"What the fuck do you mean your new home?" Confronted Miyanna, as she took a step towards Blanc, before Celine's sword touched her neck, reminding Miyanna of her current position.
But Blanc was the one who took a step towards her. As tall as she was, he was still both taller and stronger than her.
"It means what I say it means. This is our new home." Blanc said coldly.
"And what of me then? Where am I supposed to go? I have nothing else," Miyanna cried out.
Blanc shrugged his shoulders, "Be happy I do not kill you where you stand. Go inside, take your things, and get. The fuck. OUT."
Miyanna did not say anything, she just kept watching into his gray eyes as they now stood a foot apart. She did not move. Just kept staring. Not intimidated by Blanc.
As this game of who would blink first was taking place, Celine intervened between the two.
"I suggest we talk some more before making a decision," she said.
"What do you mean?" Blanc asked Celine, "She cannot be trusted."
Celine approached him, whispering in his ear after dragging him near the entrance of the cave, "We cannot just throw her out. We can find out more about who she is. And what if she is just a commoner fleeing the war? Isn't she part of your Blood's domain?"
"What if she plans on sniffing us out or telling our enemies? What if she is part of the Iron Line? She may hurt someone. I suggest we kill her." Blanc replied.
"Why are you so eager to kill her?" Celine asked, not convinced by his words.
"I am not," Blanc began, "But I will not put either you or Kael and Lune in danger. We do not know her. And an unknown variable now might come back to bite us later."
"Give me a week, let me make her trust me, and let me find out who she is. If your intuition is right, I will gut her myself." Celine muttered, "Trust me on this, alright, love?"
Blanc thought for a moment before sighing and nodding to her, "So be it. But if she touches a single hair on Kael or Lune's head, I will use her skull as a wine glass."
"Thank you," she offered him a smile before kissing him, then returning to the twins and Miyanna, who were watching the conversation, confused.
Celine now approached Miyanna, looking her in her eyes, a cold shiver running down Miyanna's spine as Celine and her sapphire colored eyes approached her.
"You can stay here. But there are rules that you need to follow. If you do not follow them, you will die," Celine explained coldly, every word steady and harsh.
"What rules?" Miyanna asked.
"First rule is that you will not leave the cave alone. Be it day or night." Celine replied.
"What if I want to grab water?" Miyanna asked.
"It will be brought to the cave," Blanc replied.
"The Second Rule is that you will keep your distance from them," Celine said, pointing towards Kael and Lune, who kept silent until now, as they watched, "If you do not follow the rules, for every time you touch them, you will lose a finger."
Miyanna sighed, "Why would I want to touch them? Who are they anyway? Who are you all, actually? Noble Bloods?"
"Third and final Rule," said Blanc, approaching her as well, "do not ask stupid questions that will get you killed."
"So let me get this straight," Miyanna began, "You come at me, threaten my life, take over MY OWN place, not allow me to go outside whenever I fucking want, and you tell me whatever the fuck am I allowed or not to do or say?"
"Yes," nodded Celine, "Any other questions, or should we head inside?"
"Tsk. By the fucking Vita… Fine, let's head inside," muttered Miyanna as she passed all four, entering the cave.
As the others entered, Celine, Lune, and Kael began exploring the cave. It was amazing, especially for the eyes of the twins, who did not look as much at the technicality of this new home of theirs but at the colors of the walls.
They were of deep blue and light brown, a contrast that made them watch in awe and make sounds that, for a moment, took Blanc back in time for a moment when he barely knew their cries and hardships, now, as of late, that was all he had seen in his younger siblings. Their honest, cute smiles, a memory from a past robbed from them.
Oh… how he wished he could give that back to them, as he watched them run around. And how angry this feeling made him feel. Not at the twins.
But at the bastards who stole it from them. Their smiles. For the smiles they showed these last few days, barely counting as fake, even.
"Brother, brother," ran Kael towards him, a hopeful look in his eyes, "Is there a toilet?"
Blanc blinked for a few moments before he burst out laughing, suddenly forgetting all his anger, "Yes, there is. Look there. See that small tunnel? Take Lune and go see what's there?"
Kael gave a sharp nod before turning around and running towards his sister, who was now watching the table, before sprinting into the small tunnel.
Seconds later, two yelps, followed by laughter, then a few sounds of wandering came out of the hallway before they came bursting out yelling.
"Such a cool toilet! We've never had one with a river below, not even at the house!" screamed Lune, rejoicing in the novelty of the toilet.
"Is it really that cool?" Blanc asked.
"Way cooler than a hole in the forest," Kael giggled.
"Want to see something even cooler?" Blanc asked them?
"Yes, yes, yes," they both said loudly.
"Cooler than the toilet?" asked Kael.
"Way cooler." Blanc replied, "Go grab Celine, let's all see something cool together."
With a nod from the two, they went and grabbed Celine, who was looking at the rooms. Celine came out being dragged by them, laughing, before she said something to the two, and entered another room, having Miyanna come out as well before they started walking towards Blanc.
"Why is she here?" Blanc asked.
"We can't just all leave the exit and allow her to leave, now, can we?" asked Celine.
"True enough," Blanc nodded.
"But I was not leaving, I don't care anymore," Miyanna argued back.
"We'll see, now move," Celine added.
But the twins already forgot about Miyanna, the danger she posed, or her existence at this point.
The toilet was more of a presence in their eyes than a commoner they did not know anything about. They did not care about her, but they surely cared about what Blanc was about to show them.
"Well? What is cooler?" Lune asked, hopeful for a sight able to meet her and her twin's expectations.
"Follow me," said Blanc, moving the wooden plank and showing the cabinets.
"That's it?" asked Kael, clearly disappointed. "Plates and forks?"
"Cease your impatience, little ones, how about checking what I see here, before complaining?" Blanc suggested.
A second later, both were where Blanc stood, able to see the stairs leading down.
"Stairs!" both yelled at once. "Where do they lead?" asked Lune.
"Go and check it out," Blanc replied, letting the two take the lead, as he, Celine, and Miyanna followed shortly behind to lay their eyes on the natural bath that stood underground.
To say they were amazed by the sight would be an understatement. They were shocked. No yells came out, only a bit of laughter, followed by tears. Tears of joy or grief, nobody could say for certain. But tears nonetheless.
The three adults watched, silent, before Blanc excused himself in a whisper to Celine, and ran up the stairs and out of the cave, falling straight near the base of a tree, and letting go of the tears he held back with all his might, and failed miserably to succeed in subduing.
The tears flowed like rivers finally breaking a dam, and they did not stop, taking with them hollering that Blanc did not know he could make such sounds. But he did not care.
He cried his broken heart out until there was nothing left.
He had never seen someone so excited over a toilet. Crying over some water, they could bathe in.
His heart over the events of the last week or so made him sensible, cold to others, and way too protective of others.
He was ready to kill. He was ready to shed his clothes if it came to it, as long as it kept all of them safe.
He would gladly give his life to have all his family back, laughing or talking about stupid, unimportant stuff.
But seeing these two rejoice over a toilet or cry over a bath finally broke the thread he was holding onto, and he managed this far only because of Celine.
A Celine who was watching him, crying from the entrance of the cave. As she wiped a tear that she felt on her cheek. Not wanting another person present to see.
That person being Miyanna. Who was brought back up with her by Celine, who decided to check on Blanc.
"Will you not comfort him?" Miyanna asked.
"No," she sighed, "That battle of his is already lost."
"Why is he crying?" Miyanna asked, watching Blanc cry his eyes out, with curious interest, her bronze eyes locked on him.
"Those tears are not for him. But for others." Celine replied, "Come now. Leave the questions and let's let him be."
Miyanna's eyes lingered on him for a little longer before she too headed back inside the cave.