[I] The secrets I keep

Lyssum walked into her secret study via the small access panel that lay in the outside wall behind the lamp that was screwed into said wall. It was the perfect place to hide the access panel as well as an entire secret study, no one ever ventured into her room, not with the mess and the blood that lingered in almost every inch of the place. No one would expect a small door to slide into view once a tiny panel was pressed, let alone a entire secret room, spotless from all mess and blood. In fact, before she had even entered the small room she had even changed out of her usual bloodied gray dress and into a new identical red one, free of any mess... It was a special room.

In this room was her life, both during and before she had entered the mansion. There was a small picture of herself, Giacinto and Ignicio on one shelf. She called the shelf memory lane as it was not the only picture that lay there. There was also a picture of when Dick had joined the ranks and right at the end, tucked away from sight, was a folded sketch of her family that she had drawn all those many years ago, just over 800 in fact. Her family, the one that she had not talked to anyone about, the one she kept to herself.

She continued into the small room and walked over to the desk that was filled neatly with book of many subjects, neat notes on previous and future experiments as well as research of her own about matters that concerned her, namely Giacinto's sickness. She grabbed the back of the chair and stood there, looking around the room with a large sigh before tilting her head back and closing her eyes, being truly alone with all the secrets she kept in the depths of her mind.

"I don't think I can keep them much longer." She whispered softly to herself.

Raoul leaned on the wall beside the door. Didn't want to disturb Lyssum but also wanted to help her. He could play innocent and could not read troubles, but he decided not to.It is his nature... no... obligation to help. He could read it. Just pretended not knowing at all. "Lyssum, may I come in ? " he speaks in his cheerful tone,like always.


"Oh.. I hope I didn't look like a stalker for going to your room like this..." he laughed a bit.What was it that he's trying to cheer ? the vampire ? or himself ?

Lyssum turned her head slowly towards the opening of the secret study as she heard another voice that was not her own. Instead it was the voice of the man she had met in the astronomy tower not that long ago, the necromancer that knew more than he led on, even she could tell that. But still she trusted him for some reason, it may just be her character talking but she felt that he could help her. She turned her head back up to the ceiling before answering the man.

" Of course not, I do not mind at all."

She did wonder why the man was in her bedroom, not many people would venture to the mess she called her pit, even if they did they never returned to visit her again, it actually made her quite upset. But she did not care at that moment, she had too many things on her mind.

Raoul giggled. For some reason he is on a mood of listening to troubles. "Actually, since I know it'll be a long long story, i brought some refreshments too! Tangerines, oranges, some random I-don't-really-know-what-is-this Orange fruit! Oh, I brought Blood Oranges too...."He smiled. Placing a whole basket of what he brought while entering the room.

He wasn't very surprised of the messy room. Messy rooms tends to be belonged to a Genius! That's a joke he always tell.

The vampire didn't seem to be very happy though. It was a shame for a friend.For some reason, the Lyssum he know has turned... normal.He knew it she was troubled. That's his first reason coming.

Lyssum lowered her head and simply nodded at him before turning and releasing the chair and venturing slowly to the other side of the room to scan the neat books that lay on the shelves. She had wondered what he meant by the things he would say sometimes, but figured that even if she did have an idea of what he could do, it was his secret, just like the ones she kept, though she doubted hers were as important, or interesting. She sighed.

"Thank you for the refreshments, but I do have to wonder why it is that you are here, Raoul." She asked curiously, she did not want him to leave, she did not mean for it to sound like that.

"Not that I do not mind the company, it's just that not many people visit here."

Her eyes scanned across the book titles, the collections of scientific and supernatural reports and papers she had gathered over the years, many of which where not in the mansion library. She did this, not because she was looking for a specific book, but to distract herself.

Raoul smiled. There's nothing much he could do, but he could do some help for the vampire. She resembled much of himself. It's like looking at a mirror sometimes how she resembled himself. Just different from others.

"I'm good at listening,dear Lyssum. My sense told me you have a problem, I just wanted to.... lighten it by listening. Also, I would like to help, in any way I could... " He smiled.

He took a stroll around. The room looks like a place not much has came in. it was a private room, he suppose. Like his own room, the only living being reside is himself."I know..." he replied.

He notice Lyssum was... nervous. She has her mind on something else. He decided to wait until the woman came to talk to him.

he peeled the orange and eat is quietly.

Lyssum nodded, accepting the his reasons for coming, and she was somewhat glad that he did, she really did need someone to talk to as a journal could only do so much. But even with admitting that to herself, that she did need someone to talk to, it did not make her nerves go away at all.

She was not used to talking about herself, who could care about her enough to walk to know herself she would always ask. She had been feeling like it for a very long time, even before she had bet Giacinto in Salem. But now there was someone willing to listen, so she would try her hardest to speak.

"W-were should I begin...?" She asked in a whisper, her small form still facing the shelf full of books.

Raoul laughed. "Whenever you like.Wherever you like. If you just keep on staring at me and send signals to me to guess your past. It'll be another way as well~ " He smiled. He lowered his voice to keep this a secrecy. He felt like childhood allover again. Two people, sharing cute little secrets. They can't grow up? Or they have reached their aging limit ? Not sure...

He pulled another orange. He can't get enough of those treats.

What he had said confused Lyssum somewhat, he could guess her past just by her staring at him?... how did that work? She could believe such things happen, knowing more that most about the large range of powers the supernatural realm held, but she had never come across something like that.

"If I may ask, how does one go by guessing ones past?" She asked, voice dripping in curiosity.

It was not the most important thing on her mind, to know what the ability entails, but she was curious, though she could have always asked him about it later on at some other point in time where she was not about to let loose some of her best kept secrets. She could have, if she was not nervous at telling her tale... anything that brought her time in order to think of how to tell it was welcome.

Raoul smiled. He uses his "I knew it' face while still peeling some oranges with his curiosity as well.

"Miss Lyssum, I have told you that I am a clairvoyant. I can read, past, present, and future but i also restrain myself from looking if one did not want to, and I will refrain from talking if necessary... But I'll be frank with you, because you're special,miss. I am scared to hurt your feelings but I am not scared being hated by you..."Raoul gazed at the lady. He emits an honest feeling... maybe because he has a feeling towards the vampire.

"I can erase my own memories if you like... " He smiled.

She nodded as he explained about his ability once again to her, she did not know how she had forgotten, the information must have been lost in the jumbled senescence that was her current mind-state.

"Ah, yes, sorry I had forgotten, but you must believe me when I say, I would never hate you, Raoul."

((Sorry for cutting in, but shall I continue to call him Raoul or shall I refer to him as Theodore?))

She shook her head at his last suggestion, white hair shifting from left to right slowly.

"That is not unnecessary, I trust you. But... how to start..." She turned and slowly walked over to the necromancer, stopping in front of him and simply stood staring at the man softly.

"Did you know that I am 826 years old, have traveled for most of my life, met thousands of people and yet, I am completely alone." She smiled sadly, she had wanted to admit her loneliness to herself for many years and now she finally had.

((Raoul plz... I haven't even made the new entry for Theo XD;;; ))

Only a tiny smile in hid face. some tells relief, some tells neutrality... whichever the vampire thinks it is.

Nom.

Suddenly Raoul felt a pang in his heart. Lonely... Alone... He... he felt the same,yes? Not that he cared but he too had endured it for centuries, and still hiding from the masses all this time. No matter, it was not his problem anymore. it is time to listen to the vampire woman's problem... not his own...


Nom.

Raoul rolled his head like someone who knew but not sure whether to say 'yes I knew' or 'no I don't'. Was that even a Rhetorical question ? He knew or maybe he just knew what happen and Ignored it altogether ? "I---Yesss?" Was that even an answer ?

If he replied funnily, he might be taken as not taking things seriously.

Raoul smiled a bit while peeling another orange.

"I know, and I know how it felt... " he smiled darkly. "That's why I made 'friends'... although I am different. I was never completely alone, I believe..." he still has felicia.

Nom.

"Was never completely alone?" She questioned the Necromancer, she only remembered once that she had felt that she was never alone, and other times where is was close. "It must have been nice..."

She paused before continuing.

"I was alone from the age of 6 when my family where killed, I was caged and stuck in a hell hole, everyone around me was dying slowly and even after I escaped, it is hard to make friend when you are crazy.

But I was not always crazy, I was actually quite normal for the first 100 or so years. When my parent where killed I was no longer protected, the humans started to notice that I was not one of them and decided to lock me away in a asylum. Do you know what they do in asylums in Medieval Greece? They experiment. On a child, they would experiment. It wasn't long before I went a little mad. But it was not even that which sent my mind into shambles."

As she spoke tears gathered in her eyes before gravity took over and a tear escaped down her cheek.

"I stayed there so long that the others did not even care what I was, they accepted me, looked after me and even let me feed when I needed to. But then the 'outsiders' forgot about us. The left and one by one they each...died. My new family died and I spent centuries stuck down in our cell, slowly growing weaker and weaker, surrounded by the bones of those I loved. Secret number 2. I really am mad, it is no act."

She shut her eyes with a wince, trying to shut out the re-accuring voices in her head which did nothing but screaming at her.

Raoul smiled a bit to the vampire. Yes he knew. Yes he knew. All that he wanted to say was yes he knew and it hurts. He feels, he felt it. At one point, he could.... as if... be that person. No. He don't know. That would be better, that would be best. That is what he will do of course.

Never completely alone... but talking of such holy things to a vampire ? Will he be hated ? Will he.... no. Will she believe him if he tell ? Will... will he be called a necromancer if she knew ?

No. He don't know anything. It was settled before.

Raoul pulled his hand, patting the vampire...no. Patting Lyssum. Stroking her beautiful hair, the hair which... maybe if he didn't know better, he like.

" Today is better, yes ? It's good to talk about the past and it will be better. I promise~ " Raoul smiled like reassuring a little kid that the boogeyman wouldn't come and hurt. He felt her pain, maybe grew numb of his own. When was the last time he cared for someone whose body was taken to be his own ? So long... maybe he had forgotten if Felicia didn't warned him.

Oh wait... he have photographic memories. He'll never forget.

Raoul laughed for a bit. Is this the reason why he went to the mansion ? He was tasked to take care of a lady... a person from the coven. tasked by fate, whatever he calls it. Is it her ? He hopes so... he fell... sort of an affection.

" We... we all are not 'normal'. Therefore, we are mad, mad happy people~" He pushed a smile to his face. Just... to make sure she is not alone. Maybe... tell her a little secret ? " I do too. I hear voices, telling me what to do, visions, telling me what will happen, I can't change it. And nothing will...Maybe... the voices in you is the same ? We are... the same ? I do not act too... I still choose what to do, what to say, and get the consequences....that I knew..." So confusing... unexplainable... no need to be explained anyway. He wanted to laugh at his own silly pwns.


Raoul tossed a clean, perfectly sliced piece of a sunkist to Lyssum.

"Orange ? " It was supposed to be sunkist actually. I know. Stop. Okay....

Lyssum felt comforted as she felt Raoul's fingers running through her long wild hair, it calmed her and made her feel at ease and even quieted her never-stopping thoughts running through her head. She was smart, very smart but it was not all what it is made out to be. To remember everything, to see each little details around her, it was sometimes maddening... or at least it was as she had lost her sanity long ago, only seeing it on special rare occasions.

But the soothing motion as he stroked her hair made everything disappear.

"Today is better." She agreed. Turning her head slightly she looked at him, looked to his eyes to see if what he spoke is the truth as she had a hard time believing it.

"I-it will?" Lyssum asked, whispering weakly. She needed the reassurance for she was exactly like a child in many ways. Lyssum had never been told to grow up, never been told how to act proper and have never been told what it was to be an adult. She theoretically knew, but she had never practised the whole 'Adult' thing entirely.

She giggled slightly and leaned into Raoul's shoulder, she was glad that she was not the only 'Mad happy person' there. Though she quietened down as he told her his secret.

"The voices sometime tell me what to do, to help me. But there are some voices that scream and shout at me, telling me mean things and they try to hurt me. I chose whether to listen to them or not, but sometimes it gets hard." She confessed. No one else in the mansion knew that she heard voices inside her head, not even Giacinto.

"It sounds difficult and confusing.... lonely. We are very similar, very similar indeed." She stated in a sad smile accepting another offered orange.

(( OOC : I will save all of the conversation,okay It gives me the feels ;w; Happy feels... something soft and fluffy and... *runs off to make fanarts* Ohyah! Sorry for the late replying ))


Raoul smiled softly. He looked at his own rotten hand. No time left, no time left from all the time he had in this world. "Everything will be better~ I see it with my own eyes~ " He laughed. Yep. getting that answer from a clairvoyant is suuuure is re-assuring. " I will protect you..." In his heart, whispering a little.Very...very... tiny voice.



Raoul gasped a little when Lyssum leaned into his shoulder.Lonely ? Yes, Very much, I am sorry, what else he could tell her ? Lov---no. Too silly of him. He swore not to love. Nevermore. He will not tell some sort of affection... although maybe his little heart wanted it. Not the 'love' but 'to love' someone. The souls connected and not the body.Maybe later, when he will see the vampire once more. At worlds end, he will.




"...Wait for me ? " a whisper.


"Uh oh! Umm-- Well... mean... umm..." He regretted what he said. Silly. Silly Silly Raoul! He will hit his head to the wall if he's not all flustered and blushing.

He tried to regain his composure. " Umm... I mean. I will always be here with you, don't worry. There's no use for worrying too much,yes ? " He pointed at Lyssum's heart. Well, not exactly at the heart cause... well, he didn't dare to touch it. He points it in the center of the to clavicles. Which was above the heart.