A Bowstring Wound Tightly

It had been a peaceful meeting with Hyla. Her check up had brought the injuries I’d sustained to my awareness. Given how my mind was off to other places while I’d bathed, it wasn’t something I’d taken notice of.

And even then, all of those injuries paled in comparison to the constant echoing of the scar. With her kindly, mending touch, those sore points had melted away under the warmth of her touch. Gratefully, the entire operation allowed me to keep my clothes and so I was to my own comfort.

But there was an oddity for our appointment. Having a mind for past experiences, I’d expected that Hyla would have been much more talkative. Yet she had been mostly reserved, caught up in some manner of thought. Though there was a part of me that had wagered that it may have been from the late hour, I couldn’t ignore that there was something more weighing on her shoulders.

Though my first instinct would be to raise a question, my ultimate decision was to relent and let her be.

Bidding her a good night, I’d stepped out of her office and went on my way to make towards my last appointment. Rising up the foyer’s stairs, I’d quickly found the young woman I was looking for.

Sitting at the table up on the second floor, Justice watches me as I make my ascent. Seeing how she carries herself, I have no need for guessing that she had been awaiting my arrival.

Having liberated herself from her armor, it would seem that she’d at last lightened up. Yet the sword which leans at her side serves as a clear indication that her tension still run high.

The glistening of her hair in the lamp light tips me off that she’d taken her own bath to wind down after our adventures.

“Enjoy the water?” I ask her casually while I take the open seat before her.

“It was a nice change of pace. It feels like it’s been so long since the last time I’d been able to relax that much.”

“‘That much’.” I respond with a hint of humor. “From all of my experience, I’d say that your body language is betraying that you’re still on edge.”

“It’s difficult to be anything else than at attention.”

Though that comes from her mouth, the very next second a softer glow comes over her features and contradicts her statement. Though not for long as she quickly retrains her disposition.

“I’m can only imagine what you’ve been through. I’ve been thinking to myself that this manor must be strange for you.”

“A bit. Even if it’s similar to the manor that I remember most fondly, it’s still not the same. There’s enough that’s different about it to make it feel like I’m walking through a warped memory.”

“That sounds troubling to handle. I’d hope that your being here would give you some form of comfort at the least. But being in some strange version of your home must feel like a cruel joke.” I rest a beat and let my eyes wander over her, gauging her mindset to the best of my ability. “Is there anything I could do to help you?”

“It’s fine. This isn’t my home and the fact that it makes me feel discomforted is a blessing in disguise.” A dark shadow curtains her face as she enters into a deep introspection. “If I were to become too comfortable, I’d might forget my purpose for being here. I’d might forget more than that too. No matter what, I need to stay sharp and this will help me to keep focused.”

Feeling that she has more to say, I allow her to take a pause. She’s still as she sorts through everything that teems about inside of her. Yet at the end, the color of her crimson colored eyes burns hot.

“To focus on my mission: to protect you at all costs. My mistakes in the past had cost so much… I can’t afford to make the same mistakes again.”

The face she wears is deathly serious. The way she looks to me is in and of itself a pledge for my safety. But her youthful face is a magnificent contrast to her intensity. A strange, itching desire comes to my mind. Pressing me to reach out my hand and rough up her hair.

Though I relent so not to insult the sincerity of her oath. But I’m not strong enough to hold back the smile stealing its way across my lips.

“I understand. To the degree that I can, that is. But I’m not going to let you carry all of that burden alone. I have to do what I must to make sure you’re victorious. Besides, I have a score to settle with Eclipse and I’m not going to fail that.

“Even if I have to climb out of another grave. But I think we’ve both had enough frowning for today.”

I stand up from my seat and gesture towards my room.

“We still have an important discussion we haven’t even touched yet.”

“What would that be?” The tilt of her head is cute as she looks up to me with curious eyes.

“We haven’t gotten your sleeping situation solved yet. And by now I know that we could both use some sleep.”

✩ ✩ ✩

Justice’s eyes flick about my room as she steps in. Her hands wrap around her sword and hold it close to her body. Timidly, as if she was a lost child, yet her demeanor has made a complete about face. Unlike before, I can sense a bit of sunshine radiating from her.

“It’s really not much, but this is where I’ve been since I’d become the Celestial Knight.” I keep my eyes on her as she stands still and continues glancing about. “Considering all I’ve heard up to this point, I’d guess that this was the same room I’d chosen in your world as well.”

“You’re right. How did you guess?” She looks at me with her curious eyes.

“It’s a safe bet given that this room is special to me.”

Like being struck by lightning, a sinking feeling rocks my body for an instance as my own spoken words revile against me.

“Wait. Was this room special? I’d thought that I’d just ended up here.” In a second of mercy from my unease, I glance to the window. “Yes… Of course it’s special. This is the room I’d been in when I was with Solus.”

“Is something wrong?” The concerned look Justice wears brings me back to the lucid present.

“Nothing at all. I was just thinking about what made this room so special to me in the first place. Perhaps I’ll tell you later on. That is, if it’ll actually be news to you.”

“It does feel relaxing. It’s so much like your old room where I’m from, but…” She once more studies me closely but soon looses her thought. “Nevermind. It’s nothing much as well.”

“Apart from that talk, what do you think? How would you like to do this?”

“I’ll stand guard tonight and every night to follow. I’ll make sure that nothing happens to you through the night.”

“That’s not quite an answer. Just when are you going to sleep?”

“I won’t.”

I bite back a sigh and stretch my shoulders to keep myself from showing with my body language just how mind-numbingly horrible I think her idea is. Planting myself on my bed, I watch her and do my best to keep a neutral expression.

“You won’t, huh?”

“I can stay up without sleep for extended periods of time. Uria had taught me a spell she had worked many years to refine. A spell which allows its caster to keep themselves aware and awake for as long as they’d please.”

“My, you’d better tell this Uria about that and teach her too. I’m sure she’d be grateful. But,” I give her a dramatic pause to hammer home my next inquiry, “did she manage to make it a restful spell or are you going be afflicting yourself with it?”

“It keeps its caster aware, but… it doesn’t do much for sleep.”

“As expected, it’s just going to be self torture.”

“Well… That’s…”

“You’re not doing that.”

“What? Why not?” She huffs despite her knightliness and shows a small indignation towards my rejection.

“I understand how passionate you are and how important your objective is, but I’m not going to let you torture yourself in such a pointless way for any reason. We’d had a bit of a discussion over it, but truth be told, I really don’t care if it takes you sleeping in my bed beside me to get some rest. At this point I’ll just give that to you over having you do something so pointlessly masochistic.”

A ripple flourishes across her body as she feels the shock of my pointed exclamation. Starting as stiff as a board, she slowly comes down into ease as her fingers play about the scabbard of the sword she holds near.

“Then… I can…”

“Then it’s settled. I’d like to get some sleep myself and as long as you’re not sleeping well, I’m not going to either. I couldn’t sleep if I knew you were straining yourself.”

I at last let loose the sigh that had been long brewing and begin my preparations for rest.

“I’m sure I can explain it well enough to the others and it’ll go over just fine. You’re my newly commissioned body guard, though that commission is a matter of self commission.”

“You really mean it? I wouldn’t like to cause you any discomfort, I-”

“It’s really too late for all of that, it’s already locked in. I used to sleep side by side with Juna very often throughout the years, so this isn’t going to be something that will make me lose sleep. Now come along and lay down. It’s always an early day. I’m sure that’s true for both of us.”

“Y-Yes. You’re right”