[PRP] Lines in the Sand (Aandes + Rasali)

[seekingCylem]

The raw fear and pain Rasali had unleashed was slowly recollecting itself. Rasali’s lungs shuddered as though she could feel the hurt crawling its way back inside. Dread replaced the chaos in Rasali’s mind. She’d done Aandes a great disservice by involving him in all of this. Some warrior she was. She couldn’t protect anyone back in the caves, and she was proving just as hapless with her own quadrantmate.

Aandes replied quietly, but with resolve. Rasali held very still, unbreathing, but her eyes flickered all across Aandes’ face looking for any trace of lie or hesitation. She found none. The dread lying heavily in Rasali diffused into an emotion she couldn’t quite place.

The exhaustion, relief, and stunned disbelief in Rasali mixed to form a sort of pseudo-calm. She let herself ease into the words she’d just heard. Aandes looked away, but Rasali continued to gaze up at him with what could have been called admiration. What right did he have to swoop to her aid unannounced like some kind of hero? If Rasali had been any less vulnerable at that moment, she might have laughed. Instead, she pushed back the newly swelling tears and let herself relax into Aandes’ arms.

”…I won’t tell anyone about your involvement. That’s the kind of commitment you’ve gotta make on your own. This… This is already more than enough.” Rasali trailed off as she spoke. She found herself becoming increasingly shy and hated herself for it.

She twisted in Aandes’ grip until she was in more of a lounging position and placed a hand over Aandes’, stroking gently. The sun would be coming up soon. They’d be forced to leave the beach and return to their hotel blocks. They probably wouldn’t talk about the rebellion again for the rest of their trip. This exact moment would likely not be brought up again between the two of them ever. They each knew where the other one stood. There was nothing left that needed to be said on the matter.

Rasali let her breathing slow and deepen.  

[Sypon]

Aandes nodded with a solemn dip of the head, and readjusted himself to better support Rasali. He remained thoughtful. Scanning the horizon, Aandes soaked in the atmosphere. The peach tinge of the dawn was filling in the royal blue creases in between the thick cloud cover like spilled blood, deepening in hue as it began to seep into the entire skyscape. The clearing of smoke left an array of festive detritus on the beach, and now that the seabirds had fled to their shady nests in preparation for the oncoming day there wasn’t much but the reminder of the harsh Alternian sun cycle to observe. Every night, without fail, the sun would rise. Even in such a time of brightness and desolation, nightfall was ensured. The moons would always fade into view to replace a burning eye, and a new night would usher fresh life onto the planet. Aandes waxed poetic for a while, feeling Rasali breathe against him in quiet contemplation. He wanted to dissolve into the sand.

He would do something he couldn’t take back. The responsibility for the rebels was all too real to him, and success and power could be his if he took advantage. It was something he would need to mull over. Aandes was only protecting Rasali, and his own hide. The other rebels were a liability, but then again – what wasn’t, now? Could he really not take sides forever? Dark thoughts of treason slipped through Aandes’ thinkpan, followed by even darker thoughts of selling out. There was a sort of security in stealing away with himself and his kismesis, leaving a lost cause to fizzle out and fade away. He closed his eyes and felt her hand over his. The warmth in his cheeks grew.

Aandes slowly opened his eyes to a deep red sky. Ah. That was why. “We should get back,” he whispered to her. “Would you like to share a hotel block tonight? I don’t want to leave you if you need me.”
He began to move, extracting himself from her. Gingerly, he got to his knees and brushed off some of the sand from his pants. Aandes put out his hand to help Rasali up.  

[seekingCylem]

Rasali could feel herself dozing off—a dangerous thing to do outside of a recuperacoon, much less lying outside in the open. Still, Aandes’ presence and the end of her panic attack, the night, and Bloodfest itself blanketed Rasali in a sleepy haze. If she had to explain her feelings for Aandes out-loud Rasali was certain she’d sound completely insane. However in her mind, and more importantly her bloodpusher, everything felt like it made perfect sense. Aandes was terrible. The two of them were at best bothered by everything the other did, thought, and stood for. They knew each other’s ugliest, most intimate details. And yet despite all that, or perhaps, because of it, there was trust. They trusted each other to share their faults and insecurities. When it came down to it, though neither could stand to bare themselves to each other for long. Aandes and Rasali lay there on the beach that morning, but they would pick themselves up, dust themselves off, and move forward with their lives. They would keep moving forward, struggling to improve themselves so as to never end up in such a vulnerable position again. Deep down, however, they both knew that such vulnerability was inevitable, and that ultimately, it was okay.

They had each other.

Rasali mumbled in response to Aandes and slowly sat up from her reclining position. She brushed out the sand that had collected in the ends of her hair. She was slow to respond due to both sleepiness and thought. Finally, she took Aandes’ hand and brought herself back up to her feet.

”Yeah. Yeah, that sounds nice.”