Two Crows Watch from the Gallows Tree (part 15)

(Okay awesome! We are about to get on the water soon anyhow and I’m not sure how much access I’ll have to my phone once we do. New coworkers; new methods. Hard to say how much downtime I’ll have for the next few hours)

Sera remembered when they'd brought Michael's body home, how it had looked. He'd been so small in the litter, so unlike himself in the looseness of his face. Harmless for the firet time since his infancy. She'd been furious with the bandits who had killed him, for taking the deed from her. She wished she could have been there to see the light fade from his eyes, wished it could have been her hand on the sword that split him from jaw to chest and stomach to groin. He'd kept on fighting even after they cut off his arm, Loren had said. "He bit off a man's nose and swallowed it right there," he told her gleefully. "Only fell down when they slit his tendons."
The coming of Gaius Ash had brought more blood; the stones and snow and ground were awash with it as with methodical efficiency that reminded her sickeningly of Septimus, Gaius had the staff and guards of Serpent Keep dragged from their beds and their posts to be executed or tortured. Those he knew in his heart to be loyal escaped his terrible judgement, but they were precious few.
The worst of them, Loren and Nox, survived only out of Gaius's own spite. They were doomed to old age, as far as he was concerned, and he'd see to it they lived as long as he wished.

Sera wiped at her eyes and stood, steadying herself on the door and then going to the vanity. She studied her face in the mirror, its lines and the sliver premature gray hair she kept tucked neatly behind her ear. There was a scar above her eyebrow where her head had struck her desk during one of Michael's assaults. She had several stubborn freckles at the left corner of her mouth that her mother had called bird kisses, and one of her ears was a bit smaller than the other.
She swept a few loose hair strands back into place and wiped at her red-rimmed eyes one more time, then straightened her dress and headed to the infirmary to be with Rickard.

Jerica looked at the soldier. “Alright, mommy. Back to bed with me.” Oh. Right. She got even more obnoxious when drunk.

Ky closed the door after them, planning to leave in a few minutes so they wouldn’t be seen together.

(Want to skip?)

(Yep! Do you have any ideas of where to? Maybe meet D’Ara? Or something else? That’s the only idea I have until Zander comes unless you’ve got another idea in mind?)

(We can meet D'Ara, sure!)

(Cool!)

Ky was faced with the realization that she didn’t know what to do with the rest of the mead. She considered sending it with Jerica but then she’d be left with incriminating evidence that she left her dormitory. She then briefly considered just finishing off the bottle but quickly dismissed that idea. She’d never been drunk and she didn’t intend to start now… even though having two glasses of mead between Gaius and Jerica had made her panic a bit less.

But now she had to come to dinner.

Which she didn’t want to.

But. Well.

A promise was a promise.

She stashed the mead in an empty drawer and headed for the dining room.

Gaius and Tomhas were making their way there now. Sera and Rickard were as well, as were the rest of the family and guests.

Ky somehow ended up being first.

Nope.

Absolutely not.

She turned and started to leave.

D'Ara was just coming through the door, wrapped tightly in a reindeer shawl with fingerless wool gloves on her hands. She nearly bumped into Ky and blinked in surprise. "Well!" she exclaimed, then stared at her for a moment. "The young assistant from a couple years ago! With the weasely fellow."

Ky stopped short, stomach lurching with panic as she saw the old woman. She drew in a breath, ready to raise her voice an octave and introduce herself as Kylia Loquitur. Aaaand then D’Ara recognized her. Panic crossed her features and she ducked her head. “…hello, ma’am.”

She looked her up and down. "You look different, less man-ish. I wondered if you were faking. Is that rat's cock hanging around here, too?"

“No ma’am.” Ky shook her head quickly, eyes on the floor. Should she tell her? “He’s… dead, ma’am.”

D'Ara chuckled. "Heh, really? Isn't that nice. How'd he go?"

“…Tomhas killed him.” She was blushing, still not looking up. “Ma’am.”