Remorseless

Manea couldn't help but feel like Irilyth was wrong when she denied that she was the cause of this, but she kept herself from saying so since she knew it wouldn't make any difference in the outcome. She hadn't been able to stomach a punishment that would have been enough to placate Alastor, but she also hadn't been able to tell him that she didn't deserve some sort of repercussion from her actions. As she had told Relm, that matter was out of her paws. Alastor would have made sure that she was punished regardless of what she said and would have simply taken his own punishment for disobeying her instead. Now she was forced to see Iriltyh hurt at her husband's doing. She knew that she wasn't the source of the initial transgression, but she couldn't help but feel as if she hadn't done enough to prevent what had come of it. She was glad at least that Alastor had refrained from doing anything permanent or fatal. It was painful and traumatizing and there would need to be time to heal, but she would be okay. Manea would see to that.

She continued to gently and carefully groom and bathe her lover, washing away the remnants of what Alastor had done and slowly moving her way through her golden fur from her shoulders and down her back. She glanced up from her work for a moment when Irilyth spoke again, simply stating how she did not regret what she did, citing the fact that she was protecting her patient. Manea's ear's flicked at that, but only because Relm had been the patient in question. If it had been anyone else she wasn't sure she would be able to find a reason to side with Alastor in this fight, but this was far more complicated than that. She didn't respond right away, instead staying quiet for a few more long moments while her paws continued to move across Irilyth's body with tender and careful movements. After some time and thought, she leaned her head down and gently kissed Irilyth's cheek. "I don't expect you to regret it," she told her softly. "I know you were doing what you felt was right. That's why I'm not mad at you, I'm only mad that this situation happened at all."

Manea sighed and nuzzled the top of Irilyth's head before she got up and moved around to face the smaller woman, finding her familiar raspberry gaze as she settled back on her haunches in the water once more and began to groom around her face and neck and down along her forelegs and chest, using her large paws to scoop water onto her fur as she went. Manea didn't even bother to ask if Irilyth had taken herbs to make sure that she wouldn't end up pregnant after this. She knew her lover well enough that she knew Irilyth would have taken care of that first and foremost. "I think it's probably best you stay away from our den for a while," she said after a bit. "I'll get you settled in one of the guest dens at least until I can smooth things over with him and you can heal." The last thing she wanted was for Alastor to take any more of his anger out on her. When she felt like Irilyth was throughly cleaned up, she leaned down again to kiss her forehead, her paw gently cupping her love's cheek. "Are you okay to walk? I'll carry you if you need me to."

"Manea" & "Irilyth"