A New Day [Avalona]

[Ash'eny]

Ash'eny watched in raw fear as Avalona stood and walked away, the wall, in her eyes, seemed to be a greater comfort for her head than he did at that point. Guilt, there it was. Ash'eny lifted his hand to his chest and clenched as his clothing while Avalona was looking away. She was about to break down, and Ash'eny now contemplating bringing about his own death. He could steal from people, and even though it ate away at his soul and slowly brought forth his insanity, something like this was different. This made him want to scream. This was all his fault, bringing this woman down into such an emotionally vulnerable state. 'You have been warned, Ash'eny. May the gods see today what distress you have caused to the truly and genuinely innocent, and my you burn in Ivak's wrath. With one stone, you have shattered two hearts.' Ash'eny slowly looked up, his ashamed expression fighting hard to pull his staring straight to the floor, his lap, anything to avoid the eyes that were surely about to crumble in front of him, destroyed by his own hands. Ash'eny felt cold to the touch. "Stupid man..." Ash'eny listened in shock, in awe, in fear, in sorrow, and guilt as Avalona flew into an enraged ranting. Ash'eny felt his body quivering. He knew this would happen, he knew he could hurt her. He always knew he hurt people. Only once before had he tried at love, his daughter, and even that was destroyed. Ash'eny's scars went deeper than a missing finger or being forced into a gang of boys. This wasn't easy for him, yet somehow he easily fell into the situation, fell easily for her. Wait, did Ash'eny hear something wrong? She was justifying his past? Ash'eny thought about it, statistics were fairly strong that everyone did make a mistake at some point, but was she allowing him a pass for that simply because he wasn't alone? Ash'eny lifted his gaze once again to look at Avalona, bracing himself for a slap, a kick, a royal beat down of pent up enraged woman, but it did not come, not to his disappointment mind you. As Avalona continued on to talk about his own abilities to see her for who she was, to reveal her not as the person she acted as, but who Avalona the Painter, daughter of a grandmother, the independent woman, really was. Could it be that she, now that Avalona has attached herself to him, needed him to keep herself who she really was? That settled it, Ash'eny would have to become a new man, something different from what he is right now, something that can support her, take care of her, something she can be proud of and love forever... Love... Ash'eny felt a strangling lump in his throat as she placed her hand on his cheek. He hadn't spoken a single word in minutes, he didn't know what to say, until she asked him a single question. "May I stay with you?" Ash'eny stared at her a moment, his face had, somewhere along the line, grown slightly pale, though it was quickly changing into a bright pinkish hue. Ash'eny leaned the rest of the way forward, wrapping his arms around her and pulled them together. He rested his lips on her shoulder as he just stayed there, staring into her bright red hair, just watching. A hug was all he could conjure up at that moment, did it answer her question? "That would make me happy." Ash'eny whispered, though not because his mouth was only inches from her ear or that they were so close, but because his voice felt like it was lost and only now was returning to him. Ash'eny closed his eyes, knowing now he just wanted to sit there, to hold on, to be frozen in time in that moment would be the best thing that could ever happen to him. Ash'eny swallowed hard, speaking slightly louder now. I've found a reason to change who I used to be. Ash'eny slowly pulled himself out of the hug, only to gently rest his forehead against Avalona's, staring into her own eyes. 'You are that reason.' Would she understand? 'I'm not going to let you suffer consequences, not for this. Not if I can take it on myself.' Ash'eny smiled as a layer of mischief settled across his eyes. "I guess you should know that I don't have a home. Does that change things?"

[Avalona]

(OOC: Sorry for the delay.)

Avalona nervously waited for Ash'eny's response as he simply stared at her. It was reminiscent of the moments at the Stallion when he had done the same thing, and, like before, Ava was just as anxious to discover what exactly he was thinking. However, no matter how alert she was, she was not at all prepared for what happened next. Ash'eny closed the gap between them, embracing her and pulling them even closer together, so that their bodies were pressed against each other. She stiffened in shock, but gradually relaxed in his arms, snuggling up against his warmth. "That would make me happy." He whispered to her, the words tickling her ears and causing her to shiver at the feeling. The thought occurred to her that this was the closest, proximity wise, that she had ever been to another person. Ava could actually feel Ash'eny breathing, his chest rising and falling with each intake of air, and if she repositioned her hand in the right place, his heartbeat would have been felt against her skin. She smiled contentedly, enjoying the feeling of his presence, so near to hers, and savored the meaningful silence between them.

When Ash'eny pulled back, before resting his forehead against hers and speaking, Ava's heart skipped a beat. His eyes were looking straight into hers, and the woman became very aware of just how close they were. She blushed violently, her face becoming a deep pink, and she realized in horror that she was practically in this man's lap. Ava maneuvered her head so that it was off to the side, her gaze resting on the floor. "S-stop asking stupid questions." She spoke, flinching at the obvious embarrassment and nervousness in her voice. The redhead moved away, her heartbeat dancing wildly in her chest, and couldn't help but become self-conscious about her appearance--she practically just rolled out of bed after all. Her hair was probably in knots, and her dress must have been wrinkled from all the tossing and turning she did. How humiliating. It made Avalona wish that she had her own personal rock that she carried around, because right now she would be hiding underneath it, like a turtle retreating into their shell.

Her face, still bright red, remained turned towards the ground, her eyes determinedly not looking at Ash'eny. Ava was terrified that if she did, her embarrassment would be even more displayed in her expression, and her mask would crack simultaneously with it, forever shattered. But this was the man who had wanted to be with her, who had needed her presence as much as she needed his, and she could not let her gaze wander from him for long if he was in the vicinity. So she raised her eyes high enough to peek at him through her lashes, and couldn't help but smile. "You could stay here if you want. B-but don't misunderstand me, you'll be sleeping on the cot!"

[Ash'eny]

OOCNo problem. No need to apologize

Ash'eny merely grinned as Avalona offered up her small home for him. It sure would be nice to accept, and perhaps he would do so on occasion, but that was too much, too soon. Sure, they had something that wouldn't easily break, if it could break at all, yet Ash'eny respected Avalona (and a Hell of a lot more than he respected himself). She had to have some privacy, surely. She looked uncomfortable as she was, still in her dress. Ash'eny could only imagine that she was so exhausted from babysitting him last night that she was simply too exhausted to bother changing. Ash'eny was already complicating her life. After a few moments of thinking over the offer, Ash'eny slowly shook his head. "Not yet. I'm sure you'll need some time alone every now and then, if not for anything else but to have a peaceful moment to think things over." Ash'eny spoke as he caught himself staring at her lips, vibrating with embarrassed stuttering. She claimed to need him, but would she ever feel comfortable around him? Could she? Ash'eny wanted to kiss her. It felt right, but then there was his daughter to think about. Or rather, the daughter he once had that had entirely consumed his attention, his love, his devotions, his life. He use to kiss her every morning on the forehead, every night before she drifted to sleep. She wasn't even Ash'eny blood, neither was Ash'eny and her mother in love (or like each other really). It was a confusing and interesting relationship where the three of them were only held together by the daughter. Something that nearly destroyed Ash'eny when his daughter died. That was the final straw, Ash'eny could not stand Sunberth's shyke anymore after that. Ash'eny watched in confusion, then an amused little stare as he realized what was somewhat shutting Avalona off from him. She was self conscious about her appearance. This caused Ash'eny to lift his four-fingered hand to his forehead and rub lightly for a brief moment. He needed to bathe too, probably worse. "Well, I think I need to pay Soothing Waters a visit. Would you like to come? If you'd like, I can leave for now, give you as long as you need to just take care of yourself, I understand." Ash'eny stood up slowly, his knees popping lightly as if they had been hungry for motion for a while. Ash'eny right down, offering his hand for Avalona to take, to help her stand and, of course, to either accept or deny his offer for a bathing at Soothing Waters. Personally he hoped she would deny the offer. He wanted to pick her up a gift somewhere in town, a thanks for the previous night, in celebration for what happened that morning so far. Ash'eny smiled, he hadn't an idea what he had in mind really, just knew he wanted to find her something.

[Avalona]

Avalona didn't realize that she hadn't really thought about the words that left her mouth until Ash'eny turned down her offer. He was right. After all, the redhead hadn't even felt comfortable enough to change when there was no way that the man would have woken up and seen her. Relief rushed through her, as Ava realized just what she had asked. What was she thinking?! Just casually bringing up a subject like that when the woman wasn't even sure what their relationship was. How naive could she be?! Ava was a little bit annoyed with herself, but quickly could feel that emotion being replaced by something else: happiness. Even though Ash'eny had refused her, his reasons seemed to be based primarily on how the situation would affect her, putting Ava before himself. She also didn't miss the phrase 'not yet', which held promises of the two becoming closer in the future. Well, we'll see. She thought, as a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. But she couldn't help but wonder just what their relationship was, and about her own feelings. Was this just like...or was it love? And how exactly did Ash'eny feel about her? Not to mention, was what they had just friendship? Or perhaps were they more than friends, yet less than a couple? It was all too confusing, and Avalona needed some time to think.

"Well, I think I need to pay Soothing Waters a visit. Would you like to come? If you'd like, I can leave for now, give you as long as you need to just take care of yourself, I understand."

Ash'eny extended his hand out to her, to help her up from the floor, and Avalona only hesitated a moment before taking it. Normally in this situation with any other man, the redhead would have simply smiled (to show that she was not trying to be rude) and stood on her own, but Ash'eny was an exception. After allowing herself to be assisted, Ava let her hand linger in his for a moment before letting go with a small smile on her face. "Thank you." She began, hoping that Ash'eny would understand the double (or maybe triple?) meaning. "But you should go on your own. I'll probably just get some fresh air or buy an apple or two. Not to mention that my fingers are itching to sketch something." Ava looked down at her hands, and upon seeing the wrinkles in her dress, began smoothing them with just a touch of color on her cheeks. "Sorry, I'm a bit of a mess right now." She chuckled nervously, and lifted her gaze to look the man in the eyes. There was a hint of worry in them. "Feel better, okay?"

[Ash'eny]

Ash'eny chuckled heartily as she apologized. To be completely honest, he couldn't even fathom as to why she was worried about herself being a 'mess'. Ash'eny lived on the streets half of the season, in a cheap room the other half. He swiped coins and sat around with beggars, you couldn't look any less appealing than he did, especially now that he had a little extra stench via night at the bar and a large dose of alcohol consumption. She looked fine, maybe a little worn out, but just beautiful. He smiled as she explained herself, though he had both hoped she'd stay, and go with him, as if it was possible to do that. He shrugged lightly as he grabbed onto her hands as she began to desperately to try and smooth out her dress. "Stop that, you look beautiful. A few wrinkles won't change my mind so easily." Ash'eny's thumbs gently caressed Avalona's hands as he held them. Now that they had decided to part, even if just for now, Ash'eny felt it difficult to go, as if she'd vanish like a beautiful dream that you just didn't want to let go of. "I'm already feeling better." It was Ash'eny's turn for a hidden meaning. Even though his head was still throbbing, it would probably do that for a few hours at least, he was feeling better, just about himself really. He was changing, from something he hated to something he was unsure about, but it felt so much better already. "May I keep some things here?" Ash'eny smiled (assuming Avalona agreed) as he began to peel off his cloak, which if inspected would reveal itself as a two-faced piece of clothing, one side black, the other falsely worn, brown, patched, looked like rubbish. Next came his burgler's vest (which held his tools for larceny), his night leather armor, dagger, and mask (also concealed in his vest). He wrapped all his equipment in his cloak, leaving on his standard clothing. He felt so light, so breezy, so comfortable, free. He gently placed them on the floor as he looked up at Avalona, nodding as if to say 'this is my promise to come back to you', as if he needed another reason to do so. And with that, he left.

[Avalona]

Avalona stared at Ash'eny's face as he cradled her hands in his, her eyes growing slightly wider as she listened to him speak. He had called her beautiful. It was an adjective that she had never heard used to describe herself before, and it was surprising at how much one word could make her forget what she had been fussing about--although, it was probably more the fact that Ash'eny had called her that than the word itself. For the most part, it comforted her, but some feelings of self-consciousness still remained. Like most women, she couldn't help but want to look her best around someone she cared about, and currently her appearance was no where near her best. But Ash'eny's words temporarily brushed off those feelings, as if a soothing wind had picked up her worries and carried them away.

Ava sighed, letting go of her insecurities, and smiled affectionately at the man. All would be well. Eventually they’d work out each other’s feelings, but for now they would just enjoy the closeness that they shared. It made the redhead feel very safe, but at the back of her mind a dark thought lurked. She recalled when Ash’eny had told her that in thirty days he might be dead. As a result, Ava was a bit reluctant to let him go. What if Ash’eny never came back? What if she would never see him again? These thoughts frightened the woman, and she waited with dread for their hands to separate. But Avalona needed to trust him. Ash’eny was a grown man, he could take care of himself, so she had to be able to let go. That settled it. Ava allowed her hands to fall to her sides, but then quickly decided that one more hug couldn’t hurt. She stood on her tip-toes, giving him a quick embrace, and followed with a gentle kiss on his cheek. The redhead pulled away, smiling at the man before speaking. “Take care, Ash’eny.”

Avalona watched with curious eyes as Ash'eny took off the outer layers he wore. He bundled up his clothes together in his cloak, and put them lightly on the floor, before giving her a little nod. The man stood, walking over to the door, and within a few moments, he was gone, leaving only his clothes behind to remind the woman that she had not been dreaming. Ava's eyes lingered on the door long after Ash'eny had left, only to be pulled to the pile on the ground. She had seen the suspicious black apparel, glinting from hidden tools and daggers, and she had seen the other side of the black cloak, which was torn, brown, and ragged. With an impossible to read expression, the woman walked silently over to the clothing, picking it up and carrying it over to her bed. Ava sat down on it as if her legs had suddenly given out, hugging the bundle to her chest. A thousand thoughts were flying through her head at that moment, but one stood out from the rest. Just who are you, Ash'eny? Wondered the redhead, as she slowly closed her eyes. Who are you?...