Welcome to Gaia! ::

The kitchen was old and very big, with high ceilings and cupboards that still looked in need of a good paintjob. It was clean and workable, but you could see parts that needed an extra bit of tender loving care. The teen dust would not be there long before a silent figure would appear in the doorway to greet him.

Alerted of his waking by her spider horde, Anise stood staring at Cadaver with her big, ruby eyes. She covered her uncertainty with a glower, hanging back in the shadows. Was he still angry with her? Would he leave if she spoke to him?

“Alexander has gone to work.” She said eventually. “He won’t be back until the afternoon.”

“No.”

Anise had watched him work without saying a work, her gaze following him across the room without blinking. She had never had to apologise for anything before. It was a new concept and not something that came naturally. Even having had a night to think it over, Anise was still struggling with what she had done wrong.

She climbed up onto a stool at the kitchen table, crossing her legs and rearranging her dress.

“I would like orange juice.” She said and then quickly added with a frown, “…please.”

Anise poked the food around her plate. She nibbled here and there, sipped at her orange juice and generally just made a big unappealing jumble of egg and bacon. She liked silence. Silence and darkness were both beautiful things. But she did not like this silence.

When Cadavar continued to say nothing, she fought back a pout. A spider wandered too close to her plate and she squished it down with her finger. Not enough to kill the insect, but it scurried away missing a leg. The rest of the spiders left the table top in a hurry.

Eventually she was simply unable to keep quiet anymore. “I was only trying to help you.” And then in a quieter voice. “I don’t want you to be angry at me.”

When Cadavar moved around the table to scoop her off the chair, Anise was filled with a sudden rush of relief. She was obstinate and proud, and if he had continued to refuse her attempts at reconciling, she would not have known what to do it fix it. She wrapped her arms around her neck and smiled.

After a moment she nodded at his request. “If you wish, I won’t ask you about it anymore.” She did not like her friend keeping secrets, but she would respect his wishes… for the moment. Her spiders would still be watching. “I promise.”

She wriggled in his grip, silently asking to be put down again. “This means you will stay longer, right? Alexander is always busy working and spiders do not hold very interesting conversation. They just agree to everything I say.”

Once she had her feet firmly on the ground again, she fussed with her only slightly rumpled dress until she was satisfied. “Oh, he won’t mind.” Anise replied absently. Why would he mind? He liked Cadaver too. It hardly made any sense to toss your friend out into the street.

“Never alone. Just bored.” She went back to perching on her stool, picking up the glass of orange juice and giving a dainty sip. “Hm.” Anise pondered the last question carefully. “I will show you the house so you don’t get lost.”

“Oh…” If she was honest, Anise didn’t really do much at all. As for games, they had never really been her style. She was not one for childish fun and playing by herself in the big house had not appealed to her in the slightest. “No. I watch people during the day… from the window. At night I walk around the house. Sometimes I read or fix Alexander’s clothing. He’s terrible at sewing.”

“Oh…” Anise frowned “I go out at night sometimes. I came out to the shed to find you. Remember?” That was big for her and she was proud of herself whenever she got that far. At his suggestion she looked apprehensive, giving a small shake of her head. “I don’t really like the sun.” She announced; smothering her nerves with her usual demanding tone. “You can go if you want. I’ll wait inside for you.”