When Lystra finds the memory room, she goes in without a second thought, taking Tyan with her, excited about what might be inside. What she finds is a familiar room, one from Clifftop, and Jehal and Jaslyn are both there. The hardest part is choosing who to fling herself at and hug first (she chooses Jaslyn). Jaslyn is stiff and tight the whole time, even more so than usual, and Lystra knows it's because Jehal's there with them, but she's too happy to see them both for it to hurt her. It probably will later, but not now.
The whole thing takes a huge weight off her mind. The hardest part about arriving here wasn't being taken away from her family, it was being taken away from them before any of them had a chance to see Tyan. Jehal had never met his own son. And now he has. It was only for fifteen minutes, but seeing them together is something she'll never forget.
When the memory fades she's left standing in an empty room, eyes big and teary, but she's smiling.
"Dude," Dean observes from where he's maybe-maybe not kind of hanging around the hallway outside the door in question. He didn't see anything, he's not trying to look, but he keeps seeing the same thing. "Is there tear gas in that room or somethin'?"
He doesn't want to have to go in there to retrieve her, but he will; first, though, he's gonna try bringing her out to him. He kind of likes Lystra. Like, a lot.
"Dean," Lystra says, softly, but loud enough that Dean should be able to hear her. She takes a deep breath and lets it out, then turns to face him. She's all teary and looks a bit distant, but she's not hurt, or terribly upset, or anything like that.
"The one and only," he acknowledges automatically, but his eyes are riveted to her face the moment he can see it. It's the tears that are throwing him, even though he's perfectly capable of understanding that she's basically okay; just that people crying causes a kneejerk reaction in him, even now, even after everything.
"You okay, sweetheart?" he asks, because he can't not. He also can't not hold a hand out to her from where he's standing, trying to get her to come out of there without having to go in himself. He's okay with admitting he's afraid of the room.
The moment she's in reach, Dean's hand closes on her arm, typist willing, as if it's some kind of lifeline, but he won't try to move or rush her - just hang on, and either way, he'll close the door firmly as soon as she's clear of it.
"Is Tyan okay?" he tries again, uncertain as to how to proceed here, but unwilling not to try.
"He's fine," Lystra says, glancing down at her son. She might move her arm out of Dean's grip, actually. Not because she minds him hanging on to it, but because she needs it free so she can wipe tears from her eyes with the back of her hand.
Dean either lets go immediately or doesn't chase the hold, dropping his hand away; his fingers curl and uncurl, wanting to do something, not knowing what. He settles for stepping back, looking down at the boy in question, then away down the hall. He feels kind of stupid.
Well, crap. Dean had been ready to get out of her way, but she brings him back to a halt with two words, and now he really doesn't know what to do. He smiles at her because it seems like the best course of action, then shifts uncomfortably, and clears his throat.
"Okay," he offers, because he hasn't got anything else. "I uh... wanna find a place to sit down then?"
"Awesome," he replies, relieved to have something straightforward to do that he knows he can accomplish. He glances down at Tyan, then out across the gathering of people.
"Want me to...?" He's okay with giving her a break, even if it's just across the room to where the benches are.
Finally - Dean nods quickly, and shifts his attention to Tyan.
"Hey shortstack - c'mere, lemme show you what the world looks like from the top," he says, shifting gears easily into kid mode. Weirdly, it's a mode he's never lost, and he offers his hands out to the kid. If he seems amenable to it, Dean'll swing him up off the floor carefully by the wrists, monkey-style. Very carefully.
Dean swings Tyan a little higher than strictly necessary, and smoothly transfers the boy to his hip on the downswing with a quick, rather sincere grin; once Tyan is safely settled, Dean tips a look to his mother and the corner of his mouth tugs upwards. He's perfectly comfortable with the toddler.
"Alright sweetheart - let's go find some booze," he replies, lightly, jokingly, and starts off for the benches he'd spotted across the room earlier.
The whole thing takes a huge weight off her mind. The hardest part about arriving here wasn't being taken away from her family, it was being taken away from them before any of them had a chance to see Tyan. Jehal had never met his own son. And now he has. It was only for fifteen minutes, but seeing them together is something she'll never forget.
When the memory fades she's left standing in an empty room, eyes big and teary, but she's smiling.
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He doesn't want to have to go in there to retrieve her, but he will; first, though, he's gonna try bringing her out to him. He kind of likes Lystra. Like, a lot.
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"You okay, sweetheart?" he asks, because he can't not. He also can't not hold a hand out to her from where he's standing, trying to get her to come out of there without having to go in himself. He's okay with admitting he's afraid of the room.
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"Is Tyan okay?" he tries again, uncertain as to how to proceed here, but unwilling not to try.
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"Look, I... okay, I'll go."
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"Don't go," Lystra says, immediately. She feels better just having him here, actually, even if he's not really doing much.
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"Okay," he offers, because he hasn't got anything else. "I uh... wanna find a place to sit down then?"
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"Want me to...?" He's okay with giving her a break, even if it's just across the room to where the benches are.
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She thinks Dean holding a toddler would be kind of cute.
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"Hey shortstack - c'mere, lemme show you what the world looks like from the top," he says, shifting gears easily into kid mode. Weirdly, it's a mode he's never lost, and he offers his hands out to the kid. If he seems amenable to it, Dean'll swing him up off the floor carefully by the wrists, monkey-style. Very carefully.
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It makes Lystra laugh a little, too. Because it's cute.
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"Alright sweetheart - let's go find some booze," he replies, lightly, jokingly, and starts off for the benches he'd spotted across the room earlier.
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