{ + } cowboyduster 

firebrandxozera:

With the recent drama at Court, Christian was even more quiet than usual. Tasha had been sent off to Tarasov and he remained to himself, only talking to Lissa, Rose and Dimitri, and rarely others unless he was addressed with something important. Most were smart to not press him with matters relating to his estranged aunt. They knew what sort of consequences they were in danger of facing if they even dared. He stood at the doorway of Rose’s room, observing her and Dimitri in silence. He’d never seen Dimitri or Lissa so worried, and even he was worried himself. What kind of long-term effects would it have on the pair of them if Rose wasn’t able to pull through? He shuddered at the thought, and brought himself back to the present. “Is she alright?” he asked quietly. Despite all the bickering he and Rose did in the past, she was still his friend and he still cared about her, even if it took a while for people to see it.

A  constant  frown  lingered  on  his  forehead,   worry
and  distress  deepening  the  creases.  His  gaze  was
securely  fixed  on  Rose’s face, as if she would perish
the  second  he  looked  away.  Sometimes,  he would
catch  himself  holding  his   breath   or   slowing   his
breathing pattern, inadvertently following hers.  In his
mind, thoughts swirled. To focus on a single one was
as  impossible  as  catching  smoke  with   one’s  bare
hands, so he didn’t try.      Instead, he let them run his
brain weary.

Obviously, Rose played  a  big  part  in  these  thoughts.
Lissa,  too,  with  her  worrying being the same intensity
as his,  although  she  was  a  little  too caught up in the
elections  to  be  around  as  much  as   she   would  like.
Then there was  guilt  over  Adrian,  gnawing  in  the  pit
of his stomach. And buckets of sympathy for Christian,
whose life had taken a  turn  for  the  worse.  Which  led
him to Tasha…

Although he was disappointed in his own slow reflexes,
Dimitri  was  relieved  to  hear  a  familiar voice to his left.
Shooting  a  quick glance in the direction of the door, he
found  a  pair  of  Ozera-blue  eyes.  "She  will   be.“   The
confidence  in  his  voice   surprised   him,   but   he   had
already decided that she had to  pull  through.   She  had
no choice. "You can come on in,” he added, not wanting
the Moroi to stand awkwardly in the doorway,       “I think
Vasilisa is on her way, too.”