Truthfully, Shay was rarely cheerful unless she had a project to work on. She was work (goal?) oriented, but not toward school or careers. Toward people. Instinct. The need to get close, reveal secrets, find and bury herself in whatever it was that made someone what they were. It stopped all fear, self-preservation. It was a strange thing indeed.
She'd decided to follow Felix's advice, dressing up as cutely as she could in pastel pinks, creams, and grays. An adorable jacket and soft scarf. She'd used scented oil on her hair the night before, giving it an extra shine. Some people might have considered this like dressing up for a date, but really, Shay was just dressing to impress. She liked to throw people for a loop.
Eroshay had mostly left Gabriel alone since she'd given him her flippant apology card and presents in the mail. Personally, she'd thought they were hilarious, but maybe he hadn't. Gabey just needed a better sense of humor. Whatever.
She'd skipped all the way to his home and knocked several times on the door that morning. It wasn't super early, but it wasn't near afternoon, either. She was hoping he'd be home, so she didn't have to go to Gomorrah. She was buzzing with excitement, nearly unable to contain herself. Shay carried with her a lacey, pink card clasped tightly in her gloved hand. She looked around, then did a little wave. There was no way Gabriel Baltimore didn't have security cameras or some shit.
"Oh mister Baaaaltimore, come out and play! I have a present for you." She held up her fingers, clicked them as a tribute to the oldies movie she referenced.
Mikhainon was, unfortunately, home. Being a night club owner with an investment in his night club made all nights exciting but left very little to do during the day. He had a massive hangover from drinking all morning and he had to tell Blue to shoo the rest of his lovers so he could get some rest. When they were shooed out of his room, Blue and his servants tried to lessen the effects with curtains, company, water, painkillers, and breakfast in bed.
Someone knocked on his room just when his residual hangover was starting to fade, and he threw a glass at it, irritated. "What did I tell you people about bothering me?"
"I'm sorry, my lord. Won't happen again, my lord. But, um, Mr. Rosales' kid is here?"
Blue and Mikhainon exchanged looks, as if to confirm each other's suspicions. Blue grinned. "It's Eroshay."
"I'm aware." Mikhainon rubbed his head and downed the rest of his water. "Go entertain her for a bit while I get dressed, Blue."
"What, I can't look nice too?" He shot her a warning look, and she giggled, shrugging. "Right, right, you big baby."
Blue wiggled out of the bed. Her clothes were... oh boy. Where were her clothes? Blue shrugged and put on Mikhainon's red robe, uncaring that it was provocative and did little to hide things. She was a stripper. What the hell kind of stripper was shy about her body?
She opened the door and waved. "Hiya, Shay! Gabey's being a big baby right now, so he said I should entertain you for a bit while he's doing his make-up." She beamed at her and gestured for her to come in so she could close the door behind her. "So? What brings you here?"
Someone knocked on his room just when his residual hangover was starting to fade, and he threw a glass at it, irritated. "What did I tell you people about bothering me?"
"I'm sorry, my lord. Won't happen again, my lord. But, um, Mr. Rosales' kid is here?"
Blue and Mikhainon exchanged looks, as if to confirm each other's suspicions. Blue grinned. "It's Eroshay."
"I'm aware." Mikhainon rubbed his head and downed the rest of his water. "Go entertain her for a bit while I get dressed, Blue."
"What, I can't look nice too?" He shot her a warning look, and she giggled, shrugging. "Right, right, you big baby."
Blue wiggled out of the bed. Her clothes were... oh boy. Where were her clothes? Blue shrugged and put on Mikhainon's red robe, uncaring that it was provocative and did little to hide things. She was a stripper. What the hell kind of stripper was shy about her body?
She opened the door and waved. "Hiya, Shay! Gabey's being a big baby right now, so he said I should entertain you for a bit while he's doing his make-up." She beamed at her and gestured for her to come in so she could close the door behind her. "So? What brings you here?"
Shay wasn't surprised when Blue was the one to greet her. Granted, she hadn't been expecting Blue, but the fact that the Alien woman was here didn't shock her. She rolled with it.
"Hey, Blue. Not a good morning, then?"
Shay idly pondered Gabriel's wearing makeup. Did he always wear makeup? That seemed probable.
To Shay's credit, she only eyed Blue over a little, wearing that robe. Once let inside, she quickly set about inspecting anything and everything in the main hall. More so just to calm the anxiety in her stomach down than anything.
"I didn't interrupt morning sex, did I?"
♠♠♠
Blue laughed, though she pointedly noted that Shay didn't even answer her question, perhaps a little rudely. "Oh, you don't know him, Shay. He gets hangovers all the time. Sometimes you wonder why he won't even shift to something that doesn't get hangovers." She waved a hand dismissively, sitting down to lounge on Gabey's tacky golden skull seat.
"Noooope. He won't be able to get it up with a hangover." She snorted. "He had me shoo like three girls earlier. Who shoos away hot girls?"
"I heard that," Mikhainon said, descending the steps, now fully clothed with his usual suit, though the usual red button-up was replaced with black and the black tie was replaced with one covered with rose patterns. There was little he could do about the locks of hair standing up the sides. He supposed he could begrudgingly accept them as cute. He leaned against the wall, giving Eroshay a flat look. "Yes, what do you want? I dislike people popping into my household unannounced. Make this quick."
"Noooope. He won't be able to get it up with a hangover." She snorted. "He had me shoo like three girls earlier. Who shoos away hot girls?"
"I heard that," Mikhainon said, descending the steps, now fully clothed with his usual suit, though the usual red button-up was replaced with black and the black tie was replaced with one covered with rose patterns. There was little he could do about the locks of hair standing up the sides. He supposed he could begrudgingly accept them as cute. He leaned against the wall, giving Eroshay a flat look. "Yes, what do you want? I dislike people popping into my household unannounced. Make this quick."
Rarely good mornings. Woops. Too late now. Once there was a lull enough in Blue's talking for Shay to interject she held up the frilly looking card at Blue and said, "Christmas present. This isn't--"
Gabe cut her off, and she turned her body so she could look between both of them. She got grumpy Gabe. Shay would have been terrified if he didn't have adorable bedhead and that attractive look on his face.
She held up the hard a little again and said, "Christmas present. Don't worry; it's not just a card." And because Shay was sure Gabriel wasn't up for games at the moment she added, "I made you a shrine. I can come back later if you'd like."
♠♠♠
Blue snatched the cute card and sunk into the couch, giggling and going 'oooh'. "Thank you, Shay! I got something for all of you Rosaleses, but it's more of a group gift. You'd love it. I guarantee." She winked.
Mikhainon raised an eyebrow at what she said. A shrine. He hasn't had those in a while.
"I..." For the first time in a long while, Mikhainon was speechless, an expression of sheer outrage on his face. He didn't get his hopes up at all. Eroshay has only disrespected him time and time again, and if she dared to disrespect him with a mock shrine to go along with her mock gifts and mock apology, master forgive him, he wouldn't be responsible for what he would do. If there was ever anything he hated the most, it was being disrespected.
He stared her down, eyes warning and bubbling anger boiling underneath the surface. "I'm not interested. I have better things to do than play with children that were never taught manners. I don't want you in my home or sending me gifts, and if you disrespect my name again, Klaus would have to deal with losing his child himself." With that, he turned to go up the stairs again.
"Aw, Gabey, come on!" Blue put her card down on the table and followed after him.
Mikhainon raised an eyebrow at what she said. A shrine. He hasn't had those in a while.
"I..." For the first time in a long while, Mikhainon was speechless, an expression of sheer outrage on his face. He didn't get his hopes up at all. Eroshay has only disrespected him time and time again, and if she dared to disrespect him with a mock shrine to go along with her mock gifts and mock apology, master forgive him, he wouldn't be responsible for what he would do. If there was ever anything he hated the most, it was being disrespected.
He stared her down, eyes warning and bubbling anger boiling underneath the surface. "I'm not interested. I have better things to do than play with children that were never taught manners. I don't want you in my home or sending me gifts, and if you disrespect my name again, Klaus would have to deal with losing his child himself." With that, he turned to go up the stairs again.
"Aw, Gabey, come on!" Blue put her card down on the table and followed after him.
The Christmas months had taught her one thing, actually, and that was that Shay wasn't a fan of people. Mortal or not, she wasn't a fan of them, even as she fought to be. She didn't understand them, and they didn't understand her. She wasn't good for them.
Shay wasn't sure whether just leaving or fighting harder was the right thing to do. The bigger part of her just wanted to leave, too sick of fighting people, too tired of trying to recall what she was supposed to do, or what she was. But that human part of her, moreover, the teenager part of her, had worked damn hard on this fucking present.
"Hey!" she called out following him halfway up the stairs. "I worked days on this, okay. Literal days and nights, hard as I could to get things accurate. I'm not messing with you. I have pictures," she pulled out her phone, found the album of the shrine and held the cell out to him to check.
Shay quieted, gave him time to look the pictures over. Taking them with a cellphone had been limiting, but her phone at least had a good camera.
Groups of photos were clearly taken at different times of the day, likely on different days. There was one of the shrine's opening, set in a wide but shallow cave. Outside, a slight rockface and the horizon of the sunset over the water.
The next set of photos were the inside, dimly lit with thick, long candles. The walls weren't only covered in stylistic drawings to represents stories, but even had one carving of Gabe's true form, or what Shay knew of it from dreams and her brief time viewing it. There was red in many of the drawings, and while hard to tell in phone images, it seemed to be some sort of blood.
Along ridges of stone (both natural and created) were gifts and statues laid out and right below the Mikh wall carving were a thick, round bowl. Not white glass, like dinnerware, but some type of sheened stone with a tapering rim and designed in bloody (literally?) red eyeballs and tentacles.
Shay waited, finicky, wondering if she was going to be her own worst critic here. "It's... even better up close." And it was, but Shay wasn't sure how to describe it without coming off weird.
♠♠♠
Mikhainon was on the defensive even as she ran up to him, ready to smack her in the face if she started with her lip again. He snatched the phone from her hands and looked at the pictures just to look at other stupid insults she decided to incorporate.
He quieted as he stared at them, silently tapping the screen with his finger. It was obvious it touched something vulnerable, something he was surprised was even there. He'd been around a long time. This type of worship for him hasn't been around since people started making buildings, scarce until snuffed out completely with the rise of Christianity.
He looked at Eroshay, a blank expression on his face, and gave her the phone back.
"Alright. I'd like to see it up close," he said, tone firm but not hostile. "Blue, get dressed and call my chauffeur."
Blue moved past them and climbed up the stairs. Mikhainon descended the stairs, putting on his dark gray coat. He beckoned for Eroshay, Blue and chauffeur to get in his car.
He quieted as he stared at them, silently tapping the screen with his finger. It was obvious it touched something vulnerable, something he was surprised was even there. He'd been around a long time. This type of worship for him hasn't been around since people started making buildings, scarce until snuffed out completely with the rise of Christianity.
He looked at Eroshay, a blank expression on his face, and gave her the phone back.
"Alright. I'd like to see it up close," he said, tone firm but not hostile. "Blue, get dressed and call my chauffeur."
Blue moved past them and climbed up the stairs. Mikhainon descended the stairs, putting on his dark gray coat. He beckoned for Eroshay, Blue and chauffeur to get in his car.
Shay watched Gabe's face carefully. Perhaps her expression could have been construed as blank, but not in the standard flat look of the word. She was hoping her work had paid off. When he told her he was willing to see it, Shay gave him an easy smile and followed him quietly when he beckoned her along.
Like Gabe, Shay was quiet along the car ride, beyond giving any directions needed. She had requested the scar stopped on a cliff overlooking a reclusive beach.
"Careful," she told both Blue and Gabe before descending the steep, rocky slope to a tucked away cave as shown in her pictures. The cave was elevated into the rockface, with a slight rise of stone in front of it like steps.
The indication that each bit of red was blood had been correct. It wasn't anyone's blood; it was Shay's. From sick days or cut hands, and the magic in her blood thrummed like a living beast.
The work on the wall in person was much more impressive than photos could have suggested. The statue was carved carefully, true feat considering all the parts and the stone bowl (seemingly for sacrificial blood or wine) was attached to a stone altar.
The drawings all worked into one and other, blending seamlessly. The bits of blood on the wall were even well filled out, suggesting, perhaps that they had either been gone over a few times or a paintbrush had been used with a large quantity.
The cave floor had been swept clean of sand and debris and had been sanded down along with the walls to smooth them and help them shine.
Shay stuck by the entrance once they were all inside, twiddling a little with her thumbs and watching Gabriel carefully. She rarely expected the best of a situation, so it was of her opinion that something bad would happen.
She wasn't sure exactly what, but it couldn't be good. She messed up somewhere. He hated the gift. She'd have just annoyed him more. And the worst part of it all was this time she had tried her hardest. Now when she failed, the excuse that she'd been messing around wasn't there to fall back on.
♠♠♠
A cliff side. Unlike Eroshay and Blue, Mikhainon shifted into a raven and flew into the cave. His raven form hopped around inside, tilting its head in jerky bird movements, absorbing the details. He shifted back to his usual form.
The shrine seemed to affect his physical form. Slowly but surely, a soft, glowing aura of gold began to envelope him. He walked around the cave, looking with his other senses too, running his fingers lightly on the drawings and offerings. He might've adapted to the modern era, finding equivalents of religion in its new devices, but this kind of shrine affected him in a way different from his wishes and his night club. Power in its rawest form. Holy ground. His look was somber, nostalgic.
"Hundreds of years, people have worshiped me. Generation after generation of humans prayed to me, carved statues in my image, sang songs, and offered their children to serve me." He ran his fingers on the carving, the power singing underneath his fingertips. He could, quite literally, feel the effort put into this. Mikhainon pulled out a bronze necklace from his clothes with his sigil on it. He took it off, pressed a kiss to it, and placed it on the carving. When it made contact with the carving, a powerful, godly aura flooded the room, marking it as his, blessing this as a place of worship, and warded off anything that might harm it. It was impossible to ignore. It was everywhere.
Mikhainon walked away from the cave and stood at the edge of the cave, watching the waves hit the shore. The golden glow surrounding him didn't seem to leave even as he smoked.
The shrine seemed to affect his physical form. Slowly but surely, a soft, glowing aura of gold began to envelope him. He walked around the cave, looking with his other senses too, running his fingers lightly on the drawings and offerings. He might've adapted to the modern era, finding equivalents of religion in its new devices, but this kind of shrine affected him in a way different from his wishes and his night club. Power in its rawest form. Holy ground. His look was somber, nostalgic.
"Hundreds of years, people have worshiped me. Generation after generation of humans prayed to me, carved statues in my image, sang songs, and offered their children to serve me." He ran his fingers on the carving, the power singing underneath his fingertips. He could, quite literally, feel the effort put into this. Mikhainon pulled out a bronze necklace from his clothes with his sigil on it. He took it off, pressed a kiss to it, and placed it on the carving. When it made contact with the carving, a powerful, godly aura flooded the room, marking it as his, blessing this as a place of worship, and warded off anything that might harm it. It was impossible to ignore. It was everywhere.
Mikhainon walked away from the cave and stood at the edge of the cave, watching the waves hit the shore. The golden glow surrounding him didn't seem to leave even as he smoked.