Rynth: Four Beats

| 6th of Teryusin — Year 362 of the Cycle of Synthesis, Grand Cycle ??? |

His voice echoed throughout the entire property. Both the guards scowled and raised their batons, only to be stopped as Idri flashed in between them and Raoul, Kranstor raised in an intimidating one-handed middle guard. The rays of the sun reflected off its pristine surface, and Idri held fast, returning the scowls with a protective one of her own.

Like a student to an alarm clock, Calliope startled herself into attention, almost dropping the cigarette she was holding. Her hand drifted straight into an obscure pocket of her uniform, halfway through unsheathing a forearm-length steel dagger before her mind recognized the lack of danger. She quickly steadied, head slowly craning, still not entirely believing her mind on who the person that had just yelled at the top of his lungs was.

She swallowed the lump in her throat that had formed upon seeing Raoul and Idri. Lips quivering, Calliope carried herself forward with the same practiced elegance they had expected of her—a steady head, restrained steps that started from the hip and not the legs, and a differing foot placement that had her stride heel to ball. Cautiously, she raised a hand to wave off the two guards, both of which reluctantly slid back into their posts with less-than-satisfied expressions.

“It is okay, I recognize them. At ease,” she softly ordered, and then showered a welcoming look over both Raoul and Idri. “It’s been a while, you two. I believe it’s been… seven years, three months, and twenty-two days since we last saw each other.”

“On the mark as always,” nodded Raoul. “We’re sorry for coming over without an invitation, but do you have time? There’s something I wanted to talk with you and Avil about. Apart from our little reunion, of course.”

He caught the shudder and flinching that unwittingly affected her when he mouthed Avil’s name. Even compared to her master, Cali was fond of sticking to propriety no matter the occasion, and as such her mood or behavior rarely shifted even during tense situations. Whenever it did, though, she was trained to make sure to silence any such movements, keeping them veiled to maintain the illusion that she was a silent ghost that followed her master around.

A slight silence descended before Cali replied. She flashed a nod to one of the guards, who immediately began unlocking the iron gate with the key in his pocket. “...Of course. Please come in. Master Avil is currently busy in his study, so I will have to ask you to wait. In the meantime, would you two care for tea?”

The moment the gates swung open, Idri rushed forward, wrapping her arms around Calliope in a tight hug. Unlike Raoul, however, the former took it nonchalantly, almost completely unaffected by her monstrous strength.

“Cali…! I really missed you!”

A gasp of surprise left her lips, eventually softening into a reciprocative smile as she returned the hug. “I have missed you too, Idri. You have certainly grown since then.”

“Mhm…! I have. You’re still taller than me, though. And your hair’s still so lustrous.”

“I’ve been using the same treatment. If you’re free soon, then I’d be more than happy to come along with you to visit Miss Nalrie to get your hair repaired. It’s been combed well, but there are still a lot of imperfections in the scalp.”

“I would love that,” replied Idri. She pulled off from her slightly before giving Raoul an understanding bob. “Before that, though, I want to wait until Raoul’s finished. I also want to talk to Avil. It’s been so long…”

“Speaking of Avil,” Raoul muttered, his voice dropping an entire octave. “What’s up with the flowers, Cali? Doesn’t he have them replaced at the end of each season? Summer’s still on the flowerbed.”

“Ah, those…” her words lacked conviction, entirely reeking of hesitation. “He has just been very busy, to the point he has had to neglect his gardening hobby. Though, I am quite sure he will make time for you two the moment he’s free. You are his friends, after all.”

Unconvincing, he thought. No matter the time, place, or situation, Avil wasn’t the kind to simply drift away from his schedule without reason. They labeled him meticulous precisely due to this; he would always find a way to make sure every little bit on his agenda was accounted for. Even leisure time.

Something big must have happened in his life for him to forget even his flowers. He pondered. Avil…

Something to put in the back of his mind for the moment. With an encouraging wave, Calliope ushered them past the half-dead garden and into the misgiving walls of the mansion.

The intricately-fashioned double doors creaked open to reveal a vast and open front foyer. Parts of the walls were hewn in the same style as the entrance—elaboratedly cut and carved to form various floral designs in some areas, but most remained flat and polished to enhance the same shade of chocolate that glinted in the light from the delicate glasswork chandelier atop the room. Even the floors—a varnished design of various tiles pieced together to create floral patterns—caught the eye just as much, the floral patterns each ensemble formed sprinkled all over the same room.

A dozen steps and opposite the doors was the mouth of the staircase, each step lined in a darker brown of carpet just as fresh as the rest of the foyer itself. Said staircase stopped just before a painting of a cavalryman brandishing a saber atop a horse, splitting into two more that both served the same purpose: to get to the second floor. Gaudy without reason, like most rich-people architecture.

“This way,” Cali ushered, leading them onto the stairs. “I have already sent a message ahead to inform Master Avil of your arrival, but he has not responded yet.”

“That’s okay. We can wait, can’t we?” Idri said. “I want to talk to you over tea, Cali. I have so much I want to say.”

A smile followed her words, and she continued on, leading them through the mansion’s hallways almost silently.

Raoul’s attention was focused more on the surroundings. Much like the front foyer, the hallways were a dizzying arrangement of polished walls, lit chandeliers, paintings of miscellaneous subjects, doors every stone’s throw, and doors to balconies opposite them. The afternoon sunlight pierced through the glass in half-rays, creating perfect picturesque scenes in just about every angle one could position themselves in.

Calliope led them down one such hallway, stopping at the third door from the stairs. With practiced care, she pushed the doors open into a decorated and furnitured parlor room lined with a set of comfy plush couches encircling a round table topped with a tablecloth. Towards the far end of the room were two standing windows that reached all the way to the floor, designed to be open with the handles on their bodies to allow access into another balcony that overlooked the space behind the mansion.

“Please, make yourselves comfortable. I will fetch us the tea.”

She nudged the both of them inside and stepped out back into the hallway. Once her steps softened to complete silence, Idri shrugged and slid into the longest couch and lay down on her back. “Hehee… It’s so soft! Come sit, Raoul. Come on!”

He hadn’t noticed many other servants around. The few that were around had busied themselves polishing the already-polished paraphernalia scattered around the house, but most of them kept to the lower floors and didn't care even as the three of them walked past. Their reactions could barely be called that. In short, the general feeling he was getting was a stark contrast to the warm, homey sensation he experienced in the scant few times he visited when he was younger.

Something was off.

Nonetheless, he shrugged and sat down on the same couch Idri did, gently pulling her by the wrist and seating her straight.