Meribia Mansion: Talking
Mia just needed to get away.
Away from Draco's eyes.
She couldn't bear to see them, either soft and pleading or lit with wicked merriment. The former caused her mind to whisper forgiveness, but the latter left her crying to hide.
So she left when it happened, walking to Meribia in the early hours of the morning of the 29th, nearing the end of January.
Upon arriving in Meribia, the stress and emotional turmoil caught up with Mia in the form of a terrible migraine, complete with eye pain and nausea. Within the first hours of her stay, she managed to empty the contents of her stomach and take up near-permanent residence in her guestroom bed with a cold compress over her eyes. Jessica spent most of her time making sure her friend took it easy. And bashing in the heads of Hot Girl News reporters with her mace.
On one of the later days of her visit, Jessica went to check on her outside of the bathroom.
“....I don't think you have to follow me anymore. I think I'm over the worst of it.”
“Just making sure,” Jess said, leaning against the door and folding her arms.
The sounds of washing up, but it wasn't followed by turning the knob.
“You okay, Mia?”
“ 'm fine, just sitting down on the floor.”
“Need help getting back up?”
“No, just tired. The floor feels good...cool...”
“All right.”
Jess fiddled with the sleeve of her robe before she continued.
“You know Alex and Luna are married?”
“What?! When?”
“A while ago. Real quiet. Just like them, isn't it? To do things the really romantic way by not letting anyone else know. Even Nall was left in the dark for the longest time.”
“I imagine he didn't take that very well.”
“Nah. But he's living with them now, so he's fine with it.”
A beat for all of that to sink in before Jessica changed the subject back to the matter at hand.
“Mia? What's going on?”
“At home?”
“At home.”
“With Draco?”
“With Draco.”
Mia tells her.
“You're honestly surprised by that?”
“I guess not,” Mia says, her voice slightly muffled from wrapping her arms around her knees and resting her head on them. “But it makes me feel...used...”
“Mia...Don't you think that, if Draco's only interest was matters of the body, he would have stayed with this Scarlet person instead of marrying you?”
Another pause.
“I mean, you did say this happened before he knew he loved you,” Jessica says. “If he already had what he wanted, why would he bother with ideas like love?”
“I don't know,” she miserably answers. “But even knowing that, I still don't think I want to-”
“You don't have to,” Jess emphasizes. “You don't have to do anything you don't want to do. And if he truly loves you, he'll respect that and he'll wait for you. He'll probably still be kind of a pervert; there's just no helping that. But he isn't going to force you to do anything against your will.”
Not without incurring her wrath, anyhow.
“Did you tell your mother any of this?” she asks the Guildmaster.
“No.”
“Why not?”
“She'll just want me to leave him.”
“You really think so?”
“I don't think she's too happy with him.”
“You do know she's going to catch on sooner or later, right Mia? About you staying here and not speaking to Draco while he's in Meribia.”
A pause.
"How long do you want to stay here, Mia?"
"I don't know."
"You can take your time. You don't have to go back until you're ready."
"Thank you, Jessica."
Another pause.
"Jessica?"
"Yes?"
“Would it be too hard? To share a bed?”
“Right now, you mean?”
“I mean later.”
“I don't know,” Jessica says, shaking her head. “That depends on how much later. And that's up to you. But if you think it is, don't force yourself. And don't give Draco mixed signals either. As unromantic as it is, you may have to set down what you want and what you don't want so he doesn't get confused and accidentally hurt you, because I'm pretty sure he doesn't want to do that.”
Silence.
Then a soft, shuddering sigh and a hand going up to brush dark curls away from eyes.
“I love him...”
“I know,” Jess said over her friend's quiet tears.
Away from Draco's eyes.
She couldn't bear to see them, either soft and pleading or lit with wicked merriment. The former caused her mind to whisper forgiveness, but the latter left her crying to hide.
So she left when it happened, walking to Meribia in the early hours of the morning of the 29th, nearing the end of January.
Upon arriving in Meribia, the stress and emotional turmoil caught up with Mia in the form of a terrible migraine, complete with eye pain and nausea. Within the first hours of her stay, she managed to empty the contents of her stomach and take up near-permanent residence in her guestroom bed with a cold compress over her eyes. Jessica spent most of her time making sure her friend took it easy. And bashing in the heads of Hot Girl News reporters with her mace.
On one of the later days of her visit, Jessica went to check on her outside of the bathroom.
“....I don't think you have to follow me anymore. I think I'm over the worst of it.”
“Just making sure,” Jess said, leaning against the door and folding her arms.
The sounds of washing up, but it wasn't followed by turning the knob.
“You okay, Mia?”
“ 'm fine, just sitting down on the floor.”
“Need help getting back up?”
“No, just tired. The floor feels good...cool...”
“All right.”
Jess fiddled with the sleeve of her robe before she continued.
“You know Alex and Luna are married?”
“What?! When?”
“A while ago. Real quiet. Just like them, isn't it? To do things the really romantic way by not letting anyone else know. Even Nall was left in the dark for the longest time.”
“I imagine he didn't take that very well.”
“Nah. But he's living with them now, so he's fine with it.”
A beat for all of that to sink in before Jessica changed the subject back to the matter at hand.
“Mia? What's going on?”
“At home?”
“At home.”
“With Draco?”
“With Draco.”
Mia tells her.
“You're honestly surprised by that?”
“I guess not,” Mia says, her voice slightly muffled from wrapping her arms around her knees and resting her head on them. “But it makes me feel...used...”
“Mia...Don't you think that, if Draco's only interest was matters of the body, he would have stayed with this Scarlet person instead of marrying you?”
Another pause.
“I mean, you did say this happened before he knew he loved you,” Jessica says. “If he already had what he wanted, why would he bother with ideas like love?”
“I don't know,” she miserably answers. “But even knowing that, I still don't think I want to-”
“You don't have to,” Jess emphasizes. “You don't have to do anything you don't want to do. And if he truly loves you, he'll respect that and he'll wait for you. He'll probably still be kind of a pervert; there's just no helping that. But he isn't going to force you to do anything against your will.”
Not without incurring her wrath, anyhow.
“Did you tell your mother any of this?” she asks the Guildmaster.
“No.”
“Why not?”
“She'll just want me to leave him.”
“You really think so?”
“I don't think she's too happy with him.”
“You do know she's going to catch on sooner or later, right Mia? About you staying here and not speaking to Draco while he's in Meribia.”
A pause.
"How long do you want to stay here, Mia?"
"I don't know."
"You can take your time. You don't have to go back until you're ready."
"Thank you, Jessica."
Another pause.
"Jessica?"
"Yes?"
“Would it be too hard? To share a bed?”
“Right now, you mean?”
“I mean later.”
“I don't know,” Jessica says, shaking her head. “That depends on how much later. And that's up to you. But if you think it is, don't force yourself. And don't give Draco mixed signals either. As unromantic as it is, you may have to set down what you want and what you don't want so he doesn't get confused and accidentally hurt you, because I'm pretty sure he doesn't want to do that.”
Silence.
Then a soft, shuddering sigh and a hand going up to brush dark curls away from eyes.
“I love him...”
“I know,” Jess said over her friend's quiet tears.