Clockwork(Julius Monrey x OC)

♣Eight♣

When Arianell woke up, she felt something cool on her forehead. She touched it and felt that it was a rag. She sat up, pulling the rag off.

"Ah, awake are you?"a voice asked. Arianell stiffened. Blood Dupre sat in the chair near her bed. She blinked and frowned. "We found you passed out in the middle of the path near the mansion, so Elliot and I brought you here. You were rather feverish, and pale." He rose and walked over, sitting on the edge of the bed. He reached out and touched her forehead. "You feel normal now. That's good."

"Ah-thank you,"Arianell murmured. She looked down. He hummed and pulled away, smiling at her.

"Were you coming to see me?"

"No.."Arianell replied. He frowned. How blunt, he thought. She looked away, a small hurt look crossing her face. Blood watched her with interest, wondering exactly what it was that she was thinking about. Arianell swallowed. "How long was I out?" Blood hummed again.

"Three time changes,"He told her. Her eyes went wide. "I think that's alright though, you've got more color to you at this moment than you have since the ball." Julius must be worried, Arianell thought. Her heart filled with sadness at the remembering of Julius. "Tell me...who is it that is making you look so sad?" Arianell blinked. Blood reached out and picked up some of her hair, bringing it to his lips. "The very thought that someone else could make you this depressed leaves me feeling angered." Arianell wrinkled her eyebrows. Someone else? Would he prefer that it was him? She wondered.

"It's nothing...."Arianell lied. She reached out and pulled her hair from his hand. He let it slide from his fingers gently. "I just thought I had friends, when I didn't." She smiled, still looking hurt. I fooled myself, she thought. Julius...

"Well you have friends here,"Blood told her. He leaned away and smiled, closing his eyes. "Would you like to have some food? I haven't had a tea party in a while, and I do enjoy those. So I'm having one in celebration of your waking. Does that sound fun?" Arianell blinked. Vivaldi's words rose back to her mind again.

"He is different than most men."

Arianell smiled slightly.

"That sounds fun,"She admitted. He opened his eyes, giving her an unidentifiable look. A strange feeling of triumph echoed throughout him and slightly surprised her.

"Perfect,"he told her. "First, why not go and take a bath? You might need one to relax, and it would give me time to make preparations." Arianell nodded quickly. He called for a maid and the maid lead her off towards the bathroom. Blood grinned mischievously to himself. It was all going according to his plans. All he needed to do was sever her ties to the clock-maker, and then toss her out when he grew bored with her. This was going to be so much fun.

*****

Julius still felt angered. Arianell hadn't returned at all from the Hatters mansion. He figured that that was her note to him that she wasn't going to come back. His chest hurt, and his brow furrowed. Why? Why does it hurt? He wondered. He touched his chest, frowning at the feeling of his ticking clock. He lowered his hand and kept working, focusing on the clocks in front of him. His eyes trailed up. He almost thought he saw Arianell there now, drawing like she normally had. He sighed and his eyes turned to the papers on his desk. He pushed his chair out from the table and stood. He walked over to the desk and searched through her drawings. He paused and blinked in surprise.

The drawing he held was one of him he hadn't known she drew. He was working quietly on clocks and his hair hung in his face as it always did. He felt his chest tighten. He swallowed and lowered the drawing. I don't understand. How do I fix this? She's already gone to Blood. He's won.