Biting back a curse, Einin flew for her bed as Rufus rushed to the wardrobe. Tearing back the covers, she dove between the sheets and pulled them to her chin right as a servant stepped inside the room, carrying a fresh water basin for the morning and towels to clean and dry her face. The servant moved quietly, obviously trying not to wake Einin, and then she was gone, the door shut behind her.
Einin laid there several seconds longer, just to be sure she was gone. Then, letting out a relieved breath, she slipped back out of bed and headed for the wardrobe.
Opening it up, she smirked when she found Rufus, looking utterly silly all squished up inside, with several dresses, shifts, and nightclothes hanging over his face. With a shake of her head, Einin covered her mouth so as not to laugh. "You look ridiculous," she said. "But it's clear now, I think...wait."
She froze, for she heard noises outside--the sounds of horses, and the crunch of stone and dirt beneath wheels. Her body tensed. "I think they're home," she whispered, and with a curse under her breath, she snatched her nightgown from where it had settled atop Rufus's head.
"Peek, and I'll give you a reason for that eye patch," she told him as she made for the screen and slipped behind it. She tossed her Owl clothes and her bindings over the screen, for they would be joining the mask, and moments later she emerged in her nightclothes, a long white nightgown trimmed with lace and tied at the front with a ribbon.
She rubbed her ribs, because she had gone a little longer bound than she should have, and she was feeling it now. Collecting the clothes, she shoved them under the floor board, and then climbed into her bed again, tugging the blankets up and listening hard.
