Placeholder

Reminiscing

By Junebug Hart

May 5th, 2010
4:55 PM

Carmen hums contently to herself, double-checking the dinner that's been set out with a critical eye as she paces around the table. A harsh rainfall comes down in sheets against the manor's windows, drowning out the surroundings in a dark fog. "Astrid," the lynx calls out, still pacing around the table. "Is everything ready?"

From the side of the room, a beige pegasus clad in a full suit nods with a smile. "It is, Ma'am," she reports with a smile. "Everything's ready for when Clara arrives." She pauses as Carmen fixes a stuck part of the tablecloth, cautiously eyeing the Iberian lynx's slowly swaying tail. "Is there… anything else you need from me?"

Carmen glances up with a soft chuckle and a gentle smile. "There is one more thing," she says, stepping out from behind the table. She slowly spins for Astrid, letting the mare take in her entire outfit. An old cavalier's hat rests upon the lynx's head, complete with a large yellow feather. Her lacy dress flows up to her neck and down both arms, hugging the contours of her form closely, just barely covering enough. A pair of flowery decorations attach at Carmen's waist, their 'stems' wrapping around her torso. "How do I look?"

Astrid raises an eyebrow, letting a small grin come to her muzzle. "You look good, I suppose."

The lynx lets out a loud chortle as she steps over, plucking a check from the folded side of her hat, holding it out to the pegasus. "Here, for the week. With a little extra for helping me with this."

Astrid takes the check, double-taking as she unfolds it to see the amount. "I-I… This is too much! Y-You said I'd only get–"

"Two-thousand a week if you decide to stay, to help with unspecified personal issues," Carmen says, recalling their agreement with no small amount of mirth in her red eyes. "Doubled this time, because I know you have a stallion you're close with. Once this storm clears up, go to him. Treat him, you hear? I'm sure he'd love it." A sudden crash comes from the front of the building as the door is forced open, startling Astrid while only causing Carmen to nod with a grin. "That's my cue, then. You might want to stay out of the front area."

Astrid nods faintly, almost darting out of the room. Carmen sighs to herself, taking a wine glass from the table and downing it in one go. She turns, strutting out of the room and scooping up a fresh glass as she goes, leaving the empty one behind.

As the lynx steps up to the railing overlooking the main hall, the front door finally shuts, leaving only a soggy bobcat throwing off her leather jacket. "Well, I see the storm hasn't kept you, Clara," Carmen calls, swirling her wine. "Are you sure you want this little endeavor?"

The bobcat idly brushes down her soaked vest, grazing a hand against the scabbard at her hip, icy blue eyes meeting Carmen's. "Inara, why exactly should I plan to let a demon like you exist in the world?"

"Oh, so now you're calling me a demon all the time?" Carmen purrs, slowly coming down the steps. "Here I thought that was something special between us."

The lynx savors Clara's hesitation, though the bobcat draws her sword all the same. The silvered metal gleams under the hall's light as Clara holds it at her side. "Maybe," she allows. "And maybe I should deal with you right here and now.”

“Oh, Clara…” Carmen takes a long sip from her wine, making a show of licking her fangs clean. At the same time, she pulls the left ‘flower’ free from its stem, revealing a chain of blades hidden within. With a flick of her wrist, the chain glows blue with magic, snapping together to form a full rapier. “You won’t spill a drop.”

Clara just laughs, marching up the stairs to meet Carmen, while the lynx saunters down.

"Grandma."

Their blades meet with a ring of metal, Carmen jabbing at Clara's defenses and Clara taking a swing at the nimble lynx every chance she can.

"Grandma."

Oh, how Carmen's missed fights like this, pushing her duel partner's limits as much as her own, grinning as she keeps the wine glass high and full–

"Grandma!"


May 5th, 2060
2:44 PM

Carmen blinks hard, shaking her head as she comes to.

She’s leaning on the railing, overlooking the same hall as in her memory, arms crossed over the polished wood. She turns around to find her granddaughter, Clara, standing there with an amused look on her face, clad in a zip-up hoodie. "You lost in thought?" the lynx-bobcat hybrid asks with a chuckle.

"I'm sorry, dear," Carmen says softly, taking her hat off and setting it on the corner of the railing, giving her granddaughter her full attention. "Just lost in memories, is all. You know, if we didn't mention it before, your namesake and I–"

"Dueled on these stairs for your anniversary?" Clara asks with a knowing look. "You've told that story to every family member you could. It was so long ago!"

"Two-thousand-ten was not that long ago–"

"Fifty years."

"Don't hurt me like that, young lady," Carmen says with a pout. Clara just meets it with a raised brow, giving her grandmother an unimpressed look with her own red eyes. A few seconds pass before they both quietly laugh, turning back to a pair of smiles. "Really, though. What did you need? You usually let me have my moments, Clara.

"I–" Clara jabs a thumb at herself as a smug grin comes over her muzzle "–just got accepted to work at the Snowfall Center here in town."

Surprise and come over Carmen's features as she straightens a bit, brows raised in interest. "Really, now? What will you be doing? I know it’s ‘good’, whatever it is. I’ve been keeping an eye on Snowfall since I first heard about it.”

“Well, I have been training to be a spirit medium,” Clara starts, joining her grandmother in leaning against the railing. “And I’d like to think I’m good at that, so, I suppose any way I can help people, if that’s speaking to loved ones or just trying to mend the wounds that can’t always be seen.”

Carmen rests a hand on her granddaughter’s shoulder, gently squeezing it. “Good,” she says softly, giving Clara a warm smile. “And some people still think vampires are evil.” That gets an amused snort out of Clara, and Carmen allows herself to grin.

"No, just you," Clara says with a shrug and a smirk.

Carmen lets out a shocked gasp, one hand on her chest. "Young lady, your grandmother would be disappointed in you for that!"

"No she wouldn't.”

Another, brief laugh comes over the two, sharing another warm smile. "No, she wouldn't," Carmen agrees softly. Her smile wanes into a distant look as she adds, "She'd be proud of you, though."

"I know," Clara says after a moment, her voice quiet. She leans against her grandmother, eyes falling shut as she tries to fight a frown. "I know."

Carmen hugs her close with one arm, letting a gentle purr start rumbling in her throat.

She's not entirely sure which of them needs the comfort more.

Written April 7, 2022