[i]Three Days Ago ...

[indent] The first step into the fresh air of the plateau was as sweet as it was bitter. She refused the first medic's offer of help out of her own stubbornness, instead allowing Harper to be taken away. Although she was worse off than Harper, Haven was too busy searching the chaos of the site for a particular head of black walnut hair and sky blue eyes.

She held her breath as she tallied each familiar face within the crowd. Her teammates, shocked and injured, were all out of the walls. Most of them already being tended to, and yet Haven did not feel relief-- not even when she saw Aurora's autumn hair--  until her eyes found Rory among them.

[color=tan][i]"Rory."[/i][/color] The relief and desperation held within her croaking voice carried through the noise of the camp like a feather in the wind.

She took a step towards him, another wave of exhaustion passing through her muscles as the relief settled into her bones. [i]He's alive. He's okay.[/i] The cuts that marred his skin and suit alarmed her, but she didn't care for how they had come to be or what had caused them. Not when he was standing there searching for her too. Not when she felt her knees grow weak as those clear eyes found hers.

She reached towards him with shaking hands, holding onto her strength for just a moment longer as he approached. The moment he was near, she allowed herself to collapse into his arms. She let herself sink onto the grass with him, unaware of her limp wings slumping against the grass behind her. He was here. He was safe.

If she had any tears left to shed, she would have wept again. She looked at him with red rimmed, puffy eyes and tried to convey the words she couldn't utter aloud with the emotion swelling behind them. They were both out. They were both okay.

Rory barely registered the pain as he jogged to Haven and wrapped her in his arms, going down to the ground with her as he squeezed with all his might. She was far worse off than he was, and that stung more than the feeling of air on the cuts across his body. His thoughts were a fog, and it was still hard to tell what was real and what wasn’t anymore. But in this moment, the only thing he cared about was that Haven was safe and in his arms. He didn’t make much sound, instead moving a hand to her hair to hold her close, his thumb gently rubbing the back of her head as he tried to catch his breath. It felt like he hadn’t breathed in hours.

He held her for a moment, before he could finally find words or a voice. He had seen the injuries, especially to her wings, from a mile away. As he broke the tight embrace, he slid a hand down her arm and to her hand to hold it. His eyes were red, threatening to water and tear up. But he smiled softly as he looked Haven over. [color=04cf3a]”I’m… I…”[/color] As per usual, words were lost on him again. He wanted to apologize, and he wanted to ask what happened. He wanted to know what had happened to her. He wanted to know who was responsible. He wanted to know if it was the person who left him injured.

But most importantly, he wanted her to be safe and ok. 

That didn’t mean he couldn’t be a little apologetic.

[color=04cf3a]”Ok… next time, we’re not splitting up.”[/color] He seemed more on the verge of tears as he tried to crack a small grin, doing his best to make light of whatever Hell they had just experienced. He closed his eyes, swallowed, and focused to keep himself from breaking down. Breaking down into tears was what showers were for. For now, he had to stay strong. [color=04cf3a]”Have the healers checked you out yet?”[/color]

Haven had buried her face in Rory’s neck the moment he held her to him. His gentle swirls against the back of her head soothing any pain she may have felt by his tight embrace. This pain was welcome. His arms had become a refuge for her to take shelter within. Her own safe haven from the storm that remained after the torment within the trial.

Her eyes moved over the many cuts on his body as he pulled back from her. She needed to see every mark closely, ensuring none had cut too deep. Something about them seemed too familiar, and she felt a question rising from within as she looked into his eyes again. The tears welling in his sky blue eyes left her speechless. Her heart twisted in her chest and she offered comfort with a squeeze of his hand as he seemed to struggle for words. It was obvious that he had questions too.

Haven found herself willing to answer anything he asked. The heartbreak of reliving what she’d gone through was a price she was willing to pay to know what hell Rory had seen. She’d tell him everything he needed to know; about her pain, about her history, about her grief. She’d give herself over completely if only to keep him by her side.

In classic Rory fashion, the brave man tried to make a joke. Haven could only nod in response, her brows lifting as she tried to return his sad grin with her own. She lifted her free hand to his cheek as he fought the tears she knew he would let fall when he was alone. Her thumb delicately ran over his cheekbone, hoping to let him know that it was okay to cry with her there.

She shook her head as he looked at her again, her hand falling to press against his chest where his heart beat beneath her palm. [color=tan]“I had to make sure you were okay first.”[/color]

She looked between his eyes, running her tongue over her dry lips so she could make her words clear as she spoke them. [color=tan]“I kept worrying about you. The simulation told me you all were going to die.”[/color] Her eyes fell to his chest where she could physically feel his life beating against her skin, letting the rhythm soothe her. [color=tan]“It almost killed me.”[/color]

Rory squeezed Haven's hand back, his tears abated a little by a new emotion stirring deep in his chest: anger. Though, even that was dulled by the relief that everyone had made it out alive. [color=04cf3a]”I… think it did that with all of us. The simulation wanted me to choose…”[/color] His words trailed off. The end of that sentence wasn't pleasant, and he didn't want Haven to know what he had chosen quite yet. He shook his head, taking a deep breath. [Color=04cf3a]”I… I'm just glad we all made it out alive.”[/color]

Haven lifted his hand to her lips and placed a gentle kiss against one of his many cuts. [color=tan]“We can talk about it later… when we’re ready.”[/color] Her lips spread into a sad smile.

A healer approached to their left, allowing them each a moment to shake the horror from their minds. Haven didn’t protest when they offered to heal Rory first, even if Rory tried to himself. She knew her injuries would take the longest between the two of them. Her hand did not leave Rory’s despite it, choosing to lay on the grass beside him to give her sore body a break.

With Rory patched up, Haven closed her eyes as the healer moved onto her. She had just begun to relax for the first time in hours when she heard them. Jim’s signature bow-legged footsteps along with two foreign. Her body seized the moment she opened her eyes to see the Foundation representative towering over her, the memories of the simulation mixing with what she saw now. Her hand tightening around Rory’s was the only physical signal she gave to suggest she was in distress.

Torres couldn’t know the fear that Haven felt looking at her. She wouldn’t give her the satisfaction. Even if the representative’s lips weren’t moving, Haven could hear the sneer clearly within her head. It rang through her.

[b][i]Sub-class.[/i][/b] 

It was the only reason she let Rory slip from her fingers. Even still, Haven watched the group like a hawk as they took him into the Minotaur. Her eyes didn’t leave the vehicle once. Not even when she refused to let the healer work on her wings. She could hear their laboured breathing. Her other injuries had already taken a toll on their store of HZE’s, and she couldn’t bear the thought of allowing someone to touch her wings with Torres’s towering figure, and the place she’d been sent to by the simulation, haunting her now.

The healer instead chose to move onto her various bruises and cuts. Her forearms had just begun to look as scarred as they had been before the trial when she saw Jim and Rory exit the minotaur. She heard the words Jim exchanged with him, her curiosity peaking, but she couldn’t wrap her head around the meaning of them. She was too relieved knowing that Rory had made it out of the minotaur unscathed to bother asking as he returned to her.

As Rory returned, he seemed to be a bit lost in thought. He plopped down next to Haven, reaching a hand out to hold hers again as he stared off into the middle distance. He didn't want to believe it… Jim and Torres were just paranoid. But if they weren't… Rory looked to Haven, and a sharper pain struck his heart than anything the Trials themselves could strike. The thought that someone in Blackjack could have been involved In something like this, or even supported it, felt like a delusion.

But if one of them was…

Rory gave Haven's hand a squeeze as he looked her over, his eyes turning to her wings. His words were soft, as he had an inkling of what could have happened in there. [Color=04cf3a]”Before we head back… can you please have them check your wings? I'll be right here.”[/color]

She had a feeling he would mention it the moment she saw his eyes turn to her wings. Her forest eyes glanced between his blues, their pain evident amongst the understanding that shone within them. Her nod of agreement was timid, and yet she still followed through by giving the same nod to the healer. She saw them exchange an appreciative glance with him before she felt their touch upon her feathers.  She held onto Rory’s hand like it was a lifeline then, her eyes squeezing shut as she felt those rubber gloves upon her once more. Amma’s ominous curiosity mixed with the memories that flashed through her mind as the healer worked. She imagined a metal table underneath her, but she felt the cool grass grazing her feathers. Instead of the pain of her wings stretched taught, a soothing flow of energy passed through every muscle and barb. The missing feathers would need time to regrow, of course.

At least she wouldn’t have to wait to fly again.

Her eyes fluttered open once the healer finished, immediately searching for Rory, for the comfort he brought her. She allowed her hold on his hand to relax, hoping she hadn’t hurt him with her grip. Her voice, even though it was no longer hoarse, wasn’t more than a whisper when she spoke.  [color=tan]“Thank you.”[/color]

Rory gave a soft smile and a nod, a throbbing pain coursing through his hand. He didn't mind it, though. If anything, the pain was keeping him from focusing more on Jim's potential assignment. As the healer left the two alone, Rory reclined in the grass for the moment and stared up towards the sky. His words were quiet and calm, his brows furrowed as he searched for the right words. [Color=04cf3a]”After we… you know, get back and shower… I'm not trying to… I don't want to… gah.”[/color] He slapped his free palm into his forehead. Words were hard. Requests were hard. Feelings… that might be easier.

With his eyes closed and the back of his hand on his forehead as he desperately clawed for the right words, the weight of everything that had happened grew heavier and tighter on his chest. His voice became weaker and softer. [Color=04cf3a]”I don't want to be alone tonight. Not like a hookup… I just… I don't know.”[/color] His voice trailed off.

Haven had taken the moment to stare into the open air above them too. With her mind so clouded, she yearned to jump into that open space and remain there for a while. She needed to forget about the trials, if only for a few hours. Her wings were healed now. They were safe. The one thing that kept her from taking off was her exhaustion, and the man beside her that tugged on her heartstrings as he failed to express himself.

With Rory’s eyes closed, he didn’t notice her move from her place beside him until she was leaning over him. She bent down, placing a gentle kiss on the healed skin of his palm. [color=tan]“I don’t want to be alone either. Maybe not for a while.”[/color] She murmured. Her eyes looked over his face, memories shifting from her new nightmares to the night they’d shared. It felt like it had happened ages ago.

[color=tan]“I need to fly for a bit… I need to feel that they’re okay.”[/color] She placed a kiss on his cheek this time. [color=tan]“I’ll come over to your dorm later… Promise.”[/color]

She promised him because she worried he’d doubt her. The simulated version of Mei’s words still hung over her, as it no doubt hung over him. She needed to prove that it was wrong. She’d already decided what she would do to earn his complete trust in the woods from her past.

A small smile crept on Rory’s lips at the affection and promise. He opened his eyes again, taking her and her healed wings in. She had a way of improving his mood, even after everything. He propped himself up on his elbow and turned towards her, nodding towards the open sky above. [color=04cf3a]”I’ll leave the window open for you, then… but I think I’m going to lie here for a little longer before heading back. I’ve got some things to think over.”[/color]
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[indent][sup][color=silver]Interaction:[/color] [color=04cf3a]Rory,[/color] [@Webboysurf][/sup][/indent][hr]
[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/ulmeolp.jpg[/img][/center]
[COLOR=tan][indent][sub][B]Location:[/B] [COLOR=SILVER][I]Strigidae Dorms [/I] - [I]PRCU[/I][/COLOR][/sub][sup][right][b] Take on Me: #3.008 [/B][COLOR=SILVER][I]Eggs in One Basket[/I][/COLOR][/right][/sup][/indent][sub][hr][/sub][INDENT][sub][B]Interaction(s):[/B] [COLOR=SILVER][I]N/A[/I][/COLOR][/sub][SUP][RIGHT][b]Previously:[/b] [COLOR=SILVER][I]Big Birds Don't Cry[/I][/COLOR][/right][/SUP][/INDENT][/COLOR]

[indent] Haven stared at the neatly kept uniform within her closet. Wet droplets fell from her locks and from the tip of her chin onto the soft material of the towel she clutched to her. The uniform sat there as a reminder to her that things were different now. The changes that the Foundation brought with them hung over her head like a hornets nest. Harmless where it clung to it's perch, and yet one shift in the wrong direction and the nest would be alive with malicious intent. Who would it sting first to protect it's survival?

Not only was the school different, but she was too. She no longer felt as if she could breeze through the campus with the ease in which she had before. She was always checking if people were too close to her. Her wings, patchy where her feathers were beginning to regrow, were kept close to her so that they couldn't come within anyone's reach. She no longer proudly stretched them in the sunlight as she walked between Rory's dorm and her own. The instinctual need to keep them close, to keep them safe, was ever present.

She didn't hide the damage done to them. If anyone looked, she stared back. A wild edge to her gaze that dared them to speak of it. The only one who didn't receive her challenge was the only person she felt comfortable to stand beside... or lie beside. Rory's presence had quickly become one of the few places she could relax. His closeness was something she craved. Even when she soared over the island, or when she had sat in her favorite tree to take some time away from the busyness of campus, she wished he was next to her.

It was a feeling she'd never experienced before. The feeling she thought she'd given a name to in the trial. The feeling that could be expressed in three little words. Words that Rory had already spoken to her, in his innocent way, that had not been mentioned since. In some way, she figured they were already expressing these feelings in a different form. It was said in the way they touched each other, the way they comforted each other when their dreams kept them from sleeping, and in the way that Rory left his window open for her each night.

The thought of his open window brought a small smile to her lips as she reached past her uniform and for the green flannel that hung with her casual clothes. She didn't feel ready to share those words with Rory yet. Not with the new changes to the school and the weight of the trial distracting her from which direction her heart was being pulled. They both needed time to sort things out and to settle in to their altered minds before they could make that leap into the unknown.

Careful hands pulled on a black tank top and then the green flannel. Less careful hands then tugged a pair of underwear and jeans up her full hips. She sat on her bed as she adorned her feet with socks. The first time she'd touched the unmade mess since after the bonfire. The only thing she missed about it was it's position in the room and the peace in knowing that she wouldn't whack Rory's face or the dorm wall when she had restless sleep. It had happened one too many times already, but she wasn't about to ask Rory to move his bed for her.

To think that she'd have to spend the day without him already had her feeling on edge. Her gaze drifted towards the printed out class schedule that hung by her calendar. This year was already going to be challenge enough without the weight of the trials on her shoulders. She was on her final year, held back because of poor grades, and she wasn't sure now if she could pull it off. Sitting in classes for hours on end felt like it would drive her wild. One class in particular, shoved into the end of the week to give her team more time to heal, had the hairs on the back of her neck standing tall.

[i]Sparring, Torres.[/i]

Haven averted her eyes, hands trembling ever so subtly as they pulled on her sneakers. The memories screamed at her, [i]like the winged woman had screamed[/i], in the back of her mind. Ever present when she was alone. The simulation may have made it up. Her perception of Torres could be warped by her nightmares. Did that mean she could face her without feeling panic bubble up her throat? Rory knew about her fears; about the missing students at the Foundation Institute. He knew that she was terrified that she might disappear too, as irrational of a fear as it seemed. She would go only because her team would be there, because Rory would be there. She knew her friends had her back and that was enough for her to face her fear with them.

Haven shook her wings out behind her as she stood. A poor attempt to shake the memories from her head before she would step out into campus. She grabbed her schoolbag from the desk as she passed it, yet her steps faltered as they reached the door to her room. Her ears listened for movement outside it, and she was met with silence. Her roommates had gone already. She wouldn't have to breeze past their sympathy on her way out.

As she made her usual path through the dorm, back carefully turned towards the wall if she passed any student, she considered knocking on Harper's or Banjo's door. Other than Lorcan and Aurora's sleepover the night of the trail, she hadn't heard anything from her teammates. It was unlike her not to reach out to them. If she hadn't been so engrossed in her own recovery, or in Rory's presence, she would have liked to check in on them. She had to remind herself that they were likely feeling the same way, and that's why they hadn't reached out to her either.

With a soft sigh, Haven continued out into the morning light. It warmed her feathers, and the autumn breeze cooled her skin. She was half tempted to ditch classes to enjoy the weather, yet she knew it would do her no good. She needed to focus this year.

Well, focus about as well as she could with the trials haunting her every step, the Foundation hanging overhead, and no doubt more challenges on the way.

Pacific Royal had never felt more like home, and more like a threat, than it ever had.
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