Sorcerer Hunters Fan Fiction ❯ Perpetual Thoughts ❯ Touched In Darkness ( Chapter 19 )

The changing of the seasons seemed suddenly evident. Trees were beginning to shed their leaves, Eden's gardens suddenly filled with the rich colours of autumn; the hot summer days were but a memory, and anybody who was so inclined could have stood outside and mused on the loss of the leaves from the trees, the loss of the lively and vibrant greens of spring and summer to the more subdued hues of the year's latter half...

 

Marron had spent his morning washing his bedsheets once more. It was frustrating; if anything, he was likely to look up at the trees and the sky and muse on how things had changed, but then really thinking how... really thinking... it wasn't something that was easy to think about. Times were currently quiet, but something in Marron knew that they wouldn't remain so. Almost as if something within him told him that they couldn't remain so...

 

Little had really been said since he, Milphey and Gateau had visited the town that time. Propositions had been made but Milphey had suddenly made himself invisible, and Marron hadn't been able to find him afterward to even innocently ask what he'd meant by the things that he'd said. Gateau was... Gateau seemed to be acting as if the entire trip hadn't taken place, for all of it he mentioned to Marron. Marron had expected at least some sharp words from Gateau saying not to tempt him like that, not to act like that, not to say things like that... anything. Marron even wondered if Gateau would ask him out for dinner one time on his own, just the two of them... Marron didn't want to sound like he was propositioning Gateau any more so he didn't make any move himself, and it seemed that Gateau was also reluctant to make a move. If he wanted to be quiet... well. For the moment, Marron didn't want to provoke him.

 

Life had adjusted itself into some kind of routine once more. Marron still kept to his meditation, studied his magic, looked after his cat... Gateau kept himself to himself, Carrot kept himself to his girlchasing, Milphey-... well, Milphey was the strange one.

 

Marron was quite used to Milphey's attentions, as was anybody. Now, however... Marron wasn't sure how to react to him. He'd come over as he usually did, either calm and kind or bouncy and flirtatious... what was he expecting? Marron could talk to him normally if he was calm, but if he was flirting... was he expecting some kind of response? Did he want Marron to flirt back with him? He'd never quite known how to act with Milphey anyway, but now...

 

The bedsheets were hanging on a line, billowing out as the breeze dictated. Marron sat on the step outside of the kitchens, where he had been joined by Tira. She was always a helpful person... she'd happened to walk by, had happened to see Marron struggling with the sheet himself, had offered to help... given the reason for the sheet to need washing in the first place Marron had been a little unsure, but Tira hadn't let him refuse. The job would be done faster if it was done by two people, right?

 

After that, they'd made a cup of tea. They'd let that boil while they fought to get the sheet hanging up enough to dry... that had been an effort in itself, but now they sat calmly on the steps and drank their tea. Wisps of steam rose into the cool air... there was a silence between them.

 

"It was brave of Marron-chan to attempt to handle a sheet like that on his own! Usually if I want to wash my bedsheets, I get oneesama to help me... I get all tangled if I try it on my own. She's better at things like that."

 

Marron nodded, "Ah..."

 

A moment of silence...

 

"Do you think... Carrot would ever help you with your washing?"

 

"He's tried, in the past. He's suitable for holding things and washing things but when it comes to sorting and folding things... well, as you say, he tends to get tangled also. Though, I thank you for your help, Tira. Perhaps I was trying to do something too quickly on my own."

 

"I suppose you didn't have anything else to do..."

 

"Mm?"

 

"Doing washing, first thing in the morning. Don't you usually meditate, or something...?"

 

She offered that question to him with a kind smile. Marron glanced at her, then looked back down at his cup. Truthfully, any other morning, he would have been meditating. Meditating, studying a spell, anything along those lines... he'd woken up early enough, then wearily realised that obviously something had triggered him off, during the night... he didn't want to have to mention anything to anybody, so he'd set about doing his laundry immediately. There were other sheets to use, but he didn't want to leave anything stained behind for the scrutiny of others...

 

"Ah... yes, but I... I just felt that my sheets weren't as clean as they could be. I thought it'd be best if it had some time to dry, also... you can't expect a heavy sheet to dry quickly, after all."

 

"True, true."

 

"Ah-... though, wouldn't you also have something to do in the mornings? Isn't it a little selfish of me to keep you here while the sheet dries...? It can dry by itself..."

 

Tira laughed, "You're not forcing me to stay here! I want to stay here. It's nice to drink tea outside, isn't it? And besides, I never get to spend any time with you. You're always busy doing things on your own, you're always somebody who's difficult to find..."

 

Marron couldn't help but feel vaguely flattered, "You'd want to spend time with me?"

 

"Of course I would! It just seems that we all live together but we don't really see each other a lot, sometimes. I mean, oneesama and I... we tend to see Carrot most days, but that's since he's nearly always playing up and, well, you know how it is. Gateau-chan... I don't know. He spends a lot of his time posing or sitting around on his own... maybe it's a little selfish to say, but when he's sitting on his own, it feels like he doesn't want to be disturbed... I don't know about oneesama, but I wouldn't want to disturb him if he's thinking about-... about..."

 

Suddenly seeming to realize something, Tira ground to a halt. Marron looked at her again, "About...?"

 

"I, I don't want to mention something that... you wouldn't want mentioned..."

 

Tira flushed behind her glasses. Somehow it was too easy to walk into things like that... hadn't she managed to strike up a similar kind of conversation with Gateau some time ago? Thinking about it, that really had been a while ago... almost a month or so? Tira hadn't really spoken to Gateau many times since then, not really. It'd been during that mission to Euran Island, so... yes, close to a month. It'd been at least a month that Gateau and Marron had been definitely split up, but... somehow it still seemed a little sad, somehow it still surprised Tira to think about it. There had been Gateau's vague reasoning of before, but that didn't really tell her anything...

 

However, that was a train of thought best left between her and her sister. They could muse on the state of the boys' relationship all day, wonder what had happened and if anything more might happen, but when it came to the target of their gossip, Tira felt it'd be better to be quiet. Marron-chan was a quiet person, wasn't he? He wouldn't appreciate gossip and he certainly wouldn't appreciate those sorts of questions...

 

Somehow though, Marron had been expecting something along those lines. He nodded, looking back towards the sheet, the gardens... he enjoyed the silence for as long as he could hold it, drinking some more of his tea. It was hot, and he could feel it spread inside him as he swallowed... he enjoyed that also for as long as it lasted, then spoke quietly.

 

"You wouldn't want to disturb Gateau if he were thinking about... me, perhaps?"

 

"I mean... well... he..."

 

"I don't know if he'd choose to think of me anymore..."

 

Tira looked torn, brow furrowing.

 

"Marron-chan, I... I don't want to sound like I'm prying or anything, but..."

 

"You want to know what happened, don't you?"

 

"... Well... yes."

 

A soft laugh, "It's natural to be curious. Of course, when I think of it from your position... all of this has been happening almost without you knowing, hasn't it? We were quiet when we first made a mutual decision... somehow we managed to keep things quiet as thi-... actually, are you sure you never heard Gateau and my brother argue?"

 

Shaking her head, Tira looked genuinely surprised. It wasn't as if Gateau and Carrot had argued a lot, but when they had, Marron remembered that at least Milphey had noticed... perhaps the Misu sisters hadn't been around at that time? Perhaps they'd been out with Eclair, or something? Marron couldn't really remember, offhand.

 

"Well... I'm sure I've said this before, perhaps to my brother... I just don't think that Gateau and I are... compatible, I suppose."

 

Tira looked almost disappointed, that had been almost exactly what Gateau had said, almost as if they had a carefully practised line... the thought of that didn't seem a surprising one, really. Maybe they did want their private life to remain truly private, and they'd keep a legitimate excuse for anybody who might have asked. Or it could have just been coincidence, but Tira didn't really feel that she knew anything more...

 

Nor did she feel she really had the right, though.

 

"No? I'm a little surprised... oneesama and I-... forgive me for saying this, but we thought that you and Gateau-chan would end up together since... well, we'd been thinking it for a while. Then suddenly you were together, and we thought that was adorable... then suddenly we find out you're not together anymore! That was... that came as a bit of a shock."

 

"We managed to be quiet about things."

 

Setting her tea down on the step, Tira turned purposefully to look at Marron. He noticed this, glancing at her while still holding his tea.

 

"... Didn't he... make you happy...?"

 

"... Do you mean in general, or purposefully...?"

 

A wave of the hand, "Any area."

 

"Well... I don't know if it was ever a case of... I... I think he probably could have made me happy, had I let myself let him, if you see what I mean. I... it's hard to explain to somebody, but... sometimes it feels like... I think I'm perhaps a difficult person to please."

 

"Gateau-chan didn't please you, then... still, he seems so kind, though! And he's been stuck on you for ever... it seems a shame..."

 

"I do feel quite guilty at times, yes. I agree with you, Gateau is a kind person... and the very start of the problem... I don't think I was ever looking for someone who was going to be kind with me."

 

"You don't... want somebody who's kind?"

 

Tira did seem entirely confused by this. Indeed, it sounded a strange thing to say... surely everybody wanted somebody to be kind to them? That did, however, depend on what you were looking for, and who you were looking for it from. Ideally, yes, Marron wanted somebody to be kind. He wanted Carrot to be kind, and kind to him... but that was an ideal that would be hard to reach. Looking at Tira's confused face... Marron couldn't help but feel a kind of sadness, almost. She always seemed somebody who held that kind of purity, that kind of innocence... she'd certainly want somebody who was kind, wouldn't she? Marron didn't know just how much he wanted to tell her, in light of that.

 

"... I... Tira, I'm... a very different person as to how I might present myself as being. I'm not saying that I wouldn't want somebody who was kind, I would want somebody who was kind... but I'd want somebody who... who knew how to apply themselves in different situations. Who could be kind when I needed it, who could be... who could... who could overpower me should I wish to be overpowered."

 

Marron spoke that last sentence with a degree more speed. There was a moment as the implication sunk in, and during that moment both Tira and Marron found themselves blushing, just slightly. It felt strange to say something like that to Tira... and it really felt, to Marron, like he was broaching some kind of gap just by mentioning the subject in the first place, even if only through implication. She really was somebody who would blush at things like that...

 

"... So... you have feelings like that too..."

 

There was an implication there, too. Marron looked at her with vague surprise, "... Tira..."

 

"M-mm...?"

 

"How do you... how do you remain so pure?"

 

That seemed to be an unexpected question; for a few seconds Tira couldn't think of anything to say at all, frowning slightly to herself, "That's... a sudden question, isn't it...? And that... that would depend on how you meant 'pure' in the first place..."

 

"... Pure in the ways I feel I am not, anymore..."

 

Tira wasn't sure if she was supposed to have heard that. What kind of quality was that, anyway? What kind of difference was there between them?... Tira wasn't quite sure what Marron meant. The only thing she could think of was if Marron had had sex with Gateau, lost his virginity... people sometimes referred to that as their 'purity', didn't they? Perhaps Marron had some regrets of past sexual actions. Tira herself thought on that in the silence... she didn't have the kind of experience to sympathize with that kind of regret on the same level, but she felt a kind of sadness for Marron if there really were things he regretted. He didn't seem willing to elaborate.

 

"You've seen me in battle, Marron-chan... that's... not how a 'pure' person acts, is it...?"

 

"I... I don't know if that's comparable..."

 

"Oh, come on... 'lick my boots', 'feel my whip', 'call me queen, little puppy!'... that's... it's hard to explain. It's a kind of uncontrollable feeling I have sometimes. A sort of determination. I... I suppose that would be the same for oneesama. Ah, and doesn't Marron-chan feel like that too, sometimes? I remember with Koh and Rin... you really didn't hold back..."

 

"Some things just make me angrier than I feel I can manage..."

 

Tira nodded, "Exactly. I think it's something like that. That rush of feeling, that rush of power... I mean, I'm flattered that you'd say you thought I was pure and innocent, but... I don't know, I don't really feel like that applies to me."

 

"Who... who would you say a 'pure' person is, then?"

 

"Somebody who's pure? Hmm..."

 

There was another silence. Marron took up his drink, holding the warmth between his fingers for as long as he could manage before the heat became that little bit too piercing. He himself wondered on the point. When it came to thinking of that kind of... almost that kind of stereotype... dominatrix outbursts aside, Tira seemed to fit that criteria exactly. Who would she think of as being like that?

 

"Big Mama, I suppose."

 

"Oh...?"

 

"Mmm. She's somebody who... she doesn't get distracted by... by things. She has that kind of air about her, that presence... she does things selflessly, don't you think? She carries the burdens of the entire Continent on her shoulders. She probably has more power than most of the Sorcerers on this Continent, but she doesn't abuse her powers..."

 

"If she had that much power, one could ask why she wouldn't take on the Sorcerers herself..."

 

"... You're right..."

 

"Niisan often thinks she abuses her powers. She'll sit in Eden all day, sending off her Sorcerer Hunters and Haz Knights to do the physical things... however, that is primarily my brother's opinion. I can see his point of view, but... the people need somebody to worship, don't they? For a lot of Parsoners, their religion is all they have... belief in the Stella Church is what keeps them going, and Big Mama is the head of that. If she went out personally... you never know what danger there is out on the Continent. If Big Mama were to risk herself, it would be far more than only her life at risk... as you say, she carries the burdens of the Continent on her shoulders. If she were to die, I think she would take many with her."

 

"But you see... that's exactly what I mean... she does these things while calculating always how they'll affect everybody else. I don't think she'd do anything that was rash."

 

"And she's the perfect example of somebody who's pure... is she?"

 

The breeze picked up again, buffeting at the sheet. Marron and Tira watched it, watched the breeze tug at it... however, it'd been carefully pegged up with both of their combined efforts. Surely even the wind would find it difficult to move that... Marron glanced down at his lap.

 

"The idea of purity in the arms of a goddess... is there nobody who's closer to us as we are who you'd call pure...?"

 

"I don't know why you think I'm such an authority on something like that... but... thinking about somebody who seems pure? I don't know... I could only say you, I suppose."

 

"... You would say I was pure...?"

 

Tira eyed Marron up and down with a vaguely assessing glance, ending that with a nod. Obviously whatever her eyes saw confirmed the thoughts that had been in her mind.

 

"Mm. You're that kind of person."

 

"... I'm... surprised you should think of me... like that..."

 

"Well... all I know about is that something happened between you and Gateau-chan... even though that happened, though... you still seem like a calm kind of person. I think... I think there's some sort of space between being pure and being innocent, maybe neither of us are innocent, but... at least with you... I think... there's something about you that's like that. There's something wonderful and inaccessible about you... like a priestess, or a princess, or something."

 

There was a slight pause as that comparison sunk in. Tira glanced at the steps, then up at Marron... he was half-glancing at her, still primarily focused on the gardens, it seemed. Perhaps that was a strange kind of thing to say... Tira blushed her embarrassment, "I-... I mean, I wouldn't-... I'm not trying to compare you to a girl or anything...!"

 

Fortunately Marron smiled, "I think I can see what you're saying, though. Such traits are often signs of femininity, are they not?"

 

"You probably wouldn't want me saying something like that... I guess it's more like what I was saying with Gateau, with oneesama. It's like... something you don't want to disturb. That's why I don't talk to you a lot of the time, it seems like it'd be unfortunate to disturb you... perhaps that sounds a little unfriendly, but I don't mean it like that, I promise... just... just that there's something... intimidating? Perhaps a little that... somehow intimidating and amazing about you."

 

Marron felt unused to being a recipient of such that was intended as praise. Of course, this was only Tira's opinion, but... no, saying things like that, talking of things like that... maybe there were reasons not to disturb him, but Marron felt he could never see himself as Tira was painting him. It was interesting, in a way; they lived in such close proximity to each other, yet there were sides that they never saw... Tira never saw the Marron who lusted after his brother, who manipulated Gateau almost shamelessly, who lost any trace of self-control with Milphey... to her, and again this seemed to contribute to her innocence, Marron still seemed like somebody who was impressive, somebody who was wonderful. It almost felt sad to hear something like that; Marron didn't feel wonderful.

 

"I don't deserve to hear things like that..."

 

Tira's lips curved into a smile, "It's saying things like that that only make it seem more like that! See, you're humble, too... you're kind, you're focused, you're driven, you're humble... somebody like that, don't you think that just some of those qualities are good ones?"

 

Perhaps, Marron thought, there was no way to easily dissuade her. He sighed with soft resignation, "Maybe it's a little difficult to spy such things within our own selves..."

 

"Maybe."

 

The stress and frustration from earlier seemed to have melted away somewhat within Marron's body. It seemed to be the little things that were noticeable; the shifting warmth of the cooling cup still in his hands, the brush of his hair against skin as the wind tugged it along... the same wind still worked against the hanging sheet, but the cloth hung firmly. Leaves fell constantly in no particular pattern; there were plenty of trees around Eden and certainly plenty of leaves, but those could only fall and in time, the bare skeletons of the trees would be revealed...

 

It was somehow relaxing to be with Tira, also. She was right, they really didn't talk as much as they could. Marron didn't like to think that he was exactly distant to the Misu sisters, but... really, it was exactly that. He was distant at best to most people, but Chocolat and Tira were kind people... it was refreshing to be able to sit quietly with somebody like that. With Carrot, Marron felt he'd be too busy being conscious of himself, of Carrot, of everything... with Gateau, well... these days, Marron never knew where he was with Gateau. Or Milphey, for that matter. Perhaps the innocence Marron saw in Tira was the fact that she was somebody he was distant to, that she wasn't somebody who knew everything or anything about the situations that played themselves out across Eden... there wasn't anything that was hidden, and Marron had no agenda for the younger Misu sister.

 

Sitting out and drinking tea while waiting for laundry to dry was that, only that, and exactly that. If there was anything to be aimed for... Marron smiled to himself. Perhaps it'd be worthwhile spending more time with Tira, just quiet moments like that. The group had strong bonds keeping it together but friendship was never a bad thing...

 

"Thank you."

 

Realizing Marron had spoke, Tira looked up with vague surprise.

 

"Marron-chan?"

 

"Thank you for this. For sitting here quietly. For saying things, then for staying silent..."

 

"Well, that's usually what happens with conversations... you don't have to thank me!"

 

"No, I... it's perhaps something I can't explain. Sometimes, though... sometimes it's just nice to have somebody... to spend time with somebody where even a silence is comfortable. So, for that, I thank you."

 

Tira laughed, "Well, if you're sure about that, I accept your thanks! I don't have anywhere I have to be today, we could sit here all day if you really wanted to. Ah-... I mean, if you didn't have any magical studies planned, or anything..."

 

Marron tucked a lock of hair behind one ear, "I hadn't planned anything definite for today. There were some spells I'd thought to look at, ones that I'd wished to revise for myself... there are still many hours left in the day. If there's nothing for you to do, and there's nothing that I need to do..."

 

The sentence trailed off, but the implication was there. Honestly, Marron didn't know how he'd meant to finish up what he'd been saying, but fortunately Tira nodded and completed his sentence for him.

 

"... then we can have nothing to do together, hm?"

 

"Ahaha... yes, exactly."

 

Though perhaps the setting of Eden was somehow... ordinary. If it was going to be a day spent doing nothing... the novelty of the Misu sisters was still a fresh one. Perhaps tea tasted better if drunk when going out. If there was nothing else to do, then perhaps a small treat wouldn't be unappreciated? Treating Chocolat and Tira to morning refreshments would pleasantly break up the daily cycle Marron had worked himself into.

 

"... Do you know where your sister is?"

 

"Chocolat-oneesama? I'm not entirely sure... she's probably chasing... chasing Carrot around, somewhere. Wherever he is she'll be, probably. Do you know where Carrot is?"

 

"When I woke up, he was still asleep... I cannot constantly keep my eye on him. I haven't seen him since I woke up... he may still be sleeping, but if Chocolat is awake, then perhaps she wouldn't allow him to sleep..."

 

"Even in the morning, she's so shameless."

 

Tira sighed loudly while stating that fact. Marron watched with sympathetic interest; it was well-known that Tira never really approved of her sister's actions. As far as Chocolat went, Marron found himself disapproving of her actions also. Always grabbing and pawing and glomping Carrot like that... Carrot seemed pretty disapproving too which usually pleased Marron, but then memory of past conversation was stirred... there were at least parts of Carrot that found Chocolat attractive. More than the physical or the sexual was the ethical and the emotional that prevented him, and when looked at in certain ways, those lines seemed so potentially easy to cross...

 

If anything happened, Tira would probably be angry, Marron reckoned to himself. If Tira didn't like it when Chocolat was so blatantly flirtatious and clingy with Carrot, it'd probably double the annoyance if Carrot was equally flirtatious and clingy in return. However, wouldn't that be a relationship? If Chocolat managed to tame Carrot into anything then that might also tame Carrot of his girlchasing tendencies, which were at least a large part of what Tira seemed unable to condone. Marron didn't blame her. At the very least, Carrot's actions were usually embarrassing...

 

Marron quickly dropped his gaze, now idly fixating on the steps further on from the reach of his feet. Carrot and Chocolat, in a relationship? How could he so easily consider something like that... for Carrot to be with Chocolat would be Carrot belonging to somebody who was not Marron himself. For Carrot to love anybody else was to remove his association just slightly from his brother... and how things would change if Carrot were to take anybody on as a lover, Chocolat or any other girl. Perhaps - most likely - they'd want to share a bedroom. Hadn't Carrot had issues with that back when Marron had been doing things with Gateau? The loneliness of a room suddenly empty for the sake of feeling found somewhere else, feeling found with another person... Marron almost wished Tira hadn't asked the question of just where Carrot was. He liked to think that his brother was safely sleeping in his bed, but it was far more likely that he was running around somewhere probably being chased by Chocolat possibly wearing as little as possible... Tira was right, she could be shameless. It wouldn't have been unlike Chocolat to run around naked.

 

Chocolat Misu or not, there had to be something said about being chased by a naked woman. Marron didn't want to hear what Carrot would have to say on the matter.

 

Feeling suddenly aware of the silence, Tira tried to deflect her thoughts of Chocolat taking the day off as an opportunity to grope and molest Carrot; she smiled with the best feeling she could muster, "Why do you ask?"

 

"Ah? Oh... I was just wondering if you and her may like to accompany me to the town, perhaps I could buy you and her something to drink..."

 

"I'm sure oneesama would love to take you up on that, if we knew where she was... though, I don't know... it's nice to sit here like this. Most days I seem to end up going out to Facade for one reason or another, to shop or eat or browse... while I haven't seen anybody else today, I'd like to sit here quietly. I can relax just for a little while."

 

Marron nodded, "Of course, of course. Just because I offer doesn't mean you have to accept, does it?"

 

"It's only polite!"

 

"I don't mind. There's no hurry."

 

"No..."

 

Tira leant back on her hands, gently kicking her feet against the stone steps.

 

"... That's what I like about days like this."

 

"Mm?"

 

"There's no hurry to have to do anything. Nothing that needs to be done, except for things we decide to do. We can do whatever we want, or we can do nothing at all, too... I know we have an important duty as Sorcerer Hunters, but... well... I like it when we can just do normal things like normal people would do, too."

 

"... You're right. Some days it is nicer to be able to have nothing to do."

 

There seemed to be a moment, just briefly, where Tira seemed to almost shrink back into herself somewhat. She pulled herself back into her usual sitting position, feet flat against the stone and then, as if to finish off the gesture, her arms wrapped around her knees. Her tea mug was empty and sat to the side... Marron picked it up, and his own empty mug. Those he placed on a higher step, to keep them out of the way... Tira was leaning her head against her knees now.

 

"... Or perhaps you disagree?"

 

"Ah-?"

 

"That having nothing to do is a kind of freedom that's nice to have..."

 

For a second, Tira seemed to have switched off somehow. She blinked at Marron, as if thinking about what it was he was saying... her mood broke slightly, she laughed again.

 

"No, no, I agree with that. I don't think I couldn't agree with that."

 

"You looked sad, all of a sudden."

 

"... Gateau-chan's right, you are blunt sometimes. I don't know. Just sometimes... having nothing to do... if I have nothing to do and nothing to think about, then there are things I think about... and there's still nothing I can do. But I end up thinking about things anyway."

 

"Is there something in particular to cause you to think such thoughts...?"

 

"Mmm."

 

That seemed all the answer she was willing to give. Marron didn't have anything to say to that... it seemed as if the silence had been Tira mulling over quite how to phrase the feelings in her mind... such things didn't have to be difficult to voice, however.

 

"Sometimes I think about it."

 

Marron looked up, "... 'It'...?"

 

"Mmm."

 

The thought of what 'it' could be trickled through Marron's thought processes before the answer hit him with an 'oh'. He nodded, understanding. Even Tira thought such things? Well, everybody was only human.

 

"I think everybody does."

 

"Probably, but... when I think about it, I... sometimes I feel a little guilty. Like I shouldn't be thinking things like that..."

 

Looking at her like that at that moment, Marron couldn't help but get a kind of mental image. Tira, thinking about sex? She seemed like the sort of person who would envision the act taking place on a large pink cloud, rose-hued tones of passion clouding the mind's eye. Soft, slow, romantic... his eyes softened on her last unfinished sentence. To think about such things was natural, and the thoughts seemed so appropriate... would things like that really embarrass her? It was easy to think that they might, but then again, this was the girl who dressed up in leather and spoke of love and whipping so easily in the same sentence...

 

"It's embarrassing?"

 

"Mm-mm... something like that."

 

"Wouldn't it be... gentle, though?"

 

Tira looked up quickly, "Marron-chan!?"

 

"The things you think about. Wouldn't they be gentle things? Romantic daydreams. I mean, forgive me if I'm wrong... but after what we spoke about earlier, that's... that's somehow the kind of image I attach to you. Innocent sorts of thoughts..."

 

A nod, "I suppose that is how I tend to think about things most of the time. I mean... a lot of the time, and it... that's not even on days when there's nothing to do. A lot of the time I spend thinking about... about things that are romantic... things... things like that... but it's when I-... it's when the thoughts aren't like that, that's when I feel guilty..."

 

Maybe the whips and the leather did make appearances in Tira's fantasies.

 

"I think about things that make me feel guilty, Tira. Terribly so. You... I don't wish to ask 'what kind of things do you think about that make you feel guilty', but... there doesn't seem to be another way to put it. What kind of things would make you feel guilty...?"

 

"... Shameless..."

 

"Shameless...?"

 

"... Shame... less... things... like oneesama... p-perhaps..."

 

That made sense. Carrot was the master when it came to those sorts of things, and even Marron had caught himself wondering what it'd be like if he himself acted in Carrot's style. If he ever took any of the people who threw themselves at him up on their offers. If his life felt freer, if relationships were not doomed to go the way of things between him and Gateau. If lust could be just lust, and sex could be only sex. What would that be like? Given that Chocolat was such an outgoing person... even Carrot was an outgoing person, and Marron sometimes wondered what it'd be like to be like that also. Tira was somebody who was sensitive, surely she would wonder such things also...

 

"I wouldn't blame you for thinking things like that. Even I would consider some things, sometimes..."

 

Sometimes it was the things that Marron had already done that made him feel guiltier than anything his mind could cook up or tell him. Only sometimes.

 

"Marron-chan would also..."

 

Tira looked up at Marron, a kind of curious expression on her face.

 

"What was... when it was you and Gateau-chan... what was it like...?"

 

"Ah?"

 

"I mean... when you were with him. Did you... were there ever things that you did? I-... you don't have to say anything if you don't want to of course, I don't want to make you feel like you might have to say anything that you wouldn't want to say..."

 

Marron shook his head, "What it was like with Gateau and I? If there is an image of me that you keep... I could certainly say that there was a chemistry between us. If nothing else, physical attraction... perhaps... remains somehow, but... there were things I said that were strange, things I did that were perverted... it was easy to anger him, but never in the ways I wished him to be angry. Tira... if you knew just half of the things I said to him, half of anything about me..."

 

Suddenly, things seemed difficult to say. There was no need for Tira to know the unpleasant things. There wasn't any need for such things to be alluded to. If she and Chocolat wanted to picture an idealistic version of his and Gateau's relationship, he didn't want to spoil their daydreams. Tira seemed to be waiting for him to speak... again Marron shook his head, "... I'd like for you to keep the pure image of me that you hold, that you seem to view. If you believe in that... then at least that version of me can exist somewhere in this world."

 

Just for that moment, the silence between them seemed almost uncomfortable. Just for that moment. Tira stared at Marron intently, wondering just what he meant... she looked back towards the gardens. They'd spent a little time together, probably half an hour at most. It was nice to grow closer to people even if by only a little, but that little didn't mean you were going to understand them totally and immediately...

 

There just seemed to be so many things that Marron seemed to be alluding to, just that Tira wasn't quite sure what, or why. Why would somebody see themselves like that...? Tira herself didn't see herself as being an angel or anything, but when Marron spoke of his own inner self-image, he seemed to become... almost desperate, in a way...

 

"... I... wonder how we got talking about things like that in the first place... I don't know if I can see it like that. Marron-chan is Marron-chan, whether you're perverted or pure or anything... even you think I'm innocent or however it was you put it, but sometimes I think things that really embarrass me and I can't stop thinking about them... of course... Marron-chan has done things, but..."

 

The wind picked up again, stirring some of the leaves that had fallen at the bottom of the flight of steps. Marron watched them, hearing their rustle as they were swept against the floor and each other... some landed close to his feet. He shifted one foot, watching those leaves be picked up by the wind again... maybe Tira had the right kind of idea. Perhaps it was a better idea to try and look at things simply.

 

"Then perhaps it is best to say that we are similar in our thoughts."

 

You couldn't deny something so straightforward like that. The mood seemed diffused somehow by that statement, the silence became comfortable once more, and Tira seemed to quite visibly relax.

 

"Seems so, doesn't it?... Ahaha... it's strange, isn't it..."

 

"What is?"

 

"Well... we've never talked like this before, have we? We've known each other for so long, but we've never really... there's never been anything that we've sat down and talked about..."

 

Before he could make any kind of reply to that, Marron couldn't help but notice something; he (and Tira) were hidden partially by the sheet, but on the other side of it, beyond it, in the garden... Milphey was out there, and he seemed to be looking for something. He was quite distant, but he was obviously peering around... Marron kept an eye on him as he spoke.

 

"No, but perhaps there's never been any reason to speak so... if you remember, it was your curiosity about my relationship with Gateau that stirred this conversation, and that's only a very recent development when compared to the amount of time we've known each other..."

 

"Mmm, you're right, you're right. Before that, I would have thought... well, I don't know, it's still along the lines of the inaccessible, but... exactly that, really... I'd never have even thought about mentioning anything like that to you...! But it's comforting somehow to know that Marron-chan has similar thoughts..."

 

Their conversation really did seem to have pleased Tira somehow. Marron would have been lying to himself if he'd said that he hadn't enjoyed the conversation either, but Tira talking about how he might have seemed inaccessible to her... wasn't he still so? They'd skimmed the subject matter but not much had really been said... more the prelude to future conversation than an actual breakthrough, though perhaps quite telling in itself.

 

Perhaps it was better for things to remain on that level, and for Tira to remain as somebody to drink tea with while watching the leaves dance on the patio on cool autumn mornings. Sex could be a subject matter as anything more, but... there was no reason at all for her to be involved in anything to do with Marron's private life at all, not even hearing about it second-hand. If anything, Marron trusted Gateau (and Milphey) not to speak of past trysts... more than anything, Marron was quite sure that at least Gateau really wouldn't want to mention such things. There was little risk of anybody finding out about things that had happened, especially of the Misu sisters knowing. Would there be any reason for anybody to tell them?

 

Milphey continued to scout around the gardens up ahead. He paused, he looked around... Marron paused, watching intently. Milphey seemed to have stopped also, then suddenly... he was walking forward? It seemed that, whatever he'd been looking for, he'd found it. Did that thing happen to be Marron himself? Given Milphey's tendencies, it wouldn't have been something surprising...

 

Marron wasn't sure if Tira had spotted Milphey yet, but felt it best to mention.

 

"Ah... it seems that Milphey's on his way over..."

"Oh really? How do you know?"

 

"I think the bedsheet is in an awkward position for you..."

 

A voice carried over, "MARRON-CHAA~AN!!"

 

That could only confirm Marron's thoughts. He nodded to himself, "I'd say that that's conclusive proof. I wonder what he would wish of me today... perhaps he may desire to accompany me to the city. If he asks... he'll probably ask you also, I think."

 

"Milphey's a nice person like that..."

 

A hand shot out and swept the bedsheet to the side slightly; Milphey obviously wanted to make a somewhat-grand entrance. He walked past where the sheet hung from the washing-line, and a little closer to where Marron and Tira were sat on the steps. While standing like that, Milphey seemed quite a height... his arms were folded and he looked, somehow, serious. Marron looked up, "You... wanted me for something, Milphey?"

 

Milphey nodded enthusiastically, "Mm, mm! I've been looking for you for the past half an hour or so, jeez! Can't you make yourself easier to find? Usually you're always in the same places! Anyway, I see you two've been having a nice cup of tea... Tira-chan, do you mind if I borrow this one for a little while?"

 

The fingerpoint indicated Marron. Tira had no reason to particularly refuse, "Ah, you don't need to ask me about that..."

 

"Well, I wouldn't want to leave you on your own, or anything."

 

Assuming that Milphey was likely going to ask him out for dinner or so, Marron raised his hand to protect his eyes from the low glare of the sun; Milphey moving the bedsheet had just set things at an awkward angle...

 

"Is it really something that requires only myself?"

 

"I think it'd be embarrassing to bring Tira-chan along, don't you think?"

 

"That depends on where you want to go..."

 

In another situation that might have drawn some kind of comment out of Milphey's quick mind, but he seemed to rapidly tire of the exchange, pinning Marron where he sat with a piercing amber glare.

 

"Kahlua wanted me to find you. He's been working and researching quite hard for quite some time now, and he thinks he may... well. Not to raise any hopes, but he would at least like... he'd like to try something."

 

The mention of Kahlua changed things considerably, and quickly. Marron was only vaguely aware of the elder Haz Knight's involvement with various past events, but he knew that it was enough that Kahlua was involved in the first place. Even if only distantly he was somehow part of things, and for him to request Marron's presence...? Marron stood up quickly, looking from Milphey down to Tira.

 

"Ah... Tira, I apologize... I have to go with Milphey."

 

"Kahlua's one of the Haz Knights, isn't he...?"

 

Milphey answered that one, "Yep."

 

This satisfied Tira, "Well, if it's one of the Haz Knights then it has to be something important... I should go and find where oneesama is, anyway. I'll take these cups inside."

 

Tira stood up, stepping quickly up the steps to the top one. She bent over to pick up the two mugs that she and Marron had been using, stood up, nodded a kind of gratitude at Marron, then walked back towards the direction of the kitchens. Marron and Milphey watched her as she walked inside for a few moments, Milphey turning his back and starting to walk away spurring Marron to follow his movements.

 

"Is there anything that Kahlua's... discovered?"

 

Milphey acted as if Marron hadn't said anything at all, "That was a cosy situation, wasn't it?"

 

"Ah...?"

 

"You and Tira, having a nice cup of tea..."

 

There seemed to be something unnervingly patient about Milphey's voice. Marron frowned slightly, was there some kind of problem with him having tea with Tira? He shook that thought out of his mind, it wasn't really important in light of Milphey's original intention.

 

"Yes, she helped me with my laundry, we were just relaxing while it dried... please Milphey, just tell me."

 

Milphey turned on his heel and walked backwards along the path, able to face Marron while he spoke.

 

"I don't have anything to tell you, only that Kahlua requested your presence and my presence and he requested it over half an hour ago! Honestly. I thought you'd be easily findable, at this time of the morning you're usually meditating by now... has that cat of yours been fed?"

 

Supposing he wouldn't discover the purpose of his summons until faced with Kahlua himself, Marron sighed quietly and settled on the more mundane things.

 

"Mi-chan is fine, yes. He's been catching mice in the upper corridor of late."

 

"Oh yes? Well, that's always a good thing. I mean, don't get me wrong, I don't have anything against mice, I just don't like the idea of them scurrying around anywhere near my bedroom or anything. Not least the idea of them crawling over me while I sleep, ugh! Just, they do like to nibble and chew and shred things to pieces..."

 

"That sounds like you have personal experience..."

 

"I may want to borrow that cat of yours at some point, I'm sure I've heard skittering around when I've turned the lights off..."

 

Milphey turned back around to look where he was walking, dropping his pace to match Marron's own. Marron only slowed himself; he didn't know where Milphey wished for him to go, there had to be some sense of following... Marron spoke, quietly curious.

 

"Kahlua requested my presence... where do you suppose he wishes me to go...?"

 

"I'm taking you there! We're going to... oh, I don't know if you know it... have you ever seen... it's sort of in that direction over there, though the way the trees are here you can't really see it... I don't know, can you see it? Anyway, there's a kind of pyramid structure off Eden's path, that's where Kahlua tends to study and work on his magic."

 

Marron stopped momentarily, "Really?"

 

"Mmm... come on, come on, I'm sure he's wondering where we've got to..."

 

"Kahlua is... a powerful Haz Knight, isn't he?"

 

"All Haz Knights are powerful."

 

"Yes, but... his power... it's a magical power, isn't it? A magical power that doesn't stem from the power of Sorcerers... do you know what kind of magic he wields?"

 

Milphey shrugged, "How would I know? I mean, he's probably told me a million times before... even when I was little, he was a powerful master of magic. Before he was a Haz Knight, he was a master. Before he was a Haz Knight, before the split of Sorcerers and Parsoners... it's a kind of magic that predates all the little sparks and fireworks Sorcerers today have. I mean, Kahlua can be quite a dull person when he wants to be, his magic is his business and I suppose nobody else really has to know. I would say he's one of the top five most powerful people on this Continent, though. When it comes to that kind of thing."

 

A magic that predated all other magic on the Continent... that seemed an incredible thing, to Marron's mind. Kahlua had such power and over such a long period of time... before Sorcerers? Even that seemed an impossible thought to grasp. What kind of magic was there before Sorcerers... obviously there was that of the Gods, Marron's own power stemmed heavily from the fact that he who'd created Eastern Magic slept in his soul, but... Kahlua? What kind of ties did he have? Marron felt a little intimidated by the fact that he'd be meeting up with somebody so long-lived and powerful, and for a problem that in comparison had to be so amazingly tiny... he didn't like to think he was bothering Kahlua with such a thing... but also, if he was so powerful, was it not also possible that he'd be able to solve the problem easily?

 

The note of hope that sung in Marron's heart couldn't be denied, just for a moment. Trying to distract himself, he turned to face Milphey.

 

"Oh really... who would the other four most powerful be?"

 

"Hm? Oh, I don't know if it's exactly five... well, anyway. Kahlua, definitely. Master of magic, all of this sort of thing. Big Mama, of course. Your brother, or at least that power inside him. That's probably the most powerful. Oh, then... then there are the Four Lords of Darkness... oh, don't get me started on a topic like that, just accept that Kahlua's pretty damned powerful, okay?"

 

Milphey seemed to get almost impatient when it came to talking about such things. They carried on walking, Marron was being led into Eden's main hall now. He wasn't quite sure how this would take him to Eden's pyramid, but he also trusted Milphey to lead him there. He probably had a better idea of where he was going than Marron did.

 

It just seemed that... it just seemed that Milphey's entire manner seemed to be short, somehow. Perhaps he'd just woken up in a bad mood or so, but... he'd even reacted strangely over Marron having a cup of tea with Tira, hadn't he? He could talk at length about the Haz Knights and their history, but he seemed to have a tone that clearly said that he just didn't want to talk about those sorts of things...

 

Perhaps if the conversation was moved onto a different subject...

 

"I... think I had a dream, last night."

 

"Is that so?"

 

"M-mm. That was... that was why I was washing my bedsheets in the first place. It was a dream where I... it was... it was that kind of dream..."

 

"I see..."

 

"I don't even remember clearly what happened in the dream. Thinking about it... it makes me unsure as to whether I did dream. Sometimes my dreams are so vivid, but sometimes... sometimes I can barely remember anything. It just doesn't seem to make sense... sometimes they're so terrible and wonderful, so vivid and they move me so... it makes me wonder what they mean..."

 

Milphey didn't turn to face Marron as he spoke, "You want to read any deep meaning into those? Your body wants to get laid, what more is there than that?"

 

"If it were only my body, then surely my mind would not inflict such dreams on me..."

 

"Dreams have never been an exact science. If you had recurring dreams about murdering everybody in the building, would you think about going off on a light murdering spree? Nobody knows what causes dreams, and unless there's some kinju got inside you controlling what goes on in that head of yours while you sleep, I don't think we're going to know, either. Before anything else, your body is a biological machine, right? It can't keep going and going without getting rid of stuff it doesn't need to keep sitting around. Any other guy and I'm sure it wouldn't be a problem..."

 

"Milphey..."

 

"... but no, it's always 'I can't do this' and 'my feelings won't let me do that', and before you know it you've whipped yourself up into yet another frenzy. What then? Well, let's try and solve this! Why? Who knows! Will it help anything? Will it finally loosen your tongue into going up to Carrot, 'oh look niisan, I can have orgasms. I want you to make me have them'? Maybe it'll just end up with Gateau being dragged round Eden once more. Then if it's a problem, won't it repeat itself? Oh, you could make it stop, but maybe you're more worried about that than it carrying on..."

 

Somehow, Milphey had ended up ranting his way across the great hall. Marron wasn't sure Milphey was even addressing him anymore; he came to another stop, standing in around the middle of the room. He watched as Milphey walked off, he hadn't noticed but still he continued... there really did seem to be something wrong with him, but Marron had a feeling that asking him what that was probably wouldn't procure an answer.

 

What would it be that was making Milphey so bitter all of a sudden? Marron felt at a loss. Milphey had said over and over in the past that Marron should trust him, and indeed, Milphey knew more about the various situations than anybody else did... Marron knew the failings of his personal logic more than anything else, but did Milphey's trusted position really give him the right to speak so? Marron clenched one fist, "Milphey-!"

 

The louder sound echoed around the high-rising pillars of the hall. Milphey had been standing at the entrance to the arched doorway that would lead he and Marron to the lower paths of Eden, a particular one which would lead them to where Kahlua was waiting for them... he stopped, he turned around, he realised that Marron wasn't directly behind him.

 

"What are you standing over there for?"

 

"... Do you even hear yourself..."

 

The magnitude of the hall reduced the volume of Marron's voice. Milphey sighed and retraced his steps, "Can't hear you when you're talking quietly... what did you say?"

 

Marron's voice was sharper, "I said, do you even hear yourself?!"

 

"Marron-chan?"

 

"Talking so bitterly... it really brings you such frustrations, doesn't it? I can't help it if I feel I cannot do something, if there are things I wish to do... if my mind and body are not in synchronization... you said you would help me and I accept that, I accept that thankfully, but if you seriously resent the assistance I would require from you-"

 

"Marron, be quiet."

 

"Ha-?"

 

Milphey slowly closed the distance between he and Marron, his arms tightly folded.

 

"You didn't come and see me at all, did you?"

 

"... I was supposed to?"

 

"It would have been nice...! Marron, you-... you don't come right out to somebody and say they can have you if they want you just to have a huge long silence following it!"

 

Marron shook his head, "I looked for you...! I wasn't able to find you, then after time passed I supposed that, if you'd so badly wanted to talk about it, you might have mentioned it... a lot happened that day, Milphey. When it came to the end of it I wanted to sleep, more than anything. However, I've been meditating every day, you could always have come to see me... some mornings you did, don't you remember?"

 

There was a heavy pause, then Milphey unfolded his arms and placed his hands over Marron's shoulders. He held the mage with surprising strength, staring at him intently.

 

"There's a difference between me coming to see you, and you coming to see me. I know where you're going to be, but if you'd made the effort to find me... then when I have to find you for something, I walk past and you're sitting there happily drinking tea with Tira!"

 

"You'd begrudge me that...? We happened to meet, it was coincidence..."

 

Milphey pulled himself quickly away, "Not begrudge, just-... oh, forget it. There's nothing here to really make an issue of, is there? Besides, Kahlua's still waiting for us."

 

"I don't understand... what the issue would be in the first place... but you seem in an awkward mood, somehow..."

 

A sigh, then Milphey attempted a smile. He put one arm over Marron's shoulders, walking slowly and guiding him over to the arched door.

 

"Maybe I am. Haven't really been in a good mood for a couple of days now, really... I guess I've just been thinking about troublesome things. That, and I can't be entirely happy with what Kahlua has planned..."

 

That sentence seemed to bring the conversation back down to a more even level. Milphey hadn't apologized, but... in such a mood, perhaps apology was the last thing on his mind. If there was something pressing that Kahlua had in mind that Milphey wasn't keen on, then of course that would probably be at the forefront of his mind... Marron blinked, "You know what it is that he has planned...?"

 

"Well, he explained it basically to me..."

 

"Would you... tell me what it is?"

 

Milphey patted Marron's shoulder overenthusiastically, "Don't worry, don't worry! You'll probably be unconscious for most of it."

 

Marron started, "Unconscious?"

 

"Mmm... I know we know what we know but I think Kahlua over there wants to see for himself, in a manner of speaking. Get a... feel of what the problem is."

 

"... The things he's planning...?"

 

Seeming to sense Marron's sudden unease quite evident by the tensing of his shoulders, Milphey leapt to the side and waved his hands in a dismissive fashion.

 

"I said, don't worry! It's not going to be anything bad. We're not going to take advantage of you or anything. Though I suppose that depends quite how you define 'taking advantage'... I mean, he's not going to be doing anything himself, or anything. Well obviously he'll be doing all magic kinds of things, but... I... I've got to..."

 

Milphey sighed, folding his arms again.

 

"I wondered if I should tell you or not, but I suppose if it's something that's happening to you it'd be better to tell you than to keep you in the dark... basically we just want to see what things stimulate you..."

 

"While I'm unconscious?!"

 

"We all know what happens if you try to do things like that when you're not unconscious! I'm sure Kahlua'll tell you more about what he's got planned once we get there... or maybe he won't say anything at all, he can be that kind of person sometimes. But... we don't have to go there if you don't want to. I mean, it's your body... if it's embarrassing to think that Kahlua might be watching you, it's... well, he doesn't see things like we do."

 

Vague memory of seeing Kahlua in the past rose in Marron's mind, "Ah yes, he's... he's blind, isn't he?"

 

"Well, that depends on what you mean by 'blind'. It probably started off like that but put like that, it makes it sound like he's disabled in some way, and he certainly isn't. I think it's more that he's risen above the need to physically look at things to be able to see them... or I could be talking out of my ass, it's not something I've really talked to him about. Basically, yes he is. But, he has his own way of managing things. You know how they say that if you lose one sense then another might be incredibly heightened? It's like that with him for more than just one other, I'm sure... well, anyway. Either we can go, or we don't. You don't have to, I'm sure he'd understand if you didn't want to..."

 

Marron shook his head, "N-no, if he's requested my presence then I should at least see him..."

 

"And with the things he wants to do?"

 

"You said yourself, he's one of the most powerful people on the Continent. He's also one of Mama's Haz Knights... I think those qualities in themselves would make him a trustworthy person, wouldn't they?"

 

"That's quite an immediate kind of trust, isn't it...?"

 

Milphey started to skip off down the corridor, "And what if I was a powerful Haz Knight? Would you immediately trust me then?"

 

"I think that's something entirely different, Milphey..."

 

"What?! Why? How is it different? Haz Knight, powerful, trusted aide of Big Mama, you wouldn't trust me?! I'm amazingly hurt!"

 

"It's not only that... it's to do with their manner too, I think. Kahlua has... Kahlua has a presence, a kind of awesome power that you can just immediately sense... I don't know if it's a matter of him being a Haz Knight or not, but... the fact that he is, that shows that Big Mama must have trusted him implicitly, doesn't it? I'm sure she wouldn't make just anybody a Haz Knight."

 

"Wouldn't be so sure of that..."

 

"Mm?"

 

"Oh, nothing, nothing. Though, all of that... you've seen Cinnamon stumbling around, haven't you? Bet she's got real bad Haz Knight aura, right?"

 

That was a point. Marron shook his head, "As I said before, I don't know if it's something to do with being a Haz Knight... she has power though, does she not? When she's a Haz Knight, she's very different as to how she usually is..."

 

"Would you trust her, though?"

 

Marron thought about this for a few moments. Cinnamon herself... he'd never really spoken to her at length, but she seemed a genuinely happy and kind sort of person. The thought of her being malicious in any way seemed impossible...

 

Maybe she was a pure sort of person? Marron made a mental note to mention that to Tira when they next happened to meet up. Of course, the Haz Knights were in a league of their own, but... well, they were closer to being human than Big Mama was, surely?

 

"If I were to get to know her, I'm sure I would... I'm not sure. Why do you ask?"

 

"Oh, no reason, no reason... hmn, this innate Haz Knight power, though. Sounds wonderful."

 

Milphey didn't say anything after that, silently leading Marron through the corridor. Marron took a few moments to himself to look at the surroundings... behind them was the door that led to the great hall. Marron wondered if they should have closed the door behind them, but... perhaps it was too late for that now. The corridor itself seemed a usual kind of corridor for Eden to have, the red carpet underfoot, the pale stone, the high arch windows, the columns that interspersed those... there did seem to be something about the floor, though. It only seemed quite subtle, but the pathway was surely sloped, they were certainly going below ground level... the windows to the side seemed to become higher up and further away, and at the end of the corridor was a high wall, and two doors. Milphey indicated to the one to Marron's left, "That's just another entrance to the basement. Well, this door in front of us is also, strictly... they both lead off to different parts of the basement, though."

 

"I see..."

 

"We have a lot of basements."

 

The corridor beyond the far door was quite different to that which had preceded it. The corridor was the dark stone of Eden's basements, and lit torches lent the only light... Milphey plucked one of them from it's holder, using it to help guide his step. The corridor seemed to end suddenly, but a flight of stairs led still further deeper underground. Marron kept close to Milphey, who kept his stare straight ahead.

 

"Don't worry, it's not far away from here."

 

"Ah?"

 

"The place we're going. It's just at the end of this lower corridor."

 

"Oh... I see..."

 

"I walk these corridors a lot, but I still can't get used to them... I mean, there are all kinds of rooms and vaults down here... I'm sure even I don't know all of them. Since this is the main branch of the Stella Church... well, there are a lot of things sealed here, kept safe here..."

 

"My sword is down here, is it not?"

 

"Ah? Oh yeah, that Hamato thing. Yes, it's around here somewhere, though I couldn't tell you where without asking Big Mama. This isn't the sort of place you'd want to look through each room in turn to find something, if you know what I mean. Still, even a basement could be more cheerful... why is it always dank colours and hardly any light, honestly...? Fine if they want to create a mood, but when you're just trying to find something, it's a little strange... anyway. Mmm... I think this is the door..."

 

The stairs evened out into flat corridor once more, and their footsteps seemed to echo loudly across the stone. Glancing from side to side, Marron noticed that they did seem to be walking past a lot of doors... what might those doors contain on the other side? Sealed magic, perhaps? Maybe libraries, private rooms for the Haz Knights... one would of course contain his legendary weapon... the end of the corridor reached, Milphey opened the door that blocked them. Marron wondered if this would contain yet another corridor, but... the room opened out into a contained space of it's own, containing only... some kind of altar? Milphey motioned to it, "Come on, then!"

 

"Ah?"

 

"If we stand on this thing, it'll take us to where Kahlua is."

 

"Oh... it's a device of transportation...? That's... that's quite amazing..."

 

"We're going to a floating pyramid, it's a massive building just floating in the air a little way away from Eden primarily due to Kahlua's influence, you'd say that that isn't amazing?"

 

Marron shook his head, "No, no, nothing like that at all..."

 

Milphey took Marron's hand and led him up onto the altar. There was a moment of silence, then suddenly it did whatever it was supposed to do, for Marron felt suddenly light-headed and even lighter-bodied, and for a moment the world seemed to have whited out; the sensation only lasted for a matter of seconds before Marron found himself at an altar once more, but this one was clearly in a different place... Marron almost fell forward, reaching out to the stone edges of the structure to steady himself. Milphey's arms reached out to grab him at around that moment, and they remained still for a little while.

 

"You okay, Marron-chan?"

 

"Y-yes, I'm alright... that was just unexpected somehow, that's all..."

 

"Yes, yes... it would be strange for somebody who wasn't used to it, I should have warned you about that, I'm sorry. Pretty funky though, isn't it? I wouldn't like to be stuck in one of those if it went wrong, ahaha..."

 

"Please don't say things like that when that's our only method of moving between places..."

 

"Oh, there are probably windows, we could jump out or something if you really didn't like the transporters. Anyway... you feeling okay now? You want to go through and meet Kahlua?"

 

Marron took a moment or so more to steady himself; he felt vaguely nauseous after that transportation, but he supposed he'd been through worse and more unexpected things in the past. He corrected his posture, cleared his throat, stood up straight... suddenly noticing more than the immediate feelings inside of his body, Marron realised that it hadn't been due to only his eyes being closed that the place they'd ended up in had seemed dark; carefully stepping forward he could feel the floor drop into small steps below, but... the rooms seemed incredibly dark. Perhaps that was only for the second altar room? Milphey jumped down to accompany Marron's steps, keeping a firm hold of the boy's hand as he did so.

 

"Here... mind the steps..."

 

"Yes..."

 

The air seemed so still and the room seemed so dark. Marron felt Milphey lead him forward, and as his eyes got used to the reduced light, he could make out a couple of doorways and passages... he hoped that Milphey knew where they were going, the building didn't seem to have been designed for ease of navigation.

 

Plainly it had been constructed with another purpose in mind; the further he and Milphey walked, the more Marron felt a kind of... nervousness? Almost like that, but not quite... a kind of expectation, the sensation of knowing that there was something unknown very near by. There was something powerful and something terribly expectant about the very still air of the silent corridors, and Kahlua was that something. Marron didn't want to say anything until Milphey spoke to him first, there just seemed to be a kind of feeling that this was somewhere you didn't speak unless you especially had to... even when Milphey next spoke, he did so in a whisper.

 

"I'm sorry it's so dark, Marron-chan. However, this is Kahlua's own place... it's somewhere where he doesn't need physical vision to be able to see. It's a bit strange to come from sunlight to here, but I suppose the dark corridors of before dull your eyes beforehand..."

 

"... Such an amazing presence..."

 

"Ah? Oh, yes... yes, there is, isn't there? Maybe I'm used to it..."

 

Milphey spoke with confidence, but Marron couldn't help but wonder if he was saying such things to put his companion at ease; such power, such a feeling, such a presence... how could you ever get used to such a piercing atmosphere? Marron's mental realization of Kahlua as somebody amazingly powerful was only confirmed in his mind.

 

After an uneventful walk, the corridor opened out into another room; this room was so much larger than anything else in the pyramid - Marron looked up, even though there was little to see. It didn't seem unrealistic to assume that this was the main room of the entire structure... even footsteps seemed to echo off of far-off walls... the potential energy of the chamber was quite oppressive in its power. It was quite possible that every stone of the floor, every brick of the wall had been made with the idea of reflecting and perhaps storing any kind of magical power to happen in front of it to the idea of the best possible architecture. What kind of Magic Carpenter could create such a building... perhaps it was something made by Kahlua's own hand...? At that point, Marron felt that little could surprise him.

 

Much about the room and its atmosphere could hold him in absolute thrall, but he would have believed quite anything about his surroundings at that moment if anybody were to tell him, no matter how contrived. He didn't quite realise that Milphey had been still holding his hand until the moment it was released; Marron heard Milphey step forward, and he clenched his hands slightly. Still with that slightly nervous feeling... and his hand had been holding Milphey's hand so tightly, that was more than a little moist by now. Then Milphey spoke, and his voice seemed loud in the most blasphemous way possible... surely even the slightest noise disturbed the delicate balance of the pyramid?

 

"Kahlua, we've arrived."

 

"I know."

 

Kahlua's voice seemed quieter, far-off and nearby all at once... the room, the very pyramid itself seemed like some kind of self-contained little reality, and once Kahlua made his presence known, this feeling seemed only to compound itself. Marron could hear Kahlua walking over from somewhere else in the room, he could make out the outline of movement, but when Kahlua spoke it was so quiet yet said with such clarity that the voice could have been speaking to his mind directly...

 

Milphey carried on, seeming unmoved by the different things that Marron felt.

 

"I'm sorry we took so long... it took me a while to find him, and then it took a while to get here..."

 

"No, no. It's quite alright. Today is a day of rest for Her Sorcerer Hunters... there is no rush, especially not if you wish to be casual about such matters. I believe that would be the best frame of mind to be in, would it not? However... you are... apprehensive, aren't you..."

 

"A-ah..."

 

Momentarily, Marron found it difficult to speak. The feeling of the voice addressing him, then facing the reality of that voice actually addressing him... Kahlua spoke slowly, but with a kind of reverence for anything that left his mouth. He seemed to be the kind of person who'd think infinitely before he spoke... and in such a place, who said that he didn't have opportunity for that? Marron didn't know what to say. He didn't know if the feeling was apprehension as such, but...

 

Perhaps that was the best way to describe it. Elements of nervousness, of the known, of the unknown... it wasn't as if Marron's trust of Kahlua had been shaken at all, more the opposite... that presence didn't diminish, and his pulse quickened to consider anything that might happen. Before all else he felt somewhat guilty for disturbing this clearly powerful Haz Knight for favour of something that seemed so mundane in comparison... before he could stop himself, Marron found himself dropping to one knee, it seemed the proper thing to do.

 

"Kahlua... sir... I apologize for potentially troubling you with something inherently below your station... I don't know if I could describe my feeling as apprehension, but... I don't know if I could describe my feeling at all..."

 

Despite the fact that Kahlua had been approaching Milphey and Marron constantly since the conversation had first begun, Marron still visibly (had anybody been able to see it) jumped when he suddenly felt a hand on his head. Not Milphey's hand, certainly not...

 

"I have some range of power over everything within this space, Marron Glacé... I can feel the unease flowing forth from you as if this air were the banks to your river. Tell me... what do you suppose may relax you?"

 

It was hard to think of anything that could relax him suitably in that situation, but Marron thought things over quickly, in any case. In the end, it was Milphey's suggestion that sounded most sensible.

 

"Perhaps if Marron-chan were to lie down? You'll have to do so anyway... Kahlua, you have somewhere for him, don't you?"

 

"Indeed... can you stand...?"

 

There wasn't particularly any reason why Marron wouldn't have been able to stand, but Kahlua's voice didn't seem unkind. Marron felt himself quite aware of Kahlua's hands working with his own to help him to stand up, then leading him away from where he'd stood originally... each step felt as if Marron was descending through some kind of mental fog. That presence really was impressive, wasn't it? For somebody to be able to generate such power...

 

Remembering that, Marron remembered his initial unease.

 

"A-ah..."

 

"Are you troubled?"

 

"Ah... that is... I... I don't wish... I honestly don't wish to disturb somebody of your power...!"

 

"Perhaps I would wish to study somebody of your power."

 

"Ah...?"

 

Milphey quickly stepped over to where Marron and Kahlua had stopped, in front of a large stone plinth of some kind. Milphey wasn't sure where Kahlua had got the large rock, or even what he'd do with it afterward, but supposed that that wasn't really anything to do with anything. As for it itself, it came up to about Kahlua's waist, a little higher on Milphey and Marron. It was rectangular, and probably just about the right sort of size for somebody to be able to lie on. That was its purpose; Kahlua motioned for Marron to lie on the stone, Milphey helped him with that action. There might not really have been any need to help Marron to lie down, Milphey was sure that he was perfectly capable of such a thing himself, but... if nothing else the atmosphere did feel thick with some sort of tension, and doing things slowly and precisely seemed to fit with that.

 

Marron lay back on the stone; it felt cold to his skin, even through the slight warmth of his robes. Looking above him, Marron could see... very little. The pyramid above was just as dark and cloudy as the pyramid below, and Marron found himself craving just some kind of clear light... the gentle sunlight, the glow of an oil-lamp, just something to remind his eyes and mind what being able to see meant... he came to the conclusion that he'd quite sorely miss his sight, were he ever to go blind himself. Well, of course... Marron chided himself, his thoughts were unravelling.

 

"We are all masters of our own fields, after all."

 

Realizing that Kahlua was addressing him again, Marron tried to look to the source of the voice, somewhere to his side.

 

"Ah... ah, yes..."

 

"Much as I am the master of my own power, so too... are you... a master of yours. There is likely much we could learn from each other."

 

That thought seemed somehow amusing, "I'm not sure I could be called a master of my powers... of Eastern Magic... there is a lot I still have to learn."

 

"Yet also a great deal you have learnt already, surely. This power inside you... how was it roused? Were you perhaps... taught, by somebody?"

 

Marron nodded, "I'll always look upon Master Hourai as being a master of Eastern Magic... he would often speak of how I would one day surpass him in power. I... I don't know if I could measure my power now against how his used to be back then, but... I am certainly more powerful than I was then, if nothing else..."

 

The path of different magical practices on the Continent was one that was hard to keep track of; Kahlua's voice remained even in tone, giving away little to his actual purpose. As he had spoken to Milphey about in a time previous, it was entirely possible that Marron had somehow sealed away his troublesome feelings in a way much more powerful than just telling himself that he wouldn't think of them; magic could hold definite powers over the mind of one who used it, and it was entirely possible that there were things happening that even Marron couldn't be conscious of. If he were to still have a master then surely that master would have warned him of such effects of magic upon the psyche, but...

 

There was something.

 

"Your master felt it would be better for you to study on your own...?"

 

If nothing else, that seemed irresponsible. Any teacher of magic had to be aware of the subtle changes that puberty had on anybody's body in the first place, and all those hormonal changes combined with the magical studies that young bodies were just getting used to... but in all honesty, Kahlua found it impressive that Marron had coped to this day. Many didn't even make it that far; it was rare to see a Parsoner with a full and conscious control of magic... some tried. Not many succeeded.

 

"My master died when I was fourteen."

 

"... I see. I apologize."

 

That explained things further; that was also somewhat hopeful. Fourteen was quite firmly in the age-range of puberty, and it was fairly possible that this Hourai had at least guided Marron somehow... of course, the process should ideally have been an ongoing one, Kahlua knew from past experience that one should usually guide a pupil to at least their early twenties for their magic to evolve to any kind of fruition... Marron said that his master had died. That could easily be something offputting for any dedicated pupil, but it seemed that Marron himself was somewhat more determined, than that... even Kahlua was aware of the boy's dedication to his studies, if he was to see Marron at all then it would usually be when he was studying his magic out on Eden's grounds... and from what Milphey spoke of, Marron spent almost all of his time involved in his magic. That was admirable. It was also quite dangerous.

 

"Therefore... perhaps you remain the last pupil of Eastern Magic on the Continent...?"

 

Marron was silent for a few moments. He almost wished that that were so, but he couldn't lie...

 

"There was another pupil who studied alongside me."

 

Another teenager was far from locating a master of magic to be able to assist, but was a start. Kahlua nodded patiently, "You sound somewhat reluctant..."

 

"... His name was Monbran. He... he and I... originally, we were children on Mount St Hordic. He would always try to get between my brother and I, always try to convince me that he was so much more a worthy brother figure... then came the day when I was told I should go away to learn magic, and that I should do so with him..."

 

Somebody disturbing the equilibrium of brothers. Perhaps that wasn't the best choice.

 

"... We studied our magic together. Over those years, we indeed grew quite close... however, I was always just so slightly more powerful than him. I could learn things with so much more ease, my powers were far more effective... I couldn't help those things, but I think that he eventually came to resent me for them. The last time I saw him, we... we fought."

 

"I see..."

 

Kahlua quietly circled Marron as he spoke. Ideally, the plan of action was to find out Marron's master and perhaps involve him somehow, if anybody knew the pupil then it would be the teacher, but... that couldn't be helped. It couldn't be helped, and Marron had managed to cope so well until this point...

 

Until this point, in any case. The matter now seemed quite serious, if the time before had been anything to go by. The feelings could be sealed if that was really for the best, but then if the body wished to access those feelings, some kind of trauma would certainly occur... Marron was already to the point where he was starting to black out due to these powerful feelings. What was the next step after that...

 

Having circled the stone platform, Kahlua stopped once more. Marron no longer had a master, but if anywhere on the Continent, Eden was the safest place to be. He himself was no master of Eastern Magic, but he was at least a master of magic in his own right, and that was surely better than nothing.

 

First off, the severity of the problem had to be established. The conversation on Eastern Magic having drawn to some kind of close (at least, Kahlua had extracted the information he needed), Kahlua dropped to a kneel behind the top edge of the stone. At this level, he was at just the right height to be able to press his forehead against Marron's upside-down own; he did this, pressing his fingers with slight pressure to the side of Marron's neck.

 

Marron could still see little, but he felt Kahlua's forehead, felt the vague tickle of hair against his skin... he swallowed nervously. Now was perhaps not the best time to be thinking about that time when he definitely had a sexual dream with said Haz Knight in it, but somehow the vague hazy memory of being taken and roughly so by that person right there wouldn't quite go away... that didn't help the situation. The way Kahlua was, the way he spoke, even the way he moved... there just seemed to be something about him, something about him that could look at somebody and see into their mind, peer into their soul...

 

More than anything, Marron didn't want Kahlua looking into his mind and finding wild erotic romps of the two of them in there. 'Embarrassing' would not be the word.

 

"Marron... please try to relax."

 

"Ahn-... ehn... y-yes..."

 

"More than anything, you must not try to deny what you feel in this place. The denial is what brought you here initially, after all... now. You may feel a bright light within you... this is intended. You may feel somewhat lethargic afterward. Please sleep if you feel that is best."

 

"Yes..."

 

Despite the phrasing of the request, Marron felt that to fall asleep was exactly what he was expected to do. He closed his eyes tightly at first, then relaxed as he got used to the recognizable darkness of behind his own eyelids. There was something comforting about the darkness that he himself brought to his mind... then was that white light that Kahlua had mentioned. Bright and sudden and somewhere beyond natural sight, Marron couldn't help himself try to jolt upward, eyes wide open - Kahlua's hands, gentle though they seemed, held Marron down quite firmly by his shoulders.

 

"AH-!"

 

"Marron-chan?"

 

From the sound of his voice, Milphey was at the opposite end of the stone platform. It wasn't until he spoke his concern that Marron remembered that Milphey was in fact still in the room; it didn't seem as if he would have especially gone anywhere, but his presence seemed more with the physical than the mental, which Kahlua dominated... Marron had felt calmed enough to hold Milphey's hand on entering the room, but since Kahlua had begun... whatever it was he was doing, Milphey had remained silent and more or less still, waiting to be of some kind of use.

 

He watched with a careful eye. It was as hard for him to see in the pyramid as it was for Marron to do the same, but Milphey liked to think himself just a little more seasoned to the habits and habitats of the elder Haz Knights. Watching Kahlua pressed purposefully against Marron like that... watching Marron react so suddenly like that... Milphey could only watch. His arms were folded and two fingers twisted and pulled absently at one longer lock of hair... it was strange. He trusted Kahlua as much as he trusted anybody, and if Marron was willing to have such sudden trust then that could only help the situation - and that was the point, the situation itself was to help. Perhaps Kahlua would be able to discover a solution to Marron's problems, perhaps something good would come out of it all... perhaps... but even so, Milphey couldn't help but feel just slightly uncomfortable, watching the other two.

 

He felt slightly guilty for being so snappy with Marron that morning, more than anything else. He had been snappy and he had sounded bitter, and surely as far as Marron could see there hadn't been any reason for that... it probably didn't help that Kahlua was now somehow involved, also.

 

It had actually been about a week ago that Kahlua had first said anything at all. Marron had been studying quietly, Milphey had been keeping an eye on him... Marron could probably be trusted to study on his own, but Milphey always kept vague memories of watching Marron as undesirable things had happened to him. In the very first instance, that had been Kahlua who'd helped, hadn't it? It seemed that Kahlua had been keeping an eye on Milphey keeping an eye on Marron, especially since that one day from a time before... it was inevitable that Kahlua should be involved, especially if his help was requested, but... when he always just happened to walk past and say something, start up a conversation that Milphey didn't want to find himself in... he always had to be the one saying all the annoying sensible things, didn't he? Saying things like 'You can't take your eyes off of him, can you?' in such a straightforward manner...

 

Milphey's anger always seemed to split off into two categories. It always seemed to be either 'What the hell are you trying to imply by that?!', or 'Of course I can't, are you stupid?'... and neither were especially useful for lifting any bad mood Milphey might have got himself into. Both held connotations that annoyed him; if even Kahlua was saying things like that, then just how obvious was he in his actions? Kahlua had known him for a lot longer than most other people in Eden, if someone like Tira or Carrot walked by they probably wouldn't say or notice anything, but just the fact that Kahlua would...

 

The second seemed a fairly reasonable conclusion to such an enquiry. Asking somebody, even in a gentle way, if they could take their eyes off of Marron? Marron was, simply put, beautiful. If he was just sitting there doing something quietly and the opportunity was there to watch him without being noticed, why not indulge a little? Notice little things that maybe Marron didn't, like the way the breeze swept his robe around on occasion... the way the sun shone onto his hair, onto his skin... the way he'd fight back an occasional yawn (it was cute when he did that) and the way he'd always tuck his hair behind his ears as he leant forward to read the newest page of the book he studied... who wouldn't want to watch things like that?

 

As Kahlua had felt necessary to point out, it wasn't a case of wanting to or not wanting to, but more a case of should... then when he'd bluntly come out with 'Should you really be watching him like that?', that had been when Milphey had started to get annoyed. Was it really any of Kahlua's business if Milphey chose to watch Marron doing this or that? If anything, Marron was a technically delicate person, and if something did happen while nobody was watching... well... Milphey at least felt that he'd feel guilty for that. He was watching for Marron's own safety...!

 

Not that Marron was particularly painful on the eyes or anything, either.

 

When it came to Marron himself, that was where things started to fall apart just a little. No amount of sitting and watching and thinking could bring Milphey to any solid conclusion as to how he really felt about the young mage. It wasn't enough to say that he was beautiful or anything like that, anybody with eyes could realise that and besides, there were other people on the Continent that were also beautiful, Milphey could notice things like that. There was something more than just that beauty, but Milphey couldn't pinpoint just what it was...

 

The only explanation seemed to be him. He was Marron. That was the only way to explain it.

 

Obviously he'd be somebody anybody would be lucky to have, to be with. Such stubborn devotion and single-minded loyalty, were he to ever fall in love he'd likely protect and please his lover until the end of time, and even beyond, if that were possible. Whoever that person was. Was that person Carrot? Milphey couldn't help but think of the elder Glacé brother, whenever his thoughts took that kind of direction. It seemed wrong somehow. Milphey knew he'd never dare even dream of saying such a thing to Marron, and to his own credit his feelings probably didn't stem from what Marron would probably think they would have done... Milphey couldn't really care less that Marron and Carrot were brothers, it was just a case of... just sometimes, he'd end up thinking... just what was it about Carrot that attracted Marron so?! Milphey could notice Carrot's inherent cuteness and he did love to tease him whenever he got the chance, but... that was just something fun, if Carrot ever gave in to the flirtation then they'd probably both enjoy themselves, but... if Carrot was somebody who was fun to tease and play around with, then Marron was the polar opposite.

 

Strictly speaking, things had gone quite well so far. He and Marron... kissing, things further than kissing, things further than groping, then actual sex... he had had sex with Marron, and that was a lot further than anybody else had got.

 

Not that Marron was the prize at the end of a race or anything, but...

 

That was the other thing, though still linked to Carrot somewhat. Marron's mind was obsessed completely with Carrot; if it wasn't Carrot, then it'd probably be Gateau. All of Marron's problems with Gateau stemmed from issues involving Carrot, more or less.

 

So Milphey took up the position of trust. A position he'd had for many other people many other times in the past... there was a certain pride to be taken from knowing himself so trusted, and to be trusted did allow people some certain liberties... Marron often needed somebody to be there, and he trusted Milphey to be so. It just so happened that Milphey quite enjoyed being there whether Marron especially needed it or not.

 

At the end of the day, it still usually came down to things that Kahlua said. Those things that he said that he never meant to be cutting, but that hurt Milphey just as sharply by their implication... 'You have a collector's interest in them, don't you?'... that had made Milphey growl, albeit under his breath. He didn't mean to collect such a track record of human lives, loves and feelings... it just always happened. There had to be something to fill the years with, after all... though, Kahlua was on a different level entirely. He didn't understand such things (or at least, so it seemed to Milphey). Until that point the two of them had got along fairly well under the notion that Milphey didn't disturb Kahlua with any of his business, and Kahlua wouldn't try to pry into and meddle with Milphey's personal life. As much as he himself trusted the other Haz Knights, Milphey did have a preference for keeping his private life, well... private.

 

Milphey wasn't keen on his private business involving others, and at the current moment his private business was Marron and Kahlua was getting far too involved. That only made Milphey feel worse; Kahlua had a genuine ethic for wanting to help Marron, whatever it was. His own bitterness only really came from the irrational thought of 'I don't want you anywhere near him'... and that was a conundrum in itself. Milphey liked to keep the existence of his various lovers secret from his day-to-day eternal companions. Therefore only he would keep the memory of those people alive once they passed on, nobody else would talk of them and stir sudden stinging memories that Milphey would perhaps wish to keep buried for a decade or so... but then on the other hand, that was also lonely in itself. The nature of those relationships meant he could never reminisce other than on his own, there were never any shared memories to keep the thoughts alive. Only what he himself could remember and record, and that never, never seemed enough... everything that was happening at the moment was a shared memory between he and Kahlua. In years and years and years, they would be able to sit together and remember that Marron Glacé, that one who was always obsessed with his brother, who had odd sexual difficulties... Milphey wondered what Kahlua's recollection of Marron would be. Surely it couldn't be anything as tender as his own recollection...

 

Marron didn't reply to Milphey's concern; he seemed to remain tense and silent... then he fell back against the stone, Kahlua still pressed to him. Nothing was said, and Milphey could only watch... what was happening between those two at that moment...? The silence seemed almost unbearable, but then again, the silence didn't seem one that Milphey had the authority to disturb, either... Kahlua never even seemed to move were it not for a purpose, and there had to be something going on with his mind and Marron's mind... Milphey felt a little protective, there had been something unpleasant there for a moment which had caused Marron discomfort... was he alright now? Was he able to express if he was or if he wasn't?... After what seemed like far too long, Kahlua finally broke the silence.

 

"... I am between his conscious and his subconscious."

 

There didn't seem to be much to say to that. Milphey blinked, "... Oh?"

 

"To discern that which affects him, then that within him must be separated. I hold current power over his conscious mind; that is something that can be held, but not easily tampered with. He is currently dominated by his subconscious... there is nothing that he will remember from this, as he is at this moment. If his mind is still his own, then he should not form any kind of objection to anything done to his body in this state. If there is resistance, then... the situation is that much more serious, and his life may yet be in more danger than we could have initially assumed."

 

"So there's no pressure then, is there..."

 

"I would have thought that you would have enjoyed such a role..."

 

"What, I'm supposed to enjoy molesting him while he's too knocked out to say anything different? Oh yes, I love it when I'm groping somebody who's not going to wake up. It's my secret fetish."

 

Kahlua realised that perhaps he hadn't quite considered Milphey's point of view thoroughly before setting the course of events into action. His expression softened slightly; of course, such a thing could indeed be painful for him... Kahlua only knew as much of Milphey's past private life as he was told or had accidentally walked in on, but even with that knowledge, even once would be painful... and just how many lovers had Milphey lost, in his years...

 

"I apologize. I didn't initially realize how painful this could be, for you."

 

Milphey briefly closed his eyes and shrugged stiffly, "Who says it's painful? I just don't want to take advantage of Marron-chan, that's all."

 

If Milphey wasn't going to say anything, then Kahlua didn't want to force him. There was a brief moment of silence, the sounds of Kahlua moving around and doing something out of Milphey's immediate field of vision; It sounded as if something metal was being moved around... something was being placed. Another sound, and then suddenly Milphey found himself shielding his eyes from the sudden blur of light; looking across to where Kahlua was stood and now visible, it appeared that two tall candelabra had been set up on either end of the stone where Marron lay. For what he had to do next, Kahlua wondered if perhaps Milphey required light... and if not required, light could always be extinguished. Milphey looked at Kahlua with a silent kind of curiosity, wondering why now light was required... a momentary glance to Marron showed absolutely no comprehension of the light, none at all.

 

"Well... now, his clothes must be removed. I trust that that is something you would rather do..."

 

No spoken reply to that, only Milphey walking until he was closer to the top of the stone platform. He seated himself on its edge, looking down at Marron as he began to undo his robe... he looked away from Kahlua as he did so. It didn't matter that Kahlua didn't see like everybody else did, it didn't matter that he could remain so very impassive to anything at all... when it came down to it, Milphey was undressing somebody who had quite recently been his lover, and doing so in front of one of the sterner adult influences of his life. There wasn't anything sexual about the situation, or there at least shouldn't have been, aside from the motions that would later have to be made... it was for Marron's benefit. If anything, it was an experiment - an experiment that would ascertain more precisely the current status of Marron's mental state. Milphey wished that Kahlua could walk over to the shadowy reaches of the room or vanish suddenly or something... he felt incredibly aware of himself, and he had an uncomfortable feeling of being watched. The quicker all of this could be done and over with, the better...

 

Focusing on the unconscious youth just below him... Marron was so absolutely still. If it hadn't been for his soft and constant breathing, then he could have very easily have been mistaken for being dead... the candles that Kahlua had set up illuminated him nicely, but there seemed something so morbid about the situation. The pyramid was dark and silent, and then the oppressive atmosphere... the place could have been mistaken for being a tomb, such was the manner and air of the room and the rest of the building. The muted light didn't help with this feeling, somehow; the feeling of being inside a tomb, with this unmoving boy on a stone slab being prepared for... well, not for that, but it could have been. If the situation were just a little different, then it could have been entirely harder for Milphey to continue with what Kahlua asked of him.

 

Marron's robe was unfastened to the waist, now. Milphey slipped off of the stone, then moving to the purple cord that kept the robe together... the knot was swiftly undone, the cord pulled away and placed near the foot of the plinth. For a moment, Milphey wasn't sure how to continue... perhaps it would be best to remove the top half first. Leaning over, Milphey picked Marron up by lifting him to his own chest... the robe was easily slipped from Marron's body, and the extent of how relaxed Marron was quite shocked Milphey. Even lifting him up slightly like that caused Marron's head to fall back, his arms slack by his sides... Milphey quickly pulled the fabric away, resting the boy back against the stone. It was a bit creepy.

 

The top of Marron's robe was set next to where the cord was, and next were the trousers. The bandages around his ankles were pulled away, those and his shoes set to the side... Milphey sighed deeply as he came to the trousers. Surely if anything it wasn't good for Marron to be lying around naked in such a place? The pyramid wasn't warm by anybody's standard... well, it was too late to be thinking things like that now. Milphey pulled away Marron's trousers, deposited them to the side, and Marron was naked. He looked up to Kahlua, wondering what the next course of action was.

 

"He's naked now."

 

"Yes. I shall take my place across from here... when I request it, I would wish for you to begin."

 

"Begin?"

 

"The stimulation."

 

That seemed obvious enough, but still somewhat unsettling to Milphey's mind. Not least when Kahlua continued.

 

"Opposite here, you might see over there... there is a table there, is there not? Before your arrival, Shiffon and I prepared a number of salves and lubricants for your use."

 

"Wait, wait a minute! Just what are you expecting me to do here?!"

 

"You must take him to his orgasm... we have discussed this previously, have we not?"

 

"How are we defining 'take' here?! I'm not... I'm not going to do him while he's all unconscious like this! If nothing else, he'd never forgive me once he woke up... I mean, you can't really hide something like that...!"

 

"I wouldn't ask you to perform such a task. Fingers are far more accurate in their application, are they not? We prepared water and towels for you, also. The reaches of the mental can quite affect the physical, and I trust you are aware of the male anatomy enough to realise that to confirm our suspicions, stimulation must also come from within..."

 

Milphey blushed faintly. Kahlua wasn't supposed to talk about things like that...!

 

"... Right, right, I get it, I get it."

 

He stared blankly at the foot of the stone as Kahlua walked over to wherever it was that he needed to be. Looking up, glancing over at the table... Milphey looked to where Marron lay, wondering just what kind of things he'd need. Some of Shiffon's salves...? Those were usually for healing purposes... of course, their slick nature meant they could likely be used for other things (Milphey had discovered quite a few practical applications for Shiffon's creams and lotions over the years, not all of which Shiffon might have been aware of while mixing, but one never knew), and would prevent discomfort at the same time... it seemed a sensible idea to prepare things beforehand. Milphey walked over to the table, his shadow cast starkly over it; he stepped to the side, looking at the bottles and pots laid out for him... also a large bowl of water and, as Kahlua had mentioned, towels. At least two folded towels. Milphey supposed that was for washing his hands post-lubrication? Surely that didn't need such a large bowl... he passed it off in his mind, it wasn't really important. Instead he picked up a few of the pots from the table, ones he recognized and knew... that taller bottle with the red inside it (or perhaps that was the bottle's own tint) Milphey had no idea of, as well as some of the more benign-looking pale cream ointments... still, four or five were enough to be getting on with. Milphey went back to where Marron lay.

 

It wasn't as if Milphey mistrusted Kahlua's judgement or power, but there just seemed something about Marron that seemed... imminent, somehow. Like he might choose the next moment to wake up, like he might move just slightly in his position... despite the potential, he didn't move once, apart from his chest which rose and fell with repetitive accuracy. He breathed in... breathed out. In... out. In... out. His breath didn't quicken nor did it slow, though for it to have slowed... he wasn't breathing quickly as it was.

 

"You may begin, Mille Feuille."

 

Milphey resisted the urge to snap back at Kahlua, he knew that, he was quite aware that Kahlua had been sitting there for a while and was now ready... he didn't want to be reminded of things like that, didn't want to be reminded of this duty, didn't want to be hurried into doing whatever the hell it was he had to do. Milphey wasn't entirely sure where to start.

 

However, to think of it like that...

 

To think of duty...

 

It was though, was it not? Duty to keep Mama's Sorcerer Hunters happy, to keep them healthy and happy for the trials up ahead... Marron certainly wasn't the latter and thus the former was drawn into question, but since when had such duties involved things like this... Milphey sighed, taking up a kneel next to the right side of the stone. The priority would be to make Marron hard... Marron didn't know if that was possible in Marron's current physical state. Kahlua had said to 'stimulate' him. It had been a long time since Milphey had been unsure about what to do with a naked boy in front of him... supposing that the situation couldn't be escaped from, Milphey reluctantly reached for Marron's crotch, looking towards his fingers to supervise his touch as almost an afterthought.

 

Marron's skin took a few moments to warm to Milphey's touch. Lying there like that would certainly cool somebody down, if nothing else... even just for a second, the chilly sensation brought a lurch to Milphey's chest. Then slight relief at the warmth that grew. Marron's penis was as flaccid as the rest of his body, and little Milphey did with his touch seemed to remedy that... he held it in his hand, rubbed it gently with the pad of his thumb... no twitch of sexual excitement, not even a slight gasp to acknowledge the touch.

 

"Perhaps you should like to use that third pot you selected."

 

Kahlua's voice sounded quietly preoccupied. Milphey looked down to his side, "This one?"

 

"Yes, that one."

 

"This one just helps with bruises, doesn't it?"

 

"On bruised skin, it would. On healthy skin, it may somehow raise sensitivity. His body may rest unconscious, but his body should still respond... that may aid in your ministrations."

 

"On with the kooky ointments," Milphey thought to himself. He removed the tied cloth covering of the pot Kahlua had suggested. The neck was narrow, only really enough to get two fingers into... two fingers was enough, Milphey supposed. He scooped up as much of the thick salve as he could onto his fingers, then applied that as best as he could to where he felt it was necessary. Milphey wondered what Marron would think of the situation were he conscious for it... perhaps it could almost be an amusing situation. Trying to wank off somebody who was unconscious? Thinking about it... if the situation hadn't seemed so dire then it perhaps could have been amusing. Either way, Milphey carefully stroked his way across Marron's groin, rubbing across and behind his balls, a little to the edge of his thighs... his own fingers felt as if they tingled somewhat, perhaps the intended result would work for he also?

 

The soft, continual rubbing eventually seemed to have some sort of effect. Only one part of Marron moved, but it was enough to be significant. He was hard, at least... at last... and Marron's body seemed so awfully pale, under the candlelight. His breathing seemed to become... different, somehow. It didn't change in speed or volume, but there did seem to be something heavy about it. Breathing out carried a hint of physical exertion to it. How could he not even blush... well, Milphey supposed. The blood was probably travelling in the exact opposite direction.

 

"It is as if he is trapped within a deep sleep."

 

Milphey jumped at Kahlua deciding to pick that moment to speak; there seemed to be little relevance to what he had to say, "Oh...?"

 

"His conscious is entirely unaware of what his subconscious would choose for him. He is having a dream."

 

Again, there didn't seem to be much to say to that.

 

"Oh... hmn, is it sexy?"

 

"His dream? It isn't, no. It can often be difficult to try to describe dreams... this one does, however, seem quite innocent... just as his conscious seems to be compared to his subconscious and his physical. You may wish to begin the internal at this point... his body may still reject touch. The green jar should be best for your purpose."

 

Kahlua could still remain so impassive during such a situation. As he'd spoken, Milphey had been slowly jerking his fingers where they were wrapped around Marron's erection; it seemed as if Kahlua had been directly referring to that, it was okay to move like that but Milphey had to move on to something else... steeling his resolve and picking up the jar indicated to him, Milphey shifted so that he was knelt closer to the far end of the stone, so that he was closer to Marron's lower half. He lay there so still, so unquestionably relaxed... how to get him into the needed position... Milphey stood up. If anything, Marron's legs needed to be further apart... Milphey gently picked up Marron's legs by the ankles, lifting them to the edge of the platform. Perhaps a little wider. Marron didn't object at his feet being pressed off of the edge, his knees bent slightly and his feet hooking him into some kind of position. Milphey looked over his work; that seemed appropriate for the task.

 

How coldly one had to think of the situation; at any other time, wouldn't that have been a delicious place to have been in? Standing there with Marron Glacé naked and in front of you, legs spread obscenely like that... but then, what would the eventual point in that be? A more devious point of view would have been to look upon the situation with some anticipation, to think of the things Marron would be waiting for in a position like that... but then, when it came to the actual situation... when it came to what he was waiting for... somehow, that barely seemed sexual at all. It'd been something, at the very least, that an elder Haz Knight had bid Milphey do. Therefore he had to do it. Nevermind who it involved, and how...

 

The green jar. Milphey remembered that that had been recommended to him... he bent over and picked it up. He set it in front of him, on the platform and between Marron's legs. It would be best for the purpose, apparently... it had a cork set into the neck of it, Milphey silently occupied himself with removing that. It was a little difficult, but eventually it came free with a 'poc' that seemed too loud in the silence of the room. Milphey reached for the substance inside; his fingers still felt damp from the previous ointment, but this one was certainly slicker than the first. Something almost watery about it, but not quite... by all accounts, it seemed like it would make a fairly capable lubricant. It was in a green jar... well, a jar was a jar and Shiffon probably didn't keep his concoctions to the same colour each time, unless he had some kind of special jar supply. Perhaps he did, maybe he didn't, but Milphey felt it'd be a good idea to keep this one in mind. Even rubbing the pad of his finger against his thumb seemed to glide easily... the uses of such a lubricant sprung to mind. It seemed like something that could be useful in the future.

 

Walking to Marron's side slightly, Milphey held one leg down with the hand that hadn't been in the jar. Without even looking directly at Marron himself, the other hand delved between Marron's legs... nudged against the taught skin of his inner thighs, the softer skin of his testicles... Milphey ran one finger behind those, leaving a trail that shone in the candlelight. Some past lovers had loved such a touch, that leisurely kind of exploration... and of course, it was sheer torture to tickle somebody in a place like that. Milphey wondered what Marron would think of it. Would that kind of touch elicit a moan from his fair lips? A shudder from his body? A cry, a sigh, a groan? Anything, just anything... the motion itself was lost in the atmosphere of the pyramid, and Marron didn't react at all.

 

As Milphey carefully pushed his fingers into Marron, he couldn't help but think... there was likely some significance to that. What else had been inside the boy before? Certainly nothing to render him taken... would he ever touch himself there? When he had been requested to masturbate, Marron had of course focused on the obvious, since most people masturbated with, well, their penis... it could sometimes be a little tricky to reach below that depending on the position and the situation, but it was possible... the lubricant made movement so easy. Milphey took a few moments to merely draw his two fingers back and forth, gleaning a subtle enjoyment from the movement. So smooth. So tight. So hot. It had been a long time, hadn't it...? Milphey gently pushed his fingers apart while inside, conscious of the fact that Marron had no resistance at all. Some people could be, in some way or another, quite uptight. Tight up where depended on the person but there was a small satisfaction to that feeling you could just sense, if you ever happened to be sitting there with your fingers up someone else's bottom. Some people would be a little nervous, some people would be unsure, sometimes people clenched up on the contact, let alone the penetration... and then they would relax, and that would be just a small personal goal reached, a physical barrier harmlessly breached, then even more, a degree of physical trust... there could be occasional twitches, but those twitches brought a tightness that could be relished also. Marron's muscles held, but they were easily pushed against... Milphey pushed his fingers deeper, moved his hand so that his palm faced upward. Then wrapped his other hand around Marron's erection again, stroking that while his fingers searched on the inside. No reaction of course, but... that was, in theory, a good sign.

 

It didn't really matter, did it? Marron was dead to the world, in all honesty... anything could have happened during that time, couldn't it? Milphey felt he'd taken on a degree of Kahlua's impassive manner. The things that were significant, the things that were important to Marron... did any of them hold any meaning while Marron was unconscious and unaware? He seemed to want to save certain parts of himself, Milphey supposed, for Carrot. Orgasm seemed primarily concerned with him, so it made sense that Marron would want to reserve that for Carrot, perhaps even from himself... in Marron's mind, nobody but Carrot would see his orgasm. Not even he himself. Then inside of Marron... there would be a possessive claim, if Carrot were ever to indulge, that his brother had been inside him - his brother and only his brother... nothing had happened with Gateau, nothing in that way had happened with Milphey... and if Marron were to ever get with Carrot, nothing ever would again. He would quite happily chain himself to Carrot if that meant doing so for eternity.

 

Or however long it took.

 

Nothing, Milphey thought somewhat bitterly, lasted forever. Nothing like that.

 

Death would close that chapter, wouldn't it? Perhaps love would live on through eternity or whatever, but Milphey felt he wouldn't have knowledge of that. As far as his experiences with death went, it was more like blacking out then waking up a short time later; presumably there was something more to it for those to whom death was a little more permanent, but... well. None of that really mattered.

 

So Marron thought of different things quite highly; primarily Carrot, primarily things to do with Carrot. He knew the importance of the situation, but what would he think of afterward? Were there not liquid reminders left afterward, Milphey could have easily had sex with Marron while he was unconscious. That was a kind of stimulation, wasn't it? Marron would never know...

 

From another point of view, Milphey found it almost intriguing that somebody would hold such things in such high regard; he knew that his own thoughts on the matter were irreparably skewed by some three hundred years of sex and relationships, but there was always that mild interest when presented with a point of view like the one that Marron seemed to hold. So determined to keep things only for one particular person... there was no guarantee that Carrot would ever return or act on those feelings. Then what? Would that render Marron celibate for the rest of his life?

 

Given Marron, Milphey wouldn't have been entirely surprised if that became a choice. Apart from unavoidable feelings that Marron couldn't shake, he didn't seem to view sex as something important... or at least, not something relevant. Importance was something different entirely.

 

Again, maybe it wasn't important. You could have any amount of sexual partners. Milphey had had quite a few. There were different factors that were important, different factors that were significant, but that really tended to vary depending on the partner. Some sex was better than other sex, but where did that come from? It depended on the mindset. Being in the mood and in the moment could change an encounter from being tedious to being the best sex you'd had in years; Milphey wondered how far he'd get on trying to teach Marron such a view. Sex in itself could only go so far... it didn't have to be such a sacred thing. Nothing stopped it from being special, but nobody said the world would end if Marron lost his virginity to somebody who wasn't Carrot.

 

Technically that had already happened. Marron had had sex, though very little had been mentioned on that point, and that was one of the things that had prickled at Milphey's temper. He understood if Marron regretted his actions and didn't want to mention them, but... the ending aside, surely he could have realised how intense that had been? They'd had sex. They had had sex. Anything else fine, but surely that couldn't be ignored?!... Milphey's movements had become repetitive as his thoughts had devolved. He laughed humourlessly to himself; he'd thought just the very reply to that moments previously, hadn't he? Sex in itself could only go so far. The brain was the body's largest erogenous zone, after all - if Marron wasn't for it mentally, then nothing could be done about it.

 

Could something be done about it? Milphey wondered just what he could do to relax Marron, to maybe show him that a little casual sex didn't do anybody any harm...

 

That thought seemed to defeat itself. Marron wouldn't need Carrot or Gateau, only Milphey. They could have casual sex, lots of casual sex, maybe it could develop into more or maybe it'd only remain the same but there was still something dangerously endearing about the thought of Marron swinging his stubborn tendencies from one target to another... Milphey sighed. That wasn't a good way to think, surely... Marron trusted him, and so most likely he trusted Milphey not to take advantage, not to try to tip advantage in his favour...

 

Then came the line again, just what lent something significance? What was it about Marron that drew out such latent jealousy in Milphey? Marron was only one boy on a Continent that likely had thousands of beautiful boys upon it; alright Marron was easily accessible and in the immediate vicinity at most times, maybe Milphey just hadn't had a chance to scour the Continent for possible targets in the past couple of decades, but... was that even the point at all? Marron had the same basic genetic makeup of anybody on Spooner, the same amount of eyes and ears and limbs and fingers and toes and other things, there were probably lots of people with long black hair, lots of slender boys, lots of people with such piercing gazes... given the breadth of the population, it wasn't entirely impossible that there were even perhaps people with his mannerisms, or that maybe there had been in the past or would be in the future... what was it about Marron that made him so entrancing? He was only one in thousands, in millions, and yet Milphey found himself thinking of nobody else quite as he thought of Marron at that moment of that year of that decade in time. There had been beautiful boys in the past, there would be beautiful boys in the future, and it just so happened that Marron was a beautiful boy of the present. And how. Therein lay the frustration.

 

Milphey sighed again. He couldn't help but be slightly resentful of having to do things to Marron at Kahlua's request and nothing else, but... then again, he supposed he didn't really want anybody else doing the same things, either. Kahlua could easily have brought Shiffon in for the task - after all, who would know Shiffon's potions and ointments better than Shiffon himself? Yet, Kahlua had asked Milphey. He supposed he should have been thankful for that. Somehow he couldn't quite find it in himself to feel that gratitude.

 

"Hu-hh... nnn..."

 

Startled by the sudden abstract sound of Marron's voice, Milphey froze in his motions.

 

"Do not stop, Mille Feuille. I sense that he is close to his release; his subconscious is in quite the state of disarray. However, that can only be expected of anybody in that situation... as far as reactions are to be observed, I can only call this something normal. Let us see if this can remain for his climax."

 

How could he speak so blandly... Milphey couldn't help but wonder what Kahlua's bedside manner was like. At that moment in time, he wasn't coming across as the most sensitive person on the Continent.

 

The twitching of Marron's fingers distracted Milphey from his thoughts; his body made such tiny movements... still no sign of conscious awareness, but his little breathing sounds, his little bodily twitches... Milphey watched with intent interest. No matter the things he'd just been thinking about - Marron was, it seemed, about to have an orgasm! That in itself deserved interest. As Kahlua had requested, Milphey didn't stop his strokes, wanting to keep things as steady as possible for Marron... if there was something his body was finding pleasing about Milphey's movements, then it seemed a good idea to carry on as was...

 

"His body is preparing for his orgasm."

 

Milphey restrained his tongue from any kind of sarcastic thank-you-for-stating-the-blindingly-obvious comment, merely nodding with a "Mmm..."

 

Given how Kahlua was, Milphey was half-surprised that he didn't give a countdown to the second of when Marron was going to come; in that he'd still been expecting Kahlua to say something, it was a slight surprise for Milphey when Marron actually did come, his body seeming to shiver noticeably from the exertion, hips jerking somewhat against Milphey's touch... his breathing hitched somewhat, and then he fell silent again. Milphey paused. Well, obviously there was no problem there, and Kahlua seemed to only confirm this.

 

"As far as his thought processes went, his conscious was entirely unaware... his subconscious put up no resistance at all. Therefore we can at least say that his current problems exist only in his conscious mind. As deeply as his soul is attuned to the magic within him, it has not yet corrupted his hormonal drives. You may wash yourself - and he, also - if you wish."

 

Marron's position had changed very little from how it had been previously... his head now lay slightly to the side, his breathing still seeming harried somehow. If anything, he looked like he needed a hug - or perhaps, Milphey suspected, that was just his own preference making itself known. Well, either way, there were other priorities. Milphey stood up and stepped away from Marron, going over to the table to the basin of water and the towels. He smiled as he washed his hands, "So I suppose you really could say it's something that's just all in the mind, right?"

 

"You could, yes."

 

"I guess that could be good or bad. That one's mind is like a Pandora's Box all of his own! But, if it's not as deep as you said it could be, then that's a good thing. Right?"

 

Kahlua's voice was still quiet and even, "Indeed, though his problems are far from solved. Ideally, he needs to realise what he has done to himself and draw his own conclusions. As far as we can assist him, only an individual can know what is in their own heart. It is not yet impossible that he could let his own darkness claim him. I would request you still keep a steady watch of him..."

 

"You've certainly mentioned that a lot recently."

 

"It's an important duty."

 

Milphey dried his hands, then took the towel over to where Marron lay, "You know I don't mean that."

 

"That does not shake the fact that it is an important duty. That should always be at the forefront of your mind."

 

Deciding not to grace that with a reply, Milphey occupied himself with rearranging Marron into a more presentable state before Kahlua decided to wake him up.