Stumbling into the kitchen the next morning, Jerico was quite surprised to find Nikkira was already up and about. Not to mention, all of the dishes in the sink that may have been forgotten the past day (or three) were gone. She simply sat on the edge of the long stone counter, looking as though she'd been there for quite some time, thinking and nursing a cup of... something. Coffee, most likely.
--Oh. He hoped it was coffee. He also hoped she left some for him. All things that might have been apparent in his eyes from the way she lazily pointed to the stove. As he approached, she slid from the counter and began to retreat from the room.
"So." He attempted to keep her there for a bit longer. Luckily, she turned; even if it was out of long-forced politeness. "Feeling better?"
Nikkira blinked at the question. "I... suppose."
Well, it was a start. He moved sleepily toward the cupboard, drawing out one of the rather ornate mugs as he spoke. "I don't suppose you'd stick around for breakfast."
That much actually won a minor smirk. "I don't suppose I would."
Jerico stared dumbly as she walked away. Well... at least she left coffee. Damn strong coffee, at that.
She made it a bit easier for him by taking a long look around, finally witnessing all the work that had been done in the daylight. No longer was everything overgrown, but neither was anything overly cut back; everything looked perfectly natural, and yet shaped perfectly. "You did all this?"
He couldn't quite help the obvious sound of his swallow, but his voice was steady enough in response. "Yes."
"Nice." She commented, honestly.
Another series of blinks occurred before Rhe was able to speak again. "Thank you."
She gave a quick nod before turning and walking on down the path. The broken statues had been removed at some point... then she stopped and looked down at the crunching sound beneath her feet, and couldn't help the ghosting smile. She recognized the chipped stone ground cover; the statues had been further smashed until they resembled nothing of the "great artwork" they'd been.
Brandon had been walking the garden, as well--in the opposite direction. And he'd seen that look. That... weird... almost-calm, almost-smile. It was... more than a little disconcerting. As was the fact his feet just kept walking without his consent.
Hearing his approach, her expression immediately closed up again. Seeing Brandon nearly brought up a grin, however. Well, since she seemed to have been in the mood to surprise people that day... she simply turned and walked back into the castle.
He found himself glad that she didn't glance back once. Truth be told, it was surprising.
Truth be told, he'd raised his hand as if to reach for her. It was pulled back to his side quickly; a glance at Rhe only found the boy covering exposed roots with newly turned dirt. Brandon snorted rather than allow a slow breath of relief.
She immediately knew what he was talking about. "Do you spend most of your time watching them?"
"Someone has to." He responded, grinning.
She passed him by and continued walking to the next flight of stairs. It became a bit obvious that he had every intent to follow, however. She waited until they'd entered the hall that lead to the rooms her "guests" were all supposed to stay out of before she turned and addressed him. "Did you need something?"
"Not really." The grin hadn't faded. "Just wanted to say I enjoyed the entertainment."
It actually took effort not to let her lips turn upward. "You seem to think it was all for you."
"Might as well have been, hm?" He made quite an effort to appear casual and relaxed. "No one else is going to appreciate it."
She took a breath to toss a comment back--interrupted by an enormous crash that reverberated clearly in the floor. She sighed, instead, casting an unreadable glance toward the room they were not allowed to enter. "I suggest you go join them, then."
Jerico swallowed the bitter lump that had formed in his throat. Again... it was going to happen again... "Shouldn't I... wait here..?"
"No." She responded, voice hard. "Go on."
He didn't want to, honestly. Maybe he didn't really want to see what was in that room, but... to leave really didn't seem like the right thing to do. "What happens if--"
Another crash; louder and sounding like the shattering of an incredible amount of glass. Nikkira started moving toward the room on instinct--pulled back by a surprisingly strong hand on her shoulder. She glared hard enough to injure.
Jerico pulled his hand back and held both palms to her in apology. He didn't know what he'd been doing. No idea what he'd intended, and he certainly hadn't meant to grasp her, but... "Just... be careful."
A slow blink met that concept. She made to shake her head, but there was already an awkward dizzy sensation in it. Nodding ever so slightly instead, she walked away. As she reached toward the door, she glanced back... pleased to see him gone. Questions, and even curiosity, would have to wait.
