We brought her back all right. In one piece, though she obviously tried her best to make it anything but. I'm still somewhat grieving for Venti too, but that idiot-dragon would just get pissed off if I moped about like Reesa is.
I wish I knew what to say to her about it. I've already lost a lot in my life. I don't want to lose her too. Some days are hard enough without that thought...
Leon had volunteered to take on Reesa-watching duty while she was unconscious at the clinic, since both Arthur and Dylas had jobs they needed to get back to. He knew it would stop either rival from coming to see her when they got the time, and honestly, he welcomed the breaks. The clinic was rather boring, really, and watching Reesa sleep could only be amusing for so long.
On the other hand, the idea of her waking up and him not being there wasn't a very palatable one, and he could always go fishing in the little canals later. After he'd thoroughly explained why such suicidal tendencies weren't exactly the best way to grieve for Ventuswill.
He looked down at the hand he held; so slender, pale and small. A pretty extreme contrast to his own large, tanned hands.
"You idiot," he sighed, reaching out to brush some stray hair from Reesa's face. "You're not alone, you know... I swear, you and Venti are the same sort of stubbornly stupid. Venti didn't want friends because we all wanted to save her. You don't want us to see your grief because you think we'll blame you for Venti's choice!"
How could they blame her for that? Venti had needed saving, and Reesa had done just that. There was nothing to blame her for.
"If you would just say something..."
But Reesa was still and quiet, entirely unconscious. To deep to hear his quietly heartfelt plea. When they'd brought her in, Jones had said something about her lack of nutrition meaning her recovery would be pretty slow, but he'd honestly tuned most of it out after hearing that she would recover. He was better than Dylas, at least; the former horse-based Guardian could barely sit in the room for an hour before he had to go do something to take out his frustration and helpless feelings.
The only problem Leon had with sitting for so long was thinking. He tried to avoid certain thoughts, but how could he not wonder who would eventually marry Reesa in the end? Not him, not, but at the same time he hardly wanted to let her go. Was it a crime to want things to stay as they were?
He sighed a little, shifting on the stool that Dolce had given him. No doubt the fact that Reesa had been sleeping for three days was all over town by now. Dolce wasn't a gossip, and both Jones and Nancy respected the privacy of their patients, but Pico was an endless chatterbox, and when she was worried, she got worse. At least there hadn't been a stream of visitors...
Hearing footsteps, he glanced up, raising an eyebrow as Fotre nervously inched her way in. Normally teasing the somewhat stuffy, stubborn knight was fun, but his heart just wasn't in it right now, so he just nodded a little in greeting. She nodded cautiously back, then glanced over at the bed.
"It's true then, is it?" the blonde knight murmured.
"Yeah."
She knelt by the bed, resting her head on her arms, with a poignantly forlorn look that Leon couldn't help but empathize with.
"I'm supposed to be her knight," Forte said quietly. "But I didn't see this at all."
"You have a duty to the whole town," he pointed out. "And she's a better actress than any of us suspected. Especially for someone with amnesia."
"Perhaps the amnesia is what gave her that experience," Forte shook her head a little. "I've never seen her without a smile... I asked her once, whether she worried about what she's forgotten and she just laughed."
Leon reached out and patted the knight on the shoulder.
"Don't beat yourself up about it," he advised. "Reesa's got that sort of smile where you're utterly convinced that everything is just fine as long as the smile is where it belongs."
"Maybe... but it makes those of us who appreciate her presence feel all the more like we've let her down..."
Leon cocked his head a little, curious.
"Why's that?"
Forte was quiet for a very long time, giving him the chance to study not just her, but her as she looked at Reesa. Understanding flickered through him after a few minutes; everyone went to Reesa when they needed a smile, and a word of encouragement, but who, then, did Reesa turn to?
"I wonder if she talked to Lady Ventuswill about anything?"
"Who knows what those two would talk about," Leon smiled a little in amusement. "There was no denying that they were the best of friends, though. The number of arguments, or them just being ridiculous that anyone could walk in on..."
Forte smiled a little herself, nodding in agreement.
"We have to take better care of our princess," she said as she got to her feet. "We didn't know Lady Ventuswill like you, or her, so for some of us it's not as hard. It's time we rallied to her instead of putting everything onto her."
Leon blinked a little, then chuckled.
"You show you care in the weirdest way," he teased.
Forte blushed, shaking her head a little.
"J-just let me know when she wakes up!" the knight said, flustered.
"Uh huh."
He grinned a little as Forte left; it really was fun to tease her. She tried so hard to be impressive and imposing, but in some ways she was just as girly as Reesa. And maybe it hadn't just been for Reesa that she'd come... but that was pure speculation. Still, she had helped to elevate his mood, and he appreciated it.
He glanced at Reesa, then shook his head a little.
"Idiot." Then he leaned in close to her ear. "You have to wake up, love. For all of us. We want you back."
She stirred a little, and he felt his heart jump, but she only turned her head a little towards the wall. He sighed, a little forlornly, and squeezed her hand lightly. It was, at least, more animation than she'd shown in the past three days. He just had to have faith that she would wake up.
Perhaps fortunately for his swiftly waning mood, another step of feet approached him. A glance up revealed that Arthur had come to take his turn, and Leon stood up, stretching the kinks out of his back.
"How's it going?" he asked the prince quietly.
"As you surmised, Pico essentially told the entire town by telling Kiel, and Dolce made no effort to stop either one," Arthur smiled a little ruefully. "Forte has promised that she will keep everyone from flooding the clinic, at least. There has been a lot of remonstrating from everyone about not noticing how she was suffering, and I've had to remind a number of people that Reesa seems to take pleasure in taking care of them, but finds it awkward to be taken care of herself."
"That's true enough," Leon shook his head a little, getting to his feet. "But maybe it's time she understood that we're going to take care of her whether she likes it or not. We've already lost one important member of the town... and Venti was far more aloof than Reesa's ever been."
Arthur nodded his understanding, and Leon shook his head again, then reached down and flipped some of Reesa's hair into her face.
"Dork," he muttered, though it was fondly meant. "Wake up already..."
