I See What You Don't

Boar, Buck, Bunny

You hadn't seen Cassandra for two days. She had stored some bottles of wine in her armory to drink from and was not present at dinner. Whatever the task was that Mother had given her certainly kept her busy and away from your presence. You missed her something awful. The absence was a deep aching pain in your very soul as if a piece of you had been ripped away and stretched thin by an invisible wire attached to her. You could always feel her around you but it wasn't the same. She was not with you in bed, and seemed to bathe in her armory as well. You missed the sound of her voice, her smell, her touch... Her. There was no power in the world that could hide the sadness that shielded your face in solemn glass. It was transparent that her being away took every bit of light from your eyes and replaced it with clouds of darkness and rain. It had only been two days, but it might as well have been two months.

The dinner bell rang and you waited for the call from Mother to be summoned to dine once more. Olivia had left the Library nearly an hour ago to help prepare supper, leaving you alone to your dimmed thoughts that you had to write down as to not disturb Bela or Cassandra with your loneliness. Even your blonde counterpart was often busy helping Mother run her wine business. Bela handled her responsibility with utmost seriousness. If it wasn't for Olivia sketching your novel out and keeping your mind at bay, you would be falling apart. Even though she was your maid and as bold as she was to speak to you in such a way, you had to respect her courage and ability to make you question your own.

~Daniela, come here, please.~

Your body tingled with the call as the swarm surrounded you, slowly breaking you apart to fly quickly to the dinner hall. You were certain at some points you must've looked invisible to the naked eye with how fast you went. In an instant you landed behind your chair across from Bela who was still standing by hers. Mother was in her usual spot, at the head of the table to your left, already seated. You looked to the empty seat next to you. It had been neatly pushed into the table for the two days she had been gone. Your eyes fell as a frown dressed your lips. Bela cleared her throat, you looked up from the chair and at her. She smiled at you, nodding her head once.

-- "Are you alright, Little One?" Bela expressed genuine concern.

You smiled back at her, not wanting to respond and bother Cassandra in all of her business. It was as if Bela had completely understood the intent of your shyness. A bustle of maidens flowed in from behind you to the right. Olivia was not present. You tilted your head, seeing Vivi up front as protocol. She looked at you only for a brief moment and then made her attention back to Mother, seemingly avoiding you. The sadness on your face became a slow steaming shot of anger. Your hands and fingers twitched while looking at the ignorance of the woman. The teeth in your mouth gritted and grinded together as you shifted your jaw side to side, lowering your eyes in fury. The innate desire to grab a knife and slash her face was most prominent.

Vivi walked over to Mother, serving her first and bowing after releasing the plate from her grasp. She opened a fresh bottle of wine and neatly poured it with grace from bottle to glass, balancing the container over her left forearm and tilting it up with her right hand. Mother was pleased at the presentation of skill and service. Another maid went behind Bela and around her, bowing once, and gently pulling out the chair for her. Bela wrapped her hand over one of the maids, making the young woman go red in the face. She stood unsure of what to do. Bela smiled, leaning in, whispering a soft "Thank you." The maid bowed her head and waited for the blonde to remove her hand. Bela lightly pulled her hand away and sat in the chair. The maid went behind her and pushed the seat closer to the surface for proper eating distance. A plate was neatly placed in front of her by another maid, and the wine was expertly poured by Vivi.

Before a maid stepped out from the line to pull out your chair, Olivia walked from around the kitchen with a quick muffled cough into her elbow and exposed herself through the doorway. Her nose was a gentle shade of scarlet that spread to her cheeks. The gray under her eyes appeared much darker under the warm light of the dining area. She waved off the almost approaching maid.