The Bell Chimes Rose’s Nocturne [Closed]

[Takes place on the Friday, First Week of the Fifth Month]

It had been a few weeks after the Fares incident and things had finally calmed down. The cottage on the cliff was all fixed up and the flowers were also growing again. The godmothers were also there, busy bustling with housework and such, but Liseran was strangely nowhere to be seen. On Monday she had told Rory and Cheshire that she would be taking leave from school as she had been summoned by the Head Mistress of the Vale Archives. She was supposed to be back three days later, but it was already Friday and there had been no news from her.

Rory was going to be visiting the mountains that very weekend to see her foster parents, so Cheshire had been summoned by Vixen to meet him at the Rose Madder Herbal Shop.

“It appears Liseran is in a bit of a dilemma at the moment,” the youthful looking old woman had said in her message.

The Rose Madder Herbal Shop looked like it had been newly renovated, finally receiving a new layer of paint and its glass windows clean, displaying jars of leaves and potpourri and other things. Vixen, her magenta cape draping her rose madder chiton, would be waiting outside for him.

Upon receiving the message, Cheshire went out of his way to ready his gear and went to the shop. Riding down the road on Bandersnatch, Cheshire soon arrived in front of the shop and parked at front. Dismounting the bike, he walked up to Vixen with a stern expression. "Tell me everything," he said bluntly, putting emphasis on the word everything considering past experiences.

Vixen nodded and led him inside. The table had been draped with a lilac cover and the counter was clean with a bouquet of fresh cut flowers. Vixen motioned for him to sit down.

"Now, there's no need for too much alarm," Vixen said. "It's not like she's been held hostage or anything. However, Liseran is...experiencing difficulties."

Vixen sat down across him and folded her hands together.

"A few days ago, Liseran was summoned by the Archives' Head Mistress Stay," Vixen said. "I've been speaking with the Head Mistress and I've learned that Liseran was called to undergo a certain test. It was a challenge in order to see if she was worthy of something that belonged to her mother. A weapon, I believe. The test was only supposed to take three days, but it's taking longer than expected. I unfortunately cannot go myself to check how things are going there and Rory's gone to the mountains. I was wondering if you could go in my steed to check on her."

"Of course," Cheshire replied stiffly. "Just tell me where to go. Is she at the archives?"

Vixen nodded.

"Yes, she's there," Vixen said. "I knew you'd go so I've made arrangements for you to rendezvous with one of the Dormirse women at the docks. She'll be bringing you there herself by boat and you'll be accommodated in Liseran's family quarters in the meantime. Apparently, they believe she could use the 'support' from a close friend. You'll need a few change of clothes and, who knows, to be safe, bring your weapons. Have any questions before you leave? I'd prefer if you could go tonight."

"Just one," Cheshire stated, "What's the test?"

Vixen paused for a bit.

"Liseran's mother was the Head Mistress before Stay. And she was also one of the elite dust mages there," Vixen said. "From the start, the , Dormirse clan had been doubting Liseran's abilities, mostly due to the fact she didn't have the Remembrance Semblance. But actually there's more to it. Liseran's mother had left her weapon in one of the Archive's deeper dungeons, the ones that are guarded by Grimm. The Grimm of course, do not follow orders or anything and are just there to make sure people keep out. At the moment, Liseran's trying to get past the dungeons to get it. And she must do it alone because the weapon will only react to Rose, her mother's, direct blood. Well, that's what they told me. She's unlocked three levels already, the last one being the fifth. But she's been having trouble with the one on the fourth level. So much trouble she received some pretty bad injuries."

"I'll leave right now," Cheshire said abruptly upon hearing that last part.

Vixen nodded.

"Very well then. I assume you'll be using Bandersnatch," she said. "Drive towards the docks and you'll see a woman with violet hair wearing something similar to Liseran's combat uniform. Her name is Lena. She'll be there around 6pm. I wish you the best of luck."


***

Once Cheshire would have all his things ready, he'd reach the docks at the said time and see a girl with cropped violet hair and dark blue eyes. She looked pretty meek and was waiting by the entrance to a small ferry. Upon seeing Cheshire, she lifted her eyes from the ground and walked over to him.

"You must be Mr. Cheshire," the girl said with a quiet voice. "My name's Lena. I'm one of Liseran's relatives. I remember you from the Fares incident before. Though I shouldn't question requests from Vixen and Head Mistress, I'm curious, why are you going to the Archives for Liseran? She's not done with the test, I mean. It's only natural."

She had led him onto the deck of the ferry and Bandersnatch would be put on board as well in time.

"I simply wish to check up on her," Cheshire stated. If he was any other man, he could have laughed at how much Lena looked like Liseran the first time he met her, but Cheshire remained true to his cold poker face. "Does a man need a reason to want to see his girlfriend?"

Upon hearing the last word, Lena's eyes widened and a small blush came over her cheeks. She scratched the side of her head with one finger thoughtfully.

"O-oh!" she said. "I had no idea Liseran had a boyfriend. She's never been the type to talk and such. Well, I guess that explains why you were there at the Fares incident, wasn't it? Hehe..."

The ferry was ready to depart now and Lena had moved closer to the middle of the deck and rested her hands on the railing.

"Well, she must be lucky then! Haha," Lena said. "I couldn't imagine her meeting up with the passersby that came by the mess halls. I mean men have flirted with her but she always ran away. Okay, now I'm just blabbering. Let's get things straight. The boat ride will take several hours so we'll be reaching the Archives around 8 or 9. From there, I'll be leading you to her family quarters. I'm sure she won't be there just yet, but you might catch her heading off to bed around midnight or so. You'll be served dinner by the sendings and you'll use one of the two rooms that are there for sleeping."

Lena pressed a finger on her chin.

"Oh yes, there's that other problem.... but I guess it shouldn't be much of a bother. I'm sure you'll find the quarters quite comfortable."

"Wait..." Cheshire said, slowly turning towards Lena. "Liseran was.... popular?" Cheshire said that with a slight edge to his voice.

Lena let out a nervous laugh and edged away the tiniest bit.

"W-well, not technically," Lena said. "She wasn't popular among us Dormirse women, if that's what you mean, but the men seemed to really like her....not that she liked them. Whether they had a thing for glasses or messy ponytails or her nervous disposition I have no idea...But they liked her all the same, yes. It once got out of hand so we got them to back off when we told them she was betrothed. Well, now she isn't betrothed, that rotten Fares being dead and all, ha ha..."

Cheshire's eye twitched as he listened to Lena.

Lena continued to chuckle recalling everything.

“Oh yeah, there was once this guy who actually proposed to her! That was hysterical. See, he was this weird stalker who would watch her table from a distance and he did it for a month and he suddenly went up to her and said he knew he was the one for her. Can you imagine what Liseran did? She used a Binder spell and had him rammed to a wall before picking up her books and running away. So weird, right?”

She looked up at Cheshire who seemed to dislike the topic. Upon realizing everything, she let off a nervous smile and patted his back.

“There, there! Liseran’s a faithful woman!” she said. “And she always knew how to defend herself against creeps. We never talked much, but I did hear her once saying that she wanted to make sure her first boyfriend would be the one she’d eventually marry? How’s that? Ha ha ha…”

Lena then stopped laughing and then looked to the water as the ferry moved. The sky was a pure dark blue now and it was clear of clouds. The stars filled it up like had been sparkling dust that had spilled onto a surface in bright little clusters. The moon was but a mere crescent however, and it looked like it was smiling at the water below it.

“It’s kind of sad I never got that close to her,” Lena said. “She always pushed people away and even now when we want to help her with her test, she still does that.  Maybe you can talk some sense into her or help her, right? I’m sure she trusts you more than any of us and we’ve known her for all her twenty years.”

Cheshire rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, his ears twitching nervously. "She's a strong girl but sometimes she doesn't know what's good for her own well being. But no matter what she will always help others who cannot help themselves and she does her best at everything she does no matter what it is." Cheshire averted his eyes and scratched his cheek trying to hide the look on his face. "I couldn't have asked for a better partner really... So I will do everything I can to aid her...."

Lena listened carefully to Cheshire and couldn't help but smile warmly. She paused for a while and rubbed her hands together. The boat had been going faster and the wind was getting colder in turn. She  turned to Cheshire and let off a small laugh.

"Wow," she said. "How in Remnant did Liseran ever land a guy like you? Ha ha...You two must like each other a lot."

She sighed a bit as she looked at the dark night's deep blue water before she nodded briskly.

"It's getting cold," she said. "Let's head inside the cabins. You can place your things down for a while  waiting to reach the shore. In fact, you can even take a nap."

The ferry was quiet with only the two of them and several crew members on. There were only two cabin rooms and a parlor room with a coffee table, a few armchairs and a sofa was.  The cabin rooms were simple enough. A single bed with white sheets in each, a nightstand, a dresser and a small bathroom. Surprisingly if Cheshire went to his room, he'd find a photoalbum with Liseran's name on it.

Lena spent her time sitting down and reading a book as she let Cheshire do what he wanted. About fifteen minutes before the boat would reach land, she'd approach him once again.

"We'll be there, soon," she said. "You've been there in the Archives before yes, but I doubt you really know about the area or the Dormirse women. So, anything you want to ask?"

Cheshire paused for a moment, staring at the photo album. He lifted a finger to point at it asking, "May I?"

“Oh, Liseran must have left this behind when she was heading home,” Lena said as she looked at the old thing. “It’s either she’d bring this in order to show us it—which I doubt—or she just likes to keep it close with her. She’ll be missing this all the same. Let’s look at it, shall we?”

Lena walked her way towards the parlor room’s sofa and laid it down on her lap as she motioned for Cheshire to sit next to her.

“It must be a bit old,” Lena said. “Everyone’s into digital pictures nowadays. Either that or Liseran’s just old fashioned.”

Opening the cover, the first page read Family Album in intricate cursive writing. Lena flipped the page and the first photos were of two people Cheshire didn’t know, but bore strong resemblances to Liseran. The first was a woman with violet-blue hair wearing an elaborate mage’s outfit. She was looking far off into the distance and she seemed pretty serious. The picture next to it was of a childish looking man with messy blonde hair and glasses.

“Those are Liseran’s parents,” Lena pointed out. “Rose and Zephyr. Rose was our Head Mistress before she passed away. My mother tells me she was always poised and elegant in everything she did. She lived up to the flower namesake of hers. Beautiful and sublime. Zephyr was an affiliate of Senator Fares, as you might have already known, but he wasn’t in the least intimidating. He was a bit of a goofball, they say, and he always wore a smile on his face. He and Rose were as opposite as ever and yet they liked each other. Quite romantic, isn’t it?”

She moved on to the next page which showed a little toddler girl with short violet hair in a pink dress.

“This is Liseran as a kid,” she smiled.  

The following pictures were of her and her father with her. After that the pages were blank, probably because taking photos afterwards had been neglected.

She was about to close the book when there was something at the last page. It was another photo but of a more recent date. In fact, it was a picture that had been taken at the dinner Liseran held after the Fares incident. In the picture she was standing next to Cheshire, her head leaning on him while Aeden and Rory made goofy faces and Sylvian frowned at them. The picture hadn’t been slipped into the photo album’s pockets and as Lena took it out, she noticed something was written at the back: My new family.

For a moment Lena smiled, but then she looked saddened. She turned to Cheshire. “Liseran…Liseran’s pretty happy in Beacon isn’t she?”

"... Yes," Cheshire answered. "Although I'm sure she loved her family at the archives very much, she seems very happy with us at Beacon. She may be a bit of a crybaby, but she's always smiling."

Lena smiled sadly as she found another picture that hadn't been in the pocket. It was a picture of all the Dormirse women together, each one of them with dark purple hair and wearing the same uniform. It was hard to tell anyone apart save for the different ways they did their hair. Lena saw a tear in the corner where one little girl had once been, the closest thing next to that tear being a girl who looked like she had been pushing something away.

The torn piece itself was in the pocket of the photo album. The young Liseran of ten-years old shying away.

"Liseran was...treated very badly at the archives. I mean, she was favored most of her childhood...until people realized she didn't have the Remembrance. I used to be good friends with her, but after that, even I succumbed to bully her," Lena said. "I always regretted that. But sometimes I wonder if she'd ever forgive me. Forgive the family as a whole."

The ferry's horn tooted and Lena stood up abruptly. "Well, that's enough of that. I think we've arrived."

Lena and Cheshire would walk outside to see the high walls of the Vale Archives. They looked less ominous in the brightness of the starry night and it didn't have the same uneasiness it had a few weeks ago.

Bandersnatch was taken by a few crew members and parked and locked in a warehouse while Lena led Cheshire to towards the large front doors. There were two women dressed in uniform standing guard.

"Welcome back, Sister Lena," the two said simultaneously. And then, seeing Cheshire. "Welcome to the Archives, guest."

"His name is Cheshire Schrodinger," Lena said. "He's here to visit Liseran. Permission has been granted by Head Mistress."

The two guards nodded and tapped their spears. The floor glowed slightly before the light trailed into the now obvious etchings of the door and it opened wide. Lena nodded to the guards as they moved into a long, tall hallway carpeted with red. Violet-haired woman moving back and forth and going through rooms.

"I'll bring you to see Head Mistress before I show you to your quarters," she said.

She led Cheshire up a set of marble stairs and to a double-door room. She opened it to reveal a large study filled with books. A woman with long straight violet hair wearing a silver circlet on her head sat at a desk.

"Welcome to the Vale Archives, Mr. Schrodinger," the woman said as she looked up. "I take it you had a pleasant journey with your escort?"

"She was pleasant company," Cheshire said plainly, slowly walking up to the woman. He stopped a little ways in front of her and gave a small, courteous bow. "I take it you are the headmistress. I have come to check on Liseran. May I ask where I can find her?"

"That's good to hear." Head Mistress Stay said upon hearing the first comment. And then, listening to Cheshire's question. "I know, of course, you're here for Liseran as Vixen told me you were going in her steed. Right now Liseran's still in the deeper dungeons, attempting at her test again. We told her to give today a rest after her third visit to the infirmary, but she's...persistent."

The woman sighed.

"I doubt you'll be able to see her until later on tonight. Morning, even, depending on how things go," the Head Mistress said. "In the meantime you can wait for her in her family quarters as her guest. We'll serve your dinner, there, too. But I can't allow you to go see her in the dungeons as only she's been given leave to go there and you could terribly distract her."

"I see..." Cheshire murmured. "Then please just answer me this. Liseran's life is not in danger, right?"

Head Mistress Stay exhaled deeply and looked at the cat faunus firmly.

"This test has its dangers, yes," she said. "But we've made every measure possible to make sure Liseran's life is not at stake. When her auras reach a certain low level, she is prompted to retreat through the transfer capsules found on each level. There's is also the Grimm Master in the deep dungeons who makes sure the Grimm stay at put and he'll intervene as necessary. Our infirmary's healers are highly-skilled in what they do and the biggest wound Liseran can be reverted to a hairline scratch. We care about Liseran's safety very much, so we guarantee you we will not let it reach the point that her life will be at risk."

The Head Mistress looked at the grandfather clock in the corner of the room.

"I assume it's time for you to leave," she said. "Lena, you can lead him to Liseran's family quarters now."

"As you wish, Mistress Stay," Lena said bowing her head.

She placed a hand on Cheshire's shoulder reassuringly. "You'll see Liseran in one piece soon enough."

The two left the head mistress and walked up more stairs and passed more corridors. It was similar to the set up of the dormitories in Beacon, actually. Lena eventually led Cheshire to one of the marble inlaid corridors and to a smooth mahogany door with a silver handle. The number 93 was written on it.

"Our family quarters are divided by our nuclear family members," Lena said. "Usually of us stay in wider dormitories together, but for sometimes the father/husband of a member will reside here so these kinds of quarters are made. In respect of Liseran's parents, we let her stay here. She also didn't really get along with others anyways, so it suited her fine."

"Lena!" a voice called from the end of the corridor. Two more girls in Dormirse uniforms were rushing there. "Lena, it's time for the evening readings! We have to go!"

"Alright!" Lena called back. She turned to Cheshire and nodded. "The door's unlocked for you and a sending will be serving you your meals in a moment. It was nice meeting you!"

Cheshire was left alone in the hallways. Once he opened the room, he'd find himself in what looked like a well-furnished apartment. The walls were a deep raspberry color and the carpet was currant red. A soft sofa and two armchairs with fine wood finishes surrounded a glass coffee table. There was a tiny kitchen aclove in one corner and a pathway that led to two rooms which were probably the bedrooms. There was a wide window with curtains spread to look out onto the sea.

If Cheshire looked at the sofa, he'd see someone was wrapped up in a bundle of blankets and comforters. A high-pitched mumble came from it.

"I'm so sleepy..." it said.