BOOK 3 of the ORPHIC Series
CHURLISH
/ˈCHərliSH/
marked by a lack of civility.
~~~~~
Lucille 'Lucy' Opal Baker finds herself in the 21 century sporting the title of Aunt while lugging along h...
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"Monuments are the grappling-irons that bind one generation to another."
Ostrava, Czech Republic November, 2015
THE ABSENCE OF KLAUSE MADE her feel a little lonely, but it felt like a burden had been lifted off her shoulders. She didn't need to constantly worry over the decisions he made nor did she have to act as his handler—no, guardian? She also realized that any business related aspect she needed to complete for Henry was finished. Klause would meet with any of Henry's other partners; those had never seen his face and thus, according to Klause, did not deserve to see her face.
It was a very odd concept that Lucy just nodded along to. She guessed Henry didn't want to put his identity in jeopardy–or he didn't trust them. Either way, Lucy felt relieved by the absence of such responsibilities. She wondered how Klause kept up with his strict schedule–probably the thought of Henry's consequences.
She exhaled as she adjusted her Stetson Aviatrix hat, tugging it lower over her head. She pulled her suit jacket closer around her torso, grimacing at the restricted movements her pencil skirt gave. She felt like she dressed too much like Peggy, but, well, the hat only looked good on certain outfits.
And combat outfits weren't one of them.
Leaves of dull orange shades fell around her as she rubbed her shoulders. She could've probably chosen a better day to leave Henry's–hers?–hotel in Germany. She'd stayed there for a few more days before she realized she was being tailed. Whoever was following her was most-definitely not Natasha, so she packed the meager belongings she'd brought with her, leaving as fast as possible.
She didn't stay long enough to identify the stalker, but she didn't need to.
Her eyes flicked upwards towards the trees slowly losing their foliage, revealing skeletal branches. There would only be a month or so before winter would come, and Lucy wasn't sure if she wanted to see the snow. It wasn't like she hadn't seen it snow throughout January at the Barton's residence, but she and James both had received negative effects from the dreary weather.
Their response to the cold covering the ground was hiding in an enclosed space with one of Laura's heaters constantly turned on in their room. They huddled together for most of their day, and Laura's soft coaxing rarely ever worked unless Lila and Cooper begged them to come draw or play with legos.
Snow was a trigger, she supposed, for trauma responses.
But they would have to get over it somehow. Besides, the snow didn't just remind her of having her humanity taken away, but of James. The feeling of longing for him had settled in her chest, but she didn't yet trust herself to not feel pressured in his presence. She needed more time, and James was giving it.
