(A/N: This is for Ashley, because she gave me the idea. Enjoy!)
Saving Nessa
Boq had forgotten to put the knives away after he cleaned them. They lie there, their sparkling cleanness taunting Nessa. She has to fight this urge, the one telling her to grab a knife and just do it.
Fighting the urge doesn't work. Nessa takes a knife in her hand, the smooth handle feeling warm and inviting, like it was waiting for her to pick it up.
Nessa presses the knife to the inside of her wrist for a fraction of a second, then cries out and pulls it away. Blood leaks from where the knife had been, but it feels…good, almost. She likes the pain.
She places the knife back on the counter, knowing this is wrong and that she can't do it again. But she wants to. Oh, does she want to.
Boq watches all of this, and suddenly becomes worried about his Madame Governor.
**
Two weeks later, Boq is still worried and doesn't know what to do. So far all he's accomplished is remembering to put the knives away after washing them.
Should he mention what he saw to Nessa, or keep it to himself? Is he a cause of this—this "knife adventure" of Nessa's? Yes, he knows he is. If only that one dance at the Ozdust hadn't gotten him into so much trouble.
All he knows for sure is that this has to stop.
Boq starts by being nicer to Nessa. He can't bring himself to call her "Nessa" again, but he stops being so cold. He tries to remember the old, smiling, happy Nessa and how nice it was to be around her. She still seems depressed.
Once, he calls her "Nessa." It slips out—too much thinking about the old Nessa—and her face lights up. But before he sees her joyful expression, he covers up with "Oh, I'm sorry, Madame Governor," and her face goes back to depressed.
Finally, Boq decides it's time to talk to Nessa about what he saw. He starts with a deep breath and a "Madame Governor?"
Nessa looks up gloomily from her tea. "Yes, Boq?"
"Um, a few weeks ago, I saw, um, you take a knife and…" he can't get the rest of the words out, so he just presses a finger to the inside of his wrist, hoping she'll understand. "And I'm worried about you."
Nessa smiles a tiny bit, hearing that Boq cares about her. But then she thinks, why should I care what he thinks? He won't even say my name! The smile drops from her face, and, ice cold, she says, "Really? It doesn't show." She wheels away from Boq, leaving him unsure of what to do.
Boq runs after her, puts a hand on the back of her chair. "Yes," he says warmly. "Really."
(A/N: Reviews are love!)