After a few more minutes of friendly chatter, Mikey returned upstairs to check on his brother. Alone once again with Sir Joseph, Doctor Dun felt he finally had a chance to ask some pressing questions.

"Sir Joseph?" He asked cautiously, the requested man's eyelids opening, they had seemed to shut of their own accord during the conversation. "If you don't mind my asking, who are those two?"

Sir Joseph chuckled, sitting back up straighter. "They're old family friends, the Way brothers. The older one is Gerard, the younger Mikey. We've known each other since we were boys, I have many fond memories of them. They're some of my closest friends." He explained, a dreamy smile crossing his face.

"It seems as if you like them very much." He replied, hoping he would continue. Sir Joseph was an interesting case, and my, what Joshua wouldn't pay to learn as much about him as he could.

"Oh, yes, it's hard not to when you've known someone for that long. We were inseparable as children, Mikey in particular, always trailing after his big brother. It's a shame, really. He barely knows who he is as an individual, though I've been trying to help him for several years." He admitted. It was clear he pitied the man, though he wasn't quite sure how to go about offering his help. "Wait a second, you're a doctor, aren't you?" His eyes lit up.

Joshua smiled, nodding his head. "I am indeed."

"Would you be so kind as to take a look at him, see if you can fix him? I'm severely worried about him, these outbursts have been happening more and more frequently. I'm afraid he's going to go mad!"

"I-I'm not really that kind of doctor-"

"Nonsense! I saw how you looked at those two; quizzical, scrutinizing, calculating. I'm probably telling you things you already know-"

"Sir Joseph, please! Yes, I shall talk to him, but I make no promises. Now please, tell me more about your time with the Ways, I'm incredibly interested with how a man like you and a place like this came to be."

Sir Joseph shrugged. "Well, this house has been in my family for centuries. Though it's been fixed up, over the years, of course." He chuckled, before continuing:  "We're very old, and very powerful." He said these things as if they meant nothing, which to a man such as Sir Joseph, their novelty may have worn off by now. "But really, the house has only been made this... unique since the Ways entered the picture. Well, not these two, of course." He chuckled. "No, no, they're powers have been watered down over the centuries. No, I'm talking about when the Ways and Joseph's first met. Back then, people such as us had much greater abilities. I'm ashamed to admit that by now, we are only shells of our families former glories..."

Joshua was beginning to get impatient. He wanted to know more about Sir Joseph's personal life, not how old the Manor was. He cleared his throat, cutting off Sir Joseph's speech. "Sir, would you care to share any more... specifics? Or perhaps, what your childhood was like?"

Sir Joseph paused for a moment, thinking it over. "Well, my childhood was fairly plain, when you think about it. I had a nanny that practically raised me..." he sighed. "Ah, good old Mrs. McGullivan, 'twas a shame when she passed... but of course, neither her nor the various tutors could teach me everything. Those lessons were the ones my parents had to share with me, really the only time we spent together, when you think about it..."

"And what lessons are those, Sir?"

He continued on as if he hadn't heard him speak. "And of course, I spent many long hours exploring the hills..." he pressed on wistfully.

——

Sir Joseph continued to deflect questions, avoiding them with the skillful art of vague  and long-winded answers. "Come now, you can't find me that interesting. And anyways, I still feel as though we haven't properly welcomed you. If you wait a moment, I'll call Brendon down to give you a tour of the Midway. Hopefully you'll be able to meet some of our more long-term guests."

"Sir, that really isn't nece-"

"Oh, nonsense." A brief pause. "Brendon?!"

"Coming, Sir!" The man rushed into the room, though it had taken him so little time Joshua could have guessed he was waiting right outside the door.  "How may I be of assistance, Master Joseph?"

"Oh Brendon, would you be a dear and give Joshy here a tour of the manor?"

——

Doctor Dun followed Brendon out into the grand hall, but instead of going perhaps to the kitchen or library or really anywhere  on the first floor, their first stop seemed to be up the stairs somewhere.

As they climbed the staircase, Joshua's hand trailing on the smooth, cool banister, his footsteps on the hardwood stairs echoing off the silence, a man came barreling down the stairs past them. He was dressed in a white shirt and slacks, the white hat on his head bearing a logo unreadable as he rushed past. His shiny black shoes squeaked on the lacquered wood, his black bow tie standing out against his bright uniform. "Miiiiiillkk!" He cried frantically in an extremely high voice as he streamed past. Joshua blinked, his brain not comprehending what it was just exposed to. He whipped his head around, but in the split second the entire event took to occur, the man had disappeared. Everything returned to silence.

~~~

Brendon lead him to the end of the hall, where light was streaming in under the door of one of the rooms.
  
"This is one of our long-term guests." Brendon explained, opening the door. "Her name is Z, and trust me, she's lovely." He smiled as they walked into the bedroom.
  
Joshua first looked to the bed, expecting someone to be perhaps sitting and reading on it, but this was not the case. In fact, it seemed as though the entire bedroom was empty.
  
Joshua turned about when he heard a chuckle from behind him, seeing Brendon leaning against a doorway on the right wall of the room. "Oh no, you won't find her in here." He continued to laugh quietly to himself as he opened the door, pushing it open and striding right in.
  
Doctor Dun hastily followed, if not only for the fear of being left behind. The room he entered seemed to be a bathroom, with quite a lot of white tile and a grand marble countertop. However, what was taking up most of the room was the most luxurious bathtub Joshua had ever seen, a beautiful sheen from it just being polished sat atop four squat, claw-footed legs. And in the bath was a woman, who- Joshua quickly averted his eyes, a deep crimson taking over his face. Why? Because, well, let's just say it's a good thing it was a bubble bath.

The woman giggled, "Oh, c'mon darling, I've got nothing to hide!" She splashed playfully at Brendon, little droplets of water landing on the cuff of his sleeve and up his arm. He looked annoyed, but didn't say anything.

Joshua looked up, staring at a spot just above the woman's head. She harrumphed, obviously upset he refused to make eye contact with her, but spoke no more of the matter. Instead, she introduced herself. "Well, anyways, I'm Z." She smiled, fluttering her lashes. "It's a pleasure to meet you..." She looked at him, a questioning tone in her voice, waiting for him to tell her his name.

"Dun." He cleared his throat. "Doctor Joshua Dun."

"Joshy." Brendon snickered under his breath. Joshy shot him a look, not pleased with his comment.

"Well, Joshy, I'm so glad someone's come to visit me." She told him, glaring at Brendon, though the smile working it's way back onto her lips gave away that she wasn't serious. "Usually, I get Brendon here to wheel me up to the pool, but I just get so lonely here, confined to the water.

Joshy's eyes snapped back up, as they had been lazily making their way down again towards his shoes, but Z's last comment confused him. "Confined to the water? Why?" He asked, puzzled.

"Why, I'm a mermaid, dear!" She laughed, bringing her glittering tail up, out of the water and resting it on the side of the tub, little streams of water rolling off it and onto the floor. Joshua, although stunned, was thoroughly mesmerized by her tail- it was a beautiful mix of purple and green scales, giving it an almost iridescent effect. It glittered in the light, as if the water droplets on it were truly miniature diamonds.

He nodded, his face going a very bright red. He gulped, before promptly falling to the floor in shock in an almost comical faint.

//Happy Weedmas y'all//

Published April 20, 2019