A Quiet Afternoon [FIN]

[The Jenn]

So convenient, having a weapon who could take care of the mundane chores that life threw their way. Thyme gave Forge a grateful look, skipping hopeful altogether, and headed upstairs with an old kitty shuffling along at her heels. Gred groused in her head and she was too tired to bother with more than a token mutter for his nonsense.

The next day passed in a tired blur. She spent it cleaning, moving, shifting, dusting... and that last one was a futile effort if ever there was one, with them leaving the house for an extended period of time. She'd slept for hours but didn't feel especially rested. And she wasn't even the pregnant one! What a thought.

Without a scrap of guilt, she left Rose's weapon to do the bitch-work of fixing foodstuffs while she took care of the painful packing decision-making process with her parents' possessions. She'd never realized how nostalgic she would feel, staring that the remnants of her childhood. And that wasn't even addressing the pain associated with Dad's... passing...

She successfully numbed herself to the sorrow after several hours and ate with muted conversation. It felt like she just dragged through most of the day. Not much entertainment for her sister, but they were probably both feeling the effects of the activity pretty hard by now.

That night, she slept like a baby. Or rather, like she had slept as a baby. Fussily and without much rest. The next morning found her cranky and sullen until she got food in her stomach, after which point she would be ready to start loading boxes and making sure that Mr. Jingles was ready to travel with Rose.

[Kari Muffin]

Rosemary did her best to stay her usual positive self while she sorted through all of the various things they were going to leave behind and take with them. When she wasn't sobbing quietly she was actually mildly productive.

She was thankful when night came, even if she couldn't sleep properly she could at least pretend to rest. Wrapped around Forge's human form protectively she felt a little bit better. At least, she seemed to be doing a good job of fooling herself.

When morning came and breakfast was fixed Rosemary found herself staring into her father's workshop. He wasn't going to be around anymore. And what about Mom? That was still a question that had been unanswered.

Her tail curled as she grabbed one of the bags in her mouth. She set it down besides the cart to give her sibling confirmation. "This is the last of it. For now. I'm going to come back fairly soon if time allows. And I managed to convince one of the neighbors to keep an eye on the place. I'll just have to periodically bribe them with shiny things."

[The Jenn]

Thyme stood next to the cart, one hand bracing herself on the rough wood as she stared bleakly at the building that had once been her home. It hadn't felt that way for so many years now, since not long after her move to the Highlands, but she could remember. It hurt.

"Alright," she agreed quietly, voice subdued. "Mari and Fletcher? They were always good people. Weird. But... it's the Wood. So. Who isn't?"

She turned slightly away from her sister before she started tearing up again and looked like even more of a mess. Neither of them needed any more drama. No. Rose would head to safety with their sweet old pet, she would fetch her 'safety net' of a guide against other Tulgeys, and they would be out of this place. For her, hopefully forever. She never needed to come back to this. Not for as long as she lived.

"I'll give you periodic updates as I go. You still have that gold charm bracelet I gave you? Don't take it off for too long today or tomorrow. Might need to scream for help or something." The joke fell flat even as it came out of her mouth and her ears flicked half-back in awkward tension.

It wasn't like Rose could do anything if she started screaming. But she would be fine. Vinx was a good sort, and he looked intimidating enough that people probably wouldn't bother the pair of them unless they were there for a reason. Or insane. Couldn't discount that one, considering the location.

"Be careful, alright? And don't forget to feed the cat. He needs soft food." She bent down to give the skinny old thing a fet gentle pets and a face-smooshing. "I'll see you at the palace of Clubs."