This one is a result of me laughing my ass off about the Sukuna/Cinderella ship for weeks and then getting way too serious about it. Sometimes you just gotta see if you can make some nonsense work.
Cinderella had a talent for making herself smile when needed, so she smiled for the gentlemanāsome kind of wizard no doubt. They were known to be odd in looks and demeanor, or so sheād heard. āHow may we help you?ā
āIāll be staying here until the storm passes,ā he said.Ā
The sky behind the gentleman looked ghastly enough to have barfed him out itself. Cinderella had been wondering all day if they were in for some kind of blizzard. A wizard would know, she supposed. Sometimes weather drove in travelers from the road, as far as they were from an inn. Cinderella could usually find a place for them in the stables where the ladies wouldnāt object. This gentleman didnāt seem the type to be satisfied in the stables.Ā
Cinderella curtsied as she stepped back and pulled the door open. āI will inform the lady of the house,ā she said. Rather unlucky. The gentleman seemed like trouble,Ā but it couldnāt be helped. āPlease wait here while I sort out your accommodations.ā
He swept past her into the main hall. As he passed, a feeling of dread prickled through Cinderellaās ribs as if she was staring down the eyes of a wolf, or perhaps the eyes of her stepmother after the woman wet her hems on a recently mopped floor.Ā
āMy horse will need to be stabled,ā the man said.Ā
āYes sir.ā Cinderella stuck her head out the door and held onto her headscarf as the wind tried to whip it away. A huge black Percheron as dark and imposing as his master stood like a statue beside the fountain. Good grief, the man liked to make an impression, didnāt he? āBruno!ā She called. āBruno!ā The old dogās pace needed patience on a good day, and while Cinderella had plenty, she doubted their guest was the same.Ā
The hound loped around the corner of the house with a bark. Cinderella motioned to the horse. āPlease show our guest to the stables. Iāll be out to unsaddle him soon.āĀ
Cinderella wasted no more time making sure the two of them played nicely. The wind was making ice of her ears. She shut the door tight and locked it again before turning back to the guest. āYour cloak, sir?āĀ
āAre you the groom as well as the butler, miss?ā The man tugged a leather glove from his hand. His nails were black. When he reached for the cloak fastening at his neck, the edge of another black line like the ones marking his face peeked from beneath his sleeve.Ā
āI am, sir,ā she said, and held out her hands.Ā
The gentleman swept the cloak from his shoulders and tossed it across her arms like she was a chair in a powder room. It smelled strongly of campfire smoke.Ā
āIāll leave this in the vestibule,ā she said.Ā
He responded, some grunt of confirmation perhaps, but she wasnāt paying attention. She was counting his arms. One had unlatched the cloak. A second had pulled it off and tossed it to her. A third clutched the straps of his saddlebags, which hung at his side. A fourth adjusted his sleeve.Ā
Well why not? Sheād already accepted the four eyes. Cinderella tore her eyes away and delivered the cloak to the vestibule without another word. It was no wonder he made himself so dreadful. She could only imagine how cruel the world must have been to such a child. Far be it from her to make him endure more staring while he was a guest in her home.