#leoetta

She moves aside to let Bernadetta pass. Bernadetta has been in Leonie’s room a few times before, so she sits on the bed in what she has started to think of as her spot. Leonie sits beside her and holds out her right hand. It looks worse up close, Bernadetta decides with a wince. Blood oozes out of several knuckles, some of it resting in the crackles in Leonie's fingers, and there's even a few shallow splinters. Noticing her discomfort, Leonie lets out a nervous chuckle. "It's not as bad as it looks?" She tries. Bernadetta only nods and sets about unraveling the bandages she had brought. They sit in silence as Bernadetta cleans and wraps Leonie's hand. Bernadetta keeps her attention on her work until she hears a sniff, looking up to find Leonie with silent tears on her face. "Sorry." Leonie rubs at the tear tracks with her free hand. 

Still holding Leonie’s injured hand, Bernadetta summons her remaining courage. “Why did you do that?” She asks. It takes effort to not let her nerves take over and squeeze Leonie’s hand.

Leonie lets out a dry chuckle. “Why did I punch the support beam, you mean?”

“Y-Yeah.”

“Because I can’t run after Captain Jeralt’s murderers. I can’t go kill Monica, or whoever that was.” Leonie wipes away more tears. “I can’t focus on school work and I can’t sleep so. I punch stuff.” A wet smile appears that makes Bernadetta want to cry too. 

“I’m sorry.” It’s the only reply Bernadetta can think of. 

Leonie snorts, eyes falling to the side. “Don’t be. It was a stupid thing to do. It didn’t even make me feel better.”

Bernadetta rubs her thumbs over Leonie’s bandaged knuckles. She doesn’t think killing Monica would make Leonie feel better either. Nothing short of Jeralt miraculously coming back would make Leonie feel better, Bernadetta suspects. 

“How did you meet him? Jeralt.” Bernadetta clarifies unnecessarily.

“He came to my village to scare off some poachers.” Leonie’s lip quirks up. “You should’ve seen him. He rode them down like they were nothing, fierce and strong-- and then when he spoke to us villagers, he was so kind.” More tears follow that but Leonie goes on. “That’s the kind of mercenary I want to be. He was a nightmare to those guys, but kind and reassuring to us.”

Bernadetta tries to smile herself. “I-I think you can do it! I used to think you were really scary, but now I know you’re really nice. I think you can be just like Jeralt!”

Leonie purses her lips. Swallows. “Thanks,” she says, voice cracking. A sob escapes her.

This isn’t what Bernadetta had planned at all. She feels partially responsible and altogether flustered as Leonie covers her face with her free hand and her shoulders begin shaking. 

Letting go of Leonie’s hand, Bernadetta shifts forward to hold her in an awkward side hug instead. She’s about to apologize again but Leonie holds her back, pressing her face into Bernadetta’s shoulder and letting out another sob. 

For long moments, Leonie cries and Bernadetta lets her. Even after her knees cramp from her position on the bed, even after her jacket sleeve turns into a mess of tears and snot, Bernadetta stays.

Leonie calms sometime after the dinner bell rings out. She sniffs, sighs, and leans away from Bernadetta. “You think I’m really nice?” She asks in a hoarse voice. 

“Now I do, yeah.”

This smile is small, but it makes Leonie’s tear-stained, exhausted face light up. “I’m glad. Thank you, Bernadetta.”