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Kurt woke up from his deep slumber groggily. Rubbing his eyes, he observed the area around him. Blue moonlight from the half curtained window spilled onto the bedroom floor. It was quiet, well, if you didn’t count the sound of whistling wind that kept hitting the window. And it didn’t look anywhere close to morning.
Kurt hadn’t always been a bad sleeper. Well at least he couldn’t recall having any issues as a child. He didn’t know when it started or why it did, but it almost always involved him waking up at ungodly hours during the night and then struggling to go back to sleep.
Kurt gripped the sheets of his bed in frustration and stared up at the dull white ceiling above him. He knew he wasn’t going to fall back asleep. Envy began to settle in at that fact. Kurt imagined his fellow participants in that moment. It wasn’t fair that they were sleeping peacefully in the manor while he struggled to just close his eyes again.
A sigh fell from his lips. Sitting here and lamenting about his condition wasn’t going to help his case. Kurt tugged the comforter off and sat up straight. If he remembered correctly, there should be some tea downstairs in the kitchen. Maybe that would make him feel a bit better.
Kurt stepped lightly, opening the door to his bedroom and closing it ever so quietly behind him. The hallways were nearly pitch black when there wasn’t any sunlight to illuminate them during the daytime. He cautiously placed his hand on the wall before guiding himself across the hallway and down the steps to the first floor.
Creeeak.
Kurt halted to a stop halfway down the staircase. He swore he heard something behind him. Another participant? Or was it something else entirely? He stood paralyzed for a short moment, but the only sound he could pick up was the wind hitting the manor from outside. He shook his head. It must’ve been his imagination. Kurt’s grip on the handrail tightened ever so slightly as he kept treading forward to his destination.
Upon entering the manor’s kitchen, Kurt immediately got to work by lighting up a couple candles with the matches he spotted on the kitchen’s island. He then began to fumble with the kitchenware in the cabinets. Not this one, not in here-ah, there it was. Kurt pulled out a metal tea kettle from the lower cabinet, filling it up with water from the sink before placing it on the stove. He then bent down accordingly,all that was left to do was to ignite the stove. Kurt began to strike another match before the sound of the kitchen doors opening nearly made him lose his footing.
Kurt sprung to his feet and whipped his head around wondering who in the world it was. And to his surprise, it was Naib. Although it wasn’t exactly the sight of Naib that surprised him, but more so his appearance. He wasn’t wearing that dark green hood that shrouded over his face like a mask. Instead Naib’s clothes were light, not as constricting like his usual attire was. And not to mention his hair was much longer than he thought. Naib closed the door behind him.
“What are doing?” Naib asked, instantaneously breaking the silence with ease. What was he doing? Kurt was a bit thrown back by the question, but didn’t let it show.
“Just making tea.” Kurt replied calmly.
“You’re making tea,” Naib looked out the window, “this late?”
Kurt breathed out, a laugh slipping from his lips. “Yeah,” he noticed the match in his hand had burned out and went to light a new one. “Woke up, couldn’t fall back asleep.” He bent back down to light up the stove then gently blew out the match. “What about you?” he glanced back at Naib.
“Me?”
“Yeah, why are you up?”
“I..well I heard something from my room, went to go check it out and..guess that turned out to be you.” Naib explained jerkily.
Kurt raised an eyebrow at the other man. That still didn’t explain why Naib was awake in the first place. Regardless, he wasn’t going to prod him about it. Kurt was happy to get any company at all at this time of night.
“Would you like one?” Kurt asked, his body turned away from the counter. He was gesturing to the warming kettle sitting on the stove.
“I have enough for two, if that interests you.”
Silence hung in the air before Naib gave him a curt, “Sure.”
Kurt smiled before searching for teacups in the manor’s kitchen cabinet. Which really took no time at all due to the Kurt rummaging through most of the cabinets already. While pulling two teacups out, he noticed that they both looked pretty high quality. Was it some kind of fine china? The color was a porcelain white, with complimentary green ribbons decorating the rims. Clearly these were expensive items, anyone could tell that. He’d be better off not to break it.
He placed the cups down and closed the cabinet. However unease began to set in with the kitchen only being occupied with himself and Naib, or how William described him, “‘the quiet one’”.
It had only been a couple days since Kurt started occupying Oletus Manor. Besides himself, there was three other participants. There was Murro, who was admittedly an enigma to everyone. He never shared his motives, but then again he wasn’t necessarily a suspicious individual. Kurt would try his best to strike a conversation with him but the sickly looking man seemed to always find excuses to hide away.
Other than Murro there was William, who Kurt had gotten along with alright at their first meeting. Although lately he had been showing more of a temper. “‘When is this game going to start?’” or “‘Is it ever going to start?!’” and other questions the participants couldn’t answer for the young rugby player.
Then there was Naib, the person Kurt saw the least. Even with both their bedrooms exclusively being located on the manor’s second floor, Kurt would be lucky to even get a glance from him in the span of a day. He wanted to break the ice, which admittedly should’ve been easy for someone like him. He was used to telling stories to large amounts of people, being confident in his words, being able to sway people with ease. So why was he hesitating? Well, of course he knew why, but he didn’t want to confront it quite yet.
The sharp whistle of the tea kettle quickly interrupted his thoughts. Kurt rushed to grab onto it and began to fill one of the teacups with hot water before putting in the teabag.
“Hope you don’t mind Earl Grey.” Naib now standing with his arms crossed and his waist leaning on the kitchen’s island shook his head. Kurt breathed out a sigh, gingerly picking up the teacup and handing it to him. Kurt turned away, now fixing himself a cup of tea as well.
“Thank you.” Naib said.
Kurt’s back was turned to Naib while his own steaming teacup sat on the counter undisturbed. Suddenly something inside Kurt snapped. As if the fitler he once had on his words washed away. He had no time to stop himself as the dying question fell out of his mouth.
“Do you remember me?” Kurt’s asked softly.
He turned around to face Naib who raised an eyebrow at him. He opened to mouth to say something but Kurt continued to speak anyways.
“You served in the British Army, you were one of the Gurkhas there. You were pretty high up actually, a lot of other soldiers seemed to respect you too.” Kurt remarked, a bit of emotion in his tone. Naib’s face began to turn white.
“Hold on, Kurt-”
“But I really understand if you don’t-”
“Kurt!” Naib barked, seemingly silencing the bearded man.
Kurt hung his head down dolefully as regret sunk in for having brought up the subject. Did he make Naib mad?
“Back then,” Naib hesitated, “you were a lot shorter.” A quiet laugh suddenly escaped his lips.
“You stood up on that bench in the mess hall and started telling that dragon story of yours. Someone like you is pretty hard to forget.” Naib explained. “I’m just, surprised you recognized me, is all.”
“Naib, I-”
“No, I should’ve said something sooner. Don’t apologize for it, it’s all said and done now.” Naib admitted before taking a sip of his tea.
~
“Wow, you really can see the stars from here,” Naib gleamed at Kurt, “when did you sneak out and find this place?”
“A couple nights ago, but you said how much you liked stars right? So I thought we could hang out here! I know your friends have been on you lately-”
“What? Screw them.”
“Huh? But your position-”
Naib laid back into the grass, his hands resting behind his head. Kurt then followed his lead and laid down beside the Gurkha. The brisk summer wind rustled the trees behind them. Naib stared up at the moonlit sky, admiring the view.
“You don’t need to worry about that, it’s not a problem I promise.”
Kurt now looked at his own tea, taking a careful sip as to not burn himself.
“Thank you, Naib.” Kurt said.
“Thanks? I didn’t really do anything.”
Kurt laughed, “I know, I know. Just, thank you.”
Naib stared at him for a short moment and shrugged nonchalantly.
“Hm, alright.” he said gruffly.
Kurt smiled at the man across from him. And for a short moment time seemed to stop at Oletus Manor as the two men sat in silence and drank Earl Grey tea.