Girl of the Unorthodox (UNDER REVISION)

Relations

((Potential TW: mentions of overdosing, mentions of death by overdosing. Please read with caution))

"...so what does she go and do? She goes and falls headfirst into the lake! Goodness, we must've spent hours picking out the trash from her hair that evening!" Chastity's lively ramblings went unnoticed by Vanity as she was lead down a winding, wide hallway. At first, she was quite unsettled by the way the ceiling practically towered overhead, and as they dawdled along, she took in the interior of the strange place, gawping as if she was a child at a zoo.

The statically floral wallpaper was old and faded, practically yellowing and torn widely in places with what appeared to be large claw marks, revealing the moth eaten foundations which lay beneath. The soles of Vanity's bare feet creaked upon the rickety carpeted floorboards, and beams of light streamed in from the colossal, pillared window at the very end of the hall, however it was dim as the glass was clouded. She thought that with the way the plaster was crumbling that the roof might give way at any moment and crush her. There were a pair of large chandeliers stretched out the expanse of the ceiling, which were collecting endless cobwebs and masses of dust. The odd picture hung haphazardly on each side of them, mostly old oil paintings of the forest or portraits of little girls in a Victorian-esque getup.

Soon enough Chastity stilled outside a pair of oak double doors, and, reaching forward with her fist, she rapped insistently upon the wood, calling out to whoever was in the room, making their presence known with a joyous yell of 'she's awake!' Vanity stood at her side, fiddling with loose strands of her hair anxiously and shifting her weight from foot to foot. The telltale click of heels against a hard floor sounded from the opposite side, and then the sound of the lock sliding signified that they had permission to enter. The freckled woman wasted not even a fraction of a second, excitedly pushing through the door and bouncing into the room in a riot of colour.

Admittedly, Vanity was a lot more hesitant. She stalled for a few seconds before she even moved forward into the office, and even as she entered her eyes remained firmly downcast. She was still dubious as her fingers trifled with her hair worriedly.
"Hmm. Have you managed to determine the human's name?" There was a sudden pulsing in her head, the same one she had withstood back in the forest previously, though now it was a lot more muted. She felt mildly dizzy all over again.
"Marion, this is Vanity!" Chastity beamed. She seemed practically immune to the static when Vanity glanced up to her, checking to see if she was the slightest bit ill at ease.

Vanity's eyes then flickered to the other entity sat a bit away from them. Marion. Sat in an intimidatingly straight stance, her back completely undeviating. Her position seemed almost entirely unnatural, akin to the rest of her demeanour. Something about her put Vanity immediately on edge. It could have been her appearance; the way her facial features were exaggeratedly angular and pointed. Her expression was pulled into a scowl, and her neck was incredibly slender and lengthy, her skin an ashen grey colouration. The hair upon her head was effortlessly straight, though it looked to be thread thin, singed black and pulled back into a tight bun. Her eyes seemed almost fragmented, devoid of any iris or pupil or even a sclera- it appeared as if their entire structure was fashioned from crackled glass.

Clad in a simple white blouse and a black pencil skirt which were pulled taut across her skeletal limbs, the entity stared through Vanity with her unnerving shard-like eyes. She waited a moment before addressing her. Vanity averted her eyes.
"You are an incredibly fortunate girl. If it weren't for your tireless grappling you wouldn't be alive in this moment." This woman all but snarled, sending a spike of apprehension through Vanity, and she swallowed, nodding quickly as to not get on her bad side.
"Um.. well! Introductions are always good fun, why don't you go first, sister?" Chastity chimed in.

"Tch. Skip any pleasantries, I wish not to fraternise with this... human child. My name is Marion, however I expect that you will address me as your superior. Miss, Ma'am, Mistress, Boss, anything to that affect will suffice. I shall address you as your given name." Marion said dismissively, swiftly turning her attention to a pile of paperwork. She retrieved a pen before beginning to write- virtually ignoring the other two. Chastity sighed and ushered them toward two empty seats, continuing to gush reassuringly despite the tension in the atmosphere.
"I'll go next! My name's Chastity and you can call me whatever you want, most go with Chaste!"

"Have some self respect, you dunce. She is to call you by a moniker, you are above her! However I'm going to turn your focus to more important things, by which I mean that she owns a piece of paper. If she were to disclose the contents, it could severely hurt us in the long run!" She presented the crumpled piece of paper in her hand as if on cue, sliding it across the desk for the other to take even as Chastity giggled hysterically at her. Upon unfurling it, her eyes grew wide, laughter subduing once she saw it fully, and Marion hummed knowingly. "See? However my question is where in the seven circles did she retrieve it? Explain yourself."

Suddenly both pairs of eyes had swivelled around to her. Vanity looked down at her lap, her throat dry at the silence. She felt terribly self conscious now she was being stared down.
"Well... I- I don't actually know where to start.. my mom, she's in hospital right now. She took too many pills, and I don't know when she's gonna be back home. I don't even know if she'll make it out alive, but I found it at the bottom of our old photo box. The Polaroid, I mean..." She took a shaky breath before continuing, "I also found a note, it was taped to the box and it said that she knows you. That she knows somebody that she called Cupid and that I have family here..? It's probably stupid, I- I'm really sorry, I didn't want to harm anybody. I can leave, you won't ever have to worry about me again..."

By the time Vanity had finished, her eyes had brimmed with tears but she swiped them away, sniffling lightly and keeping her head hung low.
"You expect us to buy into those deceitful lies? Pathetic, I expected nothing more from your kind." Marion scoffed harshly.
"I-what? But, i-it's the truth.."
"Marion, have a heart.." Chastity murmured, voice laced with sadness as she placed a comforting hand on Vanity's back, glancing toward the other woman pleadingly, "she's just lost her mother, she has nowhere to go. We can't throw her back into the woods for the wolves! And no ordinary person could snag a picture of... her. They have the same eyes, for crying out loud, come on. Even you're smart enough to know that she must be telling the truth!"

"Tch. Very well. If you want to keep another parasite living in my house then I expect that you tend to it. Feed it, clothe it, bathe it, I don't want anything to do with it." Marion spat coldly, the disgust in her voice impenetrable,"and I do suppose you raise a good point, unusual for a dope like you. If the two of them do have any relations then inform her, from me, that I expect her to take full responsibility for the child. Bind her, if you have to, she can't go back now anyway. She's far too much of a threat to be let go now. You are dismissed."
"What...?" Vanity was beyond confused.

She looked between them helplessly before her eyes finally settled on Chastity's worrisome expression. She gestured towards the door vaguely, and then, after hauling Vanity to her feet, they were exiting the room without even a second to deliberate.
"I wouldn't fret over it too much, dearie, things are already settled. Be glad you don't need to worry about a living situation, you'll be staying here for a little bit, it seems! Of course, I'll arrange a little housewarming arrangement to better acquaint you with the place and the others.."
"What? Others..? There's more of you..?"
"Oh, yes! In fact, I know just who we'll go see next."