»Of Godhuman Nature« [Five Nights At Freddy's]

Chapter IX - Passive Resistance

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It was half an hour before midnight, & the storm's raging anger still had not come to cease. There was no more lightning, no more thunder, but the skies were weeping as though deeply grief-stricken & inconsolable, pouring their sorrows onto the world into the ripping winds. The shutters on the windows, in spite of being of fairly stable nature, rattled in the clutches of each incoming gust, needle-like rain drops meeting their inevitable end upon crushing into the side of the building.

Lily lay on top of the large, almost queen-sized canopy bed in the guest room of Afton's mansion, neither asleep nor fully awake. She felt trapped somewhere in between, tired yet restless, & whenever she thought her body was ready to be embraced by sleep & drift off, every little noise called her right back into a state of alert. The bed was soft & decorated with almost too many cushions for her liking, several layers of cotton blankets inviting her to drown in them for at least a few hours of rest, & yet she struggled to get comfortable. Her head was heavy with thoughts, pulsating in her temples like a migraine, only there was no actual pain. There was just contemplation, memory... & a healthy dose of self-loathing. Because ever since she had set foot in this room & exchanged some final words with Afton before his retreat, he had been the by far most prominent thought on her mind. A development that, given their professional relationship as well his personal status, was as upsetting as it was inappropriate. And it did not sit right with her for rather obvious reasons...

She turned on her other side for the probably hundredth time within the past two hours, sighing softly into the dark crimson pillow before burying half her face in it. Either her tired mind was playing morbid tricks on her, or the soft velvet skin actually smelled like Afton himself. In her current state Lily couldn't really tell if that was a pleasant discovery or something that made her even more uncomfortable than she already was, for as per usual there were two thoroughly conflictive voices inside her head, arguing vehemently over the loud swirling vortex of her own thoughts. No wonder she couldn't find any rest...

What is wrong with me? Why do I feel this way..? About my boss of all people...

Lifting a hand up to her face she looked at it with a nostalgic glow to her eyes, remembering his soothing touch like it was a far, far away memory. Next she cupped her own cheek, her palm landing on her skin lightly as a feather; the same way William Afton had cupped her cheek earlier. Unlike his skin hers was smooth & warm, & yet - it was the cold roughness that had come with his touch that she craved like a moth craved the touch of light.
And then there was that scent all around her... His scent. A mysterious blend of sweet cologne, pine, warm satin & a whiff of red wine, subtle but intoxicating, exhilarating. A scent to silence those obtrusive thoughts in her head & tickle each of her senses, & be it only for the duration of a single breath.

This doesn't feel right...
Shaking herself out of her trance with an annoyed sigh she sat up on the bed & looked around the candle-lit room.
I shouldn't even be here... It doesn't make things any easier.

The guest room was huge & beautifully furnished, with three dark reddish brown cherry wood drawers & two cabinets framed in gold scattered around the room. A vintage full-length mirror stood opposite from the bed against the wall, though due to the lack of light she could barely see her own reflection from her position. Richard had placed silver candelabras on top of every drawer which provided just enough light to lend the room its contours, & on he little wooden night stand beside the bed was a platter with a glass caraffe filled up the brim with sparkling water, a drinking cup & a generous amount of biscuits in various shapes; some sweet, others savoury. Her by now emptied cup of green tea was there too. Most likely another crucial reason as to why she couldn't sleep.
Damn caffeine...