New Friend?
"They're ready?! Yeay!" Viena cheered, her eyes lighting up.
"Be careful, dear. They're piping hot!" Eleanor warned, her voice warm but gentle.
Viena, too eager to listen, grabbed a cookie and immediately experienced the heat firsthand. She jumped back, puffing out her cheeks in surprise. Only when the treat cooled a little did she continue nibbling at it, her face lighting up with delight.
"Hmm! It's sweet, and the ginger gives it a little kick! I love it!" Viena exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with approval.
"Oh! You get it, don’t you? Sigh, Lisabelle never understood the richness of flavors. She hated the ginger... that’s why I always make an extra batch just for her." Eleanor sighed fondly, her voice soft with nostalgia.
The mention of Lisabelle reminded Randia of the events from the night before. He stood up, his expression serious but thoughtful.
"She should be awake soon. Do you want me to check on her?" Randia asked, his tone careful.
"Hmm. What do you think, Viena?" Eleanor replied, her eyes twinkling with mischief. "Why don’t you go greet Lisabelle and bring her some cookies? It's her favorite!"
"Okie dokie, Granny!" Viena responded enthusiastically, giving Randia a big grin before scampering off towards Lisabelle’s room.
Viena pushed open the door without knocking. She froze in place, mouth still full of cookies as she stared at the vast room before her. It was massive—four times the size of a common inn bedroom, easily.
As she continued munching on the cookies, Viena wandered around, her eyes wide with curiosity. She spotted bundles of yarn in every color imaginable, half-knitted scarves, blankets, and tablecloths strewn about. But it wasn’t until she noticed a stack of papers and books in the corner that her composure slipped entirely.
"Pewpers! Wow! Tere ah so mwny!" Viena exclaimed, her words muffled by the half-chewed cookies in her mouth.
Before she could stop herself, she was already rifling through Lisabelle's things, her small fingers flipping through the papers. She was absorbed in the task when she suddenly realized the room would be a lot better with more light. Spotting the window, she rushed over and shoved it open. The bright morning sun poured in, its golden rays falling straight onto Lisabelle’s face.
Lisabelle groaned, grumbling in her sleep, but Viena didn’t notice. She was far too absorbed in her exploration of the room. The excited noise of her discovery—the rustling pages and delighted sounds—gradually roused Lisabelle from her deep slumber.
Groggy and disoriented, Lisabelle opened her eyes, her bleary gaze landing on the source of the noise. Her mind snapped into alertness as she took in the sight of someone rummaging through her things, making a mess.
"W-WHO ARE YOU?!" Lisabelle cried, her voice sharp with anger.
Viena froze, her eyes wide with shock. The girl before her looked almost ethereal—her skin bright as the dawn, her long, platinum hair shimmering like silk in the morning light. Despite the bruises marring her face and body, Lisabelle exuded a regal presence, one that made her seem more like a doll than a person—an angry doll at that.
"I… I-I'm just looking around!" Viena stammered, caught off guard, her usual bravado crumbling.
"What are you doing in my room?! Put them down now!" Lisabelle demanded, her tone fierce.
"Ugh… You're not what I thought you'd be like. Is screaming the first thing you do in the morning? My ear hurts!" Viena shot back, rubbing her ear dramatically.
"WHAT?! Y-You! How dare you! Grandma! Grandmaaa!!" Lisabelle screamed at the top of her lungs, her voice piercing.
Downstairs, Eleanor and Randia both clearly heard the ruckus. Eleanor couldn’t help but laugh, shaking her head with a fond smile.
"You hear that, Mr. Ran? It seems the little ones are friends already."
Back upstairs, the noise continued. Lisabelle and Viena were now fighting over the ceramic plate of cookies that Viena had brought up earlier, both girls pulling at it fiercely.
"You midget! How could you eat my cookies?! Get your hands off!" Lisabelle snapped.
"G-Granny told me to bring them upstairs! I ought to have some too as a delivery fee, you know!?" Viena retorted, sticking her tongue out.
"GRANNY?! No, she is my grandma! Not yours! And what do you mean 'some' when you've already eaten almost all of it?!" Lisabelle growled, pulling the plate away.
"Nngh!" Viena struggled, but Lisabelle’s strength was much greater. The smaller girl lost her grip entirely, and Lisabelle fell backward, knocking over the table in the process. The cookies scattered across the floor.
"Ouch…" Lisabelle winced, rubbing her elbow.
"…S-Sorry," Viena mumbled, reaching out to help her.
But Lisabelle pushed her away angrily, throwing the cookies at her.
"Fine then! You can eat them all!"
The cookies that flew to her clothes didn't even hurt at all Viena. However, she feels angry to see the scattered cookies turned to waste.
Viena caught the cookies in her arms, though they didn’t hurt her at all. Still, she was furious at the waste.
"YOU STUPID! Granny took a long time to make those! Now they’re all on the floor!" Viena shouted, her face red with frustration.
"EXCUSE ME?!" Lisabelle shot back, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "They were already ruined the moment you decided to be an idiot!"
The two girls locked in a brawl, wrestling on the floor, pulling at each other’s hair, and rolling around in a whirlwind of chaos. Viena was small, but she fought fiercely. At one point, Lisabelle managed to pin her down, using her weight to restrain the smaller girl, but Viena wasn’t done yet. She bit Lisabelle’s hand and clawed her way out, determined to keep the fight going.
Eventually, Lisabelle managed to get the upper hand. With a swift move, she trapped Viena in an omoplata shoulder lock, her knees pinning Viena’s body to the floor.
"Got you, you monkey. There's no escaping this. Now, tell me what the hell you're doing in my room before I break your arm!" Lisabelle said smugly.
"Kuh! Y-You’re cheating!" Viena gasped, struggling but unable to break free.
Instead of doing anything too dangerous, Lisabelle knows well that their size difference is so much that it wasn't even that hard to begin with to make this situation happen. Thus, she chose to start to tickle Viena. At first, Viena laughs quite a lot, but then she has it harder to breathe and her harm is starting to get hurt for real.
"Ha! After trespassing in MY bedroom, making a mess, and then starting beef with me, now you’re crying! How pathetic can you be?!" Lisabelle taunted.
“Papa! Papa, help!” Viena cried, her voice desperate.
"Really now?! Your father won’t do anything, kid. You’re at my mercy now!" Lisabelle teased, her grip tightening.
"Let me go! It hurts!" Viena whimpered, her face scrunching in pain.
"Yeah, you bet it does!" Lisabelle retorted with a mocking grin.
"Please, stop! I’m sorry!" Viena cried, tears welling up in her eyes.
Lisabelle’s expression softened, guilt creeping into her chest. She hesitated, then, after a long moment, finally let Viena go, releasing the hold and allowing her to sit up. Viena took a few shaky breaths, wiping her eyes, still sniffling.
"Done, midget? Now tell me what the hell you’re doing in my room so I can write the right report to the guards before I throw you in jail myself," Lisabelle said, trying to sound tough but with less conviction.
Viena sniffled, wiping her nose on her sleeve. "I… sniff Granny told me to bring you cookies. But they’re so delicious, I couldn’t help myself. And…"
"And?" Lisabelle raised an eyebrow, a little curious.
"And I can’t believe you’re so stingy, grumpy, and super smelly! I can’t believe you’re related to Granny!" Viena blurted out, wiping her tears away.
"Wha-!" Lisabelle gasped, stunned by the boldness of the little girl.
Irritated, Lisabelle started grabbing Viena's collar again. In response, Viena pushed Lisabelle's face away and covered hers scaredly. However, when they were about to begin all over again, Eleanor entered the room.
"Lisabelle!" Eleanor’s voice rang out, authoritative and gentle all at once.
"G-Grandma?"
Eleanor’s sharp slap to Lisabelle's arm was immediate, a silent reprimand that softened as she moved toward Viena. She enfolded the little girl in her arms, her fingers threading gently through her hair as Viena’s distress melted under the warmth of her embrace. The girl, trembling and seeking protection, found solace in the old lady's quiet reassurance.
Lisabelle, however, stood rigid, glaring with a mixture of disbelief and jealousy. "Why are you taking her side?!"
Eleanor turned her stern gaze toward Lisabelle, her voice calm but cutting. "Because she’s the younger one, Lisabelle! You, of all people, should know better than to pick on a child so small. And the language you used—how can you call yourself a noble lady when you behave like this?"
"I-I'm not small! I'm still growing!" Viena’s voice quivered, but her defiant puff of cheeks managed to make her words sound more adorable than indignant.
Lisabelle merely grumbled, crossing her arms in frustration, not willing to let her own pride be humbled.
Despite the tension, with Eleanor as the mediator, the atmosphere lightened, and grudgingly, Lisabelle let the matter go. Though her pride still simmered beneath the surface, she chose to set it aside for the moment. They all descended the stairs to the dining table in silence, Lisabelle's gaze flickering warily toward Randia.
As they sat, Lisabelle couldn’t tear her eyes away from him. There was something about his towering presence that intrigued her—how could someone so large and imposing be the father of such a small and energetic child? Her thoughts felt like a haze, a fuzzy sensation in her head as though she had met him before, though the memory eluded her.
"Lisabelle," Eleanor's sharp tone cut through the air like a blade.
"What?" Lisabelle protested, now genuinely confused. "I've heard that line before! Are you flirting with my dad? That's gross," Viena added, her brows furrowing with a very serious questioning look.
Lisabelle blinked, her cheeks going red as she stammered, "Wait, what? No, no... It’s just that I—uh—feel like I’ve seen him before."
She looked up at Randia with a small frown, rubbing her temples as she tried to sift through her thoughts. There was a fleeting sense of familiarity, something half-remembered in the back of her mind, but it faded before she could hold onto it. She let out a soft sigh and shrugged. "No, I guess this is the first time we're meeting. It must have been nothing."
Randia remained quiet, a wary glint in his eyes. The unease gnawing at him subsided as he saw Lisabelle let it go, though he could not shake the feeling that something was off.
"No, this is the first time we see each other, just like it was for my daughter. I'm sorry if she troubles you. She hardly had any chance to play with someone of her age since we're traveling from place to place."
Randia, with his usual calmness, nudged Viena. "Come on, Viena. Apologize properly."
The little girl hesitated, glancing up at him with a pout, her eyes full of the stubbornness that matched her father's. "Viena..." Randia prompted again, a gentle pressure in his tone.
Viena puffed out her cheeks dramatically before reluctantly muttering, "I'm sorry."
Lisabelle's icy gaze softened slightly, though it remained condescending. She stared at the girl for a long moment, still irritated but letting it go for the sake of peace. Then, with an exaggerated sigh, she relented. "Fine. I guess I’m partly at fault. Twenty percent of the fault’s mine. So… I’m sorry too."
Viena's face brightened, and she quickly grabbed a piece of sausage from her plate and offered it to Lisabelle. "Here, a token of apology!"
Lisabelle’s expression twisted in surprise, eyes narrowing. "What? Are you bribing me with sausage?"
"Yes!" Viena's answer was blunt and direct, without a second thought.
Lisabelle blinked, taken aback by the child’s bluntness. Then, after a beat, her cheeks flushed slightly. "H-Hah. You’re unbelievable." She glanced at the sausage, clearly unsure what to make of it. "It’s a pity, though... I don’t like sausage."
After hearing that, Viena took back her piece of sausage as well as Lisabelle's.
"HEY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?"
"But you said you didn’t like it," Viena said innocently, chewing as she looked up at Lisabelle with mock confusion.
Lisabelle’s eyes narrowed. "Aaaagh! You little midget! Gnome! That was your plan all along, wasn’t it?!"
Viena mockingly raised an eyebrow, then stuck her tongue out, clearly enjoying the banter. "Hehmph. I zuno whut ye tomkin bouth."
Eleanor, who had been quietly watching the exchange, couldn’t hold back a soft giggle, her eyes crinkling with amusement at the chaos unfolding in front of her. Randia, noticing her lightheartedness, cleared his throat to draw her attention.
"I'm sorry for our discourtesy, Madam. My daughter lacks the proper training of etiquette and table manners."
"My, my. It's alright, Mister Ran. Kids should be kids after all. They will learn one step at a time."
To Eleanor, it has been so long since her granddaughter had been so noisy at the dining table. The last time she did was when her parents were still around. It's like reliving a long-forgotten memory of hers, back when everything was so perfect that they didn't need any heaven to wish for.