House of cards, you fall hard

[anjelsword]

Aniki is by the lake, reading under a streetlight as the day winds down. Her expression is... well. She doesn't look like she's enjoying herself. Eventually, just before true dark, she closes the brown-covered book in her hands and sets it on her lap. She stares up at the bugs bouncing off of the edges of the light, going from silhouette to halo as

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[calicoway]

Luke has been watching her since she threw the book into the water. The sound of it splashing distracted him from whatever he was doing in the park. He steps closer to her, but stands at a relatively safe distance as she hacks away.

When she finishes with this round of destruction, he takes another step or two closer to her. He shifts nervously in the grass.

"You alright, darlin'?" It's obvious that she isn't, but he needs some idea of her mental state before he gets any closer.

[anjelsword]

"Grand," she says. She rubs the inside of her wrist over her forehead. "I'm just grand, my lad."

She laughs again, an angry fountain of amusement. She bends over and picks up the book next to her feet. "I understand it now."

Aniki stares at the cover, her lips pulling into a scowl. "Will. That's how magic works, you know. Desire. A wish. That's what Kora always says. Said."

[calicoway]

Luke takes a few more steps toward her when it doesn't look as though she's going to hit him for it. He comes close enough to look at the book in her hand.

"Kora was... your friend then," he asks, because it seems as if he should say something even if it's in no means comforting and even if he has no idea what she's talking about.

It's getting really difficult to resist the urge to reach out and touch her arm now that he's close enough. She is another stranger that shares a familiar face, however, and considering what happened the last time with the Jack-look-alike, Luke is trying to practice some level of self restraint. He doesn't want his touches to make anyone uncomfortable ever.

[anjelsword]

"Still is. In here." She gives the book a jerky little wave. "Do you suppose I'm dead? Or mayhaps just disappeared. Do you think that's what they wanted when they brought me here?"

She laughs a bit at the irony of it. "Oh, the poor lads and lasses."

Aniki quiets a bit, turning the book over in her hands. Softly, she says, "Why me?"

[calicoway]

His will power fades fast at the ironic laughter. Luke closes what little distance remains between them and reaches out, touching her arm. He tilts his head to the right as he watches her face trying to read what emotions lie there. She's a Wanderer. He can tell that from what she's saying so maybe it's not hard to guess even without knowing the meaning of the book.

He squeezes her arm gently.

"Do you... want to sit down?"

[anjelsword]

She stares at his hand on her arm, looking... Well. A little confused by it. Sure, she's shaken people's hands--even crammed together with the homeless, on the occasional cold night. Usually as a horse. But she's not really been touched for simple comfort since coming through the rift.

The fight goes out of her. She checks the sword, making sure she didn't damage it with her tantrum. It disappears, and she twitches the barest smile in Luke's direction. "What I want... Well."

It doesn't matter what she wants. But sitting down doesn't seem like such a terrible idea. So she does, shoving aside the remains of a notebook so she can sit against the light pole again.

[calicoway]

She doesn't pull away from his touch, which is always what terrifies him. People can call him whatever they'd like or hit him, and that's okay, but having them pull away hurts.

Luke sinks to the ground when she does and keeps his hand pressed gently against her arm. He watches her, but keeps quiet. If she wants to talk about it, he's here. He's quite obviously here with his leg against hers, but he isn't going to press her for details.

He squeezes her shoulder though he's on the edge of pulling her into a hug. The muscles in his arms are tight and tense with the effort to restrain himself.

"What do you want?" Even if it doesn't matter, it might help her to talk, and if not, he can try to give her as close to whatever it is she wants that he can manage.

[anjelsword]

Aniki closes her eyes. The word comes out far more pained than she expected.

"Home. My sweet Rosto. Kora. Even if--" Even if she belongs to Ersken now (Or, rather, even if Ersken belongs to Kora), what wouldn't Aniki give to see either of them at this moment?

She casts a sidelong glance at Luke. "You're a rather friendly little lad."

[calicoway]

Luke doesn't have a response to her answer beyond pulling her into the hug that he had been able to resist giving up until that point. He is quiet, but there. Listening.

He half smiles at her when she speaks, again.

"Yeah. Been told that a time or two before." Not in those exact words, but the meaning is the same.

[anjelsword]

Oops, hugged. Aniki is more startled now than she was when this stranger came up to her to ask her what was wrong. She tenses, considers pulling away, but the greater part of her is just too tired. Besides, it's not like she has anything on her that he can steal--she keeps her valuables hidden away in her handy-dandy riftgiven freak closet.

What would Kora say about that? Rosto would be too busy thinking about its potential uses to tease her more than casually.

Aniki closes her eyes and relaxes, fractionally. Gods, she misses them.

[calicoway]

"Sorry," Luke mutters when he feels her tense in his arms. He's not sure why she's tensing, but as much as touch is a necessity for him, he understands that for others it can mean something else. Other don't necessarily like to be rubbing up against a stranger as such.

He stares into the grass, watching a bug climb up a long green blade.

"I can let go if you want..." But then she starts to relax. He thinks maybe she's okay with it. Maybe it's helping her even a little, or at least letting her know that she's not alone right this very moment despite being universes away from her home.