Shattered Windows, Broken Locks

Ashe, you're her mother.    It was funny, the way her heart raced wildly in her chest as Kalt opened that door. She had already spoken to Theea, held her hand, had had paint smeared all over her. ’You must be real brave,’ she had said to the little girl. How true that was. No matter what she didn't remember, no matter that Ashe had failed, that Kalt had saved her - for an infant to survive hiding in the Guild.. she had to take a long breath as they entered the room.    The sheet billowed upwards at the kick of little legs beneath, but to Theea's credit, there was no giggle that came from beneath. Ashe glanced still-raw eyes up at Kalt and pulled her brows together with a half smile. Invisible? She watched her - she wanted Kalt move towards the bed, and she fully expected him to make a leap onto that bed to rouse his daughter. Instead, he leaned against the far wall, expectant eyes on her.    He wanted her to… her eyes widened and she looked down at the occasionally moving shape beneath that silk black sheet. She stood there for a long minute, her heart hammering in her chest as she rubbed at the puffiness in her eyes, trying to reason with herself. Maybe she really should go, what right did she have to be apart of Theea's life? Hadn't she forfeit that right when Master opened that door and found them?    But was it fair to expect Theea to understand that? Was it fair for Theea to wonder why her father's friend wouldn't play with her? Ashe took a steadying breath, and she moved to bounce onto the bed dramatically, earning a barely contained giggle from beneath the fluttering sheets. She didn't look at Kalt, but her heart raced with something new and unfamiliar, swelling until she thought it might burst. Her hands thumped down to either side of Theea, and when the little girl tossed the sheet back with a shrill laugh…    Ashe was grinning. [ end ] Ashetta