Sleepy Time

May grins, pleased she managed to successfully explain her reasoning. "But you hafta sing with me!"

"Mhm. We'll sing it together."

May skips up to me, beaming with pure happiness, and promptly drags me away by the arm, her energy bubbling over in every movement she makes. "Lets go, lets go! The gardens are best to sing in!"

"Do you like to sing in the gardens, May?"

She nods firmly, her little golden curls bouncing with the motion. "Yep! 'Cuz...all the flowers in the gardens are really good listeners...and it makes me feel really...safe."

I'm not sure...what it is that would make the gardens feel 'safe' to her. But the fact that she needs such a place at all makes my heart hurt a little.

I dutifully follow after the girl who drags me by my wrist toward the manor's garden.

It's not the best sight after the storm: Celeste helped repair the worst damage, but the plants still look...harrowed.