Elena's delicate fingers finished with his hair. Gwin picked up the small bronze mirror on her desk and inspected himself. His hair sat neatly behind him and a feeling of satisfaction filled him. It pulled his attention away from the swirling mass of frustration welling in his chest.
'I need to tie it up so it doesn't get so dirty and stays out of my way.'
Gwin inspected his face while he was at it, now that he thought about it he hadn't gotten a good look at himself in nearly a month. His skin was deathly pale due to being underground so long however [Bestial Vitality]'s ability to make him adapt was already returning his skin to its normal healthy paleness. His freckles had grown more prominent against his pale skin. His jaw had long lost any pudge he used to have and was sharp. His eyebags still existed but were already less black than they were before. He then looked into his own eyes and tensed momentarily not recognizing them as his own. They possessed a cold and dark ruthlessness to them, similar but not exactly the type a killer had. No it was much worse, it was the apathetic kind. The apathy a beast possessed while licking the blood of its prey from its lips.
Forced apathy maybe.
They looked more like the eyes of a hunting beast than a human's eyes, like he was going to devour the person looking into them which was currently him. It was an unsettling feeling, he'd have to make an effort not to seem so…intense.
'Why do I look so….feminine?'
Maybe it was his hair, or the [Lord's Fondness] on his neck or the strange beauty he had gained after awakening his aspect but right now he looked almost like a girl! His physique had never been bulky or big despite all of his training, no he had remained lean and sculpted. That wasn't to say he was skinny or frail, he had smooth muscles all over his lean frame. His back was shaped like a V and his core was slender and sculpted but his toned physique didn't do anything to help his case! Now that he thought about it hadn't those sleepers he saved called him "MS Wolf"? He had been too tired to process it when it happened but now he was infuriated!
He picked at an old cut on his lip angrily.
He wasn't a fan of his girlish appearance. He always looked up to his dads strength despite him being a lower ranked awakened. He had seen his dads huge muscles first hand and had always dreamed of getting a physique like that, but this? This was the opposite of that! How was he ever supposed to get a girlfriend if they thought he was a girl too? That was considering he made it back to the waking world but he had long ago steeled his resolve to get back,
He snarled revealing his sharp teeth.
If there was anything he liked about his appearance it was his teeth. He had been indignant when his dad filed them before his first nightmare since they so clearly went against his image but they had grown on him. They were no longer roughly filed but smooth and pristine, in his eyes a testament to his tenacity to live. As long as he had his teeth he would never not have a weapon to fight back with. He smiled and set the mirror back down. He saw the sparks of her dismissing her brush and almost turned to look at her. He still needed to argue his point to her and bring her to his side, if there was anyone he wanted with him it was her. Though he was sure it wouldn't be easy, Elena was anything if not stubborn and haughty.
She suddenly draped herself over his shoulders and pressed herself against his back. She grabbed her own forearm languidly and leaned into the crook of his neck.
"I just want what is best for you…"
She whispered in his ear. A different type of heat rushed up his neck making his face and ears burn.
His brain short-circuited. He was suddenly acutely aware of every point of contact between their bodies. A part of him wished he wasn't wearing such a thick suit of armor…
'W-W-W-W-WHAT? WHY IS SHE-? TOO CLOSE! TOO CLOSE!'
"If you keep going as hard as you are, you will make a mistake and die. Do you know what it was like to wait an entire month for you to come back? I didn't even know whether you were alive or not."
Her hair tickled his neck.
He didn't hear her words at all. Her breath was hot on his neck and fogged on the [Lord's Fondness] and he felt he was about to melt into his seat when a sudden light set of knocks on the door drew his attention. He became alert instantly. Elena slowly peeled herself from him but not before blowing into his ear and finally ending her psychological attack…yes that's what it had to be! She was buttering him up with her charm! He wouldn't be disillusioned! It had to be a secret legacy technique… There had to be an explanation as to why she was suddenly acting like this! She was tricking him!
His face was crimson, the same color as her hair.
The rapping on the door came again this time followed by a faint voice.
"Lena? Are you in there? I'm coming in!"
The door that connected her room to the rest of the castle opened with a wide swing and in walked Viira, an eerie ghoul. She wore a similar dress to the one Elena wore, the standard wear for the handmaidens, and had a creepy smile on her gaunt face. She had pale skin, hair, and eyes like the color had been washed out of her like stains were. Her cheeks were sunken in and she had prominent cheek bones. When she smiled she did so by squinting up her eyes and smiling so that all of her white teeth were on display. She had always had that awful smile on her face the sparse times he had interacted with her.
Her grey eyes scanned the room before resting on Gwin. His skin tried to crawl off his body. She brought a hand in front of her mouth in pleasant shock.
"Gwin is back? I had no idea! I'm not interrupting am I? Does that mean Jasper and the others are back too?"
She excitedly walked over. Gwin was already standing, he didn't tower over her as much as he did Elena. She met his eyes excitedly and began clumsily moving her hands.
{How are you?}
Her signing was awkward but ultimately correct. Gwin raised an eyebrow at her. He moved his hands slowly.
{I can hear.}
She concentrated on his hands and clapped in delight when she understood them.
"Oh I know! I just wanted to use sign language! Elena has been teaching me because I asked her too. Isn't she so nice?"
Gwin side-eyed Elena. Elena turned to look at him, his shoulders pulled in closer and tensed.
"Someone needs to report to Seishan to let her know what happened. We should go right now."
She was curt with her words, like she always was when others were around. She started walking and Gwin followed along. Viira piped up.
"Oh I'll come too!"
'Damn it!'
"If you must."
Elena led at the front with Gwin right behind her and Viira behind him. The hallway of the bright castle was opulent and carved from marble. Embroidered black banners hung depicting a golden serpent wrapped around a white spire. It was the symbol of Gunlaug and meant that this area was off limits for the regular paying members of the bright castle. They were the ones who hadn't sworn loyalty to Gunlaug or weren't a member of one of the factions and instead paid the weekly tribute to stay. This area was meant for the handmaidens with there being separate wings of the castle for the Guards, Hunters, and Artisans. They were led by Tessai, Gemma, and Kido respectively. Each was led by a captain just like how Seishan led the handmaidens.
Technically the handmaidens were supposed to be Gunlaug's harem and consisted solely of women but Gwin quickly learned that was not the case. Seishan was fiercely protective of her handmaidens and even went through the process of secretly training them. Only an idiot would want to get on her bad side, not even Gunlaug could be careless around her.
In other words he wasn't supposed to be here.
Fortunately he was close with the two daughters of Ki Song that inhabited the forgotten shore. That had ingratiated him into their ranks. It also helped that he had not actually spent much time in the castle anyways. He was always either hunting to get stronger in the city or going on expeditions to the crevice because of the abundance of awakened nightmare creatures there. He had just got back from the latter and needed a place to rest his head for just a little while and recuperate from his…losses.
Their steps rang out softly in the empty hall. Light filtered into the hallway through large ornate windows casting long shadows of them as they walked.
'Wait…I wonder if they think I'm a girl too…they've seen me shirtless right? I'm sure they've heard Elena call me a 'he' before.'
He rubbed his smooth chin full of thought and realized something.
'No wait, I've never taken my armor off here…nah there's no way they think I'm a girl. I've still got a masculine presence about me!'
Viira caught up with his steps and spoke up.
"Soooo~ did your last trip fill your core up well? Oh, I love your hair! It's gotten so much longer! Can I touch it?"
Gwin shot a glare her way.
"Sorry! Anyways I hope I wasn't interrupting anything earlier."
Her face was still twisted in that awful smile. He could literally count every tooth in her mouth right now. By the grace of the dead gods she turned her attention to Elena.
"Say Elena is he a mute or does he just not like talking? Or maybe it's his flaw?"
'Well Viira knows at the very least.'
Her voice was shrill and amused. She held her hands behind her grabbing her own wrist while leaning close.
"You shouldn't say something like that so lightly, it's incredibly rude."
Elena kept walking and didn't look back. He felt thankful that she would cover for his flaw but it didn't matter, it was too obvious to hide. He turned to Virra and signed.
{It is.}
Her eyes widened for just a moment before returning to that twisted mask of a grin.
"I thought as much. Say Gwin, are you going to train with us again? It was so much fun to watch you fight Seishan! I've never seen anyone match her strength physically."
'She's mocking me. I've never gotten close to beating her.'
"You shouldn't mention that aloud. Seishan's training is a secret, you never know who is listening."
"You just said it out loud too!"
Viira exclaimed.
Elena scoffed but she still seemed to be looking for his answer to judging from the slight tilt of her head. This was his chance! He could show his strength to them and make them change their minds! When they saw what he could do now they'd be amazed!
{Why not?}
Gwin smiled toothily. Elena smirked too before turning ahead again.
"I'd like to get a go at you first. I'd love to know we're all that confidence comes from."
Viira chirped up with that shit eating grin.
"Ooooo~"