She nods and clutches on to the water bottle with both hands, raising it to her lips and drinking deeply. She nearly chugs the whole thing.
Still thirsty. In fact, she almost feels thirstier. How odd.
She looks up at Kaspar, or what she perceived to be Kaspar at least, and hands him the canister.
Something about not being able to see very clearly made her heart ache. She reaches out to touch his face, when suddenly, she finds herself being whisked away by her father.
She merely smiles at her fatherâs comment, clutching his arm affectionately, but also for support.
She turns back to look at Kaspar a little. She takes a shaky breath, her eyes glazed over with tears. All she can do is smile at him, helpless. But safe, comfortable, surrounded by her family at long last. KasparâŚ
Then suddenly, theyâre transported into a sea of black, which disintegrates into light once more. The air is ever so sweet, familiar⌠a gentle breeze graces her cheeks. The sound of children playing, people conversing. Aster.
She hears a somewhat familiar voice.
âS-Sure! I donât mi-â she starts before Azazel interrupts.
âD-Dad!â she laughs, âI donât mind at all! U-Um⌠if Kaspar could come with me, tooâŚâ
âOf course he can, sweetie! Lets go,â he says, tugging her into the clinic. Dr. Freeman looks at Kaspar and shrugs.
Sheâs led into what she can only assume is an exam room of sorts. The exam table is cold. Azazel stands near her, holding her hand.
âAlright, Miss Chosen⌠how are you feeling?â Dr. Freeman asks as he begins his exam.
âU-Um⌠I feel a lot better now that Iâm home!â she smiles, âI⌠Iâm just really sleepy⌠I canât see very well, and uh⌠Iâm really thirsty.â
Azazel looks at Dr. Freeman, a concerned look. Dr. Freeman purses his lips, shining a light in Duskâs eyes.
âHmm⌠it seems you have lost some eye sight. But I think with the proper treatment, it can get better!â he chirps, âLetâs get some fluids going, and some liquid nutrition, see if we can get you eating a little,â he says, patting her head gently, âIâm going to keep you here for a few days so I can keep an eye on you, but weâll have you feeling better in no time,â he smiles.
âOf course, nowââ Dr. Freeman shifts his focus to a nurse, âMelinda, could you escort the Chosen to a room, please? Set her up with some IVs, and a bath of Holy water.â
âOf course, Doctor,â the nurse takes Duskâs other hand, and along with Azazel, they escort her to her room, âWe will get you feeling better in no time, sweetie.â
Dusk looks back at Kaspar. She wants him to come with her⌠the door closes.
Dr. Freeman sighs, looking up at Kaspar.
âSheâs not quite a Fallen yet⌠her Angelic powers will hopefully be restored the more time she spends on Aster. But⌠I want to keep her over night to make sure she doesnât hurt anyone. That thirstâŚâ
Within a few moments the nurse known as Melinda returns with the bags of fluids. She clips them up to a pole and winks at Dusky.
âNow, this might sting a little, but itâll be over quick, okay?â she chirps, grabbing at Duskâs arm and feels for a vein.
What she sees is almost a gold flowing through her veins, though she can feel how dehydrated she is. No matter how hard she tries, a vein wonât submerge from her skin. She purses her lips and nods to herself.
âIt looks like weâre gonna have to poke a vein in your hand instead,â she says, holding her wrist and feeling for a vein. Within a moment, she grabs a butterfly clip and pokes it into a vein on the back of her palm. She smiles.
âWasnât too bad, right?â Melinda bows, âDr. Freeman will be in soon. Just wait here!â
________________________________________________________________
Kaspar eyes the Doctor, gaze heavy. He takes in a sharp breath, his eyes falling to the floor. He nods slowly. The last thing he wants to hear: the Chosen of Light becoming a Blackened Angel. If only he were quicker... this wouldnât have happened. He knows of the thirst Dr. Freeman speaks of. His own thirst. The thirst for human blood. The thought of Dusk extracting blood on her own causes him to wince.
â... Do you know of a way to restore her purity?â he asks.
Dr. Freeman purses his lips, coiling his fingers around his chin in thought. His glasses flash with reflection.
âWell, Iâve thoughts about the matter... though they are not but thoughts. Theories, more like. My first thought would be to bring her back to Heaven, though...â
âThatâs where sheâs been this whole time,â he replies, âProbably how sheâs been losing her eye sight as well...â
âI agree. They say that the Light of Heaven is brighter than even the sun. Iâm sure that if any human were exposed to such Light, they would surely go blind.â
âThough... Dusk isnât human,â Kaspar replies.
âThough being upon Aster has given her more... humanlike qualities, has it not?â he asks, âPerhaps returning to Heaven after living here for so long had a negative effect upon her. I believe that would explain her lack of vision...â
Kaspar frowns and glances to the wall.
Suddenly, Melinda walks through the door and smiles at Kaspar, glancing to Dr. Freeman.
âSheâs receiving the fluids now. She was showing signs of severe dehydration.â
âWeâll keep an eye on her. Thank you Melinda,â he replies, âReaper, weâll talk more about her purity later.â
Kaspar bites his lower lip, tapping his foot a bit. His gaze travels up, towards the pair.
âOf course. Sheâs waiting for you, you know?â
âIndeed. Sheâs quite infatuated with you, White Reaper.â
Kaspar blushes, shyly averting his eyes, but moving past the two.
âThanks,â he replies, settling his hand on the door. A pause, before he smiles to himself- the blush fading.
âYou really think so?â he asks, eyes glistening.
âCâmon hun. Itâs obvious. You should tell her how you feel too,â she replies.
The blush reappears. He can hear the cries of his Master in the background. Thereâs something of a howl.
âLET ME SEE MY SWEETIE PIE!â he shouts.
âDonât worry,â Melinda winks, âWeâll let you two have your time together.â
âWeâll make sure the father stays put for now. Youâve got 20 minutes,â he says, patting Kaspar on the back before walking down the hallway with Melinda.
Kaspar watches the pair leave with a smile on his face. Right. Thatâs what he had to greet Dusk with. Not sorrow, not sadness. Nothing close to self-pity. He had to walk in with a smile on his face. He was glad to be by her side once more... and she needed to know that he cared. That he was happy to be with her.
With a gulp, Kaspar enters Duskâs room.