Raul
Scarlett Prynne
Witherlands

Scarlett still felt horribly guilty, particularly when the healer gave her a look of disapproval. Clearly, she shouldn't have done that with the blanket. This was her fault! She bit her lower lip hard and looked away from Cerei and the healer, staring intently at the blanket that still covered her as if it somehow had something incredibly interesting about it. 

"No, not right now," The healer said. "Your staff isn't done yet, and for that matter, you really shouldn't be going anywhere or doing much of anything. You'll reopen your wound once again!"
Michelle
Cerei Davren
Witherlands 

Cerei frowned and closed her eyelids, even though it did nothing, and raised her finger in a rude gesture. "I cannot be caged like some animal. I may be blind but I still need activity. I cannot wait until I get out of here and finally go home." She said, as a man dressed in fine clothes burst through the door. 

"Is Lady Davren here? Is she present? I need to speak with her." He said, panting from obvious strain. 

"Lady? You must be mistaken. I am no lady. But I am Cerei Davren." Cerei said, a look of bewilderment sprawled across her face.

"Look Ms. Cerei. There is a lot that I must inform you of, but we must simply speak in private." He said, trying to get the room clear. 

"Neither of us can move, so anything you say to me will be heard by the both of us." Cerei said, interlocking her fingers over her heart. 

"Alright, but I warned you. Your father is dead, and your mother is suspected of the act. She is no where to be found. With his death and her disappearance you are now the sole heir of the Davren fortune. You might have noticed your bills have been paid for, along with Ms. Scarlett's. There is cause for this, your family comes from a long line of wealthy lords and ladies. Your father, Brennen Mercer Davren, chose to leave the family after his many years of adulterous acts. Ms. Scarlett might know a thing or two about those acts, though that is unimportant at the moment. We must discuss the matter of the fortune that is now in your possession." He said, handing her a ring of ornate keys. "You now own what is left of the Davren family. A home in the beautiful countryside, a key to a vault in that home that holds many riches and jewels. Those are your family heirlooms. You also gain access to your parent's home here. You may do what you wish with these things, and I, Lucius Grey, will assist you with any needs you may have." Lucius said, before leaving the room stating she needed a moment to process what he told her. 

Cerei paused, in total shock. She didn't say a word.
Raul
Scarlett Prynne
Witherlands

Scarlett looked true to her name as the man spoke of Cerei's father's adultery and her knowledge of them, her cheeks flushing a deep shade of red so that her skin nearly matched the color of her hair. Of course, she knew that many of her clients had families and wives and such, but the acts were done in the dark; in bedrooms and inns, far away from peering eyes. They were never meant to be brought to light, and once Cerei knew what Scarlett really was, well, it wouldn't surprise her if Cerei never spoke to her again and expected Scarlett to repay her. 

She stayed silent, though her heart hammering in her chest sounded loud enough that she was sure that Cerei must be able to hear it too. She could scarcely even breathe; between a combination of badly bruised ribs and the shock of the news that had just been given to them, her breaths were shallow and halting, barely audible. 

"I'm sorry," She finally managed to say in a soft, choked voice. "I'm so sorry about your father and mother. I'm sure your mother didn't do it! And... And I'm sorry... You had to find out like this." She wanted to apologize for her involvement with Brennen Davren as well, but it was so hard to say. And besides, she had just been doing what she was paid to do... Never before had she come face to face with the family of one of her clients, and she hoped she never would again!
Michelle
Cerei Davren
Witherlands

Cerei heard Scarlett's words, but didn't process them. "They had money? They had money and made me beg like an animal, thinking I had to get money to survive? They made me tell lies to so many people even though they clearly didn't need the money?" She said, curling up and putting her head between her knees, her legs bouncing up and down.

"Years of not knowing if the money I made that day would be enough to buy food and they were well off? I begged from sun up to sun down to find out that they had a whole other home to go back to? What the fuck? What is wrong with these people?" She began to sob, reeling over the realization. After a few moments she stopped, and looked right at Scarlett, the whites of her eyes shining. This was the first look that many get from Cerei. She stared in the direction that Scarlett's voice had been coming from. 

"You are not to blame for this. Not at all. In fact, you have been a better family to me in the past ten minutes than they have my entire life." She said calmly, tears no longer running down her face.
Raul
Scarlett Prynne 
Wtherlands

Scarlett desperately wanted to reach out and hug Cerei-to try to comfort her-but the girl was too far away and Scarlett couldn't get up currently. She still felt horrible though... In one moment, Cerei had lost everything, and yet in a way, had gained everything too. She truly didn't know how to help her... She wanted to, but what could she do, really? 

"I'm sorry," Scarlett said again. "I... I wish I didn't... I... I promise I'll repay you for what it cost for my care and everything." Tears were trickling down her own face now, largely due to a combination of grief *For* Cerei and embarrassment and discomfort at facing someone who was hurt by her client and her business. 

Granted, Cerei's response made her wonder if Cerei had registered what Scarlett really did; whether she knew what sort of adultery this was. 

"It is partially my fault," She finally said in a soft voice. "I... I am a... A whore." Her voice broke a little bit. "Just like your parents said. Your father... The name was familiar because your father was one of my clients, and a frequent one at that. I... Am just a higher order of the woman you said that comes out at night. My services are just a little more expensive and a little more discreet. I'm so sorry, Cerei." 

It pained her to voice it. Her profession was obvious to anyone else, with her clothes and the letter stitched to them that clearly denoted what she was. Even the healers were well aware of what Scarlett did for a living... But Cerei had been so innocent and so sweet; so blissfully unaware of what Scarlett was. Scarlett had enjoyed it much more than she would like to admit. Cerei, because of her blindness, was one of the few people that saw past the clothes and the profession to actually talk to Scarlett as if she was a normal person.
Michelle
Cerei Davren
Witherlands

Cerei shook her head and wiped her eyes. "It truly does not matter to me what your past is like. I have lied to countless people to make my family money, and now I have found out they have lied to me my entire life. You are providing a service that brings happiness to some, and I respect that. It may not be conventional or socially accepted by those who condemn it but it does not matter. Obviously my father had his issues. You were doing what you were paid to do. I just don't understand why he lied. He was my best friend. He held me when people called me every name imaginable. I sobbed in the crook of his neck because I could not see what he looked like. I don't know how to live with myself without them. Yet I am glad to be away from that life." She said, uncurling from the fetal position she had held. 

"You do not owe me anything. This is how I will repay you for your troubles. I am offering you a chance to get out of having to sleep with others to make money. Stay with me, I need someone now that my family is dead. You can leave as you please, I just want someone to talk to. You will always have a place to stay with me." Cerei said, slowly standing up. She felt her way to the bed and sat down on it, careful to sit where she felt nothing underneath but bedding. "Thank you Scarlett, for trying to protect me." She said softly.
Raul
Scarlett Prynne
Witherlands

Scarlett was touched by everything that Cerei had just said. For someone so young, Cerei had a certain wisdom and poise about her that made her seem much older, though she supposed blindness would do that to someone. Cerei had clearly had to grow up fast, begging on the streets. 

Cerei's offer gave her pause though. Could Scarlett really just turn her back on her old life like that? How many times had she laid there at night, tired and used up, wondering how much longer she could continue this line of work and wishing she had something more? But no one would marry a prostitute, and she had no useful skills that could provide her with a living. She wanted to leap at the chance, but Cerei's newfound advancement in the social spheres... Well, her blindness was enough of a barrier. She didn't need someone like Scarlett around to further peril her reputation. 

Yet, without her family, Cerei would have no one to care for her. No one to help navigate her new life. Of course, Lucius appeared to be a servant of some sort, but how much could he be trusted and how useful could he be? Cerei would need someone just as badly as Scarlett needed someone. And hadn't Scarlett been trying to escape the plague anyway? Life would be safer with Cerei. 

She was silent for a long time before she finally murmured, "I... I will accept your offer. We can help each other, I think, at least for the time being. And it's not necessary to thank me, Cerei. I wish I could do more."
Michelle
Cerei Davren
Witherlands 

Cerei smiled as a lonely tear rolled down her cheek. "I'm glad you accepted. We can help each other." She said, before wiping her eye. She called for Lucius. 

"I am ready to speak again." She said, wiping her nose with the handkerchief he offered. 

"We must discuss the matters of your new status. You will not be asked to function in any actual state of affairs at the moment, though you may in the future. Your family is not the most powerful, but it does have a say should the time arise. As soon as you are well I will take you to the manor." He said, taking the handkerchief back. 

"Scarlett will be joining me. Even though you can help me, I need a woman's help. I may be blind but I want to live a life. Take her and have her fitted for new clothes, clothes fit for a queen." Cerei said, smiling because she had never been able to help anyone before. 

"Now you can live a life without fear of being recognized by your past life. You would be surprised how much a simple change of clothes can affect a person. Not that I would know though." Cerei said, giggling a little because of her own joke.
Raul
Scarlett Prynne
Witherlands

Scarlett had a feeling that Lucius would not approve of her, though he didn't show it, if he did. But he clearly knew what she was, and how could he approve of her if that was the case? Besides, he probably thought she had conned her way into this, though of course she hadn't asked for Cerei to do this for her. It had just sort of happened. 

Scarlett sat up a little from where she laid, grunting slightly with the effort. There was no way she was going anywhere right now, not without a lot of help, and even that would probably end painfully. 

"Thank you, Cerei," She said softly, touched by the gesture. 

She looked up at Lucius, cheeks flushing slightly as she did so, and continued, "I'm a bit... Indisposed at the moment... But I can give you my measurements if you have something for me to write them down with."