Absolution and Fragility

XXI

He is changing.

Lexi walked alone to dinner with the theatrical king who wasn't not seen or heard from all day. It made her wonder what he had been doing, what the plan was, and if he was truly done slaying who need slain for him to rest easy. But, she did not wonder far. She stayed rather close to herself as she pushed into a hallway bathroom and locked it behind her.

As much as she needed to see that Theo was okay just as she had with her other friends that had returned, there was a small part of her that did not want to launch in head first into this battle. The bubbling in her stomach could either be indigestion or nerves unreleased. She was willing to be on the latter as much as she hoped for the first.

Crossing the tiles in her black heels with a clasp around the ankle, she drew nearer the mirror. Lexi took this time to observe how much she had changed since she first arrived. The once malnourished woman from before was fuller, albeit paler, but there was color in her cheeks. Her hair was longer in a looser than average braid – needing a cut again. She looked good in olive again, judging by the backless sweater.

She looked comfortable in her environment. At ease. Relaxed.

At home.

Her silver eyes widened in the mirror at the thought. After a step back, she decided to right herself. A couple deep breaths in and she was turning back to the door.

No matter the epiphany that had just struck her she had a preexisting obligation. Her life-altering thought could wait until after dinner, or it could hit her once more as it usually does until she can't deal with it any longer. Half of her issues would be solved if she let things go and the other half would be due to her stubbornness.

After wiping her clammy hands on her black skinnies, she unlocked the door and made her way back down to the hall. A determination rushed through her to finish this quickly so she could further evaluate her epiphany.

Lexi walked into the kitchen that smelled warm and inviting. Huber – the cook with cataracts he refuses to take care of and purposefully shaves his whole head of hair – smiled at her at the sound of her clicking heels hitting the dark hardwood of the floors. She shot him a wave.

"Mister Theo is in the garden," Huber informed.

"Thank you, Huber," she said quietly before turning and walking to the back door.

Once outside, she saw to the right him leaning on the patios railing with a fire pit. It made her frown slightly at the nature of it all, but she wouldn't make a remark until it came down to the wire.

But, she did notice him there. She really did. Theo was okay. As far as she could tell anyways.

Lexi was quiet as she crossed the distance. Stopping a few feet away from him, she leaned her side against the railing and stared at him, waiting. The fire crack and popped in the silence as it took anything it could within its confines. The sun had set earlier with the seasonal change making it so she couldn't see his face but only his silhouette illuminated by the flames.

"They were a guarding detail, Alexia, not watch dogs," were the first words from his mouth.

"Can I ask why?"

"When I decide what to say, I will let you know."

"Do you even know?"

Lexi heard his heavy sigh before he stood straight to turn and look at her. The flames bounced of his profile and illuminated the darkness beneath his eyes. It seemed as though his irises had grown even darker in the twelve days he'd been gone, but how was she supposed to say that?