Reincarnation | General Kirigan

!chapter 13!

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Later that night, a while after Seraphine had come down from her perch, she went to her room and started getting ready for bed. Now dressed in a really long shirt thing, more like a night gown she realized, she slipped into bed.

The curly haired woman let out a sigh and forced herself to close her eyes and and least try to sleep. Seraphine did get far though as there was a knock on the door. With a groan, she stood up again, making a point to throw her covers back more viciously then needed.

She opened the door and saw Alina nervously standing a few steps away, like she was just about to leave. The Shu girl seemed surprised that she had answered the door at all this late at night, "Oh! Sorry, I don't.."

Seraphine only tilted her head like a mother would and said calmly, her voice slightly raspy as she spoke, "You must have come here for a reason, even if you don't know it," She stepped aside though, gesturing for her to come in.

Alina stood awkwardly in the middle of the room before saying, "I couldn't sleep so I was wondering if I could..stay here with you, if that isn't so weird. Hearing myself say that out loud, it sounds really odd. I'm just going to-"

"Just get over here, Alina. You forget I have lived with four girls your age, often or not sharing my bed with one of them, so I'm used to this." Seraphine climbed in on one side of her bed, laying on top of the comforter this time instead of underneath, putting a blanket on top of her to keep warm.

Alina laid down across from her, both of them laying on their sides so that they were facing each other.

"I didn't know you have siblings." The black haired girl asked, putting one of her arms underneath the pillow het head was on.

"Well, they aren't really my siblings. We all were taken in by a nice couple at some point in our lives, more like an group home where we aren't related but like friends that don't have family except each other." Seraphine explained.

"I have something similar to that but I'm only close with one of the kids I grew up with. His name is Mal. He, um, he's my best friend, it was...I'm not sure where we are right now." She noticed the sadness in her eyes and the small blush on her cheeks.

Seraphine gave her a little sad smile, remembering hearing about what had happened on the sand ship in the Fold when Alina got her powers. She always knew the look in her eyes, it was how Mrs. Decóva looked at Madam Decóva and the other way around.

"You like him, don't you?"

Alina's eyes widened slightly at her words, surprised that she caught on to her emotions, the same emotions that she had barely figured out herself.

"Why did you-"

"Only love makes you that crazy, darling. And that damn stupid." The expression on her face was almost a motherly smile, something she had subconsciously learned from Mrs. Decóva being the oldest and taking care of the others.

"Well, what about you? Do you have a best friend?"

Seraphine let out a small chuckle at her attempt at changing the subject but indulged her still by nodding. "Yes, I do. Her name is Fern and she is...everything to me. She's my Mal."

"She sounds lovely." She said honestly, letting out a small yawn from her growing sleepiness.

"She is. We have matching tattoos and everything. I just don't know if she understands that I didn't want to leave her. She practically made me leave her." The curly haired woman decided not to press on this and go on a even further rant. She moved her hand up slightly, wrapping her larger hand around Alina's in comfort, almost second nature to when she was at home and Fern would sneak into her bed in the middle of the night.