*Just a simple stroll through Castille.*

Ophelia is hidden in a corner of the garden, out of sight of the constantly milling staff and soldiers that are present during the day. But every one of them knows where she is, and is quick to point her out, since Dalt isn't home.

Erika walks along, smiling in thanks and going in that direction; slender fingers snap a few leaves from a mint-like sprig as she strolls through the garden, before sifting through purse to find her case of cigarettes and a lighter.

Erika clears her throat delicately when she gets closer, though she's not trying to sneak up.

Ophelia is curled up on curving bench with a broad back, on pillows that surely don't belong out here, covered in impractical velvet, with bits of down escaping their seams. A mug of something steaming is held tightly between both her hands. "Hello, Erika."

Erika smiles, and says, "Hey, Ophelia. Mind if I join you?" She tilts her head to the side, as if trying to smell what might be in the mug. "Those pillows look comfy."

Ophelia covers the top of the mug with her hand as she shifts around a little, making more room so that Erika can sit with her. "You know you're welcome."

Erika sits down then and says, "Thanks. I just hate presuming." She smiles again, slightly, biting and chewing on a piece of mint and then tasting the smoke through it as she lights a cigarette. "Watcha drinking?"

Ophelia sips from the mug before she answers, "A sort of seed tea. I taught the cook how to make it."

Erika ohs, making sure the smoke is blown away from Ophelia before she turns to look back at her. "You look comfy. Taking a day from frolicking, to, um. Pillow frolick?" Humor rich in her tone, as she adds, "Can I try a little?"

Ophelia looks down at the cup, fingers tightening possessively as she thinks about it for a moment, before hesitantly offering Erika the cup. "I was out late, so I haven't been up long. This is sort of breakfast."

Erika takes the cup slowly, not wanting to elicit a tea-retracting response from Ophelia. "Nothing wrong with a liquid breakfast." She takes a sip, rolling the taste around and offering the mug back carefully. For those who may or may not note, her ring is even cleaner than when it was given to her. She's probably been polishing it.

Ophelia watches Erika's face as she takes the cup back from her. The tea is pungent, too strong, and with decidedly opium qualities. "I'll eat something later, but I couldn't stand the thought of hashbrowns and eggs this morning."

You say "I can't stand the thought of hashbrowns and eggs almost anytime." Her face lights up as she grins, any thoughts on the tea taken casually, inhaling and exhaling smoke as she says, "I like the tea."

Ophelia smiles slowly at the comment, "Dalt's favorite breakfast. You want a cup of this?"

Erika shakes her head slightly, and says, "Maybe later? This cigarette's kind of loaded, I'm afraid what that and the tea would do to me after I get this stoned." She shifts, making room to curl her legs under herself. "Surprised Dalt drinks it."

Ophelia wrinkles her nose. "Dalt eats the hashbrowns. The tea is mine, and he hasn't tasted it."

Erika's smile is the slow one this time. "That makes more sense." Slow, but still warm. "I doubt he'd like it anyway."

Ophelia nods a little, settling more comfortably amongst the pillows. "You know what he likes to eat when he gets hurt? When I would get him anything he could even imagine?"

You say "Meat and steak fries?" She rests her head against the hand not holding a cigarette, her eyes already relaxing slightly and becoming a bit dreamy. "I have no clue. What's he like to eat when he gets hurt?"

Ophelia says with a silly smile, "Beef jerky. With bourbon."

Erika blinks; she's too elegant to choke on smoke. She coughs delicately, a wide, toothy but not aggressive grin, druggy eyes widening again. "No way." A giggle, and she says, "I would never have guessed."

Ophelia nods firmly. "Oh yeah. That's what he asked for last time."

"I just can't, I mean I can imagine him injured, I just never thought of it. He just seems, you know. Invulnerable. When Wolfe broke my hand, nearly chopped it in two, he told me to wrap it and get moving." She opens her hand and looks at it, cigarette smoke hazing nothing, as there's no scar. Erika glances up at Ophelia and says, "Jerkey and bourbon." There's an endless amusement in that. She shakes her head with a grin before her neck tilts her to look up and exhale smoke at the sky.

Ophelia turns her face away, looking out over the rest of the garden. "In the nearly three decades we've been together, he's been hurt maybe three times, to where he couldn't easily keep going."

Erika finishes the cigarette, pausing to look for a place to put it out while finding another mint leaf in her grasp to chew on. "That's not that often, which is good."

Ophelia adds, "One of those was because of me."

Erika pauses, and offers after a moment, "The track record's in your favor?"

Ophelia's forehead wrinkles as she looks at Erika. "Hmm?"

You say "Two times you weren't responsible?" She smiles with a surprising amount of apology, finding some plant to look at. "Something I shouldn't have made light of."

Ophelia lifts her shoulders in a calm shrug. "I don't get it."

Erika pauses, and thinks again. She says, "Statistically something else is more likely to hurt him than you."

Ophelia says "If no one else could ever hurt him, then I would know that I could keep him safe forever."

Erika says, "That's sweet." She smiles, faintly, and says, "I'm jealous. Not of Dalt, you know, just." She says, "Thirty years."

You say "I killed mine after, like, two."

Ophelia leans over to set her empty cup on the ground. "It's more than half of my life."

You say "You want me to go get you some more tea?"

Ophelia shakes her head. "I have stuff I'm going to have to get up and do today, before too much longer."

Erika nods, and says, "Hey. Here's to a few more thousand 30 year periods." A pause. "Well, you know. Here being." She says, "That's a drink phrase, isn't it?"

Ophelia's eyes close as her head comes to rest on a pillow. "It's a good phrase. I had bad dreams last night."

Erika lays her her head on a pillow, though eyes open as she talks to Ophelia, watching with mild concern. "Tell me about them?"

Ophelia says "A long time ago, before Dalt, I used to have this dream all of the time, about fires and drowning, this horrible sense of guilt, and of how good the cold felt under the water. It wasn't that dream, but it felt like it, in this jumble of pictures all night long."

Erika nods, and says quietly, "You all right?"

Ophelia nods a little, comfortable and drowsy. "Dalt was already gone when I woke up, so that sucked is all."

You say "I'm sorry, hon." She smiles faintly, and says, "I hate the waking up alone part." A lazy yawn is stifled, as she comments, "I love this garden. Comfy to spend time around, I hope you don't mind I stole a little mint."

Ophelia smiles. "You can steal whatever you want out of it."

Erika smiles, and says, "Careful what you asy. I may steal one of these pillows."

Ophelia offers, without opening her eyes, "Share it?"

Erika smiles, and says, "Sharing is cool too." She scootches slightly, resting her head on the offer and slowly closing her eyes. "I need to check in the future if Dalt's here just so I know when or when not to wear jeans."

Ophelia mumbles, "You can tell by his men. There aren't so many around when he's not, but the crowd that stays here gets tense without him, if I'm around. I can hear it from here."

Erika trails fingers along the fringe if the pillow, a lazy need of motion. "Why do they get tense?"

Ophelia smiles slightly. "Because without him, they are completely responsible for me and Kateryn."

Erika says, "Well, Dalt has asked me to bodyguard you in the past." She smiles fantly. "I can make sure you're safe while you're gone. I may not be him, but."

You say "I'm a tough cookie."

Ophelia tilts her head a little, opening her eyes a crack to see Erika through. "Thanks."

Erika's smile widens slightly as she looks back at Ophelia. "Though if I do get critically hurt, I want some of that tea, no jerkey and bourbon." If she weren't so comfy, she'd probably giggle again.

Ophelia grins at her. "I'll make sure you get it."

Erika grins quietly before closing her eyes and letting out a soft and content sigh. "You spend much time out here?"

Ophelia tucks her hand under the pillow and curls in a little tighter. "It's my garden, especially this little corner."

You say "I like your little corners. They're comfy. And I'm really glad you let me in them."

Erika shifts her head, blowing at a bang that falls over a closed view but too lazy to reach up and get it. "Relaxing. Nice company. Great rugs."

Ophelia moves to nod a little, but drifts into a morning nap before anything else can be said.

Erika follows soon thereafter, enjoying the nice Castille day.