"Oh my."
Dorado woke up, feeling very nauseous as he looked through the warped shower glass.
"I see he wasn't kidding."
Dorado's eyes slowly blinked, lank hair tickling his face, sweat beading.
Did he want to puke, or howl like an animal?
He could vaguley see a woman on the other side of the frosted panel in black. He looked down, head rolling, then falling weakly and saw the giant yellow bear. The side of its furry face had a red print caked into it, right over the bulbous eyes.
He didn't really think much of it, mind completely empty and numb.
"Oh, there you are, sweetie." The woman pushed the door open and unveiled Dorado. "Do you think you can stand long enough to get a shower?"
Aw crap, it was the housekeeper.
Where's Marco?
"Shhh," she said, "He's fine. He was the one who got me here. He was very worried about you."
Dorado grunted again, coming out as a pained squeal.
"Hey now," She said, patting his face down with a damp cloth, "You look like you bit into someone's jugular."
Annafellows flipped over Dorado's hand. Satisfied, she reached across him for his other one. She saw that it matched the one on the glass panel, and wiped it off.
She smelled like cloves and cinnamon.
"If you feel like you're going to be sick, just grab onto my arm." Annafellows said, returning to his face. She dabbed around his eye. "You don't seem to be running a fever."
Dorado's head rolled to the side. He stared at the splattered wall. Annafellows dark fingers tenderly held his face and pulled him back. Her silver hair was pulled tight in the kind of wrapped bun his older sister liked to wear.
What a funny thing to remember.
"My niece has a teddy like that." Annafellows said, "She won it at an arcade sometime around her birthday."
Dorado let his eyes wander to the toy.
"If you get a shower and brush your teeth, I'll get it all cleaned up for you. And I bet you'll feel all better." She smiled, glossy lips pulled up and head cocked, small flyaways waving very gently.
Dorado numbly nodded. Annafellows managed to get him on his feet and grabbed the bear.
"Get cleaned and dressed and I'll come back soon."
Dorado nodded again.
"You have the same expression as one of my old master's." Annafellows said, holding onto the yellow bear, "That same, sad and distant expression."
She ruffled his damp hair, tickling his forehead as his cold sweat passed. She was very, very tall.
Or maybe he was just short.
That was a very good possibility, considering he was five feet exact at his last mandatory school fitness check.
"Get some rest, sweetie."
Dorado swayed, watching her silently leave from where he stood in the shower.