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Lynette rubbed her fingers against her temple and sighed. Lyney glanced over with a curious look and cleared his throat. Lynette’s ears perked up first, her head following suit as she looked up to meet her brother’s gaze. “It's the new cat, isn’t it?” Lyney asked with a sympathetic look and Lynette all but groaned before slumping against the countertop. Her tail whipped in frustration and Lyney chuckled.
“It's just—” Lynette cuts herself off as she raised her head and cups her face. “I don’t hate it or anything, but being woken up in the middle of the night by a torrent of whining meows isn’t exactly how I'd like to spend my nights.” She sighed as her brother rounded the counter and took up a seat next to her and patted her back. Lynette looked at him with an exasperated expression before she suddenly frozen—Lyney could almost hear the thought clicking into place in her head.
“And who names a cat Lord Montague!?” Lynette cried. Lyney couldn’t blame his sister for that one, though with who their mom was it made the name all the more believable. Had it been The Knave, Lyney had no doubt that it would’ve been named something simple, like the color of its fur or by its personality, maybe even just ‘cat,’ and he couldn’t help but laugh at the thought. Before Lynette could inquire about what her brother was laughing at, they both heard their father, or rather, The Knave, speaking quietly in the other room. They both passed each other a look before rising and moving towards the wall to listen more closely.
Somehow, it felt harder to pick up any sound when they were practically right next to it as opposed to when they were sat further away. Perhaps it was the fact that they were eavesdropping on what could be a private conversation between their father, and...? Lyney looked at his sister and could see the same question in her eyes, which she soon voiced in a hushed whisper.
“Who is she talking to?” Lynette inquired, assuming maybe her brother would know. He shook his head and Lynette’s shoulders dropped slightly before Lyney piped up with his own question, “And why does she sound like she's trying to soothe?” The siblings passed each other another look before they heard what sounded like a scuffle, and they held their breath.
The look in Lynette’s eyes said everything. Should we call Freminet? Lyney shook his head, as if there really were such a dire situation unfolding The Knave could most certainly handle it—they were capable too, of course.
Lynette’s tail flicked with anticipation and Lyney couldn’t help but mirror his sister, though without a tail to move.
“I would have to advise against that decision, my lord.” Arlecchino’s voice caught the sibling's attention immediately, and it took a moment before the two looked at each other with a completely dumbfounded look.
“Is she talking to the c—” Lynette’s voice was swiftly silenced with a loud crash. Something big and heavy and likely very expensive had definitely hit the floor, among other things that they heard and felt clatter to the ground. Things fell silent for a beat after that. Lynette looked at her brother with silent horror which slowly morphed into a puffy-cheeked “trying not to laugh” expression. Lyney was more of the same and they eventually burst out laughing.
They laughed so loud that they hadn’t heard their father round the corner. When they looked up The Knave was looming over them with the cat looped in her arm. To the untrained eye, she looked just as she usually does. But to her children who she trained to have a keener eye; the slight clench of her jaw was evident of her displeasure.
The siblings gulped as they readied themselves for a punishment—whether that was for having eavesdropped on her incident with the cat, for laughing at her afterwards, or both—but a vaguely French, bubbly voice pried The Knave’s attention off them.
“Mon cœur, I’m home!” They watched nervously as their father sighed deeply before turning on her heel and walking out of view towards the front door. A minute passed, and the two breathed a sigh of relief, Lynette giggling at the nickname given to their father by the former Hydro Archon.
They listened with great amusement as Furina assumedly saw the mess Lord Montague created, because she shrieked loud enough that the siblings saw the cat fly past them and duck under the couch. Lyney shot a look at his sister which she understood immediately and echoed. It must be worse than we thought in there.
Suddenly, The Knave came back into view and stood before them once more, but her expression this time seemed...softer? Lynette and Lyney glanced at each other, a look of pure confusion at their father's change of heart evident on their faces. What had happened in the time that they weren’t listening?
“On your feet.” Arlecchino’s order was curt, but got across what it needed to. The siblings rose to their feet immediately and stood rigid, shoulder to shoulder. The Knave looked them over before sighing and passing both of them a broom and a dustpan. The look they shot her said enough, and she sighed again.
“Lord Montague created a sizeable mess, and as punishment for you eavesdropping on our tiff,” her voice had a certain bite to it that send shivers up the twin’s spines, but it quickly melted into something warmer that left their minds boggled yet again. “You can help clean up.”
The two nodded as they made their way into The Knave’s study which, unsurprisingly, was a wreck. Though, they were surprised that Furina was already in there cleaning up after the cat, and soon Arlecchino joined her. Had they no self-control, their jaws would’ve certainly hit the floor. After a moment, The Knave looked up from where she was and whistled at the frozen twins. They snapped out of their stupor and joined their parents before the front door suddenly swung open, and in walked their brother.
“Father, I’m home!” came Freminet’s distant voice. Lynette and Lyney couldn’t help but giggle, as they knew their father was going to drag him in here to help, which she promptly did. Abandoning her broom and dustpan all but briefly, she presumably caught him up to speed and shortly returned to the room with their brother in tow.
They spent a portion of the afternoon cleaning up after the cat, as the mess was quite sizeable, but they filled the drab atmosphere with enough jokes and laughs to give a comedian a run for their money. By the time that they were done the sky had turned a delicious shade of orange, and it was time for a well-deserved meal. The family sat at their expansive table and ate happily, and the siblings couldn’t help but note just how lively things were now. They watched with nothing but joy as their father jested with the former Hydro Archon, and they all felt as though finally—their home had become a home.