[Flashback] There's no escape from Homework (Oluse)

by **Oluse** on January 30th, 2012, 8:50 am

Oluse let her go, still scowling. After she crest the hill he looked the other way, still upset. His anger increased with each yelp of pain Alea let out. He hated her in that moment for what she was doing. He wanted her to give up on her stubborn foolishness and just let him help. He reached down and started picking some sprigs of grass growing from the slope beneath him as he thought. Slowly taring the defenseless plant to bits he chucked the seeds he plucked off of them down the slope toward the roaring waves of the ocean, never quite getting any of the light weight seeds that far.

He thought of how she wouldn't let him assist her, and thought of what he wanted. He wanted her to just let him help. His voice of reason had something to say to that thought. How could she ask for help if he wasn't even there? He countered that he would have to be some pushover or fool to still be around her after she had hit him when he offered help. She had chosen the difficult route, and he knew it wasn't his fault for that decision. He did feel it had been his fault for her fall to begin with, however. If he hadn't have been following her, if he hadn't implied she would need to clean fish guts her whole life she wouldn't have leaped for that ledge.

"No!" He said out loud as he tore a whole sprig in half and threw it aside in anger. No, he continued in his mind, he said what he meant, and she is the one that decided against all warning to injure herself. This made him feel better, because he sensed of ring of truth in the thought. In fact, he felt that perhaps there was more a life lesson, than anything, to be learned there. That he was not responsible for her actions, nor anyone's. Never had he said anything that encouraged her to injure herself, so he decided to refuse guilt for the act. He gave a short smile after coming to this epiphany, and laid back on the stone beneath him, lacing his small fingers behind his head and closing his eyes. He felt better once his mind wasn't defensive over hurting her anymore.

Though, something was still bothering him. Though he couldn't have hoped to stop her from jumping. He in all fact had discouraged her from the act. He still felt it was his duty to help her. He had offered, and she refused, taking offense to something to do with his method of helping. He didn't understand why she would want to walk the above road, when she had had to climb the hill for it, and refuse his assistance. Her lack of logic aside, however, he still knew that he could help her. He opened his eyes and looked up at the clouds overhead. He hated himself for the decision he was about to make.

He quickly sat up, and got to his feet, carefully climbing up to the road. He was a healer, and that meant helping injured people, even when they were selfish mentally retarded girls who didn't know when to listen. He ran down the path after her, one foot after another, careful of his footwork not wanting another injured ankle to deal with. She hadn't wanted to go down, but that didn't mean she didn't want his help going the other way, perhaps her family life was worse than he thought, and he just hadn't tried to understand her hard enough before. He knew he wasn't flawless, maybe she was just more not flawless than him. Yes, that was his logic.

Catching up to her he slowed, only slightly winded from the short sprint. "Alea..." He called, looking at her. Though, he couldn't find any words to say after, he just looked at her. He walked up and offered his shoulder. "This will be easier if I help you, and also we should take that shoe off your swelling foot before we have to cut it off. The show not the foot." He didn't look in the least apologetic. He no longer looked angry, or disgruntled. He looked much how he usually did, kinda goofy with his big ears, and eyes that were just a little distant from any given situation. He was genuine, however, and was wiling to give helping her another try, that is if she decided to listen to his advice about her shoe and let him help her with it.

by **Alea Davenport** on January 30th, 2012, 9:56 am

Alea was a little surprised, and, though she didn't show it, relieved that Oluse had come to help her after all. She put her arm around his shoulders, putting most of her weight on him. "Thanks," she grunted, surprisingly without belligerence or resentment. Whether she was actually grateful or just too tired to argue was anyone's guess. With Oluse supporting her, she managed to go much easier on both her feet, and while everything still hurt, it was more bearable, and they were going faster than she had been able to go on her own.

At his suggestion that they remove her shoe, she paused and stared at her foot blankly for a moment. She decided that the foot was feeling a bit...squeezed. Maybe it would feel better if she took off the boot. She sat down on the trail, and after wiping her dirty hands on her shirt, she unlaced the strings and slowly eased the boot off, wincing and hissing as she jostled the foot. She took a moment to examine her foot, but as far as she could tell, it looked normal. Either the damage was entirely inside the foot, or she just wasn't skilled enough to see outward signs. The pain was real enough though.

She struggled to her feet, using Oluse as support this time. She thought about handing him her boot to carry, but she felt she was already pushing her luck with him, and she didn't want to give him any more reason to leave her on her own again. At least, not unless he did another stupid thing. The pair continued down the path, and occasionally Alea pointed out the direction she thought the ocean would be in. She was looking forward to soaking her foot in something cold.

by **Oluse** on January 30th, 2012, 10:10 am

Oluse remained silent as they plotted along, not even bothering to say 'you're welcome." This wasn't to be rude, but simply feeling it wasn't necessary, things were going well and he didn't want to screw it up with words. When the boot had been removed he took it, without prompting, and helped her up.

Having to pass up some of the more immediate, and perilous paths down to the water, they eventually found their way down along a small stream, not deep enough to soak anything in. Once they got down to the ungulating ocean waves, met with a miniature waterfall from the stream Oluse kicked off his own shoes with ease, dropping Alea's boot next to them, and stepped into the water himself, to guide Alea's foot down as he helped her sit at the edge. Still saying nothing he smiled, he was glad to get her to the water, it seemed an impossibly long task.

He could tell at that point that her exposed foot was swelling, and decided to not roll it around at all to figure out exactly how it was injured till the swelling at least stopped. Careful to keep the foot untouched he helped her lower it into the cold water, then pulled his old ragged shirt off so he could rinse it off, and use it to help coax the dirt out of Alea's quickly drying wounds.

by **Alea Davenport** on February 2nd, 2012, 11:29 pm

The ocean water was cold, but it felt good to have a sensation in her foot other than pain. She hurriedly took off her other boot, tossing it aside and putting both feet in the water. When he started trying to scrub her scrapes with an ocean-water-soaked shirt, it stung so much that she yelled, "OW!" and flinched away. At his protests, she said, "It hurts when you do it! Let me do it." At that, she attempted to grab the shirt from him, so she could clean her wounds herself.

When her hands entered the salty ocean water, her eyes squeezed shut and she hissed in pain, but after a few seconds, the pain receded to manageable levels, and after gently rubbing the dirt out of her hands, she had to admit that they looked much better. Encouraged, she soaked her arms up to her elbows. Her knees were still a mess, but they would probably have to be cleaned just with the shirt, since she did not feel like walking/limping all the way home with completely soaking trousers.

by **Oluse** on February 3rd, 2012, 10:24 am

Oluse grave Alea a concerned look. He could only imagine out much her wound must hurt. But, still, he couldn't shake his relief. The fall could have been so much worse, and he suddenly felt a very unexpected sensation. He was very, very thankful that Alea was still alive! He couldn't quite understand the emotion, himself. All he could identify was relief. And, as she yelled at him in protest he just looked to her, and smiles sheepishly, his heart pounding quicker. It would be a thought he realized he would have to keep to himself, at least till she was home.

Gently he attempted to coax her to let him clean her wounds. He knew it hurt, but he had fair amount of practice with tending to basic skin wounds, and though he had no poultice to apply as he usually would he still knew he could do a better, or at least more thorough job than her. If nothing else his hands weren't skinned as her's were. Weather she allowed this or not he did give her some more time to soak her ankle, and assisted her on her way to his own house. Upon entering he applied a poultice to her ankle, and engaged in extremely awkward and at points infuriating conversation till he finally ushered her to her own home, not wanting her to be in the house when his parents returned.

oocI know you mentioned you were wanting to wrap it up. So we can just stop it here if u'd like :nod:

Up to u.

by **Mirage** on February 21st, 2012, 10:16 pm

The Truth Within the Reality

Alea Davenport :

Oluse :

The Truth Hidden by a Mirage :