The Devil's Crown

XXVIII Brunette

Elfric has got to admit that the T.V screen didn’t show Shaw Gotham as he truly is. It failed to deliver that aura around him. the aura of something untouchable.

Not because you worry that you might break it but the opposite. You fear that it might be the one to break you to pieces.

At first, Elfric thought that there have been a couple of Nobles that seem to have some sort of power over them. He figured that it must be because of their position.

They were born and raised while being fed that they are the best. That they were lucky to be born to the 3% that rule almost all of Europe. Being told that you were top the food chain, that there were the humans, and then there was the Nobility.

Unlike power, you could say that it was ego.

This man however had something else besides that ego of being the best of the best. Power. Not like the rest but true power. For a moment there Rick thought that it might be something like what he was given by Orathan. But, no. There was no way that that is possible. He thought.

“That man,” Rick mumbled as he brought the slender glass of champagne to his lips. “He doesn’t seem normal. Can it be that he has a demon too?”

That was the only logical explanation that he could come up with.

‘Can’t be.’ Orathan surfaced to the top of Elfric’s consciousness. ‘Demons don’t just around fulfilling wishes. There aren’t that many demons the do this sort of thing anyway.’

Elfric hummed in question as his head wandered off to another thing than the task at hand. “Then why did you choose me?” said Rick. “I think I’m not that lucky to be chosen to join those unfortunate souls that you have taken.”

Orathan saw the sarcasm behind his words but chose to ignore it instead.

‘I saw something that made you a suitable vessel,’ said Orathan. ‘Watching you join those unfortunate souls as you said, is going to bring me great joy.’

Elfric shrugged his words off, it wasn’t the first that he heard them but now wasn’t the time to start lingering on hidden meanings to the metaphors spoken by devils.

He turned his attention back to his target. Shaw Gotham. All he needed was a one-on-one encounter. A moment where all the world goes quiet and it was just the two of them.

Romantic if you think about it but not yet quite. It was a war being gambled on mere speculations and beliefs. Elfric’s speculation. Oh, how much he hoped that it was all true. He would be able to achieve many things. All of them depended on that small leap of faith that Rick has decided to go through.

His eyes were fixed so hard on him that for a moment there he thought that Shaw noticed him. Feeling their glares locking despite the dozen nobles that separating the two of them. Elfric was ignorant of the stare that he was getting from Chris who was talking for almost a good 10 minutes before he figured that Rick was somewhere else.

Christopher followed his line of sight to see it lingering on Shaw Gotham again. For a moment there he really thought that Rick was here to meet that man. But why would he when there was nothing common between them?! It couldn’t be that he was some sort of fan, could he? He shrugged the unbelievable thought away.

“I can’t get the thought that you are a fanboy out of my mind,” Chris mumbled a little too loud.

“Huh?” Elfric turned his attention to him.

“It has been a weird request for you to come to this event,” said Chris. “When you hate Nobles so much it’s so hard to see you fangirling over one.”

“Are you perhaps already drunk, Chris?” Elfric frowned in disgust. “You didn’t even get to finish your glass and you are already blabbering nonsense?”

“Well anyone in my position would say that, fanboy,” said Chris. “If you wanted to see him that bad you should have just told me!” he patted on his shoulder.

Elfric couldn’t help but feel disgusted. “Let go of me,” he said getting away from his grip. “I will go to the restroom.”

“Hey, I was just kidding!” Chris called out after him but it was too late. “The bathroom is the other way.” He commented knowing that it would never reach his ears.

‘Where are you going?’ Orathan questioned.

“To get this over with before I collapse from this sickening smell,” he stated. Orathan found himself understanding what he meant with that.”

As Elfric moved through the crowd he realized that some things can’t change. The glares that he was getting were doubled now that he was in this attire. He knew that he must look…a little weird. But could they at least try to hide the fact that they were staring!

He tried to keep his eyes fixed on Shaw, though he didn’t want to grab his attention. Not yet, not here.

Elfric grabbed another champagne glass from the servant that was standing like damn furniture.

‘What are you going to do,’

“Improvise,” he simply said.

And that was exactly what he did. His looks could always come in handy when it came to a tight situation like this one. All he wanted was for him to separate Shaw from the rest of the crowd.

And how can he do that?

By sending him to the bathroom of course.

Elfric noticed a woman that was approaching Shaw. A Lady that was in her twenties maybe. Yet as she was starting to get closer to Shaw, her brown eyes fell on Elfric who was blending in the crowd behind Shaw.

This was it.

He has never done it but…he gazed back this time. Locking eyes with this brunette lady that he doesn’t know. He wasn’t even sure if he was doing it the right way or not but he has already gambled with things that are worse than this.

And he won.

The woman’s eyes sparkled there for a moment, feeling the shared moment between her and that mysterious man with violet and golden eyes.

And just like that. She walked straight into Shaw instead of stopping.