|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sat Mar 07, 2015 7:13 pm
The mission off island had lasted longer than he'd expected. A good few weeks of trekking through the Tibetan mountains trying to figure out a few portal malfunctions, and then back to the base in one of the larger areas of the world to compile all of the information together. It had been, while not a strictly exciting mission, rather interesting altogether, minus the paperwork, and Arorangi felt strangely invigorated after having managed to accomplish something of worth while he'd been away.
Of course, he hadn't been able to use his mobile phone the entire trip, which had been the downside. Arorangi had kept pulling it out to give it a slightly wistful look, pressing buttons and typing out messages that kept flashing Unable to Send every time he made an attempt. Several texts to Oliver had queued up, and even more to Lydia were now stored in the Outbox folder with little red exclamations beside them that indicated they had not actually been sent.Quote: Text to Lydia:I have been sent on a mission! Sorry I could not tell you in person, I was pulled away very early! I should only be gone a day or two!! Quote: Text to Lydia:Day Four. Sorry this is taking so long, aroha, I keep having to climb mountains!! It is very exhausting, but kind of fun! I hope you are doing well!! Quote: Text to Lydia:It has now been a whole week since I have been gone. sad I miss you and Oliver, I hope you have been looking after each other!!
It was with a certain amount of weary excitement that Arorangi stepped out of the portal early one afternoon, his flip-flop clad feet making smacking noises on the grass of Deus Ex Machina. His dreads were pulled back into a messy ponytail, and there were streaks of dirt on his arms and legs, partly on his face. A few scratches here and there, a bandage on his forehead, and upper arm, and he seemed more than a little worse for the wear.
But Arorangi was as cheerful as ever as he made his way across the campus towards the dormitory building, hitching his bag up onto his shoulder as he went. He gave a few waves to people as he passed, but mostly he just wanted to get back to his room and get some rest, eat some good food, shower, and then check on his friends to make sure that they were okay. His phone had died sometime during the last week, so the text messages had never been sent, and he'd not been able to receive any either, which was unfortunate.
Into the building, the stairwell, up the stairs, and finally he was on the trainee hallway. Arorangi beamed at the familiarity of it and continued on his way, heaving out a relieved breath. It was only when he drew closer to the end of the hallway, however, that he realized that there was something - or rather, someone - in front of his room.
Arorangi carefully lowered his bag to the ground, not wanting to disturb what appeared to be a very asleep Lydia leaning against his door. He crouched down in front of her, his expression softening, and for a moment he just watched her, taking in the slow, deep breathing, the fluffy, curly blue hair that sprang everywhere, her thin figure, the semi-peaceful expression on his face.
He'd missed her a great deal, but here he was, and here she was. Arorangi sighed.
He reached out a hand and very gently touched her shoulder with tattooed fingers.
"Aroha?"
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Mar 07, 2015 8:07 pm
Once Lydia had situated herself on the floor outside of Arorangi's room, she found that she didn't really want to leave. So convinced was she that he was going to come strolling down the hallway with that large grin on his face at any moment, so incredibly sure that his smile was all she needed right now, and that once she saw it, all her pain and worries and confusion would melt away, replaced by warmth and cheer and something else she could never quite pinpoint. She didn't want to miss that moment. She didn't want to not be there when he came home again. So, rather stubbornly, she decided she wasn't going to leave, because she was just so very certain that today was the day that he would be coming. Whether or not her intuition was all that reliable was certainly debatable. But it wasn't just that, either. The betrayed part of her that came home to find that her roommate hadn't actually been dead now didn't really know where to go. She loved Chris, dearly, like the good friend that he was, but seeing him now just brought back so much of the pain she had felt, and she didn't know if she could deal with it just yet. So, of course, she didn't want to go back to her room. And she didn't want to bother Oliver, either, feeling that she had burdened him enough as it was. The minutes dragged by, turning to hours without her really even noticing. People passed, they stared, some even asked her if she was okay and she would smile and nod and explain that she was simply waiting for somebodies return, and they would carry on. She had started curled in on herself, but then sat with legs sprawled, and eventually, had laid down on the floor, knee's up to her chest and one arm under her head. At some point, despite willing herself not to, sleep overcame her. And still her cellphone was clutched in one hand that was held against her chest, waiting for that double buzz that would indicate a message received, though the last she had checked, hers had yet to go all the way through. Aroha? The word infiltrated her sleep, a dream that she wouldn't remember upon awakening. It was a comforting sound, a quiet but warm rumble, and in her sleep that became a half daze, she smiled, her eyes soon after blinking open only to see a darkly tanned, tattooed arm stretched down towards her, and the feel of fingers gently pushing against her shoulder. "Aro....?" She mumbled, voice thick with sleep, and for a moment she wondered if this was the dream, before she was quite suddenly very awake, and sitting up straight with a startled sound. "Oh...Oh my goodness!" She exclaimed, eyes suddenly very wide behind glasses that sat askew. "You're here!" She smiled, two hands pressed against the floor, legs still curled to the side. "I knew you were coming home today!" Except that if Lydia glanced at the time on her phone, she might have noticed that an evening had passed and it was, actually, an entirely new day from when she had first sat down.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Mar 07, 2015 9:06 pm
He thought that she looked strangely tired; there were dark circles beneath her eyes, and he wondered how long she had been here, how long she had sat at his door. He hadn't been able to text her to tell her he was leaving in the first place, but had assumed she would know that there was a mission that he had left on - but at the same time, it had been almost three weeks.
Arorangi had not realized how much he had missed her, truly missed her, until he saw her now, right in front of him.
"I am back, aroha!" he said with a smile, his face softening. Arorangi moved his hand up so that he could give her shoulder a squeeze and then gently tap the side of her face affectionately with the backs of his fingers. "You seem as though you could use a bit of snacks, my friend, why don't you come into my room, sit down and talk with me? It has been too long since I have seen you, and I want to know that you are all right!"
Arorangi straightened, his stomach twisting in delight and something else, something he wasn't about to name yet, as he looked down at Lydia, curled up at his door. He hoisted his duffel bag up and held out a hand to her, reaching to offer her assistance to stand.
"I hope you have not been waiting here long, aroha," Arorangi said suddenly, a worried look passing across his face, followed by a chagrined one. "I am very ashamed I was not able to tell you when I was leaving. I tried texting you while I was gone, but the phone had no service."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Mar 07, 2015 9:39 pm
It was okay that Arorangi hadn't been able to tell her he had been leaving, since she had left herself and had been unreachable anyways. Really, she probably should have let him know before that she was going away for a while herself, but so wrapped up in her own misery at the time, a great many things had slipped her mind. But that all didn't really matter right now, as he was here! Just seeing him brought a bright smile to her lips, and for the first time in weeks, she felt happy. Genuinely happy. Not forced or something close to but not quite. He was there, and he was squeezing her shoulder to prove to her this was not just a dream, and the knuckles that brushed the side of her face were so warm, and it felt so incredibly nice. For a moment longer, she stared up at him in quiet awe, taking in the sight. He was a bit dirty, a bit scraped up, but that hardly mattered to her. If anything, it only added a rugged sense to his already very appealing self. He was asking her a question, speaking to her, but the words didn't quite filter through as she gazed up at him, her expression inscrutable for the moment. And then suddenly she was scrambling to her feet and throwing herself at him, not wanting to wait a moment longer when her heart felt either like her heart might burst from her chest or she might just burst into tears instead. Thin arms were flung around him, and her face pressed against his torso as she held him tight. "I missed you so much." Came her muffled voice, as she clung to him and thought that she actually might not ever let him go because she needed this. She had needed him. And now he was here and she was unreasonably frightened that if she let go, he'd be gone again in an instant. kuuropii she really really missed him ok
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Mar 07, 2015 9:48 pm
The mobile phone in question was currently stowed away in Arorangi's pocket, more like just a piece of useless metal than anything else, since the battery was currently dead and it hadn't helped at all during the mission (walkie-talkies and headsets had been the communication devices of choice). He wished he could have been able to talk during it; it had been a long three weeks of not hearing from his friends, in spite of Arorangi finding the majority of his team to be pleasant and comfortable.
But Lydia was smiling, and it was beautiful, an he forgot about the phone. He stood there in front of his room, with his duffel bag over one shoulder and looking (and probably smelling) like mountains and camping and fresh air (if he was lucky), and Arorangi had opened his mouth to say something, to probably ask her if she was all right, since she was just sitting there staring at him -
- but then she had thrown her arms around him, and Arorangi stumbled a little, more out of surprise than actual force (she was very small and thin, after all), his hand automatically reaching to grip her shoulder to keep her from bouncing away.
"Aroha! Aroha, are you all right?" he asked in alarm, trying to see her face; but Lydia's muffled voice was able to be heard a second later, and the gears in his mind clicked into place. Slowly, the tension eased from Arorangi's shoulders; there was a soft thump as the duffel bag slid from his shoulder and fell to the floor, and then Arorangi had wrapped both of his arms around Lydia, heaving her up against him in a hug that was meant to be gentle and firm all at once, Arorangi practically lifting her off her feet.
"I missed you too, Lydia," he said softly, and kissed the top of her head affectionately, a smile clearly evident in his voice. "I missed you very, very much."
He rubbed her back, face in her hair, and exhaled a breath.
"Is everything all right, aroha?" Arorangi asked gently.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Mar 07, 2015 10:12 pm
The stumble was surprising, and she nearly laughed because of it, holding on to him for dear life, fingers gripping whatever part of the clothing at his back that they could. He was asking her if she was okay, and the answer, of course was. "Yes, yes, I'm fine, now! Just....really happy to see you." Except that instead of answering him or even looking at him, she was too busy just breathing him in, her eyes closed tight to stave off the tears that threatened to flow as her somewhat hyper emotional self didn't quite no how to react to these feelings inside of her. She felt both of his arms around her and smiled, a split second before she was lifted. She expected to feel herself nearly crushed in his embrace, as she had so many times before, but this was somehow...different. More gentle then usual, though she could still feel the flex of his muscles, both in his chest and in the arms that encircled her, and she let out a small laugh, a slightly nervous sound though she could not fathom why she would be nervous at all. There was more movement, then, a surprising feeling against the top of her head that she hadn't been expecting, though there was nothing unpleasant about it, and for a moment, she stilled, her breath halting in her chest. His hand rubbing against her back, the exhale that sent a shiver down her spine, his question, repeated from earlier but this time much less panicked, it was all enough to make her swallow back a strange feeling in her throat, before she tilted her head back, peeking up wards at a face that was suddenly so very close to hers. She gave a very small shake of her head. "It wasn't," she said, quietly, "But now...yes. You're here and...yes, everything feels much, much better." She sighed, a dreamy sound. "And you smell really, really good right now."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Mar 07, 2015 10:21 pm
When she didn't answer, he grew slightly concerned that he was holding her too tightly, or maybe he was causing her some sort of pain; but then her arms tightened around him, and Arorangi's smile flickered back into existence, his own hand still gently smoothing up and down her back. His other arm was resting around her shoulders, easily engulfing her into his embrace.
He set her down carefully, and thought he heard laughter, but it was muffled. Arorangi moved his hand from Lydia's back to smooth idly over her hair. A part of him wanted to reassure himself that she was all right, even if she wasn't speaking much (which for Lydia, was relatively odd); but another part of him seemed like he couldn't not touch her. He wanted to stay close, make certain she was still the same Lydia Stiles.
A look of alarm passed over his face as she pulled back, her face very near to his. "What happened?" he asked, sounding worried. The hand in her hair moved again, this time to touch her cheek, thumb brushing briefly over her face, beneath her eye. "And yes, I am here now, I am here aroha, I am here for you."
He couldn't help but laugh a little. "I am not sure I smell that good, I was just on a mountain for three weeks showering in the rain," said Arorangi, but his stomach was twisting and there was a faint flush to his cheeks. He bent his head and pressed his lips to Lydia's forehead, lingering for a moment.
"I am here now with you, aroha. Do not worry."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Mar 08, 2015 9:13 pm
"Oh it's....well it's a bit complicated." She smiled, her cheeks beginning to flush lightly as his thumb brushed against her face. "But I'll tell you, of course! Maybe we could go inside though." She said, hoping that the invitation was still on the table, suddenly feeling a bit more shy as if only just realizing she had thrown herself at him, even if he did not appear to have minded at all. She wanted to protest what he'd said about how he smelled. His scent was very real, all him, not hidden away by deodorizers or thick, cloyingly horrible colognes that tickled at her nose. She appreciated this much more, this oh so natural smell that one could only obtain by spending a copious amount in the wild and close to nature itself. But she could hardly protest at all when warm lips were suddenly pressing against her forehead, making her stomach flip flop in her belly, her cheeks brightening further. "I am very, very glad you're home." She smiled, burying her face against him again as she gave him one more hug, before pulling away. "But yes, inside! And I have something to give you, as well!" Her tote bag was on the floor, sitting directly in front of his door, and she pulled away to turn and pick it up, before moving to the side to let him by.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Mar 09, 2015 8:28 pm
"Complicated?" Arorangi repeated, his hand still on the side of Lydia's face. "I hope it is not bad-complicated and that it is just complicated-complicated." His expression was still a little worried as he looked down at her; but her question made him remmeber that they were still outside, in the hallway.
"Yes, yes, we can go inside, please do come inside with me!" Arorangi said hastily, and then he smiled as she hugged him again; he dropped his hand from her face and squeezed her tightly back, enjoying too much the feel of her in his arms, the comfortable warmth that he had started to see as something reassuring and familiar and that only emanated from Lydia herself.
"For me?" Both of Arorangi's dark eyebrows rose in surprise as he reached out to unlock his room, keys jangling noisily. He thrust it in, pushed open the door, and lumbered inside, dreadlocks swinging as he switched on the light.
The room was a little dusty from not being touched for three weeks; but it was still very much his. There were colorful sheets on the bed, and a New Zealand All Blacks poster adorned one wall above the desk, which was currently crowded with papers and pens and other miscellaneous things. Arorangi pushed them aside and tossed his duffel bag onto the floor.
"Okay, aroha I must know all of what has happened since I was away!" Arorangi said, flopping onto the edge of the bed and patting the spot beside him. "Please come and tell me how you have been!"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Mar 09, 2015 10:36 pm
"Hrm, well....." She started, but then gave her head a small shake. "I guess that is all a matter of opinion." It was all she could really say on the matter without going into more detail, and she really felt that going inside to chat was probably a better option then standing out in the hallway hugging and discussing her problems. Apparently Lydia was learning a few social subtleties, likely from spending so much time watching how other people interacted in her quest to learn as much as she could about everyone. Normally, she would have cared very little about such things. Now, it seemed, she was becoming influenced just by all of the goings on around her. But first, one last hug, because it still felt rather nice to do so, and she liked the way being near him made her feel. Cared for, important, never judged, and perhaps a little of something else she still couldn't quite grasp. "Yes." She smiled, or more like grinned, as she pulled away and waited for the door to be opened. "A gift....kind of. Well, it still is I suppose, only belated?" She blinked a couple of times, passing over the threshold and into his room, a place she had never actually been inside before. She had a quick, curious glance around before noticing that Aro was gesturing for her to go and sit next to him, so, stepping out of her boots which she left next to the door, she traipsed on over and flopped down next to him, still smiling even though a bit of what she had to tell him wasn't all that happy. "Well, I can't really speak for any events that occurred on the island, as I was away for a good portion of time as well." She started, setting her tote bag down beside her and scooting so that one of her legs could be pulled up onto the bed, sitting sideways to face Arorangi, her foot tucked underneath her, her other leg dangling over the edge, foot swinging back and forth. "But before that well....my roommate went missing for a time, and was believed to be dead which....well, it wasn't exactly news I reacted to very well." She admitted, looking slightly sheepish.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Mar 10, 2015 1:50 pm
Inside his room, it was much easier to relax; though Arorangi found it easy to be around Lydia in general. She made him feel comfortable, made him feel entirely at ease, even with the strange fluttering that he sometimes got in his stomach when he spent time with her. He liked how the conversation never halted, the connection between them never wavering, whatever it was, and it was very pleasing to know that no matter what, he had Lydia here in his life.
He was a very fortunate man to have made such good friends at Deus, Arorangi decided in a very matter-of-fact manner.
On the bed, he twisted to look at her as she was doing to him, curiosity clearly evident on his face (he was not exactly the best at hiding his emotions; they were usually written on his sleeve, which he didn't really mind at all). "You were?" he asked, surprised. "I did not realize that you also were gone -
" - oh." Arorangi looked horrified. He reached out a hand and touched her shoulder, giving it a little squeeze. "Is he all right? I am so sorry, aroha, that does not sound like fun news at all, I am so terribly sorry that you had to go through such a thing!"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2015 8:47 pm
"Yes." She nodded. "In Australia. I got to see some incredibly captivating sights! Oh, but more about that later." She laughed, giving her head a small shake. Aro's reaction to her seemingly more important news was much like she expected, and she flinched a little, wrinkling up her nose and making a small face. "He's actually quite fine. He came back while I was gone, so I didn't know that he was still alive until I came back myself. There was no cell service where we were, or at least, any time I checked my phone." Which she had to admit, wasn't very often. She didn't live with her head bent over a small screen like so many others seemed to. "But it was....well, it was hard. I don't want people to die, especially not ones that I've gotten so close to." Her eyes began to shine a little as she said it, her arms crossing just above her stomach as she curled in on herself a little, hunching forward. "I don't know what I'll do if something like that ever does happen to him, or you, or Oliver...or anybody else I've become friends with. It just..." She sniffed a little, and wiped her nose on the back of her hand, fingers swiping beneath her eyes before tears could fall. "It reminds me too much of before." Before what, she didn't say.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2015 6:52 am
Arorangi looked mildly surprised that she had been in Australia, of all places; close to his homeland of New Zealand, though he had been far off elsewhere. But that was neither here nor there at the present moment, because Lydia had had some rough things happen to her while he was gone, and now he was concerned for her, aghast that she had been alone in her pain.
"Oh, aroha," he said, and reached out, sliding a hand onto her shoulder and giving it a reassuring squeeze. It remained there the more that Lydia spoke, eventually moving down her back to rub in gentle circles, and then to her face to softly move her hair away from her face, thumb brushing over her temple.
"I am not going anywhere," Arorangi told her firmly. "And neither is Oliver, and neither are you, if I have any say in the matter. Hey, Lydia, here - "
He shifted on the bed, swinging his legs up and scooting so that he was leaning with his back against the wall; and he reached for Lydia, tugging at her hand with a gentle persuasion and holding his arms open to indicate he intended for her to sit in his lap so that he could hug her properly (again). Thinking of losing her, or Oliver made his chest ache; Arorangi swallowed back a desire to cling to them both, keep them safe in his world, but he knew it wasn't possible to always be around.
Still. it didn't mean he wasn't going to try.
"Aroha, come here," he said. "This is not like before, I promise."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2015 9:12 pm
Every bit of contact, every word, soft or firm, made her feel just that little bit better. The hand at her shoulder, then her back, then her face was wonderful, in a comfortable and reassuring sort of way, though it was definitely more then that as well. He made her feel comfortable while making her also feel flustered and awkward and out of her depth all at once! And when he said he wasn't going anywhere, he or Oliver or even herself, she couldn't help but believe him, even if she knew he couldn't possibly make promises like that, because she really, fervently wanted it to be true. She didn't want to lose anybody that she cared about. When he moved away and tugged on her hand to follow, she swallowed hard and stared for a moment at his open arms, before a small smile graced her lips, an almost shy look as she ducked her head down a little. Are you sure? She wanted to ask, but her words, for some reason, couldn't quite make it out of her throat. So, instead of finishing that question, she took the (obvious) invitation for exactly what it was, pushing thoughts of inappropriateness (this wasn't something that somebody her age should be doing!) aside and climbing into his lap, slowly, slightly unsure, settling against him sideways and leaning a head against his shoulder while one arm snaked around his back. "It does not seem like before, I will admit but." She let out a long, huffing sigh, and closed her eyes. "It feels like it may, inevitably, be quite the same at some point. As if this is just a long, drawn out version that will, eventually, end in the same grotesque manner." Her arm tightened, fingers digging into fabric slightly. "I saw too many people die. I barely knew them, and still, it hurt, so much. Thinking that Chris was dead was just...." Awful. It had been awful beyond comprehension and she could not describe it no matter how hard she tried.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2015 9:52 pm
He realized, belatedly, that maybe he was making her uncomfortable with the amount of physical contact that he was offering her; but since Lydia had initiated the majority of the hugs, and her current emotions were somewhere unpleasant, he decided that everyone needed some good, old fashioned comfort every now and then, and this was one of those times.
Arorangi gave a nod to her questioning look, a smile on his own face to meet Lydia's; and then she had crawled over to him, sitting sideways in his lap, and Arorangi wrapped his arms around her, cradling her against his broad chest, feeling one of her arms around his back. Her nearness made his heart clatter in his chest (he wondered vaguely if she could feel it beat just a little faster), but he pressed his face into Lydia's hair and closed his eyes as well, his hand moving gently up and down her arm.
"Aroha, I cannot even imagine," he said, hating how in pain she sounded. His grip on her tightened, and Arorangi pressed his lips to her hair, holding her close. "You have been through something terrible, and frightening, and I am very sorry. But you are here now, and you are with me, and you are safe, and Chris is safe, and so is Oliver and we are all here for you, aroha."
Promises on Deus were hard to keep; Arorangi knew that very well already, but he couldn't not try and comfort her in the way he knew possible. So he sat there and whispered reassuring words and hoped that his actions would also speak for him.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
