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 Posted: Mon Dec 19, 2011 4:40 pm
What to do, what to do.
Question that were more like demands, more like orders, filled Sigmund's head. From this throne he had claimed, a perch upon a large, overstuffed armchair, he was free to let his mind race. Heat, perfectly pleasant heat, washed over him, baked into his face, worked into his clothing. Sigmund loved this hall because it had the best fireplace on the campus of Makai Royal Academy. He wasn't the only one who favored it, either: all around him, the chatter of students mixing into the crackles and pops of the blaze set deep into the wall. The sounds of winter, or at least the better parts of it.
Sigmund sat still, serene, and unmoving, other than the occasional motion to turn a page in the book before him. Unlike the other students all about, he had nobody with which to chatter. Not a lament, just a fact. In fact, he didn't mind it. He preferred the company of the written word, but the lighthearted conversation filtering in at the edges of his consciousness could actually aid in his concentration. Something about being enveloped by these people, even if not addressed, gave him a sense of security, of belonging. He'd never try to engage with any of them, oh no; that was something for his wildest dreams, where he came across as a pleasant, latently fascinating person, rather than a blunt, reserved, unapproachable mess, as was the case in the waking world. No good at talking to people. Oh, the doubt.
Back to his book, then, less thinking, before the doubt turned to resignation. Some meaningless tome he'd been meaning to pick up but never had the opportunity to. He honestly would be no better off for reading it; it just provided a different perspective on the morality and personal lives of dragons. What it also provided, however, was another layer of white noise on top of the sounds of the crowd of students in the hall, another anchor to keep himself on track. What he really needed to do, tonight, was get his act together with all this Mia business.
He hadn't even decided on whether to AGREE to this whole 'Secret Santa' game. He had been meaning to tell his sister about it, ask her if they could do it together, but Niamh had beaten him to the punch. That had decided it. He'd keep up with her in every way he could; her graduation before Sigmund had been advantage enough. And maybe, if he got lucky, he'd receive his sister as a partner. Wouldn't that be lovely?
No such luck, or perhaps his luck had increased tenfold. He couldn't know yet. He'd been appointed a girl named Mia by the event organizers. He'd scrambled among his miniscule group of friends and acquaintances in an attempt to put a name to the face, and had been pleased to discover it was a face he knew. He'd seen the girl called Mia several times before in the library; she was a pretty mononoke, some kind of cat, one of the many curious prodigies that had begun to crop up in the school lately.
Now, he needed some way to approach her. Wonderful. He was bad enough at talking to boys. With girls, one needed to be careful with how he inquired, or he'd look like he was making a vie at courting the girl. So who did he ask? Just... anyone possible, until he found someone who knew her? No... That would never work. Perhaps a teacher? Possible, possible... He could stake out the library, too, wait for her to show up, but Christmas drew so CLOSE. What if he didn't catch her in time? Could he risk that possibility? He threw his head back against the chair behind him, white hair flying out of his face as he came to rest against the cushion behind him. He looked around the room slowly, trailing for a moment on each other person in the hall -
Oh, s**t.
Who else but Mia herself, sitting not four chairs down, basking in the fire's glow, same as Sigmund. Her green eyes were open in that moment he'd looked at her, and he hadn't been sure if their gazes had met.
He hoped not. Oh dear, oh no, this was the worst thing that could happen.
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Posted: Mon Dec 19, 2011 5:15 pm
 Mia sighed contentedly, pushing her back against the plush chair she was nestled in. The heat from the fire in everyone's favorite hall at the Academy was perfect for the feline mononoke. The girl was not truly sitting in the chair, in fact. Her head was laying on one arm of the chair while the rest of her was curled up tight, barely fitting on the confines of the cushion, yet she looked as comfortable as if she was in her own bed.
The girl stretched her arms above her head and flicked her feet back and forth to listen to her ankles pop slightly, before resettling, tail coiling itself over one leg. She was dressed comfortably, being done with classes and going out for the day. After all, it was rather difficult to lay in a chair in the same manner she was while wearing a skirt. It was neither graceful nor comfortable, so Mia instead wore black leggings, an overlarge grey sweater that came to the middle of her thighs and covered her hands, and socks. Mia was one of the few inhabitants of the school who did not wear shoes as often as possible. If she knew she'd be inside or relaxing for awhile, the girl was barefoot, or in colder weather, wearing only socks, at least in the living quarters and other such areas, preferring to treat wherever she lived as much like home as possible.
Mia gave a lazy smile to the fire, simply watching the flames dance and crackle, letting the image and the thought of having all her work done relax her. She looked up, though, feeling as if eyes were upon her for a split-second. Her gaze came up just in time to see a boy with white hair turning his head in the other direction, presumably having been the gaze the mononoke had felt, although she wasn't sure since their eyes hadn't met.
Looking closer, Mia recognized the boy. He was extraordinarily pale, both in skin tone and hair color. She often saw him while she was getting new books in the library, but he always seemed hard at work on something, so she had never spoken to, or even shared a smile or wave with the boy. Sigmund, she believed was his name. She thought she remembered a girl who had the same pale features, vaguely recalling that there was a set of twins at the school. Cocking her head curiously, Mia studied the boy for another moment, then turned back to daydream in front of the fire. If he wanted something, he'd look again, but this time, Mia was alert, intrigued by the moment, although she seemed as content and oblivious as ever to anyone in the room.
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Posted: Wed Dec 21, 2011 6:44 pm
Oh, yes, she saw him, without a doubt, they'd stared straight at each other for that one second that stretched out into eternity. Sigmund looked down at his lap, the words blurring together into a uniform line of hieroglyphics, some strange language that he could no longer understand. A curiously silent feeling crept up into him, if feelings can at all be explained in terms of the auditory. Everything seemed to grow muted and distant while he stared dumbly down at the now-meaningless book before him. His mind alone appeared to be operating at full capacity, and, in fact, was working in triple-overdrive as it raced, teemed, surged with thought.
Questions, always the questions. Why even ask them? Where did he expect to receive answers from? Some spurt of intuition that would tell him the odds of catching Mia here, in the same hall where he sat, at the same time, when he needed to speak with her. That's what he expected. Some sublime algorithm that took the variables and computed them and gave him a neat little number, a percentage, a ratio, something manageable, something tangible. Something that made sense. But that's how it works, no? C'est la vie, non? Endless whirrings of probability and fate that spin each person in arcs that collide, however rarely. But to consider just one moment in time, one encounter with another being...
All at once, Sigmund knew what to say.
Now came the hard part. The inertia. The tendency for an object to maintain its motion. The energy required to set himself forward, toward this endpoint he'd already defined, and roll with the curves as he approached.
A deep breath. He shut the book, very carefully, very deliberately, staring at the cover a moment longer before lifting his head, his neck just starting to twinge with pain in protest to being held at a right angle to his shoulders. Mia had looked away again, but Sigmund couldn't imagine her being as oblivious as she let on. Simply couldn't imagine she'd cast her eyes upon him without seeing.
Then he was standing, moving, walking forward, with his book tucked under his arm and his jaw set. No point in trying to smile, he'd look like a psychopath. He'd let it come naturally, if at all. He didn't have far at all to walk until he stood before Mia, who would no doubt have noticed him by this point.
“... Forgive me for sounding... poetic,” He placed emphasis on that last word, not with distaste but some grim attempt at humor, “But one might call this meeting a miracle. Walk with me, for a time?”
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Posted: Tue Dec 27, 2011 10:42 am
Mia continued to stare at the fire, but when she was confident the boy wasn't watching her, she snuck another look. He seemed lost in thought, staring at his book seemingly without comprehending it. Mia's predatory instincts began to surface, and a mischievous smirk crept onto her face. She thought of sneaking up on the boy for fun, to poke about a bit and talk to him. But she jumped as he snapped his book shut.
The bobcat mononoke quickly looked back at the fire, relaxing her body and continuing to look into the fire. She thought the boy might be coming over, but she made herself wait. As footsteps approached her, though, she looked up at the serious student in front of her. Mia's lips curled up in a small smile at Sigmund's opening, as if sharing in a secret joke. She cocked her head at the mention of a "miracle" and raised an eyebrow, but she smiled nonetheless. "Certainly," she replied to the boy, considering her shoeless feet for a moment, but shrugging as she began to walk forward. "Where to, then, mysterious stranger?" she queried with a giggle.
This was a bit strange, and promised to be perhaps a bit awkward, but it certainly seemed as if it would be fun. After all, Mia was only lazing about before, and now there would be some interest added to her previously lazy day.
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Posted: Wed Dec 28, 2011 10:27 am
Sigmund glanced around the half-circle in front of the fireplace, the many students, some of whom glanced back at him. The raised eyebrows, the curiosity... in some places, the incredulity. The pale boy speaking? To someone he didn't know, someone other than the librarian or his creepy sister? Some Christmas miracle. Sigmund liked to pretend that he didn't care what other students thought of him, and that only his studies and their end goal mattered, but his id just wouldn't accept this notion. He'd already made himself vulnerable by opening his mouth, by acting in a way so drastically unlike him, and he'd suffer for it if he kept standing here.
“... Anywhere.” Sigmund couldn't bring himself to smile, not yet, still too much roiling emotion in his chest, but his voice lost some of the curt sarcasm, replaced it with pleading. “... I, uhm, I mean... I have somewhere. A destination. I just... I need to get out of this room first, okay?” He tugged at the hem of his own shirt, readjusted the shoulders.
“... Please.” And with that, he turned, fixed his eyes on the door, and made his way for it, an exit to the room that let out into a dim-lit hallway. First step on heading outside. Why hadn't he just carried the gift with him, damn it? He should have just carried it with him constantly, in case something like this happened. All the perfect solutions to problems come in retrospect, though.
He waited for her, tried not to stare at Mia as she approached, tried not to get flustered or nervous, to hold onto what people skills he knew he lacked. He knew pretty when he saw it, though, and that thought, I'm talking to a pretty girl I'm not related to, she's agreed to walk with me, dredged up a bubble of hysterical giggling from somewhere deep inside. He put his fist to his stupid mouth and turned it into a cough before it made him look insane.
When she caught up with him, Sigmund finally found a bit of license to say, “Right. This is going to sound bad, I'm already realizing how this is going to sound to you, but hold on.” A deep breath. “I actually... have something to give you. But it's not here. It's in my home. I don't want to risk not seeing you again before Christmas. Would you care to accompany me there, that I might bestow this gift upon you?” Oh, that still sounded pretty bad.
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Posted: Wed Dec 28, 2011 5:29 pm
Mia paused for a second looking at all the students watching them. She shrugged and gave them a smile. She knew most of it was probably simple curiosity, but she could tell from Sigmund's actions and words that he was uncomfortable. She knew the feeling, as it had been one she had grappled with often as a child.
"Okay, let's go," she said to him softly, following him out into the hallway. He seemed to be grappling with something, she wasn't sure what. He certainly one who got preoccupied, wasn't he? Once she caught up with him, the boy warned her he had something that was going to sound bad. Mia's brow furrowed. 'What could he possibly be talking about? Does he have some kind of bad news for me?' the girl wondered. He certainly seemed to be nervous enough. Once Sigmund finished speaking, though, Mia only chuckled. "Oh, really? Um, well, I'm flattered. It would be my pleasure to come with you."
Mia really was flattered, and despite trying to deliver her own Secret Santa, that particular thought, that Sigmund was her Secret Santa, did not yet occur to her. Mia couldn't help thinking that maybe Sigmund was an admirer, but she also didn't want to assume things, so she thought there must be something else at play here. Looking at him carefully, Mia decided to say something else.
"You know, don't worry about what they think," she said softly, referring to those in the room, or even just the other students. "I know it's difficult, but they aren't cruel. People sometimes don't understand others, even those who don't outwardly appear different from them." Mia gave a wry smile as she twisted the end of her tail around her wrist. "It takes time. Oh!" she said suddenly, ears perking up. "Before we go, I just have to run to my room to get shoes and a coat. You're welcome to come with me, if you'd like. I'll be just a second."
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Posted: Sun Jan 01, 2012 12:48 pm
Her pleasure. Okay, great. So far, so good. Easier than he'd thought. Sigmund smiled. He should be relieved, right? He had expected having to do backflips he was nowhere near capable of to, at best, convince Mia to tag along long enough for him to pass the gift on, and at worst, convince Mia not to chew him out for coming across like a creep. But Mia seemed agreeable enough. The pale boy didn't quite buy into how easily she had accepted his invitation, figured she was just obliging him for... whatever reason. He'd figure it out later. Didn't matter now, motives don't matter, no time to ponder the inner workings of a girl he barely knew. He had that funny habit, forgetting that he didn't have an eternity to think, not yet. He coughed into his hand, brought himself back into focus. He'd been staring into space, must have seemed like he hadn't been listening.
“... If only it were so easy.” He looked back into the hall behind him, through the doorway, with its crackling fire and happy students who'd probably already forgotten he'd even sat amongst them. The smile disappeared all at once. She'd picked up on his nerves. Wonderful. He'd never been good at hiding things. He turned back to Mia, and there was something like pain all muddled up with sorrow and defeat in his voice, muted by his clipped, short words.
“It's not them. It's just... I can't... I don't know... people.” All torn up. For all his knowledge, he still couldn't find words to bridge this break in communication.
“... Dark things. Unhappy things. Never mind them.” Sigmund pushed those thoughts away with a shudder and a spurt of energy he refused to allow to drain him. The gaunt boy didn't have the capacity to perk up, so to speak, but he came as close as possible. He moved himself away from the door, distanced himself from that entire frame of mind, as if it lingered in that place like some cloud of poor humors.
“... Oh, you're not wearing shoes.” Sigmund hadn't noticed this until she'd called attention to it. Strange, but how could he pass judgment? “Yes, I suppose one needs those. I'll tag along. The hallway isn't far enough.” He gathered his sweater closer to himself, braced himself for the cold, and fell in behind Mia, whenever she decided to lead on.
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Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2012 7:57 pm
Mia waited patiently for her companion to respond. She had already vaguely identified Sigmund's penchant for silence as the product of a deep thought process that seemed as if it often got away from its master, perhaps sometimes rambling on, which Mia actually envied this a bit, as she often responded quickly in order to not seem awkward. Afterwards, however, the girl often wished she had taken the time to think, as she often felt she could have expressed herself more clearly.
The normally happy witchling's face saddened at their next exchange. "I know it's not easy," Mia said softly to the boy who seemed so similar to how she had been before she'd grown into herself. "People are hard to know," she replied simply with a small shrug. Not one to be free with physical affection to people she didn't know well, Sigmund's despair tugged at the caretaker in her and she reached out, squeezing the boy's shoulder for a moment. His next sentence was darker still, but the boy then seemed to brighten up a little. Stepping back, Mia contemplated him before continuing.
"Humans and majin-all of us-seem to be too fragile. It's a shame we don't take more care with each other. But it does get better, easier, if you try," the mononoke said. "I promise." With that she gave Sigmund a bright smile, more usual for her, and turned around to lead the way. Going through the hallway, and up a flight of stairs, Mia arrived at a door after a couple of turns.
"I'll only be a second. You're welcome to come in, if you'd like," the witching said as she unlocked the door and stepped into the fairly large room. Mia hurriedly found her boots and pulled them on, then raced around the room for a couple of minutes, as she'd forgotten where her coat was. Spying it laying on her desk chair, the girl pulled it off triumphantly.
"All set!" she chirped as she slipped into the garment. "It's your turn to lead now, I guess!"
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Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2012 6:53 pm
Sigmund looked at Mia's back for a long time, his gray eyes sober now, all of that misery and anxiety gone, replaced with simple shame. He stood in the darkened hallway, constricted by it, wondering how he'd ever pull any respect for himself back after opening up like that in front of someone he barely knew. Mia was nice, Sigmund couldn't deny that; she'd probably never condescend to him over something of this sort, but the boy would never forgive himself for things like this. She might not think any less of him, but she'd almost certainly think him weak. Sigmund didn't want to look weak anymore.
But then she was almost up the stairs and out of sight, so Sigmund rushed after her. A promise. Things could get better, if he tried. He didn't hold much stock in the promises of strangers, but he supposed everything started with trying.
Sigmund opted to stand in the doorway, rather than enter into her room. A foreign place. A girl's room. He stayed out of Niamh's room for the same reasons, some concept that a female's space was sacred and he'd be massively wrong to intrude, even if invited. He watched her bolt around the perimeter with some strange mixture of bemusement and reservation. He didn't know if he should laugh at the manic circles she ran, but Mia looked almost exactly like a cat, with their tendency to suddenly decide that the time had come to sprint in circles, run run run, don't ask why, just run.
“... I...” Sigmund spoke to Mia as she bustled about, “I... probably just shouldn't be allowed to talk. It always gets so... Dark and dreary.” He offered up a weak, nervous, little giggle.
He added in, “Yes, suppose it is my turn to lead...” Without another word, he turned and led on, down the hallway and out into the cold of the winter night.
He spoke very little on their stroll through Makai, lit up against the dark of night with so many festive lights and storefronts to shops that still operated. The final countdown to the big day, and people still hurried hither and tither to make purchases. Sigmund hurried through the market, stopping only occasionally to look back and check on Mia, to ensure she hadn't lost sight of him. Sigmund could be like a wraith, slipping away all too quickly, so he tried to hold himself in check.
From the shopping district they entered into a more wealthy residential neighborhood, and from there they walked amongst estates. Sigmund sped by each, his head down, misty breath flying furious from his nose and mouth in the cold. Finally, he stopped, directly in front of a set of gates. He stared at his feet a moment longer, then straightened and turned to face Mia again.
“... My home, the von Rohr estate. Please, come in, I welcome you as a guest.”
In an elegant motion most unlike him so far, he swung the gates open and motioned her inside. He rehearsed in his head how he'd play this out; take her jacket, Beatrice on tea, slip to his room after small talk, get the damnable gift, bring this awkwardness to an end, see how things played out from there...
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Posted: Sun Jan 15, 2012 7:08 pm
Mia, of course, was not aware of the inner turmoil once again overtaking Sigmund. She certainly didn’t think any less of him, nor did she think he was weak, at least not the way she defined it. She definitely wouldn’t think him weak simply for displaying some disappointment and sadness or wistfulness. Since Mia had no way of knowing this, however, she could not reassure Sigmund, despite the girl having similar thoughts about herself sometimes, though in different circumstances.
As the girl approached the door, she smiled at the fact that Sigmund hadn’t come into her room. She had gathered from his behavior that he might be uncomfortable entering her room, which was fine. Not many people did so nowadays, but Mia thought it was nice. At the very least, it was polite and respectful. She gave a small frown at his next sentence.
“There are times when every person shouldn’t be allowed to speak, or so it seems. That awkwardness, or “dreariness” that I believe you said you possessed comes out at all different times in all kinds of people. You shouldn't be so hard on yourself.” Mia could have said more, but she figured she’d done her fair share of lecturing for the evening, not to mention that she was one too talk about being too hard on oneself, so she simply smiled at her companion and followed him out, locking her door behind her as they ventured into the cold, dark streets.
Mia managed to keep up pretty well with Sigmund. The times she did lag behind a bit were usually because she was watching the people going by, imagining where they were going or who they were, or smiling at the candles in the windows of shops and homes, thinking of what kinds of lives went on within them. She enjoyed basking in the spirit of the season, liking the way the brisk wind chilled her cheeks while the rest of her was kept fairly warm by her coat and scarf.
Her attention to her surroundings became even more rapt as they entered Sigmund’s neighborhood. While her companion kept his eyes on the ground, Mia took in everything around her, still making sure she stayed just behind the other witchling. Despite having grown up in the town around the Academy, she had rarely ventured into this neighborhood. She didn’t really know anyone who lived here, living in the more middle-class part of town, and she often felt as if she was intruding on the properties here when she came through, although she occasionally would come through on a walk just to admire the yards and plants. The houses and estates looked magnificent, all decorated for Christmas, with lights and wreaths and garlands adorning every door and windowsill. It was beautiful.
Mia was in awe as the boy led her up to a huge, opulent mansion. His demeanor suddenly seemed to change, even just slightly. He gave her an elegant bow and welcomed her to the Von Rohr home. Mia felt her eyes widen at the name. As a local, of course she had known who the family was. She had been born but a year after the twins, and had grown up hearing the father’s speeches and seeing him and his wife leading town events. She had been told the tragic story of the young son who supposedly died, been at the town-wide memorial service for the deaths of the parents, and it had been only a couple years ago that the supposedly long-dead son was brought back to town by his sister. Yes, she indeed knew the family name, but never had she imagined she would meet one of the twins.
Despite being a bit thrown, Mia entered through the gates, trying to focus as best she could. “Why thank you,” she replied to Sigmund’s welcome as they walked up the drive to the house. “Your home is very beautiful,” the mononoke said as she tried to look up at the house without ogling the grandeur that was in front of her.
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Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2012 8:39 am
Sigmund fidgeted, his nerves finally overtaking him. He'd been looking at his feet until just now, so he hadn't seen her face, the way she'd gazed about the various homes of the wealthy with increasing interest, and now she looked positively dazzled. He always slipped silently in and out; seeing someone so fascinated by the mansions and estates threw Sigmund a bit in his own right.
Sigmund tried his best to maintain posture as he walked beside Mia, tried so hard to apply his training in proper etiquette, but still his shoulders slumped forward, just slightly. Vital, though, nothing in life was so rigid as the perfectly-drilled poise of a gentleman. Except for trees. Sigmund didn't want to be a tree, was that a silly thought? Now he COULDN'T stand up straight, or the thought of tree-ness would return.
“Beautiful...? Yes, I suppose so... It's too big.” His feet made muffled clicks on the walk as they approached the doors of his home, punctuating his words. Strong, hardy oak, with two large knockers in the shape of ornate crowns. They'd been Niamh's design, a little something to signify the twins' dominion over the home. He almost reached to knock one, but corrected himself halfway and grabbed the knob instead. Funny how even after years at home, he still didn't feel it was his own.
Sigmund threw his shoulder against the door, to avoid the creaky, slow progress the door usually made. He was growing very cold, and with just a thin wall of wood between him and warmth, he had no patience for it. The doorstep flooded with light from the now-wide-open portal, and the smell of rosemary (Sigmund liked to keep sprigs in every room), along with the heat from within, blurred the edges of the cold night around them.
“Master Sigmund, that you?” A voice sounded from somewhere farther back, a woman's voice. “Figured you might be returning home soon; I'll get to tea!”
“Thank you, Beatrice! We have a guest, tonight, might you brew accordingly?” Sigmund turned back to Mia, who still stood in the doorway. “Please, come in. Let me take your jacket. I'll, uh... I'll lead you to the parlor with the fireplace, you like the fireplaces...”
Once he'd attended to her jacket and stored it proper, he motioned for her to follow. He set off through the house, once again curbing his speed, weaving through many sitting-rooms, all of them empty and useless now that the masters of the house had no need for parties or entertaining guests. Such a shell of its former use.
Finally, he reached a room that was filled with the warm glow and crackling noise of a fire. Several seats surrounded the alcove the fire raged in. If it hadn't been so damned cold tonight, Sigmund would have just taken the books here. But then, he'd never have found Mia, and then he'd be done well and good.
“... Have a seat, please, make yourself at home.” Sigmund fidgeted again, looking around for Beatrice to take the strain off of him now that he had nothing to bustle over. “You'll have to excuse me... I'm a terrible host.”
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Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2012 8:24 pm
Mia continued to gaze at the house in awe. From Sigmund's tone, it did not seem that he shared her admiration of it, but that was his business. 'Perhaps living here everyday simply desensitizes one to it,' the girl thought, unaware of the real reasons Sigmund didn't think of its beauty.
"Oh, it's only you and your twin here, now, right?" the girl asked, inwardly wincing immediately after she spoke. 'Yes, Mia, let's bring up the fact both their parents are dead. That's a cheery topic,' she berated herself in her mind. She also noticed Sigmund reached for the knocker, but thought nothing of it. She often found herself reaching for things or walking the wrong way when lost in thought. As Sigmund let them into the large house, Mia trailed a gentle hand absently over one of the crowns.
The smell and warmth immediately assaulted her senses, and the mononoke inhaled deeply with a smile and let out a low purr as her spine and tail contracted then straightened, an instinctive response to the sudden change in temperature. This was lovely.
"Oh, thank you," Mia replied as Sigmund took her coat and called to one of the servants. Before she got the chance to say any more, Sigmund was off again, Mia following at his heels, giggling under her breath at his mumblings about her affinity for fireplaces. 'What is with people in this town and tea?' she thought to herself. The witchling would never be so impolite as to refuse the drink, though, so lots of milk and sugar it would be. She glanced at the rooms they passed. Their disuse was somewhat hauntingly melancholy, catching at that feeling she often buried deep in her gut that was comforting in its nostalgic sadness. Mia actually loved scenes like this, yet the warmth and perfume of the house promised happiness, if one were to uncover it and try to restore it.
"Ah," the girl sighed with a look of bliss as the heat increased even more as they entered the room with a fire. After thanking Sigmund again, Mia settled into one of the chairs close to the fire.
"You're not at all," Mia said to her host. "Please, sit with me. I'd much rather you relax than be worried about protocol or anything like that."
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