Curiosity Killed the Cat

[The Twins]

Darius' hand jerked at Kira's touch,he looked at her almost like he didn't know how to react to such an action.

"I know a little about doing hurtful dishonorable things to the ones you love. I've seen both my mother and Adio inadvertently pluck each other's eyes out from the pain they shared in their past. You should have seen those two go at it before the band got universally famous and your brother was my instructor."



"Really?''


He twitched slightly,like his brother Darius had the ability to see into the pages of other's minds and like most times if someone wasnt able to keep those things to themselves,and they came into contact with Darius he was able to see such things.


"My brother's hollow..yeah,he had one of the beasts devour him after your mother left him...that's why he turned into that thing,when he experiences too much stress or something that triggers his bad memories to come back,that hollow..that thing emerges..''


He stopped.


"Im sorry,I didn't mean to break your privacy like that I can't help it with my abilities,Adio has the same problem too...it's like your talking out-loud to us when we see your thoughts or memories..it seems normal till well--we know you never mentioned it in the first place.''


The carriage rolled along behind the clattering hooves of the massive horses as they treked along onto a valley-road,a distant silhouette of a building was seen not far off,just at the bottom of the valley,and far from that was a cluster of houses and buildings--the village Darius spoke off and not far from that--the manor..they'd have a while before getting there..The building seen looming,it's structure almost simular to a hospitals was a rather depressing sight.



"Sorry I brought up that question. But I'd like to know your story as well sometime if you want to share it.  It must have been hell...living there."


Darius shook his head.

"No no..it's alright..it was a wonderful life there,never worrying about being homeless,never going hungry,never being bored..it was Eden..mother and father loved us both but..I was still jealous I couldn't do what nearly half of the rest of the family could..play a simple instrument..


He gazed out over the rolling valley,Amber eyes much brighter then Adios--and Darius eyes didn't have that lingering sadness like Adio's.


"My mind,im not all there--why?--No clue really..I never asked to be what you humans would call 'mentally deficient' Im better then what I was,alot better..but father says I could still relapse if something triggers it..but anyways...mother and father sent me to that place,that large building there after I hurt a servant for telling Adio was to do--foolish reason but they knew then I had problems..it's not really a hospital like you humans have..it's..''


He trailed off a moment.


"Nightingale insane Asylum...''

He felt his heart sank,she must think he was a bad person..that he'd flip out on her any second..yet--he didn't blame her.

"I hated it there,I wasn't like those people..and I escaped after being there for six months,I made my way back to the manor and climbed into our parents bedroom from their window..and proceeded to---Murder them..''


He sighed,heart racing a mile a minute.


"It wasn't for just me,it was for both me and Adio..I knew it was wrong..I knew our parents loved and still love us more then anything in the world,we were everything to them..Adio walked in just as I finished off our mother--that look on his face,it confused me..I didn't know why he acted to it that way--I thought I did a good thing for him...he started screaming and crying..he was about 11 or 12 years old..I tryed to tell him--to make it right and to get him to see what I saw..but he didnt..and I slipped back out the window and ran off..living in diffrent locations off and on for at least a century or more..''




He ran a shaky hand through his long straight black hair,amber eyes staring blankly in-front of him,his heart thudding like a war-drum against his toned chest.

[Ebonfire|Daughters]

Kira winced slightly at hand jerking beneathe her touch. She hadn't meant to startle him or cross any boundaries so she slowly eased her hands back returning to lean back on the plush cushion of her seat across from his.  Her eyes wondered out of the carriage window to take in the changing scenary and the looming building ahead as he described his experience with being sent away by his parents.

She had mixed emotions fluttering across her young face. Some of confusion that he'd thought that killing his parents in their sleep would somehow make life better for he and Adio ...then upset that his parents had thought that sending their son away for his feelings of inadequacy and exculsion that led to him being jealous.  Sure he'd harmed a servant and described himself as becoming mentally unstable but wasn't that when a child needed their parents the most?

"I wish they hadn't sent you away from your home to live seperately from the rest of your family. It seems that made things worse in the end.  I guess they thought they were doing the right thing but they only managed to isolate you even more and cut you off from their love."---her eyes closed to brush the fan of brown eyelashes against her cheeks.

She sighed. "Im sorry I touched you." Her eyes open to catch him staring blankly forward; void of emotion. But his eyes were softer than Adio's. A brilliant shade lighter in amber hue and minus the sorrow. She tried to get him to smile. "The past is the past. Presently, you have a curious overly imaginative teenager on your hands that wants to see and feel everything. Are you up for a night cap before we go to bed? I was hoping to taste some wine. Mother would never approve of course but...I dunno...I figured the wine here would be different in this time and age than back in new york."

[The Twins]

He watched her move her hand,fighting the urge to tell her not to,it been long since someone even tried to even come close to him like that..why did she trust him so much?

"I wish they hadn't sent you away from your home to live seperately from the rest of your family. It seems that made things worse in the end.  I guess they thought they were doing the right thing but they only managed to isolate you even more and cut you off from their love."

He shook his head.


"I wish they hadnt either but they thought I really needed help outside of what a parent could offer..like what you said.''

"Im sorry I touched you."

"Huh,oh no it's fine..Im just not used to people actually being so forward and wanting to even be near me...you think Adio is a sociopath?..pft..im the poster child for it.''


"The past is the past. Presently, you have a curious overly imaginative teenager on your hands that wants to see and feel everything. Are you up for a night cap before we go to bed? I was hoping to taste some wine. Mother would never approve of course but...I dunno...I figured the wine here would be different in this time and age than back in new york."


Darius blinked snickering with a slight grin.

"Well yeah,it's all er..whats the word humans use..Organic..it's not imported or made with tons of different things..brother has a couple bottles downstairs in the manor..he wont mind if I get one for you to try..and well er if you drink here it's not uncommon for someone your age..just like it's not uncommon for someone in your world about your age to be doing drugs..''


He brushed his hair back slightly.

"We don't even have drugs here..well opium but thats not really much of anything.''


He shrugged.

[Ebonfire|Daughters]

She thought about what he'd said about her being forward with her touch. He wasn't used to being touched and she could see why. Her cheeks warm slightly and she wondered why she'd so carelessly broken his personal bubble of space to connect with him.

Her knees bent up as her legs were raised so that her thighs would rest against her chest as she loops her arms around her legs and sits there in the fetal position resting her chin on her knee.  And then she remembered what she was wearing and that this position would likely wrinkle the fine material of the dress. It was far from lady-like thus she removed her legs from her chest and straightened them to cross gently at the ankles folding her arms beneathe her small bust. She was excited at his approval to taste some whine from Adio's cellar collection and even more pleased that she'd successfully changed the pained tone of the conversation.

The carriage came to a holt sooner than she'd expected as her mind had been wondering once again the rest of the trip and she'd been stealing silent side long glances at Darius throughout her quiet revalry. "Do you think I can stay longer next time? Maybe I can tell mother that I'm going to another concert with my b/f whose in love with the band and im spending the night at her house. That would give me an entire weekend,"she gushed stepping out of the carriage with the help of the coachman.

[The Twins]

The carriage soon came to a hault just outside the manor,after Kira was helped out by the coach-men Darius stepped out himself,paying the coachmen in what seemed to be awkwardly red shiny somewhat opaque stones,the man bows to Darius and gets back into the carriage he and his horses going along their way back to another village to see what customers they could find..

Kira would be faced with the sight of the massive manor,looming against the slightly cloudy sky it was anything but simple considering manors in this time and age were nothing like the modern day 'mansions' the wealthy had in the human world.
Around the manor,a large woods lingered and beyond such there was a small village Adio and Darius ran amongst other things that had been passed down to them,considering they were the only children Adrian+Claudia ever had..A few servants idly walked along the grounds their eyes/faces blank no seeming humanity left in them,only set to do their jobs and serve the Viora family.


"Pretty nice right?''


He snickered softly walking ahead of her a servant opened the door.


Welcome home Master Darius.


A flat response,the servant stared at/nearly through Kira.


"This is our guest for the while Kira,I expect you to listen to her when she needs something of you.''

Yes Master Darius.

The servant responded,closing the door behind them,inside the entrance hall was massive..stairs leading up either side to the upper-level and nearly everything else matched how 'old in times' this world was,the only real modern thing seemed to be the new lighting and a few guitars and an amp sitting in the corner in the commons [living room] room just at the end of the hallway.

[Ebonfire|Daughters]

The Viora Estate was impressive in size and in stature as it stood beautifully proud on the clean slate of soft green grass and stone walk ways.  Her green eyes dazzled over the enterance before the servant greeted them or more like stared straight through them and granted them enterance upon Darius's introductions.

Kira was distracted a moment from the interior of the manor's polishings with that unnerving blank stare again from the servant as he acknowledged the master of the house's wishes and proceeded to walk away blankly going on about his daily routines.  His stare had an errie feel to it as if he were soul less. A mindless puppet just going through the motions so to speak. It reminded her of an old horror film she'd watched back in 9th grade called 'Body Snatchers' where aliens invaded a town, and took over the human body through the brain to control them and have them do their will.

"Is uhm...everything okay with him?"she asks turning to Darius as another servant took the small shaw that went with her gown to perhaps hang in a hall closet.

[The Twins]

Darius seemed to be zoning out slightly,looking around the entrance hall before shaking his head and looking to her as if he hadn't been listening.

"Is uhm...everything okay with him?"

"Hmn,oh the servants?..Yeah,their supposed to be like that..father brainwashed them all except for a few Adio did..they're all humans but with the brainwashing abilities both father and Adio's violin's have,those humans have lived since my father took over the manor from the rest of the family,if he or Adio broke any ties with the servants they'd fall dead,they don't even sleep or eat-drink unless instructed to,if we didn't say anything they'd stand their till the earth itself came to an end...Their useful none the less.''


He shrugged slightly,as if the factor of human brainwashing was just an everyday thing.


"Adio may be a performer but that violin is far more special then you'd come to think it was..''



A breif moment of silence before he seemed to come back to reality.


"But anyways,did you just want to go to the commons room and relax or did you wanna look around the manor?''


He said turning toward her,amber eyes staring down at her from underneath the mass of straight black mid back length black hair that stood like shadows against his pale skin.

[Ebonfire|Daughters]

It took her a moment to understand exactly what Darius had revealed about the servants  of the manor.  His father and Adio had pretty much made them into mindless slaves whose lives would be spent forever serving their household. The couldn't think for themselves or make decisions on their own.

Kira shivered bringing her hands to rub softly up and down her arms in hopes the goosebumps would disappear.  She did not judge them for this way of life but was shocked nonetheless. In her time, slavery was illegal and punishable by death in some states. You'd definately be looking at a few 80yrs to life behind bars. She swallows not commenting any more on the matter.

"I'd love to have a look around. How many rooms does this place have and where should I leave this dress?" --she wondered where her room would be and hoped it wasn't as spooky and isolated as the mindless servants.

[The Twins]

He arched a brow at her reaction to what he had spoken of about the servants,to him this was a common thing that had been this way since he and Adio were just babies but he wouldn't question her. Darius had his hands clasped behind his back,shifting his weight back and forth to either foot almost in an impatient manner.

"I'd love to have a look around. How many rooms does this place have and where should I leave this dress?"



He stopped--how many rooms did this place have?



"Er.....''



All these years in this place and he still didn't have an exact number of how many areas in the manor there were.


"I really don't know how many,I was never let in a few when I was a child and well I haven't really been through the manor more so then to the commons room,the entrance hall,my bedroom and outside...I know theres a ballroom,the library..a hand full of guest rooms,Father and mother's room..Adio's room..my room..''


He was rambling and noticing it,he stopped.


"Well,upstairs is the library and a handful of the guest rooms,my room-adios-mother and fathers..a practice room for Adio and the others..but to sum it up this place is three stories,were on the second story..then below us is er..what do you call it...a.."Really,Really,Really'' big basement?...then upstairs like I just explained..then behind the stairs is a second pair of doors that lead down to the old well-room..Then the roof of course..then in the er. "Backyard'' of this place theres a small building where the servants sleep/eat etc..''


He shrugged slightly.



"You can choose a room upstairs to sleep in,all the guest rooms have their own bathrooms and stuff since well,our family doesn't need bathrooms obviously.''



He snickered,shoulders bouncing up and down breifly before he let his arms drop to his side--his right coming up to brush his bangs away from his face.




"How about you go pick a room upstairs and get your things sat down,then you can come back down here and we'll work our way up...''



He blinked blushing with a slight snort.


"Sorry,that sounded dirty--you get my point.''

[Ebonfire|Daughters]

His voice as he droned on about the layout of the manor captured the attention of her eyes as they drifted away from the paintings on the wall back to his face beneathe the shadow of long straight bangs and the sheen of his ghostly perfect skin.

She grins softly as he attempts tell her what he knew about his home and then blushes feverishly at the last comment he made in about them working their way up.  "Heh, you have a dark sense of humor. Its kinda cool." Their eyes lock for a few unsteady moments and she couldn't bring herself to look away from the dark grandeur of his face. It was like seeing Adio all over again...without the sadness. 

"Okay I'll be right back then." She giggles trying to relieve that moment of intenseness she'd felt seconds before while staring at him then winks before leaping up the stairs two at a time and rounding the corner. She didn't realize just how creepy she was about being alone in the strange new mystifying yet foreboding manor alone until she walked into a room lite only by candle light.

"Hmm...this is right out of a dracula film,"she whispers in fascination.  She shivers again at an imaginary draft then walks over to the bed to lay the beautiful dress across.  It shimmer slightly in the candle light. "I wish the fireplace was lit. It sure would warm things up." And out of nowhere a servant stone faced and empty eyed appeared in the doorway asking if she wished for them to light the fire. She jumped back startled and yelped.

[The Twins]

"Heh, you have a dark sense of humor. Its kinda cool."

Darius blushed badly,the rose hue accented against such seemingly flawless features,it took a moment before he grinned slightly--he wasnt used to anyone accept Adio being so nice to him.
Eye Contact..it stayed for what seemed to be an eternity on him he wondered why she was so comfortable around him,and seemingly never judged anything he did or said--not even his past.


It was nice.



"Okay I'll be right back then."


The silence broken he looked at her like a child would if just suddenly discovering their toy could talk.


"Oh,alright.''


He nodded some,leaning against the side of the wall,arms crossed he'd watch her go up the stairs from the corner of his eyes--nearly looking at her like she had been set on a pedestal in an art-gallery for all to see.


Eye Candy.



He'd glance back around the entrance hall as she disappeared around the corner,he humming to himself before he nearly falls to the side hearing her yelp his form blurs he appearing behind the servant he'd immediately out of reaction shove the servant into the wall behind him--the servant crumbled blank faced to the floor looking up at Darius who arched a brow nearly face-palming.




"You nearly scared me half to life,what the hell happened?''




He asked staring at her from under the mass of straight bangs in a questioning manner,amusingly enough--with one hand on his slightly cocked hip.

[Ebonfire|Daughters]

Feeling dumbly embarrassed for having shreiked from the humble servant's simple requests she exhales but no sooner had the breath come out of her mouth than a blured movement appear in the doorway behind the servant to solidify into Darius's form.

He shoves the servant effortlessly to the man's hands and knees then looks up sharply at her. She flinches slightly then runs nervous fingers through her golden hair. "Sorry, I...uhm didn't notice the servant had come until he spoke and it spooked me out a bit.  Sorry I'm so jumpy I didn't mean  to cause a scene,"she replies softly before walking to the servant and giving him a hand to help him to his feet.

The servant simply stared at her hand then at her then looked back up to Darius as if asking him for silent permission to stand. "Stand up, already,"she remarks a bit bothered that he needed the command. The servant stood taking her hand. She sighs avoiding Darius's gaze as she adjusts the short sleeved sleeves of her dress on her slim shoulders. "I'm ready."

She would have gladly roomed with  him wherever he chose to sleep that night or slept on one of the couches in the living room or lounge area in a more wider open space but she didn't want to appear weak or wimpy over the manor. She'd waited so long to get there and see their world. She couldn't keep letting just any little thing scare her.

[The Twins]

"Sorry, I...uhm didn't notice the servant had come until he spoke and it spooked me out a bit.  Sorry I'm so jumpy I didn't mean  to cause a scene,"

Darius sighed out of relief looking at her,his arm lowering back to his side he scoffed.


"You appologize for being human too much--if I need you to appologize to me Ill make sure you know,otherwise stop that your just being you...''


He'd growl and kick the servant in the ass to get it away from him.

"..go clean the other guest rooms.''

Yes Master Darius.


Darius rolls his eyes as the servant stumbles off,going to do what it was told to do.


"Useful,but annoying and a slight waste of space.''


He said about the servant before looking back to her as she spoke again.

"I'm ready."


Darius nods some.

"Well,the quick part of this I can tell you..from 1 to 13 are guest rooms on this level..their spaced out on either side of the hallway considering how big these are..at the end of the hall to the left is Adio's room..then the end of the hall to the right is mother and father's room..Adjacent to Adio's room is mine..I guess Ill show you all the piddly stuff up here before we go downstairs again.''


He'd gesture for her to follow him out of the room,they'd go off to the left he seemingly counting off to himself the guest rooms possibly out of a slight OCD sort of manner..they'd come to a stop at a decorative door he popped it open allowing her to go inside,the walls were fitted with new-age sound proofing like you would see in theaters or special sound-booths..


"This is the band's practicing room.''


It was a decent sized room,a small table off to the side had a few notebooks and pencils on it,one of the notebooks had fancy script writing in sharpie acrossed the cover that said "LYRICS" and then a rose had been etched in sharpie as well underneath it..the other notebooks seemed to be for buisness matters,special numbers/contacts and others things..mounted on the wall right when they walked in was a bass guitar and a white electric guitar,they were Adio's and Reita's guitars..set up in the back of the room was a custom drum-set with the band's decal on the front,a pair of drumsticks sitting ontop of one of the drums..then off to the right of the drum-set in the corner was a mic/microphone stand for Adio,and then on the wall around them there had been installed a special speaker system..the other side of the wall had mounted on it custom violins Adio had been given by other bands or places he and the others had played for--they stood untouched and flawless..then on the last bit of wall [even though everything was perfectly set up] was another electric guitar that had Kana scrawled along the side,a few random band posters neatly covered the area around Kana's guitar amungst other areas of the room--overall the room was rather updated in equipment even though nothing else had been changed..


"Adio is really orderly,he doesn't like having anything out of place--he doesnt let the servants come in here but It's fun in here when everyone is practicing..He lets me sit in on the practices along with a few others..but never anyone he doesn't know personally or who isnt family.''



He shrugged slightly,figuring she'd wanna look around the room before moving on..