The Mansion

Chapter 9. Weapons

Alice, Nelli, Luna and Julius were still at the Clock Tower's kitchen.

"Let me see if I've got this" Luna poured the freshly brewed coffee into a cup and placed it in front of the blue haired. "Nightmare is an incubus, the kind of creature that can come into your dreams and control them?"

"Unbelievable, right?" Alice nodded, taking the cup the brunette had placed before her.

"It surely does" Nelli added. A few minutes ago, Nightmare had come into the kitchen and introductions had been made. "He looks normal."

"96" Julius said, after sipping some of his drink. The girls looked at him, confused.

"I'm sorry?" Luna asked.

"The grade for the coffee" the clockmaker explained "it's a 96"

Luna looked puzzled, Nelli didn't know what to think anymore, and Alice was surprised.

"She's got a 96 in her first coffee?" She asked in anger, the man nodded. "My first one got a 75!"

"I'm glad it was to Master's liking." Luna said once she found her words.

"It's too sweet, though." Julius added.

"My apologies, I am too used to brewing coffee for Mr. Lawliet." The brunette blushed, ashamed. "I'll use less sugar next time.

"Anyway" Julius said looking through the window, which looked as nighttime again "it's getting late already, and you mustn't wander off on your own through the darkness Miss Lawliet, you'd better stay for tonight."

"I'll escort you, girls" Luna said, leading the way into the corridor.

Alice and Nelli followed her, leaving Julius to himself. Shortly afterwards, Gray wandered into the room, stopping as he noticed the heavy aura surrounding the Clockmaker.

"You are worrying too much about her, Julius" He finally said taking a seat in front of him. The blue haired looked up at him, confused. "You know well she won't be able to fend herself if she wields no weapons, even if she trains her newly released power."

"You're right" Julius rose the cup to his lips. "But I don't want her to wield one."

"A sword would be her best option" Gray continued, sitting back "Ace can teach her."

"I don't know" The Clockmaker sighed "Ace might be my friend, but I feel I can't trust him with something as important as this."

"Well. You don't want to teach her about guns, and you're not much of a swordsman yourself." Julius kept to himself as Gray spoke. "You love her, don't you?"

"Excuse me?" Julius looked at him, not sure if he had heard correctly.

"You love her, Julius. Don't deny it."

"How did... Don't be silly!" The blue haired replied "I am her guardian, no more! How can you say that I love her?"

"In fact, after all the time you've spent looking after her, you began showing signs that you might not even be aware of, but it is pretty obvious. What?" He added under the menacing glare of the Mortician "you thought Nightmare and I wouldn't notice? That you would be playing this silly game of yours in front of us and we wouldn't know about it?"

"Gray, stop it." Julius looked away from him.

"Your first mistake was too much daydreaming," Gray continued "an odd detail since you're always such a centered person. The second one, was asking Ace to deliver your gifts. And your third and biggest mistake, Julius, was bringing her here."