Slow And Steady

"Sister, come in!" Lucy waved her hand, beckoning her towards the spacious room, "I hope you'll appreciate and enjoy your stay here!"

Seeing how joyful Lucy was, Anasthasia blinked and trudged towards her. The room's overall ambiance made her smile.

'A new home.' Anasthasia stared in awe. Her eyes wandered at every nook and crevices of the room, which left her marveled, pondering her thoughts, 'That's quite a refreshing word to hear for the past millennia.'

"This is too good to be true. Do I get to stay in this room?"

"Is it not up to your liking?"

Her blue eyes glinted with surprise and then shook her head. "Of course, I love it! Liking is an understatement. I feel like I don't deserve this much of a credit."

"Sister Ana, don't worry. You saved my life earlier. If not for you, then I could have met my end not too long ago."

"Don't sweat it," Anasthasia bent down, and her hands patted Lucy's head, reckoning, "I will try to teach you how you can overcome your magical powers and be the best version you can ever be."

Her deep emerald eyes glistened with admiration, and this brightness spread all over her dainty and plumpy face. She tip-toed, and hands clasped so tightly, speaking so breathlessly, "Sister Ana, I'm in your care from now on."

"You're so cheerful, do you do this with a lot of strangers? Do kids forget about never talk to strangers these days?" Anasthasia flicked her finger, hitting her small forehead ever so lightly. This caused her to giggle, "Nevermind that, now that we're here, I can only hope for the best."

"Yes, teacher—!"

"I prefer Sister Ana." She stood back with grace; arms hooked on her hips as she flipped her bedazzling blonde hair. "I'm not very lenient when it comes to my apprentice."

Lucy bobbed in glee as she tittered for a while, she stopped as she witnessed Anasthasia's dress that oozed with elegance. Her eyes darted with such proximity as she drawled, "That suits you well, Sister Ana."

"I'm glad you liked it. I made this, by the way."

"You did?"

"That's right."

The corner of Anasthasia's lips curled up, but it didn't take long for it to shift in a stifling way. She narrowed her eyes, but cooly, unto her dress as she contemplated in her thoughts, 'I made this, of course, it was a special day for me...Then things took a turn…' She shut her eyes, stopping her emotions from ravaging her heart.

"Sister Ana, what's wrong?" Lucy tilted her head and her angled brows, comparable to the wingspan of an eagle, wriggling in place. "Have I probed something that shouldn't mention? If that's the case, I sincerely apologize—"

Anasthasia moved with quickness, restraining her from bowing. "Nothing, I was just lost in my thoughts."

"So, it's what happened."

"Indeed. So Lucy, do you mind letting me be alone for a while?"

"Oh! But of course, Sister Ana! I shall get going." Lucy's gaze went downward, asserting her plea, and then sauntered back to the door.

Before she left for good, she glanced back, reminding her of important things.

"There are spare clothes hung behind that closet—I'm not sure if it's suitable for your taste, but they're incredibly flowy! I'll be downstairs, particularly in the laundry room, as I wash our dirtied cloaks and the rest of the fabric rolls."

Anasthasia spun around, her blonde hair dangling around, and tucked her arms at the back. "Thank you very much, Lucy."

"The pleasure is mine. I have to get going," With that said, the corner of Anasthasia's eyes crinkled as she saw how Lucy pranced with joy, seeing how her fuschia hair—albeit curly and draped down to her shoulders. It bounced with the resonance of her attire, consisting of a flowy beige tunic—accented with red lace that tightened around her hips and knitted with perfection on her neck and hem of the dress.

Soon as Lucy held the doorknob, which slowly creaked and slammed that cut out the silence within. Eventually, the lightweight and fast-tempo thuds died out, and a sigh of relief escaped her lips. Her languid struts reached the closet, stood with poise, and fingertips landed on the handle.

'She mentioned a couple of dresses hung behind the closet, which made my curiosity heighten.'

Anasthasia opened, and the smell of fabric assaulted her senses. Her eyes rattled as she scrutinized from end to end— dresses with vibrant colors, of various silhouettes, mixed well with the footwears that racked beneath them.

'What's with these arrays of collections—What?! There's a collection of lingeries on this section as well? She made all of these out of passion?' She shuddered in her thoughts.

'This also brings back memories...'

Going back, one type of dress had caught her interest. Her eyes gleamed with fascination, clawing her way to the hook, and picked up the dress.

'This one looks great on me.'

Her fingertips hovered to her blue minidress's back zipper, slow and steady, from the neckline down to her waistline. The ruffles slid to the side, brushing against her fair, snow-kissed skin, and ultimately fell like a feather unto the ground. She picked it up, placing it over the spare bed.

She wore the azure leather dress with her slender arms casually inserted its long sleeves, locking it around her forearm with white buttons. Afterwhich, hands gripped around the sky blue belt attached on her waist, fastening. On her whim, she twisted her heel, and the knee-length dress fluttered around so beautifully.

'Not bad, I love how she incorporated the fancy buttons contrasted a lot from the plain leather fabric.'

She found herself flopped to the bed, the softness of the bed surged her tired body. She only shut her eyes, but it turned heavier and heavier, and it seemed as though the darkness came over her. She slumped deeper into the softness of the foam and found herself trailing in her thoughts.

'It's been a while since I have slept on a bed as comfortable as this.'

'Now that things have come thus far, I must plan my next move: Information.'

'I could have asked her, but that would be suspicious. We shall get to know first and work my objectives discreetly.'

'Oh, my empire, the Prismatic Empire… What happened throughout millennia. How could the world continue to move on without any traces and acknowledgments of our civilization.'

'I couldn't fathom how I see the empire fall, meet its demise, and survive until the bitter end. Only to venture into the future where it turned out utterly buried into the forgotten lands.'

She propped her arm on her forehead, and wetness started to well upon her eyes. By and by, tears trickled on her flushed cheeks. She had crestfallen to sleep, and as her consciousness ebbed, her mind drifted, swirling with the beautiful surges of a new dream.

Anasthasia snapped her eyes wide open, clearly alerted from the horns' choral sound and the orchestral sounds of percussion. She got up from her bed and rubbed her eyes. Perked her ears up as she noticed the sounds of the familiar lightweight steps.

Knocking, she called, "Sister Ana, are you still there?"

She felt her throat dry and parched, and a couple of gulps audibly heard before she started to respond, "Y—Yes! I'm here, Lucy. What's going on?"

"It's a welcoming parade!"

"Parade? Why would that be?"

"You don't have to ask! Do you want to join me?" The door appeared negligible of its soundproof when Lucy's voice sweetly rang, with ease, to Anasthasia's delicate ears.

"Uhh—"

Lucy's voice squealed at the highest pitch, "Please!"

"Sure, I'm currently free—"

"That's good to hear!" Then a sudden bang busted out of the door, slamming to the slide. Anasthasia saw how she had her chin up and hands tucked at her waist.

"You're as lively as ever." She giggled under her breath.

"Of course—Oh my! Your eyes are so puffy and weary—My, look at this leather dress you picked. You have great taste, Sister Ana!" Lucy rushed towards her, admiring the outfit she had sewn for herself.

"You made this, and it's a given it will turn out such perfection!" Anasthasia stood up, and Lucy had herself scour every nook and corner of her attire.

"...But those heels are questionable…"

"I have yet to pick the footwear, Lucy. I was tired, and I had to rest."

"Is that so?" She rubbed the underside of her chin, gazing intently at the broken heel. "I think I have something in here that will greatly complement the dress!"

Lucy scurried along, opening the closet and bent down to carefully pick suitable footwear. It only took a hot minute as she moved back and showed her the pieces, saying, "What do you think about this?"

"Splendid!" Anasthasia smirked, wearing the leather boots a little above her calf.

"Then let's go!" She grabbed her hand, dragging out of her room with enthusiasm.