-||Truth Behind the Mask||-

[Rosalind Bloom]

Haven decided that if he was going to act like a jerk, she'd return the attitude. She crossed her arms and looked at him with a nonchalant expression. "Oh? If its the story about how you became cursed then I know." She said. "Don't imply that its not simple when it really is." She said. "I may not know everything about you or the story but I can tell you that its easy to overcome anger no matter what its from." She said, her expression now a glare.

She had never been so mad in her entire life, she closed her eyes for a brief moment then took a deep breath, calming herself once more. "See? I'm calm again." She said, smiling faintly.  

[- symphonic disaster -]

He turned after this, annoyed by how she made it look simple when she knew that she was still angry. He bolted, running as fast as he could, skidding around corners and trying to clear his head. He hated it when people challenged him. He'd tried that technique with Juliette but it hadn't worked, he'd just gotten more frustrated.

The pain from losing his mother had spurred most of the anger and it was difficult to suppress this. He tried over and over again to forgive the killer but each time the anger grew. It had gotten so bad that he couldn't even live without wanting to tear apart the person who'd killed his mother.  

[Rosalind Bloom]

Haven watched him bolt away and let a small triumphant smirk pass her lips. She wasn't frustrated anymore really, she was actually calm again. She then started to head back to the room that was now hers and once there, she closed the door and lay down on the bed.

She could see how hurt he was, it shone brightly in his icy eyes. She only wished there was some way she could help him. He needed to learn to manage his anger, that was for sure. She also couldn't help but wonder what he looked like when he wasn't in wolf form. Was he actually handsome like he said he was? That was another thing he needed to work on as well, not being so full of himself.  

[- symphonic disaster -]

When Alex was alone again he went into his chamber. He was thinking about what she had said and he looked up at the grand piano that was sitting on one side of the room. He adored the thing and had wanted to play it for a while, listen to the mixture of chords as his fingers slid gracefully across the keys. He smirked slightly and hopped up on the bench. He studied the keys and the pages that were resting on the stand.

He started to bark the tune of the song, a little off key but happy nonetheless. The sound echoed through the castle and Juliette smiled for a moment. He had frequently done this but it hadn't happened recently. She guess that it was Haven, this new girl, that had somehow encourage him to do this without realizing it.  

[Rosalind Bloom]

Haven could hear the barking echoing through the halls and smiled faintly. She continued to lay there staring up at the ceiling though. She really was confused. She wanted to stay there but another part of her wanted to be at home. She wasn't going to be allowed to leave anways but she wanted to stay for him. She had a feeling she could really help him and wanted to do all she could to do so.

On the other hand, she really needed to go home. Her mother was always sickly and had been when she left. She feared that if she ever did get to leave, her mother would be dead already.  

[- symphonic disaster -]

The barking slowly came to a halt as Alex felt completely calm. He started to play after that, studying the notes in front of him. It seemed almost silent except for the faint trickle of notes that made their way down the halls. He was thinking of his mother and how she'd used to play the piano like this, the good times when he'd been younger and less full of himself.

His blond hair was messy but he ignored it, focusing on his task. Juliette had come to the hall to listen. It was a pleasure of hers to listen to him play since it was incredibly rare now days. She'd watched him grow up and learn to play the piano like any other child, messing up as he went along but eventually succeeding.  

[Rosalind Bloom]

Haven sat up as she heard the piano. The sound showing that he must be calm and no longer in wolf form. She started to follow the music and ended up next to Juliette. She kept quiet though because she didn't want to make Alexander mad again.

She smiled faintly as she listened to him play. It was extremely beautiful, she had to admit. She continued to stand their silentely and listen to his playing.  

[- symphonic disaster -]

Alex stopped when he heard his stomach growl. He started to walk to the door intending to go to the kitchen. When he came face to face with Juliette and Haven though he looked embarrassed. On top of that he angry for Juliette letting Haven listen. He slammed the door shut and immediately changed back into his wolf form. He was hungry though and didn't feel like staying in here all day. He would have to leave at some point.  

[Rosalind Bloom]

Haven blinked a little when she saw him and when he slammed the door she rolled her eyes. He really was handsome, she had to admit. REALLY handsome but of course she wouldn't go telling him. That'd just add to his already big ego. She turned to look at Juliette then sighed a little.  

[- symphonic disaster -]

"My guess is that he's hungry," Juliette responded. "It's one of the only reason he'll stop playing the piano. Would you like to help me get him some food. He's really not pick at all. He does prefer fish though for some reason." Juliette almost seemed to be talking to herself as she remembered the times before the curse, when he was happy at least some of the time and had played the piano a lot more.

Alex was pacing inside the room, whimpering whenever his stomach growled. He didn't eat frequently enough as of recently because of the heightening agitation. Haven seemed to calm him down slightly, though of course he would never admit this. He admired her more than he wanted to and resisted this by forcing himself to feel angry.  

[Rosalind Bloom]

Haven smiled warmly at Juliette and nodded. "Of course." She said. She of course didn't know where to go so she waited there for her to lead the way. She wouldn't show it, but she was still in awe about good looking he was. She was more determined than ever to help him now and not just for her benefit. He deserved to be happy and he sounded as if he liked to play the piano a lot. He couldn't do that if he was a wolf all the time.  

[- symphonic disaster -]

"All right then," Juliette said. "Follow me this way. I am just wondering, why exactly were you running away again? It does not seem right that a girl your age would be so unhappy at home." She hadn't gotten all the details quite yet because she'd been distracted so she wanted to know. Juliette had a gut feeling that Haven would be able to change him more than he realized.

She'd seen him, he was so angry at her. He hated it when people looked at him. He could be self-centered at times but he was ashamed of himself and almost preferred people to see him in his wolf form. He growled lightly before plopping himself down on the ground. He couldn't open the door now that it was shut. It didn't swing outward but rather in towards the room. Juliette would know to open the door eventually, he trusted her to do that.  

[Rosalind Bloom]

Haven smiled and started to follow her. Her smile then vanished at her question and she sighed. "Well, there is this man named Henry. He's obssessed with me and wouldn't leave me alone. He has asked me to marry him numerous times and I always say no. He then started to threaten to harm those I care about if I didn't but I said no still, not thinking he would actually do it. Then my mother started to get sick, I thought nothing of it at first but found out he gave her some kind of poison to make her sick all the time now and its only a matter of time before she dies. As to why I was running, I really didn't want to leave my dying mother but I was scared that he was going to kill me. He told me 'if I can't have you, no one can'. So he brought men and I at first assumed it was to help drag me off but then I got to thinking that he actually meant to kill me." She explained then took a deep breath after talking for so long.

"That's why." She said with a sigh.  

[- symphonic disaster -]

"Well miss," Juliette said with a smile. "If it makes you feel any better you're pretty safe here. If anyone came here I'm sure they'd either turn around or Alex would chase them off. He's learned to howl in a certain way and attract all sorts of predators around the area that you wouldn't really want to face without a full suit of armor and many weapons."

They reached the kitchen by the time she had finished explaining this. They had ways of preserving the food for a long enough time by using the cold stones that were in this area. She pulled out some food and put it on a plate. She wasn't entirely sure what he wanted to eat at the moment.

Alex was laying still, his head resting on his forepaws. He was wondering at the moment why Haven had been running and began for a moment to care about what exactly was going on in her life. She was considering sending some of the maids to fetch her mother so that they could tend for her and make her better but wasn't sure if it was the best idea.  

[Rosalind Bloom]

Haven smiled and said, "Thank you." She then walked into the kitchen with her and said, "You really care for him, don't you?" She knew she had said that she had raised him but that didn't mean she had to care for him as much as she did. She looked around for a bit then back to the food. An idea then came to mind and she said, "I'll take it to him, if you want."