Kithri sighs as the Soothery falls silent, her eyes scan the room and they fall upon the table, still dirty from the Doctor’s procedure. “Oh Elias.” She thinks to herself. “Too much you do, when will you learn you need rest.”. After a great inhale, she takes a bucket from the Kitchen corner, and wanders to the door, humming quietly as she goes. She sets it upon the ground, and reaches to grab her cloak from the rack which looms above her. She strains as she comes to her tiptoes, but once it has been taken down she places it around her shoulders, bracing herself for the cold. Wandering quietly down the path, cane digging into the soil, her eyes turn skyward, watching the sky move and change, and then they quickly return their gaze upon the ground. 'Watch where you walk' she thinks, feeling utterly foolish. As darkness settles over the neighborhood, and the sound of bustle and toil is replaced by quiet chill, a paranoia begins to creep over her. 'Do not make a noise, and be sure to be quick. You shall be fine. Foolish hobbit, you know you should not be traveling in the dark."
Kithri finally comes to the river that runs through the neighborhood, and leans down to take water from the chill current, leaning heavily upon her cane. She lets out a grunt as she rises and looks at the night sky again, yet now she can see the glint of stars through the clouds, bright and beautiful, and it is as if all thoughts of fear fall from her mind. She sets down her bucket, almost in a trance, and soon her feet are in the river, the cold water rushing over her furry toes. The sudden snap of a twig is heard off in the distance, and the magic of the moment falls to the wayside as fear claws into her bones. In a moment she has picked up her bucket again and hurries to the soothery, her knee groaning in protest.
Whether real or imagined, suddenly another noise can be heard from the treeline, that of a voice long ago, yet easily remembered, and she breaks into something close to a run, her breath billowing in large plumes of smoke. Kithri winds up the path and bounds up the stairs as fast as her legs might carry her, and closes it behind herself with a thud. At the sound of the door she nearly yelps, though a hand flys to her mouth to stop the sound. She looks to where the doctor and Aeruthuil are sleeping, and feels her heart thudding in her head. She shudders and forces herself to close her eyes and take deep breaths, legs and arms shaking. "He was not there." She whispers to herself, and only then does she feel the dampness of her dress, where the water from the bucket splashed against her.
After standing there a long while, finally she moves from her spot against the door. Her hand rubs tensely against her cane as she mumbles to herself. "You see ghosts in the shadows, you fool. For the way you act they should have named you Took. Just shadows. Nothing to be so worried of. You are fine, you have much time to rest later."
She is quick to pour what is left of the water into a more manageable container, and tie her apron round her waist. She takes the clip from her belt and hikes her skirt. Taking a piece of lye soap from the shelf, she heads to the table where she saw the woman laying. She brings a rag to a wet lather and begins to scrub the table, quiet as a mouse. After a good long while she wipes her brow, and looks upon the table, and though unhappy with her work, knows it is time to move on. The rag is then used for the other surfaces in the soothery, the chairs, the tables. Making sure there is not mess nor dust on any surface she can reach. Her knee gives great protest but she urges on. Her mind thinks not of song nor story, instead a single phrase continues through her head. "You are fine, you have much time to rest later."
She then places her eye upon the fireplace, burning low, and pours her bucket of water upon the smouldering logs. Grabbing an old linen, she scoops the ashes on to it grunting with the effort.. She then scrubs the fireplace, her body beginning to ring with a tired ache. As she moves the great load of ashes towards the door, she looks to the kitchen. "I will toss the ashes tomorrow. There will be no issue if they spend the night here." After being deposited in a corner of the room, and returns to start the fire again, the chill likely already seeping through the walls. She stares into the flame for a moment, now a warm blaze, then heads to the kitchen once more, the thought still passing through her head. "You are fine, you have much time to rest later."
She then starts a pot of water to boil, and begins some dough, soft and light, though as she kneads, her mind fades from the soothery and the warm calm of the kitchen, and troubled thoughts begin to tug at her consciousness. Darkness creeps ever closer to her. "What if they are waiting? Behind a corner. It was not far from here, you know. Not far at all. You are so close to them. Perhaps they have seen you coming here. They are watching. When are they watching? What if they know of Elias-" Kithri is pulled out all of a sudden as the kettle whistles, her dough tough and in pieces, an over kneaded mess. She rubs her floured hands upon her face. "You are fine, you have much time to rest later."
Kithri then takes the kettle, and pours the water into a cup. As the tea steeps she gathers the bowl the doctor left behind, as well as any other cups or things which might be out and takes to their washing, taking a sip of tea here and there. By now her knee is screaming, and wear rests heavily upon her shoulders, as if she were an Oxen after a long day beneath the weight of a yoke. "You have time to rest later."
With slow movements, Kithri collects a blanket from the bed Elias had been resting in, and holds it before the fire, so it might warm even a little. She is ever aware now of how the cold was seeping through her bones and feet, as the fire begins to warm them, and soon her eyes are falling almost closed as she stands there.Her eyes dart open a moment later, a harsh memory upon her mind. "Rest later."
She wanders now quietly into the Doctors room, and smiles as she sees him sleeping. She lays the warmed blanket across him, and would look at him lovingly for a moment, before exiting as quietly as she came, though growing ever slower. She trudges her way across the room, and pauses within the kitchen. "Rest."
Kithri goes to the ground now, half falling half sitting. Her cup still sits upon the table, only half finished. She pulls herself against the wall, the stone oddly comforting to her. It is only then she allows her mind to wander, and tears begin to fall down her face in an unending stream, yet she makes no noise, and she does not weep, too tired to even do such. It is within moments that her eyes fall closed, and she is fast asleep.
