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Post by Alora on Jun 28, 2012 5:21:15 GMT -8
Alora Mae Darcie sat on the edge of her bed, looking across to the full length mirror. She saw someone she didn't recognize. Parts of her looked familiar but other parts she had never seen before. Her hair which had been chopped off as close to the scalp as they could have managed. Her cheek with an scabbing open wound. Her arms were in casts now, and she couldn't move them. These were things she didn't recognize of herself.
Every day, Alora had made her way to the infirmary, having the nurse change her bandages, check her wounds were healing. Kikime would meet with her after, and it was one of the only things that brought Alora's old smile to her face. Kikime cared for her, looked after her. Kikime had saved her from them.
Her mind occasionally went back to that dream she remembered. The dream where she was on a swing, her grandmother becoming a corpse, and that feeling that even when she left the swing, she was still moving. Those hands.
Alora looked at her own hands, with their scrapes and bruises, her wrists purple. She couldn't see past there with the cast in the way. Alora didn't want to be alone anymore. Now, silence, which once made her feel a sense of freedom, allowed nothing but the memories of the past few days to stew, boil within her mind, and drive her insane.
Kikime would rescue her eventually, she figured, with the same naive hopefulness that had been with her since the beginning. Kikime was the only person she could trust. There, on the dresser, she saw her red hairband, and her clips. She stared at a clip, using her power to reimagine it into what she wanted. It became a wig, the hairstyle fashioned itself into a black bob-cut. Perhaps Kikime would help her to put it on later, or the nurse when she visited... Surely, someone would help her...
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Post by JDGreat on Jun 28, 2012 9:06:55 GMT -8
Rust yawned. Today, he decided, would be one of rest and relaxation. It was too warm to actively give a crap about the lectures and training up just didn't seem to be high on his priorities today. After grabbing a plate and a couple of slices of toast, he wandered out, dressed in sleeveless white jacket, blue swim shorts and old, almost falling apart flip flops. For once, his bandanna was tied around his head instead of his neck, keeping sweaty hair out of his face.
Whistling away to the tune of Guns n Roses' Paradise City, the mechanic made his way down the hall passing a few other dorms. Cal was out or sleeping. Probably the latter, knowing her habits. Gabrielle? She hadn't been seen since docking, but her name on her dorm meant she was around, Rust just hadn't seen her yet.
Ace was probably hanging about outside somewhere. Truth to be told however, he couldn't even be arsed to see if she wanted to shoot the breeze and play cards.
She'd probably cheat anyway, knowing her power set. he mentally grumbled, piece of toast now hanging from his mouth as he chewed it absent mindedly.
That was when he passed the open door to Dorm 1. Out of curiousity, his eyes flicked inside.
The piece of toast dropped from his mouth to his plate.
"Jesus Christ, are you alright?" he asked with no small amount of concern, sticking by the door but actively looking as if he wanted to come inside to help. He then realised this might have been considered extremely rude, but whatever. "I'm Rust Kekise, are you okay?"
His eyes were filled with worry for the girl he saw, though he remained outside, respecting her right to privacy.
Holy hell...what happened?! She looks like she's been in a car wreck!
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Post by Alora on Jun 28, 2012 9:36:51 GMT -8
Alora heard footsteps coming from a distance, and hoped that it might be a carer of hers. Then the boy stopped outside her door, and Alora's eyes went wide as she stared right back at him, her eyebrows furrowing slightly with worry.
"Fine. I'm fine." She said shortly, barely able to say anything at all. He introduced himself, but Alora opened her mouth only to find she couldn't do the same. Some distant part of her mind echoed words that said next time you meet a nice stranger like today, know... This strange memory in a voice she couldn't place sent shivers down her spine and made her stomach ache.
"I'm fine, please, just leave me alone..." She said very quietly. She managed to crawl further onto the bed and backed herself away towards the far wall. She felt very afraid, and very alone. "I won't let you hurt me." She said to him, trying to act fierce despite actively backing towards the wall. "So whatever you want you can't have it."
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Post by JDGreat on Jun 28, 2012 9:46:27 GMT -8
........I know that look. Rust thought, keeping his face worried, but inside his blood boiled. His mom had worn that look too many times when he was younger. Scared and alone.
...god damn it...she wants me to leave... It might just be me. I might be the thing scaring her.
He raised one hand as a peace gesture, the other still holding his toast. No one would be able to say he was doing anything else with his hands.
"Okay...if you're sure." he started, though his mind screamed at him to go over and find out what was wrong. This wouldn't work though. She'd probably scream. She'd think he was attacking her or something worse. He truly could not get involved here and it made him physically sick to his stomach.
He had NEVER felt so useless in his life. This girl was obviously in dire need of help and he could do nothing but stand there and watch as she looked at him like he was going to take advantage of her.
He needed to punch something and soon. Maybe a trip to the gym after this was in order.
"...I'll leave you be." he muttered darkly, obviously not happy to not being able to help. But his expression softened considerably and he just gave a small apologetic smile.
"Look, sorry about that just there...you just looked like you were seriously hurt and I was wondering if I could help at all..."
GOD DAMN IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"If you need anything, I'm just down the hall in Dorm 9, okay? Just ask for Rust and I'll be there...Sorry I couldn't help, miss."
He went to turn and leave.
GOD DAMN IT GOD DAMN IT GOD DAMN IT!!!!!!
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Post by Alora on Jun 28, 2012 10:54:34 GMT -8
Alora watched the boy by the door. She could hardly bring herself to blink. He spoke to say that he was going to go away and leave her be. She relaxed a bit at this, until he turned around and apologized, saying that he just wanted to help. Part of her really didn't want him to leave. That part of her wanted him to stay and help her to put on the wig, so that she didn't have to look like she did.
When he turned to leave, the part that didn't want to be alone rose up and said "Wait-..." She paused for a moment, not sure where to go with this. She found herself shivering, wishing she could gesture with her arms. Instead, she glanced over with her eyes. "Y-you d-don't have to go..." She forced, "Kikime will be here soon, and when she's here, you can go. You should keep your distance though..." She warned. "But... Could you p-please bring me that , over there..." She loved over at the wig she had changed on the counter of her dresser.
"I... I can't pick it up myself..." She looked over to him nervously, trying hard to think of ways she could defend herself. An old familiar voice in the back of her mind chimed in 'change his clothes to acid', but she didn't want to hurt anyone. "I'd really appreciate it..." She whispered softly.
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Post by JDGreat on Jun 28, 2012 11:37:47 GMT -8
At her call, he stopped and looked over his shoulder.
"I don't have to go? Are you absolutely 100% sure?" he asked, serious, yet calm. He didn't want to alarm her and making things feel as if she had some sense of control seemed important here. He nodded slightly at her explanation. This 'Kikime' was probably a friend of hers, maybe a carer? He wasn't sure but regardless, Rust agreed to her conditions.
Seeing the wig, he understood but didn't say a word about it. He didn't want to upset the poor girl after she'd already been through so much.
He put his plate down on her dresser as he stepped into her room, making sure she could see his hands at all times. Picking up the wig, he then walked over to her slowly.
"Are you sure you want me to help you with this? It would mean touching you slightly as I set it on right..." he warned. "If you want and if you're uncomfortable with me doing it, we can wait for Kikime and she can put it on, right?"
He smiled gently at her.
"I won't mind waiting if you want to talk or anything."
He laid the wig at her side, then backed off a little, giving her space.
"It's okay..."
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Post by Alora on Jun 28, 2012 12:43:37 GMT -8
Alora wondered whether or not she was 100 percent sure. She didn't have an answer really, but found herself nodding. She watched him move about her room feeling a little like a cornered animal, but she simply tensed her muscles and allowed him passage. A vicious part of her brain had methods that would make sure he wouldn't hurt her even if he tried.
He seemed to be okay, Alora thought to herself, trying to make herself relax. Those boys words echoed in her head, and she ended up figuring that he's just showing this side to her now. He's showing her the light so that the darkness will hit harder. She bit down on her lip hard, feeling the warmth of her shattered cheek with her tongue. The pain soared up and down her spine at the impact. It was keeping her alert.
She simply watched as he put the wig down. "I don't... want to look like this..." She said softly, shaking her head. "Kikime will be there, she'll hurt you if you do things, I know it, and you won't because you're afraid... Please, I don't want to talk without it... please." She moved her back so that her hand was over the wig and picked it up gently with her bruised fingers, as though to hand it to him, a look of determination in her eyes. She could feel a numb ache in her arm from stretching her fingers.
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Post by JDGreat on Jun 28, 2012 12:53:50 GMT -8
A sharp stab of sympathy slammed home into Rust's gut seeing the girl's plight. What the hell was he doing? Was he really so afraid of upsetting her friend? Was that what it was, deep down? No...he couldn't be that sort of man, could he?
"Alright..." he eventually said, slowly nodding. "But if it starts feeling like I shouldn't be here, tell me okay?"
You HAVE to take these things slow. No other way around it or she would just consider you like the bastards who did this to her...
He took the wig, being careful not to accidentally bend or touch her horrifically bruised fingers and set it up, reaching up over her head and gently placing the item on her head. Then, he slowly backed up again, showing her his still free hands, until he was out of arms reach. Rust gave another smile.
"There we go. Do you feel a little better?" he asked. He considered getting a mirror to show her, but then realised she might not like the rest of her appearance and so kept his mouth shut.
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Post by Alora on Jun 28, 2012 13:09:36 GMT -8
Alora felt her heart beat in her throat and he set up the wig on her head. The warmth and weight on her scalp was more comforting than she could have hoped for, and she felt her face go flush. "Can I see it?" She asked faintly.
She had been staring at her reflection for a long time before he had come in. She wanted nothing more than a different image of herself, an image that was a little more familiar. She nodded when he asked if she was feeling a little better, but only because she felt it was expected of her. Honestly, Alora felt butterflies in her stomach, like she was about to walk into a room full of people, or meet someone important for the first time.
She wanted to thank him, but when she turned her eyes towards him to say something, fear turned her to stone, and she pulled her gaze back once again, silenced.
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Post by JDGreat on Jun 28, 2012 13:34:15 GMT -8
...here comes the weird part.
Rust could tell the girl was nervous about this next bit. Hell, she was only 14 and an 18 year old suddenly barging in was unnerving at the best of times. It didn't help she was incredibly injured. He reached behind him and found a pocket mirror on her desk. Opening it up, he presented it to her, allowing her to look upon herself.
He didn't say anything, just gave as much as an encouraging smile as he could.
"It's okay. You look absolutely fine." he assured her, nodding slightly.
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Post by Alora on Jun 28, 2012 13:39:48 GMT -8
Alora's eyes searched the mirror he held up to her, her heart racing. She remembered having a haircut like that when she was younger. She looked at herself, mesmerized. She had grown up a lot since she last wore her hair like that, she thought. She must have been 7 or 8 and she remembered having so many friends at school, and inviting them over to visit granny...
The 14 year old girl felt tears brewing in her eyes, but kept them in. She wished she could wipe her face, just in case they fell against her wishes. "Do you think..." She began, her voice cracking as she spoke, "Do you think that people are evil or good?" She asked him.
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Post by JDGreat on Jun 28, 2012 14:41:35 GMT -8
"Hey, hey, hey, shh..." Rust gently tried to calm her down a little. "It's okay, you look great..."
Oh right. Now you sound like a pedophile. Way to go, you fuc-
Rust shut his mental commentary off. Now was not the time for snark.
"It's alright, mate." the mechanic continued to talk softly. "People being evil or good, huh?"
He honestly gave it a few seconds thought.
"Well," he started. This was going to be very tough. "I think that's a very broad statement." Oh man, how the hell can I reply to this? He then realised he was dodging the question. She didn't need that right now and he steeled himself.
"I think there are people of all sorts. Evil, good and in the middle." Rust explained. "I mean, I try to be a good person. Be nice to people, that sort of thing. Your friend Kikime seems to be a good person for looking after you when you're like this, right?" He smiled. "You seem to be a good person too. Or at least you try to be. Am I right?"
Continuing to try and get the girl to keep calm, Rust gently dabbed her eyes with a tissue, seeing as she couldn't herself, explaining EXACTLY what he was doing with adequate warnings beforehand so she wouldn't be surprised.
"It's true there are some evil people in the world though. You seem old enough for me not to BS you about that." the British teen continued after wiping her eyes. "But, that's why good people talk to each other and make friends, right? Evil people can't do that very easily. Seeing as the world hasn't blown up yet, I guess that gives us some hope that the majority of people are good, right?"
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Post by Alora on Jun 28, 2012 15:23:49 GMT -8
Alora was trying not to cry, she really was. She shook her head, "No, you're trying that's the problem. Don't you understand?" The more the talked the more sore the scab on her cheek was aching, even beneath the bandage. She had to formulate her words now, so they wouldn't hurt her too.
"Evil people make friends all the time, and how am I to know," She paused, "If I'm not disgusting and rotten myself, and everyone I get alone with is the same. How do I know?" She grimaced at her words, hating her thoughts. She felt like she was regurgitating what had been told to her by that voice that she couldn't place in the back of her mind. The one that had told her these things.
"Trying to be means you aren't... You try and fail, so you're evil... That's how the world works." She said, looking at the floor. She felt shivers every time he dabbed at her face, wincing occasionally whenever he pressed against her cheek on accident. She didn't feel like fighting anymore.
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Post by JDGreat on Jun 28, 2012 23:06:29 GMT -8
Damn...she's clearly had a lot of time to think about this...what the hell did those bastards DO to her psyche?
"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to brush your cheek there." he whispered as she clearly winced at his touch. This was giving him a little more time to think of a response. She'd caught him on the back foot that was for sure and he didn't even know her name!
"Would an evil person take time out of his day to help an injured girl put her wi- I mean, make herself look dolled up?" he asked simply, "Would an evil person genuinely care about said girl's well being because he wanted to help as best he could to make her life just that little bit easier? Would an evil person, say, offer said injured girl a slice of toast?"
He smiled a little.
"Seriously, are you hungry or anything? I could whiz back to my kitchen and fix something up for you, if you want."
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Post by Alora on Jun 29, 2012 2:45:27 GMT -8
Alora shuddered. "No thank you.... I can't eat toast, the nurse says I have to eat soft foods that can be broken up easily. If I bite my cheek on accident it'll break again." She said to Rust.
"Besides..." She remembered, "... It was tea and biscuits that started everything."
"You'd be surprised... how nice people can act..." She remembered chatting to those boys about what powers they had, them saying that she was adorable, offering all the different flavours of sweets. It made her feel sick. She remembered genuinely listening to them, genuinely smiling at what they had to say.
She wondered what Rust wanted. Was he really like she had been, simply naive? Or did he have some kind of agenda for helping her. She looked at his smile and wished she could smile back, but that would mean stretching her cheek and irritating the wound.
Instead, she simply looked towards him shakily and said, "I'm really thankful for your help with the wig..." She wasn't going to beat around the bush with words, she knew he was just being polite the way he was phrasing it. After all, she had stared at herself for ages, she knew she was bald now. At least with the wig on though she felt that she looked half-ways normal...
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Post by JDGreat on Jun 29, 2012 8:01:25 GMT -8
"Hey, that's fine." the mechanic tried to keep his voice calm for her, but mentally, his rage was near peak. It was only the girl in front of him with her scared eyes that was keeping him from exploding out and just going nuts on some poor tree or punching bag. "Well, I have some soup packets and other things like that which won't make you chew much. Lessens the chance, right? But if you're not hungry, it's fine."
.......................... Rust's mind was near blank with fury at this point, barely keeping himself contained. The girl's thanks brought him back into clarity.
"It was nothing, Top Girl." he nodded at her, still smiling slightly, offering a nickname since he didn't actually have her real one yet. "Seriously, if you need anything at all, I'm just reminding you I'm in Dorm 9, okay?"
He fidgeted slightly before standing up fully.
"I'm guessing since you're still not too comfortable, you'd like me to leave you alone for a bit? Or would you prefer me to stay until Kikime shows up to help you?"
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Post by Alora on Jun 29, 2012 13:46:49 GMT -8
He asked if she was hungry. Alora hadn't really thought about whether or not she was, it didn't seem important to her now. She shook her head, "No... thank you..." Her stomach was in knots anyway now that she thought about it.
"Dorm 9..." She repeated after him, "Anyway, I can make my own food, if I need to... You don't need to make it..." She explained, trying to speak in a way that she didn't have to move her lips very much, and perhaps coming out slightly muffled in the process. "Look-" She glanced over to the pocket mirror he had put down, and just as she did she froze.
It seemed that day would effect everything she did now. She remembered Kikime levitating the biscuit and she turned it into a mirror for the girl, her friend. Those biscuits that made her feel sick, numb, paralyzed. "no..."
She broke her eyes away from the mirror, as though it held some kind of spell over her. "Not that..." She paused for a moment. "I can make you something if you're hungry, just bring me a hairclip..." She forced her lips to twitch into a smile, but only for a split second, "You don't have to go... I feel a lot better with someone here... And Kikime will come you know. She will." She assured him.
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Post by JDGreat on Jun 29, 2012 13:56:17 GMT -8
Nodding at her lack of hunger, Rust just started to go, but stopped when she froze. He looked back and raised an eyebrow.
"Hey...you okay there?" he asked slowly. She just seemed to completely zone out, staring at the pocket mirror. Was it...connected somehow? Related to her injuries?
Now you're just getting paranoid and overprotective. Calm down a little or you'll end up making things worse. Back to the null hypothesis here. She's hurt, cared for, but carer not present, so just do your best to help her out.
"Make me something? With a hairclip?" The mechanic smiled a little at that. "I'm guessing it's related to your power? It sounds like a pretty odd request at first glance."
Nevertheless, his grin widened as he saw her split second smile. Progress.
"And sure, I'll stay until she arrives, how's that sound?" he asked her, seating himself on the edge of her bed.
"As I said before, I'm Rust. What's your name, Top Girl?"
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Post by Alora on Jun 30, 2012 2:36:02 GMT -8
Alora nodded whenever he asked her if she was alright. It would be obvious that she didn't want to talk about that. She said, "Yes, a hairclip. Anything really... I can change things..." She said seriously. She didn't mean metaphorically either. "-and if you want I can do that."
She seemed very happy about the idea of him staying until Kikime arrived. She hated being alone, and he didn't seem to mean any harm. Alora felt sort of sorry for him, that he obviously didn't understand how people were, what Alora had learned.
"My name's Alora..." She said softly in response, not as afraid of him as she was at first, but obviously still hesitant in her responses.
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Post by JDGreat on Jun 30, 2012 4:30:20 GMT -8
Rust just shook his head, still smiling.
"Nah, don't want you over exerting yourself right now, kiddo. You can show me when you feel a bit better, how's that sound?" he assured her. "You can change everything you want to then. Right now, you need to focus on healing up a bit, yeah?"
"Alora, though?" the eighteen year old parroted the younger girl. "That's a pretty name. Much more flowery than Rust, I'll admit that much." The joke was a small one, but he wasn't exactly King of Comedy, so give him some credit in this.
Still sitting on the edge of Alora's bed, he couldn't help but take in the girl's injuries once more. It was almost sickening. No way was this some simple "she fell down the stairs" deal. This was pure unadulterated cruelty, plain and simple.
Still, the frightened girl's visage kept Rust from blowing his lid. If only there was something he could do to actively help her out, he felt useless!
"So, Alora, how long have you been at Solstice?" he asked as if they were in a cafe in a normal environment. "I've been here for about a week so far and was wondering if you knew a bit more about the place than I did?"
Sure, he'd already gotten the low down from Ace on his first day, but it'll give him and Alora something to talk about. That didn't refer to her horrific injuries.
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Post by Alora on Jun 30, 2012 5:05:38 GMT -8
"It's not exerting," Alora said, "I just have to imagine it..." She didn't press for it any more though. If he wasn't going to bring her a hairclip, she would have to simply live with that.
She wondered how one might focus on healing. Was it something you could actually consciously achieve, if you thought hard enough? "I've been here for a little over a year..." She said quietly. Her nose became a little itchy then and she tried to ignore it. Her injuries to her arms could be the most frustrating, she thought to herself, trying for think about something else than what had happened, or having an itchy nose.
"Solstice is okay... I can't leave until I'm old enough, so it's my home now, until I'm 18 anyway..... .. My aunt and uncle have granny's house back home, but they don't have enough money for a ticket, and I-- ah.. ah, ACHOO!" She turned her face away to sneeze. She should have known that an itchy nose should be taken care of.
"I'm sorry, excuse me," She sniffed, moving the uninjured side of her face towards her shoulder, as though to scratch at her nose with the edge of her cast. "It's very rude..."
She realized then that she hadn't worried about him doing anything for a moment there, and she laughed, feeling that perhaps that meant she was starting to forget. She then followed the realization by another- that she just thought about it again, so her entire point was mute. Her laughter died. "I'm sorry about that," She said again, probably simply confusing him.
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Post by JDGreat on Jun 30, 2012 5:26:26 GMT -8
"A year, huh? You must know a lot about here then," Rust noted. "You used to live with your aunt and uncle? Were they alright? Good people?"
....oh shit...what if they were the ones who did thi- wait no. She's been here a year and they can't afford tickets. It couldn't have been her family... then who?
Jolted out of his thoughts by her incredibly loud sneeze, Rust nearly jumped a foot in the air in surprise, before laughing slightly at his jumpiness.
"Bless you, Alora." the mechanic responded. "You nearly gave me a heart attack there with that one! And don't worry about it. Isn't rude at all, just a natural reaction."
Her laughter was short, but sweet too and Rust genuinely found himself enjoying their small conversation. She seemed to be letting him in at least. That was progress.
"It's okay, Alora." Rust assured her once more, albeit confused as to why she was apologising. "When you heal up, you need to laugh more often."
THUNDERBOLT AND LIGHTNING! VERY VERY FRIGHTNING! ME!
Bohemian Rhapsody ringing out in the relatively quiet room, Rust winced as he pulled out his phone.
"Ach, my Mom." he explained. "S'only a text though, I can read it later. Sorry if it made you jump there."
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Post by Alora on Jun 30, 2012 9:11:28 GMT -8
Alora shook her head, "No I didn't... I lived with Grandma... But when she.. died, they got the house, so..." She explained, letting that part trail off. She missed her grandmother so much, she felt an ache in her chest. Without parents, her grandmother had meant everything to her. She remembered the night it happened, Granny having slipped on her bad knee coming out of the shower, Alora calling for the ambulance. She wasn't sure which was a worse memory- what happened then or what had happened now.
She looked at Rust with a little less fear, "I want to... but it'll be a few weeks..." She said.
Then the alarm for his phone made Alora literally jump, her heart beating fast in her chest. She recognized it after a second and repeatedly told herself 'it's okay, it's bohemian rhapsody, it's okay' in her head until her breathing was back to normal.
"....." She had to breathe there for a moment, "... okay..."
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Post by JDGreat on Jun 30, 2012 13:29:12 GMT -8
Way to go, Kekise. Way to freaking go.
"I'm sorry, Alora. I didn't know." Rust apologised, mentally giving himself a bollocking for not considering that possibility. Having only interacted with the maternal side of his family and not having yet had to deal with the grieving process, he could only imagine how it must feel for the poor girl. Especially when this woman must have raised her...
Looking at his phone, he saw the text from his Mom and was half tempted to put it open it now, a strong feeling of homesickness hitting him. He decided not to, placing the phone on the bed and out of his arm's reach so that he wouldn't be tempted to look at it. Alora might take it the wrong way, after all.
At the answer of how long til her injuries healed up, he nodded.
"I'll look forward to the day where you can laugh again, if you want me there." Rust joked slightly. "And you recognise Queen? Good on you, girl. I'll sling you a CD sometime. I'm not exactly using it right now and hell, you look like you could use some cheering up."
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Post by Alora on Jun 30, 2012 13:39:10 GMT -8
Alora shook her head, "No, it's okay..." She said to him. Part of her wondered if he was just saying all these things to be nice. If he was just playing naive and friendly. She reminded herself that she could defend herself this time, she hadn't eaten anything that could have done anything to her.
She noticed him glancing at his phone and pushing it away, "Who was it?" She asked in a soft tone, so that she might pretend she said nothing at all if pressed. She nodded firmly whenever he talked about her laughing again. Maybe it would be nice to laugh with someone.
"A CD?" She blinked, surprised to be offered a present. She felt worried for a moment as to whatever reasons he would give it to her, but accepted in the end, "That would be nice, I guess..." She said nervously.
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