Once the door shut behind him, Obi blew out a long breath. Slipping off his formal jacket, he tossed it on a chair and threw himself face first onto his bed. Hands scrubbed through his hair as he tried erase the feeling of her skin on his fingertips. He needed to get control over himself. They had travelled together extensively, shared tents, shared rooms. His hands stilled in his hair, and he flipped himself over to his back. He had spent so many nights in this bed, looking for answers in the specks in the ceiling, never able to untangle his thoughts. Shucking off his boots and trousers, he redressed in his usual traveling clothes.
With his daggers strapped back to his side, he padded lightly over to his balcony, needing to be outside to try to ground himself. His first breath of the night air was cool and crisp and burned pleasantly. He would not swing out into the forest while they were here, leaving his Miss alone, even if he ached to be wrapped in the solitude of the trees. Instead, he leaned his folded arms on the balcony railing and gazed out at the stars, trying his best, and failing, to scrub the memory of her, illuminated by the fire, from his mind.
After quite a bit of careful maneuvering and not a little soft swearing, Shirayuki managed to get into her nightgown. She laid the dress as carefully as she could across the stool of her dressing table, face heating when she looked at the buttons as her body remembered his rough fingertips brushing against her skin. It was Obi, she reasoned with herself, he was always helpful and it meant nothing. So why did it feel different? Why did she feel like she couldn't take a full breath if he wasn't near?
Shaking her head, she turned to the mantle of the fireplace, snagging the book she had left there the last time she had visited. Despite her exhaustion, she knew she would not be able to sleep until she calmed her mind. Sliding herself into her chair, she settled into the cushions, tucking her legs beneath her and resting her splinted arm on her lap. With her uninjured hand, she cracked the book open to where she had left off, the author had been describing harder to find herbs in Tanbarun. After a dozen or so pages, her eyelids started to droop. The warmth of the fire and the familiar comfort of her chair lulled her into her first real sleep since leaving Clarines.
Outside, her guard had hopped the short distance from his balcony to hers, intending to check on her covertly. He peered through the glass doors and frowned when he did not see her in her bed. A flutter of fabric drew his eye over to the chair by the fire and he saw the hem of her nightdress shift slightly. Asleep in her chair again, he thought, smiling softly. Despite his multiple warnings, her balcony door was unlocked, and he let himself in. He moved silently across the room, stopping just in front of her. The book laid sprawled across her lap, and he reached down, prying it carefully from her fingers. Slipping the ribbon bookmark in place, he set the book back on the mantle. His Miss looked so peaceful, no pain marring her features tonight, thankfully. She looked so small amongst the burgundy cushions.
While he knew she was comfortable now, he knew she'd be destined for a cramped neck if she stayed in the chair all night. Gently, he scooped her into his arms and stood, angling himself towards her bed. As he lifted her, she stirred, tucking herself against him and placing her face on his chest. He stilled for a moment; afraid he had woken the small woman. Still deeply asleep, she sighed contentedly. His heart clenched as he gazed down at her, her face smudged with shadows. With a great effort, he willed himself to walk towards her bed. Her covers had already been turned down by the servants, and he tucked her carefully into the bed, taking care to not jostle her injured arm. As he moved to stand up, her left hand quested back towards him, brushing lightly down his forearm. She murmured in her sleep, quiet words even his sensitive ears couldn't make out.
Obi tucked the blanket up by her shoulders, then lightly brushed his fingertips across her forehead, moving her hair out of her face. At some point, she had removed her braid and her hair hung loose, pooling across her pillows. Straightening up, he gazed once more at her face before he moved quietly back to her balcony. A few jumps later, he had returned to his room, gathered some blankets, and returned to her balcony, a makeshift nest of blankets becoming his bed for the night. The bed in his room was large and comfortable, but he was still unable to sleep indoors most nights. Obi laid on his back, staring up at the stars, until he slowly drifted off to sleep.