Exposure

Chapter 16

Aesop's POV

Aesop felt like he was stumbling across thin ice the next few days. He felt anxious and constantly trembled as he explained the situation to the survivors, with Joseph still stowing away in his room. Their reaction wasn't as bad as he thought it would be, however, the sharp words and slander still got to him. He'd been entangled in such a complex web of lies and secrecy for so long that it sort of felt relieving to get all the weight of lying off his shoulders even if that meant he was shunned from everyone but Joseph, which he most certainly was.

In the first few days, Aesop tried to go into the communal area like normal but the glares and muttering was too overwhelming. Normally he would've ignored them all but having earned the new nickname 'hunter's whore' from certain survivors wasn't the same as the glares or usual mutters of disapproval. There were some who were still tolerant of him but they wouldn't hold a conversation for too long.

Even Eli refused to see him. Aesop didn't think he owed it to him, but he felt rather bitter after the seer had spewed out so many lies out of spite, been spying on him for months, and didn't even thank him for protecting him from Joseph who most likely would've ended him if he didn't intervene. So, in truth, perhaps Aesop did think he owed it to him. He felt sorry for what happened to Eli and that he had to be in pain both physically and mentally because of him but to just ignore Aesop's being because of his own doing didn't sit right. Aesop maintained his pride by not visiting Eli, he didn't want to be the one who gave in. Even in his most vulnerable state, Aesop wasn't as weak as that. There was still a solid pit of anger and disgust toward Eli in his stomach.

In short, they treated him like a circus animal that broke a leg.

The only real conversation Aesop had was the day after everything was in the open, when Emily apologised for setting off the battalion of canons that was Aesop's love life. She offered to check on Joseph's wounds but Aesop felt like she couldn't trust her. Emily was kind and nurturing naturally but something hollow hid behind her eyes, a sort of disgust. The apologies felt like a formality that she had to do for the sake of her morals rather than an apology for having Aesop ostracised from his normal life.

He and Joseph were able to iron out all that had happened during their time secluded with each other. Obviously, there were some raised voices and arguments but they had a lot of confusion and different points of view to mold into one. Aesop was able to forgive Joseph for what he did to Eli, perhaps partly out of bitterness for what Eli had done to them both.
Overall, the amount of relief that Aesop had after reconciling, felt as if it was physically radiating off of him in waves. Although Joseph seemed to be putting on a brave face for Aesop. He tried to lift his spirits up and make the new every day seem normal. Of course, Aesop was never able to see if those fronts were Joseph's real feelings but at night he seemed much more restless than before. And Aesop seemed to hold onto him much tighter. Joseph had smuggled his belongings into Aesop's room one night so the small room now felt actually cramped, but at least it felt more theirs. Almost as if they were finally living together but in a prison cell.

All matches had been suspended since the incident. Survivors and hunters had attempted to attend their matches, however, the match never initiated and the rota board was left barren. Aesop and Joseph had been blissfully unaware of this fact due to not talking much to anyone else or leaving their room in daylight. It seemed the Host had somehow been alerted of recent events; which set everyone on edge even more.

Hunters were reportedly more irritable than usual due to their being quarantined in their wing and unable to release what Joseph liked to call 'hunter hostility'. This was something Joesph described as a compulsion that the manor itself made the hunters feel and therefore was likely the Host's doing. Due to his nature, Joseph had a much better memory than others but even to him, memories surrounding the Host were weak and distorted. He recalled being given some sort of sedative upon entering the manor from his invitation as well as his arm having evidence of having some kind of injections. After his arrival in the manor, Joesph also said he felt he didn't feel himself, like his reflection was slightly off and there was something different he simply couldn't put his finger on. He also began to get spurts of bloodlust, his pulsed raised and he felt an untameable urge to inflict violence, particularly towards survivors. This was an urge Joseph had learned and practiced to suppress, much more so when he met Aesop. He hated feeling out of control of his own body particularly when it was as if invisible strings were forcing him to do something so unlike him. At least, he thought it was unlike him.