Summary:

'Nothing lasts forever

Some things aren't meant to be

But you'll never find the answers

Until you set your old heart free'- The Oh Hellos-Hello My Old Heart (Tenth Anniversary Edition)


White and gold walls, sconces, paintings, aged bottles of wine. Each blended into the other as Fauna crossed dark wooden floors padded with rugs till the grain shifted to decadent marble. The castle was indeed massive but almost a little…hollow. Grandeur seeped through the rich tapestries but there was no warmth nor personality, just like that bedroom she smashed into.

There was a temporary impression to such a permanent structure. Though people lived there, it felt untouched, too sterile. Dust only coated the piano room as if it scorched the bodies of those who went in; forcing them back out. Bela walked a few paces ahead of Fauna at all times, eliminating the possibility of further conversation. Not that she wanted to talk anymore with the cloaked bitch, the inane garbling she did in her room was more than enough.

One bitch, one psycho and one weirdo.

Lady Dimitrescu sure had some fucked up kids.

Rounding yet another corner, Fauna kept up with Bela lest she got lost in the labyrinth of a palace. A few feet away, a wooden door stood, hugged by a stone doorframe, one that Bela pushed her way through, leaving the door swinging open for Fauna to enter.

How 'kind' of her.

Fauna made her way to the doorway and used her blessing and curse; the power of observation. Hanging herbs gave off a savoury smell that spun homeward comforts around her. A stone oven sat in a corner next to some cupboards while a few stools gathered around a table in the middle of the room.

The kitchen.

"Hi Makeup!" came a voice from Fauna's side, her teeth gritting as she recognized the voice.

The chatty bitch, Daniela stood over a sink holding a metal goblet with blood dribbling down her face as she spoke with her mouth full…of blood. She gave a glowing smile, cradling the goblet as scarlet drops flowed down the side.

"Daniela Dimitrescu!" Bela barked at her sister, her soulless eyes narrowed dangerously, "Manners!"

The youngest child pouted before turning back to her meal, muttering, "You're never any fun."

Fauna blinked, confused. Was that supposed to be the same girl that literally stabbed and dragged her? That? The woman was starkly different from the desolate extravagance of the castle and its patrons.

However, watching her enjoy her 'meal', perhaps she wasn't so different after all.

The sloppy red feast would have been more shocking to a normal person, but Fauna was far from normal, being a blood drinker herself. At least Daniela had a cup and not a literal human heart. It was far less messy..so to speak.

So long as she didn't end up in that cup, Fauna was fine.

In a house of monsters, Fauna seemed the least but soon, maybe, she could be the most.

Taking several big gulps from the cup, Daniela then proceeded to drop it in the sink with a satisfied sigh, moving towards Fauna at a worrying speed.

"How's your leg," the woman said fondly, circling Fauna with great interest almost reaching out to touch her wound, "I'm sorry I played so rough with you," she stopped in front of Fauna, "I tend to get excited when someone new comes over," she takes a deep sniff and her eyes light up, "Oooo you still have that wonderful man-blood smell."

Bela audibly groans, bringing a gloved hand to cup her eyes in exasperation.

Though this sister seemed friendly, Fauna still took a step backwards, her hand hovering over her holster. The handkerchief barely bulged in the leather but Daniela thankfully mistook it for her..old scent. It would have been an awkward thing to discuss anyway.

Fauna glanced at the sickle jangling at the strange woman's side, waiting for the tables to turn on her.

This bitch stabbed you before, she could stab you again.

Fauna's discomfort must have been obvious as Daniela changed her tune. A quick flash of a few emotions displayed on her face as she went from joyful, to confused to sulking.

"I said I'm sorry, Makeup," she said sadly, blood still dripping down her chin onto the floor, "Can't you forgive me? Just this once? I won't do it again! I promise" her tone dances in her throat with mischief, "maybe…"

Cautiously, Fauna stared at Daniela and the human blood on her lips. This one's eyes were the same grey as the rest, but they danced with unbridled passion. It was like watching desaturated waves crash on a shore; always in movement, in life and death, joy and sorrow.

"We'll see." Fauna says softly, the words cascading one syllable at a time, fully focused on the maybe slid into her sentence.

A funny squeak erupts from Daniela as Bela grabs her arm, scrubbing her sister's mouth with a clean handkerchief.

"We subsist off of blood but we are not-"

"Bleh-" Daniela finishes, sticking out her tongue at Bela who began to wipe even harder. The youngest child turns her attention back to Fauna, intrigued beyond sane reason.

"Are you hungry, Makeup?" she offers, pointing to the table as Bela twists her sister's head around to better groom her, "I would've given you a bite of what I had but…" she grins, showing off bloodstained teeth, "I ate it all."

Fauna doesn't respond, choosing to walk past Daniela and her bitch sister towards the table. A silver dome sat near a stool and without looking at the sisters' fussing again, Fauna took a seat, lifting the cover before being blasted by a rush of steam.

Piping hot, human food invaded her senses and, as much as she enjoyed her casual bloodsucking, she missed real food much more. Her macabre liquid diet had certainly not helped her growing headache over the past day. Reaching over a tray of garlic, Fauna grabbed a fork and started eating. Savouring the taste, she stopped for a moment as true hunger set in.

Bloodthirst alone could not sustain her, unfortunately.

"Hey," Daniela says as she wiggles out her sister's grasp, "Did you like the clothes I picked out for you, by the way?"

Fauna quirked up an eyebrow at the statement, stopping mid-chew in silent interest, speaking with gestures instead of words.

A smile graced Daniela's formerly blood-soaked face as she wandered towards Fauna, plopping herself on an adjacent stool, both elbows resting on the table.

"My sisters won't let me dress them up so you'll have to do," Daniela whispers as if sharing a scandalous secret, leaning in and glancing at Fauna's nightdress, "Pretty good, right?"

Rubbing her thumb against the fork, Fauna looked into those cheerful grey eyes, thinking.

Don't respond. You've already spoken more than you should've. Shut up.

She let the thought roll down her back, allowing it to shatter into the ground like raindrops.

"How did you know my size?"

You're a fucking idiot.

Daniela props up her arm, resting her face in her open palm, "It's my secret talent," she continues, her eyes flicking from Fauna to watch Bela approach the table, "I'm more than just a pretty face, you know."

Fauna puts her fork down, her attention drawn to the strange woman that stabbed her. The pain in her leg began to throb but she ignored it, as she did her hunger, her body, her emotions. One emotion, in particular, broke through the veneer, resting in her mouth, waiting to jump out.

Say it. Don't ignore it. Say it.

With slight hesitation, Fauna chews the inside of her cheek, formulating words she hadn't said since the carriage ride.

"Thank-"

The moment is shattered as a gloved hand yanks Daniela out of her seat by the collar of her shawl, forcing her to stand up with a startled yelp. Bela pulled her sister to a corner of the kitchen, dragging her as Daniela stumbled to walk. In a semi-private, darker corner of the kitchen, Daniela finally caught herself, rubbing her neck.

"You can't just do things to the experiment without mother's permission! " Bela lectures her sister in calm rage, " What were you thinking? Oh, that's right, you don't think!"

The light in those elated grey eyes was gone, replaced with a small flare that burned with conflict.

"I don't need permission for every single thing I do," Daniela grinds out, "There's more to life than mother's wishes, you know!"

Bela's hands shot out to grab her sister's shoulders, squeezing with just enough force to get the point across, "All you talk about is there's more to life- be quiet," she shakes her head in annoyance, "Just be quiet for once. You're such a spoiled, selfish brat!"

Fauna watches the scuffle with scrutiny, taking another bite without ever taking her eyes off the women.

Dinner and a show.

She had no reason to get involved at such a heated juncture but witnessing such a spectacle made her uncomfortable and perhaps, just a little concerned.

The air shifts suddenly as a thrum of flies begin to raise off Bela like embers lifting one by one to the ceiling. The eldest stares at Daniela, her eyes emptying into a placid void that threatened to swallow the youngest Dimitrescu. Removing her hands, Bela lets them drop to her side, changing from fire to ice.

"This is like that damn glassmaker all over again. I thought you would've learned your lesson by now." Bela says smoothly, with the same cruel tinge as her mother's voice, "No wonder you didn't remain as mother's favourite. You were always too weak."

Cannibalised, Daniela's feelings slip into the reflection in Bela's eyes, leeched by a pain so foul that it mangled the youngest child's heart with spite. No sounds except for the flicker of candlelight breach the kitchen. The world was stuck in this moment, unable to free its leg from the crocodile's maw.

"At least I embraced love instead of you," Daniela's eyes begin to water, her face contorting into a split between anguished and devastated, "All you did was watch it die, you LET IT DIE, you STONE-COLD BITC-"

Unable to finish her sentence, Daniela chokes on her words, falling into a breakdown. The tears begin to fall, beading off Daniela's face in thick rivulets, bringing messy eyeshadow down to streak her pale face. A swarm of bugs explode from the youngest child's body, throwing the insects towards the kitchen door at a breakneck speed. The harsh sounds of weeping echoed from the hive, sharpening in pitch till the mournful sound was gone. The door hinges creaked in sympathy to Daniela, sobbing along with her as it swung.

Bela stood there, frozen except for the clenching and unclenching of her fists. There was a blank expression on her face with a tangle of emotions swelling beneath her mask. She exhaled deeply through her nose as a paper-thin sheen of tears coated her eyes.

Do not become her. Control yourself.

"You should go after her," Fauna pipes up, jolting Bela out of her detached anguish.

She forgot the experiment was there for a moment, but with no one else in the room, the human was now the focus of her rage.

The tangle of emotion snapped, bleeding into Bela's voice as she spoke, covered in a repressed fury, "Are you telling me what to do, pest?"

Taking another bite, unbothered, Fauna responds in monotone, "No."

Shifting her jaw, Bela controlled herself, looking at the door, then at the experiment. Fauna stared back, unbending in her blatant indifference. Stepping into something so abnormal as…whatever she just witnessed, was foreign to her but, living with her brother gave her perspective.

Understanding.

You're not supposed to understand them.

Unfortunately, in some sick way, she did.

"I've been fed." Fauna says again, eating the last bite on her plate in punctuation; a subtle hint.

Bela never liked being told what to do by anyone other than her mother. She had to be perfect and follow every letter of the law she abided by. It felt wrong, strange, nauseating to step on the crossroads again as she did long ago.

You have a chance to do the right thing this time.

She did.

"Don't move, " Bela said, stomping towards Fauna, a gloved finger pointing dangerously close to her face, " and don't tell Lady Dimitrescu."

Specs of insects whirled into a contained storm, blocking Fauna's vision till the swarm diluted to nothing, fleeing through the kitchen door to chase after Daniela. Rolling her tongue against her teeth, Fauna moved, gripping her cane in one hand and the empty plate in the other, wandering to the sink in silence as if she didn't just witness a supernatural freak show.

It didn't take too long for Fauna to get accustomed to the eccentricity of the castle; like the smell of blood to a killer, once you grew to know it, you ignored it. Being a monster herself, the presence of more of her kind was a naturalising experience, albeit a harrowing, inhospitable one. Opening the tap, Fauna let the icy water lick her fingers before she submerged her hands in the flow.

You should have stayed quiet.

As she washed the plate, Fauna made sure not to put too much pressure on her leg. The wound had opened after her foray into the village; a risk to her health taken with little care. Occasionally, the sting would travel up her body, like something tapping on her shoulder to snap her out of whatever daze she was in. Her hands were still under the water as she listened to the tap running.

A thought circles her head like a buzzing fly.

They're in pain too.


Colours, shapes, lights. Bela sent her body scattering down hallways and staircases, the world blurred past as hundreds of little wings cut through the air. Her sister was a creature of comfort but also of habit; locating her was easy, it was just to get there fast enough. Coming to a stone stairwell, she sped up her pace, curving deftly up the spiralling steps, passing two rooms in the staircase till she made it to the top of the tower. A faint wailing swelled and hiccuped against the walls.

Daniela's bedroom.

Bela's body merged into one as she reached the landing and the source of the crying.

"What the FUCK is wrong with you?!"

Cassandra was kneeling on the ground as she roared at Bela. Against her shoulder, Daniela bawled into her sister's cloak, muffling her screams under the fabric. Holding her tightly, Cassandra ran a comforting hand over Daniela's hair; unhooded and frizzy from momentary delirium.

Bela didn't answer, she just stared with eyes devoid of feeling, detaching herself from the world to save herself.

"You are SICK," Cassandra hissed, angry tears running down her cheeks, falling to the floor to join her sister's, "Why did you have to bring it up?! YOU KNOW Daniela's sensitive but you don't give a FUCK about anyone but YOURSELF, do you?! This is your BABY SISTER!" she almost fumbled her words, fury leaked through every pore before it comes out as a vicious rasp, "It's one thing to toy with the humans but it's another to toy with your own fucking family!"

Steeling herself, not a single teardrop fell from Bela's eyes from the thunderous shouting.

Cassandra always flew off the handle from inconvenience. This was the norm by now.

She was broken after all.

Their mother's most savage child had no self-control for anything but orders. The undying obedience should've been enough to label her a perfect daughter but she was unstable.

One day, she would probably slip up in a permanent way, making her a risk.

The man-hunter would remain just that and only that.

Crying became hard breaths as Cassandra spoke sweetly to Daniela, holding her closely while rubbing her back with calming circles. The middle child closed her eyes, pressing a gentle kiss to dishevelled reddish hair. Those wild grey eyes snapped open to stare at the perpetrator with contempt before closing again.

Weak.

Without a parting word, Bela turned around, heading back down the spiral stone steps. Her little sisters stuck together, balancing each other's tears with close comfort. It had always been that way, something Bela was unfamiliar with. Always the most dependable, the unbreakable, the reliable, eldest daughter.

You miss her, don't you? You can't keep denying that you never knew love. It'll crush you.

Bela shut her eyes for a second, squeezing her eyelids tight before continuing her journey down the stairs. Wicked thoughts of fondness stirred the salted earth in her heart, threatening her with memories long buried.

Her hand glided across the stones in the stairwell, anchoring her to the present as she descended. A torch flickered above her, casting a shadow over her open palm, reflecting another hand. Reality and recollection collided within Bela, driving the breath out of her.

The last domino fell.

A little sting pricked her nose.

No.

Her throat began to close.

NO.

A leather-clothed finger touches her eye as she stares in horror at a full teardrop blooming over the material. Walking faster, Bela rushed to the last landing on the steps, throwing open the door to a pitch-black room.

Her room.

Slamming it shut, Bela slid with her back against the engraved wood, feeling quiet tears rush down her face. She was glad she couldn't see herself right now; it would have been too much. Stuttering breaths fought in her chest as she shakily got up, moving around a room she knew too well; the darkness was her friend. Her only friend.

Looping her fingers around a drawer, she pulled it open, feeling around inside for-

"What do I do?" Bela whispered, a twisted frown carving into her sullied face.

A soft pile of knotted yarn bunched under her hand as she lifted the item; a pale red crocheted sweater that was far too big for her. Though she couldn't see it, she knew it well, capturing the first day she got it with clarity.

The memory was far sweeter than the present moment.

Bela held the sweater to her face, drowning her sobs into the handmade clothing, before slipping it on, dwarfed in the apparel.

It felt warm, even when it sat in the empty embrace of her room.

'Happy birthday, Bela!'

With heavy steps, Bela plopped herself on the bed, curling up as she hugged herself, hiding her face in her arms. The sweater soaked in her tears; a kindly hand made of yarn wiping her cheeks. Allowing herself to fall apart behind closed doors, the eldest daughter grieved amongst the obscurity of darkness and all her demons.

Her choices, her arrogance, her ignorance.

What do I do, Eloise? What do I do? Please, just tell me. Come back, please.

I can't do this without you.

I miss you so much it hurts.

I love you.


Night began to bleed into early morning; yellow and orange bruises painted the sky with nipping art. Fauna saw the first trails of sunrise leak through the clouded windows atop the high walls and continued walking. After the sisters had disappeared, Fauna began to roam around, hearing nothing but the scuttling of invisible maids and ticking clocks.

Not a single pained scream, not a single cry. Wherever Daniela went, she couldn't hear her. It was unfortunate. The crazy little bitch seemed decent despite the fact she wounded Fauna; a fact she refused to let go.

Even so, the bitter hatred faded to major annoyance when it came to Daniela. At least she didn't try to eat her right then and there.

That would have been a serious problem.

Wood clicked on marble as Fauna passed through room after room, mindlessly traipsing around the castle since there wasn't really much to do.

Purposeless, Fauna found herself wandering towards a room she came to enjoy, seeking out the familiar white doors of the music room. With a patterned walk, Fauna followed the walls, coming to stop at her destination.

Red brows knitted together as she noticed the door was ajar. Normally, it was closed, sealing itself off from the rest of the castle. Though painfully withdrawn at times, Fauna was, unfortunately, naturally curious, a trait that found her trouble quite often.

Such curiosity threatened to kill the cat, but this one walked with caution, always.

Silently, Fauna pushed her head through the door, looking around for signs of life.

Blue-hazel eyes widened as Lady Dimitrescu sat by the piano, statuesque and frozen. Before she could stop herself, Fauna pressed her hand against the door, opening it with care so as not to alert the Lady. The thick drapes by the instrument were partially open, letting a gentle ray of sunlight pass over the piano cabinet.

It seemed very wrong to just…creep up on someone, but this particular someone didn't really deserve Fauna's full respect. And so, she trespassed. Lady Dimitrescu laid her gloved hands above the piano keys, staring at the space between them. Her shoulders were slumped, her head bowed. The inky slash of her hat bent as if in defeat, submitting to the piano.

An uncharacteristic relinquishment of power to…a stationary object.

Suddenly, a loud crash of notes rattled Fauna, causing her to jump, yelping in violent surprise.

"Thought you could sneak up on me, hmmm?" Lady Dimitrescu said with playful acid, turning to look over her shoulder, her eyes bristling with bright gold.

"You're a real bitch, you know," Fauna retorted, brows furrowing with light anger.

Fauna waited for a response. Waiting for Lady Dimitrescu to lash out, to pick her up and slam her into the ground for such impertinence.

For some kind of ferocious reaction. Any.

Instead, Lady Dimitrescu looked back to the piano, staring down at the keys, ignoring Fauna; distracted. The music room began to light up, but the lack of sound was deafening, crushing the room with the vacuum. Walking over to Lady Dimitrescu, Fauna stood by the side of the piano bench, dwarfed by the Mistress even when she sat down. Her gloved hands still remained on the piano keys but refused to play, all she did was stare straight ahead with eyes more yellow and angry than Fauna had seen before.

"Have you come to pester me about something unimportant, bandit?" Lady Dimitrescu seethed under her upsettingly calm tone.

Seems like it was back to bandit.

All an act.

Fauna closed her eyes, breathing deep to centre herself, but a whiff of the Lady's warm floral perfume brushed against her nose, breaking her focus.

"I don't think what you did counts as playing." Fauna said, moving towards the side of the piano cabinet to lean against it.

Lady Dimitrescu stared at Fauna in annoyance, but the blinding gold of her eyes began to recede, burning the matriarch's fury to ash.

"Oh, I'm far more proficient than you can ever hope to be," she replies, her voice flattened in propriety, but she wasn't hesitant to speak, "Does your lowly background confine you to mediocrity or are you aware of proper music?"

Oh, that bitch wants to die.

Biting her lip, Fauna glares at Lady Dimitrescu; regretting she ever stepped foot into that fucking-

"I see you lack a sense of humour as well as musical training, Fauna."

The whiplash alone from the remark almost gave Fauna a damn stroke. The pure surprise overtook any swelling anger in her features, completely throwing her through a loop. A blood-red smirk appeared on Lady Dimitrescu's face as her chest moved in a silent chuckle.

She was joking.

Unbelievable.

How was that even a joke?

"It has come to my attention," the matriarch says, her voice almost singing in melodic jest, "that every emotion buried in your sullen, feral heart, evidently, finds its way to your face. I simply wished to bear witness once more."

What the hell just happened?

Opening and closing her mouth, Fauna was at a loss for words for a second before she found them, "Are you playing mind games with me, woman?"

A slight frown appears on Lady Dimitrescu's face as a tinge of vexation washes over her features.

"You had best tread lightly with your words, Fauna," she warns, eyes shimmering with the slightest hints of gold, "Not many get to witness my anger in full; you would not survive such an encounter."

Stuck-up bitch.

Saying it in her head would have to do. Fauna's wounded arms and legs pulsed in fervent agreement.

"Fine," Fauna replies, leaning her cane against the piano to grab the lid.

With one push, Fauna lifted herself, cascading a shower of pain down her arms as she took a seat on top of the piano. The Lady gives her a withering look but said nothing at Fauna's new placement. Lacing her fingers together, Fauna rests them in her lap, tilting her head to look at the piano keys and hands that could certainly destroy them.

Confident, brutal, cruel. Those were words that Fauna easily associated with Lady Dimitrescu. At that moment, however, another word popped up, confusing her.

Scared.

There were no chord formations, no planning to her finger placements. Splayed out, the hesitance was clear in the matriarch's hands, even though they were assured and powerful. Keeping the thoughts in her head, Fauna never let a single one show on her face.

If she were in a similar position, she would appreciate not being embarrassed by cowardice.

You are a damn fool.

Fauna closed her eyes for a moment, tensing her jaw.

You are being kind.

A steady vibration of hammers plucked beneath Fauna as she opened her eyes, parting her lips slightly in realization. Rising up towards the domed ceiling, a sombre, beautiful song whirled around her, digging tender talons into her heart.

Looking over to the piano keys, she saw Lady Dimitrescu's hands weave expertly over the instrument as if rowing to a steady beat of practice. Despite the sheer size of said hands, they floated gracefully over each note with educated precision. Stone grey eyes flick upwards for a moment, piercing through Fauna's shocked face.

The woman in the picture across the room returned in spirit, overlapping the clawed monster of House Dimitrescu.

Fauna fixes her face, realizing that her mouth was foolishly agape and draws back to sit straight. This level of…openness scalded her. She needed some kind of buffer before the poison boiled her alive.

"Bela made Daniela cry." Fauna blurts out, speaking over the music slightly.

But Lady Dimitrescu doesn't stop playing, fully focused on her hand movements, before she replies, "Daniela will live. She has Cassandra."

The song sunk sweetly into Fauna's heart but the chilling bluntness of Lady Dimitrescu's words melted any joy. Sunlight danced on Fauna's face, warming her skin with fire she didn't ask for. All she could do was sit on the piano, staring at Lady Dimitrescu as she played a haunting song, twisting it to something foul.

A forlorn look passed the matriarch's face as she played, a light shimmer of tears forming in her eyes that refused to fall. Fauna watched Lady Dimitrescu's features carefully; to the naked eye, they were hidden, but that close up, she was an open book.

She cares in her own way.

Her own sick way.

But she still cares.

Looking to the ceiling, Fauna tried to relax back into the song, leaning to look at the moulding cresting the building. Something wanted her to step in, to counteract the horrid words Lady Dimitrescu tossed at her own daughters.

It isn't your place. Don't be a jackass.

"When my mother died, all I wanted was for her to come back," Fauna said quietly, staring at the ceiling, "In a way, what you're doing is like that. You've left them."

Being withdrawn was her nature as vulnerability begets weakness and mistakes.

It should have stayed that way.

The piano bench scrapes harshly as a discordant clash booms from the piano; Lady Dimitrescu stands tall, glowering over Fauna. Her eyes blaze gold as she grabs the experiment by her neck, lifting her up to eye-level, wrapping her fingers around with brutal tension to match her sudden rage.

"How dare you tell me such drivel! " she hisses angrily, holding Fauna's face mere inches from her own, "You know NOTHING of what I've sacrificed to make my daughters strong!" her fist tightens as Fauna begins to gasp for breath, " My love for them is greater than your pathetic human mind can comprehend."

The world falls as Fauna is dropped again, hitting the ground with her arms, coughing in pain once more. Rolling over, she looks up to the matriarch, expecting this to be her last moment alive before a metal claw rips her throat open.

A drop of water falls on Fauna's arm, sliding down to join another.

Lady Dimitrescu stares in brimming rage, tears streaking down her face in dignified sorrow.

"Never speak as though you know me, bandit," she seethes calmly, "You will never know who I am."

With a fanning turn, the hem of Lady Dimitrescu's dress follows her path, walking out of the music room with the steady pace of her heels. Fauna lays her head on the ground, clearing her throat while massaging the tender skin of her neck.

Blue-copper eyes turn to the ceiling, glazed over with barren death as she empties her heart of her time in the music room.

All an act.

This is what happens when you don't shut up.

"This is what happens when I don't shut up." Fauna mimics in monotone, closing her eyes to catch her breath.

Crystalline tears had run black eyeshadow down a motherly monster's face; sadness, hatred, conflict…love.

All of those emotions showed on Lady Dimitrescu's cracking, cruel mask without the fanfare of etiquette. All coming from a place only humans dare to visit; their humanity. Sitting up, Fauna turns towards her cane which had rolled to the ground from the confrontation. She gets up on shaky legs, standing tall despite the bruises and pain searing her body. It was in her nature to rise, and so, she rose, walking towards the door in the cold silence.

The piano keys catch her attention for a moment and with a steady hand, Fauna closes the key cover, shutting off the piano to the world once more.

Her anger came from a place of love.

That doesn't make it any better.

Why did you kill your father?

A deep breath grinds noise into Fauna's ears as she thinks, leaving the piano room for good.

Out of revenge.

Out of love.

And yet, through the fire and fury cast upon her, Fauna failed to remember the precious knife strapped to her side.

There's a first time for everything.


End Note:
The song Lady D plays is Standschen (Serenade) by Franz Schubert (arranged by Franz Liszt)

So i think ill be taking just a teeny tiny break so that I can get all my ducks in a row to write the next chapter and finish some irl work lol

I'll be back very soon, I just need to give my brain a lil rest before it burns out (I wont be gone for weeks or months dw. This fic has quickly become my baby and I can't abandon it)