"Hi! Aren't you Techno's little brother? You're quite handsome! How old are you?" Cecilla's voice rang. "I'm Cecilla."
"Wilbur. I'm not Techno's little brother, just a friend... My dad is his royal advisor. You look great tonight princess, and thank you - but I'm 19." Wilbur explained, answering all of her questions politely.
"Oh! I thought I was getting to know my future in-law for a moment there." She joked and laughed slightly. Wilbur didn't return the favour.
"In-law? Are you engaged?" He asked the woman, Venus, who lay in her bed, smiled a little at Wilbur's odd, moody nature.
"Not yet!" Cecilla sang confidently, "but Techno is so fond of me, and I'm quite fond of him for a change. I don't often grow interested in people, but the way he flatters me is such a change of pace. He doesn't try too hard, but he shows he cares." She giggled and sighed happily at the thought of the pink-haired brute she could somehow find interest in.
"Oh okay. I was surprised for a second." Wilbur huffed with his own sort of amusement. It clicked in Venus's mind that his humour was also as crude as Cecilla's, just in a different context. Venus thought it would be interesting to see how it would play out with the two by her door, keeping her from sleeping.
"Surprised? Why is that, Wil? And what's funny?" She asked obliviously, she meant it in graceful nature but clearly, she seemed a bit worried.
"Don't call me Wil. Thanks. And nothing's too funny, just that now I'll tell you he's always like this, I then try to tell you that he'll break your heart and you end up not listening. It always happens. Just have to remind you that you aren't special if he calls you pet names." He repeated what he told Venus word-for-word. He must have said it countless times. Venus almost gasped from how blunt he was, at least he didn't hold a bias.
"Is that so? Well you'll be right and wrong, kid. I'm going to ignore you, but my heart is made of gold, and it won't be broken. I break hearts and for the first time ever, I don't want to break his. I don't know what my sister was doing, insulting him and hating such a wonderful man. But I guess that's what happens when you're second best. I digress. He won't be breaking my heart, because I don't want to break his. My sister tried, she never got the chance; he wasn't in love with her anyway." Cecilla bragged. Her voice was still angelic but she also had a rough tone under it that reminded Venus a bit of Tommy.
"No need to get haggard over it. I tell this to every woman. Even Venus. She took it better than you did, I don't think I actually needed to tell her. You know, I don't think Venus was after Technoblade, she seems pretty content with Sapnap anyway." Wilbur began talking, Venus zoned out for a second just to disagree at the implications that she was courting Sapnap, both agreed it was unappealing. She returned as he spoke, "but your sister's nice. So I don't think Techno minded. Who am I to say though? I'm just a kid who's been around Technoblade since he was what? Three? I wouldn't know a thing about him. Not at all." Wilbur shrugged with a cool tone. Venus wondered why he sounded so much more harsh.
"You're quite cold, Wilbur. Why is it that you hate me? Do you like my sister more?" Cecilla asked, gently yet still with a jagged delivery.
"Eh... somewhat. She responded better than you did. She just knew what he was up to and couldn't be any less interested in our conversation. Plus, she treats me as an equal. In some ways, she'll be better than you. But I don't really care all that much between the two of you. I'd wish you luck in trying to beat your sister but I don't think she's even participating." Wilbur was awfully poetic, he had great, fluid delivery. His voice wasn't monotone, but it was bland when resting. "Anyway, I don't hate you, I treat you as just about anyone who is... well... like you. All in good heart, I say what I did to every girl who Technoblade inevitably seduces." He approached Venus's door and knocked as he spoke.
She had her back to the door, it was by the windowsill where her key and candles lay. Her door creaked open and she heard the clicking of Cecilla's heels retreat back to the hall. Wilbur approached Venus's laying figure and tutted.
"Don't leave lit candles so close to where you sleep. It's not safe." He scolded and blew out the candles, flooding the room in darkness. "I think I'll stay. I have a few things I want to say." He sat at the foot of the bed, not checking if she would wake from his movement. "Your sister's a bit annoying, Venus. I like you a little more than her. You aren't who I like the most but you're on that list." He chuckled, Venus smiled to herself from his peculiar confession. "I heard your dad hit you, sorry... it doesn't feel right not doing anything so I just came to see if you were okay. You did a great job with Tommy's waistcoat! I love the heart stitched onto the pocket." He was talking with low whispers, as he mentioned Damien, he rested a hand at the back of her head and massaged it. "I wonder if you could see, if you could move, if you had a nosebleed? I heard that could happen. But Techno told us you could barely talk and you looked lost. So it must have been pretty hard. Technoblade was pretty angry... you were holding a baby and the guy hit you. Does he usually do that?" Wilbur wondered to himself but still whispered to the "sleeping" girl. "Yeah... He was crazy angry actually. He could barely hold it together. But I don't really know why. He did complain that you weren't eating and your dad wasn't letting you eat any more. Something about you being gracious and giving us food. Is that true? I didn't know." He yawned. Venus wondered why he was talking to himself. "Anyway, I'm tired. I shouldn't be saying any of this. But, you're a good person Venus. Thanks, if you really were avoiding food for us, all of us." He nodded and finally pulled his hand away.
"Tired? And go thank your mum. She didn't eat for a while either." Venus turned around, beginning to pity the boy who was talking to himself in a dark room.
"That scared me." He deadpanned and laughed as she sat up. "You've been awake the whole time?"
"Not really... I was zoning out when you were talking to my sister so I only heard you talking..." she trailed away, before sitting up and putting a hand on his shoulder, smiling sweetly, "I didn't hear a thing, could you repeat that, Wilbur?" She asked, trailing her hand up against his neck. His eyes widened and slapped away the hand.
"Enough teasing! God!" He semi-yelled while holding her wrist, with his free hand, he scratched the part of his neck she held. "Don't just do that!" He added.
"What? You caressed my head!" Venus argued back with a small, gentle laugh. "Why can't I?"
"It's barely decent! Well, that's firstly. I'm only two years younger than you and a boy with a girl alone in a dark room could lead to a scandal! Don't make it worse with your flattery, your... you're..." he groaned and covered his face, "you're making me blush!" He complained and she couldn't help but laugh more.
"Keep your head out of the gutter! I get you're a growing boy..." she sang as he punched her shoulder.
"I'm 19!" He exclaimed and pulled his face down in frustration.
"Sorry! Sorry! My bad!" She sang again and turned her legs out of the bed. Wilbur glared at her meanly. "Hey, don't look so mean! It hurts my feelings." She joked and he scoffed.
"You don't have feelings." He watched her stand up and look around. "Why are you awake anyway?" He asked, trying to change the subject.
"Can't sleep, well, I was about to but then you started talking with my sister." She explained and sat at her study. "Go to sleep in my bed, you're tired. You deserve it. I'm not tired anyway." Venus slowly began transitioning back to her usually cooler self. The playfulness from before had come from both slight fatigue and flattery.
"I can't! You're a girl!" He exclaimed, but it was too late, she was already at her study writing in a book. "Don't ignore me!"
"Wow you sleep talk weird." She chimed and continued her writing, he sighed, but knowing she wasn't going to budge, climbed into her covers as she minded herself.
The room was filled with light snoring as Venus concentrated on the paper under her quill. It wasn't anything important, just mindless sketches of dresses. Moonlight lingered in her room, fractured by her lamplight, which lay dim and warm. It honeyed her room greatly with a tint of orange, and the occasional creaking of her lamp kept the room from being strangely quiet. She was only interrupted some time later when Hertha rushed into the room and sighed dreamily, shutting the door as she did.
"What's happened to you, Hertha?" Venus asked the girl.
"I'm in love!" She squealed. Venus rolled her eyes with slight exasperation.
"Right. Care to describe him? Or shall I just leave it as that I'm too uninterested and unrelated to the topic?" It was hard for Venus, she wanted love but she didn't want close connections to people. She wanted the emotional reward but also couldn't bring herself to put in strain for it. Sometimes, she would think of love and have a foul taste left in her mouth.
"He's tall, insanely tall. Taller than anyone I've ever seen! He's also very kind and gentle, for someone like himself. People were scared of him, and avoided him. But I approached him with a drink, politely asking if he'd like one. He declined - he can't touch nor drink water! But goodness his eyes... green and red... so charming, I'm in love!" Hertha continued to ramble about the boy while Venus listened and continued to sketch dresses she'd never make. It was like that for some time, an unruly amount of description and fawning thrown at Venus to endure.
It stopped when the door creaked open and Technoblade stuck his head inside. Birds had already started chirping and the cold light of the moon was tinting purple from the horizon. Hertha shook at the sight of the ruthless leader, stepping and falling back onto Venus's bed. It was almost comical for Venus to watch Hertha jump up from feeling a leg, finally noticing Wilbur snoozing on the block of comfy, cushioned wool.
"V-Venus... how long... How long has that boy been in your bed? And... why... Why is Emperor Technoblade... in... in your room?" Hertha could barely push out, terrified and having nowhere to go. Venus stood up and sat Hertha down on the chair before turning to Technoblade and bowing.
"I'm sorry, Technoblade, for how I treated you. It was unacceptable for a princess to talk like that to someone of such a high standing. My father gives you every right to punish me as you wish, and from here on, be it we meet again, I will watch my tone." Venus looked down to the floor with graceful shame, her hair, still in the ponytail, fell to her left, and covered that side of her vision.
"Don't apologise, I was trying to get that reaction out of you. It's my fault, Venus." He lifted her up and rested his hand on her right shoulder, going onto one knee to get on her level. The name rolling out of his speech confused Venus. She didn't want him saying it, yet a part of her knew she shouldn't (and didn't) care all too much. "I came to make amends. We leave today past noon. Shall we write, lest we cut off contact and forget each other?" He asked her kindly, pushing her hair over her shoulder and against her back. "Bring Hertha sometime... one of my friends has grown fond of her." As he turned to the petrified maid sitting by Venus's study.
"Only if you write first." Venus pushed his hand off of her shoulder and watched him stand up, he looked tired, slightly dishevelled. "Get some rest, I'm your host for the day." She ushered him out and to a room three doors away, an empty bedroom. "Sleep, when you wake up, I'll bring some clothes, there's nightwear in that cupboard."
"I don't think it'll fit..." Technoblade chuckled.