Ric had spent his first day in the Undercroft sitting in a corner with his head between his knees, doing his best to seem invisible. All he managed to do was think about his loved ones, hoping they were okay, somehow, despite his father probably realizing the role they played in his failed attempt to escape. The other slaves left him alone for some reason, perhaps not considering him interesting enough to bother interacting with him. He was grateful for that, although he knew that his peace was not bound to last. Despite his lack of experience in the outside world, he had a pretty good idea of what awaited him inside the castle. He would face it when it came to it, in the end. On his second day, he was not afforded the luxury of solitude. He was roughly woken up by a guard ordering him to get up quickly, since apparently he had a visitor. Ric didn’t even protest, nor did he resist in any way, and yet the guard yanked him by his arm until he was in front of a young man—he couldn’t be much older than he was, judging by appearance alone—dressed in an elegant black suit. The stranger gave him a warm smile before chastising the guard for his brute demeanor. The man mumbled an apology before leaving Ric with his visitor; he introduced himself as a doctor who had just come there to see how he was doing and to make sure he was in good health. After twenty minutes, during which the doctor made easy conversation and examined the Kresnik, they were done. Ric tried to thank him for his care, regretting he had nothing to pay him back for his service. The doctor grinned back at him once again, stating that no money would be necessary, but he would appreciate it if he could deliver a box to someone in the castle after he was done with breakfast. Ric gave him a sincere, wide smile, glad he could do something to repay the kindness he had just received, without questioning for a second why the stranger couldn't deliver that parcel himself.
Approximately an hour later, he was knocking on the door of Councilman De Luca’s suite, escorted by the same guard that had taken him to see the raven-haired doctor. Ric swallowed nervously, waiting for the man that he had heard so many stories about growing up. When he accepted the doctor’s request, he had not realized he was going straight to the ghoul that his father hated so much. Ric knew that Jupiter had been lying to his entire coven for his whole life, though. Perhaps he had lied about that too. He instinctively rubbed his sweaty palms on the soft fabric of the jacket he was wearing. His hair was still slightly damp, and he didn’t feel at ease in the elegant blue suit he was wearing. Apparently, the doctor had given specific instructions to the guard: to make sure that Ric showered and dressed with ‘something a little less depressing than those drab clothes everyone wears around here.’ “Are you Councilman De Luca?” He asked, his voice cracking nervously toward the end of the question, as soon as a dark-haired man opened the door. “If so, I have a message to deliver to you, sir. It’s from… He didn’t say his name, to be honest, but he said you would understand after reading this.” He said politely with a thick italian accent, handing the man the small blue box tightly held shut by a white silk ribbon, along with the expensive-looking sealed envelope that came with it.
@nottheangel-raphael
