Be Our Guest🌹 (Nomin AU)

🌨Huit🌨

Jaemin tried to be quick but keep quiet steps. He got to the top and squinted as his eyes adjusted to the lighting change. There were eerie statues surrounding him, as if this hallway was their storage place. He glanced around, hoping none of them would move. They were shaped like animals he had never seen before, like chimeras, with parts from different animals forming massive new animals.

A lion with a rams head peeking out from its back, horns protruding, and a snake tail.

A walrus with an elephant trunk and wings of a bat.

A horse with angel-like wings and horns.

There were paintings everywhere, looking destroyed, as if they had been outside in the rain and the paint had melted down, creating warped faces that he could hardly recognize as human.

Jaemin stared at a snake-like animal for a second. It seemed to be slithering across the wall as the dim light of the hallway made it look in motion. He took a deep breath to remind himself that it had been his imagination, though it was hard to rely on his rationality, as nothing he had seen recently seemed to be rational.

At the end of the hall there was a door.

Jaemin jumped in surprise when he reached it, thinking someone was beside him, but there was only a mirror. It was shattered completely, causing a small crack under the heels of his brown boots. He saw himself reflected off the many pieces of glass. There was a guilt in his eyes he didn't like.

He shouldn't be roaming, and he was also pretty terrified of this place. He looked behind him one more time, making sure no one was following him before turning back towards the door. He had to roam. He had to do this or else he might not be able to find a way to leave the mansion.

The knobs of the doors were shaped like horns and it was another strange animal. He reached his hands up to burst it open, hearing the large creaking sound of the old door. They were cold to the touch, as if no one had set foot inside before, and the door was heavy. He gasped as he felt himself lean backwards, about to fall. He had needed to use great force to try and prop open the door.

He almost didn't want to go inside. It looked like a mess of things, but contradicting his fear, he stepped inside, trying to be careful. Though, he was immediately rushed in by curiosity. He looked around, seeing a disarray of furniture: a chaise and some drawers. He almost tripped over a lamp but caught himself when he then spotted a bed, and that's when he realized...

This was somebody's bedroom...

destroyed and maybe not being used, but nonetheless, a bedroom

Jaemin looked around for any indication of who could have lived here, when he spotted a large portrait on the opposite wall of the bed. Contrary to the other paintings, this one looked as if it had been purposefully destroyed. There were a set of eyes visible. They looked determined and dark, but something in them looked...relatable? The only other feature Jaemin could distinguish was that the young male on the painting had dark hair. Jaemin raised a hand to try and place the tattered pieces back into place.

He tilted his head, finding the face familiar.

He tried bringing other parts together, but froze when he saw something shine light towards him. He turned around, seeing a pink light illuminating his view of the bedroom.

He carefully followed it, being led out into a balcony. And there,

There was a rose.

It was the prettiest shade of red and pink, suspended in mid-air. It was gleaming, but the shine looked as if it was coming from within the flower.