(A/N: Oh my god, I finally managed to write something that doesn't have Raeger in it! But it still has Mistel in it, so… I guess it'll always be one of those two.)
It was a fine morning with the sun shining over the lush green fields and the slightest of breezes to soothe a farmer's livestock; when the entirety of Oak Tree town heard a terrific screeching come from Elise's mansion.
At the time, Elise had been having a morning cup of tea. She praised her servants for a job well done, but as she set down her teacup on the table before her, one of the table's legs gave out and collapsed.
The servants tried to calm Elise down, but she was inconsolable, and furious. She turned on all her servants, snapping, "Get Gunther here at once! Don't waste a moment!"
All the servants in the room rushed out to obey, since none of them wanted to remain in the same room as Elise while she was in such a temper.
When Gunther was dragged away from his home and brought to Elise's dining room, he began inspecting the broken table unenthusiastically.
"Fix it!" Elise ordered him.
Gunther shook his head and replied, "This table's in no condition to be fixed. It's rotting away! See?" He showed Elise the broken leg, pointing out where the wood had rotted. "You need to take better care of old furniture like this. Anyway, I need to move this table out of here. Considering its state, I hope it didn't make you sick."
As Gunther heaved the ruined table out of the room, Elise turned to her servants with a glare.
"Why was nobody taking care of that table?!" Elise demanded.
"W- w- well, whenever anyone tried to, you would shout at them never to touch it," one servant answered in terror.
Elise screwed up her face in rage and then suddenly, it looked like she was about to cry.
"That table had been in my family for more than five generations," she murmured.
The servants all pitied her in that moment, but prostrated themselves when she returned to glaring at them all.
"I'll have to find a new table then. I suppose I'll have to go out of town, to who knows how many stores, just to find a good enough replacement," Elise muttered.
"Lady Elise… there is an antique shop in this town, you know," one servant piped up.
"I am aware of that, yes. But I have no doubt in my mind that in a town as small and dilapidated as this, there could be nothing worth my time there," Elise replied.
"The proprietor of the antique shop has excellent taste, Lady Elise. I… I think you would benefit from visiting him," the same servant said.
All the other servants stared at her in shock, unable to believe that she had strongly advised Elise in such a way.
"...Well, I suppose it couldn't hurt. I'll drop by and see what he has in stock. But that's all. I am absolutely certain that that antique store will be as pathetic as I expect," Elise said.
Elise barked orders at all her servants, still not having recovered from her temper tantrum, and then began writing a list of all the antique stores she could think of that were worth visiting.
After she'd finished, she double checked the list. Looking at it, she wondered how many days it would take to visit them all.
Oh well. That would all begin tomorrow.
Until then, Elise supposed she had time to take a look around the antique store of Oak Tree town.
And so she entered the store that day, instantly bored with all that she saw. Nothing stood out at all in the building that was so tiny, Elise felt like she could hardly breathe.
Mistel looked up and smiled when he heard Elise enter. Although he was surprised to see her here, he was always glad to have new customers… or, more specifically, any customers at all.
"Ah, Elise. What, may I ask, are you looking for?" Mistel asked as he watched Elise gaze over everything in the room.
"If you must know, I'm after a new dining table, but I doubt I'll find anything good here," Elise replied.
"Perhaps, but that is only because this room can only hold so much. I have a good eye and many connections. I'm sure I could help you find what you're after," Mistel said.
"Hmph. If you really want to help me, I won't stop you, but I really don't think you'll be any real use to me," Elise sighed, rolling her eyes.
"We shall see. Now, describe to me the table you want," Mistel said, ready to take down any notes he needed.
"Well, the old table was this long," Elise began. She started from the wall and measured out to a certain point of the room. "So the new one would have to be around that length."
Mistel nodded and made a note of it. "What else?" he asked next.
"I certainly want an antique. Old, but in good condition. A smooth finish, and a deep, rich colour. But it has to match the rest of my house," Elise explained. "Have you seen the interior of my house?" she asked.
"No, I don't believe I've even set foot on your property," Mistel answered.
"Oh well, it doesn't matter. I'll judge whatever you bring before me and reject it anyway, so there's no need for me to go into too much detail," Elise said.
"Don't be so sure about that," Mistel replied, going over his notes carefully.
Elise began her search of the antique stores on her list, but so far, nothing lived up to her standards.
After a few days of this, Mistel informed Elise that he'd found something for her to see.
She followed him back to his antique store, and he showed her the dining table he'd found.
Elise looked it over for a few moments, then uttered a resounding, "No!"
Mistel was surprised by Elise's quick decision. "What? Well… tell me, what's wrong with it?" Mistel asked.
"Hmmmm..." Elise looked it over for awhile longer, trying to decide exactly what it was that bothered her. "It's too short!" she decided.
"All right then. I can find something else, something better," Mistel said.
"If you really insist on helping me, I suppose I'll allow you to continue," Elise sighed.
And so, a few more days passed and Mistel had found a replacement.
When Elise saw this one, she was even quicker to say, "No!"
"What's the problem with this one?" Mistel asked.
"It's too high now!" Elise explained.
"That could be solved with a change of the dining chairs," Mistel said. Already he was thinking what he'd suggest to go with this table.
"No! I like the chair that I have! The table is what's the problem!" Elise snapped.
"Well, fine. I can just have the legs of this table shortened. Are you certain the height of this table is the only problem?" Mistel asked.
Elise looked it over quickly again, trying to find fault.
"It's too cumbersome," Elise grumbled.
"Are you sure? Well then, I'll find something else. Something perfect," Mistel said.
"You'll never find it. Stop trying," Elise said.
"I won't stop until I've found the perfect table for you!" Mistel replied.
"And I'm telling you that I'm the only one who can find the perfect table!" Elise shouted in reply.
"You just wait..." Mistel muttered.
Both of them continued searching for the perfect table.
The next one Mistel offered Elise was "too delicate." Then the one after that was "too ornate." And the next one was "too simple."
"Too extreme," "too rustic," "too this," "too that," Mistel kept on searching, but nothing was ever good enough.
And he still couldn't understand what Elise was actually after. There was just always something wrong with it.
Finally, one day, he could take it no longer.
After Elise had rejected the 20th table he'd suggested, he shouted, "What is it that you want?!"
"I..." Elise fell silent. She'd searched every antique store on her list, and found nothing at any of them that she would be willing to accept. She was beginning to doubt her own sense. "I don't know what I want!" she shouted.
"Well, neither do I," Mistel muttered. Then he walked up to Elise and said in a tone more serious than any she'd heard from him before, "But if you'll let me, I can figure it out."
"...How?" Elise asked, at last willing to listen to him.
"Let me follow you around in your day-to-day life, get to know you, see what you like and what you dislike. I'll look around your house to see the décor. Once I know you, I'll know what you want," Mistel said.
Elise pondered this arrangement, and then nodded her head in acceptance.
Over the following few days, Mistel arrived at Elise's mansion in the early morning.
At first, she was unnerved by the arrangement she had agreed to. Mistel even watched over her as she ate her breakfast.
"Are you hungry?" she asked him.
"No, I've already eaten," he always replied.
He was certainly dedicated. He followed Elise with every step she took, his eyes trained on her and every move she made.
"...I'm starting to think this was a bad idea," Elise murmured at one point.
"Well, it's too late now. You've already agreed to it. And I will never rest until I figure you out," Mistel said. He was staring into Elise's eyes as he spoke, which terrified her even more. "I haven't been able to sleep in days because I keep on trying to imagine the perfect dining table for you!" he added, with even more intensity.
"I… I didn't know this bothered you so much," Elise murmured.
"Well, it does. Now, continue with what you were doing," Mistel said, returning to watching her.
Elise nervously continued with her day.
However, even though she started off terrified by Mistel's eternal presence, she grew accustomed to it over time. She slowly even came to enjoy his company.
They spoke throughout the course of the day, on unexpected occasions, in a way that made Elise realise she never really had anyone to enjoy a day with.
Mistel would eventually leave her in the evening, but he always returned the next morning.
Until, one day, he did not.
Elise was disappointed when he didn't arrive.
It was on that day that Mistel went by the carpentry shop, in search of Gunther.
"I figured it out! I know exactly what kind of table Elise is after!" Mistel declared. "And I want you to make it," he said to Gunther.
"Sure. Just tell me what you want it to be like," Gunther replied.
Mistel began his explanation and after he had finished, Gunther nodded his head and set to work.
It took a week for Gunther to complete the table, because Mistel was never satisfied. It had to be constantly refined, time after time, day after day, before Mistel finally accepted it.
Then he had it delivered to Elise's mansion by her very own servants.
When Elise heard that Mistel had arrived, she raced down the stairs, excitedly.
"I found the perfect table!" Mistel explained.
"Oh. Oh, you did? That's… that's good!" Elise replied.
"Bring it inside!" Mistel called to the servants, who then obeyed.
Elise was shocked. She inspected the table for a whole minute, and then said, "...It's perfect."
After realising what she had said, she looked at the table again. "It's… exactly the same as my old table," she said.
"Yes, it is," Mistel replied.
"How did you find something so close to the original?" Elise asked.
"I didn't find it. I had Gunther make it," Mistel answered.
"So, it's brand new? That means… it's not an antique," Elise said.
"I said I would find you the perfect table for you, and that's what I did," Mistel said.
Elise couldn't help but smile.
"Well now, I guess my work here is done!" Mistel said, turning to leave.
"Hold on a moment!" Elise snapped. Mistel stopped, turning back to look at her. "It was fun… spending time with you. So we don't have to… ignore each other again," she said.
"...I'll see you tomorrow," Mistel said, and left.
Elise smiled again. Her servants watched her, trying their best not to say, "Awwww..."
Elise whirled around and glared at them. "What are you still standing there for?! Get that table upstairs, right now! You useless..."
And she continued to berate her servants as they ran upstairs, carrying the table with them.