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Literature Text
“This is an absolute disaster. I don’t know what I’m going to do.”
Aurinthe bit her lip. Héit had been on edge ever since the evacuation had been announced, and he showed no signs of calming. It had only been a few hours but she was sure he hadn’t even sat down during that time, and he was not receptive to suggestions that he do so. Too much to figure out, too much to do, too much everything.
“Am I going to be able to transport all of the inventory? What am I going to do if I can’t? That’s a hell of a loss to eat, and in the middle of all of this. Handmade, too, not even your father could replace it.”
Oh, good, she was being directly addressed this time, that was helpful. “Whatever happens, we’ll get through it like we always have. This is tough on everyone, so if nothing else, we’re no worse off as far as our relative place in society.” A small, hopeful smile.
He paused. “That is true. It’s probably unavoidable that people will take losses as a result of this, it’s better not to think of it as just a personal crisis.”
“There, see? You can relax a little bit. Maybe you should have a nap.” She placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled at him, silently willing him to take a few deep breaths and reorient himself.
“There’s no time for relaxing, the fact that everyone else is having trouble only means that there’s more to do.”
Aurinthe silently cursed herself for using the word “relax” too early in the negotiation. She’d spooked him, and he’d been coming along so well. “In any case, there’s little you can do if you run yourself into the ground. You’ll be more efficient if you’re well-rested and well-fed.”
He broke away from her, saying something else about “no time for that” and retreated to his office.
---
She got no response to her knock and so opened the door gently, just enough to peek inside. As expected, he was at his desk, head in his hands. She opened it all the way and entered, getting all the way to the desk unnoticed until she set down a mug in front of him and he jumped. Héit looked up at her, eyes bloodshot and slightly glazed after a heavy blink.
“You’re clearly exhausted. Please, drink some of this and go to bed.”
He furrowed his brow. “I am not,” he mumbled. “I just have to. I have to…” A glance at the paperwork scattered in front of him, a far cry from his usual tidy stack. “… what do I have to do?”
“You have to get some rest, you’re half asleep already.” She picked the mug back up and pressed it into his hands. “And this will calm you. I promise everything will turn out alright.”
He stared into the mug. “Thank you, but I have to do my job.”
She sighed. “And I have to do mine, which involves making sure you don’t work yourself into an early grave. You can work tomorrow. Bedtime.”
Héit blinked. More than once, his eyes staying closed longer each time. “Mm, fine… but don’t think you’ve won. You remember who’s in charge here.”
“Yes sir,” she winked, “now come on.”
---
The next few days, it seemed like every time Héit turned around, Aurinthe was there. Always with a smile or a hot beverage or… something, always something. If he were in a joking mood he’d wonder if someone had leashed her to him while he wasn’t looking. Her constant reassurance and optimism was soothing, certainly, and he was grateful for it, but there came a point where it just seemed too much.
“Aurinthe.”
“Yes?”
“Are you alright?”
She blinked. “Of course I am. Should I not be?”
“It’s not a matter of what you should be. You’ve been at my heels, ushering me around and bandaging my every papercut as if I was made of glass for almost three days. It’s appreciated but you’re overextending yourself just as much as I am and I refuse to believe that none of this is affecting you at all.”
Aurinthe found a very interesting spot on the floor to look at.
“Aurinthe.”
“I… it’s very scary for me, too.” She brought her gaze back up. “Making sure you and Emerin are alright serves as a distraction for me. It feels like the most helpful thing I can do and letting myself be upset about it won’t do any good.”
“How very selfless of you.” He pulled her into a gentle embrace for a moment before holding her at arm’s length. “Now, I want you to take some of your own advice. I don’t know what Emerin’s going to do if his mother withers away, and I certainly can’t get him a replacement of the same caliber. I need you to be careful with my most prized possession.”
“I’ll do my best,” she smiled, widening it when she got one in return.
Aurinthe bit her lip. Héit had been on edge ever since the evacuation had been announced, and he showed no signs of calming. It had only been a few hours but she was sure he hadn’t even sat down during that time, and he was not receptive to suggestions that he do so. Too much to figure out, too much to do, too much everything.
“Am I going to be able to transport all of the inventory? What am I going to do if I can’t? That’s a hell of a loss to eat, and in the middle of all of this. Handmade, too, not even your father could replace it.”
Oh, good, she was being directly addressed this time, that was helpful. “Whatever happens, we’ll get through it like we always have. This is tough on everyone, so if nothing else, we’re no worse off as far as our relative place in society.” A small, hopeful smile.
He paused. “That is true. It’s probably unavoidable that people will take losses as a result of this, it’s better not to think of it as just a personal crisis.”
“There, see? You can relax a little bit. Maybe you should have a nap.” She placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled at him, silently willing him to take a few deep breaths and reorient himself.
“There’s no time for relaxing, the fact that everyone else is having trouble only means that there’s more to do.”
Aurinthe silently cursed herself for using the word “relax” too early in the negotiation. She’d spooked him, and he’d been coming along so well. “In any case, there’s little you can do if you run yourself into the ground. You’ll be more efficient if you’re well-rested and well-fed.”
He broke away from her, saying something else about “no time for that” and retreated to his office.
---
She got no response to her knock and so opened the door gently, just enough to peek inside. As expected, he was at his desk, head in his hands. She opened it all the way and entered, getting all the way to the desk unnoticed until she set down a mug in front of him and he jumped. Héit looked up at her, eyes bloodshot and slightly glazed after a heavy blink.
“You’re clearly exhausted. Please, drink some of this and go to bed.”
He furrowed his brow. “I am not,” he mumbled. “I just have to. I have to…” A glance at the paperwork scattered in front of him, a far cry from his usual tidy stack. “… what do I have to do?”
“You have to get some rest, you’re half asleep already.” She picked the mug back up and pressed it into his hands. “And this will calm you. I promise everything will turn out alright.”
He stared into the mug. “Thank you, but I have to do my job.”
She sighed. “And I have to do mine, which involves making sure you don’t work yourself into an early grave. You can work tomorrow. Bedtime.”
Héit blinked. More than once, his eyes staying closed longer each time. “Mm, fine… but don’t think you’ve won. You remember who’s in charge here.”
“Yes sir,” she winked, “now come on.”
---
The next few days, it seemed like every time Héit turned around, Aurinthe was there. Always with a smile or a hot beverage or… something, always something. If he were in a joking mood he’d wonder if someone had leashed her to him while he wasn’t looking. Her constant reassurance and optimism was soothing, certainly, and he was grateful for it, but there came a point where it just seemed too much.
“Aurinthe.”
“Yes?”
“Are you alright?”
She blinked. “Of course I am. Should I not be?”
“It’s not a matter of what you should be. You’ve been at my heels, ushering me around and bandaging my every papercut as if I was made of glass for almost three days. It’s appreciated but you’re overextending yourself just as much as I am and I refuse to believe that none of this is affecting you at all.”
Aurinthe found a very interesting spot on the floor to look at.
“Aurinthe.”
“I… it’s very scary for me, too.” She brought her gaze back up. “Making sure you and Emerin are alright serves as a distraction for me. It feels like the most helpful thing I can do and letting myself be upset about it won’t do any good.”
“How very selfless of you.” He pulled her into a gentle embrace for a moment before holding her at arm’s length. “Now, I want you to take some of your own advice. I don’t know what Emerin’s going to do if his mother withers away, and I certainly can’t get him a replacement of the same caliber. I need you to be careful with my most prized possession.”
“I’ll do my best,” she smiled, widening it when she got one in return.
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Aurinthe and Héit taking care of each other, sort of. >w>; I intended to write something with these two for the Valentine's PPE but I never got around to it, and I likely will later because I feel like their relationship needs to be elaborated on but here is not the place to do it.
... I'm also operating on the assumption that the announcement that Tir needs to be evacuated was not followed by evacuations all taking place, like, the next day. A whole planet takes some time to evacuate even in an emergency, right? D8?
(Aurinthe and I operate on the same principle that a hot beverage helps in pretty much every situation.)
Drannd (c) Tenor
All named characters are mine.
... I'm also operating on the assumption that the announcement that Tir needs to be evacuated was not followed by evacuations all taking place, like, the next day. A whole planet takes some time to evacuate even in an emergency, right? D8?
(Aurinthe and I operate on the same principle that a hot beverage helps in pretty much every situation.)
Drannd (c) Tenor
All named characters are mine.
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Comments4
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They're... they're really cute omg. <3 You write Drannd so well, so full of character and wonderfully prim. I particularly like 'Aurinthe found a very interesting spot on the floor to look at', and the ending was super sweet. <3