Serious:"Brief Interlude" Chapter for Avery Crusher and Arianne Greyson: "Just What the Doctor Ordered- Separated from the Crew, in Windmill Village" (Open to James. D Cook)

Because of the close proximity of Arianne's attack, Derek was finding it not only difficult to counterstrike, but also to defend himself. Suddenly he realized why he didn't see too many halberds wielded by the Marines or pirates who traveled through the area. Still, his weapon hadn't failed him before now and he wasn't going to let a few doubts get in his way.

Twirling his halberd in front of him, Derek caught Arianne's sword on the handle of his weapon and spun it away from his body, though the blade still nicked his side. He then took a step back and performed the side cut he had started to make before, except this time he swung it in from the opposite direction as he tried to bisect Arianne.

"Call of the Reaper..."

Lawrence saw it coming, but he was too far away to help Arianne this time. So he used the battle to make his way, hopefully unnoticed, around behind Derek.
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Avery stood, panting, in the center of a group of defeated bandits. Those who were still conscious were groaning in pain at the injuries they had received.

Even though he had won, Avery felt only a little satisfaction at his victory. These were just cannon fodder. If there was a stronger enemy he or she or they would not rear their ugly head(s) until they knew what they were up against. Avery doubted that would take long. He certainly wasn't holding back, not when playing around had earned him a bullet in his shoulder.

Arianne's eyes widened when Derek suddenly, near effortlessly, used the halberd to twirl her sabre away from his body. In her surprise, her fingers suddenly lost their usual co-ordination and grip and slipped from the handle of the smaller weapon, causing her to drop it.

The young woman had no time to catch her startled breath as Slavo stepped back and prepared to launch a second attack. Thinking quickly, she pulled her silver bow from her coat, drew an arrow and fired it into Slavo's thigh. It was a close range shot but the lack of time had meant that Arianne had no time for a decent pull-back; as such, the arrow didn't have enough force to do much more damage than a flesh wound.
Still, the blonde scientist took advantage of the attack's aftershock and dodged the halberd's deadly swing.

She noticed Lawrence, the hound having cleverly moved to stand behind Derek. Arianne looked briefly into the dog's eyes, wondering if he were as worried about Avery as she was.
"I'll find you once I've finished with Slavo...Just please be alright, Avery Crusher. Por favor..."

(Ack! I've been watching for this thread to appear with a new post, but somehow I missed it! So sorry.)

The arrow slammed home in Derek's leg. He cried out and was unable to complete his swing with anywhere near as much force as he otherwise would have. With a growl of fury, he seized the arrow and easily tore it out, since the wound was light. He then started towards Arianne with a murderous look in his eyes.

Derek no longer cared if his bandits came in and saw the fight. He didn't care that blood was flowing out his leg in a steady stream. He no longer felt any other emotion besides hate. For the first time in years, he had received a wound that had actually caused some noticeable damage. Derek wanted to kill Arianne. No, he needed to kill Arianne. It was the one thing that mattered in his vortex of mindless rage.

He started to run towards Arianne and to raise his halberd to try and strike her down. Lawrence suddenly sprang onto his back and started to bite down on the man's throat. Derek screamed and spun like a top, throwing Lawrence off of him before the dog could get much purchase on him. The huge man was upon Lawrence in an instant, taking the dog by his throat and lifting him into the air as he pulled back his weapon to kill Lawrence.
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"Not bad."

Avery whirled around to find himself facing a man. The man was young. He looked about Avery's age. He was carrying a spear in one hand, which he twirled expertly in an almost absentminded way.

"You whipped all of them," the man continued, kicking the head of one of the men on the ground.

Avery was shocked by his casual cruelty, but he quickly adopted a fighting crouch, his staff at the ready.

"Who are you?" Avery snapped.

"Oh yeah," the man smiled at Avery. "Forgot to mention that part. I'm Jacen. Don't bother telling me your name. I don't care about it. You'll be dead soon anyway..." He nodded towards Avery's weapon. "You use a bo staff. That's like my spear only weaker, right? I mean, why would you use something that doesn't have some kind of blade or point to it?"

Now it was Avery's turn to smile. So that was it. He had already figured this man was a bandit, but as it turned out, he was an arrogant one as well. Perhaps Avery could use that to his advantage.

"How 'bout this," Avery said. "I'll tell you the answer if you can beat me. Otherwise, I'll just let my actions speak for themselves."

"Sounds like a challenge!" Jacen crowed. "Let's get this party started!" With that, he ran towards Avery, his spear spinning in preparation his first attack.

(No problem, . It's all good.)

Arianne's heart throbbed in her chest, beating so hard that it threatened to shatter her ribcage. The look in Derek Slavo's eyes was positively murderous. To her, he looked like a wild, ravenous beast about to finally pounce on a particularly difficult specimen of prey and tear it limb from limb.
Instinctively, she took a few steps backwards, quivering with each movement she made.
Adrenaline, fear and rage burned beneath her skin as she surveyed him, her fingers gripping the handle of her bow, so tightly that it hurt.

"God, help me..."

Suddenly he lunged at her with the halberd but Lawrence bravely dived forward to subdue him. However, despite the power of the hound's bite, Slavo- the real brute- managed to shake the dog off of him and was now holding him to be slaughtered.
Arianne's heart just about stopped and suddenly her boiling emotions reached a fiery climax.

"NO! NO! I WON'T LET YOU, TU DIABLO!" Arianne suddenly, shrieked, for once utterly losing her usual cool exterior. No, there was no way that she was going to let him kill Lawrence. She cared deeply for the loyal animal already...that and he was Avery's cherished partner.
And at that very moment, she was prepared to do anything in Avery's interest.

"Organo Divino Plato!"*

Arianne fired an arrow from her bow, the force of its silver-tip much more powerful than before as it shot straight into Slavo's neck.
Not waiting for him to keel over, Arianne immediately rushed over to break his grip on Lawrence's throat by striking his elbow as hard as she could with the side of her bow.

*Divine Silver Surge!

Once again, Arianne's shot was true. Slavo froze in the act of cutting Lawrence in two. His halberd fell from his hand and he blinked uncertainly, as if he couldn't understand what had just happened to him. When Arianne struck him on the elbow, he didn't let go of Lawrence right away, but instead seemed almost surprised to find himself holding the dog. He then lowered Lawrence, gently setting him on the floor before reaching down the stroke the dog's head. Lawrence didn't seem to be quite sure how to react to this, but cautiously licked the man's hand. For a moment, Derek beamed and a single tear rolled down his cheek, before he collapsed on the floor, blood spreading from his wound.
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Avery blocked the first attack easily, twirling his staff and redirecting Jacen's slashing blade. Jacen pulled his spear back and followed through by thrusting the point of his weapon at Avery's chest. Avery fluidly slid to the side of the thrust and swung his staff at Jacen's head. Jacen smirked and stepped back to dodge it in a similar manner as Avery had done to him, but then Avery's weapon separated. However, it didn't separate like it usually did. Instead of splitting in half, the front three parts of the weapon stayed together and separated from the back one, which Avery was holding. In essence, this changed Avery's weapon into a single nunchunk with one end being absurdly long compared to the other.

This separation gave the staff the reach it needed to slam into the side of Jacen's head and send him spinning away. Avery twirled his weapon and then banged it on the ground, reconnecting the parts.

"Lesson one," Avery intoned, sounding for all the world like a teacher explaining things to an impatient student. "Appearances can be, and will often be, deceiving."

Arianne's eyebrows shot upward, the young woman completely taken aback by his actions, and to some extent- her own. She watched as the fearsome man petted Lawrence's head, always wary of an impending trick or sneak attack.
But no.

The only surprise actions that Slavo had in store for them both was his reaction to being pierced by Arianne's arrow.
As if reality had only hit her there and then, the young woman suddenly gave a small breathy cry. She quickly stooped down to her knees, tearing a strip of cloth from her blouse and used it to pressure Derek's wound. She couldn't save his body but she could take away some pain and grant him some time to save his soul.
She leaned down to him and whispered a prayer- a simple, child's prayer- before blessing herself, blessing him and bowing her head. "If you're truly sorry for what you've done in life...you can still be saved in the next life..."

And with that, Arianne rose once more and swiftly ran for the door, beckoning to Lawrence. "Come on, boy. Let's go get Avery!"
She hurried out on to the porch of the restaurant, only to see Avery locked in battle with another young man, bow staff versus spear.
The blonde haired young woman stopped dead in her tracks, watching.

Derek let out a bubbly chuckle that turned into a cough as he watched Arianne leave. Why should he care about his soul? His tear was for a different reason entirely. That girl didn't understand a thing about him...and he suddenly realized, as the darkness closed in, she never would.

Lawrence stepped away from Derek and followed after Arianne. He didn't look back at the body of the fallen man. There was no need. The dog already knew he was dead.
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Jacen came back up, glaring at Avery as he moved in slowly and cautiously. He wasn't fighting so casually now. That wasn't good. Avery had been hoping he would go crazy, but apparently this guy was made of sterner stuff. So he told him that.

"Man, you're pretty cool about getting socked in the jaw, aren't you?" Avery said. "That's good...too bad your skill level isn't as on par with your mental state."

"Shut up!" Jacen snapped. "I'm know what you're doing!"

"Then there is no point in continuing, I suppose," Avery sighed. "Let's just get this over with, shall we?"

Jacen jumped in stabbing at Avery's chest again. It was a wild and extremely obvious maneuver. One that Avery was sure he could block. However, as he was swinging his staff to swipe the spear to the side, Jacen turned his weapon so that instead of his blade coming towards Avery's chest, the back end of his spear was swinging around at Avery's bad arm. The blow connected and Avery cried out in pain. He dropped to his knees, clutching his damaged arm as it throbbed from the intense pain. Through his haze of pain, Avery could see Jacen raising his spear to finish him off.

Then, from behind Avery came a familiar, and panicked, howl. It was Lawrence! His dog had arrived just as his master was hitting the ground. And if Lawrence was here then...Arianne! She had to be here. Lawrence wouldn't have abandoned her, even if she was cut down. And the fact that they were here meant that Arianne had beaten Derek. She was safe! But was she injured? Would she be able to fight Jacen if Avery died? Avery couldn't take that chance.

A surge of adrenaline poured through Avery and he moved at a speed he hadn't even thought was possible for him. He had still been holding onto his staff, even as he clutched his injured arm. So, letting go of his arm, he first swung his staff outward, striking Jacen's knees and sweeping him off of his feet. As the other young man hit the ground in front of Avery, Avery brought his staff up above his head and cracked it down on Jacen's forehead with all his might saying, "Double Drop!" Jacen's body convulsed, and then lay still, though Avery noted that he was still breathing.

"I guess that's that..." Avery muttered.

"Double drop."

Arianne's eyes darted from Jacen, convulsing on the ground, to Avery, standing over him with his bow-staff extended, as she came to stand beside Lawrence. Her breath came in ragged, panicked gasps but relief washed over her like a sweet, morning-tide wave. She had seen the end of the fight; despite his injuries, Avery Crusher had triumphed and for that, she was eternally grateful.

"Avery!"
She immediately ran over to him, her hair tousled, her blouse torn and her collar and shoulder bleeding (courtesy of Slavo's halberd) but her concern was not for herself at that very moment.
Arianne suddenly felt an intense rush of relief and adrenaline and under the influence of such a mixture, she immediately wrapped her arms around him in an embrace. "Avery, thank the Lord that you're alright. I was so worried about you..."

She coughed a little, blushing when she realised what she was doing and stepped back, stretching her arms. Her eyes travelled to the man on the ground. "Who was that?"
Before Avery could even answer, her eyes had widened again, this time fixated on his injured shoulder and arm. "Oh no, your injuries..."

Arianne stepped forward to inspect them, tearing another loose piece of her blouse to re-bandage the area and resolving to buy some new clothing in the morning. "It's too late to go back to the doctor. But I'll treat you myself, if you wish. I'm no expert...but I am a scientist, so I know a thing or two about biology. Plus the bullet wound is gone, so it shouldn't be much of a problem. We'll also have to get out of here and to an inn before the authorities arrive." Her eyes flicked down to Jacen, the bandits laying around and back to him. "You know, to pick this lot up. Are you still hun-?"
Finally her brief monologue came to a halt and her whole body started to quiver as she lowered her hands. Shock and realisation seemed to have only hit her now and she looked down, saying in a shrill whisper.

"Avery...I killed him. I killed Slavo...I...I had to...I gave him a chance but....he was going to kill Lawrence...so I had to kill him first..."
Her eyes were wide and panicked. This was clearly the first time that she had ever willingly ended the life of another...and it was hitting her hard.

Avery smiled as Arianne ran towards him. The next thing he knew, she was hugging him. His face turned red, but it was difficult for him to tell whether this from the slight pain of his damaged arm being squeezed or simply him blushing. His face turned even more red when she tore off a piece of her blouse to bandage his wound. Fortunately for both their sakes, it wasn't in an inappropriate place. Even so, Avery resolved to stare at the ceiling for the rest of the evening.

That resolution didn't last long. Arianne's voice was rising in pitch, but lowering in volume as she admitted having killed Slavo.

Avery looked back at Arianne, his eyes filled with compassion. Shock, he knew, was something that you simply had to deal with. There was no actual cure. However, being experienced with shock, Avery was pretty sure what he was supposed to do. It was something he had never had when he was lost after his parents' deaths. Lawrence had tried to help, but he was a dog. He could not offer the same kind of comfort and understanding another human being could.

So Avery did what he thought was best. He stepped closer to Arianne and pulled her against him, wrapping his good arm around her shoulders. He didn't say a word, but just held her. Lawrence came over and wrapped himself around their legs, much like a cat would, adding the warmth of his body to theirs.

Arianne was taken by surprise and her body seemed to seize up completely.
She wasn't used to such...tenderness. Even after her mother and stepfather had been killed, she and her sister had been too deep in shock to simply "embrace" one and other. Sure, she had comforted Elsinora by word of mouth and by a gentle pat on the shoulder...Sofia, the Madame herself, had offered to cuddle the two girls to sleep at night- but Arianne had always declined, not wanting to inconvience her.

And now Avery was holding her, the man's form strong, tall and warm. She felt his good arm wrap around her shoulders and automatically found her head falling to his firm chest. For a brief moment, the young woman didn't know how to react, the aftershock of her previous, bloody actions still resounding in her mind, but then, slowly and a little shakily, she found herself bringing her arms around Avery's torso, pulling herself as close as she could to him. He made her feel so...safe...so wanted...
The feel of his warm skin seemed to dissolve her initial fear and his scent suddenly made her forget her anxieties.
Arianne didn't know whether or not she was imagining it- but there was something about the way he held her that made her think that somehow this kind of embrace was long overdue for him too.
Wordlessly as he had taken her into his arms (or rather "arm"), she hesitantly moved her arms up his back and returned the embrace.

A smile tugged at her lips when she felt Lawrence wrap around their legs, his fur warm and soft against her bare calves (and was it her imagination that he was pulling her closer to Avery too?)
She sniffed a little, determined not to give into the stinging in her eyes as she looked up at the man holding her.
Part of her never wanted this embrace to end, but the tiny sliver of her psyche that hadn't been utterly intoxicated by Avery's tenderness, prompted her to say quietly.

"The authorities will be here in a moment...perhaps we could go back to an inn now...and finish our meal?" She dropped a hand to stroke Lawrence's head before looking up at his master fully, her blue eyes meeting his silver ones and her voice a delicate whisper. "And thank you..."

"Sure...let's go...and you're welcome," Avery said, losing himself as he stared back at her.

Avery started to step away, pulling back his arm, when a thought struck him. Slavo's body. Unless the Arianne's fight had been taken outside, which Avery doubted because he would have seen it, then the body was still in that restaurant. Avery couldn't let Arianne see that man again. Not when she was just starting to pull herself together.

"...er, how about we get our meals later?" Avery suggested. "Even if we can't see the doctor tonight, we need to see someone, right?" He chuckled, reaching behind him with his good hand to rub the back of his head. Stupid nervous habit. "Oh! And we need to find you somewhere to rest. We aren't going after the Milky Ways just yet. Not in this condition."

Arianne nodded in agreement, lowering her arms to her sides. "Of course. Of course." She drew her red coat around herself a little more closely and stretched her arms idly as she spoke. "There's another inn a little further down the main street of the town...it looked fairly small and quaint, so I imagine it'll be peaceful enough for the two of us to rest there." She looked down at Lawrence and added with a smile, as she stroked the dog's head. "The three of us, I mean..."

As her senses slowly started to return to her, Arianne could suddenly think of one very distinct reason why going back into that restaurant was probably a bad idea for her and she nodded quickly again. "Uh...si. Yes. Let's get something to eat at the other inn, later."
Arianne started to walk, beckoning Avery to follow her. Her gait was still a little shaky as she shook off the ragged after effects of shock but she was determined not to let it absorb her. "I'll go looking for another doctor for you later...and if I cannot find one, I'll treat your wounds myself as best I can until you can see a professional. As I've said before, I know quite a bit about human biology and also micro-organisms...so I can prevent an infection and lessen the pain, even if I can't completely remove it." She sighed, looking down a little. "Pardonay...I'm sorry...I really wish I could do more. You fought so well..."
A small smile came to her lips as she looked up at him. "Meaning you need as much rest as I do."

"Uh...thanks," Avery said, looking embarrassed by her praise. He jogged after her to catch up and then fell into step next to her. "But I'm not the one who took on the gang leader. Not to mention that spear guy was nothing special. He had a much higher opinion of his fighting ability than he actually possessed." Avery reached out and gently tapped the side of her arm, the one which had been torn on the shoulder by Slavo's halberd. "And you should look after yourself first. I'm not the one with an open wound. My arm just got smacked and it was already a bit sore from our previous visit to the doctor." Lawrence barked at them and jogged on ahead. "Yes, mother," Avery rolled his eyes at the dog. "We're coming. And no, we don't need a chaperone."

Arianne smiled faintly, looking up at Avery and slowing her pace and moving to walk beside him. "You're very modest." She blinked, shuddering a little again and then shaking her head. "And what I did...to Slavo...it...it was nothing that any concerned citizen wouldn't have done. He was going to hurt me...and more importantly, he was going to hurt Lawrence...and was also a threat to the general public...He needed to face retaliation for his actions."
She winced, suddenly remembering the gash in her shoulder and collarbone. "It's fine...don't worry about me. I didn't break any bones so I can just patch myself up later."
Arianne couldn't help but giggle a little at Avery's interactions with Lawrence. "You two have such empathy and such an understanding of each other...it's really sweet..."

This inn was a lot less seedy looking than some of the others in town and it didn't strike Arianne as the kind that would just let anyone with some Beli in their pocket rent a room there.
As such, she pulled her coat up a little more and fastened it to cover her torn blouse and the equally torn skin of her collar and shoulders as they walked up to the polished oak reception desk.

A skinny young woman with bright red hair looked up from her books to regard them. Arianne spoke to her quietly, inquiring, first about the inn's policy regarding pets.

"Huh, what? You guys got a doggie?" the young woman chirped, looking down over the counter at Lawrence, her eyes suddenly lighting up. "D'awwh, what a sweetie-pie! Of course he can stay!" She reached over to ruffle Lawrence's ears and then looked back to Arianne. "Just make sure that he doesn't soil the carpets or bother other guests..."

Arianne shook her head. "No, he's very well-trained." She smiled politely, bowing her head. "And if that's the case, then I'd like a room suitable for this..."sweetie-pie" and also two people..."
Before Arianne, suddenly realising what she may have just implied by that, could say anything else, the receptionist suddenly grinned even wider, cooing. "Ooh!" She winked. "Newly- weds, huh? Here on vacation? How cute..."
She promptly turned away to get the room key and Arianne turned to Avery, blushing as she bashfully remarked. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for her to think...I just thought that the room would be cheaper if we shared...I wasn't thinking...I apologize..."

Lawrence wagged his tail as the woman behind the counter admired him. He glanced back at Avery in a way that his master interpreted as, 'Eat your heart out'. Avery's response was to nudge him out of the way with his foot with a little more force than was necessary. He stepped up next to Arianne as she apologized and he shrugged.

"No big deal," he told her. "I was more concerned with you having somewhere comfortable to sleep than I was for myself." He turned red as he was speaking and looked away. "Besides, I've already got somewhere where I can sleep."

Lawrence glanced at Avery quizzically. He hadn't known about this. What was his master thinking? Avery wasn't in very good condition right now. If he slept somewhere else, how could Lawrence protect him?

"You're staying with Arianne," Avery told the dog in a no nonsense tone, rounding on him so that he had an excuse to look away from Arianne for a moment. "And don't worry about me. I'll leave once I'm patched up, but I'll still be very close, just like always. Know what I mean?"

Lawrence suddenly realized what Avery was talking about and he let out a small snort. If they were going with that strategy then he wasn't going to get as much rest tonight as he usually did. That was for sure. Still, he would do his job if doing so would keep everyone safe. They were still in a town of bandits, after all...

"That's my boy," said Avery, smiling now. "We'll be back with the others soon enough and I'll make sure that cook of ours gives you a nice big bone that still has a lot of meat on it. And if the wolf tries to steal it I'll whack him one over the head for ya."

Though Lawrence tried to hide it, he had just started drooling. With the promise of a bone coming his way he could do anything!

Arianne watched the exchange between master and hound, feeling mildly confused but understanding of Avery's wishes not to share a room with her. Still, her curiosity and general inquisitive nature remained...

"You have elsewhere to sleep? Where will you be sleeping, then? Your comfort is paramount to me too..." she said, leaning on the desk slightly.
Before Avery even had a chance to reply, the young dog-loving redhead returned and thrust the key into Arianne's hands.

"There you are, honey!" she crowed. "Enjoy your stay. I hope you both find the room comfy...and try not to make too much noise tonight, sweeties, we have other guests too..." The receptionist added with a quick wink and a smirk.

Arianne cocked an eyebrow at this, not understanding at all what she meant. "Uh...of course. Thank you."
She took the key and headed up to the room, walking with Avery and Lawrence and holding the door open for them both as they walked inside.
The room was as fine as the reception- furnished mainly with polished oak and other rustic-looking dressings. A large fur rug lay before a stone fireplace in front of a large bed dressed with red sheets.

Arianne felt her face heating up.
Maybe it was a stroke of luck that Avery and she weren't sharing a room that night.
It wasn't that...she didn't...or rather that she wouldn't mind sharing a bed with him for the night, but surely it would be too awkward for him and after all, it was terribly improper (in the young scientist's mind anyway).

All the same, she found herself turning to Avery and gesturing to the bed. "Would you like to take a seat? And I'll fix your shoulder up a little?"

As they were walking to the room, Avery wished he had had more time to explain. Now she might be angry at him. Fortunately, when they did go into the room, she simply waved him over to the bed and offered to work on his shoulder in her usual polite manner.

"Okay," Avery said, deciding that it would be best not to argue with her right now about who needed it more just in case she was angry. The young man crossed over to the bed and sat on its edge. He then carefully removed his shirt with his one good arm before laying it down next to him. That would make it easier for Arianne to do whatever it was she would be doing. "To answer your question, I'm going to be sleeping up there." Avery pointed at the ceiling. "On the roof. It's an old trick that Lawrence and I use. I stay up there and he sleeps somewhere below to keep his nose handy to catch any intruders. Then, if he barks, I deal with whoever it is that sneaks in." Avery shrugged with his good shoulder. "In all likelihood, we won't have any more problems today, but we are still in a bandit infested town so I'm not taking any chances." He grinned. "And, as you pointed out. This saves us money." He paused, his smile sliding off of his face as he remembered something important. "Oh, and I'm really sorry. That the date didn't go well, I mean."

Arianne swallowed a little and promptly felt rather childish, blushing at the sight of the (really very attractive) young man without his shirt on. She had seen the chiseled muscle before...she just hadn't quite gotten used to it yet.

She coughed, desperately trying to divert his attention from her reddened cheeks as she turned away to briefly rifle through her shoulder bag.
Arianne produced a length of clean bandage cloth (the one that her foster father Eric had somewhat forced her to pack "just in case") and a small vial of clear liquid, surveying it for a moment.
Arianne sat down next to Avery on the bed, removing her fingerless gloves and delicately placing a hand on his shoulder, guiding him to face her so that she could see the original bullet wound in his shoulder.

Arianne listened and nodded agreeably. "Ah...that's a very clever idea, I must say. Very noble on your behalf." She gently poured a few drops of the cool liquid in the vial on to the closed bullet wound- protecting it against reinfection. "You and Lawrence's teamwork is certainly admirable. Also, as you've said, in a town full of bandits- vigilance is always necessary..." Her fingers trembled a little when her mind wandered back to her fight with Slavo but Arianne promptly shook it off and continued to speak. "But...won't you be cold on the roof? Or uncomfortable?" She began to unravel the bandage and use it to wrap around Avery's chest and outer scapula. "I mean, I understand that you're probably used to..."roughing it" as they say and you mentioned that you and Lawrence have done this before...but I'd hate to think that the two of you weren't resting comfortably because of your vigilance. And no one is an asset to anyone when they're sleep deprived..." Arianne adjusted the bandage to be tight but comfortable, applying pressure where needed before deftly tying a knot at the end, lifting her eyes to look up at Avery. "And I care about you..." Arianne's eyes widened and a pink blush stole across her cheeks. "...about you both...I care about you both...." She looked downwards at the bandage again, cursing her rotten ability to blurt out her exact thoughts and then make terrible attempts at covering them up (OOC: real life experience coming into play here).
"Uh..."she went on. "So I don't mind sharing a night watch with the two of you...and if you do get cold or uncomfortable..." Arianne swallowed. "I won't say no to you coming back inside and settling down in bed beside me..." She shrugged, her heart suddenly pounding uncomfortably as she mumbled something scientific and rather incoherent about body heat and feelings of security affecting one's sleeping pattern.
"Ah, the date?" Arianne said quickly, trying to shift the topic. "Oh...that was fine." She smiled faintly. "I'll admit I was a tad disappointed but...que serà, serà*..." She gently adjusted the folds of the bandage again, testing them to see if they'd accomodate his movement. "And...well...we could always try again...if you wanted to, that is..."

Arianne swallowed again, suddenly feeling light-headed, childish and stupid again. What was wrong with her? Everything about him...the feel of his skin, his scent, the sight of his eyes, the sound of his voice...everything about Avery Crusher transformed Arianne from being a usual cold, overly-focused stoic to a blushing, gushing schoolgirl.
And she admittedly quite liked it.

Desperate to find something to say to break the silence, Arianne briefly commented, as she inspected the bandage's layout and the entry-point of the sealed bullet wound. "You're a lucky man, Avery Crusher," she said in a low voice, her fingers skimming the skin of his chest, just above the bandages and her eyes following her fingers. "That bullet could have easily gotten to your heart...."


(Whatever happens, happens*)

Avery couldn't take his eyes off of Arianne as she bandaged up his wounds. And now, as her fingers ran over his chest, a small shiver ran through his body. He really wished he could stay down here, but that wasn't possible. Not yet.

Avery opened his mouth to speak, but his throat was dry. So, after clearing it, he said, "Don't worry about us. Lawrence and I will be sleeping. We'll just be ready to act at a moment's notice. So we won't feel quite as rested in the morning as we might have otherwise been. Besides, it'll be better if at least one of us is in full fighting condition tomorrow, so make sure you do get some sleep."

Avery started to pull back from Arianne and he stood up, but then he hesitated. On a whim, he leaned back down and kissed her on the forehead.

"And thank you," he said. "I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't been here."

Reaching down, he grabbed his shirt and pulled it back on over his head. He waved to Lawrence and then set off for the window. He opened it, planted his mechanical foot on the sill, reached up to take hold of the top of the window frame with his good arm, and in one smooth movement, flipped himself out of the window and onto the roof, using his arm to direct his body's movement.

Arianne's own mouth was suddenly very dry.
For once, she didn't blush hard at the moment his lips touched the skin of her forehead- but she did feel a sudden heat rising up through her, warming her to the very core.

She nodded quickly in response, standing. "Ah...alright." Arianne's eyes softened a little more and she quietly murmured to him. "You flatter me. I'm always happy to help those that I care about...and you're a resourceful man." She smiled. "I wouldn't say that you'd have much trouble finding your way around without my help..."

Once he had gone, Arianne headed into the bathroom, stripping down and starting to work on repairing her own wound- via stitching it. It was a nasty process and at times, she found herself biting on a towel to prevent herself from screaming outright. Alas, when the work was finally done, the wound was sterile and safe...thankfully.
She took a hot shower, grateful for it being there in the first place and wrinkled her nose at the amount of red stained water that ran off her body. The day had left her dirtier than she had initially thought.

Arianne left the bathroom and walked out to Lawrence- now looking a little different following her brief pampering session. Her skin was much softer and pinker (not to mention cleaner), her blonde hair was soft and loose, falling to her shoulders rather than being bound back and stuffed into the collar of her coat for the sake of convenience and in the place of her usual, neat and practical jeans, coat and blouse, was nothing more than a short silky nightgown. All in all, the young woman suddenly looked a lot more soft and feminine...a lot more like an actual young woman for want of a better phrase.

She stooped to the fireplace and lit a fire with the matches nearby, smiling to Lawrence. She didn't feel embarassed in such a scanty nightgown in front of him. It was the only thing she had, she refused to sleep in her clothes again and he was a dog for the sake of Davy Jones.
Satisfied with the small blaze, she walked over to the hound and stroked his head. "Hmm...hello again, Lawrence, mi amigo hermoso*, would you like me to send for some room service? I wonder if you and tu companio** are as hungry as me..." She tilted her head, for the first time remembering that they had never finished dinner and rose to walk over to the window.

Arianne opened it a fraction and stuck her head out, calling up to Avery. "Would you like anything from the kitchens?"


(*My handsome friend
**your companion)

After Avery had laid himself down on the roof, which turned out to have a nice slant for his purpose, he stared up at the stars. For a few minutes he simply allowed himself to be swallowed up by their bright and shining beauty. This was a common practice of his. A way of clearing his mind of all the day's events before he slept.

As he lay there, images from the moment he arrived in town to that last kiss he had given Arianne flickered through his mind. Slowly, bit by bit, the images faded. Yet one still remained. It was the image of a face. Her face, smiling at him.

A pleasant warmth spread up through Avery's body, driving away the night's chill air. At long last he had found someone he cared about. Someone who he was certain cared about him. She had said as much earlier before correcting herself, (or had she simply been changing her words?) though he had not commented on that fact at the time.

This feeling in his chest had started out like any other. An attraction. And yet, over the course of a single day, Avery had found himself amazed by her more and more. She was not only beautiful, as he had first commented on when he walked into that bar, but she was also kind and compassionate. She seemed to like Lawrence and had a fascination for the mechanics of his leg, which was something he had been afraid would drive people away more than reel them in. She even had a passing interest in weapons and she enjoyed books. Arianne was nothing like the girls he had had crushes on as he grew up. Those girls had been pretty certainly, but Arianne was, to him, even closer to perfection than any of those girls could have hoped to be.

Avery was so wrapped up in his thoughts that when Arianne stuck her head out of the window and called up to him, asking if he wanted any food, he nearly jumped out of his skin. Despite his initial reaction, he broke out into a broad grin and flipped himself forward so that now he was lying on his chest with his head poking over the side of the building, looking down at Arianne.

"Absolutely!" he said, sounding excited. "I'm starv..." He paused, cocking his head to one side. Arianne looked a little bit different. Ah well. He couldn't really tell what it was when all he could see was her head. "Anyway," Avery continued. "I'm super hungry! I'd love to have something to eat!" He laughed. "The sad thing is I almost forgot about it too...anyway, I'm coming on down."

(OOC: It's about time I took a look into Avery's mind. He has sort of been more focused on the present, but then that's the kind of guy he is.)

Arianne nodded up to Avery with a smile and a brief, soft laugh. "I know, right? I've only realised how hungry I really am, now. I suppose today's "excitement" must have stunted both our appetites..."

She wandered back inside, but not before opening the balcony window fully in order to allow him the convenient space to follow her.
"The night sky is truly beautiful tonight. It's one of the most wonderful of the natural phenomena, isn't it?"
Arianne stroked Lawrence's head as she headed back into the warmth of the room, locating the Den Den Mushi on the side table beside the bed and dialling on the snail's smooth, red shell. For a brief moment, Arianne's curiosity got the better of her and she found herself examining the snail's anatomy and external wiring...much to the annoyance of the receptionist on the other end of the line.

"Ah! I apologize, sir," she garbled quickly, holding the electrical insect back up again. "Yes, I'd like to order some room service up to room seventeen please? Yes...I see...Yes, uh, I'd like...hmm, the beef dish, if you would and-?" She put her hand over the snail's eyes (the "mouthpiece") and turned to Avery. "And what will you and Lawrence be having?"

Avery slipped down after Arianne and dropped back into the room. He calmly looked over at Arianne before turning to see where Lawrence was. Avery did a double take, whipping back around to stare at Arianne. He was so shocked by her appearance his mouth dropped open and he could do little more than stammer as she commented on the sky.

"Buh-buh-buh-beautiful?" he repeated, finally managing to pronounce the word. "Y-yeah...y-y-you...I-I mean, i-it s-sure is..."

Avery gulped nervously and took a cautious step into the room, closing the balcony window behind him. The corner of his mouth twitched as he observed Arianne examining the snail phone after having already dialed the number. She really was obsessed with mechanics. Then, when she looked around to ask him what he and Lawrence wanted, his quickly looked away to stare at the ceiling. It was a very interesting ceiling after all.

"Um...let me check," Avery said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small pouch that had some money in it. After looking through it, he nodded. "Hmmm...let's see...I've got this much...and I'm hungry, but it's late so..." He looked back up at Arianne, but then glanced at Lawrence. "Do they have some sort of chicken sandwich? I can split it with Lawrence. If not, I guess I'll have whatever it is you're having."

Avery couldn't look away from her any longer without appearing rude, so he did so, gave her a smile, and then looked towards the fireplace. He walked over to it under the pretense of checking it out, but more so that he had an excuse to look away from Arianne. Of course he didn't want to look away, but what she think of him if he just stood there staring at her?

Avery smiled slightly and touched his chest with his good hand. His heart was beating insanely fast again.

Calm down, he silently ordered himself. Calm yourself. There's nothing wrong with you. You just happen to be in a room with a girl who is positively gorgeous. Nothing to freak out about.

Had he been alone, Avery would have burst out laughing. Then again, had he been alone, he wouldn't have felt the need to laugh at himself because he wouldn't be thinking these things in the first place.

Arianne was confused for a moment.
Avery was stammering all of a sudden, seeming to be unable to get his words out straight.
Arianne's damnable sense of security and act of dropping her own guard, had led her to very much forget the nature of her particular apparel and even moreso the kind of potentially embarassing effect if could have on other people.
Deciding that he was probably just cold and shivering from the icy night air, Arianne quickly shrugged her confusions off- though a worry preyed at the back of her mind that she had said or done something to upset or unnerve him.

At the very moment that she had asked him about what food that he wanted, Avery suddenly had decided to take great interest in the layout of the ceiling.
Her eyes briefly flicked upwards.
Hm...it was a nice ceiling...but it wasn't that extraordinary. Either way, after checking his money and confirming his preferences, he looked to her with a smile.

That smile. On Avery Crusher's handsome face.
Subconciously, Arianne had already decided that that smile was her new favourite sight in the whole world and part of her silently doubted that any of the views of the islands in the Grand Line- or anywhere in the world for that matter- were going to change that.
Arianne couldn't help but smile back at him and continue smiling even after he turned away and headed over to the warmth of the fire.
Ah, that must have been it. He was cold from lying up on the roof for so long.

Arianne continued to speak to the receptionist for a few more minutes before heading to the door when she heard a brisk knock there.
"Ah, thank you."
She joined Avery at his side, gesturing to the tray on the coffee table, laden with three beef dishes, three chicken sandwiches, two mugs of steaming hot chocolate and a bowl of water. "I decided to double up on the orders in case you changed your mind. I also think that after such a tough day, the three of us deserve a nice meal. My foster father always used to say that it's just as important to reward oneself as to criticise oneself..." She took up the bowl of water and put it on the ground for Lawrence, along with one of the chicken sandwiches and the beef meals before looking back up at Avery with a wry smile. "And yes, I've paid for it all. If you insist on keeping night-watch, I insist on buying dinner..."

She sat down on the sofa, not taking her eyes from Avery as she leaned forward to take up her meal. His body was gleaming and gilded by the flames of the fire. The sight almost seemed to bewitch Arianne...as if something horrible would happen if she took her eyes from the form of this charming, intelligent, valiant and strong young man...
Arianne mentally kicked herself, trying to get a hold of herself- even though at the moment, the only one she wanted to "get a hold of" was Av-

The young scientist suddenly felt her cheeks flush as she took the first mouthful of beef past her lips.

Lawrence needed no second invitation. He dug in with reckless abandon.

Avery was more careful, though this was mostly because Arianne was in the room and he wanted to look at least a little bit better than his dog. Coming back from his place right by the fire, Avery went over to the tray and picked up one of the sandwiches and a cup of hot chocolate before dropping down onto the sofa next to Arianne. He ate and drank slowly staring into the flames. He didn't dare look over at Arianne for fear of freezing up again.

He wondered if he should say something. The silence was getting old. But what could he talk about? The battle was off limits. He did not want to bring up bad memories for Arianne of her fight with Slavo. And straight out talking about himself would just seem prideful unless he was responding to something she said. Then it came to him.

"You've mentioned your foster father in passing before," Avery said. "Eric, I think his name was. What was he like?"