regnavitque iter rex, yamiojo

9.

Ciaran did not know how long he was asleep, but there was a golden glow emanating from the singular window when he woke up. He looked at the bed in front of him, and he did not care to admit the disappointment he felt when he did not see Sebastian sprawled and sleeping. He got up nonetheless and stretched his aching muscles. He was exhausted.

He inspected the room to see if there was anything for him to do, maybe a shower, perhaps he could brush his teeth. It had been an unbelievably long time since he had afforded such simple, what he deemed as pleasures of life. A clean body, no blood under his fingernails, a bed to sleep in; he, like most people, had not valued these privileges, but now he did. After spending months after months in swamps, among the worst, he had learned to love and be grateful for whatever respite these mundane things provided.

He could not find a bathroom, so he went to the window and waited for Sebastian or anybody, really, to come and fetch him. He figured he would not be abandoned now of all times. The window looked over a garden. He could see huge buildings with tiny windows like his surrounding it. It was built like an amphitheater except the seats were buildings, and the stage was a garden with glittering fountains and trimmed grass.

Flowers accented the borders with red roses, and yellow tulips, and blue hydrangeas, creating a rainbow on the ground. He was sure there was every kind of flower there. It was beautiful; statues peppered the space, some golden and ivory while some were bronze. Despite the vibrant colors and the stunning architecture, the garden was empty.

 Even the windows seemed blackened. It was as though he was the only person in that vast space. For one short moment, he was terrified. Of what, he did not know, perhaps it was of the loneliness that threatened to drive him crazy or the feeling of everything slipping right through his hands. He felt powerless, but then he blinked and almost collapsed because of what he saw. 

The garden was suddenly bustling with people, girls and boys spread out with books, some walking aimlessly, some with more purpose. It did something to him to see the world come alive. He staggered back, turned around, and almost fell out of the window behind him.

Sebastian, the creature who was very obviously not a human but secretly either a cat or a faerie, was standing behind him. His features were schooled in a poised expression as he leaned to hold onto Ciaran.

He looked at his hand, then at Sebastian again. He resisted the urge to look down again but pulled his hand free. "Where were you?"

He ignored the question, " Did you have a troubled sleep?"

"No. Where were you?"

"Not important at the moment. Do you require anything before we go to meet the others?"

"What? Uh, I do need to use a restroom."

His brows furrowed slightly, "Rest...room? Did you not rest here well enough?"

Ciaran had to laugh at that, "No, man, it's, I need to use the washroom, bathroom. Get it?"

Realization dawned on his face as he nodded and gestured for him to follow. He walked to the bricked wall on their right and felt the stones before pressing his fingers against one, the bricks pushed back to reveal a rectangular entrance.

Of course, if they had magic, why would they create actual doors. He stepped inside after Sebastian, and immediately the room lit up. It was blindingly white; every single object in the room was a stark white till it was not. Slowly he saw that color seeped into the sink, the tiles, blue and mauve mingled to decorate the bathroom. He looked at Sebastian questioningly.

"The rooms here are built like a canvas, plain, for you to paint on. You only need to be in touch with yourself to change your surroundings according to your wishes."