Around, Broken In Two

Bowen didn't sleep much. Not anymore. She'd broken things off with Haiku, which made her feel horrible. She'd committed herself to Artorias, but he was marrying Briar, which shouldn't have bothered her, but it completely did. Bowen was horrible at dealing with her emotions, having never learned how to cope with them due to her early enslavement. The woman was... a mess, to put it lightly.

The light in the dark lately had been Tej. The giant copper and cream tiger had been there for her during the nights when she struggled. Yes, she had purchased him for that reason, but he really did do his best with her. Bowen felt so safe and comfortable curled up against the big cat at night. That was exactly where she was when the knocking sounded at her door. Bowen lifted her head from Tej's haunch and slid from the protective circle of his massive body. The cat lifted an eye, shooting her a curious glance with one emerald orb and Bowen gave him a pat. "It's okay, I'll be back," she assured him before moving across the door, her long tail hissing over the stone.

Lifting the latch, Bowen was more than a little surprised to see Fern standing there. The larger woman looked as though there was something on her mind. The caramel and cream fae slipped from the room and motioned for Fern to follow. Together the pair made their way down to the great hall where Bowen proceeded to make some tea over the always burning fire. When a dish for each was laid out between two large cushions before the fire, Bowen gave the grey woman her full attention, holding her dish of still hot tea between pink pads.

"Bowen"