Lesson 77- Just because your day is bad it does not give you an excuse to ruin someone else’s.
“Why are you on the floor?” I ask, a little confused. Torin gets to his feet and looks me over carefully.
“The doors are broken and the wards are down. I needed to make sure you were safe.” He answers.
“Wait… Have you been sitting there this whole time? I was in there for ages!” I point out. Torin shrugs.
“I don’t have anywhere else I need to be.” He answers easily. He looks a little more calm than he did before I went into the bathroom. I’ve also concluded once again that he is ridiculously sweet. I thought I could never feel safe again, but here I am two minutes later. I’m standing vulnerable in nothing but a towel in front of the biggest and most physically intimidating guy I’ve ever met, and despite everything I’ve just been through, I feel perfectly safe.
“Uhm, I should go get dressed. The clothes and stuff I wore before… I don’t think I’ll wear them again.” I shudder and Torin nods understandingly.
“Of course. I’ll take care of it.” He assures me.
“Thanks.” I head into my room and change into the comfiest pyjamas I can find. I comb my hair out and let out a sigh of relief to be actually clean again. I pull on my slippers and head out to the hall where Torin is still waiting and give him a grateful smile.
All of a sudden someone comes thundering down the hall towards me. Without thinking, I flinch and in a single motion, Torin scoops me behind him and places himself between me and the threat. Except… It’s not a threat, it’s just Laura. She stumbles to a stop a few steps away and frowns, wringing her hands worriedly.
“Rina! I came as fast as I could.” She tries to peer around Torin but he doesn’t move out of the way. I step around him, he seems reluctant to let me past so I stop by his side and slip my hand into his. He grips it tightly and I squeeze it back reassuringly. I think we’re both very shaken.
“Why the hell did the wards fail?” Torin demands harshly. He sounds angry again. Laura takes a step back and I tug on his arm.
“Tori, look at her. She looks unwell. What’s done is done. No need to scare her.” I say gently.
“Laura, are you okay?” I ask. She shrugs.
“Someone broke my ward spells, they’re connected to me. It was… Painful. But I’m fine. What happened to you?” She asks.
“Two guys broke in and came after me. I ended up jumping down into the basement to hide. Jane… Ate them.” I sum up. Laura’s eyes go wide.
“Sh-She what? That sounds awful.” She says sympathetically. I nod.
“It wasn’t the nicest thing to listen to.” I agree mildly. Yeah that’s an understatement. But there’s no need to share the nightmares I will likely be having with everyone else.
“I need you to call someone to fix the doors. Then we need new wards. Better ones.” Torin states firmly, although his tone is a little less harsh. Still, Laura looks VERY nervous.
“I can call about the doors. As for the wards… Those were the best ones I know.” She responds.
“Then learn better ones or find someone who can do better.” Torin snaps. Laura goes even more pale.
“O-Okay. I’ll do that.” She scrambles away to hide in the kitchen.
I frown at Torin. Using our joined hands I tug him towards his office and close the door behind us.
“What is it?” He asks, his tone immediately softer and I sigh.
“Tori, I know you’re upset about the break in. But you can’t take it out on Laura. None of it is her fault.” I remind him, I keep my tone firm but not aggressive.
“Her wards failed.” He grumbles and I raise an eyebrow.
“And?” I ask. He frowns.
“She should have made better wards.” He insists. I roll my eyes.
“Tori… Let me ask you something. Could you have done better yourself?” I demand. He shakes his head, a little confused.
“Of course not. I can’t make wards.” He responds.
“Exactly. If you can’t do better then don’t complain about what you’ve got. Have they ever failed before now?” I push. He shakes his head no.
“Right, so clearly there are some extenuating circumstances. Laura is clearly unwell after having her wards broken. It has taken an actual physical toll on her, she had no idea what she was walking into coming here, and she came anyway. You need to back off her a little bit. Actually you should apologise and thank her for coming to help.” I say firmly. When I first started talking he looked like he wanted to object. Now he just looks thoughtful and maybe a little guilty.
“You’re probably right.” He agrees with a sigh,he actually looks kind of nervous. I nod.
“I know I am. Look, I know you’re stressed, it’s clear to me that you are totally strung out. Not only was I threatened but they broke into your territory and I know that’s a big deal to you. But I really need you to hold it together right now. So, is there anything I can do to help you calm down?” I offer. Torin stares at me.
“You… Want to help me calm down?” He asks, apparently confused. I’m not quite sure why.
“Of course I do.” I assure him.
“I thought you might be mad at me.” He admits and my eyebrows fly up.
“Huh? Why would I be mad at you?” I ask. Torin shrugs.
“I promised you would be safe here, but you’ve been attacked twice now. Plus you’re not happy with how I spoke to Laura, I could tell that before you brought me in here. I thought…” He trails off unhappily.
“What, that I was dragging you in here to lecture you? To yell at you or something?” I ask. Torin nods silently.
“Tori, that was never my intention and I was never angry with you. It’s not your fault that some unknown person is after me, and as much as you claim you are, you are not actually responsible for my safety. I brought you in here to make sure you’re okay and because, as your friend, I wanted to remind you that your emotions are heightened and you need to be aware of it. I mean this kindly, but you don’t have a lot of people you can rely on. I’m not saying that’s through any fault of yours. But do you really think you can afford to drive away the people who do support you? You’re upset right now, but you’ll regret it later if you keep speaking to her that way.” I tell him gently. Torin’s whole demeanour softens.
“You’re right. Thanks.” He mumbles.
“Right, so is there anything I can do to help you calm down and feel a little better?” I repeat. Torin considers.
“Well…” He trails off, hesitating.
“Well what?” I prompt.
“Well… Until the new wards are up and the bar is properly secured, could you try to stay where I can see you? In arms reach if possible. I’ll feel better if I know you’re safe and… Maybe just… Keep reminding me to be careful of what I say to people?” He asks awkwardly. I nod
“Sure, I can do that. I’ll feel safer if I stick with you anyway.” I agree. Torin smiles, just a little and I feel a sense of relief but his smile quickly fades and he groans.
“I suppose we had better go find Laura… I guess I need to apologise.” He sighs deeply and I grab his hand and squeeze it gently.
“It’ll be fine. And you’ll feel better afterwards. Come on, let’s go.”
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