Insight//Continued (Cass) - Bella's Castle

The tires growled against the gravel in the driveway as the car pulled to a stop, and the kindly old man made his way around to open the doors for them.

"I will bring in your friend's bag, Ms. Maurice." Came his voice, brittle as leaves but warm as the sun the two vampires had long since seen.

Bella smiled to him, "Thank you, Wesley." Then ushered her friend from the car.

Cass peeled herself from the seat slowly, eyes drooping a little. She moved and walked and shuffled like a tortoise in no hurry with no real place to go-- or she just didn't know which way to go. This hurt worse than she could imagine, it hurt worse than the last time she was separated from... him...

There was just very little energy, no spark, and for the moment, very little else on her mind other than, 'what the fuck is going on?'. She supposed that was understandable, all things considered.

She snaked her arm into Bella's, though. "I don't think I ever got to tell you what a lovely home you have."

She smiled and graciously accepted the praise with a simple nod of her head, holding Cass' arm gently but ready to catch her should she waver again. "Thanks - some people think it's haunted, but.. I haven't seen anything."

"My place is haunted," she said idly, trying not to lose herself to her thoughts. "But not this place, it doesn't seem haunted to me. Just big. And old. But grand." Talking helped her walking, go figure.

She gave a slight nod and guided Cass up the stairs and through the doors, making a beeline for the washroom. "That's good, I'm not a fan of ghosts." She sat Cass down on a bench near the back of the restroom, then began to run the warm water, pouring a bit of lovely smelling bubble bath in the waterfall from the faucet.

"Some are worse than others. This city has plenty of ghosts who wish to be seen, though. It's weird." She sniffed the air. "What is that fragrance?"

She gave a little smile to the other woman, "Clover and Baby's Breath.. I have it made special by a friend of mine in Europe. She has a nose for these things."

"I... can't remember the last time I didn't smell of cinnamon," she noted, blinking tiredly as the tub filled.

"I'm not a huge fan of the seasoning, but.. if you want we can sprinkle some in your hair after." Her light hearted tone and kind smile indicated teasing, an attempt to draw Cass' mind from whatever dark place it might be.

She pulled a small vile of cinnamon oil from the pocket of her jeans, clutching it tightly. "Maybe... it will be okay to go without it. For one night. I don't think he'll mind, do you?"

She tilted her head curiously, glancing at the little vial. "I dunno.. What's the significance of the scent?"

"Only that it's mine," she said, rolling the small glass vial in her hands once before clutching it again and putting it back into her pocket.

"Then I see no reason not to go without it for one night. Come on, I've got warm towels and a robe softer than a cloud waiting for you afterwards."

Cass began to undress, taking the time to fold her shirt and her pants, despite the fact that she'd have to have them washed before wearing them again. She moved toward the water, her movements only slightly faster because of her lack of clothes. She didn't even bother testing it before she got in, simply sinking into the water.

She averted her eyes as Cass undressed, a shy look over her features as she did. The water was warm and encompassing, the temperature that was just too hot upon touching it but just cool enough your body could easily adjust to it and feel the warmth seeping in.

Or at least, that would be a mortal's perceptions.

Bella retrieved a loofa from the cupboard and knelt down beside the tub, offering the object to Cassiel. "Do you want me to leave you be?"

Cass took the sponge, her skin already pink from the warmth of the water. She was not shy in the least about her nudity and cared even less at the moment. She shook her head lightly at Bella as she took the elastic band from her hair, letting the thick tendrils full of tangles fall down her back, the ends floating on the surface of the water.

"You don't have to. If you don't want to. I'd like to hear about how you've been doing the last few months...?" She posed it as a question, only because she felt a little foolish for prying. But she also felt foolish for being such a big mess, too. She was trying so very hard not to look absolutely miserable.

She sunk to her knees on the floor, resting her arms on the side of the tub. "Went to see some family." She shrugged a bit. "Travelled over America and parts of Europe looking for two Kindred. Did you want me to get your back?"

She gave a little unsteady nod as she gave Bella the sponge back. She drew her knees to her chest and leaned forward a little. "What is Europe like? I've never been."

She gently guided Cass' shoulder to turn around a bit, then gently began washing her back. The motion was motherly and tender, not sexual in the least. "Europe is very.. different, yet very much the same. It's rather like my mind, I fear - just different, but so many similarities to every other Clan.." She was drifting again.

"The languages are beautiful, the music and the sounds are wonderful. Even the scents, good and bad, are so much more rich than America. So much History. So many old families who have lived in the same house for centuries."

She smiled sheepishly and gave a little shrug. "We'll go sometime."

"Is it... better? Are the people better there? Are we Americans as uncouth as they believe?" It was a question she was dying to know the answer to. Why she needed to know so bad probably made little sense. "The youth of us... what does it do to them?"

She laughed quietly, "They're like us. How we'll say things insulting their teeth, or making fun of their guards, or the way they do things. But the grass is always greener on the other side. They look at us, and while they see youth, they see the future. They scoff at the way we do things, but marvel at the progress we make."

"So it's jealousy..." She lifted water from the bath in her hands, gently drawing it up to her face and then running her fingers through her hair. "I've been thinking of going there... to Europe somewhere. Starting over."

She began cupping her hand to wet Cass' hair with the same gentle motions, as though she were afraid she were going to break her.

"Why?"

The question wasn't sad or shocked. It wasn't insistent or accusing or disappointed. It simply was.

"So that I know what it's like for people like Griselda or Jamie or Chase or Greer or... anyone else. Maybe I can experience something they did. Maybe I just need to have that sort of journey."

Her head tilted a bit. "To what purpose? What are you looking for in yourself?"