing hard, but stood beaming down at Sewell.
Sewell took another sip of his tea. "Why?"
Ansel lowered his arms, cocking his head to the side. "Love?"
It was Sewell's turn to look confused.
"She loves you!" Ansel threw up his hands again. "She's always loved you! Even when she was a child she loved you! Everything she did was always about you!"
Sewell's eyes wandered back to the ceiling. He wondered how much of Ansel's shouting Sable could hear upstairs.
Ansel began chewing on his thumbnail. "Did she not mention that to you?"
Sewell shrugged. "She hasn't given me much, I've had to infer most of what she's doing."
"Oh." Ansel collapsed back into his armchair, still biting his thumbnail. "I don't think I should have said that," he jumped up out of the chair, pacing around the room and hitting his forehead with his hand. "I shouldn't have said that! I shouldn't have said that! Sable will be so angry!" He ran at Sewell, grabbing hold of the front his robes and causing him to drop his tea. The cup shattered as it hit the floor. "You already knew, right? You noticed?"
Sewell pulled his lips into a snarl. "Don't. Touch. Me."
"But you know she loves you?"
"Do you think it matters to me if I've gained the affection of a human?" Sewell pushed himself up and grabbed Ansel by the front of his shirt. "Is it my job to notice how you creatures feel?" he dragged him across the floor threw him into the chair, knocking it back. Ansel flinched as Sewell pinned both his wrists to arms, growling.
Ansel wiggled under his grip. "If you, if you hurt her..."
"You'll do what?" there was a low growl coming from his throat. "I've lived over fifty human lives, do you know how small your life is to me? You are nothing but a fading spark! You are," Ansel winced as Sewell tightened his grip on his wrists. "'Puny and small.' Do you have any idea how quickly her love will die? And Sable with it?"
"The spirit is eternal," Ansel flinched, excepting Sewell to snap at him again, but he only blinked at him. "Do you not know?"
Ansel straightened himself up, meeting Sewell's eyes. "Her spirit will go to the Sacred Realm and dwell there for eternity."
"No," Sewell released his wrists, shaking his head. He looked down at Ansel, wondering if now was the best time to tell him, but the pitter patter of wet feet on a wood floor told him it wasn't. A few moments later, Sable came into the room, dripping wet and beaming at her two boys.
"Why are you in a bed sheet?" although Sewell couldn't say he was surprised to see her that way.
Ansel jumped from the chair. "Weren't there towels?"
Sable shuffled her feet and shrugged.
"It doesn't matter," Sewell turned to Ansel. "She can have some of their clothes?" he pointed over at the two other people sitting on the sofa. They hadn't moved at all since the butler came in. Ansel rubbed his chin. "I don't know, I think Mrs. Irvine is a bit too round for Sable."
"The boy looks to be about her size though," Sewell looked back at Sable, who was twirling around in the bed sheet. "Sable, would you mind dressing like a boy?"
She stopped twirling and rocked back and forth, shaking her head.
"And we'll have your old clothes washed," Ansel promised her. She went to clap her hands, but as she did, the sheet nearly fell so she had to grab it again. Ansel went and put a hand on her shoulder. "I'll show you where his clothes are."
Sable looked passed him to Sewell.
"It's fine," he smiled. "I'll be waiting down here for you."
She returned his smile and when the two of them left the room, Sewell fell into the armchair and sighed. He stared over at the two Irvines, drumming his fingers against the armrest. He wondered if Sable would tell him where Avi was when she got back.
