#earthrunes

"Ever my thanks!"

And he's away allowing her to nose about

She waits for him to leave, before going closer to the door - listening carefully as he treads away.

He's out of earshot , even HER Earshot

A slight frown, and she cracks the door to peer out into the hallway.

....Stairwell, really.

And Earl returns with a change of clothes for her, and nice pair of slippers as an option

She is back to the bed by the time he returns.

"Love? you are nervous. What's wrong?"

"Oh, naught plagues me." Reassuring. She takes the clothes, and unfolds them to survey Earl's choices.

"Zara, I know you pretty well. Something has you abit on edge. I can't demand you share whatever is is thats worrying you... but I can ask. And tell you it's actually got me worried now."

Even then - Earl still feels observed, even if she is ostensibly preoccupied with the clothing.

"I have been ill, nu?"

"Yes. But I don't think that's all of it. " A frown "Diid I do something wrong?"

"I think that I am, mayhaps, just feeling a touch fuzzy about the edges." A soft rattle of laughter, light.

"And you did bring me a gift, so how could I be cross? Nay, worry not."

"Unfortunately I WILL worry" he takes her hand "But .. I won't push"

Her hand is just as cold and clammy as always. No lingering flush of fever.

She gives it a squeeze.

He looks trouobled despite his best efforts. Then he gets an idea, and.. opens the headboard

A squawk of protest from the Raven, and it flaps over to land on Earl's shoulder.

Zara, meanwhile, takes advantage of his distraction to swiftly shift from nightgown to pintucked tunic.

He looks at the Raven "What?"

Croak. Ruffle. Head tilt.

To be fair - it had been perched there!

"My apologies" He says and strokes it "But in my defense, it is my headboard" And he looks for anything in there that wasn't before, notes or the like"Love, you don't mind If I see if you left me a clue, rigjht?"

Can a bird harrumph? Little flappies as it folds its wings back.

"A... clue?"

She blinks.

"Why... why, you must find it, aye. The clue."

She twists her hair up into a neat bun, slicking over-long bangs into it as well. A glance about, before she steals an errant paintbrush to secure the knot.

He looks over at her, "Drat. You changed clothes so fast I didn't even get an ungentlemanly peek"

"I am a ninja, swift as the coursing river." She does look lovely with her hair like that - no bangs trailing into her eyes like usual, her slender neck exposed from nape to shoulder instead of softly draped with a fraying braid.

That makes him smile "Gods of death and desire, you ARE gorgeous. So tempted to search YOU for a clue... but sadly I did say we'd get out of this bedroom for a bit.... ah well, ancipation has its perks. Come, my hind. Let's visit your library."

Another blink at something, but she gracefully recovers and extends her hand. "Lead on, my love."

And suddenly he's back to paranoid. What is he doing wrong? What was he supposed to do? He wants to help, but he can't DO anything when she walls him off.

A lift of her eyebrows, hand still waiting for his.

He takes her hand

"My honor" He lends his support to escort her down

And she allows him to escort her, regal as a queen.

Better than any queen, he thinks. No queen can compare .

And into the library they go

Zara slows as they enter, taking in the room with an assessing gaze.

Cobwebs preserved, books in order.... indexing up to date.

(End scene/or TBC)

Something makes the sluagh's jaw drop and eyes shimmer...