After having hunted - Gambler's Den

"And stakes... We need stakes..." She said thoughtfully. There was a twinge of fear in her voice. "I may need you to shove one in my chest."

The cold calculating tone was there, but, emotions were too. Which was a difficult thing to comprehend. She was actually afraid to be alone. Truly afraid.

The gentle embrace tightened a little.
"Why would I do something like that...?"

"I ran into something. Something that warned me of things to come. I didn't realize it had blocked out everything around me. I couldn't help my attraction to it, this woman. I forgot where I was. And she told me that I would feel the Call stronger than anyone else in 3 days time. There are only a couple of days left. She spoke of eternal day."

It was all spoken like it was nothing more than matter of fact. A spooky, unsettling matter of fact.

"I went to the Prince... to tell him of what happened so that if things went south, he and his wouldn't automatically put the blame on us. Which is when he told me of the Dark Carnival. That they suck you in."

One arm still around Johanna's waist, the other moved so to rest a gentle hand on her chest above her heart.

"I'll protect you" although it was always Johanna to protected her to be honest. But the Caitiff would, to the extent of her abilities, protect her sister. "I will not let them take you" she whispered. "I will not leave you alone... not now... not ever" and when she said that, she meant it. She would stay with her... Johanna was her world... no amount of Presence could change that. No matter how hard the Rose tried.

She gave another soft nod of her head. She knew that Rickie would not break her word. She trusted her sister implicitly.

"Not ever," she repeated softly back to Rickie, holding the hand that was over her chest. "Likewise, I will protect you to the death."

She didn't say it, but she'd long since made up her mind about one thing; if her sister died before her? She'd follow. A strange thing to take comfort in perhaps, but it was a kind of comfort anyways. Knowing she wouldn't be alone...

"Always with you" she smiled, leaning back in the tub with her eyes closed, still holding Johanna in her arms.

Just a little while longer.

She could have slept there like that. Something about the cold, hard surface of the porcelain was comforting when met by the soft touch of Rickie. It was familiar. It was... home. Home in such a way that Johanna could understand it on the most bottom of emotional levels.

Her free hand and forearm came to rest on the edge of the tub, wet fingers dripping water onto the floor below in a constant rhythm until the moisture evaporated into the air. Her index finger twitched as the sound of the droplets hitting the stone faded.

"They are finally at ease," she remarked on the dogs without moving.

"Mhm..." Rickie smiled against her shoulder, resting her cheek on it as she looked over at the dogs. Four sets of amber eyes looking back at them without a sound.
"Because we're both here" she said. "Because they can sense when something isn't right. But right now? Right now everything is right..." she sighed softly.

"They deserve something special," she turned her head toward them, but her hand didn't move.

"Mmm... what did you have in mind?" Rickie asked with a gentle smile as Ghost moved up to the tub and laid his head on the edge of it to stare curiously up at the two.

"Toys," she said softly. "New toys. A ball, a rope... Maybe a new blanket for them. Something."

She held her hand open for Ghost to sniff if he wanted, tracing a finger under his chin.

The dog seemed to lean into the touch while Ricke gave a gentle approving nod.
"You're right, they deserve something good" she gave Johanna another gentle squeeze and closed her eyes again. "We'll find something when we go out next"
Together.
Because it was safer that way. Much safer.

Johanna nuzzled-- yes, nuzzled-- into her sister and gave Ghost good scratches. "Soon," she said softly.

And that was more than good enough for now. So unless Johanna spoke up, it would seem Rickie was happy just staying like that until the water cooled. Happy simply to hold her and be at peace until the water, deprived of its original heat, started feeling cold. First then would she move, kiss Johanna's cheek and slip out of the water to grab a towel for herself and one for her sister.
"Let's get some rest?" she asked gently, the dogs already seemingly liking that idea as they'd piled in around the bed, waiting for the signal that it was okay to jump up.

She gave a nod as she sat forward and began to stand, leaning her hands on the wall to steady herself as she got her bearings.