Beauty and A Beast

Part 10

Though the next day had passed, Elias found himself waking earlier and he caught a glimpse of Chidori as she went out to greet his help that trimmed his shrubbery. Courtesy of Edna, she had told him that just because he enjoyed his home and life to be dark her job as the head maid required her to care for the manor and he had let her. He didn't care for society and he didn't care for what others thought. As long as they kept him the hell alone, he would not make a big deal.

But seeing the top of Chidori's blue black head of hair in her messy braid that sat on the top of her head, he found his eyes watching her movement as he moved to another set of windows to see if he could still see her. The workers stopped what they were doing as they smiled at her and he knew the confusion on their faces when she grabbed her notebook from her apron pocket and scribbled down her reply. They seem to look a bit nervous but then they laughed.

He could see the pale of her neck and the most unusual thought came over him as he thought about wanting to kiss the skin there and see if it was as velvety as it looked. For fear of her seeing his atrocious face before, he tried to keep her from seeing him and he never had the chance to taste her skin. He was sure it was sweet just like she was. "My lord?" Mr. Brinewald said as he watched the master uncertainly, bringing a mixed drink from the kitchen for his health.

"Can I ask you a question?" He asked his butler and he didn't look at him as he tried to peer over the balcony to where the working men tried to speak with Chidori. He didn't wait for a reply from Brinewald as he continued, "If you were in that girl's tragedy, would you have stayed and just withered away?"

When there was a silence he looked away briefly from the window and glanced at a stoic Brinewald. The older man just like his wife didn't show too much emotion and he liked it that way. "I believe anyone intelligent enough would but that's what makes them easily forgotten. Miss Walters is quite the change I must say. Even Edna has taken a liking to the young girl. From what I have been told...she is quite..." he trailed off the both of them not exactly figuring out what one would describe Miss Walters.

She was different from anyone Elias had ever met and he's met quite a different bunch of people whom have the courage to visit him. "Different." Mr. Brineweld stated as if that one word justified everything that was Chidori. He had lost sight of her and turned away from the brightness of the sun and its light as he went back towards his desk to continue his work. He had to agree with his man servant and she was like a puzzle to him. Mysterious but an open book.

The next day, Elias had found himself taking a step outside of his too dark home when he saw Chidori bringing out a tray of drinks for the help outside. He saw from afar that they thanked her and she smiled at them as she accepted the flowers from the garden for the weekly arrangements.

While he watched her happily taking in the sun and there was a bounce to her step, the wire from her hearing box glinted in the light. She obviously didn't hear him as she turned with an open mouth but barely an audible gasp.

She pressed the flowers to her chest and he could see the fleeting panic and the rise and fall of her shoulders as she rested easily. Any other person, Elias would have stormed away and shrank back into the manor or shadows but he knew Chidori for some odd reason wouldn't have been frightened by his looks. He knew it was because she was genuinely caught off guard from her lack of hearing.

She smiled at him as she made a gesture for him giving her a fright. Elias nodded to her and he felt the sun on his mask and his suit as he just stared at her, not sure what to say. Chidori waited patiently for him to speak but he didn't say a word and she bowed her head to him as she gestured to the flowers and walked away.

Elias dumbfoundedly watched her walk away, the back of her pale neck beckoning him. When she was out of sight, he cursed himself and entered the manor not caring if there were whispers about him from the gardeners.

The next day was the same as she had went to the garden with Edna to grab ingredients and he followed them from afar not wanting to say anything. But once he got close enough, he froze and Elias really didn't know why. When Edna saw her Maater, they stopped and she asked him, "My lord, we're you needing me?"

Elias felt his mouth go dry and he cleared his throat. "No. I am just in need of...nothing. Do go about your business ladies." He commanded and watched as the two women walked away and Chidori giving him a pleasant smile. Once they were out of eye shot, he cursed himself. How was he making such a fool of himself?

The next day, storm clouds had rolled in and Elias was surprised to find the top of Chidori's head outside. He hadn't caught sight of the gardeners and he knew just by the look of the clouds that a storm was brewing. Without a word to Mr. Brinewald, he took his leave to follow after the young maid, still not quite sure what he wanted to say to her.

Outside he had finally caught up to her and found that she was quite the quick one. He had found her behind one of the old store houses were she was crouching over. Elias thought something was wrong as he quickened his pace. "Are you ill?" He asked as he caught up to her and she was frightened.

She had a bowl of milk and was moving her fingers to the brush and that was when he heard it. There was a very low mewl and yowl and that was when he noticed the animal. It looked to be a newly born kitten and she was waving her fingers at it. It's alone. She signed to him and he nodded. "Leave it alone. It is probably afraid and hiding from the weather." Elias said loudly whilst pointing at the sky.

Her eyes followed his gloved finger to the gray skies. She gave him a look that she wanted to argue and had to reel herself back in. "If you stay any longer the rain will cause you to be sick." He said to her and he finished with a follow up. "I can't pay you when you're bedridden." He followed up with and as if right on cue, the sky broke and thunder could be heard for miles.

Before any of them could speak a word, a drop fell on her cheek and her eyes fell away from him to peer at the sky as if she hadn't noticed the weather at all.

Another drop fell onto his cheek and thunder roared again in the distance as the sky flashed a bright white. Chidori's eyes grew wide and she looked at him and Elias did the only thing instinct told him to do.

His gloved hand came down to grab hers as he led her towards the only shelter he knew of that was close. As the rain started to fall onto the ground with a passion, they tried to dodge what they could to the few steps it would have taken to get to shelter.

The rain came down just as he expected a storm would and they stood in the shelter of the cold dark shed holding gardening tools. Chidori shivered from what Elias could see though she made no sound.

Her uniform not wholly drenched still matted what it could to her skin and her bun was falling to the side.

He saw the pulse in her pale neck and it brought him to the past and the thought of licking her wet skin played in his head but he looked elsewhere.

Where her hair was falling and a mess, his was stuck to his skin and even though he wanted to move it away, his mask still shielded much. They stood in awkward silence as he listened to the rain pelting against the shed's roof. But he knew only he could hear.

Chidori took a seat on the floor as she pulled the hearing aid from her ear and the box from her apron, wiping the machine from any excess water that could cause damage.

Elias watched her callused yet oddly elegant fingers as they wiped and he couldn't help but he mesmerized by her movements. He was so pathetic that he would become aroused by such a simple act that he despised himself and he had to force himself to look away.