[hider=Flashback; Sola 27th, Early Afternoon, Vikena Estate]
[center][h3][color=lightpink]Olivia[/color] [color=lightgray]&[/color] [color=9AF781]Leo[/color][/h3][/center]

[color=lightgray][color=9AF781]“…Olivia?”[/color] Leo wandered around the Vikena estate looking for Charlotte’s mysterious close friend he’d never heard of until this summer. Or was she a cousin? He honestly couldn’t remember; too much had happened over a week to keep track of it all. Poking his head into the drawing room revealed only Champion, sprawled out in a patch of sunlight, napping. The little feline’s paws occasionally twitched as he dreamed away. He rolled a cat toy toward the creature, and a little bell inside the toy jingled. Champion’s ear twisted towards the sound, but the creature remained asleep. Leo sighed but left Champ to his nap. 

[color=9AF781]“Olivia?”[/color] The search continued. Lottie had gone out. Playing billiards alone was dreadfully boring. Gilbert had already scolded him twice for poking around the kitchen and making a mess. Lorenzo, well, Leo had no desire to hear about gardening, ferrets, or anything that would depress him further. Olivia had seemed annoyed with him the day before. 

The day before, he’d caught a rather disdainful look from Lady -you know, he wasn’t even sure what Olivia’s family name was- after he’d [i]politely[/i], by his standards, asked Deliliah not to pester him. Was it too much to ask to be left alone in his sour mood after such a distressing event? He’d earned a similar look after accidentally insulting Gilbert when he’d only poked about at his dinner and commented that it all tasted like dust. Who would have an appetite when their thoughts were consumed with danger looming over not just him but friends and family as well? Leo thought it was a reasonable reaction. 

[color=9AF781]“Olivia?”[/color] His voice, mild as it was, echoed through an empty house. He wondered if she found his mopey attitude annoying or shared Lottie’s overly sentimental attachment to servants. Either way, someone he might be able to spark up an argument with sounded like a welcomed distraction from his frantic thoughts. One day, Leo would have to seriously reflect on why he found arguments strangely comforting, but today was that day. Today was merely going to be the day he gave up wallowing about.

Olivia sat on her bed with her magic book beside her. She contemplated which spells she would show Charlotte. Her mind was absorbed with the idea of sharing it with her. It was dangerous, reckless and even immoral; yet, part of her mind egged her on. It was intoxicating and even if she didn’t show her. After everything that happened so far, she knew that Charlie would be exposed to it. So, Olivia decided it would be safest if she introduced her to it. 

Truthfully, she needed time to spend alone. The way Leo treated the maids and servants, rubbed her the wrong way. It shouldn’t matter what class someone was born into; it should matter who they were as a person. Delilah was the sweetest person, after Charlotte, and she had grown fond of her quickly. Then, Leo added salt to the wound by insulting Gilbert. This caused Olivia to glare and snap at Leo. It wasn’t right to react that way, but she had become fiercely protective over the Vikenas and the servants. She hated to even use those words - they were people, after all. Therefore, she thought it best to avoid him until she could believe she’d not snap at him.

Unfortunately, that wish would not come to fruition. His voice rang through the hallways, piercing the silence with his constant calling of her name. She sighed and tried to ignore it, but three times was too much. Olivia shut the book and shoved it under her pillow. Then, Olviia stood up, slid into her sleepers, and pulled her hair back. She assessed her outfit–a blouse with fake ties and pants, and decided she looked presentable enough. With a deep breath, she closed her eyes briefly, then opened the door and stuck her head out.

[color=lightpink]”Leo?”[/color] She called back in a singsong voice. It was a fake attempt at mimicking him. [color=lightpink]”Eeeee Ooooo,”[/color]

Leo heard his name echoing around upstairs. [color=9AF781]“Olivia? It’s mid-afternoon; are you still [i]in your room?[/i]”[/color] He called up the stairs as he followed the sound of her voice. Briefly, he wondered how much like his mother that sounded and refrained from ranting about the dangers of idleness. 

[color=9AF781]“I’m bored. There’s nothing to do here. And being bored is depressing me further.”[/color] He announced once he found her.  [color=9AF781]“So, what are you up to?”[/color] Leo asked, and his eyes said one thing: [i]entertain me[/i].

Olivia frowned when Leo came into her room. His judgemental tone caused her to stiffen. She tensed for another potential argument. This was not helped when he complained about being bored or, as he called it, [i]depressed[/i]. Leo, who had everything fed to him on a silver spoon, with all the money in the world, was depressed he was [i]bored[/i]? He had the threat of Calbert and the Black Rose looming over him and his father’s death–however, his life was still more grand than the poorest people in the nation. 

A flash of irritation rose inside like fire. It was not doused when his expression explicitly told her to [i]entertain[/i] him. Olivia gritted her teeth and folded her arms. [color=lightpink]”Bored, are we? Depressed? You poor nothing! We must write it in the next newspaper!”[/color] 

[color=9AF781]“Why would I want that in the [i]newspaper[/i]?”[/color] Leo asked.

[color=lightpink]”Have you done nothing to help yourself with your predicament?”[/color] She picked up a book Charlie had given her and held it in front of him, then set it down. [color=lightpink]”Have you tried reading?”[/color] She continued steamrolling him. 
[color=lightpink]”Or better yet, improving your circumstances?”[/color] 

Olivia moved over to her dresser and picked up the yarn and knitting tools Deliliah had provided. [color=lightpink]”Ever learn how to knit?”[/color]

[color=9AF781]“One, knitting is for old spinsters. Two, reading is not only boring, it is a waste of time. There is nothing to be learned from a book that cannot be better learned through experience. My circumstances will improve when we take down Marek and the Damiens. Books and yarn will not help with that.”[/color] He paused and plucked one of the knitting needles from Olivia’s hand. He spun in with his fingers and then jabbed at the air. 

[color=9AF781]“Unless you're suggesting we stab Calbert with these. That might be fun.”[/color] He offered with an impish grin.

Olivia scowled at Leo and didn’t make any effort to hide it. [color=lightpink]”I hope your circumstances improve for the better, Varian.”[/color] She watched him pluck one of her needles and pretend to stab the air. For a moment, she envisioned stabbing [i]him[/i] with it. 

[color=lightpink]”Maybe we can test that theory on [i]you[/i],”[/color] She snatched her knitting equipment away from him and scowled. [color=lightpink]”Don’t you have better things to do than antagonize me?”[/color] 

[color=9AF781]“Antagonize? I thought we could get to know each other better. We,”[/color] he paused and used his finger to gesture between the two of them, [color=9AF781]“are supposed to be allies. It’s rude to threaten to stab your allies.”[/color] He added before snatching the needle back.  

[color=9AF781]“Do you doubt my resolve? I am equally dedicated to taking down Calbert and Black Rose. They have threatened me and left bones in my room, and you consistently act like I am the enemy here. So what is it, Liv, jealous that when I am around you are not the prettiest redhead in the room?”[/color] Leo continued, trying to provoke whatever her problem was with him out of her. He poked the knitting needle against his finger as he tried to judge how useful it would be as a stabbing implement.   

Olivia stared sharply at Leo and folded her arms. The way he gestured in the air and the words he spoke. She knew nobles could be rude and arrogant. Leo was on another level. Her eyes flashed with fury at the last sentence. She snatched her knitting needle away from him and pushed it hastily into the drawer. 

[color=lightpink]”Perhaps,”[/color] Olivia hissed, her voice dangerously low. [color=lightpink]”I have better things to do than argue with you-”[/color] she glared at him as her voice sparked with fire now, [color=lightpink]”with someone as rude and arrogant as you, I am surprised you’re her friend.”[/color] Olivia gestured lazily in the direction of Charlotte’s room. [color=lightpink]”You treat everyone who isn’t carrying noble blood like us like dirt and it’s time you quit looking down on them. They’re as human as we are and deserve to be treated better. Delilah and Gilbert are fuckin’ awesome. They are doing what they are supposed to,”[/color] 

[i][color=lightblue]”Mama, why's that girl covered in dirt?”[/color]
[i][color=lightgreen]”She’s a disgusting peasant. She can’t afford to wash up. Hurry along, the stench is awful.”[/color][/i] The woman’s husband laughed loudly, and Persephone stood there with confusion and shame. The kid frowned, then took his mother’s hand and ran off, as if he were afraid of catching a disease.[/i]

[i][color=yellow]”The kingdom has nothing better to offer us than these eggs? I fear for the chickens in your care.”[/color][/i]

[i][color=red]”Oh put those eggs down. We can do better than this creature. Filthy peasant. Why does the kingdom even keep you?”[/color][/i]

Memories filled her mind and the storm brewing inside Olivia threatened to release. She clenched her fists and glanced at the door. She had to remain calm, but a voice inside her urged her to react stronger. What if she said too much? Olivia tapped her arms on her arm and then gestured to the door, as if trying to tell Leo to get out without verbalizing it. She took several deep breaths to try calming down. 

Leo gave a lighthearted laugh. [color=9AF781]“Do you really believe that?”[/color] He asked, shaking his head. [color=9AF781]“I think it’s natural to look down on what is beneath you. We are like hawks, Liv, soaring above it all. Who's got the time to worry about insects?”[/color] He continued with an unbothered shrug. 

[color=9AF781]“Everyone has people they care about and people they don’t. I’m just more honest about it than most. As for Lottie, I believe we are friends because she knows she has my support, and I will always have her back. So, if Lottie cares about you, then we should work this out. Have this argument and find common ground. A fractured team will not help Lottie, and I’m not losing to Calbert and Black Rose. I’m too arrogant for that.”[/color] Leo teased with a grin.

[color=9AF781]“So unclench your fists and finish saying what’s on your mind.”[/color]

Leo’s words did nothing but stroke the fire burning inside of her. Her eyes flashed like the flames that ruined her home. She took several deep breaths and glowered ominously. If she weren’t under this person, she knew where she would stand with him. 

[color=lightpink]”Insects?”[/color] She repeated indignantly. [color=lightpink]”You’re calling non noble people insects?”[/color] Her voice rose now with fury. [color=lightpink]”You are what’s wrong with this world, Leo. The common folk are people who deserve better. How dare you call them insects.”[/color]

She shook her head with disgust. Did Lottie know this about him and accept it? Was this how people acted in this cruel world? Her vision turned red and she knew if she did not calm down, she’d either accidentally or purposefully spark her magic. It repulsed her to think of it and left a bad taste in her mouth, but Leo was angering her.

[color=lightpink]”I refuse to work with someone who views the common folk as insects. I don’t know what common ground there is if you think that way. Maybe if you quit viewing the common folk as you do I’d be willing to work with you. Until then, I don’t want to work with or talk to you.”[/color] Olivia approached Leo, her voice strong with conviction. Spells ran through her mind dangerously quick. She had to calm down and that wouldn’t happen until this arrogant lion left her room. [color=lightpink]”I won’t lose to them either. Get out of my room, Leo, or apologize for your fucking rudeness.”[/color] 

Though she knew his bond with Lottie ran deep, she found herself aghast at his mindset. She decided she’d have to speak to Lottie about it later.

[color=9AF781]“You’re calling me rude and swearing at me in the same breath.”[/color] Leo calmly pointed out the irony of it. All of it was an entirely unreasonable reaction to a minor difference of opinion on a trivial matter. 

[color=9AF781]“Disappointing. I had hoped you actually cared about Lottie, but clearly you care more about your own sensibilities more than her safety. You’re here, benefiting from the generosity of the Vikena’s and, at the same time, refusing to work with one of the few people who has always supported them. Over a minor difference of opinion?”[/color] He rolled his eyes but left her room; no point in continuing an unproductive conversation. Leo wondered what on earth made Charlotte want to befriend someone so unpleasant. 

He went to check on Champ, hoping the cat was done with his nap. Much to his delight, Leo found the kitten wandering about downstairs. After a brief bit of hunting, he located a cat toy that consisted of a long bit of string with some feathers at one end and a handle at the other. Time to give the little cat some exercise!

Champion proved himself to be quite the acrobat, and Leo quickly forgot about Lottie’s irksome friend as he watched the tiny creature hunt a cluster of feathers. 

There was a long pause. Olivia had counted to ten multiple times and clenched her fists. She took several deep breaths. Thenn, quiet, nearly silent footsteps, sounded in the Vikena mansion. She watched Leo play with Champion. Memories of playing with her old cats [i]as a peasant[/i] raced through her mind. Nobles and peasants weren’t all that different, just a different stroke of luck in life. She sighed silently and moved into Leo’s peripheral vision so she didn’t scare him. How badly she wished she could make him understand…

[color=lightpink]”You grew up understanding the world a certain way. It doesn’t hurt to change your worldview for a minute. You need to realize all of us are people, rich or poor, and just because someone rolled a lower dice in life doesn’t mean you can’t be kind to them. I’ll work with you for Lottie’s sake and peace of mind, but I don’t want to hear you talk trash about another person in my presence. Charlotte and I love Delilah and Gilbert, and I will defend them forever. Plus, Charlie only had them when she lost her parents. They’re not lesser just cause they work here.”[/color]

Olivia folded her arms and stared at him. If he were to say something rude, she’d give up. 

Leo flicked the feather toy. Champ lept at it, diving through the air with toes spread and claws extended. His attention stayed on the kitten as the feline caught and grappled with the feather toy. 

[color=9AF781]“I change my views all the time. [i]When it suits me.[/i] Your views happen to offer me no benefit, but I’ll agree to your compromise.”[/color] He glanced at Liv, gave a respectful dip of his head, and smiled. [color=9AF781]“And I’ll try not to say anything too controversial around you.”[/color] His wrist flicked, and the feathers moved from Champion’s grasp. The kitten nestled into a crouch, tension and anticipation coiled up as the mighty hunter prepared for another grand leap. Leo watched the cat.

[color=9AF781]“Lottie isolated herself after her mother died. That was her choice; sometimes, that’s what a person needs. Now that she’s ready to ask for help, I am here and more than willing to put myself in any danger that helping her might require. She is like a second sister to me.”[/color] He continued, leaving out how Delilah and Gilbert were only there for Lottie because they worked in her home. Proximity was not the same as loyalty. He wondered how loyal the servants would be if they were the ones finding human bones and death threats in their rooms. 

And it was weird to hear Liv boast about how she loved the servants she’d just met while treating him, one of Charlotte’s oldest friends, like he was just some asshole who’d shown up and stomped on their sandcastle. 

[color=9AF781]“You ever lost anyone, Liv? Someone who really mattered to you?”[/color] He asked as the feathers dangled just inches from the ground, ready to swish from Champion's acutely tuned trajectory. The kitten leaped through the air again, tackling the feather with effortless precision. 

[color=9AF781]“Ha. Mightiest hunter, Champ. Neither vermin nor bird is safe anywhere near this estate.”[/color] He praised the kitten as it tried to tear the cat toy from his hand. Leo took a step closer to Liv and offered her the cat toy. 

Olivia’s eyes followed Champion’s leap, but her expression saddened. She didn’t take the toy right away. Instead, she looked at Leo with something unreadable in her gaze, her voice gentler than it had been all day.

[color=lightpink]“Yeah.”[/color] She nodded slowly. [color=lightpink]“I’ve lost people. People who meant everything to me and when they're gone, it’s like some part of you gets ripped out,but the world just keeps spinning like nothing happened but you just feel stuck in that moment you lost them... Buried beneath the weight.”[/color] After a sigh, she reached out and took the toy, her fingers lightly brushing his. She flicked the feathers once, watching Champion tumble after them with wild joy.

[color=9AF781]“And the world expects you to move on. To get over it. Like there’s a moment where it all goes away and everything’s fine again. But I don’t think that happens either.”[/color] Leo added, voice barely above a whisper as he shared something he didn’t think he should say aloud. 

[color=lightpink]“I’m sorry you know that pain too.”[/color] Her voice was sincere and filled with compassion. Maybe she had misjudged him. 

Her eyes lifted to his. [color=lightpink]“And I do appreciate you trying to compromise… even if it’s just for Lottie’s sake.”[/color]

[color=9AF781]“If you're Lottie’s friend, truly as you claim to be, then you matter to me too. I would like us to be friends. Friends can disagree, you know, about things and still care about each other.”[/color] He pointed out. If anything, Leo found people who only ever agreed about everything a bore to be around. 

There was a pause and then she looked down again. Her thumb traced the string between her fingers.

[color=lightpink]“I think Charlotte still carries that kind of pain.”[/color] Her voice was quiet and almost protective of her secret. [color=lightpink]“She smiles a lot and talks fast. There’s something burning behind her eyes. Like she’s afraid that if she ever stopped pretending she was okay, she might fall apart.”[/color]

[color=9AF781]“She doesn’t believe her mother’s death was a suicide. And whether she’s right or not hardly matters. She’s in the same place I am. Not knowing. Not a shred of closure. Stuck with an open wound.”[/color] He didn’t expect Lottie not to pretend, he didn’t poke too hard at her mask, and expected the same in return. An unspoken understanding that the pretending was needed; it was how they kept going. 

Olivia’s stomach churned. Her mother’s death being ruled a suicide when it could be a murder was terrifying. Who would have murdered her mother? The thought of not having closure would drive her crazy. Guilt and sympathy simultaneously filled Olivia and she bit her lip.

[color=9AF781]“The pretending, it’s necessary, you know. We’re not that different from animals, we know not to let wounds show. To hide any signs of weakness cause when that shows, that’s when a predator makes its move. Or worse, fall apart and risk vultures circling, ready to pick apart and take whatever you have.”[/color] There was no doubt in his words; he’d seen it in nature, and he’d seen it in high society. Men like Calbert and Marek were the clear predators, who’d take any opportunity to strike at a wounded adversary. He’d said vultures for Liv’s benefit, but insects were just as much scavengers as birds that picked at rotten flesh. Always best to give those beneath them not a shred of evidence to think there was anything that could be picked away at. 

[color=9AF781]“Pretend to be a better, stronger version of yourself, and eventually that’s what you become. Exactly what you pretend to be. It’s a good strategy.”[/color] It worked. He did it all the time. 

Leo’s words cut through her like a knife. She couldn’t imagine the societal pressure and pretending they had to endure all the time. It sounded exhausting, and she began wondering how else she might have misjudged nobles. [color=lightpink]”That sounds exhausting,”[/color] she murmured.

Truth be told, she had been stuck in survival mode and in fight or flight since her parent’s death. Being on the street meant she could never fully relax; when would her next meal be if she didn’t protect her hoard? What if she was kidnapped or murdered by some bandits? Living at Max’s bar only provided temporary relief–after all, Max wasn’t exactly rich either and Liv tried not to use too many of her resources. The inconsistent sleep and meal schedule was something she was still recovering from.

[color=lightpink]”Leo, I am so sorry to hear that.”[/color] Olivia moved a step towards him slowly and cautiously, as to let him know she didn’t mean any harm. [color=lightpink]”That advice is helpful, but it comes from needing it to survive. I… I really wish things could be different and you weren’t in this awful position.”[/color] Olivia bit her lip and then inquired. [color=lightpink]”Do.. Do… Or would a hug help take the edge off…?”[/color]

A hug solved nothing. 

But he nodded anyway. Like a handshake, it strengthened a bond; it was the last step before he could count this as a goal accomplished. Mend fences with Olivia. Box checked off. A small goal, but at least he could count it as doing something productive today. 

[color=9AF781]“Yeah, I'll take a hug.”[/color] He said, taking a step forward and letting his arms wrap comfortably around her shoulders and back. [color=9AF781]“And I’m sorry you can so easily relate to what Lottie and I have experienced.”[/color] One hand squeezed her shoulder as they shared a brief moment of grief. A hug offered just enough warmth to remind him that the world hadn’t always felt this cold. 

Unexpectedly, it helped. 

[color=9AF781]“Olivia, do you think I’m an asshat?”[/color] He asked. A question that seemed to come out of nowhere built upon a word he couldn’t quite get out of his head. His expression stayed serious, as if taking an official poll as he waited for her answer. 

Olivia accepted his hug in return. Relief washed over her like a bucket of water on a hot sunny day at the farm.  [color=lightpink]That’s all right. Some of us have different burdens to bear, don’t we?”[/color] The squeeze on her shoulder caused a genuine smile to escape her–and she met his gaze to let him know. For Olivia, the hug helped as well.

Leo’s next words took her back. She stared at him for a moment, then tilted her head to one side like an owl.  While he came off arrogant and cold, it was clear there was more to him than she knew. [color=lightpink]”No,”[/color] she replied honestly. She took one of his hands and lifted his chin up to meet her gaze with her free hand, so he could see she wasn’t flying. [color=lightpink]”You are misunderstood.”[/color] 

She smiled and gestured to Champion. [color=lightpink]”And what do you think?”[/color] 

Champion, who held no grudges against anyone, simply stretched out. Back arching and claws digging into the carpeting before flopping over onto his side and relaxing in a patch of sunlight. 
[/color][/hider]