Just hearing her voice put him at ease. He didn’t care that she had been late now that she was finally here to soothe at least some of his stinging loneliness. True, he would have liked it if he could see her, touch her shoulder and offer her some real comfort, but for now, he was content to have her pressed up against the heavy, wooden, door. If he really focused he believe he could feel her warmth radiating into his cold cell from the other side. It was the closest anyone besides the hags that tossed food at him came to him these days, and he knew that Sally always put herself at risk by coming here to visit with him. He didn’t want to be selfish. God knows he could be selfish. He was happy that she spent as much time with him as she did. He just silently wished that there could be more of it, and that there would be something more for his heart to cling to when she left than just the traces of her. The sound of her voice and her footsteps, her soft scent that cut through the smell of mold and grime…they were little things, but they meant the world when he could not embrace her in other ways.
Sam offered a small, apologetic, whimper in response to her words, just loud enough for her to hear him on the other side of the door. He hadn’t meant to get over excited. He’d just missed her was all, and while he knew why they had to be so careful, he knew it all to well, sometimes he let his emotions get the better of him. He’d always been expressive, but in his state he found himself much more reactionary than he had ever been. The man pressed his forehead against the door and closed his eyes, scratching his claws against the wood, his whimper picking up in pitch and turning into a question. Now, that Sally was here he wanted to know how her day was or what was on her mind. Anything really for he hung onto her words like a lifeline. As far as he was concerned they nearly were. They kept him tethered to this world, kept his grief and weariness from carrying off and making him lose himself…Sally meant so much to him, and he couldn’t even tell her.
For a reason that would forever remain a mystery to her, the insistent sound of his hands clawing at the door brought a tiny smile to Sally’s pale lips. It was only his particular way of greeting her — saying hello and asking all of the things he couldn’t bring himself to put out into the world by means of words. Though heartbreaking, the young ballerina couldn’t help the warm feeling that grew inside her belly at the sound of his monstrous voice trying to catch her attention from somewhere inside the darkest of cells. “Hey… I missed you too…” Sally’s forehead fell against the hard wood, eyes closed and hands wishing they could hold onto something that simply wasn’t there. Little did she know — her wishes were about to come true. “Why don’t we sit down, hm? My poor bones are ready to drop, it’s been a very long day.” How could anyone have the stomach to do such a terrible thing to a man, was completely beyond her. But Sally was kind, those witches weren’t… and even that would have been an understatement for pure evil resided within their aged bodies.
There was no point in waiting up for a reply that would never come. Almost as suddenly as she had arrived, Sally’s toned legs bent over her weight and gracefully posed her on the floor, where she would remain seated until the sun came out and it was time to go back the room she shared with her friend. The day would come in which their little night visits would have to come to an end, but until then, the blonde was only happy to just sit there and try her best to heal him with stories of the outside world. As she prepared herself to speak, Sally’s body rested against the heavy door once more, hands playing with the fabric of her own cardigan she carried around everywhere. “They taught us something new today… a new dance… and the music is beautiful but sad at the same time.” Just like you. “I’m sure you’d love to hear, it tells the story of a long-lost love.”