a caustic, fleeting thing

"Gladly," she replied, carefully making her way through the door. Already her muscles creaked and ached, having fallen into disuse as the rest of her had attempted to mend. Where there had been strength, Hazel would soon grow frustrated with weakness. Still, it was good to have fresh air in her lungs. She'd been dormant for so long... and still, sleep was at the top of her to-do list. Was it a need for rest, or something else, at this point? Maybe a bit of both. No stranger to pushing herself, why did it feel different now? Why did she feel different now?

Her steps were a bit uneven, and Hazel was far slower than she was accustomed to, but still she plodded along at her dad's side. It was nice, really. "I wasn't eavesdropping but um," she'd totally been eavesdropping, there wasn't much else to do when she was stuck inside like she had been. "Did I hear someone say that you made Lis the like, heir and stuff?" It was casual, conversational. That, and she really did want to know. It would be no secret that she'd missed her best friend, though even Hazel wouldn't realize that she'd been calling out for him in her sleep.

"Speech"