CARING

It was quiet. Vvh took her place beside the bed, disregarding the couch as she settled into a small chair. Her legs crossed, she studied Sponge's face; it was peaceful, her eyes closed, and this time Vvh could hear her breathing.

After a moment, she looked away. Sanria had told her to talk to Sponge, to lead her back to the living. But the problem was—what would she even say?

There was nothing to talk about. Sponge had always been the one to speak first, never Vvh.

Glancing back at Sponge, any words died in her throat. She really had nothing to say. Nothing to tell her student. Somehow, between the two of them, Sponge had always been the awkward one—with how she moved, acted, and talked. Now, it was Vvh who felt awkward; she didn't even know what to discuss.

To her student, no less, which felt pathetic.

Vvh turned towards a light knock and saw Mun at the doorway, looking shy. He stared at her for a moment before his eyes drifted to Sponge. 

"Can—can I come in?" he asked. Vvh nodded, watching him quickly scamper towards her, hands clasped together nervously.

"How is your friend?" he asked, peering over Sponge while standing on his tiptoes. Vvh gave him a look, causing him to chuckle nervously and step back.

They fell into a deep silence, Vvh uninterested in small talk and Mun jumpy as ever. Eventually, Sanria returned, holding a black tray with water, a bowl, and some bread. 

"Mun, go home; it's getting late," she said. Mun pouted, his lips parting to whine, but he stopped when Sanria shot him a mean glare.

He wilted, nodding shakily before running out of the room, and Vvh watched him go.

"Here, have some dinner. You look like you haven't eaten a thing," she said, placing the black tray on the nightstand. Vvh glanced at it and gave a grateful nod to Sanria. "Thank you," she murmured, and Sanria responded with a tight-lipped smile.

"I don't blame your friend here; outsiders never really know about the dark magic that has surrounded this place for years," she began, rubbing her hands together before letting out a small sigh.

Dark magic was taboo, wasn't it? No one would dare to dabble in such things. Vvh lowered her head, crossing her arms over her chest. 

She heard Sanria moving around the room, stepping out to fetch a rag to wipe the window before cracking it open, letting in the cold air.

Vvh raised her head as the chill from the snow seeped in. "Don't," she said before she could stop herself. Sanria turned to her, surprised, fumbling with the window latch, clearly confused.

Vvh stood, glancing at Sponge, whose face twisted at the cold. "She doesn't like the cold. I suggest you close it for now," Vvh advised. Sanria pursed her lips but nodded, shutting the window.

"Alright, if it helps your friend, I'll let it pass," Sanria said, locking the latch as Vvh let out a small breath.

—

The next day, Vvh finds herself outside Sanria's house, arms crossed as she watches the snow drift by. This time, the temperature is calm, not so bone-chilling.

She sees Mun stumbling through the snow, a thick, dirty red scarf wrapped around his neck, grinning at the sight of Vvh. "Mask lady! Good morning!" he greets, waving both hands before tripping over nothing and falling face-first into the snow.

Vvh watches, her brow raised beneath her mask. She sees Mun dust himself off before running up to her excitedly, almost bouncing on his feet. They both turn their attention to the door as Sanria exits the house, a basin full of water in her hands.

Sanria furrows her brows at them. "What are you both doing outside in the cold? Get inside! And you," she says, directing her gaze at Vvh, "shouldn't you help me care for your friend? Her fever hasn't broken yet."

Vvh follows Sanria inside, watching her pour warm water into the basin before entering Sponge's room.

Sponge lies shivering beneath four thick blankets. Vvh feels a wave of uncertainty—Sanria has done everything, and now it's just a matter of being patient and waiting.

Between the two of them, it was Sponge who still lacked the patience to wait. Vvh, however, wished she would just wake up already and stop being miserable in bed.

Sponge was not the type to stay in bed, even when sick; if she were, she wouldn't have gotten hurt in the first place.

Unconsciously, Vvh leaned over the bed, pulling down the blanket slightly to see the rise and fall of Sponge's chest. She moved back when she heard Sanria enter the room, placing the basin on the nightstand. 

Sanria wrung out a towel in her hands, pulled off the blanket, and pushed it down to Sponge's waist before carefully grabbing her arm and starting to wipe her clean.

"I would say I want you to do this, but you don't seem like the doting type," Sanria remarked, giving her a pointed look. If Vvh's mask were off, she would have narrowed her eyes in response.

Instead, she grabbed Sanria's wrist, taking the towel from her hand. Sanria smirked and stepped back, allowing Vvh to continue cleaning Sponge. 

"Don't forget the other arm, her neck, and her face, leg—and don't touch the bruised one," Sanria instructed as Vvh quietly wiped Sponge's arm.

She watched as Sanria took three blankets off Sponge, folding them and placing them on the couch. "It's not good to let the heat of her body stay; it's better if she sweats it out," Sanria explained, crouching over the metal furnace. "Mun! Get some wood and the matches too, if you will!" Sanria called, prompting Mun to respond with a loud "Okay!" as his footsteps echoed in the quiet house.

Sponge stirred a little, and Vvh froze, watching her hands twitch in a familiar manner. She was palming for her weapons—Sponge clenched her fist before Vvh gently opened it, forming her palm up to wipe it with the towel. She then turned to the basin, wetting the towel and wringing it out.

Mun ran in, arms full of wood, handing it to Sanria, who placed it inside the furnace and lit it with a match before closing it back up. "Hopefully this will help. If the fever breaks, she might wake up sooner or later," Sanria said as Vvh moved to Sponge's neck, being gentle and careful.

It felt uncomfortable to be this close. Sponge didn't exactly seem like someone who wanted to be doted on, especially given her reactions to Vvh following her and forcing her to rest. She was a bullheaded idiot, to say the least. Just like…

Vvh stared off, shaking her head as she heard Mun talking to Sanria. Sanria pulled him out of the room, telling him to get some bread from her table and bring it to his sister.

Vvh made sure to quickly finish wiping the dirt off Sponge's body before Sanria returned with a new towel, wetting it in warm water and placing it over Sponge's forehead.

"I'm sure tomorrow her fever will break," Sanria said. "If not, perhaps I can try healing her again. But it will only work on wounds; sickness and illness aren't something you can heal with magic." They both took a seat outside, waiting.

The crackles of the fireplace provided warmth and a subtle ambiance as Vvh remained silent, her hands clasped together as she eyed the clock on the wall. She could wait—

Suddenly, Vvh startles as Mun runs up to her, excitement shining in his eyes. "Oh yeah, I came here because I saw this when you were wrapping her wounds." He holds out a dirty golden journal—it was Sponge's.

Vvh snatches it from his hands. "Have you done something to it?" she asks, eyeing the small rope Sponge uses to tie it shut, noticing it's loose. Mun blushes. "I-I was just curious," he murmurs, and Vvh stifles the urge to snap at a child.

"Perhaps your mother should have taught you manners, no?" Vvh says, her voice calm yet laced with venom. Mun startles, stunned, before frowning. "My mom is dead," he replies, turning and slamming the door behind him as he walks out.

Sanria sighs. "I'm sorry for Mun; he has always been so curious…" she says as Vvh ties the rope around the journal securely, hiding it inside her jacket. It would be better to hold onto this while waiting for Sponge to wake up.

"What's done is done; it no longer matters. Perhaps you should teach him how to be proper," Vvh says, standing and entering Sponge's room. She sees her breathing hard, the towel on her forehead having slipped onto her pillow as she twitches and turns her head every few seconds.

Vvh stifles a sigh, walking up to her bed.

It was a sign of her nightmares again, wasn't it? Vvh had seen this pattern so many times, yet she had never truly shown Sponge that she had.

Carefully, Vvh placed the towel back on Sponge's forehead. "Rest," she murmured, and Sponge stopped her struggle.

Vvh let out a sigh of relief.