Octavia was the first to wake up, sunlight gently peeking through the Veneightian blinds covering the window.
She stretched some, but chose not to move much, feeling Vinyl's forelegs wrapped around her, the soft sound of her breathing pleasant in her ear. At least, when it wasn't punctuated by an abruptly loud snore. She jumped slightly at this.
Ugh...why am I not used to this by now? She grumbled, gently pulling away from Vinyl who rolled over in the other direction, continuing to sleep. Octavia then crawled out of bed, stretching a bit, her joints popping. It was then that she realized that she smelled of sweat and other things.
Vinyl and I were rather..."active" last night... She blushed, thinking back to the night previous. No matter...I wonder where I can take a bath to clean myself up? Octavia wondered, quietly leaving the room.
She walked down the hallway full of doors, looking for any signs of what might lead to a bathroom. She came to a flight of stairs, and moved down them, enjoying the feeling of the cool air in the mansion against her coat. As she trotted by, she noticed Sebastian putting out the candles he had lit the night before.
"Good morning, Sebastian." Octavia said, moving over to him.
"Oh, good morning to you as well, Miss Octavia. I am surprised to see you awake this early, provided how engaged you were in your..."activities" with Lady Vincenza last night." He said rather bluntly.
Octavia turned a deep red. "I-I-w-well..." She stammered, unsure of how to respond.
The butler merely chuckled. "Is there anything at all I can assist you with?" He asked courteously, giving a charming smile.
"Yes, actually. I was wondering where I might be able to take a bath..." She asked, shaking the blush away.
"Right this way, Miss Octavia." He said, taking a short bow and beginning to lead her towards the bath.
The two trotted for what seemed for miles, the long, winding halls filled with grand portraits of family members or other famous composers or artists. The tapestries that hung from the ceilings were absolutely marvelous, and appeared to cost more than Octavia could ever afford in a lifetime.
"Here we are, Miss Octavia." The butler pushed open the door, and Octavia gasped.
The bath hall was ENORMOUS. The floor was paved with marble, leading up to a grand basin filled with sparkling water, steam creating a small fog above the surface of the water. Octavia was amazed at the grandeur, but she was even more impressed by how clean it looked.
"Sebastian...how often do you clean this bath-hall?"
"Every day, Miss Octavia. It is an easy task once you get used to it. Now, the bath soaps and salts are in the basket on that bench, and you can use whichever one you like. You are technically family now, so you get all the same privileges that my masters would. Do enjoy your bath, and I will be right outside if you need me." Sebastian said, bowing out and shutting the door.
Octavia wasn't sure of what to do first. She made her way to the small bench, and perused the selection, most of which she was unfamiliar with.
Candied vanilla almond... She brought her nose to it, and immediately fell in love with the soft, creamy scent. She picked it up and moved to the edge of the water. She dipped a hoof into it, and felt the temperature was just what she was used to at home. She slipped into the water, feeling it come up to her neck.
"Oh Celestia...this is heavenly..." Octavia cooed, feeling more relaxed than she had in days. She closed her eyes and let the tension slip away.
"Agreed...Sebastian always does a wonderful job maintaining the baths."
Octavia froze at the sound of the other voice, her eyes wider than the room they were in. She turned her head to the left, and sure enough, Marianna was seated right next to her, gently rubbing her face with a washcloth.
"Oh, I am terribly sorry, dear. I did not mean to frighten you." She said upon seeing Octavia, who had her right hoof to her heart.
"I-I-I am SO sorry, Madam Staccato! I-I had no idea you were using the baths-"
"Shush, Octavia. Call me Marianna. To think you call me Madam when you are giving me my grandchild; I will have none of that out of you." She said, feigning scolding her. "Besides, it is my fault- I should have locked the door before I entered."
"I-I suppose you are right, M-Marianna..." Octavia said, giving in. "Why are you up so early?" She asked.
"I am always up this early. I prefer rising with Celestia, not Luna, like my husband." She laughed.
Octavia felt quite homely in comparison to Marianna. The unicorn was strikingly beautiful, all her features delicate and soft. Even her laughter sounded like the chinking of china.
"If anything, I am surprised YOU are awake this early. It was a little hard to sleep with all the fun you two were having." Marianna giggled, blushing a bit.
Octavia felt her face flush so badly she was amazed at how much blood she had in her body. "Y-You...you heard all that?!"
"Dear, the walls are made of wood, and you are in the house of a composer. Acoustics." She winked.
Octavia was dumbfounded. The idea that the entire mansion was acoustically sound had not once crossed her mind.
"I...am very sorry you had to hear that..." Octavia said, averting her eyes.
"No trouble at all, dear. You two are young and full of energy, right? I will suggest you be careful though, now that you are carrying."
"O-Oh of course! I would never do something that would directly put my foal in harm's way." Octavia said, her voice firm.
"That is what I like to hear, Octavia." She then held up the cloth. "Would you mind washing my back, dear?"
"Of course, Marianna." Octavia moved forward and took the cloth from her. Marianna rotated to face away from Octavia, who began to gently scrub her back.
"...Would it be alright if I asked you something?" Octavia started, wanting to clear something up.
"Ask away, dear. I will answer whatever you ask to the best of my abilities." Marianna replied, enjoying the feeling of the cloth on her back.
"Rolando was furious last night...how is it that you were able to get him to calm down and apologize so quickly? All joking aside, of course..." She said, remembering the answer her and Vinyl received the night before.
Marianna gave a small sigh. "Well, after you rushed off, Vincenza turned to her father and began to yell at him...and yell, and yell, and yell. Now, I am not one for in-fighting in my family, but in this case I knew it needed to be done. He had gone too far, and he needed to be knocked down a few pegs. Vincenza told him that she had grown tired of how no matter what she did, he always looked down on it, and that she had had enough. She was not sorry for falling for you, nor was she sorry for getting you pregnant." She took a breath, and continued.
" A moment later, she told him she hated him. She hated him for the way he treated her, and the way he made your foal sound like it was the biggest mistake anypony could ever make. She said that she would never forgive him for the way he made you feel. She then got up and left to find you. He sat there in stunned silence, staring straight at where Vincenza had been seated a moment before."
"As hard as that is to believe after the display last night, he really does care for Vincenza. He worries over her night and day, always wondering what she is doing, if she is safe, if she is healthy; he just does not like to show it. He grew up with even STRICTER parents, so emotion was not a thing he was taught to show...but the idea that his one and only child hating him for the rest of his life was something he simply could not handle, so I took over. I yelled at him a bit to get his act together and apologize before the damage became irreparable, which is exactly what he did."
Octavia was touched by her explanation. "So Rolando is the type that chooses not to show affection towards Vinyl...but he does love her."
"Vinyl?" Marianna asked, tilting her head.
"Yes, Vinyl. You know, Vincenza? Vinyl is the name she chooses to go by in public."
"Vinyl, like a vinyl record? How cute~" Marianna giggled. "As to what you said, you are absolutely correct." Octavia then put down the cloth, having finished the job.
Marianna then turned to face Octavia. "Octavia, you are very lucky. Vincenza was never the type to put her mind so intently on something, and to see the way she is with you, as a parent, is all I could ever ask for. She smiles more, she laughs more, she seems like the child I had always wanted her to be. Please...take care of her." She pleaded, taking Octavia's hooves into her own.
"Of course, Marianna...I love Vinyl, and I do not see that changing." She said with a blush.
"Thank you Octavia...you do this mother proud." Marianna said, pulling Octavia into a quick embrace. "Now, get washed up so we can all have breakfast before you go. Vincenza told me you plan to tell your own parents about the foal, so I do not want to keep you." She said, wading towards the edge of the bath and getting out.
"Oh, right! My bath." She said, picking up the brick of soap that sat at the edge of the water, long forgotten. She quickly washed up, and got out of the bath, drying herself of as quickly as she could.
As she left the bath, she ran into Vinyl. "Hey, I was wondering where you were." She then sniffed the air.
"Octy, you smell great! You just come outta the bath?" She asked. She then thought about it. "We did get pretty sweaty last night, didn't we? I'm gonna be honest with ya, Octy. You are crazy good in bed." She winked.
"Oh, be quiet! I have heard quite enough about what we did last night." She said. "...But I do not think you have heard enough about what YOU did for me last night."
Octavia moved over to Vinyl, and gave her a soft kiss. "...Thank you again for sticking up for me. Now come on, breakfast should be ready soon."
Vinyl was shocked, her legs rooted in place. "U-Uh...s-sure..." She then moved forward. "I think I'm on a roll..." She laughed.
Vinyl quickly caught up to Octavia, the two trotting side-by-side towards the dining hall.