Young Writers Society

Tomhas had gently disentangled himself from his wife quite early in the morning and was wandering the halls. He missed when he and Lyra used to run into each other at times like these. They'd have their little exchange and then tell each other stories, and things would be alright. She stayed in her room now, and when she was out and about she hardly spoke, hardly looked at anyone. What had he done to her, letting Tarr take her away from him for the sake of some silly war? It was all his fault.
This was his fault, too, what had happened yesterday. He'd meddled where he shouldn't have. He'd tried to rescue Ky, knowing it might make things worse, and then he'd gone and fucked it up even more by killing Aleth. He should have sent them all to Gaius and let his brother take care of it.

(fuuuuuuck -- Ky's right, he regrets her haha)

Tadaaki woke up to nightmares multiple times throughout the night. But, thankfully, he didn't wake anyone else up with them. And he was marginally more rested by the time the morning came around.

Zander slept the best out of the three of them. He was agitated and anxious about Ky and confused and upset by it all. But blood didn't get to him. It took him a while to fall asleep, but once he did, he was out cold.

Ky was having a hard time controlling the pain in her arm. It hadn't really recovered from her hurting it during her night scare, and a steady throb pulsed through it. Should she go whine to Laura? She didn't want to. But she wasn't sure she'd be able to make it through breakfast if she didn't have at least a little help.

She sighed and walked to her door.

(Ack but not like that! Just the pain he caused!)

Gaius slept little as well. He'd been more disturbed by the events of last night than he'd ever admit, and his dreams were plagued with images of his brother and of knives that turned on him, cutting his hands to ribbons. He woke a little later than Tomhas and sat up after a few minutes. The moment he put weight on his right foot, though, he let out a sharp whimper. The pain was unbearable; it felt like claws were ripping at him under the skin. He could still feel the little fragments of bone that hadn't joined the twisted mess his leg had fused into, pinching and grinding against muscle. No way he was walking on that without some strong pain killers or a lot of booze.
Gaius lay back on the bed, sinking his teeth into one of his fingers to keep another cry from escaping. He needed Sara. And Sera, too.

(aha fair ig)
(awww omg buddy -- how are you making me feel bad for him xD)

Ky pulled her door open, shrinking even more as the guards posted outside her door straightened and looked at her. She couldn't meet their eyes. But she nodded as she passed, voice barely more than a whisper. "Thank you."

She didn't want them there. Didn't want them to be necessary. Didn't want to be such a burden to everyone every moment of every day. But it's what had happened and for now, she just needed to focus on getting to the infirmary.

She pulled her sleeve up as she walked, looking down at her bandage. It hadn't bled through properly -- it wasn't on her sleeve -- but the bandage was certainly visibly bloodied. A dark burgundy that made a splotch that stretched out from where the wound was.

(Gaius is one of them complex characters I keep hearing about)

Tomhas eventually wound up in the kitchens, though for once in his life he wasn't hungry. Servants were already bustling about preparing breakfast--a small one, thank the gods--so he didn't stay long. Sebastian gave him a sympathetic nod as he left and pressed a biscuit into his hand. Tomhas munched on it reluctantly as he shuffled back down the hall.

(valid)

Ky couldn't be bothered to watch where she was going. She used to be so on edge all the time. Hyper-aware of everything every moment. But she didn't have the energy for it today. Let someone sneak up on her. She wouldn't even fight this time. Wouldn't run. Was Pratik somewhere nearby? He was always so kind to her. She bet he'd make it quick. Painless. That wouldn't be so bad.

Gaius lay there until Laura came into the infirmary, approximately an hour later. She started when she saw he was already awake, and let out a breath.
"Good morning, Lord Ash. How are you feeling?"
"I can't walk," Gaius responded, patting his thigh gingerly. And he'd neglected to change out of his bloody clothes last night, so the fabric had grown stiff and red dust flaked off whenever he shifted positions.
"Do you need more milk of poppy?" Laura asked, pulling up a stool to gently examine his leg. Gaius jerked away as she prodded his foot, nodding quickly.
"As much as you can give me without killing me. Please."

(do you have ideas for where/when Ky should show up? Not sure what you have planned for the next few minutes -- I'm down for whatever)

Gods. She rubbed her eyes with both palms. She was so tired. And so sore. Her breathing was getting labored again from the effort of merely walking, and she put her hand on the wall to steady herself as she continued her trek towards the infirmary.

(Nope, no plan! She can show up with one of these two or go seek out one of her other family members. I think most of them would be asleep but Lyra and Ana are probably awake. Ana might be in her room, though)

"That bad?" Laura glanced at him with concern. "Did you pull something last night?"
"I don't know," Gaius admitted as she rose and went to fetch the medicine. "I was walking without the cane for a few moments, just while I was in combat. The adrenaline rush kicked in and I didn't feel a thing until it was over."
"Best to stay off it for a few days, then." Laura poured out a larger portion than before and brought it to him. "I'll bring in some heated rags to wrap it in as well and see if that helps." Gaius dipped his head and drank the milk of the poppy, wincing at the bitter flavor. The effect was almost immediate; the pain in his leg dulled and his muscles relaxed.

(cool!)

Ky finally looked up as she felt another presence nearby. Was this it? She tensed, looking around. Would she know whoever it was that was coming for her? Probably. Who else even was there? Pratik probably wasn't the fourth choice, but she couldn't be sure about that. It wasn't Isya. Her brain was too slow to think of the next contenders.

She stopped short when her gaze locked on Tomhas, chest instantly getting tight. She didn't know what to do. Should she turn back around and find a different path? Had he seen her already? Should she just buck up and not run away from her problems for once in her life? Gods. He probably hated her. If he was awake this early it meant he hadn't slept well, either. He probably had plenty of time to regret the fuck up that was her.

Tomhas paused mid-chew as he saw Ky, and his stomach lurched downward. Oh, gods, what could he say to her? What now? He lowered his biscuit, gazing at her warily.
"Hi," he mumbled at last, definitely sure that this was the wrong response. But what else could he say?

He didn't look happy to see her.

She couldn't blame him.

"Hi," she echoed lamely, pulling her sleeve back down. Blood seemed to bother him for some reason; she didn't know why.

Gods, what was she supposed to say to him now? Everything felt so wrong. So trite. There was no point in asking how he was doing -- he looked as exhausted as she felt. Had either of them slept? And yet nothing else was coming to mind for what to say.

The mass of biscuit was growing soggy in his mouth; he needed to finish chewing and swallow but that felt rude, too. What to say, what to say?
"Hungry?" he asked, gesturing to the biscuit. He could get her another biscuit, maybe. That'd give him something to do.

"No," Ky said quietly, shaking her head. Maybe that was the solution. Maybe if she stopped eating then she wouldn't need an assassin to finish her off. Now that she was speaking, she realized how badly her throat hurt and was vaguely aware that she was hoarse. She could see he wasn't swallowing, and she waved her hand vaguely, hoping he took it as a sign to carry on. "Thank you."

Tomhas hesitated, then swallowed. "Are you sure?" He shifted uncomfortably. "Or we could make tea, instead." Suddenly this was as awkward as the first time they'd actually talked in depth, on the stairs when Ky had gone to fetch ice for her shoulder. That seemed so very far away, now.