Chaos in the Castle

@ katahdin

A huff left the man in response to Maisie's final words to him. Just to put up more of a show for their parents, but not because he was truly upset about what she said. He continued heading towards the castle, and just like clockwork, his parents were in the hallway by the door from the gardens. But once quick look at them, Charles was fast to turn the other direction in the hall to do his best to avoid them. It did not work. They were quick to get to his side and urge Charles to go back to Maisie and apologized. Charles refused. Luckily, before they were able to get to the threats of what would happen if he didn't, Charles was slamming the guest door in their face and locking it behind himself.

There was a small sigh that left Charles once the door was between then. Charles didn't mind disobeying his parents but it wasn't his favorite thing. Especially as it tended to just cause more trouble that it was worth. But this was one of those moments that Charles felt sure that he had to stand his ground. So now, the man was sitting besides the window of his room, going back to eating away at the meal that had been provided for him. It felt a bit sad and lonely to eat by himself in the bedroom but the other options were so much worse.

@ Sweet.Persephone

Maisie had waited a bit after Charles left before getting up to head back inside, although when she saw her parents waiting for her at the door inside she quickly turned to wander further through the garden. She looped around until she was sure she'd found the right window, climbing up the ivy and brick wall to the third floor window she was positive was hers. Of course, it had been quite a few years since she'd done this, and giving her migraine earlier she'd gotten turned around, and had managed to be on the opposite side that she wanted, instead kicking open Charles window, nearly losing her balance and falling as she saw him sitting near the window, having not expected him.

"Shit.. Wrong room.." she cursed, holding onto the window sill tightly. "Would.. would it be alright if I came in? I'll go right across to my room if the coast is clear. I don't want to have to interact with my parents." She whispered, not wanting anyone else to hear her. "I'll make sure the kitchens make dairy free ice cream for you, or make whatever ice cream you want in general, upset stomach be damned."

@ katahdin

Charles let out a sigh when he suddenly saw Maisie outside of his window. He brought his head down to his hand and rubbed his forehead. What was wrong with this woman? He had half a mind to leave her outside but... well he was on the third floor and he didn't exactly want her to fall from there. And it was becoming clear that Maisie had some serious issues with confronting her parents which was getting, well annoying to him.

Even so, Charles opened up the window to the bedroom and assisted Maisie in before closing the window behind her. "Come on in, I guess." Charles said before he sat back down and opened up his book. "I guess stay until you can leave?" He gave her a bit of a shrug. "As for the kitchens...I guess the dairy free ice cream. Have them make moose tracks though. That will make up for the lack of dairy."

@ Sweet.Persephone

Maisie nearly slipped as she climbed through the window once he invited her in, very glad that he helped steady her, as her migraine was coming back and she had thought for sure she was going to fall. "I could have sworn I was on the other side of the building, but that's what I get for wandering around the garden with a migraine and without my glasses." She joked, looking a bit like she might be sick as she glanced around his room, but she smiled at him when he said she could try to make it up to him with moose tracks ice cream.

"Of course. I'll have them make a gallon just for you, scout's honor... Could I use your bathroom for a minute? I need to get a drink of water." She asked, waiting for him to give her the ok before heading to the bathroom, leaning over the sink so she could cup her hands and drink some water, taking a seat at the edge of the tub to catch her breath and hopefully get the room to stop swimming and the flashes of light in her eyes to stop.

@ katahdin

"Yes, go ahead." Charles said as he looked up at her. His head tilted to the slide slightly as he watched her. Something seemed... off. He couldn't quite explain it but it was just wrong. Maybe it was the way she was walking? Or just how she was talking in general. Though he decided not to put his mind to it much. Maybe Maisie just had a rough time climbing up to the third floor.

So Charles tried to forget about it. Well, that was until she was in the bathroom was a rather long time. He would keep looking up from his book to the bathroom with a look of concern before going back to reading. But, finally, the man couldn't take it anymore so he just stood up and knocked on the door. "Maisie? Are you okay?" He called out to her.

@ Sweet.Persephone

Maisie hadn't really realized how much time had passed, but at some point she'd slid down to sit on the floor, and she'd found a cup to fill with water so she could have it next to her if she needed it. She hated her migraines, and had yet to find a remedy that worked, so she was used to just hunkering down and waiting to them to pass, however long it took.

She winced when Charles knocked on the door, rubbing at her eyes as she squinted at the door. "What are you yelling and banging on the door for? Of course I'm alright, just.. I just need a minute." She huffed in irritation, attempting to stand, although her vision swam and she tumbled back onto the floor, knocking over her glass of water in the process and hitting her head against the side of the tub, which only made things worse. "Ow, fuck." She groaned as she leaned forward away from the tub, holding the back of her head as she squeezed her eyes shut to try to ignore the pain.

@ Katahdin

"I'm not yelling." Charles mumbled, mostly to himself. His eyebrows furrowed together as he looked at the door, trying to make a decision on what he should do. After all, Maisie did answer him and said she needed a minute. And Charles wasn't one to burst into someone when they were in the bathroom, especially not a lady. Though when he started to hear sounds coming from the bathroom, one of them being shattering glass, he decided he needed to go in. "I'm coming in!" He announced to her.

He was careful to open up the door, not wanting it to smack Maisie. Though a deep frown came over his face when the sight before him was revealed. Maisie was on the floor, holding her head with this horrid look on her face. He glanced around for a moment, trying to figure out what made that glass shattering sound. Though his eyes dropped to the water glass that was now several pieces of the floor. Charles carefully stepped over it before making his way to Maisie's side. "You look like someone ran you over with a car." He noted to her. "What is wrong?"

@ Sweet.Persephone

Maisie winced as Charles announced that he was coming in, mentally preparing herself for whatever ride things he had to say, although she was surprised when he lowered his voice and spoke softly to her asking what was wrong. "I have migraines.. Had them since I was a kid, nothing helps, all I can do is hope it passes quickly.." she murmured, winding again before looking up at him with a weak smile.

"I'm sorry I made a mess of your bathroom.. give me five minutes for where I hit my head on the tub to stop hurting so much, and I'll make my way over to my room to suffer alone." She sighed, closing her eyes again as she tucked her head into her hands.

@ katahdin

"Do not worry about the bathroom," Charles reassured her. Though he did take a moment to look it over. The woman really had made a mess of it but... well someone else would come by to clean it. And her wellness was certainly more important than the state of a room. "However, I am glad to see that you did not tear the whole thing apart in the process." He joked lightly.

The man was quiet for a moment, unsure of what to do. But, eventually, he continued on. "I don't know much about migraines, but I suppose it would be more comfortable to be lying in a bed or a couch, would it not?" He headed over to her and, carefully, picked her up. One hand behind her back and the other under her knees, Charles headed out of the bathroom and towards the door to the hallway. But, after the smallest peak, he closed the door with the sigh. It seemed that their parents had people wandering the hall, he assumed looking for Maisie. So, instead, he brought her to the couch that was in his room and laid her down. "It looks like you will be here for a while."

@ Sweet.Persephone

Maisie let out a little laugh at his joking, glad that he wasn't too upset, or at least that he wasn't making a big fuss out of it now. "I'll clean it up once I can see properly again, I promise." She assured him, letting out a little sigh as she shifted a bit to try to get more comfortable, although it was impossible sitting on the floor.

She'd zoned out a bit as her head throbbed, blinking in surprise as he moved over to her and picked her up, gripping his shirt tightly in case he dropped her. "Oh, Charles, you don't have to. I'll be fine in the bathroom, really.." she tried to argue, but as he walked out of the bathroom and into the main room where the sun was shining in through the windows she tucked her face into the crook of his neck to shield her eyes from the light, holding onto him tightly. She released him once he'd set her down on his couch, moving a hand over her eyes to block out the sunlight, although after a moment she peered through her fingers at him, offering him a faint smile. "Thank you, Charles.. All the moose tracks you want. And... And don't tell my parents? They think my headaches stopped in middle school, and I don't want to know how bad they've gotten."

@ katahdin

Charles did not allow himself to mind all of the huff that she was making. It was obvious that she was not feeling well and a bathroom floor never helped anyone. Though he was surprised when Maisie seemed to hide her face into his next. He was even more so when small goosebumps ran down his skin. But he tried his best to pay no mind to it as he laid her gently on the couch. "Is the sun too much?" Charles asked, noticing the way she was hiding from the light. The man headed over to the window and closed the curtains. The room was by no means completely dark but at least not bright light was shining through now.

"I plan to keep you to that promise." The man chuckled. Though he was slightly serious about it as well. Moose tracks was a food that was truly blessed by God. "And I won't tell you're parents." He assured her with a smile. "It can be our little secret." Charles glanced around the room for a moment, unsure what to do with himself now that there was a sick woman in his room. "Um... is there something I can do for you?"

@ Sweet.Persephone

"Mhmm.." Maisie nodded when he asked if the sun was too much, relaxing a bit once the blinds were shut, feeling better now that it wasn't so bright. "Thank you for not just kicking me out.. I appreciate it." She murmured, shifting a bit to get more comfortable on the couch, adjusting the pillow underneath her head as she shifted a bit to look at him, curling up a bit more so that he could sit on the other side of the couch if he wanted.

"I promise that I'll keep that promise, it might be a day or so until it's ready, though." She pointed out, rubbing at her eyes as she sighed gratefully when he said it would be there, secret, offering him a faint smile. "Thank you, Charles.. No, I think I'm alright for now, you've already done more than enough. I don't want to bother you anymore than I already have... Plus I interrupted your lunch, which was very rude of me, especially after you were kind enough to help me through the window, and give me your extra cookie."

@ katahdin

"Well, this is the second time you have interrupted my lunch," Charles pointed out to her with a chuckle. "So, you have been rude to me twice now and I have helped you that many times as well. Though, I suppose we can call it even with the moose tracks and a promise of a future favor." Charles joked. In truth, he felt a little awkward about the situation and thought that humor might be a good way to handle it.

"Either way, my lunch is still here and since it seems you need nothing else, I am going to go eat it." Charles said before he headed back to where he was sitting before beginning to eat again. It was easy enough for him to get settled back into having his meal. Despite what was occurring, the man was still hungry. "Though do let me know if there is anything that you need to alleviate your suffering."

@ Sweet.Persephone

Maisie smiled as he teased her, poking his cheek before she shifted on the couch to get more comfortable. "Moose tracks and one favor sounds like a deal to me.. Does not marrying you count as the favor?" She teased with a little laugh, although she winced a bit afterwards, grabbing a throw blanket off the back of the couch to tug over her, making sure to cover her head to help shield her eyes from the light.

"I'll be alright, Charles.. I'll probably end up falling asleep for a while, but once I wake up I should be fine. Feel free to wake me up if the coast is clear, though. Don't want to miss our chance to escape. The last thing I want to do is climb out the window again." She teased, stifling a yawn as she settled into the couch, her head tucked into her blanket, soon drifting off to sleep despite her headache.

@ katahdin

"Marrying me is the opposite of a favor." Charles told her, a bit of a smirk coming over his face as he said it. As he was getting settled in his new spot, Maisie was mentioning sleeping and sneaking out. Though he wasn't overly worried about either. There was no reason to wake her when she wasn't feeling all that well. And if they couldn't find her, it wasn't like they were going to do a whole ass search for someone who was definitely hiding from them all in the first place. "Okay, I will." He lied. Charles was not going to wake her just to move her.

The woman fell asleep surprisingly fast. Though when the sun started to set and it was nearing Charles' time to head to bed himself, he started to wonder what to do. He checked the hallway and the coast was not clear. It seemed there was nothing he could do, so Charles headed into his bathroom and cleaned it up a bit before getting ready for bed. At which point, he came out of the bathroom only wearing pj bottoms as he made his way to the bed.

@ Sweet.Persephone

Maisie slept soundly through sunset, her migraine lessening as time went on, and by the time Charles had gone into the bathroom to clean up and change she'd woken up, rubbing her eyes as she rolled onto her back, staring at the ceiling for a few moments before sitting up with a little groan as Charles returned from the bathroom. She looked over at him as she heard him moving across the room, squinting a bit in the dark to make sure it was him. Not that it would be anyone else, but she still thought it best to check.

"What time is it..? Did I sleep through dinner?" She asked softly as she swung her legs off the couch and stretched, grabbing the blanket she'd been using to fold up and set on the back of the couch again. "Is the coast clear, too? I see that you're heading to bed, so I should probably leave so you can sleep in peace." She said, groaning a bit as she stood and stretched before heading toward the door.

@ katahdin

"You did sleep through dinner. I went downstairs for a little bit to show my face and grab something. I would have brought you back a roll or something of that nature but your parents are a bit on edge and all four of them had their eyes on me like hawks." Charles told her honestly. There seemed no point in lying. "Just a warning but I think you will be getting an earful from them tomorrow." Charles stood over his bed, messing with the items on his night stand as he did so.

"It is about...11pm now. And I do not know about the coast being clear. I had checked it a few times and it seems they still have people wandering around the palace looking for you. I really thought that they would give up hours ago but..." Charles offered a shrug before turning back to her. "Are you feeling any better? And what would you like to do to get on your way then? I mean, you could climb from the window but that doesn't seem like a great idea."

@ Sweet.Persephone

Maisie offered him a little smile as he said that he would have brought her back something to eat if he could, finding it rather touching. "Thank you.. I wouldn't want you to get yelled at for harboring a fugitive, so I appreciate the thought." She murmured softly in case there were people out in the hallway, cracking the door a bit to check and shutting it almost as quickly when she realized the hall was occupied, letting out a little sigh.

"You're right, coast is not clear.." she agree, looking over at him as he asked how she was feeling, nodding a little as he asked if she was feeling better. "Much better.. thank you for letting me use your couch. I probably owe you two favors instead of just the one." She offered him another little smile, leaning back against the doors with a hum as she considered her options for leaving. "I could try the window.. seems like a quick way to break something, though.. Maybe I just wait until there's no one really close and run across the hall as fast as I can?" She suggested as she scrunched up her nose, not really a fan of that idea since it might get him in trouble too, and she didn't want that when he'd been so nice to her.

@ katahdin

"That would not be a bad idea. And you can wait here longer if you need to." Charles told her. He wasn't really bothered by the thought of Maisie being in his room. After all, it wasn't actually his room and he didn't think that she would dig through his things. "I bet you can get an opening in a little bit here." With that said, Charles offered her a shrug.

"Though I guarantee I will not be the one to get yelled at. Even if they did say I was harboring a fugitive, I would tell them that you were the one that broke into my room. Which, funnily enough, is true." Charles let out a laugh at the thought. Though he knew that would not be enough to satisfy their parents. "But I think at this point they would just be happy to see us together." As he said that, Charles moved into the bed and laid down, pulling the covers over his body. "Anyways, I think it is my turn to sleep."

@ Sweet.Persephone

Maisie nodded in agreement, shifting a bit to lean against the wall near the door so that she could listen for an opening to run across the hall to her room. She smiled as he laughed, shaking her head a little despite her smile. "I wasn't really aware of exactly where I was, to be fair. But I still appreciate you letting me break into your room, and not just leaving me hanging on the side of the building." She said, offering him a smile as he mentioned their parents being happy about seeing them together. "Agreed. So we should make sure they never find out that we're actually getting along decently. Oh, and you should laugh more often. People will like you more if you do." She teased, nodding as he said he was headed to sleep, turning away as he settled into bed. "Goodnight, Charles.. if I get caught I'll say I snuck in through the window while you were sleeping."

It was another twenty minutes or so before she had her chance to leave his room, slipping through the door quickly and rushing across the hall to her room and heading in, leaning against her door as she waited to see if anyone had seen her, and luckily when she didn't hear anyone coming to yell at her she locked the door and got ready for bed, settling into bed with a book until she eventually drifted off to sleep.