Ambition - Official Story (WIP)

Chapter 10.

     The room was silent and dimly lit. Not a single sound rang through the charcoal grey walls.

Until now.

     A knock startled a particular figure from sleep mode. They sat up from the desk they had dozed off on and pushed back in their swivel chair, making it roll towards the door.

"Yes, yes, what is it?" they grumbled as they answered the door.

     "It's me, you rusty bolt." a tall ghostly hybrid squinted at the metallic figure slumped in his chair.

     "Oh. Good evening, Valence." the bot yawned, rolling himself back to his desk. "What do you need this time?"

     "Mousie sent me with some paper drafts for you to try and create in a life-size form. That new girl drew them, from what I was told." Valence hovered above the ground on her ghost tail, bouncing up and down to amuse herself. "Apparently she wants to give her room a makeover."

     The ghost servant slid the papers across the desk towards the bot. They were held together by a pink paperclip.

     "Hmm..." the robot looked over the papers carefully, shuffling through them and sorting them out to his liking. "I'll see what I can manage with the notes given."

     "'Kay, cool. See you around then." Valence yawned. She drifted through the wall and out the other end instead of using the door. Being a ghost, this was no problem for her.

                                                                                            ~~~

     "Where are we going?" Nikki questioned the King.
"You'll see. I'd like to show you something of mine," the tall man replied.

     Steve was leading Nikki down the long hall from the dining hall. She followed swiftly behind him. Her skirt bounced with every step she took.

     Steve walked into the ballroom, throwing his arms out dramatically and spinning on his heels to face her. "This room is one of my favorite places to be. Isn't it wonderful?" he beamed. She had never seen him this excited, and she smiled. "It is! I wandered in here once, but didn't have the time to look around."

     "Do you like to play the piano?" he asked, striding towards the black grand piano in the corner.

     "Well..." Nikki laughed nervously. "I like how it sounds, but I don't really know how to play it."

     Steve sat on the stool and pulled it closer to the piano. He set his foot on one of the pedals and his hands grazed across the key-cover. He opened it to reveal the white and black keys underneath.

     "Would you like me to play for you?" he asked sweetly.

     Nikki's heart stumbled in her chest and she blushed behind her hair. "Y-yes, sir, I'd love to hear you play."

     The King flashed her a mischievous looking grin. "Better hold onto something, then."

     She didn't understand what he meant but grasped one of the quartz pillars nearby.

     His hands graced the piano and he began to play.

     A beautiful melody flooded Nikki's ears. He was quite skilled and seemed to be enjoying himself. 

     Just as Nikki closed her eyes to listen to his music she heard a faint twinkling noise coming from all around the room.

     She opened her eyes to see the decorations around the room becoming enveloped in purple magic and start to float above the ground. Nikki watched in awe as everything around the room hovered around and seemingly waltzed to the tempo of Steve's song.

     She gasped, feeling her feet lift slightly off the floor. She wrapped her arms as far as she could around the pillar and pulled herself back down. The purple magic swirled around her and wrapped her in a tingly feeling like she had never felt before. Like a hug from a chilly breeze.

     So this is what magic feels like...

     Nikki had to hold herself steady to prevent the magic from lifting her. The music slowed to a stop and everything landed gently back in their places.

     Nikki let go and watched him stretch and pull the cover over the keys.

     "Wow! That was... amazing!" she squealed. Steve chuckled, standing up. "Ah, it could be better. My hands are a little stiff."

     "Better than what I can do!" she giggled. "How did you... you know, do all that magic stuff?"

     "It just sort of happens. Maybe it's a magical piano, or I'm just that powerful." he shrugged.

     His statement was a bit off-putting to her. 

How powerful is he really?

He led her out of the room. She trailed behind, gazing down at his tail in a daze while they walked. It looked so soft and full on the end. The tip of the fur was curled perfectly and well-kempt.

Suddenly, there was a loud shriek followed by a very swift movement from him.

She blinked, and just then, Steve was holding an upside-down Winter by her tail in one hand, and a glass vase in the other.

"Oh, goodness!! What happened?!" Nikki questioned, running up to Winter.
"I-I'm okay, really!" the mouse squeaked, holding her skirt against her legs to prevent it from falling over her face.

He set her on her feet and handed the vase to Winter. "Be careful next time, small one" he patted her head.

Nikki looked up from where Winter fell from and noticed a ladder leaning against a tall shelf above them.

"Come now, Nikki, we have dinner to attend."

She nodded but wasn't truly listening. Nikki was wondering how he reacted so quickly, somehow catching both Winter and the vase without it shattering.

Not only is he powerful, but he's quicker to act than I am...

What else is he capable of?