Stupid Birds

Chapter 5

          At first, the hustle and bustle of the palace halls on the average business days intimidated Rosalyn. The hyperactivity was hard for her to adjust to. Sure, at Minex Inc. there was much going on, but, for the most part, she was just another worker, anonymous. Although she was Productions Manager, her department was left unchecked most of the time since they never had any issues under her keeping. Being an adviser to the king meant always been the center of attention whenever she left her room. She was either getting her ass kissed by servants or getting glares from higher ups that would've killed for her spot. It was a big jump in position for her, and the more she stayed in the palace, the more she began to realize the full weight of her new job. 

          It'd been a month already. Rosalyn made sure to waste no time in writing to her family, friends, and coworkers after telling Doflamingo that she'd take the job. She wrote so many letters that night, giving herself the excuse that it was too late at night to call. Really, though, she was too ashamed to hear their voices, hear their disapproval and heartbreak. She still hadn't heard anything from them, which confirmed her fears with every passing day. However, thinking about it would only make things worse, so she spent her days exploring the castle and learning all she could about her new workmates from Bernard. Once he showed her the palace library, she spent almost all of her time in there, hidden in a corner where no one would interrupt her studies on the country. With all this free time, she might as well educate herself. It was still weird, however, that the king hadn't called for her help on anything, yet.

          Speaking of the library, she was heading there right after breakfast. Over the time she'd spent there, Rosalyn noticed that Doflamingo doesn't always eat with the Family at meals. He's always in the dining hall for dinner, and he's very picky about full attendance and punctuality for the evening meal, but he's almost never present at breakfast. She also noticed that the Family almost never gathers for lunch, either. She guessed that they were all so busy with other matters that they agreed to only meet for dinner. Again, Rosalyn wondered why she hadn't been called for duty yet. She was now a worker in the house, but still felt like a guest. 

          Finally, she met the colossal double doors of the library. All of the doors were huge and heavy, but with practice, Rosalyn was able to open the library doors with ease this time. They opened with a loud creak and slowly closed behind her with an even more distressed noise. When she'd first entered the library with Bernard, she was very embarrassed by the loud sound announcing her arrival, but she got used to it. The building's old. Who cares?

          Usually when Rosalyn goes to the library, she's the only one there. This time however, she sees another human being in the room. Sitting on the floor surrounded by piles of books and volumes was none other than her boss. He was either very focused on the books around him or didn't care that she'd entered. Either way, he didn't even glance at the entryway to see who came in. Rosalyn almost chuckled. It was sort of an amusing sight to see the high-and-mighty king himself sitting crossed legged on the floor like a kid. Curiosity got the better of her and she slowly walked over to the man, trying not to make any more sound than she already had with the doors. 

          When she got close enough, she sat down and arranged her legs in the same fashion, mimicking him. It was obvious she found this amusing. Again, because of the shades, she couldn't tell if he'd noticed. I seriously want to rip those damn shades off his face.

          While flipping one page of one of the books in front of him he inquired, "Can I help you?"

          In a playful but careful mood, Rosalyn remarked, "Perhaps."

          He cocked his head to the side. "How so?"

          "Tell me what you're doing."

          "Why do you want to know?"

          "I'm bored."

         Doflamingo clicked his tongue and hummed in mutual amusement. "There are plenty of things to do in the palace."

         "What about outside of the palace?"

          Without missing a bit, the man replied, "You decided to take a vacation here. There must be something interesting outside the palace."

          Rosalyn wanted to push the envelope even further. She wanted to see just how far she could go with him before pissing him off like before. "I got the impression that I wasn't aloud outside. You know, because of the guards that block my path every time."

          "Oh, that."

          "Yeah, that." Although Rosalyn was playing the same game, she was beginning to get annoyed at how well Doflamingo was playing it against her. 

          Sensing her annoyance, he chuckled and stated, "You've always been free to leave. I just wanted to see if you would, and how hard you would work to escape. Wouldn't make sense having you work for me immediately when I was still unsure whether you would run off or not. Why is it that every time we talk about books, the conversation gets hostile. From now on, let's try to be civil towards each other, alright?" 

          Rosalyn picked up one of the books on the floor and read the title. "The Legends of Mariejois." The woman scoffed as she returned the book to the pile she picked it up from. "Why are you interested in that? Most of the stuff they say is just rumors."

          For the first time, the man in front of her raised his head as if he was making eye contact with her. "Hm? How do you know that?"

          Rosalyn paused for a few moments, peering through the lens of his glasses, attempting with no luck to meet his gaze. "Everyone knows all of that is just conjecture. The author's never been in Mariejois. You'd need an actual Celestial Dragon to be the author for me to believe it. That is, if they can even lift a finger to write." The young woman said this with a bitterness so poignant, one might suspect her of having encountered one of them, personally. Most lower and middle class people feel the same way. The Celestial Dragons are known for their cruelty to other beings. Just thinking about them made her skin crawl. 

          He noticed this but made no comment further. He simply responded, "Sometimes, I get interested. Try to distinguish fact from fiction. By the way, has anyone ever called you Roci before?" 

          "Rosy? Um, no. Why?"

          "That'll be your nickname then. Roci."

          "Any particular reason? My name's not that long."

          Doflamingo smiled softly. It almost seemed genuine, but, just as when she'd spoken to him that night in his bedroom, she felt an uneasiness. It wasn't completely sincere. He was hiding something. "No reason. I just hate formalities."

          "If you hate formalities, then why do you make everyone around you address you as 'Young Master?' Isn't that a bit too much?"

          He chuckled. Definitely not genuine. "It's not a formality, Roci. It's my title. Would you prefer 'Your Majesty' or simply 'Master?'"

          Rosalyn felt her blood rise to her cheeks. This man was going to be annoying, she could already tell. Changing the subject, she rose to her feet and announced, "Well, it should be lunchtime, already, and I'm pretty hungry. So, I'll be going, then." The young woman straightened her clothing before turning around and leaving the man to his plethora of books on the library floor. Weirdo.