[Yami no Matsuei] "Dead Man's Party"
Oct. 17th, 2013 01:00 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mtxref_ficAuthor's Note: Written for "31_halloween"'s "parties". Continued from "pumpkins" which I posted last year. Featuring Tsuzuki getting into a tight spot with Muraki.
The invitation had specified eight p.m. as the time of the party and Tsuzuki stood at the door just as the hands of his wristwatch stood at eight. The mansion looked a lot cleaner than he expected, a square built structure with ivy growing over the walls of the lower storey, the short drive to the door lined with torches.
He was ready to slink away into the night, hoping Muraki would never notice he had even showed his face, when the door creaked open and a tall, greying man in a swallowtail coat over a violet vest looked out, a small candelabra in hand as he pulled the door open wider.
"Mister Asato Tsuzuki?" the older man asked.
"Oh, yeah, I, ah, I'm here for the Halloween party?" Tsuzuki faltered. "Your son invited me: I'm, ah, sort of a friend of his."
The man in the swallowtail coat tilted his head and raised an eyebrow. "I am Sakaki, the butler. My master is awaiting you upstairs," he replied.
"Ooops! Oh, I should have known," Tsuzuki sputtered. Of course a rich guy like Muraki would have a whole bevy of servants.
"Well, I'm here now," he said, as the servant stepped aside and opening the door, waiting till Tsuzuki had stepped across the threshold and into the middle of the tastefully cobwebbed vestibule, then closing the door behind him. The bolt rasped loud enough to make Tsuzuki jump, as the servant slid it home.
Still carrying the candelabra, Sakaki beckoned Tsuzuki to follow him up a curving staircase, the light from the flickering candles casting a circle about them, the flames guttering as they moved. The steps lead to a mezzanine level, which lead to a hallway lit with electric torches at regular intervals along the walls, their light flickering very like the guttering flames of the candelabra in the servant's hand.
"Pretty swanky place," Tsuzuki remarked, trying to make conversation. More tasteful cobwebs festooned the walls and archways. At length, the hall opened into a parlor of sorts, decked with dark red brocade wallpaper and heavy ornate furniture with dark wood and dark red upholstery. A fire crackled on a hearth at one end of the room, lighting the chamber with its eddying light. A dark waltz played on a hidden music system and on the couch, Muraki lounged, clad in a dark blue silk robe embroidered with silvery sigils.
"Mister Asato Tsuzuki," Sakaki announced, from just inside the door. Muraki looked up, smirking at the guest.
"And what are you supposed to be?" Tsuzuki asked, eying Muraki's costume.
"Oh, it should be obvious, I'm a warlock," Muraki replied. To Sakaki, he added, "You may bring in the refreshments at any time."
"As you wish," the servant said, departing the room.
"Isn't that tantamount to dressing as yourself?" Tsuzuki asked, stepping further into the room.
"Asks the agent of the Ministry of Hades, who arrived clad in a black robe and carrying a plastic scythe," Muraki noted, his good eye crinkling in amusement.
"Okay, yeah, the reaper costume was a bit obvious," Tsuzuki admitted, looking down at himself. "But aren't you a bit underdressed?"
Muraki looked down at himself. "Some warlocks wear little, depending upon the ritual to be performed."
Tsuzuki took a step back. "You... won't be using me for that ritual, will you?" he asked.
Muraki chuckled. "Oh, don't look shocked: I only perform the Great Rite in True for an especially important matter," he said. "And there is someone else whom I would rather perform it with. Unless you care to volunteer."
"Errr, no. Not unless that would help banish that demon that's been rampaging in the city," Tsuzuki replied.
Muraki recrossed his legs, causing the skirts of his robe to fall open. "Oho, no, a rite like that isn't generally used to banish a spirit, unless it's an especially strong spirit."
"Not like the one we're trailing?" Tsuzuki noted, letting himself approach the couch and perch on the end gingerly.
"Not in the least: the creature that you're agency is seeking out is most likely a lesser soldier demon, not one of the more powerful archons," Muraki said. At that moment, Sakaki reentered the room, bringing in a tray with a bottle of dark red wine with two glasses and a platter of what looked like red velvet truffles rolled in dark cocoa powder.
"Oooh, those look good," Tsuzuki said, helping himself to one.
"I had our cook make them up especially for you," Muraki said.
"Why am I getting the feeling that I'm the only one on the guest list?" Tsuzuki said, almost putting down the truffle.
Muraki chuckled, deep in his throat. "Perhaps because you are the only name on the guest list."
"You just had to get me alone, didn't you?" Tsuzuki grumbled.
"I only wanted to be alone with you: my nights off can be lonely, and I crave your company," Muraki admitted, his good eye and his voice sincere. "You're one of the very few people with whom I can discuss the stranger things that lurk at the edges of our world, the things of the shadows and the darkness beyond."
"Like the demon..." Tsuzuki noted, biting into the truffle. "Mmm! This is good! You got a good cook."
"And no doubt, you have a discerning palate," Muraki said, uncorking the bottle and filling the glasses.
"Well, I'm not picky, but I do like sweet things," Tsuzuki replied, popping the rest of the truffle into his mouth and chewing it a bit, letting it melt before he swallowed it.
"You certainly do, though I've never seen it affect your figure," Muraki said, looking him up and down.
"Ah, well, I always had a fast metabolism, and I'm on my feet a lot, on watch in the city," Tsuzuki replied. Somehow, he did not mind the way Muraki looked at him, and as his host held out a glass of wine to him, he accepted it gladly, taking a sip from it, letting it warm his insides. "Ooh, good wine, though, well, I probably have cheaper tastes when it comes to wine or liquor."
The wine sent blissful tendrils of warmth through Tsuzuki's veins, making him feel much more at ease.
"Mmm, this is good stuff," he noted, taking another sip. "Way better than that stuff in a box that I usually get, if I decide it's a wine night and not a sake night." As soon as he said that, he darted a look at Muraki, wondering if he had made a misstep.
Muraki only smirked, completely at ease as well. "Mmm, I'm partial to warm sake on a cold night," he replied. "But it's not quite cold enough for that, not yet." Tsuzuki held out his glass for a refill, and Muraki topped it off.
"Thanks: you're sure this isn't some kind of warlock brew?" Tsuzuki asked. "'Cause it tastes so good, it's gotta be magical."
Muraki chuckled. "Oh, no, I assure you, the only magic at work here is the magic of the grapes themselves." he replied, sitting back, nursing his glass, taking a judicious sip from it.
"So... what usually keeps you busy on a night like this?" Tsuzuki asked, making conversation.
"Oh, the odd horror novel or two keeps my blood flowing," Muraki admitted.
"Heh, I'm partial to romance novels myself," Tsuzuki replied. "Paranormal romances mostly, though I work so much with the supernatural, you'd think I'd be bored with stories like that."
"Longing for your dark lover to emerge from the shadows of the night?" Muraki asked, almost teasing, and with the usual politely naughty edge. For once, that did not bother Tsuzuki the way that it normally did.
"Well, maybe. I'm sure you have no trouble getting dates, or donor, or... whatever it is that you call them," Tsuzuki asked, wondering for a moment why he was asking. Somehow this did not bother him.
"'Donors' is the proper term for someone from whom I take my nourishment," Muraki replied. "You do seem curious about the matter..."
"Well... the thought has crossed my mind," Tsuzuki admitted. There was that time in the hold of the Queen Camellia when Muraki had absorbed some of his energy: it had happened more or less against his will then, but he wondered what it would feel like when it happened when he wanted it to.
"You only have to ask me," Muraki said, putting aside his glass, on the table before them.
"Well..." Tsuzuki paused, putting his own glass on the table. "Okay. But promise me you'll tell me the names and addresses of those patient, the ones who got cornered by that demon."
"I promise you'll have that information when you're ready to depart," Muraki said, laying back against the arm of the sofa, the neck of his robe open over his throat and upper chest, his pale skin almost silvery-golden in the fire light. Tsuzuki could resist no longer. He leaned over Muraki, kissing the hollow of his throat. Muraki sighed under him and raised a hand to Tsuzuki's head, sliding his long, practiced fingers through Tsuzuki's hair...
Not until the sun had risen, banishing the darkness and the creatures of the night, did Tsuzuki awaken, stretched out on the silken pillows that covered the head of a four poster bed in a room too grand to be anything short of the master's chamber. He turned over onto his back, finding someone had slipped a set of white silk pyjamas over his naked form, the jacket unbuttoned over his chest. The clothing he had worn under his costume lay neatly folded on a chair close by the bed.
"Huh, valet services or whatever they're called," Tsuzuki noted, thinking out loud as he sat up. Something rustled under the pillow and he reached under it to fish for it.
He drew out an envelope, in which he found a neatly folded sheet of stationary:
Good Morning, Mister Tsuzuki
And it is a clear morning with a brisk wind. I regret to inform you that I had to leave early while you were still asleep: I had an early surgery to attend to.
But I've kept my promise to you, after our passionate night in which I was your dark lover and you my sweet source of nourishment. You'll find the names and addresses of my patients below. And also, there are still some still laid up in my clinic: I would be delighted if you came to join us. Sakaki will drive you to the clinic, once you're dressed and you've eaten, and I've given the cook notice to provide a nourishing breakfast for you -- and I've given her fair warning that yours is a healthy appetite.
The party might be over but it can continue if you so wish. I enjoyed last night so well, I would be delighted if there were future nights like it.
Muraki
"Huh, likely story," Tsuzuki muttered. "One and done, but... it at least between breakfast and a lift into the city, I can't complain," he said, swinging his feet to the floor and reaching for his clothing.
The invitation had specified eight p.m. as the time of the party and Tsuzuki stood at the door just as the hands of his wristwatch stood at eight. The mansion looked a lot cleaner than he expected, a square built structure with ivy growing over the walls of the lower storey, the short drive to the door lined with torches.
He was ready to slink away into the night, hoping Muraki would never notice he had even showed his face, when the door creaked open and a tall, greying man in a swallowtail coat over a violet vest looked out, a small candelabra in hand as he pulled the door open wider.
"Mister Asato Tsuzuki?" the older man asked.
"Oh, yeah, I, ah, I'm here for the Halloween party?" Tsuzuki faltered. "Your son invited me: I'm, ah, sort of a friend of his."
The man in the swallowtail coat tilted his head and raised an eyebrow. "I am Sakaki, the butler. My master is awaiting you upstairs," he replied.
"Ooops! Oh, I should have known," Tsuzuki sputtered. Of course a rich guy like Muraki would have a whole bevy of servants.
"Well, I'm here now," he said, as the servant stepped aside and opening the door, waiting till Tsuzuki had stepped across the threshold and into the middle of the tastefully cobwebbed vestibule, then closing the door behind him. The bolt rasped loud enough to make Tsuzuki jump, as the servant slid it home.
Still carrying the candelabra, Sakaki beckoned Tsuzuki to follow him up a curving staircase, the light from the flickering candles casting a circle about them, the flames guttering as they moved. The steps lead to a mezzanine level, which lead to a hallway lit with electric torches at regular intervals along the walls, their light flickering very like the guttering flames of the candelabra in the servant's hand.
"Pretty swanky place," Tsuzuki remarked, trying to make conversation. More tasteful cobwebs festooned the walls and archways. At length, the hall opened into a parlor of sorts, decked with dark red brocade wallpaper and heavy ornate furniture with dark wood and dark red upholstery. A fire crackled on a hearth at one end of the room, lighting the chamber with its eddying light. A dark waltz played on a hidden music system and on the couch, Muraki lounged, clad in a dark blue silk robe embroidered with silvery sigils.
"Mister Asato Tsuzuki," Sakaki announced, from just inside the door. Muraki looked up, smirking at the guest.
"And what are you supposed to be?" Tsuzuki asked, eying Muraki's costume.
"Oh, it should be obvious, I'm a warlock," Muraki replied. To Sakaki, he added, "You may bring in the refreshments at any time."
"As you wish," the servant said, departing the room.
"Isn't that tantamount to dressing as yourself?" Tsuzuki asked, stepping further into the room.
"Asks the agent of the Ministry of Hades, who arrived clad in a black robe and carrying a plastic scythe," Muraki noted, his good eye crinkling in amusement.
"Okay, yeah, the reaper costume was a bit obvious," Tsuzuki admitted, looking down at himself. "But aren't you a bit underdressed?"
Muraki looked down at himself. "Some warlocks wear little, depending upon the ritual to be performed."
Tsuzuki took a step back. "You... won't be using me for that ritual, will you?" he asked.
Muraki chuckled. "Oh, don't look shocked: I only perform the Great Rite in True for an especially important matter," he said. "And there is someone else whom I would rather perform it with. Unless you care to volunteer."
"Errr, no. Not unless that would help banish that demon that's been rampaging in the city," Tsuzuki replied.
Muraki recrossed his legs, causing the skirts of his robe to fall open. "Oho, no, a rite like that isn't generally used to banish a spirit, unless it's an especially strong spirit."
"Not like the one we're trailing?" Tsuzuki noted, letting himself approach the couch and perch on the end gingerly.
"Not in the least: the creature that you're agency is seeking out is most likely a lesser soldier demon, not one of the more powerful archons," Muraki said. At that moment, Sakaki reentered the room, bringing in a tray with a bottle of dark red wine with two glasses and a platter of what looked like red velvet truffles rolled in dark cocoa powder.
"Oooh, those look good," Tsuzuki said, helping himself to one.
"I had our cook make them up especially for you," Muraki said.
"Why am I getting the feeling that I'm the only one on the guest list?" Tsuzuki said, almost putting down the truffle.
Muraki chuckled, deep in his throat. "Perhaps because you are the only name on the guest list."
"You just had to get me alone, didn't you?" Tsuzuki grumbled.
"I only wanted to be alone with you: my nights off can be lonely, and I crave your company," Muraki admitted, his good eye and his voice sincere. "You're one of the very few people with whom I can discuss the stranger things that lurk at the edges of our world, the things of the shadows and the darkness beyond."
"Like the demon..." Tsuzuki noted, biting into the truffle. "Mmm! This is good! You got a good cook."
"And no doubt, you have a discerning palate," Muraki said, uncorking the bottle and filling the glasses.
"Well, I'm not picky, but I do like sweet things," Tsuzuki replied, popping the rest of the truffle into his mouth and chewing it a bit, letting it melt before he swallowed it.
"You certainly do, though I've never seen it affect your figure," Muraki said, looking him up and down.
"Ah, well, I always had a fast metabolism, and I'm on my feet a lot, on watch in the city," Tsuzuki replied. Somehow, he did not mind the way Muraki looked at him, and as his host held out a glass of wine to him, he accepted it gladly, taking a sip from it, letting it warm his insides. "Ooh, good wine, though, well, I probably have cheaper tastes when it comes to wine or liquor."
The wine sent blissful tendrils of warmth through Tsuzuki's veins, making him feel much more at ease.
"Mmm, this is good stuff," he noted, taking another sip. "Way better than that stuff in a box that I usually get, if I decide it's a wine night and not a sake night." As soon as he said that, he darted a look at Muraki, wondering if he had made a misstep.
Muraki only smirked, completely at ease as well. "Mmm, I'm partial to warm sake on a cold night," he replied. "But it's not quite cold enough for that, not yet." Tsuzuki held out his glass for a refill, and Muraki topped it off.
"Thanks: you're sure this isn't some kind of warlock brew?" Tsuzuki asked. "'Cause it tastes so good, it's gotta be magical."
Muraki chuckled. "Oh, no, I assure you, the only magic at work here is the magic of the grapes themselves." he replied, sitting back, nursing his glass, taking a judicious sip from it.
"So... what usually keeps you busy on a night like this?" Tsuzuki asked, making conversation.
"Oh, the odd horror novel or two keeps my blood flowing," Muraki admitted.
"Heh, I'm partial to romance novels myself," Tsuzuki replied. "Paranormal romances mostly, though I work so much with the supernatural, you'd think I'd be bored with stories like that."
"Longing for your dark lover to emerge from the shadows of the night?" Muraki asked, almost teasing, and with the usual politely naughty edge. For once, that did not bother Tsuzuki the way that it normally did.
"Well, maybe. I'm sure you have no trouble getting dates, or donor, or... whatever it is that you call them," Tsuzuki asked, wondering for a moment why he was asking. Somehow this did not bother him.
"'Donors' is the proper term for someone from whom I take my nourishment," Muraki replied. "You do seem curious about the matter..."
"Well... the thought has crossed my mind," Tsuzuki admitted. There was that time in the hold of the Queen Camellia when Muraki had absorbed some of his energy: it had happened more or less against his will then, but he wondered what it would feel like when it happened when he wanted it to.
"You only have to ask me," Muraki said, putting aside his glass, on the table before them.
"Well..." Tsuzuki paused, putting his own glass on the table. "Okay. But promise me you'll tell me the names and addresses of those patient, the ones who got cornered by that demon."
"I promise you'll have that information when you're ready to depart," Muraki said, laying back against the arm of the sofa, the neck of his robe open over his throat and upper chest, his pale skin almost silvery-golden in the fire light. Tsuzuki could resist no longer. He leaned over Muraki, kissing the hollow of his throat. Muraki sighed under him and raised a hand to Tsuzuki's head, sliding his long, practiced fingers through Tsuzuki's hair...
Not until the sun had risen, banishing the darkness and the creatures of the night, did Tsuzuki awaken, stretched out on the silken pillows that covered the head of a four poster bed in a room too grand to be anything short of the master's chamber. He turned over onto his back, finding someone had slipped a set of white silk pyjamas over his naked form, the jacket unbuttoned over his chest. The clothing he had worn under his costume lay neatly folded on a chair close by the bed.
"Huh, valet services or whatever they're called," Tsuzuki noted, thinking out loud as he sat up. Something rustled under the pillow and he reached under it to fish for it.
He drew out an envelope, in which he found a neatly folded sheet of stationary:
Good Morning, Mister Tsuzuki
And it is a clear morning with a brisk wind. I regret to inform you that I had to leave early while you were still asleep: I had an early surgery to attend to.
But I've kept my promise to you, after our passionate night in which I was your dark lover and you my sweet source of nourishment. You'll find the names and addresses of my patients below. And also, there are still some still laid up in my clinic: I would be delighted if you came to join us. Sakaki will drive you to the clinic, once you're dressed and you've eaten, and I've given the cook notice to provide a nourishing breakfast for you -- and I've given her fair warning that yours is a healthy appetite.
The party might be over but it can continue if you so wish. I enjoyed last night so well, I would be delighted if there were future nights like it.
Muraki
"Huh, likely story," Tsuzuki muttered. "One and done, but... it at least between breakfast and a lift into the city, I can't complain," he said, swinging his feet to the floor and reaching for his clothing.
