The Bridal Act

A Mansion for Touring

By the time we stopped again to allow my legs to rest, we were now inside a completely different room. A study room this time. Like all the other rooms within the mansion's walls, the study room was also tinted with the moonlight blue, allowing the beauty of it to still show while the mystery still showered over it like dew. Sitting down on one of the few chairs, I sighed out as I watched Valice rest on the coffee table. How many coffee tables did this mansion have? Well... it was a mansion after all. Her feathers swept up some of the dust on the table, sprinkling upon her wings like icing sugar on a cake.

"Thank you for showing us around your home Elias," I thanked him, watching him float around and grab a worn book from the shelf. I couldn't really see the title due to the lighting that cascaded around us, but it appeared the book cover had hints of glistening gold wrapped around its corners. Opening the book to a page with a thin plate of wood, he pulled it out and replaced it with his thumb instead? "It's quite lovely."

"I am thoroughly glad you enjoyed the tour I could give you at this moment in time my dear," Elias smiled sweetly to me, floating over to sit on a chair quite close to me. I didn't bother checking the book's title, instead paying attention to the flower on his suit. I wasn't the best at flowers, never was.

"It's a white lily," Valice informed me, waddling a bit closer to Elias. She squinted her eyes at the blue-tinted lily, noticing the leaves were a greenish-blue. Though they were more on the blue end. I knew my colours, just not flowers. That was Valice's job. "Kinda sad it's been stained with his blood."

"Well I could tell it was white," I huffed out, earning a look of confusion from the ghost groom. His eyes bounced back and forth from me and Valice, trying to piece together whatever was going on between us both. "I just didn't know the type of flower."

"Oh, my lily!" He exclaimed with joy, making me jump a little from his sudden voice. "I adore my flowers; every kind of their symbolism has been embedded into my mind. Their information is on the back of my hand"

"How fun!"

"Yeah, there are not many things to do when you are bedridden for nearly your entire livelihood."

"Oh..."

I stayed silent after that, not knowing how to continue the conversation at hand. Placing the thin plate of wood back in the book, Elias closed the book at the pages he had gotten up to. I watched him get up from the chair, a sweet smile on his face as he extended his hand out to me.

"Perhaps I can offer a tour of my lovely greenhouse?" He asked, smiling brightly when I took his hand in mine. Standing on my feet, I didn't really know what to say as he began to drag{? Well it felt like dragging} me to the, said, greenhouse he was talking about. "Beautiful flowers of all shapes, colours and sizes adorn the dirt and walls of the greenhouse. Valice will adore them all, I assure you. And you, my darling bride, will adore the colours they have all blended together on their petals."

"Okay then," I tried to not trip over my feet. Listen, I wasn't in that bloody gown anymore, but for crying out loud! This ghost groom was going to be the death of me, with his adorable rants and loving nicknames that made no sense for people that just met. "Lead the way Elias."

"I wonder what flowers he tends to," Valice questioned to, mostly, herself, flying over and landing on my shoulder once again. "I'm so intrigued!"

Shaking my head, I followed Elias to wherever the greenhouse was in the mansion he still resided in. I had no good understanding of flowers; only knowing some of their names, more or less the 'popular' ones you could say, and what colours they could be. Though I have gotten colours wrong as well. So yeah, I'm shit no matter what. As we walked, I felt something gently wrap around my waist again. This time I could actually see what it was, it being his ghost tail. How cute.

It didn't take long to get to the greenhouse, we were already on the ground floor as it was, which was very lucky for me. The adrenaline from the chase was now noticeably leaving my body, leaving me fatigued. Possibly exhausted. Elias noticed my sudden mood change, making me sit down on a singular chair within the greenhouse's walls.

"I despise witnessing you like this dear," He softly spoke, a small frown on his lips as stayed close to me. Valice hopped off my shoulder, snuggling up in some dirt close to us both. Very pretty and delicate yellow flowers surrounding her, though I couldn't tell what type of flowers they were. "Please rest your legs, for me."

"Sure," I nodded along, my eyes aching from being awake for so long. "Though you've only seen me like this once."

"I do not care for once on that subject," Elias huffed out, crossing his arms as more of his fancy Victorian speech came out effortlessly. He looked back at me, a faint tint of blush on his cheeks as he continued to speak to me. "I care dearly for you my darling bride; I worry so much what would happen if something were to horrifically happen to you. Even your acquaintance perhaps."

"Perhaps?!" Valice squawked out, flapping her wings against the dirt. The dry ground now dusting her entire body, bits of brown quite obvious on her black feathers. "That bitch cares more about you than me?!"

"Well, you are a small raven," I reminded her, laughing a little watching her waddle her body around. The feathers on her back now facing us - Elias the most. "You can save your own ass."

"And so can you!" Valice twisted her head a little so she could look me in the eyes, glaring a lot. Especially for a raven. She quickly glared back down at the dirt that allowed the yellow flowers to grow, mumbling to herself with what sounded like, "Stupid groom."

"Have I spoken something wrong?" Elias asked, the worry on his face very blatant after he saw our small interaction. "I apologise deeply and dearly for it if so."

"Perhaps," I repeated his words, smiling at him. The cogs in his head turned as he tried to understand what I meant, before it clicked in his mind after a couple minutes of semi-silence.

"Little raven, I am so deeply sorry!" He exclaimed, floating over to the annoyed bird to gently pick her up in his hands. She flapped her wings as he picked her up, squawking as he cuddled her to his suited chest. "I did not intend to announce my words so rudely. I dearly hope you can forgive my horrible ways of wording towards you."

"You're damn lucky I understood whatever just came out of your mouth," Valice answered, knowing he couldn't understand her at all. She nodded her little head, letting her body become a fluffy feathery ball in the ghost groom's palms. I couldn't help but smile at the sight. "But sure, I forgive you."

"She forgives you."

"Weird Victorian man."

"Valice!" I exclaimed at the raven, gasping at how rude she had been. Elias looked at me, tilting his head like a confused puppy. "Just because dear Elias here can't understand what you say, doesn't mean that you should insult him so!"

"Okay, chill, sorry," She squawked back, continuing her small feathery ball. Despite everything that just happened, it seemed like Valice was quite comfortable in Elias' hands. Which, I guess, is a good thing? I could never tell with her.

"Now, focusing on the main conversation at hand, my dear," The ghost spoke up, his voice still soft and calm despite all of that. He kept Valice close to his chest, slowly floating over towards me to not disturb the raven that was seemingly drifting off to sleep. "Shall we proceed with the greenhouse? I dearly wish to show you all the beautiful flowers that reside within its glass walls. Perhaps even tell you about some of their languages; it appears you are not the best at that-"

"Nope."

"-Which is okay!" He continued after my interruption, quietly laughing as he glanced down towards a batch of, what appeared to be {in the dark at least}, red roses. "It is understandable that not everyone knows the language of flowers. Which is why I wish to teach you a bit of it. If that is okay with you of course."

"I'd love to be taught," I smiled at the ghost groom, noticing the tip of his phantom tail wagging around. His tail could wag? Oh how cute! "Though I should warn you, I'm not the best at this sort of thing."

"That is perfectly fine my darling bride," He smiled back down at me, floating over to a small batch of purple flowers with a sleeping Valice in his hands. I stood up from the chair, the strength returning my legs once again, before walking over towards where Elias had gotten to. A small stumble in my step thanks to a semi-thick vine that crawled along the cold floor. "Now shall we begin?"