4. Arc 1: Victor's Flight

Warren Roche was beautiful.

He was exceptionally tall, over six feet, and slender, but still muscular. His skin was the color of honey and his hair was the black of wet, rich earth.

But it was his eyes that made one's heart beat out of rhythm. Wide and fringed with thick, glossy lashes, the deep black eyes were bewitching enough to entrance even the most chaste of people.

Warren Roche moved like time was his bitch.

He stepped soundlessly up to them and took a seat, managing to make even the half rusted, decades old bench like a throne.

Nora sighed dreamily in Victor's head. Her trembling shoots stretched towards the man unconsciously. 'He smells so good. . .like rich soil and dewy grass.'

Victor rolled his eyes. 'You don't even have a human form and you think he's attractive?'

'So? I can still appreciate beauty. Besides he's so. . .sigh. Why do you hate him again?'

Victor didn't bother to answer that, instead focusing his gaze on the sky.

A soft sigh broke the silence.

"Victor." The silky voice said his name with an indefinable emotion. "How. . .have you been?"

How has he been? Awful, duh! But Victor said nothing, continuing to stare at the sky. Even as his heart jumped around in fear, his mind was racing to come up with a way out of this.

Victor might not have been looking at Warren, but Nora was. When Victor ignored him, he looked down. Nora didn't know much about human body language, but something about the curve of his shoulders and the shadows on his face seemed . . . incredibly sad.

When the silence stretched on for too long, Victor, surprisingly, was the one to break it.

"You. . .control the plants in this garden?"

Warren looked up as soon as Victor spoke, but his lips pursed into a line, and he said nothing.

Unfortunately, for Victor, silence was the same as a bold declaration of guilt. Victor struggled wildly all of a sudden

"So, back then, the body. . .you -" his throat closed and he couldn't continue.

You made the plants eat the body. . .

Victor felt stirred up inside. Hot. And at the same time, cold.

"Why didn't you say something?" he whispered hoarsely.

"Say what? Does this discovery make you hate me any less?" Warren fired back. The question seemed to have made him angry, but his tone of voice remained steady and calm. The only indication of disgruntlement was a twitch at the corner of his lips.

Victor scowled. "Fine. Whatever. It doesn't matter. Can you let me go now?"

"No."

This was what Victor hated the most about Warren. He never gave reasons for the things he said and did, as if everyone was meant to understand what he was thinking. He was also annoyingly stubborn. Once he had made a decision, he would carry it out.

Victor tried to plead. "I won't run. I promise."

"Yes you will," Warren said.

Damnit. Victor fed some spiritual power into the begonias, slowly. "No, I won't. You caught me. We should talk. Besides, the stems are cutting into me. It hurts."

Warren seemed to be contemplating this. Then, "We can talk with you on the ground."

Victor's mouth fell open. That was new. In the past, the moment the words 'it hurts' or 'I'm uncomfortable' came out of Victor's mouth, Warren would do whatever he could to fix it. His considerate behavior was one of the reasons Warren trusted him until. . .until he died.

Incensed, Victor increased the spiritual power output. "Fine. What do you want to say?"

Warren's mouth opened and closed several times. Then finally, "I want to say. . ."

He hesitated too long. Victor ramped up the spiritual power and with a bang, the begonias exploded!

As soon as he was free, Victor darted towards the fence - but he forgot one very important thing.

'Victor! Wait! He's got me!"

Victor halted and turned slowly, already feeling his heart sink.

Warren had Nora pinched between his thumb and forefinger. He swayed her around gently and held her up at his eye level.

Even while in danger, Nora didn't forget to fawn over him. 'Ah! So handsome. . .'

Victor was cursing up a storm in his head. Warren finished examining the little grass seedling with his eyes, but he wasn't done. He brought her up to his nose and sniffed deeply.

Victor was horrified, his mouth popping into an o shape. What was he doing to her?!

"Oh. So this thing is why you always know when I'm coming."

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