Exposure

Chapter 4

Aesop's POV

Dinner time was the one time the survivors could pretend everything was okay and this goddamned game was all a bad dream. It always started the same with Fiona reciting one of her prayers for good luck and health. Aesop wasn't exactly sure if he believed in religious things, especially since many believed he actually acted as some grim reaper and helped people cross to the next world simply by embalming. However, the thought was nice and Fiona really did just want to protect all of them. William always made an effort to make what rations of food they got interesting and tasty. Aesop thought he never got enough credit for all the crap food he made bearable with his cooking. Everyone was chatting and eating as always. Aesop enjoyed this time, he felt included without having to be outgoing and put his two cents in on everything.

Eli was sat next to him as always. Surprisingly, Aesop could be quite talkative with Eli because he never pressured him into it. Aesop just felt needed by him which was a good feeling. However, Eli was incredibly observant and could notice the slightest change in Aesop's demeanour so he quietly said,
"Are you ok? Did something happen in that last match?"
Aesop shook his head,
"No, it isn't that. I think I'm just tired."
he excused and distracted himself by twirling his fork. That was another thing about this time. Yes, Aesop enjoyed it but he was never comfortable enough to take off his mask and eat in front of everyone. He felt like it annoyed some people, Servais for example. Maybe it was because he was the one of the oldest survivors and more old fashioned but Aesop had often heard him grumbling about how he never ate with everyone and how it was antisocial of him. Kurt would normally elbow him to make him shut up but it obviously bothered him. Others were understanding though which made it better. William would always make sure his food was warm for when he wanted it.

After a while of the survivors talking about nothing in particular, Aesop lost interest and his thoughts returned to a certain hunter, "Say... what's the name of the hunter we played the last match with? The Photographer guy."
He clarified for the others that weren't in the match. Aesop didn't speak up regularly so when he did people listened. Survivors weren't told or expected to know the real names of the hunters or vice versa but sometimes the word simply travelled to the other side. It was a known fact that some hunters made an effort to learn their first names to taunt them so surely some names had slipped to their side too. After a pause of silence to think about it, Emma spoke up and said
"It was an old fashioned name, wasn't it? Something like... James?"
She said unsurely.
Emily quickly rested her hand on Emma's and mumbled,
"It wasn't James but it definitely began with 'J'..." she furrowed her brow and eventually came up with "J- Joe... Ah! Joseph! It was Joseph."
She announced proudly. Mumbles of agreement came from around the table. Aesop nodded,
"Joseph, huh?"
He said, testing out the name on his tongue. Eli found his behaviour strange. Aesop never really took any interest in the hunters but let it pass as a one time thing.

Dinner wrapped up quickly after that. Aesop helped clean up with Martha and ate his food alone after that. Again, Aesop couldn't get the so called Joseph out of his head again. He didn't know what was wrong with him. Was it because of the talking? Or his replicas? He considered. None of his answers were 'Maybe it's just because I found him attractive' which was the most probable of all of them.
"This won't do."
Aesop muttered and got to his feet. He was in the kitchen, the only sounds from the dining room were Margaretha's music box along with her giggling away with Kevin. They obviously had something going on, whether they said it was true or not, all of them knew they were interested in each other.

Thanks to the pair fawning over each other Aesop was able to slip past them easily. He didn't know what he was doing before he was already in the match lobby, the same broken cups and plates scattered over the table collecting dust.
"Honestly what am I expecting?" Aesop started, pacing up and down the length of the table "Just because he said something to me doesn't mean he wants to talk again. What even would I say 'Hey, I liked your photos could you teach me how you make such good replicas?' or 'You really caught be off guard with your smirk so I'm here to check if I really am attracted to you or I'm just delusional, let's hope it's the latter!'" Aesop said hysterically and put his head in his hands "Honestly, what's gotten into me" he sighed "I just... need to be sure, right?" He mumbled to himself and crept up to the red curtain that stood like a twelve foot wall to separate hunters and survivors.

Aesop had never seen what was on the other side. In fact, he was pretty sure that none of the other survivors had seen it. It felt weird stepping behind the curtains and seeing the large royal red armchairs. It was obvious the Host had made an effort to make the hunters feel like they were superior and more significant than the survivors, but the chair was so worn down and faded that you couldn't really tell they were supposed to be the apex predators. Aesop felt nauseous and could tell his anxiety was rising from the tight ball of butterflies seeming to expand and expand in his stomach. However, he also felt excited and satisfied that he'd gone against the Host; who was an ominous being that even the hunter's seemed to fear. It had never occurred to Aesop that the hunter's could be held hostage in the manor and forced to play matches just like they were but the more he thought about it the more plausible it became.

Aesop gingerly stepped toward a tall oak door that maybe was three times the size of him. He laughed weakly at the thought to the Ripper just barely fitting through it. Unlike their door, the hunter's didn't creak when it was opened. Aesop nearly sighed in relief when he saw that there were no hunters in the main hall either. Their dining table had a layer of dust collecting on it, like it was only used once in a blue moon. Aesop always used to imagine the hunters gathered around this table cackling and roaring with laughter about how much they love hurting the survivors. He blew the table and the dust flared into a cloud above him and with it went his original views of the hunters, maybe they weren't evil monsters like every survivor thought.

By the time Aesop had found the hunter's rooms he could tell that the rest of the manor was empty. He made sure he to tread lightly along the hallways. The hunters were obviously territorial. Their names were scratched or carved into the doors and from the sounds of shuffling and thumping coming from behind them, he also figured that the hunters spend most of their time alone in there.

He past the names, some he recognised some he couldn't figure at all. Michiko, Robbie, Bane and finally Joseph carved neatly in the wood. Now Aesop was finally outside the door he didn't know what he was going to say when he knocked. If he knocked at all.

A door behind Aesop abruptly swung open, the one with Hatsur scratched messily into the wood as if the owner couldn't get a grip on what they were carving with. A second later a tentacle slithered out of the doorway. The Feaster, he thought before quickly and quietly slipping away out of sight. Only once he was in the room did he realise that his escape route was into Joseph's room.

Joseph was hunched over a desk, fiddling with a camera film, trying to get a good look at it in the gloomy room. When he heard his door shut, he looked over his shoulder with a frown. When he saw Aesop his features jumped into shock then that same damn smirk came back onto his lips
"Hello there" he said softly "Come back for more?"