Daughter of Tide and Illusion

Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Lyv ended up sleeping like the dead and had been when Jai came out of the bathing room already dressed for the next day. She wasn't dead, of course, but Jai had to pause his own breathing to watch and see if her chest moved every few seconds. And she didn't move from where she'd settled, only shifting once to press her face more into the pillow, taking a deep, sighing breath.

Elys slept like her, too, except he moved around a lot more. Even as Jai sat in the plushy armchair, which Lyv moved to the corner between the window and desk, and quietly read, the little boy's movements made him glance up to make sure he was still asleep.

It wasn't until the morning was upon them, the first of the morning light filtering through the gossamer curtains, that the little boy shifting one last time. Elys turned on his back, stretching his arms above his head, and let out a big yawn before sitting up. Jai had to hold back his laugh when he did. His hair, which Lyv had seemed to always comb perfectly into place, was sticking up all over as he rubbed sleep from his eyes.

Elys looked over to the other bed then and paused when he saw Lyv asleep in it. It wasn't until Jai made a move to stand that he bolted to his feet, his toothy grin stretched across his face. He was jumping then, waking Posy as he did, and toward the end of the bed. Jai couldn't help his own smile that curled the corners of his mouth upward.

Elys took one last big jump and launched himself into his arms, wrapping his arms around his neck and legs around his waist. Or tried to. Jai had to wrap his own arms around him so he wouldn't slide down, but it felt completely natural. Posy joined him, flying right into his face to hug his cheek.

"You're awake!" Elys chirped quietly yet gleefully in his ear. "I told Lyv you'd be all right. She kept asking me to try and see when you would wake up. I think she was thinking it would be like with that spider venom injury last year when you were out for weeks, but I knew you wouldn't be. I didn't tell her, though. I did tell her I was tired of you fighting, though. She promised she would stop it. I hope she did. Did she? Because..."

"All right, kid, you're rambling again," Jai chuckled.

He leaned back, though his arms were still around his neck, and grinned at him. "I like rambling, though. I've got a lot to say, you know. Much more than I actually do."

"Well, right now, you need to go brush those teeth, comb back your hair, and get dressed," he told him, shifting him so he could hold onto him with one arm. "Is your stuff in Lyv's bag?"

He nodded, pointing to it on the desk. "Yep!"

Jai went over and grabbed it, walking both himself and Elys to the bathing room with Posy fluttering in the air behind them. Closing the door so they didn't wake Lyv, Jai then set him on his feet and watched as he skipped over to grab the stool Lyv had been sitting on the night before. Moving it in front of the sink, Elys got up and reached for Lyv's bag still in his hand.

"Can you hold it open?" he asked, opening the front flap. "Lyv puts my stuff in its own place, so I gotta reach..."

Jai did as he asked, silently watching as Elys fumbled around with one hand inside, reaching down farther than should have been possible. Before he could stop him, he was diving, the entire upper half of his body disappearing inside easily as he picked out his clothes and toiletries. Jai smiled when he heard his muffled oops after something toppled over. But then he was retreating, arms full with his things.

"Got it?" Jai asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Got it," Elys nodded with a smile.

He set the bag down on the counter beside them as Elys put down everything but his toothbrush. As he scrubbed at his teeth, he was grinned in the mirror as Jai combed out his tangled hair and brushed it back the way Lyv always had it. Posy sat on the top of the faucet as the water trickled out of it, leaning down to gather droplets in her hands to quickly splash herself with before rolling herself up in a clean hand towel to dry off. She disappeared into Lyv's bag then, coming out just a minute later in a new dress.