First steps.
"Uhhh... you fell down. Again."
A rather uncomfortable-sounding voice indeed; Dr Rippner. Evidently he was still unused to the concept of helping to rehabilitate her after her blinding; after all, he was the one who had drawn the blade through her eyes, caused her such agony, such torment. It only appeared logical for him to be the one to earn redemption for a cruelty he had been forced to commit.
Ah, that was right; she'd fallen over again. Face first, on the cold floor of the laboratories. Bloody painful for that matter.
Ever so gently the young doctor took her waist as she clenched his suit, gradually pulling her back up onto shaky feet. A nervous chuckle slipped his lips, scratching the back of his head. He kept her steady a while until he was confident that she could stand alone, slender hands extended to her should her balance waver as he stepped away.
"Just follow my voice, Fleurette." Coleridge told her softly, to which she complied with a slight nod. Hands outreached, she took a step forward, albeit a shaky one. Another, and another, gradually coming closer to him; she was almost within an arm's reach of him and- oh, no. A stumble was taken, although something was different occurred this time.
As opposed to dropping to the floor, Dr Rippner had apparently reached out with little thought and caught her, ocean eyes widening with surprise at his own actions. Gradually, sightless eyes glanced up as though searching for his, lining his stomach with an unwavering guilt; he'd done that to her, marred once gorgeous eyes of green with ugly cuts, turning them glassy.
He tucked a few locks of snow behind her ear, holding her steady against his form. "You'll be okay, Fleurette." Coleridge told her softly, breathing a gentle sigh. A smile was brought forth, turning frail features soft.
"Thank you, Dr Rippner," She murmured softly. "for- for catching me."
Confusion momentarily wove into his pale features at her appreciation, although he gladly accepted it; any appreciation from her was weight steadily lifting from his shoulders, eradicating the burden of her suffering. It would never truly leave him however, that much he understood.
"Please, I've told you plenty of times before; call me Cole." He insisted gently, glancing down at her. Another smile came from the test subject.
"... Thank you, Cole."
