Caroline to the Rescue!

"Zion?" came a feminine voice that snapped me from my thoughts. I glanced up at the source and found Caroline looming over me, a worried expression on her face. "Darling…what are you doing out here by yourself? Are you…were you crying?"

I shook my head but felt wetness on my face. Hurriedly, I tried scrubbing my cheeks but found them to be soaked. With a wry laugh, I sniffled.

"I guess I was…"

Caroline puffed up angrily. I could almost imagine a soft, feminine fox tail behind her exploding with anger-fur as she got mad…but females didn't have those sorts of features, of course.

"That…good-for-nothing pup of mine…I'll give him a good talking-to, don't you worry-"

I cut her off by gently gripping one of her wide sleeves and giving a little tug. Shaking my head, I sniffled again and offered a smile.

"He didn't do this. I promise you. And…don't tell him I was crying, either. Please…he'll just get worried." It never occurred to me why I should care about something like that, just that I wanted to. She sighed and bobbed her head, kneeling a little to wipe at my face with her hands.

"Things can be a little overwhelming sometimes, hm?" she said. While she wasn't wrong, I also knew she was purposefully being vague about trying to guess why I was in a dark hallway, crying, like some kind of maniac high schooler in an anime about school life.

I nodded and let her help me to my feet.

"I think I just need some alone time…is there an extra bedroom that I can have to myself?" I asked politely.

She looked a little startled at first, then concerned, but she nodded silently.

"Yes, of course…this way, dear…"

After a few more rounds of wiping, I followed her down the hallway and to another split, which led to the opposite hall on the other side of the Hall (lol). There, she opened a door to reveal a much smaller room with a much smaller – though still large – bed. There was a singular window that let in a scant amount of light.

I smiled tiredly at the bed and I could feel my body grow heavier at the sight of it. I just wanted to fall into it and not think about anything for a while. Maybe nap or something.

Yeah…that sounds nice…

"Could I get a candle? And maybe a flint?"

Again, she bobbed her head, but this time she sighed and gently put a hand on my back, giving me pause to glance at her. This time, the face she wore was intensely worried, a sharp line forming between her brows.

"Are you alright, dear? Really, truly…? And this has nothing to do with Gharret?" she asked with concern. All she wanted to do was help bring us closer together, though she didn't need to interfere much to do that. I smiled gently at her, putting my hand on her arm to offer some form of reassurance.

"In a way, you could say it's about him, but nothing he caused, nor is aware of. It's…complicated, but he's done nothing to hurt me, that I can assure you." Hell, quite the opposite, much to my grief.

Mr. Sexpun has done far worse things to other people, but certainly not to me. Between the two of us, I'd be considered the abusive spouse…but he's a handsy bastard, soo…

She smiled a little, then nodded.

"Get some rest, then. I'll bring you some things that should help."

Before she could go, I wrapped both arms around her and gave her a gentle hug. She seemed rather startled but returned it whole-heartedly. It almost felt like she'd been wanting to do that since this morning, and a few extra hugs never hurt anybody, right?

"Thank you. Could you also bring me my bag?" I asked after releasing her. She chuckled.

"Anything for you, dear. The only one who could worm her way into his cold heart…Your strength still impresses me. I do hope that someday you'll feel comfortable enough with me to confess such things that bother you…" She looked a little saddened and I suddenly felt horrible. I mean, she must deserve some kind of explanation, but…what could I tell her?

I'm still barely working through it, myself. She'd think I was nuts.

"Maybe once I figure it out, we can talk about it. Right now, though, I could use some sleep."

She chuckled and nodded, patting my arms before shooing me into the room.

"Get some sleep, then, dearie."

With that, she closed the door and I found myself briefly shrouded in darkness while my eyes adjusted. After a moment, I sighed and wandered over to the bed, where I sat down and began to peel off my boots.

Then came the leather out-side-bra, which got tossed onto a nearby table with all its straps, ties, and shoulder supports. Blah. Once the ladies were free and I was comfortable again, I laid out fully on the bed and sighed contentedly. No weird smells, no dust, no nothing…just my own room.

It wasn't long before I'd buried myself under the covers and curled up on my side. As I punched the pillows up how I liked them, I reached for the other side, only to find the bed to be cold and empty. I don't know why I expected anything different…

…that emptiness made me sad…