Suoh's Seals

Chapter Four: Sweeping In Silence

Nell could feel Fiona constantly looking over at her worriedly as they swept up fallen leaves that had settled up against the outside structure of Willard's home. But she purposely kept her head dipped low. Not just in a futile attempt to hide her existence in the universe, but to keep her stability in check. Currently, even just looking at the house she was here to serve caused her thoughts to wallow in sadness. The white wood framing between heavy brick, detailed trimmings along the balcony railings, and tall windows were not unlike her old home. Before it--

Nell stopped herself short and shook away her thoughts. Only leaving the lingering shame of her actions from the previous day. Not only had the laundry taken three times as long to complete thanks to her outburst, with Fiona having to deal with most of the work load, but she had almost let slip what she was trying to keep tightly hidden; the reason she was here.

Just as her thoughts started to circle back again, the sound of Fiona's voice was behind her.

"Nell, do you want to talk about what happened?"

Nell shifted her head over her slouched shoulder just enough to respond with a silent shake. She absolutely didn't.

Fiona looked conflicted as she clutched a dustpan against her chest. She was about to speak again, but before any more words could escape her mouth the front door of the building croaked open.

Idris Willard and Sawyer emerged onto the porch, Gareth being not far behind them but seeming uninterested in the conversation the other two men were having.

"-but then why use special bullets?" Sawyer continued.

Fiona and Nell bowed their heads respectfully as the men emerged.

"Because the seals on the creature are only effective while it is alive," was Willard's answer.

He was dressed in his formal business attire and adjusted the brim of his top hat as he was hit with the morning sunshine.

"If you just use a regular bullet the body will revert back to its other form. The bullets I bought have a special enchantment infused into them that prevents that from happening."

"How can I be sure the bullets they give me are the real deal though?" Sawyer asked, unconvinced.

Willard looked annoyed. His henchmen continued to flank him as he walked towards where a horse and coach waited for him. Like most mornings it was there to take him to Willard Financial, located a short distance away in town.

The horse rigged to the transportation device snorted, adjusting his stance impatiently. The coachman gave the animal worker a reassuring pat before moving hurriedly to open the carriage door for the approaching banker.

Willard stopped short however, as he noticed Nell and Fiona doing their morning chores.

"It's not the bullets you should be worried about. I trust the supplier. It's the damn lumpers that always mix up the cargo. The shipment train is only unloading here today. So just make sure you collect it on time and those idiots don't give you a box of carrots instead of what I paid for."

Sawyer chuckled, failing to notice that Willard had not perceived his words as a joke.

"There will be no time for screw-ups because that train leaves at an ungodly hour tomorrow morning." Willard's voice snapped out, unamused. "Just get it done!"

When Nell peered up she could see Willard was looking straight at her. And even as he continued speaking to Sawyer he did not break away from her.

"If all goes to plan the taxidermist will arrive tomorrow morning and he can start the project."

Willard's superiority; His posture, his attire, his assets, was all humbling against Nell's current position. She could not deny she deserved this spot at the grubby bottom of society's ladder. She had convinced herself that she should feel grateful for Willard's generosity to take her in when no one else would have. Yet she didn't. She only felt bitter and pathetic. And also creeped out by the way he often stared, whilst not actually addressing her, like he was doing right now.

"Do you want me to go with Sawyer?" Gareth chimed in, his voice being what broke the wordless tension.

"No," Willard answered flatly. He pulled some folded documents from his jacket pocket and flung them at Sawyer, who clumsily caught them. "Get the help to clean and prepare the area I want to use for my new display."

Gareth nodded. The way he was eyeing Fiona suddenly ceased when her head coincidently lifted. She shrunk back her stance uncomfortably and a flush of pink ruthlessly appeared on Gareth's cheeks, him quickly distracting himself by assisting his employer up the lone step into his vehicle.

And with that, Willard was on his way to work and everyone else dispersing to follow his instructions. Fiona was dragged away into Willard's residence by Gareth -still not doing a great job of hiding his fluster, Sawyer began making the short walk to the train depot, and Nell was left alone with just her depressing thoughts and a broom.

Nell tried to focus on the job, trying extra hard to unclog a corner of the house free of stubborn crispy fauna. But a chilly gush of wind suddenly caused her neat leaf pile to scatter apart. Frustrated, Nell hurled the entire length of her broomstick down a corresponding footpath and it disappeared into the bushes.

She stifled a scream into her palms, then raked her hands through her unbrushed hair to relieve a silent tantrum threatening to bubble over. Doing this caused her hand to once again flare into a painful rage, but Nell welcomed that pain as penance.

She took a deep breath to gather herself before following the route to retrieve the yeeted broom.

She found it partially wedged between some branches and teetering against one of the many empty cages that dotted about the yard. Hugged against the cobblestone path, the roof had partially caved in where the weight of kudzu -a type of invasive vine- had crept out from within the garden and engulfed the little structure. Lush green tendrils swayed against the breeze as it hung through the empty space. The creature it once held had long been vacated.

Vigorously flicking her hand did nothing to ease Nell's magic-induced burn. If anything, it made her feel light-headed. And the longer she stood staring at the cage, the more her thoughts seemed to float freely.

Nell let her mind drift, feeling empathy for whatever or whoever had once been imprisoned behind those bars. Had it been disposed of? Or was it perhaps now a feature in Willard's trophy room? Had it died alone within that tiny space? Or had Willard become impatient and terminated it himself so he could turn it into an office ornament?

Worry clouded heavily in Nell's chest as she thought back to Suoh again. She could see his bony figure, outlined in a blue glow, his big eyes staring expectantly at Nell behind the decaying bars.

Sorrow choked at the back of Nell's throat. She knew he was out of time now. Willard had a magic bullet with his name on it.

He needed help. But Nell was incapable of helping anyone. Not even herself. She was pathetic. She felt like a burden that only made the people around her suffer.

Mentally and physically wilted she dragged herself closer to the garden that blended into the abandoned cage to retrieve her broom.

Forcing back tears, she carefully pulled back some winding bramble bush limbs to free her cleaning tool.

Doing so revealed that her broom was not the only tool trapped within the flora. Nell felt a jolt of motivation shove her negativity away as an idea popped into her head.

She gritted her teeth. Nell truly believed she deserved all the karma in the world. Every hardship she faced now was justified. She could never go back to the luxuries of her old life. But if she was already in the gutter, then what did it matter if she got caught and was punished for trying to help Suoh? He didn't deserve to suffer and certainly not to die. Nell wasn't sure if she could help him. But she wanted to try. Even if she ended up losing all her fingers.
But first, she was going to need a plan.