Scribbles on paper. Glass jars amd tubes of which held who knows what inside, sat on shelves. Books lay open. Journal's of each Lord lay stacked upon a desk.
"Nothing is working," the desperate woman behind all the mess frowns deeply before swiping a hand across the shelf. Glass shatters on impact, small and large shards scatter across the floor. "What am I doing wrong?"
She drops in a heap, burying her face in her hands.
"Every last one a failure. Not a one shows any promise, other than him." She snarls at little at the last part. "Heisenberg, damn him."
Her hands drop instinctively to her abdomen and it's only now the idea hits.
"If only I could impregnate myself," she thinks instinctively. "I could bring my dear Eva back into the world again."
This idea wasn't practical as it required some serious work to be done inside her own body and that wasn't something Miranda had the power to do. Instead she pulled herself together, climbed to her feet and read over her journals.
"Alcina. Regeneration, though the blood disease may become a problem. I can't risk it."
Shutting the book, she shifts aside Moreau's without a second glance.
"Donna. Ah, now I remember, the cadou I implanted started to seep out through an old scar wound on her face and eventually took over her entire eye. She's far too withdrawn and unstable to go through such a procedure like this one."
Slamming the book closed, she started to pace back and forth. Back and forth, until she coukd no longer take the silence around her or the tapping of her shoes as she paced.
"I may have to do some tests first, but I don't think Alcina's blood condition should effect my daughter. Plus she owes me a lot, she was the hardest to pull under my control. So doing this small deed for me shouldn't effect he hold I currently have on her."
With the idea set, she grabs the necessary equipment into her bag before quickly heading out into the night.
Laughter is heard through the halls as her daughters play. Taking a long drag from the cigarette holder between her fingers, she glances out into the night until choking on the exhaled smoke as she sees a figure approaching quite quickly.
The door opens immediately, two cloaked heads peek around the corner. "Mother? Mama?"
"I'm fine," the tall woman coughs as she fans away the smoke.
The pair turn to look down the hall as they hear their eldest sister quickly approaching. She swarms into the bedroom to appear before their mother.
"Mother, she's come." The eldest simply says, getting a look from her younger sisters.
"I know, dear." Alcina nods as she sets the cigarette holder down on her desk.
"Who's here?" The middle daughter asks, getting no acknowledgement.
"Who's here, mama?" The youngest asks as well.
"Bela, take your sisters down to the dungeon. I'm allowing you one maid to do as you please with just while our guest has gone."
"Yes, mother." The eldest nods to then look to her sisters. "You heard mother, down to the dungeon. Cassandra, your free to pick a maid."
"But who's here?" She questions again, following her sisters on for a while before splitting off.
Alcina smoothes out her dress and fixes her hair, even though there wasn't much wrong with it. When she's ready she takes a breath and heads out. She finds the woman waiting impatiently in the hall, giving some words of wise advice to a poor maid.
"Mother Miranda, what do I owe the pleasure?"
Miranda waves her off. "Enough, I must speak with you. It's of importance."
"Bring us dri..."
"That won't be necessary," Miranda cuts her off, much to Alcina's annoyance.
"Yes, Mother Miranda, as you wish."
Miranda now swiftly wanders off, heading straight for one of the large rooms. Alcina quickly follows her on and closes the door behind herself.
"Sit," Miranda orders.
Alcina does so.
"I'm going to get straight to the point..."
"What's she doing here at this time anyway?" Cassandra frowns as her sickle draws a faint line on the maid she's caught and hung.
"Move," Bela glares, pushing aside one of the walking corpses that was once a maid.
The creature stumbles to the floor before climbing back to it's feet.
"We can't interfere," she adds as she tightens the shackles on the woman's wrists.
"I already know, mother has a go at me over the smallest things."
"The things you do has me angered as well, Cass."
The brunette rolls her eyes.
"Dani," the blonde calls, cutting the youngest from her thoughts.
"Hmm?"
"Carving time," she smiles.
Daniela quickly hurries over, her sickle in hand when they all abruptly stop at hearing a loud; "What!?"
"That was mother!"
The three quickly swarm off back upstairs, leaving the young maid to sigh heavily in somewhat relief.
"Mother!" The three suddenly appear to see nothing out of the ordinary.
"Sorry, I lost my composure." Alcina sighs lightly.
Miramda frowns at the sudden intrution, her claws tapping lightly on the arm of the chair.
"It's a big thing you've brought upon me, but I do feel honoured you picked me."
"You are my most favourable after all," Miranda smiles, but the three aren't buying it.
"Then I accept."
"Very good, my dear. You're doing me a great favour."
The three hold their tongue as Miranda stands.
"Bela, my dear, everything is fine go back to what you were doing. Mother Miranda won't be staying long now."
With this Miranda gives a nod in agreement. Bela ushers her sisters back out again, knowing their mother was capable of making wise decisions only. However, something smelt fishy.
"Come, I'll show you to my quarters and we can start."
Even with her regenerative abilities whatever Miranda was doing down there was hurting like a bitch.
"You know any kind of anaesthetic will not work on you and this is the only way for me to work on you. But it won't be long now, I'm almost finished."
This was the first time in years she'd ever broke out in a cold sweat and fever chills.
"Almost finsihed."
With one last stinging pain, it was all over. Miranda's now wiping her hands of blood and black pulsing goo, something Alcina wants to erase from her mind entirely.
"Your regeneration should kick back in after an hour or so. For now it will feel as through you're experiencing mild menstrual pains."
Mild was an understatement, it felt as though someone was swinging a knife around inside her. Sensing this, she corrected herself slightly.
"Well, mild to moderate."
Alcina turned on her side, pulling up her legs.
"Would you like me to stay until it's all settled?"
Alcina nodded, feeling like a child again in her sick bed. Miranda could pass as her mother, if not for the pain she'd just put her through. Closing her eyes, she felt the bed dip a little and without opening her eyes knew Miranda was sitting beside her.
"Yes, a little nap may help dull the pain a little."
"That's it, my dear. Close your eyes and sleep, let the pain be ignored for a while."
"Yes, mama."
Miranda's face scrunched up in disgust at hearing the grown woman muttering such drivel in her sleep and to make matters worse, her hand was upon her lap.
"You're testing my patience here, Alcina." She frowned deeply as she moved the woman's hand lap.
Alcina muttered a few more incoherent words before Miranda was fully satisfied she was going to be alright. Turning she laid a hand on Alcina's abdomen.
"I'll check back in on you, see how well my little Eva is progressing."
As she now came to move her hand, Alcina grabbed hold of it in a tight grasp, her eyes snapped open, bright yellow eyes glared right at her.
"She's mine!" The woman hissed sharply before closing her eyes and drifting off back to sleep with a smile on her face.
Miranda was quite shaken up by this weird encounter. What had caused such a thing? Was Alcina just dreaming?
Snatching her hand away, she stood, packed up and left without another word. Alcina relaxed a little more, snuggling into the pillow as she slept for a good few hours.
"Where's mother?" Cassandra glanced around, seeing no sign of the woman. "She's never this late."
Bela took it upon herself to go search for her.
"Mother?" She quietly called out to the dark room.
A moan from the bed indicated that their mother hadn't made it out of bed at all.
"Mother, are you alright?" She asked concerned.
Alcina shifted on the bed. "Bela?"
"Yes, mother."
"Could you bring me my drink?"
"Hmm," the blonde nodded and she hurried around the bed to grab her mothers wine glass to bring to her.
"I haven't drank anything since yesturday and I'm afraid I'm going to..."
"Quickly mother, drink." Bela offered her the glass, seeing dark veins under her mothers paling skin.
Alcina drank until she knew she was sated.
"Thank you," she sighed as her skin started to go back to it's usual colour.
"Mother, what happened last night?"
Alcina turned her head to face her, a smile on her face as she reached up a hand to cup her daughters cheek.
"You're growing bolder by the day, Bela."
Bela dipped her head, she knew it was wrong to question her mother in anyway.
"Sorry."
Alcina drops her hand and waves her away.
"I'm going to have a lay in. You're free to do as you please to an extent that is. You know full well, Bela."
The eldest nodded then climbed from the bed to head out.
"Mother can't keep her secret for too long," she thought before swarming off.
"Did you find her?"
She nods. "She's sleeping in today."
"What did Miranda do to her?"
"Is she alright?"
"She's fine and I don't know yet. I'll find out eventually though."
"So, what do we do?"
"You can go hunting if you please," Bela offered to her younger sister. "And Dani, you can help me out."
Daniela smiled. "I like helping. But I'd like to see, mama."
"Later," Bela reassured before they disbanded.