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((Discord RP Log))


AriaStarstone - Last Thursday at 6:08 PM
Seren was chilling in her room. She'd had a good workout today, and still was feeling some of it. She truly enjoyed that burn in her calf muscles, that said 'You Worked Hard Today' to her. She was reading a book she'd found on astronomy, enjoying what some might call boring.
Pao - Last Thursday at 6:13 PM
HE MADE IT.

That was sort of what was running through his head. He didn't feel bogged down by medication or injuries (at least not really, for this one) and the really, really long shower was more refreshing than he thought a shower could possibly be. So Rhys was pretty damn happy as he walked down the halls in just his pajama bottoms (he was holding on to his shirt for now), towelling his hair dry. When he passed by a certain room he didn't think much of it first, but doubled back about five seconds later.

And knocked.
AriaStarstone - Last Thursday at 6:17 PM
Seren looked up, startled by the knock. She hadn't expected anyone, and no one had texted her to say they were coming. She pondered for a moment, then slowly stood up, and walked to the door, opening it just enough to see who was there. She stared, surprised, then a happy smile graced her face, and she opened the door all the way. She was trying not to stare at the shirtless and slightly damp Rhys, but he did look good shirtless.

"You're out! I'm so glad. Come on in." The room that was visible through the door fit in with her theme... Star charts, posters with glow in the dark constellations, and her bed had dark blue sheets on it with stars printed on them. She put her book on her desk, which did not yet have a chair, next to a photo album sitting there.
Pao - Last Thursday at 6:27 PM
The brunette smiled brightly (for him, anyway) and stepped inside, still fussing with his hair.

"Yeah," he said with a laugh. It wasn't until he stopped with the towel that he noted her life's theme basically all over her room. Fitting, and he felt like he should have expected it. He tried not to be too distracted by it and finished off his hair before throwing towel over his shoulder and giving the room a better look.

"I think you took personal touch to a whole new level," said the brunette once his eyes were back on Seren. "You brought all this stuff from home?"
AriaStarstone - Last Thursday at 6:35 PM
She had to not let her breath catch, with that comparatively bright smile. Every time he came out with a real smile, it was quite nice, but that one was brighter then normal. It just was so nice to see, she told herself.

She moved back to her bed, and sat down on it, sliding so she was nested in the corner, by the pillows. She was wearing just some fitted black jeans and a loose blue t-shirt today, not feeling like dressing up after her post gym shower. She pondered, then said "You can put the towel on the window ledge, if you want, for now."

She blushed a little, as he studied the room, and nodded. "Yeah... I um. Had a suitcase packed with this, my clothes, and a few other things that I managed to fit in already packed, actually, when they recruited me." She ran her fingers along her sheets, one of the few times she had indulged herself in a splurge other then hair and her clothes. "Um, if you want to sit down, the bed is definitely more comfortable then the floor?"
Pao - Last Thursday at 7:54 PM
He glanced over at said winow for a second before going up to it and hanging out the towel, then promptly just dropped himself to the floor and got comfortable.

"M'good here," he said as he leaned back against the wall, his shirt in his lap. It didn't occur to him yet to put it on since he wasn't completely dry and being stuck in damp clothes just really sucked in general, so there he sat in just his PJ bottoms and necklace-totem. His eyes continued to wander around the room for a little while longer, ultimately landing on the desk.

"Chairless desk seems kinda useless. Someone nick yours or what?"
AriaStarstone - Last Thursday at 8:23 PM
"If you say so." She shrugged as he say on the floor, not minding at all. Have her a better angle to see him at while they talked, anyways.

She watched him settle in, curious as to what he was thinking, and quietly enjoying the view. His question, however, earned an roll of her eyes. "They didn't have one in stores when I woke. Haven't bothered to go requisition one since. I don't really use it much, anyways, other then as a place to keep a few things. I'd rather read while lounging, so my bed is a better place for that, and they DID have a clipboard, so if I need to do any paperwork, I can use that."
Pao - Last Thursday at 8:33 PM
A chuckle escaped him at her initial sarcasm, but it did make sense. Requisitioning stuff was also a giant pain so he understood that, too. He had to do some of that work when he first got there considering his room was a storage room prior to his arrival, so the hassle was real.

"Gotcha. You could just say you're lazy, though."
AriaStarstone - Last Thursday at 8:37 PM
She arched her eyebrows at him at that, considering him, then, with a wicked look in her eyes, she said "Lazy, hmm? I'll have to remember that, next time you ask for donuts." She put in a faux whiney voice. "They take sooooooo much work, Rhys."(edited)
Pao - Last Thursday at 8:46 PM
The threat of no more donuts was taken fairly seriously, so he put his hands up in surrender.

"Fine, fine." The smile stayed despite losing this little bout (mostly because the whiney voice was pretty funny though), and he went back to exploring the room with his eyes. Stars, stars, stars everywhere. They did make him a little more curious about what stars actually looked like outside, but he didn't say anything. It seemed pointless since it was still overcast outside so he figured he could another time.

Pretty soon he was looking at her again. "So you worked out today, yeah? How's that been going?"
AriaStarstone - Last Thursday at 8:50 PM
She laughed, amused by his surrender. She honestly wouldn't do that to him, but it seemed fair payback for the teasing he'd given her about being lazy.

She wondered what he made of her room, and couldn't help wondering if she seemed a little obsessive about stars, or at least a bit insane. She decided not to ask, though, uncomfortable with the chance it might be the case.

"Of course! I run every day, go to the gym every two like you suggested. Your instructions on this are my playbook." She considered his second question, tapping her chin. "Mmm I think pretty well? I can definitely feel the 'it's work' post workout aches."
Pao - Last Thursday at 8:57 PM
If she asked he probably would have shared his thoughts openly. It was a homey room, more than his was--slabs of concrete and boxes all around with no added touch of pesonalization other than his stuff--and he could see it being a good space to come home to after a long day of kicking a** or getting your a** kicked around. It made for a nice place to have people over, too.

But it was gym talk now, and that was where his focus went.

"That's good. Are you still being challenged during the workout or is it a breeze now?" Because that did matter, but he could explain that if she said it was getting too easy again. "I can show you some new movements too, on your next gym day. Only runs for me until this hole," and he pointed at the very scarred over hole in his right forearm, "is completely healed up."
AriaStarstone - Last Thursday at 9:04 PM
She resolved, privately, however, to get a chair or two, so that if he visited again, he could sit wherever he wanted. She hoped he'd come by again, anyways. It felt nice to have the company here, less lonely.

She crossed her legs as she thought about his question, her bare toes wiggling a little in a completely involuntary movement. "Hmmm I think it's still a challenge, but definitely getting way easier. I suspect it'll be a session or two before it begins to feel commonplace." She finally settled on, her eyes still lost in thought, then she refocused on his scar. "Damn. That scarred heavily. Is the skin taught over it, or does it have a decent give? Seriously." She sounded honestly concerned, and also like maybe she had a reason to ask.
Pao - Last Thursday at 9:33 PM
It was interesting to see how someone was in their own space. Typically they were more comfortable and it showed best in the way that they moved, which was what Rhys was seeing in her right then. She certainly seemed most relaxed here than anywhere else he'd seen her, granted most other places he'd seen her they weren't supposed to be relaxing. The lighthouse was probably the only exception, but he figured that was just because nothing tried to fly in and kill them from the sky or something like that.

"Cool, then I've got time to think up a new set to add to that one. Just lemme know when you think you're ready to kick things into a higher gear."

"Eh," he frowned when she mentioned the scar, opening and closing his wrist to flex the muscle it had scarred through. "It's got decent give now, but when it first scarred I couldn't really bend my arm much without the skin tearing a little. Now? It pulls a little which is ********' annoying, but most of the time it's fine."(edited)
AriaStarstone - Last Thursday at 9:48 PM
She picked up a pillow as she listened to him, pulling it into her lap to hug against herself comfortably, in a practiced motion. It seemed likely, from the way she held the pillow, that if she'd had a teddy bear or other plushie, she'd probably be hugging that right now, drawing comfort from the softness. Not that she needed comforting, just that it was a nice thing to cuddle.

She nodded and smiled. "I will do that, and as before, I appreciate it. Also, you should let me know when you feel you have good use of your arm back, yeah?"

She frowned, listening to his words, then put her pillow down, and got up. She went over to the desk, half knelt, and began to rumage through the drawer. After a moment, she pulled out a tube and checked it, then made a satisfied 'hmm' sound, accompanied by a nod. She stood back up and padded over to him, holding out a tube labeled 'Scar Ointment.' "It'll help the scar fade a bit, but more importantly it helps the scar tissue loosen a little more, make it more flexible, and easier to deal with. I'd suggest using it sooner, rather then later."
Pao - Last Thursday at 10:00 PM
The way she hugged her pillow caught his attention; it reminded him of when he had to babysit kids that loved to hug their stuffed toys, and admittedly she looked kind of adorable while doing that. But he watched her watch him for a second before nodding at her request.

"Can do. I've got probably got close to a hundred percent use of it though, it's just a little uncomfortable a lot of the time." A pause, and he corrected himself. "All of the time."

It wasn't until she got up and he actually noticed a view while she rummaged that he realized he still hadn't put his damn shirt on, so he slipped into it before she got back to him with the ointment. "Oh, thanks. I was askin' 'em about recs for when I go on leave sometime. Was gonna pick some up but this saves me some time."
AriaStarstone - Last Thursday at 10:10 PM
"Glad to hear you got most of the use back, but I don't want to risk makin' you retear muscle or anything. I'm just thinking about when to start teaching you cooking, that's all." She nodded, and gave his arm a sympathetic look. Healing wounds sucked pretty bad.

She smiled, innocently unaware he'd been looking at any views she'd presented, and honestly unaware she'd presented one. She nodded at his words, and shrugged. "It's why I asked. I knew I had some in there, and since I haven't had any need for it since I've gotten here, better you use it." She didn't comment on why she had it, or what she'd used it for, though. She did notice, with some internal disappointment, that he'd put his shirt back on. No more nice muscles on display, ah well. She kept the smile on her face, though, and went back over to her bed to flop on it. "Hopefully you wont get much, if any, keloid there."
Pao - Last Thursday at 10:18 PM
He didn't waste any time and read the instructions before putting a bit of the ointment on and slipping the ointment into his pocket. When his eyes were back on her she was on her bed again. "I'll pick you up a new one whenever I go on leave," he said with a nod. He thought it was pretty smart to have something like this considering their line of work, so he didn't question her having it at all.

"So."
AriaStarstone - Last Thursday at 10:25 PM
She was so glad he didn't ask why she had it that there was a hint of relief on her face. She was not at all ready to discuss that issue with him, if ever she would be. Odds were, she probably wouldn't, since unless he somehow managed to see them, which seemed in her mind increasingly unlikely, she was unlikely to mention it.

"Thanks, it's good to have about. Technically I have a partial tube left, that was my spare." After the words popped out, her expression got a little panicked for a second, because ******** she'd just made it clear she used the stuff on herself already. She silently prayed to whatever dieties might be listening that he'd be kind and generous and NOT ask about the verbal cue she'd just handed him on a silver platter.

"So." She flipped over so that she was laying on her stomach, her eyes on his, her expression intent and determined. She didn't notice that the front of her t-shirt had slipped down enough that she was accidentally giving him a look straight down the neck, to the point where he might see a hint of hot pink bra. "Once you're healed, I'd love a chance to spar with you, if you are up for it? You'll probably kick my a**, but I want a chance to practice with a bunch of different people. I want to see how different fighting styles work, to learn as much as I can about them. I figure I'll survive better that way."
Pao - Last Thursday at 10:30 PM
He honestly assumed it was because of all the training she'd been doing that she'd have gone through half a tube already, so he didn't take the hint and just let the comment slip by with another nod of his head.

It was on the upbeat that he looked up and she'd flopped on her bed and was sort of staring at him. Perfectly fine with him. Pink bra in semi-plain sight...

To his surprise, also perfectly fine with him but he forced himself to look up so his eyes were probably too intensely locked on hers with all the focusing he was doing. "Yeah, spars are always good. Would give me practice with dodging and parrying bigass swords."
AriaStarstone - Last Thursday at 10:46 PM
She would have sighed in deep relief that he hadn't asked why she'd used it, but didn't because that too might trigger there was something going on in her head about it. "I would reccommend, if you can, getting that brand. Not too expensive but works just fine."

She found herself wondering if he was as determined as she was to learn other fighting styles, with how very intense his gaze was on hers. It was almost unnerving, to be honest, but at the same time it was a good thought, that he might have a similar goal. "Awesome. I look forwards to it, dude. I've had a few spars so far." She paused, then added in a thoughtful and curious voice, "Somehow it's all been dudes. I wonder why I haven't seen many of us ladies down at the field when I'm there. It's kind of disappointing... But yeah. Every spar under the proverbial belt is another lesson learned."

She sighed, happily, over his agreement, her eyes closing as she relaxed a little. She didn't move much, though, comfortable with the position she was in.
Pao - Last Thursday at 10:54 PM
"Funny," he said, clearing his throat as he blinked and actually looked away this time. A guy could only stare into another girl's eyes as intensely as he'd been doing in a completely bizarre and non-romantic way for so long. "I've mostly been getting spars in with girls. Think they're doing it on purpose?"

When he heard her sigh and the bed creak he thought she might have moved but no, there she was and there was the hot pink still. He didn't try as hard not to look this time, but no, he wasn't staring. Thankfully he was probably sitting far enough that the subtle but almost constant up and down movement of his eyes wasn't too noticeable. He was still trying, was the thought he was having during the conversation.

"I've learned a lot with each fight, but also that fear creatures don't need a whole lot of fighting know-how. Some are dumb as s**t and you can just walk up to 'em and kick 'em, others are more violent. Really a grab-bag kinda thing."
AriaStarstone - Last Thursday at 11:06 PM
"Huh..." She said, sounding baffled. "If so, who's coordinating this and why were we the only two not notified? I mean, that's ridiculous." She had no idea why such a weird coincidence might be happening. "But yet it keeps happening. Strange."

She shifted a little, mostly moving her shoulders a bit to stretch them out, causing some jiggling to occur. "Mmmmmmmmm..." She made a pleased sound as a shoulder muscle unknotted suddenly, which felt awesome.

"Well... huh. I see. So they're kinda like humans. You got the decent ones who don't really want to fight you, the idiots who just fight because they don't know better, and the assholes who live to hurt other people. Gotcha." Her voice was calm as she spoke about it, almost abstract, like she had almost removed herself from being worried about it. "Well, being ready for whatever comes at me is the long term goal."
Pao - Last Thursday at 11:11 PM
Seriously. Was there anything else he could possibly be looking at right at the moment she decided to stretch?

The answer was apparently not.

Rhys took a deep breath, cleared his throat, and nodded a bit at her summary. "Actually it's more like some creatures are stronger versions of the shadowlings we've got on the courses. So not always fully formed or anything, those are the little shits that are easy to kill." He nodded again and looked up, eyes going from her face, then neck, then down her shirt before he took another breath. "We're not lucky enough to get the easy ones all the time, so more practice fighting is always better."
AriaStarstone - Last Thursday at 11:19 PM
She slowly stretched again, then sort of half sat up, shifting positions until her knees were against the wall, and her head was hanging off the other edge of the bed, hair pooling on the floor beneath her. On the one hand, he probably no longer saw her bra. On the other hand, well the angle probably meant her breasts were basically on eye level with him, and she still had no clue. She just was comfortable. And her eyes remained closed. She almost looked like a cat in a trance with how relaxed she was.

"Mmm that's good to know." She murmured softly, her right hand sliding to pull her pillow onto her belly. "Anyway I look at it, it comes down to 'Assume more knowledge is better then less' it seems. Between sparring and the workouts you've been having me do, I'm getting a good start, I think."
Pao - Last Thursday at 11:26 PM
The brunette was the helpless (but admittedly not unhappy) audience to her sudden change in position, and he about just gave up not looking. Her eyes were closed anyway so he eased against the wall and just let his eyes wander where they might. And they wandered over to her quite a bit. It was probably more like they barely wandered away from her at all. To keep himself a least partially sane he flexed his forearm to register some pain in the back of his mind, though.

"Better start than me. I went in guns blazing and got my a** whooped too many ********' times. Half the time at that outpost I was haulin' a** back to base 'cause me and my partner couldn't take whatever piece of s**t was causing trouble. Needed backup, that kinda thing."
AriaStarstone - Last Thursday at 11:33 PM
She just relaxed there, breathing slowly and deeply, enjoying the chance to relax as much as she wanted while chatting with her friend. She hugged the pillow up against herself, on her belly. She figured she looked kind of stupid like this, but it felt strangely good, so she mentally shrugged it off. He'd seen her faceplant, he could deal with weird positions.

"Mmmm. I don't particularly fancy getting my a** handed to me every time I go out." There was that determination, again. "I refuse to be a bigger burden on anyone here then I need to be, and if I get my a** kicked like that, when I'm supposed to be the front line, well... That just isn't a go."
Pao - Last Thursday at 11:38 PM
It really seemed too much like a show, though from what he kenw about Seren he was pretty sure she wasn't doing this on purpose. The slow rise and fall of her chest just really wasn't doing him any favors, but he was honestly surprised the conversation was still going. And that she hadn't noticed a thing yet. Clueless wasn't something he'd initially pegged her as, but maybe when she was comfortable...?

Rhys squinted at the random thought that shot through his brain that even Zephira was appalled at. Mostly for the imagery.

He took a deep breath as well and closed his eyes this time, trying to clear his head while Zephira tried her hardest to ignore everything going on. "Fallin' on your a** is a good way to learn. Just look at me, dude."
AriaStarstone - Last Thursday at 11:47 PM
She sighed, softly, and then suddenly swore and sat up, as a sudden dizzy rush hit her. "********. Not to self, do not let head hang off edge of bed." She had the red rush of blood to the head thing going on in her face now. "Pity, that was a ********' comfortable position until I got dizzy. Whyyyyyyyy?" She groaned in frustration, moving slowly to lean against the wall again. "Lame. Resting on a chair with your feet over the edge? Hella comfortable til they fall asleep. Why the ******** do the most comfortable ways to lounge have to have sudden suckage at the end?"

She sat cross legged now, a slight pout on her face at this turn of events, and just meh'd.

"I... guess? I am just tired of the downs of life, I'd like to see some ups. Also... I just. Don't want to fail anyone..." Her voice was quiet at that. "If some one gets hurt because I failed, I don't think I'd forgive myself."
Pao - Last Thursday at 11:56 PM
It was his turn to keep right on taking deep breahts in his little spot against the wall, so he didn't realize that she wasn't in that precarious position anymore. He wouldn't notice that for a little while longer while he got his brain and body on the same wavelength again.

"I get that," he said through a sigh. "I kinds just think that the expectation of never failing isn't the greatest around here. We ******** up, we get ******** up, it just happens. If it's 'cause you think you messed up, apologize and do what you can to help if you want to, but at the end of the day you gotta figure out how to get up and go again." He really didn't mean to sound like he was downplaying anything, but his thought process just went in the general direction of "screw up but get back up again."

"Being extra ready to head out, though," he added after another breath. "Really good of you to be doin'. And good for your team. I'm just sayin' you can't expect to not ******** up no matter how much getting ready you do."
September 8, 2017
AriaStarstone - Yesterday at 12:03 AM
She found herself wondering if he was ok, the way he was taking deep breaths over there. She frowned a little, and wanted to ask if he'd strained his arm, but something about his expression told her it wasn't that, and she decided discretion was the better part of valor here. However, she kept watching him, her eyes giving him a once over, trying to figure out what was up if she could.

She bit her lip, listening to his words, and finally she sighed, deeply. "You're right. Dammit, you're right and if I go into it trying to tell myself I can't allow myself to fail, I'll probably bung up the first mission beyond all belief... And then where will I be? In stupidsville, that's where."

She nodded at the last bit he said, still sort of trying to re-work her brain so she wouldn't be thinking stupidity like that.(edited)
Pao - Yesterday at 12:09 AM
When he felt mostly normal again Rhys opened his eyes, relief crashing into him when he saw that she was sitting up now though it hopefully didn't show at all. The less she asked about what was going on with him right then, the better. "Yeah, just do your best. You're still new so try not to take it all on at once, y'know?"

It was for the better part of his life that he fell and had to force himself to get back up again no matter what else was going on, to the point where he just naturally expected failure the first time around. So he was speaking out of concern, really, though there was a chance that it might have come off as preachy or self-help type advice. But for him getting up was the more important part than getting it perfect.
AriaStarstone - Yesterday at 12:14 AM
She sighed, deeply, her head leaning back against the wall, gazing at her ceiling. "Yeah. Yeah, you're right. I need to not think in 'must not fail' patterns. That's a habit I have got to break." She had fought failure so hard, her whole life. Failure had meant bad things, given that her existance was a failure on her part, or at least so her parents had said her entire childhood. She hated failing, she hated failing when it hurt others even more.

"Breaking thought patterns is gonna suck fat d**k." She growled in annoyance, her lip curled in irritation at the patterns in her mind. Another task for her to complete, another goal to handle. She could do this, she knew she could, but ******** it was not gonna be fun.
Pao - Yesterday at 12:21 AM
The phrasing wasn't pleasant but it got the point across, though it sent another thought through his head that Zephira couldn't even believe he had.

"Yeah, pretty much," he said with a sigh as he scooted closer to the bed. "You'll figure it out though, I'm pretty sure about that." Given her level of determination at getting stuff done and improving and all that, he really was very sure about that. It would just take time and probably more effort than anyone would like. He put his chn on her bed and looked up at her from where he was, sighing again. "I'm here too, if you ever need anything."
AriaStarstone - Yesterday at 12:25 AM
She looked down at him, her eyes filled with frustration, and also gratitude for both his confidence in her, and making it clear he'd be there to help her. "Thanks. It means a lot. I just hadn't realized how ******** ingrained that stupid thought pattern had gotten." She bit her lip in frustration, then suddenly shook her head, sharply.

"No. No I am not going to spend the next part of this afternoon moping over this." She closed her eyes, and took a few deep, meditative breaths, intentionally forcing all that concern out of her, before opening her eyes, and meeting his again. "This is supposed to be a happy day. You're released from the infirmary, and here I'm going mopesville. Sorry, Rhys. Dunno why you put up with me."
Pao - Yesterday at 12:29 AM
He lolled his head a bit to the side, his eyes now naturally directed at her wall. "Give it time and don't overthink. I'm pretty sure that's how I've gotten this far here and still haven't wound up dead."

"And yeah, I dunno why either but I like it so whatever." The comment slipped out without any kind of filter, before he could even really think about it, but there it was. "Anyway, happy day 'cause I got a shower and I'm chillin' here. If it helps you then you can mope all you want. I'm just here, like I said."
AriaStarstone - Yesterday at 12:34 AM
She blinked a little, and nodded. "Don't overthink... Now that's a hard one to do. For me, anyways. I'm always over thinking things, but I try to force the thoughts to behave when it starts up." She made a meh face. "But all of that comes down to the same thing. I need to rework some of how I think."

His comment made her eyebrows fly straight up, in surprise. The way he phrased it could have been, maybe should have been, insulting, but somehow she had the weirdest feeling that it was actually a big compliment, and she chose to take it that way. "Yes, happy day indeed. And... I appreciate that. I just don't want to be Ms. Depressing. I would rather focus on the bright things in my life, or it'll be far too easy to spiral into a constant mope. I refuse to do that."
Pao - Yesterday at 12:52 AM
He didn't see how high her eyebrows went because he was still staring at the wall, but that was fine. From what she was saying it sounded like she really wanted to take some of his advice and that was a good enough thing for him. "Then let's focus."

It was at that point that he looked up at her again, chin once again buried in her blanket. "What're the bright things in your life right now?"
AriaStarstone - Yesterday at 1:05 AM
She tilted her head at his question, eyes going lost as she thought about that topic. At least one thing, though, she was unsure how to phrase.

After a silent minute, she finally said "Well first off, I have friends. More then one or two, in fact, and isn't that just the strangest yet most amazing thing? Friends... Um. I don't have to worry about food or getting kicked out. Or fired. All of those are freaking awesome. And I have free time." She went silent, and her eyes focused on him for a long second. "And then there's all the s**t you've done to help me get my s**t together. That's ******** amazing."
Pao - Yesterday at 1:12 AM
"All good stuff," he said. He would have nodded but his chin was buried in the blanket so the motion would look really stupid. "Especially that last part."

He smiled that slightly brighter smile from earlier. There was something about being appreciated that was just good for his mood, and he was less inclined to hide it around her. Especially after what happened just a little while ago...maybe there was less of a wall up between them now. Not that he was gonna ask for any kind of confirmation. Though the word "friend" was still...
AriaStarstone - Yesterday at 1:16 AM
Again, that smile. It was a beautiful smile to see, she thought, given how rarely he displayed it. It felt like a trophy, almost, and one she wanted to earn whenever she could.

"You have no idea how much that last part means to me." She said in quiet seriousness. "This past... Month? Or longer, I'm not even sure now... Would have been a hell of a lot harder, without your help. I went from feeling overwhelmed to feeling this was something I could actually do. Some day, I'll find a way to repay you for all you've done. I don't know how, but I will."
Pao - Yesterday at 1:21 AM
The smile was definitely a rare thing for him, though since meeting and somehow (at least it was that way from the start) always spending time with her it was becoming at least a little less rare these days, even if it was exclusively around just one person. He just didn't usually have too many reasons to smile in his day to day.

"Food is good enough," came a very casual reply. "Pretty sure I said that before, but there it is."
AriaStarstone - Yesterday at 1:24 AM
"Then I'll keep making sure to feed you." It didn't feel like anything near enough to her, but she would do this, and if she ever found something truly close to how much what he'd been doing meant to her... Well she'd still feed him on top of that.

After all, it felt good to see someone enjoy her efforts.

"Mmm should make crepes soon, I remember you mentioning those."
Pao - Yesterday at 1:28 AM
Food was always a safe topic with him, especially if it was about his favorite treats, so he put in the little effort to lift his head and nodded like a little kid. "Yep, one of my favorites. My cheat days are usually spent gorging on either crepes or donuts."

And he was almost sure that that was the first personal thing he'd officially shared with her, though he wasn't really keeping track either.
AriaStarstone - Yesterday at 1:34 AM
She chuckled softly, amused by how eager he looked. "Well then. I think that'll be something I'll have to do soon. Not today, though." She yawned a little, and sighed. "Not feeling that ambitious today. Today's more... I'd be happy with a tuna fish sandwich, it's simple and satisfying, and I just don't feel up to more." Honestly she didn't want to move right now, she felt so comfortable.

His comment, though, about cheat days made her laugh softly. "Right those are a thing. I suppose I should have one, once in a while."
Pao - Yesterday at 1:43 AM
"I think today is the first lazy day I've had in a while," he commented after a bit of thought. "Being in the infirmary doesn't count." Recalling his time there wasn't at all pleasant, and it was probably in his head but his scar started to ache a little at the thought.

"Tuna's pretty good, too. You good with heading out in the rain to grab lunch though?"
AriaStarstone - Yesterday at 7:48 AM
"Yeah, no, infirmary time is its own unique category. You do deserve a proper break now and again. We all do, I would think." She pulled her knees up so that she could lean forwards and rest her chin on them.

At his question, however, she frowned thoughtfully, and then hmmm'd in an assenting way. "However, before we leave, you should put some real pants on, and shoes. Don't want you freezing again."
Pao - Yesterday at 10:24 AM
He blinked at her suggestion for warmer clothes and finally leaned back and looked down at his current choices. "Might be a good idea," he said with a little nod. "Shouldn't take long. You comin' with or waiting here?"
AriaStarstone - Yesterday at 10:27 AM
"Well I need to pull on socks and shoes, but I can go with you. Gimme a mo." She unfolded herself, and scooted off the end of her bed, moving so as not to accidentally kick him in the face. She stood up and walked over to one of the two dressers in the room, and toed open the bottom drawer, before leaning down and snagging the socks. She then did the classicly ungainly 'half hop, half stand on one foot to get a sock on, then switch' maneuver, before sliding on a pair of shoes, and grabbing her coat, before turning to face him. "A'right."
Pao - Yesterday at 10:38 AM
Rhys made sure he was out of her way when she got up to grab some socks, then leaned back and let his head drop for a moment, blinking at the view again before he started to get up. He was checking his towel when he glanced over and saw her hopping around and chuckled.

"Graceful," he commented before throwing his towel over his shoulders and waiting until she was finished. When she was, he nodded toward the door. "Lead the way."
AriaStarstone - Yesterday at 10:41 AM
She blew a raspberry at him for his comment. "Hey now, just tryin' to get done so we can get a move on. Dork." She shook her head at him, and slid out her door, waiting for him to exit so she could lock it behind them.

Once that was done, she walked towards the nearest staircase down, and began hopping them two at a time, with an expression of almost childlike delight as she did so.
Pao - Yesterday at 10:54 AM
The brunette followed along, hands in his pockets as he watched her go. It was amusing and somehow calming at the same time, but pretty soon they were down in the hallway proper and he took a few strides and got to leading them to his room.

Once at his door he opene it wide and headed inside, hanging his towel on his chair first before going to his closet. "Eyes," he started to say as he grabbed a pair of jeans. "Close 'em if you don't wanna see anything." And that was about all the warning she got before he changed out of his PJs and into his jeans. It was the same pattern for his shirt.
AriaStarstone - Yesterday at 11:03 AM
She followed him into his room, calmly, still happy about bouncing down the stairs. It wasn't something she did often, but she liked it, and not getting yelled at for it was a serious bonus to being here, in her mind. She found herself wondering if there was any good spots with banisters... she'd always wanted to slide down one.

His warning served to startle her, and she didn't process it in time to close her eyes. Instead, she got a full view, and a red face, and her gaze quickly darted to the ceiling, trying to pretend she hadn't seen his a** in his underwear, or those very very fit legs. She took a quiet, steadying breath, hoping her blush will fade before he looked.
Pao - Yesterday at 11:06 AM
Rhys slipped on some socks and his shoes before grabbing his coat, then turned to her and squinted. He noted the red on her face and followed her gaze to the ceiling to see if it was something there that was causing it, but when he saw that there wasn't anything at all he grinned and walked over.

"Scene's over, you can look now." He tapped her on the shoulder, grinning. "Didn't close your eyes, didya?" the brunette teased as he walked out the door.
AriaStarstone - Yesterday at 11:10 AM
She blushed harder when he commented, and made an 'arrrgh' sound at him, following him out the door. "No. I didn't process what you said in time, as I was thinking about something else, and by the time my brain caught up..." She scuffled her toe on the floor, feeling fully embarressed.

She began to move towards the stairs, trying to calm herself again, feeling awkward about being teased and the images that were now bouncing in her head. "Anyways. Let's go get some food, yeah? I think I forgot to have breakfast, and my stomach just reminded me." She sounded a little off, or distracted, like there was something else to it, but also like she didnt want to say anything about it.
Pao - Yesterday at 11:19 AM
Rhys locked the door behind them and followed after her again, laughing this time as he jogged a bit to close the gap between them. To keep her from running off again he slung an arm over her shoulder and pulled her to him just before they started heading up the stairs.

"Why in the hell would you skip breakfast?" he asked, looking down at her with a raised brow. "You're working out, don't forget that. You need to feed your muscles, otherwise you're gonna end up losing 'em instead of building them up."
AriaStarstone - Yesterday at 11:30 AM
She sighed, softly, as he caught up to her, but smiled up at him, the flaming red fading from her cheeks. It felt nice to know he felt comfortable enough to walk with her like this. Nice and strange. She'd never walked like this with anyone else, not even her exes, a thought she locked away into her mental box of 'Deal With it Later Maybe Never.'

"Accident! Took my shower, and then something distracted me, and I... didn't remember after." She blushed a little and sighed. "I knooooooow, I need to feed myself. I'll try to be better." She used the hand on the side he wasn't on to rub at her cheek, self conciously.
Pao - Yesterday at 11:37 AM
He wasn't thinking too hard, just doing what felt okay to do. They walked like this before, and after a workout, so there was a part of him that thought that this was alright. The fact that he still couldn't figure out the term for "friend" and whether or not it was usable in this case wasn't really something he was concerning himself with. He could deal with that another day. Or never if the right day never came. Whatever.

"Fine," he said as they got to the first floor hallway. "Try really hard, then." And that was all he was gonna push about it since she seemed to get the message. The faux-PT in him was tempted to keep going, but he forced that feeling down.
AriaStarstone - Yesterday at 11:40 AM
"All right, I promise, ok?" She looked up at him out of the corner of her eye, hoping he wasn't mad at her for doing something that stupid. She just had to remember to eat three meals. She could do this, she was sure of it.

"Anyways. Just planning on relaxing today?" She said, in a slightly forced light tone, trying to move to a less difficult topic then her eating habits, or lacks in them. "I have lighthouse duty in the early evening, sadly, and I have no idea if I'm alone or not, but bleh. Borrrrrrrrrring."
Pao - Yesterday at 11:46 AM
He wasn't mad, just concerned. And more from being her sort-of coach because it would mean going backwards, progress-wise. Or that's where he believed the concern was coming from. There might have been more to it, but he wasn't hinking about that at all.

"Yeah, probably," he replied with a little shrug. "I'll be back on duty tomorrow so I'm gonna live it up today..." and he trailed off a bit. "Living it up" on the island didn't really mean a whole lot. He'd probably just be in his dorm or in the lounge, killing time. "They put you on lighthouse duty again? Damn...yeah, that s**t's boring. Bring snacks and a game or something. Cards."
AriaStarstone - Yesterday at 11:53 AM
Seeing no sign of any anger on his face helped her to relax further, and just calmly walk with him. She tilted her head to listen to him speak, her eyes curious as to his plans. She nodded quietly along with them, then smiled a bit.

"Sounds like a good plan. You still considering that idea of takin' a few leave days? Any clue where you want to go, or when?" She said, keeping the curiousity the only emotion in her voice. At the comment on lighthouse duty, she made a face. "Yeeeeeeeeeah. I... Plan to bring the book I was reading earlier, a few snacks, and my phone. I've been looking into the music that's come out of late, trying to find new stuff that happened since I was podded." She didn't comment on how challenging that way when she's trying NOT to find out how long it's been.
Pao - Yesterday at 12:06 PM
"Hadn't thought about it," was his initial reply before sighing. "I could go on leave, I guess. Go somewhere that isn't ********' raining." The brunette frowned at the gloominess that was now overhead as they exited the dorms. "This s**t's gotta end soon, we're all pretty much goin' crazy 'cause of it."

In proper clothes this time it wasn't all that cold. It also helped that she was pretty much right up against him, so body warmth was also a thing. At her plans to stave boredom he nodded along. "Not sure how long you were in there, but when I got out everything was pretty much the same. Still ********' overplaying that one Taylor Swift song."
AriaStarstone - Yesterday at 12:13 PM
She nodded, quietly, giving the sky a dirty look. "Well you should think about it. I know that once I can, I look forwards to taking leave, and maybe see somethings I thought I'd never see." She smiled, softly and happily as she thought about it. "Big Island of Hawaii, maybe. There's an important observatory there, that can be visited."

His warmth against her was quite nice, kept her from getting annoyed at the chill. She found herself making a mental note to try to get her hands on an umbrella, though. "Mmm, to be honest, I don't know how long it was. I... am trying to avoid the ******** that I'm sure comes with realizing 'oh it's been x years' or months. Or whatever." She made a slight face. "Which maybe is cowardly of me, I guess. And yeah I mean, since she got big, that never stopped. Which, ugh."
Pao - Yesterday at 12:26 PM
"Mm, Hawaii," he mused, more than a little thoughtful about visiting. He was curious what the hell was new about his old hometown, but trolling his old beat could possibly screw up the whole "being dead to the rest of the world" thing. So that wasn't much of an option. "New Zealand, maybe, or Australia," he added on to the list, smiling a bit.

"Hah, could be pretty bad. I heard it could be years so I guess I was pretty lucky." He absently gave her shoulder a little squeeze as they went along, the cafeteria building getting slowly closer. "Eh, we all go at our pace. If you're not ready, then," and he shrugged. "And when you are, you'll deall with it probably a hell of a lot better."
AriaStarstone - Yesterday at 12:32 PM
"Damn, New Zealend sounds awesome. I kind of want to go to Australia but at the same time, Deathland. Even the cute and cuddlies could kill you." She made a face. "And funnel webs. Still. I'd love to go out there someday." She wasn't even beginning to think about home. San Francisco, maybe, to see it from a new light. Los Angeles, sure. Home, not a ******** chance it hell. "There's so many places I want to go, though. Like Tokyo. Have ramen at a ramen shop, go see the temples, so on."

She laughed and sighed, nodding, grateful for the squeeze. "Yeah. I'll deal with when I do, but for now... I'm fine just coasting along, believing I'm still 18." She shrugged slightly, and made a face. "We'll see how much grace I can dredge up when reality decides it's time for me to find out the truth."
Pao - Yesterday at 12:49 PM
"Well you can when you can officially take your leave," he said. He could too, but between the two of them she seemed a lot more excited. "I dunno, I might go on leave another month instead. Not really feelin' it, plus with this Atlantis s**t still goin' it might be better to be around until it's over. Help where I can kinda thing."

And as for dredging up a little grace he couldn't help but smile. "Like I said, not overthinking can do a lot of good around here. Just keep coastin', it's a good idea."
AriaStarstone - Yesterday at 12:56 PM
She smiled up at him, happy as she thought about future places she might be able to go on leave. "It's all in the future, yeah, but I like to know that future is there. Something good to look forwards to, right? Another way of focusing on the bright things... That bright thing I might be working towards." She sighed in a content sort of way. "And you know, that's up to you. I'm not saying go go go, after all. It's nice having you around."

She vaguely found herself wondering if he'd go on leave with her at some point. Hang out somewhere not this damn island.

"Yeah. True enough. When it comes, it comes, and I'll deal with it. That's all that matters."
Pao - Yesterday at 1:02 PM
Something about the way she said it that made him feel a bit of the warm and fuzzies, which for him was a strange and very rare feeling to have. Still, he couldn't say he didn't like it so he smiled and just nodded along as she went on talking.

They made it to the cafeteria soon enough and he let her go in favor of getting the door, opening wide so she could step through ahead of him. "Tuna sandwiches, here we come."
AriaStarstone - Yesterday at 1:05 PM
"Mmmm tuna. Haven't had that in a while." She slipped inside, and waited for him to enter, while glancing to see if anyone she knew was around. She didn't spot anyone, though that might be because she only looked in a short arc before refocusing on her companion.