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 Posted: Thu Jan 31, 2013 3:28 pm
On the edge of the horseman sanctuary, in a small, cream canvas tent set slightly away from the rest of the tents, and secluded by a small, wooden and wire fence, there lay a figure in a bed, eyes closed, head turned slightly to the side, one hand resting on his stomach. His chest rose and fell gently with each breath, which were long and even, his eyes closed, as they had been for quite some time now.
Mengyao Miao had been asleep for longer than was physically normal now.
After the last battle he had collapsed entirely, and had been brought back to his living quarters to rest - though no one had managed to wake him up, no matter what the method used. It was as though he had lapsed into a protective cocoon of sorts, one that surrounded him, prevented him from being dragged out of his own mind.
And within his own mind was...what?
Day was slowly turning into evening on this particular occasion. The sky overhead was overcast, as usual, though it was hard to see from inside the confines of the tent. Mengyao lay silently on his bed, beside which sat a familiar person, engrossed in her own doings.
The figure on the bed stirred, just a little. And then, after a moment, he stirred again, turning his head from side to side as though in slow motion, his long dark hair spilling over his pillows. There was a small bit of silence and then -
- he opened his eyes.
The first thing he thought was that his head ached rather painfully, and that his throat was entirely too dry, feeling scratchy and unpleasant. He pressed his lips together in an effort to swallow, but it hurt, and he winced a little. Turning his head to the side again, he caught sight of her, sitting there beside him, and his brows came together in bemusement.
"...Lifen?"
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Posted: Thu Jan 31, 2013 5:37 pm
Engrosed in her own doings was what was keeping the little Artisan from going crazy. Which consisted of ripping a small piece of paper she had found to soothe her nerves in to tinier and tinier little shreds, creating a little mountain of white papers collecting in her lap, eyebrows pinned a little high whenever he had moved, even if it was for a short moment.
She had arrived back in to her own mind after the long battle, having felt a little weary and tired from the . . . strange trance that she and the others were put under to save the minds of the seven kings. Eight Kings? She didn't even know anymore. She hadn't gotten much sleep since then, more worried about his health than her need to rest. Once she could see that he was fine, she would rest.
For now, she waited.
Hearing her name suddenly spoken softly beside her, she perked up again, from looking at her little tower au papier, eyes wide as she looked at the horseman, awake and obviously a little confused about what happened. Leaning forward a bit, she tried to banish the fretting on her face, sighing a breath of relief.
"Mengyao, you are awake, good." She stated quietly, placing a hand on his shoulder that was exposed lightly over the blanket. "Thank goodness . . " she trailed off for a moment.
"How do you feel?" It was probably not like her to worry so much, but she felt almost entitled to it.
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Posted: Thu Jan 31, 2013 6:53 pm
His head was swimming. He felt like he hadn't eaten in days, perhaps longer, and after a moment of trying to discern where he was, what was going on, and how he had gotten here in the first place, he realized that he was, in fact, in his own home (or rather, what was currently serving as his home, for lack of a better word), lying on his own bed. Lifen beside him made things more bearable, but his memories were hazy.
"...I feel..." Mengyao mumbled, and lifted his hand, rubbing at his forehead with his fingers. "...I'm not sure. Tired. Very tired."
He turned his head (that hurt a little), and glanced over at her, his eyes flicking to her pale face.
"What happened? How long have I been asleep? I'm very tired."
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Posted: Thu Jan 31, 2013 7:40 pm
Trying to push the shredded kingdom aside from her lap, she took the initiative to stand up, going to get him a small glass of water, willingly holding it in front of him, hoping he would take the water at least, giving him a soft look.
"Do not strain yourself. . ." she said very calmly, going lightly pat his head before checking his forehead for any sign of a lasting fever, sighing out of her nose. "It's been . . . I'm not sure. A short bit." She answered as well as she could, having been asleep almost as long as he had been. Sitting down, she gave a puzzled look, uncertain how to go through with it, knowing that she would be the one remembering, not him.
"When we were battling with the other horsemen and students, you blacked out," she started, feeling it was a good place. "In fact a few passed out, a couple students, yourself. It appears the aftereffects of that one moment you got that bracelet. It was . . . convoluted. We had to work towards bringing you all back from the sleep, where you had fallen in to." She decided was easiest to say.
Deciding he was not feverish, she sat back, sighing a bit. "I have been here for most of the day, I was worried you would be sleeping longer." She admitted, blushing a little by her boldness.
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Posted: Sat Feb 02, 2013 1:12 pm
He pushed himself slowly up to a sitting position, wincing only a little, as Lifen rose to fetch a glass of water. When she returned, he was rubbing his forehead absently with his fingers, pressing them into his temples, a somewhat bemused expression on his face. Lifen's fingers felt cool against his forehead, and he gave her a wary look, tilting his head back.
"I...blacked out?" said Mengyao, reaching out to take the glass. He lifted it to his lips, taking a long, grateful swallow before speaking again. "What bracelet? I remember the battle, but..."
He held the glass between his fingers, absently rubbing against it. His eyes flickered back towards Lifen, catching the faint pink that dusted across her cheeks. She seemed...a little different somehow, but perhaps that was just his sleep hazed mind exaggerating things.
Mengyao took another sip of the water.
"Lifen, are you all right? You seem a bit peaked."
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Posted: Sun Feb 03, 2013 1:17 pm
Perking up a little by his simple question, she turned mis-matched eyes up back at him when he had finished asking it, feeling a little sheepish that she was coming off as peaked, sighing lightly.
"I am still a little tired, I am sorry. It has been a long bit." She offered, not looking to lie to him, rubbing a cheek lightly, "I was talking about the thorny bracelet you had around your wrist, I recall you musing with it on the sledding ride." She answered his question, lightly lifting her own wrist and placing her hands in the general vicinity of where it had been. Yawning lightly, she gave him a soft look, figuring his questions should be answered, he deserved it at least. Sure she would hold back some information, she figured. It was best to go slow.
"You had been fighting along side us and suddenly just collapsed. You fell in to a strange trance, not like Medea's." She explained after a moment, before looking at him. "I am very tired, Mengyao, would you mind if I just rested my head, as I explain? I have not slept in a few days, as far as I have been told. I will answer any question you ask, though."
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Posted: Tue Feb 05, 2013 7:20 pm
Ignoring the comment about the bracelet, which Mengyao brushed off as a faded memory, something that was perhaps a mistake, he leaned over and gently touched his fingers to Lifen's chin, turning her face so that he was looking at her and she at him.
"You should get some rest," he said, and offered her a small, hopefully reassuring smile. Something nagged at him, tugged at his consciousness, the corners of his memory, but he pushed that away as well, not wanting to worry her. His fingers brushed her cheek fondly, and he stood, offering her his place on the bed.
"Rest," he told her. "I will sit here and wait until you have properly refreshed yourself."
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Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2013 8:39 pm
She really did want to argue when he insisted on her taking the bed to rest, lightly standing when he did to try and make him lay down again, but at his little reassuring smile, she felt herself give up a little, allowing a small pout to show on her face, as if given up a little. It was unfair that the words of the mirror Mengyao still polluted her mind, fogging her from everything at this moment.
Sighing softly, she allowed herself to sit on the bed edge, before a sleepiness came over her, and taking the initiative, head resting lightly in the pillow he had been resting on. After a moment, she looked up at him, nodding.
"It was arduous, and felt a little longer than it had been. There was a moment where all I could do was climb stairs, unaware of what would happen next." She admitted after a moment, resting her hands on her stomach lightly, eyes closed. "I would not wish to be in that place again, I would not want to lose people like that, especially if you were in the fray." She said lightly, a frown on her face.
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Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2013 8:31 pm
He waited until she was entirely settled on the bed before he sat down again, this time on the edge of the bed beside her, absently toying with the cuff of one of his draping sleeves. Lifen was looking at him, and Mengyao gave her a gentle smile, tilting his head a little.
But the smile slowly slipped from his face as she spoke, her eyes closing ."...stairs?" he repeated, bemused, and again that same gnawing feeling, the same odd sensation of something nagging at him made him feel on edge, made him feel as though he were not entirely there. A strange fear tugged at his consciousness that he could not entirely decipher.
Mengyao swallowed hard, and then leaned slowly over her, his long hair falling over his shoulders as he cupped his hand against Lifen's cheek.
"I am not going anywhere," he told her quietly, and then, as though not entirely intending to, he inclined his head and kissed her softly once, then pulled away to kiss her forehead as well.
"I am right here beside you, like I always am. Now please, Lifen, rest."
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Posted: Sat Mar 02, 2013 6:53 pm
Giving a soft little sigh, she listened a little to every thing that he did, not ready yet to fall asleep fully. It was interesting what the Nobleman did when he was not in the limelight - the real Mengyao, the one she befriended.
Feeling his hand on her cheek, mis-matched eyes opened once again, regarding him lightly as he offered his company while she slept, a soft smile showing on her face before he bent down to kiss her. Breathing slowly out of her nose when he did that, she couldn't help the blush that showed on her face, a feeling she still wasn't used to. It made her all youthful and shy, but he was worried for her health.
She couldn't deny the peace of mind he would receive if she took a little nap. Nodding a little after he kissed her forehead, she closed her eyes for a final time, taking a deep breath before trying to relax.
"Do not hesitate to depart if you must, Mengyao, and please, wake me up after a short bit, I do not want to impose on you too much." She murmured softly, before saying a very soft "Thank you," and allowing herself to slip in to a short sleep.
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