Elaina Hart missed the sunlight.

The mattress hugged her body, the blankets wrapped her in warmth, and the pillows cradled her head. It had been a very good sleep. However, waking up in the windowless cell with only a few dim lamps to give definition to the various trappings around the room dampened whatever progress her restful slumber made. She could have conjured up her safe space, her field within the trees, but she'd know it was an illusion. At that point, everything felt like an illusion to her.

"I hope you don't mind, but I brought you breakfast. I was going to wait until you got out of bed, but you've been lying there for hours since you woke up. Seemed like some food might be all you needed to come out of the covers."

The shock of the stranger's voice did more to pop Elaina out of bed than the smell of crispy bacon and freshly squeezed orange juice. She sat up straight and pressed her back against the wall as she drew her knees to her chest. Once her nerves settled, she found a woman with tight, silvery curls and soft creases outlining her features. Despite the woman's apparent age, she stood taller than most. Some of the height came from the polished leather loafers she wore, but Elaina speculated that the woman's stature had more to do with her perfectly aligned spine and long, elegant neck.

"Ooh, I felt that a little," the stranger said with a small smile on her cherry red lips. "A zip of surprise, that was. What an interesting gift. I'd love to see more some day. I've encountered those gifted with the ability to project emotions before, but not one capable of contorting a mind's perceptions." She chortled, raising a thin hand up to her mouth, her eyes disappearing behind the rise of her grin. "What a treasure you are."

Elaina blinked a few times to see if this, too, was a figment of her imagination.

"Who are you?"

"Tudor," she replied with a bow. "I'm the chief officer of domestic services for Mr. Cramer." After rising from her curtsy, she glanced around the room. "I furnished the space for you, bought a few outfits — I'll order more once I have a better sense of what you like — and I will provide your meals. Mr. Cramer assured me you were not a vegan, so I hope the addition of bacon and eggs to your plate is of no offense."

"I... Thank you, that sounds delicious." Part of Elaina questioned whether they might have laced the food and drink with something, but she also figured they could have done whatever they wanted to her while she was passed out. Choosing to be optimistic about her situation, she gave in to her stomach's demands and scooted to the edge of the bed with intentions to head for the small table that sat by the bookshelf in the room. She paused her progress when she noticed the books that were still present on the shelf.

Was everything I remember just a nightmare? Maybe the guards knocked me out before I even had a chance to seek vengeance.

"Are you all right?" asked Tudor, with a slight cock of her head. "Is it your dress? I don't stand for undressing a person without consent, so that sadly meant you had to sleep in that gown of yours. I will see that it is properly cleaned, and the wrinkles removed."

At the woman's words, Elaina glanced down and noted that not only was she still in her dress from the gala, but that one of her breasts was dangerously close to slipping out into view. She figured Tudor wouldn't bat an eye at an exposed nipple, all things considered, but she wanted to maintain some semblance of dignity after all that had happened. That is, if it had happened. She couldn't believe they'd allow the books to remain after the stunt she pulled with the paper.

"Ah, I see you are inspecting your special bracelet. That was a clever tactic you used to get around the safety measures inside that cuff. There was some discussion about whether we should take your books from you, but I would not allow such punishment when you were just being resourceful. So Brutalis installed a new doorway while you were sleeping."

Elaina glanced over at the entryway and found a new metal framework with thick cabling.

"What is it exactly?"

"It is configured to the tracking device in your bracelet. If it finds you are within half a meter to the door, it will give a warning charge of static. If you are within a quarter of a meter, it will give you a bit of a shock. If you are at the door, it will stun you. If you somehow overcome that, it will kill you."

The imprisoned woman looked at her guest and found Tudor with a cheery smile on her weathered face.

"I think I'll just have breakfast then."

"Please do. I don't want it to get cold. You must be starving after sleeping for three days."

"Three days?!"

"You and Mr. Cramer were both out for quite some time after that spectacle you put on. He woke up a day ago though."

Elaina took a deep breath before continuing her short trek to the table set with breakfast.

"In case you are concerned," continued the older woman as Elaina looked over the meal with wide, hungry eyes, "Civic checked you over and she found your internal organs did not suffer any irreparable damage from your romp around the basement."

Elaina wasn't sure romp was the right word given Cat almost cut his own heart out, but she was too grateful for the bite of jellied toast in her mouth to comment on the matter. However, once she swallowed and cleared her throat with a swig of juice, she looked to the dutiful hostess.

"Why is it you are all named like that? Civic, Tudor, Brutalis... I think the others I've heard were Rococo, Gothic, Townhouse..."

"Bauhaus, dear, it's Bauhaus."

"Yeah, sure, what's up with that? Are you all Gifted? Is this one of those keep your friends close but your enemies closer sort of thing?" She watched the older woman from the tops of her eyes as she chomped down on another piece of toast.

"You think these are our Gifted names?"

"Yeah, that's what I'm asking."

"No, they are not," she answered simply. "Some of us are empowered by gifts that are beyond average human capabilities, while others are blessed with skills that they derived from rigorous training. We are united by a shared directive and our names represent that. We are the architects striving to build change."

"By murdering Fortress?" Elaina wiped the jelly from the corner of her mouth as Tudor considered her question.

"Yes, but no one in this house can claim clean hands, so that aspect of our job is of minor importance."

Her warden shrugged and ended the conversation as if there was nothing left to say on the matter. More concerned with digging into her omelette, Elaina just let the answer hang in the air.

"Is there more you'd like to ask Ms. Hart?"

"Yes, but right now I really just want to eat and take a... Is there a bath or something here?"

"Yes, behind that shoji divider is a shower. The divider will grant you some privacy but we will still be monitoring you, so please keep that in mind before making any decisions that might cause the removal of luxuries in here. I do want you to have a pleasant stay."

"Uh, will do, I guess." She paused, chewing on her eggs while Tudor watched her with an expectant gaze.

"You have another question," her hostess said after some time passed.

"Will he, Mr. Cramer, be monitoring the, uh, cameras when I'm..." She couldn't finish the sentence. It's not like he hadn't seen her tits before, but she didn't want him seeing the complete package. At least, not until it was on her terms.

"No, Rococo will monitor security whenever you need privacy. She takes her job seriously. You can trust her discretion."

"Uh, great. Thanks."

"You're welcome, Ms. Hart. Now if you'll excuse me, I will attend to other matters. Please leave your dress on the hanger and I will come to retrieve it later today. Should you need anything that is not presently at your disposal, just call out to us — we're always listening."

Tudor shared a wink and a small smile before turning to the door and passing under the electrified gate that threatened to execute Elaina should she dare to escape again.