Asterum

Chapter 2: Calilux

*****

Ephirum twisted his hand around his left wrist restlessly as he stared blankly towards the wall, as the evening light poured in through the thin drapes that hung by the window of the room he and Rigor were staying in for the night, thanks to the gala's host.

"What's wrong?" Rigor asked, looking curiously at the man who was usually two steps ahead of everything. Ephirum ignored him, as he bit his lip, thinking about his father's watch— which had once been his grandfather's, leading back generation after generation.

It was a simple, gold plated analog watch with a circular base. It was probably not worth as much as Ephirum's other knick-knacks but this one— this particular watch, held a sentimental place in his heart.

Thoughts of the night's events whirred in his mind like clockwork as he tried to decipher what had happened. A girl had talked to him by the ballroom.

He didn't pay much attention to it at first, but the more he thought about it, the more he noticed the girl's way of distracting him with such trivial matters, keeping her eyes trained on him as she insisted to dance, or found excuses to hold his hand, charming him with her mischievous smile that, at the time, seemed full of wonder and mystery.

She had plenty of opportunities to swipe his watch. It was so easy. He cursed silently to himself for being so careless. Just a flick of the wrist, flip of the latch, and his watch that had been given to him as a child was hers for the taking.

Then, there were the two thieves by the vault. The girl's face flickered with curiosity and shock as their eyes met, before her male companion called her attention.

Wordlessly, he stalked over to the couch and picked up a sleek portscreen with a keyboard attached to it. His blood-red tie was loose, and his coat unbuttoned and wrinkled along with his undershirt.

Ephirum started typing furiously into the tablet, his fingers sparking every now and then with excitement as he used his ability to power the unsuspecting gadget in front of him.

Rigor watched with amusement, as he leaned against the wall, watching Ephirum as he spun a pen around with his fingers.

Suddenly, the door burst open revealing an annoyed Miu. "What happened back there?" she demanded, closing the door behind her. The long, periwinkle dress she had on for the occasion hugged her figure, flowing to the floor as her heels clicked and clacked against the wooden floor.

"Happened?" Rigor questioned, tilting his head slightly in confusion as he knitted his eyebrows together.

Miu sighed heavily in irritation. "At the gala? The one that happened just a few hours ago?!" She glared at Rigor, who still looked confused, as if only his body was present at the ballroom.

"Wait," Rigor said. "Something happened?"

He smiled sheepishly at Miu, who was glaring at him, with her fists curled into tight balls. "I... was by the buffet table." He rubbed the back of his neck as he felt the blood rushing up to his cheeks in embarrassment. "They had very delicious sushi, you know," he muttered as an afterthought.

"You didn't hear the alarms blaring?" Miu prodded him, the look of annoyance on her face was replaced with disbelief as she gave up trying to understand the way Rigor perceived the world around him.

"Those were alarms?!" asked Rigor with shock splattered across his face as he looked at her with wide eyes. "I thought those were some fancy lights display," he muttered, his voice slowly growing quieter with each word as the confidence withdrew from his voice.