Aurelie looked up from she had been seated on her bed, her eyes a bit puffy from crying. Well, this isn’t great timing, she thought, before hurrying and putting some powder on her face to hide the evidence of tears and letting her hair down in its strawberry blonde waves to distract whoever it was from her current state. She nodded in satisfaction before rushing to her door and opening it with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. Upon seeing Cat, the smile vanished entirely. “What do you want?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.
”I hmmm I'm going to leave I promise I just wanted to give you these, ” she took a bracelet and a folded piece of paper out of her pocket. ”I got the bracelet For you and I started the drawing. You can obviously do whatever you want with it I just don't know..” the drawing was a half-finished drawing of Aurelie. Her face was done but her body wasn't.
“Well, I have something for you too,” Aurelie said, remembering the clothes she had bought for Cat while her back was turned. She took the gifts Cat had offered and set them gently on her desk before getting the clothes she had bought for Cat and walking back to the doorway. She held out the dress to Cat. “I noticed you admiring this and I bought it for you while your back was turned.” For a moment her face was open and she seemed almost ready to forgive Cat.
Cat froze for a moment. She wasn't expecting to get anything. ”oh thank you, ” she said accepting the dress. She stood there awkwardly for a moment. ”I-I should go right?”
As soon as the words left Cat’s mouth, Aurelie’s expression shuttered, staying carefully neutral now. “Yes, you should go,” she repeated, as if she were done here. She tossed one of her curls over her shoulder. “Goodbye, Caterina.”
She sighed. ”Goodbye Aurelie.” she turned around and walked away clenching the dress as her eyes watered again.
Aurelie closed the door quickly and walked back inside. She meant to go sit down, but found that she wandered to her desk with Cat’s gifts atop it. She tried not to cry again as she looked at them, glancing back at her door.
Cat froze outside if her door for a while but then walked away and out of the castle.
Aurelie lightly turned the picture over in her hands, admiring it with a sad sort of smile. Cat drew her as being much prettier than she actually was, Aurelie thought to herself. She also looked at the bracelet, picking it up and setting it on her palm. It felt wrong to try it on without Cat there.
Cat walked down the halls. The few things that she managed to steal felt heavy in her pocket. She was about to go returned them when a group of guards rounded the corner and stopped her.
Aurelie was completely oblivious to what was happening. After a few more moments, she decided that she needed to speak to someone. Eli was her only true friend, so she went to find him, running into a group of guards and Cat in the process. Why was she still here?
Cat didn’t notice her at first. The guards where cuffing her and she wasn’t struggling but she was trying to talk her way out of it. “I didn’t do anything! Let go of me! I ca-“ she topped when she noticed Aurelie. The guards also paused.
“What is going on here?” Aurelie demanded the guards, standing straight and tall. She narrowed her eyes at them imperiously.
Cat looked down at ground. “Don’t worry we’ve caught the thief,” one of the gods reassured her.
Aurelie rolled her eyes. “I’m not worried because that girl isn’t the thief,” Aurelie replied angrily. “Do you really think that a teenage maid would try to steal from us? Whatever she had, she had it because I gave it to her. If you want a real thief, I saw a strange man outside that I was just about to inform you of.”
The guards looked confused but let Cat go. “Ok but stay in the castle we might still need to question you,” one of the said as Cat stepped away. She nodded as she avoided looking at Aurelie. He turned to Aurelie. “Your highness we’ll catch the thief outside right away!” He gave his men some orders and they ran out.
“What was that about?” demanded Aurelie as soon as the guards were gone. “Don’t tell me you actually were trying to steal something. I asked you to leave.”
“I was leaving! I was just going to return a few things first. They must have been tipped off by someone,” she explained looking up at the princess.
Aurelie sighed. “I’m not sure I believe you,” she admitted softly, her forehead resting on her hand. “But whatever the case, I do believe that you’re trying to be better, and I would hate to see you hurt.” She looked at Cat with a once again carefully neutral expression. “Though I suppose you can’t leave now.”
She nodded. “Yeah I don’t think I could sneak out…” she agreed.
Aurelie glanced at Cat again, careful not to let her frustration or hurt show. “I guess we’ll just have to wait here then.”
“Yeah we probably should,” she said looking away from her.
Aurelie frowned at Cat's inability to look her in the eyes, thought she had to admit that it was difficult for her to look Cat in the eyes. She said nothing more as she stood in wait, crossing her arms over her chest.
“I don’t think they are coming back any time soon and I do have some things to return..” she admits.
Aurelie sighed. “Give them to me and I’ll do it, because if they catch you again they may not listen to me,” she replied, holding out her hand.
