'Lorcan Delos Reyes'

Tuesday

Scene I

IT MIGHT BE BECAUSE LORCAN DELOS REYES IS A LEGEND AMONG SCHOOLS THAT YOU ONLY SEE BUT DON'T TALK TO BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT COOL ENOUGH OR IN THE SAME SOCIAL CIRCLE ENOUGH, but Kit Pouliot can't help compare himself to the guy striding toward him.

The stream of students only the hour of lunch can produce a good enough cover and background noise for them both to stay under the radar. Though students' eyes do stop and linger a bit for the artistic legend. In a town like Phryne Touk, legends are born this way. From small towns to the big cities; when you see something growing, you start cultivating. And people are in awe and aware of Lorcan, but they don't approach him. First, because he has a stoic expression permanently set on being harmless but harmful when provoked.

Second, legends are untouchable. Or so they say. Kit guesses it's mostly the former. There was just something about the flatness of his eyebrows and lips that works as an omen if you dare approach.

Though, Kit does note a few more things, like how Lorcan is shorter than he expected. This can also be because Kit is a giant at 6'3. But where Kit is willowy and pale and has a tendency to shrink because of his poor old man posture that will surely curse him as he grows older, Lorcan is stocky and brown, and an admittedly stylish shape of curls pulled in a man bun with gold wire glasses covering his expressionless eyes.

Kit stands motionless in a sea of motion and only allowed a questioning eyebrow where Lorcan inclines his head for a brief moment of eye contact - before walking past him.

Kit stands for a couple more seconds before sighing, following a few strides short. They're both walking opposite of the cafeteria and it isn't until crossing two buildings and jogging down a couple of stairs does Kit ask. Because Kit does know the area, though not well. He passes these buildings without a second thought because his classes are usually in the main building. And this was more of a faculty prone area, where noticeably the smell of bodies and smattering of perfumes and people are less; the noise dwindled considerably low.

"Basement Level 4." Lorcan's voice is low and steady when he answers his clipped question. "It's my studio."

Kit doesn't reply. He doesn't know how to reply to that.

Hal Langford High School wasn't much of a school apart from what you would expect from it; it was a classic, textbook school built from the same foundations as every other educational system. They had a football team, a dying music program, a decent cafeteria, and a cheer squad. There is nothing that truly stands out of it. It's a place you get an education to places that has better credentials, places that really make an effort with your future.

So this is why Kit is surprised when, upon entering one of the basement levels when he didn't even knew they had basement levels in the faculty building, assumed if there was one it was most likely used as storage units- he enters an entirely different world.

It's a small basement, four walled with no windows, and a full on art studio. The walls are bare white, splattered with all kinds of messy paints, colors in pastels to brightest ones, the floor concrete but littered with cans, rolls of thick canvas propped and on the floor, and just about four easels propped up around the room.

And paintings, vibrantly colored to shadows of greys and blacks and whites - leaning against the walls.

Lorcan registers the look of awe in Kit's face but merely crosses his arms, face as stoic as ever. "So what do you want? And also, how do you have my number?"

"Lys gave it," Kit answers after fully taking everything in. "I said I needed to talk to you about school notes."

He frowned. "But we don't have a single class together?"

"I couldn't think of another excuse, and he wasn't suspicious about it. I just needed to tell you that when we go to Sunny's house today, we have to make it seem like you're a friend of mine and we all need to do a project together." At Lorcan's raised eyebrow, the only emotion Kit has ever seen in his face so far, he continues.

"Sunny doesn't have a lot of friends. She prefers to keep things to herself, and her parents know that. So they'll be weirded out if you go there by yourself asking for her- they will drill you with questions. And if you make one suspicious looking answer, they'll start profiling you. It's a force of habit," Kit explains at another lofty raised eyebrow. "And if they find out one weird thing about you, they'll freak and they're very protective of Sunny, so helping you might not work out. So it's better if we get there with promising props and a solid alibi."

The raised eyebrow rose higher.

"Props," he repeated.

"I actually don't know what class Sunny would need - oh. Oh, I have an idea. Bring your art supplies later. We'll meet back here and I can help you lug stuff. Do you have a car?"

Tuesday

Scene II

SUNNY FINCH IS IN THE ABSURD REALITY OF KIT'S IDEA WORKING FLAWLESSLY.

It can also be because her parents and two uncles, Terrence and Charles, are busy working on their cases - threw their shared looks at Lorcan as they start for the car, citing a follow-up lead, his introduction and the thick rolls of canvas and suitcases of paint - smiled and shooed them away as polite as they could.

Sunny watches them from one of the tower windows and beams. Then she disappears in between a wall and a painting and rushed to the foyer. The painting there - a battleground of horses, bloodbath, and ladies frozen mid-scream for revolution.

Sunny isn't sure of the painter - or much of the name, but she does spook the hell out of Kit as she slides out from behind it. One minute she isn't there as they were ushered in, both turned as Kit locks back the humongous door after the brief introduction to most of Sunny's nosy family, and then there she is, smile soft and secretive as they both turn.

"Hello Lorcan Delos Reyes."

Unlike Kit who is still reeling from the shock, a hand to his heart, Lorcan merely raises an eyebrow with wide eyes. "Uh, hi."

Sunny smiles, secretly enjoying it. "My office then. You two can take the normal way and let Kit recover. He's susceptible to scares. I'll get us some food."

As Sunny disappears again - not behind the painting this time, but through an alcove opened by plucking out a guard statue's sword, one of the seven braced against the wall, and she is gone again.

As Kit calms, Lorcan turns to him. "What is this house?" As if also asking the underlying question, 'What have I gotten myself into?' and 'Can I still get out?'

It was true that the Finch Family was famous. Their small town prided themselves in the cluster of Finches that live here. There was Vaughn Finch, Sunny's father, and his brothers, Terrence and Charles. It was also common knowledge that Yuko Finch, Vaughn's wife and Sunny's mother, was in on the job, though a different perspective.

Lorcan has heard of them, and Lorcan needs their help. But as soon as Kit Pouliot - a giant who is always associated with the youngest Finch, who protects and speaks for her, her gigantic little Watson - and upon seeing the castle that is their house, completed with growing ivies and climbing roses and apparent hidden pathways -

Lorcan asks himself, again.

Is this worth it?

Can I still go home?

Will I die here today?

Kit straightens, rubbing his chest. He motions for them to move. "First order of business to rationalise it - this is not a house. This is a fortress built here by the Anglo-Saxon kings sometime never. Well I'm not sure if it's an actual Anglo-Saxon King or one of his mistresses or even bastard children I don't know, but anyway, this was once something and in ruins. Been in this town for years, collecting dust and getting eaten by shrubbery. Sunny's dad bought the land, while Sunny's mom restored it with as much research as she could and then made her adjustments. But it's here now and they've moved here ever since Sunny was born."

As they segway into paths Lorcan knew he'd never remember, just staring around the furniture and stone walls. Once in a while a hall opens up a blood red carpet, one stone wall on the other filled with paintings and things in glass cases like a museum, and the other wall was open - just  glass that welcomed the familiar war of trees and forests of Phryne Touk. Nothing but dark green, nearly black with lush greenery. Because of such a clear glass, it almost seems like Phryne Touk is trying to come inside.

"As you can see, they've put on modern fixtures. I think Mrs. Finch said this part of the wall -" Kit motions to the glass, "- was blown up from her research. There was a battle, invaders won, so and so forth. Burnt the thing to the ground really. Anyway, our tour ends here. This is Sunny's office."

At the end of particularly small corner hidden under a small alcove sandwiched between a table of head busts and a bookcase, was a staircase winding up. The space was so small, they would only be able to go one at a time, with Kit crouching half of the way and manoeuvring cleverly. Light peeks through at the side in brief spots, only enough to illuminate the way lest you call and crack your spine.

Lorcan purses his lips with the tiniest narrow of his eyes.

Kit's grin is a little dark. "Trust me Delos Reyes, if we're going to kill you, I'd never do it here. They have a creepy gallows basement that works. Big, hollow, no one would hear or see a thing. There's a system for blood to disappear too - goes straight into the water without anyone knowing. Evidence is separated with the moving water. Whoever lived here, noble or not, really did not want any evidence that could prosecute them."

A voice, warped and garbled, sounding far away and soft, like a ghost trying to break through the walls, echoes from above -

"Stop scaring the poor boy, Kit. Both of you get up before my mom realizes we don't have art class together and tries to barge in to ask questions." A shuffle, a swing of a door that needs oil. "I have a feeling Lorcan would like to keep this under wraps."

If it's not obvious enough, I like it when my characters are living in castles and manors.

The updates will most likely get slower now, but I'll try and upload every other day to keep up with the story :-)