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Soft giggles flooded throughout the grand dining room, drowning out the crackling of the roaring fire as four young appearing women lounged in soft, fabricated chairs.
Caskets that had once been filled to the brim with lavish wine, were now empty and placed by the door.
Though despite the lack of wine surrounding the women, their glasses were full, the dark liquid almost slushing over the edge of the glasses with each gentle movement.
How much wine had she drunk? Astrid wasn't quite sure, it took a lot for a vampire to become intoxicated, especially considering her tolerance seemed to build up with every passing decade, however a pleasant fog clouded her brain.
Despite the tight corset dress that she would have struggled to breath in, something she fortunately didn't have to do, Astrid felt light as a feather.
As if all the weight on her shoulders had evaporated due to the many, many goblets of wine she had drunk.
It was also nice to spend an evening away from Niklaus, to gather her closest friends together and have a catch up. It was a nice break.
Astrid had been extremely surprised when Niklaus had given her permission to host an evening without him and with her friends, though it had been no surprise when he had insisted there was to be no men and would have to take place in the castle.
Rebekah was happily gossiping away to the group about her new love interest, an extremely handsome and rich merchant who had travelled all the way from Spain to England.
She was grinning ear to ear, her eyes bright as she spoke of the man with the toned torso and incredible body, something she had explained in explicit detail.
Astrid's heart truly ached for Rebekah, she yearned for love and companionship, her Prince Charming, yet her past heartbreaks and age had hardened her.
Niklaus certainly hadn't been helping the matter, harming and killing Rebekah's boyfriends if he didn't like them.
Sat slouched across from Rebekah, looking as disinterested as ever was Rose-Marie, a new companion of Astrid's.
The woman had travelled to England with a man named Trevor, who had soon become one of Niklaus' lackeys.
Astrid didn't like Trevor, nor did she hide her distaste for the slimy vampire, something which amused Nik greatly.
Though it was no secret Rose was not a fan of Rebekah, finding the blonde irritating, she hid it rather well.
Rebekah was an acquired taste and could be perceived as hard and bitchy, though Astrid knew the blonde better than anyone, she truly had a heart of gold.
However, Rose wasn't foolish enough to openly disrespect an older vampire, never mind an original.
Fortunately for Rose, the brunette had yet to obtain a daylight ring, meaning the gatherings she attended were confined to the night, resulting in her missing the daily meetups with Rebekah.
"Oh Astrid, you need to meet Leandro, he is so charming!" Rebekah gasped, making them all but Rose laugh.
Rolling her eyes playfully, Astrid smiled knowingly. "Tell me did he charm you into bed?"
The blonde smirked. "Perhaps once or twice!"
Everyone erupted into giggles as Rose sighed, pushing her chair as she stood up, walking away from the table.
Astrid raised a brow, watching as Rose slipped out the room without a word.
"Hmm, excuse me."
Standing from the table, Astrid followed Rose, catching her outside staring up at the glowing moon. The garden looked very beautiful, with an ethereal glowing shadow casted upon it.
"Everything alright, Rose?"
The pretty brunette jumped, turning to face Astrid in surprise. "I- Yes, I'm sorry I left, it's just-"
"It's okay. I understand."
Rose smiled in relief, her posture relaxing. "It's all very overwhelming." She admitted.
When Trevor had told them he was to be serving the original family, hoping to gain the favour of the most feared and ruthless, Klaus, Rose had never expected to become friends with the wife of a monster.
Klaus had slaughtered and mutilated millions, innocent and guilty, he didn't care for anyone but his wife, his family and control.
Rose would never understand why Trevor admired Klaus, perhaps it was his reputation that proceeded him, perhaps it was how he was able to cast fear into anyone with the single utter of his name.
Either way, at times it felt as if Trevor was obsessed with the original.
"I haven't seen your friend Trevor for a while." Astrid commented.
She would often come across Trevor in the corridors at night, as if he was awaiting any opportunity to please Niklaus.
Shaking her head, Rose snorted. "Me neither, he's been gone for a week now. Said he had an important errand to run."
Astrid arched a brow. "An errand?"
"That's what he said. I suppose it would take him longer, what with him only being able to travel at nightfall."
Nodding, Astrid couldn't pretend the sinking feel in the gut wasn't present, something told her that whatever errand Trevor was running, it was going to change things massively.
