Blissard

Cassiopeia yawned.

As she walked behind Lakisha, bringing her green suitcase with her, she silently cursed herself for not getting enough sleep last night. She had tried, of course, but she just couldn’t close her eyes. The fact that she would be travelling with Lakisha Bellamy was so unbelievable that her mind just refused to believe it. All she could do last night was to roll and roll and roll on her bed, unable to transport herself into the dream world. During the short trip from the camp to the airport, Cassiopeia, once again, had tried to get a rest. It didn’t work.

Cassiopeia shook her head and sighed. It was a good fortune that Lakisha got things under control.

OOC: Sorry for the late and short reply!

As Lakisha turned her head to her, she could see Cassiopeia hiding a yawn behind her hand, and smiled frostily. The younger daughter of Khione had bags under her eyes, lavender-colored under her dark irises, though emphasizing her milky skin.

"I see you're still tired," she stated. "Don't worry, you can sleep on the plane, we have eight hours and twenty minutes of flight."

Lakisha was inhabited to long flights, but perhaps Cassie wasn't. It was a pain at first, but you eventually dealt with it. Shawna had taken things to occupy herself and her younger sister on the plane: her silver MacBook, the newest model, to watch movies, her iPod to listen to music, and two books, A Dance With Dragons by George R. R. Martin, the latest book in the series A Song Of Ice And Fire, and Inferno by Dan Brown.

They waited half an hour at the gate before boarding began; Lakisha had of course booked seats in the first class area, and had politely placed Cassiopeia next to the window.

The flight was long. They had the time to watch half the season one of Game of Thrones before Cassiopeia yawned and fell asleep, Lakisha taking out Inferno and continuing where she had left off for two hours. That was when Cassie woke again, and they talked for another hour until the plane finally arrived at the Stockholm-Arlanda airport, at 16h43.
When the plane had eventually stopped, Lakisha and Cassiopeia exited the aircraft and went via a short number of corridors and flights of steps into the airport, following the crowd as they arrived in the hall where the luggage would be given back to them. There, they waited another fifteen minutes for their suitcases, chatting in quiet voices; then the conveyor belt moved into action and started delivering the luggage. Lakisha discretely checked her Breguet watch. Already 17h06. She hoped it would not last too long, her grandfather hated late persons.
Finally, the conveyor belt came with Cassiopeia's green suitcase first then with Lakisha's own coffee-colored one.

Pulling their luggage behind them, the two sisters followed the indications (written both in Swedish and English) and went out into another hall where a large number people waited for travelers; undoubtedly family, friends, chauffeurs, colleagues, partners... Lakisha held her head high and scanned the crowd with her mismatched eyes.

"Fröken Bellamy," she heard behind her and turned around to see a tall man with blonde hair and dark eyes in his late thirties. He politely nodded at her. 'Fröken' meant 'miss' or 'mademoiselle' in Swedish.

"Hello," she addressed him in English. "Cassiopeia, let me introduce you to Marvin Tomassen, my father's chauffeur. He'll bring us to our house. Marvin, this is my half-sister Cassiopeia Campbell; surely my father has told you about her arrival."

The chauffeur nodded again.

"Good day, miss Campbell," he said with a thick Swedish accent. "If you would follow me, the car is on the parking."

He took their suitcases and showed them the way. The cold Stockholm air greeted them as they arrived outside, a layer of snow covering the ground. On the road and pavement, it was brown, grey and muddy from all the persons who had walked in it and the cars that had driven through it, yet Lakisha caught herself daydreaming of the clean snow on the mountains at Funäsfjallen, barely awaiting to be there.
Marvin led them to an area of the parking where only costly cars were parked: Porsche and Audi, Lamborghini and Lotus, Aston Martin and expensive BMWs....  And stopped in front of a black Maybach Laundalet with opaque windows. He took their suitcases and handbags to place them inside the trunks after having opened the doors so the two girls could take their seat inside the luxurious car.

OOC: As a quick side note, this is what a Maybach Laundalet looks like from the inside. Also, this.

BIC: The seats were covered in extremely comfortable ochre-brown leather with a head rest against which Lakisha instinctively leaned on before fastening her seat belt. Marvin stepped into the car as well and started the engine, driving smoothly but with dexterity. They were separated from him by a screen of glass which bore a flat TV, but after watching Game of Thrones for five hours, Lakisha was in no mood to check the channels, or watch another movie. There would be at her home soon enough, Marvin would take the E4 and it would last only thirty minutes until they reached Djursholm, the area in which Lakisha and her father lived.

She continued chatting with Cassiopeia, offering her a drink from the minibar - taking herself a glass of fresh water - while discussing various events that had happened, not only at Camp but across the world, including the Olympic Winter Games at Sotchi, Russia.
Lakisha's calculations were correct and they arrived at 17h49 in Djursholm; Marvin drove on the clean roads between villas, mansions and parks until they reached the residence of the Bellamy's.

The gates opened on a quick call Marwin said inside his phone, then he drove through a snow-covered park until he reached a large white mansion built in the Renaissance style, set amidst a well-kept meadow dotted with trees and bushes. Lakisha knew it was in fact far bigger than that, because it included a part of the forest next to them, but didn't tell Cassiopeia. It was not polite to boast.

Marvin told them he would bring their luggage to their respective rooms as he stopped in front of the outside steps, opening their doors to let them out. Lakisha thanked him and stalked her way up the stairs towards the big wooden door carved with Renaissance designs.

"Welcome to my home," she told Cassiopeia as the door opened automatically.

They stepped into a large hall, the marble floor partially disappearing under a red carpet. Paintings hung on the stone walls along with a small collection of medieval weapons and stag antlers, and another man hurried in to take their coats off. He told Lakisha in Swedish that her father was coming and her grandfather was in the dining room, and they may come to him when they had finished arriving.
Typically her grandfather, Lakisha thought. He would not come to them, they had to come to him. Under a layer of formal politeness, he treated them like he'd treat lesser guests or a domestic, summoning them to him when they were presentable.

"This way, Cassiopeia," she stated. "I've arranged it for you to sleep in the room next to mine."

Cassiopeia nodded gratefully. She yawned once again and looked at her surroundings. She could hear the sound of planes taking off and the sound of the workers preparing everthing for the upcoming flights. Yawning for one more time, she silently hoped for the departure time to come.

She sighed in relief when Lakisha finally led her inside the plane. Wanting to take a rest as soon as possible, she’d stated in her mind that she would accept any seats in any classes—after all, her only objective was to take a rest.

Little did she know that Lakisha had booked seats in the first class.

When Lakisha showed her one of the best seats in the plane, Cassiopeia needed some time to actually process the information. When she finally realized the truth, all she could do was to thank Lakisha from the deepest of her heart and sat near the window very gratefully.

When the plane finally took off, Cassiopeia did not launch her original plan. She, instead, decided to watch some episodes of Game of Thrones with Lakisha. It was quite awesome, Cassiopeia would say, but after some episodes, her eyes couldn’t take it anymore. They were beginning to get very, very heavy. She yawned and closed her eyes...and everything was dark.

By the time she woke up, Lakisha was reading a book. However, when she realized that Cassiopeia was awake, she invited her into a quite exciting talk. In fact, they talked until the plane arrived at its destination.

Cassiopeia’s feet were numb due to the fact that she wasn’t used to long flights, but she mentally pushed it aside. Numb feet isn’t a problem, she murmurred to herself. It took them about 15 minutes or so to get back their bags. Lakisha then led the way, and Cassiopeia silently followed her, looking at her surroundings curiously.

After a few minutes of walking, however, the words “Fröken Bellamy” startled her. She turned back to see a tall stranger standing right behind them. Lakisha seemed to recognize this person, and when she introduced the man, Cassiopeia could only nod. “Hello,” she said in a small voice.

It didn’t take her a long time to realize that Lakisha’s family was incredibly rich.

The tall man, Marvin, led them to a region filled with expensive cars. They passed a lot of rich-looking automobiles which brands she didn’t even recognize and stopped in front of one of the prettiest cars in that area. When she entered the car, she could not describe how she was shocked. The interior of the car was so wonderful that she was speechless for a couple of seconds. She however, then felt stupid for acting like an idiot and entered the car with a red face.

Time, for her, passed too quickly. In no time, they could see the view of the huge residence of Lakisha Bellamy and her family.

And when Lakisha showed her house, Cassiopeia could not be more surprised that she was right now. It was majestic. Very much majestic. She could not even describe it, but it was downright majestic.

And Cassiopeia Campbell could only nod nervously as Lakisha prepared everything for them.

Even before Lakisha introduced the man who just entered the scene, Cassiopeia already knew that this guy must be her family—her father, perhaps. They did share some striking similarities—the eyes, the hair, and the exact same cold stare. It dawned to her that coldness probably does run in the family. Both side of the family.

When Lakisha’s father greeted Lakisha, Cassiopeia was reminded of her father. He was quite nothing like Lakisha’s dad. For instance, John Campbell was not as cool and as reserved as Lakisha’s father. He had some anger problems and he definitely was not a patient man, but Cassiopeia loved him. Even though most of the time he was very protective, Cassiopeia couldn’t ask for more. John Campbell was the best father. Ever.

Watching Lakisha with her father was like popping a balloon near her ears. After this, she really needed to visit her father and enjoy some time with him.

Cassiopeia mentally shook her head and turned to face the older man, who was, apparently, Lakisha’s father. “Hello,” she said as politely as she could. “I am fine, thank you very much. Um, how are you...sir?”

Cassiopeia had now realized, how small and insignificant she was compared to Lakisha and her marvelous world. Even her most fabulous, rich friends were nothing compared to Lakisha. Their most lavish jewelries, their most expensive stuff, their biggest house are nothing—definitely nothing compared to her half sister’s properties.

And deep down inside...she knew she was envious of her.

Cassiopeia was not the sort of person who goes and does bad stuff just because she’s envious of something, but sometimes—like now—that feeling of envy comes like a mushroom in the midst of rain. Deep down, Cassiopeia felt angry for not being born rich. Deep down, she felt mad.

But no—what was she thinking? Cassiopeia couldn’t hate her own half-sister! No!

Cassiopeia shook her head and sighed. Her dad had once said, ‘Just go with the flow, my dear. It does not matter whether you were born rich or poor, you just have to work your best.’ Back then, it sounded really cliche, but now, it sounded really relieving. She silently thanked her dad and put his sentence inside a secured place in her heart as she sincerely smiled at Lakisha and said, “Thank you very much, Lakisha. The hospitality is more than enough for me—you are really a great sister.”

OOC: Gosh, it’s been a long time since my very last role-playing post! I’m sorry if it's short and weird :)

“Oh, no, no, no,” Cassiopeia answered quickly. “I don’t mean that—I mean—you know, you are such a great sister not because of your wealth! My friends back in California—bah, they are nothing compared to you and your great personality! I mean, they’re just a bunch of mega selfish people—and—and I guess I’ll just shut up now.”

Cassiopeia smiled nervously as Lakisha left the room graciously. As soon as the door was closed, she sighed and walked to the bed. She gently sat on the edge—which was kinda absurd, considering that she was prone to smash herself on beds, but heck, this is your own sister’s house, have some manners!

And she could not imagine how her life would be if the bed was broken. She would probably screamed hysterically and provoked everybody in the house. She would be probably torn apart by Lakisha, her dad, and her grandpa when they find out. She would probably be half-dead—fully dead, even. The bed itself might cost half of her house.

Cassiopeia shook her head. What on Earth was she thinking? Did she eat anything weird this morning? She got up and unpacked her bag.

And as she walked to the bathroom, she desperately hoped that nothing would go wrong.


When Lakisha arrived, Cassiopeia was sitting nicely on the edge of her bed, wearing a knee-length, baby blue dress. Her hair, freshly cleaned, was moderately wet and a hairclip was on the right side of her head. She was wearing a plain, white flat and a wristwatch was on her left wrist.

“Hi,” she responded back, still smiling nervously.

Lakisha smiled at her younger sister's classical dress -- it was not designer made or expensive, but she would not criticize, even in her head. She noticed how cute Cassiopeia looked and smiled at her.

"You look wonderful," she stated, standing straight. "Come, let's greet my grandfather."

They met him in the great room that served as living room in their mansion; Mr Bellamy Senior was sitting in a leather armchair, reading a book, when they arrived. He looked up with his glacier blue eyes, dressed in a dark cobalt jacket, a waistcoat of the same color, a white shirt with a straight collar and white trousers. A silver string on his waistcoat indicated a pocket watch, and he had a deep blue necktie, his feet sheathed in Italian-made leather shoes. As he moved his arm to put his book down, the silver sleeve button briefly glistened up.

He was a slim, tall man in his late sixties, with white hair, high cheekbones and an iron bearing. He did not stand up as the girls entered, but let Lakisha embrace him shortly. His gaze on Cassiopeia was cold, not an evil kind of cold, but more of a strict kind of cold. He looked like the very severe headmaster of an old traditional school, plus the demeanor of the opulent aristocrat he was.
Not exactly the jolly grandfather most children she knew where inhabited to.

"Grandfather, let me introduce you to Cassiopeia, my half-sister," Lakisha said in her coldly polite voice.

"Hello, miss Campbell." Only then did he stand up to shake her hand briefly. "You had a comfortable trip, I take it?"

OOC: How I imagine him.

“Thank you,” Cassiopeia answered nervously and followed Lakisha.

The cabin leader led her into a huge room—she figured it out from the furnitures that it was a living room. To be quite honest, it looked much alike a living room a normal person would have—it was just 10 times larger. Cassiopeia did a little bit of calculation in her mind, and was utterly surprised on what her brain had found.

Well, she shouldn’t be that surprised, really, judging on the fact that she was already in the enormous mansion for more than two hours—but Cassiopeia had rougly estimated the size of the mansion and had a thought about how many servants would it take to clean up the whole estate. Cassiopeia mentally slapped her brain for thinking outside the topic and focused herself on an aged man who Lakisha called ‘grandfather.’

Wait.

Oh gosh, said Cassiopeia in her heart as she walked slowly towards the man, who stared at her coldly as if she was an object to be examined carefully, it’s the Grandpa.

Cassiopeia anxiously shook Mr. Bellamy’s hand and nodded her head, trying to be as polite as she could be. “Yes, sir,” she said. “The trip was tremendous. Thank you for letting me stay here, sir.”

Cassiopeia nodded nervously as she watched Lakisha's grandfather leaving the room. Out of all people she had met, Mr. Bellamy Sr. was most probably the coldest of them all. It soon came to her mind that Lakisha's coldness might not be descended from their mother only. She stared sadly at the chair and began to think about her grandpa herself. She made a promise to herself that she would visit her grandpa if she happened to be in California.

At the dinner, Cassiopeia wasn't really thrilled to see all the different knives and forks. The variety of those eating equipmenta onlymeant one thing: she really should start remembering all her table manners lessons. She took a deep breath and started doing the steps her teacher had been teaching her for the whole semester last year. She did not dare to look at Lakisha as she did so. She would not be able to see her sister's expression if she messed things up.