The Power of Friendship [Ava, Cloud]

[Aerith]

Solitude?

Everyone needed a break once in a while, and Aerith was no different. A full day of supervising the town's children and finding time to tend to her flower garden had tired her out. But rather than return home to sit around, probably doing some light reading, she had told the others she was going for a walk in the swiftly cooling air. Naturally, Leon and Yuffie were concerned that she was going to go running off to the castle again, but she assured them she was not. Her plans tonight did not include running into any of the castle's current residents.

She considered stopping at the Bailey, her usual spot for thinking, but the urge to break out of her patterns tugged her farther away from the town. Slowly, she wound her way in the direction of the castle, taking the time to examine the state of things. The Restoration Committee was primarily interested in rebuilding the town proper, but the area surrounding it concerned her, too. So much devastation wrought upon the earth, all because the light and the darkness had made this a battleground on more than one occasion. Battles were terrible things. She wished there didn't have to be anymore fighting.

Carefully picking her way among the stones, she soon came upon the Crystal Fissure and decided this was where she would linger for a while. The fading daylight, soon to be replaced by the more pallid glow of the moon and stars, played over the stone walls of this area, crafting mesmerizing canvases of color. The beauty and solitude of this place instantly appealed to her, and she took a seat on a boulder, hands resting on her knees.

Now to clear her head.

[Administrator]

I was here first...

It was beautiful. That was all that needed to be said about it. The Crystal Fissure was, without a doubt, the most beautiful part of Radiant Garden, especially when the sun was rising or setting. Ava loved to be there at either time of day, because he could see the light trapped in the crystals and reflected all over the place and watch the sun slowly make its way to where it needed to be. Usually, he was by himself.

Today was a bit different. He had hid when he heard someone approaching, but now he was more curious about who it was. Ava did like fighting, but this one didn't look like a fighter, and fighting people who didn't fight was pointless. Just because he was chaotic and insane didn't mean he wanted to kill everything and everyone. He used to think he did, but that was some time ago. He grew past that part of himself, and past her. After all, she had been the one who wanted that of him, and she left him.

Following her ideals didn't seem to be the best idea now. After all, if they didn't make her stay, why keep them? Looking out at the person sitting on the boulder, Ava noticed that she seemed to have this feeling about her, this sense of...nice. Approaching her slowly, Ava held a smile on his face. The hole in his chest was covered today--sometimes when the wind blew through it, it felt funny; it kind of tickled--with clothing, and so it would not scare her.

"Hello," he said, arriving a few feet from her boulder and stopping. "My name is Avarice Entropy, and I am not a Heartless." It felt weird saying it, but he knew it to be true. "You can call me Ava, because that's what my friends do." She just seemed like the kind of person to be a friend. Although, he wasn't sure if she would believe him when he said he wasn't a Heartless. Sitting down near where she sat, Ava looked over at her with a head coked to one side.

What was it that made her just seem...nice? It took him a moment, but then he realized what it was. She has a strong heart, and it is filled with a lot of Light. It was odd, because he knew it wasn't bad to him. It was just...different. He wasn't really filled with almost any darkness at all. Just a lot of Chaos. Ava then realized he sort of didn't complete his thought. "What's your name?" he asked from where he was sitting, head no longer cocked to a side. It was only polite, after all.

[Aerith]

I Have a Knack for Running into People I Probably Shouldn't

Having not expected anyone to be here, Aerith almost jumped a little when she heard someone else speak. She turned to look at the person attached to the unfamiliar voice. He was oddly dark-skinned and had yellow eyes, so her first thought was Heartless, but he quickly dispelled that thought by stating very boldly that he was not, in fact, a Heartless. It was strange the way he had said it, and it was almost amusing, like he wanted to make sure she knew that so she wouldn't start a fight.

She tilted her head and returned his smile. "Hello, Ava." If he wasn't a Heartless, then what was he? Clearly, he was not human. Her next thought was Nobody, but he lacked that cloak all the Organization members wore. Plus, he seemed far too emotional to be a Nobody. Were Nobodies interested in friends? She remembered the conversation she had had with Sora inside Merlin's book. Axel, at least, was concerned about having a friend. But she had an idea that he was the exception rather than the rule.

"My name is Aerith." She examined him with soft eyes, trying to figure out if she had seen him before. But she couldn't place him. Then again, Radiant Garden wasn't an isolated world, easily accessible by Gummi Ship or those Corridors of Darkness. He could have come from anywhere. Rather than ask that question, she shifted her gaze back to the crystalline walls. "You like it here, too?"

[Administrator]

Why shouldn't you run into me? I'm nice...

Ava nodded. It was nice to be here, with the light the way it was...it was so pretty. He loved to sit here and watch it. And then, when the darkness came, the stillness was nice, too. Sometimes, the moonlight shone in the crystals, and all of the shadows and light entwining was pretty, too.

Her name was Aerith. That was a pretty name, too. Maybe she wanted to see the sunset, too. It was always nice here. But, he was off thinking about things that didn't matter anyways. Knowing why she was here wouldn't help at this point. Well, it would help to know so that he knew, but knowing wouldn't...Ava lost himself in his thoughts. He re-focused his mind on the task at hand, communicating with Aerith.

Of course, the woman seemed confused by him, just as he was confused by her. She was confused by what he was, and, based on how she glanced around out of the corner of her eyes, where he came from. He was confused about her, why she was so nice, and why the light in her felt so warm instead of harsh like it did in the others he had met. Ava supposed it didn't matter as much, but he'd still have liked to know.

"Yeah, I usually come here at dawn and dusk." Ava grinned. "It's pretty to watch the sun shining through the crystals, and see all of the light reflecting all over." Ava had pulled his knees in to his chest, and was rocking lightly, somewhat akin to a small child. She wasn't warm like this...she was more cold, and harsh. And dark. Very dark. Sometimes her darkness had been almost scary, but that was more in reminiscence, less so at the time. Everything is different when you look back on it, after all...but the things that are truly good and important in your life will only seem to get better as time goes by.

Only the bad will turn to ashes in your mind.

[Aerith]

Invitation

It was strange seeing someone with Ava's appearance curl up like that. He looked so child-like and innocent. His fascination with the simple, natural beauty of this little fissure was endearing, and she couldn't help but smile at him. "Yes, it is very pretty here. Though, I don't come here as often as you do. I don't usually go much farther than the Bailey. My friends worry about me being alone after dark. It can be dangerous, especially for me, since I don't carry around a big sword. Or any weapon, really."

The way he said he came here every dawn and dusk suggested that he had not just gotten here or was just visiting. But she still couldn't remember seeing him around the town before. She would have remembered that sighting. She wondered if he lived outside the town, near this fissure perhaps. Concern crossed her face for a moment, and she turned more fully toward him. "Do you have a place to stay?"

She knew the others would object strongly to what she was about to say next, considering that she knew next to nothing about Ava, but this was the direction in which her heart was leading her. She wasn't about to deny it. "If you need somewhere to stay for a while, you can come back with me to my house." She smiled again.

[Administrator]

Maybe this time I'll be home.

As Ava thought, she wasn't a fighter. She didn't even carry around a weapon, so if she was attacked, she was pretty much helpless. Of course, not while Ava was with her, because he could summon his swords to him at any time. They felt different than they used to, but he was different too, so it didn't matter so much. Looking around a moment before fixating his eyes on the sun, Ava watched the glowing orb of light slowly fall overhead.

Turning his head as he heard Aerith ask him a question, Ava cocked his head to the side. Well, he did have a place to stay, but the castle was getting old and boring, and the Chaosling would have been glad for a change of location. Plus, this way, he could meet new people. And if he was with Aerith, they might not try to kill him! That would be nice, because fighting all the time was boring and predictable, so he wanted a change of pace.

And so, Ava nodded. "I used to have somewhere to stay, but Auntie doesn't like me and my best friend's never home..." The Chaosling sighed, and he stretched out. Standing up, he stretched out a second time before walking over to Aerith. The sun was almost all of the way down, and he didn't think she had that great of night vision. "Should we go now? It's getting dark out, and I don't know if you can see all that well in the dark." He offered his hand to her, in a friendly gesture. He didn't want her to get lost...and he could see better than she could, so it only made sense.

Ava didn't realize holding hands had other undertones, besides being a way to easily keep track of someone in the dark. Or to keep someone nearby. He only thought of the obvious uses of it, his mind not being mature enough to think about anything else. Of course, he had a small smile on his face, not as large as his normal lackluster grin, but, rather, a happy smile. One of contentment, one that showed he was rather pleased with his current situation. There was something nice about Aerith, and he liked nice people. He also liked the not nice people sometimes, because they were fun.

Right now, Ava wasn't in the mood for fun, though. He kind of just wanted to go to sleep. And maybe eat some ice cream.

[Aerith]

A Meeting of Opposites
[Where We End Up by Motoi Sakuraba from Eternal Sonata]

How saddening. It seemed that Ava was unwanted at home, and someone who might be able to help him feel better, his best friend, was never around. Now, Aerith knew she was doing the right thing. She couldn't leave someone like this without anyone to turn to. And meeting new people might do him some good. Well. If the others didn't decide to attack him on sight, that is. She would just have to make sure they understood that Ava was her guest.

When he offered her his hand, she looked up at him in surprise. Unless this was all an elaborate ruse to gain her trust only to turn on her later, Ava was a gentleman, the exact opposite of how she expected Heartless or any other creature associated with the dark to behave. It was a welcome surprise, though. If only the rest of the Committee could have been here to see this. No. It was probably better that they were not. They weren't ready for something like this, she knew.

Maybe the dark isn't as terrible as we think it is.

There were exceptions to this line of thinking. In the case of Ava, there was no tension. No one was trying to kill anyone. The two of them were, strangely enough, enjoying the mutual company. But there was no question in her mind that the darkness that was Sephiroth was indeed as terrible as they thought it was. She couldn't see Cloud easily coming to grips with his inner darkness the way she and Ava had easily slipped into casual conversation.

She took his hand, stood, and nodded. "Yes, we should be going. The sooner we get back, the sooner I can fix you a place to sleep and get you some food." Smiling, she tugged him gently up the path leading back toward town.

[Administrator]

In between...maybe that's better than one or the other.

Ava could tell what she was thinking about. She had been wearing her thoughts on her face, so to speak. As he started to be guided--he helped her pick her way around things by pointing them out when necessary, of course--in the right direction, the Chaosling decided to talk about it. "I know what you were thinking before. You were wondering about the darkness, and how I could be different than the others on the side of the Dark."

Ava smiled brightly, his voice filled with child-like wonder, as he said, "It's simple, really!" His voice when sing-song-y as he began to explain what he thought, because to him it made sense. "You're on the side of the Light. I'm on the side of the Dark." That was just a statement of facts, because without the basis, they didn't have anything to go on. "Light can be good, because without it, we can't see. But if it gets too bright..." Ava's voice trailed off as he winced. "It burns. The same thing happens with the darkness. If there's too much of it, you can't see. And you start to get afraid, because you're so lost."

Ava's voice sounded forlorn, as if recalling a memory that was sad, because, truly, he was. She had been filled with Darkness, so much that it almost eclipsed the sun. But...he knew now that she hadn't been good, not even for him. She had too much Darkness in her, and it was threatening to suck everything around it up. Sighing quietly, the Chaosling continued. "But a little bit of Darkness is good. Shadows on a hot day, or even the shade that a roof gives you.

"Darkness can be cooling, keep you safe, protected, it comforts you quietly. Light can be warming, keeps you happy, bright, cheery, and goes out of its way to greet you, and make you feel better." Ava thought he summed it all up pretty well. "Of course, there's also Chaos and Law, but we usually don't worry as much about those." He brushed by them like they were nothing, even though one was his fundamental component and the other was his reason for being able to exist.

But food? He didn't usually eat much...he wasn't sure where it went when he did. He made a habit of not eating much, because it just kind of went in and he had no idea where it went after that. So, no eating, or rather, not much eating. But sleep was something Ava still required, so he nodded to her, even if she couldn't see it, saying, "I don't usually eat much, but I'll sleep."

It was then that he said quietly, "Thank you. No one's ever been this kind to me before without wondering what I can do for them or expecting me to do something for them..." Truly, she did not know how grateful he was. It was more than a little part of the reason he didn't want to fight her. Ava might not even attack her friends if they attacked him, because he didn't want to mess up the one relationship he had that wasn't based on prowess or him doing something for someone else.

[Aerith]

Freely Given

She must be very easy to read, though she shouldn't have been surprised by the revelation. Ava was right, of course. That had been exactly what she had been thinking about. He continued to surprise her at every turn. The intelligence with which he spoke was amazing. But it was offset a little by the childish sing-song that invaded his tone every so often. "Very true," she agreed. "Too much light makes it just as hard to see as too much darkness does."

Pausing to walk around a particularly large rock, she cast a glance around the quickly darkening scene. Not knowing exactly what was out there normally would have produced at least a hint of anxiety within her. But Ava was here, and the presence of his hand in hers reassured her. Perhaps it was a little naive to trust him so easily, and if it ended up that he was just planning to turn on her, then she would have no one to blame but herself. But going to this much trouble just to kill her seemed a little unnecessary. She had admitted that she had no weapon, so it would not be difficult to overpower her, especially alone as she had been.

"I have never thought about it in that way, but you're right about darkness. If there was no darkness, there would be no way to escape the sun when it gets too hot. In that way, it's beneficial." She chose her next words carefully, not wanting to unintentionally offend him. "It's just... my friends and I have seen how ruthlessly destructive darkness can be. And we don't want to see those effects again. So, we try to push it away."

They were now in the Bailey, almost back to the Borough. By this time, hopefully, the others should be back at their homes. She would rather not face opposition before she had a chance to get Ava settled. "Then, we will skip the food for you and go straight to fixing you a bed. How does that sound?"

His declaration that everyone he knew just wanted something out of him surprised her, too. "What about your best friend? If he was only your friend to use you for something, then he wasn't much of a friend to begin with." She squeezed Ava's hand cheerfully. "You don't worry about a thing with me. I'm always willing to help someone who needs it even if they have nothing to give."

[Administrator]

A friend...a real one?

Nodding, Ava looked ahead of them to make sure there was nothing hiding in the shadows. Seeing nothing, the Chaosling was satisfied, both by that and that he had Aerith's agreement. Of course, she had seen the destructive nature of some on the side of Darkness firsthand, along with her friends. "Well, I've seen the destructive nature of the people who have too much light, too. They don't ask first; if you look like a Heartless, they try to kill you."

Ava could almost cry. He didn't know why he was so emotional about it, but he thought it might be because of Aerith. He felt something odd, like he had before...a strange connection that had only happened once before, with Axel. That burning universal positioning system in the back of his head was still there, and burning. He had learning to tune out the burning, but now there was another feeling there, weaker, one of...niceness and friendship and flowers and...rainbows. It was strange, but in a good way.

He saw Aerith look around and squeezed her hand lightly. "I'll protect you if anything tries to attack. Promise~" The tilde was a lighter tone than his usual, not the fun fighting tone but a softer, protective tone. One with a sharp edge that would not be fun to encounter. Well, for anyone other than Ava. She was his charge now, or something like that. He knew that the ones he could feel in his head were important, and that they were supposed to be important to him.

Axel could protect himself, though, whereas Aerith could not. So, Ava naturally wanted to protect her when she couldn't. Thinking to himself, he almost missed her reply to his conversational note about not eating and rather needing more sleep. Nodding in response, Ava also said, "Okay," because it was getting a lot darker out. He tried to stay closer to her and keep an eye out all over for anything that might attack them. It was Radiant Garden, and even though Heartless levels were on the decline, they could still attack at any time.

And his best friend? Ava laughed a little, shaking his head. "Kadaj and I were a lot a like. We liked fighting, and we fought each other. We fought very similarly and we were evenly matched." That was what he used to think friends were...just people that he preferred being around, because they were harder to kill than others. But his entire way of life was changing, ever so slowly. Smiling at her next comment, Ava said, "I can do all sorts of stuff...I move a lot faster than most people do, and if somebody does something extraordinary, sometimes I can copy it. So if you need someone to do a lot of," Ava thought a moment, "moving around, and fast, I can do it~"

A new bond! Aerith!

[Aerith]

It's a Relatively Little Universe, After All

Even in the dark, Aerith noticed the change in Ava's demeanor, the way he kept looking around and the way he moved closer to her. He was being protective. The thought made her smile. Heartless--creature of darkness--or not, she knew she had found a new friend, and she would do everything in her power to make sure the others saw what she did in Ava.

Just as she had seen the destructive power of the darkness, so too, he had seen the destructive power of the light. "I understand," she replied softly. "We get it into our heads that light can do no wrong and that darkness can never do anything right." She looked at him as they entered the Borough. "But if that were the case, I think you would have killed me by now."

The mention of Kadaj was completely unexpected. He was Ava's best friend? That could only mean that Ava had been staying at the castle. With Maleficent. She must have been the "auntie" he referred to earlier. Clearly, though, he didn't want to be there anymore, so she would make sure to reassure him that he had made the right choice. "I've met Kadaj," she said simply. "If he's never home, does that mean he also doesn't want to be there?" She was fishing at this point, wondering exactly how much of a hold the witch had on her pawns.

The door to her house came into view, but she paused for a moment, making sure none of the others were nearby. Part of her felt bad for sneaking around behind their backs, but it was necessary for the time being. She didn't want a fight to break out, after all. Satisfied that no one was around, she led Ava over, pulled a key out of her pocket, and unlocked the door.

"It isn't anything fancy, but it's cozy," she said with a smile as she entered and lit a few lamps for some light. "If you'll wait right here, I'll get some bedding from upstairs and fix up the couch for you." With that, she climbed the stairs.

[Administrator]

Make it go away, please? Please make it stop.

Sighing, Ava listened to what Aerith was saying. It was true. The Light and the Dark just tried to destroy each other, and they didn't even wonder if there was a difference from the sharp Light or the suffocating Dark, or realize that there could be a softer Light and a liberating Dark. No one really thought, that was the problem. But Ava was starting to see the truth, and Aerith was helping him. Of course, he was probably helping her look at things a different way too, but he didn't really think about it.

Ava smiled when she talked about the Light doing no wrong and the Dark doing nothing but it. "Well, I could have killed you a bunch of times, but I don't want to." It was the truth, pure and simple. What reason did he have to lie to her, his only true friend? Now I have a brother and sister, if only half, and a true friend. He was forming connections, not only the familial kind and friendly kind, but bonds that could not be broken. He could feel them there.

Then she talked about Kadaj. Aerith had met him before? Ava didn't know that. Her comment made sense, and he thought about it a little while they made it to the house and walked into it. She told him she'd get things to make the couch all comfy--which was nice, because Mally had only given him a corner in one of the rooms of her castle--for him to sleep on. He could sense her still, and knew she was okay. He could tell that she was feeling okay through the link that he had with her now.

He felt something else this time, though. He felt power through the two bonds, one that was fiery hot, and the other that was cool and calming, and felt like...anti-pain. Wondering what would happen if he did, Ava reached out to the anti-pain power in his mind as he sat on the couch, and felt the strange power fill him. Green light washed over him as he used that power he had tapped into, stitching skin over the hole in his chest on both sides. Wide-eyed, Ava sunk back into the couch.

The anti-pain...heals? I can heal me? And others? Reaching out to the power again, he felt a wall there. So...he couldn't use it all of the time. Just sometimes. When he needed it, he'd reach out to it again. And Ava knew whenever he needed ouchy burn-ness he could reach out to the other power. Curious to see the results of what the power he had used through his bond had done, Ava lifted up his shirt.

What greeted him was strange, to say the least. The skin that had grown in it was pure white, with only a light touch of color to it that let you know it was not snow. He could feel his inner ichor spreading to fill the gap that was now not a hole, and it felt funny. It kinda hurt, and then, all of a sudden, it hurt a lot. Dropping to the ground, Ava clutched his stomach, the hole feeling like it was burning and freezing and stabbing and rending and crushing and many other painful things, all at once.

Letting out a cry of pain, Ava rolled around, still holding his chest. His shirt had been torn to shreds, and now it was apparent that his chest was a much different color than it had been. I guess I do have a symbol, some distant part of his mind thought, a part of his mind not connected to him. Screaming and crying, Ava was unaware of most things around him. "It hurts, it hurts, IT HURTS!" he screamed, his breath coming in short, agonized gasps.

"Make it stop!" he wailed, clawing at his chest in vain. The white mark was an ellipse, nearly perfect in shape, and it was causing Ava a lot of pain. Or so he thought, he wasn't really sure what was causing the pain, except it was coming from that area. If he had been more coherent, he might have realized it was coming from all around that area, not from the area itself. Wherever his old skin and the new skin met, the pain was caused. But it felt like it was everywhere in his chest.

Wailing again, Ava started babbling incoherently. He had lost all higher function in his brain, the pain overriding all former ideas he had once held. All there was now was pain, and he was the pain, and the pain was him. It was a continuous cycle, and it was never going to end. Never ever ever...Ava lost himself to the pain, but he retained enough thinking power to reason between 'good' and 'bad', things that would help him and things that hurt him. And the hurt was everywhere now. It had spread throughout his body, and he was now shaking violently, uncontrollably. His entire nervous system was under attack by itself, and it was destroying his body from the inside out.

If something didn't happen, and fast...a little part of Ava, one no longer conscious, knew it was doomed. And it wailed silently in his mind, trying to get back into power, but the pain blocked it out. Tears flowing from his eyes, Ava's body gasped in air, each agonized breath a torture. The shaking slowed down as his entire system just stopped, all of his body locking into place except for his breathing apparatus. And his eyes. The wild look in his eyes, the look of absolute pain, would drive the hardiest man to tears. Crying freely, and breathing in great ragged breaths, Ava's body seemed to be waiting.

Waiting to die.

[Aerith]

Guessing at a Diagnosis

Aerith had only been upstairs for a few minutes. After gathering some blankets, she was reaching for a pillow or two when she heard Ava's shout from downstairs. She had no idea what was going on, just that something was hurting him. Her first thought was that one of the other RGRC members had stumbled upon him. No, that couldn't be right. She hadn't heard the door open again.

The cries were quickly escalating into screams, and she flew as best she could downstairs, carrying her bundle of bedding with her. Her load was dumped to the floor once her feet left the stairs, and she scanned the living room. No one else was here, only Ava. He was frozen in place, eyes wild and staring, clearly exhibiting pain. His shirt was torn to ribbons, revealing a large white patch of skin that contrasted heavily with the rest of his dark complexion.

"Ava?" She moved to his side and knelt down, touching his shoulder gently. "Ava, stay with me. I'll try to make it stop."

Standing to her feet once more, she quickly arranged the sheets, pillows, and blankets on the couch. Then, she helped Ava onto it, making him as comfortable as possible. "I'll be right back," she assured him, then hurried off toward her medicine cabinet. Pulling a few bottles of herbal ointment from the shelves, she returned to Ava's side and began massaging it softly into the strange white area of his chest. "This should help with any pain you're feeling. You aren't bleeding anywhere that I can see, so I don't think my healing magic is needed." She, of course, had no way of knowing what Ava had done to hurt himself like this. If the medicine failed to help him, she would have to try magic.

[Administrator]

Stress makes you sleepy

A whining sound came from the mouth of the Chaosling. His entire body, locked in place as it was, could not appreciate its current position on the soft couch in comparison to the soft ground. Ava would have thanked her if he was aware of his surroundings, but he had retreated into himself. All he knew was it hurt, and it was hurting him all over.

But then, she rubbed salve into his skin, and the pain lessened. Ava's mind peeked out from the little hole it had hid in, and found that the wall of pain wasn't there. The wild look in the eyes slowly receded, and Ava nearly jumped up, but then his body spasmed in pain, and he laid back down, very still. "It hurts," he said, turning his head to look Aerith in the eyes. His eyes were filled with the torment he had endured, and tears continued to flow from the orbs.

Sniffling a little, Ava tried to slow his breathing so it'd be less gaspy. Looking down at his chest, he saw the place where the hole used to be. The white ellipse stared back at him. It was the reason he hurt, but he couldn't do anything about that right now. Looking back over at Aerith, Ava moved slightly, seeming to shift. But then, he had wrapped his arms around her. Starting to sob at this point, Ava buried his face in her shoulder. A slightly muffled, "Thank you, thank you, thank you," could be heard coming from the Chaosling, the only sound besides sobs being emitted from his mouth.

Ava drew his head back slightly, so that his mouth wasn't covered up. "It's not so bad now," he said quietly, the sobs slowing before finally stopping entirely. "I used to have a hole there," he pointed to the white area, "but I made it go away. It hurt. But it's not so bad now." The Chaosling seemed to be trying to reassure himself of that, because it still hurt a lot, but the pain was starting to fade. He might be able to fall asleep now, even.

Letting go of Aerith, Ava fell back into the sofa. His eyes closed slowly, and he said, quietly, "I'm okay now. You should get some sleep." Even though it still hurt, he would be better in the morning, and he didn't think he'd need any more help from her. Hopefully, he'd be okay. It just would probably hurt for a while. He wrapped the blankets around himself, wincing as he stretched his stomach, and rolled over, closing both eyes for a minute before opening one of them to see if Aerith had gone. Closing it again immediately afterward, Ava yawned and thought to himself, It still hurts, but this is rather comfy...

And then he knew no more. Ava was quietly asleep.

[Aerith]

Sleep Tight

For a moment, Aerith thought her currents efforts were not going to work. Ava continued to whimper, wince, and otherwise let her know he was still feeling pain. When he turned to look at her, tears were streaming down his face, which pulled violently at her heartstrings. Just when she was about to try her magic, Ava did something that she had never expected him to do in a million years.

Suddenly, she found herself being clung to, with a face buried in her shoulder.

Instinctively, she wrapped her arms around him in return, careful not to hold on too tightly for fear of causing him more pain. One hand patted his head while he sobbed for a moment. Then, he pulled back to speak, saying it didn't hurt so much anymore. And he told her to get some sleep.

She nodded at him, giving his white patch of skin another look. "Rest will help you, too, if you think you can reach sleep." The white patch used to be a hole? That was a strange thought, but she had no reason to doubt it. "I'll be upstairs if you need anything."

As he settled back into the couch, she leaned over and kissed the top of his head softly. "Goodnight, Ava." Then, she made her way upstairs to her own room for some sleep. Hopefully, the pain wouldn't plague him throughout the night.