PM to join [The Stone Gardens] The First Step (Vincent)

[Lynn]

Hearing Vincent call her mother 'a lovely person' filled Lynn with a happy warmth. That it might have been said merely out of courtesy did not occur to her; all she heard was the compliment, and her gratitude for it ran deep. Over the past few hours, Vincent had proven to be a kind, gentle, and giving person, and though their acquaintance had been short, she felt she knew him well enough to deem him truly good. Of course, to a more objective eye, such a conclusion would likely seem hasty or naive, but Lynn saw only the positive; and what she saw was a shy boy much like herself, about whom she wanted to learn more. The more Vincent spoke, the more she saw that they were truly alike in many ways. His desire to leave Syliras was one she understood well. The city's walls provided a sense of safety, yes.. but also one of confinement. Lynn might have considered leaving the city herself, if she had any idea of where to go, or the courage to get there. "My mother also wants me to continue on my studies. Always saying I must carry on tradition." Something about the way Vincent spoke gave Lynn pause. He didn't seem exactly.. enthusiastic. She didn't want to pry, but after a moment of thought, curiosity got the better of her. "Tradition is good," she began cautiously, "but is it what you want to do?" Despite what Vincent might think, this was where their stories differed. Lynn's mother had wanted her to pursue medicine because it was obvious that she enjoyed it, not simply because her mother had studied it before her. While the importance of both duty and loyalty was deeply ingrained in her psyche, the concept of tradition was one Lynn had difficulty wrapping her head around -- especially its tendency to make people abandon what truly mattered to them. As Syna moved slowly toward her rest, she painted the world with the rich colors of sunset, casting a golden glow over the gardens. The light played among the gold and orange hues in Lynn's hair as she listened to Vincent; when he had finished, she reached out and placed her hand gently on his arm. "If you have hope, it will happen," she said with absolute conviction, her lips curved in a comforting smile. "And maybe we can help each other achieve our dreams."

[Vincent Lane]

Lynn's words rang throughout his thoughts. Was it really what he wanted? No one had ever actually asked him that question before. It felt good for someone to take what he wanted into account for once. It was never truly his own choice, he just followed along with what was wanted of him. "My mother is a proud woman, i fear she would not accept me if i were to take my own path" Lynn didn't seem to fully understand why it was so important. The way she told it she had a great love for medicine. She wasn't just studying it to please her mother, but to honour her instead. But that's how the world works no two families are ever the same. Some care about love and loyalty and others in honour and tradition. It was only now that he realised he had the power to choose what he wanted, instead of blindly following for the sake of following. Lynn had helped him realise this within just a few hours of knowing her. She was remarkable.

Stepping forward Lynn had placed her hand on Vincent's shoulder "If you have hope, it will happen" Something about the way she said it made him believe in it completely. It can happen, he thought to himself with joy filling up inside of him. A silly grin came to his face as this joy became apparent on the outside. "Thank you. You have no idea how much that means to me. You've somehow managed to give me hope where i had little before. You're an amazing person don't let anyone take that away from you" Backing away from Lynn and removing her hand from his shoulder. The sun was starting to go down and it was beginning to get late. "I best be off now. I have something i must prepare for our next lesson. I shall do my best to bring anything medicine related to our lessons from now on" With that said Vincent begins to turn around and then suddenly stops. "I'm sorry where are my manners. Would you like me to escort you home or are you going to stick around?"

[Lynn]

Lynn couldn't begin to guess what was going through Vincent's mind, but she hoped he would take her words to heart. While she knew it was not her place to judge his motivations, it seemed to her that he had the look of a lost soul, one who had yet to discover his true path and where it might lead. She counted herself lucky to have found her own way so early in life, even if she was only just beginning, and she wanted to help Vincent find that guiding light for himself. She only hoped that she hadn't overstepped her bounds. At the sight of the joyful grin that blossomed on Vincent's face, however, Lynn's doubts were washed away. She flashed a broad smile of her own, the plump apples of her cheeks adopting a rosy glow as she blushed with pleasure -- a blush that deepened considerably at the words he spoke next. "You're an amazing person." Never before had anyone spoken so kindly to her. She cast her eyes downward, embarrassed at the compliment, but a small smile remained, showing the gratitude that she could not find the voice to express. The lesson had left Lynn with much to think about, and as Vincent began his goodbyes, she decided to remain at the Gardens while she cleared her head. The deeper she got into the city, the more the din and smoke and stale air always seemed to cloud her thoughts, even in the relative quiet of her small apartment; right now, all she wanted was to sit in silence and watch the sun go down. Lynn was exhausted -- this much extended contact with another person was new to her, and while she had enjoyed it immensely, it also took a lot out of her. She needed to recharge, and the tranquility and beauty of the garden washed in the last rays of the setting sun seemed like the perfect place to meditate before returning home. Her plans set, Lynn shook her head at Vincent's offer to escort her back to her apartment. "I think I'll stay here for a bit longer," she said around a poorly stifled yawn. She was about to bid him farewell when a thought struck her, and she asked, "Could I borrow one of your books? Just until our next lesson. I don't have any of my own, and I'd like to study." It would be slow going on her own, but Lynn already felt like she had improved so much in just one day; she was anxious to see that progress continue.

[Vincent Lane]

Vincent rummaged around a bit before he once again got his small, brown leather book and handed it to Lynn. "I'll see you again then. Enjoy the book" Vincent smiled and walked off, not looking back to see what she was doing. leaving the serenity of the gardens behind. Vincent quickly found himself back in the normality of the city. People everywhere, noise taking over thought. The streets were especially busy at this time, due to everyone returning back from their work. The majority of everyone heading home for the evening, just as he was Vincent returned to his tiny windowless apartment deep within the citadel. He spent the next few hours writing up some more notes to give to Lynn that would help her along outside of lessons. Feeling exhausted after such a long tiring day in the sun. Vincent has no trouble finding his way into dreams.

A few weeks have passed since that first lesson. Lynn had been progressing greatly. She could now read and pronounce most of the words Vincent had thrown at her. Though sometimes Vincent would still have to help her say out the harder words. The day that Vincent had arrived with a book based on medicine, she took to it much better then anything else he had given her.
It wasn't to difficult to teach her how to write once she had grasped the reading aspect. All she really had to do was to remember the shaping of each individual letter from memory. Every time Lynn read out a sentence Vicent would have her copy it down. He was very proud of her progress over the time they had been working together and hoped that she would continue her work in her own time.