novel, art and other

It's been a while since I last drew something... actually, I wonder if this version is better or if it's better, the one I adjusted the colour with saturation...in doubt I'll just post this one that is the original drawing 🤔

Back at the mansion, they get welcomed by Catherine in a dragonfly costume, Richard isn't happy and ask her what she is doing, and she respond that she was busy practising and lament that if Seigi was going out he should've told her as it got her worried. And mention that dinner wasn't even started yet.

Seigi apologized "Sorry, but there is salad in the fridge"

Richard, irked "Seigi"

Seigi began to feel some anger in Richard tone of voice. Richard steps forward "You know you haven't the faintest idea of what he's been through, and yet you insist on relentlessly putting our guest to work. He is neither your personal chef nor your driver"

Catherine "What's wrong Richard? Why are you suddenly scolding me? Seigi, did something happen? Did the two of you get into a fight?"

Richard "Listen to me. I am talking to you"

Catherine "Please! Don't speak like that! It reminds me of those people in England who pretends to be polite but look down on me!

Richard "That has nothing to do with this. I just want you to understand what I'm saying"

Catherine "Oh but it does! It's like your a king trying to control everyone and everything around you. I am not your subject. It isn't right. And neither is the way you treat Seigi"

Richard "What are you trying to say?"

Catherine with fiery eyes says what should never be said... "You're not mad at me because I'm treating Seigi inappropriately. You're mad at me because I'm treating Seigi the same way you treat him, and you can't stand to see that. The two of you don't even look like friends. You look like a king and his underlining. He just says yes to everything you say. That's not a friend. All you want is a Sancho Panza who will smile and nod, captivated by your beauty, and shower you with praise. If anyone's treating Seigi like a cook or driver, it's you."

Seigi<That was the moment I witnessed up close, what it looked like for someone to silently snap. Everyone hit their breaking point in different ways, so maybe I was lucky to be able to tell when it happened to Richard. His usual aura of graceful beauty flipped in an instant, becoming something else entirely, an air of intense intimidation that made all your hair stand on end. Pretty people being terrifying when they're mad is a bit of a cliché, but this went so far beyond that. This was a whole other level. This was the divine wrath of a dragon.>

Seigi gets between them "Hold on"

Richard "Release me"

Seigi "Wait! Just wait!!"

"Seigi!"

"I know just give it a moment. Count to twenty"

Seigi turn to Catherine and gently tell her to amend what she just said, as he is not his driver or chef, and he is just trying to be a normal friend to him, he explain that as a foreigner the way he interact might seem odd to her, but he never felt taken advantage off and in fact he think it's quite the opposite as he feel Richard helped him way more.

Catherine thinks that he helped him in monetary ways, and say that even so he should never get treated like a servant cause of it.

Seigi tells her that this is a misunderstanding, as he didn't mean help in monetary case, but in intangible things as well like his affection and time. And if he were to get more specific he might die of embarrassment. xD

Catherine seem to get it, but as she didn't want to take back the thing said, because she overlaps her past situation to his, she run away and go to the car for a driving.

Seigi lament that he was too slow to stop her and call out to Richard. "This isn't good, Richard do you have any idea where Catherine might have gone? Richard....Richard?"

Richard was sitting in the dining room with his face covered by both hands. Unmoving. Hands that gripped his hair and soft groaning noises from him.

Seigi ask if he is okay. Richard respond ".....I want to take a panorama shot of this scene" (kyaaaaaa what do I do with these twoo 😚 )

Richard apologize that he has lost his temper. His movement are stiff and robotic as he reach the entrance, and say "I wonder where she went" like a train station announcement. Clear his throat. And go crashing into the salon that was still not cleaned up.

Seigi then hear the sound of cushion getting beaten out of them. Richard return like nothing ever happened. Complain about Catherine and tell seigi he should remain here while he goes to search for her.

Seigi "You have spiderwebs in your hair"

Richard brush the spiderwebs off and stiffly thank him.

Seigi and Richard were going back to the mansion.

Seigi "Maybe I am being a worry worrywart, but what's going on with this Octavia thing? I heard about your meeting with Jeffrey and Henry, is everything okay?"

Richard " I'll have to save both the apologies and explanations for another day. But I am confident that we're slowly getting closer to the heart of the matter"

Seigi "..Well, that's good. Is there anything I can do?"

Richard "I need you to be patient. I don't need a gun that will fire on my word. All I want from you is a friend who will stand right beside me and look at the world in a slightly different light."

Seigi "Huh? Oh....oh....." (totally flustered)

Richard "Seigi are you all right? I know I made you walk quite a distance, and they didn't make you wear a respirator or anything while painting...are you feeling unwell?"

Seigi wants to say he is okay, but no words come out. He stops in place and goes silent. Richard stops pushing the bike, too.

Seigi pulls out his phone and, with the camera mode of panorama open, takes a picture. (He didn't take a picture of Richard, just the scenery)

Richard is puzzled "What are doing?"

Seigi "No, I uhm...I just suddenly got the urge to take a picture. Just one"

Provence's sky, the fields of olive trees, the dry fallen grasses, the plastic bottles carelessly tossed aside, and the white stone paths -<listen to this. Well, don't actually listen, because I can't say it out loud, but just guess.>

<My dear boss called me his friend>

<He said all he wanted from me was a friend. Which meant I was his friend>

Seigi is sooooo happy 😊 so much that he doesn't know what to do. He knows that their boss and part timer relationship lasted only until the fall of his second year at college, and in the meantime, they had gotten closer, Seigi deep down already considered them being friends.

Seigi silly monologue lol --> <What are friends in the first place? Was a friend just a promotion from acquaintance? If that were the case, surely you would know what rank you were at and why you'd been promoted? Had I advanced in that way? Had I made some great leap forward since my second year of college, in terms of compatibility? I didn't really think so. Maybe that was why, even though I knew we were getting closer, I told myself not to get a big head. I convinced myself that it couldn't possibly be that simple.

Which is why now I feel like I've taken a blow at my heart out of the blue, I was so happy that I felt like singing, dancing and screaming, and doing cartwheels, but that would make look suspicious and scare people as well, and then this man would have no choice but to say he didn't want to be friends with me anymore. And that would suck, it would be embarrassing enough for him to notice how happy those words had made me. Richard liked to keep things cool and rational. I should find a way to follow his lead.>

Seigi is soooo happy and resume walking and try to keep his mouth in check. Richard is embarrassed as well and accidentally kick the bike multiple times, and they both seem to not be able to walk straight xD

Seigi tries to straighten himself and start walking like a wooden soldier, reminding himself to be normal.

Richard "....You're so easy to read"

Seigi "Huh? What do you mean?"

Richard "Nothing at all" but "...the feeling is mutual"

Richard keeps on bumping his leg into the bike's pedal twice as much as before until they finally arrive at the villa 😆

It's hereeeee FINALLY!!!! After months of waiting!!!! >///////<

Seigi~

Who might you be looking at Seigi?

Kehehehehe I can literally hear him calling Richard!