{Mousie} Frozen inside- Moments in Time
Mousie burrowed her way into her nest, shivering under the thick blanket that Genevieve had brought down for her. The straw and shredded paper was dry, and usually enough to see her through her sleep, but after the events of the day, it wasn't enough.
It was cold, and it was going to be cold for a long time.
Annie hadn't liked the price that Mousie had paid for the gift, if the shouting was anything to go by, and Mercutio agreed with her- the fur on his back still hadn't gone down by the time they'd gotten back to Genevieve's. But Shivva had asked for full confirmation, and well, what better confirmation than to ask the shades and silence themselves? Besides, she knew the going rate for such things at the Markets, and while it didn't seem fair to those who didn't understand, she knew she didn't have time to learn the Promise in it's entirety, and wouldn't have gotten a better price anywhere else- the Fallen Fourth had given her the best that it could.
Mousie blinked, staring up at a ceiling she couldn't see. The blindness would go with the dawn, but in truth, it didn't phase her- she had been in darker places, without her nose to guide her. It wasn't much of a price, she reflected. She had shared the memory with everyone else at the Valkyrie's wake, so it wasn't truly gone from her. And there was always Mercutio to remind her, to paint the story with his words.
She shivered, remembering the embrace of the icy cold water, and the play of the Valkyrie's sadness over her skin. There was no doubt left in her mind that Dr Weiss had killed herself of her own volition- no urging, no deeper Fae plot, no foul play, just the heart-rending sorrow that so often overtook members of the Onyx Court, and the concise, neat execution that was the Valkyrie's hallmark. There was certainly no trace of her spirit left to speak to them- The Hauptmann was truly gone.
Her memory was patchy after she had gotten out of the freezing bath, body chilling swiftly in sodden clothes and fur. She remembered going to the study, and explaining briefly to the nice ex-Detective who had come with her about Celeste. She remembered the sudden drop in temperature as Shivva walked in, the manifestation of her grief swirling through the room like a storm. She remembered her fingers brushing the desk over and over, where the imprint of the note had been left, as the Winter Queen chided her companion lightly, her voice sparkling in coloured notes behind the darkness in Mousie's eyes. Then she remembered wanting to sleep... and waking up in a warm bath, the scent of her motley all around her, a strange voice speaking in some medical jargon, and one hand clinging to someone warm. As soon as she worked out that the warm someone was Brand, she had snatched her hand away, and Genevieve had chided her- apparently Brand had saved her life.
Mousie snorted her frustration at such a thing- why the fuck would a light-struck loyalist want to save her?- and rolled over onto her stomach, prodding the space in her memory. She knew that the day that she and Mercutio had come screaming out of the Hedge, hissing and shrieking with what they had been through, that Shivva and the Valkyrie had been there. The Queens of Winter had taken them to the very house that the Valkyrie had died in, bundled them in blankets, and let them sleep without question. She knew this, but she didn't remember herself.
She shrugged a little as she drifted off to sleep. Such was the price of the Winter Queen's question, and a price she was willing to pay.
It was cold, and it was going to be cold for a long time.
Annie hadn't liked the price that Mousie had paid for the gift, if the shouting was anything to go by, and Mercutio agreed with her- the fur on his back still hadn't gone down by the time they'd gotten back to Genevieve's. But Shivva had asked for full confirmation, and well, what better confirmation than to ask the shades and silence themselves? Besides, she knew the going rate for such things at the Markets, and while it didn't seem fair to those who didn't understand, she knew she didn't have time to learn the Promise in it's entirety, and wouldn't have gotten a better price anywhere else- the Fallen Fourth had given her the best that it could.
Mousie blinked, staring up at a ceiling she couldn't see. The blindness would go with the dawn, but in truth, it didn't phase her- she had been in darker places, without her nose to guide her. It wasn't much of a price, she reflected. She had shared the memory with everyone else at the Valkyrie's wake, so it wasn't truly gone from her. And there was always Mercutio to remind her, to paint the story with his words.
She shivered, remembering the embrace of the icy cold water, and the play of the Valkyrie's sadness over her skin. There was no doubt left in her mind that Dr Weiss had killed herself of her own volition- no urging, no deeper Fae plot, no foul play, just the heart-rending sorrow that so often overtook members of the Onyx Court, and the concise, neat execution that was the Valkyrie's hallmark. There was certainly no trace of her spirit left to speak to them- The Hauptmann was truly gone.
Her memory was patchy after she had gotten out of the freezing bath, body chilling swiftly in sodden clothes and fur. She remembered going to the study, and explaining briefly to the nice ex-Detective who had come with her about Celeste. She remembered the sudden drop in temperature as Shivva walked in, the manifestation of her grief swirling through the room like a storm. She remembered her fingers brushing the desk over and over, where the imprint of the note had been left, as the Winter Queen chided her companion lightly, her voice sparkling in coloured notes behind the darkness in Mousie's eyes. Then she remembered wanting to sleep... and waking up in a warm bath, the scent of her motley all around her, a strange voice speaking in some medical jargon, and one hand clinging to someone warm. As soon as she worked out that the warm someone was Brand, she had snatched her hand away, and Genevieve had chided her- apparently Brand had saved her life.
Mousie snorted her frustration at such a thing- why the fuck would a light-struck loyalist want to save her?- and rolled over onto her stomach, prodding the space in her memory. She knew that the day that she and Mercutio had come screaming out of the Hedge, hissing and shrieking with what they had been through, that Shivva and the Valkyrie had been there. The Queens of Winter had taken them to the very house that the Valkyrie had died in, bundled them in blankets, and let them sleep without question. She knew this, but she didn't remember herself.
She shrugged a little as she drifted off to sleep. Such was the price of the Winter Queen's question, and a price she was willing to pay.