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'Chelledad finds Denice behind a dumpster
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Summer hasn't started to really hot up yet, but the tail-end of spring has been glorious.

Even at this time of the evening it's still warm enough that Aaren can stroll along in his shirt sleeves, with his jacket thrown over one shoulder by his finger. 'Chelle had offered to come pick him up, but he'd figured the walk home would be good, it certainly wouldn't do any harm. He cuts through an alleyway to avoid having to walk along the entire row of still-open takeaways that he didn't want to be tempted by, and wanted to know how they were all still open.

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There are dumpsters, of course. But the arm of someone laying behind one is less expected.

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...That's concerning.

"Hello?" Aaren calls cautiously, shifting to see if he can get a better view without actually getting any closer.

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It's a girl, in her early teens most likely. She doesn't stir.

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...That isn't concerning at all.

"Hey, kid?" he tries again, a little bit louder.

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Nope.

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He crouches down and shifts closer, trying to make sure he's not hemming her in - not that easy when she's behind the dumpster - and gently touches the back of her hand.

"Hey?" he stills keeps his voice low and steady.

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No reaction.

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...Okay. He very carefully shifts her arm so it's better hidden - he can go to one of the takeaways, grab a couple of bottles of water, soak the sleeve of his jacket and see if that on her skin wakes her.

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She shudders, barely strongly enough to be visible, but doesn't wake.

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He adds a bit more water to the jacket sleeve, drips a few drops of water onto the corner of her mouth, pulling back a little way after that to try and give her space.

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She still doesn't move.

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...Which leaves him with a dilemma, because he doesn't want to pull her from her hiding place while she's not conscious, but he wants to leave her here even less.

He drips a little more water on the side of her mouth.

"Hey, kid," he says gently, hoping she's conscious enough to hear him. "This isn't the safest place to be sleeping." This is not just sleeping. "I'd like to help you get somewhere safe."

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Definitely not just sleeping.

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...He's out of ideas on how to get her conscious here. Not sure how to get enough water into her to hydrate her, how to try and combat any potential sunstroke.

-Which is about the time he remembers that calling Ange and asking her to get Drex to him is always an option. So he does. It doesn't take him long to explain the situation - as much of it as he knows.

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Aaren's barely put the phone down when Drex steps out of a portal behind him, his giant dog Esca trailing in his wake.

Drex nods sharply to Aaren, and ushers him away from the dumpster so that he can crouch down.

"I'm going to touch you," he says to the girl, regardless of her seeming state of consciousness. "I won't hurt you." He reaches out, and, with perhaps surprising care and gentleness for someone his size, touches the back of her hand. Soft green light flows down from his hand into her, looking for a physical assessment of the girl's health.

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It's entirely unclear whether she'll survive the next few days, left to her own devices - she might, but it'd be a near thing, and she's already accumulating heart damage as her system struggles to cope with the effects of getting too much food too suddenly after a brush with starvation compounded by long-term malnourishment.

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...Some people should never be allowed anywhere near children.

Drex breathes out carefully and-

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-and lets more magic spiral down his hand into the teen's body, looking to heal what he can - he would ask permission, but she got away from whatever had left her like this, and has fought so hard, he doesn't think she wants to die now. And if it turns out he's wrong, she can at least go out on her own terms, not because she has no other option. He can fix her heart, soothe some of the damage of her system struggling to cope. He can't fix malnutrition - no magic can fix that - but he can leave her in a better state for getting food into her.

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She wakes with a little jolt after a few minutes, and looks worriedly up at him.

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He opens his eyes when she jolts, withdraws his hand and shuffles back to give her a little more space, rolls the second, sealed, bottle of water Aaren had bought towards her.

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Aaren loiters worriedly in the background, one hand keeping Esca from moving forward to inspect the teen.

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She watches them, impassively, ignoring the water for now. (She's not dangerously dehydrated.)

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"Hi," Drex says. "Do you like dogs?"

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It takes a few seconds for her to respond, but then she glances at the dog, sits up - she's obviously still not well; she moves carefully, with clear focus, glancing back at them every few seconds in a way that's more about keeping track of them than wanting help - and offers her hand for him to sniff, her body language tense and carefully neutral on the subject of whether she likes the idea.

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The dog pads forward, crouches low so he's shuffling forward on his belly so that he can sniff her hand. After a moment, he nuzzles into her hand and shuffles a little closer, so that when he puts his head on the ground, he's within easy reaching (petting) distance, should she want to.

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"He likes meeting new people," Drex explains. (Which isn't entirely the reason. She looks like she could use something to hug.)

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She pets him, and does relax a little. (She seems not to notice the tension draining from her shoulders.)

After a few seconds of that, she looks up again, clearly expecting them to say or do something.

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Esca shuffles close enough that his body is resting lightly against her legs, not leaning on them, just a warm, solid presence, tail thumping slightly on the ground.

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Drex looks back to Aaren and raises an eyebrow.

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Aaren steps slightly closer, and sits down beside Drex - very obviously leaving an escape route for her should she want it.

"Hi," he greets. "I'm Aaren, I was a bit worried when I found you behind the dumpster. I couldn't get you to come around, so I called Drex."

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Okay. (The escape route isn't really useful - she's not sure she can stand at all, and very sure she can't move quickly enough to get away from them if they don't want her to - but it doesn't look like a trap. She's not sure what to make of it.)

"Aaren," she says, after a few seconds of consideration. "'Rex. 'Niece."

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Aaren smiles warmly. "'Niece, is you? Thank you for telling me." (And that seems open, and honest, and genuine.) "The giant fluffball currently trying to invade your lap is Esca."

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"Esca." She pats him on the head again, a little gingerly. "Dog."

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From the quiet woof, and the way the steady thump of Esca's tail speeds up, he is definitely pleased with the pat, even if it is gingerly.

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"I think I know the answer to this question, but: do you have somewhere safe you can go? That isn't behind a dumpster."

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Drex looks over to Aaren.

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She tenses up again.

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"I'm sorry. I just wanted to check." Pauses. "What happens now is up to you, but I'd like to give you some options if that's alright?"

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'All right' is obviously not a description of anything that's going on here. But she's listening, anyway.

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"As I see it, there's four options here: Firstly," he holds up a finger, "we get you a hotel room for now, and you have time to figure out where to go from there. Secondly," a second finger, "Drex lives with his partner on a...commune of sorts, and there's a spare room there for you if you'd like it, although there's a lot of people who come and go. Thirdly," a third finger, "I have a spare room, that you're more than welcome to, my house is a little quieter than Drex's, but I have a teenage daughter, and her best friend is over fairly regularly as well." A pause before he lifts a fourth finger. "Fourth, I give you all the money in my wallet, and you're free to leave and do whatever you want with that. No catch, no strings."

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She sighs and curls in on herself, giving Esca an apologetic pat when this disturbs him.

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He's not too disturbed, and shifts with her, nuzzling her hand, obviously trying to be comforting.

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"...smaller bits of information," Drex suggests.

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"Oh! I'm sorry. I forget to make sure people are following me." Pauses. "Would you mind if I went over that again one at a time?"

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She looks up again. It seems a little like she's trying not to cry.

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He isn't entirely sure how to handle this, but he knows that leaving her here, or getting her a hotel room, at least tonight, is less of a good idea. "Okay. How about this: you come back with me or Drex tonight, get a good night's sleep, and make a decision in the morning?"

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She thinks about it, or at least huddles noncommunicatively for a few seconds, and then looks to Drex to see what he thinks of this proposal.

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Quietly encouraging and welcoming. "Your choice," he says.

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She gives a slight nod. "'Rex," she tells Aaren.

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Esca can apparently understand at least some of what's going on, and woofs softly again.

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Aaren smiles warmly again. "Can you stand?"

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Yeah, that is a question, isn't it. She gives Esca another pet and then tries it.

She's very wobbly.

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Esca stands carefully with her close enough, and in fact tall enough, that she could use him to steady herself. (And how had a dog this big made himself seem so small?)

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Drex shifts to his knees, watching carefully in case she's going to fall.

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With Esca's help, she manages it. She grins, to herself, when she does. "Good-good-good," she mutters, petting him.

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Esca pants happily, tail wagging.

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Drex rises to his feet carefully, shifting himself backwards to give Denice more space.

"My car's at the end of the alley," Drex says. (Ange had been sorting that while he did this, given Aaren didn't have his.)

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...okay. (She's heard of cars...)

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Aaren takes the keys off Drex and goes ahead of them to unlock the car and open the back door.

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Drex steps to the side, but will keep at Denice's pace as they follow after Aaren.

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She's not fast by any means, it's taking a good bit of effort for her just to stay upright, but she makes it to the end of the alley without incident.

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The door to the backseat is open immediately ahead of her. Esca gently nudges her towards it.

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She freezes at the threshold. (There are straps. Why are there straps. Oh no.)

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Drex is nowhere near her, is stepping further away, towards the driver's side door. He pauses, looking back at her, follows her gaze.

"Seat belt," he explains. "In case there's a collision."

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Not actually reassuring.

She sways, and lowers herself to the ground again rather than risk falling.

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He watches for a moment, and then lowers himself to sitting. "There's another way we could travel," he tells her. "But I thought this would be less scary. I guess I was wrong?"

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...maybe?

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"Magic's real," Drex says bluntly. "And I know someone who could move us from here to home."

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She blinks, less surprised at the revelation than she should be, and nods.

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"Would that be better?" he asks, just to make sure. "We'd just step through a portal and be there?"

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She nods again. "Yeah."

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"Okay," he agrees, looks up-

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"I've text Ange, she says two minutes, I'll take your car back to mine and one of you can pick it up later."

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Drex nods. "M'fraid you're gonna have to get up again. Would you like my arm to help steady you?"

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...yeah. She gets to her feet again; it's a little more of a struggle this time.

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Esca is just as helpful this time, although he gives a slightly worried whine.

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Drex steps a little closer, one arm held at a slightly odd angle, in such a way that Denice could take hold of it if she wanted, but it might be awkward for him to try to grab her without her having at least some warning.

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And then she's up. (It's one thing to have an abstract sense of how underfed she's been, and another thing again to feel just how little force she applies, even leaning most of her weight on him.)

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...Yeah, he's worried by that, but he'll deal with it later.

At exactly two minutes from Aaren's pronouncement, a swirling white portal opens in front of them, widening enough that they can see a room beyond - a hallway, with a tasteful blue rug, a door open beyond that that clearly leads into a bedroom.

"Ready?" he asks quietly.

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It seems to be reassuring, more than anything. She nods, but hesitates before stepping through, waiting for permission.

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"It's okay," he says, starting to step through himself.

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She follows, peering around curiously once she's through.

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They've exited into a hall with several doors off it - one of which is already closing as the portal behind them folds into itself. The floors are a dark-wood, that then stretches halfway up the wall, while the top of the walls are the same blue as the rug they've just stepped on to. There's a few paintings hanging on the wall, along with a dozen photos or so arranged together - Drex and Esca feature in some, as well as Aaren and a variety of other people.

Drex guides her towards the open bedroom door. The bedroom is fairly bland, though still tastefully decorated - obviously a guest room, or a blank canvas for someone to put their own mark to. Drex stops in the doorway. "Will you be alright from here?"

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She looks around the room - is there an attached bathroom? How about a window?

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There's both. And from the view out the window, they're on the ground floor.

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Perfect. She nods, and makes her way to the bed.

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Esca pads after her, and then pauses, head clocked inquisitively at her as though asking permission.

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She grins at him and pats the bed next to her.

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His tail wags happily and he jumps up beside her.

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"Good night," Drex says, "m'second door on the right if you need anything."

And he pulls the door closed behind him.

(There a bolt on the inside of the door, but no other locking mechanism, and no sound of the door being locked from the outside.)

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It would hardly matter if there was; she's broken one window in the pursuit of freedom, she won't hesitate to break a second one.

But for now, she sleeps.

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Esca snuggles against her, and sleeps as well, he wakes every so often, checking the room, but doesn't move.

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Nine hours later there's a quiet, but insistent, knock on the door.

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"Mrh?"

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"I brought you some breakfast," Drex calls through the door.

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Esca perks up at the sound of his voice, but doesn't leave the bed.

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She opens the door.

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Esca follows her, staying close.

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Drex gives a slightly strained smile (he would've expected a more enthusiastic response to food).

He holds the tray he's holding in one hand up slightly. "For you. You want I can put it on the table?"

(His other hand has a bowl that Esca is very interested in.)

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She nods, all businesslike, and backs out of the doorway to let him in.

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Drex crosses the room quickly, putting it down on a desk that has a chair next to it. "Sleep okay?" he asks, a little awkwardly - like he isn't used to trying to make conversation. He bends over to put the other bowl down, getting licked enthusiastically across the face by Esca for his bother, although Esca circles back to Denice rather than tucking into what is obviously his own breakfast.

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"Mmhmm." She's still not approaching the food; she leans on the end of the bed, instead.

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"Good," he says gruffly. "There's towels in the bathroom if you want to take a shower, can get you some fresh clothes. The front hall and door are straight down this hall. If you want to leave, let Esca out while you go, please?"

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She nods.

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"Enjoy your breakfast," he says, and then leaves, closing the door behind him again.

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When she's next checked on, the food is gone and she's back in bed.

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Drex sneaks in, surprisingly light on his feet, although he expects she's aware of him, takes the tray, takes Esca with him, but lets him back in fifteen minutes later.

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Esca drops a sealed bottle of water near Denice's hand, and leaves his head on the bed next to her hand, but doesn't immediately jump back up next to her.

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She's awake, just not particularly responding to Drex, since she hasn't been prompted to. (It's common enough for staff to come into a bedroom for one reason or another, and it's safe to let them know they've woken you, usually, but it's fine not to, and easier to get back to sleep that way.) She gives the bed a silent pat.

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Esca jumps up again, and cuddles against her, making a quiet rumble that is clearly his attempt to be soothing.

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About four hours later, there's another knock on the door - perhaps recognisable as Drex's. "I have lunch for you."

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She's not any less awkward about it this time.

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He leaves the tray on the same desk. "Uh, would you like to go outside after lunch?"

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She shrugs, but she's much more relaxed about that than about the food.

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"I'll come back and show you the way in an hour? Or you can ask Esca to lead you. He knows the way."

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Nod.

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He nods and leaves again, continuing to close the door behind him as he has every time.

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She eats, and considers going back to bed - she's still so, so tired - but instead showers, carefully, and opens the door to peer down the hallway.

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It's empty, although a voice can be heard, boisterous, from behind one of the doors, although too muffled for words to be made out.

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Esca pads up to her side and tilts his head at her.

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"Out?" she asks, quietly.

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He leads the way, his pace matched so he's still beside her, but far enough ahead that his changes in direction can be followed.

Although the front door is indeed just straight down the hall into a wider entrance way with a set of stairs leading up into the rest of the house. The hall, and the walkway around it that the stairs lead up to, probably gives an idea of the scale of the place, although it's all well decorated, and has a very lived in feel. Esca hesitates by the front door, although he obviously knows another way out of the house as well.

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She puts her hand on the doorhandle and gives him a questioning look.

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Woof! Tail-wag.

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Out they can go, then.

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He pads a little ahead of her, onto a veranda that stretches the length of - yup that is a very long house. He has his feet on the stairs when he looks back at her, and then comes back to her, and nudges her to turn to her left where there's the start of a ramp with a gentle gradient and a handrail.

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Yeah, fair. She goes where she's nudged.

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Tail-wag and padding down the ramp beside her. When the reach the bottom, he heads towards a bench, tilting his head at Denice again.

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Yeah. She's doing better, but she's still pretty wobbly. And tired. She sits, and pats the bench.

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He jumps up beside her again, and slowly lowers his head into her lap.

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She's much less hesitant about petting him with nobody around to see.

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He lazes there, tail thumping a steady rhythm again, eyes closing in obvious bliss.

The air is warm, but not overly so, and there's a pleasant, gentle breeze.

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It's still strange, being outside; she stiffens just a little, sometimes, at unexpected birdsong or the rustle of tree branches in the wind. But she likes it anyway.

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Drex cracks an eye every time she tenses, sniffs the air, looks around for a threat, but when he finds none he goes back to being relaxed on her lap.

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Drex strolls around the side of the house about half an hour later, looking far more comfortable here than he had in the alley, or in the house. He spots Denice, and stops a good way from her smiling, and tilting his head at her, much like Esca, obviously asking permission to approach. He appears to be carrying two bottles of water and a wide-brimmed hat.

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She smiles back.

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He moves close enough to put one of the bottles of water and hat on the arm of the bench, and then retreats a few paces, and sits down on the gravel, tilting his head back. "S'nice out here, but too much sun to the head can be bad for you. Hat and water'll help."

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She nods, puts on the hat, and tries to open the bottle; she doesn't seem to be able to get a good enough grip on the cap.

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He shuffles a little closer, holds out the bottle still in his hands and shows very obviously breaking the seal on his bottle, leaves the cap on very loosely. "Swap?" he offers, holding the bottle out, into arms reach.

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Sure, swap. She takes a sip and doesn't bother trying to put the cap back on.

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Drex shuffles back again, pulls what appears to be a rubber disc from his pocket, fiddles with it to produce a bowl, and pours half of his bottle into that, pushing it closer to Denice's feet.

After that, he seems content to sit in silence, sipping on the remains of his water, head tilted back into the sun, eyes closed.

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Esca slides off the bench, and stays close to Denice's legs, lapping at the water Drex had obviously meant for him.

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It's nice. Even if she still isn't used to birds and things yet.

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Good. She deserves something nice.

Drex stays where he is for a little while longer, but eventually he stands up.

"Can stay out as long as you like, but please go get a drink if you start feeling dizzy or anything." Pauses to check she got that.

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She nods.

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"'Ll bring you dinner when its ready."

He doesn't wait to see if she got that, wanders the off and disappears around the other end of the house.

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Esca rests his head in Denice's lap again, still stood beside the bench.

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She invites him back up onto the bench, and sips at the water bottle until it's empty, scritching behind his ears as she does.

When she's done, she looks pointedly at the corner of the house that Drex appeared from, and gives Esca a questioning look, with an accompanying querying sound.

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He hops off the bench, takes a few steps, and looks back at her, head tilted.

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She follows.

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Around the side of the house there's a pathway that splits, one path staying close to the house, the other leading the way under the dappled shade of an orchard. Esca pauses, looking to see if Denice has a preference.

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She does pause to take a long look at the orchard, but she's more interested in the immediate environs of the house today.

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Well. They can have another adventure another day!

The house is made of stone, of a variety of different weathered colours. The house isn't as deep as it is long, and there's a wide veranda at the back again, this one looking out over a variety of well tended gardens - some flowers, some herbs, and what looks like it might be a hedge maze. Directly beside the veranda is a patio, with black cast iron patio furniture.

There's people visible in the distance, either tending to the gardens, or playing, it's hard to tell, and in the shade beside the stairs down from the veranda is a bucket of iced water with a variety of bottles of juice and water.

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It's a little overwhelming. She retreats to the veranda; having a little bit of a wall between herself and everything else will help.

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He directs her towards a ramp again, and then towards a bench that has a narrow set of steps next to it, and then plants himself firmly between her and what he obviously thinks is the route people are most likely to approach from.

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Such a good dog.

She doesn't stay for very long; out of the sun, it doesn't take much for her to get chilly. She tries the door.

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Apparently they have a thing against locking doors, at least the external ones, and this one leads into a kitchen.

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There's a woman in the kitchen, by one of the benches, mixing things together in a bowl. She turns slightly at the sound of the door opening, although her attention is still mostly on her bowl.

"Yes?" she says, sounding distracted.

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...uh.

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Esca seems perfectly relaxed, and starts to pad into the kitchen, but realises that Denice isn't following him, and turns to look back at her, looking ready to follow her back out if she wants to go back in another way.

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It's probably fine, if he's comfortable. She follows him in, keeping an eye on the woman.

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She looks up properly, looks a little surprised to see Denice, and then gives a small smile, and a slight nod. "Hi, you must be our guest, I'm Angelique. Just so you know."

With that, she turns her attention back to the bowl, poking thoughtfully at the contents.

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Esca nudges at Denice's hand, pointing his muzzle towards the door into the main house.

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Yeah. She continues following.

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He leads her through the halls again. The first two doors down the hall from the kitchen are closed, but the third - a set of double doors - one of the doors is wide-open revealing a room that appears to be lined in bookshelves.

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She hums, negatively and a little sadly.

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He tilts his head a little at her, but then continues leading her along the corridor and back into the main hall from earlier. He looks at her, a little inquisitively.

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She knows how to get back to the bedroom from here; she heads that way, pausing after a few steps to let him catch up.

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He hadn't immediately followed, but catches up quickly when she pauses, tail wagging, obviously happy at the implicit invitation.

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Back at the room, she bundles up in bed and goes back to sleep.

(She leaves the door half-open; it doesn't bother her, and shutting Esca in is... well, she's not going to do it.)

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He joins her on the bed for a little while, cuddling up to her bundled form, until there's a low whistle from outside the door.

He nuzzles her slightly, jumps down from the bed, and leaves.

When he returns about an hour later, there's also the sound of a tray being slid through the open door.

Esca meanwhile jumps up, and lays along the end of the bed.

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None of that is enough to wake her; she sleeps on.

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After about another hour, Esca nudges insistently at her. (There's food, and she should eat.)

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That wakes her, with a jolt and a gasp.

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Esca gives an apologetic whine, shuffling back from her and making himself smaller.

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She takes a moment to get oriented, and then offers her hand for him to sniff again.

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He shuffles closer, still appearing apologetic and sniffs at her hand again, before nuzzling under it.

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She pets him: all is forgiven.

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He pants happily, wags his tail, and then looks over to the door where the tray and food are still sitting.

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Oh! Yes, good, thank you Esca.

The tray is a little too heavy for her to comfortably pick up, and she doesn't especially want to find out what happens if she drops it. She moves its contents to the desk piecemeal, gives Esca another pat, and then eats.

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Esca lies down at her feet and leans his head gently against her knees.

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She offers him a bite from her plate.

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He takes it delicately, and wags his tail.

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She gives him a scritch and goes back to eating. When she's done, she loads the tray back up and goes to bring it to the kitchen.

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Esca follows again.

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Angelique is still in the kitchen, although she's sat at the table now, doing something in a ledger.

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Drex is sat beside her, a cup of tea at his elbow and a book open in front of him.

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She brings the tray to the counter as quietly as she can, but that's not very.

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Drex looks over to her. "I would have come got those. But thanks."

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She tenses just a little when he starts talking, but relaxes again after a moment, and nods.

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Esca pads over to Drex, to briefly plant his head in the man's lap. (And there's something passing between them, almost reassurance.)

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Angelique reaches over absently to scratch Esca's ears as he pads back towards Denice.

"We should find you some more clothes when you're feeling better, something that fits a little better than what we happen to have lying around spare."

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...and what are they going to want from her for that? -no, that's really not fair. They've been kind, so far. They aren't staff. She's out now. She nods.

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"A thought for another day." Angelique smiles briefly at Denice, and goes back to her ledger.

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"F'he's pestering you, y'can tell him to leave you alone."

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Esca looks back over his shoulder, giving Drex an almost betrayed look.

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That would be a no.

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Drex gives a nod - obviously relieved - and goes back to his book.

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Esca shakes himself, somehow managing to give off an air of 'told you so', nods his head and pads towards the door.

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She gives him a scritch, and this time when they get to the main hall she pauses to see if he'd like to lead her anywhere in particular.

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He pauses, realises she's waiting on him, and then leads her down another hall, pawing open a door that does in fact have a dog flap that would fit him, even though it leads to an internal room.

It's obviously not a regularly used room, although it looks like at one point it was well lived in. A large sofa sits across one corner, a table and lamp next to it with a pile of well-read books - although they don't appear to have been disturbed recently. There's a box tucked in to one side of the sofa with a pile of dog toys, which look a little more disturbed, but still don't seem like they've seen regular use. There's also a set of shelves that has more books on it, as well as a couple of photos - some that are obviously of a much younger Drex and Esca, and a variety of other people, including a similarly aged Angelique.

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Huh.

She looks around the room - doesn't linger over the books, but does read a few of the titles, just to get an idea; spends longer looking at the pictures (where were they taken?), and then checks out the dog toys, giving a questioning chirp after a few moments.

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The books mostly appear to be fiction, aimed at teenagers, although there's a couple of non-fiction works about animal care, specifically for dogs.

The backgrounds of the photos vary, but several are in places she'll recognise from her trip around the house, and one is probably from in the orchard.

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Esca rummages around in the box with his nuzzle, and the first thing he pulls out is a well loved plush bear, which he offers to Denice.

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Aww, sweetie. She takes the bear and invites Esca onto the couch with her.

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He joins her, snuggling up, and putting his head in her lap, closing his eyes, apparently quite intent on going to sleep.

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Fair enough.

She drifts off too.

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Well, no-one seems inclined to disturb them. They can snooze undisturbed until Denice wakes up again.

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She wakes in the middle of the night, needing the bathroom; she leaves the bear in the toybox, and goes back to bed in the guest room when she's done.

She'll sleep through the morning, if no one disturbs her.

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Esca follows again, retrieving the bear, and depositing it next to her when she goes back to sleep. He stays down on the floor beside the bed.

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No-one disturbs her till morning, when there's a knock on her door.

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- yeah?

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"Breakfast," Drex says. "Ange also wants me to talk to you 'bout something. But that can wait till you've eaten?"

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She tenses up a little, but shrugs.

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He puts the tray down on the desk again. "So. Ange recognised you. First thing: we aren't sending you back."

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"Ange is pretty set on dismantling the place. But more importantly, we both want you safe from that place. And that means we want to know what you want."

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She pulls her knees up to her chest and wraps her arms around them, looking pensive.

 

"Out," she asserts, after a minute, not looking up - he knows that, but... it's a starting point. And she hasn't really figured it out, past that, and being out is enough, anyway.

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"You got out," he says, sounding impressed. "And you're not going back. Does mean you're going to have decisions to make, but if you want, those can wait."

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She curls in on herself a little more at the mention of making decisions, but nods.

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Esca moves, picking up the bear to drop on her knees, and then cuddling close to her, almost protectively.

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She flinches when he touches her.

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He backs away immediately, drops down to make himself smaller, less threatening.

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She doesn't look - she can see him in her peripheral vision, that's enough - but reaches over to give him a brief pat: she's not upset at him.

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Drex has sat down, cross-legged, hands on his knees, his chest moving obviously in slow, steady breaths, eyes closed. (He doesn't want to leave her right now, but he also doesn't want to be an intrusive presence.)

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Esca nuzzles her hand slightly, but otherwise doesn't intrude on her space.

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It takes a few seconds for her to notice what Drex is doing. She doesn't know what to make of it, when she does. (Get away, her mind screams at her, he's acting weird and that's dangerous; she does her best to ignore it.)

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He doesn't move from where he is, is very much pretending to be part of the furniture.

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Esca isn't acknowledging Drex either.

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It's still weird. But... soothing, eventually; her breathing syncs with his without her noticing it, and she relaxes.

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Esca notices, and relaxes a little against the bed.

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Drex will stay a calm, steady, ignorable presence until she seems to be doing better, or at least until the corner of his powers still monitoring her tells him she's not as distressed, and then he will very carefully leave the room.

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That's... also weird. But, well, okay.

She eats. She's always a bit mechanical about it, paying little attention to the food itself, but today that's redoubled; she works methodically from one side of the plate to the other without thinking about it much.

And then - well, that's a question, isn't it. She considers it, absently petting Esca as she does, and then picks up the tray to bring to the kitchen.

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The kitchen is completely empty this time.

If she looks out the window, she will see Angelique stood on one of the paths out into the garden, apparently doing tai-chi, with fire wrapping around her as she moves.

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Drex sat a little way from her, apparently meditating again.

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Fire. Woah.

But Angelique is out there, and she's in here; it's only a little worrying. She leaves the tray on the counter and picks a seat at the table where she can see out the window.

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Perfectly controlled fire! It spirals around Angelique, but always in response to a movement from her, echoing her. It's a vibrant and impressive display.

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Esca leans against her legs.

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Yeah, that's sure a thing.

She waits for them to come in.

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It's about half an hour before they do, Drex's arm draped over her shoulder.

She gives Denice a smile when she sees her at the table. "Hello," she says.

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Drex gives a nod.

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She's a little nervous, a little wary, but mostly calm, and she nods back.

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"Can I get you anything?"

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She shrugs, then shakes her head.

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Angelique nods. "Drex said he talked to you. Did you have any questions?"

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She struggles with that for a few seconds, trying to come up with a piece of the 'yes, what, why, how' tangle that she could possibly express. It's not working, though, and she knows very well that not answering makes people think she's slow, and not worth wasting time or effort on; usually that's to her advantage, even though it gets her punished, but not today.

She looks back up and nods.

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There's no indication that Angelique thinks she's slow at all. "Would it be easier if we gave you a way to write your questions down?"

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Headshake.

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Angelique nods thoughtfully. "I suspect you're wondering why we're doing this? And what the price is going to be?"

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Nod.

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"Forgive me for the slight history lesson, but. My great-great-grandfather set up this place to give people a place to go when they had nowhere else to go. A safe place to heal and grow." She pauses. "I don't expect you to believe that there isn't a cost, but there isn't."

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The face she makes is much less skeptical than some Angelique has seen, but still wary.

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Understandable.

"We will not keep you here against your will. You are free to leave at any time."

She doesn't expect this to be believed either.

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She's skeptical about that one, yes. Maybe it's true in the literal sense, but she's fairly sure that if she walks away now, she just dies; it's not a real option.

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"You seemed to have been sitting here for a while. I assume you saw me in the garden?"

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She nods.

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"Most of us here, in one way or another, are supernatural. And no-one will use that against you." (She seems to mean that in more ways than one.)

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She's a little skeptical of that, too, but hums an acknowledgement.

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Angelique elbows Drex in the side, giving him a pointed look.

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Drex sighs a little. "M'a healer. S'part of the reason we're not sending you back."

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...oh. She nods, sighs, looks down.

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"Y're doing better," Drex says, and seems to be trying to say 'I don't mind, I'm glad I could help'. "Just sorted what was dangerous." And there's an offer there, that he could help with other less health-critical things.

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She thinks about that for a few seconds, then gives a questioning hum.

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"Your joints overextend. And that can cause problems. I can make it so they don't."

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Huh.

 

She nods.

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"I don't have to." (This isn't his decision, it isn't his body.) "You can think about it."

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...

"We can do it now if you want."

He sits down opposite her, rests his hands palm up on the table. "It is easier with physical contact, even just fingertips. But I can without."

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She's obviously not entirely comfortable with that, but gives Esca a brief pet, takes a deep breath, and puts her hands in his.

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He doesn't close his hands, just lets Denice's rest on top of his as soft green light starts to suffuse them. He keeps his eyes open to begin with, to make sure Denice is okay as the light starts to flow up over her hands.

The light leaves a strange, simultaneously warm/cool, soothing sensation in its wake.

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She doesn't relax, and only barely avoids flinching, but she doesn't pull away.

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He gives (what he hopes is) an encouraging smile, and closes his eyes.

The green light moves slowly, but steadily over her. Her joints feel strangely tight in its wake, and...different. Like the way muscles are pulling is differently to how they had been.

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She stays very still and focuses on her breathing.

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Drex leans his head back as the green light fades, slowly starts to draw his hands out from underneath hers.

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She flinches back when he moves, flexes her hand experimentally, and then scoots the pen from Angie's ledger toward herself and attempts to pick it up - it skitters away from her the first time she tries, but the second time, to her surprise, she manages it. (She's a little excited about it, but it's very, very subtle.)

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It gets a smile from Angelique anyway, or it could just be that the woman likes watching Drex work. "I hope that feels better," she says, crossing behind Drex, and pausing for a moment to kiss the top of his head.

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Esca straightens up enough to watch Denice do that, and then drops his head back into her lap, tail wagging again.

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She hesitates, but looks to Drex and nods, doing her best to relax.

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He nods back, and then leans forward, crossing his arms on the table and resting his head on them.

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...that's worrisome. She glances to Esca and then Angie, do they seem worried?

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Esca's looked over, but seems more like this is something he's been expecting.

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Angelique seems concerned, but in a more long-suffering way than this being something to worry about. "You should head out to your cottage," she suggests in Drex's direction as she fills the kettle and puts it on one of the hobs of her stove. "Get away from everyone for a while."

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Yeah. She gives Esca another pet and murmurs to him, "go?"

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He tilts his head up at her, quite clearly asking whether she's going to be okay.

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She nods.

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He pads around the table and nudges Drex hard enough that the man moves.

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He shifts to reach one hand down to scratch Esca's ears, and after a few more nudges, and a low grumble, he gets to his feet, gives Denice another, tired nod, and both him and Esca pad out the back door.

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Good, good.

And what about Angie?

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Busy making a pot of tea.

"He'll be okay," she says over her shoulder. "He's not normally one for a lot talking. Not like me. I could quite easily talk all day without pausing for breath." Contrary to her statement, she does pause.

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"Mm."

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"He wanted to make sure you had a steady presence. Be it him or Esca. He might seem gruff, but he cares quite a lot."

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That's a little confusing. But it's not like she hasn't appreciated it.

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"Oh," she says. "Anything in the cupboards and fridges over there," she points to the left hand side of the kitchen, "is free to help yourself to. Unless there's a name on it."

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-uh, what?

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Angelique doesn't seem to feel the need to explain that further, just finishes making her tea. "Did you want a cup?" she asks.

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She shrugs, then nods.

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Angelique pours a second cup, adds a little milk, and slides it over to Denice as she sits down on the other side of the table, and at a diagonal to her. She picks up the book that was sat next to her ledger, and pages through it to a seemingly random page.

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She takes a sip, goes very still, and puts it back down, watching the woman carefully out of the corner of her eye.

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Angelique looks up after a moment, and then pushes the sugar pot towards her. "Add some sugar if you like. I forget that some people like it sweeter than I do. And if you don't like it at all, you don't have to drink it."

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That's...
a new way to get her to do therapy
  no, probably just what it sounds like, she's been nice so far
    no, obviously it's the therapy thing
      she's out, that isn't something that just happens
        yeah, but Angie knows, maybe she thinks it should, maybe she just hasn't gotten anyone to tell her the usual ways yet
ugh. She pushes the tea away and sits back in the chair.

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Angelique keeps reading her book and sipping at her own tea. "Not to everyone's taste, you're right. There's glasses in the cupboard beside the sink if you want water. And there's fruit juice in the fridge."

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Yeah no. She doesn't move.

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Angelique takes another sip of her tea, and-

Oh.

"You don't have to hang around if you don't want to," she says. "I don't mind the company, but watching me read is hardly thrilling."

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.........right, that's a thing she can do. Now. Since she's out. It's a little worrying that she'd forgotten.

She goes to stand, and ends up half-crashing into the table and gripping it for support when the joints in her legs don't work the way she's expecting them to.

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Angelique starts to her feet as well, hands bracing the table, even though it's solid and heavy, and has withstood Drex falling into it. "Are you okay?" she asks, concern obvious.

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Confused whimper.

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"-Oh. How did Drex describe it? Your muscles were compensating for your joints being hypermobile. Your joints might move differently to what you're used to. We should have thought to warn you."

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...okay, but that... doesn't actually help her get out of here...

She starts hyperventilating.

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-Merde.

"Would you like me to help you?" she keeps her voice calm and her breathing steady.

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She tries to get her breathing back under control.

It takes a bit.

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After a moment, Angelique starts quietly counting her own breathing, in for four, out for five, although she'll stop immediately if that doesn't seem to be helpful.

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She's not paying enough attention to her for it to really register, no. But it doesn't take much longer for her to manage to calm down on her own, at least enough to open her eyes.

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Angelique has backed herself against the counter behind her, is in fact sitting on it.

"Would you like my arm to lean on while you try again?"

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She shifts her weight and tries moving one leg, experimentally, then looks up and nods.

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Angelique slides off the counter, and moves close enough that she can offer her arm, without intruding overmuch on Denice's space.

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She takes it, very carefully, and steps away from the table - she sways alarmingly, but manages to stay upright.

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"Where would you like to go?" Angelique asks gently. "Outside?"

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...she shakes her head.

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"The library? It's close and has plenty of seats."

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...yeah, that's okay. Nod.

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"Okay. At your pace."

And Angelique will guide Denice to the library, carefully helping her stay steady.

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She's a little more stable once she gets going. She moves jerkily and sways again when she pauses to figure out how to move to make the turn into the room, but she manages it without any problems more concerning than that.

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Angelique makes no move to assist more than providing support.

The library is a large airy room, lined with shelves, large windows providing plenty of natural light. There's several chairs arranged around tables, a fireplace, and a few beanbags piled together.

"There's a little reading nook just back there," Angelique points to one of the sets of shelves. "A little bit more out of the way? Drex likes it."

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This gets another nod, and she heads in that direction.

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Angelique continues to be by her side.

The reading nook is cozy. Two chairs tucked close together with a table and lamp squeezed between them. Both have footstools, and blankets folded over the backs of them. The table has a pile of books on it, and Angelique gives a fond sigh.

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She's not very graceful, getting into the chair, but at least manages not to collapse into it. She pulls the blanket down onto herself, struggles to get it arranged sensibly over her lap, and eventually accepts a somewhat rumpled and lopsided configuration as sufficient. At no point does she even glance at the books.

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"Would you like a bottle of water?"

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Now she acknowledges the books, looking pointedly at the pile of them. Does Angie really want her around them in her current state with something that potentially messy?

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"I can move them if you're concerned," Angelique offers. "But I wouldn't worry overmuch."

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She shrugs.

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"I'll go grab you a bottle. Two minutes."

And she goes and does that, back just a little under her two minute estimate. She offers the bottle, pauses.

"I hope you don't mind, Drex mentioned you had trouble opening a bottle yesterday, would you like me to open it?"

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She probably could open it now, but, uh, considering her first try with the pen: no. She nods.

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Angelique opens the cap and then holds the bottle out to Denice.

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She's careful taking it, but still manages to crumple the bottle; water spurts out and falls to the floor.

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"I can get you a cup if you would like?"

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"Mrh." She takes a sip.

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Angelique nods. "I'll leave you be then."

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"Mm."

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And Angelique leaves. (Muttering something about thinking they have mobility aids somewhere.)

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Well, she's obviously not going anywhere.

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And apparently no-one is going to disturb her!

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She burrows a little further under the blanket, and naps.

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She's left in peace.

It's maybe half an hour later when a cat wanders into the reading nook, and springs up onto the footstool, there's a pause as it regards Denice, and then it springs onto the arm of the chair, steps delicately into her lap, and curls up.

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She jolts awake when she's touched.

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The cat gives a disgruntled sound, looks up at her, yawns, and remains insistently curled on her lap.

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She peers at it for a minute, concludes that nothing interesting is about to happen, and goes back to sleep.

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The cat seems happy with this turn of events, and promptly starts purring.

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A few hours after that, Angelique taps her knuckles against one of the shelves that borders the nook.

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- yeah?

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"I brought you a sandwich," Angelique says. "I see you've met Monarch."

The cat opens one eye lazily, and dismisses Angelique with a flick of her tail.

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She nods and extracts a hand from under the blanket.

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Angelique hands over the plate. "Cats go where they please," she says conversationally. "I've never found a way to dissuade them yet..."

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She nods again, and eats; it seems to take a fair bit of her attention to keep her hands moving how she wants them to.

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"I'll leave you be, I'll come back for the plate later," Angelique says, and does exactly that.

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She eats. And... nobody's here but her and the cat; she checks, staying very quiet for a few moments to make sure there's no sounds from elsewhere in the library... carefully magics a mouthful of water out of the bottle on the table and to herself, and then goes back to sleep.

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Angelique sneaks in maybe an hour after delivering the sandwich, to retrieve the plate, and leave another open bottle of water on the table.

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Denice sleeps through it without stirring.

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Angelique pauses for a heartbeat, smiling. Good. The girl needs it.

Then she leaves.

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Eventually, Esca pads into the room, sniffs Monarch, and then rests his head beside the cat.

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She murmurs something indistinct and opens her eyes, grinning when she sees Esca and freeing her hand again for petting.

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Esca's tail starts thumping happily against the floor.

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Monarch butts her head against Denice's hand, obviously not willing to let Esca get all the attention.

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Aww. She frees her other hand and rests it on Esca's head while she pets the cat.

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Monarch rubs her head against Denice's hand and her purring intensifies.

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Esca leans a little heavier against Denice, apparently just as happy to just have her hand on his head as to get pets.

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A little while later, Drex sticks his head around the corner of the nook, rapping his knuckles on the shelf.

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She's still slightly buried in creatures, but looks up when he knocks.

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"Feel better?"

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The creatures don't move, although they both glance at Drex.

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"Mm." Noncommittal, vaguely positive.

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"Alright here?"

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She nods. (She's trying to hide how happy she is; she's really not doing a very good job of it, though.)

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Drex nods. "Ll leave you be. Y'need anything get Esca to come find me."

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She nods again.

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He smiles, nods back, and leaves.

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Petting continues.

 

Eventually, she needs to use the bathroom. She stops petting Monarch and chirps negatively at her.

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Monarch huffs, but springs lithely off Denice's lap and over to the other chair, curling up in that.

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Esca tilts his head inquisitively.

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"Go," she tells him, and carefully attempts to stand. It's far from graceful, but she manages it, moving one leg at a time and holding onto the chair and then the wall for support.

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He stays close, not close enough that she's likely to trip over him, but close enough that he could help her catch herself if she falls.

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She starts making her way out of the library, leaning on the shelves for support. It works well enough, if she pays attention to what she's doing and moves one limb at a time.

 

It's kind of exhausting, though. Her hands start shaking at about the halfway point; she makes it a little farther before she stops, clinging to the latest shelf, and whimpers.

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Esca gives a quiet whine, and then pads off to drag an wooden chair over to beside Denice, close enough that she can either use it as a crutch, or sit down into it.

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She collapses into it with an unpleasant-sounding thud.

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He nuzzles her gently, and then steps backwards, pausing, obviously trying to get across 'wait here', even if her moving seems unlikely.

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Yeah, she's not going anywhere. She's busy trying to catch her breath.

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He bounds away, obviously in a hurry.

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A few minutes later he returns, Drex right behind with-

A wheeled walker.

He pauses, looking at Denice. "Want to try this?"

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...okay...

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Drex spins the walker so that the handles face Denice and then rolls it close to her. "Brakes," he says, tapping the handles. "Helps keep it steady. Got others if this doesn't work out for you."

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She peers confusedly at it for a few seconds, and then tries to use it to stand.

 

She doesn't get the idea of the brakes, but it doesn't matter; she doesn't have the strength to get that far, right now.

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Drex hums, frowning thoughtfully. "Here, sit. It'll be awkward, but c'n use it as a wheelchair f'r now. Y'r room?"

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She nods.

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"Can I touch you to help you?"

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She nods again.

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Steadily and carefully, telegraphing his movements, he picks her up to move her to the seat of the walker.

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She stiffens a little, but doesn't flinch.

Okay. Now what?

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Well. First Esca is going to nuzzle her a little worriedly.

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And then Drex is going to wheel her back to her room.

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It's only a little unnerving.

When they get there, she gestures at the bathroom.

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Drex nods: bathroom it is.

He tilts his head, clearly asking if she wants help again.

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She nods.

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He lifts her again to help her across, as carefully as the last time.

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Yeah.

It doesn't occur to her to wait for him to leave the room before continuing from there.

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-Nope.

He pivots neatly, steps out of the bathroom and closes the door to. (And makes a note to see if he can get Ange to cover privacy as a concept.)

He's still keeping an ear out for her being in need of assistance again.

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-okay.

 

There's a querying "mrp?" a few minutes later.

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He peeks around the door - she decent?

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Yup.

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That's better. He continues to telegraph his movements as he helps her back to the seat of the walker, and moves that close enough to the sink that she can wash her hands.

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She only cheats a little at it, just enough to make sure the water doesn't splash everywhere. He probably won't notice, right?

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If he does, he doesn't seem to think it's anything out of the ordinary.

"Want to stay here?" he asks as he wheels her back out into the bedroom.

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She nods.

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"Bed?"

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Another nod. (Where else would she go?)

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Well. There are a couple of chairs.

Still. He pulls the covers back, picks her up and sets her on the bed, and then gently draws the covers over her, tucking them around her shoulders.

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She's momentarily confused, at being tucked in, but relaxes into it; she doesn't quite smile, but almost.

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Drex gives her a soft smile, nods, and heads out of the room, leaving the walker next to the bed, in easy reach.

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Esca, after a momentary pause, jumps up on the bed, and stretches out along her side.

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"Esca." Look, he's a really good dog, okay?

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He is! And his tail thumps happily on the bed at her statement.

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She shifts a little, getting more comfortable, and sleeps.

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Half an hour later, Esca lifts his head as the door is opened, but lays back down when he's met with an inquisitive 'meow'.

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Shortly there after, two cats - Monarch and another - curl themselves into the space between Esca and Denice.

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She tenses, but doesn't wake.

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There's a light tap on her door a few hours later - probably about dinner time.

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She comes awake, squinting briefly and confusedly at the cats before turning her attention to the door. "Mrrr?"

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The non-Monarch cat lifts their head, blinks lazily at her, and then curls back up.

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"I brought dinner," Angelique says, holding up the tray. "And also some CDs and a player. A few are music, and there's a couple of audio books as well."

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She seems about as enthusiastic about that as Angie's seen her be about anything.

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Angelique smiles warmly, putting the tray down, and bringing the CDs and player over. "I brought a mini speaker and a set of headphones," she explains. "Up to you which you use, both plug in here," she points to the socket.

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Her eyes lock onto the headphones as soon as they're visible, and she goes very tense; something is clearly wrong.

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Angelique notices, and immediately tucks the headphones away behind her, and plugs the speaker in. "I'm sorry," she says, sounding genuinely regretful. "Just the speaker then."

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Angelique chooses a random CD, and slots it into the player. "I'm not sure what's wrong," she says carefully, "although something obviously is. But the headphones obviously upset you, so we're going to just...not have them anywhere near you."

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She doesn't relax - tenses up slightly, if anything - but nods, once, jerkily.

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"Okay," Angelique says. "I'm going to leave you in peace. Dinner's there if you want it."

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This gets another nod. She doesn't look at the food; she's still very focused on Angelique.

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All Angelique does is leave, like she said she was going to.

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Esca shuffles a little closer.

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She holds out for a few seconds after Angie leaves, and then flops over and snuggles up to Esca; a few moments later, she's crying, sobbing as quietly as she can into his fur.

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He snuggles up against her, giving a quiet rumble.

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The cats shift obligingly to let her do this, but stay fairly close to her as well.

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Sniffle.

 

Cling.

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Gentle nuzzle.

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After a few more minutes, she pulls herself together enough to sit up - she doesn't want to eat, particularly, right now, but she knows she needs to; she scoots to the edge of the bed.

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Esca shuffles with her, making sure she's steady before hopping off the bed. He nudges the walker a little closer to her, and tilts his head quizzically at her.

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"Gh-" she winces, just slightly, and tries again: "good."

She manages to stand, this time, and gets to the desk without incident; eats, doing her best not to think about it, but her best isn't very good right now. She gets through a little more than half of it, at least, slowly, before giving up.

She pulls her feet up onto the chair and leans forward onto her knees with her arms wrapped around them.

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Esca wiggles himself in front of the chair, and curves his neck around the front of her ankles so he can tuck his head in beside her.

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She relaxes, just a hair, and reaches down to pet him with the tips of her fingers.

 

"Hard," she comments, after a minute.

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Gentle nuzzle. Encouraging rumble.

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She sighs, and takes another bite of her meal - yeah, she's not going to be able to swallow it. She returns it to the plate, loosely wrapped in a tissue, and makes her way back to bed.

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The cats rearrange themselves so she can settle where she wants to with them still close by.

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Esca follows as well.

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She curls up, pets Esca, briefly, and attempts to go back to sleep.

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It's Drex who comes to collect the tray, and while he's not trying to disturb her, he does check to see if she's awake.

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Yeah: she hasn't moved, but her eyes are open, tracking him.

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"You okay?" he asks quietly.

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She curls up a little tighter and whimpers.

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Yeah. He figured that. "You don't have to stay here if you don't want."

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She whimpers again, and where the last one was merely communicative, this time there's a note of real fear.

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"We're not sending you back," he states firmly, pauses for a moment to let that hopefully sink in, and then continues. "Do you remember Aaren from the alley?"

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She looks up - she's very close to tears - and nods.

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"He's got a spare room you can have if you want?"

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"Mrrh." Noncommittal.

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"His house might feel busier. S'smaller and he's got a daughter a little older than you, and her best friend. But the offer is there and it's up to you."

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Her breath catches a little, when he mentions the daughter; not in a bad way, but a suggestion that that's salient somehow.

She snuggles back up to Esca, calmer now, when Drex finishes talking; she struggles to speak, opening her mouth in silent false starts a few times before asking the dog "I go?", quiet as a whisper but in the tone of regular speech.

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Esca snuggles back, and gives a quiet bark. It's not quite an affirmative or a negative, but it's encouraging.

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Okay.

Okay.

Okay. (She gives him a gentle squeeze.)

"Go." She manages to make it a little louder, this time.

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"Okay. Now?"

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She takes a deep breath - what's this going to cost her, and can she find it in herself to care right now - and nods, still clinging to Esca.

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"Alright. 'Ll give you a few minutes to get yourself ready? Gonna get May to give us a portal, like how we got you here?"

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Nod. Cling.

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Drex nods to her, and leaves, taking the tray with him.

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Esca snuggles closer again, and snuffles at her hair.

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She stays clinging to him. Cries, a little, again. She's supposed to be getting ready to go, but - she doesn't actually know how to do that - so she'll just stay here.

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Five minutes later there's a knock on her door again. "Hey?" Drex calls softly.

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She jerks a little, but uncurls and sits up, leaning on one arm for balance. "Mmm."

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Drex pauses. "Would you like a hand up?"

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She nods.

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He moves closer, and offers her his hand. (Even if she's nodded, he's not taking it as read that he has permission to touch her.)

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She doesn't hesitate before taking it. (It's not at all clear, and hasn't been, whether she understands that she has a choice in the matter.)

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-that can be worked on. She'll figure it out eventually. He helps her to her feet.

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Esca jumps down off the bed, and continues to stay close to her.

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"Walker again?"

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Nod.

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Well, it's still fairly close to hand, he helps her sit down on it.

A portal, the same white as before, is opening in the dooryway, into a room that is best described as 'cosy'. There's a single bed tucked against one wall, an overfilled bookshelf in one corner, with a chair beside it.

"Okay?" Drex rumbles as he pushes her towards it.

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She glances around the room, eyes not lingering on any one thing. She tenses up a little once she's taken it in, hesitating, but nods.

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"I'm gonna let Aaren and 'Chelle know you're here. Do you feel up for meeting 'Chelle now?"

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Esca sits down beside Denice.

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She pauses first to think about it, but nods again, more confidently this time.

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He nods, and pads out the door.

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Esca rests his head back in her lap.

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She pets him, and... yup, crying again, just a little.

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He nuzzles her hand.

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Maybe five minutes later there's a light tap on the mostly closed door.

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She's pulled herself together by then, more or less.

 

"Mmh," she acknowledges.

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A girl with bright blue hair slips in. "Hi," she says. "I'm 'Chelle. You're...Denice? Right?"

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She blinks at the hair, but nods. It's obvious from how she's hunched in on herself that she could badly use a hug, and that she's not very comfortable with the room.

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'Chelle considers her briefly. "I- would you like a hug?" she offers, stepping a little closer.

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...she doesn't want to cry again, but today is just not a day when she has a choice about that, apparently. She nods.

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'Chelle leans in, carefully telegraphing her movements to wrap Denice in a hug.

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Denice goes still, when 'Chell hugs her, and then boneless, sobbing outright in her lap.

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'Chelle holds her close through it, quietly humming one of the songs her grandmother used to sing to her.

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It takes a while for her crying to slow, and even longer for it to stop.

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Well. 'Chelle can't think of anywhere more important to be right now.

"Feeling any better?" she asks when Denice stops crying.

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"Mrrh," she replies, noncommittally. Things have been... bad... the last while, and she's not recovered, and she's not sure they're going to be better, and she's not sure hoping won't just hurt her. But she does feel better - not good, not okay, but better - almost in spite of herself; she really needed that hug, and that cry.

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"...Yeah. That's fair."

She looks around. "So. I figure you'd probably prefer to not have to do the stairs if you don't have to?"

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She nods.

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"My room next door has a bathroom, figure me and you can swap rooms so you've got that."

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She shudders, starts crying again, nods nods nods nods nods....

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'Chelle hugs her a little tighter. "We'll do that then. We'll do that. When you're ready."

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It doesn't take her as long to calm down, this time. She's exhausted, when she does, but better, less tense, less scared. She murmurs appreciatively - the sound is wrong, for it to be 'thank you', but the tone is there.

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"Any time," 'Chelle promises. "Wanna move now?"

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She nods, and after a moment she sits up - ungracefully; her arms don't go where she means them to, and that throws her balance off in a way that's a little alarming and a little painful to recover from, but she manages it.

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'Chelle looks like she wants to help, but refrains. "You want me to push you through on the walker? It should fit."

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She considers, shrugs; tries standing, with the walker for support. It works well enough.

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Esca pads ahead of them, shouldering the door fully open, and pokes his nose at the next door along.

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'Chelle grins at that. "Follow the dog," she says brightly, but steps forward to handle the part of opening a door that requires opposable thumbs.

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She's still not fast, but she's getting the hang of it, a little. She goes.

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'Chelle's room is decorated a bit more vibrantly than the spare room was, and there is indeed a door ajar leading into what is obviously a bathroom.

"I'll trade the beanbag pile out for the chair," 'Chelle says as she gestures around the room - there is indeed a beanbag pile in the corner opposite the bed. The bed itself has a veritable mountain of pillows, and a soft looking blanket folded at the bottom of it in addition to the duvet.

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It's different from what she's used to, but not too overwhelming; she wouldn't have guessed that most people had so many photos, though. She makes her way to the bed and watches 'Chelle from there.

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'Chelle's picking up the beanbags. She glances up at Denice, smiles. "Bit better?"

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"Mmhmm." She does look calmer, in here, if still fairly tense.

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"Okay. You wanna be left alone for a bit? Or something else?" She seems earnest, and doesn't look like she has anything else she should be doing.

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She pats the bed next to her.

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'Chelle smiles, and sits down next to her, holding her arm out slightly in an implicit offer of another hug if Denice wants it.

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Yeah.

She doesn't cry this time, so that's progress, at least.

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'Chelle starts humming again - the same lullaby she was humming in the spare room.

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That helps, too.

She's pretty clingy even when she's relatively relaxed, turns out.