Chapter IV: A Homeless Man!?

As the two arrive at the café they see a very angry Sylas banging on the door. "Let me in!!!" He growls, still banging just as loud. He's banging so hard that the bell inside rings every time he does so. This may be Sylas however he doesn't look as stuck up as before. His pristine clothes had been torn, his hair disheveled and cut in some places, his face and body bruised. 

Vincentius pauses in his tracks to burst out laughing. "A homeless man!?! That's what Kuzo's so scared about!?"

Cerelia laughs as well until she sees Nen shaking his head. "What's wrong Nen?"

Nen sighs. "That man isn't homeless. He's been beaten to a pulp." 

Vincentius giggles as he says that. "Yeah. That's Riddle-" He doesn't even get to finish his sentence before Sylas shoots up and grabs his arms. "Riddle was that damned brat!? Gods I knew it!!! You have to let me in!!!"

Vincentius glares as Sylas grabs him. "Manic much?" He shoves him away quickly. "Listen. I don't know who you are but if Riddle didn't let you inside then you're obviously crap."

Sylas growls. "Listen. I was inside. That stupid girl just kicked me out before she listened to a word a said. Hell, she even pretended to be someone else!"

Nen sighs and clicks his tongue. "That means they want nothing to do with you. Idiot."

Sylas grabs Nen then growls out in a low tone. "Listen here you stupid speck of water. I will get inside. And I will talk to Riddle. No matter what." 

Nen whimpers and squirms in his grip. He quickly looks over to Cerelia to make sure she isn't hurting too much. Cerelia looks fairly fine however she isn't breathing much. Nen sticks his tongue out at the man then evaporates into water. Cerelia takes a large gulp of air as Nen disappears. "Hey!! Don't touch Nen you evil little cockroach!!!" She exclaims then punches the man in the face. 

Sylas stumbles back and into the door. "How dare you!!! You will not go unpunished for this!!!" 

Cerelia rolls her eyes as she makes a mocking motion with her hand. "Yeah yeah. Now I suggest you scram. I don't do well around punks like you." She glares at him as she cracks her knuckles. 

Vincentius giggles as he smirks. "No way Riddle would ever let someone like you inside. You had to of broken in." 

Sylas growls as he narrows his eyes. "I've been inside. Does how I got in really matter?"

Vincentius growls back. "Of course it does. Now I suggest you scram or I'll happily smash your face in more." 

Sylas gives a look that can only be described as vengeance as he leans off of the door. "Fine. Have it your way but I will be back soon." He shoves passed Vincentius now a look of anger on his face. 

Vincentius sighs and shakes his head. "What an odd ball." He looks up towards the window above the fire escape and sees a person's shadow. He chuckles lightly. "Come on, Riddle's waiting." As he starts to climb the fire escape the feeling of fear finally leaves his body however it gets replaced with overwhelming curiosity. He grins as he climbs up faster, Cerelia a bit further behind as well as Nen. "Kuzo's found something. Come on! I wanna see what it is!" By the time they reached the window it was open and a kettle can be heard whistling from the kitchen.

Vincentius jumps through the window then lands on the floor with a thunk as Kuzo shoots from around the corner, a velvet box in his hand. It was small, square in shape, and blue in color. Kuzo giggles as he tosses it at Vincentius. "Look what I found!!" He exclaims in a sing song voice.

Xena comes flying in soon enough. She snatches the box from Vincentius' hands and caws at him. She shifts into her more human form and shakes her head. "No! Don't go opening that! It's not yours!" She huffs. 

Vincentius holds his hands up as he grins. "I didn't! I swear!" 

Cerelia laughs as she climbs through the window. "Well that's not something you see everyday." Nen flies through the window and looks around curiously. "This is.. a decent place. Certainly beats where we live." He flies up and around Xena. "You're odd. And positively overflowing with magical energy." 

Cerelia chuckles as Xena huffs and walks towards the kitchen. "She's sassy huh?"

Vincentius nods. "Yeah. But not normally this much, she'll usually talk your ear off."

Footsteps can be heard coming from the bedroom and down the hall. "You're both very loud. And please, stay out of things that aren't yours Kuzo." Riddle's voice calmly explains as they walk into the room. They were wearing a black eye patch over their left eye though the eye patch covers alot, some bruising could be seen. Their right eye was now an icey blue and their clothes were different. Riddle was now wearing a long sleeve galaxy mesh shirt with a black tank top over and black ripped jeans. They didn't look absurdly nice by any means but the outfit suited them well.

Cerelia stares at them for a moment, her face showing nothing but pure awe. "Wow!! You're so pretty!!!" She exclaims as she runs over and grabs their hand.

Riddle sputters and takes a step back, unsure what to think. Their face was surpised and their cheeks red. They study Cerelia for a moment then they chuckle lightly to themself. "I recognize you. You're the woman who poorly uses Apateónes to trick people for your own personal gain." Riddle grins a sick yet confident grin, just wanting to startle the girl not really scare her.

Cerelia laughs as she scratches the back of her head with one hand, still holding Riddle's with the other. "Heh.. yeah I'm not very good with it yet-"

Riddle chuckles softly. "I could tell. I wasn't even that close and I saw right through it." They gently pulls their hand away and sits down in the chair behind them. "Please, have a seat. It's not often we have guests. Xena will bring the tea shortly."

Vincentius laughs as he takes a seat as well. "You two are like two peas in a pod already!"

Riddle shakes their head. "I haven't been like that with anyone in awhile and I don't plan to be."

Soon Xena walks in with many cups of tea, six to be exact. One for each shade and one for each master, Nen's was of course his size. Xena giggles happily as she plops down on the arm of Riddle's chair after serving the tea. "Your shade is so pretty miss!!" She exclaims happily as she leans over and admires Nen's colors.

Nen tilts his head up in confidence. "Why thank you, I know I'm gorgeous." Cerelia laughs as she sips her tea. "Oh don't inflate his ego, it really doesn't need it." She gently sets the cup and saucer down on the table in front of her. "Your names Riddle right?"

Riddle nods. "Yes, It's my last name however." They turn their head to look at Nen as he sips his tea. "I see you have a water pixie as your shade. How adorable."

Cerelia nods. "Mhm! He's my little protector!" She pauses to look at Xena. "Is Xena your shade? Or is she just your roommate?"

Vincentius laughs. "As if Riddle would have a roommate." He looks over to see where Kuzo is just in time to see him get a chameleon tongue to the ear. He falls out of his chair as he feels it as well. "Gods! That's gross!!"

Kuzo was frozen solid like he was scared to move. Xena and Cerelia burst out laughing however Riddle was more focused on the stain Vincentius' spilled tea would make on the carpet.

Riddle looks over to Luck and Kuzo, chuckling softly themself. "Let him go Luck, that's mean." The chameleon seems to have an attitude as his puts his tongue back in his mouth. Kuzo then falls from the branch and onto the floor causing Vincentius to yell out in pain. Cerelia and Xena were laughing a lot harder now, Riddle even joined in a little.

Nen begins to fly around Riddle, looking like he wishes to ask something. Soon enough the laughter dies down and he asks, "Who was the man outside when we got here? Did he give you that black eye?"

Riddle's mood seems to shift as he asks. "Alright, I suppose you deserve to know as he no doubt caused you trouble. That was Sylas Mimori, he's the head of a famous company just north of here. And yes, he gave me the black eye when he broke in and refused to leave."

Nen nods. "That checks out. He said he'd be back though, aren't you worried?"

Riddle shakes their head. "Of course not. Sylas is more idiotic then dangerous. I have nothing to worry about." They sip their tea calmly as Nen eyes them.

Nen looks them up and down. "You have a strong aura yet you're scared of him."

Riddle tenses. "I am not, he's nothing to be scared off. He's a good for nothing thief who stole the company he owns."

Nen raises his eyebrow. "Really? You tensed."

Cerelia gently grabs him and puts a finger over his mouth. "Sorry. He doesn't know when to shut up. But he has a point, you did tense-"

Vincentius shakes his head. "Cerelia. This isn't our business, it's theirs. Now even I know when to drop something."

Cerelia nods. "Right sorry. So what are we gonna do? Vincentius here didn't tell me much-"

Riddle shrugs. "You're his guest, not mine, it's his job to entertain."

Vincentius scoffs and looks offended. "Hey!"

Riddle smirks. "I'm not wrong, she is your guest. Regardless of how pretty she is, I don't entertain others."

Cerelia's cheeks flush as she starts to laugh. "They have a point dummy. You invited me here!"

Riddle chuckles softly. "We can do whatever you all like, I don't mind."

Vincentius gets an evil grin. "Then…. Can we look inside that box Kuzo found!?" He exclaims excitedly. Riddle glares at him. "No. That's much too personal." Vincentius pouts playfully then his face lights up as he gets an idea. "Oh!! I know!! Let's watch a horror movie!!"

Riddle laughs as he suggests the idea of a horror movie. "Alright. I don't mind. I have quite the collection so you can pick whichever you like."

Cerelia gleams happily as the idea of watching a horror movie comes about. "Oh yes!!!" She jumps up from her chair after placing her tea on the table. She runs excitedly over to the cabinet with all the movies in. As she begins to look through she remembers something. "Oh yeah. A lady from a café down the road says hi Riddle. I think her name was Lixie?"

Vincentius nods. "Yeah! She's our friend! She has amazing festival food!" He sounds very happy.

Riddle however doesn't look happy. If anything, they look scared. "Please. Tell me you didn't tell her where you were going?" Their voice sounds desperate.

Vincentius cocks his head as Cerelia looks over. "No? Why? Does she mean something to you?"

Riddle shakes their head. "It could be nothing but just in case, don't tell her my address. Or anything you might know about me."

Vincentius looks confused. "You seem afraid?"

Riddle shakes her head. "I've only been truly afraid of one person in my life. And that's not her. Just don't tell her anything about me got it?"

Vincentius nods. "Yeah. No problem."

Xena was gently running her fingers through Riddle's hair in a comforting manner. "Don't question them about it, okay? We have our reasons for hiding from certain people." Riddle gently leans against Xena, looking a bit emotional. "I think I'm gonna head to bed. You two may stay the night in the living room if you'd like. Or you may sleep in Vincentius' flat." Xena looks surprised as they say that.

Vincentius also looks quite surprised. "W- wait-" He sputters out. "My flat!?"

Riddle nods as they slowly stand. "Yes. It's yours now, you can have it. I've never used it anyway, it was really just ment to be a spare room and now Xena won't be alone while I'm away." They smile as they scratch under Xena's chin. In response Xena's feathered ears twitch happily.

Vincentius squeals like a schoolgirl as he begins to jump up and down. "Yes!!! Finally my own place!!!" Cerelia squeals excitedly with him. She would never admit it but she was proud he found his own place, no matter how.

As the two continue to happily scream, Riddle chuckles lightly with them. They seem to have a bit more energy now, almost like they fed off the joy Vincentius and Cerelia had. Riddle smiles as Xena slowly leads them to their room. She helps them get settled then walks back into the living room. "Come on you two!! It's movie time!!" Xena exclaims excitedly.

Riddle smiles softly as they hear the screams of laughter and joy from their guests. "I'm glad they're having fun." Normally they would have joined them however the topic of that woman seemed to make them uneasy. Riddle sighs as they get out of bed. They quietly walk over to the window and gaze out. As they stare out the window their mind begins to race. "Why did Sylas even come? He knows he's not welcomed here." Riddle thinks as they anxiously stare out the window. They sigh as they lean against the window frame, now looking into their very clean bedroom.

"I don't have much so it'll be easy to pack once the school year starts." Riddle thinks as they glance around. They had a few posters, books, and jewelry, however they had a lot of clothes. "I'm not taking all these clothes with me. If need be I'll make some more but there's no way I'm packing all of that." They think and shake their head. Riddle turns their head to glance at their vanity where most of their jewelry and makeup is.

On the vanity is the blue velvet box that Kuzo had found earlier. Riddle looks at it for a while before they walk over to it and pick it up. They slowly open the small box and take out what's inside. Inside was a rose gold geometric engagement ring with diamonds along the front bottom and sides with a kite shaped moss agate jewel in the middle. It had an engraving inside though Riddle didn't look. It was a truly beautiful piece however it doesn't look like it's been worn in years.

Riddle gently kisses the center jewel then slips the ring on. "I guess I do kind of miss her.." They say aloud, their voice breaking the silence of the room. The ring felt tight on their finger but the comfortable kind of tight. They look around the room again. "I should start packing things I wanna take with me." Riddle thinks as they grab their suitcase out of their closet. Sure the semester doesn't start for a few more days but Riddle's one who likes to pack in advance.

Riddle smiles as they hum a small tune and start to pack things the things that mean a lot to them. The first thing to go into the bag was their favorite skin tight jumpsuit then they slip the ring box into a small pocket. Next to go in was a picture of their parents then a lot of medical supplies. After that was some clothes, shoes, as well as their collection of color contacts and toiletries. The last thing to go into the bag was a picture of a young Riddle with another young girl.

Riddle zips up the suitcase then sets it in the corner by the door. They can still hear the group in the living room laughing and screaming as the horror movie continues to play. They laugh along as they hear Nen's quiet squeaky screams. "I guess Nen doesn't like horror movies." They think as they plop back down in bed. "Gods I'm exhausted." They grumble as they roll over, their eyes landing on the ring. Riddle stares at it until their eyes slowly begin to close. Their thoughts finally cease as they fall asleep.

Cerelia laughs as she hears Nen scream once more. "Nen, quite down. Riddle's probably sleeping alright? We don't wanna wake 'em."

Nen smirks. "You like them don't you? You don't usually care if someone's sleeping or not." He snickers as he flies around Cerelia's head teasing her.

Cerelia's face flushes, embarrassment quickly shines in their eyes. She quickly covers their face with one arm as she swipes at Nen. "H- hush-!! I'm just saying we should be considerate!!"

Vincentius bursts out laughing. "Oh you've gotta be kidding me!! You just met them!!!"

Cerelia shoots him a glare. "Hush it!!! I just find them.. attractive! That's all!!"

Vincentius laughs more as he shakes his head. "Attractive? Are you sure you didn't mean alluring?" He teases.

Xena laughs along with everyone. "Riddle could use a partner! They haven't had one since Hilix.." Her face falls a bit.

Vincentius looks over curiously. "Hilix? Who's that? Wanna tell us?"

Cerelia looks curious as well as she finally removes her face from her arm. "I'd love to know more!"

Xena chuckles a little. "I guess I can. Hilix was Riddle's first love. They were attached to the hip for well, hundreds of years-"

Vincentius and Cerelia cut her off. "Hundreds of years!?" They exclaim as they jump closer to her.

Xena chuckles and nods. "Well yeah? It's no secret Riddle isn't human?"

Vincentius' jaw drops. "They aren't!?"

Cerelia laughs as she shakes her head. "I'm not surprised. Their eyes can sense magic, remember? She was able to point out my poor use of Apateónes when we hadn't even met."

Vincentius laughs airly as he shakes his head himself. "I can't even-! I'm so blind!!"

Xena laughs. "Yeah- you are!" She shakes her head as she leans against the back of the chair. She seems to be relieved that they've left the topic of Riddle's love life. She watches them laugh and playfully joke around with each other. "I wish things were like this around here more often.." She thinks as she chuckles at one of Cerelia's jokes.

"I'm glad y'all are here.. Riddle seems like they're in much better spirits with you guys around." She smiles genuinely as she looks at they're caught off guard faces. "I mean it."

Vincentius smiles wide and tilts his head. "Of course! Everyone's better when I'm here!!"

Cerelia laughs as she elbows him in the side. "We're glad to be here." She smiles as she looks around the room, her eyes landing on a calender on the wall leading to the kitchen. "Wow. School starts in five days!?" She exclaims excitedly.

Vincentius' head shoots towards where she looking. "Oh my god it starts in five days!?" He exclaims anxiously as he shoots up from his chair. "I still have so much work to do!!!"

Xena and Cerelia burst out laughing as he starts to panick. "I have so much to do! I don't even have all my books yet!?" Vincentius yells in a panic. "I haven't even delivered all the letters!?"

Xena chuckles as she shakes her head. "Then I guess you should get going huh?"

Vincentius nods as he grabs Kuzo and runs towards the window. "Yeah bye I'll see y'all when school starts!!!" He yells out so fast that they can barely tell what he said. "Oh and Cerelia you can stay in the flat while I'm gone!!!" He yells as he jumps out the window and into the dark street below.