✴️ ᴀ ɴᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ ꜰʀɪᴇɴᴅ✴️
ᴩᴀʀᴛ ɪɪ

"Where do you live, Vina?"

Vina turned pale after Chara had asked her. She tried to avoid her look, but she felt ease when Chara squeezed her hands.

"It's alright, you can tell me anything. I'm good at keeping secrets. And besides, were friends now right?" said Chara.

"I'm, uh... Im from, the Niveous Mountains."

Chara gave her a confused look. "But that place is full of snow, flowers can't bloom in that weather."

Vina gulped, "You want the truth?" she asked.

Chara only nodded.

"Fine, promise me you will tell no one."

She nods again.

"Also promise me, you'll never be scared or scream?"

"What? Why?"

"You'll know later, just promise me."

Chara sighed, "Alright." This girl has a lot of conditions, she thought. Chara was eager to know her mysterious roomate's story.

Is she a fairy that turned into a human?

Or a mermaid from Mermaids Cove that turned in to a human?

Or maybe a spy pretending to be a maid.

She thought all of the possibilities Vina might be.

Vina took a shallow breath, and she starts talking.

"I live in the northern forest, but we owned all the forest in the kingdom, it's the only place we are allowed to go because I'm,... One of the bandits."

Chara's jaw dropped, and Vina waited for her next reaction.

Her mouth opened and she was ready to scream, but Vina was fast, she instantly covered Chara's lips with both of her hands. She pressed them tightly and tried to calm her.

"It's okay. I'm different from them, Im unique, I'm um, nicer, and I don't steal or kill." she said, but Chara arched her brow.

"It's true!" she reassured, sounding uncomfortable.

"Do you still want me to continue?"

Chara nodded, and she let go of her. Both of the girls dropped cross-legged onto the floor.

"I wasn't exactly born as a bandit, I was an orphan, me and my little sister Libby. We were kept and grew up in a thief guild after losing our real parents when I was three and Libby was still one year old."

Chara stared at her, she can say Vina had a complicated life. Chara felt sad, and yet she was interested to hear more of Vina's story.

"My parents were the last guardians of the forest. Our kind had gone extinct, and I don't know the real reason how did the extinction happened."

Guardian of the forest? Chara haven't heard of them in her entire life, may be they really had gone extinct before she was born.

Vina must be telling the truth, through her eyes Chara can tell she wasn't lying. Also because she have nature magic, besides bandits have no such powers, they're only a mere  human like Chara.

"After they're extinction, and the loss of my parents, I have discovered bandits were the new generation of these guardians. They take care of trees, keeps the environment clean from any non-biodegradable garbage."

Chara snorts. It was the last thing she could ever imagine, the bandits were nice and helpful?

"I'm telling you the truth! They may not be as good to peoples, but they're care and loves the nature around them. They continue to protect the forest with all they might without the use of any magic."

Vina continued, "Because they saw my ability, they adopt me, and Libby and raised them as their own kind."

Chara smiled, and said, "If you say so then I believe you. But did any of the castle staff knows anything about the real you?"

Vina shakes her head, "Of course not. They won't accept me if they knew. I need this job most to fulfill my li'l sister's dream."

Chara nods, she feels the same, she's also at the castle for a reason of helping her family.

"May I know what is it?" asked Chara.

"It wasn't just her dream, it was our parents dream for us. To live in a big house made of stone and bricks, with a botanical garden in our backyard."

Vina added, "That's why I'm here, to give us a better life."

Silence filled the room.

Surprisingly, the girls were startled by running footsteps outside.

Vina glanced at her floral, bronze wristwatch and gasped, 30 minutes had passed, she realized the others were running towards the kitchen to get started.

"Goodness! Were gonna be late. Quick we have to wear our uniforms."she informed her roommate.

As Chara looked around the room, she didn't see any maid's uniform anywhere.

"Huh, where's our uniforms?"

Vina stared at her, and smiled. "Where do you think clothes are supposed to be?"

She opened both of the closet, and they saw two hanged white maid's uniforms inside each closets.

Both of them smiled at each other, and snatched their new uniforms.