DAY 52-6: GRIPE

"Master!” Orian shouts, quaking like a deer caught in headlights.

Rhett stomps towards him, so fiercely the cards beneath him tremble. “This forbidden study isn’t for your enjoyment you stupid wolf. Nor is it a place you should run to hide. After prolonging such a needless chase and wasting my time, I’m going to murder you!”

Squealing, Orian runs off, zigzagging through the aisles of bookshelves. “Please spare my life, Master!”

“Then get ready! This instant! You’re heading to Edaps!”

“But if I go, I’ll die!”

“You unsociable freak! Why do you think I brought you to my tower all those years ago? It’s not so you could pass your days in hiding like a defenceless infant!”

“But people are scary!”

The creases between Leda’s forehead deepen whilst observing this almost comical scene. Considering Rhett hasn’t whipped out one of his trusty guns and started shooting at him yet, maybe she had the wrong idea about him being a malicious villain after all. Well, he hasn’t tried riddling her with holes yet either so she should’ve expected he wasn’t the barbarous tyrant his appearance gives off.

Nevertheless, he mentioned something about heading to Edaps. Is that correlated to why Orian has been on this wild goose chase, and why Rhett’s been so infuriated?

While her brain spins to make sense of this situation, Rhett takes the moment to turn in her direction. His reaction is just as priceless as it had been when they first reunited. Fists clenched, he gapes, fumbling for words.

"You!” he shrieks. “How are you—”

He extends his palm before he can finish his sentence.

“Keys.”

A grin peels back Leda’s lips. He’s so accustomed to it he can’t even get angry.

Digging into the pocket of her dress, she retrieves them. They clank together as she plops them into his palm. “There you go, Toucan Nose. Did you miss me?”

He curses a foreign word.

“Aww, I missed you too.”

His glower shifts to one more foreboding. It’s enough to shake any rational individual to the bone. “Why are all my servants so useless? I have no time to pretend to be a guardian for every last human I bring into this realm.”

“You’re always thinking about yourself, aren’t you?” Leda returns. “I’ll have you know I’m angry as well. You aren’t giving me any answers.”

“Haven’t I already told you the only answer you require henceforth is that I am your master? Servants do not ask their masters anything. They simply do as they are told. And you’ve disobeyed me twice now by leaving your cage without permission.”

His disdain makes her scoff. “And when the hell did I agree to become your servant?”

“Is your kind incapable of remembering a simple promise? In our gamble, I wagered money while you willingly offered your body. And you lost. Therefore, your body is mine to control.”

“Even if that is true—”

It is true, her mind quips. It happened.

“—we played a game of Russian roulette. I shot myself in the head and died. How am I alive before you now?”

“If you patiently waited in your cage, I would’ve come by to deliver a proper rundown of the situation. But due to your rambunctious behaviour, I have more on my plate to deal with.” He fixes his focus on the redhead peeking out from around the corner. “Orian, take her back to the tower. And ready yourself for the journey.”

His cheeks are stained in tears. He scrambles out into the open, extremities jittery. “Master—”

“I am not in the mood to listen to excuses. If you do not wish to be killed by my own hands, you shall commit to your role as my messenger and depart on the journey on my behalf. Am I clear?”

Far more than he was being chased by the knights or when he was in Leda’s company, Orian’s fear at this moment swallows him whole. His breathing is shallow, eyes wider than saucers. Rhett’s domineering presence doesn’t help.

Leda steps between them and outstretches a protective arm. It garners immediate looks of surprise from both parties. She doesn’t know why she’s taken a stand—whatever happens between these two strangers should be the least of her concern—but she can’t help it.

She’s grown up in horrible living conditions, constantly relearning the harsh truth of the world time and time again. That it’s always the strong and arrogant who feed on the weak. Having been on the latter end of the spectrum her whole life, her sense of justice makes it impossible to ignore this situation.

“He’s obviously scared,” she says, glaring at Rhett. “Why are you forcing him to go on this... ‘journey’?”

“That is of no concern to a human.”

Her eyebrow twitches.

“You have fifty-one days starting tomorrow,” Rhett finalizes.

Orian squeals. “Fifty-one?”

“A servant of mine should be able to complete this mission within that timeframe. Of course, if you wish for me to shorten it to a mere forty, that can be arranged.”

“But, Master...! If I go alone, I may never come back. I could die!”

“Then die.”

“M-master...!”

“I’ve made myself clear, stupid wolf. Even if you wanted to bring another with you, the only reasonable person would be Nia. But she has a family to tend to here in Meisyr. There is no other individual—”

“I’ll go with him.”

Ever so slowly, Orian turns to her.

Rhett’s eyebrow twitches. “As I said, there is no other choice.”

“There’s a choice right here.”

Yet again, Rhett ignores her.

Least to his wishes, Orian hastens to her side. “Miss Leda... will you really accompany me?”

She shrugs. “I’ll take anything over being near stuffy Toucan Nose over there.”

Rhett glowers. “Toucan...”

“Plus, I’m a little interested in these suits. Edaps, was it? I doubt I’ll be any use, but can I come along?”

Orian brightens. His tail swishes giddily. “O-of course, Miss Leda! I’m not useful either so we should be fine.”

“Let our useless selves head out then.”

“Hold on,” Rhett enunciates.

Leda pivots on her foot, gandering to address him. “It’s too late all right. You lost your opportunity to have your fun with my naked body. I’m leaving.”

“Watch your vulgar tongue!”

Her mouth twists sourly. “He called my tongue vulgar.”

“Master,” Orian interjects, “insulting Miss Leda like that is a bit childish...”

“Silence!”

“Y-y-yes!”

He groans. “If I knew you would be this much trouble, I wouldn’t have wasted my breath rebuking you for running away twice today.”

With the sun having set completely, oddly shaped butterflies resting within lanterns across the ceilings flutter their wings extravagantly, dousing the room in a pretty pale light.

A smirk tugs up the corners of Leda’s lips. She drops her palms on her hips. “I think I acted how anyone would after surviving death itself only to wake up in a bizarre world. One with bird mayors and human-like wolves. Not to mention butterfly lightbulbs, a house of cards... Oh, and suit kingdoms. It’s like I’m high or something.”

Rhett scoffs, reclining against the nearest table with folded arms. “I should have left your corpse to rot in that alleyway.”

“And yet you brought me here and used strange magic to nurse me back to life. Don’t you feel stupid underestimating me now, Toucan Nose?”

“It is Rhett.” He rolls his eyes. “Truly a folly being. You died miserably.”

“On the first shot,” she recalls, the memories rushing back to her like a gust of fresh air. “You know, a gentleman wouldn’t usually take advantage of a frail girl to fulfill some dark agenda.”

“Would a frail girl get drunk enough to sell her body for money?”

She scratches the back of her head. “Touché.”

He continues, “At any rate, this ‘dark agenda’ of mine was to increase my assets. I don’t possess much help, as you saw today, and the help I do have are all useless.”

“I’m not seeing how plucking a stranger off the streets would be any more tantalizing.”

“You’re correct. I did not require you. However, this ‘stranger’ was the only one stupid enough to accept my wager.”

Leda tapers her eyebrows at his condescending tone. She ponders for a moment. “So, considering I did die, is this the afterlife?”

“That isn’t exactly correct. This ‘afterlife’ you mention would most likely refer to the third realm, the Rehte.”

“Third realm?” She straightens her posture, eyes widening exponentially. “Wait. Are you seriously telling me...”

“I guess people of your kind refer to it as ‘alternate dimensions.’ Htrae, the human world in which you reside, our world, Annadia, and also the afterlife, or the world of the Rehte.”

Leda’s jaw hangs slack. This really is identical to a movie plot. Three different realms? Three alternate dimensions coexisting at the same time. Maybe she really is imagining this all...

“As much as I’d like to give you the complete rundown of everything you may need to know, I’m afraid I do not have the luxury to be giving such a lesson at this time.” He pushes himself off the furniture. “Well, learning further information regarding Annadia is pointless, seeing as you will spend the remainder of your life working alongside Nia in this tower.”

“What do you...”

“You were brought here to work in Orian’s place while he left on his journey. Nothing more, nothing less.” He adjusts the cuffs of his jacket. “I mentioned I wanted to increase my assets, correct? This is why. Therefore, you accompanying him is not an option.”

Leda’s lips meet.

“Outside of the Land of Cards is not safe for you,” he continues. “Meisyr is secure because it is a land full of refugees from the other suits. Not to mention it’s under my jurisdiction. But if you so try to enter the other kingdoms—”

“I didn’t understand a single thing you said, Toucan Nose.”

His jaw plummets. He sputters amidst his anger for a coherent retort—mind in evident disarray—only to finally yell, “It is Rhett!”

“Cool.” Leda faces the silently watching redhead. “Let’s go, Orian. You can explain what exactly this journey entails on the way.”

“Wait!” Rhett seizes her shoulder. “You are not going, Human. Do you want to die?”

“Of course not.”

“Then—”

“I don’t want Orian to die either. You may be heartless, and enjoy making drunk strangers your servants in your free time, but I can’t stand by and let someone as soft-hearted as him die because you don’t care enough to give him company.”

Awe swallows Orian’s face, alongside a new swell of tears. “Miss Leda...!”

“You do not even know him,” Rhett remarks.

“I don’t, but... what I do know is that being with Orian beats being the servant of obnoxious poultry like you.”

“M-master!” Orian, fortunately, intervenes before Rhett can end her life for the second time. “I believe Miss Leda will be fine. Even if she is human, they’re a rarity. I doubt the other suits will find it in them to turn her away.”

Rhett releases her and balls his fists. “That is not the reason I am against it.”

“If it’s another servant you want, just grab another unsuspecting one off the streets,” Leda offers.

“Will you listen to me?” Rhett’s shout jolts her to the core. Grounding his teeth, his beady eyes bore into hers. “A human loafing freely in Annadia is—it’s unheard of!”

“That just makes me want to explore this world more.” Leda smirks. “Face it, Toucan Nose. There’s nothing you can say that’ll quell my curiosity. I’m going.”

Despite wanting to argue otherwise, Rhett resigns with a huff. His shoulders slump, and a look of defeat overtakes his previous anger. “There is no turning back from this.”

Orian perks alongside Leda.

“Fifty-one days,” he says. “That is as long I’ll give you. You will depart Meisyr come morning.”