Positive Verification

[Sebastian Arcturis]

The captain of the guard did visit Baird.

The man and his family lived at the city outskirts. The man could certainly afford a bit larger of a home, but his wife had grown up a farmer and she preferred a bit more breathing room. Sebastian was met by Mrs. Baird at the door and felt immediately awkward. She was a very understanding and easy going woman. Sometimes too understanding. She made Sebastian uncomfortable.

"Captain! What brings you here?" He didn't make a habit of visiting.

"Blake. I wanted to speak with your husband."

Blake raised an eyebrow and stepped back to let him inside. Neither of them spoke for a moment. "We're grateful for the family day, but will that affect his pay?" She seemed to ask more because it was expected and because the two had nothing to talk about.

The captain shook his head.

"Good," she said, with a hint of relief. So maybe she had been worried. Sebastian wondered if the man was getting paid enough after all. He did have two small children. "I'll get Logan for you." And then she vanished from the main room through the kitchens and to what must have been the back door, as he caught a glimpse of sunlight and greenery. If he listened hard enough, he could hear giggling and squealing, broken eventually by Blake yelling her husband's name.

A few minutes later, Baird entered the home, sans Blake and surprisingly sans children. Sebastian had thought it would be impossible to pry them off the man.

"Captain? Somethin' wrong?" Entirely business and unease. Likely form this morning. That and the fact that the last time Sebastian had come to his home things had been more familiar.

Sebastian shook his head. "No. Just wanted to make sure you were alright." It felt way to casual a thing to leave his mouth. But it did.

Baird smiled slightly, his shoulders relaxing. "You? Make a personal call?" he chuckled and then held up a hand to keep Sebastian from jumping on the words. He meant them as a joke. "Thought you might try to talk me into doin' more work again. I'm interested, but..." he glanced at the back door. "I don't want to leave 'em."

Right. He had been testing the man out with a few vague questions for the Wardens. But he hadn't said much. And Baird's family was exactly why he hadn't pressed. But after what had happened to his daughter...the man had plenty of motive to want to fight back against the dark magic permeating the country. "We can talk about that later. Tell the Anders and Adaira I said hello."

"You could stay for dinner, ya know. Tell 'em yourself?"

The was more than an invitation for dinner. "I do not think-"

"Blake doesn't mind."

"I would prefer to hear her say that."

Baird gave him a weary look and sighed. "I'll see ya in the morning, Captain."

"Baird," he said, letting himself out.

---

The captain of the guard did not happen to visit the Moonstone.

But he did use the balm Rosemary McIntyre had given him a few times over the course of the evening before finding himself back outside of the noblewoman's room as the last sunlight slipped behind the trees. Sebastian knocked firmly at the door and waited a moment. He wasn't positive she was in her room, but it was the first place he knew to check.

Still in the same uniform he had slept in, regardless of the way the pieces fell in the next few moments, he was looking forward to getting out of them.

Regardless, he had been informed he had a new mattress, so he didn't need to sleep in the barracks. The speed with which that had happened was alarming. It also meant the King was aware of the mess. He braced himself for a talking to eventually.

[Rosemary McIntyre]

The garden hadn't been particularly soothing to her fraying nerves after all. No, instead it had made things worse to be alone in an open space, not purely for the feeling of isolation, but because she'd left herself open to something she could hardly believe was real. Had she really heard Magnus's voice in the empty garden? She didn't think there was anywhere he could have truly hidden, and worse than that, the whisper had been so close to her ear she could feel his breath against her skin. But when she turned, there was no one. Just her and the slowly recovering trees.

She'd gone back to her room immediately and changed into her nightgown early, settling into bed with a book in an attempt at making herself feel more comfortable. It hadn't solved the problem at all. She had no idea how long she'd been there, reading the same passages again and again without actually taking in any of the words, when there came a sharp rapping at her bedroom door. She nearly jumped out of her skin and reflexively snapped the book shut. She had no idea what page she'd been on, but seeing as she didn't remember a single syllable, it hardly mattered. What if it was Magnus? Were the walls too thick for anyone to hear her scream? She rose hesitantly from the bed and opened the door just a sliver so she could see who was there.

Her whole face crumpled in confusion when she saw it was Sebastian, although she opened the door without thinking to let him in. It was just automatic--she didn't even consider leaving him waiting in the hall. She barely had enough presence of mind to keep herself mostly hidden behind the heavy door as she opened it, then grab her robe down from the hook behind her, quickly tug it on over her nightgown, and wrap it around herself before she fully closed the door.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't expecting anyone...did something happen?"

[Sebastian Arcturis]

The tentative way she opened the door a sliver put Sebastian on edge for a moment. It was the way someone opened a door when they didn't want to let someone in, typically because they were up to something suspect or were terrified of something outside. The look on Rosemary's face suggested the later. She didn't recover so much as let her concern collapse.

The captain hadn't meant to frighten her. But at least in her mannerism and her question, it suggested that nothing else traumatic had happened since he last left her. Well...okay, maybe that was wishful thinking. She hadn't been so terrified this morning. Considering they had already slept together, the man had seen her in her nightgown. Briefly, and without really looking.

He didn't want to enter her room, but she seemed to prefer it. Was she worried about her stalker walking into her room? Maybe. Not unreasonable, he supposed, since Magnus walked about the castle freely enough. "Nothing happened." Not to him, anyway. "I...wanted to make sure you were alright." Sebastian considered her a moment before pushing slightly, because she seemed...more frazzled than she had been at sharing her bed with a strange man. Something was bothering her, he knew that much. "What is wrong?"

[Rosemary McIntyre]

Rosemary wasn't so much worried about her own comfort with the nightgown and robe as Sebastian's, and besides that, it was just a matter of form. While she wasn't the perfect socialite, she did manage to stick to some conventions that a good noblewoman was raised with, and one of them was being properly dressed. Of course, she was forgetting the fact that she was allowing a man into her room alone, but she simply took it for granted that she wasn't in danger from Sebastian. He'd more than proven that his goal was to protect her, not harm her.

What is wrong?

What a question. There were so many things wrong she didn't know where to begin. She pressed a hand to her lips, the other still folded tight over her waist as she turned and paced a few steps away, then turned back to him, debating on what to say, or if she should say anything at all.

Telling him what had happened earlier was sure to make her sound delusional, and the reason she had to believe it was real was even more dangerous. If she admitted that Magnus was a mystic, she'd have to explain why she'd hidden it, and if he was taken in, she had no doubt he'd accuse her as well. He'd always promised he would make sure they went down together, united in life and death. If he died before her, he'd expected her to take poison so they could share the same grave. He'd said it like it was some grand romantic gesture, and at the time she'd been so deep into his world that she'd truly believed she wouldn't be able to live without him. She'd told him no poison would be needed, that she'd die of a broken heart. It frightened her to remember how he'd turned all her thoughts into his. If she betrayed him, he'd see her dead. She had no doubt.

Even so, she couldn't say that 'nothing' was wrong, that was obviously a lie. She'd just have to temper it as best she could. It probably was her panic playing tricks on her mind; there was no way that Magnus could whisper to her when she was alone. She was just on edge.

"I thought I..." she paused and shook her head. "I must have been imagining things, but I could have sworn he was in the gardens with me earlier. I heard his voice. But when I tried to look, there was no one. I've been hiding in here ever since." She sighed and passed her hand over her eyes. "I'm probably just tired."

[Sebastian Arcturis]

He was comfortable with a lot. He also was capable of a lot. To which point he pointed didn't look at Rosemary except when she spoke. As if not acknowledging her presence was more comfortable.

The lack of immediate answer suggested something was wrong but he didn't know how to read her pacing and kept finding his attention on her when he didn't want it there. He wondered if she felt okay physically. If he had to guess, she was an emotional mess. Clearly she wasn't planning on sleeping.

Sebastian didn't ask who she meant. There was only one answer. Imagining things. Heard his voice. Hiding. He didn't know Rosemary very well but he knew enoigh to know it was all the more traumatic considering gardens were a safe space for her. Whatever was going on, that was a problem.

"You need a walk," he said. He wasn't ignoring the fact she was in a gown and robe. He was...deciding it didn't matter.

[Rosemary McIntyre]

Rosemary stared at him for a moment in her surprise before glancing apprehensively at the door and instinctively tightening her arms around herself. Her first, impulsive answer was to reject that out of hand. Anything outside her room right now seemed unsafe. But... She bit her lip and looked back at Sebastian. If she wasn't alone, she'd be alright, wouldn't she? And Sebastian must have a reason for thinking a walk was a good idea. At the very least, it might help her to wear herself out a little more to get some sleep--right now she was at tightly wound on as the string of a harp, practically humming with anxious energy.

"Um, alright..." she finally agreed, taking a moment to firmly tie her robe shut before returning closer to the door to slip on her shoes. She put her hand on the wall to balance herself as she tugged on the heel of one shoe to get it onto her foot, and glanced over at Sebastian again. Had he really only stopped by to check on her? Or was something else bothering him? She wondered if he'd answer her if she asked. He seemed determined to be "fine" even when he wasn't, and she suspected this would be one of those times. But still... Maybe while they were walking, she could ask. Baird had said something about Sebastian having trouble sleeping too, hadn't he?

She smoothed the front of her robe as she straightened up, and gestured to the door. "Lead the way, then?"

[Sebastian Arcturis]

Sebastian met her stsre with his own silent gaze. If she didn't want to go for a walk he could figure out something else. Talking just wasn't his strong suit. And...he had another point for the outing: not being stuck in the same room as a woman he found attractive while she clearly wanted for a way to relax. Not that he couldn't control himself, but a walk would be easier.

He had offered to help her sleep, hadn't he? Walking sometimes helped him. Maybe it would her.

Her acceptance didn't immediately have an affect on his expression or posture, he simply waited for Rosemary to pronounce herself suitable.

The captain was famous for his ability to overlook his own feelings and health. He would insist he was fine now because he had been in much worse conditions. By relation, having another person's stalker harass him wasn't all that terrible. Yet.

With a nod, he opened the door and held it for her, pausing long enougb for her to lock it if she wished before leading them toward the gardens. It was a quiet evening, a few servants cleaning and preparing for the morrow, guards stationed and on patrol. They weren't alone but there was hardly public traffic at this hour. Sebastian didn't bother to make small talk or conversation until they reached the gardens though his company was under no such compulsion.

"I like being a guard," he said suddenly, not looking at her. "I dislike the frustration of waiting for something to happen in order to react. Waiting for an attack. For something to be stolen. For someone to get hurt. For proof."

[Rosemary McIntyre]

Rosemary did lock up--part out of habit, but mostly from a desire to make sure that her room was the way she had left it when they returned.

As they walked, she let the silence linger and her mind wander. She wished she could just sleep, but somehow she was also reluctant to take the sleeping draught herself--being asleep meant letting her guard down, being vulnerable. If Magnus could get into her room during the day, what was to say he couldn't get in during the night? Of course, it would be harder for him to make an excuse to be in the castle at night, and the halls would be empty, harder to blend into a crowd, but he was clever. He could do it. So was it better to stay awake, watchful and terrified, while she waited for the other shoe to drop? Or was ignorance bliss? Should she act as if nothing were wrong?

Sebastian's sudden remark startled her, and she flinched, hard. She straightened herself out again soon after, but that didn't stop her from feeling like a fool. Even now, with him there, and out where it would be clear if anyone tried to approach them, she was still on edge.

"I think...I think I can imagine," she responded, her voice soft and hesitant. "But...In some ways, this time before the proof might be better. I'm not hurt...not yet." She shivered and wrapped her arms a little tighter around herself. "Still, at least someone will believe me, this time. My father he..." She swallowed hard, trying to force herself to continue. He should know the whole story if he was going to be involved in this. She hated every memory, every syllable it took to share it, but it needed to come out.

"My father thought I was telling tales until he saw the marks for himself. The one on my throat wasn't enough. I had to show him what Magnus had been doing all along." Her voice shrunk, barely a whisper. "I still have scars. From his knife...and from his teeth."

[Sebastian Arcturis]

He wouldn't blame her for not wanting to sleep, with or without a sleeping draught to aid her. There was a time that a younger Sebastian had decided no sleep was better the nightmares. That hadn't lasted very long. Sleep was important. If he hadn't learned that then, he had when he had been injured in forest to the west.

As for her having a visitor...the captain had alerted his people to the nobleman needing to be watched and being unwelcome in the private wings of the palace. It would make it more difficult.

The gardens were dark, lit on the edges by torches but in the center only by the dim moonlight. He knew his way around from a lifetime of experience. He imagined Rosemary knew the place better.

Time before. When he was already aware there was a problem, was capable of marching over there and putting that problem in chains or worse, but couldn't. He glanced at her, the barest amount of shock hidden in the darkness. "Calm before the storm?" He couldn't imagine feeling that way, not just tonight but all the time. To the point where Rosemary didn't seem to realize that the storm had slowly grown up around her, duped her into believing 'calm' meant something else. The storm was already here. Even for some one like Sebastian who wasn't attuned to his emotions, seeing her so accepting of the fact that she would be hurt, living with the belief she was better off not involving others, that she was fated to hurt the rest of her life...even he struggled to resist comforting the woman.

Maybe Feleti had rubbed off on him a little.

It was even harder to resist when Rosemary persisted in showing her strength. It wasn't a facade. He knew it without a doubt that the woman wasn't as broken as she thought she was. She didn't need to be saved, she needed to be shown she could save herself.

As she spoke of the scars, the captain stopped so he could turn to look at the noblewoman, to give each word that left her lips his full attention, even quiet and small as they were. When she finished, he reached a hand to her arm, a precursor to pulling her into a gentle hug if she didn't shy away from him. "I believe you, Rosemary. You do not need to show me anything you do not want to."

[Rosemary McIntyre]

She took one more step than he did, surprised that he had stopped. She automatically turned her body towards him, along with her attention, but she didn't lift her eyes from the path. She tensed, just a little when he lifted his hand to her arm, but she didn't pull away. She let herself be folded into a hug, even as a small part of her brain reeled in surprise. She knew that Sebastian was looking out for her, protective, but she'd written that up to his job and a naturally protective disposition. To have him showing her this much affection was a surprise she wasn't sure how to interpret. But she couldn't focus on that--there was more. He believed her and wouldn't push her past her boundaries.

For a moment, she was still tense in his arms--she felt as if her fear and tension were the only things holding her together, and if she let go, she might not be able to find all the pieces. She bit her lip, hard, willing herself not to cry. But there was just too much. Grief over who she had been, frustration with the situation, fear, and overwhelming relief. She knew it was ridiculous to think Sebastian might not have believed her--after all, he had the snake bite to prove it--but the fear was just instinct, now. The gratitude was stronger than her fear.

She couldn't help the hot tears that gathered in her lashes as she finally released the tension in her shoulders, wrapped her arms around Sebastian's waist to return the hug, and hid her face in his chest.

"Thank you."

[Sebastian Arcturis]

He didn't hug Rosemary because he wanted to. At least, that was what he told himself. He hugged her because she needed it. From him. Not because he was important but by virtue of her sharing with him. In the face of adversity from her own blood and terror from one whom she thought loved her, she was still strong enough to share with a stranger. That was what made him important.

Sebastian hadn't imagined she would hug him back. It was a natural reaction to receiving needed affection but he didn't always understand natural human behavior. To have her hug him back was...humbling. It felt good, being hugged. The captain's embraced soften when Rosemary's arms circled his waist, as if he had just been mimicking something he had seen before but now felt himself. He pulled her closer, feeling her thudding heart beat and her warn tears and wanting all of it.

And then she thanked him and he was confused all over again. Thank him for being a decent human being? It was sad that that was what her world had come to. She deserved to be heard and listened to and believed. That he was the one to be the decent human being was...an alarming juxtaposition when put up against the rest of his life. Those comparisons were quickly shoved away for another time because right now, his focus belonged to one person who needed it.

He kept one arm around her and the other he moved to lift her chin from his chest. Sebastian wanted to tell her not to thank him. That it was only a hug. That he just wanted her to feel better and safer and more confident. But looking into her slightly puffy eyes and tear stained cheeks, he couldn't find words for any of that. All he could think about was that he was worried about her and would do anything she wanted to make her feel better, to ease the tears away. If that was to hold her, then he would.

If that was to kiss her...he wanted that too. With only the moonlight it was difficult to make out her eyes, difficult to know if that was the right choice or not. But he couldn't resist the urge anymore than he had the one to hold her. The captain leaned down to press his lips to hers.

[Rosemary McIntyre]

It had been a long time since she had a proper hug. Her cousin Aoife had accepted a few hugs from her during their visit, but she was still distant. Lucas had been away for months, visiting Aunt Beth in Tresteria. She'd been lonely, more so than she had realized. With each heartbeat she felt herself taking it in, soaking it up like water through roots. She had needed this.

Rosemary's expression wouldn't have given him any answers even if he could have seen it more clearly--her eyes held only questions as he tipped her face up out of hiding. His fingers were calloused, slightly rough against her skin, but his touch was still gentle. She saw his lips part as if he would speak, but he hesitated, and her dark brows tipped downward as she wondered if something was bothering him. It wasn't until he was only a breath away that she realized what he was doing. She still didn't pull away, even as a spark of panic jolted her heart into a different rhythm. She let her eyes fall closed as their lips met and her heart seemed to stop entirely. Her arms loosened around his waist, hands sliding up to his shoulder blades as she leaned into the kiss ever so slightly.

This was new, for her. Different than the kisses she'd had before. Softer, more hesitant, but also more genuine. Two parts of her mind each presented a different view: One was absolute panic, insisting that this was a terrible idea, that something was going to go horribly wrong, and why on earth did he want to kiss her anyway? The other was just the sheer relief and comfort of being treated with care--gentle hands and lips, trust, warmth. She had been craving that for too long. Both thoughts were distant, though, hardly important behind the sheer sensation of the moment.

When they separated, she felt like she ought to say something, but all that she could gather her wits enough to do was sigh, quietly, somewhere between relief and contentment. The panic would catch up to her later, she was sure, but for now, she wasn't ready to let it take over.

[Sebastian Arcturis]

Sebastian needed it too, in his own way. He was almost expecting her to pull away and he wouldn't have been upset if that was what she wanted. But he wanted to help her feel better somehow and being physically affectionate, while not something he was raised with, had become something he needed the more he understood it.

As leaned into him and her hands welcomed his touch, his own hands moved against her. One sliding up to cup the back of her head, the other down to the small of her back. It was a brief moment of certainty, that regardless of everything else, he wanted to be here, holding her and kissing her. Sebastian didn't often put himself out there, but he even les often regretted his choices. Regret wasn't something he had time for.

He didn't let go when she pulled her lips away, but he was content to let her decide when enough was enough. Their breaths intertwined for a moment.

The captain considered saying something clever but everything that came to mind ruined the moment. He had brought her here for a good memory. Not to recall her of a bad one. "Better? Relaxed enough to sleep?" He asked in a quiet whisper, still holding her form against his. That had been the other reason.

[Rosemary McIntyre]

Rosemary smiled slowly at his question. She wouldn't have thought it possible a few minutes ago, but she did feel better. His hands lingered on her head and back, and she kept hers where they were, too, content where she was. It was soothing to be wrapped up like this. Whether or not she was relaxed enough to sleep was slightly more of a question.

"Mmm.." she hummed softly as she considered, tilted her head slightly in thought, and looked up towards the night sky. She did feel better, but she didn't want to be left alone in her room again. She bit the inside of her cheek, remembering what he'd said earlier. "I'd very much like you to sleep and feel safe. Whatever I can do." She'd turned him down, before, feeling like she was taking advantage by letting him do more for her. But...

She looked back to him, still feeling a little nervous. "Would you stay?" she asked quietly, then quickly tacked on, "Just to sleep." She didn't want him to think she was asking for more than that. Not just because she didn't feel right asking too much of him, still not wanting to take advantage of his kindness, but for her own sake as well. Kissing was all well and good (maybe a little more than good) but she wasn't in any hurry to rush into more than that. Her past experience hadn't exactly been positive, as she was sure he could guess.

[Sebastian Arcturis]

Sebastian didn't need to see her smile to know that she felt better or to know that she appreciated the moment. But it did help. His gaze followed her briefly but returned to her features. If stargazing helped her relax then so be it but he wasn't taken up with such romantic notions.

When her eyes met his again and she asked, he nodded once. "Of course. Just to sleep," he repeated in confirmation. Not that he wasn't willing to do more than that. But if more wasn't relaxing for her then he wouldn't press. Well, not here at least. She said nothing of him holding her or showing more affection in bed. But he was aware there was line. Sebastian had plenty of experience simply sleeping with someone too. "And provided you do not drug me, I will wake long before anything would happen."

He pulled away from her personal space just as suddenly and gently as he had entered into it. The captain turned and gestured for her to lead the way this time, his hand brushing against her back. He made no move to hold her hand or arm or waist. He was still very much protective and alert and just as business like but he did walk closer on their return.

"This is becoming a habit, Rosemary," he murmured. Sebastian meant it as a joke. But as usual, his tone was just as serious as ever.