"At least I have a lot of practice at that..." maybe all those years of therapy hadn't been for Dai but had been for all this. Mostly all she'd learned was how to keep her thoughts to herself. How to play fine when she wasn't. How to convince people that she was normal. Or okay. Or...any of the terms they liked to use. She'd always struggled with cracks and trauma. But it had always been focused; central to one point, one part, of her life. Here it was different. It was a barrage to her head and sometimes Dahlia just wasn't sure she could take it.
Sometimes things here were too much. Sometimes there just wasn't any quiet...
But sometimes there was. Dahlia's head was still a mess as much as she physically was but it wasn't as consuming. It didn't...make her want to tear out her hair or just...scream. It was there, it was always there, but she could think through it. Sort of.
She was afraid if she left that would go away...that it would all come crashing back...
Dahlia followed him, a bit slowly, into the room and was about to say that it was fine, that she could wear what she had...but then she took a look down at herself again and shook her head. Another dress likely ruined. "A shirt or something would be nice." she paused slightly at the doorway to the bathroom. while she didn't think she'd sleep...she didn't want to risk ruining anything he wore a lot. "Um..something you don't like a lot?" she knew that sounded strange and with another sigh at herself she waved her hand. "I've...ruined a lot of clothes accidentally with the claws." and emotions seemed to be a trigger for them; just like her dark.
With that she slipped into the bathroom and immediately frowned at her image that was waiting for her in the mirror. Her hair was streaked with mud and nearly matted to her head. Her dress was nothing less than a mess. Grass and twigs clung to her. She...she so rarely cared. She wasn't the sort to try to look pretty or think she was but this was a messy she even considered a mess.
"Mud monster..." she muttered at herself as she turned the shower on as hot as it would go and attempted to disrobe without completely trashing his bathroom. It wasn't easy but she did the best she could before giving up and stepping under the too hot spray.
She sort of lost time there. Eventually she let herself sink down and sit; eventually raising her head enough to see that the muddy soapy water had gone clear finally. She was tempted to stay but eventually she stood up and turned the hot water down to cold so that the cold of the cabin wouldn't be so shocking. She didn't want to shiver or make him feel bad.
When she stepped out she grabbed a towel to wrap around herself. Her hair was tangled but clean but with all the muck washed away she was left staring at eyes ringed with dark circles and pale skin that held too many marks from claws and nightmares. She looked tired. She felt tired.
Shaking her head slightly Dahlia stepped out of the bathroom to find whatever Jake had left for her.