The Artificer

Chapter Two, Iris: Une Vie en Rose

While I sweep through the rest of the mansion with Bonnie, I make note of what needs to be cleaned later. Eventually I got to a few rooms that required the master key.

I have to excuse myself a few times, but I keep things playful by telling Bonnie to countdown for one minute for each room I go in. The time limit forces me to be more efficient, and if I fail, Bonnie gets an extra helping of whatever she wants for breakfast.

On the second floor, west wing, the master bedroom and the study don't require anything other than a light dusting. The library will need to be organized; I see that Vaughn left his coding books on one of the tables.

I take a second to arrange the books into a neat pile. Rather than keeping his books in his room, Vaughn keeps them in the library. I peek inside one of the open ones but can't understand the contents. It's advanced coding. He has a bunch of notes written in the margins. Seems like he was struggling with a certain section.

"I wish I knew what this says," I mutter and leave it bookmarked. I don't know anything about coding aside from what Vaughn has told me. I only study business.

The beds of the two guest rooms should have its bedding laundered. The east wing's gallery should be cleaned thoroughly; someone left a window open, and I find autumn leaves spread over the floor. I quickly gather them all and place them on top of the short trashcan near the back. There's a new addition to the room in the form of a massive black chest; Odette mentioned she had a wardrobe of vintage clothing shipped in from France.

All bathrooms should be cleaned. I find which one is responsible for the leaves-- it's the one attached to the master bathroom. The balconies should be swept. There's storm debris clinging to the building.

We descend the stairs of the foyer. The utility rooms and the kitchens, as well as the bathrooms, are cleaned daily. The living room, dining room, lounge, and recreational room are lightly used, so I'll lightly clean them. The only room I can't properly check is the exercise room.

The lights are on in full. I can hear a rapid tap-tap-tapping sound on the hard floor. Vaughn is doubtlessly using the heavy battle ropes in alternating waves. I wait and count nearby, and he finishes one set after seventeen seconds.

Holding up my finger at Bonnie, the two of us sneak up to the entrance of the exercise room. There's a man my age, tall, with dirty blond hair and well-defined muscles. He's wearing a loose t-shirt and track shorts. His calves are showing. They don't have as much definition as the upper body, though the muscles are still toned. I check his face and notice a fresh scar on his jawline. His hair grows in fast, so he shaves every morning. It's the first thing he does in the morning before even opening his eyes.

We quietly observe. Quietly, Bonnie tells me that I can have more than a minute for this room. Vaughn isn't working out. He's screwing around.

"Wooo, woooo~" he makes a silly sound while playing with the battle ropes. Even while playing, he is using them flawlessly. "Woooo, woooo, I'm a snake! Look at me go! Wooooosh wooosh wooosh woosh, snake sounds! Hiss, hiss, hissssss!"

Oblivious to our presence, he starts to swing his arms right and left so the ropes slither across the floor. Laughing, he easily maneuvers the workout equipment as if performing rhythmic gymnastics.

Bonnie and I stand in the entrance. He has his back to us, and repeats the motion for five more sets before taking a break.

Vaughn sets the battle ropes on the ground. Despite the weight and the activity, his breathing is completely normal. I can see that he isn't affected by this exercise at all.

Turning to the side for his water bottle, which he has sitting on a weight-lifting bench, Vaughn freezes when he sees the two of us watching him.

His face glows red. We stare him down until he explains himself.