Iris von Everec

Vincent arrived at the garden and he found the caretaker. He was a monster that fights with a spade in his hands. Vincent was either dodging or blocking its attacks.

"Come on big guy. I don't want to kill you. I just want to enter the mansion to talk to your mistress," says Vincent as he was face to face with the caretaker.

The caretaker seemed to stop as he didn't feel any hostility from Vincent even after fighting this long against him.

The caretaker puts the spade to the side as he takes the keys of the estate out and hands them over. It pointed at the backdoor with his finger when the cat and dog came forward.

"He is telling you to enter through the backdoor. It seems you earned his respect," says the cat as the dog was surprised by that achievement.

They led him towards the backdoor as the caretaker continued working in the garden. Vincent took the keys out and put the right key into the door lock when the cat and dog just sat there looking at him.

"Be careful inside. The Mistress isn't as sane as she used to be. If you meet her try to calm her and you should be able to talk to her peacefully," says the cat as Vincent slowly could grasp what the three demonic beings represented.

"The Guardian, the Sage, and the Jester," says Vincent to himself as the cat was confused by it when Vincent smiled and says, "You three represent those three characteristics. The Caretaker is the Guardian, you are the Sage, and our friend the dog is the Jester in my eyes."

Both cat and dog were confused when Vincent petted them before asking, "What is the name of the Mistress?"

"She is Mistress Iris von Everec. Just be careful and try not to upset her," says the cat warning Vincent who turned to the door and opened it.

He entered the house and closed the door behind him as he says, "Iris von Everec, I call for you as I have an offer for you."

Vincent began to hear some howl coming from upstairs but Vincent didn't go up but stayed downstairs as he sat down on a chair resting his right arm on the table.

"I come with good intentions. If you come down to speak with me, we won't have trouble with each other," says Vincent as he wasn't even holding a weapon since he left it outside to show his goodwill.

The howling came nearer as it was now coming from downstairs and Vincent turned towards where the howling was coming from and saw a wraith floating in the room.

Vincent smiled at her while saying, "You don't need to be afraid of me. I won't attack you if you don't attack me. From where I am from there are spirits and demons that have their own little islands far away from mortals so they can't be used by them. But some spirits live with mortal and try to improve their daily lives."

The Wraith came nearer as it was still howling and observed Vincent carefully. It circled around Vincent for a while when it stopped and gave a new noise from itself.

"Do you want me to follow?" asks Vincent as the Wraith flies towards the stairs and stopped there waiting for Vincent to follow it.

Vincent stood up and put the chair back to its original position showing respect to the Wraith as he was the guest in this mansion. Then he follows the Wraith as he was not straying from the Wraith that was showing the way.

They arrived at a painting and the Wraith entered it. Vincent looked at the painting and smiles as he could see where the Mistress of this house lived.

'A pocket dimension in a painting. She must have been really attached to it,' thinks Vincent as he jumped into the painting and found himself in the garden.

He knew that he was inside the painting as there was only a white void behind the fences that surrounded the mansion. He then saw a skeleton woman painting and he approached her.

"Thank you for following me into my painted world. I live here to escape my only fear," says the skeleton woman as Vincent bows towards her.

"You must be Mistress Iris then. I wanted to make a deal with you but as I can see you are quite attached to the object I wanted to get from you," says Vincent as he saw the Violet Rose in her black hair.

"You mean the rose?" asks Iris as Vincent nods.

"But there are other ways to deal with this situation," says Vincent as he then asks, "Can I have the rose for a little moment?"

"Of course, it has been long since I had a guest and even more so a guest that is as humble as you are. You showed manners where you didn't have to and even respect through you didn't need to. Giving you the Rose for a moment is nothing," says Iris as she took it out of her hair.

She handed it over and Vincent had it in his left hand when suddenly an identical Rose appeared in his hand. He put a spell on it while giving the copy back.

"I put a charm on the new rose. It should protect you from people that would try to harm you. It is exactly the same rose like the one Olgierd gifted you just more powerful. If you ever need help the rose will tell me and I will come to your aid," says Vincent as he put the new rose into Iris's hair.

"How about I make you a new body once I have time that way you would be able to enter society again, at least in my world. We could also bring the mansion if you love it that much have some servant clean it for you even if you don't entertain guests," says Vincent as he made Iris an offer out of goodwill since it would be lonely for her to stay here alone with three demonic beings to protect or talk to.

"No, I am fine," says Iris as she was happy about the offer but she didn't want to enter society again out of fear of being betrayed again by someone she loves.

"How about I come by once or twice a year to visit you and we talk about how the world is outside your world maybe one day you would want to join it again. One more thing, my offer will never expire so when the day comes you want to leave I will be ready to help you. I will inform the caretaker that I will send you a maid to take care of the mansion. She will also protect you from beings that might try to control you," says Vincent informing Iris who nods to Vincent's suggestion.

"I will allow the maid to live in the mansion. I hope she has the same manners you have shown me," says Iris having high hopes when Vincent smiled at her.

"Of course, she was one of the maids that used to serve my wife Kirvena. She will be able to live for another century maybe even two depending on how well she looks after herself," says Vincent with a smile as he stored the Violet Rose safely away while saying, "And this encounter doesn't count as one of my visits so we will meet again before the year ends."

"I will await your visit. Maybe you will show me your true appearance then," says Iris as Vincent completely forgot that he looked like a Nord again.

"I'm sorry about that. I forgot since the people outside could get scared by my real appearance," says Vincent showing his real appearance to Iris who looked at him and began to paint.

"When you return I will have a painting for you to recompensate you," says Iris as Vincent smiles.

"You don't have to," says Vincent when Iris shakes her head.

"I insist. It has been a long that I had such a long conversation. And you seemed to not be afraid and even better you seemed to free me of this prison I made for myself to escape the pain and fear that my husband has put me through," says Iris as she then pushed Vincent out of her world while saying, "The entrance will always be open to you."

Vincent was back being a Nord when he found himself in the garden in front of the mansion as he was looking at the closed gate. He looked down and found the cat and dog who looked at him surprised that he was still alive.

"You live but we are still bound. That means you didn't get the Rose," says the cat as Vincent shakes his head.

"I got the Rose but a made a copy of it and enchanted it lightly with divine power. She will be able to live as long as she wants while having the Rose I gave her. A fair trade for the Rose she had. You will also have soon company," says Vincent walked towards the garden on the back of the mansion where the Caretaker should be.

"What do you mean?" asks the dog curiously.

"Your Mistress allowed me to let a maid take care of the inside of her mansion so when guests come it looks more inviting and you will like the maid too," says Vincent as he approached the Caretaker to tell him about the maid that will be coming soon while giving the keys back.

He then leaves the mansion looking towards the mansion one last time seeing the Wraith of Iris behind a window on the first floor and waves at it saying his goodbye before opening the gate to leave the mansion for now.

Vincent didn't even notice that it was already evening as Olgierd was sitting there waiting for him. He smiled when he didn't see the Violet Rose in Vincent's possession.

"So you failed," says Olgierd when Vincent takes the Rose out.

"No, I succeeded and with this one of your wishes was fulfilled. Now take us to your brother maybe I can fulfill your second wish today," says Vincent as he handed the flower over to Olgierd.

He couldn't feel anything as he was holding the flower when he suddenly destroys it in his fit of rage because Vincent succeeded in his task. Vincent saw that and he punched Olgierd in the face sending him flying.

"You are really a piece of shit. No wonder your wife is scared of you. You are only a monster. I really hope that the place you are going is as horrible as the Deadlands," says Vincent angrily as he then picked Olgierd by his neck and asked, "Where is your brother?"

"We just have to follow that path towards the family crypt," says Olgierd as Vincent just dragged him behind himself.