Bella
I’m helping Sarah clean up when Sally is let down from the table. Before anyone can stop her the child dashes across the room to Thorne. “Doggy!” she shrieks as she launches herself onto the couch next to him.
Thorne’s eyes are wide and clearly startled as he looks at the child, “Hi,” he says quietly, his dark eyes guarded.
Sally wrinkles her nose and says, “You need a bath, Doggy, you stink.”
At the table Marcus chokes on his tea and starts coughing and gasping for breath. Thorne looks mortified as he stares at the child. Sarah rushes to Sally’s side and picks her up, “Sally, that was very rude!” she chides.
Thorne clears his throat, “I-it’s okay. I’m sure I don’t smell the best right now.”
Carrie elbows me lightly and nods at a large washtub tucked away in the corner. I take the hint and make my way to the stove for the large pot stored there, “Not to worry, I’m getting a bath ready right now.” I say brightly.
“Come Again?” Thorne asks, looking surprised.
I turn to look at him and smile, “Of course, I have it on good authority that you stink.” I tease lightly.
His cheeks color briefly before he scowls at me.
Carrie clears her throat and says, “Ian, can you move the wash-tub?”
Ian gets up, clearly struggling to contain his laughter, and picks up the basin, “Troy, help me.” The big man says gruffly.
While Ian and Troy get the tub taken care of, I start boiling some water. It takes a little while but we’re able to get the bath mostly full, then we scoop in clean snow until the bath is warm but not scalding. Ian shows me where the combs, shears, and razor are stored, and Sarah gives me some towels and clean clothes for Thorne.
I walk over to Thorne and look him over for a moment. His hair is matted in places and very oily, not to mention the unruly curls of his beard. His face is smudged with dirt, his eyes dull and sad in a gaunt face; his whole body is too thin and looks fragile. All in all he looks exhausted and defeated.
I can’t keep the sadness from tugging at my heart, “Do you think you can manage a bath on your own?” I ask.
Thorne struggles to his feet, “I should be fi-” he cuts off as he lurches forward.
I rush to his side, catching him before he falls on his face. He loops an arm around my shoulders and I smile gently, “Mind if I help?”
He smiles weakly, “Might need it. Looks like I burned up all my energy talking earlier.”
I nod, “All right, let’s get you to the bath, and we’ll go from there.”
With a little work, he’s able to settle on a chair in the back room; he looks frustrated as he glares at the bath, slight currents of Chaos rolling off of him indicating some emotion is high.
“What’s wrong?” I ask with a frown.
He looks at me, his cheeks coloring slightly, then looks away, “I don’t know about now, but grooming used to be something very… personal.” He says quietly, “Usually only family or spouses help each other with it.”
“Oh, it still mostly is…” I trail off and find myself blushing, “Would you rather Ian help?”
His eyes widen, “No!” he yelps, “Please, not the humans.”
I nod, “Okay. Why don’t we consider this as necessary for your health, make it medical instead of personal; does that help?”
He frowns for a second, then nods, “Yeah, a little.”
I smile, “Okay,” I collect a comb and the shears, “Let me see if I can untangle your hair a bit. It’s pretty matted, so I’ll likely end up cutting it.”
He nods, “Don’t have a lot of choice,” he says quietly.
I move behind him and frown, his hair is worse in the back and I can tell a lot of it is going to have to come off. I take a deep breath and pick up the brush, “Let me know if I hurt you,” I say softly as I try to run the comb through his hair. It instantly snags and he inhales sharply, I stop that pull and try a different spot, which has the same result. I wince and walk toward the basin to fetch some of the warm water.
As I pass in front of him Thorne grabs my arm, “Just cut it,” he says, his voice tight, “It’s fine.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah,”
“I’ll try to leave it as long as I can, and I’ll even it up once you’ve washed up. Is that okay?”
“Yeah,” he takes a deep breath and looks up at me, his onyx eyes boring into my soul, “I just want to feel like myself again.”
I nod, “Okay,” I pick up the shears and set aside the comb, taking a deep breath I run my hand lightly through his hair and start cutting away the mats.
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