She squinted at him playfully before sighing and taking a seat carefully. "Alright, then. I was sent on a mission to scout some enemy territory. They found me and took me as their prisoner for awhile. That wasn't a great time.. I only managed to escape when our troops broke into the base and found me and a few others locked up below."
He boiled the water as she explained, leaning back against the counter tiredly. "Jesus. How long were you captured?" * * * The next night, Clara pulled herself up to his room again.
She paused as she thought, counting out in her head. "Maybe a little over a month?" *** Ezekiel was by the fireplace, looking over as she came in. "Clara!"
He came over to her, setting the tea next to her and shaking his head. He seemed on edge, his brows furrowed. "That's... Jesus, Wren..." * * * She gave him a small smile, coming over to him. "Hey, you. How are you doing?"
She picked it up, giving him thanks. "I'm alright now, really. You were on my mind quite a bit." *** He looked up at her with bright eyes. "I'm bored."
He may have flushed, but it was impossible to tell in the gloom. "I was? Why?" * * * "I could have figured that," she said with a small laugh. "It's why I was wondering how you felt about a little rule-breaking."
"You're the person I'm closest to," she said easily, taking a sip of the tea. "I would rather be near you than anywhere else." *** He grinned, obviously enticed. "Rule-breaking?"
He looked touched, watching her intensely in the gloom. “I am?” *** “Yeah,” she said with a small, almost playful grin. “Law-breaking, really.”
He fell silent, watching her before looking down at the table. “I missed you like crazy.” *** “I thought you see it my way,” she said. “Come with me.”
“I am too,” he said with a small nod, looking around the library. It seemed to have suffered from her absence as well. The curtains were drawn and hundreds of books were off their shelves, thrown haphazardly. *** She slipped down the balcony and looked around nervously for a moment. “Alright. Come with me.”
She looked around thoughtfully before her gaze returned to him. "We're cleaning this up." *** He grabbed his cloak, following her excitedly.
He frowned, looking over at her. "No, we're not. You're hurt and back from the dead. I'll clean up." * * * She walked down the streets quickly, pulling her scarf tighter around her as she moved.
She shook her head, standing up and opening up the windows. "I'm not disabled. I'll be fine." *** He followed her, his hood up.
"You just got back," he said flatly, patting the top of her head and going to start putting books away. "Don't fret." * * * She led him down the street before turning down a dark alleyway, looking around before knocking on an old door, resting on its hinges and draped in vines. The door swung open and a man squinted at them in the darkness. When his eyes landed upon Clara, his face softened and he opened the door wider. Clara gave him a small smile before taking Ezekiel's hand, pulling him in.
She shook her head, picking up some other books and placing them back onto the shelves. "I'll do as I please." *** Ezekiel looked surprised and a bit confused, but followed her in.
He shook his head. "No. You're under my orders," he said playfully. "Go sit down, Guard." * * * They went into the house. The sounds of voices came from somewhere beneath the dirty floorboards and as they were led down a flight of stairs, light grew at the bottom, and music. They came down into a tavern of sorts. People were drinking and dancing to fiddle music, laughing and talking loudly.
She stuck her tongue out at him. "I'm not on duty. I'm injured. I'm of my own free will." *** His eyes brightened and he looked around in excitement. "What is this place?"
"I let you in on the assumption that you would guard me," he said stiffly. * * * She laughed slightly, dropping his hand and turning to him. "Isn't it wonderful? It doesn't really have a name, but we gather here to dance."
