Justine lies in bed, on her back, sleeping peacefully. She wears a white, silk nightgown with a square neckline, exposing the bandage over her left breast. For a change, the bandage is white, meaning blood free.
Cromwell is shown in by a Ginaz servant who quickly departs after completing her duty. He enters purposfully but as he sees Justine and lets out a barely audible sigh and stops in his tracks.
Cromwell without waiting for a response he moves over to the bed, "Justine what have you done?"
Justine moans softly as her head flops over towards Cromwell. The slits of her eyes barely open and her voice is groggy as she quietly asks, "Hmmmmmm?"Hesakaya says, "her 'shadow' as she calls him will see to it she will come to no harm."
Cromwell shakes his head, "Why Justine? Was this really the only way?"
Justine's eyes slowly blink open and then take focus on Cromwell. Her brows furrow in confusion as she asks in a tired tone, "Vincent? Is that you?" Her lips tug up a bit, looking hopeful.
Cromwell smiles warmly and nods, "Yes Justine it really is me." He looks at the bandage on her chest, "How are you feeling?"
Justine looks relieved as well, for the first time since she's been here, she smiles warmly up to Cromwell. Her hand leaves her side and reaches out for Cromwell, hoping that this isn't another imagination or dream, that he's real. Her voice is still tired and groggy as she speaks, "I'm so glad to see you, Vincent. So very glad." Her head barely nods, her smile fading, "I...I'm okay." Her eyes lowering from him, she cannot lie to his face.
Cromwell takes her hand and gives it a little squeeze, "No, I mean, 'how are you feeling?"
Justine's sad eyes lift to Cromwell, giving him a pleading look as she quietly says, "I want to come home. Please don't make me stay here any longer."
Cromwell gets a pained look on his face and shakes his head slightly, "You know that choice ins't mine to make. Believe me, I don't wish to cause you pain, but there is only one man who can grant you what you ask for."
Justine frowns heavier as the tears form in her eyes, "Please Vincent, tell him....tell him how I'm being treated so horribly. How Steffan has broken his blood bond....how I'm being treated like a prisoner...he must come for me. I can't live here anymore. I can't take his abuse anymore. Steffan is the only one who can take my pain away, but instead, he makes it worse...knowing it does." Her hand gently squeezes yours as she pleads once more, "Please take me home"
Cromwell says, "Justine, do your really believe that the Marquis really wants to cause you pain? What is it that keeps you a prisoner? Are you sure you know?"
Justine sniffs a little and sighs softly as she closes her eyes, "Vincent, Steffan knows what I want..." her head shakes a little at that and then corrects herself, "No...he knows what I need...yet he keeps denying me of it. When he came to visit last night, I was trying to reach out to him but he only mocked me said things he knew would hurt me even more." She then looks to you again, tears escaping from her eyes, "He has assigned a guard to follow me everywhere I go, even when I bathe and sleep, he is there. I am never alone! This was before the injury. Steffan won't permit me to go where I wish, I must get permission first. I had more freedom at the Palace, Vincent."
Cromwell nods, "But why does he do these things? Why does he feel that he must guard you? You say he does not understand you, which I do not doubt. But, Justine, can you truely say that you understand him?"
Justine's head shakes a little against the pillow and quietly says, "I don't know why he does these things, Vincent and I don't know why he insists on guarding me so closely." She then sighs and whispers, "I once understood him....a long time ago, when we were in love...." her head shakes a little, "But now....I don't know him anymore and he won't let me get to know him."
Justine's eyes lower and she adds, "And I don't want to know someone who seems to get pleasure out of being so cold hearted and cruel."
Cromwell pats Justine's hand, "Justine, listen to what you are saying. 'You used to understand him' 'I don't know why..' 'I don't know him anymore' Perhaps he thinks the same things. The two of you are not the same people who fell in love. You have both changed. Maybe you both need to be reintroduced to what the other has become?"
Hesakaya hurries into the lady's quarters. "Lord chancellor Cromwell. Had i known of your arrival I would've greeted you in person."
Justine's eyes show the betrayal and hurt as she jerks her hand out of yours, "I don't /want/ to know what he's become. I don't like what I have seen. How can you sit there and defend him when you don't know?" She looks away from him and quietly mutters, "You're just like the Emperor."
Cromwell looks slightly taken aback, confusedly nods to the Ginaz Mentat, then turns back to the bed, "I am not defending him, Justine. I merely offer my support. If you truely do not wish to know the man whom you admit you once loved that is your choice. All that I am saying is that before you say he does not understand you, you understand him. People change, it is a fact of our existance. No matter how much you try time works its magic on all of us. Sometimes we like the changes, sometimes we do not. So my question is, what changes has time made to you?"
Justine ponders your words, searching inside herself and wondering what has changed about her....
Hesakaya notices the private discussion and remains quiet. Quietly he closes the doors behind him, making sure the guards are still the menhe picked for the duty before turning. "As you can see the lady Justine is been well taken care for, despite the..unfortunate incident."
Cromwell turns his head and furrows his brow, "Accident indeed. She drove a dagger into her chest."
Hesakaya says, "incident lord chancelor, not accident. There /is/ a difference there..."
Justine remains silent, still thinking about Cromwell's loaded question and listening to the Mentat's discuss the situation.
Cromwell nods in agreement, "Yes, there is difference. I trust that messures are being taken to ensure that this sort of thing doesn't happen again?"
Justine grumbles and mutters, "My 'Shadow' has stripped me of my protection, if that is what you are asking."
Hesakaya says, "her 'shadow', as she calls him, will see to it she will come to no harm."
Cromwell says, "Oh I see. He will police the words the Marquis uses now? For I am sure you see that the dagger was not the weapon employeed here. No indeed, the cause of this was not the piece of metel driven into her heart but something far more dangerous."
Hesakaya says, "As you lord chancellor, in the end, we got to obey the orders of our lord. We have counciled him as far as he will listen, but in the end his decision is to be followed. I cannot break the faufreluches over this."
Justine's brow rises slightly, in curiosity and slight surprise, at Cromwell but stays quiet, just listening.
Cromwell nods in agreement, "No I do not suppose that you could. That is the whole crux of the situation. What may I ask are the Marquis orders concerning this situation?"
Hesakaya says, "So far to make sure that no harm comes to her and that she's to be treated with all honours given to a consort and member of the imperial family."
Justine snaps in anger, 'I am /NOT/ his consort!!'
Justine frowns heavily in sadness and mutters, "And there has been nothing said about being treated as a member of the Royal Family, if that were true, then I would not be treated as a prisoner. I would have some privacy around here."
Cromwell says, "Indeed, Are consorts customarily restricted in their movements, subjected to observation at even the most private moments, and denied the rights which even the lowest Harkonnen peon enjoys? It seems that you have conflicting orders for you can not ensure that no harm comes to her while at the same time perpetuate the situation which caused this in the first place."
Hesakaya says, "She is not at all restricted to her quarters as far as my knowledge goes. the only thing keeping her here are the suk's orders to ensure a speedy recovery. As you can read in his reports she attempted to move yesterday under the influence of a dream and this reopened the wounnd. Letting her move about right now would mean we protract the healing process or worse..."
Cromwell turns toward Justine, "Is this true my lady?"
Justine's eyes move to Cromwell and asks, "Which part? Only some is."
Cromwell says, "Which parts are true and which are false?"
Justine sighs a little and then says, "I am only restricted to my quarters because of the Suk's orders and yes, I reinjured myself yesterday because of a...." she looks a bit confused, "well...I don't know what it was, it seemed so real." Her head shakes a little, "but even if I were allowed to leave my quarters, my 'Shadow' has to accompany me. I tried to compromise with the Mentat here, asking that I be free to roam about Ginaz grounds without need of an escort, yet if I were to leave the grounds, then I would allow 'Shadow' to come with me. But he informed me that it was per Steffan's orders and that he wasn't sure if it would be allowed. In fact, he said that it wasn't much of a compromise. I have begged my 'Shadow' and this Mentat on numerous occassions to leave so that I could have some privacy but they said that they could not, per Steffan's orders. Even if I am in need to use the bathroom, it must be inspected before I can and by the time /that/ happens, it's almost too late! I had to threaten 'Shadow's' life to get him to not be /in/ the room with me as I tended to myself."
Hesakaya says, "If the shadow does his work properly milady would never know he was there, would he not? And his record states he is one of the finest in the house, if not the entire empire."
Cromwell says, "Master I'rhanno, my original point remains. None of these security measures would be needed if the true cause of the situation were dealt with. I am sure I do not need to remind you of the lessons we both received about identification of original causes and the importance of addressing them rather than symptoms. So far I have heard about steps which treat the symptoms rather than a cure for the disease."
Hesakaya places his hands on his back slightly irritated. "the causes...have been identified and shown to the Marquis. He however insist we treat the symptoms....It is the order here that binds me, not the lack of knowledge..."
Cromwell says, "Ah but as you stated, his orders are ensure the Lady Justine's safty. One cannot do so effectivly by treating the symptoms. Regardless, When do the Suks expect that the Lady Justine will be able to move about?"
Justine snaps at Hesakaya, "I do not need someone to check the bathroom each and everytime I need to use it! And I do not need someone to sit at my bedside whilst I try to sleep. It seems as if the Marquis gets great pleasure out of allowing his swordmaster to see me completely bare while he does not! One would think that if anyone were to watch me change my clothes, it would be Steffan and not my Shadow!"
Cromwell nods slightly along with Justine's words.
Hesakaya says, "I can put a greater distance between the shadow and the lady, but his removal is the marquis' decision and his decision only. And as you have noticed since the lady Justine has been moved to the guest quarters she has had the room to herself."
Justine gasps slightly as her hand reaches to her chest. She bites on her lip, closing her eyes and tries to calm herself down.
Cromwell looks concerned, "Again I ask, how do the Suks judge her recovery?"
Hesakaya says, "if she stays in bed favourable. I am to recieve an update on their reports later today. However..if more dreams like yesterday's occur with every dream we set back the recovery process with at least 2 days."
Cromwell says, "Yes about this 'dream'. What are your findings about this?"
Hesakaya nods slowly. "Several avenues have presented themselves. the two most likely are a dream induced by stress and trauma or a waking dream...Both can be possible."
Justine looks sadly to Cromwell and hesitates before asking in a quiet tone, "Vincent...Ceile...is she..." Her eyes close briefly and then looks back to him again with a worried frown, "is she dead?"
Cromwell shakes his head, "No Justine she is fine, or at least as fine as she was when you last saw her."
Justine looks confused as her head shakes, "But....she was /here/....she was....I begged to go with her, but she said I couldn't, I had to stay....I talked to her, just as I'm talking to you...I saw her, just as I see you..."
Cromwell turns toward Hesakaya, "I wonder if you have noticed the significance of the Lady Aguilara as the object which appered in the dream. While I make no claims to being a Suk it would seem that the Lady Garamond dreamt of her because of feelings of isolation. Who better for the mind to conjure when it feels alone then ones best friend?"
Hesakaya nods. "this were true, but would not a friend offer comfort and solace in the ideas of the one dreaming? Not actively trying to discourage her from the venue she is intent on taking? This and the situation of the lady Aguilara makes me lean towards the waking dream."
Justine's eyes close tightly as she winces in pain again, it still there and growing stronger. Her hand clamps over the bandage as she softly pleads, "Vincent...help...please.."
Cromwell takes Justines free hand, "Here squeeze through the pain." He turns toward Hesakeya and says, "Get a Suk in here and give her some pain killers."
Hesakaya has already gotten out his communicator and is asking for a suk to come on the double before his brother mentat can request one.
Justine takes Cromwell's hand and bears down hard on it as her face contorts in pain.
Moments later, a Suk appears and asks, "Someone summoned for me, my Lords?"
Hesakaya says, "See to the lady. she is in great pain."
Hesakaya moves back towards the doors, closing them behind the suk and making sure none of the staff gets to see the lady Justine in this way.
The Suk bows slightly to Hesakaya and does as told, he mixes up a concoction for the pain and administers it to the woman saying, "She should be feeling better soon. Let her rest and do try to keep her calm, my Lords."
Cromwell thanks the Suk and leans over to Justine, "You rest now."
Justine looks up to Cromwell with a frown and quietly says, "I...will try...but it's so hard."
Cromwell smiles and nods, "I know. Just don't fight so hard. I come back an visit soon."
Justine smiles a little, the drugs beginning to take their affect, "Promise?" She asks in a soft and hopeful voice.
Cromwell smiles, "Promise."
Justine whispers as her eyes become heavy, "Thank....you...Vincent..."
Cromwell pats Justine's hand then turns toward Hesakaya, "Please continue to send reports on her progress to my office. And remember, bandaging a wound without removing the knife does little good."
Justine gives into the medication and falls into a heavy slumber.
Hesakaya nods with a grin. "ah yes...the problem is here not so much the blade as the suk who deems it neccesary it remains in place..and persuading this suk takes time...
Cromwell grins, "I suppose you are right. Well, I most be off. I have a meeting with delegation form Ix."
Cromwell bows and leaves
Hesakaya nods and sees the high chancelor out.
Cromwell walks to the southeast and passes through the Inlaid Doors.
Cromwell has left.