AN: Fast updates because as of now, it has 4 chapters in Ao3 so I figured, it should be the case here too! Also, a bit of Ace Attorney reference over here!
CAMP SILAS - Chapter 3: It's What You Do To Me
After that awkward introduction, Perry and LaFontaine decide to let Laura and Carmilla settle in their cabin. Despite the small house looking exactly how she remembers it, Laura takes note that the inside definitely changed. It looks like they're using these old cabins for the staffs now. Beside the door is a cabinet and at the corner are a mini-fridge and a small side table. There are two cottage beds that are pushed against the left and right walls of the room, providing a small space in between them. At the opposite end of the room is a table with a single chair and at the corner right of it is another door which Laura assumes is the bathroom.
Carmilla drops her duffel backpack and her satchel bag on the left bed which makes Laura settle her things on the right one. She warily glances at Carmilla who unceremoniously flops down on her bed with a sigh and shows no signs of wanting to talk to her. Laura frowns. They'd be stuck together for eight weeks; they should at least get to know each other. Well, at least, that's what Laura thinks.
"Need something, cupcake?" Carmilla looks her way with an eyebrow raised.
Laura slowly tilts her head. Did she not catch what my name was?"Uhm, I just wanted to introduce myself again since earlier was really awkward." She mumbles. "I'm Laura."
She receives another smirk from Carmilla. "So I've heard cutie." The brunette says in a lax tone, shrugging then lying down on her side to look at Laura who takes note that the annoying smirk on Carmilla's face is still there.
"Well, I just thought you didn't remember my name since you kept calling me stuff." Laura whispers to herself. Why is this girl making it so awkward? "So, what made you join the Silas staff?" Small talk, Laura thinks. Maybe that will ease up the uncomfortable atmosphere around them.
"I was bored." Carmilla replies before pulling a book out of her duffel and begins reading it. Plato, if Laura read it right.
"Oh."
"Yeah."
(So much for easing the uncomfortable atmosphere then.)
Being the first kid on camp must be horrible, Laura thinks. Julia is spending the afternoon on the grassy area behind the kids' cabins. She's sitting against a tall tree, playing that console she had earlier this morning.
Laura watches her while she's setting up some of the welcome signs around the camp for tomorrow's drop off day. Laura climbs up a stepladder to place a welcome banner on one of the cabin's walls. She takes another step up the ladder because I know I'm small, thanks for rubbing it in.
"I should be the one doing that, creampuff." A voice behind her says and she knows to whom it belongs to. She almost loses her footing but thankfully, the step ladder is stabled by the owner of the voice while she is able to grab on the top of it.
Laura huffs out the breath she has held when she nearly fell off. "You know, I wouldn't be up this ladder, doing this if you didn't go missing earlier." She grumbles, stepping down from the said object. As soon as she get back on the ground, she turns around only to find herself trapped between Carmilla's arms which are on the ladder, their noses inches away from bumping into each other.
Carmilla is looking at her intensely and Laura tries not to cringe under her gaze. "This…" Carmilla starts with a frown. "…is a stepladder."
"What?" The dirty-blonde girl asks but then realizes what Carmilla is referring to. "Same thing."
The brunette raises an eyebrow then opens her mouth, as if to say something, then shakes her head. She lowers down a hand and Laura steps out of her space immediately. "So, who's that little girl over there? You've been looking at her since earlier."
Huh,Laura tilts her head as Carmilla adjusts the stepladder. The brunette is being rather talkative now. "That's Julia. Her parents dropped her off a day earlier for-" Laura stops, remembering Julia's mother's reason for dropping her off a day before the actual drop off day. "-stupid reasons." She notices how Carmilla looks at the little girl as if she can relate to her. "Anyway, are you seriously going to climb up that thing in those boots?" She eyes the said footwear.
"Hmm," Carmilla lets out a low hum before climbing up the stepladder. "Instead of being so concerned for me cutie, maybe you should go help the ginger twins in preparing tomorrow's lunch?" Laura is about to question her about the fact that she just called her friends 'the ginger twins' but it feels like Laura has been robbed of her ability to speak as her line of sight is invaded by the view of Carmilla's ass in leather pants as she climbs up the stepladder. "I'm not going to hang here all day you know. You can take a picture."
"S-Shut up." Laura marches off, hearing Carmilla's chuckle behind her.
That girl is unbelievable, she decides. She's so full of herself and why won't she stop calling her edible names? Laura frowns as she enters the kitchen area in the new dining cabin (by new, she means it isn't there the last time she went to camp).
"Is it possible to switch roommates?" Laura asks, seeing Perry and LaFontaine inside the kitchen, preparing the food.
LaFontaine looks at Perry before turning to her. They give her a questioning look and Laura shrugs. "Well, we just thought since you two are the newest addition to the staff, maybe you'd like to get to know each other first before the others." They explain. "Is something wrong?"
Laura flops down on the seat in front of the counters where LaFontaine is cutting carrots. Perry walks over to her, handing her a bottle of water. "Thanks." Laura smiles at Perry. "Carmilla's a bit, intense. And I'm using that for the lack of better word."
"Well, my mom did say that Carmilla's quite…" Perry tilts her head, looking at Laura. "…peculiar." She clears her throat when Laura raised an eyebrow at her. "Not that she said Carmilla's bad. Mom knows Carmilla's older sister who used to go to camp and, well, she recommended Carmilla to be a part of the staff which she accepted. Mom did say that it takes time for her to warm up to people."
Carmilla seemed fine to Laura. There's just something about her that Laura finds uncomfortable. Plus, the fact that she's so at ease when she calls Laura all those pet names irritates her. "Yeah well, so far for me, she's broody and she can't seem to remember my name." She grumbles, standing up to help LaFontaine chop some carrots.
"Ah, got a nickname too, I see?" LaFontaine chuckles. "She barged in here earlier, calling Perr and I 'the ginger twins'. I could've sworn that Perry over here looked like her jaw hit the ground." They tell Laura as they continue chopping. "She was looking for signal, service or wi-fi."
Laura blinks at them. "There's no service here?"
"100% cell-free zone, dear." Perry smiles. "We figured that the whole 'summer camp experience' will be wasted if the kids are able to access the internet or make use of their phones. It's really healthy for the campers."
The dirty-blonde only nodded weakly, not sure if that's really a good thing. At the very least, she'd be away from her work and relationship – or the lack of, actually. But is that really a good thing, though? She wonders.
"So, you want to move to a different cabin, L?" LaFontaine asks.
Before she can respond, she sees Carmilla walking over to Julia from the window. She sees Carmilla smile – a genuine smile – before sitting down next to the little blonde and talking to her. Julia looks like she's okay with Carmilla and she lends her the console. She points something out to Carmilla and the older girl smiles at her.
She doesn't realize that she's smiling until LaFontaine and Perry called out her name. She looks back at them and they're both looking curiously at her. "Actually, I think I'll be fine." She replies.
Maybe that's the biggest mistake of her life. In front of Julia, Carmilla seems to morph into this beautiful, kind woman. Now that it's already afternoon and they've all eaten lunch together, they're back inside their cabin. Carmilla's back to her usual broody self. Laura wonders if there's something about her that Carmilla doesn't like. Maybe her dance moves were insulting in Carmilla's eyes? Laura finds that ridiculous. Not that she's a good dancer. She sucks, actually. Or at least she thinks she does. It's just a bit ridiculous to think that someone doesn't like your entire being by just seeing you dance.
If that's not it, maybe, she reminds her of someone she doesn't like? Like, an old friend that burnt bridges or, a classmate who used to bully her or, an ex-girlfriend? Laura shakes her head. Is Carmilla even gay? She shouldn't even be thinking about that.
"Is this going to be a thing?" A voice interrupts her thoughts and she blinks only to see Carmilla who is sitting up on her bed, her back leaning against the headrest. "You, staring at me. Not that I mind because I'm quite used to that but, really cupcake?"
"I wasn't staring!" Laura quickly protests. "My mind just wandered off and you happen to be in the direction where I'm looking." She says, looking away.
"Uh-huh…" Carmilla sounds like she's mocking her. Laura scowls at her 'roommate' but it only makes said woman laugh at her. "That bunched up face you make when you're angry is hilarious, buttercup." She smiles at Laura. It's not the same fond smile the dirty-blonde girl saw earlier but it's better than those teasing smirks that she has been receiving since the two of them met this morning.
Laura wonders briefly if Carmilla made it a goal to try and annoy her every single time they talk to each other. Before she can even ask her roommate what her problem with her is, LaFontaine walks in their cabin, panting. "We kind of have an emergency…" They say, looking like they're trying not to panic. "You see, one of the camp's staff, Kirsch, was playing hide and seek with her since we told him to watch after her for a bit and Julia's really good at hiding, it seems."
There is an uncomfortable silence after that. Laura glances at Carmilla who is also looking at her. She gives a slight nod and stands up. Laura thinks that that is Carmilla's way of telling her to come with her. "Where were they playing?" Carmilla asks LaFontaine.
"Pretty much just around the cabins but we've looked everywhere there already." They reply.
"Okay." Carmilla leaves the room and Laura follows her. Laura looks back to see LaFontaine closing their cabin's door and heading to their cabin where Perry is walking back and forth, looking worried.
Laura glances at Carmilla. She looks so focused and… worried?It seems like this girl will be one huge puzzle to Laura. One moment, she looks like she doesn't give a damn about anything then, next thing you know, she shows concern and starts to actually worry for someone.
Maybe she likes kids?Laura thinks.
The two of them walk around camp for a good measure of time but still, no luck. It's getting dark and Laura is getting more worried because it's going to be scary for a kid to be out on her own at night. Carmilla's feet must be hurting from wearing her boots because she's slowing down.
"Carmilla, do you want to take a break?" Laura asks.
"No." Her voice is firm when she replies. Laura looks back at Carmilla. The brunette's dark brown eyes met with Laura's light brown ones. Carmilla conveys so much emotion just by her gaze that Laura actually feels ashamed she thought about taking a break. Though, she did ask for Carmilla's sake so, she shouldn't really feel bad. "Cupcake, I have an idea." She says. "The lake."
The dirty-blonde raises an eyebrow at her roommate and wonders why she thought of it. "Okay." She decides not to ask and simply leads Carmilla to the lake. They've already gone far from the cabins so the lake is just nearby. When they reached the lake, Laura is surprised to find Julia sitting by the dock, playing her DS. Laura looks over to Carmilla, still wondering how she knew where to find the little kid. "She likes water. She told me when I looked at the game she's playing."
Laura remembers seeing Carmilla and Julia earlier and smiles, nodding. The two of them approach Julia who looks at them when she hears their footsteps. "Hello." She quietly greets them.
"Hey kid." Carmilla says, sitting next to Julia. Laura actually feels relieved to see Carmilla resting. At least she can rest her feet already. She's already told her about the boots but the brunette didn't listen so, that's her fault.
She sits next to them and pats Julia's head. "Julia, you shouldn't have run off here." Laura tries for the scolding-but-still-gentle tone. "You had us worried."
The little girl looks down on her lap, turning off her console. "I'm sorry." She mumbles, sadly. "Am I in trouble?"
Laura looks at Carmilla who flinches at Julia's words. "No, sweetie. It's okay." Carmilla rubs Julia's back, comforting her. Laura is beginning to think that Carmilla has two personalities after seeing this display of concern which is totally different from how she acts towards her and the others. "You're fine. But, if we don't head back to camp, Ging- uh, Perry might not give us brownies for dessert tomorrow. Do you like brownies?"
A small smile shows up on Julia's face as she nods. Carmilla stands and helps Julia up. Laura follows suit. Julia holds both their hands on the trail back to camp.
There is something about Carmilla when she looks at Julia. There's a small smile on her face while Julia hums a song she doesn't recognize. To her surprise, Carmilla hums along too. There are just so much similarities between the two. What Laura's wondering about is why Carmilla flinched when Julia asked if she's in trouble.
Laura has a theory but it's not a good one. She frowns at the thought.
A huge guy sees them first when they got back to camp. "Princess!" He shouts, running to them and lifting Julia up in the air. "Where'd you been? I was worried sick." He says. Laura concludes that this is Kirsch, the camp staff who was playing hide and seek with Julia earlier.
"You didn't find me. I win!" Julia giggles.
The tall guy laughs and nods. "Yes, princess, you win." He turns to Carmilla and Laura. "Hey little hotties."
"Call me that again and I will feed you your spleen." Carmilla retorts.
"Angry hottie." Kirsch says.
Laura is sure that if only Julia isn't watching, Carmilla might have done what she just said. "Next time, maybe you should do your job better, lackwit." Carmilla groans. She retreats to their cabin after waving at Julia who waves back.
"Sorry about her. She's… aloof around new people." Laura nods to Carmilla's direction. "I'm Laura and that's Carmilla." She tells Kirsch.
"Nice to meet you. You two are the new camp staff, right?" He smiles, letting Julia sit on his shoulder. "I'm Wilson Kirsch but I prefer being called Kirsch." He says. "Don't worry about it by the way. She just got worried over the little princess over here."
"I'm sorry." Julia says once again. Laura shakes her head and smiles.
Once they've reported back to LaFontaine and Perry, they thank Laura for finding Julia. Laura tells them it's actually Carmilla who thought of where the little girl may be. They discuss how Carmilla suggested where Julia may be and how the brunette handled the situation. Kirsch plays with Julia until the little girl begins to yawn. LaFontaine accompanies her to her cabin while Laura, Kirsch and Perry talk in the mess hall.
"That hottie's hardcore huh? Walking around camp in those high heel things must've killed her feet, huh?" Kirsch notes, drinking his coffee.
"Yeah." Perry nods. "She's quite amazing." Perry says in conclusion.
Laura nods her head, smiling fondly. "Yeah, she is." Perry and Kirsch share a look before turning to Laura. "What?" She asks.
"Nothing dear, really. It's just that I remembered you complaining about her earlier and now, you're saying she's amazing with that dreamy look on your face." Perry smiles at her.
Kirsch nudges her side and Laura shakes her head. "Oh you two, stop it." She says. "I'm just really impressed with her, that's all." Laura says. She then remembers something. "By the way, can I boil some water?"
Opening the door, Laura spots Carmilla resting on her bed, her legs stretched. She's moving her feet in a circular motion. Laura glances down at the kettle in her hand and smiles. "Hey." She says.
Carmilla tilts her head upward to look towards her by the door. "Hey." She replies then resumes looking at the ceiling.
Laura heads to the bathroom to grab a basin. She pours hot water from the kettle and mixes water from the faucet. She dips her hand to see if it has a nice warm temperature. When she's satisfied with it, she comes out of the bathroom and settles the water basin by the foot of Carmilla's bed. Carmilla eyes her curiously as she moves to the side table behind Carmilla's bed headrest. She crouches down by the water basin and puts salt in it.
"What's that supposed to be, cupcake?" Carmilla asks, sitting up.
Laura smiles and points the water basin. "Soak your feet in this." She says proudly.
The brunette smirks. Looks like she's back to her usual self. "And why should I do that?" She asks once more.
"Well," Laura starts, pulling the single chair on the room. She sits down and crosses her arms. "You've been walking around camp in your boots and your feet's gotta hurt, right?"
"And this works how?"
Laura rolls her eyes. "Must you question everything?"
"Sorry cutie, nothing personal." Carmilla replies, sighing. "Just not used to random acts of kindness." She smirks.
Why is that? Laura wants to ask. She feels bad that Carmilla thinks that way because really, Carmilla seems like a nice person. Just a bit odd and complicated. "You know what? I've seen you earlier. You're so worried for Julia and you really care for her. You're nice and if people don't usually do good things for you, I'm telling you now, you deserve better."
Carmilla is looking at her with an expression she's never seen before. Laura gulps, realizing are looking in each other's eyes the whole time. She clears her throat and stands up from the chair to return it by the table. She then sits on her bed and watches Carmilla who is now soaking her feet in the basin that Laura provided.
There's silence between them once again but this time, it's comfortable. Laura smiles when she sees that there's a small smile playing on Carmilla's lips. She lets out a sigh of relief when her feet are completely soaked in the water.
"Didn't know this worked so well." Carmilla says, leaning backwards with her hands supporting her. "Where'd you learn about this?"
And that's when Laura's smile falters. "Uhm, from an ex-girlfriend." She mumbles, remembering how Danny used to do that for her after her long day from work.
"I see."
"Yeah."
Laura looks up from her lap to Carmilla who is still looking at her. The brunette smiles at her. There's the gentleness in her smile that makes Laura's heart skip a beat. She's really pretty, she thinks to herself. Laura may have forgotten the fact that she was thinking about Danny just a few seconds ago.
"Thanks for this, Laura."
There's something about the way her name sounds when Carmilla says it that makes Laura bite her lower lip. She nods and squeaks a 'no problem' before lying down her bed, facing the wall. She hears a low chuckle coming from across the room and she groans, her heart pounding hard against her chest.
What is this annoyingly gorgeous woman doing to her?!