Dakasi Winters: The Vampire Queen

Chapter 14: An Unusually Idle Morning

     Dakasi arrived at Rosalind's kitchen in about half an hour's time. She placed her hand on the door frame, and peeked into the other room. The kitchen was somehow even more cluttered than the living room had been. The table where everyone ate was not only filled with plates of food and eating utensils, but crafting supplies such as strings, ribbons, a sewing kit, pencils, quills, ink bottles, paper, scraps of fabric, scissors, rulers, and erasers. In the centre, a beautiful vase held various colours of roses. The colours brought to mind a painting Dakasi once saw in the room of a human servant. The painting had resembled a sunset, and the oranges, pinks, and yellows within Rosalind's vase matched it quite well.

     The counters were no better. Kitchen supplies were tossed about, trays were left here and there, oven mitts were tossed on top of the toaster and a basket of fruit hung from the ceiling. The cupboards were ornately carved and painted with the same colours as the roses on the table. The counter itself was a wooden one covered in cuts, stains, and various reminders Rosalind had written onto the wood when she couldn't find any paper to write on. The sink was full on one side and empty on the other. The tap dripped water despite being turned off, and the window was left ajar, allowing a lost bee to wander into the kitchen, travel around for a moment, and see its way out before any trouble could be stirred by its presence.

     Dakasi wondered if she was like that bee... Would her presence cause a ruckus that wasn't worth the nectar the flowers may offer? Would she sting these people if they made her feel threatened? She believed that was likely the case...

     "Miss. Kasi is here!" Lillian cheered from the table. Seems there was no longer an option to retreat.
     Kantori, who sat beside Lillian, turned and smiled at the albino elf. "Good morning, Princess. Sleep well?"
     "Hardly..." Dakasi admitted. Her tone was bitter, her gaze was timid.
     "I'm sorry to hear that." Rosalind replied. She stood up and walked to the counter, where a glass held a golden brown smoothie. The drink had a thick texture, but seemed far more appetizing than the drink Miles had been making for her. "I don't really agree with the whole liquid diet thing, but... Miles insisted and I don't want you getting sick." Rosalind sighed as she walked towards Dakasi. Rosalind handed over the drink, and Dakasi accepted it.

     "Thank you..." She replied. After glancing at the drink reluctantly, she lifted it towards her mouth. Figuring she'd get it over with, she drank it down, then paused in the middle of doing so. She pulled the drink away from her lips, and blinked as her ears tilted to the side. The tastes of bacon, cheese, cream, and fruit was completely unfamiliar to her. As was the texture of eggs. Memories from her youth came to mind... Getting scolded by cooks for making a mess of her breakfast, drinking warm milk before she went to bed to keep from having nightmares, biting into an apple Famar had tossed her.

     "Is everything alright?" Rosalind asked worriedly.
     "I..." Dakasi began, before nodding. "Yes. I am alright... It's just a tad troubling... How many things I've given up without quite realizing..." She confessed, staring at the drink as she pondered this thought further. Food, mornings, kindness, emotions, trust in others, freedom... These were all things her father expected her to sacrifice. For what? The illusion of power and security? What exactly would she be protected from if the Vampiric Empire overtook the world?

     Lost in thought, Dakasi was unaware she was being stared at by everyone in the room. Sarah, who sat across from Kantori, looked towards Dakasi in concern. She turned her gaze to Kantori, who shrugged in response. "Famar told me you passed out... Are you sure you're okay?" Sarah asked. She looked back at Dakasi, who drank the rest of her smoothie before handing the rest back to Rosalind. Dakasi grimaced a bit from the aftertaste of the eggs, then turned her attention to Sarah.

     "Huh?" Dakasi asked, before noticing the concerned stares she was receiving. At least only half of the group was here... Famar and the others were at Datrix's house, so she only had to handle a small group of people rather than a large one.
     "Oh, yeah. I'm fine. Weird dreams, but that's normal for me." She dismissed. With that she sat down beside Kantori, and Rosalind sat beside Sarah. If another word was said on the matter, Dakasi promptly changed the subject.