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Paulina blinks her eyes, brushing them too to usher the blur in her sight to go away. As her vision starts to clear, the patterns from the early 60s of the inn curtain take form. The curtain flutters, as if signaling the girl’s body to remember how cold the night is. Shiver runs through her and Paulina instinctively pulls the bed cover to better shield her nude body.
She glances to the window the curtain is attached to, an older woman stands there lost in thought. The air on the street is calm as it is past midnight and this inn isn’t close to the main crowded area, yet the figure is unmoving, eyeing what the younger woman thinks would be an empty street.
Paulina ditches her covers, walking bare towards the woman she recognizes everywhere. The dignity and sternness somehow never dim from that person, even now as she stops in front of her and tug the only clothing material covering the older woman.
“Lesage,” calls that woman, turning around as she follows the tug on the cuff of her shirt, “you’re up.”
Paulina answers that greeting with a small smile. She takes the liberty to clasp their hands together.
“Hofmann, or well, Greta,” Paulina moves closer to the older investigator, “we’re not on the clock and we just slept together, I think we can drop the last name basis here.”
Greta chuckles, small lines in her eyes crinkling as she grips Paulina tighter.
“That, we did.”
Paulina eyes her senior, then glances over where her eyes settle on the road underneath their 2 stories inn. A car just pulled over across the street. A man looking haggard comes out of the vehicle and stumbles to open the front door.
“It's three in the morning, do you reckon what he’s doing so late?”
“Night shift,” Greta answers clearly, “this area is close to the construction neighborhood after all.”
“Not a drunken man?” The junior investigator probes.
“No, I know a drunken man when I see one. It takes having a brother who drinks his stress away.”
Paulina giggles, “You’re being too harsh on Adler.”
“I wonder who influenced him at La Place. Besides, you’re one to say, Paulina.” Greta replies, giving her a side-eye.
“Yikes, okay, I’ll gather some courage to write to my brother…. someday.” Paulina grimaces.
A beat of silence. There’s a siren coming from far, blocks away that they don’t see any red and blue coloring the neighborhood. Another beat of silence as the siren drowns away.
“So… why are you up at three in the morning?” Paulina asks, turning to finally face Greta.
The senior meets her halfway, turning to face Paulina, hands still warmly clasped. Greta shakes her head.
“Nothing the matter,”
The older woman pulls a sigh, “just another personal issue to take care of.”
Paulina eyes her before nodding. She doesn’t pry further, knowing her place as merely a friend with some benefitting agreement on the side. She doesn’t feel any disappointment, but she does worry. Alas, this is not her place.
And so, she does what she can do, guiding her friend back to bed.
“I understand. I won’t ask any further. Just, come back to bed with me? We can buy lunch out today before coming back to the Foundation.”
Greta hums, recognizing sleepiness seeping back to the younger investigator. “Very well. Let’s head back in, you must be cold.”
Paulina chuckles, “It is a chilly mid-October morning. Cuddle me?”
Great smiles, “as you wish.”