Jael can hear Modesty's footsteps as she comes up the steps, tail wagging at her haunches as she does. Pressing up on her elbows, leaning to lap at the woman's muzzle for just a moment. Eyes wide on her face, though the grim expression isn't lost on her. Drawn... and her breath ragged, though she's still careful to tend Jael's wounds.
The revelation? The pet goes stiff, then dizzy. A ragged sob wrenches free from her throat, from her chest. It comes on quickly. Things crashing down around her, and she's unsure if she wants to scream or be sick. Instead, her mouth opens and closes, again and again, for a good few moments. Grasping, though nothing comes out. They'd killed him. They'd killed him. Shock, fear, grief-- they crash over her, one after another, with no signs of stopping.
She can't breathe.
Raggedly, she clings to Modesty's shoulder. To her side. Cheek pressed against her shoulder, wounds forgotten. Jael's entire body aches for far different reasons. Hiccupping through the sobs, there's no way for her to get the words together. "Modesty... what... what do we do?" The words are quiet, through tears, pressed into her shoulder.
Jael's head is noisy. They had to grieve, Ethne had to pay, and what of Jael? She's left feeling more vulnerable, more exposed than ever. Curling ever-closer to Modesty, Jael clings. She's all the pet has left, at this rate.
Professor
