Chapter Text
“Would you like to come over for drinks tonight, Emmy?”
This was the third time he’d asked this week, though she did say yes to all of them. Any excuse to listen to Clive rant about some inane thing was an excuse Emmy would take, for better or for worse.
It was a simple request anyway, given nonchalantly over the phone in between other topics.
“Of course!” Though she was... a little bit concerned with how much he was drinking as of late, she would hold off on judging if it was too much, “...Just don’t bring out the really weird wines you have...”
He laughed, a pleasant and soft laugh, “Oh, I wouldn’t worry about that! I will admit that some of the drink I like is... a bit of an acquired taste...”
“Yeah, the last time you recommended me something, it made me vomit.”
“R-right... sorry about that...”
“No, it’s fine! It’s funny now!“
“Well, that’s nice...”
* * * * * * * * * * *
She showed up at Dove Manor at 8 o’clock sharp, a bit too eager to see Clive for her liking. She wasn’t already growing attached to them, was she? Nevertheless, she rang the doorbell and waited.
Instead of a servant, Clive came to answer her, as he usually did when he’d invited company over himself.
“Ah, hi there, Emmy,” His voice sounded awfully mellow, almost a bit tired.
“Well ‘Hi there’ to you, too, you bummer,” She tried to keep her tone enthusiastic, despite his gloominess. “So, shall I come in?”
“Oh, right, of course! Sorry for keeping you. Come along, now,” he stepped in the manor with her, closing and locking the door behind them.
The quiet of the manor could be quite relaxing in the right circumstances. Unfortunately, Emmy was not finding that she was in the right circumstances as she and Clive walked from the foyer to his “down time” room. Without any sound in the air, she was left alone with her thoughts, most of those thoughts being about how uncharacteristically somber Clive was acting. Usually when she was around, he was slightly more chipper, or at the very least talkative.
Perhaps breaking the silence with some conversation would do them some good.
“So... how’ve you been doing?”
“Just fine, nothing to be worrying about,“ after a brief pause he added, “I only mention that because I know how much you love to get yourself worked up over my problems.”
“Well, that’s quite blunt, isn’t it?”
“Blunt, but not wrong.”
She sighed. “Alright, I get it, you don’t like it when I worry about you. But I really can’t help it, like how I couldn’t help but notice that you’re being a bit quiet today.”
“I’m just not feeling particularly chatty at the moment, sorry.”
“Then why invite me over?”
“I... don’t know really. I think I may be too used to drinking with other people, so much so I can’t do it alone anymore.”
“At least that means you’ll always have supervision!”
She finally got a laugh out of him as he said, “Y-Yes, I suppose so...”
Soon enough they’d arrived at his relaxation room. It was a fairly small room and its decor was simple enough, a long, red velvet sofa that bended around a wooden coffee table, various books and figurines scattered on the table’s surface. In the corner, there were two bookshelves. One was loaded with thick novels (knowing him, they were fantasies), the other having much thinner paperbacks, small slips of paper separating them every 12 or so (of course, manga).
She took a seat on the sofa, soft as ever, while he tried to tidy up the coffee table.
“Y’know what this room kind of reminds me of?”
“Hm?”
“The professor’s office.“
“...I certainly hope it’s not in the way I’m thinking...”
“If you’re thinking of the mess, then you’re exactly right!”
“Oh dear... I should probably clean up in here soon...”
“Don’t stress about it, it’s actually kind of endearing! To me, at least.” Actually, the clutter made the room feel oddly cozy, “In fact, I find it pretty amusing that of all things to pick up from the professor, the inability to keep tidy was one of them.”
“W-Well, that’s... nice...” ...What was with this sudden sheepishness at the mention of the professor? Was something going on that she wasn’t aware of?
“A-Anyway, nevermind my poor habits, do you want to come pick out the wines with me?” He suggested.
“I think I’ll be fine, as long as you don’t bring out the earthy ones again. I can’t stand those.”
“Rest assured, I won’t! I... think I have a good grip of your taste by now. I think.”
* * * * * * * * * * *
He came back around 30 minutes later with a small tray, two bottles of red wine and two glasses for the two of them on it.
“I decided something sweet would be the best,” He began, “Given we both have quite the formidable sweet tooth. As I recall, you like blackberry as well, so I guessed a deep red would be nice.”
“Well, that’s awfully thoughtful of you!”
“It’s the least I can do, I am the one who invited you, after all.”
He sat next to her on the sofa, and it didn’t take long for him to pour himself a glass. He spoke up soon enough,
“So... anything you’d like to talk about?”
“Not anything in particular, no.” She put on a smirk, “Unless you want to talk about your manga collection?”
“A-Ah, that... you’re... not judging me for it, are you? I’ll have you know, there’s light novels in there too!”
“Of course not, I just find it kind of amusing, y’know? I mean, here you are, a classy rich man who only drinks through wine, and you own a manga collection that takes up a whole bookshelf!”
“I... suppose that’s fair enough.”
While he started talking about the most recent light novel he’d picked up, she reached for her own glass, but she had a moment of hesitation. She noticed how Clive was already halfway done with his, as if he was trying to get the alcohol in his system as fast as possible.
Maybe she should stay sober tonight.
“Say, I haven’t seen Spring or Cogg around... why’s that?” She said, trying to get her mind off the subject of Clive’s probably-not-so-great health.
“I sent them home for the night, I thought we deserved some time alone.”
“Time alone, you say~?”
“N-Not like that, I-I just-!” His cheeks flushed as he tried to stammer an explanation, “W-Well, I... I thought that I’d feel more comfortable drinking if it was just the two of us!”
Emmy felt she could still dig some implications from his last statement, but decided to give him a break, “Yes, yes, right... now, why do you feel more comfortable drinking if there’s someone else with you?”
“I-I don’t know, really... I think it’s because it gives me an excuse to drink, you know?”
“...No, I don’t know.”
He took another hefty sip out of his glass, now almost empty, before responding, “Do you at the very least know how it’s a lot more socially acceptable to drink with other people around rather than alone?”
“...No, that's not a thing at all.”
“It isn't? I could've sworn... A-Anyway, I was thinking that drinking only to be drunk by yourself would be a red flag, but if it isn't...”
“Even if that was true, following that logic, wouldn't seeking other people out solely so you can get wasted around them also be a red flag?”
He opened his mouth to respond, but after a moment of quiet, closed it. Instead of coming up with some quippy comeback, he opted to refill his glass and take another drink, a slight look of guilt on his face.
She started again, “All I’m saying is that I’m worried about you.”
“Is that why you haven’t touched your glass?”
“You catch on quick,” She somehow smiled. At least there was some humor in this situation.
Their conversations carried into the night, straying from the more serious topics that could very easy be treaded on. Clive would rant about a new book or manga he’d picked up, Emmy would talk about a particularly scenic location she’d heard about. She still wouldn’t drink, for his sake.
After a good hour or two of pointless chatter and seven or eight more glasses of wine, Clive had set his glass down and called for Emmy’s attention.
“Emmy, can I... can I tell you something?” His tone was somber and his words the slightest bit slurred, “I-I don’t really wanna bring down the mood, but... I need to tell someone about this...”
“Go right ahead.” She tried to keep her voice gentle, clearly he needed it. Given how he was acting earlier, this was something that’d been on his mind for a while.
“It’s… it’s a little pathetic, but…” He took a deep breath and steadied his voice, “I-I think I’m starting to get jealous of Luke.”
“...Why?”
“I told you it was pathetic, didn’t I?”
“N-No, I meant... what do you think is causing that?”
“That’s... also a really dumb reason, it’s because he gets more attention from the professor than me.” There was another pause, before he spoke frantically, “A-And I get why that is, he’s a kid! He needs it more than I do, but still it stings a bit, y’know? And it shouldn’t! It really shouldn’t bother me at all, but it does, and I don’t know why!”
“You’re... you’re allowed to feel how you feel, Clive...”
“I know that, I really do, because that’s what the professor’s told me… but come on! I’ve had his support for 7 years now, I should know that he still cares and that Luke needs more attention than a grown-ass man, but I still feel terrible, then I feel selfish for being jealous, because he’s a kid, Emmy!”
He’d taken to holding her biceps, making it a point to give them a gentle squeeze. Even though she couldn’t relate, she still put a hand on his shoulder, giving him a light pat.
“Look, Clive, despite how you’re thinking about this, your feelings are perfectly justified.” she put a hand on his other shoulder, “Just think of it like... like your dad has a new son, something like that.”
“E-Emmy, making it a metaphor isn’t going to help, it still doesn’t change the fact I’m upset for a really, really, stupid reason!” He sighed and averted his gaze, “I-I know you’re just trying to help, and I appreciate that, I really do, I-I just... I don’t know how you can...”
“I know I can’t... I know...”
Then quiet. Clive had let go of her arms, now wrapping his around her back and collapsing into her, sighing. Emmy returned the gesture, giving him reassuring pats on the back.
Suddenly his eyes widened.
“...Oh god…”
“...What is it?”
“What if the professor is replacing me?”
“C-Come on now, Clive, there’s no way he’d do that!”
“No, Emmy, think about it,” He started holding her even tighter, “O-Obviously you wouldn’t know about this, but Luke looks exactly like how I did when the professor and I first met.”
“I-I don’t think that means anything, it’s only-”
“Luke and I also met the professor in extremely similar ways, he treats Luke the same way he treated me at that age, the only difference between the two of us is that Luke is cheerful and enthusiastic, and how a kid should be,” He stopped briefly and sniffed, “I... I certainly wasn’t like that...”
Emmy sighed, “I know you’re upset, but these are all small coincidences. Sure, they may seem like they add up to something more, but they really don’t.”
“You’re not getting it, Emmy. The professor doesn’t do coincidences. For all I know, he thinks I’ve outgrown the role of his apprentice!” He took a deep, shaky breath, “I probably have...”
“Oh, Clive, no, just... talk about it with the professor. I know he’ll clear things up.”
“I-I will...”
She pulled him out of their embrace, resting her hands on his shoulders.
“And don’t start thinking he won’t like you because you brought up your concerns, because,” she put on her best mock ‘sophisticated english gentleman’ voice, “‘A true gentleman always considers the thoughts and feelings of others!’”
“Th-Thanks, Emmy…” At least that could get a chuckle out of him, anything to make him feel just a little better.
“...You wanna keep hugging me?”
“Th-That’d be nice...”