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Knock. Knock. Knock.
“Ugh… what is it this time, Jahoda?”
Nefer groans and shifts against the pillows, propping herself up with one arm as she leans back against the headboard. Clean white bandages cover her eyes, reducing the world around her to little more than muffled sounds and vague shadows. The room smells faintly of antiseptic and incense, a constant reminder that she has been ordered to rest whether she likes it or not.
The door creaks open.
“Boss Nef.” Jahoda says carefully. “Miss Lauma is here to see you.”
Nefer exhales slowly. Again? What exactly is her deal?
“…Alright. Let her in.”
A second set of footsteps enters the room, soft and unhurried, far lighter than Jahoda’s. Nefer doesn’t need her sight to know they belong to Lauma. By now, the sound has etched itself into her memory.
“I’ll get you a chair.” Jahoda offers.
“There’s no need.” Lauma replies gently. “I won’t stay long. I only came to check on Nefer.”
Nefer clicks her tongue. “Oh, lucky me. Getting VIP treatment from the Lady Moonchanter herself.”
Lauma ignores the jab entirely and turns towards Jahoda instead. “Could you give us some privacy, please, Jahoda?”
“Oh, right. Sure.” Jahoda laughs awkwardly. “See you later, Boss Nef. Miss Lauma.”
The door closes with a soft click, leaving the room quiet once more.
Nefer turns her head slightly towards Lauma’s voice. “So,” she says dryly, “what brings you here, Miss Moonchanter?”
Lauma pauses briefly before answering. “Can’t I visit a friend?”
Nefer lets out a short laugh. “Ha. Very funny.” She gestures vaguely towards the bandages covering her eyes. “Come on, just state your business. If this is another one of your ridiculous favours, you can ask Jahoda instead.” A faint smirk tugs at her lips. “As you can clearly see, I’m currently out of commission.”
Lauma steps closer. Nefer hears the faint rustle of fabric and feels the subtle shift in the air around her.
“Oh, you poor thing.” Lauma murmurs, concern softening her voice. “Are you uncomfortable? Do you feel any pain? Perhaps I should administer more medication, just to be safe—”
Before she can finish, Nefer reaches out and grabs her wrist.
“No.” Her grip is steady despite her condition. “You will absolutely not do that.”
“But Nefer—”
“But nothing.” Nefer snaps, though her tone softens a moment later. “The last thing I want is you hurting yourself for my sake.” Her hold loosens slightly, though she still doesn’t let go. “I’m recovering just fine, so don’t even think about doing something reckless again.”
Lauma falls silent, and Nefer feels the tension in her hand slowly ease beneath her fingers.
“…I…” Lauma begins, only to trail off. She exhales quietly. “Fine.”
She gently withdraws her hand, folding it against herself. “I won’t.”
Nefer leans back against the headboard once more. “Good.”
Silence settles between them for a few moments before Nefer breaks it with a huff.
“So, are you going to keep standing there like a helpless puppy, or are you finally done pestering me?”
Lauma straightens immediately. “I am not a helpless puppy. I’m a deer.” She replies, mild offence colouring her tone. “And I’m not done with you either.”
Nefer tilts her head slightly. “What’s left to do? You already changed my bandages the other day. You’ve checked on me.” She gestures vaguely towards herself once more. “As you can tell, I’m perfectly fine. I see no reason for you to stay any longer than necessary. And didn’t you say you wouldn’t stay long?”
“I…” Lauma hesitates, her voice faltering ever so slightly. “…Do you dislike my presence that much?”
Nefer exhales slowly. “You know, for someone who’s a deer, you really don’t act like one.” A faint smirk tugs at her lips. “Even though I can’t see, I know exactly what you’re doing right now. Standing there with those beautiful eyes of yours, full of worry, wanting to help but not knowing how.”
Lauma stiffens, folding her arms close to herself. “Am I wrong to worry about my friend’s well-being?” She asks quietly. “Why are you allowed to worry about me, but I’m not allowed to do the same for you?”
Nefer’s expression softens, if only slightly.
“That’s different.” Her voice lowers. “You’ve got an entire population depending on you.” She exhales quietly. “You shouldn’t waste your energy on someone like me.”
“Nefer.” Lauma steps closer, her tone suddenly firm. “Don’t say that.”
Nefer waves a hand dismissively. “Alright, alright. Stop worrying so much already.” A smirk appears on her lips. “At this rate, you’ll make your antlers grow even bigger.”
“…What?”
Nefer reaches out and pats the empty space beside her on the mattress. “Sit.”
Lauma hesitates. “I—”
“Since you clearly intend to stay longer than you claimed,” Nefer interrupts, “I can’t very well let the esteemed Lady Moonchanter stand there while I lie comfortably in bed, can I?” Her tone turns teasing once more. “That would be terribly rude of me.”
Lauma fidgets at the invitation, fingers twisting together in quiet uncertainty. “It’s alright.” She says softly. “I don’t mind standing. I wouldn’t want to impose.”
“Sit.” Nefer repeats, leaving no room for argument.
A brief pause follows before Lauma finally relents. “…Very well.”
She carefully lowers herself onto the edge of the bed, mindful of Nefer’s condition. Her antlers tilt slightly to avoid bumping against the headboard, and the mattress dips gently beneath her weight.
Nefer notices the warmth beside her immediately. “See? Was that so hard?”
Lauma says nothing at first, though the tension in her shoulders eases noticeably now that she’s seated beside her.
After a brief silence, she tilts her head slightly. “Have you had breakfast yet?”
Nefer hums, stretching one arm lazily across the bed. “No. I just woke up, and then someone decided to barge into my room. The sun’s barely up.”
“It’s ten in the morning.” Lauma replies calmly. “And I hardly barged in. You were the one who told Jahoda to let me inside.”
Nefer scoffs. “Oh. So it is.” She folds her arms across her chest. “Why are you so curious, anyway? Don’t tell me you’re planning to start monitoring my diet too.”
“No,” Lauma says smoothly, “but I probably should.”
“Don’t even think about it.”
Lauma smiles, completely unfazed. “Anyway, I was in town distributing our daily boons as usual and thought you might like some as well.” She shifts slightly, and Nefer hears the soft clink of porcelain. “So I brought you breakfast.”
Nefer feels the plate settle carefully onto her lap. She lowers her hands, fingertips brushing against cool ceramic before tracing the uneven shapes of fruit and bread.
“I think fruits and vegetables with two very sad slices of bread barely qualify as breakfast for a normal person.” She says dryly.
Then, after a brief pause, her voice softens just slightly. “But… I appreciate the thought. Thank you.”
Lauma's face lights up. “That’s probably the nicest thing you’ve said to me so far.”
“Shut up. Don’t make me take that back.”
Nefer picks up a piece of fruit and lifts it towards her mouth with mild confidence, only to completely miss. Sticky juice smears across her cheek instead.
She frowns and tries again, slower this time, and finally manages to bite into it.
As she chews, a soft giggle reaches her ears.
Nefer pauses mid-chew. “…Are you laughing at me now, Lady Moonchanter?” She asks flatly. “What exactly is so amusing?”
Lauma quickly shakes her head, though the smile remains evident in her voice. “You have a bit of something on your face. Here, let me help.”
Before Nefer can respond, Lauma takes a napkin and leans closer. Her movements are careful, almost reverent. She dabs gently at Nefer’s cheek, wiping away the juice, her fingers brushing against her skin lightly enough to leave Nefer suddenly far too aware of the contact.
“There. All clean.”
“…You’re enjoying this far too much.” Nefer mutters, though there’s no real heat behind the complaint.
“Maybe a little.”
Nefer swallows, suddenly much too conscious of how close she is. Even without her sight, she can feel Lauma beside her—the faint warmth radiating from her body, the subtle scent of frost-touched flowers clinging to her clothes.
“…Thanks.” Nefer mumbles, turning her head away. “But don’t get used to it.”
Lauma’s smile only grows gentler at that, though she says nothing.
Trying to ignore the strange flutter in her chest, Nefer reaches for another piece of fruit. Her fingers find it easily enough this time, but after a brief struggle trying to determine exactly where to aim it, she lets out an irritated sigh.
A quiet laugh escapes Lauma.
“Don’t even start.”
“I wasn’t going to say anything.” Lauma replies innocently, amusement still lingers in her voice.
“Liar.”
Before Nefer can attempt another disastrous bite, Lauma gently takes the fruit from her hand. “Open up, Nefer.”
Nefer immediately recoils. “This is ridiculous.” She says flatly. “I can feed myself, you know.”
Lauma tilts her head slightly. “Mm, I’m aware. But from what I’ve observed so far, that claim appears questionable.”
Nefer clicks her tongue. “You’re taking this caretaker role far too seriously.”
“Perhaps a little.” Lauma admits, unapologetically. Her expression softens once more. “Come now, Nefer. Just let me take care of you this once. I only want to help.”
Nefer crosses her arms stubbornly. “Fine. But this better not become a daily thing.”
“Maybe only until you recover.”
“Lauma.”
There’s a clear warning in Nefer’s tone, but before she can continue, Lauma gently presses the fruit against her lips, effectively silencing any further complaints.
Nefer pauses. Then, with immense reluctance, she opens her mouth and allows Lauma to feed her.
“There.” Lauma says softly, sounding far too pleased with herself. “See? That wasn’t so difficult.”
Nefer chews with exaggerated annoyance. “You are absolutely insufferable.”
“And yet,” Lauma hums, already reaching for another piece of fruit, “you’re still letting me do this.”
Nefer opens her mouth to argue, only for the words to die immediately in her throat when she realises Lauma is right.
“…Shut up.”
Lauma’s quiet laughter fills the room again, light and warm.
And despite all her complaining, Nefer finds that she doesn’t actually mind it very much at all.
In the end, she simply leans back against the headboard and lets Lauma continue feeding her, grumbling half-hearted complaints under her breath while secretly indulging the Moonchanter’s obvious delight in caring for her.