#thelocked tomb

[breeeliss]

#LockedTombtober Day 6: Animal

a/n: short one today. life is busy and sucky so im falling further behind but oh well, you’ll just keep getting these into november

also i feel like i write in gideon’s POV a lot but it’s bc gideon’s brain is my brain lol

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day 6: animal

griddlehark

// 

she names the stupid thing Stasia which is way more than it deserves. 

a mean tomb rat shouldn’t have such a regal name, but of course if Harrow is going to give anything a name it’s going to be the most ninth house name on the planet. and of course something that mean is going to adore Harrow. 

pets aren’t a thing in the ninth house because a pleasant existence isn’t a thing in the ninth house. it’s impossible for weak things to survive. rats are about the only things that persist in spite of the odds, and it’s always been an annoyance. they nip at your fingers if your hand dangles over the edge of your cot, and sometimes you’ll turn a dark Drearburh corner and accidentally find a small colony of them. they’re not enjoyable, and the only thing that keeps Gideon from stomping on them is that they might jump her in retaliation.

but Stasia is incomprehensibly tame, settled on Harrow’s shoulders as she stalks through the halls and hidden in her pockets as Harrow runs daily service. at meals, Harrow spills droplets of snow leek soup onto the waxy surfaces of the table for Stasia to lap up, and when Gideon passes by Harrow’s study, Stasia is curled up on one of her piss old books. it’s small in comparison to the bigger, nastier rats you find in the bowels of the castle, and has fur that’s a vivid, deep black. it always reminds Gideon of what Harrow would look like if she were a rat. 

but that’s not even the annoying part. the annoying part is that Harrow is a massive, raging, fantabulous bitch. a bitch that sneers, picks fights for no reason, scratches your eyes out as kids when you fight, and does nasty shit like get skeletal constructs to push Gideon down the last six steps of a steep staircase. and yet somehow, Harrow often pets Stasia gently with just the tip of her index finger and actually smiles when the thing lifts its head to meet it. somehow, Harrow makes a point to keep small bits of food scraps in her pockets to feed Stasia without even a thought. at this point, Gideon wouldn’t be surprise if the damn thing sleeps in Harrow’s room. 

Harrow treats a fucking rat with more kindness than she treats Gideon. 

not that Gideon needs Harrow’s kindness. she’ll sooner take a sword to the gut than bother with pining for something from someone so terrible. but it nags at her. it nags at her mostly because Gideon had gone through their whole life thinking Harrow a literal psychopath. knowing now that there’s softness in Harrow’s touch -- knowing that she fusses, cares, and smiles -- is excruciating. 

so there was an honest moment where Gideon considers leaving the rat alone when she discovers its leg pinched in the rusted hinge of a door -- probably too slow racing through the gap before the wind blew it shut. its a weak, small thing that would’ve probably died had Harrow not been taking care of it. survival of the fittest and all that when it comes to the ninth house. 

but the pained squeaking makes Gideon’s heart shrivel, and she swoops in to save the stupid thing. 

Stasia doesn’t bite and doesn’t wriggle. she lets Gideon take her to the kitchens to steal whatever flimsy is left in the dusty cabinets and wrap it around her leg with clumsy fingers. Gideon isn’t sure if it’s enough to make sure it doesn’t die from the injury, but Stasia’s nose nudges against Gideon’s palm, so she hopes it’s enough for now. she plucks whatever crumbs are left in her pockets and holds it out for Stasia to nibble on. 

and that’s how Harrow finds her, on the floor of the kitchens and tending to her pet. she’s not breathless or panicked, but there’s a pinch in her already pointed face. her eyes pause on Gideon and Stasia and her shoulders, which were already bunched when she sees Gideon’s face, drop with relief. 

“you found her...” Harrow breathes out. 

Gideon cups her hands around Stasia’s body and holds her out. “her leg was pinched in a door. i wrapped it as best I could, but if you have some spooky, creepy necromancy shit up your sleeve that’d be nice.” 

maybe Gideon shouldn’t judge Harrow for scrambling to pull Stasia in her hands and checking her over like her parents never did for her. it’s so hard to find things that love you back in this awful place. Drearburh, as much as Harrow puts her literal life blood into keeping it alive, shows no interest in returning the favor. but a mangy little tomb rat does. it would be pathetic if Gideon didn’t somehow also understand that need. 

Gideon locks eyes with Harrow who looks like she might have a compliment sitting on her tongue that seems more pleasant to chew over rather than speak aloud. but Harrow does something else that Gideon thinks may actually be worse -- she lays a hand on Gideon’s head and gently brushes her fingers through her locks so briefly that Gideon wondered if it was a hunger hallucination. but as Harrow turns her back, she leaves Gideon with a small whisper before rushing out. 

“I appreciate you taking care of her.” 

it’s so hard to find things that love you back in this awful place. so Gideon can only be angry with herself as her chest tightens delightfully at the newest glimpse of kindness hidden somewhere deep in Harrowhark Nonagesimus. 

[draculaflow3]

i started reading some of thelocked tomb and man. the stench of homestuck is just all over this. i don’t know if i can do this y’all