Hi @sorbouboul! I’m your RF Secret Santa! I’ve written for you a story featuring Dolce. Enjoy~!
Even with Pico following her around all the time, Dolce seemed a lot more like one would picture a house cat, in her attitude and behavior. She tended to shy away from most people, but you could gain her trust easily with treats or by giving her the space to come to you, instead. Dolce often came to the castle to visit Lady Ventuswill’s empty chamber, staring at the space she used to occupy. Clorica pulled a freshly-baked Apple Pie from the oven; lately, she’d been sharing them with Pico when she came by with Dolce, but Clorica wasn’t the type to leave anyone out when sharing baked goods.
Pico floated into the kitchen to meet Clorica as she was plating slices of pie, which was just as well, since Clorica was yawning softly as she set out the plates for afternoon tea. Pico’s habit was to take plates for herself and Dolce and Clorica would join them later, but today, Clorica had a cart set up for tea service, so she assisted with setting the plates on it. Clorica yawned again, but pushed the cart to Lady Ventuswill’s not-so-empty chamber, where Dolce was sitting, staring at the center and lost in thought.
Clorica announced her presence by yawning--as per usual--and stopped when she reached the typically shy young lady, silently offering her tea and the slice of Apple Pie she’d prepared. Pico was more than happy to dig in; even death didn’t diminish her appetite, and she was still able to enjoy the food that Nancy, Jones, Porcoline, or Clorica made. Dolce accepted the offer of afternoon tea with a small smile and murmured thanks, setting her plate and cup down beside her and resuming her introspection. She looked up back again, though, when Clorica sat next to her.
“You know,” she began, “you can feel free to share what’s on your mind.” She stifled another yawn before leaning on Dolce’s shoulder. “Everyone misses her,” she added. “Selphia hasn’t been the same without her.”
Pico snuggled herself between them, but didn’t remove Clorica’s head from Dolce’s shoulder.
“That’s right, Dolly! You ought to tell everyone how you feel,” Pico cheered. Dolce responded by covering the ghost’s mouth and glaring.
“Quiet, you,” she admonished. Then, she sighed. “You’re right, though…”
Pico looked up hopefully, clinging to Dolce’s gloved hand, while she continued to speak.
“Things definitely aren’t the same,” she admitted. She lifted the teacup and took a sip, and her eyes widened in surprise. Everyone knew Volkanon typically made the best tea of all the butlers, though Clorica was learning quickly and the tea she made was, almost surprisingly, quite good.
She felt more than saw Clorica’s face shift into a soft smile.
“Do you like it?” she asked, sleep slightly slurring her words.
“It’s… pretty good,” Dolce answered, hiding her face behind the teacup.
“I’m glad~...” Clorica responded. She seemed to drift off into a light sleep at that point, snoring softly with deep, even breaths. Even Dolce had to smile; Clorica could keep her calm in any situation. “Oh!” she jumped, shifting only slightly before settling back down. “You need to try the Apple Pie, too; it will have cooled enough by now. The apples were really crisp and fresh from Lest’s farm. It should have come out really good.”
Dolce took another sip of her tea before setting it down and trading it for the pie that Dolce mentioned. The apple filling was spreading across the plate, but it smelled fantastic with a balance of sweetness, tartness, and just a hint of spice. She cut off a piece with her fork and lifted it to her mouth.
It tasted like heaven. The crust was light and flaky, the syrup wasn’t too thick, and the apples had just the right amount of bite left to them that they were soft, but didn’t melt in her mouth right away. Without any idea as to why, Dolce’s eyes began to water. She was used to having spicy food, and the pie wasn’t particularly spicy, but… her heart ached for Clorica, who carefully made the dish to her satisfaction; for Lest, who had grown the produce that went into the dishes Clorica made; for the other people of this town, who all worked hard and with vigor, even without the dragon god who once watched over them. Her heart ached for the dragon, too, because Venti’s death was the first she witnessed as a human instead of as a monster.
Clorica passed her a handkerchief, which Dolce gladly took and used to wipe her eyes.
“It’s okay to be sad,” Clorica said simply. “She was your friend.”
She sat up so she could take a sip of her tea and a bite of her slice of pie, as well.
“Oh, this turned out great!” she cheered, scarfing down another two or three bites before turning back to Dolce, who was still fighting back as many tears as she could.
“Let it out for now, but know that Lady Ventuswill is still here,” Clorica soothed her. “Maybe not in person, or as a ghost, but… she gave her Runes back to the earth. Maybe one day, we’ll find a way to bring her back--and I hope we do--but even if we don’t… we have to keep living, because that’s what she’d want for us. Right?”
Dolce, still teary-eyed and red-faced, nodded. Somehow, she managed to compose herself slightly while Clorica was talking, and she took another calming sip of her tea.
“Dollyyyyyyyyyyy! Come here, I’ll comfort youuuuuuu-- AAUGH!” Pico interrupted, but Dolce held up a sealing talisman, and Pico shrank back down into the space between her and Clorica.
As she grumbled, Clorica reached out and rubbed her back.
“Let’s finish our tea,” she suggested, “and maybe we can all have a girls’ night tonight? Vishnal told me the boys do the same thing.” She giggled. “We’ll all go out to eat, have a bit of fun, and probably end up back at Meg’s house. What do you say?”
Dolce smiled, but it was still hidden behind her teacup.
“Sounds good,” she answered.
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