Beatrice sat in her chair staring out the window to her room as she sat on bed when she felt a twitch in her voice piece making her flinch from the pang.
"Sorry Beato, sorry."
Dorothy apologised, as she moved her tools out the way.
Beatrice nodded her head and Dorothy went back to fiddling with the voice device. This time the device went wrong in a way that she couldn't fix herself, not helped by Dorothy's dad messing with it, thankfully Dorothy had asked to help her fix it, though Beatrice thought it might have been guilt that had compelled her to do it.
"Honestly, this thing is such a pain sometimes."
'You have no idea.' Beatirce thought to herself.
"Ok, now try that."
"Doro…thyyyyy." Her voice came out sounding like a strained machine.
"Not quite." Dorothy sighed as she adjusted the device again "Ok, try again."
"Dorothy." Beatrice spoke this time in her normal voice.
"Perfect."
"Thank you for your help Miss Dorothy." Beatrice smiled as she closed the door to the clockwork deceive on her neck.
"It's no trouble, can't have you sounding like a sailor with a sore throat, can we?" Dorothy smiled as she packed her tools away. Beatrice had to admit while she wasn't necessarily happy to have Dorothy and Ange around the Princess at first, she'd come to see them as friends and Dorothy in an almost older sister light now.
Just then there was a knock at the door "Come in." Beatrice called.
In walked Princess with a smile on her face "Ah Beatrice, I see your voice is back, thank you so much for helping her."
"No problem." Dorothy smiled as she finished packing the tools away "So what can we do for you Princess, would you like me to teach you how to drink people under the table?"
"Miss Dorothy!" Beatrice shouted, if there was one thing, she still didn't like about the older girl, it was her drinking.
"No thanks, perhaps another time." Princess smiled "Ange was given this, said it had to be given to you."
"Honestly, don't they ever let off." Dorothy sighed as she took the piece of paper, turning away from the two.
Beatrice did have to agree with the statement they could be a bit harsh and demanding on them sometimes.
Dorothy read the paper silently before she stuffed it in her pockets and turned to the pair "Awfully sorry, I need to head out for a while." Dorothy didn't wait for the two to say anything before she was heading out the door.
"Dorothy?" Princess shouted after the group's leader but she was gone without any further word, the pair looked at each other perplexed by the brunette's actions.
After a few hours Beatrice was sat with the rest of the team in their "clubroom" trying to work out what the paper could have been about.
"It doesn't sound like a mission or orders." Ange observed.
"If it was order from control, why did you not read it?" Chise asked
"Because on the Black Lizard Planet, you don't read things unless it smells like fish, because its rude otherwise."
Before Beatrice could groan about Ange's Black Lizard Planet comment, the clubrooms door opened, and in stubbled Dorothy into the room "Ooh, what do we have here?"
"We could ask you the same." Ange spoke first.
"Where were you?" Princess asked.
"Out." Dorothy smiled as she leaned on the wall.
"I sense your troubled." Ange commented.
"Oh, worried, were we?"
"Of course we were you took off suddenly, what was in that letter?" Beatrice shouted annoyed and angry.
Dorothy looked to the ground away from the short girl, she almost looked like she was about to burst into tears to Beatrice who unclenched her fists and her angry look turned to one of concern.
"Nothing for you to worry about." Dorothy sighed as she turned and walked out the room down the hall, stumbling slightly as she went.
"Dorothy." Beatrice called after the older girl but she was already gone.
"Beatrice would you mind going after her?" Princess smiled "I suspect she's slightly drunk and wouldn't like something bad to happen to her."
"Of course your highness." Beatrice said as she practically ran out the room. She didn't have to go far before she caught up to the lead spy.
The two walked slowly and silently, Beatrice moved to the side of the older girl, Dorothy didn't seem to either acknowledge or shun her so Beatrice was content to remain quite next to the brunette. After a short while and a few near stumbles the pair reach a dark brown door.
"You can go now Beato, I'm fine." Dorothy sighed as she rested her head on the door.
"Are you sure?" Beatrice asked "I can…"
"Thanks, but I'm good." Dorothy said, her voice sounding dull and lifeless.
"If you're sure Miss Dorothy." Beatrice replied as Dorothy turned the handle to her room.
"You don't need the Miss; it makes me feel like I'm a stranger." Dorothy sighed as she walked in the room.
"Mi…Dororthy wait." Beatrice shouted making the older girl stop "I'm sorry for snapping at you earlier, I was just worried about you, you took off suddenly, Ange and Chise knew nothing, I was just worried Dorothy, we're doing something dangerous and I didn't want something to happen to you."
"I can look after myself." Dorothy said and Beatrice thought the older girl would shout at her but she didn't "But, thank you Beatrice, for your concern, I means a lot, now you better go off to bed, I'll see you tomorrow." Dorothy walked through the door and gave the young girl a smile "Good night Beatrice."
"Good night Dorothy." Beatrice smiled as Dorothy closed the door.
Beatrice walked back to her room in silence wondering what could have happened, she'd seen Dorothy play drunk and she'd seen her drink a fair amount so for her to get drunk must have taken a lot of alcohol and an exceptional reason to drink that much. Once in her room she saw the tool kit Dorothy had used help fix her neck piece.
'I'll return this tomorrow.' Beatrice thought to herself as she picked the kit up and put it on her nightstand 'It might also give me the chance to talk to her and find the reason why she was acting like that.'
(Morning)
Beatrice woke the next morning and quickly washed and changed as quickly as she was able and picked up the tool kit and began to walk to Dorothy's room, she was thankful it was a day off for them otherwise she might have had trouble.
'I hope she ok.' Beatrice thought to herself.
Beatrice knocked on the door not to hard just in case the chief spy was still a sleep, she waited a second when she heard nothing she decided to come back later, that was till she heard couching and someone moving, then the door opened.
"Oh, hey Beato." Dorothy said as she opened her door a bit to see who it was.
Beatrice noticed the older girl was squinting and her voice was slower and courser "Morning miss Dorothy, are you ok?"
"Yes, I'm perfectly fine." Dorothy answered, "Is there something you wanted?"
"Oh, you left this behind." Beatrice said as she handed the tool kit over.
Dorothy went to take it, but she withdrew as if the light were painful for her "Would you mind bringing it in for me, the lights a bit much for me right now?"
"Are you sure you're alright?" Beatrice asked concerned as she walked in following Dorothy.
"I'm a bit hungover." Dorothy groaned as she lay back down on her bed her arm draped over her eyes.
"Hungover?"
"It happens when you have to much alcohol."
"I wouldn't have thought it possible for you to drink too much, in fact I don't think I've seen you drunk till yesterday."
"Yes, well yesterday, was not a great day for me."
"Because of that note?"
"Look Beatrice I'm a little tired right now, we'll talk later if that's ok?"
"Of course, erm, what about…?"
"If control sends any messages Ange can handle it."
"Very well, good night Dorothy."
"Night Beatrice."
After closing the door Beatrice headed to the club room and told the others about what had happened.
"What is this hungover?" Chise asked.
"It's a phrased used if you drink too much alcohol." Princess explained to the ninja.
"I wonder what caused her to drink so much though?" Ange pondered.
"It must have been the note." Princess answered, "Did she not say what it said Beatrice?"
"No, when I mentioned it, she said she was tired, so I left."
"I see."
"Erm…Princess would…"
"You want to go keep an eye on her don't you Beatrice?"
"How did…?"
"I've known you for a while Beatrice, I've learnt to know what you're thinking, now off you go and get lots of water before you do, I hear it helps with hangovers."
"As you wish your highness." Beatrice bowed before departing.
"What are you planning?" Ange asked Princess.
"Just a little bonding exercise for the two." Princess smiled.
"I'm not sure I feel more at ease over that."
"It worked for us didn't it?"
"We agreed not to talk about it."
(Dorothy's room)
Beatrice opened the as quietly as she could in case Dorothy was asleep only to see the older girl throwing up into her metal bin.
"Dorothy, are you ok?" Beatrice exclaimed as she placed the tray she had been carrying down and rush to the older girl's side.
"Urgh, I'm fine." The brunette said as she wiped her mouth before laying back on the bed covering her eyes.
"I'm not sure throwing up counts." Beatrice said nervously, as she went to pour a cup of water for her friend.
"What are you even doing here Beato?"
"Helping you of course."
"I'm pretty sure I said I was fine."
"Actually you said you were hungover and tired, not something I would call fine." Beatrice countered as she handed the glass of water over.
"Thanks." Dorothy said as she sat up and took the glass, Beatrice noticed that Dorothy was doing her best to avoid eye contact with her.
"Is there something I can get you, food perhaps?" Beatrice asked as she tried to get a good look at Dorothy's eyes.
"If there is something on your mind, just say it."
Beatrice took a deep breath to muster her courage before asking "What's wrong Dorothy?" Beatrice asked quietly yet as firmly as she could "I know something is, we all do, we're worried about you so if somethings wrong I'd like to help."
"This isn't something you can help with Beato."
"Why?" Beatrice asked confused "At least tell me what's wrong."
"Don't worry about it."
"Dorothy, how can I not worry about it, you leave suddenly and then come back drunk as a sailor, we're friends aren't we, I might not be able to help physically, but just having someone there helps, when I was being bullied for my voice, having her highness around made everything seem a little lighter and less bad." Beatrice sighed "I won't force you to tell me, but the offers there if you want it take it, I'll go get some food for you." Beatrice said as she got up to leave for the kitchen.
"Wait." Beatrice heard Dorothy say in whispered voice "My coat pocket, the left one."
Beatrice walked up to the coat and went to mentioned pocket quickly finding the thing inside "Is this?"
"Yes, read it." Dorothy said as she lay back down on the bed.
Beatrice opened the note and silently read the contents:
D
It my duty to regretfully inform you your father was found dead; his body is at the city morgue.
"Dorothy, I'm sorry, I wish there…"
"Guess the Duke decided he didn't want lose ends, either that or he asked for more than the Duke was willing to pay." Dorothy sighed "You know what's really strange?"
"No." Beatrice said as she sat down on the bed and placed the note on the bed side table.
"He was a weak man who beat me, I ran to get away from him yet all I feel is sad."
"I don't think it's strange he was your father."
"True, I guess I wished we could have spoken again, I'm not sure what I would be hoping for though, guess I'll never find out."
Beatrice suddenly felt a strong urge in her stomach, she wasn't sure what it was but she knew she was the only one who could do it, so she resolved to do it for Dorothy.
Beatrice fiddled with her voice device for a second before she began to speak in a different gruff voice "Daisy," Beatrice began hearing a gasp from Dorothy as she lay on the bed as she spoke with the older girls fathers voice "I'm sorry, I know I let you and your mother down, I let the drinking and my anger at my injury and myself get the better of me and that it made me lash out and lose sight of what really mattered and by the time I realised it, it was to late, so when I saw you again I was desperate to try and make it right, because the one thing that I never lost was how much I loved you."
Beatrice heard Dorothy sniff before she carried on "I'm sorry I won't be there for all the things a father should be, or to see you be the amazing woman you will be, or the great work you'll achieve, but I know I'll be proud of you and I'll be watching you from above, I love you Daisy."
Beatrice let out a slightly shaky breath as she turned her voice back to normal "I'm sorry if…"
"Don't!" Dorothy cut off Beatrice as she sprang up and hugged the girls from behind "Don't apologise." Dorothy said holding back a sob "That meant everything so don't take it back."
Beatrice turned around in the older girl's arms and hugged her with the brunette's head in her chest as she wrapped an arm around the girl's neck and gently patted her hair, like her mum had done when she was a child. At the contact and Dorothy began to shake and then bawl her eyes out and Beatrice just held the crying girl in her arms.
"Its ok." Beatrice kept repeating as Dorothy cried, once the older girl had finished, she lay back on the bed exhausted.
"I think I want some sleep if that's ok Beatrice."
"Of course, I'll check on you later, would you like me to bring some soup when I do?"
"That would be nice thank you, but wouldn't that involve you stealing from the kitchen, such a bad girl Beto." Dorothy smiled.
"Must be all this bad company I'm keeping." Beatrice said.
The two shared a short giggle "I'll leave you in peace." Beatrice said as she stood up and walked for the door.
"Beato!" Dorothy called out as she opened the door.
"Yes?"
"Thank you, it really did mean everything to me." Dorothy smiled.
"Anytime." Beatrice smiled as she exited the room and shut the door.
As one girl lay on the bed and one girl walked down the door, they both felt a strange pull at their hearts and smiled creep on their faces 'What's that about?' they both thought.