Chapter 67: Alright, I got this
The Director had at first, given Cass a rather strange look at his confident words. But he was proven that his mentality was correct when it came time for the kids to grab their candy.
Sam had managed them perfectly, even in conjunction with Lady Ava. The kids were well-behaved, and Cass felt a little bit bitter that they were treating Lady Ava so well, but hadn’t treated Cass the same way.
Was it the saintess effect? She did practically have a halo around her head in this outfit.
Scratch that. She pretty much always had a halo over her head. A holier than thou attitude that thankfully, she hadn’t succumbed completely to. Cass would hate to admit it, but Lady Fiona and Vespertine probably played a large role in that.
Those two had been pretty defensive of Lady Ava in the book, and in the interactions he had seen of them, with and without Lord Blackburn’s memories. He remembered how they had reacted when he’d told Sam after he’d just woken up to get her a chair. They had been ready to bite his head off.
The whole group had been, actually. That left a sour taste in his mouth.
As much as Lord Blackburn didn’t like her, that didn’t give them any right to react like that. Especially with him injured. They had treated him like a problem from the get go.
Either way, Cass was still a little pissed that she had such an easy time considering how he had been suffering before she arrived. That and no one had helped him, and just watched him suffer. Sir Forsythe was going to get a long talking to about this behaviour.
Especially after him getting a talking to from Draken. Probably didn’t fucking help that Draken had also not been helping. With Sir Sanders, it made sense because he didn’t seem to like Cass on principle. Cass understood.
He was Lord Blackburn. He was walking around in his body, and Lord Blackburn, while he had a rough childhood, never let that shit on. Lord Blackburn had kept everything awful that had happened to him close to his chest, until he had exploded and became a villain.
Sir Sanders would never know the level of pain and fear that Lord Blackburn had gone through. Cass barely knew, since the man was keeping those memories from him. He would have to ask more people, others like Sir Forsythe he felt bad for him for more information. Maybe Lord Blackburn had a Nanny or some shit that he could hunt down and get more memories from.
With that being said, Cass would have to put those memories behind him. He was going to have to focus on the kids, especially since Lady Ava was approaching with a wide smile, Sam looked absolutely foul faced. The kids had a smattering of toys tucked under their arms. Soft teddies, hard wooden toys, other things that seemed appropriate for the time, but Cass had never seen before.
His orphanage hadn’t had a rich sponsor helping them.
Cass felt a tingling sense in his chest, and absently, he brushed it off.
"Alright, who’s ready for some sweets?" Cass asked, and a loud cheer went up from the kids. Cass turned, his heart pumping in his chest. "How much are they allowed today?" He asked the director and she chuckled.
"They’ve had a rough day. Hmm...five pieces?" She said and a louder cheer went up from the kids. Ser Hune looked over from where she was working and Cass could tell she was smiling in the distance before she turned back to her work.
Lady Ava giggled, covering her mouth as she jumped in to help them with the kids.
Cass was meticulous. He helped each kid make their choices, letting them take their time and change their mind. It took a lot of time, but Cass wanted to make sure that the kids got exactly what they wanted. He had experienced adults trying to rush his decisions before, and he’d be damned if any iteration of himself was the same.
He could feel the others looking at him, especially as they rushed through helping their kids. Cass had a line in front of him, the kids nervous and twitching as they waited patiently, but Cass found that the kids would wait for him specifically. He could feel the full weight of Draken’s gaze as he emerged from the main building with the other knights, and saw that Draken went to speak to Lady Ava from the corner of his eyes.
Cass ignored him, and ignored the way that made him feel as well. Draken wasn’t any of his damn concern. Instead, he focused on the kids, and on how Sir Forsythe and Sir Sanders moved towards the outdoor play area, surveying the damage that the dire wolf had done back there.
It took a while, but eventually, all the kids had what they wanted. Well, all kids except the boy that Cass had rescued.
That little boy Cass had noticed had hung back. He didn’t have a toy in his hands, didn’t have any candy, and in fact, looked quite stricken. Cass didn’t like that in the slightest, and leaving Sam with Lady Ava again, he went off towards the kid.
He was standing near the front doors, almost as if he was punishing himself. He was shifting from foot to foot, his expression dark and he glanced up at Cass as he approached. He looked mortified, and his eyes had red circles around them.
Cass wasn’t sure what to do, but he knew the kid needed...something, and the Director seemed busy. He also felt slightly obligated. He’d made sure this kid hadn’t died. The least he could do was make sure that he wasn’t traumatized from the experience for life.
"Hey." Cass greeted, coming to a stop before the kid. He glanced up at Cass, before dropping his gaze to the ground.
"Hello." His voice was soft, and it was clear the kid had been crying. If Cass had as bad of eyesight as he’d had before, he would have been able to tell from that alone.
"I hear your name is Tyler. Is that correct?" Cass asked and he nodded. "Well, Tyler, why didn’t you get any toys or candy?" He asked and Tyler’s face scrunched up.
"I don’t know." He said Cass sighed heavily. Already lying easily. That was a terrible thing for someone so young. Yes, Cass had been like that, but he was here now. The kid wasn’t going to have the same childhood that he was going to have, not if he could help it.
"You don’t know, huh?" Cass repeated. "Well, that’s okay. Are you feeling alright? Did it hurt you?" Cass asked and he shook his head, sniffing.
"N-No. I’m okay." He said, his voice small. Cass stared down at him, before he nodded, turned, and went back quickly towards the candy. He grabbed a few of his favourite things, before rushing back to him.
Tyler hadn’t expected him to come back, and stared up at him with big, wide eyes.
"Well, I’m not doing okay, but I can’t eat too much sugar. Would you help me by splitting this with me?" Cass asked, and watched as Tyler’s eyes flickered. He looked human, but something told Cass that he wasn’t quite that, especially when he eye flickered from grey to red and back again.
"You want to share with me?" Tyler asked and Cass nodded.
"Yeah. I really like these candies, but it’s just too much for me. Will you help me? Because I thought that was pretty scary." See? Cass could be gentle when he wanted to. He was doing a great job. He could work with kids.
Tyler sniffed, before he nodded and Cass grinned.
"Perfect. Here, let me give you a few pieces." Cass didn’t get the same feeling that he had gotten from the food he’d eaten before when it was bad for him, so with a careful glance around to make sure Sam wasn’t watching, Cass plopped a candy into his mouth. Tyler glanced around too, confusion on his face, before he did the same.
"Why are we looking around?" Tyler asked around the soft candy in his mouth and Cass chuckled.
"I have a really strict diet. I can’t eat a lot of things, but a little bit of sugar never hurts, hmm?" Cass whispered to the boy and watched as Tyler nodded, his expression softening. "Is the candy good?" He asked and he nodded again. Tyler smacked his lips, making loud noises as he tried to speak.
"It’s really good. I’ve never had this before."
"Really? Well, why don’t you come over with me and I can talk you through the candies. The director said you could have five pieces, but we won’t count what you’re sharing with me. I gave it to you, and you’re helping me out." Cass told him with a smile and a wink. Tyler flushed, some life coming back to his eyes.
"O-Okay." He said and Cass glanced as Tyler held out his hand. Hesitatingly, Cass grabbed his hand and the two headed off towards the candy selection. He ignored how everyone was looking at him. They could jump off a cliff for all he cared.