D'hein stayed with Antimony all the way back to her room. Right there with her, in contact, as though afraid she might fall or crumble to pieces if he were to distance himself. He was doing his part in contributing to that illusion by treating her as fragile, as any gentleman must do with an elegant lady as Antimony surely was. Even if she hadn't quite clued in to aesthetics and etiquette, surely she had at least a lady's soul.
When they did reach her room in the Quicksand, D'hein broke from her long enough to open the door on her behalf -- as any gentleman must, for her weakened fingers my shatter if she were to attempt it herself, or something -- and move to usher her in. "Refuge, rest, and all manner of comfort shall be prepared for you," he said.
Lady's soul or not - and there were some who would argue the latter - Antimony allowed D'hein's treatment for the duration of the walk back to the Quicksand. If this allowance was more due to her hunger and thirst (the Blades didn't exactly treat their prisoners well, so she had found), or her worry for her career (was this a permanent mark? Did she have a criminal record now? How could she possibly hope to ever find work again!), or a desperate, longing need for the comfort of K'airos (her baby girl could make every worry vanish with a single smile), didn't exactly matter. Maybe she allowed it because D'hein had, over a short time, demonstrated himself as a decent person, but that might have been only one of many reasons.
She came to realize he'd brought her back to her inn room after several seconds of standing within its small walls. The warm yellow tones of the lamp she'd either left on or D'hein had managed brought some measure of comfort, and she let out a slow breath. Another beat later, she finally processed his words and blinked before turning quickly to the tia, shaking her hands in front of her. "Oh no, no I couldn't possibly ask you to--this is quite enough, thank you. I appreciate everything you've ah, done and... well, it's not as though there's much to take care of here! I'll be fine."
Having wandered into the room to light it, D'hein returned and placed a hand on Antimony's shoulder. He gestured with one finger as though he were lecturing her. "Now, it is my prerogative to ensure we live in a balanced and just world. The unfortunate treatment you've received at the hands of my tribe mates leaves me in the position of having to dote on you doubly or more until the balance has just been righted. There's nothing that can be done to avoid such necessity."
Antimony fought back a grimace that forced its way out in a slight twitching at one corner of her mouth. Her tail writhed busily behind her. "I'm not nearly so fragile as to need... I mean, that is--not that I'm ungrateful! It's only... oh, I don't blame you at all for their actions! You have no need to feel obligated to me and I will just--ah, get some food and a change of clothes and... and find Airos, and I will be just fine." She nodded firmly.
Crossing his arms over his chest, D'hein said firmly, "I won't have you traipsing about the city without having your rest first. You're likely to make yourself sick if you don't see to your health and comfort, by which I mean I'll see to your health and comfort and you'll have a meal, a bath and a nap."
"Two of those I can't possibly accept your supervision of," Antimony stammered and shook her head, her ears laying back flat.
The Dodo appeared confused. "Which two?"
"Which--which two??" She could feel the fur along her tail prickling in an uncontrollable agitation and stammered for a moment longer before very suddenly stilling. Taking a slow, deep breath, Antimony closed her eyes a moment and tried to reign in whatever nerves were still frazzled by her prison (jail? Was there a difference really?) experience. "I appreciate your concern and everything--well, everything you have done for me so far," she said after a pause, "but I'm fully capable of caring for myself after this matter. It... it was only a minor incident. Just... minor!" One ear twitched.
"I don't doubt your ability to care for yourself, but I still plan to be annoying," D'hein said, looking around the room and finding the box of items he had gifted Antimony with prior. He goes to it, searching. "Now, where is a comb? We should comb out your hair so that it washes properly."
"Minor, really!" Her voice squeaked faintly and she hurried after D'hein towards the box where it still sat on a small end table by the bed. Her hands unconsciously brushed at the loose strands of hair she could tell were running wild after her night in the cell. Then they moved to hover over D'hein's back anxiously as she repeated, "Really! You don't need to be he--to do this, alright? Not that.. not that it's annoying - I would never accuse you of such, but... Truly, this isn't needed and..." Her eyes cast about, landing on a few stacks of papers sitting upon a small desk across the room. "... And I would much rather immediately get to work replacing all of the documents those... Brass Blades bur--lost. Yes? It is important, after all."
"Telling me that you intend to go back to work immediately does nothing but convince my all the more of the need for care," D'hein replied, sounding cheerful again.
Her ears splayed out in opposite directions from her head at those words, D'hein's cheer countered by the sudden set of her jaw and pursed, anxious lips. She made to take hold of one arm to turn him around towards her. "Now look--look here." She hesitated, furrowing her brow at the tia and the voice that told her it was probably rude to just flat refuse such genuine offers of help. "I appreciate that you want to help me - I truly.. truly do! But. What I need is a moment to myself, to--ah, to take care of myself. And..." Revelation lit her eyes suddenly and she felt herself trying to pull D'hein away from the table, back with her towards the door. "The best thing you can do for me is to find Airos and send her here. That's what I need right now!"
Letting himself be turned around, D'hein looked down on Antimony. He frowned, appeared conflicted. One ear swiveled back as his lips twisted. "It's a big city. I'm not sure I can find K'airos if I don't know where to look. And I have difficulty abandoning you without first assuring that you're fed and resting."
"She--well, she's a Brass Blade... surely she would be--somewhere!" That was rather a useless observation, but it was the best she had. Truthfully, she had no idea where K'airos went and what she did when her daughter wasn't with her. A sharp pang of guilt stung in her gut at that; she should try to learn more about what her baby girl did during her days. What kind of mother was she that she allowed herself to be so overwhelmed by her daughters presence that she failed at showing interest in anything else about her daughter?
Antimony's ears drooped and her hands holding onto D'hein's sleeve twisted in the fabric in a common display of distress. "How can I not know what my baby girl does for her work!" She cried out.
"You... she..." D'hein looked to one side, then back to Antimony. After a moment's pondering, he said, "Love is not a check-list and you're not going to be tested on such things. At any rate, she normally works in Drybone, so I don't know where she would be in Ul'dah either."
Antimony shook her head at that but said nothing further on the matter. What D'hein didn't know was that there was a test, and its name was K'aijeen. Or D... Her heart twisted. "Please, just leave me be for now," she sighed, dropping her eyes to the stitching in the fabric she clutched at. "If you must, you may... ah, visit later."
"I'm going to bring food and check back soon to make sure you aren't trying to do any work."
"Yes, yes, alright," she muttered at the cloth, and then straightened, her hands once again urging him back towards the door. "Alright," she repeated with a bit more energy.
Letting himself be moved with mild reluctance, D'hein said, "And what are you going to be doing?"
"Taking care of myself," Antimony assured and made to open the door for him.
"I'll be back with food in an hour." D'hein permitted himself to be pushed out the door, standing in the hallway.
She watched him for a moment, one hand on the door, and then shook her tail. "... Yes, alright. Thank you," she murmured the last two words as she turned and shut the door with a soft click.
Pressing her back against the cool wood, Antimony let herself sag into a sigh once she was alone. Rest was certainly appealing, for she hadn't slept a wink during her night in that cell, but she couldn't stop her eyes from drifting to the carefully organized stacks of papers awaiting her attention on the room's small desk.
Well, taking care of herself also meant doing her job.
When they did reach her room in the Quicksand, D'hein broke from her long enough to open the door on her behalf -- as any gentleman must, for her weakened fingers my shatter if she were to attempt it herself, or something -- and move to usher her in. "Refuge, rest, and all manner of comfort shall be prepared for you," he said.
Lady's soul or not - and there were some who would argue the latter - Antimony allowed D'hein's treatment for the duration of the walk back to the Quicksand. If this allowance was more due to her hunger and thirst (the Blades didn't exactly treat their prisoners well, so she had found), or her worry for her career (was this a permanent mark? Did she have a criminal record now? How could she possibly hope to ever find work again!), or a desperate, longing need for the comfort of K'airos (her baby girl could make every worry vanish with a single smile), didn't exactly matter. Maybe she allowed it because D'hein had, over a short time, demonstrated himself as a decent person, but that might have been only one of many reasons.
She came to realize he'd brought her back to her inn room after several seconds of standing within its small walls. The warm yellow tones of the lamp she'd either left on or D'hein had managed brought some measure of comfort, and she let out a slow breath. Another beat later, she finally processed his words and blinked before turning quickly to the tia, shaking her hands in front of her. "Oh no, no I couldn't possibly ask you to--this is quite enough, thank you. I appreciate everything you've ah, done and... well, it's not as though there's much to take care of here! I'll be fine."
Having wandered into the room to light it, D'hein returned and placed a hand on Antimony's shoulder. He gestured with one finger as though he were lecturing her. "Now, it is my prerogative to ensure we live in a balanced and just world. The unfortunate treatment you've received at the hands of my tribe mates leaves me in the position of having to dote on you doubly or more until the balance has just been righted. There's nothing that can be done to avoid such necessity."
Antimony fought back a grimace that forced its way out in a slight twitching at one corner of her mouth. Her tail writhed busily behind her. "I'm not nearly so fragile as to need... I mean, that is--not that I'm ungrateful! It's only... oh, I don't blame you at all for their actions! You have no need to feel obligated to me and I will just--ah, get some food and a change of clothes and... and find Airos, and I will be just fine." She nodded firmly.
Crossing his arms over his chest, D'hein said firmly, "I won't have you traipsing about the city without having your rest first. You're likely to make yourself sick if you don't see to your health and comfort, by which I mean I'll see to your health and comfort and you'll have a meal, a bath and a nap."
"Two of those I can't possibly accept your supervision of," Antimony stammered and shook her head, her ears laying back flat.
The Dodo appeared confused. "Which two?"
"Which--which two??" She could feel the fur along her tail prickling in an uncontrollable agitation and stammered for a moment longer before very suddenly stilling. Taking a slow, deep breath, Antimony closed her eyes a moment and tried to reign in whatever nerves were still frazzled by her prison (jail? Was there a difference really?) experience. "I appreciate your concern and everything--well, everything you have done for me so far," she said after a pause, "but I'm fully capable of caring for myself after this matter. It... it was only a minor incident. Just... minor!" One ear twitched.
"I don't doubt your ability to care for yourself, but I still plan to be annoying," D'hein said, looking around the room and finding the box of items he had gifted Antimony with prior. He goes to it, searching. "Now, where is a comb? We should comb out your hair so that it washes properly."
"Minor, really!" Her voice squeaked faintly and she hurried after D'hein towards the box where it still sat on a small end table by the bed. Her hands unconsciously brushed at the loose strands of hair she could tell were running wild after her night in the cell. Then they moved to hover over D'hein's back anxiously as she repeated, "Really! You don't need to be he--to do this, alright? Not that.. not that it's annoying - I would never accuse you of such, but... Truly, this isn't needed and..." Her eyes cast about, landing on a few stacks of papers sitting upon a small desk across the room. "... And I would much rather immediately get to work replacing all of the documents those... Brass Blades bur--lost. Yes? It is important, after all."
"Telling me that you intend to go back to work immediately does nothing but convince my all the more of the need for care," D'hein replied, sounding cheerful again.
Her ears splayed out in opposite directions from her head at those words, D'hein's cheer countered by the sudden set of her jaw and pursed, anxious lips. She made to take hold of one arm to turn him around towards her. "Now look--look here." She hesitated, furrowing her brow at the tia and the voice that told her it was probably rude to just flat refuse such genuine offers of help. "I appreciate that you want to help me - I truly.. truly do! But. What I need is a moment to myself, to--ah, to take care of myself. And..." Revelation lit her eyes suddenly and she felt herself trying to pull D'hein away from the table, back with her towards the door. "The best thing you can do for me is to find Airos and send her here. That's what I need right now!"
Letting himself be turned around, D'hein looked down on Antimony. He frowned, appeared conflicted. One ear swiveled back as his lips twisted. "It's a big city. I'm not sure I can find K'airos if I don't know where to look. And I have difficulty abandoning you without first assuring that you're fed and resting."
"She--well, she's a Brass Blade... surely she would be--somewhere!" That was rather a useless observation, but it was the best she had. Truthfully, she had no idea where K'airos went and what she did when her daughter wasn't with her. A sharp pang of guilt stung in her gut at that; she should try to learn more about what her baby girl did during her days. What kind of mother was she that she allowed herself to be so overwhelmed by her daughters presence that she failed at showing interest in anything else about her daughter?
Antimony's ears drooped and her hands holding onto D'hein's sleeve twisted in the fabric in a common display of distress. "How can I not know what my baby girl does for her work!" She cried out.
"You... she..." D'hein looked to one side, then back to Antimony. After a moment's pondering, he said, "Love is not a check-list and you're not going to be tested on such things. At any rate, she normally works in Drybone, so I don't know where she would be in Ul'dah either."
Antimony shook her head at that but said nothing further on the matter. What D'hein didn't know was that there was a test, and its name was K'aijeen. Or D... Her heart twisted. "Please, just leave me be for now," she sighed, dropping her eyes to the stitching in the fabric she clutched at. "If you must, you may... ah, visit later."
"I'm going to bring food and check back soon to make sure you aren't trying to do any work."
"Yes, yes, alright," she muttered at the cloth, and then straightened, her hands once again urging him back towards the door. "Alright," she repeated with a bit more energy.
Letting himself be moved with mild reluctance, D'hein said, "And what are you going to be doing?"
"Taking care of myself," Antimony assured and made to open the door for him.
"I'll be back with food in an hour." D'hein permitted himself to be pushed out the door, standing in the hallway.
She watched him for a moment, one hand on the door, and then shook her tail. "... Yes, alright. Thank you," she murmured the last two words as she turned and shut the door with a soft click.
Pressing her back against the cool wood, Antimony let herself sag into a sigh once she was alone. Rest was certainly appealing, for she hadn't slept a wink during her night in that cell, but she couldn't stop her eyes from drifting to the carefully organized stacks of papers awaiting her attention on the room's small desk.
Well, taking care of herself also meant doing her job.
![[Image: AntiThalSig.png]](https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/179079766/AntiThalSig.png)
"Song dogs barking at the break of dawn, lightning pushes the edges of a thunderstorm; and these streets, quiet as a sleeping army, send their battered dreams to heaven."
Hipparion Tribe (Sagolii)Â - Â Antimony Jhanhi's Wiki
