Facing straight forward, Etihw strode right through the halls of BlancBlack, not a soul in sight between the usually active rooms. Night time seemed to be the only time the castle was quieted after all the life had left for the day. She didn't mind it all that much, especially now that things had been busy cleaning up the war. To have the halls this calm came as a well earned break from all the work and stress they'd been put through recently.
As she did every night, Etihw made her routine rounds about the castle. Out of habit, she found herself unable to sleep soundly unless she'd completed the same checklist in her head each night once everyone had already gone to sleep. To be fair, it never took that long Mediocre things any house-owner would do. First was always straight down to the base floor to work her way up, beginning to check and make sure everything in the kitchens were clean and clear of anyone. Then to the garden, with every flower's placement and progress memorized. She strode through each set of halls and rooms without making a sound and made sure all the doors were closed, all the way back up to her own room. There she'd focus for a while on the two oppositely colored sets of stones spread throughout the world; to keep better record and remain up to date with their maintenance, she had changed a few of their properties. Afterwards she was to respond to any letters or messages on her phone, check on Kcalb, address the head angels' concerns, and then she could finally be off to sleep.
The list could take any time between thirty minutes to two hours to complete. It didn't matter how much sleep she got anyways, seeing as she'd be able to get away with just about anything these days. Wodahs would be the only one upset with her for sleeping in, and it wasn't as if she didn't just laze around all day anyways. It was at night that she really did the most work. It'd probably be more logical to spread the chores evenly throughout the day, but the majority could only be done once it had ended. It was simply easier to do everything all at once while she was motivated; there wasn't any guarantee she'd do it during the day when she could slack off.
Most of her list for today was already completed. As always, no one was around at this outrageous time of night, just to her liking. Etihw's work was nothing like a secret, but she best preferred to keep to herself when doing so. The less she was pestered about it, the better. Having already finished writing out letters to send the next day, Etihw decided next she'd only have to visit her devil's room and then sleep, seeing as Wodahs and Grora hadn't brought anything particular to her attention today. Without any concern for sound, she entered the other's room and made a beeline for his coffin-bed.
She only took caution when removing the lid from his case, and since she'd kept with this ritual for centuries, Etihw had every method down pat. A good deal of credit went to her magic-well, all of it, really. Any time she had touched his coffin during the day, Kcalb wouldn't let her hear the end of how she'd dirtied it with her fingerprints because did she know how frustrating it was to have to wash it every time she came in the room? Some days he'd hardly even talk to her if he discovered she'd so much as breathed on it. Etihw merely faked a promise to never touch his sleeping quarters ever again. Technically, she'd never broken her vow, seeing as she was never physically touching the case.
Inside the coffin, Kcalb laid completely still, arms crossed over his abdomen. There was hardly a noise in the room as Etihw peered down at his sleeping figure. It'd been strange getting used to how relaxed and calm he was during his rest, taking a few years to find it just another norm. As cute as he was while embarrassed and throwing tantrums during the day, Etihw had a sickening soft spot for the sleeping Kcalb as well. She could get much… closer to him, without him minding being a heavy sleeper. It was the only time she could properly admire his uncharacteristically gentle, white lashes barely visible over his near bone-colored skin, and the paced, steady rhythm of the rising and falling of his chest. Without his coat and formal clothes on, Kcalb appeared much thinner yet also larger, no longer hidden beneath all the layers of coats upon jackets upon shirts and more he put on each day. Etihw wasn't ashamed to admit Kcalb always looked better the less clothes he was wearing.
Tonight he appeared even more tranquil than usual, face completely relaxed (when normally his brows were at least somewhat tense) and his hands, often balled tight at his sides, were now drooping and seemingly lifeless. Besides his near silent breathing, he appeared no more lively than a corpse.
Etihw frowned-he was having another nightmare.
With all the habits and tendencies they'd learned about each other over the past few eons, it may have been Kcalb's sleeping habits that took the most care to understand. Etihw could tell from his behaviors in the morning that it wasn't unusual for him to have nights without rest due to either pain or disturbing dreams. It was out of pure curiosity one night that she'd slipped in to check on him during a week of particularly bad nightmares, or so he'd hinted at after thorough coercing. Nothing had seemed amiss at the time. In fact, Etihw would've gone ahead and said he looked as if he were having the most peaceful sleep she'd ever seen grace anyone's features. Sure enough, the next day without failure, Kcalb met in their room grumbling from exhaustion once again.
It took a long while for her to be able to pinpoint when he was distressed in his sleep, but once she had, there wasn't any way Etihw could ignore it. Though she knew Kcalb would likely hate her for it, yell at her, scream at her, maybe even leave the castle for a while, she couldn't help her curiosity and genuine concern. One night after the first few months of observing, she'd caught him having another nightmare. Etihw carefully tapped her fingertips to his forehead for a glimpse at what he was seeing that could upset him so terribly and-
She never peeked inside his head again.
For now, Etihw stepped up onto the small pedestal the coffin was raised on, leaning over Kcalb's resting figure. She didn't hesitate when reaching for his wrist, lifting his limp hand and pressing it to her chest, right above her own heart (she almost missed the time when such actions would make her heart flutter instead). The pulse on his wrist was already beating at a mile per minute, though she'd felt it worse before, and was always her best indicator of his condition without reaching into his head. With how much it took for Wodahs to wake him up if they were ever in a hurry, it was much easier to treat him physically than with magic as there was a better chance of him discovering the latter.
His hands had always been much larger than hers. Holding them together was quite fun, especially when Kcalb himself noticed the little quirk and was suddenly red in the face. Etihw noted with amusement how small her palms were when they were pressed against the back of his hand, or how thin her fingers were with the room that remained when she locked them between his. They were irrelevant, silly things that were stupidly dear to her. She loved them all despite their ridiculousness-and Kcalb knew it. Stroking the back of his hand with her thumb, Etihw tried to wait for his pulse to settle down.
Unfortunately, tonight didn't seem as simple as it usually was. Kcalb's nightmares weren't very frequent and had gone down to once every few months; a large improvement from their weekly appearances when she'd first learned of them. Who knew how often they occurred before she was keeping track? Sometimes Etihw really wondered, but she decided it was something she didn't want to know.
More times than not, the devil could be calmed by feeling her heartbeat through his hand, his own eventually matching it with a little time. When nothing happened after a while, however, Etihw had to resort to a special tactic reserved for very few, though it may as well have been solely for him, seeing as less people were depending directly upon her as the more maternal figure she'd served for them.
Taking a deep breath, Etihw pressed her lips together and began to hum.
Back when she'd taken care of the angels alone, it wasn't uncommon for Etihw to either sing or hum a small melody for those who were troubled. Now that the world was much larger and she was much lazier, she found that not many were in need of her divine voice. After all, the singing voice of an angel was a gift, but that of a god's was a blessing like no other. The only times she ever sang now were either when she went out to any of the gardens near the castle to check on the flowers (never really gardening) or times like these, with Kcalb.
The instances he'd been awake while she did were few. But it was mostly when he was asleep did her simple song have a strong effect on the disturbed heart of a devil. She'd specialized it just for him. Immediately his heartbeat began to calm, slowing until it matched hers with the assistance of her lullaby. She sighed in relief, but shook her head in exasperation.
"Poor, poor, little Kcalb," she chuckled, gently setting his hand back down at his side. Etihw could forget how much younger he was than her easily, both of them being impossibly old either way. She remembered when he wasn't their world's devil, when he was smaller. To think he would've grown up to become her greatest enemy and ally-she brushed the thought off. There wasn't any good in getting nostalgic. Leaning over, Etihw pressed a light kiss to his forehead, unable to help her lips from curling up in a smile before pulling away. He was still a pathetically old man. But with how soft she was growing, she may be getting up there too.
Without another word, the lid of his coffin was silently put back into place and Etihw stood. She put all previous thoughts to the very back of her mind as soon as she closed the door behind her; there was more work to be done. All in all, she hadn't spent more than a few minutes with the devil, and it wasn't anything new or exciting. How frequent these happenings were only made it easier to return to work mode (or at least her version of one). They were so common and became such a triviality that it probably wouldn't hurt if she ignored it altogether. But there wasn't any reason not to help him out; she'd sworn to protect him for a reason.
Kcalb took time to wake up each morning. This day particularly, he couldn't help but feel refreshed after a good night's sleep and didn't want to leave his tomb. There had been few nights he didn't wake completely refreshed ever since moving into BlancBlack with Etihw. Maybe some rough mornings at the beginning, but that all left once he was settled in. The only time the castle seemed to quiet was at the very break of day when none had awakened, allowing Kcalb to actually get some work done undisturbed by either his brother or Etihw.
The jobs he did in the morning were rather basic, nothing compared to the actual work he and Etihw completed together during the day. Usually they could go a while without having to do an ounce of formal work, weeks even, but with all the commotion the Flame World had caused, that peace ended. He didn't mind it as much as she who was always slacking, though he had a feeling Etihw was also relieved to be doing anything again. It wasn't anywhere near as difficult as what they'd gone through before.
Each morning, Kcalb began at the second top floor before theirs and worked his way down. They were all simple tasks he'd assigned himself to get into the mood for working early in the morning. First he'd only check to make sure there were no visitors before the castle gates were opened and everything was in its regular place. He didn't have as much say in the authority of the castle as Etihw did, making his self-asserted daily duties a bit lighter. After, he'd be off to the kitchen, grabbing a small bite once assured no one else was around, and begin his way back up to the top floor. Only there would he finish up by going over the head demons' concerns, address any written letters sent to him instead of the general castle, checking on Etihw, and supervising the barriers she set up.
It wasn't as if he was intending to keep his work a secret by only doing so when no one was present (besides the snitching food part). He rather enjoyed the irregular quiet of the castle. Nothing was particularly wrong when they were busy, but it was the mornings where he could actually be alone to his own thoughts without having to leave the castle for it. Kcalb simply enjoyed peace in general.
With a small cut of cake in one hand, Kcalb proceeded back up the stairs to the top floor. Today as always, nothing was out of the ordinary. All he'd have to do was peek in on Etihw and look over any letters Grora would've delivered to his room. He quickly finished off the pastry in his hand as he approached her room, wiping his hands discreetly on the back of his pants. Twisting the door handle as silently as he could manage, he was inside, trying to keep even his breathing silent. The god was too light a sleeper for comfort.
Sure enough, Etihw was laying in bed, if her position could even be called that. She was completely sprawled out over her messed sheets, legs and arms splayed in every graceful direction. The blankets only covered her leg up to one knee and was wrapped tightly enough to tell she'd been all but throwing a fit in her sleep. Her nightgown was hiked up over one hip and had Kcalb not been used to seeing her in this state, was sure he'd be far more embarrassed. Or if she was conscious in general.
Right as he turned to leave, Kcalb heard a small mumble, looking back just as Etihw rolled over onto her side facing him. She was still asleep, though now held her arm close to her abdomen with her eyes clenched tightly shut. The sheets over her feet shuffled as she squirmed.
Kcalb frowned-she was having another nightmare.
It was never difficult to tell her dreams apart with her obvious posture. She was practically a rag doll when peaceful, tossed over with the occasional flail to spread herself out farther over her bed which was far too large for her small body. He rather enjoyed her well-rested sleeping face, simply for how calming it was to see her so tranquil and innocent. Of course, it was always dangerous to linger around for too long in fear she would wake and catch him-being caught watching a sleeping woman, how many eons would that take to let die?
But when she wasn't having a good night, she made it known with each part of her body. Every muscle was stiff, face contorted in pain while trying to physically move away from whatever was in her head by shifting constantly. Neither of the two sleeping behaviors suited her regular personality in any way, and perhaps that was why it was so like her. Unexpected and unpredictable.
Whatever it was that plagued her so often, Kcalb never knew. And wasn't sure he wanted to know in any case. All he was aware of was the fact she was bothered in some way, and he had little to no way of being able to stop it. It was something he'd tried to bring up a few times with the vague topic of nightmares in general only to have the conversation directed back at him. Only after he'd stormed off for one thing or another did he realize he'd lost the chance to speak of it to her. And being such a light sleeper, there wasn't anything he could do while she was unconscious either-he'd been at a loss.
Kcalb left the room as quietly as he entered, keeping his hand on the door knob just to harshly slam his knuckles across the door much louder after it was closed. Immediately he heard a reaction inside, a few coughs followed by a tired "who is it?"
"Eti, are you awake?" he asked clearly, waiting a minute for the sound of footsteps before taking a step back from the door and releasing the handle.
"I am now." Etihw appeared at the entrance then, already half-dressed in her basic robes. "Couldn't wait for me to wake up at a normal time? Or… you came to join me?" A cheshire grin spread over her face naturally. "Kcalb… it's too early to be cute."
He scowled on reflex, the slightest tint of red at his cheeks. "Of course not! Don't be stupid. I just woke up early and remembered I needed to ask you something-about the stones, before you ask."
Etihw's smile fell to one less devious as she adjusted her robes into place, leaving her cape behind for now as she stepped out into the hallway with the devil. "Is that so? Let's hear it."
"...after breakfast."
She had to laugh, shaking her head while starting towards the stairs with his sleeve in hand. "Naturally."
Kcalb was never good at these sorts of things, never had been, and probably never would be. Things like comforting people or helping heal them or merely fixing simple nightmares were all far out of his reach for whatever reason came with being a devil. Still, it didn't mean he couldn't try to stop what he could as they came; Kcalb was sure Etihw would do the same for him.