Ugh, Responsibility

[Northen Light36]

Coral shrugs at the question, both to indicate she doesn't care and to start her plan of giving everyone the slient treatment until she's allowed to see Harmony. Despite the warmth of the palace, Coral's shivering and her clothes are both soaked and semi frozen from two days out in the snow. Therefore the bath is extremely welcome to the young girl and she obeys Locket's order, wincing a little as the hot water meets her cold body.

She stays silent however, except for a slight wheezing in her breathing and the occassional fit of coughing.

[Kender Bard]

Locket peered at Coral, even as she grabbed a bucket and dumped more water over the girl's head. "You're sick," she announced. "I'm going to have to get Filly. Honestly..." She grumbled quietly another moment. She ordered some soup broth made - if the kid was sick she probably shouldn't have anything else for now, and sent for Filly to show up.

And so the healer did, crossing her arms at the sight, her lips pressed into a thin line of disappointment as she looked at Coral. "Well."

"She's wheezing and coughing," Locket told the other woman.

Filly nodded and sighed. "I'll go get a tea made up. It sounds like her lungs are a little wet. We'll fix that up. Coral, why did you run off like that? Was it because I told you that you and Harmony couldn't play for a little while?"

[Northen Light36]

Coral crossed her arms over her chest and glares at Filly for a moment before turning her head away and pointedly refusing to answer.

Part of her feels guilty about being so rude, but Filly had been mean and anyway, she just wanted to see Harmony and then go home to all her friends.

[Kender Bard]

Filly crossed her arms and looked very displeased now. "Child, you listen to me and listen well. You lied to me. I don't care if what happened wasn't entirely you fault or if the other children were being cruel. You don't lie to people, especially not to your friend's mother. A week is not a long time to go without playing - you would still have seen one another at school even. You are being a selfish little brat and you almost got yourself killed. Because Locket cares about you, instead of sitting in the snow in the middle of the force-forsaken ice plains, you're in a hot bath, with a healer that's going to cure your cough, and a hot meal waiting for you."

"What I did was not unfair even if it might seem so. If you do something wrong, you will be punished. Harmony was upset too but she didn't run off - she has stayed in her rooms and been a good girl, and I was considering lifting my punishment for her good behavior."

"Aren't you being a bit hard?" Locket murmured to the other woman. Filly gave HER a hard look and Locket quieted. What the hell did she know about parenting anyway? She tried to take notes.

Filly moved to stand in front of the tub. "Coral, parents and people who love you are going to seem mean at times, but it's only because we care."

[Northen Light36]

Coral looks back at Filly and glares darkly. "No you don't," she says flatly. "No one even noticed I was gone for ages. I'm going home, cause my friends care." By the time she gets that sentance out she's coughing again and gives Filly an accusing look, as if to blame her for the cough.

[Kender Bard]

Filly leaned forward slightly and said, "I thought you were at the temple. You're not my daughter, Coral. That's Locket's responsibility." She slid her eyes to the other woman, who winced. "And it's a shame that you wound up with a rather scatterbrained guardian."

"Hey," Locket protested. "I was a free spirit as a kid. Who am I to throw stones if someone goes wandering off for a day or two? I didn't know she was going to run off into the blasted wastes!"

~Be silent~ Filly said sharply into Locket's mind. ~I'm trying to mitigate some damage here. I don't expect you to be a good guardian, heavens, you're still just a child yourself in many ways.~

Locket resented that but knew better than to say anything more.

"But clearly we both care enough to be concerned about your welfare," Filly went on. "And I do care about you, Coral. You're my daughter's best friend. Her only friend in this land. Did you know how much she's cried out of worry and sadness the past two days?"

[Northen Light36]

Coral looked guilty at that, then looked away. "I want to go home," she said flatly and returned to giving both adults the silent treatment.

Her mind is extremely active however, filled with thoughts of Ilyamen that are at least ninty percent pure fantasy after so long away from the city but which she has convinced herself are completely true. In her sickness and utter depression, Locket, Filly and anyone else who tries to poke logic shaped holes in her imagined paradise are evil bullies just trying to upset her.

[Kender Bard]

Filly reached down and splashed Coral, just to vent, and walked off to prepare the tea.

Locket sank down next to the tub and put her arms on the edge, resting her chin on top of that. "You don't make things easy, kid," she told Coral. "You know if you go away, Harmony won't have any friends here anymore 'cept me, and I'm not always able to play."

[Northen Light36]

"She can come with me," Coral says, then bites her lip. Giving people the silent treatment isn't working very well. It's hard not to talk to anyone. "Go away. Don't want to talk."

[Kender Bard]

Locket ignored that bit. She started to say 'I don't think Filly will let her go' then decides that's not a good idea. Instead, she gets up and walks off - returning with Harmony and a robe for Coral.

"Coral!" Harmony calls out, glad to see her friend was okay. "You're okay! I thought you were hurt or something!"

[Northen Light36]

Coral pulls on the offered robe and then hugs Harmony, glad to see her friend. "Sorry," she tells the other girl. She's not mad at Harmony, so there's no reason to give her the silent treatment. "I went to go home and see my other friends again..."

[Kender Bard]

"I was so worried..."

"She caught herself a cold," Locket informed Harmony. "Though Filly's going to take care of that. Once she's better, it looks like I'll be taking her to Ilyamen."

Harmony looked stricken at that. "You're leaving me?"

[Northen Light36]

Coral squirms, suddenly not so certain of herself. "Maybe? I... don't know..." she murmurs, taking a step back. "I miss home, Harmony..." she whispers. "But I don't wanna make you sad..." She begins to sob, at a loss as to what she should do. Running away was easier when she wasn't allowed to see her best friend.

[Kender Bard]

Harmony blinked and hugged Coral. The thought of losing her friend hurt, but so did seeing how miserable that Coral was. "I-It's okay if you really want to go," she assured her friend. "I mean... I did say that I was going to learn how to teleport better so I could see my friends." Despite her brave words, though, the girl looked like she was going to start crying too.

[Northen Light36]

Coral sniffled, sobbed and hugged Harmony back. This wasn't fair! She wanted to be back with her friends, but she didn't want to leave Harmony either. "Maybe... Maybe I could just go home for a little bit? Then come here for a bit, then go home again?" She looks hopefully at Locket. "I bet Echo'd say yes, or Mat... So I'd only be gone a little bit, Harmony..."