Tag updates, Depression, Suicide attempt, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non con
Hands Extended Into Despair
"Come on, move out of the way! We got a crash cart coming in!" Qrow jogged slightly ahead of the stretcher, warning other patients out of the way as they made their way through the hospital towards CCU. The Faunus girl lay deathly still on the stretcher, Sun had come in with him and was helping by keeping a air pump over her mouth, pushing oxygen into the lungs. The other members of Team SSSN had been ordered to check the area for any clues and potentially other victims. So far no call had come in.
Nurses came forward, taking over for Sun who stepped away. When Qrow made to follow the stretcher into Surgery one of them in green scrubs held up a hand. "I'm sorry Sir but you're going to have to wait out here."
"Not a chance. Someone did this to her, I will wait outside in observation but until we identify and are able to contact her family I'm staying." The Huntsman only stepped around the shorter man, walking inside and taking a post by the furthest wall, a clear sign he wasn't going to get in the way nor was he leaving until his charge did.
Another man, this one clearly a surgeon stormed over. "Look you need to leave now. I can't have you here."
"Look buddy I'm not moving, plus I need to know what happened to her so I can find who did this and stop them from doing it to someone else." Qrow growled, stepping into the sectioned area for relatives. "I'm only staying until I get the information I need, then I'll leave."
The Surgeon clearly didn't care as he only huffed before entering the exam room. Already the nurses had removed Velvet's clothing and was bagging it up in a clear evidence bag. The nurses placed the bags near several others and after a short surgery everything was passed through to Qrow, along with a report of the extensive injuries the unnamed Faunus had suffered.
Qrow took the items, his eyes questioning the Nurse. "Will she make it?"
"It's going to be very touch and go for the next forty-eight hours. We will keep her in recovery until then, afterwards if she does make it, she will be transferred to ICU where we hope she will wake up. If she's lucky." The nurse added.
Qrow almost winced and subcounsciously took a step away. "And if she isn't?"
"Well you have samples, find her relatives or a next of kin and inform them they may want to say their goodbyes." After rattling off some more information the team of nurses and Surgeons took the girl out without another word.
Qrow opened the file, skimming the cliff notes that had been written in a quick and sloppy hand. "Severe dehydration and malnutioused, falls far below the recommended weight for size and age group. Multiple cuts to different areas of the body, particularly legs. This guy didn't want her getting away. Broken femur, right arm. Two broken fingers left hand. Bruising and tears to the-." Qrow gagged for a moment, his eyes widening, She's been raped. Before he snapped the file shut again. There was a level of depravity to whoever had hurt that young woman he hadn't seen before. He was a Huntsman, most of the victims he had brought in were survivors of Grimm attacks. What had happened to this woman reached a low he hoped never to have to witness again.
As he exited the Surgery room his student, the one who had stayed behind with him to help the Faunus jogged over. "Hey Qrow, the guys called, said there was nothing to find and no other victims. Hey you okay?" Sun's tone turned worried as he took in the way Qrow's face had paled, even more so than usual.
"We need to hand this over to the authorities but I don't want to leave the girl here alone. If whoever hurt her finds out she's still alive they may come to finish the job."
"I'll stay then. Sage can come keep me company while you do that, then later we can switch out with Scarlet and Neptune. Do you think by then we could have someone else to watch over her." Sun asked
"Sure thing kiddo, might even be earlier then that. Just make sure you don't leave her. Oh and if her condition changes let me know right away. For now I need to try and find her next of kin." Qrow sighed, rubbing a hand through his hair. He really wanted a drink but this kid deserved his full attention. Sun was scruffing a bit of dust with his sneakers when Qrow raised a brow. "What kid?"
"It's just that . . . You may not be able to find her family. A lot of us Faunus in Vale are orphans or live alone. If you do go, try near the docks." The monkey Faunus was clearly embarrassed by this as he couldn't keep his eyes from staring holes into the floor but Qrow didn't want to press him. Even in this day and age Faunus weren't taken very serious by society. Nor were full equal rights established anywhere in Remnant. Qrow could see the words on Sun's face. There would be no missing report for whoever was lying in that bed and he knew it.
That didn't mean Qrow was so easy to give up. "I'll do what I can." So as to not push his luck the taller man left the hospital with the file tucked under his arm.
What really concerned him was the only word the Faunus had said to him. In that one moment when she woke up long enough to look back at him with those doe brown eyes. She had said the one word that even now left a shard of frozen fear somewhere in his chest. Ruby.
Ruby~
How? How could a whisper that seemed so far away reach her ears as though he was sighing the word gently against her skin? Ruby spun around, her gaze meeting a void of darkness that echoed her name again and again. She shivered, wrapping her arms tightly around her body, her knees quaking, buckling together like a scared childs. Which way should she go? It was so dark.
My flower~ Come play with me.
For some reason those words, the way they stole her breath made her angry. "Where are you! Show yourself."
Everything seemed to go silent as she spoke, though her bravo was a farce she straightened, her eyes searching out the shadows within the void. She wore nothing but a thin pink gown. It felt like silk but was unflattering and reached her knees. The spaghetti straps fell from one shoulder and her bare feet sunk into the center of a flower. Wait! A flower?
The red head stumbled onto her knees, she was sitting in the center of a very large silken purple flower. Its petals extended outwards while the squishy middle of a bright yellow was sticky with pollen. Ruby tried to stand back up, the feeling on sitting on a flower much bigger then she was frightening for some reason. However when she tried to stand her wrists came away wrapped in chains of crimson red. The chains were thin but when she tried to pull them, they only tightened, forcing her hands closer to the stigma. Suddenly a sound like ripping caught her attention though when Ruby looked up she was horrified by what she saw.
The petals, the silken purple petals were slowly winding upwards, almost like they were blooming but backwards. None of it made any sense as Ruby yanked harder at the chains, over and over. The cackling of laughter grew louder and louder in her ears as the petals started falling over one another in a perfect seam. "No! Let me go!" Ruby screamed, her wrists going bloody from the endless yanking, her tears streaming down her face in rivers.
The petals above her began cutting off any semblance of light causing the young woman to scream louder. "NO!"
She felt like she was going blind. The crimson links of the chains fading from her sight into the dark as the last purple petal trapped her inside. Ruby began panicking, her breaths coming too quick and shallow. She needed to get out!
Just as she felt like she was hyperventilating the echoing of the laughter sparened until it felt like someone was laughing right under her. Shaking Ruby peered down into the stigma as like an eye it opened wide. Bright yellow and staring right back at her.
"There you are!"
Ruby bolted upright in her bed with a scream, her silver eyes glazed with a mixture of fear and sleep. She searched every corner of the room, her breathing starting to finally slow down when she realised it had been a dream. A very awful, frightening dream but still just a dream. A whine and growl came from her door and Ruby frowned I don't remember closing my door last night. She normally didn't since Zwei often slept in her room. Ever since Yang and Weiss moved out the little corgi hadn't liked sleeping in her room where he had for many years so Ruby always left her door open a touch so he could get in.
Dad didn't come home last night so how did my door shut? The silver eyed got out of bed, a breeze curling around her naked arms. The window? She didn't remember leaving the window open but then again after James had finally left she had been too tired to notice. Maybe she had just left it open and the wind had closed the door. Yeah that must have been it.
Feeling more confident and content with her thoughts Ruby wandered over to the open window. It was midmorning, the sun peeking over the treeline. She enjoyed watching the sunrise, the start of a new day, new beginnings and endless opportunities.
Ruby leaned further onto the window sill, her hand coming into contact with something soft. When she looked down, all her thoughts about the beautiful day were forgotten. There laying innocently on the sill was a purple flower.
Maybe the wind blew it here? Don't be silly Ruby. No James must have left it. Patch is full of flowers, he must have left it here for me. That's it.
Ruby would have been lying if she didn't think the presence of a purple flower left on her window sill bothered her. Then she got annoyed with herself for something so silly and pushed it to the back of her mind as she made some tea. For the first time in a while the silence in the house seemed to bother her, even Zwei was quiet and she didn't like it. Ruby fet like getting out for a while. So after finishing her tea and dressing she made her way over to the workshop. She decided it would be a nice day to take her sister the ornament she'd made for her Weiss and Blake. Not to mention she had been so busy lately she hadn't actually seen much of the new apartment Yang and her soulmates had started renting.
Yang was just putting the finishing touches of the new couch when the doorbell rang. Weiss being the most polite rushed over and checked the view hole before swinging the door open and embracing the person on the other side. "Ruby! What are you doing here?"
"Oh you know, bored out of my skull, figured I'd pop by and see how you guys were settling in. I brought cookies!" Ruby held the barkery box out with a smile, though Weiss could tell there was some strain underneath her friend's grin. Taking the box from her younger friend she stepped aside to allow Ruby in.
"Wonderful, I'll put these in the fridge and make some tea. Your brute of a sister is in the living room."
"Thanks Weiss." She was never going be able to get use to how different things were now that her sister and Soulmates had their own place. At least when she poked her head into the next room and saw her sister with her blonde hair pulled up in a ponytail, some things never changed. Especially when Yang put down her tools and upon seeing her baby sister raced across the room to throw her arms around Ruby.
"Ruby!" Yang had her arms around her sister so fast Ruby didn't even think to move away, instead she just let the familiar scent of oranges and motor oil surround her. With so much happening lately she hadn't been able to really speak with Yang and there was much to catch up on but first she noticed panicked she needed her sister to just hold her.
Yang felt the tiny shudders of her sister and cast a glance towards the kitchen where Weiss was looking in, confused. Silently Yang asked her platinum haired mate for some space and Weiss just crept into the bedroom fishing out their other mate. Blake took one at Ruby crying in her sister's arm and left the flat with Weiss.
The blonde bombshell waited until the apartment was quiet before pulling away the smallest bit so she could see Ruby. Her sister's face was smudged slightly, her mascara left a thin trail of black ink down one cheek and her eyes were puffed red from crying. "Ruby, what happened?"
The last week of changes to her life finally started coming out. Things she wouldn't tell her dad or even Qrow she told to Yang. How she had met her Soulmates at the Gala, who they were and what they were like. There wasn't much she could tell Yang about Romulus since she knew very little about him herself and neither of them had each others contact info. She told her sister about how unsure she was about their bonds.
When it came to how she had spent the night making love to James Ironwood her sister whistled loudly. "Wow Rubes really! I've heard people refer to him as the Iron 'Wood' if you get me eh eh."
It had the desired effect, Ruby's tears and shuddering turned into fits of giggles and her chest started heaving from the laughter. Yang only grinned at her while Ruby tried to control her breathing, letting the fits of giggles died down though her face remained flushed from embarrassment and laughter. The younger of the two tried to put on a sober look, just barely getting out, "Oh Yang, you have NO idea." before bursting into another series of giggles that had her letting go of her sister to clutch around her stomach. Yang, catching her sister's drift soon joined in and the apartment was filled with their combined giggles.
Later when the pair sat at the kitchen table, after the tea Weiss made was cleaned away and the two girls each had a soft drink in hand did Yang finally get to the point of Ruby's unexpected visit. "Are you going to tell me what happened then?"
Ruby twirled her bottle over the table thinking. "I had another nightmare."
"Ohhhhh."
"Only this time it was different, I don't know how to explain it, just that it seemed almost . . . final? Like whatever, no it's silly. I just don't understand it." She sat back, her drink forgotten.
"Why don't you tell me what it was about?"
"Same as usual, darkness, me alone and a big yellow eye. No . . . there was something different this time. There was a flower, a great big purple one and I was trapped in the middle of it while the petals trapped me inside. Like a cage." The last few words came out as almost a whisper but the slight shake to her hand betrayed its importance.
"What happened then?" Yang asked, it wasn't the first time Ruby had nightmares of this big yellow eye. Ever since she was younger Ruby had dreams about it but this was the first time she had mentioned a purple flower.
"Then I woke up like I always do. The only problem is that on my window sill there was a purple flower, kinda like the one from my dream."
"Maybe you saw it before you went to bed and it stuck with you through the dream, that kind of thing happens right?"
"Or so I've read but I'm sure I shut that window before going to bed. I thought maybe James had opened it before he left, maybe he left the flower there but the more I think about it the more it doesn't seem right." Ruby got up from her seat, paced for a moment before removing the cookies she brought from the fridge and bringing it over to the table.
Yang pulled out a cookie, mulling things over. "Maybe it was just a coincidence, or perhaps you were so tired after having fun with the General that you forgot to close the window."
Ruby munched on another cookie, already the chocolatey goodness was improving her mood. "Yeah, you're probably right."
"Of course I'm right, its me! I'm always right." Yang said with jubilation.
"I thought Dad was always right."
Her blonde headed sister only snorted and waved her sister away. "Nah, dad's too hopeless."
"I'm telling him you said that." Ruby said her eyes staring down at her sister.
Yang only pushed the bakery box closer to Ruby. "Nah you won't, here have another cookie Ruby." The lilac eyed woman watched happily as her baby sister did take another cookie, stuffing the treat into her mouth. She wouldn't say as much but Ruby's dreams or rather her nightmares did concern her some. Maybe it was time to have another talk with her uncle and their dad.
It was well past dinner when James got the text. :Had fun.: It surprised him at first, for it wasn't a question but more of a statement, he looked at the caller ID. His heart pounded for an instant, Qrow Branwen. His Scroll blinked again this time it was an address. Why did Qrow of all people want to talk to him? In person so less. Well the day was over and he had nothing better to do, it was probably about Ruby after all. James felt a smile pull at his lips, Gods she was a good woman. James texted out quickly. :On my way.:
The General had dressed casually that day, one could even go as far as to say civilian. So when he walked into a rather nice if quiet bar, he didn't raise any of the attention he would have in uniform. Qrow was easy to spot sitting at a table with his back to the door hunched over like normal with his weapon Harbinger upon his waist. James walked over and sat across from the pale red eyed man.
Qrow pushed his little bowl of deep fried avocado over. At the invitation James helped himself to one while watching Qrow, he thought the man looked deep into his cups. However Ruby's comments about Qrow's drinking reverberated in his skull. "Something you need Qrow?"
"To talk to yeh obviously." Qrow finished his third whisky in one gulp.
"About?"
"I found a girl today, faunus. She had been abused, physically, sexually, I don't even want to guess at her mental state. She's at the hospital now and I've got team SSSN sticking around to be her bodyguards. The thing that bothers me about this is that the last word she got out was 'Ruby'." Qrow clenched his fists.
"You think someone is going to target her, don't you? That the faunus was just a trial run." James could see where this was going.
"Yeah."
James looked up at the harsh word. "Thank you for telling me. What is it you want to do?"
"For now? Nothing, at least to Ruby. She's got enough on her plate without worrying about this too. I'll start hunting though. I'd like you to tell Ozpin, his manor would be a good safe house." Qrow said.
James insides squirmed at the idea of talking to Ozpin. "I'll let him know his hosting skills could be called upon."
Silence filled the air before Qrow asked. "So how'd it go with Ruby? Her sister Yang sent me a picture of the two of them this afternoon, she looked positively glowing."
"You can tell that easily?" James asked sharply.
Qrow laughed. "I've known her a lot longer than you Jimmy."
"Yes I know and very intimately I believe."
It was Qrow's turn to freeze. "Relax." James said. "She told me."
"Ah." Qrow said and signaled the barmaid for another round of drinks. "Nice to see Ruby decided to trust you with that."
"I can't say I understand it but you are both Valiates. So I guess I'll leave it at that." James had a sip of the strong whisky that arrived.
"Probably a good idea to keep that little Atlassian brain of yours from exploding Jimmy." Qrow helped himself to another piece of avocado.
James scowled. "I'm not that bad."
Qrow raised a brow. "Prove it." A smiled flitted over his lips. "How are things going with Oz then? I got the impression you don't barely talk despite being soulmates."
"How'd you?! Grrr." James pursed his lips and muttered. "Ruby mentioned you were good at reading people."
"It's too bad the Bene Gerrist don't train males. I just made do with learning under a professional Companion." Qrow said.
"You're trained as a Companion? Ruby mentioned you had instruction but not that." James couldn't believe it.
Qrow reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. First he pulled his Huntsmen license out, then flipped it around to show James. Sure enough under was another license. "Read it and weep Jimbo."
James read and almost did weep. "You've been playing us all for fools."
Qrow hid the second license under the first again and said. "Don't take it personally, it's not something I like to broadcast. I make a fine living as a Huntsman, I don't need the second line of work. I just burned through Beacon so fast I had the opportunity to go to another school. Seeing as I really like sex, joining the Companion guild was the natural choice."
The General finished his drink and waved his fingers to order another. "I will try not to."
"Come on, you had to admit having Ruby in your bed made anything I've done on the side worth it? I bet she could burn through the program in under a year. I have even almost suggested it to her a few times, but call me greedy. Up till you guys showed up I had no intention of sharing her."
James's mind was briefly distracted by the image of Ruby riding him so gracefully. The sensually dip and roll of her hips, how she could go so slow and hit all his spots just right. He shook his head and forced the words out. "She mentioned you were the one to point her at us… So thank you. For stepping aside."
"To love and let go." Qrow smiled softly. "Sometimes I wonder if it's the best form of love."
"I wouldn't know." James took another drink as the waitress brought a new one over.
"Things going that badly with Oz?"
"Would you stop asking about Ozpin? It's none of your business." James growled.
Qrow put his arm heavily on the table. "Ruby is my girl, some part of her will always be mine. I may be stepping back as her lover but I still want her safe. So I'm making you, Ozpin and this Romulus guy my business. I won't have any of you fucking this up for her because you've got your heads up your asses about something."
James sighed. "There is no getting around this is there?"
"Nope. Spill the fucking beans James."
At the use of his actual name James sharply looked to him. The warmth from the few drinks now loosened his tongue. "I don't go to Ozpin for anything. We aren't together." He had another drink. "He's just so messed up and I don't know how to deal with it." He barked a laugh. "I don't even know how to be… uhh affectionate with a guy."
Qrow raised a brow, setting up a tab had been a good idea. "Not curious, or just haven't had the balls to look it up."
James blushed. "The latter."
"I can point you at some sites if you like. Or you could just ask Oz, he strikes me as the type to know." Qrow finished the appetizer.
"Oh he knows." The blue eyed man shook his head. "I just can't ask him. I hate not knowing what to do, I hate being the…" He made a awkward gesture with his hands.
"Bottom?" Qrow offered helpfully.
"Yeah." James finished his glass and Qrow pushed his over.
"Any particular reason why? Or is it just not your thing?" Qrow asked as James took the cup and drank again. He'd have to take him home, he was getting way too drunk to drive.
James pulled off his glove, the gleaming metal of his hand shun dully in under the lights. Qrow caught a few people looking in their direction and glared at them until their gaze shifted elsewhere. Obvious to the stares James clenched and unclenched his metal fist and slurred. "Half's me is metal, don't like people seeing or touch'n it."
The gear head in Qrow rushed to the fore and he felt heat curl under his skin. He stood slowly and pulled out a Lien card and tossed it on the table. "I see. Come on then James. You're getting way too sloshed. Time for bed."
Ironwood woke slowly with his head pounding. The room was warm even with the curtains drawn closed, the light was comfortable and more than enough to see by. He was mostly dressed just with his shoes and coat removed and several of his buttons loose. He sat up with a groan pressing a hand to his throbbing temple.
The door opened a cup of water slightly fizzing was offered to him. James took it as Qrow sat down on the edge of the bed, he was only wearing grey slacks. "How's the head?"
James gulped the drink and said. "I've had worse." He glanced over at Qrow who looked perfectly sober. "I'm sensing irony."
Qrow laughed. "Well, call this your first introduction to the real me."
A smile pulled at James's lips, Ruby had mentioned that as well. He looked at the bed. "We uh, didn't do anything last night?"
Qrow looked at him nonplussed. "As you now know, I'm a professional. I don't sleep with drunk people James. All that happened was you gave me your car keys, I drove you home and put you to bed. Oh and well this . . . " Qrow reached into his pocket and pulled out his Scroll. He played a little video that had James leaning on him and bawling that Qrow was his new bestest friend ever. "You're a funny drunk."
"Oh Gods delete that!" James reached for it but Qrow closed and pocketed the Scroll while saying. "Never Jimmy, that's freaken gold."
James head hurt too much to fight over it, he slowly moved his legs off the bed. He hung his head in his hands, massaging his temples.
"James…" Qrow ventured slowly. "Have you ever thought about getting professional help? You're not the first amputee to have trouble with their sex life or disabled individual with the problem. Their are people who are trained to help with this kind of thing."
"What's the point when no one will have me." James said.
"Ozpin-."
"Is a soulmate. That's not love, that's… obligation." James said. "Besides, I don't trust doctor patient confidentiality as far as I can throw it."
Qrow didn't want to know what had happened to give James that mindset. He thought silently for a moment, he wanted this to work out for Ruby and he was beginning to see just how deep the damage to James went. "What if you didn't have to worry about privacy?" He asked warily, an idea forming in his mind.
"I don't see how that could be avoided." James grumbled.
"As you know, I am a professional in a rather large field of physical and emotional well being. While that doesn't not extend to how to help an amputee, IF I was to look into it. Expand my education, would you be interested in visiting me? I'll be in Vale for at least a year, if needs be longer. I think I could help you James." Qrow said. "With me there will be no forms, no paper trail and you know I won't betray your trust."
James looked over to Qrow utterly stunned, his gut instinct was to say no. That he didn't need help, only he knew that would be a lie. He swallowed thickly his tongue suddenly felt to large for his mouth. "Can I think about it?"
"Of course."
Ozpin sat alone in his house, Penny was somewhere around but right now the people he wanted to see were not there at all. Three days, three days and not a single change, Ozpin thought as he stared at his wrists, pale blue and green wisps. No darker then the day the bonds had awakened, tears pricked at his eyes and he clenched his fists. Who was he kidding, there was no point to any of this! What right did he have to soulmates? He'd outlive them anyway, worse someday he'd have to tell them and he didn't even know why himself. The darkness of his room closed his around him, why did he even think that he had a chance?
Oz looked up and stared at his bathroom, his feet took him him mindlessly to the room. His fingers found his razor, it was so dark in here. Copper eyes roamed the darkness and he found the way to a drawing room. Small comfy homey, perfect for guests and family. What a fool he was for thinking he'd ever have need of it.
Two large windows filled the room with pale moonlight. He looked up at the moon, broken just like him, the metal of the razor was warm in his hands. Oz turned his wrists, his soulmates wouldn't even miss him. James would be free of the embarrassment. His skin looked so white, memories of red haunted him behind his eyes. He took a deep breath and set the blade to his skin, maybe this time it would work.
The slashes were quick and perfect, Oz slumped to the floor head bowed forward as his blood poured it's way from his body. It didn't take long for that familiar darkness to push in on around him. Gods he loved it. His body tilted to the side and he fell to the floor, his blood staining the carpet around him. His breath slowed till it finally stopped, his copper eyes stared unseeing up at the shattered moon.
The night grew still and cold as the blood dried, owls hooted in the distance. Penny closed her eyes and sat with her back to the door listening, waiting.
Then it came, that first horrible gasping breath. Oz's body sucked in air and he coughed violently. He rolled over and coughed and coughed, the tears followed instantly. No, no, no, WHY? Oz wailed his hands grabbing at his now perfectly healed wrists. "Why?!" He screamed, energy surged through his body as it always did with a new life. He staggered to his feet a hand found the back of a chair and with ease he grabbed it and tossed it a wall with such force it shattered into a thousand pieces. "Why can't I DIE!" He howled.
Penny flinched as she listened to him scream and yell, she could hear things breaking inhumanly fast. She hugged herself, she had been trying to get him to battle Grimm again for ages. It was a productive way for father to exhaust himself but he refused to have any part in it anymore. She was making sure he ate well, exercised and practiced, but hearing him use all that strength he kept hidden away made her wish he hadn't stopped.
Oz ripped at the shelves with his bare hands, destroying the room down to it's very roots. Till his fingers found stone and even that crumbled to dust. Why? Why was he like this? He had tried everything, done everything but nothing made it stop. Once long ago he thought being immortal had been a gift, something he had been given to make the world a better place. He'd been a king, teacher, a hunter, a farmer, he'd walked every type of good life. Helped thousands of people, brought peace to so many and yet why wasn't there any for him? Why couldn't he just DIE!?
Ozpin screamed again a horrible sound that didn't feel like it could belong to a human being. This immortally had taken everything from him and it would again and again. His dull eyes surveyed the damage he had run out of things to break. Oz fell to his knees again and sobbed, there was no point to any of it.
Penny opened the door as quietly as she could, debris catching under the edge. The room was utterly destroyed, it was only by some miracle that Oz hadn't gone for the windows. She crept over and knelt beside her maker. "Come father, time for bed."
Oz grabbed at his little robot girl and sobbed onto her chest. Penny petted his hair, they had been through this too many times. She knew what to do now, first she stroked his head till fatigue pulled at him. Then mindful of his hands she pulled him to his feet and led him to his bedroom.
This time she flicked the light-switch on, the room was filled with finery in soft emerald greens, golds and browns. Earthly colours, to sooth and cradle. She guided Oz over to the bed and with a few soft words got him to sit down and wait for her. Penny went to his bathroom, finding and grabbed the medical kit, it was always fully stocked now.
She returned and pulled the splinters out of her father's hands. Penny loved his hands, long graceful fingers, kind and knowing. They had made her and for that she'd never leave him. She wrapped them up in bandages and coaxed Oz out of his clothes and tucked him into bed. "It will be better in the morning father."
Penny turned the light off as she departed, for she knew Oz was already asleep. He always slept well after an attempt, she shut the door softly and looked at the carnage of the drawing room. With a sigh she rolled up her sleeves and started the cleaning process, she'd have this all gone by morning.
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