Catheris's spine shivered. A chill breeze ran across his nape.
The white curtains billowed against the imposing dark silhouette. This was no stranger — Catheris recognized the man's black braid draped over his shoulder. Awfully tall and awfully familiar sounding. His downturned purple eyes glowed against the night—like a demon.
"Don't you think 'Luna' sounds too feminine?" Catheris began, approaching the ominous figure.
He wasn't expecting to run into someone so soon. He'd almost forgotten how he looked. Streams of dried ink stains ran down his throat to his chest. The splatters looked like pure carnage.
Yes… it was that one guy who hit on him outside the diner.
"Hm? I don't think so. Do you?"
His neck snapped to the side—not outside the realm of human possibility, but w h a t.
"Don't play coy now."
"You don't like it? Fine, then you'll be my Lunette?" The other leaned on the windowsill.
Catheris almost blurted out a retort. But he'd already figured the other's stubbornness. Fine. So be it.
"I told you, you're not my type," Catheris sighed.
"Hmmm, well that's harsh. What exactly do you like about older men anyway?"
"Why? You think you have a chance?"
"There's not much you can do. Might as well shoot my shot."
"Sorry to break it to you, I'm not interested in dating—"
"Was he tasty? ♥︎"
The man pulled Catheris in by his waist into his lap, leaning him on his thighs. He dipped his head into the crook of Catheris' neck and whispered in his ear.
"You're gorgeous," He said with a tinge of awe, twirling a strand of the other's hair with his finger.
Catheris dryly hummed, glaring at him.
"This is puppy's play."
The familiar stranger traced the inkstain trail from his soft bottom lip down to his midline.
"Hmm… are you into stepping on CEOs? I could even become a heartthrob actor for you to taint. Just say what you want."
Eh.
Eh???
"...Not into that either."
"You really hate me that much, hmmm?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"But I do know what I'm talking about, and you do too."
He caressed Catheris' red tassel earring, something he'd never taken off, and his mark infamy. Catheris' pupils slowly widened before he clicked his tongue in annoyance.
"Then you'd know how disappointed I'd be by your performance. It's not exhilarating dealing with your type–bratty, younger, handsome. You'd be better off as some older lady's lapdog. Getting kicked around and pulled by the leash, doesn't that sound sweet?"
"Is this how you treat your clients?"
"Mr. Almazer, our personal lives don't matter right now," Catheris cooed. "I was under the impression you were trying to get your masochist fix, not force me into some… power play. Also, your father is the client."
In response to that, Sian simply laughed it off, turning his head to the side to hide his expression.
"I certainly don't see any reason to entertain your antics anymore," Catheris shook his head.
"Ah… I really love it when you ignore me like that…" A slight blush tinged across his cheeks.
Something hard pressed against Catheris's leg. Fuck was wrong with this dude.
"You're boring, disobedient, and awfully young. I have no clue why you approached me like this. Even if I were interested in having a partner, you've made it clear you're not what I want, and you know that. I don't know the things they've said about me now — but they can't be pretty if they've survived this long."
Sian suddenly shifted into something more sinister.
"Hmmmm. It wouldn't be fun if I were all obedient—isn't that why you ruined your ex-partners?"
Catheris shook his head. "It was a conflict of interest—so we simply broke it off as mature, consenting adults. What an awful amount of interrogation for the most suspicious one between us. Are you done blabbering?"
"It's funny—hearing that from a guy covered in ink."
"But we both know where that came from. So tell me, Mr. Almazer: why'd you bring me here?" He wrapped his arms around the younger man's neck, shifting his weight onto the other's leg instead of the bulge.
Catheris looked dead into those pathetic, dread-filled eyes—sparked by the slightest hint of amusement.
"It's you, of course."
His eyes weren't looking at him, but past him like some perverted scientist. He didn't want him, but he wanted him. Rather than lust, his objective gaze peered at his skin and form. A sort of 'muse' infatuation.
Don't play stupid—you'd just plan a regular kidnapping.
'Does he get off on this sort of thing?' Catheris thought.
There must be some ulterior motive at hand here. Whatever—sure, he'll play along. Biting the bullet, Catheris stared dazedly at the other, innocently blinking his long lashes.
"Is that so?" Catheris' voice raised at the end.
"Of course it is."
Catheris sighed.
"I really am flattered, really. But you're young—you should know better than to mess with a washed-up thing like me."
"Hmmm…. You? You look awfully young, though, 26—wasn't it? You? —Washed up?"
"That's the toxic reality of it. You don't need to pretend to save me and lump me with all these flower princesses. I really am fine." Catheris mustered a tinge of wistfulness in his last remark.
"Now, who said I was pretending. You're one of the most beautiful people I've ever had the pleasure of laying my eyes–"
"You don't have to be persistent. I know I'm not in my prime anymore. And, I'm not easy after leaving the dating scene. I'm not desirable, but not desperate."
"Have you gone mad? Just look at yourself."
"Yes… I have gone mad… I don't know what I've done or what I did — why I killed that man or ate him too."
Something in Catheris' eyes snapped—his pupils widened. Breathless, he took a gasp.
"Did I… piss off your boyfriend in the past, or something–? Is this what you're after — to paint me up as a monster, and humiliate me as a fool for taking the sweet words of a younger man—"
Catheris's face darkened, not bearing the weight of finishing that sentence. He clawed into the man's shoulder, almost hard enough to puncture the skin. He began to gnash his back teeth. His hands inched closer, ensnaring the other's neck, before his hands lunged for it.
Suddenly, Sian grabbed the back of Catheris' head — fingers tangling in his long hair — and pulled in for a kiss so rough the corner of Catheris' lip bled. While letting Catheris catch his breath, he paused. The kiss infuriatingly soft—so tender, so brash, so shamelessly indulging him.
Oh saintess, it felt like an awkward first kiss. It was obvious the kid didn't know when to stop–
Catheris panted for a good few seconds, his lips raw as he gripped onto the other's neck for dear life. What was wrong with this kid?
"Quiet now?" He said with a slight smugness.
Catheris furrowed his brows like a wet cat. He wiped the slobber off his mouth, lips now a taut frown.
The other kissed Catheris's wrist, pleading with his pathetic puppy eyes.
"Can I explain now?"
It seemed he played his cards right. Sian Almazer was into ticking time bombs. Crazy fucker.
"Well then—won't you whisk me away, hm?" Catheris tightened his arms around the other's neck.
"You don't have to tell me twice."
The other undid his hands, placing one on his cheek and nudging into it lovingly. He hooked his forearm underneath Catheris' knees and began to carry him princess style, hanfu skirt draping over his arms. Sian meandered across the halls.
Catheris hummed, watching as the younger man strolled through. It was a bit strange — he'd been here for quite a while now — yet all he knew was the widow's garden and barely the artistry wing. Hell, if it wasn't for the cheese earlier, he wouldn't have even known of the paintings. Did Ari even know of them?
It seemed the clues were right in front of Catheris's eyes, but not the context to put everything in its place. Guess that was the reality of being a hostage.
"Calmed down now?"
He scratched Catheris' head gently.
In response, he kept quiet—waiting for the man to finally get to wherever he was going.
…
Sian yawned, "Almost there."
It was said so sweetly—but it was kind of creepy when he looked like he hadn't had a wink of sleep.
…
Eh…
It was the very hall he found himself at the very beginning. Only this time, the curtains were opened. Like weeping angels, the mermaid statues and various statuettes basted in the soft moonlight, content. Catheris was gently let down.
The haunting night had merely just begun.
"Do you know how to dance?" He whispered solemnly.
The look in his eyes… just who was he looking for in Catheris? How peculiar.
Catheris balled up his long skirt, trying to read the other's gaze. But behind those eyes was a collected mania.
"It's not my forte—and I don't exactly remember how. Would you mind taking the lead on this one?
"I wouldn't. And please.. Call me Sian." He took Catheris' hands in his, placing a hand on his waist.
They started slow, doing simple box steps. For once, Catheris felt himself enjoying himself.
Catheris wasn't stupid. Mobius… where did you fit into all of this?
Immortality and authority intertwined. He was an old god who had a magnitudinal 'existence', so tackling revival head on was out of the question. They probably wouldn't want him revived all the way either, because that'd meant he would judge their souls and pass on their lives to the soul cycle.
There was always the possibility of this cult being particularly stupid. The answer had been in front of him all along, but he didn't want to accept it as the possible answer—they found a way to at least awaken Mobius' authority.
And the look in Sian's eyes told him everything Catheris needed to know — he was the key to that very thing.
"Eyes on me, please."
He suddenly swung Catheris around, guiding his movements with the hand on his waist.
Catheris glided with the help of the other, swept up in the other's harrowing, vortex-like pace as they danced across the hallway. His eyes filled with horror—anxiety filled his lungs. Every time he thought he was going to crash into one of the statues, he was pulled into the other's chest. Every time he was about to fall, he'd be swept into a graceful, yet forceful dip.
They waltzed down the hallway, the array of mirrors capturing every angle of the dance. The movements fervently upped in intensity, almost snapping to the next.
…
Whew…
The other let Catheris lean onto his arms, heaving into his chest as the dance came to a halt at the very end of the hall.
"...Shall I walk you back to your room?" He nuzzled passionately into the top of Catheris' head.
What a rhetorical question if he'd heard one–as if he even knew how to get back–
Catheris palmed his head, still a bit dizzy.
"Mn… give me a second."
"The night's still young," he whistled. "How about a tour of this room?"
It couldn't hurt…
"What's your favorite thing then…?" Catheris asked.
"I find this one the most fascinating."
He held Catheris's hand, swaying it as he walked toward a windowsill. It was an… oval ball. A ball that resembled a mermaid, of course.
"Watch."
Sian took the mermaid in his hands, and revealed another inside. Another one in that smaller mermaid, and so on, and so on. They were mermaid nesting dolls.
Seeing the smaller mermaids fit inside the big mermaids, something clicked. The smallest mermaid had less detail than the biggest mermaid, but they still looked remarkably similar.
Ah…
Catheris was stupid.
He was the goddamn vessel, wasn't he.
***
Author's Note:
During the production of this chapter everyone has been calling sian 'young rizzler' this whole time.
The babybels in Catha's chest: (;𖦹ㅁ𖦹)