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The Mask

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Kei and C.L had stayed at Lamarr’s mansion for one month now and had nearly returned to their former strengths. C.L’s shoulder had healed nicely and had no problem at all in moving in any direction. The bump in the back of Kei’s head had disappeared, though she was still sore, not that she complained. Cher Ami’s wounds healed quickly as well, and she was eager to continue their journey, despite what C.L had said (that they were to stay until everything was in order). Cher Ami had actually begun to sulk, what with her walking around in the garden while her master and the girl were inside the house. She would even make some mischief to get C.L’s attention, but he wasn’t to bothered. Besides, they were just tiny things she did, nothing to get upset about.

The evening before C.L and Cher Ami would continue their travels, Kei and C.L were together in one of the halls. He had decided that Kei would stay at the mansion while he would continue the search for a suiting stallion for Cher Ami. Kei had protested at first but settled down when he said they would return in only three days. It shouldn’t be all that bad to be alone in the mansion that short amount of time.

C.L sat in an old chair with a red satin carpet along its back. The chair was tall and decorated with leaves that swirled around the edges. He was deep into a book, quietly reading to himself in his mind. He almost whispered the words to himself so he could really hear what he read. Kei lay in a sofa by herself, gazing into the open fireplace where the fire licked the stone and made cracking noises. To hear C.L’s voice in the background of it all was kind of magical. She knew exactly what book it was that he read, no doubt about that. It was Black Beauty. She had offered him that timeless book some months ago; he had kept it ever since. How many times he had read it she didn’t know, but she was sure that it was at least a couple of times.

As she listened to C.L’s steady voice, she glanced at up at him. She had noticed that he was beginning to sound slightly irritated, now she understood why. The fire threw shadows at the pages, and his mask shadowed the text even more. It sure must be hard to read, thought Kei. After a couple of minutes, she looked at him again only to find his mask resting atop the little table next to him. Kei threw her legs over the sofa’s edge and moved to him. The mask lay on a pile of old newspapers that were brown and yellow due to the long years in the dark hall. C.L had delved into his book again, so Kei gently picked the mask up. As she turned around to walk toward the fireplace, she reassuringly caressed C.L’s shoulder.

The dancing fire made the mask look like a bad thing. It looked dangerous as the flame’s light whirled around the edges. How could that mask look so dangerous? Kei turned it about, examined it, felt its structure between her fingers. She turned a bit to face C.L. He had stopped reading and was observing her from his dark side of the room. Kei’s shadow, cast from the fire, mostly covered his face, except for his eyes, which glistened like never before. He had closed Anna Sewell’s book, barely holding it as it rested on his knees. Kei backed away from the fire, making C.L’s face enter the light as she did. He looked down; his hair falling over his face.

She slowly walked toward him, asking carefully, “Would you ever be without your mask?” He only continued to look down, as if embarrassed. She kneeled in front of him and looked up, searching for his eyes. She held the mask with her hands, letting it rest atop Black Beauty. He stared at her.
“Would you?”
No…” It was clear that he didn’t like the situation.
“Why are you afraid to show your face?” He looked away then, ignoring the question. Kei would have none of it, though; she tossed the mask away and threw her hands up to his face, holding it steady as she turned it back to hers.
“C.L… Please…” She pleaded, looking deep into his eyes. He was stiff but didn’t try to get away. His jaw was set, but his breathing remained calm. As he fought his emotions, he nearly looked away, but managed to keep eye contact with Kei.
I… can’t…” He breathed.
Kei dropped one hand to his knee while the other one stayed on his check. She moved it gently, trying to figure him out, just as she had with his mask. She drew her fingers carefully over his well-curved dark eyebrows and handsome brow, then along his nose and down to his lips. She ran her fingers around his mouth before pulling them to his chin. She cupped her hand around it and looked tenderly at him.
“You are beautiful…”
She waited a moment, and then rose as she picked up his mask. She dusted the age-old dust off before handing it to him.
“Remember that.”

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The next page is up, yay! :la:

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:star: Tools & Info :star:
:bulletblue: Refference: My own Reference
:bulletblue: Estimated time: About 1 hour
:bulletblue: Tools: Wacom bamboo tablet & Photoshop CS
:bulletblue: Layers: About 12 layers
Editor of the text: :iconmissdudette:
Backgroundpicture © :iconwaiting4moonlight:
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Comments37
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Padfoot7411's avatar
This is great, the picture and the story speaks so loudly.