NOVEL NEXT Chapter 9: Silence
Vorden was awestruck. As he gazed upon the modest accommodations before his eyes, he was at a loss for words. His eyes started to tear up, and quickly he shut the door with a loud and clunky click. The soft mechanical sound of the door's automatic lock went off behind him. Then his ears were bombarded with the hollow void of noiselessness that filled, or didn't fill his room, as it were. The benefit of a subterranean home. Vorden looked over his entire space, walking slowly around the perimeter of the entire thing.
Walking straight ahead following the wall, he first came to a television screen built into the wall. Beneath it was a small entertainment center which had a few small boxes sitting on the top shelf. Vorden had packed them up the night prior, they contained all of his belongings, of which there was not actually much at all. Not having a body made Vorden less inclined to hold on to things.
He lightly grazed his hands over the surface as he walked past it. Not willing to miss any opportunity to take everything in. The cold wooden surface of the, what was essentially a shelving unit. He turned to face the rest of the living area, facing the T.V. was a simple long couch that could fit a good handful of people. The open floor plan meant Vorden could see the dining area which was just a breakfast bar off of the kitchen counter with two bar stools. The kitchen was pretty small, but that was only because they also had the very large cafeteria at their disposal. Where a dining table would have been, appeared to be more like a meeting table, with several office chairs, and a projector screen.
Vorden continued to walk the outline of his new place. Just thinking the words brought a joyful smile to his face. It really was his own place. He could do whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted, he could invite in only those that he wanted in there, and kick them out if need be! He proceeded past the television and into the bedroom to the left. The room was very dark, being underground. It was also nice and cool.
Vorden flipped on the light switch, and he saw a plain bed, with Full sized mattress, complete with two night stands and a large matching dresser. On the wall opposite the door, directly across from Vorden was a small walk in closet with plenty of space for clothing, linens, towels, and some extra storage room on the top shelf. Next to the closet was a bathroom door. He took a quick peek inside and saw a simple shower and toilet with sink. The amazing thing about the entire place was the construction.
You see, with the handy use of an earth ability, one could potentially create anything they could imagine. No excavators were necessary like in times past. No diggers, or shovels, no weeks worth of hard labor or heavy machinery. With the vast power the Blades were able to wield, they had essentially carved out all of the basement from the very stone which provided a sturdy foundation for the upper portion. The end result was a very dramatic, very villain's-lair vibe. Perfectly carved stone walls and soft recessed lighting throughout.
This feat was especially impressive in the bathroom where the shower itself was set in to the stone. Instead of a door or curtain the stone floor just seamlessly grew out from the ground and up into a partition wall. He shut the lights off before returning to his inspection. He passed the conference area and the couch again. Turned briefly into the tiny kitchenette and saw the small refrigerator, oven, and stove. Upon exiting the kitchen he made an immediate left and was again at the front door. Off to the side was a door which hid a tiny half bath consisting of only a toilet and sink, for guest use. Vorden turned around and took a deep breath gazing at his first apartment. Finally. After a millennium of living a half life, he was finally starting to live.
Suddenly a loud grumble came from his abdomen. He placed his hand on his stomach. Vorden let out a little groan as he realized he hadn't eaten today. In fact, this body had never eaten. He let out a little chuckle before heading back to his kitchen. He made himself a small, quick meal, and sat on a stool at the bar to dig in.
He was looking around his place, thinking of what kind of decorations he should look into. He definitely needed to put something in there to add some color, to set the right mood, to foster recouping and restoration after a long day. The bare bones situation that it currently had going on was a little too close to clinical for his comfort.
Just then, as he was zoned out, picturing throw pillows on the couch, an area rug in front of the couch, and possibly a great shield on his wall about the conference area, he felt his wrist vibrate. He was laughing as the thought of a massive tapestry depicting The Great Hero Quinn defeating a legendary foe, hanging on the wall above his couch, if he ever woke up and came to visit.
He instantly felt a severe ache in his chest. He knew better than to kid himself. His best friend, the first real friend he had ever made, after his brothers, so very many years ago. It felt like a whole different lifetime ago. It basically was, actually for Vorden, it truly was multiple lives ago. Vorden tried not to think often about Quinn. Although it may sound harsh, and of course reminiscing about the good old days is always fun, however there weren't really too many people left alive with which to do so. Which then lead to a pain from deep within Vorden. Quinn would never see his apartment. He would most likely never even see Quinn again himself. His eyes began to grow hazy as they started started to fill with tears. A stone solid lump began to well up in his throat.
Another vibration from his wrist thankfully called his attention. He shook himself and palmed himself square in the forehead.
Why the hell do you do that to yourself you idiot!?
He asked himself, almost half expecting somebody to respond. It would take a while before he got used to being the only voice inside his head from now on. He couldn't deny it, it felt kind of lonely all alone in his mind, and without Raten loudly screaming about every person he deemed an idiot, and how many of them we should just kill already. Vorden chuckled again, pressing the button on the side of his watch. Shaking his head at himself, he figured maybe whoever was trying to reach him might be able to provide some manner of distraction.
He tapped the screen once or twice and the notification was displayed in big, bright, visible letters:
[New Message: From Shiro]
[Vorden, See me before days end, just when you have a spare min. Please and thanks.]
Hmmmmmm.
He thought. "Well... Now is as good a time as any I guess". He shrugged. "Sure as hell, I ain't getting any younger, haha". Vorden smiled at himself but when he naturally looked up and instead of an irritated groan or childlike chuckle... There was just silence. "I gotta get out of here..." He whispered once again shaking his head.
Vorden rinsed off his plate, placed it in the sink, and headed for the door. He paused at the exit and glanced back over his shoulder one more time before stepping into the hall. It left him smiling.