A Starlit Paris [Caroline, Jericho, Nadia]

[Ain_Soph_Aur]

Wait, Don't we have apple pie!

By the time the treatment was done, his strength had all but returned. It was true that he was sore and probably shouldn't be running around too much. Looking at the bandage job, he was glad he had a capable hand to apply them. It was a shame about his jacket though, he did have other pieces of clothing in his room so he was best not to dwell on it too long. His attention soon fell on Caroline, they would probably arrive at New Orleans by the morning if the auto-pilot was working correctly. This was the last night he would be traveling with her, but it was for the best.

The many worlds were much too dangerous for a girl like her, it was best for her to return to her family where it will be safe. No heartless and no more fighting. His hand gripped tightly into itself as he thought about it before easing.

"I'm fine now. I heal pretty fast." he stated dully as he stumbled to his feet, still holding his side. "This has been a pretty painful trip, aren't you glad that you can return to your normal life?"

Walking past Caroline he looked at her and pushed up his cheek so it resembles a smile to some extent. "Thank you for everything." he stated in his emotionless voice, before stopping his fake smile and dropped his hand to his side- his face returning to it's unblinking state.

Ain stood there for a moment before nodding, he was also hungry. Looking down at Caroline from beyond his dark hair, he didn't know how to say that he was also hungry. Instead he just stood there motionless and waited for Caroline to get food so he could also.

[Aerith]

Really. It's not like I was bleeding to death or anything.
--------

The pain was mostly gone now, so Nadia was able to ignore it. No use worrying about it suddenly springing on her again. She wasn't going to turn into a paranoid hypochondriac because of one freak headache.

Was she okay?

My head may or may not have just tried to split itself open. Sure. Nothing whatsoever could possibly be wrong.

"Yes. I'll be fine."

A bundle of worry was nestled in her mind now, though, scratching and gnawing away at her. No. It wasn't that big of a deal. The pain was gone now. She hadn't lost consciousness. Everything was all right. She could start truly worrying if these things became chronic and intensified.

"It's too bad that guy got away. He was annoying." She paused, looking off to the side. "You didn't have to stop just because of me."

[Oathkeeper Emi]

Nothing she cooks is going to be terribly good for you anyway...
--

Caroline smiled when he asked if she was glad to return to her normal life. She was happy, but it was kind of bittersweet. There was going to be a lot of explaining to do when she got home, as much as she just wanted to settle back into the swing of things. She fiddled with the collar of her dress and watched with a somewhat concerned look on her face as he forced himself, literally, to smile.

She didn't know why he was so emotionless but it wasn't really her place to ask questions. She was judgmental, usually, but luckily in his case her first impressions of him had been kindness and that he would protect her. And because of this, she didn't poke any further into his business.

Caroline bustled off to the kitchen to get something to eat for them. The first thing she laid eyes on with the apple pie. She laughed. It wasn't a meal, but it would do. She didn't feel like cooking so it was pie for dinner. She continued laughing as she put two slices of it on plates and handed one to Ain as he came in and sat in the chair to eat her own.

"You did a good job,[/color]" she said. "It's only a little burned at the bottom.[/color]"

[Ain_Soph_Aur]

This pie is really good, too bad I can't cook.

Taking his seat at the table, he received his piece of pie. To his dismay however he learned that he did in fact burn the pie a bit, something he didn't even think about. This was only a start, if he practiced he would improve and maybe even make his own pie.

"I will do better next time--" he stated flatly before stopping. What was he saying, there wasn't a next time. "Nevermind."

Ain cut the tip of the pie with his fork and lifted a piece into his mouth. As much as it was more dessert then a meal it was still one of the best things he has ever ate in his life, kind of strange to say but he must have been kept from so many experiences. Growing up, he missed things that should have been normal. YUMMM. Looking across the table he nodded in approval as he held his side still with his left and held his fork with his right. Admittedly he should have put on a shirt before going to eat something, how careless. After every couple bites of his pie he looked up at Caroline, she was still sick so he had best hurry up.

"Tomorrow we shall arrive at New Orleans, and we shall part ways." he stated quietly as he put his fork down. "We most likely won't meet again, can you tell me about your home?"

[Slash]

It is a shame.

[/center]

"He was, wasn't he?" Jericho looked up into the sky resentfully for a bit, then turned back to Nadia. "But he wasn't important."

Jericho wondered what exactly had happened to her. He didn't have to even read her back then to know that she was in a serious amount of pain. He almost pressed the issue, but relented at the last second.

"What's important is that you're okay."

[Oathkeeper Emi]

What happened to my manners?
--

Caroline sighed, setting aside her fork and putting her chin in her hand. She wished he hadn't brought that up because it made her sad. She had lost her appetite all of a sudden and it wasn't just the mood swing... she hadn't even bothered to clean up before sitting down to eat. How rude of her. A few days away from home and she was already turning into a heathen.

She got up from the table and picked up their plates. She wouldn't bother washing up tonight, but she turned the water on anyway and scrubbed her hands. Suddenly, she just couldn't get them clean enough. After she'd made sure Ain was in bed and okay, she would probably go shower with scalding hot water just to make sure she was clean. She splashed a little water on her face, until she thought most of the mud was gone, and then she went back and sat down.

"My home...[/color]" she murmured, tapping her fingers against the table. What should she tell him? She didn't know where to begin. "I live there with my family. My daddy, and Mama and my two sisters, Becky and Rae. Daddy's brother, my Uncle Jack, and his wife Irene live nearby. We all spend a lot of time together.[/color]"

To her, of course, any of details that would identify them as a 'rich' family would be normal to her. So she didn't really go into detail about that. She only knew that she could see her house very clearly in her mind, with the tall white columns and large, shuttered windows. She knew the front walk well, and the huge trees that lined it. There was another detail that stood out in her mind...

"There's always so much music,[/color]" she said dreamily, closing her eyes. "Rae plays the piano, you see, and Mama and Becky both sing. Sometimes the whole family gets together and we have ourselves a little party. I'm not musical at all, you see, so I usually end up providin' the refreshments. Not musical at all, but the night those men took me away I was on my way to choir practice...[/color]"

She trailed off for a moment, trying to remember what her reasoning had been behind going to practice that night was. She supposed it didn't matter much, so she gave Ain a small smile. "Like I said before, pretty normal. What about you?[/color]"

[Ain_Soph_Aur]

NORMAL conversation...

From what Caroline had described, he had little doubt that she would be in danger once she was with her family. Such a big family made him envious however. He was so used to being alone or just with a single parent, then no one at all as time went on. His family wasn't a happy one, but he loved them dearly.

"Your family sounds nice." he stated as Caroline closed her eyes.

Ain stood back up slowly, holding his side still as if he was going to fall apart if he didn't. His eyes trailed across the room at Caroline, moving his hair to the side with his other hand- he nodded. He wanted to help clean up, and no injuries was going to stop him. Heading over to the sink he started washing the dishes before Caroline could stop him, he could at least do this. His emotionless face turned to Caroline as she redirected the question back at him. It was kind of a shock to hear someone ask him without insulting him like many have done in the past.

Lowering his head for a second it was almost like he wasn't going to say anything, when he looked back up his eyes were intensely serious. Even though Caroline was smiling he couldn't stop his gloomy answer, he should have predicted that he would be given the same line of questioning. "I don't have a home. Nothing like that at all." he stated in his normal dull tone. Closing his eyes he soon reopens them. "It's all in the past."

Taking a breath he continued washing the dishes. He was pretty tired and he could barely keep his eyes open, which probably wasn't much different then his normal expression.

"You should get to bed."

[Aerith]

Are we magnets for these types, or is it something about this world?
--------

The more seconds that ticked by, the more that headache became a mere memory.

"Oh, yeah. Yeah, I'm okay."

She gave him a fleeting smile, then looked out at the graves. Perhaps this night could be salvaged in some way. Or perhaps they would simply leave. If they stayed here any longer, they were liable to run into yet more annoyances.

"What do you want to do now, Jericho?"

[Oathkeeper Emi]

Please, I insist!
--

"I will, I will,[/color]" she said. "After I clean myself up a little. I can't sleep like this. You on the other hand...[/color]"

She walked over and put an arm in front of him. This was a signal for him to stop washing dishes and back up. "Go to bed. In your bed. Don't sleep in that...other room, you'll get an infection.[/color]"

Of course, this brought up the question where she was going to sleep tonight. Those chairs in the common room looked pretty comfortable. She sighed, cringed, and bit her lip. Well, it was only for one night, right? And then she would be back in her own soft, warm bed.

Careful of his injuries, Caroline gently pushed Ain back and out the door. She continued prodding him until they reached the threshold of his bedroom and she poked him inside and insisted he go straight to bed. She hung around in the doorway for a moment. "I'm gonna go wash up and to bed myself, so don't you worry about me. Goodnight![/color]"

And then she bustled off to do just that.

[Ain_Soph_Aur]

Wait, Wait, Wait.... I guess I'm going to bed.

As Caroline put her arm in front of him, he stepped back a bit from the sink. It didn't really occur to him that she knew he was tired, he blinked as he was escorted to his room before he could get even a single word in. Even though Ain wanted to object to her prodding of his body along the way, it wasn't like he was a child. Wasn't he able to choose his bedtime at the age of 25?

The final poke had him enter the room, at which time he looked back at Caroline as she walked away.

Ain blinked once again. Was he really being pushed around by a girl, by a guest on his own ship. Given up on fighting it, he walked into the center of the room. Quickly with swift kicks, he threw off his shoes and quietly walked over to the bed. The blankets were still messy from when Caroline had slept there but he didn't mind in the least as it was always a bit messy anyway. With a quick hop he landed on the bed and pulled the covers over him. As several minutes passed, his eyes didn't shut right away and rolled over in his bed onto a strange lump. Taking it out without moving he brought it into view, it was a gun, it must have been Caroline's gun.

"She left a gun in my bed, unbelievable that girl." he stated dully as always before finally closing his eyes. "I will give it back tomorrow."

With gun still in hand, he fell asleep before he could release it.

[Slash]

Nothing to see here.

[/center]

It only took him a second to think of an answer. This world was full of trouble. Besides, the longer they stayed here the greater their chance was of running into Emi again. Ick.

"I say we leave before someone even worse comes along," he said, and smiled.

"Let's go."