"Right."

"Right."

She takes a moment to try and estimate just how much she'd need to move herself to get on his back. If she weren't in pain, she might've taken a moment to think about the proximity and physical closeness.

"Let me..."

But any thoughts about where they both were emotionally outside of this specific situation were pushed to the very, very back of her mind. What mattered was getting out of here, soon.

After a deep breath, she lifts herself off of the ground and supports her own weight long enough to climb onto his back. The wind gets knocked out of her lungs as a sharp pain shoots up her injured leg, but she manages to secure herself as well as she could on Xavier's back.

"I think I'm good," she says, a little breathless and close to his ear. "Sorry about this... I should've paid more attention to where that Wanderer was..."

"The wanderers are taken care of. Are you hurt anywhere? Don't lie."

“I’m—“

The automatic response gets cut off by Dolasach’s own realization that no, she isn’t fine, and the fact that she couldn’t join in him battle made it extremely clear to her that there’s no lying her way through this.

As the dust settles around them and the final vestiges of the fallen Wanderer’s dissipate into nothing, the pain in her leg from an attack she failed to dodge makes itself even more known. At first glance, it wouldn’t seem like anything was wrong thanks to her pants obscuring everything, but judging from the pain, she had to wonder if something had been fractured.

She sighs and leans back against the tree she’d been resting on for support. It’s getting dark, and they’re in a no-hunt zone. It’s best if she didn’t waste their time trying to put on a brave face.

“I… Don’t think I can walk on my own.”

Panna a netvor/Beauty and the Beast (Juraj Herz, 1978)

By 安妮雅Anne

14/07/24

"Yesterday, it finally came, a sunny afternoon

I was on my way to buy some flowers for you

Thought that we could hide away in a corner of the heath

There's never been someone who's so perfect for me"

- Harry Styles; Grapejuice

Dolasach laughed as she checked her hair in the mirror and moved a few stray locks back into place. As they chatted, she watched her friend though the reflection and pretended to poke at her little mirror image with her finger.

"To be perfectly fair to him, he has been getting better about it... At least, when I'm in the house."

Generally, she knew that Rafayel could defend himself quite easily... But after that one time he actually had paintings stolen from his home, she made it a point to nag him about it more often.

She raised an eyebrow at Iris for her cheeky comment and as if on cue, she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket right as she was buckling up.

"You've got some tough competition if you actually want to overtake my dreamy dragonet as my favorite menace," she teased, taking a moment to send Rafayel a few messages in reply. "But I can at least promise that I won't be glued to my phone all day."

Mo Art Studio slowly disappeared from view as they drove off. Dolasach leaned back into her seat. She didn't put slide her phone back into her pocket just yet, though.

"So... I'm guessing we won't be needing to worry about Sylus, either?" she asked, just as teasing. "or Mephisto, or the twins...?"

@dolasach

...

you just don't want me and him to fight. e u e

be there soon!

Iris finishes up her make up, nothing too fancy, of course. She just wants this to be a nice little girl's day and night out. After everything that's happened, she figures that Dolasach deserves that much, and selfishly so, they haven't hung out for quite some time. In any case, this was way overdue.

nothing crazy or wild. i promise. just some time to spend between you and i.

She dons on a black fitted dress, her signature look with the slit that lets her thigh piece peek out with a scarlet gem hanging to match with the accented reds as he plucks one of Sylus' suit jackets to finish off the look and hops into her car, driving over to Mo Art Studio.

Once she arrives at the destination, she parks the care, enters the code and peeks in.

"Rafayel~ I'm here to steal your girl— I mean, take her out—" She walks in fully and peeks around. "...damn, you really did take care of him, huh?"

It's a little jest as she practically skips with the clicks of her heels sounding against the floor, easily avoiding the mess Rafayel had before she plops down next to her and hugs her tightly.

"Mmm. I missed you! You look lovely. Shall we head out now?"

Details from Valentino Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2015.