Alex walked to towards the grand doors as she already took Chloe's hand. As she made it closer the massive door opened, and she saw the staff of her mansion standing ready in a line leading inwards - bowed in greeting.
She saw Adrian and Mason the security that usually stood guard at the front door, The 15 maids of the house including the head maid - Miriam. She saw the man that had become something more like a father than her actual father - Johnathan, the butler
She stood there with an almost lost expression. All were corpses when she last saw them - In fact it had been so long that she did not even remember most of their faces
"Welcome home madam" - Johnathan greeted and bowed as everyone followed
Alex managed to reign in her emotions - possibly due to already being in this situation with Chloe an hour or so earlier
"Thank you for greeting me" - She responded with a voice so soft that the staff accustomed to her usually confident tone faltered as if they did not hear her clearly or perhaps it was worry
Of course, to them she was merely saying thank you for the greeting, but she was thanking them for other reasons
Johnathan and Miriam raised their heads first as the 2 with the largest standing in the house aside from their employer of course - as they did Alex noticed their eyes tremble slightly - and it was not fear it was concern
She followed their gaze and saw it land on her hand - on her hand grasping Chloe's
'Well, it's natural they are worried; Chloe is closer to them than me right now'
being without any business or rather any qualifications - Chloe stayed home most of the time aside from the typical library visits or grocery halls with the maids, but she was a very social little creature and also enjoyed cleaning, so she got along with everyone well
Practically everyone in the house was her friend and many had become more like family to her - all while she had learnt to drown herself in work creating a sea between them and herself
"Johnathan at 8 please make your way to my home office and wait for me" - she walked past them with Chloe - who was smiling, trailed right behind due to the pull
Perhaps due to her heightened senses or rather her paranoia she was able to hear the words of those in the back who saw them together
'Is Chloe okay?'
'Did the madam get mad at her?'
'Is she taking her to hurt her?'
And other similar questions floated about - they would most likely have infuriated her past self but now all Alexandra could think of was how happy she was that they cared so deeply for her love
...
Alex and Chloe walked up to the upper floors of the mansion talking the stairs and finally reaching her room.
"Ah are you tired?" - Chloe looked at her with concern
Alex turned her head to look down at her - "I am... but recently I've had some trouble sleeping, and I thought if you join it may help"
She felt heat crawling up her face and saw it happening to Chloe too, so she pushed open the door and stepped in
The cool wind blew through the opened windows making the white-colored curtains flutter
The chandelier hung in the middle of the rooms roof, her bed sat there against the back wall - perfectly made, dressed in the red blanket and white pillows - the polished oak base reflecting the light
She allowed herself to marvel at the sight - the last 100 years had been nothing but rock and caves with the occasional monster pelt that always reeked
She had let go of Chloes hand who still stood at the door watching as she ran her hand over the bed frame and onto the soft covers
Perhaps it was the influx of emotions that she had experienced when giving the gift and her usually cruel wife's attitude or perhaps it was this cozy scene playing in front of her, but Chloe felt the day's events creeping up on her - calling her to sleep
Her yawn did not go unnoticed though
"Are you sleepy?" - She saw a smile on Alex's face that was something between teasing and worry
"Yeah, I guess I am"
"Come take a nap in my bed love"
Chloe seemed taken aback - "Are you sure?" - this was not only her first time in this room but now she was being invited to share a bed
Now she had fantasized about this happening but for it to occur so soon was astonishing even for her usually hopeful mind
"Well, I didn't bring you all the way here just for a chat" - she said sarcastically but that look and her patting the bed was a clear give away of her intent
She walked over and sat on the bed where Alex had been patting looking at her trying to find out what her next actions will be - and she was expecting a bit more
"I'm going to take a shower I'll come to bed later, okay?" - She said placing her hand on the fluffy pillow, a gesture to lay down
Chloe wanted to ask her to stay, to go shower later but she did not want to overstep any boundaries for now - for someone who was dying of thirst this glass of affection was enough to satiate her for now
"Okay" - She moved and laid on the bed and watched as Alex got up.
She bent down and placed a kiss on her head causing a blush to form - "I'll be back soon"
Alex walked off towards the bathroom as Chloe admired her form as she walked away - her eyes slowly drooping calling for her to fall asleep - and so she did
but while her mind had slowed its thoughts Alex had begun to work on a myriad of plans
...
She walked into the bathroom and admired how it looked, how well taken care of it was and above all was the fact that it actually existed
"How long has it been since I've seen a shower..." - she spoke into the empty room almost tearing up
In the Tutorial Tower there was no showers - and although there were bathtubs and cleaning spells too the sensation of having water run over your body freely was a luxury and something one typically only felt when there was rain
but even above that the thing that really irked her was the absence of - "SOAP"
She ran to the shower and grabbed the soap from the shower shelf hugging it like a long-lost friend
She almost cried as she placed it back on the shelf temporarily as she prepared to actually use the shower
As she undressed herself and looked into the large mirror the feeling of being in her past body had really set in
Her tall height was still there yes, and so was her hair since she didn't let it grow or cut it past the point where its fella heads length below her shoulders nor did she change the black color - rather the thing that made her feel foreign in her own skin was the absence of scars
the absence of the calluses she got from swinging her sword
and even though her natural sensory abilities remained due to her training of them in her weak body- the more powerful part of her perceptive skills was absent
She took the shampoo and lathered it onto her hand rubbing it into her hair and as she did flashbacks of pulling out monster flesh from them rang in her head
As she applied the conditioner causing her hair to shine, she recalled covering herself in mud to prepare ambushes for those abyss-pawn
She had lived a tumultuous life and right now compared to all those in the universe only He and Eldrathis could be considered equals in this aspect and only one of them could be considered alive - even compared to the gods and demons
The soap too was used eventually as she enjoyed the feeling of the loofa on her body
"I need to learn how to make soap while I can" - She said as the foam covered the white skin of her body
She turned the silver handle, and water cascaded from the above shower head - warm, steady, endless. For a moment she simply stood there, letting it fall almost as if she were in a trance
The steam rose quickly, fogging the mirror and handles. She pressed her palms against the wall, closing her eyes as the warmth seeped into her bones. It was almost too much -too soft, too forgiving - after the cold buckets and spells. She felt the grime dissolve, but the memories clung stubbornly
Her hair loosened under the stream, strands clinging to her back, and she tilted her head back, drinking in the sensation.
When she finally turned off the shower, the room was thick with mist. She stood there dripping, the warmth fading into cool air
"Now to face reality again"
She grumbled wrapping a towel around her body and another around her hair before walking out.
She made her way to her changing room that lay right beside the bathroom changing into her sleep wear and a gown that would be on till she went under the covers
Alex spent a few more moments looking at herself and then walked out of the room and entered her bedroom where she was met by a heartwarming sight
Chloe lay curled on one side, hair golden hair spilling across the pillow, arms wrapped around it - deep in dreams.
A smile tugged at Alex lips - half tender, half amused. The sight was ordinary, yet to her
it carried so much
She crossed the room quietly, careful not to wake her, and sat at the edge of the bed.
she reached out, brushing damp strands of hair from her own face - she leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to her temple. The sleeping figure stirred, murmured something unintelligible, and nestled closer to the pillow.
She chuckled lightly and woke from the bed
It was now 8 and she needed to talk about the apocalypse with her butler
...
The door to her room clicked shut behind her and she begun to walk slowly down the corridor, her slippers brushing against the polished wood floors as she admired the decor, the chandeliers above casting pools of golden light that followed her steps. The house was vast and yet every shadow familiar and vague simultaneously every echo a memory she lost
Her office door stood open, as she had asked. The butler waited just inside, hands folded neatly, posture straight but softened by the years. When she entered, he bowed his head slightly, and she offered him a warm smile - something uncharacteristic of this her to do.
Good evening," she said, her voice carrying some indistinguishable emotion
"Good evening, madam," he replied, steady as ever but there was something in his voice too
She crossed to her desk, the weight of the day sliding from her shoulders as she sank into the leather chair. She gestured to the seat opposite - "Please, sit down."
He hesitated, as he always did - habit and duty pulling him toward formality, but at her gaze, he lowered himself into the chair. For a moment, they sat, the only sound coming from the trees blowing softly in the wind
Her gaze softened as she looked at him - "Do you remember," - she began - "when I was little, how you used to chase me through the halls of the main house? how I'd hide behind the curtains, thinking I was clever, and you'd always find me."
A faint smile touched his lips - "You were never as hidden as you thought, madam."
She laughed quietly, the sound tinged with nostalgia - "And when I scraped my knee on the garden stones, you carried me inside as though I were made of glass. You brewed tea for me when I cried and told me stories until I fell asleep."
"You took care of me when the world felt too big. And now, here we are - still together, after all these years after I claimed the CEO title and this estate"
The butler inclined his head, his was low - "It has been my honor, madam. Always."
He spoke with a happy and reminiscent tone that suddenly flipped when she spoke again - his body had grown cold and his pupils narrowed
"Even in the future when the apocalypse comes you only die when I was secure to survive on my own and that too you died sacrificing yourself for me"
"...What?" - He asked confusion lacing his words
She turned her chair around looking up at the moon that shone dim light through the clouds the soft winds blew in
"Johnathan" - She stood looking out - "In 1 year all life is going to be sucked into another world"