RESIDENT EVIL VILLAGE - The House of Dimitrescu

Chapter 18 - Truce

They found Daniela in the Opera hall, curled into one of the golden armchairs, her knees drawn up against her chest and her hood pulled down over her hair as she continued to cry quietly into her dress. Bela was hovering nearby, but looked rather awkward as she attempted to comfort her sister, and as Y/N and Cassandra entered the hall, she glanced up, an expression of confusion flitting momentarily across her face as she spotted them together. 

Y/N shrugged by way of explanation, then watched as Cassandra warily approached the armchair and leant over to her sister. 

'Dani.' Cassandra cleared her throat awkwardly, and Y/N saw on her face just how uneasy she felt. 'Dani, I'm... I'm sorry for earlier.'

There was a muffled sniffling sound, then Dani's watery golden eyes peeked out from under her hood and she looked fearfully at her sister, dark mascara marks still traced onto her cheeks from her tears. 

'... what?...' She asked tremulously. Cassandra took a deep breath, and Y/N could've sworn he saw her try to suppress an eye-roll, but when she spoke again, it was still in the same quiet, soft tone that she had used a moment ago. 

'I'm sorry for being loud. I'm sorry for upsetting you.' Cassandra glanced at Y/N for approval, and Y/N made an exaggerated gesture to her, mouthing "the flower. The flower." Cassandra gritted her teeth, then took another deep breath before turning back to Daniela. 

'And I thought... your flower-thing... was lovely...' Cassandra seemed to almost physically force the words out through her clenched jaw, but they seemed to suffice. Daniela's eyes lit up, and though tears swelled once again in the corner of her eyes, she dabbed delicately at them before allowing a little more of her face to appear over her knees. 

'Okay... thank you Cassandra.' Daniela smiled, then leant forwards and before her sister could pull away, she wrapped her arms around Cassandra's neck. Cassandra squirmed uncomfortably for a moment, then awkwardly patted her sister on the back. Y/N beamed proudly at the two of them, before glancing to Bela to gauge her reaction.

Bela was staring at her two sisters in astonishment. Her mouth was slightly open, her eyebrows raised, and as she watched Cassandra quickly grow more uncomfortable in her sister's embrace and begin to try to extricate herself, Dani hanging on like a limpet against her side, she looked over at Y/N and saw him watching her with a slight smile. 

'What... what on earth did you say to her?' Bela asked Y/N, who simply shrugged noncommittally before replying. 

'I think she just needed to hear some things that could only come from someone like me.' He chuckled slightly as Cassandra burst into her swarm of flies, finally escaping the vice-like grip of her sister before re-materializing on the other side of the hall, shuddering violently. 'Sorry if that sounds strange, but it's the truth.' 

Bela glanced back over towards her sisters as Daniela struggled up out of her chair and hurried after Cassandra, who de-materialized again and whirled away, only for Dani to now split apart and give chase. Y/N shuddered slightly as the cloud of flies streaked past him, tiny wings scraping at his bare skin, and Bela turned back to him. 

'No, but... what did you say?' Y/N grinned at her.

'I'll keep that between me and Cassandra for now.' He replied, watching in amusement as Daniela and Cassandra tumbled out of the cloud of insects, rolling to their feet before Cassandra pointed a threatening finger at Daniela, who stopped sheepishly in her tracks, before flashing a dazzling grin at Y/N.  

'So! What shall we do now?' Daniela asked excitedly, seemingly returned to her normal good humour as she bounded back over to Y/N and Bela. 'I'd really love to hear that flower again! The music was sooo beautiful!'