"Fine." He replied with a shrug. "If you won't take it, then I guess so." He sat down on the floor with a tired sigh. He wanted to sleep, but he would wait for Elara to head to bed. He was worried that if he didn't, she would run off while he was asleep, and he wouldn't be able to find her. He really didn't want to get in trouble.
“If you’re not goin’ t’ bed yet, ya ever gone stargazin’?” Elara asked, letting her arms drop out so that she was laying down. She crossed them over her chest, the slight evening chill sending goosebumps up her arms with a breeze.
"No." He replied simply, yawning softly and leaning his head against the wall for a bit. He was careful not to let his horns scrape the wall, as he didn't want to damage the wall. His horns could take hits pretty easily, but the wall wouldn't survive in one piece.
"Ever wanted to?" She shivered slightly, closing her eyes briefly before returning to picking out constellations she knew. The serpent, the Dippers, the Hunter… "'S like starin' at a million little lights. Somebody told me once tha' by the time the light from a star gets here, the star is already dead."
He shrugged. "No." He replied, listening to her words. "Mm. When I was little, i was told they were fireflies that got stuck up in the big bluish black thing, but your explanation makes more sense." He let a small, soft chuckle escape his mouth, shaking his head slightly.
(disney references bc I'm a Disney fan despite being a teenager lol)
"I like the lightning bug one more, honestly. Less sad 'n' existential." She said, snorting. There's a chuckle. "Declan's always loved bein' a buzzkill though." She shook her foot, wincing at the pain the movement sent through her leg, but not wanting to go down and ask the innkeeper for ice.
Kieran shrugged. "Yes, but possibly more true. Is it better to believe a sweet lie or to know the truth?" He said softly, looking out the window. He was still leaning his head against the wall, and he sighed softly.
"Better terrible truths than kind lies." Elara said, sounding like she was reciting something she had heard plenty of times before. "Maybe. Bu' I guess part o' me still wishes the world was as romantic an' whimsical as we tell kids it is."
Kieran shrugged. "Maybe when you were a kid. I had most of my wonder and innocence taken at a young age." He replied quietly, closing his eyes. "Most Thari do." He shrugged again. "Just the way it is."
"My ma tried, but…there's not much innocence or wonder ya can preserve on the streets. Guess a bit more wonder than you, huh?" Elara let her eyes fall shut as she talked, stretching an arm up. Wherever she flicked her finger, a small ball of light, about the size of a pebble, appeared, until she had amassed around twenty or thirty of them. And then she waved her hand about, the light dancing with her fingers and coming together to form shapes and then break apart.
"I suppose so." Kieran replied, still sitting down in the bedroom. He yawned quietly, covering his mouth with his hand. He sighed softly. "You heading to bed anytime soon?" He asked, eyes still closed.
"Mmm." Elara hummed thoughtfully, apparently not really listening as she played with the light. The little spheres clustered around her fist as she closed it, before dispersing suddenly. With a sigh, she pulled herself up and through the window, pointing towards the bathroom. "Yeah. Sleep. Imma be in there, if ya need t' go to the restroom, knock'n wake me up."
He raised an eyebrow. "Why are you sleeping in the bathroom?" He asked. "I told you, use the bed." He stood up, opening his eyes. He yawned again, shaking his head slightly. He was getting really tired, and he really just wanted to sleep for a few hours.
"Can't." Was all she said, shaking her head and tugging a hand through her hair. Her bag was where she had tossed it on the desk, and she left it there, stepping into the bathroom. She left the door open just a crack, glancing at her reflection in the mirror and making a face before climbing into the shower/bathtub. Her legs dangling over the side, she kicked off her boots, pressing a fist to her mouth to muffle the string of curses that slipped out. She was right. Swollen and, when her sock was removed, an ugly purple due to bruising.
"Fine." Kieran grabbed a blanket off the bed, then hesitated, knocking on the door of the bathroom. "Do you want a blanket, at least?" He asked, sounding tired. If she didn't want the blanket, he would use it. If she did, then he would simply grab a different one to use.
"Uh, yeah, sure, long as there's enough out there for you." Elara answered, forgetting about her ankle for a moment. She covered a yawn with her hand, slouching down further in the tub like she was curling up. "Ya can come in, ya know."
He opened the door, raising his eyebrows slightly at the sight of her ankle. "Your highness, do you need something for your ankle?" He came over, setting the blanket on the edge of the bathtub. He looked at her.
She blinked, glancing down at her ankle, and then back up at Kieran. "Does it really look like it needs somethin'?" She asked, in a way that suggested she was saying it obviously didn't, despite the fact that it looked possibly broken. "Thanks for the blanket though."
Kieran raised his eyebrows, and gently picked up her ankle, lightly probing for a break. "You need at least some ice for your ankle." He replied, doing his best to be gentle as he made sure it wasn't broken. "And you are welcome for the blanket." He said.
"Fuck." Elara hissed, jolting upright and making as though to jerk away. She stopped herself just before doing so, pressing her bruising knuckles to her mouth. "Was that really fucking necessary? Gods, ow. It's like you're stabbing my fucking ankle, man." Despite the sort of joking way she said it, she looked like she was in pain, and trying to pretend it wasn't as bad as it was.
(before I reply, is her ankle broken?)
((She has in fact, managed to fracture it. The constant movement and not taking care of it worsened the hairline fracture she had))
(ah okay)
Kieran frowned. "It isn't broken…but it might be fractured, but I'm not sure." He said. "Yes, it was necessary, and no, i did not stab it." He replied, letting go of her ankle. "You need ice for that. I can get you some, if you would like." His eyes were emotionless, and he simply spoke the words as if they were just simple facts. Which they were.
"Don' bother. Just go get some sleep, ktherion. I'll ice it in the mornin'." Elara shook her head, waving him off as she carefully adjusted her leg to prop her foot up on the edge of the bathtub, at the very least elevating it. "Just a fracture. Least it's nothin' too bad."
He shook his head. "But you won't ice it tomorrow, will you? You'll make up some other bullshit excuse as to how you'll "do it later" and "it's fine" and "it isn't that bad". So no. You are going to ice it now." He said firmly, crossing his arms. "Got it? I'm going to get you ice." He turned and left, leaving no room for argument. "And I swear to the gods, your highness, if you aren't here when I come back, i am going to hunt you down." There was a hint of irritation in his voice.