There was nothing to do but nod and as he stepped away to take care of the laundry, Elsie set the pins down on her nightstand before moving to her wardrobe to pull a nightgown from the drawer. It was old but soft and comfortable, exactly what she needed for the nap she was about to take.

Moving toward the small washroom adjacent to their room, Elsie saw herself in the looking glass for the first time. It was worse than she thought, smudges of ash smeared across her cheeks and in her hair. The same grey tone had settled into her skin and under her eyes, the fatigue clear in her expression and every movement. She wanted to get this over with quickly and reached for a wash cloth, running it under the tap without waiting for any warmth to the water. Bruises and small cuts littered her arms from hurrying around, one set of very clear fingerprints wrapped around her forearm from where someone had grabbed her in a panic. She wasn't hurt, had hardly felt it for the adrenaline rushing through her veins all night, but looking at them now it was quite alarming and she didn't want Tyb to see.

Elsie shivered as the cold cloth hit her skin, but it felt somewhat refreshing if nothing else. She ran it over her face first, trying to get the ash and soot from her skin; up and down her arms, wincing slightly as she hit a particularly purple bruise. "I'm nearly done, why don't you change." She offered, still trying to hurry despite agreeing to let him help. Els knew there was probably a blossoming bruise on her ribs too from where she'd gotten knocked into and pushed into a nearby shelf. She hadn't been self conscious about changing in front of him for a long time now, but Tyb's nerves were already frayed, she didn't need to make it worse by letting him see.