The Queen of Cups

Dolphin in Jail

"Get your feet off me."

You were sitting with Dio on the new loveseat in the private library when he dared to do this. You glared at him in annoyance as he looked back at you with a smug look. "Why not? Aren't we friends?"

"I'd prefer the term acquaintance. We're not that close. Now get your feet off me." You went back to reading your book on beetles. It's been like this for the past few weeks. You would sit in your chair and Dio in his. You would read your book while he read his. Nothing less, nothing more.

Until recently.

This was the third week in a row that he's tried to get close to you. You'd been ignoring him up until now, and now you were sure that he was not going to stop. He still had his feet on you. Mentally giving up, you gave an exasperated sigh and closed your book. "What is it that you want, Dio? If you want to talk, then just say it."

"Bothering you like this is much more amusing." You rolled your eyes at this remark.

"Would you like to meet someone tonight?"

Your eyes widen at this. This would be the first time you'd seen someone other than him. “Really?” you asked, "And who might this person be?"

"She's already here, just in the next room." A few minutes later, you found yourself in a room with a red tableclothed table with a crystal ball on it. Behind it, was a short old woman holding a cane and a bandaged left arm. Did she injure it somehow?

Motioning for you to take a seat, you sat down across from her while Dio watched you intently from behind. To break the ice, you greeted her first.

“Um…hello.” you waved at her shyly. “My name is Jacqueline Brown."

Cackling to herself, the old woman introduced herself as Enya. "Yes… Lord Dio's told me all about you. Now, why don't we talk for a while?"

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After your encounter with Enya, you met a few more people over the next few weeks. Though it was just a wave hello as they pass by the library, it was a bit refreshing to see a glimpse of Dio's household. They all had their own…unique styles. One guy even had a weird hairstyle too high for his head.

However, from their mannerisms, they weren't greeting Dio so casually, but rather in a respectful, dignified manner. Some even bowed to him like some kind of deity, while some greeted him in a way you could tell they were terrified of him right off the bat.

What kind of person is this man?

Despite getting a sneak peek at these people, the only person you talked to other than Dio was Enya. And every single time, you could tell she was trying so hard to convince you to change your mind. She would enlighten you about the arrow or Dio and even tried to get you to show her your power. But alas, it was to no avail.

You were only in this for the arrow. Nothing else.

As the months went by, little by little you were getting a bit closer to Dio without noticing. Eventually, you stopped berating him about being touchy, and it led to the point where you would be huddled together reading the same book together, and to the point where his head would find its way to your lap. Sometimes you both would have a conversation here and there, but you couldn't help but feel uneasy and comfortable at the same time. You knew you were spending time with a man who's most likely bad news.