Chapter 33

After a couple hours just soaking in the ambiance, Cora realized she was bone tired. Not in any of the usual ways. Her energy was fine, her mind was still sharp. She just… too much had happened. She needed oblivion to process it. She made an Irish goodbye, leaving for her quarters.

She’d just enjoyed a perfectly temperature controlled shower, courtesy of Lux, and had pulled on the most comfortable underwear she could find in Linnea’s closet, when there was a knock at the door.

Her heart began to race, fantasies racing through her mind of opening the door to find Hawk, who would pick her up like a doll and, with minimal input from her, would figure out exactly how much action that four-poster bed could take.

But she couldn’t do that. She still hadn’t figured out how she fit into this world, this place. If she let that woman take her like she wanted to be taken, the chances of Luxholme becoming a bastion of hope were nil. She hoped to god she’d be able to find and nurture good in Hawk, but she hadn’t yet, and that wouldn’t be the way to do it.

Also, she had on zero makeup, wet hair, and really wished she’d picked some sexier underwear. Linnea had plenty. Plus, that knock at the door hadn’t carried the thunder she imagined Hawk’s would have.

She schooled her emotions, and marched over to the door. Pulling it open, she found no towering giantess, but Kyra, looking small, ashamed, and for once, not angry.

“Li-, Mis-, Cora,” she stammered, not meeting Cora’s eyes. Given what Cora had gathered from their interactions, that wasn’t out of politeness or rudeness, but the only way she was able to talk to her, without flying into a rage. For now.

“Yeah, Kyra?” Cora asked, keeping her voice friendly, despite finding this pretty weird. Up until the very end of the night, she wouldn’t have been surprised if Kyra snuck into her room and planted a karambit in her throat, but coming like this? Sheepish and… cute?”

“I… don’t have a room.”

Oh, duh.

“Right,” Cora groaned, “fuck, not like you had a choice, but you slept here too. I’ll go find a spare room or crash in the barracks. Oh, on that note, let everyone know, open season on any empty rooms, y’all do not have to sleep in those barracks, they are gross. Actually, Lux, please tell ev–”

“Quiet,” hissed Kyra, hand grabbing the soft cami Cora wore, bunching the fabric tight in her grip. It relaxed, after a moment. “Sorry, just, please, don’t go.”

Her voice was small, almost inaudible as she continued.

“I never slept well without her.”

Cora’s heart shattered. She knew, really knew, exactly how that felt. To be abused, to hate, and to still need. Kyra didn’t even have the closure of splattering her abuser’s brains across the wall to help her move past that.

“I get it,” Cora said, wanting to hug Kyra, whose cheeks were now wet with shame, but knowing for fucking sure that was the wrong move. “I’ll stay, however makes you comfortable. I can take the floor? Make a pillow barrier on the bed? Whatcha thinkin’?”

She tried to keep her voice light and casual, make Kyra believe it wasn’t a big deal. And it really wasn’t, to Cora. She’d roughed it like Viggo for two months in prep for a survival role, and ever since she could sleep anywhere. But herself wasn’t who she was worried about right now.

Kyra nodded sharply, then pushed past Cora into the bedroom, quickly, like she was afraid Cora would change her mind. Or worse.

“Can I shower?” Kyra asked, freezing just before the bathroom door.

“You don’t have to ask, not anymore, Ky–”

“Thanks.”

The door clicked shut behind her, and the sound of steaming water trickled out from behind it almost immediately.

Cora ran her hand down her face, somehow more exhausted than before. She wasn’t equipped for this. She was a goddamn movie star, she played action heroes and leaders, she didn’t actually do the things they did.

It had turned out she was a little wrong about that, she had more action hero in her than she’d realized, but add in ‘therapist’ to the list of roles she felt she needed to fill, and honestly, she’d rather just shoot dudes.

She sighed, and started grabbing some pillows off the bed, and checking a cupboard for extra blankets. The rug Linnea had under the bed was actually pretty plush, Cora would sleep juuuuust fine.

The water shut off as she finished, and she heard Kyra exit the shower. She decided it’d be best if she looked like she was asleep when the girl came out, and was just pulling the blanket to her chest when Kyra’s voice, still small, met her ears again.

“Cora?” She asked.

“Yeah?” Cora answered.

“Where are you?”

“Made myself a lil’ nest behind the bed, pretty comfy!”

“Oh….” Kyra said. She sounded disappointed. “Hey, Linnea never really let me have any clothes it was good to sleep in. Can I borrow some?”

“Of course! I’ll close my eyes, I guess, grab what you need.”

“Right…” Kyra said, and Cora expected to hear footsteps, but then remembered who she was talking to. The first indication she had that Kyra had moved was the creak of the dresser drawers, the shuffling of fabric as Kyra let her towel fall.

Don’t, Cora warned herself, and she didn’t.

All day, she’d been stopping herself from looking at Kyra like that, stopping the image of her from this morning, under the sheets, from entering her mind. That wasn’t who this girl had wanted to be, and Cora refused to see her in that light. Even if she was objectively prettier than any starlet she’d ever played opposite.

Some more shuffling, and the moment of temptation mercifully passed. She heard Kyra slip beneath the sheets of the bed next to her, and, after some effort, Cora stilled her racing heart. Soon after, sleep found her 

But not for long.

“Cora?”

Kyra’s voice broke into her dreams, whatever unremembered madness they had been. Cora’s eyes fluttered back open, and the hopes of Tyrinno being a one-day fever dream were dashed. The room was dark, but as her vision adjusted, it was clearly Luxholme, and not her Beverly Hills mansion.

“Yeah?” Cora said, realizing she actually felt tired now. Like, physically. She checked herself, and realized that Cadey had fallen away in her sleep, leaving her with an [End] well in human range.

“Could you get in the bed?” Kyra asked, waking Cora right the fuck up. “Can’t sleep. Just to have someone there.”

“But what about my comfy nest?” Cora protested, both to be funny, and because she felt… just weird about it. God, what if Kyra did make a move? Cora had done weirder things to worse people in her lifetime, seeking comfort where there was none to be found.

“Please?” Kyra asked.

“Yeah, okay,” Cora sighed, stretching, rising, and tossing her pillows back on the bed. She brought her own blanket, so her and Kyra wouldn’t have to share, and also because it was warm and now she was used to it.

Oh man Tyrinno’s nobles have nice beds, Cora thought, letting out a contented little groan as she sank into the pillowtop. She might be able to sleep anywhere, but that didn’t mean the floor didn’t make her shoulders hurt.

“G’night,” she muttered, and wasn’t even certain she finished the word before sleep took her once more.

When she woke once more, it was after a full night of sleep, if the light streaming through the windows was to be believed. Without the panic of yesterday morning, the room was beautiful, and while Cora had still had some lingering hope she wouldn’t have to, she thought she could get used to waking up to it.

What she couldn’t get used to, was the small arm thrown over her, and the feeling of cold metal between her breasts.

What the fuck? Did Kyra decide to try and kill me last night after all, then fall asleep in the attempt?

Carefully, she rose, trying not to disturb whoever was weighing down her right arm.

Right? Kyra was on my left.

She shifted enough to look down, and found Tania, sleeping soundly, and latched tight onto her. She also held a long kitchen knife, which rested on Cora’s chest.

Whaaaaat the fuuuuuuuuuuuck!?

Cora tried not to panic. If Tania wanted to stab her, she clearly could have. The girl’s ability for stealth made Kyra look clumsy, and Kyra was amazing.

Slowly, Cora reached across herself, shaking Tania awake as gently as she could.

Tania didn’t wake up immediately, but when she did, it was instant.

She hissed like an animal, knife slashing out at Cora’s hand. Even with her Reactimax activating, Cora took a shallow cut across the palm before she could grab Tania’s wrist. As quickly as she’d fallen to violence, Tania relaxed back into her usual absent, placid presence.

“Oh,” she yawned languidly, “sorry about that, Cora.”

She almost sounded sincere. No, actually, she did sound sincere, but also like she didn’t care much.

Cora wanted to be angrier, but her bots had already stitched up the shallow wound, nothing remaining of it save a few scarlet drops on her white cami.

Also, it was hard to yell at someone who was asleep, and Tania had apparently already re-entered dreamland.

Fortunately, Cora had never relinquished control of her wrist, and didn’t as she carefully slid out from under Tania, and let the girl rest. Once she was out of bed, she saw that Kyra had beaten her to the day, her half of the bed already made out of what had to be habit.

Cora dressed, as utilitarian as Linnea’s wardrobe allowed, because today, she’d be working.

Honestly, might need to see what I can do about getting more practical clothes. I can look fly as fuck with what I have, but Linnea was definitely form over function.

Best she could do for now was some tight but elastic dress pants, and a vaguely stretchy form fitting blouse. Her path around the room took her near the window overlooking the courtyard, and a roar made her damn near jump out of the shirt before she’d even put it on.

She peeked outside, and grinned.

Now that looks like the kind of thing I can get excited about