Nocturnal Me (Nameless Ghoul Rain/Water x Reader)

Chapter 9- A Dance with a Devil

      Papa Emeritus II had drilled into your head a mental map of the basement after you popped in for his permission and to give him the folder. You remembered the directions thoroughly, but just in case, you asked him to map it out on physical paper so you could study it. He agreed begrudgingly and said he'd get it done sometime soon. You doubted he would be the one to do it and would instead ask someone else. Maybe he'd task you with making your own map tomorrow. That would be pretty difficult seeing as you knew only 1/50th of under the church. 

     With your phone flashlight in your hand, you jumped down the steps of the basement with ease. You didn't let Papa know you were somewhat familiar with the area, as there should have been no possible way you knew anything about it. There were some secrets that needed to stay secrets for now. Your feet passed by the usual doors and only started to tread into unfamiliar territory after walking by the practice room that had become a second home to you. Now the underground of the old cathedral felt just like it did the first time you came down here; Scary and foreboding.

     You counted the arches as you trudged through the maze. 'One... two... three... four... five...' Papa said the common room was eight arches in, then two to the left, whilst the ghoul's rooms were eight arches in, four to the right, and fifteen to the left. You wouldn't lie, you were a bit tense. Hearing of the messenger before you's fate, coming down here had been a little scarier. Papa had promised you no ghouls would attack anyone, but your senses were still on alert. If you had been asked to do this at the old convent, you wouldn't give it a second thought, but you were now at a point in your life where you wanted to keep living. You had other people who cared about you, and you cared about them in return. You wouldn't want to take your life away from them because of risky and foolish mistakes.

     Coming up to the common area, you could see a flickering glow in the distance. You were praying that you'd only see familiar faces. You didn't feel like testing how fast you could run in the dark. The glow became brighter as you turned the corner. The light from the open doorway felt like heaven to your eyes. Your pupils shrunk into their normal size instead of being uber dilated from the dark. You stood in place to listen for any voices or sounds coming from the common area.

     You could barely make out a deep bass-y hum of a male ghoul. It seemed like he was having a conversation, but you couldn't hear the other ghoul. You sucked in all of the courage you had in you and continued to walk forward, the package in your hand glued to your side. The clicks of your shoes were a dead giveaway that someone was approaching. The talking hushed as you came closer. Your steps slowed and became lighter coming into the doorway.

     "Speak of the devil..." Air whispered quietly enough to where only the ghoul beside her could hear it. The common room was all stone from top to bottom. Right when you walk in, a large fireplace greeted you with its high flames and smothering heat. To your left were multiple cozy looking chairs and couches, all of different colors and shapes. To your right were a couple of book shelves with piles of movie CD's and video games on them, only a few actual books present. A large television was hung on the far wall. In the middle of the seats, there was a low and worn coffee table with board games stacked under it. It looked like the ultimate game room. You were suddenly quite jealous.

     "Hey guys! Lovely to see you two here. I was scared of meeting new ghouls." You breathed out in relief. 

     "There's our newborn raven! How was the first day?" Rain stood up from his spot in front of the fireplace. Air stayed seated on the floor with a blanket wrapped around her. You groaned dramatically. 

     "That bad?" He took a sip from the mug in his hand.

     "It wasn't bad, per se, just busy. It's going to take me a little bit to get used to the swing of things. Sleep well last night?"