[center][h2][color=#3366CC]ᚠᚢᚦ[/color] [color=#3366CC][b][i]Aksel[/i][/b][/color] [color=#3366CC]ᚱᚴᚾ[/color][/h2][/center]
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	[color=00746b]“I’m fine, I’m alright,”[/color] the girl finally managed. [color=00746b]“It’s just my head,”[/color] she added, now with a trembling breath.

	[i]Obviously[/i] it was her head. More than that, however, Aksel could inherently feel how true that was. It was like experiencing all of the agony, without any of the debilitating pain; which was fortunate, as he was struggling with his own physical ailments as well.

	Regardless, he could tell that she was not being totally honest. Aksel had always been exceptionally attuned to the tiny things people did or said that gave away a lot of emotional truth. Information people were not meaning to give away. Right now, he could feel something completely different than what she was [i]trying[/i] to convey. Not that it provided new information. Though, it [i]was[/i] nice to have immediate confirmation on a guess for once. Instinctively, his arms drew her closer, guiding her head to rest against him. He didn’t register the movement, only the quiet shift it caused inside him—like easing pressure he hadn’t known was there.

	[color=00746b]“I’m Anastasiya,”[/color] the girl barely managed to say. [color=00746b]“You’re Aksel, right?”[/color]

	He looked over to the girl in his arms. He was now able to carry her a bit steadier now that her head was not awkwardly cradled in the crook of an arm. He gradually adjusted his grip as she shifted into a better position for them both.

	[color=00746b]“Thank you… for getting me out of there.”[/color]

	While grateful to no longer needing to carry dead weight, every movement she made gave him a pang of… [i]anxiety?[/i] He couldn’t say if that was right or not, but he did know his concern for her well-being—or something akin to it—spiked [i]heavily[/i] with each slight motion.

	[color=00746b]“And no ambulance, please,”[/color] she added somewhat sternly, [color=00746b]“Really, it was just a hit.”[/color]

	[i]Was this girl mad?[/i]

	She let out a stuttering breath. He would have to be blind [i]and[/i] deaf to believe she was as fine as she claimed.

	However… even if he [i]were[/i] blind and deaf…

	Aksel was beginning to believe that he might be able to sense the truth of her even without sight or sound.

	[color=#3366CC]“Alright, Anastasiya,”[/color] he said as warmly and gently as he could under the circumstances. [color=#3366CC]“No ambulance.”[/color] He forced a sincere smile. Understanding on his face, even though comprehension remained absent from his mind.

	Aksel nodded his appreciation to JJ as he squeezed himself and the girl past him and into the building.

	[color=#3366CC]"On second thought,"[/color] he muttered as they passed. [color=#3366CC]"Don't call emergency just yet."[/color] His voice was low, but the earnest plea in his eyes said the rest.

	He had crossed a literal threshold, yes, but this felt like a much greater achievement. Now to find somewhere to lie her down and check her injuries—and everyone else’s while he was at it.