[Voice/Action]

[goldenfirefly]

[At the lake's edge, one will find a journal lying open on the ground, blank and new, waiting for its owner to find it and fill it with messages and memories to look back on. It'll have to wait for a while, so those looking might see nothing but blue sky and hear the river as if it's right nearby

Comments

[Action]

[mirrorbirth]

[Living in the community building has one advantage over his previous lodging; it means he's a little closer to the lake, his favourite training area. Asch is just about to start the afternoon's session when he hears a lot of splashing nearby, so he unsheathes his sword and runs in that direction. The last time this had happened he'd had to drag a drowning Nephry out of the lake. It's just his luck, isn't it?

However, when he arrives... the one he finds definitely isn't drowning. Asch stops and stares for a long moment, wondering if he's simply mistaken, then abandons his sword in the grass and hurries to Stella, crouching beside her in the shallows.]

Stella?

[Action]

[goldenfirefly]

[There's someone there, isn't there? She heard footsteps, so there must be someone there. And then her name is said and-

She recognizes the voice. She's not sure how, but she does.

Stella grips the pages and the grass to have something to hold on to before she looks up. Red hair, green eyes; yes, he was definitely familiar. She stares for a long moment, and then her eyes widen in pure recognition.]

... Asch?

[Action]

[mirrorbirth]

[Asch is surprised that she knows him, even letting it show a little before he settles himself down and reaches out to roll her over, an arm beneath her back to support her so she's not just sitting in the mud or something. She was dressed like a New Feather, so she must have literally just arrived. What the hell were they thinking, dumping her in the water?]

Are you hurt?

[Action]

[goldenfirefly]

[Yes... This is Asch. A memory flashes in her mind - Her, tired and weak, showing her equally exhausted teriques to him, even close enough for him to touch. It was an ultimate act of trust among her race, especially to an... Orerines, yes.

Stella winces a little when he sits her up, if only because her wings had decided to shake as if they had just come back to life as well, flinging water away from them. She lifts her arm, because she's starting to get a headache and she'd like to press against it and try to make it go away, but it falls back to the ground before it can get there.]

I'm not... sure, I...

[Action]

[mirrorbirth]

Don't force yourself to move, you'll just make it worse.

[From the look of things, she isn't doing to well. Still supporting her, Asch gives her a brief once-over, searching for signs of any wounds of bruises or anything else that might be causing her extra pain. If it's just the wings, that's problematic, but anything else, he could try healing. Otherwise it's just a matter of letting her rest.]

[Action]

[goldenfirefly]

[There are no wounds on her, she's just pale with some color starting to return, and really cold. At least she's warming up a little, but she's still soaking wet and in a short sleeved dress in the middle of a cold autumn day.

It's too bad she's as stubborn as a bull, because she just brings her arm up again, this time managing to wince again as she presses her hand against her head. Memories are slowly returning and everything's different and spinning and Stella isn't even sure why she's here right now.]

[Action]

[mirrorbirth]

[Looks like there are no immediately visible injuries, and since she's not bleeding through her dress he's not about to strip-search her for any. Instead he shifts his position so she can lean on him while he tugs off his tabard and wraps it around her, clasping it shut at the neck to keep the warmth in. It's not exactly a snug blanket, but it's all has to offer for the moment.]

Do you remember what house you used to live in? I'll take you there.

[Action]

[goldenfirefly]

[It's very nice to get some extra heat, both from the tabard and the body heat from Asch, and it's on instinct that Stella leans a little closer to that heat. The action is familiar yet again, but instead of Asch, she sees... someone with white hair, tanned skin and desperate blue eyes...

Stella snaps out of the memory at his inquiry, however, and she opens her eyes a little before she closes them again. Which house? She lived here? Of course she did, otherwise she wouldn't remember this place, but...

After some thought, Stella remembers hanging up a painting of a ship being guided by a lighthouse on a wall, but that's all. So, she gives a light shake of her head.]

I don't... remember.

[Action]

[mirrorbirth]

[Hmm, that doesn't help much. Asch has only been there a few times, as far as he can recall, and it's been a long time since he so much as visited. Maybe he'll remember the route if he just starts walking. Either way he needs to get her to the village.

Mumbling under his breath in an apologetic tone - whether or not it's really an apology is a mystery - he lays her down on her back and sets her journal on her lap, disappearing for a moment to retrieve his sword. So much for training. If it had been someone else - a lot of someones, actually - he would have just called for someone else to pick them up, but...

...well. This is Stella. There are exceptions to every rule.]

[Action]

[goldenfirefly]

[The wings shift on their own to lay flat against a back as a bird's would to their sides, and she can't help but wince again when they move. And he's walking away, and she's colder again; where's he going?

Stella opens her eyes again and turns her head to watch after him, fingers unconsciously gripping the tabard. Though she won't voice it, she's hoping that he's not going to just leave her there or anything.]

[Action]

[mirrorbirth]

[That would be a great way to meet again, wouldn't it, to find her and then ditch her by the lakeside |D but no, he's only gone long enough to sheath his sword and then he's back at her side again, this time sliding both arms beneath her to lift her right up out of the water. She's still quite light, almost frail, and he purses his lips, starting towards the village. Rather than taking her home, she'd be better off going to the dome's medical center.]

[Action]

[goldenfirefly]

[She'd flip him into the lake next time she saw him in that case 8| Anyway, she's leaning right against that heat again and trying to get as much of herself in the tabard as she can. Stella opens her eyes every now and then to watch the buildings go by, and they all seem familiar, but... at the same time, they're not.

Another memory flashes - there was blood everywhere and Asch was...

She looks up at him swiftly, but Asch looks okay. That's right... She had helped to heal him, right? She knew how to heal... that's right.

She still has to ask, though.]

A-Are you... well? I haven't seen you... in a very long time.

[Action] /kicks ljlogin, wtf

[mirrorbirth]

[Asch blinks down at her, one brow lifting. She's limp and weak and probably half frozen, and she's asking how he is? Typical Stella. Maybe he even missed it, not that he'd admit it.]

I'm fine. Shouldn't you be more worried about yourself?

[Action] it gave me a good laugh |D

[goldenfirefly]

[What's that motion her face is making- ah, a smile. A small, weak smile, but all the same. She shuts her eyes again, but she still talks to him.]

No... I'll be all right. [She trusts him, after all.]

[Action] well at least it's good for something 8|

[mirrorbirth]

[Blink. Blink.

And then Asch looks up at the road ahead once more, cheeks ever so slightly pink. Attention is always embarrassing, and from a woman even more so. But at least she's well enough to talk a little.

He'll still focus on getting her to that hospital. Health is way more important than socializing.]

...You'd better.

[Action]

[goldenfirefly]

Mmm... [As far as Stella's concerned, as long as Asch is taking care of her, she'll be okay.

It occurs to her that, while the buildings look a little familiar, she still doesn't really have an idea where they're going. She opens her eyes to watch the path again, and after she finds herself unable to recognize where it leads again, she looks up at him again.]

Where... are we going?