The evened pace of footsteps echoed through the sun-bathed mansion above the gorgeous city of L.A.. However, that pace was filled with anger rather than joy. Louis was livid. In the matter of 2 days, they were forcibly separated from their families, packed and sent to America. And now he is asked to kill someone just to free a "magical blade"?! Screw that!

After some 30 minutes, they were let out of the rooms they were locked in, but Eva didn't exit the room, the door opened wide as she slept on the plush bed. Louis spared her a single glance as he stomped his way back to the foyer, searching for the first butler he could find.

The first one he stumbled upon was standing on the end of the hallway, in a weird-statue like state. The man had a shaved head, and an earring in his earlobe. His eyes were a strange wallnut colour with black specs all over. However, Louis didn't care, he wanted out of here.

"Hey! You!" The butler turned to him in a calmed state.
"Yes, monsieur Agreste? Is there an issue?"
"Yes!!! I want to know what's the meaning behind this!" Louis angirly demanded as he pulled out the blade, the butler's gaze quickly landing on the object.

"A gift from madame Bourgeois, of course! A magnificent blade, passed onto her from her late friend. Poor fella! Anyways, feel honoured that you get to own such a precious item, young master! A lot of boys would pay a great sum for a toy like that!"
The words were so painfully forced out of the butler's mouth that Louis winced a couple of times through the speech. He definetly had those words burned into his mind, which just raised even more suspicion in Louis' head.

"Why are we here?" Louis slowly lowered the blade, his temper calming  slightly, though not down completely.
"Why, you are on a vacation of course!  Things at your households are quite hectic, so your families sent you off to the lovely city of L.A., so you don't have to stress about them. Don't worry about anything." The butler smiled a wide smile as he placed his big hands on Louis' shoulders.

"Consider it a vacation, young sir. I recommend it." He slowly pushed him back, towards the room.
"Your dinner will be served at 9 o'clock. Please don't be late." And turned around like their entire conversation just didn't happen.

"Wait! I'm not done!" Louis reached after him, but the butler just shot him a cold look and replied:
"But I am, Mr.Agreste. Good evening." And walked off without a single word more.

Louis just stood there, every second of that interaction raising even more suspicion within him. He looked at the blade, his distorted reflection confirming his suspicions. No matter how angry he was until their conversation, it all vanished. All the anger and rage, everything he felt, like a dementor came and sucked out that instead of his happiness. He felt it the moment the butler's voice changed its tone.

He tried to remember the memories that hurt him the most or the ones that would bring any emotion at all, but just as he suspected, he felt nothing. The butler must have used some kind of drug on him to calm him down, to keep suspicions low. That's it. His feet slowly started moving towards his bedroom, sinking into the plush carpet as they went. He didn't know what else to do. Maybe if he lied down and slept a little, maybe then he could get back to extracting answers from the staff, but not letting them touch him next time.

But then, he heard a sound. Running water, splashing against a sink. And his feet turned towards the sound and continued their steady pace. Through the bedroom door, but not his own, and to the door of a bathroom they led. He had no idea why he did this, he was sure he would be able to avoid her during this entire ordeal, but something told him not to. Something told him he still needed her. His forest green eyes looked up and in the reflection of a mirror, and made contact with a pair of dark brown ones.

There she was, droplets of water dripping down from her freshly washed face, void of any make-up. Her lips parted slightly, a soft exhale slipping between them as she leaned on the sink in front of her.
"Louis, what are you doing here? It's almost time for bed. Anyways, I thought you would be avoiding me as usual."

He just shook his head and walked in, using his heel to shut the door quickly, dagger out of her field of vision.
"You thought wrong."

He thought, since he's under the influence of something, he might as well pull out the biggest thorn in his side, Eva. He stopped just a few feet away from her, almost halfway between her and the door.
"I think it's time we bury the battle axe once and for all. This has gone on long enough."

Eva bit her lip, not breaking eye contact through the mirror, and not turning to face him.
"And what if one of us gets burried with the axe?"
"I believe that's a risk we're both willing to take."

A heavy silence followed, and Louis took a step forward. Soon after, she hesitantly replied:
"What if we aren't?"
"But we are."
"Maybe not yet. Maybe when we're both certain that's the only way out."
"Oh really? There are more ways out of this?"

One more step forward.

"There must be. This was never a one way street."
"It certainly seemed like that to me."
"I assure you it is not."
"Oh? Do explain?"

One more step. Gazes unfaltering.

"Maybe we can go back to the beginning. See if the roads change on the way back."
"But roads don't change, Eva."
"Maybe this road can."

One more step.

"How can it? Do we both know what we want from it?"
" I want your friendship. I want your forgiveness. I want to frame the axe as a memory."
"That's a shame. It's so much less from what I want."

Taking two more steps, all of his steps added up to contact between them. Now he stood right behind her, their warmth mixing in the air.
"What do you want, Louis?"
"Those words do not need to reach your ears for you to know them, Eva."
"You know the reply to that."
"Yes, but I want it to change."

At the end of that sentence, their gazes parted at the same time, Eva's towards the sink, and Louis' towards the metal handle shining in his hand.

Not being able to see his reflection in it anymore, he lifted it up, knowing it must be a sign, and spoke:
"Do you see this dagger?"
"W-what about it?" She whispered softly as she gazed the curved edge of the malicious weapon, eyes wide in surprise at the sudden weapon.

"It needs something. The person who gifted it to me was very specific about it." He angled the weapon as he spoke, its tip now facing the wall on the right to them, making Eva feel like she's in a horror movie
"What does it need?" She asked, after a short, heavy silence.

"Death to release it."
"Death?" Her eyebrows scrunched up in confusion as she followed the blade with her eyes. Fear passed through her just for a split second.
"Whose death?"
"I'm trying to figure that out. Eva..."
"Yes, Louis?" She replied quickly, the cool surface of the sink making her fingertips itch. Louis slowly put the blade down on a marble counter next to them,both of their eyes darting to it before meeting once more in the mirror.

His hand slowly dipped down,his lips gliding just above her neck, but not touching the sensitive skin. His hands stopped a hair strand away from her hips, awaiting her body's response.

"What if it's your life the blade wants? What if it decides you're the one?" Her eyes flashed in panic as she struggled to find a reply to that. Finally, she spoke in a soft, shaky whisper:
"Then, I won't fight back. I know you won't kill me."
"What makes you so certain I won't?"
" Your biggest desire, the answer to the question."

The humorless laugh that errupted from his mouth just made her even more uncomfortable, and she stiffened up.
" You are using suspense to defend yourself from murder. Oh, can't you hear the chains rattling?"

All of a sudden, his eyes turned dark, a shadow cast over them, like a cat looking at its prey.
"The chains rattle on both sides, Eva. You might hold the reigns, but I hold you."

His index fingers patiently glided just a bit above her sides, making her bite her lip in anxious wait. His eyes traced her image in the mirror, a smirk displayed on his smooth face. Hands slowly trailed up, up her stomach, up her ribcage, and finally on her neck, touching and craning it ever so slightly, with the pads of his fingers.

Eva leaned back bit by bit, every touch stirring even more unspoken emotions in her eyes. When the warmth of his body became too much to bare, she buckled, sending her body backwards into his, the back of her head leaned on his shoulder as she stared at the ceiling, gasping as his touch spread to her collarbone.

"Dinner is at 9, Eva. See you then."
The sudden cold snapped her back into reality, as well as the blade being lifted from the counter and carried away. She looked back at the mirror, and muttered:

"It is me, isn't it?"

Her reflection just blinked, and slowly smirked at her.
"Well then. We know what to do."

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Happy Halloween to all who celebrate it!

Next chapter: The Servant's Student

Stay safe kitties!

Ocean Fury