[@Wick]

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Adelina had been prepared for a lot of things, but Orren's state of dress when he turned to meet her gaze was not one of them. She bit down on her lip to stifle her laughter but the barest shaking of her shoulders indicated her withheld mirth. She was silent for several moments before she gathered herself together and trusted herself to not burst into laughter when she spoke. [color=ed1c24]"The look suits you."[/color] She said with a slight wobble to her tone that she refused to let turn into laughter. She coughed slightly as she turned to the little girl she now knew to be Emmie. [color=ed1c24]"It's very nice to meet you Emmie, my name is Adelina."[/color] She said with a smile. [color=ed1c24]"You did a very good job with Orren's make-up. I'm not very good with make-up you see, so maybe later you can show me how you did such a fantastic job?"[/color] A throat was cleared behind her and she turned, spying the doctor hovering in the doorway. When he meet her gaze he beckoned her over. She hurried over, concerned eyes staring up at him. Before she begin asking what was wrong, the doctor took her gently by the elbow and steered her from the room.

He heaved a sigh before he began speaking in hushed tones. [color=fff79a]"I've finished my examination of your father...There's no delicate way of saying this but I am afraid that he is dying. His illness has progressed too far for treatment to be of any help."[/color] Adelina could feel the color drain from her otherwise pale face and when she spoke, it felt like it took an eternity for the words to leave her lips. [color=ed1c24]"But..The medicine-"[/color] [color=fff79a]"Helps keep the pain at bay, but it does not cure nor stop his illness. I'm afraid at this point, nothing will. The only thing we can do now is make him as comfortable as possible. He is awake now, if you wish to see him."[/color] He placed a hand on her shoulder in comfort and walked away. 

Adelina stood there for several moments, as if her feet were frozen to the ground. When she did move, it was halting, as if she were going to fall down at any moment. The journey up the stairs and to her fathers door seemed to take forever and when she reached out to turn the handle, she froze. She knew, once she stepped in this room, her whole world was going to change and she wasnt sure she was ready for that. Wasnt sure she was ready to say good-bye. But she also knew that Death was coming no matter how much she tried to stall the inevitably. So she turned the handle and stepped inside, unable to coax a smile onto her face; her father would see right through it anyway. 

He was laying on the bed, looking more fragile than any other time she's seen him. He gazed at her as she took a seat next to his bed, trying to find the right words. [color=39b54a]"I've known for quite some time that this would be my last winter."[/color] Adelina clenched her hands into fists as the words burst out of her. [color=ed1c24]"But you can't leave us, we need you!"[/color] Her father smiled and reached out to cup her cheek. [color=39b54a]"Adelina, my sweet. You haven't needed me for quite some time. You and Ciel have grown up before my very eyes. And I couldn't be prouder. It's my time to go dear, but even if I my physical body is gone, I will still be with you. In here."[/color] He pressed a hand above her heart. She gently held his hand between both of her own, bending down until her forehead touched his wrinkled skin. They sat in silence, until her fathers breathing deepened and he fell back asleep. 

Adelina rose from her chair and pressed a kiss to his temple, before exiting the room. As soon as the door clicked gently shut, she was running. Down the stairs, racing past the ballroom. She thought she might have heard James cry out her name but it didn't stop her as she stumbled outside. She ran around the side of the house and disappeared into the gardens, twinging through the head-tall rose bushes until she was deep inside the maze where she collapsed onto a bench and let out the keening cry she had been holding in all this time. Tears now rushed down her cheeks and splattered against her arms. She hadn't grabbed her cloak on her dash out the door and even though she was wearing a long-sleeved dress, she didn't feel the cold. didn't feel much of anything except for a deep ache inside of her.