A knock sounded at the door two times sending a signal to a young boy's wrist to vibrate in morse code. Immediately he figured out what the message was, his face lit up, the drowsiness disappeared as a bright smile appeared. The boy hurriedly made his way half clumsily half speedily, counting the steps as he had so many times before to make his way towards the door, and as practiced before the boy knocked on the door twice in return and stood back. The door slowly crept open before a young woman peeked through before fully opening the door revealing her. With dark brown hair that graced her back delicately and skin as tender and flushed as a peach, she bent down while opening her arms. On instinct from wafting scent from her, he dove into his mother’s arms, nuzzling his face, closing his eyes, and melting at the familiar smell comforting his weary mind.
Mom...
A smile blossomed on her benevolent face, her bright emerald eyes lit like soft gems as she held her son, stroking his hair she slowly for a moment then a bit reluctantly pulled back to remind him.
“Lang, sweetheart it’s time for dinner, aren't you hungry right now?”
As the machine-translated and signaled, he grabbed his tummy and looked down shyly, nodding. As he felt down her arm and clung to her hand, tilted his head up to where he assumed his mother's face was and smiled. Innocence extruding on his white skin tinged with a slight pink as if it was barely graced by the sun.
”This rascal... I have to teach him my head is higher up... I have can't have him accidentally harassing a lady now”
Gently guiding his hand she led him out into the hallway and towards the dining room where the table was set, the chairs were pulled and awaiting the young boy. Unbeknownst to her, however, her soft scolding was translated, and Lang felt stifled in his heart as he thought out.
... Mom, you're too mean to your own son!
However, after thinking he did not deny that what she said made sense, he was a bright and intelligent young boy after all. Nodding silently and reaffirming himself he cannot let her think this again. As they walked closer to the table a tap on his shoulder motioned him to turn his head.
“Young master, let me escort you to your seat”
After a second to translate the sentence, he let go of his mother’s hand, reaching to find his aid as a soft cool hand soon held firmly onto his. He paused thinking for a moment and prayed to not mess up again, looking up to where he assumed the maid's head was and nodding. The petite maid had a smile that slowly crept the corner of her grin tremored as she guided the son to his seat before helping the madam to her's and standing to the side.
The mother could only use her hands to hide her face as much as they allowed not daring to look at the maid in the eyes. Moments passed and she let out a cough, then taking a breath, awkwardly smiling at the young maid. As Lang waited for the translator to vibrate and inform him of when to start a slight impatience and awkward silence had him reaching into his pocket to grab a clicker, quickly clicking it before a few mechanical voices sounded out.
“Thank.. you... old sister... Alicia”
Grinning at the young boy's politeness and forgiving him she turned to the mother and informed.
“Madam Im, tonight will be tomato and egg stew, a small salad with our homegrown vegetables, and the lamb we bought this morning seasoned and cooked in a clay oven”
“It sounds like you made some of Lang’s favorite... I apologize for what Lang did just now. Also please call me Valerie, this last name is too... unbecoming”
“I dote on him rather than Master Apollus's other children, I also know young master cannot help himself as to what happened so I will not blame him for that... Miss Im”
“I appreciate that Alicia... Again please call me Valerie”
“Yes Yes, my mis-“
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A thunderous explosion echoed out shaking the building and knocking over the paintings, vases, and other items, some shattering from the movement. As the tremors held on for a length of time, a blinding light flashed quickly in the distance glowing radiantly before receding entirely as the tremors stopped and silence descended for the household.
“Madam! Young master!”
“Lang?! Lang!”
Chaos momentarily descended as the other maids and butlers rushed in to tend to the two masters of the household, but Valerie brushed off the servants ignoring her wounded cut from the glass, and ran towards Lang, constantly checking his injuries and brushing the debris from his hair and clothes. Seeing that he was relatively uninjured, she pulled him in and held him tightly.
“Lang, mommy is sorry, did it scare you? Don’t cry sweetheart, don’t cry”
“Let me dress both of your wounds Madam”
The situation progressed as normal in emergencies, however, Lang did not stop crying as he looked in the direction of the explosion. Tears ran down his cheeks and his heart trembled, but not in fright. As in the darkness of his vision, a gentle glow appeared seemly floating, it had a soft different hue one that he did not comprehend but this new beauty was undeniably causing new emotions to well up in him, simple colors of light green, blue, red, yellow radiated in his head dancing about.
As his mother comforted him to calm him down she had forgotten that her son could not hear the explosions or chaos of the servants, nor see the blinding light. More importantly, she did not know her son had experienced colors for the first time and was unfazed by the explosion. Collectively Lang quickly grabbed the clicker and sounded out a message for them.
”Can... Go... There... Mom?”
As he typed while pointing at where the explosion happened and where he saw the lights, his mother shook her head explaining slowly it was too dangerous and there will need to be procedures that happen first before they would attempt to go if they did decide to. Disappointment filled him momentarily as the servant cleared the debris and prepared dinner once more for the household.
Something, what was that? it was too pretty! I'll need to convince mom later on... I have to!
With that thought in place, Lang ate dinner silently pondering the light and every so often focusing on what the translator picked up from what his mom and Alicia were discussing.
"Madam... Mistress Cynthia will be arriving tomorrow as well as her children Gabriel and Jean."
"I see... Alicia I will ask you to please watch over Lang in case any more incidents between them occur then."
"I will see to it Young Master Lang does not get injured this time as well then."
A sharp gaze was exchanged between them as mutual feelings were aligned, and as they finished dinner Valerie asked Alicia to assist Lang with bathing and preparing for bed. Two knocks on the door rang as Valerie walked in and after thanking Alicia switched her out. With a soft gaze, she headed over and gently sat on Lang's bed her cool fingers running through his hair. Lang paused for a moment motioning to his mother for the clicker and after receiving it told his mother.
"Mom... the story... color... feelings... please"
"This one Lang? You really love this story huh?
A soft chuckle escaped her lips watching him turn his head to the window as if gazing into the distance and for a moment she paused, but she soon chalked it to the imagination and slowly once more told him about colors in the form of feelings.
"Window?... Hmm... Okay, let's start with red. Lang, red is passionate, two sides, anger to be heated, and tender love. Remember what you feel towards me and the maids and butlers? The frustration sometimes but also the feeling of love?"
Red huh? That must be this one? I can see this one too being it... it feels fire?
"Yellow Lang, is bright and cheerful, comforting as well. It's what you and I feel when we hug or when you eat good food. You can feel it when you get excited you know?"
This one can only be Yellow then... Mom, you're right, I feel very happy looking at it.
"Blue is cooling, Lang. it can be calming or it can feel very lonely, it is how you feel when you were outside and sitting in the shade just the other day"
Calm and lonely?... It's you, you're that color then... You do look very lonely...
"Now in between is when you mix them, let's take the two-sided red and the cheery yellow. You now have orange Lang, it is both warm and cheery, not bright like yellow but not as passionate as red.
Ah! Mom, I was wrong... this one isn't red but orange then... red does look passionate... but orange now looks warmer.
"When you mix the cheerful yellow and the calm and lonely blue, you have green. The color is calming as blue but not lonely, it is vibrant but the feeling also associated is many. I recall someone being sad about eating too much during dinner and couldn't handle dessert hmm? Hehe..."
Mom, stop that it's embarrassing!... But this is green huh? It looks less lonely and it is calming... I feel like it is regret as well...
"Purple now... we're already near the end sweetheart. Okay, with both double-sided colors or red and blue, you have emotions such as anger and love, calmness, and loneliness mixing. It becomes distant, mysterious, it embodies all and that is what it feels distant, out of reach"
Mysterious... It feels far away, purple... I can feel a lot when I look at you.
"Sweetheart I'm going to tell you these two at once now, black and white. The two extremes white is blinding, it feels airy and unreachable, while black is encompassing, hugging you constantly while heavy. There isn't a correct way to interpret these two Lang. Truth and Lies would be the closes for you, they are both essential, both can hurt both can heal. a mixture is a white lie... gray as to say"
All I saw was darkness, mom, as you say it is heavy. But now I see... white, it is blinding and I feel like I can say something else, mom... I feel hope from the color white...
"Lang, it is time for bed now, mommy will be here tomorrow okay?"
Finishing her words she tucked her hair behind her ear and she softly gave him a kiss on the forehead, standing up to stroke his hair before smiling, tucking him in, and leaving the room after he nodded.
As he lied in bed his gaze shifted back over to the window, in his eyes, the darkness around him was all-encompassing and frightful were it not the warmth of his mother body, the cool feeling of the maid, Alicia's hand, and the warm feelings of the other servants when they spoke to him. Now however in the darkness he usually saw, soft lights gently swayed and floated in the far distance, the magical sight he just had to find himself.
Colors huh?...