||Beefsteak || DSMP ||

3. Stained

Anita's POV
"Now.. explain slowly what happened.." Belle demanded, her eyes almost twitching.
I bit my lip.

"PUT IT IN THE BOTTLE! JUST POUR IT!" I screamed as Tommy kept missing the potion bottle with the tongs.
Tubbo was pressed against a corner and covering his body.
"STOP YELLING AT ME!!" Tommy cried.
"YOURE GONNA-"
Poof.
Red smoke poured from the windows of the van, the three of us emerging coughing, completely covered head to toe in bright red powder.

"RUN!" Tommy yelled, sprinting as a few citizens gathered to see the smoke.

"We didn't do it... so." I scratched my head, red dust falling from my hair onto the grass outside the guesthouse.
"You didn't...?" Belle's eye twitched.
"Okay— well! Nobody was hurt..."
"I'm sorry, she's supposed to be better than this." Belle ranted to Wilbur, who also stood on the grass where we sat.
"Can I go inside please?" Tommy asked Wilbur.
"You're red, Tommy!" He scolded, turning to Belle. "I'm sure he's to blame."
"Hey!"
"Shut it!"
"She's not exactly known for being an angel either.." Belle glared directly at me.
I looked away in shame.
She took a deep breath. "However, I accept full responsibility. I'll clean the entire affected areas. Again, I apologize for the princess's behavior."
"Belle-"
"Get inside." She demanded from me. "Clean off and leave the crown to be washed."
I left, pushing back the hard emotions in my throat.

Belle's POV
"I'll make these two do it, I don't want to piss off royalty or anything-" Wilbur tried to dismiss.
"Please. I trusted her with strangers so close to a tragic event when I shouldn't have, I'm responsible for this, so please do not waste your resources on my mistake."
He froze.
"You'll clean all of it?"
"Yes, spotlessly." I promised.
"I- well, you may stay until it's done then."
I nodded, turning to go inside and cleanse the crown. "And as for you..." he turned to Tommy.
"What about Tubbo?!"
"Okay! Yeah, because this was definitely his idea!"
I heard their argument fade as I walked through the creaky wooden house.
The crown sat on the table, near the edge.
I quickly ran water and grabbed my silk cloth from my bag.
I rinsed it gently, wiping the grime away with care.
An hour later, the stairs creaked and my eyes opened for a moment.
Anita's shoes.
I let my eyes close again.
"Belle~ I'm really sorry for- and you're asleep on a table.."
Anita secured her crown on before poking me gently. "Go sleep, I'll see where we can get food, how about that?"
"I have some dried meat left from the walk.. don't go outside." I rubbed my eyes, yawning between words.
"The fact that you can stomach that stuff blows me away."
"Oh shush.."
"We're going to be here a while, might as well find some bread or-"
A knock at the door.
I shot up and sped to it, swinging it open.
A basket laid at my feet.
I lifted the warm thing, a note tied to the handle.
'Warm welcome to our country
-the Bakery(endorsed by Coconut20XX)' was written in cursive.
"That's so sweet!" The princess cooed as she read over my shoulder.
"Politics..." I handed her the basket with tired arms. "Remember to-"
"Poison test.. I knowww..." she whined as I turned to the door by the stairs.
"Go to sleep when you're done, okay?" I said kindly. "Please?" My tone was desperate and tired, even if I didn't want it to be.
It was barely sunset and healing aside, I still was exhausted. I didn't know what to do beyond the walls of the castle. She was capable, but she doesn't know people the way I do.
I could deal with that though. People are easy for me.
The scariest part is that neither of us know the world beyond our kingdom, and I have to pretend to so that she feels safe.
I was too trusting and now we're stuck here, but I know how easily she'll slip from me if I hold her back. I was 11 when I became her lady in waiting, and she was 7. I knew her long enough to not control her.
I want to trust her.
But I can't afford to lose her.
"Yeah I'll-"
"And no leaving in the morning. At all." I finished before swinging the door open and closed.

Anita's POV
Clink.
Clink.

Clink.

I opened the windows, fed up. "What?!" I whispered.
Tommy stood a story down, flipping me off.
"It was your idea! Now I'm in trouble with my brother!"
"You're the one who fucked up the potions!" I tried my hardest to whisper louder at him while still whispering.
"You wanted to go in!"
"You wanted to show me around! Plus Tubbo was the one who said it's okay to-" I gasped.
"Oh my god.. it's his fault!"
Tommy gasped. "You're right! He said it wouldn't be a big deal!"
"Exactly!"
"Oh I'm going to kick his—" he looked back up to me. "I'll get him in the morning, and you better help me!"
"I'm grounded here, sorry.." I shrugged, ready for my upper half to leave the cold and renter the warm room.
"That's shit! Just sneak out!"
"Dude, you don't understand.. I can't do that to Belle!"
He groaned.
A brilliant idea then fell into place. "I'll just bring him here when your wait-lady leaves!"
"I- well, alright! Now leave before she wakes up!"
"Huh??" He squinted.
I took one of his rocks from my windowsill and chucked it.
"Oh!!! I am leaving!" He dodged with his arms. "Calm down!" He hissed before running off.
I laughed as he disappeared, the silence becoming too real.
Nope.
Not now.
I grabbed my potions book, the cover stained red, and spent the rest of the night drawing diagrams of the measurements and ingredients I'd gotten from that van.
When the sun rose, I finally let my eyes shut.
No time for the memories to flood in.