Two Crows Watch from the Gallows Tree (part 10)

(Ayyy new avvie!)

She ‘couldn’t just stay in her room’ and ‘had to do something’ or whatever. Apparently. According to Tadaaki. She’d thought he’d be happy to learn she’d actually eaten breakfast, though she took it in her room. But he wasn’t. He wanted her to go offer proof of life.

Even though she very much didn’t want to.

Because she very, very much regretted her deal with Sara already. Nothing catastrophic had happened last night. But there were still four more very long days left between her and the end of their challenge and she wanted nothing more than to hide for the rest of them. She didn’t care if it was ‘cheating’ or whatever. It’s what needed to happen.

Sara had swooped in when she was emotionally vulnerable and convinced her to sign her own death warrant, basically. Ky couldn’t make it more than one day in a row without pissing someone off when she was being careful; and Sara thought the Keep would withstand five days without a filter? Absurd.

Still.

Tadaaki had bothered her enough that she consented to taking a walk throughout the Keep, even though she wouldn’t entertain for even a moment the idea of taking her walk outside. So now she stood by the window at the end of the hall on the second floor staring over the grove from the safety and warmth of inside.

(Indeed!!)

Gaius had had a long and very difficult talk with Sara about what she wanted to do and what she wanted to do for Ky as well. He was far from keen on either; he would need to write to Tomhas first and he'd already sent several letters. He'd wait for a reply instead and get his opinion on this--Ky was his daughter after all, not Gaius's. As for Sara, Pawholm was far enough away that Gaius wasn't sure he wanted her going without quite a large guard, but she was her own person and he couldn't very well stop her if she set her mind to it. But she was going to have to go before he went on his own mission, meaning his journey was postponed further and that he'd have to use that window of time to get his leg amputated--something Sara was still insisting he was rushing into--and healed as well as getting a prosthetic made in the same amount of time. He was working on detailing a list to get to the best woodworker he could find.
At the moment, though, he was off to find Ky to talk to her about this whole homegoing business.

(I have absolutely no idea what it’s from so enjoy my crackhead interpretation: it looks like some of the Queen of Hearts soldiers from Alice in Wonderland meets Mickey Mouse)(and I mean that in the best way possible)

How many people, exactly, did she need to prove her life to? There’d already been servants pass by and a few of the other freed slaves that shared a greeting with her before passing. Was that enough? That felt like enough.

She needed to get back to her room before she pushed her luck too much.

She wasn’t sure she wanted to talk to either of the Ashes for the rest of the week. She was avoiding Gaius, because of course she was. And now she was avoiding Sara out of wariness that she’d had time to think up a list of topics that Ky didn’t want to tell the truth about but would have to if she asked. Terrible.

(I freaking adore that interpretation! It's from a YouTube animation called Hazbin Hotel that's absolutely fantastic but I almost like that better)

Gaius resolved to look for her in her room first; that seemed the most likely place she would be. He started gingerly up the stairs, not looking forward to the conversation at all. It would be awkward as hell.

(Ahh nice!)

The longer she thought about it the iller she felt, and so she decided to cut her losses and go back to her room. She turned back down the hall and hesitated. Or perhaps she should go find a parlor? Sara would likely look for her in her room if she wanted to interrogate her. Tadaaki would look for her there, too, if he wanted to forcibly drag her out into civilized society once again. Perhaps she should find elsewhere to hide. If Gaius could disappear in the library for three days without trying, she was certain there had to be somewhere else that would be even more remote and easy to do so in if you tried. But where?

Gaius made it to the fourth floor before he took a break, leaning against the walk on the landing. His leg was proving itself an inconvenience once again; he was beginning to come around to the thought of losing it. Hating Michael couldn't be enough reason to hang onto it if it made it this hard to function, right?

That would be wrong of her.

Fine.

She sighed and headed for the back stairs.

He stood there for a few minutes resting, then started for the fifth floor. He was going over in his head what he should say to Ky. How he should act. Sara seemed to think he ought to treat her as an adult. He supposed he agreed, but at the same time adults were capable of making their own decisions and Ky had proven herself repulsed by the very thought of having a choice. He would have to try and do it delicately. He'd begged Sara to do it instead of him, to no avail.

Ky made quick work of the stairs and walked down the hall slower, catching her breath. She fumbled in her pocket for a moment to get the keys out but let herself into her room and shut herself in with a contented sigh. Safe. Again… for now.

Gaius reached the fifth floor and limped toward her room, where he stopped and stood staring at the door. She had to have heard his cane on the stones if she was in there. Which meant he wouldn't arrive as a surprise. And it meant he couldn't back out now that he had stopped outside her room. There was no turning around.
He glanced over his shoulder with a small sigh, then raised his good hand and rapped gently on the door.

Ky had indeed heard it and the hair prickled on the back of her neck the closer it got to her door. Gods. This was it. He was mad at her. She was finally going to get the chewing out she deserved. Or. Oh gods. Had Sara sent him with an interrogation agenda?

Gods. Gods. Gods.

And then the pause.

Oh. My. Fucking. Gods.

She waited in dreadful anticipation until it finally came. The knock. She took a deep breath and stilled her anxious hands and opened the door, hoping she didn’t look as concerned as she felt.

Gaius gazed down at her, wanting nothing more but to turn around and leave. Instead he gave a small nod.
"May I have a word?" he asked. Best get this overwith as quickly as possible.

“Yes—“ she nodded quickly and stepped backward, then hesitated. Was he telling her to come out or asking to come in? Or neither? Or—? “…of course.”

"Thank you." He stood in the doorway for a moment, then asked, "May I come in?"

“Of course.” Ky gestured invitingly. Oh fuck. Oh fuck. Oh fuck.