The Second Princess

"Bonding"

"Please, sit!" Clarisse gestured behind Mia.

They all scooted their hand beneath them to sit back down. Clarisse was staring at Mia in concern. Trixie hooked her ankles behind each other. Mia mashed her teeth together in discomfort. And Trixie clicked her nails against each other, a nervous habit of hers. 

"So... my- our mom said you wanted to talk to us about... something... So, shoot."

"Oh, uh." She clasped her hands together. "Before I... shoot, I have somethings I want to give you both." She sat forward. She picked up two containers. One was a metal case and one was a satin box. She handed the box to Amelia and went to give the other one to a confused looking Bellatrix.

The light haired brunette stood and reached out.

"Oh," Mia commented as she took the box.

Bellatrix glanced at Mia as she sat down and shrugged.

"Thank you," Mia commented.

Trixie re-hooked her ankles and placed her hands atop the box. She had all of her focus on Mia. So did Clarisse.

Mia looked up at Clarisse. "Wow," she commented.

"It's the Genovian Crest," Clarisse explained.

Mia reached out, handing it to her sister.

Trixie lent forward to look at it. She held out her hand and Mia let it fall into her hand. Trixie examined it more closely.

"It was mine when I was young," Clarisse added.

Trixie looked up, frowning. Why would she have the Genovian Crest on a locket? She handed it back to Mia.

In awe of the sentimentality of the gift, the box fell from Mia's hands. "Ah, and that was my great grandmother's."

Mia laughed nervously.

Trixie's phone buzzed. She pulled it out to see her mother's update. 

She snorted at the delayed response. She kept her smile and looked over at Mia who was forcing the case in her bag. Trixie quickly grabbed the case, stuck it on her lap, reached inside her sister's bag, pulled out a denim jacket, and then slid the box into the front pocket. She lifted herself and tied her older sister's jacket 'round her waist. She let out an exasperated breath. She looked at her grandmother like, 'you get it'. She glanced back over at Mia who was staring at the velvet box which somehow managed to stay in her lap. "Oh." It seemed she'd only just remembered she had a gift of her own. Opening the emerald velvet box, she found the most beautiful pendant she had ever seen inside. 

She slowly lifted it out of the box. "Oh my. Mrs. Renaldi!" she commented, at a loss for words. (You know what you do when you're at 'a loss for words'? You say supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.)

"You needn't call me that," Clarisse insisted.

"This is exquisite!"

Mia tried putting it on over her hair. "Now, what did you wanna tell us?" she asked.

"Mia," Trixie whispered in a scolding voice.

Mia looked at her, shrugging. "What?" She didn't understand what she was doing was inappropriate.

Trixie put the box down on the table, placing the pendant back inside. She moved to sit beside Mia and held out her hand.

Mia exasperatedly sighed. She handed it over with attitude.

Trixie put it in front of her. "You were going to break the chain with your hair," she whispered in her older sister's hair. She blindly hooked it beneath the Hermione hair.

"Something that I think will have a big impact upon your lives. You especially, Amelia."

Mia smiled at Clarisse. "I already have braces. And Trixie wears invisible aligners."

"Which she didn't need to know," Trixie murmured, placing a hand on the back of her neck. She was unknowingly mimicking her grandmother.

"No, it's- it's bigger than orthodontia."

Charlotte walked in behind Mia. "The tea is served, ma'am." 

"Thank you," Clarisse bade. She turned to the girls. "Shall we go into the garden?" she asked. 

Mia and Trixie stood up. Mia was zipping up her bookbag. 

Clarisse lead the way. "So, girls, tell me what you know about Genovia," she requested. 

"Well, I know it's to the West of Monaco and- oh, my mom once told me that, even though it never snows, the ladies always wear coats and so are their dogs that they carry in purses. Like bread and butter." As she was nervous, Mia started running her mouth a million miles per minute. She called Clarisse to stop walking so Trixie had to cease as well. "Hey, do you even think the dogs like to be in purses? Even if they are Hermes purses. I mean, think about it-"

Clarisse raised her hand. "Um, please, please, you are speaking so fast and so much!" She was obviously amused, but still continued walking. 

"I'm sorry. I'm a motormouth. And that was my nickname in grammar school. Trixie's was Mary Poppins because she was perfect at everything." 

"Ah," Clarisse commented. She was smiling about something about that. 

"What was yours?" 

Clarisse stopped and turned. "What?" 

"What was your nickname? What did they call you in school?" 

Their grandmother thought for a moment. "Clarisse, my name," she answered simply. 

"Really?" Mia asked. 

Clarisse nodded. 

"Not, like, Ressi or Cla?" Mia asked. 

Clarisse put a hand on her chest. "Uh, please, I'm longing for some tea." She went to start walking again. 

However, Mia cut in front of her, granting, "Oh, OK." She caught that Clarisse was trying to go and squeaked, "Ooh, excuse me." However, she turned to say it, so she didn't see the table she was about to run into. She knocked over a knick knack atop it and called, "Sorry!" She raced ahead, but Clarisse and the calmer girl walked at a leisurely pace. 

"I currently go by Trixie," said girl brought up softly. 

"Why?" Clarisse asked, genuinely curious. 

"Amelia Thermopolis goes relatively well. But Bellatrix Thermopolis? It's a mouthful," she answered. She jumped in front of the woman and, out of kindness, opened the door for her.