#cericata

☙   ——   unprompted   /   @cericata​

hey donna what would your fursona be?

  .  .  .

☙   ——   unprompted   /   @cericata​​ 

Discomfort was written all over her face as she bent down to speak with the doll before her. All this ruffle and lace was more fit for the inanimate in her opinion, but she supposed in some ways that was perhaps what she was becoming. “Mother, if I may be so bold to request access to the village? The colder days have passed and I find myself restless. Moth-“ the words caught in her throat, “Lady Dimitrescu used to permit my sisters and I to stretch our legs after being confined for so long. May I request the same from you?”

Yellow eyes shifted to the veiled figure, pupils widening to give the young woman a softer, almost puppy dog pleading look. Bela wanted to run into her sisters, she prayed they would also be stalking around because of the warmer weather. Companionship of any sort would do, her attention shifted to the window where the view was minimal but there was slight breeze that moved the forest around them. It could still be cooler, especially if the sun set but perhaps there was still a chance Donna would take pity on her new daughter. Hadn’t she been a good daughter? She had tried so hard to make the puppet master pleased with her, but she was so much more difficult than Alcina. Oh how she longed for those days, she promised if she ever got to return to the castle she’d never take any of those shared moments for granted. A soft purr like hum was rising up in Bela’s throat, it almost sounded childish and docile. Being with the dolls had made her less of a predator, she felt calmer and sleepier, almost as if this whole thing was a dream.

     SCURRY,  SCURRY!   wooden clogs tip tap across old floorboards as angie made her way round  &  round bela’s towering presence.  there was no respect for her personal space whatsoever.  she grabbed at the frilly dress,  deep mahogany silk overlaid upon layers of ruffled tulle,  in order to fix it to her standards.  the petticoat beneath was tugged downwards to better cover her knees,  the tops of her sleeves were puffed outwards,  &  the bow that held parts of her blonde locks was straightened out.  her adjustments were made quickly  &  haphazardly much to bela’s discomfort.

      finally,  after a few more commanded spins,  she was satisfied with the girl’s attire.  angie’s little arms crossed high upon her chest in a moment of sheer pride.  she knew the former dimitrescu would clean up nicely!  now,  bela was cute like the rest of her family.  the doll let out a shrill squeal  &  clapped her hands together before turning to dive head first into a cardboard box.  the items within clanked against each other carelessly for a few drawn out moments before she pulled out something covered  &  rectangular  &  much too large compared to her.  she stumbled with it held high above her head,  rushing to place the object down before bela.

     “   OO  -   OO  —  OOH!   you look soooo much better!  here,  here   —    take a looksie!   “   wooden fingertips gripped the cloth  &  pulled it loose to reveal an old mirror,  dusty  &  unused.  the top of the mirror tipped back to prop against her head.  a discerning silence filled the space between all of them,  causing her to grow impatient.  angie squirmed beneath the weight of the mirror,  squeezing her head over the top to look up at her.   “   helllllooooo?  bug girl!   what  —  is  —  your  —  problem!?   “

      the joints in her neck clicked as her head moved downwards to follow bela’s descent to the ground.  even crouched the way she was,  she was much taller than angie.  her jaw hung open to complain once again about her daughter’s disrespectful silence,  but not a word could come out before a softer voice filled the room.   “   mother,  if i may be so bold to request access to the village   …   “   bela began,  then explained how the first lord would allow them out after the long winter.  

      cat - like eyes flitted to the woman who stood by the window,  folding clothing so quietly she may as well be a part of the scenery.  the acknowledgement of her presence over the chattier dolls gave donna pause.  bitten nails gripped the floral bed sheet she was just beginning to fold   -   being perceived with more than a mere glance was something to get used to in the coming months.  through the mesh of her thick veil she stared straight through bela’s gaze.  then,  she turned to the window.

     THE FOREST SPOKE FOR HER.  the trees rustled with a particularly strong breeze,  more than likely still cold with the final notes of winter.  lower,  the plants of her garden were only just starting to come back to life.  lower still,  the grass below was humid with melted frost.  donna thought to one of the dolls that guarded at the head of her territory.  a chill ran up her spine  &  a quiet purr rumbled behind her.  

      she locked the window.

      a disruptive clatter cut through the tension that was forming.  jointed hands had dropped the mirror with a grunt  &  were now adjusting the white veil upon her head.  “   yooou wanna go out in the cooolldd?   “   angie asked,  sing - song  &  shrill.   “   you can’t stand a few more days in here with our cute friends,  hm!?  well,  too bad!  winter’s not over yet.  we’ll let’cha out when the sun shines and no earlier!   “

      bela’s disappointment was not hidden well,  but hidden it was all the same.  she could respect that she would not speak against her orders.  donna made her way to the sulking girl with quick steps,  the pile of laundry forgotten in her haste.  she stopped just shy of arms length from her,  holding out a book from a nearby shelf.  an old  &  dusty but otherwise well - loved piece of literature that she had not read herself in ages but would serve as a temporary source of entertainment for the poor thing.  further inspection of the summary on the back would reveal that it was a compilation of fantastical fairy tales from around europe.  the lady of the house did not dare utter a word.

      she hoped this would suffice as entertainment until the days became warm.

how do you drown a six foot woman in frills  &  lace?   never did she think that her eldest sister—  rather,  her only cousin—  no.  she refused to refer to her as anything other than her sister.  focus,  daniela.  never did she think that she would allow herself to be dressed like a children’s doll!  dark gowns  &  exposed shoulders had been torn away from bela,  turned into petticoats  &  starched fabrics that could not possibly be comfortable to move in.  this in itself would be humorous if it were not for the fact that she was morphing into a different person with each  &  every visit.  whatever did happen to the bossy,  stuffy,  strong - headed bela she knew  &  loved?  that she still loved now?  where is her strength,  her drive,  the attitude of her’s that she so loved to mock in years long gone?  she did not like this.  not one bit.

she kneeled down on a floral stretch of fabric,  placing a metallic container down at her side.  bela lagged behind to bring her own basket of food.  her sister chattered away cheerfully as if she had nobody to talk to but her,  all the while pulling out foods that did not become a former dimitrescu.  slices of sweet cozonac,  a couple plums,  &  a canister of red soup.  daniela hated that soup that the benevientos made her drink.  it deceived even her eyes the first time she saw bela eating it  —  what looked to be chunks of flesh in a bath of vegetables  &  blood broth was nothing but mushrooms marinated in blood wine.  it was a mockery of the woman who used to be the strongest of the three sisters.  she held back a shaky sigh.

☙   ——   unprompted   /   @cericata​​​

TAG YOU'RE IT, PLAY FAIR DANI