The Arcana: Fragments

XVI: Old Wounds

*Lucio x Nadia Side Tale*

Roses. This part of the palace reeked of it. Typical, sure, but as the Counts celebratory 'welcome back to life' ball was underway it was noted that his wing gradually grew more and more pungent with the aroma of his preferred flower. Likely due to his arrogance and unwavering need to be noticed by everyone, for everything, at all times. The Countess entered the room silently, the flute and harp quartet drowning out her already delicate footsteps.

Pleasant enough music, she thought. Debating on asking the musicians to indulge her want for music in her own wing following her unannounced meeting with her husband, the thought was quickly whipped from her consciousness by the shrill yet raspy laugh of the Count. Nadia grimaced at the sound. That laugh was Lucio's 'drunk' laugh, and while a lifetime ago that sound would have made her blush and swoon beyond human capability, now, it was just another reminder of that fateful night the two had agreed to marry one another. She could still recall the fits of laughter they both shared, talking nonsense and revealing secrets to one another - him with his chalice of red wine and hers of white. Funny, that difference right there could have been the first signal, she mused. No matter. He proposed not long after his wine bearer frightfully admitted there was no wine left to be consumed. He nearly fell over trying to get to one knee, Nadia could not stop giggling.

Having now caught sight of the Countess, the musicians cut their current overture short, straightening their backs to arrows as she drew further into the room. Her presence was dominating, like Lucio's, though far less aggressive. Where Lucio demanded respect from fear and varying forms of abuse, Nadia sought her reverence through love and diplomacy. While the people of Vesuvia never said so directly, Countess Nadia Satrinava was undoubtedly a most cherished and admired regent.

The sunset cascaded the room in swirling reds and oranges as the Countess made her final steps into the room, Lucio's nearly monochromatic red chambers now such a vivid cardinal red those present nearly began squinting. The whores parading Lucio's lap spotted her first, swirling up their chemises and concealing themselves in a flurry of fabric; all shades of red, mind you. The double doors to the balcony were open, letting the incoming breeze lick at the drapes and the Counts hair. His back was turned to her, the metal veining of his arm snaking around his shoulders and flesh in several directions.To her, it looked painful. Did it hurt when he first received his new arm? She wondered and hoped it did.

Watching his playthings scurry out of the room, Lucio dismissed the musicians as well, "Noddy", he greeted, turning his head to the side, looking out the adjacent window. He was still as handsome as she had remembered. Jawline prominent, hair wispy, arms supporting his weight in a casual yet still cocky demeanor. It was unfair how attractive he was, cruel bastards like him have no right to such beauty. "Whadya want?", he asked. The harshness in his voice didn't surprise her, though it did yank her from her thoughts.

"I wanted to speak to you, husband".

"Yeah, yeah", he whined, "That's obvious. Get to point".

She brought herself to the balcony window, Lucio watched her curiously as she leaned herself onto one of the frames. "The night of your...return", she began, unsure how to properly label his reemergence into life the eve of the masquerade. Lucio raised his eyebrows, urging her on. "The apprentice. The night you came back was the same night they disappeared".

"Yeah, So?", he leaned back, shifting his weight on his right arm. His head rested against his shoulder as he gazed up at his ceiling, bored.

"So I'm curious", she continued. Looking out at the setting sun she noticed her eyes had become acquainted to the blinding beam of the orange star in front of her. It didn't hurt to gaze upon it anymore. "Aww, are you assuming I did something to Asra's bestie?", he snorted. Her head snapped to his direction, "Enough of your games, dearest. Y/n. What have you done with them?"

"What does it matter?"

"It matters a great deal", Nadia felt her anger becoming unbearably difficult to control as Lucio still looked up at the ceiling, groaning at the burden of the conversation.

"It doesn't matter to me", he grinned with a challenging glint in his eyes. She wanted to punch him in his perfect teeth. Seething, she brought herself to his bed and sat herself directly across from him. Wrapping her long fingers under his jaw she brought his face centimeters away from hers. "Y/n", she hissed, "is far more deserving of life than you ever will be". The two stared into each other's eyes, roiling with fury. Although no one had told her the reality of the apprentice's disappearance, she felt it in her bones that the man before was without a doubt the one to blame. Lucio had done something to them, she knew it by the way he tried to hide it. And yet Lucio didn't react or protest back, for a quick second he even frowned. If there was anything to respect of her husband, she suspected it was his ability to refrain from hurting her. Sure, he would curse her and wish foul things upon her, but he never laid a finger on her - in truth, it always made her more ashamed towards herself at how incapable she was of doing the same thing. Nadia removed her hand from him, his skin turning red from where she had grabbed him so hard.

His gaze softened, and his eyebrows slanted into sadness. Nadia rose from the bed and brought herself back to the balcony window. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. "I thought you'd be happy to see me back after all this time...", he said after a long silence. Lucio kept his eyes to the floor, unable to look at his wife. "I know it was a long shot to even think that", he continued, "But I don't know, I still had hoped, I guess".

"What do you mean, Lucio?", she asked. That was the first time in a long time she had addressed him by his name. It made Lucio blush.

" I had hoped somehow we could start over. Do this whole marriage thing the right way, y'know?", he laughed, running his metal arm through his hair as he understood a dream like that could never be. "And I had hoped through that..if it ended up working out..we wouldn't be at each other's throats all the time". Nadia could not find the right words for a response, so she just hummed a neutral reply. "Clearly, it wasn't meant to be", he announced.

The Count brought himself to the edge of his bed, preparing to rise and comfort his Countess. But he found himself unable to do so. For all it was worth, it would never be him that she wanted. Instead, he watched her, as he had always seemed to do.

"Noddy, what do you want?", he finally asked. "What do you really wish for?"

The Countess could not stop the words that abruptly came out of her mouth: "I wish you would have just stayed dead!"

Lucio let out a scoff in disgust, but in truth it was an unwarranted pang of pain and hurt. "Well now I know", he said harshly. Nadia flinched. "But for the record, I didn't really die. Not completely", he growled, remembering something.

"I suggest we go back to the way things were", he continued, "You'll have your space, I'll have mine. It's the only way this is gonna work".

"And the apprentice?"

"They're gone. Just leave it at that".

"But surely there must be something.."

"So long as I'm around, that thieving apprentice isn't coming back, got it?"

Nadia just nodded, sorrowfully thinking of how she was going to tell Asra and the others that her mission had failed. "Are we done here?", he questioned. She nodded again, stopping once she reached the staircase to leave the bedroom, "I...Am sorry about your face", she admitted. He rubbed his chin, acknowledging her red finger marks beginning to bruise his pale flesh. "It's alright....I see you got new rings", he smirked as he traced over her nail marks in his cheek, "They're nice", his voice was barely above a whisper.

The Count turned away from The Countess and repositioned himself in the same casual pose she found him in. The last light of the sun had died out, and The Countess left the room on the brink of tears. Padding her feet across the marble floors, Nadia swept herself away from the scene as quickly as she could until the thought of Lucio and the smell of roses was no more.

[07.12.2019]