Young Writers Society

"Oh." Ky rubbed her abdomen again, glancing towards where she'd left the heating stone by the hearth. Perhaps she'd give it a try. Or perhaps she'd get over herself. "I mean... it's not that bad. I'm just a wimp. But it's okay. It doesn't bother me that much."

"My cramps sometimes lay me out for hours." Sera smiled slightly. "It'd no fun at all. But tea and heat helps a lot." She rose. "I'll fetch you some cloths. Do you want anything else?"

Ky shook her head. "... no... thank you."

"Alright. How are you feeling right now, aside from the cramps?"

"I don't know." Ky shrugged. There were entirely too many things competing for her attention just then. Physical. Mental. Emotional. Not to mention all the things she was actively repressing and refusing to think about. "... how should I be feeling?"

"However you need to feel. There's no real right or wrong emotion for any given time. You just...feel, and that's how it is." She sighed. "Take some time to yourself for a little while. I'll be back with some cloths in a few minutes and then I'll leave you be." She turned toward the door, then paused. "You're free to leave your room, by the way."

Oh.

Right.

That.

Gods. This had been an emotional rollercoaster.

And then it struck her what she was allowing to happen -- Sera fetching things for her. She stood up. "Do you want me to just come grab them? No point in having to climb the stairs twice."

"Not at all." She shook her head. "Lie down and find a comfortable position so your cramps don't hurt too badly. I'll be back!"

"Okay..." Ky dipped her head and sat back down on the edge of the bed. She glanced at the heating stone, but was fairly convinced it was going to hurt her if she tried to use it. Especially given how today was going for her. So she just settled back onto her pillows instead.

Sera departed, glancing over her shoulder at Ky before she left.

Ky laid back, but it stretched on her abdomen and made it hurt. Besides. She had contraband to clean up, apparently. Since apparently, she thought the absolute worst of Gaius, when reality was frankly mild. At least. Sera wanted it to be mild. And, well, if Gaius tasked her with a job like this, he probably trusted her judgment. Perhaps he would have spoken a different punishment in anger. But. Well. For now. She was basically not getting punished.

By anything but her own brain.

But the stack of her things was just sitting there mocking her so she popped back up to start putting things away. She still didn't un-hide her box from Papa, though. Just in case.

Sera returned several minutes later with a neat little box and knocked again.

"Uh!...come in." Ky had not, in fact, laid back down and gotten comfortable like she'd been told. She was basically done gathering up her things now, though, and awkwardly set her sword down on top of her dresser as she turned towards the door.

Sera entered and set the box down near Ky's bed. "Just fold them two or three times and tie the corners around your smallclothes," she told her. "That ought to be it!"

Ky looked at them dubiously. “And then what?”