Work Text:
Dim candle light illuminates the mess that engulfs the desk, if there even was a desk there to begin with. Pieces of paper lay strewn across, some torn, some crushed, some crumpled.
Sancho sighs as she continues scribbling down potential plans. Only a few weeks left until the opening of La Manchaland, and here she was, still mulling over basic things like everyone's roles and positions.
Should this group be assigned here? No, they probably wouldn't be able to handle this entrance. Maybe area 2? Oh…there's already another team assigned there…
“Ugh…” The Second Kindred buries her head into her hands. How long had she been at this? What time was it even? All she knows is that she's utterly exhausted.
True, bloodfiends didn't really need to sleep, but sleep was still needed to replenish their energy, and Sancho would be lying if she said she didn't wish for anything but to take a break right now.
But she couldn't. How could she? She has to get this done within the next few days…after all, even after getting over this avalanche of paperwork, Sancho knew she still had to deliver briefings for everyone, assign a whole troop their roles, have even more training sessions, and…a lot more. Only then she could finally catch a breather, that is. not even a full break. This was her Father's dream, and though she would never admit it directly, she did want to do her best.
She reluctantly picks her pen back up to continue, when a sudden knock on her chamber door snaps her out of her thoughts.
“Lady Sancho, may I come in?” Nicolina’s voice sounds timid and distant from the other side.
“Sure. The door is unlocked.” Sancho replies, using every last ounce of energy in her body to restrain herself from flying into a rage or slumping onto the ground. Frankly, speaking to someone was the last thing she needed right now.
The third kindred gently opens the door and pokes her head in first, as if to scope out the surroundings, but upon spotting Sancho, she proceeds to tread cautiously into the warzone of torn paper.
“I’m sorry to disturb you at this time but— oh goodness…you look absolutely spent! I can come back later if you prefer?”
That causes Sancho to frown for a split second, but she quickly composes herself. Was it really that obvious?
“Just— No, it's fine, I'm fine. You can continue.” She urges, shaking her head.
“Alright then…” The other bloodfiend seems a bit worried, but carries on.
“Well it's just that next week's the banquet and…”
Oh no. Oh no no no. How could she have forgotten about that? Father had told her last week that he was hosting a banquet for all the bloodfiends to celebrate the opening of La Manchaland. Yet, it had completely slipped her mind. She hasn't planned anything! There's nothing ready!
Forgetting about the other person in the room, she facepalms, sighing as she tries to sort out something, anything. Maybe she could ju—
“Sancho!”
She looks up. Nicolina had rushed to her side, the concern etched onto her face clear as day. Great. She had slipped up in front of someone else now. As if it wasn't already bad enough. She didn't need anyone else's pity.
“Sancho…it's okay, you don't have to do anything for the banquet. Me, Curiambro and Lady Dulcinea are already handling that.” The black-haired woman assures her.
She…didn't have to do anything? Wait, does that mean she was thinking out loud? Forget about that…eh? Then what was Nicolina here for?
Before Sancho can even begin to open her mouth, she answers her question, as if reading her mind.
“Well actually…I came here to ask you something else!” She steps back, magically pulling out a rack of dresses from behind her. Where did that even come from?
“You see, I was busy coming up with outfit designs for everyone for the banquet! It is quite an important event after all…a new beginning for all of us!” Nicolina beams with pride.
“Here are the dresses I prepared for you, Lady Sancho! If you could, would you please try them on and tell me which one you like?”
Not this again…
“Look, I said I'm not interested in all that, I'll just wear whatever I usually wear, you don't need to go through the trouble for me…” Sancho replies, gazing disparagingly at the clothes.
“Nonsense! You have to look your best for this! You never wear my dresses anyways, so just this once? Besides, I’ve already made them for you!” The Third Kindred snatches a dress off the rack and walks towards Sancho.
Now this was starting to get on her nerves …not to mention the exhaustion she felt which doubled that irritation.
She clenches her fist, taking a deep breath.
“How many times do I have to tell you? I DON'T want to wear your dresses!” Sancho snaps at the other bloodfiend, gritting her teeth.
Nicolina stumbles back in shock, startled by the outburst. Maybe she had been too pushy?
“I— I see…I'm sorry…maybe my designs aren't that good…” She timidly responds, looking down at her feet.
No! It wasn't that. Nicolina was incredibly skilled at dressmaking, even Sancho knew that…but try as she might, she couldn't get herself to say anything back.
“I'll excuse myself now. I'll just…leave this here…” The black-haired woman places the dress back on the clothing rack before promptly turning around and leaving.
“Wait—” Sancho calls out, albeit at a softer volume than she expects, but it was too late. Nicolina had already taken her leave. The door was closed, and there was nothing left in the room to accompany her aside from her own thoughts.
Not being in the mood to continue her work any longer, before she even knows it, her drowsiness gets the best of her and she falls asleep right where she is. Although, it is a restless sleep, as it usually is with her.
~
Sancho groans as the rays of sunlight filtering through her window hit her, forcing her to flutter her eyelids open. She groggily raises her head up from the desk, taking some time to collect her thoughts.
From the corner of her eye, she spots something unfamiliar.
Right. The clothing rack. She had completely forgotten about it…
Mustering up all her energy, she lifts herself from her chair and slowly walks towards it.
Taking a gown off from the hanger, Sancho pinches the fabric in between her fingers, observing the details. Suddenly, a wave of guilt washes over her.
Everyone was working hard for the upcoming events, it wasn't just her. No doubt, it must have taken Nicolina hours upon hours to make such intricate designs, not just for her, but for everyone else too. She definitely didn't deserve to be lashed out at like that.
Sure, Sancho was exhausted, and irritated, but well….it's not like she hated the dresses! She just didn't…communicate it well.
Stepping over to the mirror, she holds the gown up to her body, grimacing at how it looks on her. No…no…the dress wasn't the problem.
The problem was, it just didn't feel like… her. None of the dresses did.
She sighs, walking back to return the gown to the rack. Guess she'll end up wearing her usual uniform after all. Besides, it is what she’s the most comfortable in.
Maybe she should just— no, she couldn't. That would be completely unlike her!
Her thoughts get interrupted by a loud knock on her door yet again. Was Nicolina back? Maybe she could apologize for last night…
“The door's unlocked.” Sancho responds, mentally preparing herself.
The door opens, but the person behind it isn't who she expects to see.
“Lady Sancho?” Curiambro apprehensively steps in.
Why was he here? The other bloodfiends rarely visited her, so to have two of them visit within 24 hours was quite the odd occurrence, to say the least.
“Is there anything you need from me?” She questions, throwing on her coat while doing so.
Curiambro hesitates a little before speaking. “I heard Nicolina visited you yesterday?”
Sancho raises an eyebrow. Where was this going? She slowly nods to confirm. “Yeah…what about it?”
“Well, she seemed slightly off afterwards…she wouldn't talk to anyone and went straight to her room. Furthermore, she hasn't left her room at all since then. I do not wish to pry…but did something happen yesterday?” He continues, maintaining a neutral tone.
Oh god, did her words yesterday really affect Nicolina that badly? The guilt she felt earlier intensifies with the realization.
“I— uh, we…” The words get stuck in her throat.
This wouldn't do. All of a sudden, she feels the urge to do something. She couldn't just sit back and watch passively like she always did.
“Is she still in her room?” Sancho abruptly blurts out.
The other bloodfiend widens his eyes in surprise to the sudden question, but nods nonetheless.
Before he can even blink, Sancho has already dashed past him, leaving him in a confused daze.
~
The Second Kindred hurries through the hallways, almost sprinting, if not for the fact that she wanted to preserve whatever reputation she has left. Multiple lower Kindreds greet her as she breezes past them, to whom she only gives brief nods.
What was she even doing? This was extremely out of character for her. Yet, she couldn't stop herself.
“Ah, Sancho! Where might you be heading in such a hurry?”
Damn it. She recognised that voice very well. Talk about terrible timing…
“Not now Father, I need to do something. No time to talk.” She gives him a small acknowledgement of presence before promptly walking away. She would rather die than have to explain what she was doing.
Don Quixote simply shakes his head and gives a laugh in response.
“Still as unforthcoming as ever huh, Sancho? Nevertheless, it makes me glad to see you working so hard to prepare for the grand opening of La Manchaland! I knew that you would eventually come to realise the importance of my plan!” He boisterously declares.
That's not what she was— ugh, forget it. No use clarifying now. If anything, it would just make matters worse. She tunes the rest of his speech out as she continues on her way. She did admire her Father, but he really did talk too much.
~
After many turns and flights of stairs, she finally finds herself at Nicolina's chamberdoor. Why were their rooms so far apart anyways? Sancho shakes the thought from her mind. Time to focus on the task at hand.
She steadies herself, placing a hand on her chest and taking a deep breath. Okay…what does she even start with? For starters, she should apologize, then—
The door swings open.
“...Sancho?” Nicolina stares with bewilderment at the bloodfiend standing in front of her.
Said bloodfiend stands frozen in shock, unable to conjure up even a single word.
“What are you doing all the way here?” The black-haired woman questions with a mix of surprise and slight annoyance, though she tries to conceal the latter as much as possible. After all, Sancho was ultimately her elder.
Finally recovered from the initial shock, Sancho replies tentatively, “Well…uh…I came to…apologise for yesterday night…I'm sorry for shouting at you…um, especially after you went through all that effort to make those dresses for me…”
She looks down as she feels her face heating up. This has to be the most flustered she's ever felt in her life so far, and she's had a long life.
Nicolina takes some time to process her words, mouth open in shock. Sancho was apologizing ? To her? All her irritation from the previous night fades as she realises how Sancho must have felt. She went as far as to come all this way just to say sorry to her, something she would never do normally.
After a few moments of silence between the both of them, the Second Kindred continues speaking, her tone slightly more relaxed now.
“And to clarify, I don't think your dresses are bad . In fact, they're very intricate…and nice.” Sancho struggles finding the words to describe them, not being used to giving compliments and all.
The corners of Nicolina's mouth curve up into a smile at her words nonetheless.
“Aw, thank you Lady Sancho! I spent many nights working on them after all!” She answers, glowing with accomplishment.
Her facial expression quickly shifts to one of skepticism, though.
“Wait, if you liked my designs…why were you so adamant on not wearing them?” She mock interrogates, raising an eyebrow.
At that, Sancho goes silent again, her eyes anxiously darting back and forth.
“Um…”
Nicolina taps her feet in anticipation, waiting for her answer.
“It's just…I just don't think they...fit me…” Her voice trails off towards the end.
“Sorry, what was that? You don't think they…fit you?” Nicolina asks with a puzzled look on her face.
Sancho nods stiffly, averting her gaze.
“How can that be? I was sure to get all your measurements correct! Besides, you haven't even tried them on, right? How would you even know if they fit you or not?” She shoots a series of questions back at Sancho.
This was going to be tough to explain, wasn't it? She was already a mess at this point, might as well give it a shot.
“No, not in that way, it…it just doesn't feel…right?” She clasps her fingers together anxiously, wishing that Nicolina would get what she meant.
“Oh. Oh !” The Third Kindred’s eyes go wide with realization.
“You should have told me earlier if that's what you wanted!” She excitedly replies, grinning widely as if she just had a grand revelation.
Sancho sighs with relief. That was faster than she thought. It looks like her prayers were answered…too bad she had to go through this terribly embarrassing exchange before that happened, though.
She just hoped that Nicolina would never speak of this to anyone else. It would most certainly ruin her reputation completely. I mean, a Second Kindred, especially her, acting like this ? How humiliating…
What she doesn't expect next is for Nicolina to abruptly grab her wrist and drag her in.
“W—what the hell are you doing?!” Sancho stutters out, only to be met with no reply.
Eh, maybe she'll just go along with it for now. Besides, she was already too far in.
Taking the time to scan her surroundings, Sancho quickly realises that Nicolina's room is in an even worse state than her own. Piles of fabric and thread litter the floor, all but obscuring the actual flooring. Drafts of design sketches cover practically every surface imaginable, be it the tables, or the walls.
“Sorry, it's a bit of a mess in here! I'll clean it up sometime soon!” The Third Kindred scratches the back of her head bashfully, having noticed Sancho staring.
Yeah, huge understatement. Hell, there was barely any place for her to even stand! She had to watch her feet with every step, so as to not trample anything important. She doesn't say anything though, not wanting to come off as crass.
“Since you're here already, I want to draft out a new outfit design for you while we're at it!” Nicolina comments, pulling out a clipboard and pencil from the depths of her room. Pretty impressive that she knew exactly where it was…
“No, you don't have to do anything like that, it's fine re—” Sancho immediately gets silenced by the other bloodfiend placing a finger to her lips.
“Nuh uh uh! I will see to it that you have a good outfit for this banquet! Can't have anyone go underdressed under my watch!” Nicolina counters, shaking her head with disapproval.
“Say, you want something less feminine, right? Maybe something like the uniform you're wearing?” She continues, intently sketching and scribbling onto her paper.
That was right. How was she able to guess that? Sancho was starting to think maybe Nicolina could read minds to an extent after all. Well…that was if she ignored last night's events.
She nods in approval to Nicolina's question, to which the other bloodfiend gives a small hum, keenly writing down more notes.
Sancho observes as Nicolina continues her work. It was pretty intriguing to actually see her in action, revealing her thought process and all the considerations that went into it. She never really was very close to any of the other bloodfiends, save her Father, so this was a first for her.
Actually, it seems like today was a first for her in many aspects. She had no idea what the hell had gotten into her today, doing all these things she never would in any other situation.
Yet…she couldn't really bring herself to say that she regretted it.
~
Nicolina finishes up the final details after multiple hours of measuring, cutting and sewing. During that time, Sancho made multiple attempts to leave to get back to her own work, but got pressured into staying every time.
Eventually, she ended up dozing off, still not having fully recovered from the previous days’ exhaustion.
“Lady Sancho! Hey!!” A voice calls out.
Sancho jolted her eyes open, startled, coming face to face with Nicolina snapping her fingers in her face.
“Ngh…what is it?” She responds wearily, rubbing her eyes.
“Had a good rest? Anyways, I'm done with your outfit! Take a look!” The other bloodfiend eagerly shoves a piece of clothing into Sancho's face.
The blonde-haired woman has to blink a few times to get rid of the lingering blurriness in her eyes.
Then, it comes into focus. Even on the hanger, it looked stunning; a black suit with ruffles and red detailing. Small gemstones were carefully sewn into the torso area and sleeves, making it glimmer entrancingly under the light.
Seeing her seemingly frozen in place, Nicolina reaches out her free hand to Sancho to help her stand up, which she accepts.
“Now go! Try it on!” She places the suit into the other bloodfiend's hands, turning around to push her towards the dressing screen.
Sancho wordlessly takes it, stepping behind the screen to change.
Taking off her coat and uniform, she examines the suit one last time before slipping it on.
It fit perfectly. Even without gazing into the mirror yet, she could tell that she would like it, just from the way it felt.
Her prediction is proven right when she steps out from behind the screen to take a look at her reflection.
It was…amazing. It felt amazing, being comfortable, yet stylish. Sancho turns to the sides to check out all the details. The light reflected off the fabric beautifully, making it look almost ethereal.
Most importantly, it finally felt like something she could wear…something she would wear.
Nicolina gives a small cheer upon watching Sancho admire her creation so closely, causing the blonde bloodfiend to blush and cover her face as a result.
“So? Do you like it?” She asks, though it's mainly out of habit at this point, seeing as she already knows what the answer would be.
Sancho nods, though she wouldn't say she simply liked it. She loved it. She never had the chance to own anything as nice as this suit before…and to think all she had to do was express how she felt.
She never thought much of Nicolina before this, not having interacted with her much, but for her to go this far to meet Sancho's needs…
It made her feel…grateful.
“Thank you, Nicolina.” She turns to face the other bloodfiend, and in doing so, she finds that her facial expression has subconsciously changed into that of a smile.
She doesn't mind it so much this time, though.