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The snowy landscape outside the Palace was creeping into living things' hearts, the inside was no warmer even for ten layered fur coats almost everyone wears. Dimly lit lanterns were scattered among the long halls and a strange soothing melody poured through the crispy evening air.
"Huh..?"
Sandrone rubbed her eyes, she sat up on her icy yet bearable bed, the light silken sheets pooling around fragile figure.
"Who in this uncelestial time could be singing..!"
The puppet lifted herself from the plush surface, her long linen nightwear following movements. The chambers were dimly lit yet some lunar light peeked inside despite heavy curtains.
"Dormi cara columbula,"
"Ugh...it's not like it'd be useful to check.." the owner of the room murmures as she leaves the safety of her bedroom, heading towards the source of serene humming. But why not? She had no intention to leave her bed however it never hurt to just check around, maybe it's some problem she should deal with.
Nothing unusual, just one of the harbingers wandering around at night, completely unarmed without her imposing weapons. But little did she care... tonight she felt like it. Maybe something in this alien for palace singing turned cogs in puppet maiden's head...nicely. She never heard this song but it was so sweet and tender, maybe she wanted to tell off the singer for wasting their potential at stupid time of the day while they could sing at National Opera Theatre or somewhere better than lonely palace... maybe even Tsarytsa would like this voice...
"O columbula mea,"
Soft padds of her light footwear echoed around the getting narrower corridors when she finally saw it. Light. From the antechamber.
"You.." she hissed in annoyance as she approached the half open door inviting inside,
"Columbina?!" Sandrone exclaims again, the artificial face etched with odd mixture of indignation and irritation.
"Splendeat fenestra,
Adsint somnia flora,
O cara filia lunae,"
– the melody of simple yet tender voice halted, the singer turned her head delicately to the intrunder.
Columbina's eyes are not covered tonight. Strange. Not like the puppet would care.
"You, insufferable–" The marrionette's curses get half-listened to as the Moon Maiden just walks away, the marble surrounding glinting and enforcing the sudden silence.
"Hey! Columbina! Do you even listen to me?! You wreck, I am trying to establish communication with you, can you stop being on the Moon and ground yourself down?!"
The angry cry didn't get emotional feedback as intended, instead the Damselette froze on place and looked at the seventh harbinger with eyes closed but somehow the latter could feel the gaze clearly on her skin, gnawing slightly...unsettling feeling creeped at the thought of what's inside the eye bandage.
"Sandrone... Were you sleeping?" The sudden question makes adressed one scowl more.
"What else could I be doing?!"
"I thought dolls don't need sleep,"
"Did YOU just call me a DOLL?!" the cry got angier it was clear Sandrone was fuming over her unloved fellow's remarks, not like it mattered. Columbina walked by, a tragic swan on the freezing lake.
"Hush, Sandrone," was all she said.
"I will not stop singing this song," the maiden added with a pure unadultered neutrality on her face but it felt more like softness of snow.
"Huh?! You... if you want to bother someone at night you could have chosen a place closer to anyone but me! I'm sure one of your tea parties guest would appreciate... Wait,"
The puppet smiles wryly as the Damselette looks puzzled.
Approximately ten minutes later. "Do you think Arlecchino would love my song?" Columbina asks impatiently, like a child before drama play she's starring at.
"Of course, Bina, of course. I bet you will have a nice nightly Tea~," the seventh says with a smirk as she pushed the goddes inside the opulent chambers belonging to their other comrade.
﹒ ◠ ✩ ⊹ ﹒﹒ ◠ ✩ ⊹ ﹒﹒ ◠ ✩ ⊹ ﹒﹒ ◠ ✩ ⊹ ﹒﹒ ◠ ✩ ⊹﹒ ◠ ✩ ⊹ ﹒﹒﹒ ◠ ✩ ⊹ ﹒﹒ ﹒ ◠ ✩ ⊹ ﹒﹒ ﹒ ◠ ✩ ⊹ ﹒﹒ ﹒ ◠ ✩ ⊹ ﹒﹒ ﹒ ◠ ✩ ⊹ ﹒﹒
Sandrone woke up again. "What in the name of Cryo Archon are you doing?!" She hissed at two shadows.
"Dormi cara, Columbula
O Columbula mea Senti ad fenestram,"
What was happening?!,
Sandrone was speechless as by her bed loomed not just Damselette but Arlecchino too,
Holding a a damn violin which she played intricate tune on matching the goddes' singing pattern, birthing a melody already playing instead if white noise at this point.
"Adsint somnians flora
O cara filia luna,"
As if to spite more for her own interruptuon of sleep, the head of the house of hearth looked like she enjoyed this, her nonchalant deadpan face said it all.
"Come on, ladies, are you serious, you cannot possible be serious, please, kill me–" the puppet babbled over trying to cover the melody but unsuccessfully.
Columbina kept her lullaby intact.
"Ne verum ambulo, vivo te tam
Nec ea cum est sua amans
Tam pia, bona
Somnians a luna-a-a,"
The song made the room echo and the owner's eye twitch, and the marionette didn't even have real eyes but she realizes anyone who would be forced to hear a lullaby this long would get far worse consequences for their mental health.
✧°˖ . ݁˖︵‿❀‿︵˖ . ݁˖°✧ ✧°˖ . ݁˖︵‿❀‿︵˖ . ݁˖°✧ ✧°˖ . ݁˖︵‿❀‿︵˖ . ݁˖°✧ ✧°˖ . ݁˖︵‿❀‿︵˖ . ݁˖°✧ ✧°˖ . ݁˖︵‿❀‿︵˖ . ݁˖°✧✧°˖ . ݁˖︵‿❀‿︵˖ . ݁˖°✧✧°˖ . ݁˖︵‿❀‿︵˖ . ݁˖°✧
"Did you at least have fun?" The snarky inquiry was just gold despite not hitting the nerve enough.
She asks the whitehead who sat opposite chair, the dynamic fireplace sandwiched between them.
"Yes," Arlecchino deadpanned, looking seriously contented while sipping her morning caffein intake in seemingly decorated by childish hands cup, well it was obvious even by 'best father' clumsily written on it.
"Your eyebags don't say so," Sandrone noted as she glared at her fellow Fatui, "I get them often, what is your point?" It was not a question however... after the night of total terror...
"Just hope you slept well," she answers with almost venom.
"You too," cold reply but it felt somehow... friendly.
Suddenly the room welcomes ethereal presence again and both ladies stare at doorway. To hear...
"You both look so tired..." an ironic commentary from the source of sleepless night.
"I can sing you something to raise your spirits up!" The suggestion hang in air like the chandelier above them, the room fell silent except...
The singing started again.
Arclecchino and Sandrone both sigh in sync but keep sipping their beverages.