Tosses and turns during the night when trying to sleep.
Has a hard time sleeping. Either because of nightmares or because his guilt and regrets keep him up. “I should have done X instead of Y. If I did, “name” would still be alive.” Beats himself up over losing lives.
Light Sleeper. Due to always being on edge. Atlantis may need him or he doesn’t feel safe enough to sleep.
His bed must face the door at all times.
Sleeps with a pistol under his pillow (only starting this tradition after being tortured/fed upon by Todd).
Nightmares. He’s been through a lot. Lost a lot of people, good men and women.
Wakes up early to run with Ronan (Canon).
Only truly rests when a deep, relaxing sleep takes over when he lets himself have a break.
Nyla focused on her breathing. On the air entering through her nose, her chest rising, the tense muscles in her shoulders. Holding the air captive a moment, she paused, releasing it slowly. Willing her muscles to relax, her shoulders to drop, and her heart to slow. She could hear it, beating in her ears, beating against her. She repeated the process, beginning slowly till her thoughts were no longer drowned out.
“I can do this.” She whispered to no one but herself.
Releasing the steering wheel she opened her eyes and stared out into the black sea. Darkness, fought off only by the warm orange light produced by the imposing metal knights. It was far too early for anyone to be awake, well, she hoped it was. Regardless, it was far too early for anyone she knew of to be awake.
And that was the point.
Gathering her courage, Nyla opened her car door, slipping into the frigid air. She paused only a moment to wrap her sweater tighter around herself and then proceeded to gather her supplies. Crickets welcomed her and the stars seemed to smile in mirth as she walked up to the beach. The ocean's gentle waves called to her in greeting, it's still dark waters reflecting the star's laughter.
Letting out a breath she didn’t know she held, Nyla allowed a small smile to grace her. No one was here. Not a soul. They will come in waves, she knew, but for the time being, she was alone. Both a blessing and a curse.
She walked further into the beach, making sure to stay away from the tides so she could set up. Her easel was first, then her small foldable end table and chair. Next was the paint, jars, and brushes. Then finally, the large canvas she had prepped with a soft pastel blue.
Nyla sat down, making sure to place her bags at her feet, her eyes being pulled to the real object of attention. The Golden Gate Bridge. It sat there across the water, its majestic beauty enrapturing her. Even from here, she could see the traffic, people rushing to and fro.
Maybe some people were awake this early.
Ignoring her heart's demand for attention, Nyla bent down and retrieved her camera from her bag. She fiddled with it, changing the settings, not that she truly needed to. She merely did so to try and distract herself from the whispers within her mind. She really should have brought a book, or maybe her mp3.
She was so involved in her thoughts that she failed to notice his presence till he too placed down his own easel. The sound of the wood hitting itself startled her, causing her head to jerk in his direction. He was already looking at her, an apologetic smile adorning his face.
She couldn’t help the heat that rushed to her face, coloring it in a fine pink. Piercing her lips, she looked away just as quickly. Hoping he didn’t notice her embarrassment, her colored cheeks, and racing heart. His eyes were blue, a light blue, a beautiful blue. Gosh, that smile could make any girl swoon.
She was looking down at her lap, her own hair falling to cover for her as she listened to him. He wasn’t directly next to her, he was instead a few feet away from her. Far enough not to make things feel awkward, but close enough so they may speak with one another should they so desire to. Yet he wasn’t close enough to make her feel threatened by his presence. It almost seemed like they planned this. It might even look that way to outsiders.
Outsiders… She shuddered. The word was enough to remind her that the mysterious man next to her was in fact, a person. Not a person she knew, but he was someone she had been trying to avoid. She sighed and resumed fiddling with her camera. As long as she didn’t look at him, she should be fine.
As if it wished to save her from the growing awkwardness and traitorous thoughts, the sun started to rise. Regaining her attention and refocusing her, reminding her why she was there in the first place. Lifting her camera, Nyla patiently waited for the right shot. Allowing the colors the sun created with the clouds to drift and change. Til’ finally, she was permitted the chance to take a perfect picture.
She memorized it. Imprinting the colors, shapes, and feelings to memory. Nyla lifted her brush, and without truly looking at the canvas that was now visible in front of her, she painted.
And as she did, the world stopped.
She could no longer hear the ocean waves speaking to her, or the rise of the birds as they sang for the sun. She couldn’t hear the people walking behind her, commenting on how beautiful the weather was. In this world, there was no sound, no whispers to distract her, to torment her. There was no feeling either. No numbness in her rear from sitting for so long. No breeze to cool her as the sun rose higher in the sky, warming the world around her far too much. It was just her, and the painting in front of her.
That is, until her phone rang. It startled her badly, causing her to yank her hand back and away from her painting. The shrill noise coming from her bag felt like it was summoning the hoard of people's attention. Nyla could have sworn that a million eyes had turned their gaze to her as she frantically tried to pull out the screaming device.
Once successful, she took one look at the caller ID and froze. Why call her of all people? Against her better judgment, she let it ring till the caller received her voicemail. Her heart battled against her once again, and she struggled to covertly regain the air robbed from her.
Nyla looked up and surveyed her surroundings, wishing for a distraction. People laid out on the beach around her, playing with the sand, and splashing the children with water. Their laughter floated over to her, and while it was a joyful sound, she couldn’t bring herself to enjoy it. She was far too consumed by her own turmoil. The peace taken from her.
With speed she didn’t know she processed, Nyla gathered up her supplies, making sure not to touch the wet paint on the canvas. As she turned to leave, she noticed the man was still there, he was focused on his own painting, lost in his own world it seemed. Just like she had been.
The sight brought her a small sense of comfort as she walked away. A tiny smile having formed for just a moment. While they didn’t know each other, it had been nice to inadvertently paint with him. It had been a long time since she had someone to paint with and she realized now just how much she had missed it. Maybe she could find someone to paint with. If she did she wouldn’t be completely alone and maybe she wouldn’t feel as vulnerable when she painted out in public.
Maybe she should check out the local dog shelters.
Snow crunched beneath her as she disturbed its peaceful slumber. Flakes fell slowly from the sky, landing around her to join their brethren on the forest trees or on the ground. It was quiet as it snowed. Not a creature dared to break it, the silence was revered, it wasn’t meant to be broken.
Arya breathed in the cold air, allowing it to fill her lungs. Smiling softly, she slipped off her glove and looked down at her ring. A beautiful side-stone engagement ring with a large diamond in the middle. She was engaged, she was engaged! She honestly couldn’t believe it was real. Less than 48 hours ago, she was just his girlfriend and now, now she was his fiancé. She had a fiancé! She was getting married!
The giddy excitement hadn’t left her and she was beginning to wonder if it ever would, or even if she wanted it to. She was happy, truly happy that the man she considered to be the love of her life, wanted to spend the rest of his with her. She honestly thought he wouldn’t ever ask her to marry him, he didn’t seem like the type of guy. When she brought up anything related to or similar to marriage, he got uncomfortable, so she just dropped it. She hadn’t mentioned it for years, not wanting to pressure him. She had accepted that they would simply stay as they were. How many years would she have stayed with him like that? She supposed she would never know now.
Not that it was a bad thing. She much preferred this outcome.
Of course, her fiancé was usually out doing hero business, like he was now. Just this time he wasn’t running off as some kind of alien, he was instead back at the cottage he had rented for them on the phone. To whom, she didn’t know, when she asked she merely got waved off. This was something she was used to. It meant that Ben, her fiancé, was doing hero things. Something she had no right to snoop on, as it could mean the difference between life and death for somebody.
Lips suddenly touched behind her ear and Arya gasped as she was pulled backwards and against a hard chest. “Ben!” she giggled, turning around to face him, her palms resting against him. “You scared me!”
Ben sent her a boyish smile, his green eyes crinkling with mischief. “I called out for you, but you were so far gone in your own little world that you didn’t even hear me.” He squeezed her, wrapping his arms tighter around her waist to pull her closer to him, his expression changing. “Aren’t you cold? You’ve been out here for hours.”
Hours? She blinked and then narrowed her eyes at him as she thought. She didn’t feel cold, nor did she feel like she had walked or stood for hours. She would have thought he was messing with her if it wasn’t for the fact that he looked so concerned. Looking at her gloveless hand, she wiggled her fingers a bit and frowned at how numb it felt. Maybe she had been out here for hours. Arya put her glove back on and then looked back up at Ben with a smile on her face. “Sorry Ben, I didn’t realize I was out here for so long. I didn’t mean to make you worry. I’m fine, I promise. I don’t even feel cold!”
Ben wasn’t smiling, in fact, he was frowning. “I didn’t want to chase you out of the house. You could have just sat on the couch. You know I don’t mind answering the phone with you in the room. You didn’t have to leave.” He looked her over, running his hands through her hair and over her jacket to shake off the snow that had accumulated on her before cupping her face. “Babe, your freezing! And you say you aren’t cold!”
Arya squealed, throwing her arms around his neck as he picked her up. “Ben! What are you doing?! Put me down!”
Ben shook his head and declared, “No. I’m taking you back inside. You’re going to change into some warm clothes, and we’ll have hot chocolate and watch some TV show. I honestly don’t care which one right now. Your freezing! Cold to the touch! Don’t you feel cold?!”
Arya sighed and shook her head, allowing Ben, her fiancé, to carry her back to the cabin. While he did, she took the opportunity to admire him. His soft, warm brown hair was beginning to turn white from the snowflakes and his cheeks and nose were turning an adorable shade of red. Ben, completely oblivious to her staring, continued to scold her for not taking proper care of herself. How she was going to catch a cold or worse, the flu. Arya merely smiled at him, before she leaned forward and sweetly kissed his cheek.
Ben stumbled before catching himself, causing Arya to pull away and start laughing. He glared at her before softening his face to smile at her. Leaning forward, Ben nuzzled her nose with his.
“I love you.” He whispered.
Arya hummed, snuggling closer to him. “I love you too.”
This is just practice for drawing people. I took a picture of myself and zoomed in a bit. I used pencils as the medium. If anyone has some constructive feedback, please let me know.
