“As far as I can assess, they’re not certain about our identities. That man could only guess that Alfred and myself were nations but...” Ludwig trailed off, his hands clasped firmly together on top of the conference table.
Kiku and Francis sat opposite him, Feliciano on Ludwig’s right, leaning over the side with awe as he watched Kiku discuss grave matters while playing with paper.
“But somehow Arthur’s identity was leaked,” Kiku supplied, still fiddling with his origami cranes. He had amassed about three hundred so far and was working another. Feliciano made a vague ‘ooh!’ sound. He had offered to help but had given up after the first three looked more like a squashed hippopotamus.
“And we can’t be sure who else as well,” Ludwig added, eying the brightly coloured cranes.
“Do you think we have a rat?” Francis asked. “The only ones who know about us are our bosses and their closest advisors.”
“It’s a possibility,” he sighed. There were far too many possibilities and they were all making his head spin. “At the very least, we can assume that whoever it is won’t tell anyone except their own gang about this. You wouldn’t want anyone else going after the treasure you’ve discovered, but it would be best to prepare for the worst,” he warned them.
“That man...” Kiku murmured. “Although he seemed to be the head out of those we captured he doesn’t seem like the one pulling the strings.”
“Interrogation is proceeding...smoothly,” Ludwig replied stiffly. If by ‘smoothly’ he meant ‘nowhere.’
“Ve, ve! And when we find out who discovered us?” Feliciano asked.
Ludwig cleared his throat awkwardly. He hated giving harsh answers to him. “We will have to take...disciplinary measures.”
XX
Alfred sat alone watching Arthur sleep. Just how long did he plan to do that? It had already been three days – four if you counted the present day – and the more time passed the more it seemed as if he would stay in a permanent state of unconsciousness.
He waited, staring at the hypnotic whiteness of the wall and listening to the odd footsteps that passed. They had almost completely emptied his manor house of all other servants and maids and now the house seemed eerily quiet during the day.
Alfred was on the verge of falling asleep when he felt Arthur’s hand twitch. Jolted awake, he stared at it in wonder. Had it just been his imagination? No...he was sure the hand had moved.
“Arthur?” he leaned forward, hardly daring to hope. “Hey, Arthur, can you hear me?”
The moment Arthur’s eyes snapped open he sat bolt upright, causing Alfred to jump back, crying out in surprise. Arthur’s hands flew over his mouth and he doubled over, making loud strangling sounds in his throat.
Panic rose and threatened to overwhelm him. Alfred looked around frantically for help but realised that he was the only other person in the room.
“H – Hang on a sec, I’ll go get a bucket or something!” he rushed to the toilet as fast as he could, grabbing the first serviceable item he could find – a small wash basin – and dashed back, hoping Arthur had managed to keep it in.
Bursting through the doors, he practically threw the basin onto Arthur’s lap, who immediately doubled over and threw up inside of it. Alfred watched with concern as he coughed and gasped for air.
“Here! Here, let it out,” he whispered soothingly, rubbing Arthur’s back with a hand as he made violent wretching noises. “There...that’s it, don’t hold back, get it all out of your system.”
Arthur gripped the sides of the basin to steady himself, vomiting nothing but bile from his empty stomach.
“Are you done?” Alfred asked when he had stopped. He lifted his head just enough to meet his eyes. “Wait a minute and I’ll bring you some water,” he rushed back to the toilet, taking the basin with him.
Alfred emptied the contents of the basin down the toilet and flushed it, leaving the basin on top of the seat for Marianne, the only maid they had not kicked out of the manor house, to find and clean. He took a fresh basin from the bottom cabinet and filled a cup full with tap water, spilling a quarter of it in his hurry to return to the room.
Re: If you find me...[6/?]
Kiku and Francis sat opposite him, Feliciano on Ludwig’s right, leaning over the side with awe as he watched Kiku discuss grave matters while playing with paper.
“But somehow Arthur’s identity was leaked,” Kiku supplied, still fiddling with his origami cranes. He had amassed about three hundred so far and was working another. Feliciano made a vague ‘ooh!’ sound. He had offered to help but had given up after the first three looked more like a squashed hippopotamus.
“And we can’t be sure who else as well,” Ludwig added, eying the brightly coloured cranes.
“Do you think we have a rat?” Francis asked. “The only ones who know about us are our bosses and their closest advisors.”
“It’s a possibility,” he sighed. There were far too many possibilities and they were all making his head spin. “At the very least, we can assume that whoever it is won’t tell anyone except their own gang about this. You wouldn’t want anyone else going after the treasure you’ve discovered, but it would be best to prepare for the worst,” he warned them.
“That man...” Kiku murmured. “Although he seemed to be the head out of those we captured he doesn’t seem like the one pulling the strings.”
“Interrogation is proceeding...smoothly,” Ludwig replied stiffly. If by ‘smoothly’ he meant ‘nowhere.’
“Ve, ve! And when we find out who discovered us?” Feliciano asked.
Ludwig cleared his throat awkwardly. He hated giving harsh answers to him. “We will have to take...disciplinary measures.”
XX
Alfred sat alone watching Arthur sleep. Just how long did he plan to do that? It had already been three days – four if you counted the present day – and the more time passed the more it seemed as if he would stay in a permanent state of unconsciousness.
He waited, staring at the hypnotic whiteness of the wall and listening to the odd footsteps that passed. They had almost completely emptied his manor house of all other servants and maids and now the house seemed eerily quiet during the day.
Alfred was on the verge of falling asleep when he felt Arthur’s hand twitch. Jolted awake, he stared at it in wonder. Had it just been his imagination? No...he was sure the hand had moved.
“Arthur?” he leaned forward, hardly daring to hope. “Hey, Arthur, can you hear me?”
The moment Arthur’s eyes snapped open he sat bolt upright, causing Alfred to jump back, crying out in surprise. Arthur’s hands flew over his mouth and he doubled over, making loud strangling sounds in his throat.
Panic rose and threatened to overwhelm him. Alfred looked around frantically for help but realised that he was the only other person in the room.
“H – Hang on a sec, I’ll go get a bucket or something!” he rushed to the toilet as fast as he could, grabbing the first serviceable item he could find – a small wash basin – and dashed back, hoping Arthur had managed to keep it in.
Bursting through the doors, he practically threw the basin onto Arthur’s lap, who immediately doubled over and threw up inside of it. Alfred watched with concern as he coughed and gasped for air.
“Here! Here, let it out,” he whispered soothingly, rubbing Arthur’s back with a hand as he made violent wretching noises. “There...that’s it, don’t hold back, get it all out of your system.”
Arthur gripped the sides of the basin to steady himself, vomiting nothing but bile from his empty stomach.
“Are you done?” Alfred asked when he had stopped. He lifted his head just enough to meet his eyes. “Wait a minute and I’ll bring you some water,” he rushed back to the toilet, taking the basin with him.
Alfred emptied the contents of the basin down the toilet and flushed it, leaving the basin on top of the seat for Marianne, the only maid they had not kicked out of the manor house, to find and clean. He took a fresh basin from the bottom cabinet and filled a cup full with tap water, spilling a quarter of it in his hurry to return to the room.