#seruphim

Happy (late) holidays, and I hope you like it! :)

It was difficult, at times, to find something to write.

Cecilia sat down at a small makeshift desk at the inn, tapping her pen against a small piece of stationery. The only words written were the small start of the letter, not even getting into the real meat of things:

“Dear Russell…”

Since Cecilia left to start her own life and become a maid at the De Sainte-Coquille manor, it had gotten more and more difficult to think of things to write. The first few months were easy, as there were so many things she saw that were new and exciting. But now…it was difficult. When there wasn’t anything interesting going on in town, it was hard to think of anything to write him. Another conversation with Jake, another long day at the manor (though she did enjoy her work as a maid very much), and another notch on her usual routine. When there wasn’t the occasional visitor at the manor, it just left Cecilia with a bunch of bland words to tell her adoptive father. The standard ‘how are you’s and ‘I’ve been fine, thank you’s.

She sighed, setting down her pen and letting it roll across the desk, her head resting on the palm of her hand. She promised to write him frequently, but how was she going to do that at this rate?

Cecilia dearly missed him, but she was afraid that she would just bore him with a letter nowadays.

Her eyes darted to the clock, and she sighed, standing up. It was about time for her to leave for the manor. She guessed that he wouldn’t be getting a letter that day. Or the next, if things kept going this way.

–

“Do they usually all order separate things? Rich people are such a pain,” a hushed chuckle, spoken from behind. Cecilia’s face flustered up, turning her head slightly and trying not to look obvious to the two De Sainte-Coquilles standing on the stairwell.

“Alicia! They’ll hear you,” she spoke.

“I don’t care if they do,” Alicia spoke at a higher volume now, turning to look at her with an impish look on her face, “You must be quite the cook to handle all that at once.”

Cecilia looked away, a bit bashful about the compliment, still keeping her voice low, “I’ve gotten used to it, that’s all. Did you need something today, Alicia?”

“I have a door-to-door fortune telling service. Rosalind is…”

Cecilia tuned out of Alicia’s words when she saw an unfamiliar man entering the manor, a curious look about his face. She tilted her head, trying to get a better look at him. Red hair, messy with a blue bandana around it. And completely unfamiliar.

Yet…familiar all the same.

“Cecilia?”

Her eyes snapped right back to Alicia, who was looking quite displeased. Cecilia smiled apologetically, nodding her head towards the new man standing in the doorway. Alicia looked back, smiling curiously, then wandering up the stairs to where Rosalind stood.

Well, she would need to greet him, like a proper maid needed to.

“Hi there!” Cecilia paused, wondering if that sounded too informal, “I’m Ceci.”

Wait. Why did she introduce herself that way? She hadn’t called herself Ceci in ages, not since she lived in Kardia.

Maybe she missed home more than she thought.

“I-I mean Cecilia,” she quickly corrected, hands reaching up to play with a strand of her hair, “Ceci was how I used to pronounce my name when I was little…” She drifted off, shutting herself up before she continued more. She was saying that much to someone who just walked in?

However, the man smiled politely at her, not all too bothered at all, “I’m Kyle. It’s nice to meet you, Cecilia.”

“You’re not from around here, are you?” Cecilia asked, tilting her head curiously.

He shook his head, expression a bit sad, “No, I’m working on Mana’s farm.”

Working on Mana’s farm? She didn’t realize that they were hiring a worker. She paused, looking at him more carefully. For some reason…he seemed just like him…when he first came to Kardia…

“You know, you remind me of Raguna…”

–

“Dear Russell…”

Cecilia sat at her desk again after a long day at the manor. It was an ordinary day as usual…aside from the appearance of the man named Kyle.

Seeing Kyle walk around not really knowing what to do with himself, it reminded her of her childhood. Getting lost in caves, getting rescued on occasion. She wondered how Raguna was doing, ever since he moved away to Trampoli. It had been so long since then. She wondered if he would even recognize her if she saw him again. She chuckled before looking back at the unwritten letter on her desk.

Maybe…she could think of something to write now. She could write about the past. Of how much she missed her father. Ask about how everyone was doing.