Blood from Stone [AU]

[Tethras Clan]

"Tea would be lovely. I'll check on Liz while you heat water," Merrill agrees as she enters the house. "Benefit of having a healer in the family," she says brightly. "House calls at no charge!"

[Coquette Blacquin]

"Ah, I strongly suggest letting her sleep," says Cindy, moving to block her way. "It's been a long night."

[Tethras Clan]

Merrill tilts her head to the side, a curious look on her face. "Why would she need to be awake?"

[Coquette Blacquin]

"I'm worried you might wake her if you check on her. She sleeps so lightly sometimes, you understand."

[Tethras Clan]

Merrill pouts a little, then shrugs. "I suppose that's fair. What's wrong with her?" she asks instead of pressing. I suppose if it's just an upset tummy or the like, there's no point in insisting.

[Coquette Blacquin]

"She's overwrought and exhausted. It's been a very long evening." Cindy sighs, tucking some hair behind her ear as she gets out a teapot. A very long evening for us both.

[Tethras Clan]

"Oh," Merrill says with a soft sigh of understanding. Emotional sickness. Flashback maybe? "I'm sorry to hear that. Would you like a calming tonic for her, if she wakes? Or an energy tonic for you?"

[Coquette Blacquin]

"We have both ready on hand," she says, but her tone is kind. "She's actually been dabbling in alchemy lately, learning to make her own tonics." Mostly so she won't cost us money that 'could be put to better use'. She keeps forgetting I've promised to give her the world, keeps insisting she doesn't deserve it.

[Tethras Clan]

"Oh good!" Merrill says with a delighted grin. "Alchemy is great fun- and so very useful. Maybe we can work together sometime."

[Coquette Blacquin]

"Perhaps," she says, with a tired smile. "Have a seat. I'll make the tea." Ciren knows I need it, if I'm to stay awake.

[Tethras Clan]

"No, no, you're tired and I'm no guest to make you stand on formality," Merrill says quickly as they enter the kitchen. She reaches back to tap on the base of her wheelchair, the bottom of the storage area. There's a chirping noise, then a rainbow hued snout pokes out. "Glim, my love, might I have a hand?" she asks in elven. Glimmerwing speaks common, of course, but she dislikes the curt roughness of it, strongly preferring elven or, even better, sylvian. But as Merrill isn't sure Cindy speaks that tongue, she uses elven instead out of kindness.

~Of course, my heart,~ the faerie dragon replies, slipping out of the nap cubby. Glancing at Cindy, she offers a creditable rendition of a curtsy for a winged quadruped. "Lady Smith," she says in greeting, her elven cast in polite respect layered with faint but sincere warmth. Glimmerwing can respect a predator, unwinged and unscaled she may be, and the merikos drow is part of her colony after all.

[Coquette Blacquin]

"Miss Glimmerwing," she replies, nodding her head in respect. "If you're sure..."

Unwilling to relinquish her hostess duties entirely, Cindy slips to the pantry to get out half a lemon cake and slice it, returning to the table with the treat. 

[Tethras Clan]

Glimmerwing, having been paired with Merrill for almost two years by this point, is very practiced in the making of tea. Though in this case she is slowed a touch by the unfamiliarity of the kitchen. "Ooooh, cake," Merrill says happily. "You didn't have to. You look exhausted yourself, Cindy."

[Coquette Blacquin]

"I haven't slept much either," she admits. "It was a... trying evening."

[Tethras Clan]

"What happened? Can I help?" Merrill asks instantly, tone completely sincere.