A springy mattress, velvety pillows, plush blankets. This definitely wasn't her bed. She could hear what was supposedly "the twins" arguing above the bed, and she pretended to sleep. Pressed herself into the cushions and relaxed her face as much as she could, trying to seem as natural as possible.

"Come on—! She doesn't seem to be of threat to us" Kate highlighted as Kyle retorted. "She isn't the first human, and she won't be the last. You can't trust her."

She was probably missing the full context, but she assumed this wasn't the Kyle she knew. Hadn't they gotten closer after all this time? His cold demeanor stung nonetheless.

"But look at her fox ears! She's not human, she isn't a threat to us!" she emphasised. Lavender could feel an unwelcome gaze against her.

Kyle sighed, "Fine, but if I notice any funny business, she's out."

He stomped away and shut the door behind him. Kate mocked his final words and Lavender held back a giggle, sucking her tongue to prevent any noise she might let out. Kate sighed, and slipped her weight into a chair with a soft creak.

"You're awake now aren't you?"

Her heart dropped as her features instantly gave her away.

Kate laughed "you can get up now, my brother's long gone"

Lavender begrudgingly sat up, pulling the blanket up like a shield. Kate smiled at her, and in her usual cheery tone.

"I'm Kate, what about you?"

Lavender answered in a shaky tone still uncomfortable with the current situation. Kate got up, straightening out her dress.

"Would you like a tour round the place?" she reached out a hand to her, and Lavender took it. Kate pulled her up and as Lavender regained her balance the bed practically made itself. She stared in awe and looked back at Kate, choosing to not comment on the event. Kate didn't seem bothered and let go, as she opened the door, watching to make sure she was still following. They made their way from room to room, Kate mentioning what each room was and a short description. The tour was brisk, but as they entered the kitchen she spotted another familiar face. This one; the most like his normal counterpart, dressed in butler attire but with a long straight ponytail to boot.

"Oh! Chaúr, working on dinner already?" The man smiled.

"Quite right you are! I've almost finished with the preparation!" he paused "and who might this be? my lady,"

"Oh of course" Kate lightly tapped her back; pushing Lavender a step forward. "This is Lavender, she happened to stumble into the castle this morning"

"and will she be joining us for dinner?" Kate looked at her, awaiting a response. Funnily enough her stomach responded instead and Lavender blushed bashfully.

"Oh...I'm really not sure..." but Kate jumped in with a giggle "guess that's a yes!".

Then, she raised her hand, tapping her chin rhythmically with a finger. "Now is there anywhere I might've missed... Kyle's room is obviously a no-go... Maybe you would like to help me set the table?"

Lavender accepted the proposition and the two got to work. Placing plates, forks, knives and anything else. The busywork stilled her nerves after this morning's chaos, yet questions still lingered in her mind. Chaúr rolled the dinner out and began plating as Kyle stepped into the room wishing a good evening to those present and the four of them sat to eat. Kate sat across from her, Chaúr to her right whilst Kyle sat beside his sister. The meal started off rather hushed but as they filled their bellies, both Kate and Chaúr drowned her in an onslaught of questions about herself. The pace they were going was a bit much but she answered as much as she could. Thankful that the two were reflecting the versions of themselves she knew more intimately.

With a gentle skid of a chair being pushed back, Kyle got up from his seat. He quietly picked up his plates and cutlery, clearly attempting to not disturb their dialogue. He let out a quiet word of praise, loud enough to reach Chaúr and made his way out of the room. Kate's head turned to the windows posted in a neat line against the back wall.

"Guess we should wrap this up then, I think I'll go and try to catch Kyle before he heads to bed" she shifted her gaze to Chaúr and asked him to show Lavender to her room if she gets lost and hastily cleaned up, running after her brother.

Lavender, now back in the room she started the chapter in, bit her lip in contemplation. She stared at the garden below her window. The gate that she entered from; stood idly unchanged. The night's fog obstructing the forest she came from. Mentally crossing out any options to jump from such heights she decided quietly escaping through one of the many entrances was the right course to take. Stepping into the castle's corridors she quietly crept through its halls. Down the stairs and out the door, she stood in the castle's graden. The moonlight's soft glow hit the precipitation on the leaves causing a mystical glow in the droplets. She walked steadily, looking about making sure she was in the clear. Finally at the gate she reached past its cold metal bars, something was wrong. Her hand couldn't reach past the closed gateway, almost as if something was keeping her inside. She tried again, pushing with all her might until a gentle voice spoke up from behind her.

"So you can't leave?" She turned towards the figure, adjusting her eyes up to meet his. "..Kyle?" His gaze was fixed "presumptuous of you to refer to me as such, Kate might be fine with such courtesies but it's extremely rude to refer to me by name without my proper consent".

Her ears flattened slightly and Kyle sighed softly "forget it, Kyle's fine.. But overlooking that, why aren't you able to leave?". Lavender contemplated how to respond to a question she lacked an answer to "I think I took a wrong turn in the forest and somehow ended up here.." Kyle raised an eyebrow "ended up?" he repeated. She didn't feel the need to hide the facts and spoke up "after stepping foot on these grounds, for some reason I couldn't turn back. Whenever I turned towards the forest, I couldn't breathe".

He stood still for a second or two. Then, reaching his hand toward the gate, Lavender noticed he couldn't pass it either. He turned back to her "guess we're both trapped here then" a pained smile lit his face briefly "how about a truce? Don't do anything that might hurt someone here and I'll help you find a way out?".

There was no reason to refuse, Lavender hadn't planned on hurting anyone in the first place. So, she agreed. They shook on it and a Sigil carved itself into their skin. The design shimmering brightly in an emerald hue until it etched itself securely, the light fading as they let go.

"That makes it official".