"Here we are. My own little hideaway, well out of sight from any mortal soul, as well as my parents. And for today, the venue of the birthday celebration of one Enid Sinclair."
The wistful, almost romantic way she spoke of the place left no doubt in Enid's mind of how much it meant to her, as subdued as Wednesday's words were. For the first time today, she realised that she was being let into a very special place indeed, a glimpse into her girlfriend's real life.
"Damn, pretty sweet place. You know, I had a treehouse when I was a cub to sneak away to, guess it seemed wild-ish enough to pass Esther's high and mighty standards. Though it was a helluva lot brighter than this."
Enid could've sworn she saw the corner of the other girl's mouth curl upwards a little, or maybe it was a trick of the light. When she spoke again, it was in a voice tinged more with quiet sympathy.
"I suppose everyone needs a space for themselves, even someone as personable as you. I hope this place can become one for both of us."
Then, Enid watched as she steeled herself, flexing long fingers into a fist a few times, and that glimmer of something beneath the surface soon drained away, though this time it left a little more life to be seen.
"Well, time to show what you've been waiting for. I would entirely understand if you find what's on the other side of this door less than satisfactory. Despite my best efforts, I faced some difficulty attempting to comprehend your own, peculiar, aesthetic, based on how I recall your half of our Nevermore dorm was decorated. I'll let you be the judge of how I did."
Then, in a single push, she swung the door wide open.
The first thing that hits Enid's eyes is the light, a glaring and stinging change from ages spent in these winding shadows. When her eyes adjust, she looks into the room, and finds it nothing like what she could've imagined.
The ceiling hung low to the ground, and every available surface had been absolutely plastered with cheerful posters bearing the most heartwarmingly cliche birthday wishes you'd ever seen. Sheets of vibrant cloth in all colours strung about all over the place, so that barely an inch of bare stone could be made out. Every surface was bathed in an almost magical, shifting curtain of light until it looked as if the night sky had made its way through the earth and down here just for the two of them, and lying beneath that spectacle was a shallow table surrounded by throw pillows and beanbags, laid out seemingly in a haphazard and chaotic fashion but with an order to it that belied the care that had been put into the work.
Enid stood in the doorway as she drank in the sight, every tired complaint about the past two miserable hours of trekking draining out of her mind, and it felt like a small eternity before Wednesday spoke again, though it couldn't have been more than a heartbeat.
"I do apologise for—"
Enid cut her off, almost literally as her hand nearly lept out to cover Wednesday's dour mouth.
"Oh, my, God, Wednesday! Shut your mouth, this shit is amazing!
Before another would come out from either of them, Enid leapt into the small room. After the long way here through such tight spaces it seemed larger than it really was, but it was more than enough for her, and Enid's head could barely catch up to what her eyes were seeing, taking in the scenery.
Every tacky poster, every streamer of willowy fabric, every cute little pillow like the ones she had at home, was a delight, over and over and over again.
And tucked into a corner almost out of sight, she recognised something.
"Holy crap, is that one of those light-projector-things I told you about? You said it looked stupid!"
Hope You're Happy
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