LadyDeme-01/12/2017
The season was just declining -- the air coming off of the sea was cool at night, and from the balcony, Delphine could see a mist rolling in off the beach, creeping its way through the buildings. Here and there, a light glimmered from a building, where people might have still been drinking, or talking, or working. But most of the city was sleeping. Delphine'd been angling for it, and had taken out the braids from her hair, and was dressed in a light nightdress. And yet.
"Lavender's green, dilly-dilly, lavender's blue..."
She was humming something, just gently -- not inaudible, but not the sort of sound that'd make anyone complain, even at the hour. To take her mind from sleeplessness, she'd set up a small easel and a lamp, and she was painting an expansion of that sketch she'd drawn... Just something to pass the time until she felt truly worn out. It felt good, putting the blue-grey Arcian sea out in swooping brush curves, mirroring the waves breaking. Still, even that, she paused every now and then, to glance about the city.(edited)
AOMRocks20-01/12/2017
Heavy knocking sounded from the door--slow, sleepy, insistent knocks.
LadyDeme-01/12/2017
Delphine hurried to the door in a fluster, leaving her work behind on the balcony for the time being. She'd gone for a single room, since the city life had been allowing her some odd hours.
She opened it widely, stepping back to allow for it. Even as she swung it open, she'd begun speaking in a slightly amused tone.
"Sorry about that; need me to keep it down?"
AOMRocks20-01/12/2017
Lorenzo would be standing, barefoot, though in his plain clothes; they seem to be fitting him more tightly. His face reddens slightly and is quickly covered by his hand. "...Ah. Delphine. You're in your sleepwear..."
LadyDeme-01/12/2017
"That's right; If I'd been expecting guests, I might have chosen something different." Delphine said with an amused tone, leaving the question of which way she would have gone in the air. Her sleepwear wasn't salacious, but it was brief and fluttery.
"If you want, I can change, but I'm fine like this... I take it you didn't need me to stop humming; did you want to come in?" It was delivered in a much more serious tone of voice -- not grave, not yet, but not joking, either.(edited)
AOMRocks20-01/12/2017
"I..." He sighs, removing his hand and shaking his head. "No. No, if you're comfortable like that, I won't force you to change, and no, it wasn't about the humming. But I would appreciate it if you welcomed me inside, yes." Though the light of the hotel may not show it, deep, darkened spots ran under his eyes.
LadyDeme-01/12/2017
She opened the door the rest of the way, leaving it broadly open, and still leaving it cracked when he'd stepped in. The room had been furnished with a bed, a table, and a couple of plush, comfortable chairs. She took one for herself. She'd never closed the balcony door, and so the cool night air fluttered through the room.
"...Couldn't sleep, huh? That just evaded my grasp, as well..."
She had a feeling about him being there -- but in that moment, she had to admit that she didn't know how to let him do that. With a sort of uncertainty pacing about in her, she'd wait a moment.(edited)
AOMRocks20-01/12/2017
He nodded, continuing the motion as he took a seat across from her. His hands ran through his hair slowly, breathing out another stressed sigh. "There is another matter keeping me awake, though. Something I cannot hold in any longer... and as you have supported me for so long, I feel I must tell you. And... If I annoy you, please, feel free to throw me out. I just need to tell you... May I?"
LadyDeme-01/12/2017
"Of course." She'd asked it before -- and maybe she'd been a little hurt, when he'd refused at that time. Because he had been supporting her.
AOMRocks20-01/12/2017
Lorenzo takes a deep breath, palming his forehead, focusing on the floor. "...I see ghosts. Spirits that follow me. In my dreams, corners of my tent or room... they carry the faces of my comrades. Their voices, too--and sometimes, even the battlefields. The ones they spent their last breaths on. I cannot help but feel as if they are calling to me; whether that is to the afterlife or the battlefield I am not sure. I have not felt more uneasy than in my hotel room."
LadyDeme-01/12/2017
Healing with staves only covered so much -- even when she saw a wound gaping, the sensation that it was beyond her power arose -- her eyes widened, and for a second, her stomach lurched with uncertainty. But what she'd learned from this was how to turn what had been a chore for her mother into something that had a real place in the world. So. What did her lessons say about ghosts?
The phrasing was wrong in her head when she asked it. Not ghosts. Hauntings -- the sort that needs only one unquiet, living spirit...
"I think I understand what you're saying; you'll have to correct me, if I mistook your meaning...But..."
First, she offered him her hand. Her fingers just slightly curled, to place his hand in if he wanted it. She spoke without looking away, and with a soft tone to her words.
" I've got some background in healing magic, so I know a little bit about ghosts... But I've read about this before, too. When someone's gone through too much, sometimes, they carry that with them -- more heavily than most. You must.. have been suffering terribly, all this time. I'm glad you told me -- you don't deserve to be suffering alone. I really mean that."
She knew maybe better than most -- what a nightmare it could be, being trapped inside your head with yourself. More than any ghost... It threatened to pull you down into somethink unsinkable. Because if you could tell no one, then surely, no one wanted to hear it; that was how it could seem. And even if all she could have offered was freedom from that single element, then she'd do it gladly.
"If your room's stressful, is mine OK?"(edited)
AOMRocks20-01/12/2017
Lorenzo gives a small nod, taking her hand with a sniffle. "I... thought so. I had no other way to explain what I have been seeing... and there was a small etching in the back of my mind that you may be able to help."
"I've never been availed from this by any staff, so I suppose it was naive to believe... but already, I can feel something. I..." He scoffs. "It reminds me of when I had removed my armor for the very first time. Ironic, for I haven't been like this before my duties started..."
He takes a deep breath, squeezing her hand. "I... It may not be the most appropriate, but knowing I have someone with me really does help." Lorenzo coughs. "Though I do have Artemis, I haven't told her about this and don't want to trouble her--besides, she probably wouldn't let her big brother stay with her anyway. Your room is fine, Delphine. You have my gratitude."
LadyDeme-01/12/2017
He'd taken her hand after all -- she hadn't been sure if he would or not, until she could encircle it with her own hand. That was all the more reason to let it stay there, and when he squeezed it, to send it whatever warmth she could in return -- like sending a live through her hand. Delphine met his explanations with a slightly relieved smile.
"The feeling of being unguarded after carrying it around so long is kind of fearsome in its own right... But that's also why it's important to have it, I suppose... Even if it's not about this, if you don't want to, you should talk to her more. Just being around people who love you is good medicine."
She wondered what Artemis would think, if she knew -- Delphine couldn't think it'd be a burden. She nodded graciously, shrugging off concerns about sharing a room. It didn't matter much to her, and under other circumstances, she'd probably tease him about it... But this was, after all, sincere.
"Appropriate is what you make of it. If another 'appropriate' exists, I don't care about it.... It's only appropriate for me to be there for you. You do the same for me. So any time or place or circumstance... Is one where I'd want to be there."
AOMRocks20-01/12/2017
He nods slowly, smiling. "I... would say the same for you, Delphine. The time and place and circumstance part, that is. Thank you so much for letting me in and get this off my chest... I mean the 'unguarded' part in a good way. My armor was heavy." He squeezes her again.
LadyDeme-01/12/2017
"I bet; that stuff looks like it could be used to anchor a ship. At least a small skiff." She nodded, squeezing his hand back in return. It was a strange image, the armor holding a boat in place, bringing a broader smile to her face.
"Though we probably shouldn't put that to the test."
AOMRocks20-01/12/2017
He chuckles, his somber mood subsiding. "Ah, yes... plus, without that, what would I wear? I can't act well in this..."
He leans slightly, hand still held, out to glance the balcony. "...what's that you've got out there?"
LadyDeme-01/12/2017
"No, you'd need a cape for acting. Maybe a nice hat, but the armor's a good look."
She nodded, before turning her head. Since the lean pulled at her arm a bit, she scootched a little closer, leaning with him.
"Ah, well. It's a painting. Something of a work in progress... I got inspired by the stylistic atmosphere of the city, so I went down to the beach to sketch the morning set-up there... But then I saw something far more interesting. A man -- his name is Mateus -- had brought down 8 baby wyverns, to come play in the water."
She chuckled fondly at the memory, and how odd and startling it had been. And how lovely, the slick seafoam bouncing the light around on the fresh, soft scales. Compared to an adult wyvern, who was bound to have some calloused spots even if he was well-treated, these had seemed somehow soft and delicate, their size closer to dogs than anything.
"You're bound to see him again, since he joined up with us... But the sight of it all, so peaceful and joyful, was something I wanted to keep. I wanted to make sure it will continue to exist."
AOMRocks20-01/12/2017
"Ah, I see... it looks nice from here. And up close as well, I'm sure." He returns to his original position.
"Yes, peace... I should start enjoying it again, once this war is over. I find myself thinking about that... as Father isn't getting any younger, you must know..."
LadyDeme-01/12/2017
"You should. And to take some time to do so even now -- the world still has things like romantic plays and baby wyverns frolicking in the dawn."
Somehow, even in the war, that kaledescope of human life she loved so much hadn't stopped. Whether they were colorful beads or sharp glass shards, she was in there with them -- and still finding herself turning.
She sighed, resting her spare hand on the arm of the chair, drumming it slightly. She wasn't sure what state Lorenzo's father might really be in, but there was no sense doing anything about it until they could at least reach Floribar.
"Yeah... That'll be a new set of lessons in its own right. There's a lot of work ahead of me, too... I'm not sure if I'll live up to what everyone was hoping for. But I guess I'd do worse not rolling up my sleeves. I have an opera house I need to finish, so I have to see finished everything before that."(edited)
AOMRocks20-01/12/2017
"Of course, of course... though I've no idea what Father's been up to. But we'll have each other, won't we? As much as two unrelated counuts have each other, at least." Lorenzo leans his head back, smiling slightly. "Do you feel tired yet? I'm more than ready to get a good night's rest for tomorrow if you are."
LadyDeme-01/12/2017
"We'll have each other, as best we can." She agreed, with perhaps a little more finality. Because the road to healing for the whole country would be hard... But it would probably still be hard for him, too. Unrelated or no, they had a trust that she didn't want to throw away.
She covered a yawn with her free hand, nodding. The restlessness that had driven her to work on her painting had mostly been worn away, leaving behind a light drowsiness.
"I think now would be a good time; I think I've chatted off my restlessness, for the time. So let's try and get a good night's sleep."
She rose up to her feet, still not exactly sure if he wanted her still holding his hand or not... However, as long as he followed, she'd head towards the bed, hopefully, this time, to have a pleasant dream.(edited)
AOMRocks20-01/12/2017
He follows her to the bed, changing from his regular clothes into the sleepwear that was under them. "Of course, Delphine. Thank you, once again."
LadyDeme-01/12/2017
"You're always welcome," She replied, her tone already slightly sleepy. She huddled down under the blankets, curled up on her side. She closed her eyes and relaxed... But she made sure not to drift off to sleep right away. Not until she heard his breathing shift into something deeper and smoother, like a slow-rolling ocean. With that, she could drift off herself.
She might have dreamt ashy fields -- and of finding things growing under layers of ash.
=== RP End ===
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