The winding paths towards the city were well worth the experience, birds chirping just out of sight beyond the trees.  Colourful flowers were scattered around between the plant-life, glimmering when the sunlight filtered through the treetops into golden streams of warmth.  It was easy to blink and miss a fleeting beauty in the distance: a unique looking buck feeding on the residents of the lush forest floor or a strange plant appearing to stop in the midst of a motion no onlookers were meant to notice.  Stones lined the path they drove on, appearing in a seemingly alternate order with each pass up or down the road, though that wasn’t quite conceivable because no one treaded upon the land on a regular basis other than the occupants of the household, and none of them had any interest in something so mundane.  At the end of the lengthy drive was a bridge passing over a gentle river, a bridge that led to an unlit tunnel.  Through the pitch blackness of the passageway was a dimly lit exit through which the rest of the town resided.  Once the car reached that exit, any traveler not used to the commute might think they had arrived in another time all together.  Unlike the gothic structure of the Lunacai Manor with its black exterior paints and confrontational features, the homes of the town appeared brightly coloured with welcoming pastels and inviting doormats that beckoned in visitors.  The houses were far apart, simply because of the extensive yard space that every house seemed to be equipped with, but the lawns were well kept and lined with cut shrubs, melodic windchimes, and little mailboxes that matches the colour of the home it belonged to.  This is not to say that the landscape of the Manor was by any means unkempt, but it would have to be a concerted effort to make it up the lengthy paths of the forest and beyond the gate, a trip that the townspeople didn’t have to take to find the front door of their other neighbors. 

Bree pulled the car into an empty lot beside the exit of the tunnel, parking and looking at her daughters.  “What are we doing?” Bree asked.  The girls each recited what they had been tasked to do while they were in the city accurately.  “And how are we doing it?” she followed up.  The girls responded in unison, “In and out, no extra stops, don’t make a scene.”  Bree nodded, getting out of the car and leaning against the hood as she watched the group disperse into the town.  She had confidence in their abilities, but a mother always worries, especially when nothing is likely to go wrong. 

Rouge took Seech’s hand, partially for comfort and partially to make sure the girl didn’t run off in a random direction.  They walked at a steady pace, aware of the eyes on them and careful not to cause a ruckus or look at anyone for too long.  The stares were not of disdain, but of confusion, the Lunacai household being a mystery of this town for decades if not centuries.  No one could really recall much about them if they were asked to describe the family at random, only that the house had been there for as long as anyone could remember.  They approached the interior decoration store, Seech’s eyes drawn to the mismatching light fixtures that hung from the ceilings like corpses, too unappealing to be sold, too insignificant to be taken down and laid to rest.  The sparkling antiquities held her attention despite Rouge pulling her towards the section with rugs that ranged from unethically offensive colour combinations to unreasonably priced but attractive ones.  Seech wandered off towards a shelf full of little porcelain statues with varying levels of morbidity while Rouge struggled to identify which of the rugs matched the ones the family had picked out from the catalog.  The confusion she radiated attracted the attention of the store clerk, who appeared beside her, hands folded in front of him.  “Is there anything I can help you find, Miss Lunacai?” he asked, a forced smile attempting to hide how little he wanted to be there.  Rouge looked at the catalog, pointed to the circled rug patterns.  “Do you still carry these, by any chance?” she asked.  The clerk nodded, taking the catalog and going to the store room to collect them for her.  In his absence, Seech walked over, giggling and pointing to a brown rug with white swirls.  “It looks just like the one we rolled the body in, see?  With the pretty flowers and things,” she said, swaying against her sister casually.  Rouge’s eyes widened, looking behind her to see if the clerk was in earshot, thankful to find he was not.  “Not here, Seech, please.  We’re in public-“ she warned in a hushed tone.  Seech snickered, shaking her head and humming as though the exchange hadn’t happened at all.  The clerk returned from the back, returning the catalog to them.  “It appears we have everything you require in stock.  Do you have a way to get this to your home?” he asked.  Rouge shook her head.  “If you could have it delivered to Lunacai Manor today, we would greatly appreciate it.  And, of course, we’ll pay for the trouble.  We know a delivery of this magnitude is unusual,” she said, handing the man a small packet with money in it.  The clerk nodded and returned to the register, counting the money before writing up an invoice and handing it to Rouge.  She took the slip of paper and nodded, thanking him for his time and exiting.

Around the same time, Chrissi was departing from the apothecary, a lumbering old man following her out, waving to the group as they headed down the street.  Seech gave her largest smile, waving back with earnest as Rouge nodded respectfully to acknowledge his greeting.  “Where’s Iimii?” Rouge asked, looking in the direction of the store and not seeing the compact stature of her sister anywhere.  Usually she was particularly efficient on trips like this as she didn’t enjoy being in the city, so it was offputting that she hadn’t already begun her walk back to the car.  Rouge tucked the invoice into her skirt pocket, instructing the other girls to wait by the door while she looked in the store.  She walked across the front of the store, looking down each aisle carefully.  Upon approaching the confectionary section, she saw a head with two black buns perched neatly on top facing a rough looking man with an angered look on his face.  Raising an eyebrow, Rouge approached the two, standing behind Iimii.  “Good afternoon,” she said, Iimii knowing who it was without turning around and the man looking more exhausted by Rouge’s appearance.  “Oh Rouge, this is Mr. Caplin, the officer Lady Lunacai was telling us about.  He was just wondering if we had seen anything else around the Manor,” she explained, a smug expression on her face.  Rouge looked at him, giving a gentle smile.  “I’m afraid we haven’t seen anything as of yet, but we’ll be sure to let our mother know that we’ve spoken; perhaps she has something more to offer since your conversation this morning.”  The statement held the undertones of a warning, which the detective picked up on immediately, aware he wouldn’t be able to avoid the conflict.  “Let her know that warrant is on the way too.  We’ll be investigating further,” he muttered.  Iimii clasped her hands together.  “Oh good, visitors.  We’ll have tea and cakes ready for you when you arrive,” she exclaimed, sarcasm leaking through her pores.  Rouge settled her hand on Iimii’s shoulder, leading her away.  “Have a blessed day,” she said, a final farewell to the disgruntled detective before heading to the counter.  Once they paid for their items, the pair left the store, joining with the others and walking to the car together.

Bree hadn’t seemed to move from the hood of her car, seeing the four of them approaching and standing erect, like an elegant ice statue of the purest white, picturesque in all settings.  “All according to plan?” she asked, straightening her coat.  The girls nodded, Iimii briefly explaining the encounter with Mr. Caplin.  Bree nodded, straightening her coat and smiling.  “Nothing to fear then.  We finish preparations by sundown.  Let us depart,” she responded, the five of them entering the car and taking off for another scenic venture back home.