What Her Body Needs

A few clashes of metal awake you from your sleep as you push yourself up in the bed. Clearing the sleep out of your eyes you focus on where the sound came from and as your eyes wander through the room you notice a particular person standing up over by the tray of food that was still sitting out. A few candles were lite in the room and you honestly didn't know what time it was but you did feel refreshed for the most part so you figure it was early in the morning at this point. Another few clashes break your thoughts again as you look at your Sunrider who is still rummaging around by the tray of snacks.

"Zoe?" you mumble out softly causing her to flinch in her step and shoot her head around to look at you "How are you feeling?"

"U-Uhh, good. I'm good Darien!" her smile seems **** "Sorry for waking you, you, you can go back to bed! It's early!" she shows her teeth while her head shakes up and down "Sorry!"

"That's okay Zoe..." you groan out as you pull the covers off slowly and turn your body, throwing your legs off the side of the bed. You sit there just briefly before you look over your shoulder at Lexie who is still asleep. You crack a smile and just watch your fiance sleep for a few moments before you focus back onto Zoe. She once more seems to be looking around the entire table, picking up glasses, plates and moving so much stuff around. Pushing yourself up you move over towards your Sunrider and as you touch her shoulder she flinches again, almost as if you caught her doing something she wasn't suppose to "Looking for something?"

"N-No, Darien...Well, umm, maybe." she corrects herself "I thought I put it down here on the table..."

"Oh?" you question out as your other hand moves down to your pocket. You have an eerie suspicion you know exactly what she is looking for as you palm the couple pouches of snuff you hid away in your trousers. "Whatcha looking for, I'll help find it?"

"O-Oh, n-nothing." she turns "Just, don't worry about it..." her hands go up and grip the side of her head "My head just hurts...wish I had something to help get over it..."

"Something like...?" you raise an eyebrow at her.

"I don't know, like, just anything to help this pain that's throbbing in my head!"

You reach your hand down and pull out one of the pouches of snuff you had hidden away "Something like this?" you hold the pouch between you index finger and thumb and just allow it to dangle right at the eye level of Zoe.

Her eyes suddenly go wide as she smiles at you "T-That could help!" she shakes her head up and down "Just a little bit anyway...Thanks Darien!" she goes to grip it from your grasp but you pull it away before she can "Hey!"

"Zoe...no, I can't." you shove it back down in your pants, concealing it once again.

"Darien! Come on, just a little bit. It makes me feel great and I know it'll make this headache go away." she asks.

Your mind just races from everything you experienced through out the one day you've been here in Loner's Reach. You witnessed so many wealthy and noble people who were willing to do whatever it takes for just another hit of this product. It seems even after only doing it once, Zoe already developed quite the itch for it. You could tell by the look in her eyes as she couldn't take them off where you hid that little pouch, that snuff was just the thing that she was craving right now. "Look at you, Zoe." you grip both her arms and push her back a little bit "You don't need anymore of this. Look what it's making you do, look at what it made you do..." you grumble out "Remember last night, at that establishment? The gold, the snuff, the lives lost?" you question her.

"W-What?" she asks "Lives lost?" she looks dumbfounded.

"You don't remember?"

"I-I don't know...I mean, bits and pieces are blurred together and I vaguely remember what happened but I-I don't really know the details..." she bites her lower lip "B-But maybe if..."

"No Zoe." you shake your head "This stuff is dangerous, it's addicting, I mean, look at you."

"I'm not acting any different!" she pouts "Just because my head hurts and I know it would pick me up a little doesn't mean I'm addicted!" she tries to argue. "Just, one little dab, that's probably all it would take."

"No Zoe..." you repeat as you turn around to make your way back to the bed to wake up Lexie.

"Darien, please!" Zoe grabs your arm, causing you to stop in your tracks "J-Just a little...please, it'll help my head."

You turn your head around, looking over your shoulder "No Zoe..." you say for the third time in a row.

"W-What if I...umm, what if you and I..." her voice stutters "Is, is there something I can do for it...?"

You pull your body forward, breaking the grasp from Zoe and continue walking to the bed, making your way over to Lexie to wake her up to start the day.

"Please don't tell Lexie..." she whimpers out "Please Darien, I don't want her to be mad at me. Please..."

It was funny, she was okay with going back and forth with you, fighting you at every turn if needed but when it came to disappointing Lexie, that was something she couldn't bear. You turn and look at Zoe, staring at her for a few moments "No more then, okay?" you give her a stern look which eventually after another ten seconds of silence she responds with a nod "Okay then. Secret is safe with me but if I find out you ever take anymore again, deals off."

"O-Okay..." Zoe gulps down while her head shakes up and down. "Mmm..." she groans out as her hands go to her head, pushing in her skull to try to ease some of the pressure.

You crawl up on the bed and start showering Lexie's face is little kissing, trying your best to keep it sweet but also trying to wake her up. "Mhaw! Mhaw! Mhaw!" you peck over and over again.

"Mmm..." Lexie's face tilts side to side "Nooo..." she groans.

"Mhaw! Mhaw! Mhaw!" you continue to exaggerate your kisses.

"Stooooop!" she mumbles out as her eyes open.

You hold your face a few inches above her head and just smile back "Good morning!"

Her eyebrows furrow as she glares at you "Jerk." she tries to look mean at you before her lips curl and she smiles "Good morning." she whispers back before pushing her body up and giving you a peck back on the lips.

Afterwards you roll over her and get off the bed as she sits up and looks at her friend "Good morning, Zoe!" she smiles but Zoe doesn't turn to face her and just says mornin over her shoulder. "Feeling okay?" Lexie asks which is proceeded with just a shrug "Oh you..." she turns and brings her legs out of bed before walking over to the table with the food that Zoe is sitting at.

Her hands go to Zoe's shoulders and softly massage her as her head comes down to her ear "You doing alright?" she whispers into her ear and Zoe just returns a smile. "Good." she stands back up before moving to the chair next to her and sitting down. "I'm starving!" Lexie grabs a chunk of bread and begins stuffing it down. "Ahhh, just what my body needs!"

"So anyway," you begin as you sit down in the third chair around the table "As soon as I get word that Shade has the information I requested, I'll get that from him and we're outta here, today, okay?" you look between your Sunriders "So it's probably best to stay out of sight and just hang out here I'm guessing?" you shrug.

"Maybe Lexie and I will walk around." Zoe finally talks "Go see the town..."

"I don't know if that's a good idea..." you reply immediately.

"Yeah Zoe, after what you did last night I"m not sure we should go wandering around by ourselves just yet." Lexie motions to the younger girl.

"Oohh..." Zoe groans out "I'm sorry..." she brings her head down and rests her forehead on the table "I'm so sorry about everything..." she continues to groan out as her head throbs in pain.

"Awww..." Lexie leans over and comforts the Sunrider "It's okay, Zoe. It'll all be okay!"

"Yeah Zoster, we'll have fun here, just the three of us. It'll go by quick." you try to cheer her up. "And before you know it we'll be on our way back to the Syndicate! Maybe, if you want we can even stop by Nillix and hopefully find Ashe and Rynlee or even swing north and stop in Murnic so you can say hi to your mother and brother before we head back? Doesn't that sound nice?" you ask.

"Yeah yeah yeah..." Zoe grumbles out into the table "Sounds great."

"Oohhh" Lexie cuddles with Zoe while still rubbing her back softly "Poor Zoe...it makes me sad to see you this way..."

You know what would pick Zoe up, what would at least make her feel a little better right now but there is no way you'll give her any of that snuff that is hidden in your pocket. Her body is probably fighting with her right now as she knows just one tiny little hit would definitely make her not only feel a lot better but probably wash away the entire throbbing pain in her skull. You'd love to tell Lexie all about it because you know she would be on your side as well but as you told Zoe, as long as she didn't try any more snuff, you wouldn't tell Lexie that she was craving even more.