Skedaddle

[Emora Deen]

Laya's brow furrowed. Had she said something she shouldn't? He seemed upset by the idea. She worked her mouth, trying to find the words. Laya slid over slowly, closing the distance between them. She reached out with a shaky hand and patted his arm. She wasn't sure whether to say she was sorry or not, so she just moved to where she could drape her arm around him in a make-shift hug.

[Soran Nightblade]

Adonis stared away from her, mortified that he was losing control. He tried to say something, and his throat just closed. A pervading sense of loss he hadn't been prepared for was overwhelming his senses, and he wasn't sure yet exactly what it was he was upset for. Without his empathy, he couldn't be a slave to their feelings and needs. Without his empathy, he was safely alone in his own mind.

Without his empathy, it was official that he was no longer what he had been. He would never be it again. He searched the room for the familiar imprint of his brother's mind, for the confusion and concern he expected from Laya, and felt only the confused longing of his own emotions. Laya's arm lent a soft warmth to the confusing coldness of his mind. He let her stay there. He wanted someone there. "I don't understand," he breathed.

[Emora Deen]

Laya frowned and pulled him tighter towards her. "I'm sorry," she told him, feeling those were the only words she could say. She had no idea what he was feeling, or if he were upset by it. "Maybe it is a temporary thing? Maybe it will come back over time? When the black magic seeps its way out, like alcohol does when one sobers up?" Her eyes fluttered over his face, trying very hard to understand.

[Soran Nightblade]

Adonis clenched his eyes, focusing on her embrace and drawing more hope from her words than he ever expected. Maybe it would come back? Why did he want it back so badly? How could he be so unsure of what he wanted?

"It's quieter than I expected," he tried to explain through his tight throat, trying to rationalize and get rid of the emotional overflow.

[Emora Deen]

Laya lay there with him and listened to the sound of the silent house. She understood silence and how unnerving it could be. She had no words of comfort for him, so she just lay there next to him hoping that was comfort enough. After a while Laya fell a sleep with her arm draped over him and her nose buried close to his arm.

[Soran Nightblade]

Adonis settled into the floor, thinking about her arm around him and how calmly she lay next to him. She laid down her trust so easily. It made him feel better. Less like a monster. More like what he truly was. And yet where in the world could you find a unicorn that needed a human's comfort? He was not the same. It would take time to come to terms with that.

In the meantime, he chose to accept her comfort. He chose to sleep.

It was several hours later that Telanis rose back from the numb sleep that had overtaken him. He sat up, a little disoriented about what time it was until he saw the faint edges of pre-dawn glowing at the corners of the sky through the window.

Embers glowed in the fireplace. He got out of the bed and remembered his balance cautiously as he walked on human legs to get more wood. The house felt lighter, less thick with blood. He could finally move through it with a clear head. He paused as he returned and noticed his brother and Laya resting together. Cautiously, he leaned over them to place the fresh wood on the embers. It was a relief to see the two there, both okay, both at peace for a little while. The room was warm, and quiet, and the silent minds of his brother and the woman he loved were free of fear or misery. He sat down on Laya's other side and watched the flames lick up the sides of the logs, the shadows dancing softly on the walls.

[Emora Deen]

Laya blinked her eyes open after a while longer. Her body felt stiff and she wasn't sure if it was from sleeping on the hardwood floor or from getting tossed around like a bag of feathers by an overgrown beast.

She sat up slowly, noting slowly as awareness dragged through her that Telanis was sitting next to her. "Morning," she mused to him with a drowsy look. "Did you sleep well?" She moved closer to him, resting against his arm.

[Soran Nightblade]

Telanis grinned at her as she woke. "I slept deeply," he admitted. "I am sorry I was not more aware...I was cleaning and planned to help you inside...I don't remember what happened. I guess I lost myself at some point." He looked her over. "How do you feel?"

[Emora Deen]

Laya smiled. "Much better... but very dirty and stiff," she told him as she looked down at the mess that was left of her clothing and how blood and dirt caked her skin. "I think its time for that scalding hot bath..." She smirked to herself. "I am very glad we are all safe, my family."

Laya stood slowly, running a hand through her tangled brown hair. "I'll be back," she told him.

Laya went to the closet in the kitchen and grabbed up the giant metal barrel that she had washed the sheets in the day before. It was just big enough for an average-height person to sit very comfortably. She placed it in front of the fire in the living room, the one that shared with the bedroom. Laya pumped water into a pale and filled the tub halfway with cold water, then hung some over the fire to boil.

"Do you want a bath, Telanis?" Laya asked, meaning for him to go before since blood affected him more. She would do some cleaning to get the rest of the smell out. She went and stood in the doorway, watching for his reply.

[Soran Nightblade]

Telanis glanced down at the dried smears all over his bare skin and pondered them for a moment. Nature gave free baths, but part of him enjoyed trying things Laya's way, as silly as it was. "Okay," he agreed with a smile. "I will take a bath with you." His mind went back to the inn where they'd stayed in town, and for a moment he wondered if taking the bath with her would make him leave again. He grew thoughtful and gazed down at his knees for a minute. It didn't even occur to him that he would take a bath by himself.

[Emora Deen]

Laya laughed softly. "We won't fit in there together," she told him with a smile. "But, you can bathe first, and I'll change the water. Then I will bathe. I am going to clean some more before I do. I don't want to clean only to get dirty again."

[Soran Nightblade]

Telanis tilted his head at her. "I can clean. You can take a bath," he said. "You are not fully well yet." He stood up and walked over to her. His hands cupped her shoulders lightly and he touched his forehead to hers, careful not to do anything that might hurt her. "There is no need to draw two baths for my sake," he said gently.

[Emora Deen]

"You passed out cleaning," Laya told him with a smile. "I'm not sure if housework is a strong point of yours." She slipped her arms around his waist and drew herself to him. "If you pass out again I'll have to punish you," she said jokingly. Not that Laya would ever be good at reprimanding anyone.

She went to the bath and removed the ruined blouse and tossed it into the fire. She pulled the pale of boiling water and poured it into the metal tub. The steam and heat lightly scorched her hand. She placed the large pale by the fire and eased into the hot bath.

Her sore body immediately felt relief.

[Soran Nightblade]

Telanis watched approvingly as she let herself relax. He went to the corner and picked up a broom. He could clean. He'd seen people clean before. He grasped the handle of the device somewhat awkwardly and brushed it from side to side on the floor, making his way across the room. Of course, he wasn't actually forming any piles. Humans did this because...it made the floor smooth? In any case, he knew perfectly well how to do it.

[Emora Deen]

Laya heard the swish of the broom and she smiled as she sank deeper into the tub. She grabbed the soup and rag from the table not far away and started washing all the blood off. "How's it going?" she asked Telanis, glancing to see his progress... or lack-thereof.