Trust and Betrayal (Haku)

[Sinclair]

A gentle wind blew through the streets of London, carrying with it tiny flakes of snow that disappeared as soon as it hit the warm flesh of the Londoners, who where hurrying back home after having finished their work at the various factories around the capital. Most of them just seemed to be in a hurry to get home from work and get some life back into their cold bodies. Others had decided that the local pub was a better choice for this, and their shouts and singing could be heard seeping right out in the streets where it was dulled by the soft footsteps of the mass. Most of the women around the streets were making their daily shopping; mainly buying their ingredients for the dinner their husbands would be expecting to receive later in the evening. Children were running around either playing or joining their parents in their shopping. They were the only ones who actually seemed to notice that the snow was falling and the youngest of them stuck out their tongues in an attempt to catch the cold crystallized water.

Nathaniel Sinclair was another person who had noticed the falling snow. Though he could not see it, he had felt the soft snowflakes land on his cheeks and lips and turn into water at the slightest sign of heat. Just like those busy Londoners he was currently walking down one of the shopping streets in London, more precisely the one with the most shoemakers in it. He was in the company of his nanny, Hannah, and his younger stepsister, Madeleine, and together they were out shopping for some new shoes for Madeleine. Since they had arrived in London for about a week ago, Madeleine had constantly been talking about how she wanted to get some bright red patent-leather shoes. Her constant pestering had finally made Nathan give in, and he hoped that he would be able to get some peace as soon as this business was over.

“Oh, that looks interesting!” Madeleine suddenly let go of his hand and ran off to somewhere away from his reach. Before they had left the Callahan Mansion, Gabriella had specifically instructed her to look out for her older brother and not cause him any trouble. As a result she had been walking hand in hand with him in an attempt to help him find his way through the streets without getting into trouble. Now in an excited moment she had forgotten all about her promise and had run of to somewhere else.

“Maddy!” he yelled after her, but either she could not hear him or she chose to ignore him. Nathaniel let out a deep tired sigh and Hannah seemed torn between staying with the boy she had taken care of since he was just a small child and running after the young lady.

“I’m sorry, Young Master. I should have stopped her,” Hannah’s excuses reached his ears and he smiled in the direction of the old lady’s voice. “No need for excuses, Nanny. Just lead me to the nearest bench and go after her. All this walking is tiring me. I will wait for you to return.” In all honesty he was not all that tired but just the thought of having his Nanny being troubled by dragging him with her as she hurried towards Madeleine, was enough to make him give up beforehand. As much as he liked winter it happened to make it more difficult for him to walk around blindfolded without slipping every second step he took. And if they had to hurry the chance that he would end up falling in an anything but graceful manner became significantly higher. He was not sure that his pride would be able to survive that.

So for all the right reasons he had Hannah lead him to the nearest bench after ensuring her several times that he would be alright on his own, and even then she was still hesitating to leave him. Nevertheless as soon as she had helped him find the bench she left his side and hurried out to find the young lady. Nathaniel bended down with an outstretched hand. He both felt the soft snow and heard it creaking as he placed his hand on the seat of the bench. He wiped away the most of it before he finally sat down with a straight back and both of his hands on the cane in front of him.

He had no idea how long he was going to wait, and he was slowly starting to regret that he had allowed himself to be left behind. Though he doubted that anything would happen to him with this amount of people around him, you never knew what the most desperate of his uncles and cousins would foolishly decide to do. If anyone tried anything he was not even sure that he would be able to identify them later, as he would not know their faces. As good as his hearing was he was not sure that it would be enough for him, if he were to tell a police officer that he would identify an attacker based on his footsteps. And even the possibility that he would tell anyone that he had been attacked was very low.

“Excuse me sir, but could you please tell me how I get to Baker’s Street from here?” It took a moment for Nathaniel to realize that the stranger had actually been talking to him, and when he finally looked towards him, the stranger suddenly seemed to become embarrassed.

“Oh, I’m sorry sir, I didn’t notice…” he started, unsure of how he was supposed to apologies to the blind man in front of him. Nathaniel cut him off. “Baker’s Street you say?” For a moment he was deep in thought. If he was right then he was currently sitting right opposite of a certain pub that he had passed by a lot of times on his trips to London. “Is it Molly’s Pub that I’m sitting right opposite of?” The blinked a couple of times and then looked at the pub behind him before nodding to the nobleman in front of him. Of course Nathaniel had no way of knowing this and after a moment of silence the stranger suddenly seemed to realize and stuttered a “yes” in reply.

“I see. Well, if my memory doesn’t fail me, then you will have to go a little further down the street and turn down the second street on your right. Then Baker’s street should be the first on your left. There is a really good baker on the corner. I’m sure you won’t miss it,” he said politely and pointed down the street to make sure that there would not be any misunderstanding. Nathan had never actually seen the bakery but he had always made sure that whoever was joining him on his trips down town would tell him exactly where he was walking all the time. He had always feared that he would at some point be separated from those accompanying him and wanted to at least have a small chance of finding his way home on his own. As such he did his best to remember the names of the streets he had walked on as well as where they were.

The stranger’s jaw dropped in surprise. Never had he imagined that he would have a blind person show him in the right direction. Realizing that he was being rude he quickly thanked the young nobleman in front of him and then left his side quickly, leaving Nathaniel on his own once again. The young earl did not really mind. Sometimes it was nice to just be able to sit alone, but as the time passed he started to get worried if something might have happened to Madeleine and Hannah.

[Haku Sora]

Haku looked at the list Sada had given him. She wanted him to go shopping. We’ll, he couldn’t complain, she had saved him. How hard could shopping be? He looked up to the sky. It was snowing. Good. He could fly without being seen too well. He’d have to make it quick though. The snow could pile on his wings, weight them down and kersplat goes the angel. He closed his eyes and focused on something besides his wings coming out of his back.

For a while, it had always felt like his back was being split apart. That was maybe because Sada had told him to lay low a little bit. At least until both of them had gotten a job. It would take forever to get all of his materials to cook with if he walked to London. Once his wings were out, he shook them a little. He heard the bones within them crack. That felt marvelous.

He flapped them and slowly began to ascend into the sky. He watched as the sky had gotten farther away and everything became smaller. When the thought that he was high enough, he flew forward. He flinched a little as the icy winds went against his face. Maybe he should have taken a sweater? No, he needed Sada to be warm that’s why he had lent her his. He shook off his hair. The snow had piled on it. He looked for wards and saw that he wasn’t up as high as he needed to be. He tilted his body upward and he flew higher until he was as high as London’s big clock. Big Ben was it called?

He shook his head as he hovered above a crowd of people. He was trying to figure out where he should land.

‘If I land now, I’m bound to draw attention to myself. But if I land in an Alley someone may still see me.’ Haku thought as he shifted his eyes this way and that.

Upon his scanning, he saw a lost soul asking a calmer one for directions looked like. Being curious he lowered himself down to perch up top of a building, hiding his wings behind him by tucking them against his frame. He heard bits of their conversation. The elder was sorry? Why? Was the other blind? His question was answered by the Elder’s look. Ah, the calm soul was blind, but he seemed to know his way around somehow.

‘Once your lose one sense, your others become heightened, ne? Either that or you get a new power.’ Haku thought as he looked at the Elder go in the direction the Younger directed.

He was a kind one, that was for sure. But why was a blind young one doing there on his lonesome? He should be getting the materials he needed, but… He pulled a feather off of his wing and laid it beside him. He watched as it turned into him slowly. Good. It didn’t have wings and it had clothes this time. He looked in an alley and saw that it was clear. He grabbed it and jumped inside of it.

“Go and get everything on this list my friend and tell Sada that I’m helping someone. Do you understand?” Haku asked it.

It nodded as Haku gave him the list and the money. It walked outside and Haku could see him no more. He looked at his wings. They were iced with snow just about. He liked the way they gleamed, but alas he could not fly with them like that. He shook the off with much difficulty.
He tucked his wings once more but this time to put them back. His jaw clenched together and felt the wings go back. It was more painful to pull them out than to put them back in.

He rubbed his back and felt holes in the shirt. He took it off and shivered at the cold weather around him. He quickly grabbed his spare shirt from inside his pants and put it on. It was warm from his body heat and for that, he was glad. He folded the torn shirt and tucked it inside his pants also. He straightened his shirt and walked out of the alley. To his right he saw a shoe store, to his left, the calm young one.

He did indeed needed to be rewarded for his good deed. That and he shouldn’t be out by himself. He walked over to the bench, almost cautiously. When he had finally made it he smiled. He knew full and well that he couldn’t see it. He just picked it up.

“My my, such a wonderful thing Otouo-san did. Is there anything he needs help with?” Haku asked.

Hm… He had went into Japanese again?

“I mean Otouo-sama…” Haku said.

Old habits really do die hard! He sighed a bit. This was taking longer than expected.

[Sinclair]

After the man left, Nathaniel pulled of the warm glove on his right hand, revealing his pale skin underneath. He immediately felt how the cold struck it, freezing it within a few seconds. He turned his palm upwards and waited for the snowflakes to land on his hand and melt, tickling as the small drops of water ran to the bottom of the dent in the middle of his hand. He liked this feeling of snow. It brought back his happy childhood memories with his father and later with Cedric as they spent their time outside, having fun in the cold weather. Whenever it was snowing Nathaniel was sure to not get burned by the sun shining from above and they had always made sure to take advantage of this.

He heard the creaking sound of footsteps in the snow as someone approached him. Was it yet another person who wanted to ask for directions? He knew that he would soon find out and he could not help but feel a little anxious, knowing all too well how vulnerable he appeared to be in a situation like this even with all the people around on the streets. Nevertheless he turned his head towards the stranger, tilting it slightly as he asked his question “Can I help you?” He knew that direct confrontation would make most attackers back off and have second thoughts about what they were doing. He just hoped that it would work in this situation as well. Only the most desperate would try to attack him in the middle of the street, and desperate people were not that easy to get rid of.

As the stranger spoke, barely noticeable wrinkles appeared on the young nobleman’s forehead. The stranger was using some words that Nathaniel had not heard of before. He was clearly giving the earl a name or some sort of title but the earl’s unfamiliarity with whatever the language was that the stranger was using made him unable to tell if he was being mocked or respected. Nathaniel could not trace any teasing tones or rudeness in the stranger’s voice, however, and therefore guessed that he was safe for now. The wrinkles were replaced by an angelic smile that spread across the young earl’s face.

“I’m afraid that I’m not familiar with the phrase that you are using, Sir. Would you mind explaining it to me?” he started, his smile not making any signs of fading as he continued, “I scarcely believe that helping someone with directions can be described as a wonderful act. To be honest I believe it is the duty of every well-mannered citizen to do so, do you not agree? To answer your question I am currently waiting for two of my acquaintances to return from shopping and waiting is hardly something you need help with. But I appreciate your concern.” Nathaniel had perfectly managed to put up his well-mannered façade that he always showed whenever he speaking to people he barely knew. It also helped giving away his social status as speaking the way he did was not something a commoner would normally do.

[Haku Sora]

Haku could tell that the younger was getting confused as the Japanese that he used.

‘Oops. Baka Haku. Not everyone can speak it.’ He scolded himself.

He shook his hair once again, freeing it of the snow. That was the only down side to this white weather. It caked and piled up. His attention was brought back by the Younger.

“Ah, of course, Gomen nasai… That meant “I’m so sorry”, Haku said, “ ‘Otouto’ means little brother. ‘San’ is a way of addressing someone who is not familiar to you, like Ms. Or Mr. ‘Sama’ is often attached to noble’s names and is a more formal way of saying ‘san’.” Haku explained.

He smiled wider, matching the younger’s.

“Yes I do believe that helping someone is the right thing to do Otouto-sama.” Haku said.

Oh, he was waiting on someone, that was still no reason to be out here by himself!

“ Demo, Otouto-sama, it’s not safe for you to be out in the cold, especially when it’s cold out. Otouto-sama could get kidnapped or worse when by himself. Or Otouto-sama may freeze! Onii-san thinks that you should be with someone.” Haku said.

He slid his hand across his face. Really? Onii-san? The younger didn’t even know what ‘Otouto-san’ meant!

“ Big brother is what Onii-san means. Gomen nasai. Onii-san finds it very hard to abandon Japanese. Its something he grew up learning. Oh, Onii-san’s sorry! He didn’t introduce himself!” Haku said before he bowed.

“ I’m Sora Haku…eto… Haku Sora. My name the English way was the second way I did it. Gomen. I think I’m just confusing Otouto-sama again.” Haku said as he looked around.

A person staring at them didn’t sit right with him. He showed a fanged smile and his white eyes seemed to carry on a different person that who he was now. The said bystander jumped and looked away, frightened. Haku smiled at The young one he had deemed ‘Otouto-sama.’

“I think it would be safer if I stayed here with Otouto-sama until his company comes back. A threatening voice my not always help.” Haku said as he stood by the bench, making sure he was in the younger’s reach.

He really wanted to help the younger, but it was almost like he didn’t wasn’t his help. He knew something had to be done about his good deed. He would have offered himself as a pet, but he already belonged to Sada in that sense. There was another form of “pet” he could be, but he didn’t think that Otouto would want him in that way ne?

'So now I think my best bet is to watch over Otouto-sama until his companions come back. He might not like it but it’s a safer option.’ Haku thought as he crosses his arms and waited.

[Sinclair]

As Nathaniel listened to the stranger’s explanation, his right eyebrow slowly started to arch. Not only was he bringing in even more strange words, but Nathaniel was not sure if he liked the meaning of them either. He’s calling me… his little brother? The fact that he added a –sama, which by the sound of it should be a respectful title, only added more to his confusion and wonder. How was it possible to call someone your little brother and be respectful at the same time? It was not possible in England, not what he could recall at least. What a… curious culture they have. Though Nathaniel b]did[/b] find this ‘Otouto-sama’ slightly offending, he found himself unable to be mad at the stranger. After all it he did not know better and so decided to let it slid just this time.

Nathaniel found it rather amusing how the stranger kept talking about him in third person. It was almost like talking to a child and perhaps that was another reason why he had an overbearing moment right now? The stranger sounded sincerely worried about him and his worries were based on facts that had occupied his own mine just minutes ago. Nathaniel found himself agreeing with him. It was dangerous to be out here on his own but that was mostly because he was who he was. There were worse things than being kidnapped. He could be stabbed! The heck his uncle would be happy if that happened! But the chances that it happened were still small. He had not yet made his uncle desperate enough to try something like that, though in time that could possibly change.

Now the stranger was even talking about himself in third person! Onii-san? He was calling himself big brother? Nathaniel really hoped that the stranger did not expect him to call him that. If he did he would be disappointed. Though he had been somewhat confused by all these strange words and phrases he thought he had understood them now after all this explanation and decided to try to test this.

“So, Sora-san it is? You act strangely familiar with me, even though we have just met. I supposed that is a part of Japanese culture? You are right. Being alone in London cannot be considered safe, but with this many people around I doubt anything dangerous will happen. Once again I appreciate your concern, but I’m sure you have better things to do other than looking after me.”

Nathaniel was still determined to send Haku away, though the other did not seem to share this way of thinking. He did not hear him leave his side and Haku’s last words made it clear to him that he had no intentions of doing so either. For a moment he sat in silence as both of them refused to give in to the other’s suggestion and Nathaniel could very well imagine what that looked like. One person clearly standing guard over him. Nathaniel had no idea what Haku looked like and therefore was not sure if he looked frightening to others. Still very slowly this reassuring feeling of being safe started to creep up on him from behind, and though he refused to admit it at first it caused him to sigh in the end.

“Fine, if you really insist on staying why don’t you sit down and tell me something about Japan? You are really a long way from home. Is there any special reasons for that?” The young earl had broken the silence and decided to get rid of the awkwardness by starting a conversation. He had realized that Haku’s presence would provide him with some entertainment while he waited and hopefully it would make the time pass faster. At least he would not get bored while he waited.

(OOC: warning! my next post can turn out to be very long and if so I would like to appologize beforehand =) )

[Haku Sora]

Haku’s eyes widened and his body stiffened as Otouto called him san.

“Ah no! Onii-san isn’t worthy of being called –san. I know Otouto-sama is trying to be polite, but Onii-san is but a kind person!” Haku said as he waved his hand in denile.

Even if Otouto couldn’t see him, he would surely detect it in his voice.

At Otouto’s command, he neared the bench and wiped it off. HE sat down and sgivered at the cold ness against his bottom. Oh well, it
would take a while for him to get used to it.

“ Being familiar with you is indeed a apart of japanse culture Otouto-sama. You see, like in China, everyone in Japan is like one big family… That’s why I call you ‘otouto’. But since Onii-san thinks that your are an heir, he calls you ‘Sama’. You do indeed speak as though you were raised in a wealthy home.” Haku said.

Tell him about Japan? Well, to be truthful, he’d only been to Japan once. That was when they first left Hell. Sada had suggested it in case they got into trouble and they needed a language that only they could understand. Being in England, almost no one spoke Japanese, that and it would be a nice “start”. He also mentally thanked Sada for telling him to read up on the landscaping and over facts while they were there. It was proving useful indeed. But he did have to be a little stubborn as he walked and flew around the landscaping at times.

“Japan, it such a nice place to be. In the spring the Sakura, Cherry Blossom, Trees bloom. The soft pink petals swirl in the wind like a vortex that soothes you. It’s a wonderful sight to behold. At times I think you would get tired of it. We eat rice with almost every meal we get… Though at times like these, we have a winter festival. We dance and sing and even perform.” Haku explained briefly.

Japan truly was a place to be… Why was he here? Well he could always say that he was here with his Master, Sada and she had saved his life. He probably wouldn’t believe that though. Heck, he probably wouldn’t believe that Haku was an Angel! He looked at Otouto and saw the snow piled up in his hair. He shook his head and started to remove it from his head.

“Excuse me Otouto-sama, but this snow is in your hair. When it melts, you can get sick, “ Haku said as he gently brushed it out, “ You may yell at me all you wish when I’m done, but it is for the best.”
After a few minutes, Haku looked at his handy work. None had melted and none remained in Otouto’s head.

“Now, to answer your other question. I’m here because of my friend. She’s taken care of me for a while and I feel as though I owe her that much.” Haku said as he smiled.

Something hit him… He didn’t even ask Otouto’s name. Haku figured he was getting irritated at being called Otouto, so why hadn’t be introduced himself?

“Please excuse my rudeness, but Otouto-sama, what is your name… That’s if I may as so bold as to ask.” Haku said.

(OOC: Its okay.. *smiles* head hurts...)

[Sinclair]

(OOC: aww /pets. Anyway the long post hasn't arrived yet though it probably will sometime in the near future^^ )

Nathaniel listened to Haku’s words as the stranger suddenly seemed uncomfortable by the way the earl had addressed him, which only served to make the young nobleman more uncertain about what he was supposed to call Haku. In England it was the custom to be respectful of others and so Nathaniel had tried his best to be it while being considerate enough to use the terms that Haku was familiar with. In the end it seemed as if he had failed.

“Then what would you like me to call you… Haku?” Something about this situation reminded him of an actor he had met not so long ago. Unlike Haku, this actor had not given Nathaniel his surname and so the earl had not really had any way to address him properly. In the end he had just ended up calling him by his first name. Was that how it was going to end today as well? As the stranger once again started explaining the reason why he called Nathaniel ‘Otouto-sama’, the earl was able to get an even better understanding of it. If the entire population in Japan saw itself as one big family then that would surely explain why they acted so familiar with one another. If it meant that they were also as close as family then that was certainly something that was worth keeping in mind. Nathaniel would be damned if he ended up enraging the entire nation by just ‘accidentally’ hurting one of its people. On the other hand being one big family was not always a pleasant thing, something Nathaniel was fully aware of considering his own situation. Heck if he thought about the intriques and backstabbing it could cause, it could turn out to be pretty easy to tear the nation apart. It was a double bladed sword yet Nathiniel could not help but find the way the Japanese viewed themselves somewhat beautiful.

“Cherry Blossom you say? And with pink flowers? That certainly sounds like something worth experiencing.” Though Nathaniel would probably never be allowed to see it for more than one reason, he would surely have been able to enjoy the flowers’ fragrance. Every since he was little he had found his mother’s rose-garden a very soothing place to be in. He had even snuck out at night just so that he would have the opportunity to view the sleeping flowers with his own crimson eyes – it also served as pretty much the only place he could hide from his stepfather. The thought about it tightened Nathaniel’s grip on the cane a little.

Nathaniel heard the rustling of clothes as Haku moved, though he did not pay any attention to it before he felt a gentle hand touch his long raven black hair. In sheer surprise of being touch by another person he jumped in his seat and slapped Haku’s hand away with a sudden violent move, crying out in a high pitch voice, “DON’T TOUCH ME!” Had Nathaniel’s eyes not been blindfolded they would have been wide open and starring wildly at the stranger. The young earl breathed in heavily trying to calm his emotions, figuring he had been in the wrong.

“I’m sorry but please don’t touch me without notice. It makes me uncomfortable.” Nathaniel swallowed once and put his hand on his chest, feeling how fiercely his heart was beating. Bad memories that he would have been better off without had resurfaced to his mind and he struggled to force them away once again locked up in the farthest corner of his subconscious mind. Somehow he found it harder than usual and it was only because of a huge amount of willpower that he finally managed to regain control over his slightly shaking body.

“I’m fine now… You can continue your business.” Under normal circumstances he would not have allowed such a thing but Nathaniel’s state of mind could hardly be considered normal at the moment. Each time he felt Haku’s fingers in his hair a small shiver was send through his body but he endured it. He would be damned if his past experiences would take away his own control, and so he used this moment as a chance to teach this to his own body so that perhaps in sometime in the future he would react so fiercely.

Nathaniel barely heard Haku’s reply to his question but when he afterwards made his own inquiry, the young earl found himself unable to believe how he could have forgotten such a matter. And he had indeed simply forgotten to introduce himself, though it was the custom when someone else let their name be known. The earl could simply not have gotten around to it as he had expected the stranger to leave rather than stubbornly stay behind to keep the earl company. That would even have sounded reasonable. The truth was different, however. He had just simple forgotten, a slip of his mind as some people preferred to call it.

“I apologize, I completely forgot my manners. My name is Nathaniel Sinclair. A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Haku Sora.”

[Haku Sora]

(OOC: *Doggy purrs* Arigato~) Sorry it was late~ My stomache was(And still is) hurting.
______________________________________
Haku didn’t jump as Nathaniel yelled at him. In fact, he had expected him to. Being touched by a stranger had its down sides. Perhaps Haku could have had some drug in his hand and applied it to Nathaniel’s skull? But he wouldn’t do that. He’s too nice to do such a thing.

“So now Haku can call you Sinclair-sama. It has a much better ring to it and it roll’s off Haku’s tongue easier.” Haku said.

He smiled a bit. He just couldn’t stop speaking in third person. Was he nervous or something? He shook his head at the thought. There was nothing to be nervous of. He’s always helping someone, so why would there be a reason to be nervous? Haku’s hair shifted as he felt the wind blow. This was harder than the other breezes. He looked around and saw the other people rush to get where they were going.

He wondered if he should get Nathaniel? He didn’t like to be touched, but the cane wouldn’t serve as a great way to get around. His brows furrowed. Great, stuck in between a rock and a hard place. The rock was the desire to get Nathaniel out of the cold. The hard place was the fact that Nathaniel didn’t liked to be touched. What should he do. He ran both situations through his head. If he did take Nathaniel: “Sinclair-san, Gomen nasai, but I have to take you to a warm place.” He would say. Thought Nathaniel will probably say something like “Didn’t I tell you that I did not like to be touched?! Unhand me right now Haku!” Then he would probably scream , he’d doubt that would happen, or hit Haku with the cane in his hand until Haku obeyed him.

Or possibly they could freeze. Or rather Nathaniel would freeze to death. He couldn’t bear the thought of that happening. One, someone would think that Haku had strangled him or something and two, His heart would stop beating if something were to bestow Nathaniel. Well, his hart wouldn’t exactly stop, but the point was obvious.

“Eto… Sinclair-sama, would you prefer to go somewhere warmer? Maybe a shop that your company maybe in?” Haku asked.

To his knowledge, Humans tended to get cold very easily. His blood was adaptable. He was cold yes, but he wouldn’t die from it. If it got too cold, he’d just make himself cold and Viola! He’s good. But Nathaniel couldn’t do that could he?

Haku got up and grabbed Nathaniel’s hand. There was no way he was going to let Nathaniel freeze to death. He pulled Nathaniel gently to his feet and guided him into a café. Nathaniel could bite him and scream “rape”, or whatever humans did in this century, to get him to let go for all he cared. There was no way possible he could say out there any longer or walk on his own without slipping. He put Nathaniel in a seat and pushed him in before taking a seat across from him.

“Gomen nasai Sinclair-sama, but you could have frozen to death out there.” Haku said with a bow of his head.

He waved someone over as he thought that Nathaniel might have wanted something hot to drink.

[Sinclair]

(OOC: /pets again. I hope you are feeling better now, Ann!)

Nathaniel breathed in deep, finally having gotten his shaking body under control. He realized that his body position had slumped a bit a quickly straightened his back, relaxed his shoulders and raised his chin, holding his head high like it was expected of an aristocrat. The way Haku had just suddenly decided to touch him was indeed uncalled for, and just deciding to apologize for it afterwards instead to taken the courtesy to ask for permission first was the result of a lack of manners in Nathaniel’s opinion. But what more could he expect of a commoner and a Japanese at that? Haku had been overly friendly with him and treated him very kindly and apparently just because Nathaniel had done what any other normal citizen would have done – giving a confused stranger directions. To top it off he was speaking in third person all the time. It all sounded very suspicious in Nathaniel’s ears and though there could be many reasons for Haku’s strange behavior – like he was just trying to be friendly and get close to him in order to be rewarded for it afterwards – the sincerity in his actions left the earl with just one conclusion: Haku was the classic example of a good-natured moron.

Nathaniel held back a smirk from his seemingly expressionless features. He did not really care if Haku was just trying to take advantage of him. Most people he knew were like that and it was no longer able to shock him. Even if this stranger was just trying to take advantage of him, Haku would learn that such a thing was easier said than done. Nathaniel always made sure it was and as a matter of fact he now planned to actually take advantage of Haku’s kindness in return, knowing that morons were the easiest to manipulate. His presence there really made the possibility on anyone attacking Nathaniel almost nonexistent, giving the earl a reason why he should try to make Haku stay for as long as possible. He was now glad that Haku had proven to be too stubborn to leave his side in the first place. It also proved that he was unlikely to leave him until Hannah and Madeleine returned and when they did, Nathaniel would not have anything against rewarding him for his trouble. Humans were always like that – if they did something for you they expected to get something in return. Nathaniel held no illusions but intended to just calmly pay Haku for his trouble, while making it clear that he was fully aware of the fact that that was the only thing the stranger had wanted in the first place while the said person would undoubtfully feel a sense of guilt.

As Haku did not intend to leave the only thing that was left for Nathaniel to do was to act friendly and not piss Haku off, which could possibly result in him leaving the earl behind. All in all a very easy thing to do. He politely turned his head to look at the Japanese as this one made his suggestion of changing location. Nathaniel pondered over the question for a bit, clearly feeling how a sudden cold gust of wind managed to claw its way through his high quality coat and dig into his skin. Not a very bad idea at all it seemed. If they moved to a café he could even have Haku keep out a look for Hannah and Madeleine while he got some life back into his frozen limbs. Hannah could not expect her master to continue waiting forever out in the cold, as a matter of fact Nathaniel was getting rather displeased with her lack of efficiency.

“Finding the exact shop could prove to be difficult. I suggest we move to a nearby café instead and perhaps enjoy a nice cup of tea while we are at it. On my account of course,” the earl replied, a smile playing on his cold lips. He felt his hand being grabbed and resisted the urge to snap back at the Japanese and hit him with his cane. Behave yourself, Nathan. You won’t have to put up with this forever. He was lead across the street to what Nathaniel judged to be a café from the smell of sweets and coffee that seeped out through the door of the shop. As Haku guided him inside, Nathaniel quickly requested of Haku to find a table at the window. He was gently but determined pushed down in his seat and from the rattling of a chair heard Haku take a seat in front of him as he apologized for his behavior.

“I believe you are quite right about that. No need to apologize.” As a waitress came over to their table, he ordered two cups of Earl Grey and let Haku know that if he wanted something else as well he could just go ahead and order it. As the waitress left he once again turned his full attention to the Japanese. “Would you mind keeping a look out for and elderly lady accompanying a twelve year old dark haired lady and let me know if two matching such a description approaches the bench we were sitting on earlier?” In case they did not return he could be forced to have Haku guide him home, though he highly doubted that that would be necessary.

The waitress came back and placed their order on the table, and tracing his fingertips along the surface of the table he found his cup and gracefully lifted it up to take a sip from it. The tea was good and instantly brought back warmth to his cold body. “Lord Sinclair?” Nathaniel turned his head towards the one speaking, wrinkling his nose slightly at the smell of dirt and smoke. “Please, please give me my job back! I’ll do anything if you can just show me such kindness. I have both wife and children that I need to feed.” Nathaniel secretly cursed the presence of what seemed to be his former employee. Even though his plan had been to stay on Haku’s good side there was no way he was going to just reinstate the stranger. If he had been fired he had been so for a reason. “I am afraid I have to disappoint you, but I don’t intend to give anyone their job back which certainly counts for you as well. Now if you would please get away from me, I have a tea I intend to finish here.”

“You are a cruel man, Sinclair. The others were right. You are a coldhearted demon! I hope for your sake that God will find it in his heart to forgive you, because I certainly can’t!” With that the stranger just stomped away from their table, causing Nathaniel to arch an eyebrow. He had just given up like that? Did he not want his job back? Did he not have a family to feed? Nathaniel might have been able to pity the man but now the only thing he felt was disgust for his weakness. If he was not even willing to fight for his position then how the hell did he expect the earl to just give him his job back?! Just thinking about it was enough to make Nathaniel furious, though he managed not to let it show on his face but just calmly sat, sipping from his cup of Earl Grey until he put it down on the table, folded his hands and turned his face to Haku. The damage had already been done. Now Nathaniel wanted to find out just how much it would take to repair them.

“So what do you think of this coldhearted demon? Still want to reward him for the kindness he showed another stranger earlier?” Nathaniel laughed softly. He could not help it. The entire situation was pathetic and though he knew that Haku might dislike him for this, he found himself unable to care. So what if the Japanese ended up leaving him? He would work everything out somehow.

[Haku Sora]

(*Doggy purrs again* Feeling better! my week of sickness is over!)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Haku nodded a little at Nathaniel’s request to pay for the drinks. It had been him who led him there in the first place.

“ Hai, yes, I will. Please leave it to me.” Haku said as he looked out the window for a while.

He was able to look out there for a few minutes before a voice caught his ears. He turned to the voice and saw a desprete looking man. Ut took all he could not to winkle his face from the smell. So he was an old servant of Nathaniel? He wanted his job back? He had a wife and child to fed? Surely Nathaniel would give him his job back.

His eyes snapped wide as Nathaniel refused the man’s request. Give no one their job back? But he had a family to feed. Surely Nathaniel would be joking. Right? HE was in shock when the older called Nathaniel a cold hearted demon. To be far, not all demons were cold hearted. Sada was a perfect example of this. Maybe Nathaniel had a perfectly good reason for not giving him his job back.

He would have mercy on Nathaniel’s soul. For Nathaniel was a kind soul all his own. Though if the man wanted his job, would he not fight for it? Maybe he didn’t want the job as much as he thought. Haku smiled at the man and then glared. The glare only lasted a few seconds but it was enough until the older male left. Haku blinked and looked back towards Nathaniel.

He could see that Nathaniel looked troubled. Now he was calling himself a cold hearted demon and speaking in third person also. Haku chuckled a bit with Nathaniel.

“That’s a stereotype Sinclair-sama. Not all demon’s are cold hearted.
They just have a reason why they act as they do. You just did what you thought was right and I can not hold you for that. Besides, if he really wanted the job back he would have fought for it. I would love to reward him for his kindness still yet. I see no reason why I should not.” Haku said.

He thought about the situation though. Had he not been there, would the older have hurt Nathaniel? Maybe called him more than a cold heated demon? His eyes farther narrowed. Everything happened for a reason and it was a good reason Haku found Nathaniel when he did. He was also glad he had such great self control. If he didn’t a fight may have broken out. Either that or Haku would be paying for window repairs.
An idea popped in his head. Maybe he could reward him constantly. Besides, it’d been awhile since he’d offered his assistance. He chuckled as he looked out the window. An Old woman with a younger girl that had dark hair? It looked as though they were coming inside.

“Sinclair-sama, I would like you reward you.” Haku said.

He got up and walked around to Nathaniel. It was a protective stance he took beside Nathaniel. He seemed to be doing that in order to reward him.

“Sinclair-sama, If I may ne as so bold as to say that your reward will be my life. You may be, though I do not believe it, a cold hearted demon; even they need an Angel to look over them. May I be your Angel? While Sinclair-sama is thinking over it, I believe his company is coming in.”
Haku said as he returned to his seat.

“Ah Sinclair-sama, it seems an elderly woman and a little dark haired girl are in here!” Haku said as he got up and offered each one a chair.