As the doors behind us open, I hear Dragoste's voice say, "No, don't be embarrassed, continue on."
Turning my head, to him I say, "PLEASE FORGET WHAT YOU HEARD!"
He giggles a bit and then says, "Don't worry. It's fine, continue on."
The maid beside me says, "Dragoste, it isn't nice to bully children like this?"
"I know, I know. I just wanted to make him smile a bit after how bad our first meeting was."
"It wasn't bad, it was an understandable reaction."
Placing his hand on my head, Dragoste says, "No, it was far too brash, especially for someone who has done so much for my mother and father. Please accept my apology and my gift."
"Gift?"
Turning to the maid, he says, "Sorina, is everything ready?"
"Of course, we are always on time. Unlike our master, who constantly arrives hours after he specifies."
Dragoste makes a slightly embarrassed face before coughing and says, "Let's move to the dining hall."
-Break-
Φ In a large decorative room, Orb sits on a small table with Dragoste on the other side, staring directly through the many plates of food in front of them at Orb. And as his hair turns an even brighter blue, Orb says, "Don't you think this table is small for how big this room is?"
"I asked them to remove the larger table and bring this family-sized one. It allows for better discussion, in my opinion."
"Hahaha, I guess that's true," Orb says with a nervous sweat going down his face.
Taking a loaf of bread from one of the many plates in front of him, Orb takes a bite and peers his head up, where he sees Dragoste staring directly at him in dead silence, and says, "Are you going to eat something?"
"I have already had a hearty meal today."
"Ah, I see. Makes sense."
Orb takes another bite of the bread, and as he chews, he peers his head up again. As their eyes meet, he instantly lowers his face, and Dragoste asks, "Is it tasty?"
"YEAH IT'S REALLY GOOD!" Orb says with a mouth full of bread that splashes everywhere.
Orb quickly covers his mouth and mumbles, "I am sorry!"
The bones on Dragoste's hair start to move towards Orb, and as they do, they grow like branches on a tree and start picking up all of the mashed-up food and tossing it into some of the cloth in the room.
Φ I am so embarrassed, I could die right now. What kind of barbarian behaviour is this? I should just die, I should just present my severed head on a plate to him right now.
No! Orb, remember what Avram said, you just have to face this head-on. Try to have a conversation; you're incredibly sociable, after all. "Hey, how did you meet Avram?"
"He was friends with my mother and father, that's about it."
What kind of response was that? Haven't they known each other for a long time? You'd think he would have a lot more to say about him. Dammit, I guess I need to try again. "Hey, how were your grandparents? Captivant told me you got along with them well."
"They died back when I was a child. I don't really remember much."
"Oh, I see," I say, lowering my head.
I take a few more bites out of the bread in front of me, and then looking to the red juice beside me, I slurp it down, and then say, "Hey, what about you're sister Intrare, last I heard she had taken off to Molstoria."
"I don't really keep in contact with her. The last time I spoke to that rotting, filthy idiot was back when my father took off for Fimbulwinter."
"Haha."
I start tapping my feet as my mind races, and I say, "Being the prime minister must be fun?"
"No, it's just a bunch of paperwork and ego management. But at least if I mess up, I won't be the only person suffering," Dragoste say with a smile.
Was that a joke? Was I supposed to laugh? No, over five seconds have passed, if I laugh now, I will look like a freak. No, I need to gain control over this conversation, but if I start talking about myself, I might lose myself in that conversation as I ramble on.
My eyes start moving wildly around the place. Think of anything that you can talk about regarding his interests. Scan and wrack your brain, you stupid mutt!
Suddenly, on the table, my eyes fall upon a series of doodles etched into the table, their playful and unorganised, something only a child could make, and upon recognising them, my mind reaches a point of clarity.
If he is anything like his father, the very mention of this will make him burst into hours-long conversations. "So, how is your wife and daughter? I didn't see Liina or Viata anywhere, so they must be hanging out somewhere."
They're currently on a trip; they wanted to go see if they could fetch more cursed items in time for Radonitsa, but it seems their excursion is running a bit late. That woman always has a habit of not informing me of where she is goin-."
As Dragoste talks, his face lights up a bit, and his heart rate accelerates. You did it, Orb, you did it, you beautiful genius, you're the best, you're awesome, you are the greatest!
"Lame," I hear Setanta's voice say to me in my head.
"What was that!" I say, jumping up.
Ending his words, Dragoste says, "Are you ok, Orb?"
Sitting back down, I say, "Yeah, I am fine."
"Super Lame," I hear Setanta's voice say.
I grip my fist in anger, and I mutter under my breath, "I am telling everyone what was in your love letter to Scáthach when I return to Niflheim, you got that!"
Dragoste, standing up, says, "Orb, it seems my presence is affecting the way you eat. When you finish, come find me."
"No, it's not that?"
"I have seen people deluded on starvation enough to know the symptoms. It's ok. Eat to your heart's content, and I will be off."
"No, you don't have t-." Before my words can leave my mouth, Dragoste waves at me and then walks off.
And looking down in shame, I say, "I want to die!"
I quickly look around the table and start stuffing my mouth full of everything I can, whilst saying, "DELICIOUS!"
"Close you're mouth as you eat."
"SHUT UP, YOU PERVERTED VOYEUR!"
-Break-
Looking at all of the clear plates in front of me, I say, "That was good!"
Sitting up, I say. "I guess I have to go see Dragoste now."
Creating a small slam of ice, I look at my reflection, and say, "Everything is good. Just be funny, smiling, and have fun. YOU CAN DO THIS!"
I gently open the doors to the room and take off through the hallways.
The mansion is rather pretty, almost every wall and ornament throughout the home looks extremely detailed, like they were all made by a series of master artisans who all worked together in perfect harmony. This is doubly so for every piece of furniture around the mansion; they are all handcrafted to perfection, and distinctly different from each other.
Looking up, I say, "Is the light source a cursed item as well? Maybe there is a switch somewhere?"
Seeing a chair, I sit down in it, and say, "It feels like every single muscle in my body instantly relaxes the moment my butt drop, even more than that it feels like the world is perfectly aligned as I sit down."
Getting up, I say, "Though I don't want to damage anything around here, so I should be careful. Now, where is Dragoste? Guess I will listen in."
Focusing on the most minute sounds, I hear absolutely no movement from anywhere. "What the hell? This place is huge, so there is no way there isn't a single member of staff around. Maybe I am just not hearing loud enough."
My human ear collapses on my body, and from the top of my head, two large wolf ears appear. I start listening in and say, "Is that echoing I hear? Is there some kind of large open area around here?"
Putting my ears away, I say, "Well, at the very least, there isn't anyone."
My hair turns green, and I say, "That means I must go looking around, doesn't it?"
Getting in a running position, I say, "Three, two, one, take off!" Then I began dashing around the house.
Kitchen
It's rather large, stocked to the brim with different foods everywhere, and a whole lot of funky objects. Touching one, I see a fire ignite, and quickly freeze it over, saying, "Do they use cursed animals to instantly make a fire? That's so cool."
Looking at a dial, I start turning it, and the fire burns hotter, causing me to say, "You can also adjust the heat for different meals."
Stepping back, I say, "If Avram taught me anything, it is that I should be careful, so maybe I will pull back from now."
Wardrobe
Walking into a large room filled to the brim with dresses, I say, "This is gorgeous. It's like I am in a princess's closet. I think this place might even be bigger than the one in the place I grew up in."
Picking up and going through the clothes, I say, "Liina has good taste, and Viata seems to as well. Maybe if I look around, I might see what Viata likes and become better friends with her."
Taking a look around, I say, "She wears a lot of black in a very similar style to Elia. Each of the outfits is incredibly intricate, like a painting made out of clothes, though they seem a bit small."
Laying out a series of clothes by their height, I say, "The clothes in here go from really small to really big. I guess Viata must have had a really good growth spurt. Wait, is this taller than me? This isn't good. What if she thinks I am a child, and doesn't want to be my friend?"
Holding my legs, I say, "Come on, grow, I will give you until tomorrow morning, or I might get a new pair."
Chair room
Walking into a room filled with countless chairs of different shapes and sizes, I say, "What am I even supposed to make of this? I didn't know collecting rare chairs was something people even do?"
As I walk around the chairs, I say, "Though come to think of it, Captivant did spend every day for almost a year sitting on a chair, and he did like to read and write, so I guess having a slew of chairs would be something he would look into."
Moving my butt from chair to chair, I feel many different sensations.
"This one is pretty warm."
"I think this one is supposed to be cold, not like I could feel it."
Reeling from a shock, I say, "This one sends shocks at a set interval, it seems to be a tool to stay awake, and get work done. I would love to have this."
"This is so comfy it's like I'm on cloud."
"I can barely reach the ground for his one. It seems like it was designed for taller people's backs."
"This one has a tray; it looks like it would be great for eating on."
Sitting up, I say, "Whoever made these must be talented."
Sealed door
Looking at the sign on the door in front of me, I say, "No entry. Anyone who looks into this will be severely punished."
"I really want to look inside. But if I do, I am going to be punished. But if he were to punish anyone, it must be really important, right? That would mean that I would be one of the very few people who would know about something important to Dragoste, would it! I really, really, really want to do this, but my morals tell me not to. But this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance! You know what, I will just take a quick peek, a little lookie, and then vanish. Right ok. Time to do this!"