“Look at this, Benji!” Nathan pointed with his little hand and exclaimed with his signature dolphin voice. “There are so many children’s faces carved on the pillar!”
“Yes, it is,” replied Benji, chuckling at Nathan’s excitement. He looked around him with wondering eyes. “All the pillars in this mansion have weird and creepy carvings.”

“Creepy?” asked Nathan in surprise. “How creepy? They all are kids.”
“Yes. They are kids. . .” replied Benji while looking around. He touched one of the carving faces of the children and said “. . . but all the kids had scared expressions on their faces. Like they are worried and afraid of something. . .”
“Oh. I never think like that. Eu kyang kyang. . .” Nathan laughed and glanced at Benji. “I think the owner of this place really likes kids, don’t you think so? That’s why there’s so many kids' faces carved on the walls and pillars.”
“Hmm . . . yeah,” Benji frowned at Nathan suspiciously. He disagrees but was trying to think on the bright side. “Maybe they are all the owner’s children. . .” said Benji with a smile.
“. . . or victim,” added a firm voice.
“What?!” Benji and Nathan almost shouted while turning around to face the voice’s owner.
“I apologize. Did I disturb anything?” asked the voice’s owner – Dominique. There was no remorse in his voice.
“Oh! It’s Dominique!” exclaimed Nathan. “Hi!”
“Hi. . .” replied Dominique. The awkward quiet fell between three of them as they looked at each other.
Nathan finally broke the awkward silence and said, “I thought you already went home.”
Dominique glanced up at Nathan with a mischievous smile. He said nothing, and his stoic features gave no suggestion of what was on his mind.
“I haven't seen you since you showed me my room. I want to thank you for giving me a big nice room,” said Nathan when Dominique did not respond to him. “Thank you very much!”
“This is my home. I live here,” replied Dominique. Then he mumbled something in a very low tone. “This mansion was my home for decade upon decade, and a small world unto itself. . .” He glanced at the two frown men in front of him, whose frown seemed permanent. Then, he added, “And you are welcome. I’m glad you like it.”
“Eu kyang kyang. . .” laughed Nathan while Benji just stayed quiet and stared at Dominique.
“Before I forgot, I came to inform both of you that dinner is ready,” muttered Dominique in response. “Please follow me to the dining hall. The other two will join us shortly.”
“Other two?” asked Benji, shocked. The one who was not here must be Allen but he did not remember there was another person. “One is Allen and there’s another person?” he asked.
Nathan answered promptly, “Must be Sean.”
“No. He won’t be joining us,” Dominique snapped, meeting Nathan’s gaze. “There’s another visitor. He arrived this morning before three of you. He will join us in the dining hall together with Allen. Shall we go now?”
“Aaa. . . yes. Please,” Benji murmured.
While following Dominique to the dining hall, Banji and Nathan still took their time to admire the surroundings. They had stopped walking a few times and made a louder noise than they realized which irritated Dominique more because he also had to stop and waited for them to catch up.
“Yeah. Look! Look at this one too. This looks creepier, don’t you think so? Eu kyang kyang,” squeaked Nathan while looking at another pillar in the hallway.
“It looks creepy but why do you laugh happily?” asked Benji. He smiled up at Nathan sweetly. A tiny dimple playing at the corner of his mouth.
“Well, I don’t know.” He looked it over and commented on the sturdy quality and length of the carved pillar. “This is my first time to see all this unique carving,” said Nathan, blushing as Benji kept staring at his face. “So, I guess I'm just happy to see the new thing. More importantly, I got to it and shared it with someone who is you. So, thank you.”
“Oh. You are welcome,” Benji responded. He mumbled something inaudible, unable to meet Nathan's eyes. Somehow he felt very happy and warm in his heart when he heard that from Nathan. It had been a long time since the last time he felt like this. Maybe going to this place was not bad at all. He should thank Mike after he went back later.
Dominique gave a few throat clearing noises to grab Benji and Nathan's attention. They took it as a sign for them to get going. They giggled at each other and followed Dominique to the dining hall.