A Second Chance (Blake/Squad Assignment)

[Blake Oleander]

His eyes flickered over her and her destroyed top when she turned toward him. He'd never seen this much of her before. And surprisingly she didn't seem shy about it. And she was talking about focusing on the energy. Did she mean him since it was his Qi? Was she trying to tell him something?

"Focusing on me?"

Just to clarify. Either way, he'd nod at her second question.

"Change is painful."

[Bailey Oleander]

She started to respond, mouth open and no words coming out at his first question other than the red flush and heat blooming across her cheeks and down her neck. For a mercy, or some twisted version of it, she was spared an immediate answer as her arm began returning to its normal size and form. It was worse than the expanding, jarring her from her thoughts as she felt what he went through time and again on the battlefield.

"It is. Yes."

[Blake Oleander]

And there was the blush. All over. He'd just nod slowly. Did she realize she was showing off what she'd normally kept modestly covered? The blush made it hard to tell. Maybe she was trying to be daring? What was she thinking about with that arm!?

[Bailey Oleander]

She did now! Without the sudden explosion of her arm growing or receding, it became very clear that the damage was already done, chest and white lace exposed. The red deepened considerably as she attempted to try and cover herself with the remains of her shirt, but with nothing to hold it together. She settled for hugging her knees to her chest as the bite marks on her neck began to heal over, as did the burns along her arms and face. Her face, it seemed, would take longer to heal. She cleared her throat, looking away for a moment as she realized he'd been checking her out.

"And yes."

SPOILER: Click to show

Regeneration - Bailey's body heals quickly and she can expend one use of her Qi to heal 1/2 her energy in damage. This power also cuts recovery time between threads in half
Qi Uses: 1/22

[Blake Oleander]

"And yes?"

[Bailey Oleander]

Is that red going on purple? Yes, yes it is. Almost.

"You asked if I was thinking about you," she managed, swallowing against a suddenly dry throat. Her gaze went to him for a moment, almost looking away and yet not able to after that confession. She wanted to see his reaction for herself now that there was no heat of battle or anything else. She'd been focused on his qi and the differences she felt in it, yes, but she'd also been thinking about him.

[Blake Oleander]

He'd just nod to himself silently, looking down at her and changing the subject.

"The regeneration has started."

[Bailey Oleander]

She hadn't realized she was holding her breath until the subject changed. Taking the opportunity to keep it away from even more awkward territory, she looked down at her arms and gave a single nod.

"You're right." The skin was already healing over, like the burns hadn't even been there. It was a good start, though she wasn't really sure how to describe the sensations going on in the damaged part of her face. Then again, she wasn't exactly an expert on the situation.

"What can I do to help, Blake? You know your people best; you know their strengths and where an extra set of hands is best." Even if they were just her small hands. She wasn't a warrior, but at least she could do something for them. Whether or not they might end up being the neighboring territory to her own people one day, she coudln't just sit around and do nothing while they worked.

[Blake Oleander]

"Depends. What can you do?"

[Bailey Oleander]

"I could help with the construction or clearing debris away if you need." She tucked some of the hair behind her ear as she mulled over what she had seen walking through the village.

"If you need someone to focus on meals and keeping things stock, or the younger kids, I can do that too." Her voice wavered slightly with the last one, not sure if they'd be terrified or not. She looked in the direction of the battlefield for a moment, then shook her head. She wasn't sure what they woudl do with all the fallen, but given her last experience with a battlefield after the fact, Bailey figured it wouldn't be wise to push her luck again. Especially not with her own energy being a part of it.

[Blake Oleander]

"Clearing debris and helping with cooking would be welcome."

They would have a lot of hungry mouths, and he didn't know how good with her hands she was. He didn't want to slow down the work of their craftsmen. But anyone could clear debris.

[Bailey Oleander]

"Alright." She nodded, shoulders relaxing slightly. She wasn't afraid of hard labor, and sitting around while others worked bothered her. Arms still hugging her knees to her chest, she didn't leave just yet, thoughts inevitably going back to what they had gone through against the people who wanted to invade.

"I still can't believe they were willing to risk their own men." She shook her head, volume dropping as she thought on it. It was enough that they were willing to sacrifice their own Commanders in this battle for that final purge. To them, it had been worth it. Even if she might be able to understand some explanation of logic, she couldn't wrap her head around it. The world had already been nearly destroyed once, and half the population in one go. And now they were throwing away other lives for...what? What was this supposed to be?

[Blake Oleander]

"It's because this land is valuable to their masters. People will gladly give their life for a cause they believe in."

Blake should know.

[Bailey Oleander]

"True." It was that simple - and overwhelming, likely due to the scale. "I can understand that, but on this scale..." She shook her head. "You put multiple people with that same idea and goal, and I can see the logic." She would do anything help her homeland and her family; these people were doing what they believed in.

It still made her sick to her stomach.

[Blake Oleander]

"We don't know what they planned. I destroyed the crystal. It could have been meant for something else."

But he released the energy in a violent manner.