Aara Awakens - Closed

[angha_firebird]

Who: Xanth stillseecracks and Aara angha_firebird
Where: Around the barracks -- Then probably in one of their rooms?
When: After Aara wakes from dying

Comments

[stillseecracks]

Xanth was released from isolation not hours ago.

After the events in the library, two days of solitude helped him piece himself back together. He's headed back to his room now, but a shriek rings out.

Xanth stops cold, fingers curling to grip a weapon that isn't there. Adrenaline surges past the numbing fog and Xanth strides around a corner, prepared for any danger.

But he was not prepared for this.

"A--Aara!"

[stillseecracks]

Xanth understands all too well. Aara definitely sounds lost, and more than a little confused. Add that onto that she was without clothes and covered in blood, and Xanth thinks he knows what happened.

His heart sinks.

"Wh... what's th--the last thing y-you r-re-- rem... remember?"

THAT FACE D8

[angha_firebird]

Remember?

Frowning in concentration, Aara tries her best to remember something--anything--then relents and has to shake her head.

"Do not." She pauses, remembering an important word, and tries again. "I... do not... remember." She looked up at Xanth, uncertain.

"Is that bad?"

;~;

[stillseecracks]

It's terrible.

But, suspicions confirmed, Xanth just shakes his head. "It... i-it's okay. Y-You'll-- you'll r-remember soon." She'll remember Xanth; she'll remember herself; she'll remember everything, even her death.

They're nearing Xanth's room now. Only a turn and one long stretch of hall before they get there.

DDDD8

[angha_firebird]

That caught Aara's attention.

"I will?"

She was surprised. Why did this surprise her? It was good news, at the very least. Did this--not remembering--happen often to people?

Aara is starting to find her feet, finally, relaxing enough to stand straighter--a little on her own. She's looking around the hall with interest as they round that bend.

"I live here?"

[stillseecracks]

"Y...Yeah." Xanth pauses, cogs turning in his tired mind to work out an explanation. "Y-You were-- b-born some else, b-but, you... l-live here n--now."

"I-I do, t-- too," he continues. "W-We're... going to m-my room. I... I don't... kn-know where y-yours is."

[angha_firebird]

"Oh." She supposed that made sense. Looking up into Xanth's face--her panic finally dwindling enough to notice his subdued tone--Aara frowns and stops walking, light fingers rising to his face and hoping he will stop, too.

"You are sad." Her head tilts to one side as she watches him. This... concerned her. His being sad. "Why are you sad?"

She honestly didn't mind that they were not going back to the room she had woken in. There was too much blood in her bed, still.

[stillseecracks]

The touch brings Xanth to a halt and, confused, he looks down at Aara. At her question, he bites his lip and glances away.

"S...Some b-bad things h--happened. It's... i-it's over," or it would be soon, "but... th-they... h-happened." He puts on another worn smile. "I'll-- I-I'll be f--fine. I-I just... I need s-some-- some sleep, a-and I'll, b-be-- fine."

That much is true; Xanth is running on fumes. But whether sleep will come to him is another matter entirely.

[angha_firebird]

Still somewhat concerned, Aara pulls her hand away and gives a slow nod.

"I am sorry." She didn't know what else to say. She didn't want someone who was being so kind to her to be so sad. She did not want bad things to happen to him. "But it is over now. You... you are safe, too." She smiles, peering up at Xanth again and hoping his expression lightens somewhat--or else her smile will slip away.

She nods again, more firmly this time. "You sleep. I will protect you." It made sense to her to say that. Why, she did not know. "You are helping me. Now, I will return the favor."

[stillseecracks]

Aara's right; it is over, at least for the moment. This is a time of reprieve. If only he could take advantage of it.

"O--Okay," he replies, his smile more sincere but no less tired. It's in part to pacify her, but he'll try to sleep - for Aara's sake, and for his own. "B-But let's... get you c-cleaned up first, o--okay?"

He starts towards his room again.

[angha_firebird]

Smiling more fully in return, Aara nods her head. She feels incredibly better, now that he agreed to her plan and her protection. His smile was a relief as well. At his reminder about getting her cleaned up, however, Aara grimaces. She's beginning to feel stiff--her skin too tight where the blood had dried. With a hint of stiff movements, Aara is only too happy to agree to that plan.

"Yes, please. How... How will we get it all off?"

She really wanted it off.

She simply follows Xanth to wherever his room may be.

[stillseecracks]

"W-Water," he answers, "and-- t-towels. Th-there's both in-- i-in my room."

When they reach his room, Xanth unlocks the door and then opens it up. His room isn't messy, but it's not exactly clean, either. There are books piled on the floor next to the bed, and on the bed there are a number of blankets - both patchwork and whole-cloth.

Xanth leads Aara in, then closes the door with a relieved sigh. In here, she would be safe from anyone mistaking her for someone infected. With the hand not around Aara, he points to a small tiled area in the corner.

"That's-- th-the shower. Th-the water's n-not... not warm, but i-it'll do th... the trick." He then points to his closet. "T--Towels are-- th-there. I, um. I-I can-- g-get some."

If only Aara would let him go.

[angha_firebird]

Sensing his predicament, Aara nods slowly before moving away from Xanth's personal space, feeling at once open but... thankfully not too vulnerable now that she was 'safe.' Perhaps.

She hoped.

Looking around the room, Aara takes the books in with interest. She doesn't want to touch anything while she's covered in blood, though. Giving one last look of uncertainty to Xanth, Aara cautiously walks over to the thing he called a shower. She glances over her shoulder at Xanth again, then curiously touched the tile inside, feeling it cool her fingertips.

"How... does it work...?" Wrapping her arms around herself, Aara waits for Xanth's next directive. If it wasn't warm... what was it?

[stillseecracks]

Xanth shifts away from Aara, heading over to the closet. Inside, there are folded but disorganized clothes and two towels, both of which Xanth takes. After a moment of consideration, he takes a shirt and pants as well, and then he sets those on the bed.

"I-It, um." Towels over his arm, Xanth walks up to the shower. "W-- Water comes o-out of the s--spout, wh-when you-- t-turn this-- this w-wheel." He points in turn to each of these, then shifts to the side and turns the wheel just slightly. Cold water trickles from of the spout, splattering when it hits the tile. Xanth turns the wheel the other way and the flow stops. He looks to Aara.

"D--Do you-- g-get it?"

[angha_firebird]

Aara was paying close attention until Xanth turned the wheel and water came whooshing out. She gasped, eyes wide as she grabbed Xanth's shoulder for a moment, then calmed when the water turned off. She moved her hand away, feeling silly for having been frightened. It seemed like this shower was something Xanth was used to. She would be all right--even if it was cold.

"Yes... thank you."

Reaching out a hand, Aara tests the wheel herself, turning it so water sprayed out. She glanced back Xanth's way before stepping under the spray, and loud gasp startled from her. It was cold. Shivering, she immediately began to scrub herself, holding her breath each time she went under the spray of water.

"Wh-when I am done... Xanth... I will guard you while you sleep..."

The room was only so big, after all. He should be able to hear her.

[stillseecracks]

When his arm is grabbed, Xanth offers Aara a smile. Then, Xanth steps out of the way, narrowly avoiding the spray. He turns his back to Aara - now that she's showering, she'll probably lose his shirt, and by no means will he stare at her.

However, this gives Aara an excellent view of his back and the map of scars that run across it. Some are quite old, but others look only a few months in age. The oldest are small, scattered slashes; fresher, but still faded claw strikes mark his shoulder blades; and the freshest are large gouges that run from his right shoulder to his left hip and two smaller slashes curving from his back to his arm. Xanth makes no effort to hide them. He's had these scars for some time; they are a part of him now.

Aara's promise makes him smile. "Th... thanks. B-But I-- I-I might-- not b-be able to..."