Shattered Windows, Broken Locks

Kalt I say goodbye to my weakness, So long to the regret, and now I see the world through diamond eyes.     Kalt walked with Ashe in the dark, his waterproof coat draped over her in a way that might as well have consumed her tiny frame. He had forced her to hold onto him, his own arm around her waist for balance more than anything else. Fucking lightweight. She didn’t even finish the bottle!     After the first time she had gotten distracted by something mysterious and wildly interesting (it was a fucking squirrel, but she didn’t need to know that), Kalt scooped her in his arms with a slight huff. She was drunk enough to fight a god with no second thought, so the last thing he needed was her spotting something else and taking off after it. That had happened one too many times in Northwind, and he wasn’t about to deal with that bullshit here...even if it could turn out to be hilarious.     His shirt was soaked through and his hair was slicked back on his head, the rain making it much darker than he ever liked. Kalt let her stand again - mostly on her own, though his arm remained around her - as he unlocked the door to his house. He brought her inside with him, kicking the door closed quietly. A comely girl with braided chestnut hair came into the room with wide eyes and a dagger gripped in her hand, breathing a sigh of relief when she saw who it was. “Apologies,” she said, flickering a smile.     A nod was her first answer, as he removed his coat from around Ashetta and hanged it on the back of the door to dry. ”Don’t worry about it, Sylvia. Is she...” He trailed off, his eyes glancing to the room where Theea slept. The young brunette nodded with a smile, and Kalt mirrored the action. ”Get home safely, then.” Sylvia gave a small nod, tying her cloak around her and walking out the door. ”Close your eyes,” he whispered to Ashe, once again lifting her from the ground.     He brought her into his room and set her down on the bed, swiftly lighting a candle to give the room some illumination. Kalt knew her fear of the dark, which was his reason for telling her to close her eyes. At least if her eyes were closed, she could technically trick her mind into believing she was in control of the darkness.     Pulling his soaked shirt off, he hanged it over the back of a chair and approached the bed, pulling back the feather comforter to reveal the black silk sheets. Gods, he had fucking missed them. The slightest smirk pulled at his lips, as he would help to remove Ashe’s boots and whatever else she wanted to sleep more comfortably. Kalt grabbed a book he had stolen from the Atheneum and walked around to the other side of the large bed, situating himself between the blanket and the sheets, lighting another candle on his side of the bed.     He would wrap his arm around Ashe, allowing her to curl against him if she wanted, as he opened the book and slowly thumbed through the pages. As far as he was concerned, their deal still stood. He wouldn’t be sleeping that night.