The start of the holidays had arrived, and that meant boarding up on train, heading home, and spending the holidays with friends and family.
At least for most people.
"What do you mean, you don't need to board the train?" Sophie asked incredulously.
"Yeah, Yukari's powers can take me anywhere, and while she isn't awake right now, as Ran is her Shikigami, she can use that ability too." Hailey said
"Is that how she keeps popping up and vanishing?" Sophie asked. "Apparently most of the teachers have been wondering that."
"Probably." Hailey said, "It's hard to hang around Yukari for any length of time without acquiring a flair for the theatrical." After a thought she added. "So what are you guys doing for the holidays?"
"What else? Spending time with the family." Sophie said, shrugging. It was a moment later she realised that she was talking to an orphan, and a girl with at least one dead parent. "So what about you?" She said quickly.
"Well, I'll be spending the weeks leading up to Christmas with Remilia, then I'll spend some time at home tending to my animals. Then I'll spend New Years in Japan with Reimu and Marisa."
"Question." Sophie said.
"Shoot."
"Who is Reimu and Marisa?" Sophie asked.
"Just some good friends of mine, a dirt poor Miko and a hedge witch respectively." Hailey said. "They're pretty cool."
"You know some pretty weird people Hailey." Sophie said.
"Just remember you are now on that list." Hailey shot back playfully.
Then in unison, they both turned to Lily. They both wanted to ask, but seeing as how poorly Lily often respond to questions of this nature, they waited.
Lily gave a weak smile. "Christmas is… rather quiet at my house, I'll probably spend most of the holiday reading."
"That sounds… peaceful." Sophie said, gently.
"Yeah… sounds nice." Hailey added.
When it was time for the friends to part, Sophie and Lily boarding the train, Hailey quietly grabbed Sophie, pulled her aside and hissed into her ear. "Make sure that you send her something I don't care if it's only money and a christmas card. That sounds way too lonely."
"Screw that, I'm going to be writing to her the whole holiday. She's way to pitiful not too." Sophie whispered back. "We should convince her to get a phone."
"Thanks for the lift, Ran."
"Not a problem, enjoy yourself, I'll be here to pick you up on boxing day." Ran said, before closing the gap, leaving Hailey with her Luggage.
"Right on time as always. Trust Ran for punctuality." Meiling said, walking up to Hailey.
"Hey Meiling!" Hailey said, hugging the gatekeeper.
"Hey there trouble." Meiling said warmly, returning the hug. "Good to see ya. School been treating you right?"
Hailey made a face. "Well, it isn't all bad."
Meiling laughed, before lifting Hailey onto her shoulder, and picking up her trunk in her other hand. "Well, I'm sure you'll tell us all about it later. But let's get out of the winter chill."
"Amen to that." Hailey said, suppressing a shiver.
Walking back up the path and through the gates, Hailey studied the manor, No effort had been made to decorate the exterior of the manor, although one could argue being red made it festive by default. Indeed being caked in snow did take the edge off its normally foreboding image.
As they walked through the front door however, the interior was another story. The normally oppressively red halls, were now garishly decorated with holly, tinsel of almost every colour imaginable, and fairy lights as far as they eye can see.
In the center of the room stood Remilia of course, flanked as ever by her faithful maid Sakuya.
Hailey slipped off of Meilings shoulder, and walked up to Remilia and curtseed. "Hello Remilia, thank you for inviting me to spend christmas with you and your household."
Remilia curtseed back. "Think nothing of it, it is always a pleasure to have you as a guest."
Hailey smirked before quickly snatching up the vampire in a hug. "Aww, love you to Remi."
"Wha- Getoff!" Remilia said, struggling to extricate herself from Haileys grip.
"Nah." Hailey said, continuing to hug.
Remilia eventually managed to push Hailey off, blushing beet red. "Must you constantly attempt to undermine me?"
"Aww. lighten up will ya? Nobody's here who cares." Hailey giggled.
Meiling gave a good natured chuckle, and even Sakuya was hiding a smile.
"Well it matters to me…" mutters Remilia, pouting.
"Well, get used to it, you're stuck with me till Boxing day."
Remilia sighed, finally getting the blush under control. "I suppose I did bring this upon myself."
"That you did, now c'mere so I can hug you again!" Hailey said lunging forward, but was stoppped this time by Remilia's palm to her face.
"As much as you enjoy assaulting my dignity," Remilia said, smirking as Hailey rubbed her nose reproachfully, "There is someone else in this house who has been waiting very patiently for you. You probably shouldn't keep her waiting."
"Eheh, your probably right." Hailey said, rubbing the back of her neck, before looking to Meiling, who still had her luggage.
"You go on, I'll put your stuff in your room." Meiling said.
Hailey nodded, and ran off into the labyrinthian manor.
Pushing open the heavy oak doors, Hailey peered into the gloomy room.
It was a large space, to a lesser house this might have been a dining room, but it was in reality a bedroom. A large four poster bed, with tattered hangings pulled back to reveal an ornate coffin sitting in the middle. A small bedside table sat beside it, with a single pitcher of water on top. Opposite, there was a large fireplace, its gentle light being the illumination in the room. In the front, there was a large wooden milk crate of toys, half of its contents were strewn in pieces across the blood red carpet, along with some unidentifiable stains that were best left unidentified to the weak of constitution.
Disregarding the damage and the ominous coffin, this could be the master bedroom of a lord or lady, rather then the hidden chamber in the depths of the basement that it was.
"Flandre?" Hailey called out, walking into the room carefully, scanning the room. Finding nothing, she turned her gaze to the bed, or more pointedly the coffin.
Crossing the room, she gently crawled onto the bed, and kneeled in front the coffin. "Flan? Are you still asleep?" No response.
Swallowing, she gently lifted the coffin lid, to reveal…
Nothing, the coffin was empty.
Hailey felt a prickling at the back of her neck, and turned to see a pair of rose red eyes glowing in the dark behind her, flanked by wings of glowing rainbow gems.
It pounced.
"Hailey~!" Cooed Flandre Scarlet, the younger scarlet sister, entombing Hailey in a bone crunching glomp.
"You're here you're here you're here!" she said rolling around on the bed, handling Hailey as easily as one would a ragdoll.
"Nice to see you to Flan but-OWOWOW RIBS!" Hailey managed, making Flandre let go as if burned.
Flandre backed off, and sat sheepishly as Hailey managed to pull herself upright. "Sorry…" she said, looking sad, wings drooping.
Hailey smiled, although she was still clutching what was most likely a bruised rib. "Nothings broken, so its no biggy. Lets try that again shall we?"
"They embraced again, this time more gently.
"I missed you Hailey, I get lonely when you don't visit." Flandre said softly, snuggling into Haileys shoulder.
"Heh, I miss you too Flan. Letters never really do you justice." Hailey said, patting the chibi vampire on the back.
"You really mean it?" Flandre said, pulling back to see Halley's face.
"Of course I do." Hailey said, ruffling Flandre's hair through her cap. "I don't lie to cute vampires ya know. And I'll say it as many times as you need."
"Hehe." Flandre said, smiling.
"Now let's get a good look at you." Hailey said, clapping her hands, turning on the lights. "Never can stand how dark it is in here."
Flandre looked sheepish again. "Big sis says its so I don't get overstimy- overstimya- overstimu-"
"I know, I know." Hailey said, internally squeeing at Flans tongue tied confusion. "You know that doesn't mean it has to be off all the time?"
"The dark doesn't really bother me anyway." Flandre murmurs
"Well anyway, don't keep me in suspense. What've you been up too recently, anything cool happen lately?"
"Well…" Flandre seemed to rack her mind, before inspiration struck. "Patche and my sis gave a bunch of board games recently, we can play a few if you want!"
Hailey took one look at Flans eager smile, and said. "Sure, lets see what you've got."
"Yay!" Flan said and ran out the door, Hailey following behind.
Next to Flandre's room, there was another door. Nothing as grand or oppressive, but a simple storage closet, where a majority of Flandre's possessions were kept.
The ones she didn't want to break.
Hailey walked in behind Flandre to see her gesturing to the stack of boxes. "Which one do you want to play first. Huh huh?!"
"Okay calm down there, we haven't even started yet." Hailey said, slightly worried, wondering if she should call down one of the fairies.
She checked the pile wondering which ones might be fun for Flandre. "Cluedo: might be a little too complicated for Flan. Hungry Hungry Hippos: broken within five seconds. Jenga: maybe, but might be a little too frustrating. Scrabble: god no, she can barely write let alone spell. Monopoly: I know Flandre would never intentionally hurt me, but I have no desire to put that to the test…"
"Ah, Mousetrap." Hailey said, pulling the box off the shelf. "This one is a lot of fun."
"And with the lowest chance of best friend homicide." She added privately.
"Okay!" Flandre said, taking the box from her and running back to her room.
Hailey followed Flandre, back, and then proceeded to teach her how to play.
"Flan? Hailey?" Remilia crept into Flandre's room, peering around, a board game lay abandoned on the floor, a contraption of colourful plastic sitting half complete as the game seemed unfinished.
"Hailey, you didn't come up for dinner, is everything alright?" Remilia asked into the seemingly empty room.
Then Remilia heard a quiet shuffling noise coming from the coffin. "No they didn't..."
Padding over with all the stealth that a forever ten vampire is capable of. She peered into the coffin, the lid having been left ajar.
Snoozing in each other's arms was Hailey and Flandre.
Remilia smiled, while she probably wouldn't admit it to her face, Hailey was probably the best thing to happen to Flandre in over two hundred years. She was so glad she gave her a chance…
She happened to notice Hailey giving her a wry smile and a cheeky glance from the corner of her eye.
"C'mere you." Hailey reached up and pulled a surprised Remilia into the coffin.
"Wha-hey!" Remilia whined, trying to pull free.
"Hmm… wuh…?" Mumbled Flandre, making Remi stop struggling.
"Remi's just joining us, go back to sleep." Hailey said sweetly.
"Big sis…" Flandre smiled and pulled her sister into a hug.
Remilia pouted and hissed. "You play dirty."
"Love you too Remi." Hailey titered back, before rejoining the three person hug.
As Remilia resigned herself to her position. None of the three noticed the sound of a camera.
"And another one for the scrapbook." Ran said to herself as the gap closed. After all, the mistress would not forgive her for not recording something so adorable.
Chapter Notes:
Hereee's Flandre! :D
And now we finally meet the 'mysterious' penpal: Dirty secret (as if you didn't already know).
Isn't she Kyuute?
A lil' short, but that was probably the best way to end that chapter.