Chapter Text
Music is softly playing from the gramophone in the corner of the room and somebody is gently swaying to the rhythm of a slow waltz. Marcus hasn’t felt really eased or slightly happy since a really long while. But right now he feels like he’s floating on a soft breeze, without any worries or hardships. It’s just him and his head, letting the music flow through his veins. It might play a major part in this very unusual behavior but there is something else.
The whole day went very well with matches that he’d only won or tied without even one loss, the weather is perfectly gloomy outside and he feels at home and nobody got on his nerves; nobody tried to conjure a meaningless conversation with him. Alas he was left alone. He had a day completely to himself which is a rare but necessary occurrence once in a while. A day where he could focus on himself and his accomplishments with nobody disturbing his peace. Oh, how he enjoys it, even while knowing very well that it must end at some point.
Then suddenly he halts in his movements, looking down on himself.
“I should get redressed. These clothes are dirty.”, he thinks to himself before he steps to his wardrobe without any second thought, ripping the two doors open. There is not much diversity in his day to day clothing but there are two “costumes” that are quite special in their design which he got from Miss Nightingale a while ago. He thinks for a moment. Sure, he can dress up a little more since everybody else seems to be doing just that; hunters and survivors alike. He has felt like the odd one out since a few days after he noticed the -first- subtle change until almost everybody pulled on the same string.
It just never really occurred to him to wear these things outside of special occasions but isn’t his good mood right now something similar; can’t it be regarded as such?
“Yes I can. Who says I could not?” Marcus rambles to himself before pulling out the newest item in his collection. He is extra careful before laying it out on his bed before he starts to undress himself. All the while he eyes the black to dark blue fabric. Intricate designs are sown into it, some more visible, some more subtle in colour. He puts on the pants first while being careful with his prosthetic leg and his tail that swishes back and forth. Then comes the top and a simple headpiece and as soon as he got fully dressed, he sees his prosthetics change from something rusty, metallic looking to something natural, floral. They are made out of wood, like branches, and moss and flowers grow from them. Even his hair changes which he watches in the mirror that hangs above the sink in the far back of his room. He watches Miss Nightingale's magic unfold, changing him until he is almost unrecognizable- well, his face and figure are the same but his whole colourpallette changed. Yet he is completely happy with it. He smiles softly at his own reflection.
He remembers times when he couldn’t even look at himself; times where it’s especially difficult to deal with his situation and new -forced on- life. He never asked to be merged with that thing called “Maxwell’s demon”; he never asked to be trapped here, yet he followed this dumb invitation, promising for his greatest wish to come true just to become painfully aware that it’s just a lie; a trap to bring unsuspecting people to this place so they can become chess-figures for a deity that wants to be entertained.
But enough of these negative thoughts! He had a great day so far and right now he’s starving.
What should he eat, he wonders, before removing the needle from the vinyl record so that the music stops.
After that he steps out of his room, closes the door and locks it behind him. He still has some trust issues after a few hunters have stated that some of their belongings had been stolen.
He may have nothing truly valuable in his chambers but he doesn’t want anyone to just enter uninvited. After all, it’s an invasion of his privacy and if there’s anything he values more than anything: it’s his privacy.
His gaze wanders from left to right to see if anybody is wandering about but then he notices something. A door has appeared on the right side next to his’. His eyebrows furrow and he inspects it for a moment. He could swear it wasn’t there when he arrived in his room an hour ago or so. He’s heard rumors that a new unlucky being would arrive but he didn’t know that it would be a hunter. Oh well, it’s not like he cares. As long as the newcomer leaves him alone, all will be fine.
The Cueist continues on his way down the corridor, down the stairs to the first floor, crossing another corridor full of doors before coming close to the entrance hall. But right when he reached the last few meters, Orpheus came around the corner, with him an unfamiliar man.
The tall hunter with the bird mask seems surprised as he spots the smaller hunter.
"My, Marcus. What a surprise to see you here. To top it off, dressed like that. My, you look dashing today.”
Marcus bows his head in courtesy and smiles up at the other hunter.
“Thank you, Orpheus. I must have gotten up on the right foot today.”
“Mmh, I have heard that your day went very well. Congratulations. You were very impressive in your hunts. It’s good to see you happy once in a while. That smile really suits you, you know.”
Marcus huffs slightly, doesn't lose his soft smile though. Usually he doesn’t take comments like these very well but right now his head interprets these words in a whole different context. Besides, he holds Orpheus in high regard. If it’s him who speaks these comments, it’s not that maddening.
“Oh, before I forget it: this is our newest arrival in the manor.”
Orpheus points to the man who just has been standing there idly with a soft but slightly unnerving smile. Marcus’ can’t put his finger on it but something feels off, the way he looks down on him.
"Good evening, Marcus. My name is Finsen. I carry the alias “Dentist”.”
//Okay, now I know why his presence feels off.//, Marcus thinks to himself, his facial expression changing ever so slightly.
“I sense your uneasiness but don’t you worry. I won’t prod around your mouth and teeth without a reason. But should you ever have any problem with your teeth, you can always come to me.” He bows politely and smiles down at Marcus but something still doesn’t feel right. His demeanor seems forced and acted.
“Don’t worry. He said that to anyone we came across. Now, we won’t hold you up any longer. I wanted to show him his room. Make yourself a wonderful evening and be at ease.”
Marcus nods, bows again and goes past the other two with quickened steps to quickly reach the stairs down to the hall towards the kitchen. Since he’s alone again he feels a little at ease but that new hunter… really had a weird vibe to him.
//I wonder if I am the only one that thinks like this.//
Maybe it’s the way he looks, but definitely the way he smiles. Shivers run down his spine. Maybe he’s just overreacting.
Hold up! “He lives right next to me!”
Marcus groans as he opens the heavy kitchen door and is greeted by the most delicious scents. It’s warm inside; a stark contrast to the hall on the other side.
“Aaah, look who came to honour us with his presence. We were closing bets if you’d leave your room again today. My you look dandy! A rare sight to behold! Tres magnifique!"
Marcus looks at Mary. She has a habit of greeting others in some extravagant ways that can sound mocking and applauding alike. Especially him since he is a quite reserved person. Given that his mood has slightly shifted towards the negative again, these words are not doing any good to him, however they were meant to be perceived.
“Oh, come on Mary! Don’t be like that!” Michiko intervenes with an accusatory tone before coming Marcus’ way to give him a cup of tea. “Good to see you Marcus. Thanks for coming.”
“Coming to what exactly?”, he finally speaks after his silence, lifting the cup to his nose to smell the drink he was given. A sweet, fruity note, with a hint of cherry. Usually he is not the type for sweet teas but he already has it in hand so why decline now? He takes the sip, looking around to make out who else is present.
A tired looking Mike in his hunter form, a cheerful Robbie, a very concentrated Galatea, a silent as ever Grace, gloomy looking Ithaqua, very calm looking Partitia, Emily and Fiona and of course Mary and Michiko. All in some special outfits - like himself.
“Oh, nothing special. Just a little coincidental get-together to chat a little.”, Mary comments with a shrug, before taking a long sip of her tea. “Oh yeah, by the way, Ithaqua made himself something to eat. Enough for lots of people to have something.”, she adds. “I bet you came down here to eat something, so help yourself.
Marcus nods and walks over to the stove to look into a big pot. That’s where the delicious smell came from. It may not look like the best but sure enough smells like it. Before he would take anything though, he turns to Ithaqua who looks at him through the eye openings of his mask.
“Go on.”, he answers the unspoken question, before Marcus dares to get a bowl from the cupboard to fill it.
“So, where were we? Ah, yes, Finsen.”, Mary starts again and sighs. Marcus lifts one eyebrow at that, confused why she would react like that.
“He seems… polite.”, Grace mutters before looking at Ithaqua who growls. She pats his back, clearly not knowing what else to say.
But that’s when Marcus starts to wonder why Ithaqua seems so very upset. He figures that it has something to do with the new hunter, since he growled when Grace said something mildly positive.
“Did something happen?”, he asks into the small crowd and decides to sit down at the kitchen aisle, next to Michiko. He may not be the type for idle chit chat but right now he’s curious.
“Well, depends on how you put it.”, Galatea says and looks up from her work to look at the Cueist. “Have you met him?”
Marcus nods
“Well, then you definitely had a first impression, no?”
Again, Marcus nods. “He has something strange about him.”, he mutters.
“Then you’re not the only one thinking that way. Orpheus was with him, right?”
“Yes, but why are you asking me that?”
“I’m just making sure you’re up-to-date. Anyway, when Finsen first arrived, he was alone. That might have been… almost an hour ago. Of course, like everybody else, he starts with his first game.”
“It was creepy.” Patricia chimes in and shudders. “I still can’t really recall what I saw. Everything went so fast.”
Marcus furrows his eyebrows and looks from Patricia back to Galatea, who continues the story.
“Well, and on the way back, he met Ithaqua.”
“Our matches ended approximately at the same time.”, Ithaqua throws in for some extra context.
"That sounds like the start to a really bad joke.”, Marcus mumbles and sips from his tea again. Since the soup is still quite hot he waits for it to cool down a bit but holds his hands close to the bowl to warm them.
“Like a really, really fucking bad joke.”, Ithaqua huffs and klicks his tounge. “We talked a bit. I asked him how his first match went, told him a bit about how things went around here and what not. Then he started to yap about his profession and started to ask me weird questions. Like if I had been to a dentist before, if I brush my teeth regularly, what I eat and if I have had any pain. And you know me, I usually hate talking for a long period of time. Then he asked if he could take a look and I clearly said no! He tried to persuade me but I stayed firm that I will not take my mask off for anyone.”
“Don’t tell me he just took it off.”, Marcus sighs, concern starting to pierce his gut. That man seems to have a problem with personal boundaries and there are a lot of people here who treasure that like their own life.
“He practically ripped it off his face and held it tight in his grip to take a look right there and then.”, Galatea continues instead of the Night Watch who looks away in shame. Her tone is more empathetic now. “That’s what Ithaqua told us.”
“Well, then I guess if that happens again we will have to show him that this behaviour will not be tolerated.”, Marcus speaks firmly, clenching his hands to fists. Finsen has told him that he’d not prod around his mouth without any reason, but who decides what a good reason may be and who reassures him that that man would stop at a no if he deems the reason worthy?
“When Orpheus learned of that, he made sure to confront Finsen but since he’s new he was a little more lenient.”, Grace says softly and continues to pat the Night Watch’s back.
“Well, first of all: my condolences, Ithaqua. That was a shameless invasion of your privacy and personal boundaries. He had no right to do that and it’s not your fault that it happened. Second: next time this happens, we should not be lenient so we can make our point as clear as possible. I figure that he came across you all at some point within the last half an hour since I met them close to the stairs and you seem to have been here for quite a while.”
A collective, agreeing nod goes through the small gathering.
“He is really creepy.”, Robbie mumbles and shakes his head. “I am so lucky that I have no physical teeth anymore so he will never have a reason to look! I hate dentists!”
Some laugh at Robbie's childish tone.
“But we should give him a chance. After all: he’s new here and once he learns the rules and learns about personal boundaries he will be just like everybody else.”, Mike thinks aloud to which many agree. Only Ithaqua huffs disapprovingly.
“To be honest: until I forgive him there has to happen a lot.”
Marcus’ eyes wander down to the food he got himself. There is a heavy feeling spreading in his chest. It feels like poison to his mind so he tries to shake this feeling off. Oh, how fleeting a good mood can be.
“That’s understandable.”, he says before taking the first bite of the food. It’s quite delicious. Very hearty, well seasoned. Ithaqua has some good taste.
Then there is just silence for a moment, before Mary desperately tries to change the subject to lift the mood again.
What follows is just casual chatting to lift the mood but not so much to Marcus’ taste. He listens but doesn’t jump into the conversation. He just sits there, eats his food and drinks his tea until he is all finished. Then he gets up and washes his dishes before making himself ready to leave.
“Oh, are you already leaving, Marcus?” Michiko asks with a saddened undertone.
The Cueist turns around to look at her and smiles gently.
“I would feel more comfortable in the silence of my own room but thank you for having me. I wish you all a good night.”, he says and the Geisha nods, softly smiling as well.
“Good night Marcus. It was nice to have you here.”
And with that Marcus leaves the kitchen again, leaving behind the - by now - happy voices. The sun has set and the cold light of the moon shines through the windows of the great hall. It’s cold and dark but comfortable.
Once he loved bustling lights and people talking. There was a time when he craved attention and acknowledgement for his talent. But now in this day and age he prefers solitude.
Well, new life, new him.
He strolls up the stairs, along the corridor and up to the second floor to get to his room. It’s completely silent although it’s not that late. But he spots light shine through the slits where the doors hover mere millimeters over the floor. So some must still be awake.
When he reaches his room, he takes out his key and unlocks the door, not noticing that someone stands beside him.
“My, what a coincidence to see you out now.”
Marcus jolts violently as he gets scared by the sudden voice talking to him and turns to the newcomer, looking at him with wide eyes.
“Holy heavens! Fuck, you almost scared the shit out of me!”, the Cueist breathes out and puts a hand on his chest. His heart is racing and it feels like it could break out of his chest at any moment.
“My apologies. I didn’t mean to scare you… Marcus, was it?”
“Yes… correct. Do you want something or can I go into my room?”
The taller hunter tilts his head slightly to the side and grins.
Now Marcus notices why his smile feels so uncanny: it doesn’t reach his eyes. His lips might form a smile but his eyes keep that dead stare; the left a glowing purple, the right completely white as if blinded.
“I have only one small request.”
Marcus furrows his brows sceptically. “What do you want?”
“I noticed your tail. That of a lion, no? And your hair resembles the mane of such an animal as well. And your claws are quite the eye catcher.” Finsen speaks and lifts his right hand to his chin where he taps gently against it with his index finger.
“So? What about it?” Marcus grips the handle of the door even tighter, ready to rip it open and disappear behind it. After what he heard from Ithaqua he doesn’t trust this man but still decides to indulge him at least a little bit. After all, he must admit that he’s a little curious about what that man's deal is.
“Well, I was wondering: are your teeth similar to that of a lion as well?”
Marcus is taken aback by this question, but not surprised. That man seems to have a fixation on teeth and he calls himself a dentist so it’s only natural for him to be interested in this kind of stuff.
“They are different from normal human teeth, that’s for sure.”, the Cueist decides to answer truthfully. The grin on Finsen's face grows wider and he comes a step closer, something that Marcus does absolutely not appreciate. Marcus tries to move a step back in response but only presses himself against the door. Safety is only one handturn away. Yet he still feels caged in, driven into a corner; a feeling he is all too familiar with.
“May I take a look?”
Instantly Marcus shakes his head but bares his teeth in the next moment.
“One step closer and I’ll make sure you’ve got them in your throat! Got it?”
The other steps back and lifts his hand, letting out a humoured laugh.
“Wow wow wow, no need to threaten me like that. I won’t lay a hand on you without your permission. I’ve learnt from my mistakes.”
“Have you really?”, Marcus spits back, finally opening his door and stepping into his room; his safe space.
“It pains me to see how little trust you have in my words. It almost seems like… You’ve had some awful experiences in your past..”
Marcus’ eyes grow wide and his breath stills for a moment. Why is this man saying this? Why is he grinning at that? Is he trying to mock him?
“None. Of your fucking. Business!”, he growls and shuts his door with a loud bang.
Then he just stands there, his breathing out of control. His head feels like it’s spinning and he feels sick to his stomach.
//Calm down, Marcus! You need to calm down! He isn’t worth it. He just wanted to test you! He didn’t do anything to you. You’re fine! You’re safe.//
Just to be sure Marcus locks his door from the inside before he sits down on his bed. He still feels dizzy so he tries to rub it away by rubbing his right hand over his face. Physically he feels so exhausted all of a sudden and mentally he feels drained to a degree that he forgets that he was in a good mood before all of that.
Did he overreact? Did Ithaqua's encounter with the dentist make him paranoid that the man could do something to him as well? It almost feels like it but he also feels like he did the right thing; the right thing for himself.
After a while of just sitting there, deep in his thoughts, he gets up again and goes over to the gramophone. He turns it on, puts the needle on the vinyl record and after just a few strange noises the music from before starts playing.
Immediately he feels at ease again, taking a deep breath in and out.
This is better.
He remembers the feeling from before, when he felt like dancing. He feels at ease again, like before.
Yes…
This is way better.