That One Maid, That One Love (House Animus Chpt.5)

A/N: Surprise! The first part of my gift to you all! It's a bit early since my birthday is in 6 days, but I can't that long for you guys! So, here's the next chapter The House of Animus. This is only one chapter in my two-chapter present for this story, so be sure to finish this one up quick before reading the next one. As I said before on my profile updates, I will be posting a number of early chapters as part of my birthday celebration. I will also set up a poll soon to determine the end of this story since even that was not revealed to me in my dreams. Thanks for all the support for this story, please leave a review or two and PM me if you want some insider information on the story!

~~~TrainingDone~~~

“I'll see you tonight, Tienge. Until then, be sure to take a few breaks during your self-training; I don't want you to push yourself too hard for the sake of beating me. The bet still counts tomorrow, so don't think you can miss out on it!” I say as we walk back to the training room.

“Don't worry about me, Master, I'll take one break just because you asked. Tomorrow, you'll be mine whether you like it or not!” She winks at me, grinning with sharp teeth as she parts from me down the hallway to the training room.

“That's exactly why I worry about you, Tienge.” I whisper silently once she is out of sight.

I look at my watch for a brisk moment. '2:00 PM' it reads, marking the start of the only changing part of my daily routine. From 2:00 PM until 7:00 PM is my free time everyday, open to whatever may happen to cross my path at any moment. Normally I would be in my study working, but seeing as how I accepted Lucia's offer to join her at House Lyre's function, the best course of action is to gather everyone on the grounds to make the announcement. However, that could be done at a moment's notice if I simply inform Dante about it.

“Excuse me, Samuel, but could get me list of everyone who has free time at the moment?” I ask a passing butler.

“Of course sir, it will be done shortly. Is there anything you would like? A drink maybe?” He asks me, raising an eyebrow as well as a smirk on his aged face.

“Hmm...very tempting, Samuel. You know me all too well.” I smile at him as his eyes sparkle with a glint of youth.

“It would only be so, sir. I am grateful to your parents for letting me raise you in their place. They were very kind people, and dear friends.” Samuel speaks softly, careful not to rupture my delicate emotion state.

“That they were, Samuel. If only I had known that side of them sooner...”, my mood saddens slightly, but I repress the feelings before continuing, “The Animus family's 1975 mix then? And feel free to have a drink yourself, Samuel; Mother and Father would have liked to see you relaxing at your age.”

“Right away sir, but I will continue to serve nonetheless; it is the least I could do...for your parents' sake.” He bows deeply to me before awaiting my next response.

“Very well. Carry on, Samuel.” I dismiss him to the duties I assigned to him.

~~~SomeoneIsWatching~~~

My attention turns to an unsuspecting corner ahead of my path. I do not need my inner demon to tell me that there is a presence there, nor do I even need to listen for softly-held breathing; it is always there, no matter how much I would like for it to be elsewhere. I have known this fact since I was a child, and have since learned to rely on it as much as it relies on me.

“You can come out, you know. I wanted to talk to you as soon as Samuel left.” I ease into the casual tone that I often use with this certain person.

“Jeez, you two can sure talk! I was so getting bored over there, I almost fell asleep. So what did you wanna talk about?” A maid, about my age (23), suddenly appears from around the corner of the hallway and walks towards me, giving me a wide grin as she brings her face very close to mine.

“How much have you been listening in on me today?” I ask her plainly as I back away.

“Hmm...I've got everything from your meeting with Lucia to that new recipe you tried in the kitchen. After that, I decided I had enough information on your day.” She smirks as she explains with a certain playfulness in her soft voice.

“Excellent, because that's what I need you for. I need you to spread the specifics of the Lyres' function to the rest of the staff, especially to Dante; I need everyone to be aware of it. You may use any means necessary to get the message across to everyone before noon tomorrow. Can you handle it?”

“Tch, 'handle it'? I can get this done in the next five minutes! The real question is...am I invited?” She winks cutely at me, moving ever-closer to me.

“That depends on you being free at the moment.” I stand firm, unaffected by her attempts to charm me.

“Hmm...if you say, 'I love you, Mira. Please marry me!', then I'll do whatever you want~.” Mira grabs my hand in both of hers and gives it a soft squeeze, her eyes sparkling with small hope. I look at her with loving eyes in response.

“I love you, Mira.”, I say in a stern tone, causing her eyes to widen with excitement, “But I won't marry you.” Her face turns sour in an instant as she playfully hits me in the arm.

“Come on! You were so close to saying it! Why do you always have to mess around with my feelings, Starr? You know I really am in love with you...” She pouts, crossing her arms in a small display of hurt.

“How long has it been since you told me? Five years? Ten?” I ask warmly.

“Fifteen years, on the day you take me to our special spot every year.” She stresses how that spot belongs to both of us and I make no point to disagree with her on it, since I was the one who wanted to share it with her.

This kind of conversation always happens when I call on Mira. Ever since I took my first steps in this house as a child, she has always been with me. I shudder to imagine how different my upbringing would have been if Mira had not been brought into my life. We were five years old when we first met, and from there my life was filled with a small happiness everyday.

~~~FlashbackNextChapter~~~

A/N: I can't wait for the next one! This chapter and the next will be all about Mira, and I'm sure there'll be some fans after you all read them. Don't worry though, the other girls still have yet to show Starr what they can really do. The poll will be up sometime within the next few days, so be sure to look for it on my profile and decide who Dr. Animus should respond to.