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Life in the manor for the hunters was a boring thing besides their games. Most members of the hunter wing stayed in their rooms, not bothering to talk to the others. Michiko missed the hosting and socialization of her past life, and all this isolation made her feel more like a monster. So, hoping to keep hunter tensions low and spirits high, she began to plan celebratory dinners for the hunter’s birthdays.
At least she did for the hunters that could have birthdays. It was difficult to pin the date that you became an immortal deity. For those (just Yidhra and Hastur), they had decided to celebrate the day they entered the manor. Not that the day they got trapped here was something to be celebrated, but it was what they had. The two of them didn’t entirely understand the human urge to make such a deal out of their lives. It was a silly human thing to make every moment of their short lives, but they graciously accept the celebrations anyway, as gods love to be worshiped.
Michiko, the natural host, had delegated everyone tasks. It kept them all occupied and mostly out of each other’s way. Setting up was always one of the most stressful things, even when everything was planned out perfectly. So, she had to make sure that the final touches were ready.
Hastur wasn’t interested in participating in the set up like Yidrah was, so he was sent to some corner of the manor to be slimy in. Perhaps he just didn’t have the influence of a dozen young girls wanting to host a party.
She saw the wetness on the floor leading to the library and moved onto the kitchen. He would be called back later when the dinner began, but for now, his tentacles were kept out of the way.
“Do you think you can handle the cake decorating by yourself?” Michiko asked tentatively, peering at the mess of color that was already forming in the frosting bowls. What was supposed to be a sky blue was somehow speckled with red. Mary’s bloody neck was dripping in, tainting the decoration. Well, most of the food in the manor was rotten anyways and it was mostly for show since no one really needed to eat.
“Oh, of course dear, this is so much fun!” Giggled Mary, “I’ve been doing fine with the rest of the baking, and I just love making things beautiful. I wouldn’t want anyone else ruining my vision!”
Michiko gave a small side eye and just nodded. She wasn’t entirely sure that she could trust Mary with the cake, but the frosting base had turned out fine, if a little messy. It could be covered up with the frilly pattern that Mary had been practicing on the side. It was the effort that counted, wasn’t it? Mary would be fine, as long as she didn’t try sneaking a bite. Let them eat cake and all.
“Oh! I’ll add a flower here, and maybe here!” Mary’s voice drifted off as Michiko headed towards the dining room to make sure everything else was in order.
As she approached, she heard the faint sound of Antonio humming the piece he had prepared for ambiance. He really didn’t need to practice, not after making his deal with the devil, but he was always composing something new. His new piece would be his birthday gift to Joseph, something he did with all the hunters. There wasn’t much you could do with gifts from inside the manor and music was his skill after all.
He was preparing next to a makeshift stage, marked out by spotlights, by rosining his bow with his hair. The sentience of it always made Michiko a little uncomfortable, but she couldn’t say anything, not when her hair did the same in her Pranja form. Anyways, all things were in order.
The hunters sent to decorate were working together surprisingly well, and the atmosphere was all coming together. Well, as good as they could be. Most of the streamers and confetti were put up by Yidrah and her followers, the string provided by Violetta. Michiko was surprised how well she took to decorating, and it seemed like it came from the enthusiasm of her little followers. The stack of kids was working on putting up the balloons now, which were provided and inflated by Smiley. Ann was trying to help with her height, but Michiko watched as she kept popping the balloon with her stake that she refused to put down.
“It’s sacrilegious to put it down!” she would argue.
“Ann! Maybe you should just make sure your cats don’t take down anymore decorations? They’re having a little too much fun.”
“That is certainly a good idea,” Ann replied as she looked at the balloon scraps littered all over the floor.
“I’ll leave you to it.”
Michiko left the foyer to find the rest of the hunters outside. Passing by the dining room, Luchino was dutifully setting up the plates. It was a fancy set up with multiple forks, desert and soup spoons, and a fancy napkin fold on the table. Occasionally there was a boom, causing Luchino to launch into the air. Thankfully, the lizard had some grace in landing and nothing on the table was messed up. It was a little funny to watch, Michiko would admit, seeing that the professor also gained the skittishness of a lizard.
“It’s Bonbon. I’m pretty sure he is finished with his firework display and is just messing around now. I’d appreciate it if you could get him to stop. It’s distracting.”
“I’ll see what I can do, I’m headed to out see them anyway.”
Outside, Bonbon was indeed finished with the firework set up and was messing around with the extra parts. His trigger-happy havoc was an easy fix, as Michiko glided towards Bonbon and flipped off the switch on his back. He could be woken back up once the celebration started.
The air was smoky, partly from Bonbon’s set up and partly from Bane grilling fresh meat caught around the manor. He was the chef for tonight, making a juicy roast of some sort. It certainly smelled good, and Michiko was glad things were going well on that end. It would be the only fresh food they had, even if they couldn’t be certain what animal it was.
As Michiko headed back in to check on Mary’s progress, she passed by the dining room again. Galatea had joined and was putting her ice carving of Joseph on the table with help from Luchino. It was a beautiful and delicate statue of Joseph with a photograph between his fingers, his coat blowing in the phantom wind. It was like it was alive.
“Look at those details, you’ve captured him perfectly. Joseph will love that so much!”
Galatea just gave a shy smile and tried to hide behind Luchino. Michiko loved the children and couldn’t wait to design something exciting for their celebrations. Suddenly, there was a tap on her shoulder, and she turned around to Mad Eyes, who pointed at the alcoholic drinks he had prepared.
“You have something for the children, too, right?”
Mad Eyes nodded, “Yes, I may be old, but I’m not forgetful… I still think they should have a taste, there’s no one to stop them. Anyway, take a look at my gift. He better appreciate it, I spent half a year designing and making it.”
“I’m sure he will, it looks amazing.”
Even though Michiko didn’t understand cameras, she was captured by Mad Eyes’ work. The eye of the camera designed to look like the open mouth of a wolf, the light source being the wolf’s glowing eyes. Despite being made of metal, it took on a marble carved design, the tripod like Corinthian columns with their flowery embellishments. It fit Joseph’s taste for high art.
Slowly, more of the hunters trickled in as they finished with their tasks. They were ready for the dinner celebration. Everyone had changed to something formal, including the children, in cute little suits and dresses. They may have been monsters, but still complimented each other.
Well, except for Jack, who seemed to judge everyone’s style, muttering criticisms beneath his breath. The small talk in the room began to fade, the hunters not sitting down but feeling uncomfortable staying standing. The birthday boy was missing from the scene. He had spent all morning in matches as the manor’s owner dictated, but after that, he hadn’t been seen at all. It was strange, he was usually setting up his camera around the manor, trying to catch a new angle. Most hunter rested a bit after matches, but it usually didn’t take them long to start wandering the manor.
“Um, Miss Michiko, where’s Mister Joseph? Isn’t this all for him?” Robbie asked, tugging on Michiko’s dress.
“That pretty boy is probably still sitting at his mirror, putting makeup on,” Jack scoffed.
Oh. Michiko had a slight feeling that Jack wasn’t wrong, Joseph was probably still in his room. But he was not getting ready in front of that mirror.
“He’s probably still in a match!” Robbie optimistically suggested.
“Let me check on something.”
Michiko made her way towards the library, where shelves filled with records of their games were kept. The books were the same as the diaries that the owner made everyone write in, but they were filled with endless statistics of wins, losses, and rankings. No one knew how they were filled, but it was one of the constants in their life now. The book of the most recent matches showed the losing streak that Joseph had been facing. It seemed like he didn’t try that day, many of the entries showing that he hadn’t even downed a single survivor. Michiko knew what to do.
“Xie Bi’an, could you take a look in Joseph’s room to see if he’s in there?”
The gentle Bi’an nods and heads towards Joseph’s hallway. The closer he got to the fancy Frenchman’s room, the darker it became. All the windows were closed, keeping the natural moonlight from illuminating the hallway. Many of the decorative mirrors were covered in fabrics as well. He knocks on the room, not to ask for permissions, but rather to announce himself. The door creaks open, and he immediately spots his target sitting on the ornate couch in the middle of the room.
“How long have you sat there?”
He was staring at the only uncovered mirror in the room, eyes seemingly focused past the mirror. Bi’an took a seat besides him and rested his hand on Joseph’s.
“I’ve been so tired,” he sighed, gaze still fixed on the mirror, “Why do I still have to do these games? They won’t bring him back. Every time I capture a photo, I think of him… he began my interest in photography.”
“Who?”
The hunters weren’t too interested in each other’s lives before entering the games. They often had secrets they would rather keep. Still, Bi’an felt that Joseph need this.
“Claude, my brother. We were identical, and I thought our lives would be too. It’s been years… we were just children when we both fell sick after moving, not used to the cold English air. He never recovered from the illness, and I never recovered from his passing.”
Joseph had to pause for a moment.
“The feeling never really goes away, but it’s especially hard with the reminders everywhere. Why couldn’t it have been me?”
Bi’an pulls Joseph’s hand closer to himself, trying to comfort the man who was still in the past. Those eyes still saw nothing but a lost reflection.
“I know… Even after so long there’s a loneliness that follows. Sometimes a little guilt, too. You don’t have to stop grieving, but you don’t have to do it alone.”
“At least you get to see Fan again. I only have a photo of us, and it’s worn,” Joseph sighed, “Why does everything have to go? Pictures capture a moment for eternity, but that eternity fades just as we do.”
“Well, the manor was kind enough to offer me an opportunity to see him again, but the owner is cruel in his generosity. Sure, I can feel him with me, but neither of us can see each other. Fan doesn’t even get to see the manor, and in the games it’s either me or him, never both at once. It’s almost worse than not having him at all, not being able to see him or even truly have him by my side again. I’m not sure you or Claude could stand that.”
He finally looked up at Bi’an.
“Something is still better than nothing. All my photos can do is capture the present, but I just want to recapture the past. If I had known what I would lose, I would have captured him in one of my photos. That little embalmer must understand. If only he knew how to preserve the living, too. Maybe I’ll ask him to make a copy of myself.”
Joseph laughed to himself, knowing that it would be a ridiculous request.
“You could try… pull him aside after downing him,” Bi’an continued with the thought, “Discuss it with him as he’s on the rocket chair. He might consider it, he is one of the stranger survivors.”
Bi’an felt Joseph relax into the couch as they started poking at the possibilities. Wujiu might have enjoyed this, he was always the better one at making people feel more comfortable. It was hard not having him around to complete them, balancing the out Bi’an’s serious and quiet nature.
“If you ever miss having someone around, you can come find me. I’m not trying to replace your brother, but I know how it’s like. I could use the company, too. Just because we’re hideous and twisted monsters in this manor doesn’t mean we don’t deserve some comfort.”
Joseph just wraps his arms around the lanky Bi’an and murmurs a small, “Thank you.”
“We’ve been given another chance in this manor to live, so why don’t we do that? We can carry their memories and create new ones. There’s a dinner waiting for you if you’re ready.”
Joseph gets up to straightens his coat and Bi’an helps him tie his hair back into a neat ponytail. It did feel better to not be so alone in his grief. He would store the photo of that night with the crumbling one of his brother.
Michiko smiled as she saw the two hunters approaching the dining room. It took a little, but she knew her dinners could bring people together. Now, if there was only a way to fix the awful person Jack was.