adlantisag | IC CONTACT

[ She looks at Sieglinde, takes in the sight of her, small and stooped, exhausted. She feels guilty for coming in, suddenly: how much more pressure had she put on Sieglinde with the weight of her anger? It could have waited, surely. But she hadn't been thinking clearly, blinded by her emotions, her desire to see Masamune safe and sound, her desire to see them both.

She scoots her chair over, until they're sitting side-by-side, and lays her cloak over her lap before patting it, and invitation. ]

Then come and lay your head to rest, little one. You have been very brave.

[ She won't stay very long; she's aware as much as Sieglinde is how wanted she is right now, and every moment spent here paints a bigger target on them both. But she can steal a moment longer, can't she? ]

[As tempting as it was to lay her head down on Kida's lap, nuzzle into that cloak, Sieglinde shook her head, stubbornly holding out.]

I'll rest if you do.

[Her second bed was a bit messy, and smaller, (because it was hers, not Masamune's) but- she clambered down from her seat to try and go clear it, struggling to make the short distance that normally wouldn't give her much trouble.

If Kida would just lie down... then she could lie down... and just close her eyes for a little while...]

[ It's a demand that makes Kida smile, and one she can't really deny she needs. She gets up to follow, putting her hands on Sieglinde's shoulders to stop her. ]

Let me.

[ The girl's been on her feet all day, doubtlessly, and while so has Kida, it isn't really comparable. Leaving her cloak draped over the chair, she clears the bed with ease, dropping stacks of books and vials on nearby chairs and tables. Absently, she pokes the hearth fire back to life, but there's enough heat wafting up from the apothecary downstairs to keep the cold away. ]

There--come.

[ She pulls back the covers. Normally they should get in sleeping clothes at the very least, but the pair of them are too exhausted to really bother. Kida slides in, patting the sliver of space next to her. ]

[She wouldn't insist on independence now- it would have been futile anyway against the more quick actions Kida was capable of. She'd been mostly on her knees on the floor, bandages and medicines spread out in a circle around her and having Sebastian assist her with the moving of the patients but... Her legs were cramped nonetheless, her mind groggy from lack of sleep, up hours past when she needed to have rested to make sure she purged the poison from Masamune's blood, saved the motion of his hand...

Sieglinde nodded, clambering up onto the mattress and struggling to pull off her tight heels, at least, the bound feet within throbbing dully with ache that came from having the treatment resumed since Sebastian had arrived after weeks without it.]

Sebastian is out running errands... He can wake us when he returns...

[But she had to stifle a yawn to get that out.]

[ Gently, Kida slides her hands over, works at the fasteners of Sieglinde's shoes. It's the first time she's seeing the bound feet up-close, and they almost make her wince in sympathy. Sieglinde doesn't need any pity, however, so Kida keeps her face neutral as she works. She undoes the girl's hennin, setting the twin cones aside. Freed, her hair falls in dark rivers. She is a very pretty child, Kida thinks, patting her head with genuine fondness. ]

Settle in. I met a Sebastian, I think--a tall man, with dark hair and pale skin?

[ It's asked in the kind of drowsy soft tones that precede sleep, as if the answer is less important than the act of speaking, pushing back the inevitable a moment longer. ]

[It's easy to surrender to Kida's help, not only tired and now having allowed herself to admit it unable to hold it back, but simply because she was used to such things- Wolfram and her handmaidens had always been on hand to do everything for her: her hair, her clothes, her shoes, her meals. Broken and folded in on themselves, bound tightly with fragrant bandages and hidden behind ribboned stockings, her feet fit prettily (grotesquely) into the woman's palm. The feel of hands undoing her now messy hair, the pat on her head...

It was nice. Like how things used to be, before she'd found out the truth.]

Yes... He is a competent butler...

[She burrowed into the covers without needing much encouragement, small enough that making room for Kida wasn't difficult at all.]

He has agreed to assist me... Until his master needs him again.

[ She makes a sleepy sound of assent, accepting the explanation for what it was. She trusts Masamune would not have allowed anyone incompetent or dangerous into the house.

It's quiet. Wind whistles outside. She strokes Sieglinde's hair until the girl falls asleep, noticing how tiny she was, how such a small bed could still hold them both. The girl really does need the kindness of others. ]

Sleep well, little one.

[ It's a moment still before Kida allows herself to sleep, lulled by Masamune's gentle breathing, the wind and Sieglinde's soft heartbeat. ]

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