Art on the River [Closed]

[Rina Vade]

Rina watched his eyes flicker through an array of emotions. She could sense each one, the stronger ones close to eliciting visible reactions from her, though she forced them back. At Lucien's question, she nodded. "Very sure." she affirmed, not letting her resolve waver in the slightest.

Lucien was the one who needed to rest. He was barely functional.

Rising to her feet, she moved and took a seat in the arm chair nearby, curling her legs under her and leaning back. "Just go to sleep. I'll handle the rest. I'll be fine, Lucien. Scout's honor." she raised one hand in a mock imitation of what the said little clubs used to do.

[Lucien DeChain]

Lucien nodded, affirmed that Rina knew what she was getting into.

After quickly laying out the blankets and pillow, he got comfortable, knowing the second his head hit that very enticing looking pillow he would be asleep and dreaming.

"Okay. Goodnight, Rina."

And he fell asleep.

*

All of this blood. It pools around my feet, tickles my ankles as I wade through it. The sloshing sound it makes is sickeningly beautiful.

I open my mouth, and start to laugh.

[Rina Vade]

She waited until he was asleep before getting back up and sitting on the floor in front of the couch, leaning back until her shoulder came in contact with his arm. There was no way she could do this without touching him. Shutting her eyes, she let her mind reach out to his, searching for the negative emotions of his dream and pulling them to herself. Although she couldn't actually see the dream itself, the feelings that accompanied the nightmare gave her a vague image.

Red. There was a lot of red.

Blood, perhaps? Was he dreaming of death? She pushed the thought away. Trying to figure out what he was having a nightmare about wasn't going to help her concentrate on shielding him enough so that it wouldn't bother him.

She focused on keeping those emotions away from him, her shoulders tensing beneath the overwhelming weight they carried.

After a while - she wasn't sure how long it'd been - Rina heard the soft rasp of the front door opening, and then the quiet telltale click as it was shut and locked. Mila was home. Soft footfalls approached the living room. There was a pause, and then the footsteps retreated down the hall. Mila must have peeked in to check on them. Rina didn't move, afraid to break her concentration.

[Lucien DeChain]

The scene shifted. From the blood-filled street, I found myself in the middle of a wide grassfield. Looking down I saw the long grass blades caressing my calves, reaching up to my knees. A feeling of peace, and calm, washed over me.

But, somewhere, in the back of my head, I felt like I didn't belong there.

[Rina Vade]

The darkness of sleep had begun to paw at her, but Rina stubbornly pushed it away. If she fell asleep, she might drop all the mental shields she had put up. Either that or get sucked into Lucien's dream, but that was just a theory. Still, theory or not, Rina remained awake, holding on to those negative emotions so that they wouldn't bother Lucien.

Suddenly, things changed. She could sense it, but whatever it was, she didn't know. She continued to keep the negative emotions at bay, waiting for light to touch her face that would tell her it was morning.

[Lucien DeChain]

I started to walk through the fields, feeling as alien as one could. That thing tugged at the back of my mind, wanting me to pick it, as if it needed to tell me something. Something important. Something I forgot...--

Rina.

I'm dreaming.

Panic started to set in, and I couldn't stop myself. As if a paper backdrop had holes burnt into it, the grassy field melted away and I found myself back on the concrete. This time, it wasn't bloody, though. No dead bodies. No evil smile, and no bloody knife in my hand. Rina's Qi must be working, I thought.

[Rina Vade]

A flash of panic rose for some reason and Rina quickly smothered it away, feeling another change. And as before, she couldn't tell what it was. The darker, negative emotions thrashed in her hold, wanting to return to where they had come from. It was unnatural for someone to pull another's emotions into oneself. It took a lot of focus just to keep her mental shields up and in place. For a moment, Rina started wondering again what Lucien was dreaming about, but the soft warm of sunlight on her closed eyes turned her attention away.

It was morning.

Early dawn, actually, as the sun wasn't strong. She decided to remain where she was and continue to let Lucien sleep until he awoke on his own.

[Lucien DeChain]

A voice called my name, from behind me. It was a familiar voice, and soothing.

"Lucien."

I turned around, and I saw them there, smiling. Wedge, Ari, Delilah, Marcus, "Unfettered", "Teal", Leon... So many more. They were all there, in a row, looking at me.

They called out in one voice.

"We've been waiting for you. Let's go home."

Smiling, I ran towards them. I was caught in the embrace of my friends and comrades, and we walked together, back home.

*

Lucien woke up. It was bright, and the sun hurt his eyes as he opened them. Looking over, he saw Rina, her head propped up against his arm. She seemed peaceful. And, indeed, he felt peaceful as well. It might have just been one full night's sleep, but it made a world of difference.

He thought it best not to disturb her, so he just laid there, soaking in the morning sun.

[Rina Vade]

Sensing that his dreams were no longer dark and full of blood, Rina had drifted off into sleep, her head dropping back against Lucien's arm. If she dreamed, she knew not, for when she woke, she didn't remember any.

The sunlight was stronger now. Bright. Squinting her eyes against the light, Rina straightened up into a better sitting position, felt the twinge in her shoulders, and then reconsidered, leaning back again and forcing her shoulder muscles to relax. It took her a moment to realize that Lucien was awake, though he hadn't moved.

"Morning' Lu." she mumbled, still half-asleep.

[Lucien DeChain]

Lucien stayed there for a while, thinking through his memory of the dream he had. He knew everything that happened, and he knew what Rina had done for him. A feeling of gratitude came over him, and the morning sun added to the warming feeling he felt along his skin.

Rina stirred eventually, and he stayed still as she moved about.

"Morning' Lu."

Lucien blinked, and smirked lopsidedly. No one had called him that before. It was an interesting nickname, though he wasn't sure if he liked it at this point. Unfortunately, his own mind didn't allow for other people's nicknames.

"Morning, Rina. Did you sleep well?"

Feeling her head against his arm, even that little amount of contact, he felt connected to this girl. He wanted to thank her, so much.

[Rina Vade]

A wide yawn escaped from her as she stretched her arms over her head before letting them drop back down to her sides. She turned her head to look at him. "I should be the one asking you that." she pointed out. Her viridian gaze scanned his face. The shadows that had been under his eyes had faded and his eyes weren't so distant from lack of sleep. Good. He'd gotten enough rest.

The sound of running water thrummed down the hall then, telling them that either Mila, Senji or both were up and awake.

Rina didn't move for a moment, content just to sit and share the comfortable silence with Lucien. Suddenly, she looked up. "It's my turn to cook." she said in a tone of realization, rising awkwardly to her feet. Her shoulders hurt something terrible. She shuffled into the kitchen, calling lightly from over her shoulder, "Just leave the pillow and blanket there, Lucien. I'll get to it later."

As she started breakfast, Rina thought back on the past recent events. She was glad to have helped Lucien. He looked a lot better now that he had gotten some sleep. And a restful sleep at that.

[Lucien DeChain]

Lucien smiled warmly. He had slept well. And he was, indeed, a lot clearer now. That feeling of peace hadn't left, and he didn't want it to. It was a lot more pleasant than any other feeling he'd had... in a while.

As Rina got up and shuffled over to the kitchen, Lucien looked up. "I.. Hey..."

He got up and made to follow Rina into the kitchen. Reaching out, he grabbed her wrist softly, hoping she'd take the cue to turn around.

He tried to look her in the eye, but he found himself unable to. As he looked downwards, his eyes started to well up.

"Th... Thank you..."

[Rina Vade]

Feeling a hand grasp her wrist, Rina paused in what she was doing and turned around to look at Lucien. His eyes were glued to ground and she tilted her head slightly in puzzlement. "Lu...?" she began, just as he spoke.


"Th... Thank you..."

For a moment, Rina didn't move, surprised at the emotion of gratitude that rolled off of him in waves. It was so strong. He was very grateful for her helping him. A rare, sunny smile bloomed over her pale features and Rina ducked her head lightly, her azure eyes attempting to catch his own. When she was sure he wouldn't turn his gaze away, she said, "Dōitashimashite. You're welcome." a true smile decorated her face. "Now let's get you some breakfast." she chirped brightly.

OOC - Rina is awfully sappy. I'm wondering how long this thread may go. o.o

[Lucien DeChain]

{OOC: We could end it here if you want? Also Lucien's pretty sappy as well. He's all I NEED HUGSSSS}

Lucien smiled softly, trying to hold back the welling sensation in his eyes. He managed to pull through, and nodded as Rina suggested food.

He slacked his hold on her wrist, letting his hand drop to his side. Looking up at her, he wondered aloud. "Where'd you come up with 'Lu'? No one has ever called me that before."

[Rina Vade]

OOC - Lolz, let's just see how long we can go. XD

IC

As Rina began making egg omelets, she could hear her two roommates moving about, getting ready to come into the kitchen. At Lucien's question, she shrugged, glancing over her shoulder. "Dunno. I just thought it up. Do you want me to stop calling you that?" she asked, grabbing the bread and making toast. After everything was cooked, she swiftly filled four plates and carried them all to the table, two on each arm. Her fluid movements made it appear easy, and maybe to her it was, though she never stopped to think about it.

"Breakfast!" she called, and two figures appeared from down the hall, making their way into the kitchen and sitting at the table. Looking over at Senji, she cocked a hand on her hip and asked pointedly, "Did you wash your hands?" she had a pet peeve about that, and they had argued before over the topic.

Senji rolled his eyes. "Yes, mother." he replied sarcastically.

There was a giggle from Mila, and he shot her a flat look, which only made her laugh a little more loudly. Rina shook her head, half in amusement and half in exasperation, then gestured to Lucien to take a seat.