Arc 5: Chapter 20: Wars of Old, Wars of Today
Morning came to the Manse Laertes with a dull yellow glow at the windows. It did not provide the same sense of renewal an ordinary dawn would have, only a creeping impression of dread.
I dressed quietly, not hurrying despite everything I needed to attend to. I’d put a whole night into this endeavor, and I needed to get back to the city, figure out what had become of the group I’d sent investigating.
But I knew what came before that, and I didn’t feel eager to leap into it.
I heard rustling behind me. Turning around, I saw Catrin slipping into her dress, her movements composed and languid as mine.
I watched her a time. Her skin had more color now, that ghostly paleness mostly gone from it. Her hair had returned to its usual chestnut shade, and she seemed to fill the dress in more, the shape of her lean muscles more pronounced.
“I can feel you staring.”
“Sorry,” I said, returning to my tunic’s laces.
“I don’t mind.”
More rustling and bare feet padding against the carpet told me she approached. I felt her arms wrap around my waist, her forehead rest against my back.
“Let me see?”
“It’s nothing,” I said.