Sing Sweet Nightingale

He fumbled to get the worn, dented camera out of his bag, trying to move both carefully and quickly. He hadn’t been able to help but notice the flash of red against the white landscape, and had been quick to pick up on the cardinal’s presence. Now if only he could get a picture of it. He removed the lens cap carefully, wincing at the click, then raised the viewfinder to his eye, trying to zero in on the subject. He heard a soft crunch behind him and froze, putting a hand out.  «  Wait. Please. Don’t scare him off.  »  His voice was soft, hushed and cushioned by the cold blanket lying over the ground.

Do they prefer real Christmas trees or fake Christmas trees?

From an aesthetic and environment standpoint, Ella loves a real Christmas tree. There is something magical about a real tree and they smell amazing. From a realistic standpoint, real Christmas Trees can be a nightmare to clean up and get rid of, and require more care throughout the season. For practicality, Ella prefers a fake tree, but in a perfect world she'd always have a real one.

What would be the best holiday date?

Do they stay up late for New Year’s Eve or go to bed at their usual time?

Up until recently, Ella had to stay up much later then everyone else on New Year's Eve. After her step-sisters would throw an extravagant party, it was Ella's job to clean it all up, and it was expected to be cleaned up by the next morning, with fresh breakfast ready for when the girls woke up.

What is their earliest holiday memory? Why does it stick out to them?

just  how  the rip in the skirt of her dress had managed to evade her notice in the first place, she’d never know. the one thing she was absolutely resolute on, however, was that this was absolutely  not  going to work. it wouldn’t do at all. she was expected at the bonfamille boutique at three sharp, both to review everything in the boutique was to standard, and for a preopening photo-op to post across her socials. it was imperative that she looked her best, and this ? no. this was not her best. this wasn’t even  close.

but — not all was lost. sure, she could’ve plucked something else from her wardrobe with ease, but she’d chosen this dress specifically for today, and as part of her whole vision, she needed this problem fixed. asap. so there she was, heading to housekeeping in a desperate bid to see if maybe someone there could offer their assistance. there had to be a seamstress or two around, right ? with all the uniforms mystic enforced, she couldn’t imagine there wasn’t at least one employee on standby for fashion disasters. the second issue, though, was that she really had no idea where she was going. getting to the housekeeping quarters wasn’t difficult, but trying to figure out where specifically she’d find a solution to her problem was the current hold up. picking her way into the laundry room hesitantly, with her dress clutched protectively to her chest, marie glanced about before settling her attention on the woman currently adjusting her shoe. ah. a bad moment to catch someone, but hopefully she could at least offer some direction.

“  yes, actually, that would be lovely —  ”  striding forward with a hurried note to her voice, marie motioned to the bundle of fabric in her hands.  “  you see, i’m looking for a seamstress; i need this dress for an event of sorts this afternoon, but there’s a rip in the skirt, and quite frankly i don’t even know  how  it got there —  ”  her brows knit together for a moment, a frustrated pout pulling at her lower lip.  “  the point being,  if you could point me in the direction of someone who could help, i’d be quite appreciative. i need this done before three. two thirty at the latest, preferably. i know this is … very last minute, but it’s an emergency.  ”

Ella’s eyes widened as the girl, well really young lady, spoke quickly, and her smirk turned into a little laugh. Quickly Ella covered her mouth, not wanting the poor to think she was laughing at her, not really, it was cute. The way the woman was speaking reminded her of Jaq, a bit frantic, very serious, and very important. She glanced at the clock, it was only eleven, and if it was simply a rip in the skirt, Ella could have it finished before twelve. 

“Of course” Ella nodded, a twinkle in her eye. “If you’ll follow me” She motioned for the woman to follow her and started to make her way down the hall towards the break room. There was something that told her she probably shouldn’t be bringing a guest into the housekeeping break room, but that’s where her sewing kit was, and this was an emergency after all. She held the door open and followed in behind. 

“You can sit here” She tapped the largest table in the center of the room. “Would you like tea?” 

Ella moved towards the counter that held a water heater, and an assortment of tea bags. She turned the water on, even if her guest wouldn’t have tea she would have some herself. Ella was still getting use to the freedom of being able to have a cup of tea whenever she pleased and without having to ask. After the water started, Ella moved to where her bag was stored and rummaged around to find her sewing kit, all while she’d started to hum to herself again, as if she were alone. 

x 🜚x 🜚x

He glanced both ways, glad there was at least another employee there he could rely on. « Which direction did you hear it coming from? Someone said it sounded like a crash? »

“Oh” Ella paused, holding the towels against her chest. “I heard what sounded like a fight” She pointed down the hall. “I’d assume the two are not mutually exclusive” 

Ella stood at one of the large tables in the laundry room, humming as she folded perfectly pressed white sheets. With each one she finished, Ella twirled, smiling as her skirt flowed out and dropped the sheet in the completed basket. 

After finishing her pile of sheets, she made her way over to the large dryer to grab another armful of sheets. As she walked, Ella felt herself step right out of one of her shoes. With a sigh, she turned around and slipped it back on, noticing someone had entered the laundry room.