[Prisoner 666. You have a visitor.]
"..."
V could only watch as Riley stood up from his seat. She just asked him a very important question, but for this announcement to just ring right at this very moment– she could not help but feel there was someone fooling around behind the scenes.
The announcement could have come at any moment besides now; but alas, it would seem she would not be able to get the answer she wanted. This was the very first time she was actually feeling like a normal teenager; falling in love and actually living with the person she likes. Of course, the order might be a little skewed, but nonetheless, it was her time to actually be a normal person.
But once again, alas. The only thing she could do was silently follow with her eyes as Riley stepped out of the house… but before his feet could touch the outside, another announcement rang through the air.
[P… Please remain inside your cell, prisoner 666. We will escort your visitor there.]
"..."
And with that announcement, Riley just subtly shook his head and once again returned to his seat beside V. V, who was feeling slightly disappointed just earlier, almost buried herself in the sofa and throw pillow she was hugging for some reason.
"..."
"..."
If there was any way she could die from awkwardness, then she would have probably died about a dozen times now. The awkwardness did not reach its peak, however, until Riley decided to stare at her for some reason.
"You shouldn't, Victoria."
"Hm?"
V then blinked a couple of times as she heard Riley's words; slowly leaning her head out of the large pillow she was hugging as she looked at Riley.
"You asked me what I would say to you if you told me you are starting to like me," Riley repeated back V's question to her, "And to that, I say you shouldn't."
"...Why?"-- was the only word that V could utter as she looked Riley straight in the eyes.
"Because I will never be able to return those feelings, Victoria," Riley then said as he looked to the side, "Liking me is like liking a cat. In the end, you will only be used; your feelings, never truly reciprocated."
"..." V could only furrow her eyebrows as she heard Riley's words; but after a few seconds, she let out a small but very deep breath as her eyes remained stubbornly staring towards Riley, "Then are you saying you are only using Scarlet Mage?"
"She is using me, and I am using her," Riley nodded, "As for whether or not she truly has feelings for me or is just confused by her complicated emotions, I don't know. You do not like me, Victoria– you just like the idea of finally falling in love."
"You… stupid asshole," V wanted to run away and hide; but really, where would she even go? She had tried facing all of his problems head-on and never run away– she would never show that sort of weakness again. And so, once again, she took a seat; her eyes, confronting Riley once more.
"I do like you, Riley," V then said as she looked Riley straight in the eyes, "I'm not falling in love with an illusion or whatever bullshit you're trying to come up with. We've been together alone here for four months, do you really think it's possible I won't develop feelings for you?"
"Then my answer remains the same, Victoria," Riley shook his head and sighed, "It is better for you not to– once you find out what I truly am, the only emotion you will feel is fear and disgust."
"I do know who you are! We've been together 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for four straight months, Riley!"
"Then do you know what my favorite color is, Victoria?"
"That…"
"..."
"That's…"
"You don't know, Victoria," Riley shook his head, "And that is not your fault. I have only been showing you what I want you to see."
"..."
"..."
And before a mellow silence could creep inside the house; a small sniffle whispered through the air as V's tears suddenly started to trail on her face, "This… this isn't fair, Riley."
"It's not supposed to be, Victoria," Riley then, for the first time throughout their conversation, returned V's gaze, "That is what it means to be liking someone like me."
[Prisoner 666, we are entering your cell. Do not, under any circumstances, move in a way that the guards would misinterpret. Please raise both your hands if you understand.]
Riley, however, did not do anything. Only leaning back on the sofa as he let out a short but deep sigh. As for V, she was the only one to raise her hands.
And soon, the sound of the door opening entered their ears; the sound of footsteps… seemingly only belonging to one.
"These people seemed to have dropped their balls the last time I visited, I thought they were going to escort me inside."
A somewhat high-pitched but familiar voice then whispered through their ears coming from the hallway. The voice seemed to be saying something else as she walked inside, but Riley and V could barely make out the words.
"Hey, kid."
But finally, after a few more seconds, the owner of the familiar voice revealed herself,
"Nice house you got here. This lot was your mother's when she was still here but it wasn't this large."
"...Miss Charlotte."
"...Who?" V blinked a couple of times as she did not have any idea who this girl that suddenly visited Riley was. Was she a classmate from the Academy?
"The Shadow Mimic, Victoria."
"W… what!?"
V could not help but suddenly stand up from her seat as she heard Riley's words. Out of all the ones that she thought would be visiting Riley, Charlotte was not even in her mind. What exactly was the previous leader of the Hope Guild doing here?
"She is my biological grandmother, Victoria."
"...What?" V then once again blinked a couple of times as she looked back and forth between Riley and Charlotte, "Wait… doesn't that mean Madam Mimic is Ms. Phoenix's mother!? Wait… what!? But how are you still so young!?"
"The chickenlings didn't tell you?" Charlotte only chuckled as she waved her hand, "Although it is also probably my fault. I've told them not to reveal any information about me or my daughter."
"That's–" V was about to say something, but abruptly stopped as she once again looked back and forth between the two. And after a few more seconds, she bowed her head and walked away, "I'll… just be in my room so the two of you can talk. But if you're not too busy… maybe you can join us for dinner later?"
"I'll check my schedule," Charlotte once again chuckled before nodding her head.
"Call me if you need anything," V then glanced at Riley before heading to her room.
"..."
"..."
"...Cute kid, that one," Charlotte then let out a small sigh as she headed straight towards the bar on the corner of the living room, pouring herself some drinks that were wasting on the shelves, "You want anything?"
"Mango Graham shaved ice, Miss Charlotte."
"Pft, if only," Charlotte still chuckled as she expertly mixed the drinks, "So, how is life in prison?"
"It is fine, Miss Charlotte," Riley monotonously replied as he remained seated; not even facing the direction of Charlotte.
"Your sister and the others are actually graduating this week," Charlotte casually said, "Your sister told me to tell you how much she misses you– the others as well."
"..."
"They're also sorry they can't visit you. But don't hold it against them, the government is not allowing any of your family and friends to visit you," Charlotte then let out a small sigh as she shook her head, "The Hope Guild is just a special case since Yakovich owes us a lot. You're still not planning to join them?"
"No, Miss Charlotte."
"...Are you mad I didn't tell you about who I was?" The smile on Charlotte's face then slowly faded as she sat opposite Riley, placing her drink on the table between them.
"No, Miss Charlotte. We all have secrets that we want and sometimes need to keep," Riley shook his head, "And it makes no difference who my parents are at this point, Miss Charlotte."
"Well…" Charlotte then drank the drink she made in one full gulp, "Alice– I am sure you have a tinge of resentment for her?"
"Not at all, Miss Charlotte."
"But they told you what happened, right?" Charlotte's voice then slowly started to become sedated as she looked to the side, "She tried to kill you when you were just 2 years old."
"I have heard the story, yes."
"I despised you, Riley."
"..."
"Because of you… I had to kill my own daughter," Charlotte's voice then soon started to tremble,
"She wasn't going to stop… if I didn't kill her, then she would have surely killed you," she then whispered as she looked at her hands.
"I know… I know that I shouldn't hate you for something I decided to do. But I couldn't help it. Whenever I look at you, I remember my daughter's face as I…"
"..."
"..."
Charlotte then closed her eyes; her heavy breaths, almost whispering throughout the entire house.
"What I am trying to say is that I am sorry, Riley," Charlotte then said as she looked Riley straight in the eyes, "I truly am, for everything– for not being there for you."
"...Okay."
"Your mother… she…" Charlotte once again closed her eyes, "I want you to know that she's not the kind of person that would kill her own child. Who… Whoever that was that tried to kill you, it wasn't her."
"..."
"Alice loved you. My god, she loved you to the point that I couldn't pull you away from her," Charlotte chuckled, "She has a few screws loose, but she truly did love you."
"Hm…"
"Did you know your mother wanted to name you Lucifer because it sounded cool?" Charlotte then let out a small sigh, "She was crazy, your mother."
"..."
"There was also one time when she dressed you up like a ghost and floated you around the Hope Guild. I have never heard Butcher scream like that when he saw you," Charlotte once again chuckled, "You were a year old then– what kind of mother does that?"
"..."
"She was really, really happy. No matter how many times I reprimanded her; no matter how many times I scolded her for getting pregnant with you; no matter how many times I told her to introduce your father– she didn't budge. She was just… happy."
"Hm…"
"She… she was a precious little thing, It was my fault for not seeing that she was ill. Just…
…everything changed when you turned 2."