paixaorpg | To quote Auron: "All aboard for the Actua Are" [Closed]

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To quote Auron: "All aboard for the Actua Are" [Closed]

Character(s): Auron, Jenet, Asuka, The Prince
Content: They all meet back up at the Actua Are.
Setting: The Actua Are near Vanaheim
Time: Wednesday Late Afternoon/Early Evening
Warnings: None yet.

Ooo, ahh, ooo, and ahh again! The Prince hadn't forgotten that he and Jenet were on a mission to find Asuka's bandages, but there was just so much to look at and touch and play with and jump on and... and... and other things that The Prince couldn't even remember he did!

They managed to find a small store where they could pick up what they needed. The Prince didn't have any money himself, but either Jenet did or they got what they needed some other way because they soon left with some bandages and various bottles of medicine. The Prince was mesmerized by the bottles of pills. He wanted to open one and play with the little eggs inside. So when Jenet wasn't looking he took one, though he was hardly stealthy about it. Turning away from her, The Prince tried to open the bottle.

But it wouldn't open.

He twisted and pulled at the top, doing just about everything he could to open it. Somehow, he just couldn't. The Prince finally gave up on this, and sheepishly returned the bottle to Jenet, as she had probably noticed what he had done by then.

When they arrived at the hotel The Prince was quite amazed by it. While not exactly glamorous, it was certainly grand by The Prince's standards. He was so excited at the prospect of seeing his friends again that he immediately entered the lobby and yelled out their names. "Mr. Auron! Miss Asuka!" That would draw some stares.

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Having stayed in countless Travel Stations and less-savory places during his roles as Guardian, Auron could care less what the inside of the Actua Are looked like. So long as it had four walls and a roof to keep out the ocassional storm it could have been a godforsaken lean-to. The hotel staff had been eyeing him curiously when he'd entered the door carrying Asuka, he could feel their eyes on him as he sat her on one of the couches. About to make some sort of witty retort about her not getting up and wandering off while he found them a room, the Prince called out his name.

Getting the Prince's attention simply by turning to look at him, Auron gestured with his head for them to join he and Asuka. The lobby wasn't quite crowded, and he did have a tendency to stick out. Even the excitable Prince would have no trouble spotting him. Pulling his coat back over his shoulder, Auron fished around in his pockets for a moment or two, pulling out his journal and the string of Gil he'd crossed over with. Flipping open the little device, he made a note to perhaps ask around for a healer of sorts using that. But for now they'd need a room. Then they could tend to Asuka.

The Prince had no trouble spotting Auron in the lobby. He stood out like a sore ~~hotdog~~ thumb. The Prince walked (though it looked more like a run, with a hop and a skip thrown in for good measure) over to the pair. "Mr. Auron, Mr. Auron!" he began excitedly, "Queen Jenet and The Prince got ribbons and bottles with eggs in them!"

He circled around Jenet in an attempt to find them. But she probably wouldn't let him handle the medicine again, after he took that one bottle and tried to open it. So he instead climbed onto the couch next to Asuka. "How is Miss Asuka? The Prince helped! He did! Is Miss Asuka better? The Prince brought things to help! Does Miss Asuka want help?" he asked, though it may have been hard to hear as his words all ran together in his excitement.

The man had been quite gentle, despite his rugged appearance, and Asuka is very glad that she has met up with such kind people. Positioning herself more comfortable on the couch, she heard a familiar voice, Mr. Auron! Miss Asuka! It is The Prince! Asuka smiles to herself as she watches The Prince and Jenet approach.

The Prince seemed to be terribly excited, jumping and skipping and running around Jenet until finally hopping onto the couch beside Asuka, saying, How is Miss Asuka? The Prince helped! He did! Is Miss Asuka better? The Prince brought things to help! Does Miss Asuka want help? His words came as a jumble but Asuka can hear it anyway.

"I'm fine, really. Thanks very much for helping," Asuka pats the boy's head. She turns to Auron, "I'll repay you someday, I'll get a job and pay you back." She wonders what kind of job she can do, being only a fourteen-year-old girl, but she knows she will try anyway.

Finding medicine and bandages was easier than she thought. Having found a store relatively quickly enough, the next step was figuring out how to get the needed items. Neither the Prince of Jenet seemed to have any money on them. She would have to remedy that shortage of money as well, but later. Jenet stared at the shop for several minutes, that was when the gears in her head started to turn.

Hmmm, I haven't noticed any power lines or circuits at all while I've been here. Which means, there's probably no security cameras or alarms...

Sure enough, they went inside the store and got they needed. How did they pay for it? Well, let's just say that Jenet used some of her 'five finger discounts'...

"Haha, that was too easy." she remarked, giving the prince some of the things so that he could make himself useful too. Once at the hotel lobby, neither had no trouble in spotting Asuka. After all, she the only beat-up redhead that was inside. Auron too was fairly easy to see as well.

"Hey girl, good to know you haven't croaked yet." After letting out a chuckle, she extended her arms towards Auron. "Here, bandages and medicine, just what the ~~male nurse~~ doctor ordered."

Waving off Asuka's offer to repay whatever debt she had accrued, Auron was cut off as Jenet shoved an armload of supplies at him. Taking them rather clumsily, he muttered a swear, setting them beside Asuka on the couch. The summons for a healer on the electronic network had gone unanswered as of yet, and Auron was getting restless because of it. Grumbling as he took a seat beside her, Auron sorted through the supplies. Half of the bottles he didn't recognize, as those in his world relied on White Magic and Potions.

He wasn't a stranger to chaos, but he much preferred when things went his way. Grumbling and mumbling to himself, Auron swept aside the bottles. The only thing that kept him from displaying more frustration was that he was Sir Auron. And as such, he wasn't about to show how visibly stressed he was inside. Not only did it go against his character, but as the impromptu leader of this ragtag band, he didn't want to alarm the others.

Taking stock of what he'd use to take care of Asuka's injuries, Auron thrust a hand towards Jenet, the long string of Gil dangling from the end of his fist. "Go get the four of us a room." Quirking a brow, Auron's dark blue eyes took on a bemused sparkle. Perhaps he was hinting that Jenet use her ... er.. womanly charms... to perhaps cut back on the price. Or maybe he was just grateful for all her assistance. Who knows with him sometimes.

"Croaked?" The Prince asked, "Why would Miss Asuka croak? Does she have a frog? Miss Asuka, do you have a frog? Can The Prince see!? The Prince likes frogs!" By this time The Prince had climbed up onto the back of the couch to give Auron room.

He regarded the bandages thoughtfully. "The Prince is sorry; the ribbons aren't very pretty at all. They are what Father calls 'a practical.'" He praised himself inwardly for knowing such a big word. (It wasn't really a big word at all.)

The Prince leaned over Auron's shoulder to better see the supplies. "The Prince knows what ribbons are for, but what are the eggs for?"

Hey girl, good to know you haven't croaked yet. Jenet remarked, shoving an armful of bandages and bottles into Auron's arms. Asuka scowls, but before she could reply to Jenet, The Prince launched another surge of babbles, Croaked? Why would Miss Asuka croak? Does she have a frog? Miss Asuka, do you have a frog? Can The Prince see!? The Prince likes frogs! Dropping her scowl, Asuka laughed, "I don't literally croak. What Jenet meant by croak is to die or something, and no I don't have a frog, but if I see one I'll catch it for you."

Asuka then turns to eye Auron, who is inspecting the bottles and trying to perhaps find something he can use. It is rather hard to see his expression from behind his high collar and dark glasses, but Asuka has a feeling that Auron is confused, for some reason. She rather hopes that her feeling is wrong. He puts aside several bottles and putting some money into Jenet's hands, orders her to go get them a room.

The Prince launches another childish, but cute, babble, The Prince is sorry; the ribbons aren't very pretty at all. They are what Father calls 'a practical.' Asuka does not laugh because she has learned that laughing hurts her head, so she just smiles, trying to stifle the laughter. "They're called bandages not ribbons, and they're 'practical', not 'a practical'" Despite her tone, Asuka is not annoyed at all. The way The Prince views almost everything as a novelty is interesting, and not in an annoying way.

The Prince knows what ribbons are for, but what are the eggs for? Asuka places her uninjured hand on her head, shaking her head incredulously. It is truly unbelievable how one can know so little about the world.

"A room huh?" Lifting an eyebrow, Jenet took the bag of money held by Auron and threw it up in the air a bit before catching it again. "Sure thing, just leave it to me." Though a bit distracted with the bag of money to notice Auron's 'hint', the sly pirate was always ready to use her ~~((ample cleavage!))~~ 'charms' on others, or in this case, the innkeeper. Besides, she was a big flirt, so why not?

Heading over the counter, Jenet paused for a moment to inspect the bag's contents. If the situation was different, she probably would've run off with the money then and there. But not this time. She wasn't in any better position than any of her companions, and Asuka, who was worse for wear, could really use a decent room to rest in.

There was no harm in just taking a peek at the money though. Reaching into the bag, Jenet took out a single coin, but she didn't recognize it at all. "What kind of money this? It doesn't look like any currency I've seen." she said quietly. "Bah, sod it..." Stuffing the coin back into the bag, the pirate headed towards the innkeeper.

[OOC: Will we need an NPC for this? Or should I just say in her next post that she found them a room? Half-price? Free? She's got many 'charms' to use... ~~BOOBS~~ :x]

[ ooc: We're probably not going to get someone to play an NPC (it's not really needed anyway), so you should probably just play the person or describe Jenet's 'womanly charms' and what happened. As for the price... well, I guess that's up to you. XD ]

Giving a sidelong glance to the Prince and his questions, Auron let Asuka handle it. She was doing a fair bit better at it than he was. He knew he could handle the problem, he just wasn't entirely comfortable with using his limited medical skills on such an injury. Briefly he made a fist, popping his knuckles and steeling his resolve. Why was he so damned wishy-washy all of a sudden? He could handle it. Far worse things had happened to him.

Standing with a bit more grace now that his old joints had warmed up, he looked down at the pair. "Mind Lady Asuka, Prince. I'm going to go get a basin of water and some other things." A small smirk turned the corner of his lip. Not like Asuka was going anywhere, per se. He knew that the young boy was wanting to help he and Jenet as much he could, which was a sweet gesture. It was the least he could do to make the Prince feel like he was doing something important. Auron winked his good eye at the Prince, as if he were about to embark on a dangerous mission, and it would be up to the Prince to keep Lady Asuka out of harm's way. A sort of manly-trust gesture, something to reassure both himself and the blonde child. It never did any harm in treating a child as an equal. On the contrary; children regarded as incompetent morons tended to grow up to be incompetent moronic adults.

This was The Prince's chance! He stood up on the top of the couch, with his hands on his hips, and put on his most serious face. (Which, frankly, wasn't that serious at all.) "I'll stay here with Miss Asuka," he said boldly, before losing his balance and plopping back down on the couch next to her. He quickly stood back up in front of the couch and turned back to Asuka. "Don't worry Miss Asuka, The Prince will take good care of you!"

It is funny watching Auron try to entertain The Prince by treating him as an equal, but Asuka has to admit that he is doing quite a good job at it. The Prince takes Auron's orders very seriously, standing up on the couch and showing off his coolest pose yet, I'll stay here with Miss Asuka!

Asuka finds it terribly hard to not laugh at how The Prince plopped onto the couch before straightening himself up again, Don't worry Miss Asuka, The Prince will take good care of you! So instead, Asuka tries to give him the sweetest smile ever even if it came out more like a wince. "I'm not worried about being taken care of, really, I'm just worried of getting bored. So suppose you can entertain me?" Asuka gives him a wink.

Realizing that the boy might get a different idea than what she intended, "what I meant, of course, is an innocent kind of entertainment," she explains. "Like tell me more about yourself while we wait for Auron and Jenet."

"Better make that while you're waiting for just Auron." Jenet had returned, with a rather noticeable grin on her face. Tossing Auron's bag of money up in the air a couple of times, she looked at both The Prince and Asuka. "Hey guys, did you miss me?"

Throwing the bag again one more time, Jenet caught it and smiled. "Good news, I got us a really good deal on a couple rooms here. The innkepper was nice enough to give me a little 'discount'. Wasn't that lovely of him?" Jenet kept quiet on the actual details about how she actually got the discount, though it was really because of how she 'put the moves' on the unsuspecting guy.

"So anyways..." Jenet looked at the Prince. "Go ahead, tell us about yourself. I'm curious about how a kid managed to become royalty."

The Prince did not catch onto Asuka's comment at all. Of course, he also thought the word innocent had to do with money, so that wasn't surprising.

He smiled broadly when Jenet came back. "A discount? Does that mean he counted the money wrong? That's funny!" The Prince held up his fingers. "The Prince can count, see?" He counted off on his fingers. "One and one is two and one and one and one is three and..." Then he forgot why he was holding his fingers up and counting them. He must have been counting how many people where in the room. Yes, that was surely it. But there were too many people to count on his fingers or his toes!

He gave up on that and decided to detail his exciting life to Asuka and Jenet. "Father is The King of All Cosmos! And The Prince is his son! Then there is Mother; she's The Queen. But Father... oh, he just is so grand! The Prince hopes to be as great as him someday! He is amazing! The Prince wishes you could just see how majestic he is," he changed subjects then, clearly forgetting what he had just been talking about, "Wow, Queen Jenet has a ball. The Prince has one too!" He had been eyeing the bag she had been tossing up in the air, mistaking it for some sort of game.

The Prince took out his katamari. He extended it toward Jenet to show her, but he did so a little too abruptly and lost control of the ball, which fell out of his hand...

...and right onto Jenet's dress.

"Oh no!" he cried, "The Prince is sorry! Let him get it!" He lunged forward to try and grab onto it. This wouldn't be pretty.

[ ooc: XD We talked about doing something like this once. If you don't want it to happen right now just tell me and I'll edit. ]

Better make that while you're waiting for just Auron. Jenet had returned to Asuka's sofa with a very noticeable grin on her face. Hey guys, did you miss me? Asuka grins, it's not often that she is able to meet people as cool as Jenet is. "How can we miss you when you're gone for just that long?"

Jenet throws the bag of money up and catches it back again, rather bragging about how she managed to get a few discounts because the innkeeper was 'nice.' The Prince replied in his way of making things seem so interesting because it's all a novelty for him. Asuka has never met anyone who doesn't know what a 'discount' means.

So anyways... Go ahead, tell us about yourself. I'm curious about how a kid managed to become royalty. Jenet said to The Prince. The Prince launched an all out explanation about his family, the King of All Cosmos and his mother, The Queen. Suddenly, though, he stopped, Wow, Queen Jenet has a ball. The Prince has one too! The little boy took out a colorful ball and showed it to Jenet enthusiastically, accidentally dropping it onto Jenet's dress.

It clung to the fabric like a piece of bubble gum. "Oh my," Asuka gasped, thinking of how hard it would be to get it off, and she knows that Jenet probably do not have any other pair of dress. Asuka does not know that it's gonna get worse, Oh no! The Prince is sorry! Let him get it!" and he lunged toward Jenet. Asuka finds herself wide-eyed and helpless as the scene plays itself in front of her...

Before she could take in and make out any of the Prince's rather... confusing background, the little ball that belonged to him had now found it's way to her dress. She watched as the boy went after it, which meant that the two of them would collide. Thankfully, Jenet was able move out of the way and avoid the incoming boy.

"Hey! What're you trying to do, knock me down?! Geez." Looking down at her skirt, she saw the ball-like object stuck to it and raised an eyebrow. "So rowdy..." Jenet shook briskly shook her skirt, while being careful not to 'show' anything to two minors there, but the thing didn't come off. "What the...? Why won't it come off?" she said, trying to shake it off again, but to no avail.

The Prince tripped and fell to the ground as Jenet moved out of the way. He jumped back up, readjusting his hat. "It is The Prince's katamari," he said, nervously rocking from foot to foot, "He uses it to pick up many, many things. But it is very, very sticky." He watched as Jenet tried to shake the katamari off.

"That won't work," he said, shaking his head, "Only The Prince can remove The Prince's katamari. Father says it is 'special.'" Her face broke at the mention of his father. "Oh no, Father, The Prince has been bad! Horrible! Awful! And any other words that mean The Prince is bad, bad, bad! He can't do anything right. He'll never become a great king like Father." He blew his nose on his scarf. Realizing what he was doing, he said, "And now The Prince has dirtied his lovely scarf!”

He tried to wring it out, but found that that did not work well with snot. He twisted the scarf nervously, while looking up at Jenet. “The Prince is sorry, Queen Jenet. He didn’t mean to be bad. But he can take off his katamari. Honest." He just wanted to make things right again.

Standing with his strong arms around a considerably-sized washtub of water, Auron found himself standing behind the couch, blinking his good eye at the scene.

"The three of you seem to have all the fun once I leave."

Making a wide detour around Jenet, the Prince, and the strange sticky thing attatched to Jenet's dress, Auron came around the couch, setting the washtub on the ground beside Asuka. Tucked into his belt were three or four large fluffy white towels. When he'd told the hotel staff that he had an injured girl with him, they'd been quite helfpul. Remaining on his knee on the ground, Auron blinked at the Prince and Jenet. "I gather I missed something here?"

"Yeah, I guess you missed quite a lot," Asuka smirks. It is rather hard to contain her laugh, but she is trying very hard. "It would be best to let him get the katamari-thingie off, I guess," Asuka suggests to Jenet. "Not trying to bossy, just a suggestion."

Asuka adjusts herself on the couch, trying to make it as easy for Auron as possible. "What's the tub for? Are you trying to make me take a bath right here in the lobby??"

"Just get hurry up and this thing off me already! It's my favorite dress and I rather not have it ruined, especially when it's the only thing I have to wear here." Jenet ordered at the prince, and then, went to look at what Auron had brought with him.

"What's the tub for? Are you trying to make me take a bath right here in the lobby??"

"Well, we have to get all those nasty wounds of yours cleaned, and wash of the blood, right? Unless you rather have it dry up and get all nice and... crunchy."

The Prince gently pulled off the katamari, taking care not to rip Jenet's dress in the process. It took a bit of time, but he eventually got the ball off. Satisfied that Jenet's dress was not ruined, he went to sit on the floor next to the couch.

He rolled the katamari around in his hands, idly cleaning off bits of dust and lint. At least over here he wouldn't be able to do any harm. He turned his body so that he looked off to the wall, away from Asuka, Jenet, and Auron. He shouldn't get in the way anymore.

Auron nodded to Jenet's response. "What she said." Remaining on the floor on a knee, Auron sorted out the clean bandages and towels. Making a 'come' gesture with his hand, he motioned to Asuka's injured arm, for her to sit forward a bit so that he could get it clean minimal water sloppage on the cushions. "Same as before, Lady Asuka. It's likely to sting when I treat it. I'll go as fast as I can."

Searching for the tied-off end of bandage on her arm, Auron raised a brow at Jenet. "Did you get us a room...?" Within the same beat, before waiting for a reply, he turned his head to look at the Prince. "Prince. Come over here please. I need your help with this."

Jenet nodded. "I sure did. Not just one but two! Aren't I amazing?"

Going back to the small bag of money she had, she stuck her hand in it and took out 3 keys. "Here, catch." she said to Auron, tossing him one of the keys. "That's for your room, you'll be sharing it with Prince here." Next, she went over to Asuka's side and set down another key next to her. "You'll be rooming with me, there's your key. Don't lose it!" Holding up the last key, she placed it bag inside the bag. "And this last one's for me. Sorry Prince, but you'd probably lose yours if you had one."

With the keys given out, Jenet stretched her arms and yawned. "I don't know about the rest of you, but all this has really worn me out. I'll be going to my room now. Auron, you can just drop Asuka there when you're done." Turning around heading for the stairs, she waved at them. "Don't do anything weird, and wake me up when it's dinner time." The piratess went up the stairs and left the group alone, without returning Auron's bag with the remaining coins in it.

[OOC: So yeah, I took this opportunity to exit Jenet out from the thread... since Wednesday will be closed soon. If the rest of you have any problem at all with this, let me know and I'll delete/re-do it.]

The Prince immediately jumped back up, forgetting that he had been moping just a second ago. "Ok! What does Mr. Auron want the Prince to do?"

As The Prince came up to the couch, Jenet threw a key to Auron, stating that he and The Prince would be sleeping together. The Prince's face lit up at the idea. Oh, it would be so much fun! They could play games, and tell stories, and have a pillow fight! (Of course, The Prince hadn't thought about the fact that Auron would probably not want to do these things.)

"The Prince wouldn't lose it!" he told Jenet, "He would just keep it in his hat, safe and sound." But he was too excited about bunking with Auron to really protest.

"Goodnight Queen Jenet!" The Prince called after her, waving his arms madly in farewell. He turned back to Auron and Asuka, remembering that he was supposed to be helping. "Oops. What does Mr. Auron need again?"

[ ooc: Alright, I'm sure that's fine! We'll wrap things up here then. ]

Snorting about how Auron and Jenet are telling her she must take a bath in front of the whole lobby, she unwittingly scoots closer to Auron. Same as before, Lady Asuka. It's likely to sting when I treat it. I'll go as fast as I can. Auron tells her, opening up her bandages again. "Yeah whatever, do what you want," she sulks. She gonna get her dignity ruined in a world that is not even her own.

Jenet excuses herself from the group after telling them of the rooming arrangement. Asuka is rather let down by how she is not going to be bunking with The Prince, but Jenet is more than cool enough, so it will be fine. "Happy sleeping then!" Asuka shouts against her retreating figure, already not sulking.

Auron has asked The Prince to help him, triggering another round of gleeful shouts from the little boy. Asuka's lips were just forming into a smile when a piercing pain comes from her arm, making her shriek. "Hey, watch what's you're doing there," she is not so much mad about the pain rather than about it making her shriek like a weak person.

Catching the key one-handed, Auron snorted. "We'll be up shortly. I could use some rest myself." Turning to talk to the Prince, Auron nearly jumped when Asuka shrieked. Raising a brow at her, Auron mumbled, regaining his composure. "My apologies." Mumbling something incoherent, Auron finished unwrapping her arm, growling at the sight of the bared wound. Pausing, he held the shining key out to the Prince.

"First off, I'm entrusting this to you. Don't loose it, you hear? 'Else the two of us will be sleeping in the hallway, and I'm sure the management won't be pleased about that. ...come to think of it I won't be too happy about that either." Taking one of the large white towels, Auron dipped a corner of it in the basin, squeezing out the excess water as to not make a mess. He then patted the cushion next to Asuka. "Sit up here - and be gentle about it. I need both your eyes, Prince." Using his free hand, Auron tapped the brow of his scarred and blind eye. "Three eyes will be better than one. So tell me if I miss anything, or if you see anything green or ugly-smelling on Lady Asuka's arm."

With that, he began to gently wash the injury, starting at her shoulder. Shrewdly he turned his gaze on her. "The next time you plan on letting out a yell, warn me, hm? I'm an old man. My heart can't take all the shock, you know." Auron chuckled.

"Oh no, is Miss Asuka all right?" he asked worriedly, though he was sure Auron hadn't done it on purpose. Auron wouldn't do that. The Prince didn't know much, but he knew that.

"Yes Mr. Auron! The Prince will not fail!" he said, holding the key tightly as Auron handed it to him. He did as Auron told him, climbing up on the sofa to sit next to Asuka, still holding the key in his one hand. He wasn't going to lose it; he'd be sure of that.

"The Prince's eyes?" he questioned, but then he saw what Auron was talking about. Oh, for that. The Prince did not particularly want to watch, but for Auron and Asuka, he would do anything. He settled down to intently watch Auron's work, looking for anything he might have missed. The Prince didn't really know what he should be looking for, even with Auron's instructions, but he was sure he would know if he saw it.

The next time you plan on letting out a yell, warn me, hm? I'm an old man. My heart can't take all the shock, you know. Auron chuckles while washing the injury on her shoulder off. Asuka bites her lips in an attempt to not shriek anymore, for the reason of maintaining her dignity rather than to not shock Auron. She mutters a string of curses under her breath as another bout of pain surges through her body.

"If I may know, how old are you and what have you been doing for a living to get that kind of scar on you?" Asuka points at Auron's scarred eye. Then realizing the wound on her own eye, she touches the bandage over her eye with the same hand she used to point to Auron, "do you think the same would happen to my eye?"

Asuka chuckles bitterly, not looking at Auron, afraid of the answer he might give her. She looks at The Prince who is looking very intently at where Auron is washing her. Her saliva tastes acrid as she watches the two brilliant eyes of The Prince; so this is how jealousy feels like.

Unable to keep from chuckling softly at the Prince, Auron continued his work. Even if the Prince didn't see anything, at least he was keeping busy and in a much more cheerful mood than before. After Asuka asked her question, Auron suddenly went deathly serious and quiet. For a few minutes he diligently worked, moving swiftly and surely as he cleaned the injury. So far, so good. Nothing looked infected or otherwise out of place. He was past her elbow by the time he spoke again, managing to work himself into a sort of collected calm.

"...I'm 35. I was something called a Guardian on my world. It was my duty to protect my friend, High Summoner Braska. He was making his Pilgrimage across my world Spira, to defeat the evil known as Sin. The job is not an easy one, the land is full of monsters, and Sin could attack at any time. I lost my eye trying to guard Braska." Talking about the collapse of his religious beliefs and the death of Braska and Jecht made Auron seem even more grave and serious than he tended to be, his remaining eye appearing to be witnessing the painful end of his two best friends all over again.

Inspecting the soiled towel and the basin of water that was swirled red, Auron looked back up at Asuka, almost grimly. "My eye was lost in battle, and scarred because I left it untreated. You seem to have a distinct advantage over my case." He sighed, trying desperately to cheer up, or at least not give his young friends cause to worry or inquire as to the end result of the Final Aeon and Sin. He couldn't tell them that he was an Unsent. Not yet. "Plus, you're young yet. Innately resilient and all." Switching in a clean towel, Auron unfolded it. "I'm going to dry this now and rebandage it. Doesn't look infected. Should heal cleanly." He looked to the Prince. "I need you to count those rolls of bandage for me, Prince. I want to wrap this as neatly as possible. Afterwards we'll have a look at your head and then call it a night." He looked at the two of them. "Sound like a plan?"

The Prince's enthusiasm waned as Auron told his story. The Prince wanted to cheer Auron up, but he didn't know how. He thought that Auron must feel like he did when he thought of his father. He was happy when he talked about his father, really he was, but at the same time he felt a little knot in his stomach. And The Prince knew that the knot wasn't from eating too many cookies. No, this was not a cookie knot. It was a sad knot, and The Prince figured that Auron must have one too.

But The Prince cheered up as Auron gave him another job. "Oh, The Prince can count! Watch how good he can count!" He then proceeded to count the rolls aloud, and not too quietly either.

[ ooc: I'm not sure how many rolls you want, or if it matters. ]

[ooc: when i read the ooc note about rolls, i suddenly thought of bread rolls lol! forgive my starved mind, i'm trying to lose weight for prom x)]

The way Auron had said I lost my eye trying to guard Braska made it clear to Asuka that he had tried and failed. Trying to not poke at that subject anymore, she listens closely to him trying to cheer her up. The first reason he gave to her is not very comforting as it has been more than a day that she left it untreated, but the second, about young people being innately resilient and all comforted her a bit. "I'm not gonna blame you if I go blind," Asuka mumbles, not even sure why she said it.

I need you to count those rolls of bandage for me, Prince. I want to wrap this as neatly as possible. Afterwards we'll have a look at your head and then call it a night. Auron says to The Prince, turning Asuka's attention to the unbelievably hyperactive little boy. The boy starts counting the rolls in a very loud voice, attracting the attention of other people in the lobby.

Asuka leans back on the couch, closing her eyes, just listening to The Prince shouting out numbers and Auron's repetitive rubbing over her skin. She feels warm inside, and rather sleepy. Could this be how it is like to feel safe? She chuckles, but not bitterly this time, "tell me, what would you honestly want in return for doing this for me?"

((ooc: The number didn't really matter, Auron's just tryin' to keep His Highness included and occupied. :D And I'm gonna wrap this thread up so we can move on, okay?))

Chuckling at the way the Prince counted the bandages, Auron looked up at Asuka. "Who said anything about payment? You're injured and needed help. The half-brained lot that seem to occupy this city didn't seem like the type, so I took it upon myself." With that he began to bandage her arm securely, exhaling in relief now that it was properly treated and wrapped in clean linens. Getting up from his crouch at the foot of her bed, the former Guardian patted her head gently with a small smile, obviously about to crack one of his odd jokes. "Your youthful charm is payment enough, my Lady. Now up we go, one last time."

Taking Asuka in his arms and motioning for the Prince to follow, it wasn't hard for Auron to find she and Jenet's room and deposit the young woman safely in the clean sheets. Nodding and bowing with an unexpected grace to Asuka, Auron left. "Sleep well, Lady Asuka. And you too, Lady Jenet." Wishing that he had some sort of comforting or reassuring words for them about their adventures here in this new world, Auron made a hasty exit, shutting the door behind him.

In a swift motion he'd scooped the Prince up, setting the boy on his shoulder. "As for you, young sir, I hope you still have our key, hm? I'm going to tend to the mess I made while looking after Asuka, and then it's bedtime for the two of us." Auron did just that, donating the medicines the Prince and Jenet had picked up to the hotel, and disposing of the fouled water in the gutter.

When all was said and done, Auron stood at the foot of his bed. Methodically undoing the straps and buckles and belts that came with his distinctive clothing, Auron peeled off the shoulder guard and belts and gloves, shrugging out of his chest plate and red coat. Setting the Shiranui close at hand and his sunglasses on the table, Auron slipped into bed shirtless, almost sighing. Tucking his hands behind his head, Auron stared at the ceiling. "Heh. So much for the Farplane."

((ooc: I hope that was okay with everyone. >> If it's not I'll delete it. But I guess this thread's officially closed and we can catch up with everyone else now. :D ))

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To quote Auron: "All aboard for the Actua Are" [Closed]

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