Connections

[Esmerelda Lazuli]

Esmerelda knelt on the floor of a dusty attic room, papers and posessions spread out around her. She had decided it was time to tidy up the house, but had never imagined it would be such a task. She had discovered many half-forgotten things she hadn't known were missing, but the most important discovery was yet to come. Esmerelda picked up a piece of folded parchment, expecting it to be just another bill or annual Christmas letter from people she couldn't care less about. She was pleasantly surprised when it turned out to be something different. the paper folded out and out, and out some more; it was enormous. And on it was an intricate diagram filled with names; a family tree. Esmerelda swiftly became absorbed in the unusual names of her late husband's relatives; the tree stretched back many generations. Then something else caught her eye; her own maiden name, Faulkner. Esmerelda followed the line along until it joined to the Lazuli side, via herself. Finally, she looked along that row, and found a name that made her gasp in surprise.
"Oh my god," she whispered.

Esmerelda stood up, and apparated without furthur ado. She appeared in the home of Cassandra Calbrese, considerably startling her best friend.
"Cassandra! We're related!"

 

[Cassandra Calbrese]

Cassandra was loading Katies tray with bread and butter and milk. The insolent girl had refused to leave her room for some reason or anouther and Cassandra, enjoying the peace and queit associated with it wasn't going to question why. Tucking a strand of stray hair behind her ear she picked up the tray from her highly polished granite bench top and began to take it carefully through the kitchen door into the spaceous hallway.About to mount the bottom stair a dull thud on the carpet caused Cassandra to drop the tray, spilling its contents all over her spotless white carpet. Emmitting a tiny eep at the mess she quickly whipped out her wand a vanished it.

Still getting over the shock of her good friend Esmerelda suddenly appearing in her hallway Cassandra almost missed her excited outburst "CASSANDRA! WE'RE RELATED!" If the sudden appearence of her friend wasn't enough this latest piece of news was enough to make her heart stop "Wha-what?!" She stuttered trying to wrap her head around it. "How?!" she added. Shw thought she knew her family tree like the back of her hand. Leading Esmerelda in to her open plan living room she sat down on her withe leather sofa and took Esmerleda's copy of the family tree from her outstreched hand. Opening it right out she scanned it quickly and she saw the line that connected Esmerelda Lazuli to Cassandra Calbrese, shocked she rubbed her eyes, sure that it would disappear if she looked again.
Tracing the lines of her heritage her fingers momentairly paused on her sister Lilianna's name, quickly moving her fingers away she glanced at Esmerelda, her face gave nothing away and Cassandra hoped she wasn't about to say anything if she did noticed something.

Clearing her throat loudly she shook her head "I don't believe it!" Leaning back against the sofa she looked at her friend "I don't believe it!"

 

[Esmerelda Lazuli]

Esmerelda had to laugh at her friend's reaction, but she followed unresisting as Cassandra pulled her into the living room. This house was so light and spacious and modern, so unlike Esmerelda's own abode. She enjoyed the other woman's stunned reaction, very like how her own had been. The pair had been best friends almost as long as Esmerelda could remember, staying together through all their trtials.Cassandra was the person who had supported Esmerelda through Lorenzo's death, although at that time she hadn't known the truth behind it.

Esmerelda did notice Cassandra's reaction to her dead sister's name, but thought it prudent to remain silent about it. Esmerelda was one of only three people (the other two Esmerelda's daughter Lapis and Cassandra's niece Katie) that knew about how Cassandra had killed Liliana. And seeing how Esmerelda openly regretted the skeletons in her metaphorical closet, she wasn't about to harass her cousin about regretting hers in secret. Little did Esmerelda know that her friend hadn't realised she was feeling regret.

Esmerelda chuckled in reply to "I don't believe it" too.
"You'd better believe it Cassandra; it's true."