Knocking on the door of the guest room, I wasted no time when I changed into fresh clothes and check in to see how Ayaka and Aranea were.
"Thoma? You can come in." Lady Ayaka's voice spoke up.
Turning the door handle, I went inside the room to find Ayaka kneeling at the side of the bed treating Aranea's head injury the best that she could against her now dried hair. She was in a new set of clothes that belonged to Lady Ayaka. When I walked up to them in the room, I let out a sigh of relief.
"Let me take over from here." I said as I got down on my knees and checked on her bandaged forehead. "It doesn't look as bad as I thought it was. Thank goodness."
"But she still hasn't woken up." Lady Ayaka said, concern etched on her face.
"Do you think we should call for a doctor?" I suggested.
Shaking her head, she stood up and crossed her arms over her chest.
"There's no way that any doctor would be able to get here when the weather outside hasn't calmed down." She explained.
"Then I'll go find a doctor for her." I said as I stood up, determined. "I can do it."
She reached for my arm and stopped me before I could leave the room.
"It's no use. I know, more than anyone, that you want to help... But it's just too dangerous outside." She said. "What if something happened to you when you were out there? The risk is far too great!"
"Then what should we do?" I asked, knowing she had a point. "I feel frustrated. I can't do anything by just waiting around."
"I feel the same. I mean, I honestly don't have a good enough answer to all of this. If only my brother was here..." Lady Ayaka trailed off.
"Wait, now that I think about it, what were you doing out there in the storm? You came back not too long ago." I questioned, recalling she came back soaked in water.
"I was on the way back home before it had really started to rain, and it took longer because it became more intense as I was getting closer to home." She began to explain as she sat down at the foot of the bed next to her friend. "I went out with brother earlier because he was summoned suddenly for a meeting. At first it was a normal gathering how we usually have, but then something serious must've happened because everyone looked... Worried over something..."
"Worried? About what?" I asked, curious.
"I didn't find out. Brother told me to head on home because the meeting was going to take longer than we had expected. Like he knew he had to take care of something before he came back home."
"Do you think... Could it be something relating to this weather? Has something happened to the Shogun?" I spoke slowly, not knowing what to expect. "I mean, if you ask me, this seems like it's all connected."
Raiden Shogun, the Archon of Inazuma. Only she had the power to call upon a storm of this magnitude.
"That makes sense I suppose. I hadn't seen him give me a look like that in a while." She said as she was remembering her most recent conversation with Lord Ayato. "I just hope that it's nothing too serious."
With a big yawn not getting past me, Lady Ayaka's exhaustion began to show itself once the commotion had began to dwindle down.
"You should get some rest. You've had a long day." I suggested, putting a hand on her shoulder to get her to look up at me. "You're tired. There's no reason to push yourself, not when I'm here."
"Are you sure?" She asked me. "What if Aranea wakes up soon?"
"Then I'll take over from here. I'll stay by her side while you catch up on some much needed rest. That way we can tackle those two problems at once. What do you say?"
"You've always put others in front of yourself as long as I've known you. Don't ever change, Thoma. We really do appreciate you around here." Standing up, Lady Ayaka gave me a kind smile. "Good night. I'll be back to check on her later. If she hasn't woken up by then, we can switch and you get some rest afterwards."
"If the weather has calmed down by then, we can worry about getting her a doctor and get looked at. First thing in the morning." I said. "Good night."
After Lady Ayaka left the two of us alone, I sat down on the floor of the bedroom and with my back against the wall.
'I already know that much, my lady. It doesn't need to be said.' I thought to myself as the room became quieter despite the storm raging outside showing no signs of slowing down in intensity. 'If only I was born here in Inazuma, I could've spent more time with my Lord and Lady. How different would things be? Maybe I would've been working for someone else other than the Yashiro Commission instead? Would I have been one of the first people to meet Lumine and Paimon when they first arrived in Mondstadt if I never left?'
As my mind was free to wander now that I found myself with some free time that I wasn't used to due to the situation, I let a yawn escape my lips as my eyes became heavier. Looking over to the still unconscious friend of Lady Ayaka, her slow and steady breathing put me at ease.
'Aranea will be okay... I didn't get much sleep earlier either... Maybe an hour or so will be fine, right?... Just for a little while'
My eyes eventually closed and I let myself drift off to sleep.
Twitch: Enrita11
September 4th, 2023
