//------------------------------// // The House that Love Built // Story: Before the Friendship Games: Dean Cadance // by CapNTilfy //------------------------------// Her work for the day finally done, Cadance left her office with a sigh. She loved her job, but the paperwork could be such a hassle sometimes! She stretched, then cracked her neck and headed to her car. On her way, her phone began to ring. That had better not be Cinch! She couldn't count on her fingers how many times she got called back to the office at the last minute! Taking a deep breath and steeling herself, she took the phone out of her pocket and heaved a sigh of relief. Now Calling: Benefactor She picked up. "Can you hang on, I'm almost in my car." "As you wish," the robotic voice said. Cadance got into the car, then put the phone on speaker as she buckled her seatbelt. "Okay, I'm in." There was a click on the phone, then a momentary silence. "Do you have time in your busy schedule for a friendly visit?" Cadance smiled warmly upon hearing Benefactor's natural voice. It was a rare occurrence over the phone, and she appreciated whenever it happened. "You're one to talk," she said with a laugh. "Yes, I have time. Just give me a few minutes to neaten the place up." Benefactor chuckled. "Fair enough. I'll be there soon." "See you then," Cadance said, then hung up. ---------------------------------------------- Cadance neared her house and smiled. Home sweet home. The off-white house was decent, by upper middle-class standards. Far too big for one person to live alone in, but this was the house she was born and raised in. Nothing short of death would get her to move out. She parked in the garage and got out of her car with a contented sigh. It always felt good, returning home from work. It gave her something to look forward to at the end of the day. She closed the garage door, then walked inside. Cadance closed the garage door, and passed by the mud room and bathroom into a small living room with three steps that led to the kitchen. The living room area contained a light blue sofa that she would lay on to watch her flat-screen television. One of her favorite pastimes was watching romance movies with a tub of popcorn. Maybe she'd do that tomorrow night, she had an incoming visitor! Her heels clacked on the hard wooden floor as she ascended to the kitchen. The kitchen had a large fridge and a large freezer. Sandwiched between the two was a pantry containing cereal, bread and protein bars among other things. An island with a marble counter sat in the middle with several ladles and other cooking implements hanging just above it. To the side was a stove and oven, which connected to the other side of the kitchen where two sinks were. Off to the side was a rectangular table, within sight of the television in the living room area. Two wooden chairs sat on each long side, kept there just in case of a surprise visit from her friends. Cadance passed the door to her basement as she looked out the windows to the front porch. Memories of herself running around in the backyard while her mother watched came back to her. She would blow bubbles, catch fireflies, and play other games. It was a bittersweet feeling, knowing days like those were long gone. Cadance sighed, then reached a wide open room with two couches and a fireplace. The room where her mother would entertain guests and host parties. She winced as she felt a sudden pang of loneliness. I should get out more often. As much as I love this house, I can't spend all my time here. She took off her heels, then picked them up and ascended the stairs. Once at the top, Cadance glanced at the front door of the house, then continued to her room. She closed the door, then looked up at the picture of her mother. "I'm back," she said with a faint smile. She stretched, then checked her phone for any texts before jumping into the shower. Inside the bathroom, Cadance began to run the water as more memories ran through her mind. She remembered when her room was her mother's room. The door was almost always open, only closed when she was getting dressed. Cadance would walk in, and Amore would always welcome her in with opened arms and a nice warm hug... Warmth. She missed that so very much. The embrace of a loved one, letting you know that no matter how bad or trying things may be, everything was going to be... just... Cadance held back tears as another pang of loneliness struck. She hadn't felt true warmth in so long... Not even her closest friends or Benefactor hugged her in the same way her mother did. She sniffled as she switched the water from bath to shower, then walked in. She shuddered as the shower water hit her back, filling her with... warmth. She could no longer hold back her emotions, and broke. She sat down in the tub and hugged herself tightly as the warmth of the water cascaded down her back. ---------------------------------------------- Cadance sighed heavily as she got out of the shower and dried herself off. How many times has she cried since her mother died? It seemed like a day hadn't gone by that she kept her eyes dry. That tore it. She needed to talk to Hope again. I'm sorry, Cadenza, but I don't condone revenge. You know that! Cadance shook her head rapidly and sighed again. Hopefully Benefactor's visit would put her in a better mood. Just thinking about it helped greatly. After all, Benefactor was not just a close friend, but like a second parent to her. She swiftly changed into casual clothing and began her descent to the main floor. There was a knock at the front door, causing Cadance to smile genuinely. She took great care in not running down the stairs, no matter how badly she wanted to. She opened the door to see her new visitor and smiled. "Thank you so much for coming here," she said. "It's been a while since we've had an informal visit." "Indeed," said Superintendent Neighsay.