[PRP] Crepes (Seren x Rhys) [potential tw]

[Aria Starstone]

((To be safe, there will suggestions of memories of past child abuse of a few natures.))

Pao - Last Sunday at 11:40 PM
Rhys basically sprinted back to his dorm once his shift was over, grabbed his secret stash of Nutella (it wasn't really a secret but no one knew ask before Seren did), and hurried upstairs and back out to the kitchen. It was amazing the kind of focus and dedication he had to his favorite foods, or to just food in general. And more recently, Seren's food to be more specific. He didn't really break a sweat but he was breathing pretty heavy by the time he smashed the doors to the kitchen open.

"Is the batter ready? I got the Nutella like you asked. Are there bananas?"
AriaStarstone - Last Sunday at 11:46 PM
Seren had been sitting, relaxing on a stool. The batter was in the fridge, settling and chilling, and she was just watching a youtube video on her phone when the doors crashed open, causing the poor young woman to jump off her stool, trying to grab Di and not drop her phone AND land on her feet, which led, instead, to her landing on her a**, tangled up with the stool she'd previously been comfortable on, her phone flying through the air, and possibly a crashing sound when she hit the floor.

There was a looooooooooooooooooong silence, and then she said "Rhys. If you ever do that to me again, I will have revenge. I do not know how, or when, but it when it comes, it will be swift and you will regret it. Scaring the crap out of me as a joke in the tower was bad enough, this was ridiculous."
Pao - Last Sunday at 11:50 PM
He sort of froze at the door when all of this happened, and then he busted out laughing as he stepped inside, dropped the container on the counter, and went over to help her up. He mostly stayed by her feet to help her get untangled from the stool, and from where he was crouching he could see where he phone landed semi-safe-and-sound just a few feet away.

The brunette was still laughing as he stood the now freed stool up on its feet again, then crab-walked over to her, smiling down very innocent-like. "You know you missed me, and hell even where to find me whenever you wanna have your revenge." He stood up and offered her a hand. "Bring it, but crepes first."
September 11, 2017
AriaStarstone - Yesterday at 12:00 AM
"a**." She snapped, grateful for his help, but shield or not, slamming one's tailbone into the cement floor still ********' hurt. She sighed up at him, then took his hand, letting him help her up. She walked past him to the fridge, then frowned, and glared at a bit of dust on her clothes. She began to dust herself off, making sure to get all of her backside. She then went to the sink, washed her hands, and returned to the refrigerator.

She was kind of moving like an offended cat, to be honest.

She popped the refrigerator open, and leaned down and into the fridge to grab the batter. "I don't know about bananas. You could look around?" She didn't know he'd want them, he hadn't mentioned that. If he HAD, she'd have bargained work with someone to get them, before she let him know she was ready. She straightened up, and walked to the stove, where she already had a very thin pan ready, along with a spatula. She dug out a small ladle, and then turned on the stove. "And yes, the batter is ready."
Pao - Yesterday at 12:19 AM
He followed along, a little bummed about no bananas but it was a small loss. It would have been sadder if there was no Nutella, actually. But there was Nutella and crepes and Seren...'s company, so he was pretty content. Rhys had a stupid grin on his face as he watched her expertly move through the kitchen, leaning down whenever she did and just looking all comfortable. That was the confidence he was more used to seeing.

Minus the irritation, of course.

"Yeah?" he asked, striding excitedly over to where she was standing. "I was hoping but I still expected a little wait."
AriaStarstone - Yesterday at 12:26 AM
She glanced at him, and somehow that stupid grin. That gods be damned stupid grin on his face. It melted the last of her irritation, and she turned back to her pan, hiding a soft smile by leaning down to check the pan's heat. "Naw the batter is definitely ready. The pan'll be a minute, though,"
Pao - Yesterday at 12:33 AM
"Sweet." Clearly he was a little too excited, but she didn't seem to mind so he didn't see any reason to calm down. He hopped onto and took a seat on the counter, leaving just enough space for the ingredients and plates for the finished product.

"Were you waiting long, by the way? Before I scared the s**t outta you." He fought down a snicker but still gave a big, pearly white smile.
AriaStarstone - Yesterday at 12:37 AM
"You are a terrible a**, and take far too much pleasure in scaring me. I'd really rather you not." She waved her ladle at him, still keeping her head lowered so that he might see her eyes, but he wouldn't see the smile she had on her lips.

It was like being around a rogue, she'd swear it if some one asked her. Luckily no one had. Instead, she answered him. "Batter had to sit for fifteen minutes... Probably 10 minutes prep? Less then half an hour, it's fine."
Pao - Yesterday at 12:42 AM
He thought better than to say anything about him having a terribly fine a**--the teasing went a bit far last time so he was being a little more careful--and just focused on her and the crepes. He maybe suspected she was hiding something on her face when she kept looking down, but that was fine. She looked fine and was walking and talking and cooking just fine so he was probably just imagining things.

"Oh, not too long then. s**t, I was thinking it was hours or something."
AriaStarstone - Yesterday at 12:48 AM
She mmmm'd thoughtfully, and said "I found a recipe or two where the batter was supposed to sit for an hour, but that's the worst I saw. This one seemed to balance levels of convenience, time, and positive reply the best." She calmly reached out with her hand and lowered it almost to point of touching the pan.. possibly low enough it would look like she had to him.
Pao - Yesterday at 12:53 AM
"Good sign," he said as he watched her meddle with some settings and then touch the pan. His hand shot out before the thought completely processed and he grabbed her wrist, pulling it away from the pan.

"Dude, what the ********?" he was almost glaring at her, but there was definitely some worry and confusion on his face. "Burning yourself on the recipe or what?"
AriaStarstone - Yesterday at 12:56 AM
She looked at him, startled, then realized what he thought she had done. She couldn't help it, she began to laugh helplessly. She tried explaining between laughs, but it took her a minute to calm down enough she could.

"Rhys! I'm fine!" She turned the hand he'd yanked upwards so he could see that her Palm was fully uninjured. "I was testing the pan's heat. The closer I can get, the cooler it is. It's a way to gauge if it's ready."
Pao - Yesterday at 1:00 AM
The laughing confused and irritated him even more, at least until she showed him that she was fine and gave him an explanation. He felt his ears start to burn a little as he straightened and cleared his throat. "Oh..." was about all he could manage at first.

After a beat though he nodded at the pan and met her eye, possibly still a little pink in the cheeks. "So is it ready?"
AriaStarstone - Yesterday at 1:04 AM
She patted his hand once he'd freed her arm, and shook her head at him. "Naw, I could get too close. It needs to be hot enough that it feels uncomfortable, not painful, about this far from the surface of the plan." She emphasized her point by holding her thing and pointer finger about an inch apart.


"I didn't expect it to be. I test periodically to make sure it's heating at the proper speed. Too slow, the batter won't cook properly. Too fast and the crepes will burn."
Pao - Yesterday at 1:10 AM
He nodded quietly, eyeing the pan throughout her explanation. If he wasn't perfectly useless in the kitchen he might have been more embarrassed about the whole thing, but thankfully that wasn't the case and she didn't seem too interested in prolonging the topic.

Rhys frowned at the idea of burned crepes. "That'd be a waste..."
AriaStarstone - Yesterday at 1:15 AM
She nodded. "Indeed. It's why I'm going to be checking it repeatedly, and in between crepes. Having the right amount of heat applied over the right amount of time is as critical in cooking as the ingredients." She made a face, remembering burned stir fries she'd had to eat because her parents... She shook her head, sharply, to get away from that thought. "ANYWAYS. So it'll be couple minutes."

She paused, and then picked up the flour she'd left out intentionally, after that game of 20 questions, and hoisted it up, nominally in an innocent fashion, and went to put it away.

It was, he might notice, the only ingredient she'd left out.
Pao - Yesterday at 12:06 PM
Rhys took in the information like a sieve but nodded for her benefit, now a bit more relaxed on his counter seat. He figured the face she made was from bad food memories--there were always bad food memories, unfortunately--and didn't comment. He just kept his eye on her as she moved about and did her kitchen thing. The flour thing though, got him to curl his lip. It didn't even occur to him that she might have left it out on purpose though, he only noticed it once it was in her hands.

"That's nice," he said with a 'can't believe you just did that' kind of face.
AriaStarstone - Yesterday at 12:10 PM
She gave him a sweet, innocent smile as she turned away from the cabinet it belonged in. "Yeah. Settle in and relax." She grabbed two plates, and went back to the burner. She eyed it, while giving the batter a quick stir.

Every 30-45 seconds she tested the pan, and then a quiet 'AH!' of satisfaction slipped out of her mouth after about 3 minutes. She reached over, snagging the ladle, and poured a thin layer of batter on the pan, carefully swirling the pan with her other hand to get it to spread out. The smell of cooking batter filled the air quickly.
Pao - Yesterday at 12:20 PM
It was probably because he wasn't all that irritated about the flour thing that he could return that innocent smile with an 'only because you're cooking for me' smile of his own. It was somethig he'd been thinking about since she brought him those donuts--how to pay her back for all this food. The gift would be easy enough, something with stars, but what was more of the question.

He watched and waited, still tensing up a bit whenever she checked the pan, but it was ready soon enough and he got off the counter and leaned toward her, blinking at the crepe that she was cooking. His stomach grumbled a little bit when the aroma of the cooking batter filled the room.

"Well that smells ********' amazing," he murmured.
AriaStarstone - Yesterday at 12:50 PM
She couldn't help laughing at his reaction, in a soft way. It was only an innocent joke in the end, after all.

His comment on the food earned him a pleased smile, then she focused completely, watching the edges for the bubbles that indicated it was almost ready to flip. When she's saw them, she snagged the spatula, and carefully loosened the edges, before she did the flip. She had no issues with it, though it was a harder flip then with things like pajeon, due to the size difference. "Ahhh..." She sighed out, pleased with the success.
Pao - Yesterday at 12:52 PM
He gave her some room to maneuver and went back to sitting on the counter just nearby. Unlike last time he would give the crepes a little bit of time to cool before he devoured them. Because he would. So his focus was pulled between the crepes and Seren, eyes darting between the two now and again as he waited patiently for the food.

"So far so good?"
AriaStarstone - Yesterday at 12:54 PM
"Yeah it's going fine..." She was in her element at the moment, enjoying both the feeling of being able to do something that would make him smile and the feeling of success with something a bit difficult. When it was ready, she slipped it off the pan and on a plate. She set the pan down, then snagged the Nutella, spreading a generous amount before folding it into the traditional triangle, and lightly dusting it with sugar, before starting the ritual over. "First one, enjoy."
Pao - Yesterday at 1:00 PM
"Oh, not instant enjoy?" he asked as he hovered over the very well-plated dessert. He gave her a little glance for some kind of approval, but wound up unable to wait. He grabbed the nearest fork and took cut out a nice big piece, stabbed it with his fork and shoveled it into his mouth.

There was a very, very satisfied groan coming from the brunette as he downed that first bite. And then the second bite, and then the third, fourth...and it was gone.
AriaStarstone - Yesterday at 1:16 PM
His comment confused her, unable to tell what he'd meant. She chose not to comment, though, instead focusing on the next crepe. His groaning, however was a little distracting. It sounded almost like he was... No she wasn't going to go down that thought path at ALL. No way.

She just focused on the cooking and soon had another ready. "Have at, I'll eat the last couple so they'll still be fresh." She hoped to gods her hair covered the hint of pink in her cheeks.
Pao - Yesterday at 1:26 PM
It was probably to her benefit that he didn't notice that she was blushing, clearly too preoccupied by the food she was sending his way. On the flip side, it might have been less to her benefit that he was kind of groaning almost with every bite. He really, really loved crepes. And these were close to his favorite.

"You sure?" he said, already halfway through with the ones she'd been handing over to. "Probably a good idea to put yours on a separate plate. I'm ********' inhaling these, damn."
AriaStarstone - Yesterday at 1:34 PM
Goddamn that ongoing groaning. She was glad he liked what she made, really ******** glad... But did he have to sound like THAT? Not that she would, if she was honest, deny that the sound was... Enjoyable, but it was really hard to focus.

She smiled, if a little forcedly, due to the need to control her reactions. 'Um yeah. That's why I have two plates..."
Pao - Yesterday at 1:44 PM
The groaning didn't stop but they were a little fewer and farther between because he started slowing down at around the fifth-crepe mark. It actually gave him time to look up and note something being a little off with her. He swallowed the last bite of that fifth crepe and slipped off of the counter to grab some glasses of water for them.

"You okay?"
AriaStarstone - Yesterday at 2:01 PM
She was unsure how to answer him. He had no idea what he'd sounded like, and she didn't want to spoil his pleasure, but she was kind of needing to escape and take a breather for a moment. And she couldn't, she was cooking. "Ah, fine, just focused." Her voice was, perhaps, a little higher then normal, but she was standing very still, other then the hands for the sake of her cooking.

"Just about 4 or five left with the amount I made. I can only really manage one or two... You still got room?"
Pao - Yesterday at 2:12 PM
He brought the glasses back, though he passed right behind her, and he paused and sort of leaned forward and curled around her so he could see her face. Their faces weren't too close, but close enough that he could see how focused she really was. Really, other than her voice being a little higher than he was used to she did look fine so he let it go and went back to his seat.

"Yep, I got room, no worries," he said before taking a sip.
AriaStarstone - Yesterday at 2:21 PM
When he got that close, it became the hardest thing she had ever done in her life to not turn flaming red. Or maybe to control the urge to kiss him in that moment, because ******** this want a thought path she could allow herself right now at all or she'd burn herself.

Di laughed at THAT thought, and teased her about the rest.

Seren bit her hard, letting the discomfort distract her from all of this. She knew, however, that tonight she'd be having trouble not thinking about those sounds as she tried to sleep. She worked through his next two at an almost furious pace, before making her own.
Pao - Yesterday at 2:50 PM
From where he sat she definitely looked a little pink, and he narrowed his eyes in suspicion. Was the pan really that hot? Did she maybe burn herself but was trying to keep it to herself to keep him from acting like he did earlier? He couldn't really place it, but when his next crepe came out he decided to shelf the thought for after the meal.

The groaning still happened now and again but nothing like a few minutes ago, and they'd gotten a lot quieter, too. "Y'know," he said between bites, "I think I could die happy if you promised to make these for me once a month or something. Can't even remember the last time I had crepes, dude."
AriaStarstone - Yesterday at 3:15 PM
She was almost done with making her second one when he said that. Oh good gods, he wanted her to go through this once a month? But she knew she wouldn't deny him. "Yeah alright, we can try to manage that." No promises, because this damn place was a promise waiting to be broken when it came to things like this, but she'd give him the closest to one she felt safe doing.

She took her plate, grateful that her blush had faded, and turned off the stove before moving to sit on the counter next to him
Pao - Yesterday at 3:19 PM
He dropped his fork. Luckily he'd already taken the bite, and swallowed it as he watched her in slight disbelief that she just casually agreed to something he didn't request. At least not outright. The delight in his smile was undeniable, as was the urge to lean over and give her a peck on the cheek for it...but he didn't do that. No, the smile was good enough.

"You're serious?" he said through that smile. "Every month, if we're both here on the island?"
AriaStarstone - Yesterday at 3:24 PM
Oh that smile. She was defenseless against it, so she was glad he'd done it after, not before. "Yeah, if we're both here and not like... Trapped in the infirmary or something else that prevents it, then yes. I'll do it." She settled back into the counter, glad no one else seemed to ever come here when they did... While also wishing they did because this would be less dangerous waters for her emotions if someone else she didn't trust enough was around.

She took a quiet bite, and smiled, happily, making a soft noise of satisfaction. It was nothing like his groaning, however, and she only did it once. She wondered at the back of her head how hard it would be to get bananas for next time.
Pao - Yesterday at 3:29 PM
He blinked again at her confirmation, smiling just a tad brighter before he picked up his fork and finished off his crepes. After washing it all down with the rest of his water he slipped off of the counter to refill his glass. "I'm serious about paying you back for all of this though," he said as he went, getting a little thoughtful about it. "For now, name your price? If it's something I can get my hands on then just expect it to show up at your door one day."
AriaStarstone - Yesterday at 3:49 PM
She had her mouthful when he asked her that. Last time, it had been on text, so he couldn't have seen how baffled it made her. This time? He got the full confusion that hit her when he asked. She chewed slowly, trying to take her time, come up with an answer that made sense.

How, after all, could she tell him that she did it because she liked making him happy? That would be a level of awkward she didn't think either of them were equipped to handle now, if ever.

Finally, she swallowed and said "I... really don't know, Rhys?" Her voice was filled with uncertainty. "The only thing I'm working towards, that I've really been wanting, is my back piece, and that's not something that you can have show up at my door." She wasn't used to thinking about things for herself. She'd given up that years ago.
Pao - Yesterday at 4:02 PM
Rhys gave a thoughful "HMM" while he sipped down his water, eyes falling on to her seated figure and staying there for a good, long moment. He finished his cup and refilled it a second time before going back and leaning against the counter, just beside her. He was leaning forward this time, fiddling with his cup. "Guess I'll have to think of something then. Hm..."
AriaStarstone - Yesterday at 4:04 PM
She picked up the cup he'd previously brought over for her, having forgotten about it. She was focused on eating the crepes, so she didn't seem to notice his long gaze on her. She shrugged at his words, and said "If it's that important to you, I wont argue." For her, this was even more confusing then his ongoing need to hold the door for her.

It just baffled her. Why would he feel like he needed to do things for her?
Pao - Yesterday at 4:07 PM
It was a little weird to see someone more than a little confused and resistant to getting gifts. He didn't outright feel like he ever deserved them, but if someone were inclined he did have a list of his own of things he wanted that weren't unreasonable to ask of someone. Still, he couldn't fault her for it. There was some kind of reasons, he was sure of at least that much.

"Cool, then like in that text I sent last time. Just expect it."

He smiled very briefly before downing his water, then propping his head on his hand as he watched her slowly finish her plate.
AriaStarstone - Yesterday at 4:11 PM
It wasn't resistance, per se. It was lack of comprehension. She could, if he'd asked, told him that she could count exactly five presents she'd received in her life. 9 if you counted the package that had multiple items in it. Presents happened to other people. It just wasn't something people did for her, so it was like a complete cognitive dissonance when he asked her this question.

"All right, sounds good." Her confusion was more settled, but still present.

After a while, she finished eating, and noticed he was watching her. It was an odd, and confusing thing. "Ah... sorry if I'm being boring and quiet... I was just enjoying the food." It was the only reason she could think of for him to be watching her, after all.
Pao - Yesterday at 4:19 PM
He shook his head at the apology. "No worries. It's just weird being the one to watch you eat for once." He paused and gave the second part of that a bit of thought before adding, "It's kinda nice."

With that though he straight himself out, feeling the effects of a sugar high coming on. He really needed to get back to the weights and more rigorous workouts.
AriaStarstone - Yesterday at 4:22 PM
She blinked, startled by his words. They made her blush, just a little, a combination of feeling good that he thought it was nice to watch her and confusion as to why it would be nice. "Ahhhh.. All right then." She slowly worked her way off the counter, and then went to clean the dishes, becoming lost in the day to day mundanity of it, an almost meditative task really.

She wasn't feeling the sugar high, but that might be a combination of not having as many as he had, and the fact that frankly she'd had very light meals other then this today.
Pao - Yesterday at 4:31 PM
Rhys bounced a bit where he stood while she went and did the dishes, trying to work out the sudden shot of energy he felt like he just got. His eyes followed her though, and stayed on her a little curious about the whole "not wanting gifts" thing. And while he thought that his eyes may have traveled down and then back up again, other curiosities coming in to play before he wrangled them down and finally looked away.

"So are you in for the night, or you got some kinda duty?"  

[Aria Starstone]

AriaStarstone - Yesterday at 4:35 PM
She glanced over her shoulder at his question, blinking, and giving him a smile. "Naw, I'm in. I had cleaning duty earlier, before you texted me." She kept on cleaning the dishes, as if the idea that she'd cleaned earlier and was right back to it now, even if it was a different style, wasn't at all incongruous. "Until you did, I honestly had no plans."
Pao - Yesterday at 4:41 PM
He looked over just as she turned back to the dishes and his eyes did it thing again, so he sighed and looked at the 'fridge again. "Cool. Then you wanna go for a walk?" He bounced toward the door, opened it and stuck his head out real quick to see if it was raining.

It ********, never mind. Wanna chill, then? I'm all wired from the sugar, might watch some movies or something."
AriaStarstone - Yesterday at 4:44 PM
She blinked at his suggestion of a walk. Walks were nice, but... She was pretty sure he wasn't thinking of the image that fluttered through her head for a moment. She put it away, once again squashing things down. When he said never mind, a bit of relief crashed through her. "Ah? Raining like there's no tomorrow again?" She asked, lightly, as if nothing had crossed her mind.

"Sure, we can do that. Lemme finish up, I'm almost done." She got the last of them scrubbed and started hand drying everything.
Pao - Yesterday at 4:50 PM
"Sweet."

Rhys bounced around a little more while he waited, realizing that he probably should have been doing something to help far too late because she was already working on drying the last of the plates by the time it dawned on him. But since she was done he bounced over to the door and waited for her to finish up before opening it.

It was chilly outside, unsurprisingly.
AriaStarstone - Yesterday at 4:52 PM
She followed him to the door, vaguely amused by how energtic the tall man seemed, and grabbed her coat, before stepping through the door. "Ugh once again. Though I suppose I shouldn't complain, I'm sure I'll get tired of tropical heat once that happens..." She sighed, and shrugged, but accepted it for what it was, pulling her hood up as she waited for him to emerge
Pao - Yesterday at 4:57 PM
The brunette followed her out only after remembering to grab his stash of Nutella, his hood already up as he grumbled in agreement about the weather. "I like cold weather, just hate the rain." He kept close to her for whatever added warmth benefit the closeness would yield, then sighed as they started walking back toward the dorms.

"So other than a movie did you wanna do somethin' else?"
AriaStarstone - Yesterday at 5:04 PM
"I meant the rain. Don't mind the cold, just the constant wet." She shrugged, perfectly happy to have him as close as he wanted to be to her. Just so long as he didn't like... pick her up and sling her over his shoulder.

She really had trouble imagining that, actually, but it was still true. That would get a negative ******** her head wasn't helping her this evening. "Ummmmmmmmmmm. I have no idea? I hadn't really thought that far ahead" She scratched her head a little self conciously. "We could steal Jen A from the lounge and play on the floor? It'd be more solid. Um." She realized she didn't actually know that many things to do with friends when she wasn't feeding them.
Pao - Yesterday at 5:19 PM
They walked along in relative silence, for him it was mostly because he was thinking about what else they could do. He guessed she might want at least one Disney movie and that was fine, an hour and a half. "Jenga sounds like a good plan," he mused, eyes down as they walked along. "I have cards, too, if you wanna play poker or something."

He was tempted to mention that betting clothes was a thing, but held his tongue. Awkward was not his goal tonight.
AriaStarstone - Yesterday at 5:24 PM
"Awesome. We can do all of that, though I'm not very good at poker, I'll warn you... And I don't exactly have much to bet." She paused, then laughed, a feeling of deja vu coming over her at this, remembering the night on Pod Duty where they'd met, her head thrown back in her laughter, not even noticing the rain pouring on her face in that moment.
Pao - Yesterday at 5:40 PM
He ticked off the mental checklist of what to nick from the lounge for another chill night that hopefully didn't end with an awkward morning after situation. Zephira was always telling him to deal with more of this stuff but he was much more comfortable just shelving it all and dealing with it if it ever came up again. So far the stuff with Seren...came up a lot, but not out in the open so there was nothing to deal with. Thankfully.

"Cool, so my place or yours?"
AriaStarstone - Yesterday at 5:44 PM
She kind of gave him a side long look at his phrasing, but chose not to point it out to him. Last time was awkward enough, after all. "If you wanna bring your laptop up to my room, we can do it there. You hosted last time." She shrugged, and said "If not, your room is fine, perfectly comfortable. Whichever you prefer." She was really biting her tongue on that, though.
Pao - Yesterday at 5:50 PM
"My place then," he said with a little nod. The idea of having possibly losing things while bringing his laptop up was mostly what did it, but also the room was very open now because he hadn't put the boxes back where they originally were before that other night. "We can grab everything we need from the lounge on the way."

Rhys picked up the pace and soon enough they made it to the dorms and were in the lounge, grabbing whatever they needed--blankets, cushions, and Jenga, of course.
AriaStarstone - Yesterday at 5:56 PM
She was following him, jogging to keep up. She wondered if he'd forgotten that the six inch difference in their heights meant when he moved, she had to move harder to keep up with him. "Slow down, Jolly Green Eyed Giant, I can barely keep up without actually running!" She didn't like jogging on a full stomach. It was a fast track to a stomach ache.

When they got there, though, she happily helped gather things, folding blankets for extra ability to carry them.
Pao - Yesterday at 6:01 PM
He had snorted at the "giant" quip but, once they made it to the lounge, had already forgotten about it in favor of gathering what they needed. "That is?" he asked, then looked at what the both of them were holding and nodding, then started heading down to his room. He did slow down for her sake, though, because of the stairs. A rush might meant an accident, and while the shields were good and well it still hurt.

Hey, y'think you can reach my keys?" he asked once they were at his door. He sort of leaned his hip in her direction so she had access to his pocket.
AriaStarstone - Yesterday at 6:11 PM
"Think so..." She hefted her load and followed him down the stairs, moving with care. She'd no desire to kill herself, or even mildly bruise herself, by tripping over her own two feet. She managed to get down the stairs.

When he asked her to get his keys, she had a moment where she moved to get them that she took advantage of that to hide her face behind the blankets she was holding. Oh man, he had no idea how much this made her wish she had the courage to 'accidentally' brush her fingers along his hip. She controlled that urge, though, and unhooked the keys.
Pao - Yesterday at 10:15 PM
"Thanks." He straightened up and waited until the door was opened before going on in and dropping everything like a hot potato right on the floor. The Jenga was really the only thing that clattered. And scattered.

Everywhere.

Rhys sort of stared at all the wood blocks for a second, then over at Seren, then at the blocks again. "******** me, piece of sh--" and there was more swearing as he started cleaning it up so they could spread the blankets on the floor.
AriaStarstone - Yesterday at 10:20 PM
She was about to go in when he dropped the stuff, and the Jenga pieces made a shitton of noise, startling the ******** out of her. For the second time today. "********" she gasped out, and made it in. She set her armload on the bed, then began helping him get all the jenga pieces. She found a spot she could kneel on, free of pointy point wooden corners, and started gathering them up, handing them up to him.

"Next time, let me carry the box, k? At least if I have less stuff."
Pao - Yesterday at 10:23 PM
He welcomed the help with a grumpy grumble, but the pieces were cleaned and out of the way soon enough so he packed them into the box and shoved it out of the way. "That sounds like a good idea," he said with a sigh as he grabbed a blanket and started setting the whole thing up again. Three blankets on top of each other and then a layer of pillows soon covered the floor, and when it was all done he grabbed a free pillow and swatted her with it.

"Wanna go grab some water for the both of us?"
AriaStarstone - Yesterday at 10:27 PM
She yiped, startled, when he swatted her with the pillow. She had been about to grab a pillow and swat him back, but his request distracted her. "Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine." She said, and stood up, moving around the pillow and blanket nest on the floor. She did, however, swat his shoulder as she passed him. "Most people don't go whacking the person they want to do something with pillows, ya know." And slipped out the door before he could retaliate.

She was a little longer then he might have expected, but when she came in, she had a large pitcher with a locking lid filled with ice water, some cups, and a small tray to prevent condensation from dripping onto anything that might mildew. Her coat and hair were a little damp, indicating she might have raided the kitchen for them.
Pao - Yesterday at 10:35 PM
"I'm not most people," he managed to say before she left the room. There was a lingering smile as he got to setting up the computer and hard drive that had all the movies. By default (and to be safer because she might see that folder again) he pulled up the Disney movie folder and left it open for her to look at when she got back.

Meanwhile he also dug around his nightstand for the deck of cards, and then even had enough time to get changed before she got back. He was slipping into a t-shirt when he heard the door open, and he turned to welcome her back. Instead of a smile though, he frowned and walked over to her, eyes narrowed at their state of wetness.

"You should'a just come back, dude. You wanna go and get changed first? Might get sick; Joy told me we can get fear pneumonia or some s**t like that. Sounded serious."
AriaStarstone - Yesterday at 10:38 PM
She blinked at him, startled by his apparent worry. "I... should be fine, Rhys? It's only a little wet." She was confused, unsure what to make of this side of him. "If it makes you feel better, though, I'll go change..." She held out the stuff she'd brought back to him, complete confusion in her expression. She had... just done waht was asked of her, what had she down wrong? Why was he frowning like that at her?
Pao - Yesterday at 10:46 PM
He took the tray and blinked at her for a moment, wondering what her confusion was about. It wasn't the first time, either, but her being in that state (and there was a chance he was exaggerating, but still) didn't really sit right with him so he kind of stared a moment longer. "I just don't want you getting sick, but if you're fine I have a towel so you can dry off here."

Rhys turned and put the tray down on his desk first before digging through his closet for a clean towel and tossing it to her.

"That good enough?"
AriaStarstone - Yesterday at 10:52 PM
"Yeah... yeah, that's more then fine." She slid inside and slowly toweled off her hair, and she put her coat off, out of the way. Her shirt was still 100% dry, so she was fine with that. She walked over to the pillow pile, and settled down onto it, still sort of watching him.

If he'd ever seen an abused dog, he might recognize some of the behaviour from that. She was trying to hide it, though. When she finished, she looked around, unsure where to put the towel.
Pao - Yesterday at 10:57 PM
Rhys kept an eye on her, still a little concerned about the whole getting wet thing...but she did seem fine. When she was done with the towel he extended his hand. "I'll put it over there," he said in a slightly off kind of tone. Like he wasn't sure what was really going on.

"I opened up the Disney folder. Figured you wanted to watch one of those. If you want somethin' else just hit the back button and have a look." He said the second part a little hesitantly because that folder was still there, but hopefully he guessed her movie preference right and it wouldn't come to that.
AriaStarstone - Yesterday at 11:01 PM
She nodded, and handed it to him, trying to figure out why he was so off. Good lords, they were on a roll all of a sudden. Everything had gone from light hearted and silly to weird and just off balance in under a minute, it felt like. She finally sighed a little, and turned to the pc.

She browsed through the Disney films, a little distractedly, hoping to find one that would lighten the mood again. She finally found, and selected, The Emperor's New Groove. She figured it wouldn't be too serious, and somehow that name didn't scream 'romantic ending', so it felt safer.

He got lucky, it seemed.
Pao - Yesterday at 11:19 PM
Her attention on the screen gave him some time to keep watching her a little more discreetly, thoughts buzzing about something being really weird between them. Recently it's been a hit and miss kind of deal and it was freaking him out.

He draped the towel on the back of his desk chair before picking up the tray and heading over to his side of the nest. After setting the tray down a sfae distance from his laptop, he flopped over and got comfortable, eyes soon on her again.

"Find something?"
AriaStarstone - Yesterday at 11:22 PM
She had been so focused on what she was doing she hadn't noticed his constant watching of her. She was one of those who could get absorbed, really very absorbed, into a task and not realize she had some one watching her.

It had taken a coworker to point out a creep, once, back home, because she'd been so focused on the food she'd been making. She'd barely evaded him when she left for home that night.

When he spoke, luckily it didn't startle her as she'd picked. "Yeah. This Emperor's New Groove. Name makes me think it could be silly, yeah?"(edited)
Pao - Yesterday at 11:31 PM
Mention of the movie title had him look toward the laptop screen, squinting a little. "Yeah, that sounds alright," he said, then reached over and fiddled with the touchpad and the mouse and soon the media player was on full screen and all he had to do was hit play.

"Real quick. Bathroom break before the movie?"
AriaStarstone - Yesterday at 11:35 PM
"Naw I'm ok for now. Maybe after." She wasn't in the mood to lay down, though. Instead, she snagged a loose pillow and hugged it to herself, in a way that she could lean her chin on it, her eyes focused on the screen for when the movie would start
Pao - Yesterday at 11:39 PM
"Alright, gimme a sec then. My bad..."

He got up and slipped out of the room, running hand through his hair as he tried to figure out what the heck was wrong. If there was even really something, and what it was exactly. It was really starting to piss him off.
AriaStarstone - Yesterday at 11:51 PM
"No worries..." She was so confused, once again, and she stared after him. Cause why would 'having to go to the bathroom' be a his bad? She sank into the pillow pile a little deeper, staring at the laptop.

She stared, then a feeling of curiousity overcame her. She was... wondering what he was into, and she had a chance without him being right there. She leaned forwards, and spent a minute or two snooping, noticing what vids he'd seen recently and their names. She closed it up, quickly, and went back to the screen where he could hit play without a word, pondering what she had seen. When he returned, he'd just see her staring abstractly at the screen, like some one might when they were just lost in thought while waiting.(edited)
September 12, 2017
Pao - Today at 12:07 AM
While he was off doing his business he had no idea she was about to be witness to his marathoning the collection of videos from the Private Thong series. Eight videos in all, and if she was really paying attention she might have seen that he's gone through the series quite a number of times already. Quite a number of times.

Rhys was back soon enough, still not sure what was going on with the atmosphere between them but decided that it was probably time to shelf it and deal with it later, maybe, if it came back up again.

"Ready?" he asked, totally oblivious to the fact that she'd just did a bit of snooping into something he would rather she not know about.
AriaStarstone - Today at 12:13 AM
She looked up and smiled at him when he came back. "Yeah, totally. Come on." She patted the spot next to her, and cuddled the pillow closer, looking comfortable and relaxed again. In her head, whatever was up was over unless it came up again, and she hoped it wouldn't.
Pao - Today at 12:30 AM
He locked the door behind him as usual and took up the space beside her, still flopped on his stomach as opposed to sitting like she was. Considering her smile he figured the thing, whatever it was, had passed and everything was fine again. Which was good, he didn't have to think about it too much...but he was already tired from thining about it all.

Assuming she was ready, he reached over and clicked play before wriggling around and getting as comfy as he could. He hit the bed a couple of times, swearing under his breath each time.
AriaStarstone - Today at 12:35 AM
She was fine, because it was all out of the way in her head again. The problems were to be dealt with later, as was the research behind the data she had gathered. She was comfortable, though, and hoped he would be soon.

His attempts to get that way, however, made her mildly concerned. "... you ok there, buddy?" She finally ventured.
Pao - Today at 12:40 AM
The brunette did eventually stop moving, and much to his irritation it was the spot exactly where he'd started. "Fine, just..." he huffed and wriggled just a little bit more before finally getting settled enough to focus on the opening musical.

"Trying to get comfy."
AriaStarstone - Today at 12:47 AM
She looked at him, concerned, then gently patted his back. She vaguely noticed he was tense, and wondered if he needed a massage.

Not that she was an expert but Mical had liked them, so she'd learn the basics of it. But she wasn't sure how to offer. She decided to put that thought on hold until after the movie.

She settled in again, and said "Hope you are now?" with her eyes glued to the screen, watching the ridiculous nonsense of this Disneyized version of the Incan Empire
Pao - Today at 12:49 AM
"Think I'll manage," he said, shifting yet again. He was starting to suspect it was the pillows he was lying on, but they seemed so soft it was hard to believe that for too long. Throughout all the silliness of the movie he moved and shifted and rolled and rolled back, never quite finding the perfect spot. By the end credits he was exhausted from all the moving, and very frustrated.
AriaStarstone - Today at 12:52 AM
She was concerned about her friend. She had enjoyed the moving but he just seemed so uncomfortable, and it had lessened her enjoyment of the situation. "Rhys... Are you ok? Seriously. You were moving the whole time like you were uncomfortable, and when I patted your back, you were as stiff as a board. I'd almost suggest you need a massage but... I don't know if you'd be ok with that."
Pao - Today at 1:03 AM
He'd about given up on ever getting comfortable and finding out why when Seren said something and everything just clicked. HIS BACK. It was so obvious je actually felt pretty stupid that it didn't occur to him at all to think that the problem was him and not the blankets. Usually he had no problems seeing that.

Rhys buried his head in the blankets and groaned into them, seriously considering her offer for a massage. On the one hand he really needed it, on the other hand there was something about Seren being the one to do it that put him on edge.

He stayed like that for a long minute before turning his head and looking up at her, defeate all over his face.

"A massage would be awesome...thanks."
AriaStarstone - Today at 1:06 AM
She looked worriedly at him, then said "I think for both of our sakes you should sit up, because otherwise this is going to get really awkward, really fast. Maybe use your computer chair to lean against? Or use your mattress. Either way." She shifted to kneeling, and waited for him to move.
Pao - Today at 1:10 AM
He nodded and slowly got up. Now that he knew it was his back it suddenly got a lot stiffer, even spasming a little as he shifted and sat up. The bed was a lot closer so he decided he would use that to lean against, but he did look over at her for a second, as though he had another thought.

"Shirt on, I'm guessing? Should I pull it up or...?"
AriaStarstone - Today at 1:11 AM
"You do what you want. If you want the shirt off, I'm not going to argue. I can handle that, though I don't have any massage oils or lotion to prevent skin burn, so thats... gonna be up to you." She watched him moving with honest sympathy, knowing how much it ******** hurt to have a stiff back.

She hadn't had a massage in two years. It was horrible. She never let on.
Pao - Today at 1:16 AM
He blinked and gave that a thought before reaching for his nightstand and pulling out a bottle of lotion, groaning a little every now and again. Stiff backs were the worst, though he at least knew how to handle them. Lots of rest was the typical solution, but a massage would also help.

"Try with this, if it doesn't work I'll just put my shirt back on." And with that he slipped his shirt off and leaned forward onto his bed, his back to her.
AriaStarstone - Today at 1:22 AM
She eyed the bottle with mild dubiousness but took it from him, popping it open and squeezing some out into her hands. She lightly spread it so it wouldn't absorb, then began to work on his upper back, her fingers warm and initially gentle, but when she found a knot, she didn't shy from it. Instead, she placed the ball of her hand on it, her free hand holding the shoulder so he wouldn't move to much, and began applying firm pressure in a circling movement, working careful to get it out without much pain.
Pao - Today at 1:30 AM
He flinched at first when he felt her hands start to work into his back. Warm and light, but only until she found a knot. When that happened and she started to dig into it to loosen it up, he couldn't help groaning. It was lower and slower this time, more like a low rumble that faded in and out depending on what she was doing.

But the flinch was a knee-jerk reaction, like his brain had jumped ahead and assumed the worst was about to happen and it wanted to warn him. So he could brace himself like he used to have to... It was a relief for him that nothing happened and he was able to just relax and enjoy this massage. It was the first one he's ever gotten from a person--normally he just used a foam roller.
AriaStarstone - Today at 1:36 AM
She almost froze when he groaned again, the back of her brain going '******** we did it to ourselves again. Second time in one day and we're touching his bare skin while doing so. We're ********.' She managed not to actually freeze, though, keeping working on the knot, and then the next and the next, slowly but surely making her way down his back.

Her fingers were nimble and clever, seeking out the knots, doing her best not to miss any of them. When she got to his lower back, she frowned a little, unsure how far was safe to go. The flinch went unremarked on.(edited)
Pao - Today at 1:42 AM
He had considered the possibility that a massage would lead to awkward, but so far so by good. She was working through the knots surprisingly well--he wondered if he could ask for this kind of thing more regularly, like after a brutal workout or something--but noticing that she was working her way down. And when she got to his lower back he tensed up a little bit.

"If you could get maybe just a little lower..." he said quietly. "I can feel it pretty tight there just leaning over like this."
AriaStarstone - Today at 1:47 AM
"All right. Tell me when to stop." She said, an odd inflection in her tone. She didn't know why he reacted the way he did, but she did feel it reminded get all too much of how she might react if if someone ever grabbed her while angry or something. He didn't have the scarring for... That... though, so she was unsure.

But she respected and cared for him to much to allow herself to hurt him.

She kept moving, working her way into the mess of tension that only the small of the back could be, keeping her fingers away from where the curve of his a** started with care. That was also not a place she was willing to go right now.
Pao - Today at 1:55 AM
He just nodded at the instruction and tried his best not to squirm. She was doing great, really, but his head was starting to get clouded with unpleasant memories that he believed for the longest time were already dead, buried, and forgotten.

The groaning had stopped altogether and he focused on chanting a reminder that nothing was going to happen, that it was Seren, that it was an innocent massage...but still, his breathing started to get shallow and uneven. Shaky, and under her touch she might have noticed that he was actually shaking. Barely, but he was.
AriaStarstone - Today at 1:58 AM
She frowned. She'd gone as far as she could go without invading his privacy, and he was shaking. It was more then time to stop. She pulled her hands of off him and said "Any farther, and this turns into something inappropriate. I hope that helps?" She slipped back and away from him, giving him his space, trying to figure out if she'd every seen him this badly off.
Pao - Today at 2:07 AM
Even when her hands were off of him he could swear he could still feel them. Going farther, past his breaking point. He kept his head buried in his arms, his breathing shallow and still uneven, fighting as hard as he could to keep those memories from drowning him in front of someone else.

And what she said didn't help at all. It pulled the memories up closer to the surface, to the point that he was chanting something so very quietly to himself.

"It's almost 8 o'clock, it's almost over...just 'til 8 o'clock..."
AriaStarstone - Today at 2:10 AM
Ok that wasn't the reaction she wanted at ALL. "Rhys! Rhys, come on Rhys... Snap out of it." She said, pleading with him, hoping to all the gods she hadn't just ******** up whatever this was between them Beyond all possible relief.

She wanted to hug him, tell him the b*****d who did whatever it was too him want here.


She wanted to find the b*****d too. Find them and kill them. She knew that reaction, the 'I can't escape these memories', all too well. "RHYS." She tried one last time, her voice almost breaking in her desperate fear for him.
Pao - Today at 2:18 AM
That last one snapped him out of it and he deflated where he sat, head still buried. The shaking stopped and his breathing evened out but he couldn't...sit up. Wouldn't.

His cheeks were damp.

"Could..." he started, then paused to swallow the lump in his throat to lower the chances of his voice breaking. "Y'think you could forget this happened?" It was weak and probably sounded very desperate.
AriaStarstone - Today at 2:24 AM
There was a long silence and she said, sadly, "I can try but I don't know." Another long silence, then she said "But I won't tell anyone a damn thing. Nor will I judge you for it."

The next bit came in a strange voice. "And it's only fair if you see my worst secret in return. You won't have to worry about me using this against you, you'll have mine in return." It was almost an offer, almost a 'i have to do this'. There was definitely a feeling of her believing it was the only way she could balance this.
Pao - Today at 2:34 AM
That wasn't too comforting, but it might be the best he could expect from just about anyone that wasn't somehow messed up in the head so he couldn't complain, either. He just deflated a little more and nodded into the mattress.

"Good enough, I guess..." his voice broke anyway despite his efforts. "And you don't have to do that." Slowly he raised his head and as quickly and discreetly as he could wiped the dampness off of his face before grabbing his shirt and slipping it on. And then he turned to her, eyes red and tired, and shrugged. "You're better than that and I know it, no need to even the score."
AriaStarstone - Today at 2:38 AM
She looked him in the eyes and said "It's not fair. I feel like I have something on you and that's not fair. I'd never use it but I know you didn't, don't want me to know it. No one with this kind of s**t does. And I don't want to have that kind of thing over you. I like feeling like we're equals. Can you honestly say that it doesn't imbalance that?"
Pao - Today at 2:44 AM
He blinked slowly as she spoke, an even deeper sadness settling over him as he realized what she was saying. That she hurt too in some form or another only she walked away with something to show for it. A more physical reminder...

So he nodded slowly, not wanting to refuse her again. Too tired to, and balance mattered enough that she was wiling to do this. As far as the word "friend" goes, that definitely counted for something.
AriaStarstone - Today at 2:48 AM
She stood, and turned her back to him. She slid her shirt all the way up, her head hanging a bit, her hair over her shoulder so her back was fully visible to him, other then a black bra strap. What was exposed was a... Map of scars, the kind that come from vicious beatings with something more then a hand.

There were a lot of them, ranging in age from old... At least 10 years old, maybe more, by the faded color... To only a year or two old. She stood there, in frozen silence.
Pao - Today at 2:56 AM
He sat there, frozen in place as he processed what he was seeing. Each scar was prefaced with her face in his mind, scared or hesitant or nervous or confused. When he'd seen what he could of each scar he finally stood. His breathing got shaky again as he moved toward her and very gently lowered her shirt.

He kept his eyes on the ground and placed a hand on each of her shoulders, squeezing gently as he did his best to pull up a memory of her smiling. "Sorry..." Because it wasn't easy to share.

And because it happened at all.(edited)
AriaStarstone - Today at 3:00 AM
She simply reached up, one of her hands resting softly on his, not really able to speak at the moment. She wanted to turn and face him, to see what his expression was. She wanted to run, afraid now that she'd done this. It was balance. It hurt like ******** - Today at 3:06 AM
He took a deep, even breath when he felt her hand on his. There were no words that he felt he could say to make the situation just go away, to make dealing with it any easier. If she turned to look she would just find that same sadness from just moments ago swimming in his eyes. Not pity or judgement, just...a deep, heavy sadness. Enough to cover the both of them.
AriaStarstone - Today at 3:10 AM
Eventually she got the courage to look at him, and he would see something similar in hers, along with relief at the lack of other emotions from him. Anything judgemental might have shattered her right then. She stood there, facing him, wanting to hug him and scared inside she'd hurt him. And had no idea what his triggers were. Finally, she said in a soft voice "You deserved better. We both did. ******** the others who don't get that."
Pao - Today at 3:19 AM
There it was. That tenacity he knew she had just bubbling over now that she wasn't being strangled and kept down by whoever did that to her. He managed a small smile and a nod at her ******** 'em. Been my motto since I was just a kid. Works like a charm."
AriaStarstone - Today at 3:21 AM
She managed a half laugh and a small smile. "There we go, then." She seemed to run out of words again. Her tenacity might be back, but her energy wasn't. She sighed, and slowly sank back to the pillows on the floor, drained.
Pao - Today at 3:26 AM
He followed suit and flopped onto the spot that he was struggling in earlier. Despite everything that followed, her massage did wonders. He got settled almost instantly.

"Wanna just call it a night?"
AriaStarstone - Today at 9:41 AM
She turned her face to him, eyes lost in thought for a moment. Finally she said "Probably for the best, we're not going to be much use for anything else at this point." She studied him, and smiled, somewhere between one of the sweet smiles that, though he didn't know it, were something she only gave him, and the exhausted smile of earlier. She reached over, and pulled a blanket off the pile, and gently covered him, before standing to go fetch her coat.
Pao - Today at 10:45 AM
Rhys caught the smile and returned it weakly, tucking away the thought of how pretty she looked whenever she smiled, then only nodded. When she covered him up and stood he lay there and watched her a moment before following suit. He walked her to the door and held it open for her, then sighed. "We set everything up, too. Kinda a waste..." he glanced over at the little movie set-up, weighing the option of sleeping on the floor or on his bed.
AriaStarstone - Today at 10:52 AM
She pulled her coat on, not wanting to carry it, and she glanced at it all, with a sigh. "Save it for later?" she suggested. "We can always pick things up at a later time, when we're both feeling a little more... solid, yeah?" She was looking up at his face, checking for signs he was doing at least a little better. She worried about her tall friend.
Pao - Today at 10:59 AM
He was doing a little better, but he was still shoving the thoughts back into their appropriate boxes and tucking them away so he still looked like he wasn't all there.

"Sounds good," he said with a little nod. "Next time..."
AriaStarstone - Today at 11:01 AM
She gently reached over, and squeezed his arm in a soft, comforting way, then slipped out the door, hair flowing behind her, catching what little light there was, with the speed she was moving at. "Good night... See you soon."

She really didn't want to run into anyone in the hall, right now, after all.