"Hugo, why are you in Everfell that night?"
Hugo paused in scrubbing her bareback and looked at her. Rinnie had her arms draped over the tub's rim, cheek on her arm while letting him clean her like a servant. Meanwhile, he was squatting outside the tub, top off since he took it off because of her vomit. He managed to put her in the tub without seeing her body as he kept her lips busy and he only trusted his instinct.
"Why... because my instincts told me I had to be there," he answered vaguely, and she didn't react strongly. "When I heard that the Hendrik Empire is eyeing Everfell, I rushed in there. But when we arrived, Everfell... is already on fire."
The soothing sound of water resumed in caressing their ears as Hugo cleaned her gently. "I'm sorry, Rinnie."
"What for?" came out a soft voice as she blinked her eyes, still sleepy but fighting it because he wasn't done cleaning her yet.