[attr="class","stone"]

[attr="class","stone b"]

[attr="class","stone i"]alexander stops, turning to meet her hurt expression with his own. he waits for her to say something, anything, but instead he is met with silence and perhaps he should have expected it. he cannot bear to see her look of desperation knowing he is the cause of it. it hurts, more so than his arm.

and then his eyes drift to the pink mist again. to the deity that floats up just enough to enter his line of sight. and before he knows it, he's prying his arm out of her hand, shifting back out of fear. his leg hits the coffee table.

illeana reyes

[attr="class","illie"]

[attr="class","illie b"]

[attr="class","illie i"]silence stretches and with it, pain grows. she opens her mouth to say something, anything, and yet, closes it again. what can she even say in the face of that hurt expression? knowing she's the cause of it, even? there's nothing she can say that'll change that fact and god, that almost pains her as much as this.

and then, he's reacting. pulling away from her grasp, pulling away from her. she doesn't notice the direction his eyes shift in. no, she's too distracted by the look of fear written all over his face. it's clear as day and if she was in a more rational state, she'd ask questions, get to the bottom of it.

instead, she's irrational and in a state of heightened emotions. and naturally, she jumps to the conclusion that it's because of her, not the deity at her side.

a sharp gasp escapes her, followed by a strangled sob. and then, her body is moving before her mind can stop it. turning away from him, away from everything, and quickly shifting for the door. the only thing that lingers in her mind is his face, the fear that rooted itself there. it plays in slow motion, over and over until she's justifying her running away as making this easier for him.

tapu lele lingers in place for a moment, offering a small wave and an airy giggle before following in its avatar's footsteps and fleeing the scene.

ALEXANDER STONE

[attr="class","stone"]

[attr="class","stone b"]

[attr="class","stone i"]it takes him a little too long before he realizes she's turning away to leave, presumably hurt by his sudden reaction to the deity. "wait—" he calls out, taking a step forward only to hesitate when tapu lele lingers in place. it offers him a wave and a giggle and it only makes him:

"scared." he steels himself, looking past the deity to the one person he never wanted to hurt. "i'm scared, illeana."

illeana reyes

[attr="class","illie"]

[attr="class","illie b"]

[attr="class","illie i"]his voice stops her, stills her feet against the floor. her hand is wrapped around the doorknob and she pauses, body tense. like an anchor, he keeps her from leaving. but when she turns, not even his voice, his face, his presence can erase the look of sheer pain she wears.

"why."

it lingers between them, almost echoing against the walls. and without waiting for an answer, she continues. the mist grows with each word until it's a thick fog spreading across his floors.

"scared of what, alexander? of me?" can she even handle the answer?

tapu lele shifts closer to her side, a hand rising to take her own. like a child, it darts its gaze between the two fighting sides as if lost and confused.

ALEXANDER STONE

[attr="class","stone"]

[attr="class","stone b"]

[attr="class","stone i"]"of it."

even now, his eyes stay fixed to the subtle glow of tapu lele's eyes. the mist around them grows into a thick fog, spreading across his floors. he stands his ground, unwilling and unable to move any closer.

"i'm scared of the unknown, illeana. i'm scared of not knowing. of not being able to prepare myself because of it. it's how i lost my father."

a pause.

"i don't want to lose you too."

illeana reyes

[attr="class","illie"]

[attr="class","illie b"]

[attr="class","illie i"]"if you're scared of it, then you're scared of me too." it's fact, spoken without remorse. tapu lele and illeana are intertwined, two souls connected by a tether. what the deity can do, it shares with illeana. and for that, she cries a little more. her stare doesn't waver, even as he continues.

the mention of his father, of what happened when he wasn't prepared silences her. it allows guilt to fester like a wound and she can't ignore the sting of pain that comes with it. and yet, there's differences between then and now. he has the choice to learn or to continue to allow his fear to reign. would he learn if it meant not losing her? she doesn't want to think of the possibilities.

"you'd only lose me if you pushed me away," she whispers. it's soft, broken, defeated. there's no more fight in her. not right now, not standing in his doorway with the decision to leave or stay placed solely in his hands.

and what would he choose? her, even with the inclusion of tapu lele? or the alternative? it breaks her heart to entertain the latter.

ALEXANDER STONE

[attr="class","stone"]

[attr="class","stone b"]

[attr="class","stone i"]what she speaks is the truth, no matter how much he wants to deny it. whatever reason tapu lele had for choosing her doesn't matter now. they're one entity and there's nothing he can do to change it. he only has to learn to accept it, even if it proves more difficult than it should be.

her whisper comes out soft, defeated, but it does enough to help him realize the irony of it all. and so comes the first step of acceptance. a literal step, as he approaches her. logic tells him to stop. logic tells him to turn around. but he soon reaches out for her, and like he always does, he pulls her in for an embrace.

"i won't lose you."

illeana reyes

[attr="class","illie"]

[attr="class","illie b"]

[attr="class","illie i"]emotions are a funny, fickle thing. even with the distance placed between them and the deity standing as an obstacle, he still takes that step. the first step toward acceptance or defeat or even just a draw. she watches him take the step and then another until he's reaching for her and her hand is leaving the door to return the embrace.

her grip on his shirt is tight, desperate, and her body trembles from fresh tears.

"you won't," she echoes softly, as if he needs to hear it again. he won't lose her, not unless he wants to and even then, he probably still wouldn't fully lose her. she'd wait forever for him.

she isn't sure how long they stay like this, just wrapped up in each other's arms. but eventually, she breaks the mild silence with a soft whisper, a gentle admittance. "i'm sorry."

ALEXANDER STONE

[attr="class","stone"]

[attr="class","stone b"]

[attr="class","stone i"]this time, they stay wrapped up in each other's embrace for as long as alexander needs to. his heart slows in his chest, adrenaline and unfamiliar feelings subsiding with every passing second. he's grateful for her. so grateful.

eventually, he pulls away from the embrace, but a hand lingers to wipe stray tears from her face. he offers her a warm smile, genuine, as if to tell her that there is no more need for apologies. his attention turns to tapu lele after, and he takes a small step to the side so he can better address it.

"i'm sorry for earlier. can you please forgive me?" it might take some time for him to feel comfortable around it but this is a start. baby steps. he's offering tapu lele a small wave as he introduces himself. "my name is alexander. it's nice to meet you."

illeana reyes

[attr="class","illie"]

[attr="class","illie b"]

[attr="class","illie i"]the embrace settles something within her, within both of them. it's long and drawn out and warm, a welcome contrast to the lines drawn across a battlefield earlier. she sighs into his shoulder, holding a little tighter. and eventually, just before he pulls away, she moves to press a kiss to his lips.

he stays close despite releasing her and his hand finds her cheeks a moment later, gently wiping tears away. she returns his smile, even if hers is a little shaky. and then, he's turning to the deity and tapu lele tilts its head as if confused. it doesn't understand, not fully anyway. much like a child, it watches curiously.

the guardian isn't very communicative, not enough to provide any answers for him. but it does, at least, tickle at illeana's mind. the connection between them shifts and she can recognize enough to know there's no hard feelings lingering in the deity. not really, anyway. it's not concerned with his reaction, with his intentions. instead, it's only amused that he's apologizing at all. and maybe that's just because the lengths gone to in order to satisfy tapu lele are the only thing it looks for in interactions like these. or, maybe, it just simply doesn't get what it did wrong. both, if illeana had to take a guess.

and so, she speaks on its behalf, a soft smile that dips into fondness lingering on her lips. "i believe it appreciates your apology," she murmurs. as if to cement her comment, tapu lele giggles. there's amusement written on its features, hidden behind the lack of a mouth. if it could, it'd probably smirk. "and that it shares your sentiment." whether that's just for now or for good, she isn't sure but it's a start and she's feeling almost relieved.

ALEXANDER STONE

[attr="class","stone"]

[attr="class","stone b"]

[attr="class","stone i"]alexander will most likely never come to understand the connection she shares with tapu lele but perhaps he doesn't have to. all he needs to do is place his trust in her, even if that means sacrificing his own values. with time, maybe, but not quite yet.

"good. i'm glad."

a thought lingers in the back of his mind and he finds himself raising his injured arm toward it. with an innocently curious expression, alexander asks: "is it possible for you to heal this?"

illeana reyes

[attr="class","illie"]

[attr="class","illie b"]

[attr="class","illie i"]the question leaves her tentative, halfway between nervous and curious herself. truthfully, she knows next to nothing of the deity's abilities. only that they're shared with her. and while she wants to know, the sight of his arm is a painful reminder that power comes with a price. tapu lele's price is pain, it would seem.

the pink guardian giggles, mouthless yet amused all the same. it reaches and she takes a step in unison, a step forward as if expecting something to happen. instead, she's met with another giggle, another cluster of scales beginning to rise. and once again, tapu lele is moving to place scales across his skin.

illeana hovers a little too close, eyes drifting between the scales and him. "are you sure?"

ALEXANDER STONE

[attr="class","stone"]

[attr="class","stone b"]

[attr="class","stone i"]putting trust in the unknown is foolish. it goes against everything alexander knows and yet he's offering his arm with little hesitation. just this once, his pursuit of knowledge trumps his own well-being.

"i'm sure."

illeana reyes