The black-gold hallway led us to an elaborately designed white door with gold bands forming an angled Art Deco design of a lotus flower. At eye level was a silver plaque with the room number."No.69. You honestly think that"s a clever innuendo." Death groaned to Trix and rolled his eyes at the man"s tacky smirk.
"Have fun gentlemen." Trix chuckled as he made his way back down the hallway and through the gla.s.s door.
"What does that mean?" I faced Death with my worry.
"Come on. I"m sure he"s just trying to be funny." Death rea.s.sured me.
We opened the door and jumped back, startled by the abrupt fanfare we received. Magical confetti and heart shaped bubbles faded to nothing before our faces.
"Welcome to the room of love! Allow the mood to sway your bodies and release your inhibitions." A tacky voice reverberated around the room that was dusky pink with glowing bunnies slowly revolving around the paisley walls from the central ceiling lamp.
"Death. I wanna go home. I love my room at Sangha Hall!" I cried with frustration.
"I"m sure there"s a switch to turn this tacky thing off." Death sighed as he barged into the room for a group of b.u.t.tons on the wall near the bed.
He pressed a few that made the bunnies revolve faster or slower around the walls. I gasped at their near-leaping movements on each other the faster they moved around the room.
"Kill it!" I shouted.
Death punched all the b.u.t.tons at once. The light show switched off, resuming normal lighting from the stained-gla.s.s flower wall lamps.
"Gah! Doesn"t this mansion have a normal, fricken, room to sleep in! Is it too much to ask for a fricken normal room with just a bed!" I bellowed out my frustration.
"Calm down Famine. At least the bed"s normal." Death sighed wearily as he sat on the edge of a round bed.
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"Death. The bed is a large round thing. How is that normal?" I scratched my head and groaned, noticing it was the only one.
"At least take off your shoes. We"ve allowed this place to warp our manners." Death pointed to our shoes.
I nodded and plonked myself down to remove my boots and socks, relishing the air that cooled my naked feet.
Death got up, carrying our boots with the tips of his fingers on the lip, to pair our shoes near the front door like how we used to do when we entered our dormitory back at Gat Shiem. The sight brought back memories of Bulldog"s instructions on how we should enter and leave the building.
_"Yah pair yah sandals like dis at dah genkan, so yah can jump and go."_ The memory of Bulldog"s gruff fatherly voice, from his wrinkly mouth, soothed my tired mind.
"I miss Bulldog, Shuso, all the monks," I whispered.
I stretched out on the bed, so I was staring at a reflection of myself in the mirrored ceiling. I saw my tears slip down my cheeks.
"Famine. Didn"t we cry out our grief in the pond of that Onsen Level? We have to carry on and face facts." Death soberly reminded me when he joined my side.
He glanced at my stretched out form. "At least remove your coat and jacket."
I did as he suggested. He got up to hang both our coats and jackets on the wall hooks nearby.
"How can you stay strong Death? Doesn"t it bother you that we can never go home?" I innocently asked.
Death"s back hunched over. I sat up startled when he punched the wall.
"Famine. How strong do you want me to be?" His voice was choked up.
"I"m sorry." I sighed.
I rose and gingerly approached him.
"I"m the eldest. It"s my job to protect you guys, make sure you"re raised well. I couldn"t even do that." Death cried to the paisley wall he had punched a hole in. "I couldn"t protect anything! Even when I saw the hurt around me. I was helpless!"
"Death." I wrapped my arms around him and drew him into a tight hug. "There was nothing you could"ve done to stop any of this. You"ve protected us for so long. Can"t you let us protect you too?"
Death sobbed all his frustrations and heartache into my chest. He eventually pulled away and dumped himself on the bed, exhausted.
I laid down next to him, concerned for his state of mind. I wrapped the wound on his hand in a scarf I saw in his bag.
"Thanks Famine. I"m very grateful and proud you"re my brother. Even when you"re a messy glutton around food sometimes." Death soberly thanked me once he had calmed down.
"Night, Death." I soothed into his ear.
We fell into a deep sleep.