(Reverence 3, 59 / 12:11AM)

  (Sean)

  The sound of window shattering was heard.

  The used to be sand littering the red carpet, but the lights of the house still lingered on despite the chaos outside. Gripping the edge of the window frames, a ginger-haired elf pulled himself out of the gun-ridden outside that rang his ears.

  Having the heels of his boots bancing his body right in the middle of the window frame, he pced one foot on the red carpet, followed by the other as shattered gss pierced his palms. Hunching his back, he swiftly gnced to the left and right, not seeing a single guard, maid, butler, or Zirardge.

  (Sean’s thoughts) Guess I’m that lucky after all.

  Softly trailing his steps, he turned his body to the right as he perceived the many old bck and white minated photos that hung to the left of him. The frames were tched in gold, and many of the photos were of men wearing fancy tuxedos and top hats, with all of them having a cane on either their right or left hand.

  To the right of him, many drawers were filled with candles and papers stacked onto one another, as the wax of the candles barely smoldered the edge of the minated papers. The pain from the gss from earlier stinging in his right palm, Sean rubbed his knuckles with his left hand.

  Finally, a flight of stairs leading up to the second floor and third floors were seen in front of him.

  Using his toes instead of his heels, he gently stepped on each wooden step the more he went upward. Blood dripping off of his right hand, left a small trail on the white wood that he climbed upon.

  (Sean’s thoughts) Every guard is too busy dealing with Luke and the others. I think the worst I could run into is a maid or a butler.

  Reaching the third floor, Sean brushed his back against the wall, having the back of his head feel the cold wood. Poking his head out from the corner, his eyes gave way to a group of maids all wielding revolvers with their primary hands. All of their fingers nestling onto the triggers, Sean pced his head back again, his throat consulting a dry chuckle.

  (Sean’s thoughts) Well, there goes my big mind.

  Csping both of his hands silently, he rubbed them back and forth as sweat already painted itself onto his palms. Staring at the other side of the wall, Sean focused his stare on it as a silhouette soon started to form in front of him.

  Like imaginary wax, the silhouette formed from the bottom upward, with its legs forming first as the shoes and pants were crafted along with its upper body. Finalizing the facial features, the silhouette soon created a perfect form picture of the person in front of it.

  Which was a ginger-haired elf with pointy ears.

  The silhouette opened its eyes, it smugly looked toward the elf with a grin.

  (Sean Clone) What do you want me to do now?

  (Sean) Just blurt out anything and go back down the stairs. I’ll hide in one of these rooms to avoid the maids.

  Giving Sean a nod, his clone soon put both of its hands inside its jacket, casually walking onto the red carpet. Seeing the group of maids casually guarding the other batch of stairs that Sean didn’t use, the real Sean also walked out to the hallway.

  As the clone walked toward the group, the main one walked the opposite way, with the clone blocking the view so that Sean wouldn’t be seen. Stopping in the middle of the hallway, the clone then waved both of his hands in the air, getting the attention of the group of revolver-wielding maids.

  All the while the real Sean already went inside a door to avoid the maid’s eyes.

  (Sean Clone) Hey dies~ Do you have room for one more~

  The group of maids soon widened their eyes at the elf, raising their guns as they pointed them toward the clone elf.

  Running back to the flight of stairs, not one bullet sounded in the air, as the group ran with high heels that pierced and stabbed the soles of their heels, ankles, and bones. Lifting their skirts with their other hand, they followed the clone down the stairs, with pants and huffs heavy within their breaths.

  As for the real Sean.

  (Sean) Uh…

  Inside the room that he was in, vinyl floors and walls colored in white were embedded in the small candle-lit room. With a toilet and sink just to the right of him, in the back of him was a bathtub that was filled with bubbles, and candles on the edges of the tub’s edge. Shower curtains blocking someone, it was soon pushed away by a small old wrinkled hand, the person’s nails discolored yellow.

  Parking its head up, an old woman’s voice was heard.

  (???) Are you one of the guards?

  Sean kept his mouth shut, as sweat and strain filled him to the core.

  Biting both of his lips, an internal scream poured forth from his vocals, his knuckles bruising itself onto the wooden door in front of him. Spshing and droplets of water trickling down onto the tub’s edge, Sean didn’t dare to look back.

  (???) I honestly lost count of how many guards I mingled with behind my husband’s back. Are you Hernandez? Shun? Or are you a rook that listened to the rumors~

  A foot drenched in water soon spshed itself onto the vinyl floor, followed by another foot. Footsteps slowly crept onto the back of Sean, the elf closed his eyes as his breathing soon ramped up, his pectoral muscles being hammered from the inside by his own heart.

  While a pair of old hands soon took hold of his pecs.

  (???) Just let me see your face…

  Something grazed his back.

  His back was wet from behind, as soap and water began to stain the leather from his bck jacket. The old woman’s head nuzzling itself onto his upper back, she continued to have both of her hands on his chest.

  As she began to trail her hands down his stomach, his shirt blocked the old woman’s wrinkled hands from getting into his porcein skin. Having his hand on the golden door, he soon gulped down a load of saliva while the old woman began to travel lower and lower down Sean’s body.

  (???) Let me use you, leaflicker~

  Sean turned around to look down at the woman, only seeing her light blonde hair that had strands of white.

  In the snap of a finger, the old woman’s smug and lustful grin was soon repced by widened eyes and pulled-back hands. Grabbing a towel, she soon covered herself, which led Sean to finally look at her normally.

  (???) You’re-you’re!

  Instantly opening the door, Sean fled down the hallway, as the old woman just stared dumbfoundedly with her eyes still in shock. Letting the door wide open, she began to dress herself by putting on her bck dress and turquoise boots.

  (???’s thoughts) That damn elf! He’s here on the ranch again!? I got to reach Doug!

  Sean continued to run across the hallway, and he soon found a rge wooden door right in front of him. His breathing was out of control, his face was pstered in a deep crimson red that didn’t allow a trace of his original skin color.

  Letting his mouth wide open, his throat began to starch dry. Soon after, even his feet began to blister under the wooden carpet.

  (Sean’s thoughts) I just hope that … gasps … doesn’t put Luke and the others into more of a bind … Betty doesn’t py in a fight …

  Reaching in front of the wooden door, he soon gripped the golden handle as he let himself in. Closing the door from behind him, he was greeted by a rge collection of cabinets and desks that were riddled with minated papers.

  Most of the desks looked to be crafted of thick redwood, as most of the desks had many holding cabinets that held either pencils, pens, or ink. Some of the holding cabinets inside of the desks were seemingly full of paper, papers began to sprout out from them. Also taking note of the story-high see-through cabinets that held golden artifacts, Sean let himself have a little nod before walking toward the center of the room.

  Reaching the front desk, Sean analyzed through the stack of papers that were the height of his head.

  (Sean) Let’s see here. Where would I hide a piece of paper that holds the key to your fortune?

  Sean noticed a rge wooden crafted train right next to the stack of papers. Deeply staring into that train, he slowly trailed his footsteps toward it, looking over the long wooden handcrafted train like a critic.

  Noticing that there was nothing unusual, both of Sean’s temples began to tighten. Clenching his jaw, his fingertips soon put pressure on the wood, leading it to creak.

  (Sean’s thoughts) Seriously where is it? Ellie told me that everything regarding info was inside this room!?

  Clouds soon began to form along the wooden floor beneath him and the desk.

  Noticing the chillness of the moisture from below, Sean took a step back while looking down onto the floor. Letting out a long exhale of air from out of his lungs, he clenched both of his hands together in a tight squeeze.

  Because the only person able to do this…

  (Sean) Don’t tell me…

  A feminine figure that looked more like a human than a cat appeared.

  Her hair shaded brown, she had tanned skin which was a shade lighter than Luna’s, with a bit of freckles tched onto her cheeks. Having cat ears, and only one or two whiskers on each cheek, she walked with her bck heels on the dark wooden floor. Her hands motionless onto her sides, she only formed a frown as she locked eye contact with the elf in front of her.

  Sean pced his back against the rge window that oversaw the entirety of the battle of Luke and the Zirardge guards, gunfire heard from the thick wooden walls.

  (Sean) Long time no see Ellie. It’s only been what, a few months?

  Elizabeth folded both of her hands toward her stomach. Tapping her right foot, her toes clicked below the wooden floor, as her eyes started to slightly angle a more arched and snted look.

  (Elizabeth) So you came back…

  (Sean) Hey, I’m not alone. Just with a couple of my old pals, that’s all.

  Walking toward Sean, her breathing was at a constant and normal flow, her heels clicking the floor with each step. Reaching in front of Sean, she looked up toward the tall elf as only a light smile curled up his lips.

  Waving both of his hands up high, another dry chuckle escaped from his mouth.

  (Elizabeth) Then no wonder a war is going on outside. You invited the Pacithiests here?

  (Sean) Wait, the Pacithiests? I never told them that they could go. I guess Christian cares more about his little brother than I thought.

  Elizabeth extended her hand onto Sean’s wrist, gripping it firmly as her fingernails began to jab down on his skin. Despite her strength ever present, not a trace of blood spurted out from his wrists, yet his teeth began to tighten under the pain from it.

  His knees on the verge of buckling, Sean began to lower himself, leading him to be face to face with the cat-human with tanned skin.

  (Elizabeth) You’re here to find the info huh…

  (Sean) Hey ow! What else would I be here for—ow!

  (Elizabeth) … Don’t do this.

  The grip that bound him on his right wrist soon ceased, pulling her hand back towards herself. Tilting her head downward, she clenched both of her hands into fists as a low growl purred from her throat.

  Her body shook, her hair sticking up. A low hiss seethed out from her dry lips.

  (Elizabeth) You’re going to get yourself killed…

  Sean let go of his cheeky smile, pushing down his eyes as he gnced from in back of him. The fight ensued in the back of him, the fmes of the crops from outside caused the entirety of the room to be enclosed in a yellowish color.

  Sucking in a little breath, he let a small breath out. Letting his hands motionless to gravity, he straightened his back while having his eyes pin down onto the shaking Elizabeth.

  (Sean) But if I don’t do this, then me and all my friends will never live.

  Two hands gripped onto Elizbaeth’s shoulders, hands that were smoothed out like sandpaper. With its thumbs beginning to dig into her colrbones, her face scrunched up by how her nostrils fred upward and her cheekbones.

  As for the culprit, the elf darkened his eyes, followed by his face making a shrilling frown.

  (Sean) Tell me where the paper is. Don’t tell me that you’re now thinking it’s a bad idea.

  Elizabeth lowered her hands down to her pant’s pockets, both her knuckles grazing against the fabric of the pants.

  Pulling out a simple notecard, she didn’t raise her right hand, keeping it toward the level of where her pocket was. Sean, who slowly moved his hand toward the notecard, saw that the girl began to pull her hand back, but only once as Sean had it at a standstill.

  Both remained silent, as they looked toward one another in their eyes.

  Keeping his left hand on her shoulder, his fingers dug into her shoulder evermore, her cheekbones pushing up further as her teeth were shown.

  (Sean) Please just give me the card … you don’t have to be loyal to them, nor does Johnny…

  She took two steps back.

  Letting a fast breath of air into her pink lungs, she soon let it out as she began to look downward onto the floor. Her bck heels dug into the wooden floor, and bits of the wood began to crack open as her frown reached down to her jawline.

  (Elizabeth) I’m trying to save you from yourself.

  The clouds that littered where Sean stood soon shot up toward the height of his shoulders.

  Lunging onto her, he instantly pinned her down to the ground by having both of her wrists held by his hands. Landing on the back of her head, a loud gasp drew out from her, while Sean was on top of her.

  Then the clouds began to sting.

  Like being pricked by thorns, Sean yelped out from the annoying pain that sprouted out from his face. Followed by his hands and cheeks, the mist that Elizabeth formed only worsened as he soon got up from her.

  (Sean) Damnit…

  Letting his back hit against the wall, the long cabinet next to him shuddered by the thump that he caused. Blocking his nose with his right hand, he continued to be stung by the zaps that polluted the air around him.

  And while the mist wasn’t as heavy in terms of visibility, he soon saw the cat-human get up from the ground, rubbing the back of her head with her fingernails. Escaping from the stinging clouds, his entire body twitched as bolts of electricity continued to traverse his body.

  (Elizabeth) You just don’t get it, do you…