paradisalogs | It's all too sweet to last

Who: Cass, Joshua, Lucrezia and Spike
What: the aftermath of a slumber party
When: Nov. 5
Where: The creepy mansion
Rating: PG for now

It was all a labor of love done in relative secrecy.

The earthquake narrowed down their options considerably, with nearly half the mansion in rubbles and leaving only a few rooms untouched. At least two of these, neighboring ones, have excellent views of the town, though knowing their guests' strange sleeping schedules (and perhaps their own), Joshua and Lucrezia have put up blackout curtains to shut out the rest of the world when the need arises. Not that it makes them the most considerate hosts when there is also a large grandfather clock installed at each room with an obnoxious cuckoo popping out every hour. Be grateful, if you can still hear its cooing then the host must still like you.

The rest of the rooms are finely but differently decorated. Cassandra's is mostly in shades of purple, with a glittering knight's armor standing in one corner complete with a wooden lance. If anyone can lift that thing, it's probably her. Her bed is tall and big enough for two or three or four, because there will be occasion for her to share the space (most likely with the hostess). There is also a chess table by the window (this one to share with the host). Lucrezia may have snuck a few dresses and shoes similar to her own into the closet, which is otherwise empty for her to fill as she pleases.

Spike's has been done up in darker shades, nearly monochromatic if not for the occasional brown and gold, also with a bed big enough for an entire family. You never know. The rest of the space has been left relatively empty, because he strikes her as rather spartan in taste except for when it comes to steak. There is one decoration though, set aside to a corner like a side table if one knows no better: a plush coffin for when he feels the urge. Whether it was just a gag or something darker is a mystery.

The mansion might feel unnervingly quiet throughout the night, more so than the sentient castle and its intelligible whispers, but the morning might prove to be otherwise. The sun is already high in the sky, though the curtains might make it hard to tell, and there is the sound of cutlery on plates rising from the dining room just below the guest rooms, accompanied with the occasional laughter. Anyone stepping into the room will find Lucrezia in a particularly chirpy mood, dressed in a light purple robe over her white chemise and seated on Joshua's lap at the end of the table. She has a spoonful of practically crunchy pancake in hand, daring him to test her cooking mettle this good morning.

"It tastes decent with the honey!"

Cass and Spike are probably set to suffer the same fate, but the maids are cooking the bacon as they speak.

Threaded | Flat

The decision to invite Spike and Cass to have rooms hadn't come about suddenly, though it may have seemed that way when he first brought it up. But it isn't as if he's locking them in behind that busted gate. They have their own strange little homes... This is just a refuge, like it was once for Lucrezia, and even once for Joshua. Now it's something more, but that's of their making; the little world of theirs in which they allow so few.

The decorations had mostly been left up to her and her whimsy, but Joshua's touch lingered here and there without a word said. The clocks, for one (as he wouldn't understand why they'd be annoying), and the chess set in Cassandra's room, along with several vintage and home-made ashtrays scattered about Spike's room. There will be magazines in both, of course, and the maids will refresh them periodically each month whenever they find more for Joshua. In Cassandra's room there is a small bookcase with only two shelves and two books in it: a lesson book to help with reading and writing the alphabet that she can write in directly, and a comic book featuring mutants. He has learned to like those a lot and they're easy. For Spike there's a dart board, and pinned to the center of that is not a dart, but a pin. A hair pin, to be specific, with dark onyx and amber swirling the center. Probably the most puzzling of any of the gifts, but he shouldn't need to explain. Spike had asked for something. Anything.

"It tastes like something I ate in Tokyo that I couldn't pronounce."

Which isn't necessarily an insult, but as usual he's vague on that. Truthfully he doesn't mind at all, even if it's not something Fiore would have made, but while Joshua may nitpick this and that every which way, he's surprisingly easy to please. It's more about the package offering the pancakes-with-way-too-much-egg, although even Lucrezia's features can't be fully appreciated by him yet as he is still lingering in sleep and dreams from moment to moment.

Although if she's not careful she's going to ruin her nice robe. Joshua's clothes are hardly worth note, dark slacks and a button up shirt; easy enough to replace.

After breakfast (and an eternity) has passed, Spike could have easily excused himself and gone out the front door without anyone stopping him. Unfortunately, the breakfast left him too close to the room that had kept him so transfixed the previous night, and the company that kept him from saying a word about it made him dwell on it like an old stubborn obsession. That's why he waits until they've dispersed in their separate directions to find him again. As predictable as Joshua likes to say he is, he must be expecting him anyway. Walking in the direction a maid points him isn't exactly secretive in the first place; he's positive someone will announce the whole thing before he has a chance at surprises.

This train of thought would have continued in its usual spiral, but suddenly the hallway looks familiar and he slows down, stopping altogether when he reaches a certain door that he hasn't seen since he kicked it down. One he never offered to put back up, seeing as how he never meant to come back.

What was it he said about this place? If it represents his death, what does the room say about him? -- It's annoying that he can recall that conversation so easily. He's been listening. Never a good sign.

Before he can work out the logic behind his actions, his hand is on the doorknob, and he turns it. Mild curiosity to see if it's still locked. That's all.

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Later; ( Spike and Joshua )