Obscene Symphony

|- тнe ғood ĸιngdoмѕ -|

This is such a cute idea! I'm definitely keeping an eye on it ^_^

The Curse of Sonina

I'm gonna keep an eye on this for now.

Sum up your week in roleplaying in just 3 words

Back in business!!

Howdy Ho

Can't wait to add another soggy pancake to our brunch special here on the guild :D

ＦＩＮＡＬ ＦＡＮＴＡＳＹ Ｘ｜Ｖ： Ｔｈｅ Ｂｌｅｓｓｅｄ Ｔｗｅｌｖｅ

---

J’torha let a wry grin finally break when the auctioneer backed down, tail curling triumphantly behind him. He took a small amount of satisfaction in how little attention Tilman gave the lalafell intruder, but turned his own attention quickly to the documents he’d won. The first was a list, presumably accounting for the items taken from the house in question, although many of the items listed J’torha couldn't quite decipher. He supposed that was to be expected - it wasn't as if a house in the goblet would be stocked exclusively with aldgoat chuck and piesteskin - and gave the list a once-over anyway, nodding thoughtfully and tucking it away for safekeeping, satisfied that it was probably correct.

The next document was made from a thicker parchment, written in flowing script with a seal in the lower corner. Again he couldn't read it, but it looked enough like what he imagined a deed would look like for J’torha’s satisfaction, and he tucked it away as well, feeling (and looking) pretty proud of himself.

Turning back to Tilman and his partner, J’torha offered the pair of them a theatrical bow. “A pleasure doing business, gentlemen,” he professed, “we’ll be sure to recommend your fine establishment in the future.”

Having had his fun (and being pretty sure that pushing his luck any more would probably result in some setbacks) J’torha turned to the lalafell, who seemed to have become a business partner of his own, and considered him for a second. It was hard to tell if he'd accelerated things at all or just made Tilman sweat as a reinforcement, and to be perfectly honest, the miqo’te wasn't impressed either way. The nerve of the little thing to barge in on a negotiation J’torha had a perfect handle on, throwing around threats and giving orders with no mind to the delicacy of the situation, had certainly rubbed him the wrong way, though now was not the time nor place to address that. Still, if the intruder was going to saunter in as if he was in charge, then J’torha would saunter out the same way; satisfied, he turned heel and strode out the door, expecting the lalafell to follow.

Outside, J’torha was surprised to find the blonde free company leader and the flamboyantly dressed Seeker girl who’d fallen all over the Quicksand, both apparently waiting for them like some self-appointed pair of bodyguards. Ha! As if he needed the backup. No confidence, the lot of them. Did they really think he'd draw so much attention to himself if he couldn't handle things going sideways? He’d spent his life in Thanalan and gotten into precarious situations with people of all types from all over Eorzea; he wasn't exactly new to this sort of thing!

He'd brush aside his annoyance for the time being, distracting himself with a flirtatious grin aimed in the ladies’ direction. “A lovely entourage, and all for me?” he greeted them smoothly, leaning against the wall with arms crossed. “Truly, I'm touched.”

---

Annoyed with @Achronum, talking to @Amalyra and @Hero even though they have NO FAITH and radiating his greatness in the general vicinity of @Trainerblue192 and @Bounce

Obscene's Scratchpad

Katatada Sui

another stolen purple colour

ＦＩＮＡＬ ＦＡＮＴＡＳＹ Ｘ｜Ｖ： Ｔｈｅ Ｂｌｅｓｓｅｄ Ｔｗｅｌｖｅ

@Hero@Achronum

J’torha’s ears twitched toward the sound of the door being tampered with behind him, and he turned in time to see a pink-haired lalafell strut in, rattling off a laundry list of things that needed finding as if he was the one in charge. And completely shattering J’torha’s own proposition at that! He vaguely recognized the diminutive intruder from the carriage ride over, but was quite certain he never learned his name, not that he could really claim concern in that regard. Figures. He puts himself on the line to lay out the groundwork for this negotiation, gets within words of an agreement all on his own, only for some self-important popoto to burst in, giving orders as if these were his machinations all along. His tail twitched, but J’torha controlled himself, giving the lalafell a dark look rather than the punt back out the door that he really wanted to deliver.

“As a matter of fact, we were just talking about how we didn’t need to get the Blades involved,” he painstakingly clarified to his apparent new foreman. “After all, what happens to an auctioneer’s goods before they come across his podium really isn’t much of his business, isn’t that right Tilman?” He gave the midlander a knowing look.

“That said, now that my friend here has so prudently intervened, I suppose I can’t very well stop him if he decides to go to the authorities.” J’torha rolled his shoulders and sighed, looking disappointed. “‘Course, the sooner you give me the goods and information I asked for, the less time he has to inspect these lovely books of yours for any discrepancies…”

Of Blood and Magic

Aaron allowed himself only as long as it took to get out of immediate view of the Eve dorm’s windows to recover from that abysmal first impression, taking a long breath of cool morning air before he broke out into a run. It wasn’t far, but he all but sprinted to his dorm, hopping the wall around the property and leaping up the porch stairs two at a time, as quietly as he could manage. A glimpse of his watch as he knocked on his own door told him that it was several minutes past six, and he braced for the inevitable lecture and punishment (though he didn’t know yet what it would entail, he felt like more lines was a safe bet) apology on his lips, as he waited for Varis to let him in.

A moment passed, though, and then another, with no answer. It wasn’t unusual for Aaron to have to wait a little while to be let in, but he didn’t even hear any movement inside. Great, Varis was making him wait even longer to be let inside, probably intentionally delaying it in hopes that someone would walk by and see Aaron standing like an unwelcome guest on the porch of his own dorm. He supposed that was fair enough, as he had missed his curfew, but as a few more minutes passed by, Aaron started wondering if perhaps Varis hadn’t heard him.

He knocked again, louder this time, and even sent the Count a reverent and apologetic text asking permission to enter his dorm, but another several minutes passed with no response. Had he fallen asleep? He had to have been home, even Aaron knew Varis wouldn’t deign to set foot outside during Revel (he’d gone on enough tangents on the ridiculous frivolity and chaos of the holiday to adequately establish his distaste) but this was getting excessive. Aaron had no doubt that Varis wanted him to suffer a little before he issued his punishment, but surely he still wanted his mage inside to complete his morning duties. Right?

As a few more minutes passed with no movement, Aaron got his answer. Apparently late was no better than never, because he wasn’t going to be let into his dorm.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Aaron took a moment to assess his options. The infirmary was out; it was probably full of drunk fools who had somehow injured or poisoned themselves during the festivities, and he couldn’t very well be seen crashing there for a second time and trash his reputation further. He couldn’t sleep on the patio, as it was screened in and certainly locked, and the porch was no option either; if someone saw him sleeping on his own porch after a night of Revel, he’d never live it down.

There was no one he could stay with; Salem might have been amenable but that was definitely out, considering the uproar that would certainly erupt from him seeking refuge at another noble’s dorm. He couldn’t go to Eris, either; Max would probably strip the skin from his body, and even if Eris allowed him to stay, Aaron would never hear the end of it and Varis would certainly pile on extra repercussions for good measure for going to his lover to circumvent his punishment. Princess Ryner would probably take him in, and it was partially her order that had delayed him in the first place, but Aaron couldn’t very well keep running to her every time he had a problem. Besides, her order or not, this was his doing. Sure, he couldn’t very well deny her, but Varis was his master now and he should have prioritized his orders over any other. That was how Ryner’s household raised him, after all.

Of course, knowing he technically deserved it didn’t make the prospect of sleeping outside any more welcoming. Aaron ended up deciding to try to sleep at the foot of the stone wall surrounding the Sinnenodel property, near enough to meet the delivery woman in the evening, but hidden from view from the street. He could only hope that no one would go looking behind Sinnenodel walls; Aaron didn’t need rumours circulating about the Noila mage passing out drunk on his lawn during Revel.

Sitting down at the base of the wall, Aaron let his head fall back against the stone, closing his eyes as he let out a long, frustrated breath. Now that he was seated, he could feel fatigue settle into his limbs; no doubt the result of carrying a whole other person on his back up a cliff and across campus. Truth be told, though, it wasn’t bad. It called to mind the trip over; Lilie clinging to him had been oddly gratifying, not to mention her lazily caressing his chest and tugging at his shirt collar from time to time. He doubted she even realized she was doing it in her state, but more than once it had distracted him from his task as he savoured the feeling of her hands on him, her hair tickling his neck, her voice in his ear…

Aaron smiled. She had been chattering the whole way over, wondering where her shoes were (he was carrying them), vaguely mentioning something about wanting carrot cupcakes (which Aaron had never even heard of), even gushing at length about ‘how good they looked together’. As much as he wanted to think that she had been flirting with him, logically Aaron knew that it was probably just drunk rambling. Even still, it didn’t stop him from committing her words and her dreamy tone of voice to memory.

It hadn’t all been lighthearted, though. As they neared her dorm, she had also complained about her Countess “poofing” on her, which Aaron took to mean that she’d simply left without explanation. At the time, he thought the Countess must have gone off to celebrate Revel in her own way and simply hadn’t had the courtesy to inform Lilie. After tonight, though, it was probably fair to assume that the Countess must have left earlier in the night for good.

It was so strange, too. He might have expected another flake-out, given how much of a mess House Eve had been at the Academy so far, but it was Princess Ryner’s explanation that gave him pause. It had been offhand, but she’d mentioned there’d been a death in Countess Mariette’s family. Now, perhaps it was simply too early to tell, and he’d be inundated with gossip in the coming nights, but a death in a noble family was a big deal; vampires didn’t just die, and assassinations or suicides, while not altogether uncommon, were big news in Aaron’s circles. He wondered who it could have been, and how it happened, what was being done. He wondered if Varis was aware; Aaron even considered texting the Count again in hopes that an offer of noble gossip might get him let inside, but he figured it was a stretch. Better to take this first stage of his punishment quietly than risk more for trying to weasel out of it.

Phone in hand, though, he did finally open it to set an alarm for the evening - not that he expected to get much sleep in the daylight out there anyway - but just as he unlocked his phone, a message came in from Salem.

Don't ask, I'm getting pulled into a murder investigation and going to be seeing the princess, which one would I likely see and what's the best etiquette and demeanor to hold with her? Any known titles she prefers? Eye contact no eye contact? Please reply quickly.

Aaron stared blankly at the screen for a moment, re-reading the message a few times.

“How!?”

Aaron clapped a hand over his face. Was Salem fucking with him? Maybe, the bastard had a weird sense of humour, although this didn’t sound like it. In which case, how on planet earth did he manage to get involved in a murder investigation!? Wasn’t he under enough suspicion as it was!? At this rate, Aaron would have to lock him in Noila dungeon on break just to keep him out of trouble!

He did reply quickly, but he wasn’t about to keep his questions to himself.

It’ll probably be Princess Ryner, I don’t think Nox is here. Call her “Your Royal Highness”, don’t make eye contact unless she initiates it, and don’t speak unless you’re spoken to.

Now, how the hell did you manage to get wrapped up in a murder??

_{@Trainerblue192 @Achronum}

Burn-out and Hiatuses

You don't necessarily have to be overwhelmed/have adverse things going on in your personal life to justify a hiatus. Sometimes we all just plain burn out, lose interest, lose our motivation to write, etc. It's best to really be honest, don't worry about fabricating some sort of outside issue if one doesn't exist. If you force yourself to write through a burnout just because you feel like you have to have some kind of better excuse to justify taking a break, your writing is going to suck, your partner will notice, and your rp will suffer. Not good for anybody. Your partner should understand, it happens to all of us.

I've taken breaks from the guild in the past that lasted almost a year, and shorter ones for a few months, but you really don't know how long it'll take to get your energy back until it happens. When you're ready to return and craving rp again, return. Don't force yourself to come back after a certain time if you're not feeling it.

Of Blood and Magic

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Lilie’s humming was easily swept away with the breeze, her swaying more noticeable as she walked. Instead of toppling over, however, instead she swung her arms out, doing a dance as Aaron’s jacket and her dress billowed out around her. Despite the uneasiness of the sand, she found herself having little trouble, the sand cushioning her toes as she lifted herself on them. Spinning on her heel, she attempted to perform what looked like a pirouette, though she made it about halfway through before leaping ahead. She landed on both feet, throwing her arms in the air as if giving a performance, but dropped her arms as she looked out to the ocean.

The waves gently lapped the beach as Lilie stood a few steps away. The breeze did wonders to soothe her as she breathed in the salty air. Before she would decide to dip her feet, however, she turned back towards Aaron, hands behind her back. “So…‘Martoch’ is your secret agent name?” She joked lightly.

Aaron followed, dumbfounded, behind Lilie at a safe distance as she traversed the sand, watching in delighted wonder as she performed what he could only describe as a drunken ballet for some unseen audience on the ocean. More than once he had to smirk at how his jacket seemed to swallow her up, remarking once more just how strikingly small she was compared to him, though in the back of his mind there was also a less recognizable satisfaction at seeing Lilie wearing something of his.

Lilie paused, and for an alarming moment Aaron thought she was going to walk into the water, but instead she turned, chuckling out a question. Aaron grinned, drawing nearer and absently untangling his earring from the hair the wind had started twisting it up in. “Nah, I’m not that cool,” he joked back, shaking his head. “I figured that guy might have recognized me from the, well…” He cleared his throat, reluctant to rehash the humiliating incident. Lilie knew full well about it anyway, seeing as she’d been directly involved. “Well, you know.”

Refreshing his grin, he moved right along. “But yeah, Martoch is just my father’s last name.”

Raising her eyebrows, they knitted together soon after as she casually stepped to his side. “I thought your last name was Starag, though,” She tapped her chin, squinting at him.

Aaron raised an eyebrow of his own. “That’s correct,” he replied, close to laughing a bit at the end of it. The alcohol must really have kicked in.

Raising her free hand to her head, she poked her temple. “Yeah but, if that was the case, then your name would be Aaron Martoch,” She informed him, punctuating her sentence with a gasp. “I mean...unless your dad isn’t in the picture anymore?” She asked slowly, wincing slightly as she caught her lack of tact.

Aaron had to snicker at Lilie’s outward reasoning, giving her a warm look when he saw the realization cross her face. “Oh, I get it,” he replied kindly, realizing where the confusion lay. The two began to walk parallel to the ocean, Aaron careful to make sure Lilie stayed steady as he explained. “The Starag family is a bit different than regular mage families. Since it’s so important that the Starags serve the Noilas specifically, we don’t get our last name just because we have a Starag parent. The last name goes to whoever is in the family and belongs the the Noilas.” He offered a smile, checking to see if Lilie was following along. “So for example, my grandmother was a Starag, but since her twin sister went to their mother’s family instead of the Noilas, her last name ended up being Smart.”

“So in my case, I got my last name from my mother because I stayed with the Noilas,” he concluded, hoping that would clear things up. “You’re half right, though,” he added, cracking a cavalier smile, “I never met my father anyway.”

“You never met--” Lilie managed to (miraculously) keep up with Aaron’s explanation until he dropped that anchor of information on her. Normally she would have known better than to openly show surprise, or at least politely apologize for her assumption, but this was shocking! “What do you mean you’ve never met your father?!” She sounded genuinely distressed as her voice took on a slightly higher pitch, her hand on his arm in worry.

Brow furrowed, Aaron looked to Lilie in abject confusion, utterly unsure why she was so distressed. “I suppose it just never came up!” he replied with a shrug, though he did smirk, placing what he hoped would be a comforting hand on Lilie’s. “Honestly, until a few years ago I had a hard time remembering his name. I think he belongs to the Astorios, but honestly I never really looked into him much.”

She supposed that she was thinking about her own relationship with her father. She genuinely couldn’t imagine growing up without having him around; he had always been her rock and biggest supporter! Something about hearing Aaron having the opposite experience tugged at her heartstrings, her eyes searching his for what to say as she tried to piece together some kind of response.

“How come?” She found herself asking. “You’ve never wanted one?”

Aaron regarded Lilie for a moment as he thought of a response, still unsure why she was so broken up about something so common. He chalked it up to a difference of norms between mages and humans. Thinking back, though, he couldn’t really place a time when he could pinpoint wanting a father. He supposed that was probably because he had the royal institution itself to serve that purpose; it administered all the structure in his life, taught him right from wrong, helped him grow and disciplined him when needed. He had never felt like there was anything missing until… well, until coming to the Academy, he supposed. If he was being honest with himself, that was the only time he could think of having the rug ripped out from under him and really feeling as if he was missing something to fall back on.

Still, he pushed those thoughts away; now was not the time to dwell on his own difficulties in adjusting. Instead, he offered Lilie a comforting look. “I guess I never gave it much thought,” he told her nonchalantly, “I was perfectly happy with my mom and aunts and tutors, I didn’t really think there was much else I could want.”

Aaron seemed sincere, and she genuinely couldn’t see him lying about that. Still, even if he didn’t feel bad, she certainly did. Or maybe she felt guilty, especially considering how lucky she felt to have her own dad. Taking his hand, she pressed it against her cheek for a moment, wishing there was something she could do or say. Well, not that he needed it if he was serious, but she wasn’t entirely thinking straight, and it felt right.

Still believing that Aaron needed cheering up, she started gently pulling him closer to the water. “That’s good,” She said as she beckoned the waves to come in as softly as possible, motioning for Aaron to follow her lead as she stepped on the wet sand. “Now you can want new things.”

Aaron’s cavalier attitude flew away when Lilie lifted his hand to her face, a quiet awe and anticipation replacing it, not unlike the feeling of watching something rare and beautiful, nervous to disrupt it. Something he said must have touched her, and the alcohol was probably helping, but Aaron still savoured the moment, briefly committing the softness of Lilie’s skin to memory before she let their hands fall again.

Lilie took Aaron’s hands gently in her own and started pulling him toward the water, close enough that the waves gently lapped at their feet, warmer than he would have expected. But beyond the sudden change in tone, it was her words that captivated him. She had a point. Everything was different now, new, and on a night like tonight when he had the rare freedom to do as he pleased it was especially apparent. And now, looking at the beautiful girl in the surf, he could admit to himself that there was at least one new thing at the Academy that he wanted.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

Nodding in agreement (to her own statement), Lilie sighed as she looked down at the waves. They were pretty small at the moment, but the water was nice and warm. Curling her toes in the sand, she beckoned a wave to come in with more water, watching as it crashed ashore and pooled around them. She hummed to herself again, waiting for another wave before pulling more of it towards them. Just as it looked like it was coming, she threw her arms up, and it was like the tiny wave had hit a wall, surging upwards and lightly raining down on them.

Dropping her hands to her sides, Lilie seemed displeased. "I'm still getting the hang of it," She admitted, lazily flicking her wrist as she would gather the droplets on her in the palm of her hand. She dropped it as she walked forward, the water pushed aside with each step she took. "I still can't believe I can use magic. That's just something we used to pretend we could do. I'd sit on the beach and look at the waves, pretending I was pushing and pulling them...I didn't ever think I could actually do it, though. It's so surreal."

She paused as she stared at her feet, the water avoiding her. She grinned as she looked up at Aaron. "Did you ever do that?" She asked. "When you were little, I mean."

Aaron was a lot more impressed by Lilie’s demonstration than she was. He wasn't overly familiar with water magic, and she was clearly getting the hang of using it. He suddenly felt very behind as he watched her push and pull the waves while he'd been proud of managing to get a little bit of distance from a ball of light. He knew the two couldn't really be compared, yes, but that didn't quell his awe and envy as he looked on.

“Pretend to have magic?” He confirmed, thinking for a moment. “Well… I grew up around magic, so… yes.” He laughed a bit at the memories. “But my mom and aunts could actually do it, so they kept me busy most of the time.”

He smiled. “She would put on these little shows for me, like shadow puppets, but made of fire. I was so jealous,” a fond look crossed his face. “I used to mime what she did - not that there was much to copy, she doesn't move much to cast - and pretend I was doing it, or try to put out candles with my mind. I would hear these stories about my grandfather and his magical prowess and I wanted to be just like him.”

Aaron let the memories wash over him for a moment before he returned to the present, sheepishly adjusting his tie and clearing his throat. “I think everyone wanted magic as children.”

Lilie watched Aaron as he spoke, fascinated with the idea of magic growing up. He seemed to remember his home fondly, giving her a moment of her own homesickness. Perking up, the waves resumed their push and pull as she approached him, hands behind her back as she giggled.

“Oh, I don’t know about that,” She replied, straightening up as she pretended to wield a weapon. “When I was a kid, I didn’t think about magic--I wanted to be just like my mom and dad. Strong like her and kind like him,” She spun around as she spoke, kicking the surface of the ocean. “No magic in Hillsdale, that stuff was only on TV. It was this thing that existed but was so far out of my reach that I didn't even consider the chance of it ever being a part of my life.”

Smiling, Aaron watched Lilie’s theatrics, nodding along with her story. “I was just the opposite,” he replied, “For me, not being a mage was the thing that seemed impossible. It was my worst nightmare, used to keep me up during the day. I was so nervous on my Awakening night I could barely see straight.” He shook his head fondly, recalling the miles of Noila Castle halls he’d nervously paced through as he waited for the ceremony, a concerned Lucan hot on his heels trying to calm him down.

Lilie’s initial response was a slightly impolite laugh, her hand flying to her mouth. Pushing down some old, bitter feelings, instead of going on a rant on how much different their point of views were, she decided to see why Aaron thought that way. "Oh yeah? Scared you'd end up a servant instead of a mage?" She couldn't help the tease in her tone, lazily walking along and kicking water out of her way.

Aaron almost burst out laughing, but contained himself to a muffled chuckle, clearing his throat as he shook his head. “No no, you have to be a mage to be a servant. No humans allowed,” he told her, a bit of that laugh still present in his words before a breath cleared it completely. His smile remained, but he grew a touch more somber. “If I wasn’t a mage I would have had to leave, and since I trained my entire life for this, I don’t know what I would have done.”

He was quiet for a moment as the old familiar dread from three years past washed over him once more, but promptly pushed the feelings away with another breath, allowing the cool breeze from the sea to bring him back to the present. “Luckily, I don’t have to worry about that!” he added brightly, creating a quick little ball of light between his palms for emphasis before allowing it to fizzle out.

Lilie's expression fell out of concern. Would they really have just kicked him out? For some reason she couldn't imagine the princess ever letting that happen, let alone his family. It was too mean, establishing your life just to get kicked to the curb. She stopped in place, the waves crashing against her ankles as she turned to Aaron, deciding to take a few steps towards him and stopping at arm's length. As the wind blew between them, she stared hard at him.

"Aaron...I don't know what I'd do without you," She flat out told him. "You don't have to feel like you're not wanted or needed. I--"

Her words were cut off as she took a step forward, suddenly jumping as a sharp pain came from her foot. The sudden imbalance cause her to drop her shoes as she let out a cry of shock, her foot still on the ground deeper in the sand as she fell back.

Aaron looked back quizzically as Lilie approached and took a moment to just stare, wondering if he had somehow said something to upset her. Her next words, though, crashed through him like a wave, that same giddy fluttering in his chest returning from when he’d first asked her to dance. Somehow, even in her state, she saw right through him, and managed to find just the right—thing to step on in the sand?!

Aaron’s thoughts were cut off when Lilie yelped, the blond lunging on instinct to catch her when she pitched backwards and quickly lifting her up off the sand and away from the spot she’d stepped on. He placed her down gently next to him, keeping a hold of her so she wouldn’t lose her balance as she favoured her foot, and looked to the spot where she’d been. There, revealed by her footprint, was the jagged point of a broken bottle almost entirely buried in the sand, along with a dark spot surrounding it that must have been Lilie’s blood. A by-product of some earlier Revel beach activity, no doubt. Aaron was suddenly a lot less impressed with the group at the fire and their questionable disposal of bottles, though his concerns quickly returned to Lilie. “Are you okay?!”

Clinging onto Aaron for dear life, she tried not to move too much, but being intoxicated didn't really help. She swayed a little after Aaron put her down, letting out a tiny whimper as she looked at her foot. A tiny drop of blood fell on the sand as she kept her leg up. "I--I think I cut myself," She replied, clumsily trying to lift her foot to see the cut and nearly falling over, haphazardly grabbing Aaron's arm to keep herself from falling.

“Yeah, I think you stepped on some glass,” Aaron offered, holding Lilie to him by her waist so she could lean on him for support. Leaning over as best he could without toppling Lilie, he was grateful for his night vision as he did his best to examine the damage. From what he could tell, she was at least bleeding, a few more drops of blood falling onto the sand.

“Here, you’ll want to clean that,” he suggested, looking around for a second and realizing that the only real option was the ocean. He had heard somewhere before that salt water could wash wounds, though, so he supposed that was as good an option as any. He looked to Lilie for confirmation. “Ocean?”

Lilie nodded, leaning on Aaron for support as she half hobbled, half tried to hop a little deeper in. Fortunately he didn't let her fall, and despite the stinging when she lowered her foot into the water, she figured it was better than nothing. Seeing her shoes floating on the water, without thinking she went to try to snatch them. Aaron beat her to it, managing to keep her steady and prevent her from falling headfirst in.

"I should...probably head back to the dorm and wrap it up," She said, dejected. As much as she didn't want their time to end, it was hard to continue the walk.

“Yeah, probably a good idea.” Aaron was similarly crestfallen, but he didn’t let it show, offering Lilie a comforting smile as he helped her hop back onto dry land. “Oh, this might help until we get there,” he added, getting an idea. Fishing his handkerchief out of his pocket, he shook it out of its meticulously neat fold and bent to tie it around Lilie’s injured foot. “This way at least sand won’t get into it,” he explained as he finished.

Letting out some sort of odd mix of a whine and maybe an 'aww', the girl greatly appreciated it. It was awfully kind of him, even if in the back of her head she felt like she was inconveniencing him, but she wasn't going to turn his help away. The dorms were a little too far to hobble back on her own, and if she was being honest, she didn't want to leave him just yet. Or something. Despite not saying a word about her thoughts, Lilie was oddly embarrassed, tucking some of her hair behind her ear as she clung to his arm and the pair carefully traversed the sand.

They made it to the foot of the cliff path when Aaron paused to straighten up and stretch his back, a little sore already after only about a dozen yards of walking stooped over to help Lilie balance. The difference in size between them was becoming painfully clear, and their progress was slow. Climbing the cliff path and getting all the way back to the dorms this way would take forever.

Getting an idea, Aaron placed Lilie’s hand on the path railing so she could balance and turned away from her, crouching down so she could get onto his back. “Hop on, we’ll get up faster this way.”

It took a little longer than it really should have for Lilie to realize what Aaron suggested. For some reason, she found the idea greatly amusing. She hadn't really done that in a really long time, though she found no reason to decline as she cautiously leaned onto him, probably a little clumsier than usual. She wondered if she should hold onto his shoulders or carefully wrap her arms around his neck, but the decision was made to the latter as Aaron standing was apparently unexpected. Because she was overthinking. Then again, she was easily distracted by how much higher she was, erupting into a burst of giggles.

"So this is what the world looks like for tall people!" She found her joke hilarious, happily leaning on Aaron's shoulder with a happy hum as he started to walk. She really liked this. Aaron smelled like the forest, his soft hair tickling her cheek as she sighed. "Getting carried by a handsome guy...I bet anyone would get jealous." She said.

Chuckling softly, Aaron tried his best not to let the comment go to his head; of course, he wasn’t above tucking it away for later either. Lilie was even lighter than he expected her to be, and carrying her was way easier than hobbling alongside her. Plus, he certainly didn’t mind the feeling of her head on his shoulder, or the few locks of hair tumbling down over his chest. He didn’t even mind the lingering smell of alcohol on her breath, mixed as it was with the alluring scent of her lavender perfume.

“Even if cutting your foot is the price of admission?” he joked at her comment, adjusting her weight a bit as they crested the top of the cliff path and made it back to even ground.

Taking a second to think about it, Lilie ended up nodding as she held on just a touch tighter. "Hmm...I think it's worth it," She replied cheerfully, lightly nuzzling Aaron's shoulder. "Dancing, drinks, a walk on the beach...getting carried home? Yeah, it's definitely worth it." Her tipsy talk made her voice a little sweeter, but she was genuine.

A bit of heat flushed Aaron’s ears at the comment, and he was glad Lilie was behind him and couldn’t get a view of his bashful smile. He tried not to get carried away with it, reminding himself that Lilie still had some alcohol in her, but that didn’t stop the warm feeling spreading through his chest. “Well, I’m glad you had a good time,” he replied, a bit quieter. He couldn’t wipe the grin off his face if he tried, and instead focused on putting one foot in front of the other in the direction of the dorms.
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