As the minutes tick down to Dani's little plan, Cassandra becomes frustrated with her family treating the manthing with 'kindness'.
As Cassandra was walking around the castle, taking her rounds, making sure no maids were trying to escape or plotting or anything else less advisable, she couldn't help but think about Ethan and how he had twisted her family around his finger.
"Damn them. They think they can just waltz into our home, almost kill my sister, and pretend to be powerful? Going to be sorely fucking wrong when I can finally get my hands around his neck and watch the light leave his eyes."
Stopping, she slammed her fist against the wall in anger. "If only Mother hadn't ordered us that we can't drink from the manthing anymore! Bullshit! I should've killed them…"
She started walking again, faster this time. As she turned a corner, she just so happened to run into Ethan.
"Watch where you're going, manthing!" Cassandra spat. "This isn't your castle that you can just roam in. Why are you out of your room!"
Looking up from his back, Ethan was a bit nervous. Magda was looking down at him, too terrified to offer assistance. "I am sorry, Lady Cassandra." he said, respectfully "My punishment for ruining Dani's kitchen was to help Miss Magda here with her duties for the week." Ethan said, looking towards Magda.
Cassandra looked towards the maid for any hint of a lie but found none. "We are just heading to the head maid, my Lady, to continue working."
Rolling her eyes, Cassandra pushed passed Magda and continued on her way wordlessly. "Don't fuck anything up, manthing, or else it'll be on your friend there." she warned without turning back.
Cassandra continued to stomp around the halls, accosting random workers and threatening them. Her job was to keep pressure on the help, make sure they knew their place, and didn't try anything. She loved her job. She loved the hunt.
She took great pleasure in stalking through the halls like an apex predator, watching prey from afar and waiting for the perfect moment to strike. It was something else; watching something while it was completely unaware of the observer. The thought of Cassandra lurking around a corner, or hiding in the shadows kept the maids in line. A rare few have tried to be sneakier than her, but they all failed, and their screams told everyone else what would happen if they put one toe out of line.
Cassandra couldn't wait until spring. Every year she would offer a competition; three maids would be allowed to try and run from Cassandra out in the wilderness. If they survived, they would be paid nicely and be allowed to go home.
If they lost, Cassandra ate them.
Only one had ever won, and it still made Cassandra angry, but also a bit proud of the one. She remembered fondly how the woman survived.
She had caught up to and murdered one of the other contestants. Ripped them to bits and covered themselves in blood and hid in a tree right above the body. Cassandra still remembered coming across the body.
"I smell blood~ It seems you had an accident." Cassandra sang in a sinister fashion, her voice echoing off the trees and around the dark forest. Finally narrowing down on the source, she materialized in front of the gory mess.
It looked as if some wild animal had torn the woman's rib cage out, torn her gut open, and spread her insides out a few feet in every direction. Her face had been caved in by something. Cassandra looked over to a large boulder and saw teeth and blood, and a glob of brain matter on top.
'Something smashed her skull in against that rock. Tore her open too.'
She inspected the body closer, trying to gather any other clues. The body had been completely drained of blood, most of it had poured out from the wounds. One thing, however, was nothing was missing.
'All the organs are still here, the flesh is only torn. Whatever killed them didn't do it for food. Lycan, maybe?'
Standing up, Cassandra sniffed, looking for her next victim, but the only scent she took in was the overwhelming copper smell. Forming into her flies, she left the area to find a cleaner area to track in.
It didn't take long to find the second woman and string her up in a tree, throat slit. All that was left was one.
One that she could not find!
She had spent hours searching and looking for a scent but only found the scent of other wild animals or blood.
Grabbing the trumpet that signified the start and end of the hunt, she blew it. She hoped that the maid either just ran away completely or died somewhere Cassandra couldn't find her. Maybe the lake.
It was 20 minutes before Cassandra heard a twig snap. Looking up, she saw a disheveled and wide-eyed maid. Namely, the one she had been hunting. She was covered head to toe in blood and bits of meat.
At first, she thought the woman had somehow killed and hidden inside a wild animal, but the scent she picked up registered as human. She quickly connected the dots…
"You!? You killed the other person out there!? You smeared their blood on yourself to cover your scent! I must say, I am impressed! I am also furious but impressed nonetheless. Tell me, where were you hiding?"
It took a moment for the maid to answer, and when she did, her voice was even and devoid of emotion. "In the tree above her, my Lady. I hid in the split between two large branches. The leaves were broad and dense."
"As much as I would like to have another go at you… I am a Dimitrescu, and we do honor our word. Here." Cassandra said as she tossed a very heavy bag of Lei to the woman. "Now leave, before I decide to hunt again."
That day, only one human had earned Cassandra's respect. That woman had embodied the spirit of kill or be killed. The way of predator and prey.
Ethan was nothing like that woman, and that only made her even more pissed off that he was allowed to live.
Cassandra walked back into her room to see a maid dusting. She was feeling a bit cooped up, having not hunted anything in quite some time. An exciting idea crossed her mind as she watched the other woman work…
"Run."
Startled, the maid pivoted quickly on her heel and looked at the new arrival. "Oh, Lady Cassandra! I am extremely sorry I did not-"
"I said. Run."
"Excuse me, my lady? I… I do not follow."
"10…9…"
The maid didn't need any more incentive. Dropping her stuff, she bolted to and out the door. Cassandra didn't even bother looking for which way she ran, seeing as how it would've just made the hunt too easy.
"...3…2…1" and she was off. Tearing down the halls as a swarm of flies, following the scent, Cassandra looked for the maid. The other workers were covering her scent up well, but it could still be found.
Finally, once the scent became stronger and fresh, she morphed back and withdrew her sickle. She crept down the hall, listening for any sign of someone hiding. A creek of the floorboards, the hinges of a door whining, a labored breath; anything.
Cassandra had to admit, this woman wasn't the worst at hiding. She had already outlasted most others she hunted down in the hall.
'No matter.' Cassandra thought 'I always find them…'
As she approached a cleaning closet whose door wasn't completely shut, she smirked. Quietly stepping and raising her sickle, she quickly opened the door-!
Only to get a container of ammonia splashed in her face.
Wiping the pungent liquid from her eyes, Cassandra heard the sound of someone running off to her left.
After a moment, she got the chemical off and sneered, "Ahh, it seems this rabbit isn't afraid to fight back. Good! It's always better when the prey isn't helpless!" Cassandra quickly smelled the air, trying to find a scent.
Only to recoil.
Just the acrid scent of ammonia filled her nose.
"Damn it! Clever bitch!" Cassandra yelled down the all. "I will find you, and I will gut you for this!"
Morphing into her flies, she swarmed down the hall where she heard the woman running.
As flies, Cassandra was faster than any human. It would only be a moment before she caught up to her prey.
Any moment.
Right now! No, wait. Right… now!
'Where the fuck did she go!'
Reforming, Cassandra looked around. She could still only smell the ammonia and couldn't hear anyone running away from her. Turning around, she began to backtrack while checking any door she came across.
She began to become furious after each door led to a dead end or circled back to the hallways. With each minute that went by, the maid could've gotten further and further away. Cassandra tried to calm down but the smell of chemicals kept irritating her. Fed up with the smell stuck in her nose, she headed back to her room to quickly wash her face.
Splashing water on her face and scrubbing it with a cloth, Cassandra looked at herself in the mirror. She stared into her own eyes for a moment and reflected on the week's events.
Calling it hectic would be an understatement. She knew something was going on when Mother was constantly busy with Mother Miranda and the other Lords. Then, the next thing Cassandra knew, there was a baby in the castle. This bewildered her beyond belief! Then came daybreak and a manthing entered their home without invitation in search of the babe.
Cassandra gripped the sink tighter, grimacing into the mirror as she thought about how Ethan was able to convince everyone else around her, and even her to some extent, that he deserved better treatment.
"Bullshit!" she yelled. "They try to kill my sister, and instead of flaying the flesh from their body, Mother rewards the manthing!? Then they think just because they were hopped up on some mold that they are as strong as us? As powerful as us!? There is no way in hell some low-born manthing-"
CRASH!
Cassandra sent her fist into the mirror and shattered it, and cracked the wooden wall that it was hung on. "Damn it all! Damn the manthing!" Brushing the glass dust from her knuckles, she finished cleaning her face.
"...I need to talk some sense into them. My sisters need to see reason. That manthing belongs in the dungeon, chained to a wall, and barely kept alive. Maybe if I make them see to reason, we three can confront mother. A united front of sorts. Yeah, that could work. Mother Miranda only said to keep the manthing alive, after all." Nodding to herself in what was left of the mirror, Cassandra committed to the idea. Completely forgetting about her impromptu hunt, Cassandra flew from her room to find her two sisters.
Finding them both in the kitchen, she walked in, daring any of the workers in there to make eye contact with her. "Daniela. Cassandra. I need to speak with you both." The two looked at each other a bit confused, which annoyed Cassandra. "Now, please."
Following her out into the hall, Bela spoke up. "What is it, Cass? We are busy. What do you need?"
"I want to talk about the manthing, but not here. Too many ears. Let's go back to my room."
Bela and Dani rolled their eyes but went along with their sister.
"Cass," Bela started "What is this about? Why do you wish to speak about Ethan-"
"Manthing! It's a manthing, Bela! Or have you forgotten?" Cassandra snapped.
"I have not forgotten, dear sister," Bela said, narrowing her eyes, " but I do believe Ethan has more than earned the right to be called by his name."
"Just how did they do that, Bela? Hm? By fighting and almost killing you? Insulting us every chance he got? Pulling a dirty trick just to defeat Daniela? Or striking mother?"
"He earned it by surviving, Cass. He earned it by showing his tenacity. His resolve. His will to undergo such horrors just to rescue his daughter." Bela replied.
Dani also stepped up to the plate. "He's earned the right by actually trying to co-exist with us, if only just for the moment."
"My god, you two…" Cassandra whispered in shock. "The manthing really has infected your minds! Let's just get to my room before we continue this."
The Dimitrescu trio morphed into flies and traveled toward Cassandra's room. Reforming inside, Dani and Bela looked towards Cassandra as she shut her door and locked it.
Bela crossed her arms and looked annoyed. "Ok, Cass, here we are. Now, what is it?"
"The manthing. It seems your twos' judgment has been skewed. You are forgetting they are just a manthing and should be treated as such! Mother Miranda has ordered us to keep them alive, but that is it! We shouldn't be dining with them, shouldn't be calling them by their name. We most certainly shouldn't be going to them looking for advice, Daniela!" Cassandra snipped.
"What about you, Cass? You and him were practicing sword fighting? Or do you not remember?" Dani responded, heatedly. "In fact, if memory serves, you almost seemed to enjoy it."
Cassandra gave a low growl before replying, "Mother ordered that we train together. So what if I found some entertainment in it? I have a passion for fighting. However, I came to my senses when they almost killed you, Bela."
"That was my fault, Cassandra! You and I both know that! Ethan himself could not break that wall. How could have he even known that it was an outside-facing wall?" Bela countered. "I had lost my temper and gotten sloppy, something that you can understand."
Cassandra rolled her eyes. "They got into your head then! Used you. Manipulated you in your anger."
"Do you even hear yourself, Cass?" Dani asked. "You are grasping at straws here. I doubt Ethan was thinking about how to use Bela while he was busy fighting for his life."
"You defend the manthing like he's your friend, Daniela! What has gotten into you!?" Cassandra yelled.
Dani's eyes widened a bit as she averted her eyes for a moment. "H-he's not my friend!"
Cassandra, however, only recoiled in horror at Dani's reaction. "No… You do think of them as a friend!" Glancing towards Bela, Cassandra saw her expression was also one that conveyed a sort of guilt. "They drag you to the kitchen to drink all the wine and they are suddenly a friend to you as well!?"
"I would not call us friends, no, but we are on better terms than when he arrived. Cassandra, Ethan is not what he appears to be. He is much more, and so we must treat him as such." Bela explained. Taking a deep breath, she looked at Daniela. "Dani, leave Cass and me for a moment. Return to the kitchen. I will be there shortly."
Dani nodded. Unlocking the door, she buzzed down the hall before Cassandra could stop her.
"Cassandra." Bela started as she sat on her sister's bed, "Ethan… is more dangerous than we thought. His sheer determination and grit already make him a force, but with this mold… he is on a more even footing with us. We must tread carefully with him now."
"You still believe that, Bela? How! We were given out powers by Mother Miranda herself! There is no possible way they can outclass us!"
"Were we even at the same dinner?" Bela sarcastically asked. "Even he surprised mother! Our Mother! The second strongest being in this land, and he took her by surprise! He is dangerous-!"
"All the more reason to look the manthing back up! If they are dangerous, they should not be allowed to roam the halls!"
Bela stood up and began pacing. "If we do that, then we only give him more reason to attack us."
"So what, we just try and appease them? Fuck that!" Cassandra grabbed her sickle. "I say we cut their hands and feet off! Chain them up, bleed them till they can't even think straight. Starve them just enough."
"We would need Mother to agree to that, Cass, and I doubt she would now," Bela informed Cassandra.
Cassandra tried to think of a way to convince Mother. "Maybe if we explained just how dangerous they are- how they are dangerous to us- maybe she will agree?"
"When have you ever known Mother to change her mind, Cass?"
"This is different! We've never had a manthing survive this long, especially one that Mother Miranda has taken such an interest in." Cassandra looked to Bela, resolute. "I will talk to Mother on our behalf. Perhaps I can convince her."
"Cass no!"
It was too late. Cassandra had already formed into her flies and disappeared down the hall.
"Damn it, Cass!"
Knocking on Mother's door, Cassandra waited impatiently for permission to enter. However, it didn't come, so she knocked again, a bit louder.
"I am busy! Leave me."
Cassandra wasn't one to be deterred so easily, however. Knocking once more, she put even more force behind it. She heard Mother rise from her chair and her heels clicking on the floor.
"I said-! Oh! Cassandra! What is it dear?" Mother asked, now curious as to why her daughter was knocking.
"I need to speak to you about the manthing," Cassandra asked.
"About Ethan? What about them? Have they done something?"
Cassandra avoided yelling at her own mother for calling the manthing by their name. "May we speak inside your room, Mother?"
Mother was a bit hesitant at first but stepped aside to allow her daughter entry. Cassandra stepped inside and the door was closed behind her. "What is it that you wished to discuss?"
"I think we should lock the manthing back up. If they are as dangerous as Bela claims, then we must protect ourselves in case they try to press whatever advantage over us they think they have."
Mother, however only blinked a few times before giving a light laugh. "Oh dear, don't be silly. Ethan is no much more a threat to us as a flea to a dog."
"Yet they almost killed Bela? Yet Daniela was afraid of them during dinner after they ingested the mold. Yet you were taken by surprise when they struck you!" Cassandra said as she lost her temper.
Mother balled her fist and narrowed her gaze, and Cassandra felt the heat behind the glare. "You will not speak to your mother in such a way, Cassandra! Remember that!" Recomposing herself, Mother reassured her daughter. "Do not concern yourself with Ethan, my dear. I have been keeping a close eye on him, and I do not believe him to be of any consequence; mold or not."
"What about Daniela and Bela? They have befriended the manthing! This can not be allowed to continue."
"Cassandra. Bela and Daniela are their own persons, their own people. I must allow them to make their own mistakes and learn. If they wish to become acquaintances with Ethan, that is their choice to make, not ours." Mother explained.
"But they are just some low-born human manthing!"
"That may be true, but that still does not change the fact that Ethan Winters is more than we expected. While I am loath to admit it, his actions demand respect. He has also not given me any reason to have him thrown back into the dungeon, either, Cassandra. You do not punish a dog that displays only good behavior."
"Good behavior!? They have distracted Bela from her duties, polluted Daniela's mind, and now it seems they have also convinced you that they are more than just a manthing!"
Mother was fully angry now. "Watch your tone!"
Cassandra flinched and shrunk, averting her eyes. "I apologize Mother."
"I understand you are worried about your sisters, dear, and that is admirable, but Bela has distracted herself and Daniela is just trying to find a way to bond with her sisters, something which I am encouraging. I am warning you now, Cassandra, you will not harm Ethan. He is now a guest in our castle and will be treated as such. If I hear that you accost him…" She let the threat hang silently in the air.
"Yes mother, I understand." Cassandra conceded.
"Good. Now, I believe you should retire to your room for a moment and calm down. Maybe take a bath… you smell rather pungent." Mother stated with a crinkled nose.
"I forgot about that… Yes. I will do that, Mother. I will see you at dinner tonight."
Mother walked back to her desk to continue her work. "Yes. Also, do remember that dinner will be earlier to allow you girls to have your time together. Do me a favor and remind Bela and Daniela as well, please."
"Yes, mother."
Cassandra walked out of Mother's room and grimaced. She did not expect that conversation to go the way it did. "Even Mother believes the manthing should be respected. What has this family come to…"
Cassandra didn't know what to do now. No one in the castle was seeing to reason. "Having this damned manthing in the castle can be nothing but bad. They could incite a rebellion. The manthing knows our weakness. Knows how to hurt us, how to kill us. They could be spreading this information and we wouldn't even know… They could also be bargaining with The Duke to supply them with weapons and tools. Fuck."
The manthing was becoming a larger security threat the more Cassandra thought about it. "They already convinced Bela and Daniela, and Mother isn't too far behind. I need to watch the manthing closer."
Walking back to her room, Cassandra kept her head on a swivel, just in case anything caught her eye. She was always the most perceptive out of the family; always finding some small clue or sign. If something bad happened in the castle, Cassandra was never far behind in collecting evidence and connecting dots. All the dots Cassandra was connecting on the manthing all indicated a plan, a scheme. She would make sure it never saw fruition. She would snub out any and all rebels, conspirers, and instigators in service to her family.
If need be, she would eliminate the manthing too. Mother Miranda be damned. She wasn't going to let her family die just because some prissy bitch wanted the manthing alive for no reason at all. Not that she would ever say that out loud. If she did, Mother would have her locked up in different glass jars and buried a mile under the castle. Mother was very quick to defend Mother Miranda as well as fiercely loyal and obedient to her commands. However, she was not a blind follower like Moreau was.
Walking back into her room, Cassandra was surprised to see that Daniela was inside. "Daniela? What are you doing here still? I thought you and Bela returned to the kitchen."
"We did," Daniela replied. Then she took a sigh and nervously spoke. "But I came back here. I wanted to talk to you. About Ethan. Bela is right; he is dangerous to us. He knows how to kill us, even without the mold. He could very easily break into the dungeon and harvest a large quantity of molded blood and ingest it, and tear through this castle. Only Mother would be able to stop him, but I would wager a guess that the fight between them would leave much of the castle in ruins…"
"Exactly! Which is why I think we should-"
"But he isn't like that, Cassandra."
Cassandra was now confused. Her sister was just agreeing with her, and then just did a 180.
"What do you mean 'they aren't like that'? Why wouldn't they be!"
"Let's start with the obvious first; his daughter. He wouldn't do anything to jeopardize her. Attacking any one of us would do just that. He doesn't know where she even is; none of us do. He has friends now, too. He won't endanger them, either. On top of all that… Ethan wouldn't attack us now. He has begun to trust us in some capacity and no longer see's us as the immediate threat. He and Bela also seem to have a sort of understanding, and I would think him adverse to hurting her now, as well as me."
Cassandra was grinding her teeth in rage, listening to her sister. She had some points, Cassandra had to admit, but she still didn't like it. "All that promises is that they won't attack for now. What will happen if it turns out their daughter isn't here? What if they grow tired of waiting!? We can't take those chances, Daniela! I can't-!" Cassandra began to choke up and fought back a tear.
"I can't lose any of you!"
Dani was stunned. She never heard Cassandra say those words before, let alone the way she said them.
"Cassandra…"
"He almost killed Bela! I can't go through that again! Not after you!" Cassandra sobbed.
"He is a threat to all of us and yet you are here defending him! Even you said they almost killed you! How the hell am I supposed to live under the same roof as them! I can't! I can't Daniela, I can't! I can't I can't I can't I can't!" Cassandra dropped to the floor and pulled her knees up to her face, hiding her face.
Daniela didn't know whether to take a step forward to help her sister, or back and avoid her emotional breakdown.
"Cassandra. You are not going to lose any of us, I promise. Ethan doesn't want to hurt us, not now at least. He doesn't hate us, not anymore. He now knows we are not some mindless monsters, hell-bent on making him suffer. He was grown comfortable around us."
"That's the Stockholm Syndrom, Daniela. They are in survival mode and their mind is making them believe that you are all friends to appease you. It's just a coping mechanism."
"Those are big words for you, Cassandra. Where did you learn them?" Daniela teased.
Cassandra's lip quivered, trying to fight back the smile. "I may have broken into Bela's research a few times and came across one of her papers about it."
"She would be annoyed with you over that. Anyway; I don't believe it's that." Daniela said as she approached her sister and patted her shoulder. "I believe he simply is just working with what he has. We started to treat him better and so he stopped behind hostile in return. I think it's just that simple."
"Maybe. Maybe not. None of us can say for sure, Daniela. I still don't trust them. The fact they are allowed to just roam about too also infuriates me. At the end of the day, they are still just a manthing. There are too many reasons for him to conspire against us…"
"I understand your worries, Cassandra."
"Thank you, Daniela."
Dani walked out of her sister's room and quietly closed the door behind her. Cassandra decided to lie down and rest a little before dinner, which Dani agreed was a good idea. Once the door clicked shut, Dani turned around and leaned into the wall while sighing. "Things just keep getting more and more interesting." Pressing off the wall, she began down the hall. "I just want this headache to end…"
Clearing her head, she entered the kitchen, she watched the workers go about their business for a moment as well as Bela cleaning up the floor. Bela had gotten along well enough with the others surprisingly. They weren't friends and didn't idly chat, but Bela would take orders from the head cook and complete them. She was always one of the most professional when the time called for it.
"Sorry about that, Bela. I had to talk to Cass a little more. How goes your work?" Dani asked her sister.
Bela looked around and nodded. "It's going quite well. There's something lethargic about cleaning, but I suppose it's also a bit relaxing."
"Indeed. Remember, dear sister, that tonight's dinner will be served an hour earlier. Also, I decided that we will not have to be here to clean after dinner, so we can go straight to our little event."
Bela nodded. While she didn't express it, she was a little excited to watch these 'movies' with her sisters. It had been some time since they'd done anything together. "If only Cass wasn't so against the idea. Do you think she will like any of the films that have been picked out?"
Dani shrugged and looked to Bela unsure. "I don't know. Ethan said he tried to keep her in mind as he chose them, but even we would be hard-pressed to find a story that Cass would like."
"Perhaps there are some about hunting that she would like? Conversation for another time, I think. We should finish up here." Bela stated and Dani agreed. With dinner being served earlier, they had to hurry and prep the kitchen so everything could remain on schedule.
"I will have Ethan teach me how to operate the equipment so that Cass won't be threatened by his presence." Bela joked. "I don't see how or why she is so against him. Hell, she was on better terms with him before either of us, but then she changed. Can't stand him now."
Dani stopped her work for a moment, thinking about Cass's little breakdown. "She is worried about us. She is worried that he will hurt us. She just wants to keep us safe."
Bela stopped too, contemplating the words. "I suppose that reason carries some merit." Bela conceded. "I see why would she be concerned. I won't lie and say I don't have some reservations myself, but so far Ethan has not given us reasons to suspect him of some plot. Whenever he has attacked us, it was either us provoking him or his mind being clouded by mold. Sure, that may just be him trying to stay alive to reunite with his daughter, but as it stands, genuine or not, Ethan has not lashed out and therefore deserves no punishment just because he may be a threat."
Dani, however, was a little torn in this respect. She agreed that Ethan didn't deserve to be chained back up or treated like a threat, but then she remembered him in the dungeon and she felt her anxiety swell up. Dani knew that Ethan possed a power greater than herself, greater than Bela and Cass too. The fact only one person inside the castle could stop Ethan if things deteriorated made her nervous. Mother was the only real deterrent if Ethan became enraged by the mold. She didn't openly admit it but Ethan was a threat. Not an active one, but still a threat.
"Cass does have a point, sadly. Ethan could become dangerous if he drank mold again. I doubt anyone would let that happen."
Bela looked at Dani with surprise. She had not expected sweet Dani to agree with the brutish Cass. "Then what do you suggest we do, Dani?"
"Honestly? I think there are only two things we could do. Either lock Ethan up so tightly that he can hardly breathe and go along with Cass's orders with or without Mother's approval… or just not give him any reasons to hate us. Befriend him."
"...you have a point. There are only two ways to go about this. We either appease him or imprison him. I've already made my choice, however. What about you, Dani?"
She looked at Dani and Dani at her. Dani nodded and Bela gave one back.
"Cass has made her choice as well, and we both know what that is. You know what that means right…?" Bela asked ominously.
"Yes. We will be in direct opposition to our own sister. She will believe we betrayed her, the Dimitrescu name, and what we are. Siding with 'the manthing' over our own sister will no doubt infuriate her."
"Infuriate indeed. So that means we will have to watch out for Ethan even more so when she learns… Dani, we've never been against each other like this before. This won't be easy. We will be hurting our sister. I know you don't want that, nor do I, but this… this is different. This isn't what anyone expected to happen. We all thought that the manthing would remain in the dungeon, bled every day, and his daughter used how Mother Miranda saw fit. Now? He's helping you spend time with us, getting along with the staff- hell even Mother is starting to find his company entertaining."
"Remember that time we brought in that stray cat?" Dani said whimsically.
"We? I distinctly remember that being very much you that brought it in; but yes, I remember. Why do you bring it up?"
"At first, I thought the smelly thing could help control the rodents in the dungeon. It tried to claw me in the face and I almost squished its head because of that, but I didn't. Instead, I threw it down into the dungeon and shut the door."
Bela laughed, "Yes, then I remember hearing it yowling at the door. Mother was irate. Told you to either make it stop or she would. You let it out and then it tore down the hall in terror. Cass was hell-bent on tracking it down and killing it. She never did find it, none of us did."
Dani smiled fondly at the memory. "That's not true… I found it. It was hiding in my room, of all places. I couldn't see it but I very much knew it was there. I tried coaxing it out with food and water, trying to recapture it, but it was always so damn elusive. Then one night… it came out. I was laying on my bed reading, and it hopped up there with me. It sniffed at my hand and then… started rubbing on me. I found this little behavior strange, but the cat's fur was soft and I began to pet it."
"Really? You had the cat in your room the entire time? How did you hide it- why did you hide it?" Bela asked, a little stumped.
"I didn't want Cass tearing through my room to get at it, at least at first. Then, I started to enjoy the things company. Its purr was very loud and very comforting. They loved being near me and I loved having them near. The hair was a fucking nightmare, but other than that, it was an easy thing to keep around. It was content climbing around my room, laying on my bed, or sitting by the window. I would let it out during warm, sunny days. I was afraid Cass would find it, but seeing how she was always busy with the maids, lycans, or security, I figured she wouldn't notice it."
"Interesting. You hid the creature well, no one ever even smelled the feline on you. What happened to it?"
"It grew old and began having health issues, so I asked The Duke for advice. He gave me a syringe the next day and told me to inject it into the cat. They went to sleep and passed away. I buried them out in the forest, around where I found it."
"I'm sorry to hear that, Dani. What… does this story have to do with the current issue, though?" Bela asked.
"For the smartest sister, you obviously failed to see the connection; Ethan is the cat. We dragged him in, very nearly killed him, and condemned him to the dungeon, only to cause a ruckus and be pulled from there…"
"...and you think he will begin to grow on us just like that cat did to you?" Bela finished and Dani wordlessly nodded. "I see why you would correlate this story to Ethan, especially given Cass's attitude towards the both of them, but this is much more than just some outdoor cat being kept inside your room. Ethan is a human, subject to wants and needs, emotions. His daughter is held captive, away from him. Eventually, he will grow restless and resume his efforts of finding his daughter and getting out of here."
"Things are getting more and more complicated by the day, aren't they." Dani joked.
"That they are, and I believe things are just going to keep becoming more complicated as these new fey days go on. It's almost impossible to say what the next few hours will bring, let alone the next day. We will just have to take things as they come. Anyway, let's shelve this for another time. We have work to do and then a night of relaxation."
"Yeah, you're right. Hey, should we bring along a bottle of wine or two to drink during the movies?" Dani asked cheerfully.
"I don't see why not. Two bottles split between the three of us should be more than enough."
Dani smirked, "I just have to keep you away from my kitchen this time around."
Bela punched her sister in the shoulder. "Hardy har. You will never drop that, will you?"
"Me? Drop the fact that Bela Dimitrescu, the most intelligent and logical Dimitrescu sister, completely destroyed her sister's kitchen in a drunken haze? I don't think I will ever drop it. Now, back to work!"
Rentering the kitchen, the two sisters quickly went back to work, eager to finish.
Once finished, the two left the kitchen for the last time that day. Dani decided that the staff could handle tonight's dinner and clean up by themselves. She would return in the morning anyway, so if anyone was slacking, she would be able to tell.
The two were walking back toward their respective rooms when Bela spoke up. "Dani, I am going to find Ethan and have him teach me to use the equipment now. I will see you at dinner. I assume Ethan will be joining as well tonight?"
"As far as I know, yes? Mother didn't say that he wasn't welcome to dinner, and she also allowed him to eat with us this morning. I would assume he would be welcome tonight as well."
"I will tell him that he is welcome to join us tonight but does not have to, and it will be less formal than the last time." Bela decided.
"Ok then, I will see you at dinner then. Till then, good day sister."
"Good day to you as well, sister."
Bela turned around to find Ethan. Luckily for her, she knew Magda's typical duties and was able to quickly track them down. She walked into the reading room that they were cleaning
"Ethan."
Stopping his dusting, Ethan turned around to see Bela. "Hey? Did you need something?"
"It's nearing dinner time. I think it would be better if you taught me before then, that way we aren't wasting time after." Ethan turned back to look at Magda and their cleaning supplies.
"I'm almost done here. I would hate to just leave Magda now that we are almost done. Is it ok if we finished up here first?" Ethan asked.
Bela nodded. "That is fine. We have time." Bela said as she took a random book from the shelf and flipped through it. Ethan and Magda looked at each other and shrugged, returning to their work and conversation.
"So anyway; the guy jumps from the second-story window and books it. He still has the horse mask on while sprinting across the parking lot. Never spilled any of his beer, either."
"Wow. That's impressive." Magda commented.
Bela slowly lowered the book to look at Ethan with growing confusion as he wrapped up the story. Deciding better off not knowing, she returned to skimming through the book she had picked up.
Only to promptly snap it shut with a blush.
The sharp sound caused Magda and Ethan to turn towards Bela, both with an eyebrow raised. Clearing her throat and reading the title of the book out loud. "The Rouge and The Maiden; A flower to give or a flower to take. One of Dani's personal favorites…".
"Oh? What's it about?" Ethan asked obviously. Bela gave him a look and just repeated the title, adding a bit more emphasis.
"The Rouge and The Maiden. Mai-den. As in, a virgin…"
"Oh… oh!" Ethan said as he suddenly realized the implication of the second half of the title. "What uh, what's that doing in here-"
"Don't know, don't care." Bela quickly said as she tossed the book back where she found it. "How much longer is this going to take?"
Magda looked around, taking note of what was left to do and how long it would take. "Hm, not much longer, my Lady. Ethan, you can go ahead and leave. It shouldn't take me more than 10 minutes to finish up here."
"Are you sure?" Ethan asked. "I don't want to just leave you with the rest of the work. I'd feel guilty."
Magda smiled but shook her head. "It's ok. Go on."
"Ok then." Ethan sat his broom against the wall and walked towards the doorway to leave the room. "I will see you later then? Maybe?"
"Mostly likely no. I am going to try and finish my duties before dinner ends. I am tired and wish to retire early tonight."
"Then if I don't see you again; goodnight Magda."
"Goodnight to you as well, Ethan."
Walking out, Bela looked to Ethan with a small smirk. "You two seem to be getting along well. Something I need to be aware of? Dragobete is coming up~" Bela teased.
"Ha, no. We are good friends is all. I've explained to her that my heart still belongs to my wife…"
That instantly made the air around them a little awkward. Looking over to him, Bela saw Ethan swallow his emotions and let out a quiet, shaky breath.
"So, this film projecting equipment; is it hard to use?" Bela said, trying to quickly move the conversation along.
"No, not at all." Ethan said, shaking his head. "With the time we have before dinner, I can easily teach you the basics. I assume that while not only speaking English, you can read it?"
"Yes, of course, Ethan." Bela said, a little offended. "I speak the language just as well- if not better- as you do, it would be shameful of me if I couldn't also read your bastardized language."
"That's good because The Duke had all the stuff pre-set to English. I once had to navigate a computer whose language was set to Japanese. I don't know any Japanese, so it was very tricky."
"Watashi no nihongo wa hidoidesu." Bela said with a smirk in what sounded like an Asian dialect to Ethan.
Looking at her for a moment, Ethan huffed. "Stop showing off, you bastard."
"Stop being a jealous, uncultured peasant." Bela jabbed back.
"Hey, this 'uncultured peasant' is about to teach you how to use 21st-century technology."
"A dairy farmer can teach me how to milk a cow, but they are still a farmer."
"...touche." Ethan grumbled.
"By the way, while you are not required to attend, you are welcome to join us for dinner tonight." Bela added.
"I don't think my suit is clean and it's too late to get another-"
"It would be less formal. You could come in normal attire. Mother wanted the first dinner with us to be… special." Bela tried to work.
Ethan chuckled, "It was special indeed. I don't know. I'd rather not have monsters' blood be slipped into my drinks."
"You have my word that will not happen. We have all sort of agreed to keep you and the blood-mold as far away as possible." Bela reassured him. "Tonight will just be a normal Dimitrescu dinner."
"I… might swing by. I guess. I will decide for sure later. Until then, just get you ready to use this projector."
The duo pushed up the door leading towards the room Dani had selected and Ethan prepped. "Alrighty, first you just need to turn the player on and the projector," Ethan instructed, flipping switches on both items. "They will both take a moment to get ready." He said, looking over the rest of the connections. "If any of these come loose and you don't know where they go for sure, just get me, but I am sure you can figure it out. Now once the player is ready, simply chose a movie." Ethan said, picking up a random case and removing a disc. "Open the tray, place a disc print up, and close! It will automatically read the disc and take you to a menu. You use this remote and use these arrows to navigate it." Ethan said as he handed showed her the remote control. "Most of the time you just want to hit find something that says 'Play' or 'Start from Begining'. Once you do, hit this little button in the middle, and it's good. Now the projector…"
Looking towards Bela's face, he had to stifle a laugh. She was barely following along.
"The most important thing with this projector is making sure it's in focus and aligned with the wall. Use this dial to adjust to focus. I already set this up earlier, so it should be good to go as is. The next thing is the audio. The 'plus' icon increases the volume, and 'minus' lowers it. It won't need turned on as it's automatically powered by the player. If something goes wrong, just come and get me. Here, you give it a try." Ethan said as he turned off the machines.
Bela reluctantly began to follow Ethan's instructions. She turned everything on, change the disc for another movie, and was able to get it started. When the volume came in a touch too loud, she was able to lower it.
"Good! That's all there is to it. When you are done watching the movies, turn everything off. Make sure everything gets put back right. Oh, and try not to touch the shiny underside of the discs. Other than that, I'd say you got it down perfectly."
"Thank you, Ethan."
"Don't worry about it. This isn't that hard. I'm sure you are more than smart enough to figure it out."
"I meant for helping Dani with this little event. For helping us spend a night together as sisters. It has been far too long since we've spent time together." Bela said as she looked at the projection equipment thoughtfully.
"The last time was… when Dani hurt herself. Me and Cass were extremely worried. We stayed up for three days in her room, watching over her. On the fourth day, we finally passed out from exhaustion. Mother placed us in bed with Dani. That was the last time we all spent time together."
Ethan coughed into his fist, trying to alleviate some of the awkwardness in the air. "Well, it sounds like this was long overdue. I hope it is what Dani was looking for."
"It's what we're all looking for, Ethan. Even Cass, though she may not admit it. It's what we are all looking for. Thank you."
"Wow. Save the waterworks for the stage." They heard someone tease. Turning to look at the newcomer, they saw Dani staring at them with a smirk. "I just came to see how things were going, only to see Bela give the manthing a heart-to-heart."
Bela and Ethan both rolled their eyes at Dani.
"Hush, Dani. I was telling Ethan that this little idea you and he had was good. It has been too long since we have acted like sisters."
"It has been too long, Bela." Dani agreed as she walked further into the room. Looking at the projector and player with a bit of confusion, she asked her sister "So, has Ethan taught you how to operate… this?"
"Yes, he did. It is quite simple actually."
"Well then, that is good. Remember that dinner will be served sooner, so if you want to join us on time, Ethan you should go and get washed up now." Dani said.
Ethan looked over himself, and sure enough, he was dirty. Turns out dusting and cleaning floors made one filthy. Who knew? "Yeah, that's a good idea. I'm sure I don't smell the best, either."
"No. You don't." Dani agreed as she raised a hand to cover your nose. "You smell like sweat and cleaning solution."
"Thanks. Maybe I should go wash up. I guess I will be seeing you all at dinner tonight. See ya later." Ethan said as he walked out of the room.
Bela looked down at her clothing and sighed. "Well, I suppose I will be going to wash up as well. I am not far off from being just as filthy as him. Till dinner, Dani." Bela left with a wave.
"Till dinner, Bela." Dani replied. "Till dinner."
Sorry about the late upload AND being a bit shorter. I'm getting ready for a family vacation for Thanksgiving and that has been keeping me busy. That and I've been talking to a new possible girlfriend (ooooo) and she has been keeping my attention more than I expected.