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You were having off day. The ones where nothing was happening around you, and you just don’t have enough motivation to do an activity by yourself. Reading, exploring the halls, pestering one of the busybody immortals that roamed the grounds all seemed like it required too much energy. Instead, you found yourself using the last bits of energy you have in reserve to shove the furniture in the main hall to one side of the room.
Then you simply lay in the middle of the plush rug, limbs splayed out comfortably as you stare blankly up at the ceiling. You had stolen a comforter from one of the guest rooms to use as a makeshift pillow, and the fire was enough to keep the chill out of the air and the large hall at a comfortable temperature. Yet, having just woken up about an hour prior, you lacked the exhaustion to lull you back to sleeps embrace.
It was within an hour by your estimation when one of the daughters had stumbled across you. Cassandra, you guessed by the way she nudged your ribs with a foot, probably assuming you had decided to keel over in the most obvious place. Rather than speak or drag your eyes away from the ceiling, you just waited for her to go away.
You’re startled when a head comes to rest on your arm, halfway between your elbow and your shoulder. Your daughter’s gorgeous brown hair fans out beneath her, tickling your neck with the startling soft strands. Remembering the countless hours you had spent in the past few months brushing each of their heads of hair, you can’t help but to feel proud. They had not understood why you were so insistent on letting you take care of them, but none of them had put up much of a fight. Aside from Daniela, who had trouble sitting still some of the time.
You weren’t sure when the next daughter found you. Two of you splayed out closely, the arm that Cassandra was laying on bent so that your nails could lazily scratch at her scalp. Again, not a single word was spoken. You could nearly hear Bela’s mind working overtime as she tried to figure out what the two of you were doing, giving herself away.
When she lied on the other side of you, she released a long breath as her head carefully dropped onto your chest. You could feel her decompressing slowly, while Cassandra in comparison had no need to restrain herself from openly cuddling into you. You were beyond content to scratch at one daughter’s scalp and rub small circles into the wrist of the other while the three of you stared up at the ceiling.
There were more details than you remembered there being, but you had never dedicated an entire day to admiring it before so you weren’t particularly surprised. There was a smudge, or what you thought was maybe a speck of dirt or something hidden in one of the curves of the pattern in the center, but even as you squinted you couldn’t make up your mind on what it was.
You were just beginning to wet your lips in preparation of asking Cassandra and Bela’s opinion of what it was when the doors leading to the courtyard slammed open. None of you flinched, considering the voice that followed immediately with a “Fuck it’s cold!” As if Daniela was capable of any other kind of more subtle entrance.
You could hear her footsteps (stomps if you were being honest) falter as she noticed the three of you. And the next second she was dropping herself across the three of you, just falling short of throwing herself. Your grunt is louder than Cassandra’s hiss of annoyance as the air is mostly knocked out of you. Daniela’s lower half was draped across the middle sister and her head rested on Bela’s thigh.
You realize that Daniela wasn’t exaggerating the chilliness, as it feels like you had thrown your half soaking blanket into the freezer. You could feel her shivering as she tried to warm up, prompting you to lift your head up and snag the blanket underneath. You can’t unravel it without jostling everybody, so you just fling it on top of Daniela’s torso and leave her to figure it out herself.
To your great amusement, your youngest daughter flails until the blanket covers her from head to toe. It gets toasty underneath before long, causing Daniela’s strawberry blonde locks to make a reappearance. She suddenly realizes that the three of you are blankly staring at the ceiling, you guess by the way she lifts her head a bit to look at each of your faces. You’re proud of her when she settles back down without a complaint, though knowing her, she is trying to figure out what exactly is going on.
Maybe half the day has passed when you hear the telltale footsteps of your wife. The clicking of her heels still makes your heart stutter and bring a smile to your lips. You don’t see it, but Bela smiles as well, hearing first hand your body’s reaction to her Mother. You can’t resist from looking at were Alcina ducks into the room, her eyes instinctively seeking yours out as she straightens her spine. The two of you share a tender smile before a soft snore coming from Daniela distracts you.
Then you’re suddenly aware of Cassandra’s quiet breathing into your ear. Your wrist had gone numb hours ago, but you still had your fingers carefully tangled into her long locks. Your gaze drops to where Bela still remained on your chest, half expecting her to have fallen asleep as well, just to find her yellow eyes staring back at you with that proud smile. You blink, startled, before dropping your head back to the rug.
Alcina Dimitrescu, too much of a noble to ever resort to willingly sit on the ground, lifts up one of the large chairs that you had moved to the side and carries it over to you. The woman settles down in it, crossing her legs as she takes out one of her cigarettes to place in her fancy holder. Moments later she’s taking a long draw and relaxing back into the chair you know from experience is one of the most comfortable things. As you watch your wife lean her head over the back, you weren’t expecting her to speak.
“What is that? On the ceiling?”
“Daniela,” you guess.
“Definitely Daniela,” Bela replies immediately.
You can’t help but grin, wondering what your eccentric daughter had done to get blood that high up.