There has to be about a zillion descriptions trying to explain a hangover. Sickness in the stomach, multiple answers to nature's call, and of course the very popular throbbing headache. Though many have said they see dancing dolphins which might be used for this purpose.
A little ache here and a little soreness there if legs aren't closed properly the night before. The truth is there's no description for a crazy hangover.
"Mmm," Mabel moaned, throwing up inside the bowl in front of her, with her hand holding her aching head.
Harriet poured more water on the girl's head, patting her back. When she felt her own sickness rising, she turned her face and threw up on the other side.
A lot had happened during the Festival of Maidens and the result was showing just a wick before dawn.
"We have to mmm," Mabel moaned, rubbing her stomach. "To...go to mistress," the girl threw up again, this time falling down to her knees.
Jenna didn't stay long in her paradise of dancing dolphins, she rolled down the bed with a loud thud.
"Ow," Jenna winced, rubbing her leg that had hit the foot of the bed on the ground. She wanted to stand up properly and use the bathroom but her head felt too heavy that her body couldn't even lift it.
Jenna crawled, not crawling on her fours but literally dragging her body to the bathroom. It's been a while since she actually drowned herself with wine and she didn't even know why she had done it. It was rare for her to act out.
Tired of crawling or rather slithering since she wasn't on her fours, Jenna turned her body, her eyes staring at the ceiling which now felt way too close.
"My head," Jenna groaned. She wanted to rub her head but her hands were too heavy to even move up. She felt handicapped, like a child that needed to be bathed, fed and dressed. She couldn't move her own body at her own will.
"Mmm," Jenna placed her hand in between her thighs and squeezed. She really needed to pee so bad but that would start if she could stand up and move.
Trying again, Jenna dug her teeth into her arm to try getting rid of the numbness she felt but it was futile.
"Lady Jenna?" Harriet and Mabel knocked at the door, placing their ears closer.
Jenna let out a sigh of relief, "Open...the door...I can't move," Jenna slurred that even her words were heavy in the air. Like her teeth had melted and now become one with her tongue.
"What did you say Mistress?" Harriet leaned closer, the only one who felt even better. She hadn't taken too much of the wine shared.
Mabel still had her eyes heavy and her whole body aching. She carried the clothes while Harriet carried the warm water in a basin.
"I feel....like I'm dying." Jenna groaned with her full strength.
Harriet pushed her hand through the hole made on the door in the case of emergency and she tried to unbolt the door. The girl paused and blinked.
The door wasn't even bolted from the inside, she moved back and looked closely. Someone had locked it from the outside. It wasn't time to deliberate over the who. Harriet unlocked the door and rushed inside.
"My Lady," she dropped the basin carefully not to spill water and rushed to Jenna's side, helping her to sit up, then moving Jenna's hand around her shoulder.
"Pee...I need to pee," Jenna tightened her hand around her thigh. It was embarrassing to be helped like this but she needed not to embarrass herself more by doing it with her clothes on.
Harriet rushed Jenna inside the bathroom leaving Mabel who still struggled to walk through the ground that wasn't dipping in her eyes.
Soon the two girls and Jenna were inside the bathroom. Jenna felt a little better, sitting inside the bath filled with warm water. She had thrown up more times than she counted and now she just felt really hungry.
Mabel sat on the stool with her hand holding up her face while Harriet washed Jenna's back with a wash cloth.
"I'm so sorry I had to put you girls through this," Jenna apologized, feeling really bad.
Harriet shook her head, the girl didn't see serving Jenna as a chore. "This is how we are supposed to serve you but you never let us...you never let us repay your kindness."
The young girl sighed, she could never thank Jenna enough for saving her life. From an abusive home, Jenna had found her hungry on the street and had taken her in as one of her family.
"Kindness shouldn't be repaid Harriet," Jenna said with a smile. "If kindness is repaid, then it's no longer kindness but a favor."
The young girl hummed thoughtfully, before she continued to wash her mistress carefully. Getting to Jenna's neck, Harriet raised her hair gently and something fell off into the bath.
Jenna dipped her hand inside the water and found it, raising it up.
"You got a hairpin my lady!" Harriet dropped the wash cloth and gasped. "It's...a silver cherry blossom ...isn't that only for those from the royal family?"
Jenna turned the hairpin around, it was indeed one of very high quality. Barely any merchant around sold it.
"Do you know the man?" Curious Harriet chirped, so happy for her mistress. The proof was in her lips that remained open.
Jenna touched her hair and then looked at the hairpin. So many events had happened the previous night and she couldn't remember who gave her the hairpin, all she could remember was...
"Rhane..."
Harriet leaned closer, "Is that the man's name?"
Jenna frowned, "No no...Anne is Rhane,"
Harriet's mouth proceeded to widen more, this time not in smile but in shock. "His name is Rhane?"
"Mmhm, I remember Archie called him Rhane," Jenna nodded slowly, then returned her attention to the hairpin.
"I don't know how this appeared on my hair..." Jenna's voice trailed, she turned her body around.
"You girls didn't drink so much like me, did you? Those men love to devour helpless innocent maidens."
Harriet sighed, "I drank a little and returned home myself but..." she turned, "Mabel didn't return home until this morning and she has a hairpin."
"She has?" Jenna smiled, happy that one of her girls had actually caught a man's attention. "Who is he?"
Mabel raised her eyes, "I...I don't remember," her eyes brimmed with tears.
"My Lady, I can't remember anything that happened last night."
A line crossed Jenna's forehead, "That's fine...you have a hairpin, I'm sure a man would come for you. And as long as he didn't touch you then you're safe."
Mabel swallowed hard, "I don't remember anything but...when I woke up. I saw blood...on my inner....and it hurts."
"Oh dear me," Jenna held her chest, her eyes closed. The girl had been used by those wicked men. Jenna's heart squeezed with pain.
Harriet bit her nails nervously, "My Lady....what is going to happen to Mabel...will she never find a young man and has to settle for an old man?"
Panic surged in the heart of both girls, especially Mabel who couldn't deal with reality.
"No..." Jenna muttered, "First...we find the owner of the hairpin. He should know something."