SnowBaz One-Shots

The Pitch Manor 5/7

B A Z

It would be smart to not let him walk away, but I do because I'm a horrible person and have no practice in the comfort of others. I have a restless first sleep as officially 18 but I find the strip of photos Bunce gave me and rest them on the lamp base next to my bed.

~~~

The next morning, as I come up from breakfast, my bed is already made and the usual trace of Oliver is oddly bare. He usually knocks off a pillow on accident, or a drawer is left slightly open, even a little dip in the bed where he must've learned. None of that, just the quick hurried motions of someone on a time limit.

I try to find him in the kitchen, but Ebb tells me that he has garden duties today. And sure as well, he's at the back of the house, where no one goes, gathering up the fallen leaves and straightening up the swing set. If he hears me come, he doesn't show it. But then again, not everyone has vampire reflexes.

"You said first thing in the morning," I say when I'm close enough, and when he looks up I want to take his face in my hands and comfort him because he looks tired. I stand next to him and he leans slightly on the side of the swing set.

"Yeah, sorry. I had... things to do. I do have a job you know," He says with an edge.

"And I hired you, and I can excuse you," I try to hold his gaze, but he keeps slipping.

"Can we just get this over with? What do you want to say? Should I work harder? Be more professional? I didn't serve your dinner right?"

"What are you talking about? I just wanted to talk about what happened yesterday. At that abandoned building."

"Nothing happened. You gave me your wand, I did something, we left," He shrugs and shuffles his feet, twiddling his thumbs.

"And are we just going to ignore you changing colors without so much as a spell. Let alone making your paint glow," I say with the same tone.

"You probably did the spell wrong when you gave it to me. That's why," He turns around and keeps gathering useless leaves.

"Dammit, Oliver! Look at me! I didn't do it wrong, I've done it thousands of times. There is something you're not telling me," I walk to where he is now, under the huge shade of the tree.

"Why. Does. Everyone. Keep. Saying. That. Fuck! I'm not hiding anything! And even if I was, you're the last person I would tell. I don't even know you!" He exasperates and he's so angry and it's as if one wrong move and he might explode into all the colors.

"I know that," I run my hands through my hair, confused on how I should respond. This was not how I expected this to go.

"So then what do you want? You already have me as a personal maid. Might as well use me," He huffs and his eyebrows are knitted together, but I can't tell if he's frustrated, or mad, or just being him.

"Fine. You want me to use you. Get me an inventory of all the people coming next week at the ball. Get me the list of important people as well, including the school's Mage and his companions. I want a detailed copy of the documents inlisted to the nearby villagers coming and their credentials. After that, I would like you to press my green suit and tell father that I shall meet his acquaintance after dinner," I stand up straighter and look him in the eyes, "I want this done before sunset," I look at him gobsmacked.

"I don't even know what half of that means!"

"Figure it out. And," I look behind me, "If you get it wrong, I'm just going to keep adding more."