Arriving back at Ul'dah felt no different to Antimony than leaving it. The air stank. The walls loomed. Refugees languished in disease and poverty. The streets clamored with noise. She handed off her chocobo to the city's chocobo-keep wearily and turned to watch K'airos and Illira. The latter she had mixed feelings towards her presence; the former she wanted to swaddle up and spirit her away some place safe, some place distant and completely removed from the lands that seemed determined to take her family.
Her grey tail twitched low by her legs as she tried not to breathe too deeply. "I am sorry for bringing you so far out of your way, Miss Carceri." Yes, she was sorry. Sorry the elezen had been present. Sorry she had killed her daughter.
"It is not out of my way. I needed to stop through to get on an airship anyway," She glanced up at the Quicksand that was just across the street, "I should stay with you until your other... escort arrives. Or perhaps you all feel safe enough waiting on your own so long as your back at your lodgings?"
K'airos handed her own chocobo back before standing to the side of her mother.
Her arms were crossed. "I don't know if we have...lodgings here." she said.
Antimony set a reassuring hand on K'airos's arm. "I have a room at the Quicksand that we can stay in for now." Green eyes glanced towards Illira, the crowsfeet extending from their corners and the crease between her brow having deepened over the past few days. "I would not burden you further, Miss Carceri. I understand you... likely have other matters worth your attention."
"It was a mistake to return to this city once more, but its one I'm doomed to make again, I am sure." Illira gestured towards the Inn, "Let me at least see you both inside before I buy myself another ticket aboard one of those twelves-forsaken airships."
K'airos untangled her arms. "That'd be nice of you. Thanks." she nodded and then moved towards the inn.
Antimony opened her mouth to respond to Illira, but the way K'airos turned to leave so quickly dragged her around as well. She gave a nod to the elezen and then followed close to her daughter, hovering. "It is not a permanent solution, but... we can perhaps spend some time to think," she said, referring to their lodgings.
The lanky elezen walked behind them, her shadow cast over the miqo'te thanks to the sun's waning position, "I cannot imagine that D'hein will be far behind you. He cannot seem to pull himself away from your presence for long. So if you need to muse on your own, you should be quick about it."
"That seems rude." K'airos murmured, going up the stairs to the Quicksand. "He lost family, too. You shouldn't speak bad of him."
"My relationship with D'hein is not up for discussion," answered Illira.
"He is... persistent." Antimony sighed. "I can't fault him for it, for the moment, considering..." She swallowed.
"Considering what your child was? What she was allowed to become?" Illira pressed her lips together, aware even as she said the words that they were perhaps not acceptable things to say to a grieving mother. They spilled out nonetheless though. It was not in her nature to not dig into meat of things. She would have made a terrible politician.
K'airos turned around to face the woman. She stood very close to her and, being much shorter, looked up to her with defiance written all over her expression.
"If you don't have anything nice to say go away." she growled.
"Please," Antimony breathed, closing her eyes, and her voice shook as she continued, "Do not speak of... do not bring... her into this, Miss Carceri. It was not what I was referring to, anyway."
"Then what were you referring to?" Illira asked as they began to climb the stairs up to the Quicksand.
"Considering what just happened? Or everything that happened, maybe? D'hal died, too. And now D'aijeen." K'airos continued to growl, getting visibly angry. Her tail formed a straight line behind her, the hair on it seemingly pointing outwards.
"Airos," Antimony spoke quietly, turned to rest her hand on her daughter's arm. "Let us please just find an hour's peace. Miss Carceri is... trying." She wanted to hate that woman, though.
Ilira stepped ahead of the other women, pulling the Inn's door open for them, her thin lips pressed together.
K'airos walked into the inn wordlessly, her arms crossed again and her sight placed firmly on the ground a few steps ahead of her.
Antimony moved as well, keeping at K'airos's side through the door and into the tavern. The rank stink of warm beer, sweaty bodies, and overcooked food that assaulted her nose was more of a shock than it had been in previous days, and she blinked slowly against it before turning to the elezen with them. "I will not thank you, as D'hein did," she began, ears shivering close to her skull. "... But I will express my relief that more lives were not lost."
Illira nodded her head in understanding, "And he should not have thanked me either, it simply makes him feel better, I think." Steely eyes glanced over the busy tavern, "I should leave you now, before he returns. I have done what I promised."
The youngest woman said nothing, avoiding going across the center of the inn. Instead, she followed the wall to the left, avoiding most tables and patrons to reach the stairs to the rooms.
Antimony took a step after K'airos, an anxious look flashing across her eyes as her daughter moved away, and then wavered in place before turning to offer a slight bow towards Illira. "You have... done. May the sun smile on you." Then she spun to hurry after K'airos.
You have done. What did that even mean? Illira didn't care enough to ask for clarification. It was far more important to leave the city before D'hein had a chance to try to chain her back down to it with his calculated, manipulative words. She walked around the upper lip of the tavern towards the northern exit.
Catching up with K'airos, Antimony stepped close and gestured towards the far wall, off to one side of the bar. "It is a bit... damaged, but there is water for cleaning and space to rest," she spoke softly to her daughter.
At the same instant that Illira was leaving the tavern, D'hein was entering. He had searched the beaches south of Vesper Bay for all of half an hour before calling it good enough (he hadn't been keeping track of time and felt like he'd gone a very long way) and rushing to Horizon to get a chocobo. He had ridden the poor thing half to death, feeling like he was going very slowly (because, again, he has a poor sense of time) and this sense of urgency inexplicably remained after his arrival in Ul'dah. He almost couldn't remember why he was in a hurry, but he knew that he had to confirm Antimony's arrival before he could do anything else.
And so it was that he ran smack into the much taller Elezen in his haste, his chest to her belly and his face finding her left breast precisely, though he had the misfortune of not being cognizant enough of what was happening to appreciate it.
K'airos nodded to her mother quietly, throwing an angry glance back to the elezen just in time to see D'hein crashing into her. Her ears pulled back and down, and she stopped being angry for that moment.
Antimony didn't immediately notice K'airos's reaction, or at least did not connect it to anything noteworthy. Instead she just continued to urge her daughter towards the hall that would take them to the inn rooms, her steps heavy.
Illira had just been reaching for the doors handle when it swung open and weight pushed into her. A deep breath heaved through the very breast that the shorter man pressed up against as her eyes closed, not even wanting to see who it was. She was sure that it wasn't anyone that she cared to no. "Remove yourself from my person if you would, I am not known for my patience."
D'hein bounced off and looked confused for a moment, his sense of urgency still holding his mind and having him cast his gaze back and forth, ears turning a variety of different directions and never agreeing on one, before he finally lifted his eyes to Illira's face. He blinked, and then smiled, and one ear popped up and his eyes glowed. "Ah, Illira! You made it back!"
K'airos let her mother push her further towards the rooms. "I think Illira ran into D'hein" she commented lowly as they moved.
Antimony paused at that, lifted her head without turning it to look, and drew in a slow breath. "Do you want to wait for him, Airos?" She would concede to her daughter's wishes, whatever they were.
The girl hesitated for an instant before answering. "No, he can come to the room if he wants. I don't want to see that woman, if I can help it." And so she continued walking.
At the familiar voice, Illira's attention immediately snapped downward as her eyes widened, "Get off of me," she snapped as she made a frantic shove at the man with her long, thin hands.
"Ah, hey! I didn't mean anything!" He took an extra step back, still smiling, speaking with humor. "It's good to see you've returned and are well!" ((...........))
Not questioning it further, Antimony simply followed along close with K'airos once more. She would guide her a short ways down the hall and then around a corner to the left. She cast a glance to K'airos's profile once they arrived at the door and ran a few fingers through her daughter's hair, brow furrowed. "You smell like..." A number of things that were all unpleasant, for a variety of reasons. She pushed open the door. "A bath will ease your mind, Airos. You don't need to think of anything you don't wish to now."
The mention of a bath didn't seem to do much good on K'airos. She agreed with the head and moved into the room. "I bet Limsa and the sea are nicer than Ul'dah and the desert." she said to the air.
Antimony watched her daughter a moment before following her into the room, shutting the door with a quiet click. "Than Ul'dah, yes," she murmured, closing her eyes briefly. She wasn't sure anything could compare with the open skies of the Sagolii, but then... that was something she'd had to leave behind a long time ago. "I hear tell there are other... places, as well, that are just as different."
Something had changed inside of Antimony's room. Several somethings had, actually, and there was a strange smell of worked wood in the air. As K'airos pushed into the room, Loughree jumped to her feet and spun on them in surprise, dropping her tools to the grind with a metal clatter. The large, broad miqo'te had cleaned up since the last time Antimony had seen her, but was now dirty with sweat from working. Every piece of broken furniture in the inn room had been replaced with furniture that looked fresh-made. Loughree was half-way through attaching a new footboard to the bed.
K'airos stared at the woman inside her mother's -or their, maybe- room. "I'm sorry! We didn't want to startle you." she said, confusing her with a maid. "Let me help you pick those up."
Antimony froze, her mouth hanging on the last word of her speaking. Her tail twitched, nose taking in the scent, and then she just let out a faint, sighing breath. She wasn't sure she could handle this. Not now... "Miss Loughree," she murmured. "I... didn't know you were here."
"I'm sorry." Loughree dove to grab up her tools before K'airos could get to them. "I didn't realize you'd be back! I was just fixing the things I broke. So, now, they're fixed and you don't have to pay for them, see?"
K'airos clasped her hands together, letting them hang lazily in front of her. "Uhm...you know each other?" she asked.
"Yes." Antimony's expression softened, and then just grew sad. "Thank you," she said to Loughree. "It is good to see you... safe."
Loughree turned back to thr footboard of the bed and crouched over it. "I'm almost done, then I can go. I didn't mean to still be here." She began to work on it again.
K'airos watched the woman awkwardly, pondering on how slightly awkward the situation was. "I'm K'airos." she said. "Nice to meet you."
"It's quite alright," Antimony sighed and stepped further into the room. Her eyes shifted to K'airos. "This is... my daughter."
Loughree looked up at K'airos and offered a passive, "Hello," before she stopped work and inhaled suddenly. "Oh!" She looked back at Antimony. "So, you found her! Did everything...?"
K'airos crossed her arms, and looked around the room, wondering if it had its own bathroom. "We are fine. We are just...tired." she said lowly.
Antimony just watched K'airos a moment - the young woman would find there was indeed an attached bathroom separate from the sleeping area - with her sad expression. "It has been a long day." She hesitated before turning her gaze back to Loughree. "You didn't need to do all of this."
"I'm almost done." Loughree repeated, going back to her work.
The red-headed woman went towards the bathroom. "Is this the-yes, it is." she said, interrupting herself halfway through the phrase when she opened the door and glanced inside. "I'm going to prepare a bath." she added, and then went in.
"Ah, Ai..." Antimony trailed off into silence as her daughter disappeared into the washroom. She hung in visible suspension for several moments, and then just sagged, her head dropping down to hang from her neck, from her shoulders, from her spine. "Thank you, then," she said to Loughree, folding her fingers together. "You are a good woman, despite.."
"Don't, please." Loughree interrupted Antimony, securing the bed with bolts and glue. After a moment of silence, she glanced over her shoulder at Antimony. "Are you okay?"
Antimony straightened somewhat, lifting her head towards the Keeper and offering a faint attempt at a smile. "We will be." She wasn't sure how much she believed that, but she had to be. For K'airos. "I... still worry for you, though."
The sound water came from the bathroom, as K'airos was filling the tub. It was also good for muffling the sobbing.
"I don't want you worrying about me. That's why I did this." Loughree stood and turned towards Antimony, looking more together than she had in the past, though she was still disheveled and exhausted in appearance. At least she looked emotionally stable. "I shouldn't have put any weight on you at all, so now it's off. You need to worry about your own kid and forget about me."
"I will not." Antimony was far too tired, too achingly numb to argue much further, however. Instead she stood there and tried not to simply run to K'airos's side in the washroom.
Loughree stood still for a moment, watching Antimony carefully, and then she pocketed her tools, freeing her hands, so that she could step forward and give the woman a hug.
K'airos stayed where she was.
Antimony pulled in a breath as Loughree wrapped her arms around her. Then she sagged and pulled the younger but physically larger woman close, squeezing her back. Her eyes burned, but she held back the tears that wanted to fall. She was silent for a time, words choking against a tight throat, but she finally managed, "...You are welcome with us, Loughree. But... right now, I need to be with Airos."
"I know." Loughree grabbed Antimony's shoulders and pulled the two of them apart, slipping sideways and going towards the door. "You'll be fine."
Antimony dropped her arms to her sides as Loughree stepped around her. She made no effort to stop the other woman. Her gaze dropped to the re-made bed.
Loughree slipped out of the room silently, not giving any more by way of goodbye. She shut the door behind her.
Antimony hung in limbo for a long moment. Then her body seemed to sway and drift towards the washroom. She hesitated outside it and, knocking softly, murmured, "Airos, may I come in?"
K'airos took a while to answer. The water stopped flowing. "Yes." she said finally, voice shaking. She opened the door and moved to let her mother enter. She rubbed her eyes with one palm, walking towards the filled tub. "Who was that?"
Stepping past the door, Antimony looked down briefly, then to K'airos. "She is a... friend who has had a troubled life." Her expression softened, grew a little distant. "I think she is around your age."
The young woman pondered about a moment about that and looked slightly troubled. She gestured to towards the toilet and the sink. "Did you want to use...?"
Green eyes refocused on K'airos, and grey ears shifted to one side. "I only wanted to check on you. Be here, for when you need me. If you need anything, Airos..."
"I'm fine. I don't have clothes, though, and I don't know if D'hein brought anything." she said. "I'll take a bath. You should ask him if he brought my things...or get me something to put on."
Antimony's ears lowered just slightly. "... Alright, Airos." She paused, just watching her daughter again, as though she were almost afraid K'airos would disappear if she looked away. "... I will always be here for you." She stepped back out of the bathroom then, to turn towards the door.
K'airos tapped her fingers together. "Maybe you should tell...Lou-ghree to come have lunch with us. Or dinner. Or...something. She seemed nice."
Antimony blinked. "... I will see what I can do." Her tail twisted up once. "Are you hungry, or thirsty? I will ask for fresh linens.."
"I don't know what bell it is." K'airos replied. "If you think we should eat, that'd be okay."
Antimony just bowed her head and murmured an, "Of course. I will be back soon." Then she reluctantly backed out of the room and into the hall.
K'airos closed the door slowly. She turned around and, very explicably, found the room empty. She found this strange nonetheless.
Antimony hovered just outside the room for a time. She leaned her head against the wood, took several shaking breaths, and then pushed away to make her way back towards the open tavern.
Her grey tail twitched low by her legs as she tried not to breathe too deeply. "I am sorry for bringing you so far out of your way, Miss Carceri." Yes, she was sorry. Sorry the elezen had been present. Sorry she had killed her daughter.
"It is not out of my way. I needed to stop through to get on an airship anyway," She glanced up at the Quicksand that was just across the street, "I should stay with you until your other... escort arrives. Or perhaps you all feel safe enough waiting on your own so long as your back at your lodgings?"
K'airos handed her own chocobo back before standing to the side of her mother.
Her arms were crossed. "I don't know if we have...lodgings here." she said.
Antimony set a reassuring hand on K'airos's arm. "I have a room at the Quicksand that we can stay in for now." Green eyes glanced towards Illira, the crowsfeet extending from their corners and the crease between her brow having deepened over the past few days. "I would not burden you further, Miss Carceri. I understand you... likely have other matters worth your attention."
"It was a mistake to return to this city once more, but its one I'm doomed to make again, I am sure." Illira gestured towards the Inn, "Let me at least see you both inside before I buy myself another ticket aboard one of those twelves-forsaken airships."
K'airos untangled her arms. "That'd be nice of you. Thanks." she nodded and then moved towards the inn.
Antimony opened her mouth to respond to Illira, but the way K'airos turned to leave so quickly dragged her around as well. She gave a nod to the elezen and then followed close to her daughter, hovering. "It is not a permanent solution, but... we can perhaps spend some time to think," she said, referring to their lodgings.
The lanky elezen walked behind them, her shadow cast over the miqo'te thanks to the sun's waning position, "I cannot imagine that D'hein will be far behind you. He cannot seem to pull himself away from your presence for long. So if you need to muse on your own, you should be quick about it."
"That seems rude." K'airos murmured, going up the stairs to the Quicksand. "He lost family, too. You shouldn't speak bad of him."
"My relationship with D'hein is not up for discussion," answered Illira.
"He is... persistent." Antimony sighed. "I can't fault him for it, for the moment, considering..." She swallowed.
"Considering what your child was? What she was allowed to become?" Illira pressed her lips together, aware even as she said the words that they were perhaps not acceptable things to say to a grieving mother. They spilled out nonetheless though. It was not in her nature to not dig into meat of things. She would have made a terrible politician.
K'airos turned around to face the woman. She stood very close to her and, being much shorter, looked up to her with defiance written all over her expression.
"If you don't have anything nice to say go away." she growled.
"Please," Antimony breathed, closing her eyes, and her voice shook as she continued, "Do not speak of... do not bring... her into this, Miss Carceri. It was not what I was referring to, anyway."
"Then what were you referring to?" Illira asked as they began to climb the stairs up to the Quicksand.
"Considering what just happened? Or everything that happened, maybe? D'hal died, too. And now D'aijeen." K'airos continued to growl, getting visibly angry. Her tail formed a straight line behind her, the hair on it seemingly pointing outwards.
"Airos," Antimony spoke quietly, turned to rest her hand on her daughter's arm. "Let us please just find an hour's peace. Miss Carceri is... trying." She wanted to hate that woman, though.
Ilira stepped ahead of the other women, pulling the Inn's door open for them, her thin lips pressed together.
K'airos walked into the inn wordlessly, her arms crossed again and her sight placed firmly on the ground a few steps ahead of her.
Antimony moved as well, keeping at K'airos's side through the door and into the tavern. The rank stink of warm beer, sweaty bodies, and overcooked food that assaulted her nose was more of a shock than it had been in previous days, and she blinked slowly against it before turning to the elezen with them. "I will not thank you, as D'hein did," she began, ears shivering close to her skull. "... But I will express my relief that more lives were not lost."
Illira nodded her head in understanding, "And he should not have thanked me either, it simply makes him feel better, I think." Steely eyes glanced over the busy tavern, "I should leave you now, before he returns. I have done what I promised."
The youngest woman said nothing, avoiding going across the center of the inn. Instead, she followed the wall to the left, avoiding most tables and patrons to reach the stairs to the rooms.
Antimony took a step after K'airos, an anxious look flashing across her eyes as her daughter moved away, and then wavered in place before turning to offer a slight bow towards Illira. "You have... done. May the sun smile on you." Then she spun to hurry after K'airos.
You have done. What did that even mean? Illira didn't care enough to ask for clarification. It was far more important to leave the city before D'hein had a chance to try to chain her back down to it with his calculated, manipulative words. She walked around the upper lip of the tavern towards the northern exit.
Catching up with K'airos, Antimony stepped close and gestured towards the far wall, off to one side of the bar. "It is a bit... damaged, but there is water for cleaning and space to rest," she spoke softly to her daughter.
At the same instant that Illira was leaving the tavern, D'hein was entering. He had searched the beaches south of Vesper Bay for all of half an hour before calling it good enough (he hadn't been keeping track of time and felt like he'd gone a very long way) and rushing to Horizon to get a chocobo. He had ridden the poor thing half to death, feeling like he was going very slowly (because, again, he has a poor sense of time) and this sense of urgency inexplicably remained after his arrival in Ul'dah. He almost couldn't remember why he was in a hurry, but he knew that he had to confirm Antimony's arrival before he could do anything else.
And so it was that he ran smack into the much taller Elezen in his haste, his chest to her belly and his face finding her left breast precisely, though he had the misfortune of not being cognizant enough of what was happening to appreciate it.
K'airos nodded to her mother quietly, throwing an angry glance back to the elezen just in time to see D'hein crashing into her. Her ears pulled back and down, and she stopped being angry for that moment.
Antimony didn't immediately notice K'airos's reaction, or at least did not connect it to anything noteworthy. Instead she just continued to urge her daughter towards the hall that would take them to the inn rooms, her steps heavy.
Illira had just been reaching for the doors handle when it swung open and weight pushed into her. A deep breath heaved through the very breast that the shorter man pressed up against as her eyes closed, not even wanting to see who it was. She was sure that it wasn't anyone that she cared to no. "Remove yourself from my person if you would, I am not known for my patience."
D'hein bounced off and looked confused for a moment, his sense of urgency still holding his mind and having him cast his gaze back and forth, ears turning a variety of different directions and never agreeing on one, before he finally lifted his eyes to Illira's face. He blinked, and then smiled, and one ear popped up and his eyes glowed. "Ah, Illira! You made it back!"
K'airos let her mother push her further towards the rooms. "I think Illira ran into D'hein" she commented lowly as they moved.
Antimony paused at that, lifted her head without turning it to look, and drew in a slow breath. "Do you want to wait for him, Airos?" She would concede to her daughter's wishes, whatever they were.
The girl hesitated for an instant before answering. "No, he can come to the room if he wants. I don't want to see that woman, if I can help it." And so she continued walking.
At the familiar voice, Illira's attention immediately snapped downward as her eyes widened, "Get off of me," she snapped as she made a frantic shove at the man with her long, thin hands.
"Ah, hey! I didn't mean anything!" He took an extra step back, still smiling, speaking with humor. "It's good to see you've returned and are well!" ((...........))
Not questioning it further, Antimony simply followed along close with K'airos once more. She would guide her a short ways down the hall and then around a corner to the left. She cast a glance to K'airos's profile once they arrived at the door and ran a few fingers through her daughter's hair, brow furrowed. "You smell like..." A number of things that were all unpleasant, for a variety of reasons. She pushed open the door. "A bath will ease your mind, Airos. You don't need to think of anything you don't wish to now."
The mention of a bath didn't seem to do much good on K'airos. She agreed with the head and moved into the room. "I bet Limsa and the sea are nicer than Ul'dah and the desert." she said to the air.
Antimony watched her daughter a moment before following her into the room, shutting the door with a quiet click. "Than Ul'dah, yes," she murmured, closing her eyes briefly. She wasn't sure anything could compare with the open skies of the Sagolii, but then... that was something she'd had to leave behind a long time ago. "I hear tell there are other... places, as well, that are just as different."
Something had changed inside of Antimony's room. Several somethings had, actually, and there was a strange smell of worked wood in the air. As K'airos pushed into the room, Loughree jumped to her feet and spun on them in surprise, dropping her tools to the grind with a metal clatter. The large, broad miqo'te had cleaned up since the last time Antimony had seen her, but was now dirty with sweat from working. Every piece of broken furniture in the inn room had been replaced with furniture that looked fresh-made. Loughree was half-way through attaching a new footboard to the bed.
K'airos stared at the woman inside her mother's -or their, maybe- room. "I'm sorry! We didn't want to startle you." she said, confusing her with a maid. "Let me help you pick those up."
Antimony froze, her mouth hanging on the last word of her speaking. Her tail twitched, nose taking in the scent, and then she just let out a faint, sighing breath. She wasn't sure she could handle this. Not now... "Miss Loughree," she murmured. "I... didn't know you were here."
"I'm sorry." Loughree dove to grab up her tools before K'airos could get to them. "I didn't realize you'd be back! I was just fixing the things I broke. So, now, they're fixed and you don't have to pay for them, see?"
K'airos clasped her hands together, letting them hang lazily in front of her. "Uhm...you know each other?" she asked.
"Yes." Antimony's expression softened, and then just grew sad. "Thank you," she said to Loughree. "It is good to see you... safe."
Loughree turned back to thr footboard of the bed and crouched over it. "I'm almost done, then I can go. I didn't mean to still be here." She began to work on it again.
K'airos watched the woman awkwardly, pondering on how slightly awkward the situation was. "I'm K'airos." she said. "Nice to meet you."
"It's quite alright," Antimony sighed and stepped further into the room. Her eyes shifted to K'airos. "This is... my daughter."
Loughree looked up at K'airos and offered a passive, "Hello," before she stopped work and inhaled suddenly. "Oh!" She looked back at Antimony. "So, you found her! Did everything...?"
K'airos crossed her arms, and looked around the room, wondering if it had its own bathroom. "We are fine. We are just...tired." she said lowly.
Antimony just watched K'airos a moment - the young woman would find there was indeed an attached bathroom separate from the sleeping area - with her sad expression. "It has been a long day." She hesitated before turning her gaze back to Loughree. "You didn't need to do all of this."
"I'm almost done." Loughree repeated, going back to her work.
The red-headed woman went towards the bathroom. "Is this the-yes, it is." she said, interrupting herself halfway through the phrase when she opened the door and glanced inside. "I'm going to prepare a bath." she added, and then went in.
"Ah, Ai..." Antimony trailed off into silence as her daughter disappeared into the washroom. She hung in visible suspension for several moments, and then just sagged, her head dropping down to hang from her neck, from her shoulders, from her spine. "Thank you, then," she said to Loughree, folding her fingers together. "You are a good woman, despite.."
"Don't, please." Loughree interrupted Antimony, securing the bed with bolts and glue. After a moment of silence, she glanced over her shoulder at Antimony. "Are you okay?"
Antimony straightened somewhat, lifting her head towards the Keeper and offering a faint attempt at a smile. "We will be." She wasn't sure how much she believed that, but she had to be. For K'airos. "I... still worry for you, though."
The sound water came from the bathroom, as K'airos was filling the tub. It was also good for muffling the sobbing.
"I don't want you worrying about me. That's why I did this." Loughree stood and turned towards Antimony, looking more together than she had in the past, though she was still disheveled and exhausted in appearance. At least she looked emotionally stable. "I shouldn't have put any weight on you at all, so now it's off. You need to worry about your own kid and forget about me."
"I will not." Antimony was far too tired, too achingly numb to argue much further, however. Instead she stood there and tried not to simply run to K'airos's side in the washroom.
Loughree stood still for a moment, watching Antimony carefully, and then she pocketed her tools, freeing her hands, so that she could step forward and give the woman a hug.
K'airos stayed where she was.
Antimony pulled in a breath as Loughree wrapped her arms around her. Then she sagged and pulled the younger but physically larger woman close, squeezing her back. Her eyes burned, but she held back the tears that wanted to fall. She was silent for a time, words choking against a tight throat, but she finally managed, "...You are welcome with us, Loughree. But... right now, I need to be with Airos."
"I know." Loughree grabbed Antimony's shoulders and pulled the two of them apart, slipping sideways and going towards the door. "You'll be fine."
Antimony dropped her arms to her sides as Loughree stepped around her. She made no effort to stop the other woman. Her gaze dropped to the re-made bed.
Loughree slipped out of the room silently, not giving any more by way of goodbye. She shut the door behind her.
Antimony hung in limbo for a long moment. Then her body seemed to sway and drift towards the washroom. She hesitated outside it and, knocking softly, murmured, "Airos, may I come in?"
K'airos took a while to answer. The water stopped flowing. "Yes." she said finally, voice shaking. She opened the door and moved to let her mother enter. She rubbed her eyes with one palm, walking towards the filled tub. "Who was that?"
Stepping past the door, Antimony looked down briefly, then to K'airos. "She is a... friend who has had a troubled life." Her expression softened, grew a little distant. "I think she is around your age."
The young woman pondered about a moment about that and looked slightly troubled. She gestured to towards the toilet and the sink. "Did you want to use...?"
Green eyes refocused on K'airos, and grey ears shifted to one side. "I only wanted to check on you. Be here, for when you need me. If you need anything, Airos..."
"I'm fine. I don't have clothes, though, and I don't know if D'hein brought anything." she said. "I'll take a bath. You should ask him if he brought my things...or get me something to put on."
Antimony's ears lowered just slightly. "... Alright, Airos." She paused, just watching her daughter again, as though she were almost afraid K'airos would disappear if she looked away. "... I will always be here for you." She stepped back out of the bathroom then, to turn towards the door.
K'airos tapped her fingers together. "Maybe you should tell...Lou-ghree to come have lunch with us. Or dinner. Or...something. She seemed nice."
Antimony blinked. "... I will see what I can do." Her tail twisted up once. "Are you hungry, or thirsty? I will ask for fresh linens.."
"I don't know what bell it is." K'airos replied. "If you think we should eat, that'd be okay."
Antimony just bowed her head and murmured an, "Of course. I will be back soon." Then she reluctantly backed out of the room and into the hall.
K'airos closed the door slowly. She turned around and, very explicably, found the room empty. She found this strange nonetheless.
Antimony hovered just outside the room for a time. She leaned her head against the wood, took several shaking breaths, and then pushed away to make her way back towards the open tavern.
![[Image: 7gJtlcb.png]](http://i.imgur.com/7gJtlcb.png)
