Corruption of Ambition | Sejanus Plinth

Thirteen

Riyana was discharged from the hospital the following afternoon, on the premises that she would restrain from any serious physical activity. When she arrived back at the family's apartment, it was empty except for Laura, one of the family's maids.

"Miss Beatrice is out with friends, I'm not sure when she'll be back." Laura informed Riyana when she asked about her sister's whereabouts.

"Would Miss Riyana like me to draw a bath?" Laura asked.

Riyana knew this was her way of telling her she looked filthy. It was true, she could definitely use a bath. Riyana nodded and mumbled a thanks. Riyana sat on a bar stool in the kitchen as she waited.

She had been hoping for Beatrice to be home, she had spent too much time alone with her thoughts in the past twos. Besides Sejanus' visit the only other person to come check on her had been Lysistrata who had only stopped by for about five minutes.

When the bath was ready, Riyana slipped off her clothes and took a couple of moments to examine herself in the mirror. She really did look awful - her curls were now matted knots coated in dirt and ash, heavy bags sat underneath her irritated eyes, and the meals she had been skipping for the past week left her body feeling disproportionate to her bones. If it weren't for the fact that she needed to clean up desperately, she would've turned off the lights to hide from herself.

As Riyana gingerly dipped one foot into the steaming bath, a surge of memories from the post-explosion heat flashed through her mind, causing her to flinch. With a deep breath, she closed her eyes and slowly let the other foot follow suit, experiencing a mix of comfort and disgust at the intense burning sensation engulfing her.

Riyana remained motionless in the bath, forgoing any attempt to cleanse herself as she folded into a fetal position, drawing her knees up to her chest. The fatigue that gripped her was so profound that tears refused to come, yet the oppressive weight that pressed upon her chest made each breath an arduous task.

When she finally felt too emotionally worn out to feel the despair weighing down on her she opened her bottle of shampoo and squeezed out a generous amount. She sat and scrubbed until her scalp grew raw and was on the brink of bleeding. Finally, feeling satisfied, she plunged her head underneath the water.

By the time Riyana finally left the bathroom, dressed, it had been two hours past the time she stepped into the bath. Her skin had felt raw from the hot water and she felt irritated at the clothes sticking to her wet skin. She could not wait a moment more though, she had to get out, out of the apartment, out of the bubble of her own thoughts.

It was a different avox that answered when Riyana knocked on the door, and she was instructed to wait in the waiting area. She had been picking at the skin around her fingers, considering turning back and going home, she didn't even know what she was doing there.

Ma was the one to eventually come into the room, "Oh Ana dear, I'm glad to see you doing better." She had looked so exhausted, and Riyana felt guilty for taking up any of this family's minds when the games themselves were obviously weighing heavy enough on them.

"I can't thank you enough for your hospitality recently, you've turned Sejanus into my saving grace in the hospital." Riyana replied formally.

Ma smiled warmly at her, "I wish he would have told me
you're coming. Seems he's lost track of time."

Riyana shook her head and felt even stupider for showing up. "He doesn't know I'm here. I just showed up, I can leave if that's not okay, I honestly don't even know why I'm here." The words spewed out of her so quickly.

Ma reached out and placed a gentle hand on her arm, "I'm sure he'll be glad to see you. He's just gone to visit Coriolanus in the hospital, but he'll be back any moment."