A raven haired boy of about sixteen or seventeen languidly laid in a spread eagle position on the grass carpeting the lawn of a slightly worn down mansion which somewhat resembled those made during the Victorian era in England. His dark brown pupils gazed emptily upon the blue expanse above, which was sparsely peppered with small patches of drifting clouds.
A sigh escaped his lips. In fact, he's been doing that quite a lot lately.
"Keith! Just how long are you planning to laze about, idiot?! We're already pressed for time. There are only three days left till the end of the Gate survey. We need to make sure we produce results this time, or it's all over for the Simmons House! Get your sorry ass up here and help with the preparations already!"
A teenage redhead with an explosive temper flung the door of the mansion open and fiercely nagged at the boy. She was wearing faded work overalls which didn't serve to mask her cuteness in the slightest.
Yep. She was cute, alright. Her silky smooth, waist length, flame red hair dazzled the eyes under the morning sun. Her emerald pupils shone like precious jewels, framed by delicate lashes. Her skin was milky white and seemed soft to the touch. Her pouting lips were glossy pink. And her figure, while still a bit underdeveloped, was definitely top notch for her age, which was roughly the same with the boy.
"I wish she would stop being such a tomboy though. Guess that's part of her charm too huh? But still, I'm fine with tsunderes and all, but I hope she would be more 'dere' rather than mostly 'tsun'," the boy silently mused.
"You're thinking about some stupid stuff again, aren't you?" the young girl hissed.
"No I wasn't. I'll be right up Annie. You know my head's been feeling really funny recently. I was just taking a quick break. I swear!"
The boy vehemently denied the accusation and sat up in haste.
"Hmph. If you weren't the only qualified Seeker we have right now, I would've fired you already for slacking off," the young girl named Annie spat threateningly.
"Alright. I get it. I'm coming in, okay," the boy named Keith relented. He lightly dusted himself and went inside the mansion together with Annie.
"Oh, right. You can't actually fire me Ann. I mean, I'm still technically the young heir to the Simmons House, even if it's already in this sorry state now. I'm actually the one who gets to do any firing. If there's anyone else left to fire anyway," Keith quipped while smiling wryly as he trailed behind Annie.
"Hah! You wish. There's no one else more deserving of being sacked in this mansion other than you, idiot! You're just lucky because you're the sole male heir left. Otherwise, you would've been driven off to manage some small piece of land within the territory. So get your act together and shape up already," Annie harshly shot back, making Keith flinch a little due to her unmasked contempt.
"Ouch. Why are you so hard on me anyway? I've already apologized for walking in on you while you were bathing, right?," Keith inquired in a grieving tone. Annie abruptly stopped her steps, turned around to face him with narrowed eyes and formed her lips into a derisive smirk.
"Oh, I'm not really hung up on that matter anymore 'young master'," she began. "I mean, I've gotten used to your chronic peeping tendencies already; along with the constant sexual harassment. It's honestly not anything worth brooding about at this point," she finished icily. She then turned back in a huff and resumed walking. Keith scrambled to catch up.
He could only inwardly sigh regarding her less than friendly attitude towards him. It's more or less justified anyway, so he couldn't really argue back. He truly was a major perverted asshat back then. He tried changing her impression of him lately, but the results left a lot to be desired. Old habits die hard, apparently - even if those habits weren't technically his.
"I'm sorry, Ann. I really am," Keith helplessly muttered. Annie let out a soft sigh in response.
"At least you're properly reflecting now. That's a huge improvement from how you were when Lord Rhames and Young Master Clifford were still present. All gramps and I want is for you to not shame the Simmons House."
"We of the Lennox clan have been serving your family since the Simmons clan was promoted to a noble house and awarded with the Auldbaum region as its territory. We take great pride in that fact. We hope you finally understand just how heavy the responsibilities which have been placed on your shoulders actually are. We'll continue to support you regardless though. It's our creed. Our bond," Annie lectured at length.
Keith remained silent for a time. Only the sound of footsteps echoed throughout the halls of the mansion.
"Thanks Ann. For sticking around. Gramps too. I won't disappoint you guys anymore. I swear upon the pride of the Simmons House," Keith finally spoke and resolutely declared.
"Sure took you a while, dummy...," Annie whispered softly.
The two of them continued heading deeper into the mansion in silence.
Yet the atmosphere between them became a lot more relaxed compared to before.
