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Chapter 6: Safety Measures

Thursday, 2nd July 1891

Adalinda jolted awake at the sound of porcelain shattering. Her eyes shot open in bewilderment.

BIG mistake.

She clapped a hand over her eyes, trying desperately to block out the sunlight that was streaming through the windows and directly into them. The white sheets didn't help, reflecting the sunlight back into her face. She strained her ears to try to pick up any noise in the sudden silence.

"What happened?" She called out, tossing her blanket to the side as she stumbled out of bed. She grabbed her wand and staggered towards the bedroom door, swinging it open before peeking through her fingers, forcing her eyes to adjust faster.

"I'm fine!" Ominis shouted back, from where she assumed must be somewhere downstairs.

"No, you're not! You just fell and cut yourself for Merlin's sake!" Sebastian yelled, hurrying past Adalinda and into the bedroom.

She slightly winced as a chest loudly creaked and vials clinked behind her, before a freckled face with messy brown curls briefly crossed her vision as Sebastian rushed back downstairs.

She slowly followed after him, scrunching up her nose as a sharp smell wafted through the air. "Is something burning!?"

Her response was a resounding "Damnit!" from Sebastian with noisy footfalls that occurred immediately afterwards.

Adalinda opened all of the first floor windows with a flick of her wand as she made her way to the kitchen.

Upon entering, she glimpsed Sebastian levitating a smoking pan under the sink's tap water, before she located Ominis sitting against the corner of the room. One hand was clutching his right side, while the other one laid open on his lap, holding a red shard of ceramic. At least that's what Adalinda first thought it was, due to Ominis's impassiveness, but she quickly realised that the glossy pieces of porcelain around him almost matched the one that was currently piercing his open palm.

"Adalinda?" He asked, turning his head in her general direction as he tried to locate her over the noise of the running water.

With Wingardium Leviosa, Adalinda moved the broken pieces of porcelain around Ominis into a little pile before she sat by him, giving his shoulder two taps to let him know she was there. She gently took his bleeding hand in hers. Examining the wound, she was relieved to see that only one piece was stuck. "Do you trust me?"

"With my life." He said, his lips slightly curling to give her a silly smile.

Adalinda playfully rolled her eyes before she pointed her wand at the wound. Her eyes flickered between his hand and his face to track any discomfort as she slowly dislodged the shard. She hastily apologised when she accidently made the wound larger during the process.

If she hadn't known any different, she would've guessed that this was an everyday occurrence for him. He didn't flinch or show any sign of displeasure.

She double-checked to make sure that the ceramic hadn't residual fragments in Ominis's hand before setting her wand to the side. She uncorked the bottle of Wiggenweld that Sebastian had left nearby before he went to stop the house from burning down.

"Open," she said, ready to pour the liquid into his mouth.

"No, I can do it myself," Ominis objected, holding out his bloodied hand to grab the bottle.

She couldn't help but let out a small laugh at his adamancy, mirth slightly easing the tension in her face at his immediate switch up. "Alright, but since you're taking this Wiggenweld from me with your injured hand, make sure you have a tight grip so it doesn't slip."