Regardless of how much one enjoyed reading it wasn’t exactly ideal to do for... potentially as long as Alexandra currently had been. She’d always been quite the victim of the ‘just-one-more’ syndrome, books included, because who KNEW if just what she was looking for, just what would bring that inciting breakthrough was right on the next page and if she stopped here then it could be a few more hours t’ill she picked back up where she was! 

Twiddling a feathered quill between her fingers, a sigh left her. How long had she been doing this again? It was becoming more an effort to even remember exactly what she was trying to find again... another twirl of the pen between her fingers as her gaze drifted to the bookshelf across the room.

She knew it was a shield of some kind, that much was clear; if she took more than a few moments to recall she could at least bring up the details of what it was surmised to do too, wasn't like her to just go after a simple shield after all.

Maybe some kind of other book could help her out here... alas, the choice to swap her reading material out for something more helpful would just have to wait because Gods why couldn't she focus right now? It was like every little thing in her quarters was pinging her, desperate for her unwavering attention. 

 "... Mn. Hey Mom?" 

Seems like the surroundings weren't the only thing wanting her attention.

And they weren't going to win an attention fight against her daughter, neither.

 "What's going on pup, you doin' alright?" Last she'd checked Quill was comfortably dozing on her bed all curled up in a cosy little ball, it was chilly outside, she couldn't blame the young Firbolg for wanting more warmth.

"Yeah..." A small pout crossed her features, tilted her head back ever so slightly and gazing across the room for a moment, starting to rock back and forth on her heels. "What're you working on?" Her motions were stopped almost instantly, it was so easy to forget that the child in front of her was a mere 8 year old; evidenced more by how effortlessly she was able to rest her arms across the arm rest of Alexandra's chair without having to even try to shift onto her tiptoes.

As Quill rested her head on her arms, Alexandra sighed. "Something that's stumping me, that's for sure." 

"Mn..." 

Alexandra's brow quirked... followed by a soft, almost teasing smile graced her features "There something the matter? So much noise all of a sudden! Weren't you just asleep, why whatever could be causing my little sweetheart to be so vocal after seeming so comfy!" 

That smile only grew as she watched Quill tilted her head and rest it sideways against her own arms. "'m still sleepy..."

"Oh? I'm so sorry if I woke you Quill, do you want to head back to sleep?"

"No... y'didn't... Can I-" She was cut off by a small yawn, pressing her cheek down against the fur on her arms; slowly blinking. "Can I come up there with you?" 

Huh... Not exactly what she was expecting, but not an unusual request either. It'd be a tad harder to focus with Quill on her lap but she was already struggling so why not? Spinning her bolted chair around slow, just so Quill wouldn't lose where she was leaning her weight, her smile lost its more sinister edge. "I don't see why not, come on then."

Though instead of Quill clambering up to settle on her lap she was met soft, fuzzy arms being raised towards her. 

Another quirked brow was shot her way. "Quill... Come on, you can get up here yourself, can't you?" 

"But... 'm tired... and its so much bigger than me..." 

Gods almighty she knew what voice to put on to sweeten the deal. That was frankly not fair. "I've seen you clamber up here before! Don't you try pulling that pouty face with me, pup, It won't work! C'mon!" to accent, she gave a pat to her lap instead. She couldn't just fall victim to the gaze of a child so easily- 

"... Please?"

Hmn. Well. Fuck. 

"... Alright, Alright, hold on." Quill was admittedly fairly heavy, it wasn't as if Alexandra was specifically weak but... she wasn't Florence. Trying to be as gentle as she could, her hands slid beneath the others arms, heaving her up with some effort, though thankfully Quill picked up most of the slack and once airborne was easily able to shift herself onto Alexandra's lap. 

Her head immediately flopped against Alexandra's chest, squishing her ear a little as she pulled her knees up close and Alex couldn't stop the soft laugh from leaving her at the sight. "Comfy, huh?"

"Mhm... you're warm..." 

"Oh. I see how it is" Quill's eyes had been squeezed shut a moment prior but were quickly flicked open as she heard a certain tone grace her mothers voice, glancing up at her with confusion. "No, no. Don't say anything my dear, I see that you only want up here because I'm warm. Well Quill, quite frankly that hurts you know? I'm more than just a comfy spot for you, aren't I?" 

As cruel as it might be, Alexandra couldn't stop the amount of glee bubbling up in her chest from the confusion swapping to alarm in the others expression. "No!!! I wanted up here to be with you too!! Not just cause of that!" 

Another, more vocal laugh left at her the sight, her free hand coming down to cradle Quill for a moment as she lent forward to place her feathered pen back down on the desk. "I'm only playing around with you, sweetheart, I know, I know. I'm always happy to have you up here."

To accent her forgiveness she began to comb her hand through Quill's hair, as gently as she could, leaning back in her seat to watch as the other sulk at the realisation, turning her head completely with a little dramatic huff and staring at the door across the way. "Oh I'm sorry hun, won't you ever forgive me?" 

There was a very distinct kind of silence Quill was giving her right now as she glanced away from her, Alexandra already knew her response; she didn't need Quill's words, if she was truly upset she would've been off of her lap within seconds. Idly stroking her hair, Alex took a moment to try and return to what she was doing. It was, as mentioned prior, a tad more difficult with a young diva cuddled up on her lap but... She was the captain of this ship and such hardships she could manage. 

Though it didn't take long for Quill to break the silence again. "Mom?..." 

"Mn? I am a little busy sweetheart, whats up? I thought you were tired?" 

"I am... still. but... you look really tired too, can you sleep with me?"

It was an odd feeling, having a sudden moment of revelation being delivered from an 8 year old but by the Gods there it was! Her head turned to the semi-circle window she had resting at the back of her quarters, the sun was on its way down and covering the room in a soft glow. 

She was tired. 

No wonder she couldn't focus, she could've sworn it'd been only noon moments prior!  She'd been up so early this morning too... with little sleep the night prior. That explained a fair bit. That was surely enough of an excuse for her to take a break for now. 

The lack of response seemed to garner concern for the younger of the two as she spoke up, catching Alex's attention. 

"Hmn? Sorry sweetheart, you know, you're right, I am quite tired." 

"Mhm! I told you so! So, can we?" 

"... Maybe we could rest for a little bit, though only if the little lady on my lap can get down without being carried. I'd rather rest on the bed, 'm not too fond of sleeping in chairs, not when there's not a comfy lap for me to settle on anyhow."

Quill was already down on the floor before Alexandra could finish, though the last part of her sentence clearly caught Quill's attention as her ears shot up, quickly taking Alexandra's hand between her own and tugging softly. "I know!! We can go get Florence, then you can stay on the chair! Stay there I can go find her!!” 

Pausing for a solid moment as she took a second to register exactly what Quill was suggesting a rather loud laugh followed suit as she slowly stood up, much to Quill’s displeasure."As much as I'm certain Florence would love that, she's most likely busy right now sweetheart, so I think it'll just be us for the time being."

There wasn't really time to properly stretch as Quill was already leading her over to the bed, there was a moments pout at the mention of Florence not joining the pair but that's all it was, just a momentary thing. Didn't stop Alexandra from smiling regardless. 

Taking a second to remove and fold her precious coat as well as step out of her needlessly ornate boots, she was quick to move onto her bed and lean back against the headboard, sighing softly as tension partially fled from her shoulders; finally letting herself relax after a good few hours of what was essentially overworking herself. 

Though before she could truly settle she was met with a rather de-ja-vu inducing sight. Quill, holding her arms outright, despite being a good bit taller than where the bed stopped. Alexandra gave her a look. 

"Quill, you cannot be serious, you are so much taller than this bed; physically lifting you would not do anything." 

What she was not expecting was the pleased look coating Quill's face as she immediately pulled herself up onto the bed with a laughable amount of effort, settling next to Alexandra swiftly. "Nope! 'm not serious, that was 'cause you were mean to me!"