Robin looks up to Jovian.  "Please, Jove.  Let's go."  She whispers to her brother.

"Sure. Where are you sleeping tonight?" he asks, intuiting that the answer will not be inside the rockpile as he leads her out into the halls. "You need a change of clothes?" He can't resist grinning as he adds this, surveying the luminous paint - and the linen drape hanging half-off from the single remaining shoulder pin.

"Uh, I was thinking the northeast garden for tonight."  Robin's brows furrow and she swipes at the damn skirt.
            Looking back up at Jovian, she can't resist a chuckle to match his grin.  "That'd look great, wouldn't it?  Little glowing ball tucked into a tree branch.  Given the mood around here, I wouldn't be surprised if the gardeners took a couple swings at me with a broom or something."
            "Uh, yeah.  I guess..." she looks around, obviously disoriented.  "Where are the baths from here?"  A shudder ripples through her at the feeling of dislocation that overwhelms her every time she enters the halls of Amber Castle.

"Here, let's get to your room, get you your things, then the bath and straight out from there." With quiet, easy confidence, Jovian guides Robin back to the makeshift family wing.

Robin follows Jovian's lead, obviously unfamiliar with the way.  And a bit wearied by that fact.

Along the walk, Jovian begins quietly, tentatively, and only in the most deserted hallways. "You had a bad time of it out there."

"Yeah." Robin admits shamefacedly.
             She leans her head against Jovian's shoulder as they walk along.  "I *knew* it was going to be hard, Jove.  And I was expecting trouble.  And at least, I didn't lose it too much, too publicly.  But yeah..." she shivers.
            "This place just wears me down, mon frere.  'Come to magnificent Castle Amber.  Wonder at the incredible cacophony.  Thrill to odors you never knew existed.  Bask in the delicious bug-in-a-bell-jar ambiance.'"  Robin wrinkles her nose and sticks out her tongue.

"I know exactly what you mean, little bird. *Exactly.*"
            Beat.
            "Still...that's not quite what I meant." He looks down at the girl and feels his chest fitting a little too tight. "I meant out *There.* Freaky shit. Before the Isles." His tone does not demand an immediate answer.
            "If you need to talk about that, I'm always here for you, OK? When you're ready?" There's nothing there but concern and the full reach of a brother's love.

"Oh."  Robin's voice gets small.  Her eyes squeeze shut and she shudders.  Moisture appears at the creases of her lashes.  "I... oh, dung, Jovian." Her voice sounds broken.
            "I don't know.  Sometimes... I think yeah.  It was... bad," she whispers.  "That I'm never going to be free of it.  Then at other times I think I haven't slept enough, or I'm stressed and I'm making a mountain out of a mole-hill."
            She opens her eyes and looks up at her brother.  "But I can't talk to Dad about it.  It cuts him, Jovian.  Knowing that he sent me into that.  That I'm not alright because of his decision."  She looks down the hall, her face haunted.
            "I... I don't want to be alone anymore."  She whimpers, and buries her face in Jovian's shoulder.

He wraps Robin up in the wings of his cloak, just about hiding the girl down to luminous ankles. He draws a breath to speak, but saves it - sure, he could promise that between Dad and Vere and himself she wouldn't be alone, but what point when she would still be alone with her haunted memories?
            So he holds her only, rock-steady and secure, and waits her out until she's ready to look up again on her own.

The Ranger gets it under control relatively quickly, with an undignified snuffle.  After all, they are still in the bell-jar.

"I'm sure it's too much for tonight, but I'll be staying around for at least several days. We'll find time...to sort out what happened together. You won't have to be alone anymore."

"Th-thank you, Jove."  She ruffles a little under his cloak.  "Dad... I... we have to leave tomorrow,  early-ish.  I'm not sure I'm going to be able to go flying with you and Canareth."  She sounds both very sad about that.  And worried for her brother.
            Her green eyes peep out.  "And you have things to talk about to me too, right?  Arden's officially closed now, but I'm sure that doesn't mean you, Jovian.  Can you come with us?  Base out of there while you and Vere get your forces together?  Or something?  I mean, I have Ranger business I need to deal with right away... dammit!"
            She thumps her forehead against Jovian's chest.  "By the time I'm done with that," it's obviously something Robin doesn't want to rush, "you and Vere will probably be ready to leave."
            "Joooovee!"  Her green eyes crinkle and tears form in her lashes.

"Sh-sh-sh-sh-shhhhhh, it's all right," he soothes, stroking Robin's shoulders. "My people are camped at Ruby, remember? Dad *can't* shut me out, we've got nowhere else to put the dragons. And you know you're welcome among our lot," Jovian adds, poorly masking gleam in his eye.

Robin fights back the hysteria and buries her head in Jovian's chest.  Deep Green Shadows!  This place was really and truly gutting her.  But she can't go back to the gray haze that she wandered around in before.  All the things -- all the people -- she missed!  But... was this constant on-the-ragged-edge any better?!

"Look, the Rangers don't need your constant attention seven watches a day, right? Big strong woodsmen, can take care of themselves without a nursemaid? We'll find some downtime sooner rather than later, and we'll catch up. Besides, from the sound of Vere's arrangements, we won't be dashing out to the Isles this Moonday, and probably not next." His chuckle is obviously meant to be encouraging.

Robin snuffles again and nods, letting Jovian's strength and bright humor wash over the fears and uncertainties.  The Ranger's breathing grows more even.  She nods again.
            "I like riders and dragons too.  It's nice.  The humming."  She murmurs quietly into Jovian's chest.
            She leans back a little and inelegantly wipes her nose on her forearm.  Tears moisten the various dyes on Robin, loosening them.  And the black face paint leaves a dark streak down her forearm while the luminous white body-paints leaves an uneven glowing splotch around the tip of her nose.
            "But... but seriously, Jove.  I've got something very important and full-time to do right when I get back to Arden."  She sighs.

"We'll work it out, don't fret," Jovian promises, a warm, steady hand smoothing Robin's hair. "I'd rather find time, but if we need to, we'll steal it - this is important enough, I think." He turns again to continue toward where he's pretty sure her quarters lay, drawing her into one arm as they walk. "I love you, kiddo."

The girl curls into his arm, still ruffling and rattling slightly, but much calmer. 
            At Jovian's declaration though, languages crash together in her Robin's head and, in the end, it's her earliest that escapes first.  She looks up at her brother as a long low whistle of warm familiarity and fondness emerges from her lips.  She drops her eyes to nuzzle against his shoulder with the top of her head.  "Love you too, Jove...  Thank you."  A slow smile creeps across her face, faltering to begin with, then settling in.
            "Will work it out."  She murmurs to herself, repeating his words as a mantra of comfort.

"I know you can't fly down to Ruby Falls with us," Jovian continues as they walk. "Dad mentioned. But will you meet me for a bit of breakfast anyway? Four bells of forenoon?" Jovian names a room that shouldn't be too hard to find. "Want to talk a little more before you and Dad hare off, but I'm going on 40 hours straight, it's time to give my brain a rest."

"Good plan, mon frere."  Robin nods wearily, almost drunken with exhaustion.  "I'm... really strung-out."  She shakes her head with a rueful laugh that still sounds somewhat ragged.
            "I'm not so good on times and places in here, Jove.  I'll do my best to show.  Don't clock me too hard, though."  A teasing grin fights its way to Robin's face and she thumps her brother on the bi-cep.  A weak thump, hardly counts, but at least it's there.

"I'll see about getting a hurricane-glass for your candle," he replies, sticking out his tongue. "Mine's been burning fast."

"Glass, oh yeah."  She chuckles as she leans against him.  "*That's* gonna work."

"Drafts," Jovian nods sagely - then dissolves into laughter.

Jovian escorts Robin to her room, getting a good look at the tumbled, spilled cartons that the Ranger doesn't live among as she gathers up her clothing from various places around the room.  The jumble has been accented by a spray of luminous paint in one corner of the room, under the narrow, high and only window in the place, but Robin doesn't seem to need any other light to find her gear.
            Once she's got all her stuff roughly bundled up, the girl lets Jovian take the lead back to the baths.  Robin's pretty much run out of energy to talk or trauma with, so she contents herself to stumble wherever Jovian cares to point her.

At the door to the bath, he indicates the neatest route to the northeast gardens from there, gives his sister one more big hug for good measure, and bids good night.

Robin gathers herself into an extra sincere squeeze for her brother, mumbles a *heartfelt* thank-you into his chest and heads into the baths.