Sera felt refreshed as she stepped out of the water filled basin. The sun had dipped below the edge of the wall surrounding her little bath, painting the sky in rich hues of pink and violet as she dried herself. As she stepped into her quarters, her eyes lingered on the large soft bed before her. Clothing had been provided to her and laid, folded on a dresser by the door. She had lost count of the number of days that she had spent on the road to reach this place, and after having not slept the night before, the idea of bothering to get dressed seemed too much of an effort for her worn out mind and body. In the end, the bed’s alluring call won out.
She collapsed onto the bed, letting the warm breeze flow over her skin. Her wet hair clung to her face and shoulders, lightly soaking the thick, padded comforter beneath her, but she was too tired to care. She let out a short amused huff from her nose as she realized how comfortable she had become in her nakedness. Though she wasn’t so brazen as to walk around amongst others in that way, given the privacy of her bedchamber, feeling the warm air over her naked body was strangely soothing. Chilse would have been proud.
Her mind began to wander, and her consciousness drifted. Her heart ached for Akane’s presence, and in that longing, she thought of Cabrin and the pain he must be enduring with Akane’s loss. Sera opened her eyes as the air grew cold around her.
The cool, silvery light of the moon filled her chamber as the curtains leading outside floated in on the breeze. Slowly, she rose from her bed and stood, painted in the pale glow as she realized that she had drifted off to sleep. How long had she been laying there? An hour? Perhaps two? The sky was completely dark as the countless stars pierced the heavenly canopy.
As she stepped into a light, airy dress, Sera wondered if Cabrin would still somehow be awake. Opening her door and stepping to the other side of the hall, she stood just outside of his chamber door for a long while before knocking gently. She listened intently for any signal of movement. After a moment of silence, Sera let go of her breath and turned away when she heard the door open a few inches behind her.
“Cabrin!” She said excitedly.
“What is it?”
Sera’s relief faded in an instant at the curtness of his words. “I just…wanted to see how you were doing.”
“You don’t need to worry about me.” Cabrin said, retaining the cold, flat tone in his voice.
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“Cabrin, you’re my friend, just as Akane was…” Sera choked on her words as she spoke. It was the first time she had brought herself to mention Akane by name since the news of her death. “Of course I’m going to worry.”
The silence hung in the air for a moment and Sera pressed. “Cabrin…”
“It’s been a long day. You need to rest.” He said, and with that, he closed the door.
Sera felt as if she had been struck with a stone. She knew Cabrin had been in pain, but she never expected him to be so dismissive of her. Was he angry with her? Did he blame Sera for the death of his lover? Why wouldn’t he? If it weren’t for her incapacitated state during their crossing of the bridge, perhaps Akane would still be alive.
Devastated, Sera sank to her knees and wept silently against the doorway. Grief had completely overtaken her in the thought that Akane’s death was entirely her fault. It was more than she could bear.
Suddenly, the lilting of girlish laughter echoed from outside of the hall, pulling Sera’s attention to the lounge. As she stood, she saw two women stumbling through the entryway into sight. One, a tall woman with yellow shoulder-length hair, was dressed in a frilly white blouse and navy breeches and walked drunkenly with her arm around the waist of the other; a younger woman wearing an elegant powder-pink dress.
Sera watched in silence as the two stumbled and laughed their way down the hall, pausing as they passed.
“Ohh. Why the long face, Pumpkin?” The tall one asked, hiccuping as she reached out to wipe a tear from Sera’s face. “Pretty girl like you should smile. Pretty girls are so much cuter when they smile.”
“Now, now, Val.” The younger woman said, drawing the tall woman’s attention back to her. “It’s supposed to be me and you tonight, remember?”
“Ohh, how could I forget?” The tall woman responded, laughing seductively as they continued to a doorway at the far end of the hall. As the younger woman disappeared inside, the taller woman turned back to Sera. “See you tomorrow, Doll Face.”
Sera stared back at her in confusion as the drunk woman closed the door behind her, a playful shriek echoing through the hall as the door shut.
The bewildering encounter had drawn Sera from her grief long enough to realize how tired she still was. As she made her way back into her chamber, she wondered if perhaps the lack of rest was also the reason for Cabrin’s shortness with her. Perhaps after a good night's sleep, the two of them would be able to regain some semblance of comfort in each other’s company. The loss of Akane would still weigh heavily on their hearts, but perhaps with time, they could finally heal.
It was a nice thought, but it still didn’t do much to bring her any significant feeling of relief. Changing from the dress into a silky shift, Sera slipped beneath the covers of her given bed. Silent tears flowed down her face as she began to drift off.