Retrace bxbxb

Odd Inquiries

The next morning brought a haze of confusion. Harper remembered getting drunk, but as he lay on the old, smelly cot from the inn, he struggled to piece together what else had happened the previous day.  

I remember throwing up a lot, and the two lords... Rule and Arthur came, with another man. 

Only the two had stayed, and while Rule was out doing something, Arthur had remained until Harper had fallen asleep. The details wouldn't return, but he understood enough to allow himself to sigh with relief. As long as the two had remained honorable gentleman, his secret should be safe. 

Risking finally opening his eyes to deal with the new day, Harper blinked in the dimly lit room to try and focus. His eyes ached, but he did feel much better than he had the previous day. His stomach was settled enough, if not gnawingly hungry. He wouldn't risk eating yet, however. He didn't want to trigger another bout of sickness, so he'd wait until evening, even if his belly was already growling. 

"Good morning, Hari. How are you feeling?" 

Rules whispered question, along with the feeling of his fingers sifting softly through his hair brought Harper's attention to where he knelt before him. 

I didn't even realize he was here. 

Licking his dry lips, Harper moved each of his limbs a little, testing their strength, before pushing himself up into a slightly off-balanced sitting position. Rule reached out just in time to keep him from flopping back down onto the pillows, a chuckle leaving his lips. 

"Do you require more rest, or would you like to start on our trip home?" He asked. 

His question immediately had Harper struggling to get himself fully awake. He shook his head a few times, then yawned and shook his head once more. 

"I cannot tell if you are disagreeing and would wish for more sleep, or if you are trying to wake yourself up in an insufficient manner." Rule said, a hint of humor in his voice. Harper ignored his tone and pushed himself to his feet. 

The floor was cold against his bare feet, bringing his mind a bit closer to reality. He looked around dumbly for his shoes, only to realize that Rule was holding them. "Let me help you, Hari. You don't seem fully awake yet and we can't have you returning with a left shoe upon your right foot, now can we?" 

Surely, he could, but Harper knew that arguing with Rule was pointless. If the man wanted to kneel before him and help him put his shoes on, then so be it. "I suppose you are correct." He said with a tired smile. The man looked tired, too, as if he had stayed up all night, so Harper had agreed quickly just to calm his nerves, if he was, for some reason, worried about him. 

Rule returned the smile, then got busy on Harper's shoes right as Arthur walked into the room carrying a large tray of breakfast items. Harper's stomach immediately soured and he considered lying back down and waiting until the afternoon to start heading home.   

"I don't think she'll be too interested in breakfast judging from how pale she just got when you walked in with it," Rule stated as he stood, done with his task remarkably quick. After a quick glance down to make sure that his shoes were indeed on the correct feet, Harper bit his lower lip as his stomach twisted again.

He made sure to keep his eyes away from the tray Arthur sat down on the small nightstand against the wall and headed straight for the door. Just the smell of the food was making him dizzy. 

"Hold on, hun." 

A firm hand grasped his arm, halting him but not pulling him backward. Another hand gently lifted his face up from beneath his chin as Rule and Arthur stepped around to his front.