[ one x one; adoraтιon and arabmorgan ]

[adoration]

{ Aha, alright. c: That's fine with me. }

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cxcxＷｅ ａｒｅ ｍａｄｅ ｏｆ ｓｈａｔｔｅｒｅｄ ｐｉｅｃｅｓ.
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Colette glanced up in Alex's direction when he spoke about heading off, a small shred of bread in her hand. Popping the piece of food into her mouth, she stood back up and nodded, "Yeah." Though she wasn't too confident of his plan, there wasn't much else that they could do; sitting around in the cave all day would do nothing. And for all she knew, the eye sight could've been affecting other cells in her body.

While she trailed after him, she made sure to keep one hand on his arm. Maybe in a few days she'd get used to listening to his footsteps and using them to follow him, but for now, she'd probably end up wandering off in the wrong direction if she tried to. Keeping a grip on his arm urged her to keep going anyways; with her new blindness, there wasn't much to distract herself from the consistent ache in her legs.

Her impractical gaze had been traveling off around nearby trees and plants when Alex spoke again, causing her to return her focus over to him. Though the sunlight was strong and unyielding, especially when it came to her dark hair, she enjoyed it in a way. The gurgle of the stream alongside Alex also could almost put her at ease as well. There was only one thing missing; her eyesight, of course.

"I can, though I haven't whistled in a while," the brunette said as she tilted her head back just the slightest, pursing her lips into a small o and giving a light blow. All it turned out to be was a supple, yet pithy whistle, that lasted for a few brief seconds before she drew her lips back together. Giving Alex a small shrug, she looked back over at him.

His second question made her fall rather faint once again, for she didn't utter a few words until a minute or two later. "Yeah... A few, mostly from work." Keeping her expression facing in the direction they were going in, she paused, before adding, "I didn't have much time to talk to them, though, after a while. After my father was... well, paralyzed from an accident, I was the one who had to support both of us."

She didn't think once about why she was slowly starting to tell him more about herself; the matter of her past was nothing that he had to do with. Maybe it was because she was almost lonely, or longing for what had been taken from her. Her father could've been dead, for all she knew.

No, he couldn't be, she thought, as she followed Alex through the bustling crowds in the small town they had entered. With every step, a shoulder usually brushed past hers, while voices came from every direction. It was almost too much for her to take, so she latched onto Alex's hand, though he already had been holding her wrist.

She gave Alex a modest nod when they reached the door, before she followed him inside. The place seemed welcoming, from the feeling that hung in the air, but she was still at edge. If this was an exile establishment, it was possible that somebody could recognize her. Not to mention, two tiny letters were tattooed on her back, right in between her shoulder blades; 'AX.' She couldn't even remember getting the stupid thing, though it was obvious where it came from.

"Well... A day ago, my eye sight started to deteriorate," seeing as Alex hadn't started to explain, she took the explanation. All she had to focus on was what and what not to say; how much detail she could actually include. "Neither of us have a clue of what happened... It just, well, wasn't working all of a sudden."

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Ｗｅ ａｒｅ ｂｒｏｋｅｎ ｆｒｏｍ ｔｈｅ ｓｔａｒｔ.cxcxcx

[arabmorgan]

ｈｅ ｉｓ ｊｕｓｔ ａｌｅｘ
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Alex had been quite taken aback by Colette's calm description of her father's situation; she was much stronger than she looked then, and a small bolt of admiration shot through him. He was mostly silent till the reached the town though, not quite knowing what to say next - if he should just change the subject abruptly, or give his condolences about her father. She had left him behind then, he realised, in the city she had been kidnapped out of; the glances he shot her after that were both appraising and slightly pitying.

In the doctor's small house, he hung back as she described her failing eyesight briefly, and from the doctor's expression he could tell he didn't quite have enough information to go off on. "Well, come and sit here so I can examine your eyes closer," the doctor said slightly doubtfully, stepping forward to guide Colette over to the chair he had previously been sitting on by the desk. Alex had lifted a hand slightly as the doctor spoke, intending to help Colette over, but he let it fall to his side as the doctor took over that task, instead looking around somewhat casually. A slight flush of embarrassment travelled through him, although he couldn't fathom why.

Why did I even try to help in the first place? he though to himself rather harshly, his embarrassment turning quickly to a general annoyance at himself, Colette and even the doctor. Once again, he reminded himself that he wasn't here to make friends with Colette; she was supposed to be helping him in his as-yet unformed plan to somehow overthrow the two largest warring factions in the land. Her powers seemed much more suited for subterfuge and espionage rather than outright violence though, so he figured the first thing would be to recruit more members to his cause, although once again it wasn't so much of a plan as a vague idea. The point is, he reminded himself, exasperated, is that you should squash down all your friendly feelings.

Leaning against the messy worktable in the room and resting his tired feet, Alex watched silently as the doctor peered into Colette's eyes, shining a small light at different angles, testing her spotty vision by placing his finger at different distances. Finally, he stepped back, his perplexed glance shifting from Colette to Alex. "What were the exact circumstances when this first started?" he asked. "Were you working with chemicals? Because this seems a lot like some sort of chemical reaction, but none that I've ever seen before. It seems to only affect the cells in the eyes and nothing else. Unless I know what sort of chemical it is, it'll be hard for me to even start trying to make a cure." He shrugged, his expression apologetic.

Alex hesitated, trying to think back to that day at the exile camp; it seemed so very long ago now. There had been some sort of funny-smelling gas in the air, now that he thought of it, but he hadn't been affected at all in any visible way. His mind was slowly processing the information, trying to connect the dots, but it was a slow process. "Uhh, there might have been this gas but I don't know what it was," he said slowly. "It's kind of colourless, with a stale smell like a house that hasn't been cleaned in a while, but the smell isn't extremely strong. I don't know...does that sound like something that could blind a person?" He hesitated, glancing over at Colette, still not really making the connection between the gas and her blindness.

Maybe the gas only affects her? he wondered. But in that case, it wouldn't be the exiles who released it since they were still trying to smuggle her away before he ambushed them. Could it be the city? But why? They want her back just as badly as the exiles want to keep her. Then it hit him - the city had already produced one successful experiment; how hard would it be to produce another? Colette had been a sacrifice, just another unfortunate piece of collateral damage in the course of the war. He gritted his teeth, furious; there was no way to explain to the doctor that the gas had been created specially to target a single person!

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ｌｏｓｔ ｉｎ ｈｉｓ ｏｗｎ ｍｉｎｄ.

[adoration]

{ Sorry for any slow replies. uwu; I've been really busy lately, so it's been getting harder for me to squeeze in replies with my crowded schedule and all. Also, just tell me if mine get a little bit long... I still have a horrible habit of putting more than I mean to. }

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cxcxＷｅ ａｒｅ ｍａｄｅ ｏｆ ｓｈａｔｔｅｒｅｄ ｐｉｅｃｅｓ.
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Diffidently, Colette let go of Alex's wrist and let herself be guided over to the chair the doctor had spoken about. It was still aberrant to her-- having to be accompanied with ever single step she took. It almost made her feel like some lost sheep who was being led around by shepherds, a black sheep at that. In a way it was almost quite lamentable.

Never once did her eyes move or blink as the doctor ran through a series of tests. Nothing shone through the void that had now completely engulfed her, even as he used a small light directed towards her eyes. It was as if he wasn't even there to her, though she obviously was aware of his presence; and being observed so closely by someone she didn't trust was vexatious. How ironic that was-- she'd been observed by city scientists countless times, yet after being brought so far away from them and into a small, almost congenial home, she still didn't like it one bit. And what she disliked even more was how she couldn't even focus her eyes onto his; the easiest way to see past any facade was through eye contact, from her experience.
And, of course, because of her ability.

Once the doctor finally took a stepped back, she finally allowed herself to shrug off a casual blink, as she listened to him speak. A chemical...? she thought, her idle gaze drifting off to focus in the direction Alex's voice came from, with almost a questioning look in their glassy orbs. Recalling the event, there had been a gas in the air... Had it been the cause of her blindness? Why hadn't it affected Alex's eyes then.

Squinting slightly, she directed her face toward's the doctor once again. And, as Alex started to speak while the doctor's gaze shifted back to her, her gaze met the young man's for just the briefest of moments. But in that very coincidental moment, all the sounds drowned out of her ears. It felt as if she was falling backwards, back-first into crisp and surging water that left as quickly as it came. It was highly familiar, yet ominously superfluous.

A series of pictures, like that of an old film, played through her head. A young, brown haired boy, that resembled the doctor, studying; loosing; getting separated from those he knew, like most people nowadays; up until seeing two mysterious teenagers walk through his door. They were a few of his scarce memories-- for the first time in almost a month, she was seeing that of which did not belong to her. Though, it was all gone in the blink of an eye.

Alex was speaking; that's right, the doctor had asked him a question before she had spaced out. Turning her head, she snapped back to attention, realization flooding into her. She had only looked to have been spacing out in thought for a few moments, yet she had seen much more than she wanted to in the smallest of glimpses.

Wrapping her head back around the current conversation, as much as a description of what happened danced on her tongue, she tried to pick up pieces of what he had been saying, "Uh, yes, a gas. I think there had been one..." Could it be possible that the purpose of the gas had been aimed at her eyes? From brief memory, she could recall the scientists talking about some way to limit her ability at times... but destroy it completely? What use would that go to?

The more she thought about it, the more she felt as if she was going to hurl. Would the doctor even be able to do anything? More importantly; would they even be able to let him try anything? Any doctor would be able to see that her eyes were, in fact, no where near normal with some observation. And that wasn't anything she wanted to stumble into; she'd fallen face first into such situations many times before, and she was sure Alex was steering clear of such a thing as well.

Abruptly standing up, she paused as soon as she realized how urgent she probably was acting. Letting a few seconds of awkward silence pass by, she tried to focus over on the door; though, she was really looking at the window. Well, it was close enough, even though she couldn't tell her misguidance, as she walked forward only to let her hand lightly fall against a window pain. Turning to look at the two, she said, "I'm going to get fresh air real quick; it's kinda... stuffy in here," which she didn't take no for an answer. Letting her hand glide along the wall, she led herself over the door, taking a moment to find the doorknob before she swung the wooden object open and took a few blind steps out, closing the door behind her.

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Ｗｅ ａｒｅ ｂｒｏｋｅｎ ｆｒｏｍ ｔｈｅ ｓｔａｒｔ.cxcxcx

{ Also, though this doesn't really affect anything in the roleplay at the moment, I have a small idea that has to do with the whole matter of Colette's father, after thinking a bit about it. It would most likely be a turning point for the whole relationship Colette and Alex are having at the moment; where they're more distanced, and Alex is still in thinking about his whole plan and all.
Maybe, to get information on the gas or just more information on the city, they could take the risk of sneaking back into the walls for a day or two. Or, at least, Alex would, and Colette would just follow. During that period of time, there could be a lot of conflict, with Alex's hazy memories and all. But to add a little bit more opinion to Colette's indecisiveness with which side she is against, maybe the day they're leaving, they could run upon her father while he's getting caught up in some trouble with city soldiers, and is murdered/shot/killed. Or, it could be something like he had been set up for execution, since his paralyzation is too much of a burden for him to be any worth with.
I just thought that the idea would be a big conflict for Colette in particular, though I'm not sure if I explained it that well. }

[arabmorgan]

{ don't worry, take your time to reply! what can you do when the muse hits you cx
and yessss, i'm being cruel but this whole execution thing is working for me. i myself don't really know what Alex is going to do, really, i'm just going along for the moment >< in the city, it could finally be the time he confesses his memory loss to colette, even though perhaps she's already long suspected. And her father being killed, wow I'm kind of looking forward to that scene ouch ._. }

ｈｅ ｉｓ ｊｕｓｔ ａｌｅｘ
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As she agreed with him about the gas, Alex hesitated as he watched Colette's expression change abruptly from pensive and thoughtful to one of discomfort and nervousness. He cast a wary glance at the doctor, who looked concerned and confused but not suspicious. Yet. They both stared at her as she stood and stayed rooted in place for a few moments before turning to the one of the windows. There wasn't anything in her way, so he didn't make a move just yet, only watched as she came to a halt before the glass, allowing her hand to rest on the cool material momentarily. A pang of pity hit him; did she go to the window because she wanted to see so badly?

After Colette left the room, the door swing shut behind her almost noiselessly, Alex turned to the doctor with an apologetic smile. "Sorry, she's really sensitive about her blindness," he said, giving a what can you do? shrug and a sheepish smile. "Is there nothing you can think of or recommend though?" There was a hopeful note in his voice, although he doubted anything the doctor suggested would be effective. Sure enough, the man shook his head regretfully. "I've never come across anything like this before," he confessed. "Her eyes are very unusual though; perhaps if I could examine them again I could..." Alex gave a quick laugh to cut him off, rummaging through his pockets for the cans of food he had brought and proffering them to the doctor with an embarrassed grin.

"I don't think she'll want to be examined again so soon, but if there's anything else we'll come and ask you. I hope this is okay, it's all we have," Alex mentioned, handing the cans over. The doctor looked pleased and he gave a friendly laugh as well. "Don't worry about it, I didn't do much anyway." With a last nod of thanks, Alex left the house as well, blinking slightly in the sudden darkness and looking around for any sign of Colette. It was already surprisingly dim, although he couldn't see any way they would be able to get a room for the night, given their lack of any sort of currency.

Seeing Colette nearby, looking slightly disturbed, he walked over quickly, taking care not to frighten her since she couldn't see him coming. "Hey, you all right? What happened in there?" he asked quietly, looking up and down the street for any would-be eavesdroppers. Despite the darkness, the chattering of the crowd could still be heard clearly a few streets down, although the one they were on was relatively quiet. A few electric lanterns were hung out on porches, lighting the road dimly and illuminating a few people speaking and laughing outside their houses. None of them took any notice of the boy and girl standing motionless though.

Under his breath, he told her more about the realizations and suspicions that had struck him back in the doctor's house - that the gas might have been created specially to target her eyes, that the city had decided to give up on getting her back. He hoped he wasn't coming across as too harsh, and he kept a careful watch on her closed expression. "So if you really want to have any hope of gaining your eyesight back, the only way might be to enter the city," he concluded grimly, his eyes hardening at the thought of that. He had personal history there too, he knew - how much would he remember in a place he had grown up in?

"For now, though, you think we can find a place to sleep around here?" Alex smirked slightly, changing the subject abruptly once more as his mood lifted. Laying his hand on Colette's shoulder again, the two of them slowly began to walk along darkened street, the immediate silence pressing around them.

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ｌｏｓｔ ｉｎ ｈｉｓ ｏｗｎ ｍｉｎｄ.

[adoration]

{ Alright, thanks. I'll probably manage to reply quicker more often now. cx
And don't worry, it is a pretty cruel idea, but with all the stuff that could happen while they're in the city, it'd probably lead on to a lot of other events and jumbled up feelings, which would be pretty interesting. And Colette would probably become a little bit more dependent on Alex if her father died, maybe start seeing him differently since she won't really have the comfort of knowing her family's alive, and she'd know more about his memory loss and such.
They'd probably need to prepare a bit before they leave, so I'm guessing they'd leave around a week later on in the roleplay. So, if you're like the idea, we could always skip a week after they've gotten back to the cave. Or we could roleplay it out-- either way's fine with me. c:
By the way, I hope you don't mind if I try out making my text gray. It makes it easier to read and look less cluttered, in my opinion. }

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cxcxＷｅ ａｒｅ ｍａｄｅ ｏｆ ｓｈａｔｔｅｒｅｄ ｐｉｅｃｅｓ.
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The air outside had started to go from scorchingly hot to a bleak cold, as dusk started to settle over the small town like a dark blanket. But how was she supposed to notice this? It wasn't like the doctor had managed to fix her blindness at once; he wouldn't even be able to do anything if it had been the city's gas that had caused her dismantled eyesight. Even knowing this, she still couldn't help but feel impotent in her situation; the knowledge had only made her feel worse.

Taking a deep breath, she took a few steps off aways, having to be careful with her footsteps. She didn't go off too far though, as she knew there wasn't too much the two who had remained in the house could talk about for much longer. Instead, she managed to become more subtle after leaning back against one of the house's walls. The uneasiness that gnawed at the sides was no easy thing to get rid of.

Narrowing her eyes as she looked as if she was staring down at the ground, she faintly listened while the door opened and closed once again, followed with several ginger footsteps. Wrapping her arms around herself in an attempt to fend off the bitter cold, her expression clouded up as she heard Alex's voice. How ironic it was to think that someone so unexpected could become so easily to recognize just from their voice in a scarce amount of days.

"It was just a bit too stuffy in there," she mumbled, picking her face up and turning it to his direction. His explanation which followed afterwards wasn't too surprising; she had started to think the same thing, but she hadn't been completely sure, counting she hadn't been able to see the gas and had only felt it. Could it really have done so much damage to her eyes in such a small amount of time? And more importantly, without any pain?

It wasn't until his idea that her jawline tensed up, her body stiffened, and her expression fell almost grim. Go back into the city, says the one who was against both the city and the exiles. It was such an awfully incredulous idea, yet there was one thing that compelled her to leap at the opportunity; her father. Her father was still in the city. He should've gotten the operation by now, so he would be able to walk again, probably even run! If they went back, would she be able to see him? Would she... be able to bring him along? He was the only family she had ever grown up with her whole life, she couldn't just see him and then slip away from him again.

She didn't acknowledge his suggestion as he proposed finding a place to sleep, though she didn't repel it either. "If we're lucky, we should just find a tree to sleep under..." From what they had brought along-- at least, from what it sounded like he brought along --she was guessing they didn't have near enough to go to an inn or such.

Lowering her voice after a few seconds, she finally mustered up whatever she had to say in return to his explanation and idea, "If it was the city's fault--" It was truly horrible how much that thought stung in her mind. "Then, they didn't completely, well, succeed. Back there I saw a glimpse of that doctor's memories, more than I have in a while. Had he been glancing at me when you two were speaking-- or, at least, my eyes?"

Coming to a halt in their slow trek, her hazy fruitless gaze was directed towards him. "And if we did go to the city... what makes you think we'd be able to get back out? Or in?" she quietly said through the deafening silence. If, perhaps, they did somehow get back into the city for a while to get her eyesight back... would she even want to leave, in the end?

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Ｗｅ ａｒｅ ｂｒｏｋｅｎ ｆｒｏｍ ｔｈｅ ｓｔａｒｔ.cxcxcx

[arabmorgan]

{ okay! c: and hooray, i'm looking forward to more development! yups, we can probably skip after tonight, I suppose, i'm impatient like that xD
and sure, grey is nice! ^^ }

ｈｅ ｉｓ ｊｕｓｔ ａｌｅｘ
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He wasn't discouraged by her lack of response to his suggestion to entering the city, but judging from her expression it seemed like he had struck a nerve, and he was content to let her mull it over for a while. He was sure she didn't have many good memories from the times she had spent in those enclosed buildings, being treated as nothing but a fascinating test subject. He cracked a smile at her resigned words, although the likelihood of them really sleeping under a tree was pretty high at the moment. His smile faded as he glanced around, noting the chill in the air with a sigh and wishing for the snug warmth of the cave he had began to think of as his. "It'll be cold, though," he said warningly, noticing the goosebumps rising on his skin whenever the wind blew.

He returned his attention to her words, realising belatedly that she was speaking of the city. There was a quiet tone of betrayal in her voice that tugged at his heart slightly, but he was more interested in what she said next. "You saw his memories?" he repeated, keeping his voice low and calm, although his eyebrows had arched upwards in surprise. "Of course he was looking in your eyes; he was bending right over staring into them while checking them with his flashlight." He couldn't decide if he was filled with wonder or trepidation; he did want Colette to be able to see and use her powers again, but he was wary that she would use them on him. "Maybe your power only works when someone is a certain distance from you now," he suggested, glancing sideways at her.

They continued walking along aimlessly in silence for a few moments, before Colette spoke again, her sightless gaze finding him with unnerving accuracy and pinning him with her milky white stare. Feeling slightly defensive, Alex shrugged with a frown. "I dunno, I was just suggesting it," he replied irritably. "I haven't really thought about it, I'm not really a planning person, I just do things, you know?" He slowed his speech, calming himself automatically so his voice wouldn't rise to an easily detectable level. "Anyway, you know the city better than I do. You should know good secret ways to get in and out, right?" he shot back, although with less hostility than before.

He didn't understand why she was so worried, really. If they got caught - well, he'd kill himself before that happened. Better than some humiliating public execution or, worse still, to be utilised as a slave for the rest of his life. With a sigh, he asked, "Are you scared? You don't want to go back, do you, because of what they did to you." His gaze settled on her eyes again, marveling at the magic of her ability once more.

They had reached the outskirts of the town by then, and he looked around rather hopelessly for a good place to take shelter for the night. It really did seem like there were only trees out here, and thin scrubby ones at that, no good for protection from the elements at all, and nights were usually uncomfortably chilly. They probably wouldn't die of exposure, but they would certainly feel like they were dying, and maybe fall sick if they were unlucky. Leading Colette over to a tree that was partially sheltered from the wind by a nearby building as well, he said, "Well, I'll go see if I can find a blanket somewhere so you just stay here. I really won't go far." He gave a wry grin, handing her the loaf of bread he had brought and wondering where he would be able to steal anything at this hour.

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ｌｏｓｔ ｉｎ ｈｉｓ ｏｗｎ ｍｉｎｄ.

[adoration]

{ Okay! c: I'm pretty impatient too, whenever it comes to good parts in a roleplay. xD They always just seem pretty exciting. }

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cxcxＷｅ ａｒｅ ｍａｄｅ ｏｆ ｓｈａｔｔｅｒｅｄ ｐｉｅｃｅｓ.
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"Maybe..." Colette mused, a small sigh almost dancing on her tongue. Maybe it was good that her ability still worked-- for others, that is. For her, being stuck like this was a huge stone in whatever pathway she had been traveling; whether it be hers or that of another. And having taken away her eyesight, the only way she had out of the black ink that had engulfed her was through the memories of others-- that'd be the only way for her to see places, people, and things. But, what was the point in seeing the world through the eyes of another, whether they be colorblind or monochrome?

As she walked a footstep's distance behind Alex off to his side, keeping one hand around his wrist, she could feel the rough grains of dust picking up with every step. The wind didn't help much either, picking it up and lifting it more into the air; but, it did fill the tedious silence that would distance the two every now and then.

The small huff that slipped from her lips when listening to his almost hostile reply was inevitable, before she explained the obvious, "If you haven't completely noticed by now, I'm blind; even if I did know a good way to get in and out of the city, I wouldn't be able to see them or point them out." Turning her head to glance off to the side, she tried to think for a few moments about any secret entrances with somewhat narrowed eyes. "The only way would be to find a way through the walls."

She was almost relieved when he let out a small sigh; he seemed like the person quick to irritate. But, what could he have expected? It wasn't like some lost experiment picked up off of the street by him wouldn't just sit around being reticent and reserved, especially after having to punch someone and steal their gun only a few days before. Though, not even she had been expecting her audacious acts from before.

Shaking her head, she returned her face to the direction they were going in, her eyes loosening up at the question. Any miniscule amount of irritation at his words leaked away just like that, as she answered his question, "No, I'm not really scared... Well-- maybe a little. I'm just worried... it might not be more of a matter of physically finding a way to leave, in my case."

As soon as the words slipped out of her mouth, she wanted to change the topic as he led her over to a shabby tree. In a way, Alex was almost just like the wardens from the exile camp; he had helped her escape because of her powers. Any of the other prisoners there he probably hadn't even given a thought about-- not a single one. And if she hadn't been the first perfect experiment, she would've been one of those abandoned prisoners as well.

Reaching out, she pressed one hand to the feeble trunk of the tree, before slowly sliding down along it until she was sitting on the ground. Having released Alex's wrists, she put her arms back around herself, since there wasn't too much else to use for warmth, besides Alex himself. But she was sure that whole fact would be an awkward one for them both.

"Alright," she said with a small thanks as she took the loaf of bread. Ripping off a piece of the bread, she set down the rest of the loaf in her lap, before returning her futile gaze to where Alex stood. "Hey... I know this might be an erratic question... But can you see the stars?" Pulling her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them, she tilted her head back, as if she was expecting to see the beauteous galaxies above. "When I think about it, I haven't seen them ever since I was back in the city... And that was so long ago. But there was too much light pollution there anyways-- they were barely visible."

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Ｗｅ ａｒｅ ｂｒｏｋｅｎ ｆｒｏｍ ｔｈｅ ｓｔａｒｔ.cxcxcx

[arabmorgan]

{ time to timeskip heh cx }

ｈｅ ｉｓ ｊｕｓｔ ａｌｅｘ
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Alex sighed. Well, they had a long time to think of how to get into the seemingly inaccessible city - the journey home, and maybe a week or so to rest up. He cast a quizzical glance at Colette, running her words through his mind in an effort to understand their hidden meaning. "Your...dad?" he asked quietly, suddenly remembering her story about her paralyzed father. Of course she would be thinking of him and missing him; he was probably her only family member left.

With a quiet exhalation, he turned to leave, only pausing in mid-step when she spoke again. He didn't turn around, only stared at the ground as she spoke, a heavy sadness filling him. He turned back to her after a moment, surprised to see her with her head tilted back, her eyes fixed on the velvet night sky. If he didn't know better, he could almost have thought she really was admiring the gleaming constellations in the sky. He sat down slowly right where he had been standing, unconsciously assuming the same pose as the girl opposite him, his gaze glassy as he focused on the scenery beyond the tree she sat under.

"Yeah, there're lots of stars around here. The sky is almost cloudless, a very dark deep blue, and the clouds are like faint wisps of cotton pulled apart," he said softly, his eyes still staring out at something past her, his mind wondering how to put vision into words. "The stars, they're everywhere, some bigger and some smaller but all bright and sharp, little pinpricks glowing in the darkness. And right in the middle is the moon, except you can hardly see it because it's just a silver little crescent, slightly tilted so it's like a smirk." With a despairing laugh, he ruffled at his hair with his hands, his eyes crinkling with embarrassment. "Okay, that just sounded weirdly terrible."

Standing and dusting the sand of his shorts, he shot a last look at Colette before going off to find the blanket they very much needed. It would be good to have back at the cave as well, anyway, and perhaps he could grab some food along the way too if he saw any. With a small smirk, Alex shook his head at the way his thoughts were going. At this rate, I'm going to end up being a petty thief for the rest of my life, he thought wryly. In a town like this though, small and bustling and cheerful, it was difficult to remember the threat the city posed. They were too far away, too small, too insignificant for the city to post soldiers here, or to send regular patrols; instead, they let this little group of exiles live their own unbothered lives in peace as long as they didn't conspire against the city.

In the end, it wasn't too difficult to find an empty house, the occupants still out and about doing who-knows-what. With his arms full of a thick blanket, and other things wrapped in the blanket, he tromped back to the sheltered tree he had left Colette at, yawning as he walked. He wasn't surprised to find her already dozing off, and settled the blanket around her carefully, making sure to hide the food under it as well. With a last wary look around to reassure himself it wasn't likely anyone would stumble across them in the next few hours, Alex snuggled his feet under the blanket and lay down flat on the ground, his eyes already drifting shut as soon as his head touched the dirt.

His last thought was off their upcoming expedition to the city; somehow, he was strangely excited to be returning. Besides the thrill of breaking into such a place - what a criminal he was turning into! - the bother of not having his full memories was starting to hit him. He didn't fear regaining his memories back so much now; in fact, he craved it, and he hoped he would find some answers for himself there.

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ｌｏｓｔ ｉｎ ｈｉｓ ｏｗｎ ｍｉｎｄ.

[adoration]

{ Okay, I'll go ahead and timeskip then, cause there isn't too much for me to put otherwise. c: }

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ＣＯ Ｌ Ｅ Ｔ Ｔ Ｅ Ｊ Ｓ Ｙ Ｌ Ｖ Ｅ Ｓ Ｔ Ｒ Ｅ
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cxcxＷｅ ａｒｅ ｍａｄｅ ｏｆ ｓｈａｔｔｅｒｅｄ ｐｉｅｃｅｓ.
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The whole sneak into the city plan still wasn't too conscientious in Colette's mind; she was sure Alex must've thought the same way. It wasn't like they could ever be reassured that they'd make it in or out without any trouble. Not to mention, finding a place to stay overnight wouldn't be that easy either, since it seemed like nobody else was on their side.

It had only been a week, yet she'd been slowly getting used to Alex's company. It wasn't like she had any other choice, anyways, but she was in fact slowly loosening up around him. But there was still a table stone in between any kind of relationship she could have with him; the reason why he had helped her still stayed fresh and embed in her mind. There was no changing that-- it had been something that should've been expected from people ever since she first volunteered.

The hot sun was luminously bleating down on the sandy ground like usual, filling the air with torrid heat. Her hair was damp, but it was pulled back up into a high ponytail that reached down to the bottom of her shoulder blades. She was grateful for the small amount of moisture that varnished her hair, from an earlier dunk in the river earlier, but it didn't help too much. Especially since they had left the riverside a while ago, in order to trek off towards the city's walls.

She held a few of their supplies wrapped up in a cloth in one hand, while the other was on Alex's wrist. She felt helpless enough with her blindness, so the least she could do was help carry a few things while he had to guide her around. Hopefully, she'd soon be able to assuredly follow him by listening to the sound of his footsteps, but it was a perplexing task, seeing as she had realized just how many little sounds adorned each area.

"Do you know how much longer it'll be?" she questioned, her voice rather hushed despite the fact that the city was quite a distance away. Her feet had started to ache; grains of sand infringed her shoes every now and then, making it uncomfortable to walk. Even so, she kept pushing on after him, just wanting to reach the city already.

As she let her fruitless gaze aimlessly wander, she inquisitively listened, both to Alex and for any other signs of sound. She knew that she'd be able to recognize the city in an instant; she could still briefly remember what it sounded like there. You could always hear men working, hollering commands to each other throughout their work. Probably from construction sites. And there was always the many voices that came from bustling crowds; whether they be a crowd of poor workers, or wealthy inhabitants.

She couldn't help but wonder what it'd be like; she'd barely even embraced the thought of returning to the city when he had first brought up the idea. What were they even going to try to do? They came here to try and fix her eye sight; but it's not like they could just march into one of the scientist's laboratory and demand some cure. That would get him killed and her captured in an instant.

With every step, her chocolate brown hair swayed back and forth, her bangs remaining in place as they framed her face. "How long are we even going to be there?" Tilting her head back as her feet continued to move, she directed her face towards the sun, almost enjoying for a split second the warmth that radiated from it and danced on her skin. She couldn't see it, but feeling it was better. That is, unless it burned her skin.

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Ｗｅ ａｒｅ ｂｒｏｋｅｎ ｆｒｏｍ ｔｈｅ ｓｔａｒｔ.cxcxcx

[arabmorgan]

ｈｅ ｉｓ ｊｕｓｔ ａｌｅｘ
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Alex glanced back at Colette, who was quite capable of following in his footsteps without help now. "Uhh, maybe another hour? We just passed that exile place where you were held captive a while ago, although I kept us quite a distance away from it," he said over his shoulder, not bothering to mimic her soft tone. "Do you want to take a rest? Or take a drink?" He slowed to fall in step beside her, already rummaging in the makeshift cloth bag he was holding for the bottles he had filled this morning with fresh stream water. Unscrewing the cap, he took a quick gulp before taking Colette's hand and putting the bottle into it without a second thought.

It was miraculous, really, how much more relaxed they were with each other now. A week of no one else to interact with would do that, he supposed, and they had both gradually adapted to her blindness without too much trouble. She wasn't the most talkative girl around, which Alex was actually thankful for, but she was nice enough and cooperative too. There was still an unseen barrier between them though, some sort of wariness that she never let go off when she was around him. He couldn't quite figure out why, but he supposed it could just be sheer nerves of the fact that he was, for all intents and purposes, still a stranger with unknown intentions.

Amusement in his voice, he said as they walked, "Don't look so nervous, I've thought this through, really! See, the city is so big and how many people are likely to recognise you or me? Chances are we could walk right in and out unharmed, although we shouldn't take that risk of course, but I still haven't thought about how to get in." With a sheepish grin, Alex waved his hand in the air airily, dismissing that concern for now. "So the real problem is finding a place to stay once we're inside, then you tell me the names of the scientists who experimented on you and I'll kidnap one of them! Great plan, isn't it?" With a pleased grin that resembled a satisfied cat, Alex all but strutted along with the thought that he had finally planned something out properly.

After a moment of though, Alex turned to Colette and asked slightly hurriedly, as if the thought had just hit him, "Hey, they don't have those notice boards with 'Wanted' posters on them, do they? You probably won't be there, because they've neutralised you as a threat, but I might be." He didn't really know for sure if he was even wanted, because he didn't know why he had left the city in the first place, but it never hurt to be safe. "I was a real criminal back in my time," he said jokingly, covering his unease with a forced smile that he was glad she couldn't see.

With a sigh, he lowered his head to stare at the sand, groaning, "At this rate, I'm going to be as tan as a turkey!" The sun was blazing down on the back of his neck now, and his hair felt so hot he could probably fry an egg on it, it was emitting that much heat. Placing his cloth bag on his head in a futile gesture to ward off the heat rays, he glanced over at Colette, eyeing her milky skin. "Won't you burn if you don't cover up?" he asked dubiously, raising his head as if the city walls would magically appear in the distance. To his delight, a wavy shadow was indeed approaching on the horizon and he excitedly exclaimed, "I see it! We're reaching!" before lowering his voice significantly with a laugh.

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ｌｏｓｔ ｉｎ ｈｉｓ ｏｗｎ ｍｉｎｄ.