Basilisk (Dark Ominis Gaunt x OC gothic romance)

Chapter 43: Tomorrow

Today will be a double basilisk day!

Each of the romances will be based after a different song from beauty and the beast, so I'm going back to edit the corresponding lyrics into each of the previous chapters if you want to see them. Though technically Ari and Ominis have two songs. One was cut off.

There's something sweet, and almost kind...

—--------------------------------------

~~Marie~~

Things had gotten a bit awkward since Ominis had gone out to go after Damien. Sebastian and Ariadne were talking about what research he'd done thus far, and were starting to pour over the stacks upon stacks of books he had toward the side of the room. Apparently they were bound and determined to try and 'fix' his problem, which didn't sit right with her for some reason. She didn't like the word 'fix', it implied something was broken, and she'd had it used all too often in her own head until she'd decided to restart her life.

After finishing her tea she walked over into the kitchen and sighed at the dishes in the sink. Typical men, living this way. Two bachelors living in a house alone was bound to be messy. Might as well keep herself occupied, and the cleaning kept her hands busy so she wouldn't fidget.  

As she started cleaning her mind wandered like it normally did, idly scrubbing and cleaning the kitchen.

The way Damien had looked at her after he'd let the wolf out had been entirely different from before. It wasn't so much a hunger, as much as it had been a... fascination. Why was the wolf so interested in her, though? It put her on edge that it might try to bite her or get near her. Damien had luckily wrested control back, though... but the look on his face was something she wouldn't forget. He'd looked so lost, so hurt. What had he been thinking about to make that face?

She sighed, hating that her thoughts kept turning back to him. She should be thinking about other things, rather than a man. She was being ridiculous. She'd had enough men in her life, that was for certain.

Sorry we only have mugs.

He'd said it so softly, and with such a look of embarrassment. To think that he would be embarrassed to hand someone like her a mug. He really didn't know anything about her if he expected she'd want a teacup. She wasn't some fancy little pouf that demanded the best in dinnerware. A mug, a wood cup, a bowl, she hardly cared what she drank out of. She was happy to have tea offered to her at all.

She glanced out the window above the sink, the view looking out toward the north where the forest was. He seemed far more comfortable there than here... was it because he was alone there? Or was it because it kept the wolf calm?

Ugh, why did it matter?! She was thinking about him again!

She scrubbed hard at a cooked on mess on the stove in her frustration, growling softly. Think of something else.

Ariadne was obviously enjoying her time out here, and seemed keen on making Ominis explore the area further. It was a good idea, she could see that Ominis was obviously sheltered from how his family had treated him. Not only that, but he was rather reserved on occasion. He had those silent moments where he was obviously thinking, but chose not to say what was on his mind. She could relate to that, she had those moments often herself.

It was hard for her to see how affectionate Ariadne was with Ominis, sometimes. That little monster of jealousy eating at her gut made her feel guilty. She should be happy for her sister. She should be thrilled! Ariadne was finding happiness and joy, and she deserved it after all she'd done for her. After she'd gone into the streets Ariadne had sought her out quickly, and hired her into the home as a maid so she could make money for herself. It had taken a long time to convince Lady Drisa to let her on as a maid, but Ariadne's headstrong attitude had finally worn her down. It had been a lifesaver, quite literally. She was paid fairly, made money for herself for the first time, and was able to live comfortably. It was such a drastic change from where she'd been before, it was hard to get used to.