(Judith's Broken Vase)

*May 14th, 1943*

*7:36 pm*

*Miller Manor*

The night was young and beautiful as Anya and Louise were hanging out with Judith in her large comfortable room.

"Thank you for having us tonight. I've been pretty lonely without my dear brother to keep me company so it's a great way for me to not feel lonely." Louise thanked Judith with a warm smile as she drank her tea.

The comment made Judith smile warmly as she responded to those kind words.

"You're welcome, and I pray every day and night for the safety of your brother. That's also why I wanted to have this sleepover with you and Anya. Just two people who are deeply connected to the man I used to love romantically." Judith responded in a warm voice as she and Louise shared a smile together while Anya watched, sipping her tea.

"Come to think of it. I never met you and Calvin's parents before. I remember him saying they were going to pick me and my friends up back when the academy tour was happening two years ago but a butler ended up picking us up." Anya spoke to Louise in a curious voice, making note of her own observations as she waited for an answer.

Of course, this statement made Louise speak up, her fingers on her chin.

"They're usually busy so most of the time my dear brother is alone. Our butler Mr Ramsley or a trained caretaker took care of us when we were kids." Louise responded in a formal voice while Judith nodded in confirmation.

"She's right. They're never around much; however, I believe they were at the winter ball that took place two years ago. You never got the chance to interact with them though.." Judith chimed into the conversation while this revelation made Anya remember seeing them.

"Oh yeah, I believe I did see them but I never interacted with them, unfortunately.." Anya chimed into the conversation, speaking to both Judith and Louise as both girls nodded.

Following this, Louise gently placed her cup of tea on a coaster before getting up, walking to her bag, and getting a locket from the bag.

"Anya, this locket is a portrait of my mother. Whenever I'm feeling alone. I take this locket and imagine my mother." Louise explained to Anya, gently showing her a portrait of her and Calvin's mother.

The portrait contained a beautiful woman in her thirties. She had beautiful fair skin, and short blonde hair that was done in a bob cut.

"She's so beautiful." Anya complimented in a warm voice while Louise smiled at those words.

"Thank you. I don't mean to get dreadfully emotional but before meeting you and the others, I considered my mother my dear friend. She didn't mock nor belittle me for my occult interests like most people so whenever she leaves on business trips, I get terribly sad…" Louise responded to Anya in a calm and uplifting voice as she quickly chuckled, making Anya chuckle back.

"No worries, and I'm sure she's a great mother. I wish I could meet your parents, I want to properly introduce myself to them." Anya responded to Louise once more in a motivated voice.

During the conversation, Judith watched the two girls talk with a smile; however, this was interrupted by the sounds of something breaking, alerting the girls.

"What's that sound? It sounded like glass breaking.." Anya asked cautiously while she looked over to see Judith walking over to grab a bat.

"You two stay here, okay? I'll check to see the issue." Judith advised her friends as she prepared herself to check out the noise.

This was met with Anya and Louise nodding as they saw Judith approaching the door with caution.

Once Judith approached the door, she carefully opened it, and a creaking sound was heard as the young woman exited the room.

To her relief, it wasn't anybody dangerous; however, Judith's relief quickly turned into disappointment as she saw a broken vase on the floor.

"Oh no, my vase is broken. That vase meant a lot to me…" Judith uttered in a sad yet disappointed voice while knelt down to observe the mess.

Once she did that, she noticed Anya and Louise behind her, their expressions matching Judith's.

"Oh no, your vase. We'll help you clean up, okay? I'll get a broom and dustpan." Anya spoke to Judith as she carefully moved over her friend to relieve the items.

Anya made her way across the hallway, entering the foyer as she continued to walk and there, she found Alice sitting on the couch, a worried and sad look on her face.

"Alice, is everything okay? You seem sad." Anya greeted her friend in a warm voice as she walked over to sit next to her, hoping to cheer her up.

Anya's voice made Alice look up to see her friend as her expression changed into a surprised yet still sad one.

"A-Anya. I'm glad to see you and…well.I accidentally broke Judith's vase. I was trying to clean the small counter it was on but my clumsy self dropped the vase. I bet Judith is mad at me.." Alice responded to her friend in a shameful voice, her head facing down.

Once Anya heard the confession, she gently placed her hand on Alice's shoulder, reassuring her.

"I'm sure Judith will be understanding. That vase meant a lot to her since it was a gift from her mother so she'll be a bit bummed out, but she won't be angry at you." Anya reassured Alice in a calm voice as those words made her smile.

"T-Thank you, Anya. I-I think I'm ready to apologize to Judith." Alice thanked Anya before hugging her warmly, feeling much better.

Once the girls were finished hugging, Alice went upstairs and walked the hallway, and there, she saw Judith staring at her.

"J-Judith. I-I broke your vase. I-It was in an accident since I was cleaning the counter and I accidentally dropped it so I would like to apologize for my clumsy behavior.." Alice apologized to Judith in a shameful voice, her head looking down as she awaited whatever was coming toward her.

Judith sighed as she got up from the floor, gently making her way toward Alice and touched her hands warmly.

"It's okay. You were just doing your job and accidents happen as well. I'm not mad at you at all, just bummed out by the vase." Judith responded to Alice, forgiving her friend as this made Alice smile.

"Thank you. I promise I'll make it up to you." Alice thanked her friend as both girls shared a warm hug together.

Meanwhile, Anya finally caught up with everyone with the broom and dustpan in her hands as she watched everything with a smile.

"Let's clean this mess up together, okay?" Judith offered Alice in a warm voice as she motioned Anya to hand her the broom.

Alice smiled warmly as she nodded her head, graciously accepting the offer.

"Of course!" Alice responded with a smile. Soon after, Judith cleaned the mess, sweeping the shards into the dustpan that was being held by

Alice. Anya and Louise both watched with proud looks on their faces, being relieved that the situation was resolved peacefully and without issues.

The bond between Alice and Judith grew stronger on that day and both girls knew that for a fact.