[Atoli01]

{{Temporary pet forms; click on image for human form.}}

She'd never know a thing. My little beautiful, precious, caged bird, Lemon Candy thought, stroking the petite, white-haired girl laying next to him. There were moments when a spark of sympathy flared and skipped jollily about in the inner recesses of his heart, but there it was destined to remain. Apricot Tea, as Sorcerer had so affectionately named her, was much better in this family than her old one. Who cared for politics and all those pointless intricacies of society? They had made their own rules, paying no mind to those the outside world oh so graciously deemed necessary. Yes, they made their own rules and played only by them too.

Lemon Candy leaned down curtly to peck the girl on the lips. "Good night, miss."

Hm... How to define their relationship? They weren't lovers (although the older man, admittedly, wouldn't protest the notion). They weren't friends. Perhaps a relationship resembling that of a servant and her master would be most fitting? Rather, an owner and his doll? She was frail, but she had hidden potential. Just her mere presence in this residence was enough to prove as much; Sorcerer never would have allowed Lemon Candy to... er... "adopt" her if not. In fact, Sorcerer even took her under his wing as his personal assistant!

Which, actually, took a fair amount of promises and bribes to get Lemon Candy to agree to. Apricot Tea was the one thing over which Sorcerer allowed the blonde man more authority over than himself. It was Lemon Candy, after all, who had spirited her away. That bandage, covering that disgusting scar, was all that was left as evidence of that night. Never would he allow Apricot Tea to see herself without it. He changed it regularly, of course, but it was him who did it, and far from the presence of a mirror. Sorcerer had already ensured that the young Immortal would never remember her old life before them, but it was always safer to ensure the prevention of any... slip-ups. It wasn't as if Lemon Candy didn't trust him, but the mere thought of harming his doll in any way was one that made him shudder.

"Good night... Lemon..."

With those quiet, sleep-plagued words, Lemon Candy unwound his fingers from his doll's, pat her head a final time, and left the room with muted footsteps. Although he would have no qualms, it would do no good to have the girl wake from her half-asleep state and insist on his being by her side.

A sigh escaped his lips as Lemon Candy sat against her room's door. Ah, he didn't want to leave, but it was already so late...

[Atoli01]

{{Click for human form.}}

"You'll get cold if you stay here all night."

It was Sorcerer. His single unbandaged eye gazed upon Lemon Candy, who had nearly made peace with the world of the sleeping. Evident from Sorcerer's attire, he carried with him the goal of reaching the world of dreams himself. "Lucid dreaming. Can't you spend all the time you wish with that girl then?"

Ah, yes. Lucid dreaming. Lemon Candy nodded; it was admittedly something that he had indulged himself in in the past. He looked down at his hands. Five fingers-- He wasn't dreaming. Maybe it was an obsession, but "obsession" was such a dirty word, wasn't it? Ah, Apricot Tea was so lovely. In every way she was perfect, and in every way, she was all his. Blueberry Jam's protests fell upon deaf ears.

"Yes, thank you, Sorcerer. Sorry to inconvenience you. Sleep well. Goodnight."

[Atoli01]

Lemon Candy, still floating in the midst of a state of grogginess, had somehow managed himself back to his room. Wouldn't it be quite the humiliation if Sorcerer had to help him with a task as small as that? Sorcerer wasn't a man (or child, as he more closely resembled) of many words, though he was sure that that man would never allow him to live down his inability to handle such a simple task on his own. Thoughts of Apricot Tea being taken from his flashed through his mind, though he quickly disregarded them as foolish notions.

The blond now lay in his bed, donning his sleepwear and buried under pure white sheets. His lone monocle lay on his bed stand, accompanied by his top hat and cane which was resting against the piece of wood. It was nights such as these where he could only wish for Apricot Tea to lay beside him. He had no hidden intentions. He wanted only for her to lay beside him, and let him cradle her in his arms, in the purest sense. To breathe in the sweet scent of her hair, to touch her porcelain skin...

No. No. Lemon Candy tried his hardest, but he simply couldn't hold back the feelings now threatening to burst forth from his chest. Bubbling, rising, one fragment at a time, like a volcano ready to erupt. He... hated Apricot Tea. He knew it. He knew it. What other emotion could this be? Oh, he couldn't stop that menacing laugh, that low, quiet laugh mixed with some may label as insanity. Oh, he hated her, surely. He hated her for making him feel this way about her. Oh, how he could just picture his hands around her slender neck. The fun! The joy! Seeing her squirm and cry and plead from beneath him! Oh, the pleasure. He wanted to ruin her.