Of Shadows and Swords (Chiarra)

He nodded a little. "I understand. . . I'm sorry. I'll just . . . clean up." He turned away so she could go into the bathroom and undress, then moved to the door so he could go and request a broom and dust pan to sweep up the hair on the ground. He hoped she wouldn't be upset with him for having to chop off her hair - and after that thought he started to wonder when he'd begun valuing her opinion of him.
 
"It's okay," she told him. "I do like it," she smiled at him. "It just...feels a bit weird," she said shaking her head and feeling the cool air on her neck. She moved to the bathroom though and began to undress, getting into the tub she and washing. When she was finished, she felt even better and found that it was a lot easier to brush her hair this way. Maybe she could get used to it this way. She came back out to him and sat on the bed.
 
By the time Melody was finished washing, Lucius had cleaned the floor and the scissors and put everything to right inside the room. When she came out, he wandered to the window to sit on the sill and watch for Archer's return. "I suppose it will make things a bit more tolerable when the weather turns warm?" He suggested, and felt that strange twist in his stomach when he thought how long this journey of theirs would last. It wasnt just some little trust - they were in this probably for life. He could never go home.
 
She came out and saw her hair was cleaned up and she felt bad when he spoke. She knew that neither of them could go home. That he would be caught and arrested and probably killed and she would be married to a man who would do who knows what to her. "Lucius...." she said softly. "Is there anything I could do for you? Anything at all." She just felt so horrible and she couldn't apologize to him because he had told her to stop.
 
Lucius glanced back when she spoke and cursed himself for being so obvious. He shook his head and leaned it against the window, ignoring the way his breath fogged the glass. "I need nothing you can give, Melody." Then shook his head again. "That is to say, I am in want of nothing." Nothing that he could have, but he was trying his best not to make her feel horrible. It was bad enough as it was; he didn't want to travel with someone who not only caused him this but had the audacity to mope about it all the time as if she were the one that should be hurting. "I have Archer. If I should need anything, I will ask it of him."
 
"You know," she said. "What I was wanting Archer to leave back at the castle, was a note to my parents, telling them that you were not at fault and that it was my idea. Archer explained to me that they could see it as a forced letter so I didn't do it, not wanting to get you into any more trouble."
 
Lucius would've hit his head on the window if it wasn't already resting there, but it was so he just sighed instead. "What's done is done and it cannot be fixed. I would like very much to try not to think about it, so if we could refrain from talking about it as much as possible, I would be grateful." He knew he couldn't actually forget it, but putting it out of his current thoughts would help.
 
She bit her lip a bit and stood there. "Would you like a shoulder massage?" she asked. She knew how, because she had a servant, that was her friend, teach her how and Melody would give her one when she would give Melody one. She didn't seem any harm in it and thought it would relax him a bit...hopefully, as well as to take his mind off of it like he wanted.
 
Lucius' eyes opened from where he'd let them fall closed, and he tensed slightly at the suggestion but relaxed again afterwards, shaking his head without lifting it. "No, thank you." He said, barely able to keep his voice steady and fighting not to blush. "I'm fine." She didn't have to do things for him. Even liberal as some knights were, and even though they were sharing a room, he couldn't see himself letting a woman touch him so . . . intimately.
 
Did he think she would hurt him? She wouldn't. "Okay then," she said softly and sat down on the bed, looking at the floor. She started humming softly, a light tune that was both happy and sad.
 
Lucius wasnt sure how long he could sit in silence and just listen to her, but he was saved from that when Archer scaled the wall and appeared in front of the window. Lucius flinched back and then shook his head, pushing open the window and not attempting to help because he knew Archer could very well help himself. The thief rolled easily inside and then just stayed sitting on the ground, smiling a little to himself. "Hello again!"
 
She smiled softly. "Hey. Do you like my hair?" she asked him. Then she thought of something. "Why can't he just come into the inn like we can? Why does he have to sneak in?" She was very curious about that.
 
Lucius closed the window and shook his head, saying "Because he's stupid." just as Archer gave a cheery "'Cause it's fun!" They both turned to look at each other, rolled their eyes in unison, and Archer looked at Melody again.


"Sometimes it's best if people don't know there's two men in here with one woman." He grinned. "And it's fun!"
 
She looked at Archer curiously. "Why would it matter that....oh....never mind," she said, a dark red blush on her face. Maybe that would be for the best then, even if it was dangerous.
 
Lucius rolled his eyes again and smacked Archer on the head as he walked by on the way to taking his own shower. "If you could do something a little more discreet, I think we would all appreciate it."


"What?" Archer asked, laughing. "It's basically an alleyway! No one saw! If you keep rolling your eyes it'll never stop." Lucius glared at him as he opened the door, and Archer grinned. "Better."
 
She was still sitting on the bed, blushing, but she couldn't help from chuckling a bit at those two. "Archer," she said. "Lucius and I pretend to be married when we get these rooms, so you could be his brother probably." She didn't think that would cause any suspicion. "And that way we can have a room with two beds so no one has to sleep in the floor," she said.
 
Archer wrinkled his nose at that. "But you're too young to be anything but newlyweds, and who wants a sibling along on a newly-married trip?" He shook his head and just started unlacing his shoes. "I don't mind sleeping on the floor, anyway." He grinned up at her as he pulled the knots free. "I'll just use Lucius as a pillow."


A muffled "Like hell you will!" came from the bathroom, and Archer just laughed.
 
She sighed softly, agreeing with him. He was right, then an idea came to her but she didn't have a chance to say it before Archer was speaking again. She laughed at them again. She was glad that Archer came with them. Even though he did scare her a bit, if it wasn't for him, there was no telling if she and Lucius would even communicate besides when they absolutely had to. Then she spoke up, wanting to share her idea. "We could all be siblings," she said. "Traveling. That would make sense."
 
Archer just raised an eyebrow. "We three look absolutely nothing alike." He shook his head. "Nope. Nobody but the stupidest ones would buy it. Best to stick with what we have now. It works." Just because she felt awkward about pretending to be married to Lucius didn't mean they should blow their entire cover. Besides, Lucius' hair and eyes were too dark to match either Melody's or Archer's own, even if dyes were involved.
 
She sighed, "Okay then." She yawned a bit and laid down on the bed, knowing that Lucius wouldn't take it because she had tried before and he would no doubt drag Archer off the bed if she offered it to him. She did still roll over enough so that either one of them could lie down with her if they wanted, she didn't mind. "Goodnight," she called out. She was really sleepy.
 
Archer considered the space next to her for too long a moment before finally just smiling a little. "Goodnight, Melody." If he tried to lay there, Lucius would hurt him for it. When the Raven came back out, he laid immediately down on the floor and Archer finally did the same, getting no protest when he did actually use Lucius' shoulder as a pillow. They'd slept like this before, and Archer knew Lucius took comfort in having those he loved nearby. Not long after that, they both drifted off.


((Not actually here right now. Just one quick post cuz I've got a busy day ahead of me))
 
((Wasn't here either lol. Not really on much at all really, other things to do. Hope you had a good day though, despite being busy.))


Melody sighed softly when she heard both of them lay down on the floor. She hated that there couldn't be more beds. She yawned, trying to go to sleep and couldn't no matter how sleepy she was. She turned over and looked at the two laying in the floor and smiled softly. She stood up and grabbed the blanket she was laying under and covered them up with it softly before going to the window and staring out a bit. She looked up at the stars and smiled, remembered when she first learned of the constellations. After a minute or two of watching them, she moved back to her bed and was finally able to get to sleep, even though it did take a bit of time before hand.
 
((Yeah, it was fun :) Busy, but fun. Trying to plan an anniversary gift for someone))


When Lucius woke, he felt too warm. It was because of the blanket that hadn't been there before, but also because there was a gangly thief with limbs wrapped around him also beneath that blanket. Lucius squirmed and shoved Archer's arms and a leg off of him so he could sit up, stretching with a yawn. Morning already? He rubbed his eyes, shook his head, and looked towards the window. They could have a day of rest, perhaps, and just wander the town before traveling again the next day.
 
((Oh, that does sound like fun ^_^ ))


She woke up shortly after Lucius did and she yawned and stretched like he did. "Morning," she whispered since Archer was still asleep. "I hope you slept well," she said. Her stomach growled a bit, but she tried to ignore it. She didn't want to be needy all the time. She could eat later when they did.
 
Lucius looked over at Melody when she stirred and nodded, stifling another yawn behind a hand. "I did." He looked down at Archer. "Someone is still sleeping well." And like a log. A dead log. Archer tended to sleep rather heavily, needing the extra rest for the brief stops he had in which he could sleep, which was why he was instinctively ready for combat whenever woken up.
 
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