Crossing Boundaries (Lixue)

[Volinir Orchid]

Volinir nodded with a soft chuckle, "Yes, we're in a cave. It's really quite comfortable, when you get used to it. As for where we were, it's called the Cobweb. A dance school, and the premier place to perform." There was a certain light in his eyes when he spoke of the Cobweb. For Volinir, there were few places with more pleasant memories. "I studied there, a long time ago." he said with a nostalgic air. "I was there to see the legendary Kanasa Curare's rise to fame, you know! Although I suppose you wouldn't know who she is..." The Symenestra shrugged hopefully. "Maybe one day I'll dance for you!" When the topic of the conversation shifted, Volinir's brow furrowed, however. "Don't say that. I was just upset then, and talking nonsense. You're much better off bright-eyed and optimistic than cynical and despondent." Whatever else he might have had to say was cut off by Lixue's demands that he come over and learn to treat a wound, something that could only help him. As such, he followed the doctor's instructions as carefully as he could, trying not to pay too much attention to the tears in her eyes. It might have been necessary, but it still caused him discomfort to see her in pain. It caused him discomfort to see anyone in pain. "Where did you learn all this, anyways?" Volinir asked with a raised eyebrow. It wasn't hard to infer that she worked in medicine, but that still raised the question of where she learned it.

[Lixue]

"Maybe one day you will," Lixue murmured, not believing it for a second. She did not respond to anything else he said, even if she smiled gently at the soft expression that covered his face. His apology -was that an apology?- was ignored. Lixue was a believer that people say what they mean when they are angry. This did not mean she would not forgive him, however. No, Lixue was a forgiving person and she would forgive Volinir... soon enough. "The next step is one of the hardest. You have to clean the wound and remove any leftover dirt and bad blood. As we only have cotton swabs, this is going to be more difficult than using a regular rag." Giving the sentence some thought, Lixue seemed to reach a conclusion. "Give me your nail." What an odd statement. Retrieving Volinir's pointer finger, Lixue used the sharp edge to tear a corner of her shirt before letting him have his limb back. "There, this will make it easier." Lixue dipped the shirt into the warm liquid before making Volinir hold it and dab at the spots of blood. Only after she was certain the blood was minimized did Lixue rinse the makeshift rag out in the water and grab Volinir's hand again. This time, she wrapped the rag around one of pointer finger and brought it up to her cheek. "You will need to press into the injury to scrape away any remaining dirt. Start at the end closest to my nose and move outward slowly. Do not worry if the injury starts to bleed. That is a good thing. It will push out any leftovers." Holding the man's finger, Lixue waited until he had positioned it correctly before forcing him to apply pressure. She winced, but kept going at a tedious pace and one that may have seemed too slow to the Symenestra. After one scratch had been completed, Lixue rinsed the rag and let Volinir continue on his own as she began to talk. "I learned from my mother, Natal. She used to take me to work with her when I was little." One of Lixue's hands slipped to massage her right knee, the damaged one. "We would go through the snow and play and laugh before arriving at the Whitevine Medical Center." Lixue focused on Volinir's collarbone. "As I grew older, I too began to learn the ways of medicine from her and from others. Two seasons ago, after the Djed Storm, I moved to the Spires to help them recover. I learned... a lot there." And went through a lot, if the sad smile that tittered at her lips and broke open a scratch was any sign. "This season, I moved back to Avanthal." It was obvious she had left a lot of information out, but that was okay because the necessary information was there.

[Volinir Orchid]

While Lixue was right in one sense, Volinir was also not a very logical person, and as such had a tendency to express feelings that were far from dominant when angry. While it was easy to let Lixue do most of the work cleaning, Volinir still did his best to pay attention in case he would need to operate on himself. Something that was very, very likely to happen. While it should have been obvious, it was a mild surprise to Volinir when she said where she was from. "You're from Avanthal? I've traveled through there before. Well, before... You know." he said slightly uncomfortably. "A nice place. One of the friendlier ones. How is it there now? It must have been a good eight years or so since I've been there."

[Lixue]

"Really?" The disbelief was evident in her voice as she questioned Volinir on his visit to Avanthal. It was apparent she had not thought of him being anyplace else but... well, where he was. It was also evident that she could not see him in Avanthal. "Avanthal is nearly the same. Still covered in snow," Lixue teased. Lixue set the cotton swab off to the side and pulled one of her legs under her, shifting her position to a more comfortable one. "We are doing alright. There is some trouble with the wildlife," Lixue's gaze completely fell away this time and a heavy weight seemed to have rested upon her shoulders. But Lixue shoved it away, determined to keep this a good conversation. "And there is trouble with the mages. But other than that, we're still pretty well." A pause. "Hey, you should come back and visit!" The idea was a spontaneous one and one Lixue would quickly move on from if Volinir did not show interest. Picking up the cotton swab, Lixue dabbed it in the alcohol before raising it to her face. Cautiously, she set it against her scratches. Pain and fire erupted from the sores, making Lixue's eyes tear and water over. Her eyes fell shut, squeezed against the pain. Still, her hands kept working, pulsing the swab over her injuries. Lixue repeated this several more times. The agony of doing this was splayed over Lixue's face and shown by the salty tears that fell down her cheeks. Soon enough, however, the torture was over and Lixue put the swab back down. Eyes still flooded with liquid and shiny from crying, Lixue met Volinir's gaze.

[Volinir Orchid]

Volinir laughed, "Yes, really." he said with a grin as he plopped himself down next to Lixue. When she mentioned trouble with the wildlife, Volinir glanced down at the floor and squeezed her hand. He had the pleasure of reliving some of that trouble with her, and it was more than a little easy to sympathize. The word about the violent mages was also rather disconcerting, but before the conversation could get too depressing, Lixue was spouting off her mad idea. Volinir blinked a couple times in surprise. "Me? Visit? It's not really a short trip from here to Avanthal... It's a few thousand miles." But then, there wasn't really much for him in Ravok. It was a horrible, horrible city with nothing but the vilest of people for residents, and violent lake monsters to boot. Would it really be much of a loss if he left? The idea that Lixue might not be real never occurred to Volinir. She felt too... Solid... To be a figment of his imagination. But then, what was for him in Avanthal? Cold, a woman he barely knew and was more than a little confused about, and predatory wildlife. Of course, there was much less danger in Avanthal, and the Vantha were kinder... He was stumped, and it would be obvious to Lixue just from looking at him.

[Lixue]

Brushing away the tears falling from her eyes with one hand - Volinir had the other- Lixue blinked a couple of times. This was why she preferred cleaning a wound extensively beforehand. The alcohol did not burn and sting as much, something most patients liked to avoid. And Lixue was no different if the tears were anything to go by. The fire of the alcohol was still dissolving and Lixue still held that look of pain. But the injury did feel better. Kinda. Sorta. Maybe? It was better to think yes instead of accepting the fact that she went through all of that for nothing and put herself in enough pain to make her cry for nothing. "Do you really have anything keeping you behind?" Like a child. Or a wife. Or maybe a chain. Or debts. The possibilities occurred to Lixue, but she did not voice them. Leaning her head on his shoulder, she continued, "Besides, you could see for yourself how Avanthal is doing." A pause as Lixue drew her other leg up under her. "And you could get out of that wretched city."

[Volinir Orchid]

"Not really, no..." he said slowly. He had few friends in Ravok, and while he respected and was grateful to the Rising Dawn, he wasn't very useful to them, nor was he the type of person to lay his life down for a cause. Lixue's head felt warm against his shoulder, and his arm wound around her waist. Why shouldn't he go? Ravok was a terrible place, and he wasn't exactly old. There was nothing stopping him from going to Avanthal. Although, that still begged the question... "And why do you want me to come to Avanthal?" Volinir inquired, a playful smile tugging on his lips.

[Lixue]

Why did she want him to come to Avanthal? It was not as if she believed he was an imaginary person, but more that she doubted his existence. Then again, why would her mind create someone who would yell and scream at her and then turn around and place her in a situation where she was physically harmed? Perhaps it was her mind's way of healing, something Lixue had already considered. She had placed the guilt and mourning off to the side and taken charge of her life by filling her time with her career and maybe her mind just could not take the struggle anymore. Maybe this was her way of mourning; to be placed in situations that would test her ability to focus and question her morals and ethics. Or maybe he was real. In which case Lixue wanted to kick his ass in person for his rude behavior and making her doubt her sanity. "So I can beat your ass for your snarky comments and your yelling at me." The statement was simple, but accentuated by Lixue turning her head to look up at him with a raised eyebrow. As if challenging him to disagree with her statement that he needed his butt kicked. Or that she deserved to do the kicking. "Besides, I'm there."

[Volinir Orchid]

Volinir snorted when she said it was to give him a beatdown. "I can get all the beatings I'll ever want right in Ravok just by breathing the air in public. Why would I travel for weeks to get the exact same treatment, but in colder scenery?" he said scornfully, "I didn't have to do this, you know. My family was in that theater. I missed seeing them after twelve years just to save your ungrateful behind. Typical azo." He meant it, too. There was almost no crime in Kalinor, and it was obvious to Volinir why. Unlike the (in his mind) violent, backstabbing, dishonest and greedy humans, no Sym hurt another of the blood. Sure, they were absolutely cruel to other races, but that was what they got for forcing them to remain underground! "So you're there," he snapped, staring resolutely at a candle the opposite direction from Lixue, "Why should I care?" It was fairly obvious Volinir was talking out of his arse, though.

[Lixue]

Lixue flinched away from Volinir, enough to the point where she left the hold the arm around her waist had and the head that was resting on his shoulder was far out of his reach as she could get. Her eyes fell to the floor in a futile attempt to forget that Volinir was next to her, if farther away. And the shaking began again. Lixue attempted to control the shaking by wrapping her arms around herself, but the attempt failed. Had he claimed all of the Symenstra were not as cruel as the ones who attacked her had been? Lixue doubted this, if only because he called her the same thing they had and with the same ferocity. To know he had left the chance to find his family made Lixue's shoulders slumped. She had known he had wanted to be at the... Cobweb, and she was taking away something important. How important had not become apparent until just then. The guilt was immense and, mingled with the fear of him, tears sprung to her eyes. She ignored the salty liquid, still staring at the floor and determined not to let Volinir see. "Go back and find your family, Volinir. Family is the most important thing and I can take care of my injuries by myself."