needmetodoanyattacking | [PUMPKIN HOLLOW] Inbox

It's not uncommon for Dahlia to sleep in occasionally. On most days, she is awake like clockwork and ready for work, but every so often her sleep debt will catch up to her and she will be in bed well beyond the normal time. After all, there are many nights where Dahlia is up late reading or walking off a nightmare in a hidden corner of her strange old mansion or brooding at the cemetery. Ianto, having been welcomed into her home some months ago, is likely used to this routine by now.

However, on this particular morning, Dahlia remains in bed well into the afternoon. She sleeps until lunch and then cannot be bothered to rise from bed even after she wakes, and can still be found there while the sun begins to hang low in the sky. Comparatively, this is excessive.

Normally during "wellness breaks," Dahlia does not wish to be disturbed. However, this may be cause for Ianto to strong-arm his way into checking on her.

Ianto is well familiar with Dahlia’s routine, quirks, and peccadilloes. He’s more than willing to allow her a certain measure of hermitage when she deigns to stop on rare and precious occasions when she actually acknowledges her limitations. It can’t hurt, only help to allow her to lick her wounds in peace…and she always makes it worth his while to miss her a little.

But this isn’t a break. By the time late afternoon is flirting with evening, he’s well and truly concerned.

Still, he’s not unreasonable: rather than strong arm his way into her company, he makes good use of the kitchen’s limited resources and lets himself into her room with a tray of herbal tea and toast with some meager apricot preserves scrounged from the pantry and of only slightly questionable age.

“C’mon.” He instructs quietly, bringing the tray over and setting it on her bedside table. “We are sitting up in bed. Tea time, sweetheart. Boyfriend’s orders.”

Dahlia groans, but sits up. "Ugh, I think I'm sick... I've been feeling sluggish and dizzy all day."

...fuck, he was afraid of that.

"We're experiencing a severe food shortage, and you're very tiny." Ianto replies evenly, sitting on the mattress beside her. Reaching out, he takes her hand in his, then wraps his free hand around her wrist, fingertips touching, with room enough that he can move his hand most of the way up her forearm until the massive gap is filled.

"Adorable, delicate, lovely, and quite tough in spite of it...but of rather diminutive stature."

He pauses, leaning in to kiss her, then to kiss her forehead as he tries to mentally go through what precious little he knows of medical history...

"...have you ever seen the doctor about anemia, sweetheart?"

"I know I have anemia," she replies, rubbing her temple roughly and leaning into Ianto. "There's just not a whole lot to be done about it. Usually I eat a lot of meat to stave it off, but right now... Well. Hopefully Arthur will be by after he goes hunting, at least."

"Heard there's a couple of other hunters in town as well--blokes like me, came on the ferry." Ianto murmurs, pressing his lips to the crown of her head as she tucks herself into him. "Someone's got a communal potluck or some such in the works at the Oak & Iron--combining resources and all that."

There's also the matter of combining resources as well--namely, slipping his grocery allotment to the kitchens when Dahlia's not paying attention. He'll find a way to make do to ensure she's better fed.

"We'll need to get you more than just meat." he murmurs, half to himself and half to her as he wracks his brain for good dietary iron sources that he could find in a place like this. "More liver will help...some nuts, too, if we can find them. I'll speak to some of the fishermen as well, I've friends among them."

He leans back just enough to look into her face, running his fingers through her hair.

"Until then, I'd gently advise you to work from home. I'll bring you anything you like, if you'll stay in bed and sleep whenever possible. This is no longer a wellness day, you're properly sick. You need to see to that."

Dahlia's not hurting for money, she's just leaving as much as she can rather than buying up the markets. Being fair. The kitchen staff will inform Ianto of this, but they'll agree to make some adjustments on what they choose to stock to suit his directions. Turns out they listen to Ianto a lot more than Dahlia for this exact reason.

"Work from home...?" Not a common concept in this world, what with the lack of internet. "Mmm, that'll be a lot of running back and forth with paperwork for you... and with the snow picking up... Just make sure you take one of the horses, alright?"

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