[Atoli01]

She bit her lip at his question, but still her eyes followed his every movement. Maki didn't figure that, in this situation, speaking honestly and saying something like, "I'm scared," or, "I want to go home," would get her any brownie points at all. Oh, if this was all a mind game, then she'd surely lose at the rate she was going. Make stumbled over her words, her tongue getting all tied up in the process. "I-I'm thirsty. T-that's a-all," she lied. Burying her shaking hands into her scarf, she averted her eyes from the man. Did he notice?

[zapdragon555]

Cyril's eyes barely narrowed for a split second before they softened with a mask of concern. "Oh, dear... you should've said something earlier," he murmured, standing up with a soft grunt and smoothing out his shirt. "Well. We can't have that." Cyril moved to the locked door, making a show of taking the key out of his pocket and unlocking the door. "Do be good while I'm gone. As I said before, dear, it isn't my job to make you uncomfortable during your stay here. As long as you cooperate." And with that, he'd slipped out the door, leaving it slightly ajar.

[Atoli01]

Maki didn't want to regret this. That's what she concluded, after watching the man pull the key from his pocket, after watching the man walk out, after leaving the door open just a crack. She didn't have much time to spare, much time to think about what she would do next. Without hesitation, she slipped her shoes off her feet and placed them gently on the mattress. This could be her one chance for freedom, couldn't it? But was it right? Should she do it?

She stood from the mattress, careful not to make any noise. One step, two steps, three steps-- it was okay. The wood floorboards were surprisingly sturdy here. That's what she thought before she took a fourth, and heard an alarmingly loud creak sound from beneath her. Dizziness flooded into her, and whether it was from the shock of hearing that creak, or whether that chemical from earlier had still not left her body, the result was the same. She collapsed by the door, close enough that she could see beyond that crack. So close, but... She couldn't.

[zapdragon555]

Cyril had walked with a deliberate speed back to the door, his ears easily picking up on the creak, and though his face still appeared calm when he appeared in the doorway, his heart was thrumming with irritation at her disobedience. "Mm... well, I suppose you could sleep there if you like," he muttered, stepping over her head carefully and closing the door, locking it easily. "I brought some tea. Still steeping, of course; you hardly gave me enough time," he added in an almost affronted voice, his brows knitted together in a pitiful look. "I would've brought you something to eat, too, had you not tried this little escapade so quickly."

[Atoli01]

She tried her best to hide it, but her entire body was trembling when the man walked back in. Would he get mad? He'd certainly know what she had tried to do. Slowly, she tried to pick herself up from the ground when the man began speaking. By the time he was done, she had managed to find herself in a sitting position, using the wall behind her as support. "I... was just..." she averted her eyes, "waiting for you to come back. But I fell. I'm... a little dizzy." She crossed her arms in front of her chest and squeezed her eyes shut tightly. "But... thank you. For the tea..." she added, her eyes blinking open to stare up at him. This place was doing something to her. Who would thank their kidnapper for doing anything?

[zapdragon555]

Cyril listened to Maki's words with a disinterested look on his face, up until she thanked him, to which his face melted into what could be described as a warm smile. "Well... I suppose I can overlook your little 'dizzy spell,'" he murmured saying the word with a pointed gentleness that could only be mocking. He crouched down to her level and held the tea out to her, peering at her from behind dark locks. "You really should stay put, princess," he murmured, his voice low. "It's no good for your poor little head; that sweet smelling stuff isn't so sweet now, is it?" he asked, his brows knitting together. "I suppose I might have to tie your feet, if you keep this up."

[Atoli01]

It didn't take a child prodigy to realize that his words, saturated with fake sweetness and an air of pleasantry, were threats in reality. Maki visibly winced at his words, and tucked her knees to her chest at the mention of tying her feet. If that were to happen... No, she had to remain focused. She had to play this man with her words and actions-- even if doing so would prove horrendously difficult-- if she planned on walking out onto that stage once more. Last week's magazine cover wouldn't be the last one she would be featured on.

With caution, she took the tea from his hands and blew on the steaming hot liquid. Should she drink it? Was it safe? There was no telling what he had done to it. Memories of the gas he exposed her to earlier that night flashed in her mind. "Why would you have to tie my feet, sir?" she asked, and averted her eyes. "I was anxious. I was only wondering when you'd be back."

[zapdragon555]

Cyril watched her as she took the tea, and he noticed her hesitation. Good, he thought. She was wary of him. But she had to drink sometime; she couldn't just die. All at once his sweet smile flashed to a look of sharp anger, and his voice rose to barking volume. "Do not lie to me," he snarled, putting his face in hers, his hand going to grab her face by the chin. "You must think I'm stupid, don't you? To believe that? Crazy? Dense?" he whispered, his thumbnail digging into her cheek as he loomed over her. "You'll find I'm far smarter than that." There was a pause, and his expression grew soft again, a smile on his face, though the tight grip on her face remained. "Is that understood, princess?" he asked, his voice sweet once more. "No lies?"

[Atoli01]

A yelp escaped her lips when he raised his voice, and she shut her eyes tight. She quickly found herself wishing that she had kept her mouth shut instead, because the shock of the man grabbing her so suddenly caused her tea to leap from her hands. Try as she might, she couldn't stifle the scream that escaped her as the steaming liquid seeped through her clothes onto her chest and legs. Her thoughts were preoccupied with the pain she was currently experiencing rather than her kidnapper's words. By some stroke of luck however, if it could even be called such, she caught the tail end of his words. "I-I understand. I w-won't lie anymore," she whimpered.

With shaking hands, she fumbled around to grab the fallen glass, and the piece that had chipped off the edge. "I-I'm... s-sorry," she cried, looking into the man's eyes. Although empty now, she cradled the glass to her chest and clenched her teeth as the pain flowed through her body.

[zapdragon555]

Cyril's eyes flicked down to the spilled tea, his eyes narrowing as he followed the stain up to her face again, and he sighed, releasing her face gently. "What a mess," he murmured, leaning away and reaching out to take the glass from her hands. "Please don't cut yourself. Just a moment. I'll get you taken care of," he muttered, standing up and disappearing out the door, this time closing it behind him with a soft click.

Cyril paused in the empty, dark room, his eyes glittering as he stared at the glass, then looked around. He went into another room where some semblance of a kitchen was, and he dumped the tea glass in the wastebin before moving to a dresser and rifling through it.

In a short time he came back with a shirt and pants that looked far too long for her, and he opened the door and held them out to her, neatly folded. "Put these on and leave your clothes on the floor. I'll get rid of them later," he said, going back out the door to wait. Something seemed different about the way he spoke and carried himself, almost as if he were tired.

[Atoli01]

Piecing together what was going on in her kidnapper's mind was an impossible task. She couldn't read the man at all; she figured, for sure, that he'd only become more angry at her for chipping the glass. Instead, he seemed irate at best. It was a relief for her of course, but his reaction left her puzzled. She decided it was in her best interest to stay put when he left the room, regardless of how badly she wanted to escape. If she couldn't make it last time, with the door open and more able-bodied than she was currently, than it would be impossible for her to escape now. So instead, she sat in the dark room, face cradled between her knees, and allowed a handful of stray tears to drip down her cheeks. How had things come to this...?

Maki's ears perked up when she heard the man return, and she lifted her head to look at the door. He kidnapped her, he drugged her, he tied her up, he yelled at her, he grabbed her chin, but he also... untied her, bought her tea, and now clothes as well. She wouldn't refuse the man's twisted acts of kindness, but such actions only left her with more questions.

She nodded at his words and took the clothes from his hands, muttering a, "Thank you," in response. Maki made quick work of changing her clothes, afraid that the man would walk in on her half-dressed figure. Each brush of the fabric against her skin made her wince, but it was something she had to bear, lest she wanted to freeze when her own clothes cooled. Finally, she gathered her discarded clothes and placed them just outside the dooryway. Her hand stayed gripped to her shirt collar the entire time, as the baggy cloth hung dangerously low on her chest. "I-I'm done changing," she said hesitantly.

[zapdragon555]

Cyril blinked when she opened the door, and he glanced at her for a moment, then at her clothes, then back at her face, his expression unreadable. "There's another button underneath the collar," he murmured, taking her clothes without another word and moving towards where the kitchen was. "Come with me," he added after a moment. "We'll see if I have anything you'd like to eat."

Cyril folded up her clothes as he walked, and set them on a stool for the time being. He'd discard those later; in truth the run down, small house he currently resided in did not have any sort of well-working appliances, or reliable electricity. It did, however, have running water and a gas stove, and that was enough. But Cyril really needed to swap out for better working conditions soon... "Check the cabinets, if you like."

[Atoli01]

Maki's face flushed with embarrassment and she fumbled with the shirt to button the shirt's collar. The shirt was bearable once it was secured, but still much more loose than she would have liked. Then again, she would've also liked to be at home asleep. His words once again came as a shock to her, but she followed behind him with quiet obedience nonetheless. It was fair to say that she had learned her lesson for the time being. She did her best to match the man's longer strides as they walked.

Water, stove, cabinets... She took in her surroundings as she stepped into the room. The leg of her pants rubbed against her leg painfully as she came to a stop, causing her to wince. She ignored the pain however and nodded in response to her kidnapper's offer-- rather, order, she was sure-- and paced across the kitchen to the adjacent cabinets. There wasn't too wide a variety contained inside, but she didn't expect much from a house that this man had probably brought many victims before her to. The question of how many had met their ends here flashed in her mind, though she did her best to wave the thought away as she shifted through a few boxes of food. In the back, she found a box of pasta.

"Is this... okay?" she asked she pulled the box from the cabinet and displayed it in front of her.

[zapdragon555]

Cyril blinked as she spoke, and he glanced at the box, then at her face, then over at the stove with a small shrug. "I don't see why not," he murmured, bending down to a cabinet near the floor and pulling out an old-looking pot, setting it on the stove with a small clank once he'd filled it with water from the sink. "I'll make some for both of us. I'm a bit peckish myself, anyways," he murmured, stepping back and waiting for the water to begin boiling, then glancing at Maki and jerking his head towards the pot. "Go ahead and put it in, unless you'd rather make me do it."

[Atoli01]

The silence hanging in the air between them while they waited for the water to reach a boil was stifling. She was grateful that she was at least being fed, and that she could... more or less confirm that there was nothing funny in the food, but... Until he gave her orders, she stood against the counter with her head down and her arms folded neatly in front of her. She wasn't going to refuse his demand, even if he seemingly gave her the option. Maki nodded blankly before she tore open the top flaps of the box and let the contents slide out into the pot. "Do you have a spoon?" she asked. Most of her meals were made for her, though she at least knew how to cook something as simple as pasta. "Or do you want to do it?" she also asked.