Private Bed Rest (Quinn Varanin)

[Kirie]

Location: Varanin Residence, Jutrand
With: Quinn Varanin

Kirie had smoothed down the sheets for the thousandth time. She didn't need to, the enormous bed's starched white sheets had been made such that Kirie could bounce a coin off of them. It was just like she didn't have to keep dusting the windowsill, or keep checking to make sure the hastily-patched banister was secure. The call had come in earlier that day. Quinn was coming home. The house had to be perfect.

After a time, the waiting had started to drive her insane. She tried sitting down with the heavy ur-Kittat textbook she'd asked to be sent down from the Academy library, but she couldn't focus. She just kept reading the same sentence over and again. After that, she took to pacing around the cramped back garden, counting out her laps around the vegetable patches. Kirie was up to 150 before one of the other Ladies poked her head out and gave Kirie a confused look.

"Kirie. She's here."

Kirie's eyes widened. Quinn was here now, and she had missed her arriving. Without a word, Kirie pushed past the other Lady, pausing only to kick her boots off when she got inside. She skipped over the raised spot on the floor where it had been broken and bounded up the stairs, her excitement apparent for anyone who cared to look. Quinn was back. She was home. Kirie grinned, residual worry and anxiety lifting off her shoulders even before she'd made it to the bedroom. Quinn was home. The topsy-turvy strangeness of the past week would soon fade into memory. Everything would go back to normal.

She bounded through the open door, skidding dramatically with her socks across the wood floor and waving frantically.

"Quinnnnnn!" Kirie sang. "I hope you're ready for a thousand kisses because I've been saving them u-"

Kirie stopped in her tracks. Her eyes widened in horror. Her gaze had fallen upon the Princess of Eshan, very small in the centre of the enormous bed. There was a trolley with medical equipment parked beside the bed, and a small med droid ready to deploy if needed. It reminded Kirie of the drinks cart she had repurposed a few evenings prior when she had called on Kaila Irons . Her bandaged arm was hidden beneath her sleeve. That was a conversation best saved for another time.

Perhaps the worst thing, aside from the shock of seeing Quinn in such a state, was the smell. The bedroom usually carried the faint lingering scent of floral perfume and potpourri, even when Quinn was travelling. Now, it just smelled like disinfectant and bacta patches. It made the room feel unfamiliar.

"Holy chit." she said, voice suddenly serious. "Quinn... They didn't tell me it was this bad."

Kirie sat gently at the side of the bed, tentatively placing a hand on the bedspread beside Quinn, resting face-up, to see if she would take it.

 

[Quinn Varanin]

//: Kirie //:
//: Varanin Estate//:
//: Jutrand //:

Quinn was happy to finally be heading home. While being on the Mors Mon and having her mother doting upon her the entire time had been fantastic, she missed her. As well as she felt, Quinn knew the road to full recovery would take time. She had been blessed having the witch, Carnifex's doctor, and the Empress bring her back to life. Was that something she should share with Kirie? Everything about the kidnapping and torture had been a blur, with nightmares filling in the gaps that she had forgotten. Waking up in a cold sweat after remembering their hands over her was something she could never get used to.

It took time for her to get settled in. The Sith guards, personal soldiers from the Empress's side, had kept her hidden upon entering the estate. They were to stay with the Princess as long as it took her to heal. As much as Kirie had probably wanted to keep quiet about the invasion of their home, Quinn already had gotten the word. The reason was still hidden, but it was enough for the Echani to worry about her Lady. A hand waved to the doctors who doted upon her. They would return to the hospitals nearby, and Quinn would remain with the machines still connected to her.

"Thank you," Quinn nodded, and they soon left. A weight was lifted from her chest with a sigh as she was finally home. Even if it didn't feel safe, it was still her home, and she would defend it if necessary. Nothing was out of place pleased her; it meant Kirie and the others knew how the house should be. Her gaze scanned the room; it felt so empty, but at least she could sleep. The peace of the room would soon be interrupted by a pleasant surprise. Quinn smiled, seeing the Welkian woman. Her face was one the Princess had longed to see while bedridden on the Mors Mon. "Kirie," her voice weakened as she spoke - but Quinn did her best to not make her worry.

Eyes easily clocked the bandage, which raised her eyebrows. The Echani had learned how the woman moved, and when Kirie was determined to hide something, she was sadly evident. The Princess let the maid keep her secrets for now. Sitting up, Quinn nodded, agreeing with the comments. "Yeah, they are keeping my kidnap and torture quiet. Only those in the second legion and higher up know the details." She sat up better to look at Kirie; her eyes lingered on the woman's hand for just a moment until Quinn took it. Feeling Kirie's hand gave her the sudden warmth she needed.

Grasping the woman's hand, the Echani let her thumb gently caress her rougher skin. In small moments like this, Quinn found herself realizing their differences in upbringing. Despite Quinn being a warrior, her hands were still soft and lacked the training callouses many had.

The benefits of luxury.

"I died." Quinn paused to let everything sink in, "I'm sorry they didn't relay the information to you properly." She gripped the sheets tightly in her fists, knowing what it was like to be home and waiting for someone - not knowing what was happening to them. She didn't want Kirie to experience it, but unfortunately, it happened sooner than the Princess wanted. Seeing the offered hand, Quinn reached out, grasping it and feeling the comfort she desperately needed. "Why are you so far from me?" she quietly asked, hoping Kirie would understand what the Echani wanted.

 

[Kirie]

Location: Varanin Residence, Jutrand
With: Quinn Varanin
Mentioned: Kaila Irons

"Yeah, they are keeping my kidnap and torture quiet. Only those in the second legion and higher up know the details."

Kirie flinched at the word 'torture', but she did her best to keep her face neutral. Quinn had been through a lot. Kirie was sure she didn't want to sit trapped in the bed while her Lady in Waiting blubbered next to her. Instead, she just pressed her lips together and nodded. Quinn knew Kirie inside out anyway. She would sense her concern, her sympathy, even if Kirie couldn't voice it without breaking down.

Her heart leapt when she felt Quinn's hand close around hers. She kept her grip loose, allowing Quinn's fingers to trace their way across the grooves of her palm. The sensation of the Princess' touch was familiar, yet it still thrilled Kirie after being away from it. How quickly she became starved these days.

"You died?" Kirie repeated. Kirie gripped Quinn's hand a little too tightly. It was no wonder then that the news of what had happened to Quinn had been so thoroughly suppressed. Kirie wondered what lengths Quinn's Sith compatriots had gone to in order to revive her, and what suffering Quinn had endured to end up with her injuries, her life extinguished. It was a disturbing thing to consider, especially since Kirie had assumed someone as prominent as the Princess of Eshan would be beyond such treatment.

"Well you're here now." Kirie mused. "Living." She planted a small kiss on Quinn's hand. "Breathing, and beautiful as ever." Another kiss, holding her hand like the precious thing it was. "And, I'm fine too. We should count ourselves lucky." The reference was the first time Kirie had mentioned the attack on the apartment, on her. With some luck, she could skate by without discussing it.

"Why are you so far from me?"

Kirie grinned, immediately hopping up onto the bed, her eagerness to be close to Quinn all too obvious. She had held herself back, in fear of hurting Quinn, but now she wrapped herself around the Princess, careful not to rest her weight on either the injured woman or her bandaged arm. Kirie snuggled in close, finding her way to the position that become so familiar, with her head resting against Quinn's shoulder, looking up at her, an arm draped over her sternum. Kirie released a contented sigh, here, laying with Quinn in her arms, things felt a little more normal. Gently, she nudged Quinn with her head, prodding her until she turned towards her enough. Then, lightning fast, Kirie pressed her lips to Quinn's, waves of warmth spreading through her face and chest. Quinn would feel her lips quirk up into another smile.

"Oh!" Kirie said, abruptly pulling away and sitting up. "I have to show you something. No secrets, right?"

Kirie pulled up her sleeve, revealing the bandage which she had not realised had been bleeding. The red stained cloth made for a more dramatic reveal than she had been hoping, but she soldiered on.

"Anathemous helped me." Kirie said, a touch of pride in her voice. "With the brand and... A lot of stuff, actually. I can see why you like her so much." Kirie pulled her sleeve down, and after a moments consideration, ditched the button up entirely, leaving her just in her singlet. "It's another barrier gone."

Kirie flopped down on the bed beside Quinn, lacing her fingers between hers again. Her heart beat hard, not with anticipation this time, but with nerves. It was time to stop tiptoeing. Too much was at stake. Kirie had to face up and put her heart on the line.

"Quinn." Kirie said, her voice earnest. "I need to go back to Weik, and soon." She pursed her lips, anticipating the pained reaction it would trigger from Quinn.

"But..."

"I want to come back. If- If that's okay with you."