The ride towards their destination proceeded without incident, though Daniela's vigorous remarks admittedly added some color to an otherwise mundane trip.
Even little Rose, who was normally not a particularly huge fan of automotive vehicles due to a mild motion sickness, today appeared exuberant as she soaked in the gasps of delight that were coming from the backseat passenger.
"This city… is so big!" Through the rearview mirror, Ethan could see the vast range of emotions playing on Daniela's pretty face. Every historical building they passed on their way evoked a spark of joy from the redhead; every little church or a quaint tower went noticed by her keen eyes and remarked by her rapidly moving mouth. "The buildings are so gorgeous! Bela would've loved to see all this marvelous architecture!"
Ethan expressed his tentative agreement with the peculiar notion with a light chuckle, somehow not surprised that the blonde vampire had an eye for beauty. She had definitely struck him as the more refined of the trio.
Fountains, city parks and boulevards kept passing them by, making the redhead produce further chirps of delight and heartfelt remarks as they did so. Her impressionable nature was truly a brush of vibrant colors across the monochrome canvas that was Ethan's life of late, and he found himself attentive to each sound that left her delectable lips. Daniela's excitement was infectious, turning even a casual ride through familiar streets into a new and entertaining experience.
In truth, while Valencia was a rather large European city, it was hardly a megalopolis of particular note, especially when compared to giants such as Tokyo, Shanghai, New York and the like. A part of Ethan was eminently curious just what kind of reaction would Daniela have if she ever beheld an enormous jungle of concrete and metal such as those, if even a rather tame city like Valencia - with its population under a million and an average floor count in a building hovering around five or six - provoked such an intense fascination.
Then again, comparing Valencia to something like New York was pretty much comparing apples and oranges - both had their appeal, just like both had their advantages and disadvantages.
Valencia might not be a sprawling hive of human activity, but it was an incredibly beautiful city, with its own undeniable charm and formidable history. Ethan was truly happy to live here with his family, and moreover, quite eager to share that happiness with his newest redheaded neighbor.
"Wow…" Daniela appeared to be particularly taken by the Valencia Cathedral they were passing. That ancient place of worship was constructed during the late middle ages, and it still stood strong, attracting throngs of tourists, and apparently even an occasional stray vampire.
Feeling some reverence for the historical monument, as well as wishing for Daniela to enjoy its sight for a slightly prolonged duration, Ethan slowed the speed of his car down a bit. "They say that the Holy Grail is kept somewhere in there. Never seen it myself, though." Ethan was quite eager to play the role of a tour guide.
"Really?" Clearly, Daniela was not blind to the significance that holy relic had for the devout Catholics of the world. "I should probably not go anywhere near it," she laughed awkwardly, "don't wanna burst into flames or something!"
The implication that Daniela considered herself an unholy creature somehow stung Ethan, even if he realized that it was probably closer to the truth than the other way around. Daniela was no angel, regardless of how cute and innocent she appeared at that moment - Ethan knew that much. Still, there was goodness in her heart, the man was certain of that just as well. The problem was, it happened to coexist with callousness and insanity. Who could tell, what part of her would prevail in the end?
Refraining from commenting on that, Ethan redirected his inner thoughts towards another peculiarity he had noticed. The cinephile in him had been certain that Daniela would express a certain discomfort by using this type of speedy locomotion - much like time travelers or primitive jungle dwellers would suffer from severe car sickness on their first ride.
Daniela shattered that particular preconception, as she appeared to be totally comfortable riding on the backseat of their car, humming and laughing in delight. Ethan couldn't help but be curious as to whether he was wrong from the start to assume a phenomenon like that even existed, whether Daniela adapted to it during her potential travels elsewhere or if her unnatural body precluded that condition by default, though instead of voicing his strange question, he merely inquired, "Are you doing well back there, Dani?" With little traffic present on this road, they were going at almost 80 km/h now, but Ethan was mentally prepared to slow down to even 20 km/h, if that would accommodate his passenger better.
"Never better!" The redhead shot back without hesitation, a genuine spark of mirth in her voice. "It's way more comfortable here than in our carriage - the seats are so soft my sweet buns are crying in delight!" As if to illustrate the comfort they experienced, Daniela proceeded to fidget in place as much as her seatbelt would allow, moving her hips in a way that momentarily glued Ethan's eyes to the rear side mirror.
"Aha… that's good… aha." Ethan felt blood rushing to his cheeks from the tempting sight as well as from her playful voice, while letting out an awkward laughter at the fact that she still referred to her buttocks as 'sweet buns', even after four years. Nevertheless, the actual meaning of his question clearly had passed right over her head, but that was an answer in itself.
The next minute passed in silence, with Ethan focusing on the road and Daniela quietly taking in the sights. Of course, as they drove through a particularly scenic route filled with recently renovated houses, each of which was an architectural marvel in its own right, Daniela's melodic voice once again broke through the monotone sounds of their vehicle. "This city is beautiful beyond words…" The dreamy tone gave way to somber melancholy, however. "I wish my family could see it…"
The father experienced a sudden urge to gaze into her expressive orbs. Even if Daniela had some kind of falling out with her sisters - like he had assumed earlier - it was clear that she still held nothing but love for them. Following up on the thought, Ethan adjusted the rearview mirror in a way to better peer into Daniela's face, though quickly berated himself for doing so. Rose was sitting right next to him on the front passenger seat and she counted on him to be a responsible driver. He could stare at Daniela's emotive face all he wanted once they were out of the car, but not when it was his duty to drive them to their destination in one piece. "Maybe we could send them a postcard or a T-shirt…" The man offered, offhandedly.
"A magnet! Or a mug!" Rosie happily chirped, swiftly adding to his offer. She really liked it when Chris would gift her souvenirs from around the world on his occasional visits.
Nevertheless, the idea appeared ridiculous to him even as he and Rose voiced it, but Daniela was immediately taken by it, "Oh, that's a wonderful idea, Ethie! We should totally do that!"
The image of Alcina Dimitrescu, crouching to affix a magnet with the Valencia Cathedral on her fridge (did Dimitrescu even have one? Ethan couldn't recall…) forced Ethan to unleash a short burst of laughter. Bela, drinking from a 'I'd rather be in Valencia' mug, with that haughty expression on her face felt surprisingly fitting. Cassandra, dressed in a white 'I love Valencia' T-shirt, failed to amuse him as much - maybe due to the fact that the cruel middle Dimitrescu sibling was forever ingrained in his mind with fresh human blood staining her black lips - his blood.
Somehow, even though by all rights he should've hated all those crazy bitches with a passion, through their shared association to Daniela they appeared more human to Ethan at this moment. Perhaps worthy of giving a second chance to, were they to cross paths again. Of course, that noble notion was only worth a damn if they would feel the same.
Still, Ethan's amusement evaporated as swiftly as it came. It was really hard to forget Cassandra's rage-filled grimace of hatred, promising nothing but the dire retribution and savage violence.
Trying to put the grim thoughts about Daniela's murderous sibling aside, Ethan focused on making the turn on the traffic-heavy street.
"Will you help me select a proper souvenir for my sisters, Rosie?" Daniela asked, earnestly.
Rose responded with glee in her voice. "I will, Dani!"
The man smiled, choosing to focus on the bright present over the gloomy past and uncertain future. Daniela's bloodthirsty siblings were thousands of miles away and Daniela herself appeared to harbor no ill intent. The optimist in Ethan - which still existed, despite everything - gleefully exclaimed that nothing stood in their way as they simply enjoyed each other's company. The pessimist in Ethan… well, Ethan had no desire to listen to his grumblings on this sunny day.
Not even the rather menacing building that belonged to the European Branch of B.S.A.A. soured Ethan's mood, though he spared it a brief glance as they passed it by. Giving his lips one nervous lick, Ethan mentally reassured himself that as long as Daniela kept a low profile, the nefarious Anti-B.O.W. organization would have no reason to investigate just another tourist from Romania, or whatever the cover the Duke had to invent for her as he smuggled her into the country.
Rose gave the building a solemn look as well, as she was quite familiar with it. Every month, they would have to visit it, Ethan and Rose both; with humorless men and women conducting mandatory tests on them. An unfortunate necessity Ethan had no choice but to abide, if he wanted to retain their freedom. Rose was a very special girl, after all; and he himself could hardly be considered an ordinary human.
Following their gazes and likely feeling their mood dampen, Daniela also shot a glance towards the building's well-known emblem. "The Duke said to avoid people with this emblem."
"That's good advice." Ethan responded while accelerating their vehicle.
Thankfully, they had no cause to enter the joyless walls of the B.S.A.A. regional HQ for a while, so they swiftly left its blocky gray walls behind. Still, Daniela must've caught on their silent apprehension, as even the vocal redhead kept quiet for a moment.
… a moment that didn't last, as her stomach grumbled loudly. "I am hungry…" Daniela whined, but she did it so cutely, that Ethan immediately felt like laughing in mirth once again.
"There are all kinds of food and snacks we can get in the Parc, Dani. We are almost there!" Ethan spoke with no shortage of affection in his voice, with Rose nodding along.
"It's very tasty, too!" Rose was a big fan of the local recipe of paella they served in numerous cafes located around the Bioparc, as well as the rest of Valencia. This was the homeland of this dish, after all, so it was no surprise that it tasted delicious and Ethan was quite taken with it, as well.
A carefree banter was quick to ensue once again as Daniela cheerfully inquired about the local delicacies, which persisted all the way until their arrival to the Bioparc itself.
Pulling the car into the parking lot, Ethan eagerly relayed his own experience with the culinary world of Spain, though he was not blind to the fact that Daniela's interest waned swiftly once he started talking about Mia's favorite vegetarian dishes.
"Uh-huh… is that what you like as well, Ethan?" Daniela drawled, masking a yawn with her petite hand.
Somehow Ethan was able to infer that when she actually referred to him by his proper name, she was either about to broach a serious topic or was slightly unhappy with him. Now it was painfully obviously the latter of the two. Daniela was definitely not a fan of either Mia or vegetarian food… perhaps both.
"Well, not really…" He didn't mind tasting vegetarian food on occasion to appease Mia, but he was not that much of a fan of it himself; indifferent, at best. Nothing beats a juicy, meaty steak in his eyes.
Finding a spot, Ethan parked quickly and smoothly. "Anyway, we're finally here, ladies! Welcome to Bioparc Valencia!"
"Yay!" Rose immediately expressed her happiness that the ride was over. Before he could even click his seat belt off, Rose was already removing her own and cheerfully leaping out of the car. Being such a small and energetic child, she was incredibly agile and quick, perhaps even more so than most of her peers.
Daniela had more trouble with the safety device, however, as she helplessly fidgeted with her seatbelt. "Ethie… I am stuck!" As the man got out of the car and proceeded to assist the redhead, his initial reaction was to find the display as comical and cute.
Nevertheless, her impulsive and impatient nature swiftly made itself known once again, with Daniela soon thrashing her whole body against the innocent belt, while gritting her teeth in frustration at her lack of results. A couple of large black flies fluttered from under her hood, making Ethan suck in his breath in fright. The notion that Daniela was not above assuming her swarm form just to escape the seatbelt was definitely more frightening than amusing, especially considering all the people milling about.
"Whoa there, Red! It's alright, look," Ethan opened the rear passenger door before quickly putting a placating hand on her slender shoulder, instantaneously calming the erratic creature down. "...just put your finger right here," Ethan gently took hold of Daniela's smaller hand and guided her thumb right on top of the seatbelt's release mechanism. "...and click!" Daniela did just that, and the belt disengaged, smoothly sliding off her waist, making her yelp with glee.
"Oh! So easy!"
The dark flies were nowhere to be seen as Ethan helped Daniela out of the car, making Ethan let out a breath of relief. As if in gratitude for his assistance, Daniela shot him a disarming smile.
The man felt his heartbeat slightly quickening from her gorgeous smile, combined with their proximity as he still held her soft hand in his own. Clearing his throat, Ethan averted his eyes while gently breaking the skin contact, instead focusing on closing the car doors and locking the vehicle with his key. Rose could easily let herself out of the car, but the young girl still struggled with opening or closing it from the outside.
"Your machine is very beautiful, Ethie." There was just a slight hint of disappointment in Daniela's melodic voice, though it was quickly overtaken by awe as she finished her compliment. He didn't mind her old-fashioned way of addressing a car too much, though he did find it a bit amusing. Daniela certainly had a lot to learn when it came to the modern world - and Ethan was excited to be there alongside her in this peculiar journey. The man realized that they would likely need to procure a phone for her, so they could get in contact in case of an emergency, as well as for the sake of convenience. It would probably be an adventure unto itself to teach her how to use one, however.
Regardless, Ethan was happy to accept her compliment as he placed his palm on the car's hood, quite proud. His black Infiniti QX50 was purchased entirely by his own salary, not from the government's or B.S.A.A.'s financial aid programs, nor from Mia's fat paychecks - and that alone was a point of pride for the man. Many had expected him to break, but he had managed to recover from his harrowing past and once again become a productive and independent member of society. "Thanks! I quite like it myself!"
Done with the car and turning around to behold the girls, Ethan was treated to a heartwarming sight as Rose had approached Daniela while he was locking the vehicle and now Daniela was crouching beside the small child, smiling at her with warmth in her expression even as she gently ruffled her blonde locks.
In turn, Rose stared at Daniela's face, as if enchanted. "You're so pretty, Dani…"
"Not as pretty as you are, sweetpie!" Daniela swiftly shot back, though it was obvious by her softening facial features that she was eminently happy to receive such positive attention from Rose. Nevertheless, Ethan could see that Daniela's free arm shot to adjust her hood in a way that would better conceal her scar.
Standing up, Daniela glanced his way, a silent question dancing on her lips as she rotated her head in a way that allowed him to peek at her deformity. Even though her foundation gave her a healthy pink complexion, it failed to completely conceal the crater-like scar, but the hood did its job well enough, regardless, with only a little tentacle-like vein being visible. Understanding the question, Ethan gave her a smile and a thumbs up, with the redhead responding with a grateful but curt nod, as well as an utterly enchanting smile.
God… how I love when she smiles like that…
Breaking Ethan out of his trance, the next moment Daniela's stomach decided to once again loudly rumble with hunger, making the redhead blush from embarrassment.
"Dani's tummy says she is hungry, daddy!" Rose playfully stomped her foot on the ground, while turning around to regard her father with a cute frown on her tiny face.
"Let's go grab some food then! Can't say I am not too hungry myself!" Ethan responded with gusto, as he hasn't eaten anything himself today. Thankfully, Bioparc Valencia had a number of quaint cafes located all over its premises, including one right next to the entrance.
Not thinking twice, Ethan gently took hold of Rosie's hand, while motioning for Daniela to follow. The redhead did so, though a brief longing look at Ethan's second hand implied that she was hoping to entwine their fingers, as well.
As much as Ethan hated to disappoint the hooded woman, holding her hand in public like that, with Rose to bear witness no less, was just too much.
Daniela Dimitrescu was not replacing Mia in his life, nor was she substituting her on this day. She was here as their family friend, not as his wife or lover and Ethan knew that he had to make that fact clear to both Daniela, as well as to himself. In a way, he already felt like he was emotionally cheating on Mia by becoming so close to Daniela, but that was just the tip of the iceberg.
Ethan realized that it was always small steps that corrupt the most… slowly… insidiously…invariably. A single innocent gesture leads to another, then two more, then four, growing exponentially until it becomes an unstoppable avalanche of emotions that not even the strongest of willpowers could resist; an infidelity from which there would be no return, only ruin.
He had to draw the line between the acceptable and the forbidden… and make sure not to cross it.
Daniela caught up to them and, moving side by side with Ethan, gave him an innocent smile that, despite his current consideration, tore its way right to his very heart. The way she tilted her head to the side as she regarded his face made it appear as if the very notion that this supremely beautiful creature could harbor ill-intent of any kind was laughable. Daniela, ruin his marriage, break his family? Ridiculous! On their own volition, disregarding all of his previous musings on restraint, the three remaining fingers on Ethan's left hand edged towards Daniela's right hand. Her digits were so close, and they promised nothing but warmth and comfort.
"Oh, wow!"
Surprisingly, it was Daniela herself that spared Ethan from going even further down the rabbit hole, by suddenly pointing her right hand towards the peculiar elephant statue that dominated the square before the Bioparc.
"What a fearsome beast!" Daniela appeared to be impressed by the statue and the mighty animal it represented.
"It's an elephant!" chirped Rose, proud to display her knowledge of the animal kingdom.
In turn, Ethan wanted to respond that elephants were noble and peaceful animals, but then recalled having watched a YouTube video where an Asian elephant went on a rampage, overturning multiple vehicles and scattering a panicking crowd. Indeed, it could be quite a fearsome animal, if provoked.
Ethan wanted to let out a chuckle at a sudden similarity he was swift to note, but refrained from vocalizing the comparison. Daniela might not take it as a flattering one, after all.
"Indeed, Rosie!" Gently squeezing the child's hand with parental pride, Ethan directed them towards the nearby cafe, leaving the elephant statue and the entrance into the park proper alone for now.
Daniela eagerly hopped along, and Ethan couldn't resist the impulse to offer a chair to her, like a proper gentleman, once they had selected a table and he had helped Rosie to her own seat.
"Thank you, Ethie." The woman smiled at him, before making a face at yet another burst of rumbling produced by her treacherous stomach. "Ugh… I could eat an elephant!"
Rose laughed merrily at that, with Ethan letting out a chuckle as well.
A waiter approached their table soon. He was a strapping young man in his early twenties, a very picture of youth and vigor with his tanned skin and athletic frame. Most young women around here probably couldn't help but steal at least a glance at his handsome face or moderately muscular body.
Surprisingly to Ethan, Daniela did not even look the waiter's way, even though previously he would often catch her curious gaze directed at random passersby. The waiter, however, was treated with cold indifference, as if he was a piece of furniture.
In turn, all it took for the young man himself was a single peek under her hood to apparently be enamored by the redheaded woman. His slightly widened eyes were an unmistakable hint that the waiter found Daniela to be as beautiful as Ethan himself did.
They took a minute to select their dishes, with both Ethan and Rose settling on their favorite paella meal, while Daniela naturally took a bit longer as she carefully inspected the pictures the menu came with.
"Do you want my advice?" Asked Ethan, as he gazed on Daniela while lounging in his seat, hands supporting his head as he leaned forward on the table.
A tip of Daniela's pink tongue peeked out of her slightly parted lips - an unbearably cute look of concentration Ethan was already familiar with - but she merely shook her head, before pointing towards the meal that caught her attention.
It was a huge, tower-like burger with multiple sections. Two juicy and dripping with fat beef patties were stuck in between three hefty buns; with melted cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, salted cucumbers and onions stuffed seemingly everywhere. A generous portion of mustard was poured over its inner parts.
While Ethan was not opposed to an occasional portion of junk food, this monstrosity looked capable enough to cause a heart failure all by itself.
Before he could say anything, the waiter came back, immediately moving to hover at Daniela's side to take her order first, making Ethan lightly grit his teeth as a strange, unidentified feeling invaded his heart.
The way the waiter then proceeded to refer to Daniela as 'chica' felt quite inappropriate to Ethan, yet not enough to call the waiter out on it, mostly due to his own conflicting thoughts on the matter of just what Daniela was to him. A past acquaintance? A savior? A neighbor? An obstacle? A friend? Something more?
Somehow, the notion that the waiter likely assumed that Ethan and Daniela were not here together stung the father, even though it was the actual truth. Ethan thought that despite being in his early forties, he still looked rather fresh and youthful, with his regular outings into the gym allowing him to retain his athletic frame. Naturally, Daniela appeared somewhat younger than him, but hardly to the point where anyone would think her as his daughter over his girlfriend or wife. Still, the truth was on the waiter's side, and even though Ethan found himself not quite happy about that, he kept his mouth shut for now.
"I want this!" disregarding the waiter's friendly - too friendly - term of address and Ethan's inner conflict alike, Daniela merely pointed her index finger towards the dish her heart desired.
Ethan certainly couldn't blame the waiter as the young man burst into a fit of brief yet joyous laughter, before calming down and pointedly waving a hand at Daniela's slender figure, "Bioparc Grand Special Burger is far too big for you, chica!" From his angle, Ethan could easily see a scowl appearing on Daniela's lips, with the waiter remaining oblivious to it due to her hood. Uh-oh. An alarm bell rang in Ethan's head.
The waiter leaned down slightly as his hand moved to point at a notably smaller burger on the menu. In that same, overly friendly, almost flirty tone, the man continued speaking, "This vegetarian burger seems far more fitting for a little chica such as yourself, no?"
While Ethan was merely mildly annoyed by the waiter's presumptuousness, as well as his rather inappropriate familiarity, Daniela appeared to have a far, far stronger reaction.
The scowl on her face turned into a vicious grimace of hatred that did not fail to impale Ethan's heart with a spike of raw dread. Her whole body lightly shuddered, and the buzzing of flies underneath her hood was audible.
It took less than ten seconds for Daniela to move from a state of carefree joy to boiling with rage.
"How DARE you question me, servant?!" Daniela shrieked, exploding with frothing rage, utterly stunning everyone present.
No hints of the previously pleasant and sweet girl remained. In fact, Ethan could not even recognize her previously melodic voice - not as this suddenly guttural tone which dripped with venom and hatred.
Shocked by her outburst, the waiter finally got the wish he had secretly harbored for all this time as Daniela craned her neck to stare right into his face. Instead of a grateful smile, however, he was treated to a raging grimace so frightening, he had lost his gift of speech, with the rest of his body freezing in fright.
The indignant rage soon shifted to cold fury on Daniela's face as her widened eyes narrowed to vicious slits that promised nothing but violence.
"I'll teach you your place…" Daniela hissed out, even as her hand edged towards a nearby table knife.
Ethan might have been too stunned to react to the initial outburst, but now he had no choice but to break himself out of his stupor. His palm quickly went to engulf Daniela's smaller hand, stopping it dead in its motion before it could touch the glinting handle of the steel knife - possibly preventing a tragedy.
Feeling his intrusion, Daniela swerved her head to snarl at him, but as they connected their gazes, the fury in her expression swiftly evaporated, giving way to confusion. As the realization dawned upon the enraged creature, her eyes widened for a second, but then narrowed again in utter shame as she stole a glance Rose's way. The tiny child was staring at her with her own light green eyes widened in genuine fear, lacking comprehension of this situation.
Ashamed, Daniela relaxed her tense posture, with her head dropping down. The buzzing coming from underneath her hood vanished into nothingness.
"Just bring her her goddamn burger, Fabián." Ethan growled out; reading the waiter's name from his tag. "And two paella for us." the father added in a low voice, as the waiter immediately dashed to do as told, eager to get away from the seemingly insane woman. Thankfully, this part of the cafe was bereft of patrons at the moment, with very few bearing witness to the scene.
"We need to talk." Not being as gentle as he normally was with Daniela, Ethan, still holding onto her hand, dragged the woman away from their table, into a corner that offered a modicum of privacy while still allowing him to observe Rose's stock-still frame. Daniela followed without resistance, making Ethan glad that even in this turbulent situation of her own making she was willing to trust him and follow his lead.
Once there, Ethan grabbed Daniela's chin with his thumb and index fingers, forcing the girl to look into his eyes. He was not rough, but he was not gentle either. "What the hell was that about!? Rose is fucking terrified!"
It was obvious that Daniela was extremely ashamed of her outburst, and merely mentioned Rose forced the redhead to avert her eyes in embarrassment. "I am sorry… Rose didn't deserve to hear or see that…"
Suddenly, however, defiance crawled back into her gaze as she affixed him with a stare of indignation. "But you saw it! That…" again, savage viciousness that felt so unlike Daniela Ethan came to know twisted her expression into a hateful grimace as she hissed out her next words, "worthless peasant presumed to talk back to me!" Daniela stomped her foot for good measure, "How dare he?!"
The difference between this Daniela and the one he thought he knew was so vast that for a moment Ethan simply stood there slack jawed, even as she stared into his eyes, while gritting her teeth and venting her frustration, "The servants must know their place!"
That last sentence finally made the gears in Ethan's mind grind. Somehow, it felt like it was not entirely Daniela's own conviction that produced that statement, but merely something that was repeated to her enough time to firmly register in her mind, making it appear as if she was reciting from a script.
Ethan recalled that Daniela had always treated him as her equal for some reason, whether out of respect, love or fear, but he had an inkling that it was not at all the treatment her maids and servants received from their redheaded mistress. It was not merely an educated guess, as Ethan still remembered the bits and pieces of history he had happened upon while exploring their menacing castle. The maids had been living in constant fear of being harshly punished at making even the slightest mistake.
Unyielding and immutable, the callous ways of the Dimitrescu Household somehow reared their heads so far from their source of origins, where they had no place. This realization almost forced Ethan to harshly reprimand Daniela, to remind her just where she was right now, but fortunately, he managed to reign his own anger in.
Beyond assuming the nature of the problem, Ethan suddenly thought that to show anger towards her unbecoming behavior now would merely add fuel to that spark of defiance that burned in her eyes. She thought that she did nothing wrong, not really - in her mind, Daniela performed as was expected from her by her cruel mother and haughty sisters by putting the 'errant servant' in his place. Breaking in the staff and enforcing the Dimitrescu will upon them had to be an integral part of her life until today. It was a tradition that lasted for years, possibly decades, and Ethan knew that to punish her for it now would likely lead to a vicious argument, if not an outright conflict. Instead, he had to be patient, supportive, understanding… yet also firm.
Gently taking her forearms into his hands, Ethan gazed into her defiant eyes, which appeared so sure of their owner's righteousness.
"Look, Dani…" Ethan knew this was not an easy topic, and this was no place to hold it, especially with Rosie looking at them with her big eyes, waiting for her daddy and newest friend to return to the table, happy and whole, once again.
He still needed to establish the boundaries.
"I realize that is how things worked back home for you…" Daniela's harsh features relaxed slightly; the girl was obviously happy that Ethan understood her. She gave a swift nod.
Ethan let out a mental sigh of relief, happy that he was apparently correct with his assumptions. The man wetted his lips as he continued, "But things don't work this way here. You have to understand that."
"But…" Daniela attempted to intervene, her brows furrowing in confusion once again.
Ethan lightly booped her on her nose, more certain with every passing second that this was exactly the correct approach to take with her. In a way she was like an oversized child, out in the strange new world, with no guiding hand but his own. "No buts, sweet buns."
Daniela let out a giggle at his carefully chosen affectionate term of address, but Ethan wasn't done yet.
"This man - this servant as you referred to him - is not your property; nor is he somehow inferior to us just because of his occupation."
Daniela appeared completely befuddled at that, with her head tilting and her mouth opening in astonishment; her eyes widening with lack of comprehension, as if Ethan unleashed some world-shattering revelation.
He continued, in that same patient tone, "He is a waiter, and his job is to serve customers, that is true, but that does not make him a lesser being in our world. Here," Ethan raised his arms up and spread them wide, as if to encompass the world, "everybody is equal, and everybody deserves to be treated with respect. We don't divide people into masters and servants." Not anymore, anyway.
A moment of silence passed, as the redhead processed his monologue, before responding in a tentative voice, blinking her large eyes at him all the while. "No masters…? Everybody is equal…? But how can that be…?"
Again, Ethan merely wetted his lips as he considered his next move. Of course there was no such thing as true equality in their world. Wealth, power, social standings - all these contribute to wide chasms that separate people. Naturally a beggar on some dirty street could never hope to equal a C.E.O. of an international conglomerate as he drove by in some expensive limousine. This whole topic of equality, of acceptable societal norms and basic human morality was an incredibly complex one, a true entangled web of a myriad of concepts that would often conflict with each other as one traveled the world. One could spend hours, if not days, discussing the philosophical and sociological intricacies of modern human interactions and the divide that separated the rich and the poor, the powerful and the powerless. Ethan had no desire to ruin their Sunday with a lengthy lecture, though.
"Okay, look, it's not as simple as that, but sometimes it's good to pretend like it is." Daniela did not respond, appearing uncertain. It was a weak argument, admittedly, making Ethan rack his brain for something more formidable to say.
Ethan never thought he'd need to teach someone socially accepted norms of human interactions like that, so he was understandably hard-pressed for words which would sound convincing to this mysterious creature with such a vastly different upbringing and background. Nevertheless, a sudden inspiration put a smile on his face, as he softly spoke out.
"Alright, there is the golden rule that we use in our world, wanna know it?"
"Yes!" The genuine enthusiasm that Daniela immediately displayed at his playfully worded question put a stark contrast to the murderous psychopath she appeared to be mere minutes ago. She wanted to become a better person, she was eager to improve - that much was obvious.
Smiling, Ethan spoke slowly, as if revealing a thousand year old mystery. In a way it was.
"Treat others the way you want to be treated."
Daniela appeared to process this statement with utmost seriousness. Finally, after what felt like a full minute of consideration, she let out, in an uncertain tone. "I see… I can try that, if that would please you, Ethie…" Daniela gazed at him with an intense focus - it was obvious that she took these words to heart, even if she had no time to properly think them over yet.
Ethan sighed, not entirely satisfied with her response, but content with at least some progress being made, "It would, though I'd be even happier if you did it for your own sake, rather than for me. But it's good enough for now."
"I am sorry for my outburst… regardless of the circumstances, it was not befitting a lady…especially during a meal…" Daniela mumbled, seemingly eager to change the topic. Nobody liked having the pillars of their existence shaken; Ethan could understand that. Regardless, they would need to have a serious conversation about it at some point later, but for now, he felt like he had made a good enough effort for her to consider changing her ways as well as start questioning the wisdom of her cruel upbringing.
"I am not the one you should be apologizing to." Ethan spoke with a tired sigh, motioning at Rose with his eyes. The child appeared to have recovered from her fright, but was now sitting in a dejected posture, probably hoping to put this unpleasant episode behind her. Much like Ethan himself did.
Daniela caught the hint fast enough. Nodding with unexpected resolution, her next words made Ethan pleasantly surprised, "You're right. I never wanted little Rose to see me like that! Thank you for stopping me… I don't think I could've forgiven myself if I allowed you guys to see me at my worst…I swear I'll do better!"
Before Ethan could respond, Daniela swiftly grabbed his hand - the same one that prevented her from performing something horrible with that table knife - before placing a gentle kiss upon the back side of it.
The sensation of her soft lips upon his skin paralyzed the man for a second, with Daniela using the moment to dash back towards the table, where she proceeded to remorsefully pour genuine apologies out, leading to Rose's eyes quickly widening once again. A gentle if thin smile soon adorned the girl's face, implying that the tempestuous redhead was forgiven this time.
Content with himself for resolving this unexpected and potentially ugly conflict, Ethan proceeded to rejoin the girls, with the waiter soon returning with their meals. This time, Fabián made sure to keep himself at an arm's length from Daniela - an understandable and wise choice. In turn, Daniela avoided looking at the waiter, though instead of displaying previous haughty indifference towards him, she appeared merely wary. Clearly, she was not going to apologize to Fabián himself, though Ethan figured out that a single talk was not going to rotate Daniela's perception of the world by 180 degrees; for now, it would be enough if she simply restrained herself from assaulting others for minor slights, whether real or imagined.
Having delivered their meals and even wishing them a buen provecho in a shaky tone, Fabián departed, shooting one more frightened look towards the hooded redhead, but the atmosphere around their little table brightened as the hungry occupants regarded their meals. Shockingly, the near-crisis did little to spoil Ethan's appetite, with girls apparently feeling the same.
Rose and Ethan dug in calmly, savoring the delicious meal with steady bites and chewing, but Daniela apparently had one more surprise in store for them during this meal.
As Ethan enjoyed the well-cooked bits of rice, lima beans and chicken, he couldn't help but glance Daniela's way.
Her humongous burger, which would probably cause Mia to black out from the sheer implication of its fatty intake, turned out to be no match for Daniela's ravenous hunger, despite Ethan's and the waiter's understandable concerns.
Before her first bite, the way she opened her mouth wide while flashing her white teeth was truly fearsome, making a sudden shiver run across Ethan's spine as he recalled Cassandra's vicious face a moment before she had torn into his own flesh.
With savage glee, Daniela tore into the amalgamation of unhealthy food like a wild animal. Displaying the same reckless abandon as a person who starved for weeks likely would, Daniela bit off enormous chunks of the burger, before swallowing them with barely any chewing done. Relentless, before the devoured piece could even travel down her gullet, she was already upon the burger once more, rinsing and repeating until nothing but crumbs were left on her plate. Not even crumbs were spared, as she then used her pink tongue to lick the plate clean, leaving it as pristine as a dishwasher would. "Mhm… Delicious!" Suddenly recalling her table manners, Daniela cleaned her face with a napkin with a lady's grace. A second later a little burp escaped her mouth, which immediately caused the woman to cover it with her napkin, as well as to go red in the face. "Oops! Sorry!"
Ethan and Rose alike could only dumbly stare at the grisly spectacle; none of them ever saw a huge burger like that being obliterated in such a record time. Not even Chris Redfield - who also had quite an appetite, could hold a candle to the way Daniela handled her meal.
"What?" Daniela became aware of two pairs of eyes frozen upon her frame. "It was delicious!" the girl repeated, while cutely batting her eyelashes at them.
"Glad you liked it…" mumbled Ethan, before returning to his own meal. This morning he was foolish enough to presume that Daniela had exhausted her stockpile of surprises… Now he was certain that they had barely scratched the surface of what she was capable of.
Ignorant of his musings, Daniela's expression melted into one of raw contentment as she slouched in her seat, with her hands placing themselves over her full belly. "Ah… food is amazing here…" It's like the nearly violent incident with the waiter didn't even happen for her.
After they had finished their own meals and paid for it, Ethan stood up while leaving a hefty tip for the cowed waiter. While Fabián's initial presumptuousness and overt friendliness had been rather jarring, he absolutely did not deserve to have Daniela go bonkers on his ass like that. In a way it was a lesson in manners, but one unjustifiably harsh.
Strangely, as they left the cafe with full bellies, neither Ethan nor Rose - judging by her happy chirping with Daniela, appeared to harbor ill aftertaste after the redhead's outburst. Perhaps her genuine remorse and apologies helped them move past it; or maybe it was the carefree yet otherworldly way she had consumed her burger that returned mirth to their small company.
Rose was thankfully simply too young to understand that the incident had likely been mere moments from escalating beyond heated words and Ethan knew better than to heap all the blame upon Daniela's shoulders. She had no choice in her unnatural existence, nor in her cruelty-filled upbringing or background filled with death and misery - therefore Ethan would not allow this singular loss of control to ruin this Sunday for them, not when no actual harm has been done. Nor would he let the sudden introduction to one of Daniela's ugly sides to overshadow the goodness that he knew she possessed or dismiss her cravings to improve herself; to learn the ways of this strange new world.
With that in mind Ethan paid for the tickets and as the three of them finally entered Bioparc Valencia, there was nothing but uplifting mood in the air. The unpleasant incident faded into the background, with genuine excitement and earnest joy of this wonderful sunny day taking its place.