Past Lives || Dottore

49

Dottore was unnaturally silent on the trip back to the house. When she looked into his eyes, they were glazed over, distant. It looked like he was lost in his own thoughts. She couldn't help but wonder what could have made him to think so deeply.

She looked away, turning her focus back to the window. It was a calm day today. The most that had happened was a snowstorm that lasted only the length of Signora's funeral. She knew that has the days continued on, however, the snowstorms would get worse as the Tsaritsa continued to mourn the loss of one of her harbingers.

The carriage rattled, a shouted apology from the driver. She closed her eyes, thinking. Now would be the time to head to Sumeru, Scaramouche was waiting for Dottore to be there for his project.

Would "experiment" be the right word?

Y/n crossed her arms and stretched her legs the best she could. She felt a little constricted in the cabin, but it was only because she was used to the large open space that was the house and the basement below. She opened her eyes, looking at the floor of the cabin.

She wondered how her sister was doing. Tenkal had seemed fine the last time she had saw her, but things happen, and things change. She wondered how she miraculously got better, since there was no way in hell, her mother suddenly cared enough to give Tenkal her medicine. Her face flushed when she remembered what had happened the night that she had been there, and the events that had occurred.

Regardless, she thought it was time to send her a letter asking how she was doing, apologizing (but not really, it was worth it) about what had happened. She knew she wouldn't be in Snezhnaya when, if? her response came in, so she decided to add that in whenever she had the time.

Y/n would have to write it when she was done with packing, since she knew Dottore took damn near forever with that sort of thing.

The carriage stopped, the horse huffing in response. She shifted in her seat, looking out the window to see the path that leads into the woods. Her eyes went to Dottore, who still seemed to be in a daze.

A slight frown found its way onto her face, and she reached out to take his hand gently. He didn't seem to react, but his limbs were moving just fine. She thought that maybe he was focusing too much on what to do to Scaramouche once he got over to Sumeru.

She guided him out of the carriage, thankfully having enough kindness to thank the driver and to leave a small tip for the somewhat smooth ride. She hooked her arm around his, guiding him gently into the forest. Each time their feet hit the ground; the snow crunched in a silent protest.

The walk seemed longer than usual, the road constantly winding, turning. There were roots from the nearby trees that stuck up from the ground, threatening to trip over anyone who wasn't paying attention. Dottore blinked, finally, and pulled his arm out from her grasp.

He started to pick up his pace, expertly stepping over each and every one of the roots, avoiding the low hanging branches, sagging with the weight of the snow. Y/n struggled a little bit, but she made it through. 

The house appeared through some gaps in the trees, and she couldn't help but hurry after him, almost eager to get inside. She didn't know why. She loved the snow.

The comforting cold it brought. The way it bit at her exposed fingertips.

She stopped a couple steps in front of the door. She stared at it, watching as Dottore walked inside and left the door open for her. He took a few steps inside before he realized that she wasn't behind him like she usually was.

She was stuck in her thoughts, ignoring how he gave her an interesting look. He seemed to be intrigued by her sudden stillness. Looking at her like he would a specimen.

Did she really love the cold? Was it really something she found comfort in?

Now that she was really thinking about it, the way the cold would bite at her fingers would make her want to hurry inside. The way the cold wind blew into her face made her shrink into herself.

"Love? Are you coming in?"

Her eyes returned to him. "Ah, yes." She laughed at her own foolish thoughts. There was no way she didn't like the cold after all this time. There just wasn't. "Just thinking." She pulled her coat closer to herself as she entered the house, allowing Dottore to shut the door behind her. 

"How dangerous." He chuckled, helping her with the coat, putting it on the coat rack before leaving to go to his lab. She went to her room, rubbing some warmth into her arms as she walked.

Y/n couldn't tell if her room was colder than normal, but she was quick to start the fireplace. Crouching in front of it while she waited for the fire to warm up the room. Blowing warm air in her palms and rubbing them together to warm up her fingertips, rubbing her thighs to try and physically get the cold out of her skin- but it was helping little by little.

She sighed, standing up and stretching. It was time to pack, and she knew just how long it would take for her to pack. She'd spend so much time simply wondering what would be culturally appropriate for Sumeru, then she'd remember it doesn't really matter.

Just as long as she doesn't look like she's fatui.

She stood in front of her closet, staring blankly at all her clothing. Every single article of clothing had some form of the Fatui symbol on it. She dragged a hand down her face, sighing once more.

Y/n needed new clothes anyway. She needed something other than boring grey, off black, and slightly darker red. Something with more color, maybe blue.

She found that blue suited her.