With graceful movements, a taller-than-a-man figure weaved through the snowy paths. The question of ‘why was the butcher here in their scholarly midst rose and fell as her resolute stride left them feeling obtuse for questioning such a conviction. A set of large oak doors were thrown wide open and before they shut behind her, Iris’s foot landed on the second step carried by the hint of the secret keeper’s thoughts. The short metallic jingle of keys being fished out of her jacket sounded before the snappy click of the door caused the breathless undead to hold her breath.
An empty room greeted Iris, to her relief. The hurriedness she had felt vanished like spring snow as she had managed to keep her word to Kia and be here for her. A prolonged whine of the door slowly closing behind her was allowed to come to its crescendo as yet another emotion took over Iris despite her immunity. She wanted to turn right back around and go find her Joy of Joys but she couldn’t. Her Kia was kept aloof, distant from her and hidden in the labyrinthine structure of the Living.
“What’s this?” The two purple eyes of a bloodthirsty predator narrowed as she noticed a box she did not recognise nor remember putting on the table before.
‘Parcel intended for the far Blackworm residence.’
Intrigued the elf walked forward, running her fingers across the mysterious leather-covered case. The string of twine securing the case jumped as the risen’s nail ran over it. In the same continuous move, she opened the package and looked inside.
“Shoes?” Iris’s frown deepened in further confusion as she noticed what the letters rested on.
Going against her servant’s training, Iris picked up one of the shoes and brought it to light. The fashionable black leather shoe with a single buckled strap appeared to have been recently worked on as she peered inside. Its waxed surface faintly mirrored the pale face of its holder before fading to matte black as she put the shoe back in the litless box.
She turned her head to the side, shifting her gaze at the letter. Compared to the usual flow of characters she was confronted by a wall of sharp angles and straight lines. Touching the parchment might have been enough to cut someone and the writer seemed not to mind it as the words inside spared no space conveying their message. Someone seemed to have taken a great offence to Iris’s maid skill.
*Knock* *Knock* *Knock*
The elf flinched and gripped her weapon tighter ready to fight the ambushers who used the strange distraction to sneak up on her. The dark glossy edge of her weapon lightly bit into the shelf, chipping the wood slightly as the terrible undead felt the cold tendrils of her mistress reach out to her, trying to cushion her anxious mind in a comfortable blanket of cold.
The hoplite opened the door and saw a trio of women waiting for her. Two standing right in front of the threshold and a maid, who stood behind the two while glaring at her. Preoccupied with something else the monster let that insult slide as her eyes widened. Standing very close to the blonde noble in a turquoise dress was her Kia. She felt like a witness to a crime as the necromancer stared at the human while wearing unfamiliar clothes.
“Why?”
Kia turned around and took a step forward, a loose button exposing a slight bit of her pale skin fuelling the storm raging inside the elf. As a final straw which broke the already failing wagon filled to the brim with jealous delusions, the girl brandished a marvellous smile toward Iris. Yet her head began to turn away as if trying to share this pearly treasure with the human behind her. In one blurry motion, Iris reached for her mistress grabbing by the white fabric of her new shirt. In the same second, she pulled Kia inside, the ivory buttons clicking as they scattered on the floor.
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“Kia,” A devoted moan with a sharp edge to it caused the necromancer’s body to stiffen like a statue while her favourite took off her loose shirt. “Have I done something wrong?”
The elf couldn’t keep her hands off her creator, running her hands all over the ancient’s slim shoulder in a mock imitation of a massage. The force she used grew as her grooming turned into an instinctual need to scrub, rub or replace any hints of the human from the undead. And more importantly, once again try to mark the mage as hers.
A period which felt like many bells passed before the centre of the risen’s attention moved. Somehow slipping her wrist from the elf’s attention the ancient Kia rested her hand on top of the elf’s head. Iris felt her legs crumble under the gentle touch and for a moment the porcelain doll felt impossibly old.
“You’re worried I’m going to replace you?” Kia lifted her arm and as if Iris was going mad, the undead flawlessly turned back into the precious treasure. “I was worried too.”
With a delighted smile, the shirtless undead wrapped her arms around the hoplite’s neck. Iris felt nothing going through her head as the copycat duplicated the way she hugged down to the minute detail, even going as far as to sway slightly from side to side. Iris’s mind was too dazed to understand but she felt that the flawlessly copied motion meant something, something positive and comforting although that was what she wanted to believe.
“What do you mean you were also worried?” The elf finally said pulling the girl off herself, but not by much.
“…”
“Kia you’re making me more worried.”
“I was afraid someone was trying to replace you,” Kia replied. “I dealt with it though, I'm never ever going to allow it.”
The elf saw no flaw in the zealously delivered promise yet Kia’s cold flesh felt distant as she sensed the secret-keeping feeling flare up in intensity.
“You're keeping something away from me, Kia.” The risen questioned the pale copycat. “Is that blond human implicated in that secret of yours?”
“Yes,” The necromancer didn’t hesitate to answer looking. The guilty undead didn’t even defend herself as the rosin reached toward her. “I was afraid you kill her if I told you.”
The mage was right in her thinking as the risen intended to show the girl why the undead were called monsters the moment after she deals with Kia.
“I don’t want you to kill her, Iris.” In the two differently coloured eyes Iris could see a light of curiosity shine down on her but rather than a flickering ember the girl’s curiosity manifested itself as a roaring fire.
“Why? Why can’t I heal the bleeding wound in my heart Kia? If she has something you want I will give it to you a hundredth fold.”
“That’s the crux of my issue Iris is that you’re already giving me everything I need. But I need to know how.”
“I don’t understand, what am I giving you?”
"Peace," The ancient pushed her creation onto the floor before turning around and taking a seat on the warm throne. "Irisssss, can I have her? She is the only one who resembles you in any way." The cold creator sandwiched her warm creation's face between her hands while her upside-down face was reflected in her eyes.
"Why do you need her?"
"I can't study you. At least not that much," Kia spoke as if she was explaining that fire was hot. "Just like you can't define something by using it in the definition I can't use you to base my theory on."
"Kia," Iris brushed a freezing cheek with the back of her hand. "Tell me if you finish, would you... would you make more people like me?"
"I don't think so," The ancient replied. "But I will make all undead not annoy me ever again."
"Kia, always know that I'm here for you."
"I know Iris."
The short petite girl pressed herself against Iris's jacket while continuing massaging the elven cheeks. The sensation felt like a bucket of cold ice which quenched the jealous flame ravaging inside the undead who quickly realised how immature of her everything she had done was. She didn't give up on holding the shirtless undead, her impulses might have been shameful yet in her hearts of hearts they felt right, so hiding her consciousness in the grey band of morality the elf's soul came to a quiet rest focused solely on the dark wizard.
"Iris, how did you know I was keeping a secret?" A suspiciously touchy kitten or maybe not she wasn't sure, purred at the Iris.
"I'm not going to tell you." A half smile appeared on the risen's face breaking the long era of distraught which had ruled over her face since the start of the day.
"Pleaseee, I'm curious." The ancient said as if the word was a magic key, to the elf's heart.
"You're bad at keeping secrets from me."
The elf stroked the mage's cheek sensing her annoyance and partaking in simple joy emerging from the other side of their link. Yet a final dark cloud loomed above the risen not allowing her to let go of the mage as she became aware of something trying to hide among other emotions.
"Kia, had you lied to me?" Iris's hands squeezed the girl, uncertain what she was going to do.
"I..." The elf felt Kia's sudden shock as she forced their eyes together. "I lied."
"What was the lie?" The executioner held the judge on a trial.
"I lied about you providing me with enough peace," The innocent doll said wearing a strangely content smile which blew away the dark cloud lingering above Iris with its sheer naivety. Or perhaps the evil undead was playing with the elf, spindling Iris around her finger and making her dance to her tune. "Kiss me."