I stop before knocking on the door, my nerves just fail me for a long beat and I have to take a step back, wringing my paws fretfully, before turning back and taking a deep breath, working on summoning the guts to do this after all. What Kesla’s having to do right now is so much worse, I know it, I told her I would be up for doing this instead of her, and I can’t let her down. I gotta man up. So I ball the fist and raise it, only hesitating for a moment before knocking, standing up straight as I wait.

It rakes a few moments for the door to open, but then I’m not really all that surprised. Tulen’s been right through it over the past night, and she’s likely not had much chance to rest since, despite getting run even more ragged at the Vezrim estate. I got a look at her when they first brought her in after they all got back, she was barely conscious and bleeding profusely from her nose and eyes and even coughing up odd mouthfuls while Shul tried to hold her up enough to just get her to one o’ the beds. It didn’t take the two healers who snapped to it to help her more’n ten minutes to get her awake and sat up again, but she looked proper fucking miserable all the same, like she had the mother of all headaches from some kinda vicious backlash. So they just helped her out the room to join Sessa, who’d been moved into one o’ the recovery rooms down the hall, and we ain’t seen either of ‘em since. Honestly, I feel a proper bastard calling on her in the first place, I’d much rather just let ‘er sleep after that.

Certainly she don’t look much better when she pokes her head out, mostly she looks worn thin and ready to drop. She blinks down at me for a few moments, like she’s fighting to focus, and I wonder if maybe I just woke her up again as she’d finally managed to nod off, and it makes me feel worse to think that might be it. Damn it … then she tries a smile that pretty much entirely fails to materialise, and when she speaks it’s more of a sigh than actual words. “Hey … are you all right?”

Wow … I’m a moment answering for that. “What … am I all right? I’m so sorry I disturbed you, clearly. We just wanted … um …”

“We?” She frowns over my head now as she casts about, like she’s looking for phantoms accompanying me, maybe. “But it’s just –”

“Kesla wanted to make sure you were all right. You and … well, after we got back and you both just disappeared, we didn’t get a chance to …” I growl at myself, having to grit my teeth as I rethink my words. “Um … how is she? Sessa?”

“Oh …” She looks down, and for a beat I think she might be about to start crying after all. “She’s … well she’s still out. But they told me she’s finally started responding to the healing spells, which was good. They just had to … had to cut away the …” Her voice is starting to break after all. “The rot … in her arm …”

To hell with it … I step forward into the doorway and just give her a hug after all, wrapping my arms tight as I can round her back and pressing my cheek into her chest. Trying really hard not to think the thoughts that that small part o’ me starts having as I realise what I’m actually getting half a face-full of. This really ain’t the time, she’s clearly still suffering an’ I really don’t wanna make her even more uncomfortable.

Thankfully, she don’t quite burst into tears like I kinda expected, instead simply responding to my hug after a few awkward, stiff moments and returning the embrace, tilting somewhat so the can rest her chin on my crown. Her silken hair tumbles into my face and it’s cool and soft, and it just feels real nice with everything else.

Finally she pulls away, and when she reaches up to brush her cheek I see she started weeping a little after all, but has it under control. After a beat she beckons me after as she starts to withdraw into the room proper. “Come in. Please.”

As she turns away she’s belting up her flannel robe, and I finally realise that she’s stripped right down to a simple linen slip underneath and I was slow noticing that’s all she’s actually wearing. Fuck, I really did get her up, clearly. My face grows hotter than it already was from accidentally sticking my face into her cleavage and I have to take a deep breath as I follow her inside, remembering to close the door behind me. She’s already making for the bed, reaching up now to try straightening her hair, which has been entirely unfurled again, an incredibly striking cascade of tumbling pewter waves.

“How is Kesla? After that fall, along with Shay, I mean –”

“She’s a little stiff and sore still, but all right. She wanted to come see you right after … well, what she had to do, but I figured it might be a bit much for her to do both, and I wanted to see how you guys were myself. Cuz I got to really like you this past week or so.” This has her looking back at me, blinking in surprise just short of the bed, seeming a little lost now. “I mean as friends, obviously. I know I behave like I’m … but I’m not, not really … I mean I get it, you got …”

Nodding, Tulen manages an easier, more honest smile this time as she settles down on the edge of the bed. Awful sad still, but a smile all the same. “Yes. I do. And I’m … Minerva, I’m so glad she’s all right … well, not all right, but … that she’s …”

“That’s great.” I interrupt her mostly for her own good, wanting to distract her as I step the rest of the way into the room, making for the chair set out beside the bed. “She deserves you. She seems like an absolute sweetheart, and she clearly means a lot to you.”

Tulen turns to look down at the slumbering shape heavily bundled in blankets and quilts in the bed behind her. About all I can really see is a spill of unruly black curls over the top of the covers, but I know this is Sessa, still heavily drugged by the clerics’ sleeping potion while their healing magic continues to work on her. “She means the world to me.”

Settling into the chair, I let a heavy sigh out as I lean back into the thick, soft, richly upholstered cushions. “Yeah, I get that. I been there myself.”

After a beat, she responds, looking back at me with a much more thoughtful expression now. “How is Darwyn?”

“Pissed off, mostly.” I can’t help a slightly rueful half-grin at the thought. “It’s pretty typical of her, really. She damn near gets herself killed up there, and her shoulder was a bloody mess, but once they had the wound closed again and she was starting to mend she was mostly just angry at herself for it happening in the first place. And a bit at me too.”

“Why you?” She arches her brows in surprise.

“Cuz I was there. And cuz she always blames me. It’s just the way she is.” I shrug, but while my grin fades, the smile itself remains. “It drives me round the bend, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

She frowns, just a little, her look still critical. “You still love her.”

“Don’t reckon I’ll ever stop loving her. Not after what we had. Not to mention what we still got. If you will.”

“You mean Vanna?”

“Yeah.” I nod, smoothing my paws over the plush velvet lining the chair’s arms. “She’s gonna bind us both forever, whether we’re still together or not. She’s something special.”

“Yes, she is. I thought she was absolutely amazing. She’s so cute. The way she knew right away I was a wizard, she just took one look at me and, well, you remember what she said.”

That makes me smile, remembering the other night. “She asked if you could do some fancy magic for her, right there. Cuz Toyah don’t want her to think it’s something just anybody can do, which is why she don’t do it all the time, just on special occasions.”

Tulen’s smile grows now. “And then she asked me if perhaps she might be able to be a wizard someday.”

This time I chuckle, I can’t help it. “Gods, wouldn’t that be something. My own little girl, a wizard.”

“Anything’s possible.” She’s growing wistful again, looks like. “You never know.”

For a few moments we just sit facing each other, Tulen slowly rearranging the lie of her robe before crossing her arms lightly. Not so much to shield herself from my gaze, just getting comfortable. Even so, she’s starting to look a little worn again, or at least it’s starting to show again, as the mood shifts.

“Maybe I should go. You need the rest. After what happened --”

“No!” She seems even more surprised than I am at the suddenness of her response, the urgency of her tone. “Oh … sorry. No, I … no, I’m all right. You made the effort, the least I can do is be a good host.”

Shrugging, I shift about a little to try an’ sit up a little again. Gods … why do these bloody cushy chairs always have to be so damn hungry? “Fair enough, I guess you’re right. I’m just … well, it was a rough night for all of us, but you especially.”

She don’t reply to that, she just nods, turning enough to look sidelong at Sessa again, and her wistfulness turns a little more bitter. Finally she lets a little sigh go and lets her arms open out again, instead lacing her fingers together tight like she’s planning on wringing her hands some. “So, um … Kesla … you said she had other business while you were doing this?”

“Yeah … I did …” I almost blanche instead of responding, her observation and probing question together enough to set my nerves on edge. “Yeah … shit. She went to see how Lady Thura and her children are. After the clerics finished checking ‘em over they got moved into a couple guest rooms so they could have some … well, y’now, peace an’ quiet. Sort of. I mean, after what happened …”

“Derion …” she sighs, looking genuinely forlorn now, and I sympathise so much. That kid was so full of life, he didn’t deserve what happened. “I can … only imagine what they’re going through. I mean, I doesn’t begin to … um …” She falters, again looking back at Sessa’s largely hidden form, and her lip starts to wobble. I know she’s starting to think about what almost happened to her own most precious person.

“No, I get it. I had a little scare o’ my own in there.” Shit, I regret it the moment I say it, it sounds so inadequate considering how lucky Darwyn was. It was nasty at the time, it’s a damn good thing we got her back quick as we did and the clerics were able to help her, all she’s gonna have is just one hell of a scar, but … I did go through it at the time, it scared the hell outta me. Just the thought of losing her like that, or worse, Vanna losing her mother …

It hit me hard enough that I didn’t even realise a much bigger tragedy even than the one Sessa’s suffered through had befallen Lady Thura. I mean she’s going through the worst thing that can ever happen to a parent. I’ve heard it said before, it’s a special kind of torment for a mother to lose her child. Suddenly, now I know I got a daughter, I’m starting to get an inkling of what that must be like, and I hate it.

“Yeah …” I finally manage to sigh “She … Lady Thura … um … I know she’s a special kinda tough, cuz she’s like Kesla, and she don’t break easy, but …” I have to suck in a steadying breath in order to continue. “Oh … yeah, I’m sure she’s suffering right now. I knew Kesla was gonna have a hard enough time being there for her through that, so …”

“Of course. I understand.” Tulen looks down at her tightly locked hands for a long beat, her frown deep again. “You were right to offer, then. And I appreciate you making the effort, too.” She looks up, and while she can’t smile, she’s still sad, there’s some warmth in her expression all the same. “I am glad you came, Art. You’re a good friend, and I’m honoured to count you as one of mine too.”

“Oh, yeah. ‘Course you can.” I nod, trying a smile that feels flimsy but honest, at least. “You come through for us so many times since this started, almost feels like you’re part o’ the family now. Much as Gael.”

And there it is, the moment I say that name the mood in the room turns again. My heart starts to hurt right after I speak, and again I see it reflected in Tulen’s eyes. She tightens her grip immediately, not enough to hurt herself, but I see her knuckles whiten all the same, and her lips thin somewhat as she looks away for a beat. “I’m so scared for them, Art. It’s been too long, and after what happened to Lady Thura, and Lord Wralin, and Madame Daste … I have terrible fear that something awful and irreparable has happened to them too …”

“No, I won’t believe that, I can’t.” I sit forward now, struggling out of the great floppy suction of the cushions as forcefully as I can so I can rest my wrist on my knees, clasping my own paws together now too. “They have to be all right, just like Darion must be. I mean … well, Vandryss may be an evil bitch, but she clearly ain’t stupid. There’s no way she’d just kill either of ‘em, they’re too valuable. So … I mean it makes no sense otherwise. Gael’s gotta be all right. Or at least …” I’m thoroughly ringing my paws now, glaring down at ‘em with my face tight and a deep cold, leaden anger seething in me. “Fuck, I just hope they’re okay. I have to believe it, cuz otherwise …”

I don’t even realise she’s gotten up until she drops to her knees right in front of me, taking hold of my paws in her much more delicate, long-fingered hands. She’s so dextrous with them, despite those long claws, but then I imagine she’s spent her whole life learning to compensate. When I look up into her eyes, I see her expression’s softened again, full of concern now, but a little shrewdness too, which gives me pause. “It’s okay, Art. I mean … yes, I’m sure you’re right. And I understand, they really do mean so much to you. Like how I feel about Sessa, I think.”

“What’re you …” I have to frown at that. “I dunno what you … they’re my friend, I care about ‘em a whole lot, yeah. I’m scared to death for ‘em, same as I would be if it was Kesla, or –”

“No, I don’t think it is the same. Art, I’ve kind of noticed you’re being wilfully dense when it comes to Gael, that you feel something more for them than you think you do. Something closer to what you’ve clearly got with Darwyn, or I think perhaps what you had with her before. Certainly it’s not much like the admittedly very sweet harmless flirtatious thing you’ve had going on with me since we met. With Gael it feels much more genuine.”

Before I start protesting my ignorance, I stop short, almost inclined to just sit back and consider it as I go over it in my head. I mean … honestly, I never really thought about this, not seriously, I mean sure I looked, Gael is cute as hell and smart as a whip and incredibly sweet, I can’t help liking ‘em a whole lot, but surely that’s just a real close friendship. Except …

No, once I proper think about it, I start remembering that conversation I had with Kesla, back in the mountains, when she hinted she might’ve been thinking along similar lines to where Tulen’s leading. And she ain’t alone, just a few days ago seemed like Shay’d picked up on the same thing, she was just more blunt about it. Now I’m starting to wonder if any o’ the others have noticed. If maybe Darwyn has too, I mean she knows me better’n just about anybody …

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‘Cause maybe they’re right. Maybe I have been thinking about Gael more’n just a friend. Not just simple attraction, the way I am with so many people, either casual acquaintances or closer, where I notice ‘em, sure, maybe I even flirt a little if it’s strong, but it rarely goes beyond that. But with Gael, it feels … different. It feels deeper. Like I really want them in my life, and the thought of not having ‘em in it hurts more’n I can bear. Once I make that connection I realise Tulen really might be onto something, cuz it really does feel a whole lot like what I had with Darwyn, once upon a time.

My frown grows deeper as I look up again, seeing her watching me closely now, even more critical than before. “Shit … you may be right, but … no, I can’t really. I mean, there’s no way they’d … I mean, I’m definitely not their type, surely. They gotta want something way classier’n me.”

Tulen smiles again, and it’s not so sad this time, like what I said genuinely amused her. “Freya … you’re a bit of an idiot sometimes, I think. Not in a bad way, of course. But … honestly, I can’t see why they wouldn’t like you. You’re sweet, and you’re kind, and you’re loyal to a fault. And you make me laugh, which is definitely a bonus.” She sighs, letting go of my paws at last as she sits back on her haunches now. “Really, I’m not sure what they actually think. To tell the truth I’m not even sure they have a type. I never really had much of any indication when she was still in Bavat.”

“What, never? Not once?”

She frowns again, cocking her head some as she looks up at me again, and considers for a moment. Then she stands up, taking a few careful steps back before finally perching on the edge of the bed again, taking a moment to make sure she’s comfortable before continuing. “Well … maybe once.”

I lean a little further forward now, I can’t help it, I’m intrigued. Maybe part of it’s simply curiosity, the chance for a little gossip about my close friend, but … no, more like it’s self-interest winning through, the need to know about a potential rival, maybe. I hold my tongue, not wanting her to clam up after all if I push, and just wait for her to continue.

I’m sure she picks up on my interest clear enough, I’m not even trying to hide it. For a moment I think she might hold her tongue after all, but finally, after looking over her shoulder to check on Sessa again, she simply lets out another little sigh before starting. “There was a group of us, back in the Academy, when we were still just students. We were close, thick as thieves, I think is how you say it?”

“Yeah, something like that.” I nod along.

“We looked out for each other, all the time. Had each other’s backs, picked each other up when we were down. We were very much like a family, and very much like what you all have here, with your group. Sessa and I were the only ones who became something more than just friends, but … well, for a time there, I thought Gael might have developed stronger feelings for one of the others.”

My mind immediately goes to Jathran, who accompanied us here from Bavat, on business alongside Master Saxiros. I’ve only run into him once since myself, so I ain’t really gotten to know him more’n enough to greet him in passing, but he seems real pleasant so far as I can tell. He’s certainly handsome, and very tall, with good broad shoulders. And he’s kind, and forthright, which I get the impression are qualities that Gael holds in very high regard, more so even than his obvious intelligence, I reckon. Honestly, I can definitely see the appeal myself, I’ll admit I checked him out more’n once myself when we came over together. I clear my throat, and try to sound as casual as I can. “Really? Good friend then, was he?”

If it convinces her I’d be real surprised, I sure wouldn’t have bought it. “Yes, very much so. Lorth. After graduation, he went into public service like Gael, but then he was certainly very well suited to it. He was easily the best of us in training when it came to combat, either with a weapon or just his hands, or turning magic to his own defence. Indeed it seemed to come quite easily to him, as if he had a real natural talent for it. Like Kesla.”

Crap … yeah, I can just imagine him, now. He’s probably tall and broad across the shoulders, but in a more lean and lithe way than Jathran, built for speed and agility like a prowler, maybe. Prob’ly dark an’ dashing, with an easy smile and a sparkle in his eye. The type I’d be hard pressed to decide whether I hated his guts or just wanted to shag him. Yeah, I probably wouldn’t have a chance against him in winning Gael’s affections …

“So he’s a big strapping lad, then?”

“Not particularly. No taller than Gael, really, and lean. But he can move when he needs to. Very quick with a sword.” She smiles now, but it’s with a fondness rather than any hint of something more … I don’t know, I really can’t imagine Tulen being capable of anything salacious, to tell the truth. “And yes, Art, to answer the question you’re not asking, he is very handsome. I’m sure you’d find him attractive too, I dare say.”

I give her a sour look at that, which just makes her smile grow. “Great. So they like a pretty face, then?”

“Oh no, it wasn’t that at all. Lorth was just … well, it was a complicated relationship, really. On the surface, at least, they’re not really much alike at all. Lorth was definitely always the most confident of us, he’d be the first to face down the bullies when they tried to mess with one of us, and once they finally got it in their thick heads that they couldn’t beat him that would usually be enough. He could be pretty cocky sometimes too, a bit like you, really, but with less of the joker about it. Gael’s always been so much more thoughtful, and it took them time to really find their confidence, especially when we were younger. At times I think it intimidated them as much as they looked up to it.”

“Yeah, I reckon I could see that.” I nod.

“But he could be really sweet too, and he was a good, loyal friend. He always looked out for Gael, and never teased them like the other children sometimes did. I think his coming from a lowborn family probably had some bearing on that, so he could feel something like what they were going through, the way so many of the others looked down on them for being a half-elf. I’m their best friend, but … I suppose they’ve always felt more of a kinship to Lorth.”

Sitting back again, mindful of lounging too much in case I wind up getting swamped again but too frustrated to really entirely care, I let out an irritable sigh. “Sounds like they’re perfect for each other.”

Tulen just watches me for a while, shifting her position so she can tuck her leg up under her, then folding her hands again and laying them in her lap, twiddling her thumbs idly as she considers. Her expression’s grown thoughtful again, her eyes more guarded.

“I don’t know, I think perhaps they danced around each other for too long before deciding it wasn’t going to work out. They both had very similar dreams, but all the same that meant they would end up taking separate paths once they left.” She gives her lover another little sidelong glance. “Sessa left after graduation the same as them, but at least we’re able to keep in regular contact. This is the first real time we’ve spent together again since Winterheart, but … I always knew she’d come home within an hour if I called her, work be damned. Lorth … he’s been much more distant to all of us than Gael since then.” She sighs. “He never was one for writing letters, so …”

“Yeah, I get it. It wouldn’t have worked.” I rub the back o’ my neck for a few moments, pondering. “Still, if they did have something once, then …”

“You know, I’ve known Gael about as long as anyone else in my life outside of my actual blood family. It’s a rare day when I can’t tell what they’re actually thinking. And it’s clear enough that they do like you too. Very much, in fact.”

That makes me look up again. “You think so?”

She full-on grins this time, and with her sharp teeth it makes her mischievous twinkle particularly wicked. “Freya … you really don’t pay much attention, do you? Yes, I think so. It’s quite sweet, really. I get the impression they’re as clueless about it as you are.”

“They are? But …” I frown down at my paws for a long beat, trying to work that out in my head. I mean … honestly, I’m still trying to come to terms just with the idea that I’m thinking that way, but the possibility that Gael really might be too, that’s just … I really don’t know what to make of that. It seems so bizarre, I mean I wouldn’t have thought in a million years I would really be their type, they’re way too classy for that, I’m just …

Finally I just blink as I look up at her again, words largely lost to me right now. “Huh …”

“Please don’t hurt my friend.” She’s deadly serious now as she stares right at me, eyes boring into mine. “I mean it. If you hurt them, I will end you. I promise you that.”

I’m almost affronted, but I get where they’re coming from, and honestly, I know I’d be the same in her position. So I put on the softest smile I can muster, and take a breath. “Sure. I gotcha. You don’t gotta worry, my intentions are …” I can’t help frowning now. “Actually, I dunno what my intentions are. Not yet. It’s still … um …”

“All right, try not to overwork your brain.” she sighs, folding her arms round herself now as she sits back a little, settling into a more comfortable position now as she tucks her other leg up under her too. “I’m willing to believe you have the best intentions for my friend in your heart, at least because I’ve seen what you’re actually like around them. You really do care very deeply about them, just as much as I do, and I know they’re safe with you, so …”

Letting another sigh go, she kind of shrinks into herself some as her face starts to darken, and she draws her arms tighter around herself. “Shit …” When she looks back again her eyes seem … wetter now. “I guess I forgot …”

Oh yeah … no, I know what she means. In the moment I s’pose we both did. I let my own breath out long and heavy, and I can feel myself starting to deflate again as I fight to get myself back into a more upright seated position. ’Least I ain’t managed to sink too much this time. “Yeah … reckon we both did.”

“Art, I’m … fuck … I’m so scared for them. Gael is … I know they can be tough when they have to be, but … I mean they’re still … underneath they’re still … I know they’re not really a warrior. Not like you, and definitely not like Kesla. They’re … they’re not really soft, but … but they’re gentle, and they’re sweet, and I don’t want them to be broken … but they’re with that …” Her face starts to fall, creasing up now as the tears start to come, and her voice is breaking now. “With that … that …”

Not really thinking about what I’m doing now, I spring from my chair and just pounce onto the space beside her on the bed, wrapping my arms round her as she starts to rock and hugging her to me tight as I dare as she starts to weep. I keep my voice low, just a soft, breathy purr, soothing and gentle now. “Shhhh … it’s okay, I promise you, it’s all right. We’ll get ‘em back. Kesla’s working on it, the others are all pulling together, we’re gonna get ‘em back. I know we are. We have to.”

As she lets her face settle into my shoulder and just lets go, I’m sure the tears she’s shedding now are not just for Gael and the situation they’re in now, but also for what she’s going through herself now, with Sessa and what she went through, what she’s still going through. So I crush her only as firmly as I dare, knowing that she’s tough as any dragonhalf but still being careful not to break her all the same, she is fragile right now. Cool as she might’ve been with me just a little while ago …

After a few minutes I hear a snuffling sound next to us, and I look over the best I can to see that Sessa’s starting to shift under her covers, starting to move in her sleep. There’s a vague, muddled tension in the sounds she’s making, subtle whimpering maybe, like she’s having a bad dream, or maybe she’s responding to Tulen’s own little breakdown. She doesn’t stir, not yet, but it makes me wonder if she might be starting to. Honestly, I don’t know how long the drugs are actually s’posed to last.

Tulen finally starts to relax after a few more minutes, likely she just cried herself out. The worst seems to be behind her, ‘least for now. I keep her held tight for another minute before finally loosening my grip, letting her just settle into me on her own, and by now her breathing’s smoothing out again. I give her back a long but soft, comforting rub, humming something kinda tuneless under my breath now, not really thinking too much about what I’m doing now, just wanting to calm her the rest o’ the way. Seems to be working well enough.

Finally she raises her hands and starts to push against me, very gently, and I respond immediately, letting go and sitting back just enough to give her some space. I still stay close as she starts to wipe her eyes, clearing her throat as she takes a big, very wet sounding sniff, before finally just letting out a heavy, somewhat fretful breath. When she looks up at last, she looks almost angry, but in a guilty way. Upset with herself, not me. “Oh … I’m sorry, that was … Minerva, I’m kind of pathetic right now.”

“Fuck no, that’s not it at all, you’re just worried, and you’re recovering. You got a lot o’ shit to put up with right now, way more’n the rest of us got …” I shrug, half-heartedly sighing. “It’s understandable, is all. I get it. I mean, I’m going through it too, I just …”

“No, I am sorry. Here I am feeling sorry for myself and for …” She winces, again with some clear inward-turned venom, and it hurts a little to see it. “I didn’t mean to ignore how you guys are feeling. Gael’s lucky to have all of you.”

For a long beat I’m unsure what to say in response, I’m feeling all kinds of awkward, but finally I just try on a smile that feels real unconvincing, reaching out to lay my hand, very haltingly indeed, on top of her own, and give it a gentle squeeze. She looks down at it for another moment, almost seeming surprised, then tries a smile of her own, which is definitely mostly just sad and just as awkward as I’m feeling.

Then Sessa suddenly lets out a great rasping gasp, turning over with real suddenness, and starts to moan as she rolls back into her original position. We both jump, but Tulen’s more on the ball, snatching her hand right out from under mine as she immediately shifts her perch on the bed and turns to her, leaning forward with careful hands as she starts to tend to her lover. “Sessa? Sweetie, are you all right? Come on, baby, please just chill.” Her voice is soothing, but I sense a sliver of worry in there all the same, needling at her.

For a few moments it seems like she might just have stirred a little, only to slip back under again, but then she lets out another, heavier moan and jolts with more violence, her back seeming to arch this time, like her body’s getting some of its strength back. There’s still no words coming, but there seemed like there was almost a tone to her cries this time, and it’s clear enough to me now – Sessa’s dreaming. Whatever it is it’s bad. No wonder, there.

Feeling like I might be more of a hindrance here now, I step back away from the bed now, letting Tulen shuffle closer so she can reach under the covers and start to scoop the stricken half-orc up in her arms. Sessa don’t start struggling yet, but she’s squirming all the same, more like she’s just reacting to what’s going on in her head now, and her moans are getting more desperate. Finally Tulen pulls her into her lap and hugs her close, starting to rock her as she shushes her, but for a few more moments it don’t seem to have any real effect, it’s like the girl’s genuinely fighting her now. “Oh fuck … Sessa … Sessa, honey, come on! Please just snap out of it, wake up baby, it’s not real. Please …”

All of a sudden Sessa jerks hard, damn near breaking right out of Tulen’s desperate embrace, but as she lets out a last winded, awkward snarl she seems to come to, stiffening immediately as she wakes with a start. Tulen crushes her tighter still, shushing her again, and there’s a charged beat where I think maybe she’s just too far gone, that she don’t recognise the touch, any more’n she’d have any chance of recognising the room she’s in now … but then she starts to focus and when she looks up the first thing she sees is Tulen, scared and hopeful and so full of desperate love, and she stops cold. Blinking for another few beats, her lips starting to wobble as her eyes glisten with fresh tears, recognition flooding ‘em.

“It’s all right.” Tulen just keeps rocking her, barely breathing the words, less a whisper than a low hum, but just as gentle. “I promise you it’s all right, you’re safe, it’s all over. I promise it is …”

I brush my paws up and back through my mane while letting out a heavy, troubled breath, starting to feel like I’m intruding … just as there’s a knock on the door. A loud one, too. It makes me jump, and I hear Sessa squeak a little at it, only to burst into low sobs a beat after and Tulen starts to shush her all over again.

My heart pounding in my chest, I drag a breath back in and look back at Tulen, finding her watching me with quiet shock in her wide eyes while she continues to rock Sessa while she weeps. “Yeah …” I breathe in response, finally letting go of my mane as I turn back to the door, still feeling supremely edgy as I take several very careful steps towards it.

As it is I’m momentarily reluctant to actually reach out and open it. Then there’s another knock, even heavier and more insistent than the last, and I barely manage not to bounce right out my hide this time. Instead I grit my teeth and steady my nerves, getting pissed at myself as I take the last step and turn the knob, fighting the urge to just tear the door right open and instead doing so with due caution before peering out.

Damn … it’s Yeslee. No wonder that knocking was so savage. She frowns down at me, more intense than I’d like, but it’s less suspicion than I maybe expected. “I smelled you from halfway down the hall. Didn’t think you’d still be here. Are you trying to take advantage?”

That just makes me frown, trying hard to stop short o’ full-on glaring. “Knock it off, Yes. This ain’t the time.”

She actually arches her brows as she shifts her feet, cocking her head a little as she looks me over. I just open the door enough to make room, but don’t step out of her way. “All right, then.” She steps back, her face returning to its normal state of stoic unreadability, and looks off down the corridor. Back towards the chapel, maybe? “Whatever you’re doing, best call it a day. Something’s up.”

“What is it?” I step forward now, not quite stepping out but closer to her all the same. “Trouble? It’s pretty bad timing if –”

“No. Probably not.” Yeslee just steps back again, this time starting to move in the opposite direction she was looking. “I still have to fetch Kesla. She needs to be there too. Thought you should know.”

“Right, so it’s business.” I start to turn back, then stop, giving her one last look. “Just wait on me a tick, I’ll be right behind you”

Not bothering to see if she actually waits for me, I turn back to find Tulen still watching me, a more complex look on her face now as she frowns. Sessa seems to be settling now, at least, but …

“Should I come too?”

After a beat’s consideration I shake my head. “No, stay with her. I’ll come back.”

When she nods I manage a half smile in response, then step the rest of the way out the room, closing the door before finally turning back. Yeslee’s already heading off down the corridor, moving with her usual big, determined strides, and I have to jog to catch up with her before she’s just gone.