Innocently, Elsbet steps out from behind Malfoy and goes to the man she loves most in all the world, wraps her arms around him and hugs him tightly. He looks down at her, grateful someone--Lupin--covered her with his jacket, and hugs her to him. He notices the Yew wand behind her ear and wants to ask about it, but she lifts her gaze to him and reaches up a delicate hand to caress his face. "Renich i lú i erui govannem?" she asks, and it takes him several seconds to realize what she's asking. Oh yes, he remembers vividly the day they met. "Nauthannen i ned ôl reniannen," he tells her, and holds her a moment longer. She slips from his embrace and takes his hand, then leads him toward the horses. "Not now, Oddbit, please," he says softly, and she looks up at him with furrowed brow.
"There's time to meet them later," he tells her, then lifts her into his arms. He holds her as though she were a fragile thing, exercising all of his emotional control. He looks at the ragged horses, at the people, at his loved ones, then back down into Elsbet's eyes. He knows something's not right in her mind, and that he desperately needs to take care of her. He's afraid, not without reason, and all he wants right now is to be in their warm bed, doing what he must to set things right. But what if he can't? He pushes that thought from his mind as she takes her wand from behind her ear and lays her head against his chest.
One of the Silhouettes tells Therion not to worry about the horses, that they will be in the Garden of Dreams when Elsbet is better, and Snape leaves them without a word. As he carries his love back to their home, he notices too how Lupin's scent mingles with hers...something in the mingling makes his mind wander, and he's actually grateful for the distraction. He sees Loki and Cambion fly over him, and once inside the house, the ravens are in their nook, watching him intently. He carries Elsbet into the bathroom and sets her gently down on the stone bench. He slips Lupin's jacket off of her and tells her he needs to talk to their family, but she begs him to stay.
She wants him to bathe with her. She's missed him terribly and she wants him to wash her...while the idea is like flame to kindling for him, he can't bring himself to do it. It seems almost indecent to him to be with her now; she is not in full possession of herself, and she seems more like a child. He tells her he will be back, and that she should take her time in the water. He walks back out to the living room and says nothing at first, merely returns the jacket to Remus. "Thank you for that," he says softly, wanting to say something else, but refraining. There is a sudden burst of joyous laughter from the bathroom, and splashing, and Snape looks back to see the ravens gone from their nook.
They're in there playing with her, making sure nothing happens.
"Now would be a good time to tell me what happened." Remus lays his jacket over the arm of the couch and sits down beside Tonks. "It's my fault, I'm afraid," he says, but Malfoy shakes his head and places his hand gently on Snape's shoulder before the other can say a word. "No, no it isn't...Ellie felt there was something wrong, Severus, she asked us for help--" Therion grips Snape's other shoulder and says, "none of us could have known--" a loud squwak and wicked giggle from the bathroom interrupt them, and Snape closes his eyes tightly. Malfoy tells Snape it would be better if he showed him what happened, from the begining, then leads him over to the couch.
They sit down together and Malfoy opens his mind to Snape, at the moment Remus brought Layne to them so that he has the whole story. It doesn't take long, and when the sharing is done Snape is left with more questions than answers. Red-eyed and shaken, he asks Remus to find Layne and bring him in. He's about to say something else to them when Loki hops into the living room, clenching his tiny wand in his right talon. Els got steek, I got my steek, now we play! Snape rises quickly and scoops up his little Familiar. "Play later, my Loki," he says, snuggling the small raven's damp feathers. He places him back in the nook with Cambion, then glances back at his loved ones as Remus steps out of the front door.
He finds Elsbet not in the luxurious bathroom, but in her bedroom, wrapped snugly in her favorite nightgown, sitting on her bed. He closes the door behind him and takes off his travelling cloak, draping it over a chair, then places his shoes under the chair. He takes off his robe and drapes it over his cloak, and wishes for a moment he was doing this for another reason. He turns finally to face her, and she is no less radiant than she has ever been, but more innocent-looking for her lack of full awareness. What if he can't correct what has gone wrong? What will he do? Nothing would be the same. He would lose everything if he lost her, he thinks, but then...is that really true? He would not lose Malfoy, he will not let him blame himself for this; the fair wizard did everything he could to save Oddbit's mind, and life, and his love for Malfoy is a powerful one.
He would keep Therion close to him...he doesn't trust that the bookseller would not harm himself out of grief, and he can't allow that. What of Remus and Tonks? How great is his heart, really? Would there still be a place in it for them if something happened to Elsbet? He thinks carefully about this as he settles himself onto the bed. After everything he has experienced in the last few years, especially over the last two...how could he not keep them close? And now, Layne Merrick, who helped make this life possible, has astoundingly returned to it...as his beauty turns and smiles at him, he knows that they will need each other if the worst should come to pass.
She moves up to him on the bed and kisses him tenderly, and while he wants to return the kiss, he can't shake the feeling that it's not right. "Oddbit," he whispers, "I need to see inside..." he strokes her damp hair, drying it as he does, and she settles onto her back. "Le beriathar aen," he tells her, and she reaches up to caress him once again. Her smile tells him she understands, and she relaxes against him, the warmth of his body giving her great comfort. He looks deeply into her brilliant blue eyes, almost hesitant to enter her mind. But he must...he only hopes she will be whole again when he's done. He is aware that the Construct may no longer exist, and he's prepared for that possibility. He takes a deep breath, steadies himself, then slips his mind into hers.
"There's time to meet them later," he tells her, then lifts her into his arms. He holds her as though she were a fragile thing, exercising all of his emotional control. He looks at the ragged horses, at the people, at his loved ones, then back down into Elsbet's eyes. He knows something's not right in her mind, and that he desperately needs to take care of her. He's afraid, not without reason, and all he wants right now is to be in their warm bed, doing what he must to set things right. But what if he can't? He pushes that thought from his mind as she takes her wand from behind her ear and lays her head against his chest.
One of the Silhouettes tells Therion not to worry about the horses, that they will be in the Garden of Dreams when Elsbet is better, and Snape leaves them without a word. As he carries his love back to their home, he notices too how Lupin's scent mingles with hers...something in the mingling makes his mind wander, and he's actually grateful for the distraction. He sees Loki and Cambion fly over him, and once inside the house, the ravens are in their nook, watching him intently. He carries Elsbet into the bathroom and sets her gently down on the stone bench. He slips Lupin's jacket off of her and tells her he needs to talk to their family, but she begs him to stay.
She wants him to bathe with her. She's missed him terribly and she wants him to wash her...while the idea is like flame to kindling for him, he can't bring himself to do it. It seems almost indecent to him to be with her now; she is not in full possession of herself, and she seems more like a child. He tells her he will be back, and that she should take her time in the water. He walks back out to the living room and says nothing at first, merely returns the jacket to Remus. "Thank you for that," he says softly, wanting to say something else, but refraining. There is a sudden burst of joyous laughter from the bathroom, and splashing, and Snape looks back to see the ravens gone from their nook.
They're in there playing with her, making sure nothing happens.
"Now would be a good time to tell me what happened." Remus lays his jacket over the arm of the couch and sits down beside Tonks. "It's my fault, I'm afraid," he says, but Malfoy shakes his head and places his hand gently on Snape's shoulder before the other can say a word. "No, no it isn't...Ellie felt there was something wrong, Severus, she asked us for help--" Therion grips Snape's other shoulder and says, "none of us could have known--" a loud squwak and wicked giggle from the bathroom interrupt them, and Snape closes his eyes tightly. Malfoy tells Snape it would be better if he showed him what happened, from the begining, then leads him over to the couch.
They sit down together and Malfoy opens his mind to Snape, at the moment Remus brought Layne to them so that he has the whole story. It doesn't take long, and when the sharing is done Snape is left with more questions than answers. Red-eyed and shaken, he asks Remus to find Layne and bring him in. He's about to say something else to them when Loki hops into the living room, clenching his tiny wand in his right talon. Els got steek, I got my steek, now we play! Snape rises quickly and scoops up his little Familiar. "Play later, my Loki," he says, snuggling the small raven's damp feathers. He places him back in the nook with Cambion, then glances back at his loved ones as Remus steps out of the front door.
He finds Elsbet not in the luxurious bathroom, but in her bedroom, wrapped snugly in her favorite nightgown, sitting on her bed. He closes the door behind him and takes off his travelling cloak, draping it over a chair, then places his shoes under the chair. He takes off his robe and drapes it over his cloak, and wishes for a moment he was doing this for another reason. He turns finally to face her, and she is no less radiant than she has ever been, but more innocent-looking for her lack of full awareness. What if he can't correct what has gone wrong? What will he do? Nothing would be the same. He would lose everything if he lost her, he thinks, but then...is that really true? He would not lose Malfoy, he will not let him blame himself for this; the fair wizard did everything he could to save Oddbit's mind, and life, and his love for Malfoy is a powerful one.
He would keep Therion close to him...he doesn't trust that the bookseller would not harm himself out of grief, and he can't allow that. What of Remus and Tonks? How great is his heart, really? Would there still be a place in it for them if something happened to Elsbet? He thinks carefully about this as he settles himself onto the bed. After everything he has experienced in the last few years, especially over the last two...how could he not keep them close? And now, Layne Merrick, who helped make this life possible, has astoundingly returned to it...as his beauty turns and smiles at him, he knows that they will need each other if the worst should come to pass.
She moves up to him on the bed and kisses him tenderly, and while he wants to return the kiss, he can't shake the feeling that it's not right. "Oddbit," he whispers, "I need to see inside..." he strokes her damp hair, drying it as he does, and she settles onto her back. "Le beriathar aen," he tells her, and she reaches up to caress him once again. Her smile tells him she understands, and she relaxes against him, the warmth of his body giving her great comfort. He looks deeply into her brilliant blue eyes, almost hesitant to enter her mind. But he must...he only hopes she will be whole again when he's done. He is aware that the Construct may no longer exist, and he's prepared for that possibility. He takes a deep breath, steadies himself, then slips his mind into hers.