Erebus was wandering through the main halls of the manor when he was startled by the appearance of a guest he had not expected to be at the property. It was early morning and most of the manor was empty because of an event in Pajore which his grandparents were attending that afternoon, the pair having gone to say their prayers at the temple beforehand, and many members of the staff had also taken off for the festivities. Despite recent changes Erebus still was wary of going out in public and preferred to stay behind so that he could freely roam the manor and look through the main library without worrying over others. That at least was the plan until he turned the corner, the dark hallway lighting up as a door opened in front of him and a familiar Yaeli woman entered from the kitchen entrance commonly used by the servants. “Erebus? Is that you?” Her voice wobbled, shock crossing her features as the name blurted out from her lips as she took in the changes now that Erebus was standing in the sunlight that streamed into the room from the open door.

The very fact that Cassiya Lockin had said his name was enough to unnerve the teen. “I…shouldn’t be here.” He managed, turning to quickly exit the hallway, but in his rush he accidentally bumped into a display instead and a vase tumbled towards the floor. Thankfully there wasn’t much noise since the carpet absorbed most of it, but the vase was still chipped as pieces broke off from the fall. A hiss of pain escaped Erebus as he bent down to quickly access the damage, his mind already rolling with so many questions since Cassiya had addressed him for the first time. After all these years of seeing her in and out of the manor, of hiding in the shadows and having to pose as a cousin when they were forced into passing one another…it was strange to hear his name from her lips. Erebus wasn’t a fool, he had recognized the woman as his mother after piecing together things a couple of years ago once he overheard some conversation and became curious about his past. There were still some missing pieces, some confusion over talks of curses and doppelgangers, but this one he knew for certain especially when he recognized some of his own features in the woman’s face as she approached.

“Don’t hurt yourself, the staff can handle it.” Cassiya protested as she moved forward, but a look from Erebus had her frozen in her tracks as she simply stood there and watched him pick up the pieces and carefully tuck them into a handkerchief.

“It’s better if the staff doesn’t find out. Neither of us should have been here.” Erebus commented as he finished pocketing the pieces to deal with later. He placed the vase back on the display and twisted it so that the broken edges didn’t show as he adjusted the flowers inside as well. “I’ll have to find an artisan to piece it back together or let grandfather know there was an accident once they return.” It was best to just leave it for now though so that no trouble stirred while his moth…no Cassiya was present.

“It’s my fault for startling you.” Cassiya acknowledged quietly. “I can take the blame, I’ll let him know that I was wandering the hallway and stumbled into it because I felt dizzy. At least let me do that.”

“I shouldn’t…”

“I insist. It’s not one of the antiques, it’s just a newer piece.” Cassiya added as she took a step towards Erebus, her gaze pleading as she couldn’t fully express why she wanted to cover for someone like him. There was a moment though as she studied Erebus that his expression must have given something away, her own gaze widening with realization that he knew. How could he not when they looked so similar? Even saying cousins was a stretch unless she had a twin who was his mother. “I’m sorry.” Escaped her lips as she quickly shook her head, realizing that she still couldn’t say what she fully wanted to say to her son. “You look different now.”

“I changed with the pollen.” Erebus replied bluntly. “If you want to take responsibility for the vase then I cannot stop you, but I should be leaving soon. The others aren’t home but there’s a couple of staff still around.”

“I see.” Cassiya nodded slowly. “I’ll take responsibility, don’t worry.” She closed her mouth as if trying to think of what to say before taking a step back instead. It was only after she glanced around to make certain that they were alone that she said one final thing to him. “Take care. And perhaps the changes aren’t such a bad thing, Erebus.” She smiled faintly at the thought before turning and walking back through the kitchen, the door closing behind her to leave the Yaeli hybrid in darkness once more.

[838]