1x1 with hollyglow and Consulting_Angel

[Consulting_Angel]

Ashton Rouleau
Surprised, and a little hurt, by the unexpected snap from Jem, Ashton opened his mouth, then he closed it. Now was not the time for him to express his opinion or hurt. The last thing they really needed was for them to argue. He did glance away for a few moments, though, and he looked back when Jem apologised. "Okay." He said, steadily, then asked, his voice a bit quieter, "What happens?"

Loralei Waverly
Also glancing towards the window, smiling softly, Loralei stared at the grounds outside of the manor, almost in awe. She didn't think that she would get tired of seeing all the soft colours in the sky, and being reflected on the surface of the pond. She smiled gently, "I think I could imagine it..." she murmured, and she thought about it. Perhaps, she thought, she would have had it moved closer to the sea, but this was also just fine. She wondered whether or not she'd be allowed to take a dip into the pond. Possibly not, she suspected.

[hollyglow]

Elsa Alina Asbjornson

I sat up, narrowing my eyes and studying the window thoughtfully. "Say..." I murmured, suddenly pulling the covers back and standing up. I winced as I did---I was surprisingly sore from using new muscles in new ways during the long swim. But I only paused for a moment, then stepped over to the window and unlatched it. I threw a look over my shoulder at Loralei, full of daring that matched my suddenly adventurous mood. "Come on," I said, throwing the window open.

Jem Laceburn

I pressed my free hand against the stone wall, satisfied by the firm rock's texture against my hand. "It's..." I hesitated, not knowing how to possibly describe how I felt. It seemed impossible. "Did your sister ever tell you what it felt like? Being in the wrong body like I am---like we are?" I took a deep, shuddering breath.

[Consulting_Angel]

Ashton Rouleau
Ashton nodded slightly, even though it was probably a little too dark to see it. "Yeah... there were a couple of times. She'd tell me that sometimes she'd be hyper-aware of her body, and how other people see her. I think that it happened to her more than she'd tell me, though." He responded, then he asked, gently, "Is that what's happening now?"

Loralei Waverly
Loralei raised an eyebrow, curiously, and she sat up, watching Elsa, wondering what she was doing. She then also stood up, liking the sudden daring and adventurous look that Elsa gave her. "What are we doing?" Loralei asked, as she walked over to the window as well. The air was mild, with just a soft breeze. She looked out of the window, a little surprised at the view, then she glanced towards Elsa again.

[hollyglow]

Elsa Alina Asbjornson

"Follow me," I told her, and then swung out of the window, carefully maneuvering my way over to a trellis. My skirt got caught on the edge, but I yanked it free and then jumped down when I was close enough. "Alright, come on!" I called, more quietly.

Jem Laceburn

I nodded, too stressed to even realize he couldn't see it. "Yes, that's about right. And I'm sure it did happen to her more often, just circumstantially, and it was probably worse. I realize I'm lucky compared to a lot of people. I'm good at passing. But sometimes...sometimes I suppose it's just unavoidable. Sometimes it doesn't have anything to do with circumstances, it just sort of happens."

[Consulting_Angel]

Ashton Rouleau
Squeezing Jem's hand gently, since he wasn't sure what else he could do, Ashton sighed quietly. "I don't think that it was helped by my father - and other visiting nobles - insisting on referring to her as a prince still." He said, then he asked, "What do you want me to do?" Because he didn't want to assume that he should just hug Jem, or reassure him verbally - in case he didn't want to hear anything.

Loralei Waverly
"Elsa!" Loralei whispered in shock and disbelief, as if there were other people in the room, as the princess had climbed out of the window. However, she was not going to let herself get left behind, so she also carefully climbed out, following Elsa. She hesitated for a moment, before jumping down as well.

[hollyglow]

Elsa Alina Asbjornson

I laughed at Loralei's shock and grabbed her hand as she landed next to me. "Come on," I whispered, suddenly quiet. I didn't see any guards, but I was still cautious. I didn't want to have to explain to a guard---or to Erek---why we'd been caught sneaking around. So I pulled Loralei along, ducking my head when we passed windows. The grass was cool against my feet as I moved out towards the pond.

Jem Laceburn

"I'm sure it wasn't," I agreed. "I remember when I was younger...my parents said I could do what I wanted at home, but in public I had to be a girl. It was the worst thing I can remember experiencing, and I've experienced a lot. Your sister really is incredible." I paused at his question. I'd never really had anyone ask me that. My parents had always sort of tried to ignore it, when it happened, and no one else had ever known. "Keep telling me about your sister," I decided.

[Consulting_Angel]

Ashton Rouleau
"Oh, that must have been awful..." Ashton murmured. He obviously could not properly relate to it, but he could still be sympathetic and understanding to as much of an extent as he could. He then hesitated, because he hadn't really spoken much about Charlotte - especially as any mention of her had been banned by his father anyway. However, since Jem asked, Ashton took a deep breath, finding it easier to concentrate and bring his focus onto something that he could talk about, any dizziness slowly subsiding. "Well... Charlotte was really good with animals. She'd never laugh at me either if there was a snake, even if it was not a venomous one, and so she'd always take it somewhere else and comfort me."

Loralei Waverly
Deciding not to ask where they were going - since she guessed that she was going to find out shortly anyway - Loralei kept hold of Elsa's hand as she pulled her along, also ducking as they passed windows. It was kind of exciting, sneaking around, going off on a sort of adventure around the grounds. She liked the feeling of the grass under her feet, even if it was a little bit spiky, it was still mostly soft and cool. Her eyes lit up as they approached the pond.

[hollyglow]

Elsa Alina Asbjornson

As we arrived at the pond, I let go of Loralei's hand. I pulled off my dress so that I was only wearing my slip and then waded into the water. It was fairly cold, but compared to the frigid ocean from the last two days, it was almost nothing. And I had to admit, it felt nice to be back in the water again. It seemed easier than the world I was used to. I had realized I was still wearing the reed necklace---it had given me the idea of swimming---so I waved at Loralei, beckoning her to come in, and then ducked my head beneath the surface.

Jem Laceburn

I nodded as he began to talk. Not only did I like to hear about Ashton's life, it was also soothing to know there was someone else like me, and I was glad for the chance to build a better picture of Charlotte. It also seemed to give Ashton something to focus on, which I was glad for---I felt guilty for creating a commotion when Ashton was sick. "Hm...do you not like snakes?" I asked.

[Consulting_Angel]

Ashton Rouleau
As he spoke about Charlotte, he felt a weight on his chest, as he realised just how much he missed his sister. He tried not to let that show, though. "Yeah. I'm scared of them..." he answered, slightly embarrassed, and added, "...and horses, and heights. But that's it." Ashton decided to continue talking about Charlotte. "She'd also help me with my dancing, when I first started out with it, usually watching, or going alongside me."

Loralei Waverly
She stood at the edge of the pond, and then she also pulled off the dress that she was wearing. Then, Loralei sat down on the edge of the pond before sliding herself in. It was much different to the salty water of the ocean, but it was water, and that was good enough for her. She changed her legs back into a tail, having realised that she missed the feeling of having a tail, then she dived underwater as well, to follow Elsa.

[hollyglow]

Elsa Alina Asbjornson

As Loralei dove in after me, I turned to face her, grinning. The pond was deeper than it looked, and I could only barely see the bottom beneath us. "How does it compare to the ocean?" I asked, smiling at the way it felt to talk and breathe underwater again. I loved how it felt to have a whole world that, for me, felt like it was just for the two of us.

Jem Laceburn

I grinned, unable to help myself. "Is that all? Are you sure?" But I listened as he kept talking, rubbing his hand absentmindedly. "She sounds like she loves you a lot. And you love her. I'm excited to meet her. We will meet her someday, I promise. So what else?"