The worst part is that there's no voice in her head telling her to do it.
Teresa closes on her, sweeps her up in her arms, and holds her tightly. Takes her wrists, and stops her moving. She may not fight on the battlefield herself, but she was trained in martial arts nonetheless. She knows how to bind an opponent.
Lynia squeaks, clutching the glass she's holding.
Okay, yeah. Teresa's mad. She...doesn't mind too much, though.
"Lynia, why are you doing strenuous things? I told you not to be on your feet without supervision."
What if she'd grown faint, and fallen, and struck her head? Then --
There is panic at that thought. Teresa does not allow it to surface.
It's true that Lynia's illness has grown better. But that is not excuse enough.
"The dishes needed to be put away," Lynia mumbles against Teresa's chest. She is very tall.
Lynia blinks, and cranes her neck to look up at Teresa. "Eve left a bit ago. She's not here."
Teresa frowns. That's unusual. Eve giving up time she could have spent with Lynia?
She shakes her head, and squeezes Lynia more tightly.
"Regardless, you could have gotten hurt. I am not going to let you get hurt. Come with me."
She releases her sister from her arms, takes the glass from her and sets it on the counter, and keeps hold of Lynia's wrist. Drags her along, up the stairs to the towers.
When they reach the bedroom that is nominally Lynia's, the one where all three of them most often spend their nights, Teresa takes her sister by the shoulders and pushes her gently inside.
"She didn't say." Lynia looks down, and fidgets uncomfortably. It's only an impression, and she doesn't want to assume, and she doesn't want to violate Eve's privacy in case her assumption is correct, and she doesn't want to make it sound like it's Teresa's fault, but --
Concealing things from Teresa isn't going to work anyway.
"I...think she's feeling bad. I mean, you -- you know how hard it is for her."
Teresa draws her lips to a line. "I see."
Now why would that cause her to depart and go God knows where, instead of cuddling with Lynia until she feels better as usual?
"I mean... Look, Sis, you were being really harsh with her yesterday. I don't think it's any surprise that what you said hurt. If it was me, I'd..."
But Teresa would not say anything harsh to Lynia. Not unless it was purely to protect her. She loves Eve dearly, but her sister is another matter.
"Perhaps," she says. "Well, I am going to go and find her." She tilts her head. "Apologize, maybe. But you will be staying here, and you will not be putting away any dishes, or doing anything else that will get you hurt. I'll release you once I'm home again."
She presses her hand to the control, and the door slides shut. She seals it with her city code. No one but her will open it. Not Lynia, and not Eve.
She has food and drink and facilities, and a comfortable bed. She will be fine for a couple of hours.
Now, to locate Eve.
She takes her telephone, wrought of beautiful glass in the shape of a snail's shell, from her pocket as she returns to the ground floor. Will Eve respond to a message inquiring as to her whereabouts?
She will.
She's out toward the edges. The old city. She doesn't say what she's doing there.
(She'd really prefer not to reveal her location at all, but when Teresa sends you a message, you don't leave her hanging.)