29 Days Left…
"Great. Just my luck." Mai said bitterly.
Mai wasn't sure exactly how'd she done it – that was probably part of the problem – but now she was lost.
She'd bathed again this morning and Luella had been kind enough to lend her one of her old dresses which fit well enough, but now she was wandering endlessly down hallway after hallway after hallway, wondering just how big this place was. She'd never had this problem back at home.
"You're lost." A voice she recognised stated. She whipped around, only to see Eugene leaning casually against a doorframe.
"Yes. Could you help me please Sir?"
"You're wanted downstairs." He continued.
"Mr Eugene Davies, please could you help me find my way?"
He frowned slightly at the word 'Eugene', and opened his mouth as if he was going to say something, but thought better of it and shut it again.
"If you really are going to be staying here, you should find your own way around." He said simply. Mai started to lose her patience at his rude and unhelpful manner.
"But I'll never find my own way around! I don't know where everything is!" She protested.
"There's always time to learn." He stayed infuriatingly calm.
"Not now! And I don't want to try every single room until I find the Queen."
"You won't have to, presuming you start at the top and work your way down to the bottom."
"But Sir, I don't have time to search every single room." Mai made an effort to mirror is calmness.
"That is none of my concern."
She glared at him; but he didn't seem to be affected by it at all.
"Pleeaassseeee." She tried her cutest eyes.
"No, I'm busy."
She frowned and pouted.
"It won't take 5 minutes…" She pleaded.
He waved his hand irritatedly. "Don't you have someone else to annoy?"
"I can't find anyone else to annoy!" She protested hotly.
"That is also none of my concern."
Suddenly Mai had a thought. "Sir, how are you busy? You are leaning against a door frame. Not to mention you must have been watching me for some time to work out I was lost."
"Not really. It doesn't take a genius to work it out. You're new to this place and my mother isn't fussing over you. Not to mention you were looking around like you didn't know where you are."
Mai snorted. "Please help."
"I told you, I'm busy. And once this conversation is over, which will hopefully be sooner rather than later, I will simply continue on my way."
"What are you so busy with?"
"Work, of course. Some people do work, you know."
"I am aware people work"
"Really? I really doubt you have a brain." She bristled at the insult, and searched for one of her own.
"If you don't help me, when I find your mother I'll complain to her about your behaviour." Okay, it wasn't the best insult, but she hoped it would do the trick. His lips twitched into a smirk.
"Is that the best you can come up with?" He shrugged. "You are perfectly welcome to tell my mother that my behaviour isn't acceptable."
Hey, I don't want to get a bad reputation!
You don't need my help for that.
"I will." Mai said uncertainly. He looked like he was laughing at her, though his expression hadn't changed one iota.
"Be on your way then. Goodbye."
He turned and walked off down the corridor. She stared after for him for a few moments, then started following him.
He walked down several corridors and a flight of stairs. She rounded a corner, and he was standing by a set of double doors.
"You're wanted in there." He said, and then turned and walked away.
"I would say thank you, if you hadn't been so rude." She called, but he made no sign that he'd heard her, and then he was gone from sight, having turned round a corner. She sighed and opened the doors.
Luella Davies looked up. "Ah! Miss Mai, there you are! We were worried you'd gotten lost. I forget that it's not so easy for guests to find their way around at first." She patted the space next to her on the sofa. Mai obediently sat down. On Luella's other side was a pleasant looking woman with pink hair, and next to her a girl Mai's age with black hair in a bob. She wore a bored yet polite look, and examined the painting on the wall opposite as though her life depended on it.
"Good morning. I'm Madoka Mori. It's so nice to meet you, Miss Taniyama" She stood up and held out a hand. Mai looked at it, uncertain what to do. In her kingdom people greeted each other with bows.
"You shake the hand." The bored looking girl said quietly. She was watching Mai with a guarded expression.
"Like so!" Madoka grabbed her hand and shook it enthusiastically.
"And let me introduse Masako Hara." Luella gestured to the girl, who inclined her head. Mai very slightly bowed. Mai had been so confused yesterday she hadn't noticed the appearance of the people. Miss Hara reminded her of it, by being the only person with the pale skin, narrow, dark eyes and dark hair characteristic of her homeland. The people here had wide eyes and fair hair. She realised just how far away the witch must have sent her.
"Excuse me Miss Mori, but is that your natural hair colour?" She was reminded of Lady Matsuzaki's flaming hair that could hardly have been natural.
"Oh yes!" Clearly they expected something else, because they were still looking at her. Mai thought for a moment, wondering what exactly the social rules for this country were.
"How do you know each other?" She tried. Instantly Luella Davies and Miss Mori smiled, though Miss Hara just turned back to the painting.
"Madoka and I have been friends since childhood, and Masako (Mai noticed Miss Hara's pale cheeks colour slightly at the use of her Christian name) is a guest here from another kingdom. She arrived two days ago, so she's new here, just like you!" Luella explained gaily. Expertly she and Madoka steered the conversation from one topic to the next with a speed that left Mai with a headache. Like Miss Hara she found herself staring out the window, where a cool breeze floated indoors and played with the curtains.
Until suddenly something toppled from one of the upstairs windows. Mai stared. Hadn't that been a book….?
"What is it Miss Mai?" Miss Mori asked.
"I thought a book just fell past the window."
"They're arguing again!" Luella Davies cried, her brows coming together in a deep frown.
"Sorry, who are?" Mai asked, mesmerised as she watched the same book now gliding gently upwards.
"Gene and Noll." Luella Davies said with a hint of despair.
"Don't worry Miss Mai, you'll get used to it soon." Miss Mori patted her knee. This was confirmed seeing as Miss Hara was giving the book no particular attention.
"Gene and …?" Mai asked, not completely paying attention.
"Noll. My other son."
"It's short for Oliver." Miss Mori informed helpfully.
Mai made her way to the window and looked up. There, in the window above her, Gene was leaning out, struggling with the book, which seemed determined to get back into the room. He spotted her and grinned and winked. Mai stared. First he had been normal, then he had been rude and cold this morning, and now he was winking at her? She blinked in confusion.
"Gene! Go back inside! No one will catch you if you fall!" Luella had appeared next to her and was shouting at him.
"Noll will." Mr Davies shrugged. Luella Davies glared menacingly, and Mai got the impression that she wouldn't want to get on her bad side. However this seemed to have no effect on Mr Davies.
"He won't! I won't let him; it'll serve you right if you break your leg!"
Mr Davies seemed unperturbed by this threat. "Anyway, it's Noll's fault. He's being difficult." He pouted.
"You're both as bad as each other!" Luella Davies practically screamed. Mai covered her ears and moved away from the window.
"Oh, now you scared Mai away!" She heard Gene complain. Mai blushed profusely. Now she was being called Mai?! After this morning he'd decided to drop all formality with her? Was this normal? Luella Davies seemed to have, but then she had with Miss Hara too.
"I wish you'd be more serious." Luella Davies said, before slamming the window shut and muttering about how she should never have had children and she wished she'd had a girl.
"So… Mrs Davies likes to invite guests to stay?" Mai asked Miss Mori and Miss Hara, in an attempt to alleviate the dark atmosphere rolling off Luella Davies.
"Yes! But especially because she's going to have her famous summer ball! And she's kindly asked our help in organising it!" Miss Mori said enthusiastically, and Miss Hara even smiled. Something in Mai's brain clicked!
"That's where I've heard of Obsidium before!" She cried.
"Yes! It is famous, as I said. Unfortunately your parents were often very busy and couldn't come as often as we would have liked."
"Very true. Though I remember you came once!" Luella Davies joined in, her bad mood apparently forgotten. "But you were just a tiny baby then."
"Have you started… Looking for them?" Mai asked Luella. Yesterday Luella had promised that she would send some people to search for her parents.
"Yes, that's all sorted. As soon as they find something they'll send word. Don't worry, Martin organised it, and he's always very scrupulous about his work." Luella smiled kindly.
"Thank you." Mai smiled back, but it was a sad smile. She wished she'd been able to go too, but Luella Davies refused to let her, and she had to break this curse. It would be useless finding her parents, only to be taken away from them forever.
The conversation continued. Miss Mori seemed to be Luella's sister: they had the same way of talking impossibly fast. Eventually a silence descended on the room, and Mai realised the yet again they were waiting for her to speak.
"Pardon?" She asked.
"We asked you if we could take your measurements."
"My measurements?"
"For your dress of course!" Luella said excitedly.
"Not to mention you need some clothes…" Miss Mori mused. "We're all a bit bigger then you. Well, apart from Masako that is, but she'll have brought a limited wardrobe so we couldn't possibly ask her."
"True…" Luella nodded. So Mai found herself whisked off to another part of the palace which she had never been in before. It seemed to her that the building was far bigger on the inside then it was on the outside. She noticed that Miss Hara had slipped off to somewhere.
She was stood on a stool while the two women spun around her with a tape. They fussed over her while chatting incessantly. Then an older woman entered, who immediately took charge. She snapped her fingers and a timid girl came in, carrying rolls of fabric. The woman had a conversation with Luella, and then approached Mai.
"Hello Miss Taniyama. My name is Hariette Lovell." Mai trusted her instinctively, and they had a pleasant discussion before getting to work.
First they set about making a simple day dress so that Mai had something to wear, before moving on to other things. After much talking, arguing, comparing, indecisiveness, questioning and explaining it was planned, and Harriette Lovell collected her things together, promising that it would be finished and delivered tonight, and she would be back tomorrow.
Mai gratefully sat down on the stool. But she was soon pulled up again by the unstoppable Luella and Miss Mori who never seemed to get tired. Luckily this time they whisked her off to lunch, so Mai could sit and rest her aching feet.
As Luella bounced into the room she assumed a strange expression which was part happiness and part anger.
"You've both come to lunch!"
Curious now Mai followed her. Her eyes widened.
Ahh, writing this is so fun! XD And we probably won't have a chapter per day, otherwise we probably won't be able to come with any ideas about what they should do :( So we may skip a few.
But anyway. Thanks for your lovely reviews~! And please don't forget to review this chapter ;) This is like when restaurants give you those little sheets saying 'please tell us what you think!' I'll shut up...
Note on re-edit:
Oh my days this is slow and painful work :'( hope you all approve (or at least don't mind), though really I'm selfish and it's for myself :P
