(Untitled)

[wiredoll]

The inn felt like a safe haven as Adelleda entered it, ignoring the noise from the common room and heading straight up to the bedrooms. She paused in front of a door that wasn't her own. Hesitant and quiet, half hoping it wouldn't be heard or that Nayan would be out, maybe downstairs visiting with other patrons, she knocked at the door.

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[knightless]

Unfortunately for Delle, luck wasn't exactly on her side.

Nayan was in the process of brushing out damp hair with one hand, wiping droplets of water off his forehead with a towel (this, itself, was in need of washing; Nayan had determined he was going to do so as soon as he wasn't so lazy), unable to keep himself from thinking of Ethan as he did so. He almost missed the bi-weekly assaults on the poor man just to get him to clean up some...

He smiled in spite of himself, setting down his brush and towel to begin braiding his hair when he heard the knock on his door. Curiously, he looked towards it. He wasn't expecting anybody... but maybe it was Delle. Or Fupre... or someone else from the troupe...

Huh.

He shrugged, shifting to his feet as he quickly finished off the braid, tying it off.

"Just a minute!" he called towards the door, quickly glancing at his arm to make sure the symbol that marked him as a hybrid was hidden beneath the sleeve of his robe before heading for the door and opening it. His face quickly shifted to all smiles upon seeing who it was. "Delle! Hi, honey!"

[wiredoll]

She frowned, giving thought to bolting when she heard Nayan's voice from within the room. But no, it was too late now, and by the time she got to her room and unlocked it...

She tried to smile as the door opened. She'd just say it was a mistake, that she must've been turned around and --

"Ah, I'm sorry, Nayan, I..." She trailed off, her weak smiling failing a moment, and she shook her head. "Nevermind, I'll just... I didn't mean to bother you, darling..." She half turned, not really wanting to leave but... She was just being silly, after all. It wouldn't do to bother Nayan about it.

[knightless]

Wait a minute. Something was horribly, horribly wrong, wasn't it? He couldn't recall ever having seen Delle be really upset before, but he certainly imagined this was pretty damn close. Without even thinking about it, he reached out, grabbing hold of her hand before she got too far.

"Honey...? What's wrong?"

[wiredoll]

"What--?" She tried, oh Dragons but she tried, but that was all it took. She stared at her friend, helplessly trying to think of something, anything, but then the tears started flowing and instead of leaving like she thought she would, she crumpled against her fellow dancer like a paper doll.

[knightless]

Nayan's eyes widened, wrapping his arm around her for additional support. Well. This wasn't good. Or normal.

"C'mon, honey, let's go inside and you can sit on my bed and you can cry all you want to then, okay?" he asked, gently guiding her towards his room.

But, Dragons, what had happened to her to make her so upset...? She was never like this. EVER.

[wiredoll]

She nodded, sniffling and wiping at running makeup as she allowed herself to be herded into Nayan's room.

This was already better.

Breathe. Just breathe.

[knightless]

Nayan managed to get her over to his bed and settled down on it before rummaging through a nearby bag for a handkerchief he had lifted from an old fling ages ago... Dragons, he couldn't even remember the man's name. Not that it matter now, anyway. Cautiously, he dabbed the cloth at her eyes to catch the tears before holding it out for Delle to take, wrapping his free arm around her.

"What happened, honey...? You're not usually like this..."

[wiredoll]

Adelleda took the handkerchief, wrinkling her nose a little at the faint scent of a strange perfume on it, and wiped her face with it as she leaned against Nayan. She sighed a shaky sigh, and muttered something that was too indistinct to be understood.

[knightless]

"Yes, of course," Nayan said, sounding vaguely amused in spite of himself as he gently poked her nose. "That explains why you're in tears ever so perfectly..."

[wiredoll]

She wrinkled her nose at the poke, and sighed again, sniffling into the handkerchief before she spoke. "I visited my mother..." she murmured, quiet but not impossible to hear this time.

[knightless]

It was only at times like this that Nayan even remembered that Delle even had a mother. Well, no, that wasn't entirely true. Everyone had parents. Just because Nayan didn't know who his were didn't mean that everyone else was automatically in the same boat as he was. But, then again, she never mentioned the woman...

"What the hell for?" he demanded, pulling away a bit to reveal the confused look on his face. As far as Nayan was concerned, she had run away. Didn't that mean she didn't want to be associated with the woman anymore?

[wiredoll]

She winced a bit at the question. She couldn't help but feel like she was being accused of something. Like he really did think she was just going to stay in Lenster when the rest of the troupe moved on or something equally as silly.

"They... would've found out I was here... sooner or later. I... thought it would be better if I just... talked to them first..." She shook her head, of course it had been a foolish idea, and stared down at her hands, curled up in her lap.

[knightless]

"And talking to them didn't go very well, I take it," Nayan said with a sigh, shifting to grab his brush off the nightstand near the bed and absently brushing out the ends of Delle's hair.

[wiredoll]

She shook her head. "No. She was angry. But... I guess I should have expected that." Her mother wasn't the type who would mope and mourn her daughter's disappearance, or trust that the girl could take care of herself. No, she probably spent quite a bit of time angry at how rude and stupid her daughter was, quite certain that she was getting into trouble and men's pants on a rotating basis.

[knightless]

Some mother this woman was. Sounded like she had something shoved so far up her ass that she didn't even notice it was there any more. But, of course, none of that mattered. She had made his Delle cry. That in of itself equated a criminal offense in his mind.

This woman, whoever she was, was going to pay for that.

"Well, clearly, she's horrible, then, if she can't admit how wonderful and special you are."

[wiredoll]

She replied only by making a noncommittal sort of noise, wrapping her arms around his chest and burying her face in the crook of his neck.

She didn't want to say horrible things about her mother, even if they might be true. The woman had every right to be upset, after all. Five years without so much as a follow up letter here or there to say she was alright. What sort of a daughter did that?