The Half-Breed Hotel

What's in a name?

          AN: The iris color above is hers, not necessarily the shape or eyelash color. : ) And also, to give credit, I got this image off of LittleThings.com, It is not my picture. Thanks and enjoy. (Sorry I haven't updated in a while.)

          She was groggy, foggy headed and very, very thirsty. Her back hurt and she struggled out of the bed. Zeus was no longer with her, and when she looked outside, she could see the half moon shining through the window. It was well passed sundown, nearing midnight. Here eyes quickly adjusted to the available light and it only took her one hard pinch in the arm to wake her brain. At first, she had refused to take the sleeping pill Zeus had given her, but when he offered to call her new master back she obediently swallowed it. She didn't understand why he would ask that of her... his... their master! She'd never tried to ask her previous master for anything. She hadn't even ever dreamt it. And she could imagine what would have happened to her if she had. She flinched, even now, from the memory of that selfish thought. She was not aloud the luxury of being selfish. "A selfish half-breed is a dead half-breed" she had often heard that saying coming from the lips of many men. She shook the memory off and glanced around the room. On the dresser beside the bed, there was a slip of paper with black, scribbled words on it. Not that she could read what it said, she'd never been taught. Just like she had never been taught to speak. When the room proved to hold no more information to where she might find water, she walked to the open bedroom door. Outside the room she had been sleeping in was a short hall. She found her way down to the first level and stopped. Soft notes filled her ears and she almost unconsciously followed them to their source. Where she ended up was a medium sized sitting room full of beautiful ornaments. A tinted glass chandelier hung from the high sealing, plush couches and lounges lay, gained in a circle around a pad, positioned in the center of the room. A fireplace was on the far right and over it was a picture. In front of the circle of furniture, there was a slight drop down aria, just in front of the big glass doors that looked over a polished wooden veranda. On either side of those doors were ginormous windows. Plush, soft cushions were set under each, creating a very comfy resting place. The rest of the walls were surprisingly empty and in one corner sat a beautiful grand piano. All this was bathed in a plethora of pearly moonlight, giving everything a slightly magical look. All this was taken in at a glance, for what truly caught her eye was the tall, mysterious figure playing the silver piano. His tune was beautiful, slow, meaningful, and very, very lonely. Only because of his song did she not think of him as a threat, after all what burglar/intruder would sneak into someone's home just to play sad songs? The song ended and she still stood there on the last step of the staircase, gripping the intricate railing. The man sighed and, without noticing her, got up from the bench, walked to the far left window, and stood, as still as a statue, silhouetted by the moonlight. He smelled clean, like rain and chocolate covered akieberries. She felt dread and caution creeped up her spine. Her master stood, oblivious to her presence, before her. He combed his long fingers through his hair, ending the motion by rubbing the back of his neck. Only after a few minutes of waiting like this while nothing happened did her fears begin to ebb away. His surreal figure was unique, strong and calm, even in his time of stress. She had only began to doze off when he shifted from one foot to another, making almost no noise. But it was enough to unseat her from her perch on the bottom step. Startled by his slight movement, she jumped out of her skin and the hairs on the back of her neck prickled in alarm. Then, she promptly slipped off the stair she was standing on. She fell with a yelp, smacking her tail against the railing as she unsuccessfully tried to regain her balance before her tumble. Landing on her rump, her ears slicked back in pain. She looked up to see her master holding his hand out to her. Not knowing what he wanted, she just looked at his feet, shivering her earlier dread was back in full force. He was a strange master, and she didn't know what to expect from him. She didn't know what sort of punishment was in store for her, because she had never been given the opportunity to accidentally sneak up on her old owner. For when she hadn't been in a cage, or an arena, she'd been at the end of a chain with the other end in the hand of her master. She flinched in anticipation when he gently grabbed her hand. But instead of some retribution, he was extremely careful. Helping her to her feet, he said, "Are you alright? I'm afraid that was my bad. I startled you. Did you need something?" She spoke one of the few sentences she knew. "S... Sorry master." It came out in a rasp. She had obviously not used her voice for a very long time, and, coupled with the fact that her throat was parched, she sounded like she'd just swallowed a bucket of sand and gravel. Her eyes watered as she coughed and coughed. "That's quite alright, but I think you're in desperate need of a sip of water. Follow me." He let go of her hand and strode away. They exited the room through a 5ft hall on the left that lead to an open kitchen. She was so busy hacking up a lung that she didn't pay much attention to her surroundings. In the next moment her master took her hand again and in it placed a glass cup. It was full to the brim with water. She gratefully gulped at it. On her 4th full mouth swallow it became apparent to Mr. Phantom, her master, that she didn't intend to slow down. He gently took the glass from her and only gave it back when he believed that the girl wouldn't drown herself trying to drink. Before she had drunk all of the water, he gave her one more pill, where she had previously had to take 2. She finished the rest of her water and handed the glass back to her master. He smiled at her and led her back to her room. By the time they reached the bed she was all but asleep. She fell onto the bed, not bothering to pull the covers over her and deeply dosed. Phantom tucked her into the bed, pulling the blanket over her. He made a mental note to ask if Alex, an Ox half-breed, would trim her hair. It was a mess of grimy, oily, gritty gray.