The Lead Crown: Ch 8.2b, A Dozen 'Tails' Told
#94 of The Lead Crown
Hello, readers, and welcome back to The Lead Crown!
Assuming you are looking for things of note, you will find two:
First, last week when I posted 8.1 there was no vote.
Second, 8.2 is posting this week, just one week after 8.1!
So... at this point there is a very big question: Would readers like weekly updates or is it better to provide them every other week to give people a chance to vote?
Also, there IS a Contributing Reader vote this week... and here it is:
The group has received some interesting information while on the road! What is it, and how will the group react?
a) Friar Juun meets the group at the break of dawn and lets them know that the Sisters Divine are going to be sentenced TODAY! The group unifies and goes to confront the Church.
b) Wiesen was able to receive an empathic sense from Kesst that the Princess is being held by bad people. The group unifies and goes to confront the University!
c) Friar Juun meets the group at the break of dawn and informs them of the Sisters Divine-- the group breaks into two with one heading to the Church and the other seeking the Princess.
d) Wiesen receives an empathic message from Kesst-- the group breaks into two with one heading to the Church and the other going after Noriene at the University.
e) Nicole received a raven sent from Prince Malcom... and within it was a very dire message. The group splits into three: Church, Noriene, and Graddin!
This vote is open until midnight on Thursday, May 7th until I get a confirmation that this test run for the once-weekly updates is generally approved (in which case, please vote by April 29th!). So: keep with the weekly updates or go back to every-other-week?
Tranquil Waters: The Lead Crown Ch 8.2, A Dozen Tails Told
Dr Brownell had never been a heavy sleeper and that meant getting any real amount of rest on the carriage ride from Vallara to Newport was next to impossible. Aside from staying up late to combine, mix, and administer the antler restorative unguent, the Mouse also spent another hour or two discussing the benefits of joining University medicine with natural remedies. Beyond that, however, was a thirty minute argument over where everyone would sleep.
With only two benches, it was left to reason that two passengers would get to lay down on the cushioned seats and someone would end up sleeping on the floor of the carriage. Considering the fact that Dr. Brownell preferred a more spacious areas in which to rest she elected to take the floor. Roland had no objections but Tobias' "gentlemanly sensibilities" apparently resulted in him taking offense at the thought.
The Prong Horn made a very eloquent and convincing case as to why it was reasonable that she should get the 'better' sleeping spot and most of the time spent in discussion was letting him get it all out-- from that point it was another two minutes for her to convince him that she really truly wanted to sleep on the floor. He did ultimately relent, but not before insisting that she take his rolled-up travel coat to use as a pillow. For the sake of settling him down she accepted... but that was over four hours passed and she was barely able to get any rest thanks to the carriage's uneven movement across the road's bumps and holes.
By Christine's estimation it was somewhere near three in the morning... far too late to get a good night's sleep and far too early to be awake. Letting out a sigh, the Mouse sat up. She rested her back against one of the benches where Roland seemed to be contentedly sleeping the night away. Across from her was Tobias, laying with his knees bent so he would take up less space on the bench. It was an intelligent plan, she realized, since it gave his horns fair clearance to avoid bumping against the walls of the carriage.
Dr Brownell pushed off of her backrest, drawing herself up to her knees so she could crawl her way over to where the scholar slept. Tobias' healing horn had been mended, stuck together with a combination of the herbal remedy and organic glue then secured in place by a generous amount of bandage combined with an even more generous amount of twine. It would take a week before the medicated cure would help his horn fuse into a whole and during that time it would have to be cleaned, cared for, and monitored.
The Mouse gently brushed at the base of the horn, rubbing a small amount of errant fur away from it. There was no sign of discoloration of the scalp so that was promising, and-- she paused, looking down at the peaceful expression on Tobias' face. She wasn't going to delude herself into saying he wasn't handsome; he had a certain charm in his features and, as long as he kept his mouth firmly shut she could even describe him as pleasant.
It had taken her awhile to realize it but she had ultimately come to the conclusion that Tobias Severna was not the same kind of sexist that she had most often encountered at the University-- his style was much more inadvertent... generally classified as the 'bumbling ninny'. She smiled to herself, replaying the events of their first meeting and the several interactions they'd had since. For a scholar so dedicated to understanding the world the poor Prong Horn seemed to have a hard time with knowing his place in it. He certainly had no skill or tact when it came to dealing with women... that was for certain.
Before she realized it, Christine had let out an inadvertent giggle, and she quickly sat back when Tobias' eyes opened. Before he could say anything she quickly interjected with a quiet comment. "I am just checking your horn... it seems to be on its way towards mending."
She was silently grateful when he focused on her declared intention rather than the fact that she'd been staring. "It itches a little... Can I... touch it?"
Christine reached down and took hold of the scholar's hand, slowly raising it up to rest against the base of the horn. "Itching is normal... it's a sign that it's healing. You can feel the base, but you really should leave the reattached portion alone and let it mend."
Although it was dark, the Mouse was almost certain she caught a glint of adoration in the Prong Horn's eyes... and what, she asked herself was wrong with that? Nothing, she reasoned-- he was obviously very proud of his horns and so he was grateful with her for finding a way for him to become whole again. It SHOULD feel good for her to be admired by someone from the University; it was the first step toward being accepted as a peer among the organization. If only it was as easy with the rest of them.
The Mouse looked down at Tobias, who was looking back up at her. He'd just said something, hadn't he? Clearing her throat, she went to separate her hand from his, only to find that they were still connected. "You can let go of my hand, Mr Severna."
One of the Prong Horn's rare smiles manifested. "I'm not holding it, Dr Brownell."
Mortified, Christine realized that SHE was still holding HIS wrist, not the other way around. The Mouse quickly let it go and deftly inserted a suitable explanation. "I have had so little sleep, I swear I would probably be trying to cure MY horn at this point."
Tobias sat up, his ears raising. "Would you prefer the bench then, Dr. Brownell? Honestly, if the floor is--"
She shook her head. "No... it's not the floor... it's the motion. The carriage is moving far too much for me to be able to sleep... every time I start to doze off we hit a bump and I am jostled awake just to start the process of falling asleep all over again."
The scholar looked away, fingers interlocking in his lap as he cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Ah... well... I am sorry then."
She barely avoided laughing at that. "You do not have to apologize for something out of your control, Mr. Severna. This simply IS, and I will just have to worry about catching up on sleep when we arrive in Newport."
The Prong Horn nodded and slid aside on the bench, motioning for her to join him. "Well, now that I am mostly awake the least I could do would be to make room for you. You might not be able to sleep but there's no reason you can't sit somewhere more comfortable."
Dr Brownell let out a sigh and joined him, despite her objection. "Just because I can't sleep doesn't mean YOU can't try."
Tobias' next action surprised the Mouse; he reached over and slid his arm around her shoulder, pulling her a little closer. It wasn't inappropriate or even uncouth... it just seemed out of character for him to be so casual about it. A moment later she realized why; the scholar was still half-asleep, and so tired that he went right back to being full-asleep. Rolling her eyes, Dr. Brownell let out a helpless chuckle and simply went with it, exhaling as she rested her head against his shoulder. Before she knew it dawn had come.
Somewhere between resting against Tobias and the sudden stop of the wagons Christine had managed to get some sleep. The halting of the caravan had jolted her awake, causing her to sit up straight and pull the Prong Horn's jacket with her; at some point they had apparently been using it as a blanket. Roland, who had rolled right off the bench when the wagon came to a stop was still snoozing away. Tobias was rubbing his eyes, apparently oblivious to the world around him. "Huh?"
It was early, that much Christine knew for certain, but she didn't know why they had halted. Unlatching one of the canvas covers for a window she peered out, and saw that a few of their number had disembarked and were talking near the lead carriage. The large white Dragon Wiesen appeared to be doing most of the discussion. Sanmer, the group's new guide also seemed to have plenty to say. Whatever was being discussed did not seem to sit well with Sister Aurelie; the cat was scowling visibly.
Tobias spoke up from beside the Mouse, pulling her attention back to him. "What's going on? Is everything alright?"
Dr. Brownell stood up, just short enough to avoid having to bed over to put on her petticoat. Roland had just started to rise so she took care in not stepping on him as she moved to and opened the door. "I'm not sure, but I plan on finding out."