"You need to breathe Christopher."

Clare words through the door were not all that helpful. You were perfectly away that you needed to breath the issue was that you couldn't.

The window opened and Delilah put their on the sill. Their wings disappeared and they jumped to the floor, landing softly and approaching. "Christopher how can we help?" They reached out to you and all you could remember was the feeling of your skin both freezing and burning.

You held up your left hand to block the advance. "Fine, I, I'm fine. Just need a second."

"You can't break down the door. Christopher what class is tomorrow?" Clare said to, probably Vatarie then asked you.

"What?"

"The class tomorrow, what is it?"

Delilah backed away taking a seat on your bed looked worried. And now you were freaking them out. "You can all go, I, I don't need anything. I just need a bit."

"Class tomorrow, what is it?" Clare repeated

"Which one, the morning is magic theory with the Elf then, home ec. Why?" You answered.

"Do you think Elves and Dwarves get along in this world?" Clare sounded inquisitive. like she normally did when she was leading you a conclusion.

"What? I, I don't know." You answered. Delilah had started fidgeting with their hands then looked at your missing one and back at theirs.

"Hey Christopher. Can you open the door now? I think Vatarie really needs to talk with you about something." Clare voice was followed by the muffled sound of someone being shushed.

"What about?" You asked looking at the door handle.

There was a bit more muffled chatting. "I need some notes about class tomorrow. I'm not very good at magic theory and am getting left behind." That sounded incredible unconvincing.

"We can talk tomorrow." You closed your eyes and tried to not picture anything from last night even though that is all you could think about.

"I used to have these." Eve said from the bed. You opened your eyes and looked at them. They were still fiddling with their hands. "When my mum used to tell me about the empress I was supposed to be, all the people I needed to look after and keep happy and health. She'd leave the room and I'd be left there unable to think think or breathe just laying on my bed thinking I was dying."

"Why did they stop?" You asked. Your chest still felt tight but it was letting you get some air finally.

There was a long pause before Eve said. "Phile." They shifted and your body tensed, an overwhelming terror she was about to lose control again. They let out a deep sigh and wrapped their hands around each other in a hug. "Go on." Delilah cooed gently. "When I was having one I heard the door open. I thought it was my mum and tried to get up so she didn't seem me like that. I couldn't do it. I just stayed laying in bed, then I felt a hand stroking my hair and Phile told me I'd be fine. After that whenever my mother came into my room Phile would sneak in afterwards. When she was sent on a campaign I had another but it didn't last long because I knew she'd come back. They didn't happen after that." While they talked tears started to fall from their eyes. When they finished it was a flood, tears cascading down their cheeks and landing on their lap while their stroked their arms soothingly.

You stood up and walked over to them, wrapping them in a hug. Their arms wrapped around you, and you felt them grab at your back. A flash of last night ran through you and you pushed they away before they could tear at your spine. The shove pushed them back onto your bed, looking back at you with confusion, fear and guilt.

"We'll go." Delilah said, getting off the bed and opening the window.

"Wait." You reached out for them and they jumped out before you could.

"Christopher what's happening you still in there?" Clare called out.

You looked at the door and walked over. "I'm fine." You opened it and saw three very worried looking faces. Well two very worried looking faces, one trying it's best to be worried. "See all good."

The three women all looked at you for a moment before jumping. As one they crash tackled you to the ground hugging as much of you as they could. Asune joining in on this kinda suggested Clare had told them to do this but it felt nice. You wrapped your arm around two of the three, Clare in the middle missing out, and hugged them back. "Love you Christopher." Clare said into your chest. "Sorry I wasn't here for you."

"Its over now, I'm fine." You wanted it to be true but the feeling of Vatarie's back against you stump was growing increasingly uncomfortable. "Can I get up now?"

Asune climbed up first and Clare followed her. Vataire just shifted further on top of you. "No." She said flatly still hugging you.

The other two looked her then you and lay back down to hug you. You suggested going to the bed to be more comfortably but were out voted on that.

Laying in a cuddle pile on the ground for what felt like an hour you felt a lot better. "Ok we should go looking for Delilah. They flew off after I." Shame made you shut up. "I need to make sure they're ok."

"No you don't." Vatarie said, then before you had a chance to disagree she went on, "It's their fault you don't have an arm, they destroyed Ana's house."

"That wasn't them." You sat up and the others pulled back. You looked at the three of them and made a decision. "A long time ago Eve was Empress Thetia." You retold them all about last night or the last few days whatever it was. They all listened in silence, Asune with your general decision making around cutting your own hand off instead of just smacking either the dagger or Eve herself with the poker, Vatarie seemed a little unimpressed in general with your survival skills. Clare already knew it so just listened in silence.

When you finished you waited for them to say something. Vatarie fiddled with her shirt for a bit. "Not all their fault." You were pretty sure she was forcing the words out, only partly believing them.

"We'll go look for her." Clare said standing. "You go get dinner and wait for us in the dinning hall." Asune stood up, gave you a kiss then left. Vatarie refused until Clare picked her up by the shoulders and pointed her out of the room. When it was just the two of you Clare knelt down and gave you a serious look. "That poker, you said it was in your hand when you left Eve's mind. It wasn't at the beach when I found you."

You blinked at her. You thought you already cleared that up when you told her about it this morning. "Yeah it was just a bit of confusion remember."

"Yeah, but you just said it was in your hand again."

"Oh?" You thought about it. The poker had been in your hand on the beach, but it couldn't have been. "I did just have a panic attack."

"Yeah," Clare looked suspiciously at you.

"I'm just mixing up some facts."

"I'm not look at you I'm looking at that." She reached out and grabbed your mothers ring. "Was that in Eve's mind with you?"

You looked at the ring in Clare's hand. "I, I don't remember." You remember waking up naked on the beach but you can't remember the ring around your neck.

"But you were in several mini-nukes and when I found you that ring and that bit of string was still around your naked ass self."

"You complaining about my naked ass self?"

"Fuck no, in fact if you could naked all the time around me I'd be a happy little nympho Goddess. But I can read the magic on that thing and surviving a nuke ain't one of it's tricks. And that string is just plain old string." She let the ring go and kissed you. "Just be careful ok, and maybe we can try and find that poker tomorrow."

"Ah yeah sure, if class is still off." You answered. Clare nodded and kissed you once more, her lips lingering on yours. "So are you actually going to look for Delilah or where you just trying to get the others out of the room?"

Clare pulled back looking deeply insulted. "How dare you suggest I would do such a thing." She smirked. "I would never reduce the number of people in a fuck, no matter how dire thing were."

You both laughed and kissed each other a few more times before leaving your room and walking downstairs. Clare left to go look for Delilah while you went to get dinner.