Chance and Choice (Sakhmet) [Mature Themes]

[Delilah Pryce]

[This thread contains some non-graphic, but mature themes and references to child abuse. -Tony]

Delilah slowly pushed her way through downtown Pilot Ridge, her ribs throbbing painfully. Clarisse had really laid a beating on Delilah and considering the strength Clarisse wielded, Delilah was lucky to still be conscious and breathing. Most of her injuries had healed by now but the broken ribs would take a long while. This wasn't the first fight Delilah had lost and wouldn't be the last, but defeat was few and far between for the small woman. Beatings weren't new either. Long before Delilah took up her now chosen questionable career, Delilah had been abused by her father. It had started as verbal abuse, followed by a smack to the face here and there and finally into full abuse. Black eyes, busted lips, a broken nose, none of these were new for Delilah, as her various scars showed. However, this wasn't the only abuse she knew as a child. Her father was a monster in every sense of the world. The man was depraved and without a soul. What Delilah's father had done to her was beyond any forgiveness. He took what little innocence she ever had, forcefully mind you, and treated her as his private little whore. The abuse which Delilah had endured was enough to break anyone, and while she was still alive and kicking, Delilah was more fragile than glass. The pain which wracked her body now only made her all too clear memories of her father's actions fly into her mind.

One small and dirty hand rested on the gate of one of the small houses which littered downtown. Delilah's other hand cradled her left side. Her ribs where wrapped, poorly perhaps, but she had done what she could on her own. Getting painkillers to fend off the pain and to feed her addiction was easy enough, it always was. These days, everyone was on something and a quick break in solved her drug problem. Delilah's breathing was short and painful, causing her to bend over a bit, but this hurt as well. She bit down hard on her bottom lip, hard enough to break open the chapped skin there and cause it to bleed a little. She looked like some hobo who had just took a train ride through hell itself. Her clothing was a pair of torn blue jeans and a black hooded sweatshirt and a pair of old sneakers. Her hair was a mess, as was the rest of Delilah seeing how she hadn't had a meal or shower in two days now.

Forcing herself to a standing position, Delilah let got of the fence she leaned against and painfully pulled the hood of her sweatshirt over her. She couldn't risk being spotted right now. No doubt Hammel would be actively searching for whatever remaining members of the MSAD were still about. Sean Neville knew Delilah was back in Pilot Ridge and no doubt he would have his feelers out in search of her. Delilah was but one of the many who had slipped through Hammel's cracks over the years and Sean was one of the few men who Delilah actually liked. The good doctor had helped Delilah much in her youth, but she was already far too broken to be fully mended. Scavenging like this when she had so much money in her off shore accounts was frustrating, but laying low was the best choice of action right now.

Delilah looked at the house she was stopped in front of right now. It seemed average enough, save for the toy ridden yard and animal play things scattered about. It was late in the afternoon and anyone who lived here should be at work or school or wherever. Pushing aside the gate, Delilah slowly moved through the messy yard, looking about to make sure she wasn't being watched. Breaking in was easy, after all, Delilah had a vast assortment of skills at her disposal. Making her way up the steps, Delilah stopped at the front door and looked around once again, wincing as she did so. From her back pocket, Delilah produced a small rolled up pouch full of lock picking tools. She nervously chose her instruments, her fingers fumbling with them weakly. It only took a minute for Delilah to unlock the front door of the house. She put her tools back into her little velvet pouch and then put that back into her back pocket.

The door to the house opened slowly and Delilah slipped in quietly, her back to the wall as she entered the front room of the house. She closed the door with a small 'click' and looked about. Her hand cradled her side again as she tried to breath the best she could. Her stomach growled indicating her hunger, however, the odd look of the inside of the house distracted her. All sorts of drawings and paintings littered the house along with other personal items and pictures. Evidently several people lived here, a family she assumed. Siblings would have lived like this she surmised as no parent would have left things so cluttered about. Rolling her eyes, Delilah slowly and painfully staggered through the house, looking for the kitchen. It wasn't hard to find the kitchen as it was extremely large and connected to the dining room. Standing there in the kitchen, Delilah pulled the hood from her head and looked around. There was food everywhere. The fridge was fully stocked, along with the cabinets and everything else. Delilah had hit the jackpot here and some joy washed over her. With the thought of eating now in the forefront of her mind, Delilah was able to push the pain in her ribs aside and began looting the kitchen. She started with fridge, finding some juice to drink and other goodies to eat. She needed calories and protein, this she knew, but the desserts in there couldn't hurt any. She grabbed a bowl of cold spaghetti, tearing off the plastic wrap and began eating. She greedily stuck her hand into the cold food, and shoveled it into her mouth. She hadn't eat anything real in days, not to mention anything fresh. Her eyes darted to a jug of orange juice in the fridge and she laid down her bowl of spaghetti, taking up the juice now. She drank right from the jug, most of the juice running out of the corners of her mouth and down her neck and shirt.

Delilah lowered the jug from her lips and swallowed hard, letting out a deep breath, causing her to wince and almost drop the juice. She stood there for a minute, collecting herself. She would find the bathroom after she finished eating and clean herself up then. She would need new clothes and needed to rewrap her ribs. Closing the fridge door with her foot, Delilah set the orange juice down on the table and began eating her cold bowl of spaghetti again. She looked around the room, taking note of how well kept the kitchen was. It was clear by the amount of food here and how well the cold spaghetti tasted, that at least one of the residents here was a cook of sorts. As she ate and looked around, Delilah failed to hear the front door of the house open, not to mention the person who was about to find her trespassing here.

[Sakhmet Richmond]

Ordinarily Sakhmet spent most of her day at home: cooking, picking up after the boys (a daunting task, and one that was always in need of doing no matter how frequently she tried to keep them tidy), dancing in front of her mirror. She went out in the evenings more frequently than the middle of the day. However, today was grocery day, and as she knew just how much her family went through in one day she always bought in bulk, which meant that shopping took up most of her day as she restocked spices, meats, canned foods, and toiletries for the week as well as whatever items she knew she wanted for upcoming meals.

Some days she wished she could take a shopping cart home with her, but she never mentioned this wish aloud for fear one might mysteriously appear in the garage; her brothers were wonderful, but they couldn't always tell the difference between unrealistic speculation and honest desire, and besides, they took great delight in the acquisition of stuff. Anubis, for one, would consider a wish for a shopping cart to be an excuse to show off his skills, and as much as she loved him she preferred to discourage that tendency.

Of course, a shopping cart wouldn't be the least bit useful in hauling groceries up the stairs, anyway, so that was better left as a wistful daydream while she traipsed from car to kitchen laden with paper bags. If any of her brothers had been home she would have hollered for them, requesting help, but they were all out today. She supposed that taking multiple trips wouldn't kill her, though; it hadn't yet, even with her insistence on wearing heels at all times, no matter how impractical.

And so she grabbed the bags with frozen goods first, hauling them up the garage stairs and into the kitchen, managing not to topple over only because of years of practice tottering up and down stairs and aisles in heels and laden down like a pack mule.

At first she didn't notice that the table was occupied; her arms were so full of groceries she could hardly see over them, and once she'd set them down on the counter it didn't register immediately that nobody was supposed to be home. After all, it was perfectly normal for there to be people around, even people she didn't know -- none of her brothers were shy about bringing friends home with them.

She gave the other woman a nod and began pulling tubs of ice cream and bags of frozen peas out of bags -- frozen goods needed to be put away immediately, even before the other groceries had been taken out of the car -- when it occurred to her that she actually had never met her house guest before and that she wasn't expecting anyone.
ack ice cream and staring intently at the dark haired woman eating the spaghetti she'd intended to be Horus' lunch. They were close in height, if not in age, though the other woman had a wild, hunted look about her.

"I'm sorry," She apologized, "I didn't notice you were there." She hesitated, trying to decide if it would be polite to mention the other's haggard appearance. "Umm. You must be a friend of Sett's." Anubis wouldn't bring home anyone in such disarray and she looked too old to be friends with Horus, whereas Sett would have gladly had a mud fight with a pretty woman if she'd been up to it. That could be why she looked so worn.

"I can't believe he didn't offer to let you use the shower. That was quite rude of him." She added, opening the freezer and storing items on any shelf that had room. "Are you staying for dinner?" Surely Sett had offered her that much, at least, even if, from her appearance, he hadn't gone beyond that. Perhaps he simply hadn't considered that she might be interested in clean hair and clothes; sometimes he could quite forget to put himself in the place of other people.

It didn't occur to her that this woman might be uninvited; intruders simply weren't something she ever considered. Her world consisted of her brothers and the company they brought home, and since the visitor wasn't one of her brothers she must be one of their friends.

[Delilah Pryce]

By the time Delilah noticed she wasn't alone anymore, it was too late. There in the kitchen with her was a small young woman, not much larger than Delilah herself, putting away an assortment of frozen food. Seriously? All this food here already and she felt she needed more? How many people lived here and how much did they all eat in a week? Delilah didn't have the best of diets, heck, her meals consisted of Jack Daniels and painkillers more than it did food anymore. By now her liver was already damaged no doubt and hopefully for her, she would be dead within a few more years. Delilah knew death was her only escape from the hell she lived now and from the memories which haunted her to this day. However, the human will to survive was a hard thing to suppress, hence her reason for still being alive.

Ready to take off like an alley cat, Delilah waited with baited breath as the young woman looked at her and then politely nodded, smiling as well. Okay, that was weird. You come home and find some stranger eating your leftovers with their grubby little fingers and all you do is smile and act like everything is going as it does everyday? How messed up was this house anyway? Delilah just sat there, a spaghetti noodle hanging from the corner of her mouth, her eyes locked intently on Sakhmet. The woman continued about her business, and in an equally odd manner, began some small talk with Delilah. She rambled something about being a guest of Sett, a brother or just roommate maybe. The name sounded masculine and that meant trouble. Delilah didn't want to be around if some guy came home to find a stranger in his house. Delilah was in no shape to defend herself properly, even with the knife hidden under her sweatshirt.

Shower? Did this woman seriously think that Delilah was a guest of this Sett person? She must have because Sakhmet not only offered a hot shower but a hot meal as well. There must have been several people in and out of here all the time and that didn't make things any better. The more people Delilah encountered, the worse her situation became. If turned in to the local police, her federal file and arrest warrant wouldn't be far behind. Delilah had to get out of here and fast. Sakhmet looked liked she posed no threat and so just leaving was the most practical option. Besides, Sakhmet was cute and rather attractive, especially in those heels she was wearing. Delilah liked her women feminine and Sakhmet was fitting that profile. However, Delilah really wasn't fit for flirting at the moment.

Pushing back from the table, Delilah stood, wincing and grabbing her side. "I think it best if I just left. I've got something to take care off somewhere," she spoke softly, her strained voice indicating her weak health and the pain she felt with each breath. Delilah fell back to her fragile self in Sakhmet's presence, probably due to the fact she was dealing with a kinder soul here. Not many could produce this fragile girl from Delilah's rather tough demeanor. Leaning over on the table, Delilah took a weak step and stopped for a second, gathering her will to move and what little bit of strength she had left. However, both her will and strength were completely gone, which led to Delilah's legs giving out. She crumpled quickly, falling to one knee and clipping the table with her head in the process. Flinching from the glancing blow of the table, Delilah pulled her ribs in the wrong direction which caused her to yelp out in pain and fall to the floor all the way, curling up in the fetal position. Tears rolled from the corner of her eyes, carving a visible path through the grime on her face as they raced toward the floor.

[Sakhmet Richmond]

"Oh." Sakhmet's face fell in disappointment; she loved playing hostess. "Is Sett...?" She began, but before she could finish her question the other woman had pushed back from the table, already in flight. That flight was short-lived, however; she was, now that Sakhmet looked more closely, clearly in no position to run. Apparently her initial impression, that she'd been rolling around in the dirt with Sett, hadn't been the most exact assumption.

She winced as the other woman smacked her head against the corner of the kitchen table; that looked painful. "Are you alright?" Maternal instincts took over and she dropped the bag of frozen vegetables she was holding on the counter, rushing to kneel beside the guest.

It wasn't every day she had an injured stray in her care, human or otherwise, but she had dealt with brothers with varying degrees of injury before. "Stay right there, I'll get the first aide." She ordered, disappearing from Delilah's side and hurrying to the linen closet, which held a blue emergency kit full of band aides and burn gel and other various and sundry items for dealing with accidents. "Do you need me to call anyone for you?" She asked, coming back out with the kit. "Your family? The doctor? 911?"

Whenever Sett got home she was going to smack him for bringing home this poor injured woman and then abandoning her; or maybe she would ask what he'd been thinking, first. Maybe he'd gone to get her help? She had seen neither hide nor hair of him since getting home; if he was in the house she would have heard him, at least.

She pushed back the other woman's hair, looking to see if there was any blood. "We really need to get you cleaned up." She noted. It was impossible to tell what was injury and what was dirt, which made helping fix the other woman up difficult. "Do you think you can make it up the stairs if I help? Once you've had a bath I'll be able to see what I'm doing better." Her eyes swept over the filthy outfit the other was wearing and she added, "And I'll let you borrow some clothes while I do your laundry. You'll feel a million times better once you're all clean."

Being clean always made Sakhmet feel better, anyway.

[Delilah Pryce]

It was very clear to Delilah at this point that she was going nowhere and fast. She was weak from not having ate properly in the last two days and the injury she was still recovering from wasn't helping matters. She should have been to a doctor long before now, but that was far too risky. It seemed though, her precaution in avoiding doctors and the general public was coming around to bite her in the butt. She was at Sakhmet's mercy and should the young woman decided to call the cops, then it looked like Delilah would be facing a real problem. She had broken out of local jails like this one before, but that had been when she was healthy and injury free. This time, might be the time when she was caught officially. The Feds would be on her in no time once they saw her arrest come across the wire and that meant a larger prison to break out of, one she might never leave alive. This might be the end of Delilah Pryce's run, and despite her dark mood and attitude she really didn't want it to end just yet.

To Delilah's surprise though, Sakhmet came to her aide, all to readily, showing something to Delilah that was rather foreign. It was genuine care and concern for her health and this loving attitude threw Delilah off. She was unsure how to act, much like an abused animal when given a new home to find love in. The usual brash and malicious attitude which made up the external Delilah Pryce was quickly fading, letting out the real small and frightened girl hiding underneath. Delilah had never stopped being that frightened little girl she was so many years ago, she had just learned how to protect that part of herself. It was sort of like two people living in one body. Her more brutish and violent side forming as its own entity to protect the weaker side of herself. Sakhmet's kindness was able to push back that darker side of Delilah as if subconsciously, Delilah could see there was no need to bring violence here into this situation.

Delilah chose to lay there on the floor, letting the situation take it where it may. Sakhmet had disappeared for a moment and while it might seem the woman was rushing off to call the authorities, Delilah chose to not believe that. This woman showed too much concern to just leave Delilah there helpless and hurting. Within seconds, Sakhmet returned with a first aid kit and a barrage of questions. Reaching out quickly with one hand, Delilah grabbed Sakhmet by the wrist, "No doctors or police," she said with a short sharp breath before letting the other woman free of her grasp. This not doubt would raise questions which would demand an answer at a later date if Delilah was still around and when that time came, Delilah would deal with them then. It was weird though, but when Delilah grabbed Sakhmet, the woman didn't seem to try to draw back. Perhaps this young woman was one of those kind souls which was supposed to exist in this hellish world?

Delilah swallowed hard as Sakhmet reached out and brushed the dark hair away from Delilah's rather dirty face. The look in Sakhmet's eyes was caring and Delilah suddenly felt safe there. For once, someone had calmed this raving beast and to be honest, Delilah thought the calm felt good. Sakhmet told Delilah she would need to clean up first to be properly treated, but it really didn't seem like a request or suggestion. Normally being told what to do would have triggered a rebellious response, but not this time. Like an obedient child, Delilah nodded in silent response and tried to sit up, albeit slowly. It was sort of painful to get up, but she managed. This young woman helping Delilah was odd, going as far as to offer to wash the clothes Delilah was wearing and offering her a new change of clothes in return. "Thank you," was the small whispered response Delilah offered in return. "You'll have to help me with my clothes, I'm not really sure I can do it on my own," she added sheepishly, "That is, if you don't mind. I don't want to make you anymore uncomfortable than I already have," she finished up with, surprising even herself. Never had Delilah been this nice, except maybe when she had been flirting, but this time, that wasn't the case.

[Sakhmet Richmond]

Sakhmet nodded once to the request that she call neither the doctors nor the police. Sometimes there were reasons to leave authority figures out of one's life -- for instance, if you were Anubis and you thought shoplifting was a justifiable hobby -- and so the other woman surely had her reasons.

She pulled Delilah's arms about her shoulder, trying to take as much weight off her guest as possible. If she couldn't get her clothes off, she would probably have difficulty navigating the stairs as well. "Of course." She agreed, half-leading and half-carrying the other woman down the hall and up the stairs. "Where is Sett?" She still hadn't quite realized that her brother had nothing to do with Delilah's presence in the Richmond house.

Once at the top of the stairs she turned right, leading the other woman into her bedroom. The walls were pink, the furniture cream, and the bedspread a combination of the two and decorated with tiny rosebuds. A very large, stuffed Hello Kitty sat in front of the pillows beside two very real felines. "The bathroom is just in there." She pointed toward one of two doors on the opposite wall -- the other held her closet -- before leading Delilah to the bed. One of the cats glanced up, flicking its ear back in annoyance at being disturbed.

"I'll get you a towel and bath cloth after you're in the bath," She promised, gingerly sliding the other's shirt over her head. She winced at the bruises and the poorly wrapped bandages; someone had a rough time of it lately. "Are you sure you wouldn't rather go to the doctor?" Surely they would do a better job than Sakhmet at caring for someone so obviously roughed up. She tossed the shirt in the direction of her hamper, not caring if it landed in or out; she could deal with that later. "So, my I ask your name? I'm Sakhmet. Sett's younger sister."

[Delilah Pryce]

Delilah had never made any real friends in her life, a few social partners, but never anyone she could call a friend. Relationships were kept simple in Delilah's life, nothing serious and nothing ever lasting longer than a few simple months. Anything intimate was usually one night stands but a few had been something a bit more. However, Delilah's lifestyle and fear of letting anyone to really get to know her true self always sent her running anytime it looked like any relationship was going to get serious. Sakhmet had this feeling about her, sort of like the feeling which another young woman had projected. Delilah remembered the young woman fondly, her name was Alice and she was a student back at Hammel. When Delilah had first come back to Pilot Ridge, she made a trip to Hammel to see if anything had changed and it hadn't really. Alice had been playing a cello, a skill which Delilah now had. Alice had lowered Delilah's defenses almost instantly when she spoke and she showed some concern for Delilah even though she didn't know her. Sakhmet exuded a more caring attitude than Alice had and Delilah found herself automatically easing up in front of her.

Delilah had always been more comfortable around women than men, so as Sakhmet took Delilah's arm around her neck, helping her up, Delilah did not fight her. She gave Sakhmet the ability to led her and help her up the stairs toward Sakhmet's room. The other smelt nice and her skin felt soft, very feminine indeed. Stealing a glance at Sakhmet's face, Delilah surmised the woman was younger than she, but that mattered very little to Delilah. The only rules in life she obeyed where the ones she herself set up. It would be nice to enjoy the company of this young woman for a while if time allowed and it had been a long time since Delilah had just been normal. If she was lucky, she might be offered a place to stay for the night. Such thoughts were unusual for Delilah to have, but here they were none the less.

Upon entering Sakhmet's room, Delilah's eyes went wide. It was a girly wonderland. The walls were pink, the furniture cream with the bed being a mix between the two. On the bed sat a very large stuffed Hello Kitty doll, not to mention two cats. "Oh my God, I've found wonderland," Delilah whispered as she rose her head up and looked about. She was never allowed or given anything special or pretty as a young girl and despite the lack of not being around those things, it didn't mean she was any less feminine. Delilah could be feminine if she chose, but as a victim of incest and molestation, she chose to make herself less attractive to men as she could. When she did go out looking for an intimate night, she had a few dresses and attractive outfits to catch the eye of willing women looking her way. Giving Sakhmet a long look, Delilah let a small smile slip, "I think I'm going to like you," she said with a cough and wince.

With Sakhmet's help, Delilah sat down on the soft bed. She felt bad for dirtying the clean bed with her filthy clothes, but Sakhmet didn't seem to mind. With some effort and a deep sigh, Delilah managed to raise her arms to allow Sakhmet to remove her stolen sweatshirt. No doubt the other would discover the hidden knife stitched into the inside of the sweatshirt when she went to wash it, but that would be dealt with if brought up later. Delilah lowered her arms and avoided eye contact with Sakhmet, feeling a bit ashamed of her bruised and broken body. She shook her head slowly, "I said no doctors," she replied sharply, "I don't have any way to pay anyway," she added, trying to offer some excuse for not wanting to go to the hospital. So far Sakhmet was pretty understanding of Delilah's presence here and her wishes to not go to a doctor. Evidently this family had its share of secrets as well, which if they did, then Delilah might fit in a bit well here.

The woman's name caught Delilah off guard, it was rather odd and exotic sounding. Of course, who was Delilah to judge what was normal and what wasn't. With a smile she looked at Sakhmet. "Can't say I've heard anyone with that name before," she said trying not to laugh or chuckle. "I'm.......Delilah," she said with a moment of hesitation. Might as well give her her real name as Sakhmet could identify her fully by now if she did turn her later to the police, "I don't want to ruin a good thing, but your not exactly the type of person I like to bring harm to," she said with a sigh, looking away from Sakhmet now, "I don't know who this Sett guy is, I broke into your house looking for some food and clean set of clothes. I don't have a home, bank foreclosed on it and threw me out in the street about six months ago. I've been scavenging food and clothing across the county ever since. I got jumped a while back in an alley behind some bar. I was looking for some food scraps when some punks thought it would fun to beat up a bum," she said, crafting a simple enough lie. "I don't want no trouble. If you want me to leave I will, all nice and easy like," she said, her Virgina accent showing through in her speech.

[Sakhmet Richmond]

"It's not precisely wonderland." Sakhmet laughed, though she was actually quite pleased with that assessment. Though the whole house was, in a way, her enclave, the boys certainly left their mark in every single room, including the kitchen. Her bedroom, however, was entirely hers, private, which meant she could do with it as she pleased. And as she pleased meant decorating as if she were still five. She couldn't help it; pink remained her favorite color, and Hello Kitty (and the rest of the Sanrio crew) were just too adorable. She loved them, and she loved her Hello Kitty lamp and her Hello Kitty jewelry box, maturity be damned.

The compliment made her smile wider. "Why, thank you." She liked to be liked; she never could handle when people outright disliked her, always wondered what she could do to change their mind. That had been her biggest difficulty in school, realizing that universal popularity was an impossibility, particularly given how odd her family was. School children had no qualms about making their suspicions of odd known.

"Ahhhh." Sakhmet gave a small sigh at Delilah's continued insistence that doctors not be called. She was disappointed, if not entirely surprised, when the other woman cited an inability to pay. The American health care system made absolutely no sense to her; she much preferred Britain's NHS. Granted, there were some inconvenient waiting lists, but at least the care was guaranteed. "America." She sighed again, shaking her head slightly. There were few developed countries that insisted on a health care system remotely resembling the American one. She was sure she would never understand it.

"My parents are archaeologists." She explained when Delilah commented on her name. It wasn't until her parents had sent her back to Somerset that she'd realized how unusual her name was; traveling all the time, to countries were English names weren't the norm, had sheltered her from that realization. "So all of us have Egypt themed names. My brothers are Ra, Isis, Osiris, Sett, Anubis, and Horus. Sakhmet is sort of a...a warrior sun goddess. And my middle name is Cleopatra, which is more familiar to most people. What isn't as well known is that Cleopatra was a Ptolemy,and the Ptolemys were actually Greek."

And then Delilah was giving her name and story. The story had exactly the right ingredients to tug at Sakhmet's heartstrings (admittedly not a difficult task at all) and she found herself feeling for the woman before her. "That's so awful!" She gasped. It was probably too late for a report to be filed on whatever terrible people had attacked her, unfortunately. "No, nonononono." She shook her head emphatically while unzipping Delilah's pants. "Really, breaking and entering isn't the best way to go about things. Are there no shelters? Well, I suppose Pilot Ridge is a small area." She mused, trying to recall if she'd heard of any. "But I can't turn you out on your own, that's terrible. You can stay here until you're back on your feet."

She made a mental note to check the tags on Delilah's clothing so she could buy her some clean outfits (particularly underwear, which was too intimate to share unless in a real pinch) as well as toiletries. "We certainly have room for you, so don't worry about it. I'm afraid I'm not much good as a doctor, but being out on the street...." She shook her head again. "I can't do that to someone so down on her luck. I'll fix you something better than cold spaghetti while you take a bath." She offered. "The bathroom is all mine, so no worries about any of the boys coming in if they decide to come home early. You can use any of the body washes and shampoos, too." The shower rack held quite an assortment of fragrances, from flowers to fruit, so there was no worries she would run out. "Umm, and if you need them, tampons are under the sink."

[Delilah Pryce]

Sakhmet's quick explanation behind her name indicated that Delilah wasn't the first to mention its odd nature, a fact which Delilah had already assumed. "Sakhmet Cleopatra," she half whispered with a small smile. It was odd yes, but Delilah sort of liked the entirety of it now. Forever would this name be engraved in Delilah's mind, along with all the other names, dates, facts and figures which accompanied her lesser second ability. Delilah had a gift for memorization, something the doctor's labeled photographic memory. It wasn't anything quite like total recall, but she could pull a vast assortment of detail from her mind as if she were standing in front of a filing cabinet looking through an endless row of files. Sometimes it took a bit of effort to remember something certain and even then she might feel wrong about it, but so far, every memory she pulled back to the present was right. Sakhmet was now forever Delilah's, a happy thought in a sea of bad ones.

At the mention of Sakhmet's brothers, and the number of them, Delilah lost her smile. She was terribly uncomfortable around men given her past abusive history. Her fear of them had lessened over the years since her youth, but she still did not like being in their presence. There were a few men, such as Sean Neville, who had wormed their way into Delilah's favor, but those men could all be counted on one hand. A sense of dread and fear began to rise from Delilah's stomach, as if she were going to throw up. The back of her neck began to burn as if on fire and she felt as if she could cry at any moment. Her eyes widened and her muscles tenses, causing some discomfort in her ribs. It was a 'flight or fight' response and a reaction hard to resist. Her breathing, already short and labored began to increase, but Delilah knew she had too good of a moment here to ruin with her fear. So, closing her eyes, she centered herself, digging for joyful memories in her mind to center and focus on, just as Sean had taught her how to do. The first joyful memory she found herself clinging to, was this moment she was in now. Opening her eyes, Delilah took a deep breath as her healing ribs would allow and forced a smile. She tried to will herself to calm down and it worked to a small degree. Her muscles eased and the intense heat of fear across the back of her neck ceased, but the worrying sickness remained.

Sakhmet bought into Delilah's quickly crafted lie, which both relieved and saddened Delilah somewhat. She was glad she didn't have to share the truth but it also showed what a genuine soul Sakhmet had. Hurting someone such as her would be far too easy and while Delilah didn't share compassion freely or ever really, she did have some for this young woman who so freely shared her home and things with her. Never had Delilah seen such sacrifice and acceptance, never. It intrigued her and drew her in to Sakhmet more and more. It wasn't a lustful attraction Delilah felt currently, but one of just joy. It was nice to see someone care for you, so abundantly. As Sakhmet moved over and began to unzip Delilah's pants, Delilah reached out and touched the other's face gently. Delilah never uttered a word, just ever so lightly touched Sakhmet's face, as if she were trying to see if she were real.

It was nice to know that Sakhmet had her own private bathroom, because instinct might take over if a man suddenly just barged in and Delilah didn't want to hurt any of Sakhmet's family. That thought made Delilah's mind stop moving for a second and focus. Restraint. Not something she was good at, but it seemed she might find some to repay Sakhmet for her kindness. After all, such a common trait in other people was a rarity in Delilah and thus more valuable than gold in her opinion. What better repayment to Sakhmet than to show restraint in the presence of Sakhmet's brothers?

Pushing future thoughts aside as the idea of a long hot bath just seemed too good to let go. Somehow, with much help of Sakhmet, Delilah managed to slip out of her jeans and shoes, leaving her in a sports bra and pair of cotton panties. "Thanks," Delilah said again, doing her best to stand and doing so after a long slow attempt. She needed some painkillers and soon, not only to dull the ache in her ribs but to satisfy her addiction. She doubted Sakhmet would have anything like that in her medicine cabinet, the one just seemed too cheerful and realistic to be on anything that Delilah was used to taking. Delilah would just have to suck it up for know and deal with pain and withdrawal.

It took several slow steps to finally reach the bathroom, but eventually Delilah found herself there. She closed the door behind her, choosing not to lock it as Sakhmet said it was her private bath, and judging by the almost perfect state it was in, she was telling the truth. Men didn't exactly leave an organized state in their wake and considering the feminine touch this bathroom had, no man would dare step foot inside. The bathroom smelt nice and just felt clean. Delilah brought her hands up in front of her chest and held her wrist, as she often did when nervous. She was drawing in to herself, making herself small and unnoticed. Of course, just who she would be hiding from in Sakhmet's bathroom was unknown. It wasn't like there was someone else here with her.

Delilah took time to explore Sakhmet's bathroom, stopping in front of the shower to slide her feet back and forth across the fluffy bath mat there. How nice it must have been to lead an average life where you didn't have to worry about any monsters lurking in your closet. The tub was very inviting, but Delilah was far too dirty to just run a bath and soak, although she might come back up later for one if Sakhmet didn't mind. Right now, she needed to wash the grime from her body and hair and get the stench of the dirty street off of her. With a bit of difficulty, Delilah managed to slip her sports bra off and tossed it beside the shower along with her panties. Then, very carefully, Delilah began to unwrap her bandages. The were sweaty and smelt awful, the once light brown color know almost on the black side. She waded the bandages up and tossed them in a small pink garbage can in the corner of the room.

As Delilah moved to turn the shower on, she caught sight of herself in a rather large mirror on the back of the door. Her body was a road map of misery and pain. Scars from all sorts of fights she had been littered her body, but it was the fading bruise on her ribs which almost made Delilah cry. It brought back memories of the bruises left by her father and for a second she could hear his voice calling her from outside the door. Her muscles froze and that sickening feeling in her stomach got worse. Delilah closed her eyes tightly and whispered to herself, "He's not there, he's not really there." Then quickly, her eyes snapped open and the voice of Delilah's father was gone. With a sigh and shiver, she finally moved to turn on the shower.

Delilah spent a long time in the shower, taking full advantage of the pleasantries there. She had chosen a lavender body wash which had left her skin quite smooth and her demeanor more relaxed. Her hair had taken the longest to clean as it was quite long and thick and hadn't seen in a good brushing in days. Now, though, with the shower done, her hair smelt clean and was as soft and shiny as ever. Delilah dried herself and then wrapped her body with the towel. She took another few minutes to use Sakhmet's blow dryer to dry and them brush out her hair. Just how long she had spent in Sakhmet's bathroom was unknown but it must have been a while. Finally, satisfied with her appearance, even if her face looked tired, Delilah slowly opened the door to Sakhmet's room and poked her head up nervously. "Sakhmet?," she asked out, unsure if the other was out here waiting on her or had gone off back to the kitchen.

[Sakhmet Richmond]

A sigh escaped Sakhmet's lips as she watched Delilah limp her way to the bathroom. Anger coiled in the pit of her stomach, anger at the hooligans who had attacked this poor, defenseless woman. It was bad enough she didn't have a home, but to have arrogant young punks brutalizing her, too? It was simply too much! She resolved to enroll Delilah in the self-defense class she'd been attending with Horus. Money was no object (not for the Richmonds, anyway) and it would be well spent if this woman could learn to defend herself from whatever horrible people thought beating up on hobos was funny. Probably the same sort of people who harassed Horus; that Jesse kid he talked about would probably think attacking the homeless was entertaining. Jerk.

The sound of running water told her that her guest had figured out the shower, so there was no need to follow her in. Instead she began rummaging through drawers, comparing tops and bottoms. Nothing too tight; whatever injuries Delilah had didn't need to be exacerbated by skintight clothing. She picked through her loose blouses, settling on a nice grey one with a ribbon at the neck and long bat sleeves. It was comfortable and covered as much as possible, so any bruises would stay hidden. Bottoms were a bit more difficult, as she preferred skinny jeans or leggings.

She gnawed her lower lip in worry for a moment before shoving the blouse back in the drawer. "Never mind." She muttered, dropping to her knees to search through her pajamas. The first pair she found were Hello Kitty -- long, comfy pants and a tank top -- and so she folded those on the bed, tossing a pair of red Hello Kitty panties on top of them. No need for a bra yet, not if she was only lounging about the house. Besides, who knew if they wore the same size? If not then borrowing wouldn't be that comfortable. She would go on a shopping trip tomorrow to make sure she had everything that was needed; she could buy some bras then.

New clothing options decided upon she gathered up the sweatshirt and pants she'd divested Delilah of (they felt oddly heavy, but she supposed she'd never allowed her own clothes to get quite so dirty) and trotted down the stairs and back into the kitchen. The washer and dryer were in a closet to one side of the kitchen, so she placed the clothes on top of the washer (she would get to them after Delilah was out of the shower) and began flitting about the kitchen, putting the spaghetti back in the fridge and wiping down the table while she tried to decide what to cook. Something quick but filling, she decided, pulling out ground beef and picate sauce and potatos.

Twenty minutes later and she had a sizzling pan of Shepherd's Pie ready and chocolate chip cookies in the oven. Excellent. She grabbed the medical kit from the counter where she'd left it; time to see what she could do to fix up her guest.

She ran up the stairs as best she could in heels, peering through her bedroom door a moment before darting in all the way, shutting the door behind her. Just as the door clicked shut the other woman emerged from the bathroom.

"You're done!" She gave Delilah a once over; she was pretty all cleaned up. "I have food on the stove, but let's make sure you're all taken care of first." She suggested, plopping down on the bed, first aid kit in lap. "You can wear those," She added, nodding to the pajamas and underwear she'd picked out. "I hope they fit."

[Delilah Pryce]

It seemed as if as soon as Delilah called out for Sakhmet, then the other answered. Delilah smiled widely as she heard Sakhmet's soft voice and bravely emerged fully from the bathroom, wrapped in the towel provided for her. She had dried off to the best of her ability so not to make a mess for Sakhmet to clean up. Her hair was pulled back some, behind her ears and for the first time in days, Delilah felt human again. She smelt clean and felt a bit alive, but Sakhmet had more to do with that than the shower did. Being treated like a human being was a change of pace for Delilah and while she didn't know Sakhmet from Eve, she felt comfortable around her. This could very well be her own downfall, but at least she would go happy.

Delilah's dark eyes flitted to the bed, seeing a neatly folded pile of clothes Sakhmet had chosen for her to wear. A pair of red Hello Kitty panties made Delilah smile, feeling like a kid again. Sakhmet was a child at heart and perhaps that was what soothed Delilah the most. Delilah had had her childhood stolen from her, along with her innocence long ago, but it seemed Sakhmet had enough for the both of them. She sort of grounded Delilah in reality, setting a new stage for her, one of comfort and safety. A small laugh escaped Delilah's lips as she slowly approached the bed, picking up the panties. They looked as if they would fit, seeing how Sakhmet was close in size. For Delilah it was an intimate moment, sharing such private things such as this. This was why yet another reason why she preferred women to men. Woman could do things like this with one another in comfort.

Taking a gambit, Delilah dropped her towel, showing not shame in her actions, her eyes locking with Sakhmet. Women were more comfortable in being nude around one another than men were, for the most part. It was an act though to judge just how innocent Sakhmet really was. Would the other blush or show some other sort of emotion in this? Delilah's battered body, scars and all, told of a long hard life on the streets and of a life which no one should ever want to live. The large bruise on her ribs stood out the most, along with the ivy tattoo which traveled from her wrist to her elbow on one of her arms. Taking the red panties, Delilah sat down on the bed and slipped one thin leg into the opening, followed by another, pulling them up to her small hips. Standing again, she picked up the tank top, smiling again, seeing a running theme here. The feminine air about the room and now in the pajamas Delilah was putting on made her feel warm and relaxed. "Ill find a way to pay you back," she said, slipping the tank top over her head, the straps resting gently on her small shoulders, "I promise," she added, struggling to fit into the very comfy bottoms now.

Fully clothed once again, Delilah pulled her hair across her right shoulder and pulled at it gently in a playful manner, smiling at Sakhmet. For a minute or two, Delilah just stood there, smiling and staring at Sakhmet in thought before coming back to reality. Slowly, she took a seat on Sakhmet's bed to allow the young woman to tend to her wounds the best she was able. "So," she said, looking straight ahead as she waited for Sakhmet to assess the situation and decided where to start, "I'm not intruding on any personal time you might need to be spending with a boyfriend or anything am I?," she asked, clumsily fishing for some personal information. Sakhmet had already named off several brothers, but she didn't mention anyone else. This of course didn't mean there wasn't a significant other and some of part of Delilah hoped there wasn't. She wanted as much of Sakhmet's time as she could draw, to herself.

[Sakhmet Richmond]

Sakhmet was really quite horrified at Delilah's scarred body. She wasn't familiar enough with bruises to realize any of these were from further back than the supposed recent beating she'd taken -- of course, her brothers banged themselves up all the time, but she hadn't really observed the stages of bruising to remember what they were.

"Omigod, I can't believe that they did this to you!" She exclaimed angrily, too much distressed by the wounds to pay much heed to the fact that Delilah was undressing in front of her; besides, she'd had to undress in front of other girls during gym class at school, so in her mind there wasn't anything to be ashamed of.

She did, however, quite like the tattoo -- pretty, much less cutesy than her own, and so she said as much. "I saw a tattoo parlor in town, something about Roses I think, is that were you got yours? It's nice."

She smiled and shook her head as the other woman vowed to repay her. "You don't need to do that," She objected. "Just recover and get back on your own two feet."

She popped the lid of the emergency kit open, rummaging through it for bandages. "Noooo, you're definitely not. No boyfriend, no girlfriend, just brothers and they're all out right now. Horus has a self-defense class after school and I told Sett to go with him this time and I'm sure Nubs is out adding to his stapler collection."

She chewed her lower lip, wondering where to even begin with bandaging the other woman up. "So it's just the two of us for now. Lucky for us, too, since they're so loud." She shook her head with a laugh as she inspected Delilah's head where she'd fallen against the table. "Oh, good, this just looked worse than it was." She sighed in relief before continuing. "You should have some time to rest up before they come home and start rabble rousing."

She sighed and stared at Delilah's now tanktop covered torso. "I wish I had some gauze bandages, but I don't. Do you think you'll be okay? Maybe if you take some ibuprofen you won't feel so bad." She still thought the hospital would do a better job, but she could certainly sympathize with a lack of insurance. "Are you ready to eat?" She asked, standing and snapping her kit closed. "I hope you like Shepherd's Pie, it was the quickest thing I could think of. And the cookies should be almost done, too. I can bring it up to you if you want to just rest."

As beat up as the other woman looked under her clothes, Sakhmet wasn't sure how she'd even managed to get up the stairs the first time.

[Delilah Pryce]

Delilah frowned when Sakhmet winced at her naked and bruised body. Delilah knew she wasn't overly attractive, but having someone show disgust at the sight of you naked didn't do anything positive for your ego. However, looking herself over, Delilah could understand why. The large bruise on her ribs was as ugly as ever and the other scars and marks of violence didn't really inspire beauty. However, when Sakhmet spoke, it was clear her disgusted look was one directed at those who had bruised and scarred Delilah in such a manner. Another thing Delilah noticed was just how comfortable Sakhmet was in front of a naked woman. She didn't blush or try to look away or even act like she was cool with it, she actually was cool with Delilah standing there nude in front of her. Of course, woman were more comfortable with such things than men were and didn't really set anything in stone. It did put Delilah at ease a bit as this meant Delilah needn't worry about offending Sakhmet in this sense which in turn meant moving and hiding about Sakhmet's room even easier.

Delilah's gaze drifted her own tattoo, her other hand reaching out to trace the intricate ivy design. The ivy was black, shaded with some green to give it color. Delilah's dark eyes looked her tattoo over as her fingers traced the lines, thinking about the time she had gotten it. It wasn't long after she left Hammel, in a small tattoo parlor somewhere in Kentucky. There wasn't any particular reason why she had picked this one, she had just seen the picture in the tattoo artist's portfolio and liked it. Maybe later on, Delilah would pick up another tattoo, but not anytime soon, she was in enough pain at the moment and didn't need to risk picking up some sort of infection. Delilah shook her head in a 'no' response, "I got it in some little town down in Kentucky years ago," she replied, looking up to Sakhmet, "You got any ink yourself?," she asked, falling back into her mountain accent and rather poor grammar.

The mention of no boyfriend in Sakhmet's life brought a small smile to Delilah's face as she wouldn't have to deal with yet another man, but at the mention of a girlfriend, Delilah's pupil's widened a bit and she slowly turned her head to see Sakhmet better. Was the other interested in the same sex as well as the opposite? If so, then this changed the moment and future moments a bit for her and Delilah. While Sakhmet might and could very well be younger than Delilah that didn't mean much. It had been a while since Delilah had shared a bed with anyone and some rather blushing thoughts entered her mind. "Girlfriend?," she sort of muttered in the form of a question, holding back a smile rather poorly. As tempting as it might have been to probe Sakhmet on that thought, now wasn't the time nor the place, perhaps when Delilah was well.

Sakhmet tended to Delilah's wounds as best she could with what little she had in the emergency kit. Her touch was soft and gentle and she moved with patience, putting Delilah's care first. So much Delilah had been denied as she experienced such care first hand for the first time in her life. Her mother had never been much of a mother as she allowed her husband to beat and abuse not only her daughter, but her as well. In Delilah's mind as was the case with most sexually abused daughters, her mother was just as much at fault as Delilah's father was. It was probably a good thing she didn't know where he worthless mother was currently. The woman had taken off the second the police came and arrested her husband, leaving Delilah to fend for herself and in the pathetic care of the state. People such as Sakhmet, who had someone to care for them all their life, were usually the object of envy for Delilah and she would hate them for that envy, but this time it was different. Sakhmet was giving back as she herself no doubt had received. It was nice to be pampered like this and while Delilah knew it couldn't last forever, she would enjoy it as long as she could.

At the mention of food, Delilah began to realize that she did indeed smell something from downstairs. She had never had Shepherds pie before and had no idea of what it consisted of, but beggars could not be choosers. There really wasn't much of a food Delilah turned her nose up at, especially right now. If she were offered a mud pie, she might even eat it she was so hungry. Cookies sounded wonderful as well. Delilah couldn't believe the lengths that Sakhmet was going to, to just make Delilah feel at home. Here Delilah was, a total stranger who had broken in to Sakhmet's house and here Sakhmet was, giving her full run of her room and making dinner for her. An odd way to treat a criminal, but a way Delilah wasn't going to let slip by her. "I don't think I could make it back down the stairs just yet. If you don't mind, would you bring me some food up here?," she asked, dropping her head a little, flashing Sakhmet a sad face. Delilah probably wasn't far from the truth in her statement, but the real reason for her wanting to stay hidden in Sakhmet's room was the worry of Sakhmet's brothers coming home suddenly.

[Sakhmet Richmond]

"Actually, I do." Sakhmet gave Delilah a small smile at the question about her own tattoos. She pulled her skirt down just enough to show off the red Hello Kitty bow on her right hip, blushing slightly at how childish hers was compared to the other's more sophisticated design. "I suppose you could say I'm a big Hello Kitty fan." She laughed. Between the tattoo, her decorations, and the pajamas Delilah had probably noticed a bit of a theme.

Her smile slipped a bit when Delilah caught the girlfriend reference. Oops. She definitely didn't want to ruin another female friendship with that little bit of knowledge, so she shrugged and said. "You're not in the way and I'm not seeing anyone." She hoped the dark-haired woman wouldn't focus on that one silly word; it was difficult to remember sometimes that just because most of her family were bi or pansexual the rest of the world didn't see that as at all normal. This fact had made school quite miserable for her. She'd hoped that Pilot Ridge would be an escape from that small-mindedness, among other things.

It was very probable that most people would have called the police on Delilah after she'd confessed to breaking in, if not before, but Sakhmet was not most people: She was caring, she was sweet, she was naive and gullible and Delilah's lies had been absolutely perfect for manipulating her soft heart. What manner of cruel individual would dare turn away someone who had been evicted and then beaten? Certainly not the sole female member of the Richmond household.

Much like the lies, she fell hard for the puppy dog eyes and the pained insistance that walking back down the stairs would be too difficult to attempt. The fact that Delilah might wish to avoid her brothers, for any reason, simply did not occur to her.

She nodded once. "Of course. You just make yourself comfortable. I'll be right back."

She slipped down the stairs and into the kitchen, pulling out plates and flatware and napkins. The only tray she could find that wasn't breakable was Christmas themed, featuring carolers around a tree, but she doubted Delilah would really care much that the tray was out of season so she loaded it up and carefully mounted the stairs, gripping both edges tightly so as not to drop it. She'd worked hard to make the Shepherd's Pie and cookies, not to mention the mug of hot tea. She nudged the door open with her elbow, smiling at the other woman. "Dinner is served!" She chimed, placing the tray on the bedside table. "If you need anything else, let me know. I forgot to bring up condiments."

[Delilah Pryce]

How innocent Sakhmet seemed to be, so trusting and fragile. Delilah found it hard to believe anything seriously bad had ever happened to this woman in her young life. No one who had dealt with the monsters which Delilah had been forced to deal will could ever remain this innocent and caring. What little bit of care Delilah had left in her was locked away tightly and deeply within her, her heart wrapped with barbed wire if you will. Whatever trust Delilah ever had with anyone was broken and scarred, much like herself and so in what some might call a selfish act, she had stopped trusting anyone completely. This is what made this moment with Sakhmet all the more memorable. Whatever walls Delilah had built around herself all came crumbling down without a sound. With simple kind words and a total giving of her own personal things, Sakhmet had conquered the beast in Delilah. That frightened small side of Delilah which kept her from becoming nothing more than a serial killer was in charge of Delilah's body for once in a very long time. Delilah was comfortable enough to allow Sakhmet to be in the presence of what was really Delilah's true self. Without even knowing it, Sakhmet had formed a bond with Delilah, but as to what kind, intimate or motherly, that much had yet to be fully seen.

When Sakhmet pulled down some of her skirt to reveal the Hello Kitty tattoo there, Delilah had to admit that part of her wished to see more. She sucked on her bottom lip, biting it gently as a wave of desire slowly moved across her body, beginning at her neck and moving down her back. Sakhmet was a very inviting woman, fulfilling Delilah's own preferences for what she liked in a partner quite well. However, those thoughts would have to be pushed aside yet again for cause of the moment. Delilah released her lip from between her teeth and then let her eyes slowly trace up Sakhmet's body until locking with the other's eyes. It seemed Sakhmet might have been worried about offending Delilah with her slip of the word 'girlfriend', but little did the other know that it only enticed Delilah further. "Cute," she said simply in reference to both Sakhmet and her tattoo.

Sakhmet soon left Delilah alone again as she went back downstairs yet again to fetch Delilah's food. This act of kindness which Sakhmet was showing Delilah would be repaid two fold, whether Sakhmet had realized it or not. Those who managed to form any sort of bond with Delilah became a fixation and in some sense, property of Delilah. Her photographic memory forever sealed this moment away in her mind along with Sakhmet's face and the feelings which she stirred up. When one was as damaged, both emotionally and physically, as Delilah, then those who showed such kindness were marked as something odd and unusual. For the abused, kindness was a drug. After feeling the warm safe feeling of care once, they forever craved after that feeling, going to almost any length to achieve it again and again. Hence Delilah's poor attempt to take Sean as her own back in the fight with those from Hammel and the fight which had put her in this position now.

Delilah laid back on Sakhmet's bed, running her hands over the soft clean blankets. She turned her head to the side and stared at her own hand, wiggling her fingers a little. For a moment, things changed and a flash of confusion followed. Delilah was remembering a moment from her childhood, one she wished not to remember. Her memory often resurfaced like this, on its own and without warning. The moment would only be a second but to Delilah she would be reliving the moment slowly. The room she saw was her own, as a child and she was laying on her bed, staring at the locked door. Fear washed over her as the familiar sounds of her father's footfalls neared her door. She knew what the man had come to do to her. Her breath quickened as she laid on Sakhmet's bed, her pupils wide, indicating she was far far away from here at the moment. The fear from then was fresh again here and now, but the sound of Sakhmet downstairs jolted Delilah back into reality.

Gasping for breath, Delilah closed her eyes, a few tears running from her eyes and down her cheek, staining Sakhmet's blankets. Delilah curled up in a fetal position and sobbed silently, her arms and hands covering her head. However, Delilah knew she could not let Sakhmet find her like this as her poorly crafted lie might begin to unravel far too easily. Now wasn't the time for a breakdown, no matter how safe she felt here. If Sakhmet found out how Delilah had lied to her about this whole situation and found out who and what she really was, then there was no doubt in Delilah's mind that Sakhmet would call the cops or worse...throw her out of the house and out of her life. Delilah wanted to enjoy the company of Sakhmet for just a bit longer and so, willed herself to stop crying, and then slowly unfolded from her fetal position. Delilah wiped the tears from her cheeks and eyes, but the redness insisted on staying. If Sakhmet questioned why her eyes seemed puffy and red, Delilah would attribute it to a lack of proper sleep and diet.

Closing her eyes again, Delilah sniffled and breathed deeply. Had it not been for her stomach growling, she might have drifted off to sleep right then and there. She wondered selfishly for a moment if Sakhmet might let her share the bed with her. That merited a very small smile from a sleepy Delilah. How nice it would be to have a soft and warm bed with an equally soft and warm body to sleep beside? "Nice," she muttered under her breath, feeling the tendrils of sleep begin to wrap itself around her. Fighting it seemed pointless and had it not been for the sound of Sakhmet at the door, Delilah would have drifted off easily.

Forcing her eyes open, Delilah just laid there on her side, looking at Sakhmet dreamily. Sakhmet placed the plate of food on the beside table, looking as if she were all too familiar with this role. How many strays had she taken in over the years? Sakhmet's cheery tone and sparkly personality was very contrasting with Delilah's much darker and malicious one, however, it didn't bother Delilah any. Usually, such cheerful people annoyed her, making her want to hurt them, but not in this case. Delilah rubbed her hand back and forth widely across the bed as she continued to lay there. "Sit with me?," she asked, making no indication she was going to move from her spot. "I haven't felt a bed this soft in a while now," she said, her eyes fluttering some, as Delilah fought the lure of sleep and contentment. She yawned deeply and winced at the tug to her ribs from such an action.