innocence of the heart

lenalee lee. 21. lpd officer.

[wind-waltz-blog]

surprise! | johnny + allen

starter for @joni-giru , because i finally got around to it, nat.

     [ Sent 6:34pm ][ johnny! <3 ] “Just put dinner in the oven-- when can I expect you to arrive? :^)”

     Lenalee eyeballed her message that was only recently sent out, anticipating her evening plans with one of her recently-returning close friends. It felt like forever since she had last seen Johnny and spending the rest of the day putting her plan into action excited her. Surprising Allen when he came home with a hot supper, a beautifully decorated apartment, and their mutual best friend boosted her spirits.

     She slid her phone into the back pocket of her jeans, then walked across the cold, laminated wood flooring in her plush, warm slippers. The officer made the effort to grab the last box from a tucked-away closet down the short hallway, carrying it into the living area and setting it down on top of the other four, all varying in size. “That’s that!” In a self-reassuring gesture, she wiped her brow and placed her hand on her hip, glancing around the empty apartment. When Johnny brought the tree over, she was sure it would seem more in-spirit.

     She smiled, picturing the evening with two of her closest friends, all sharing laughs and stories and food.

[solaris-springs-deactivated2018]

                         "OUT WITH THE OLD, in with the new.“

SOLARIS SPRINGS is a multi-fandom roleplay group set in the modern reality where characters can come together and enjoy all of the simple aspects of every-day life.

     The island of Solaris is home to four separate districts that tailor to practically any character’s tastes. From electrifying nightlife to peaceful suburbs, Solaris features many attracting points for those searching for adventure, entertainment, and tranquility.

     The beautiful districts known as Solis, Luna, Aurora, and Umbra all welcome you as a new addition to this amazing island. Each district is fit with different statuses ranging from the political, rich capital of Solis in the north, to the dangerous, exciting evenings of Luna in the south. If you prefer a place to raise a family or even own a nice home or apartment, the East District of Umbra is supplied with many homes ready for the taking, as well as a few entertainment hot spots. Contrary, Aurora, the West District, is known as the district that never sleeps, with its first class apartments and casinos, 24/7 nightclubs, mall strips, and the seemingly endless boardwalk on the lovely beaches of bright warm sands and glimmering waves.

     With three active administrators for the group, we will be certain you will get in as soon as possible. Many characters are up for grabs, and luckily you can claim up to five characters, and gain more later on depending on your status. Moderator permission is needed for more additions!

Solaris Springs, its moderators, and its members all hope to see you soon!

                        HOME   RULES   RESERVE   MASTERLIST

[parasitic-innocence]

ｅｓｃａｐｅｄ  ｓｕｓｐｅｃｔ  [ｌｅｎａｌｌｅｎ]

[wind-waltz-blog]

parasitic-innocence:

If only he could tell her how cheesy she was acting. Of course, the white-haired officer appreciated everything she had to say. It was sweet of her to reassure him even though he still felt guilty. But if it were back then, they probably would’ve laughed it off over one of their games of ‘what is this person’s emergency?’ when they attended the police academies. Allen loved her too much to say something like that now though. He really… loved her.

“Thank you, Lenalee.”

Allen shared her a gentle smile then carefully buckled the seat belt on the passenger’s side of the vehicle. The pain remained subtle, as well as the last thing on his mind.

     She smiled warmly, nodding in response before refocusing on the road as the light turned green. The drive was quiet, the road lit by neon puddles, and the stars invisible, their brightness drowned out by the city lights surrounding the area. The silence was surprisingly fine, something she knew was abnormal. Abnormal, but nice.

     On a spur of the moment recollection, Lenalee ended up letting out a frustrated sigh before expressing her problem. “You know, I totally forgot about dinner. I’ll have to throw something together after I sew you back together,” she joked. “What’re you in the mood for? Er- I think that actually depends on what we’ve got back at home.”

     The word ‘home’ seemed to release itself so naturally. Lee still wore her smile genuinely, worry for Allen still in her mind. Nonetheless, she was determined to make sure that he felt fine.

[parasitic-innocence]

𝕷𝖆𝖙𝖊 𝕹𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖙 𝕿𝖊𝖝𝖙 『Lenalee & Allen』

[wind-waltz-blog]

parasitic-innocence:

Allen, with his eyes still closed, furrowed his brow at the sound of her odd request. He shifted his head in her direction, looking at her with a now concerned, yet still exhausted expression. Did he hear her right? All he really processed was something about Lenalee finding a monster in a room. And something about babysitting. Something like that, he assumed.

“Lenalee, aren’t you a little too old to be afraid of monsters?” Because of his current ‘sleep situation’, Allen found some things a bit funnier than they ought to be as he smiled after his comment. 

     “Not this kind of monster,” she grimaced. “I can’t go back to bed-- or, to bed in general,-- until this thing’s gone.” Lenalee glanced back at the darkened hallway, lavender eyes landing on the white, trimmed, door, a small shiver sent down her spine in response to the thought of the creature that continued to roam the walls.

     “I’m telling you, Allen, this spider’s the size of my fist- I’m worried he’ll have the strength to match my own,” she joked. Perhaps this wasn’t the best idea- she can take care of it herself. Yeah! She could! Yet, what she was doing suggested the opposite.

     With slight hesitation, she kept her voice quiet. “Never mind, go back to sleep. You need it.” Lee smiled warmly, tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear. She kept her hands in her lap, sitting quietly for a moment, sorting through thoughts.

[wind-waltz-blog]

roses & chocolates / lenallen

[wind-waltz-blog]

parasitic-innocence:

“You want to go to a sports bar? Are you even into sports?” Allen asked, chuckling to himself over her suggestion. Of course, if that’s what she wanted, he definitely didn’t mind taking her. After all, he was pretty much in the mood for anything. Like all the time.

“I mean, yeah, wings are good but if you want to take it a step-up and get the whole atmosphere vibe going then I guess that’s alright too.” 

     “Well, I know a thing or two about most sports, but I’m not exactly into them,” she chuckled. “I read the reviews for this place and a ton of people said their wings were to die for, so why not die for ‘em?” She joked. “Not literally, though. Don’t die for the wings.”

     She crossed her legs on the couch, scrolling through the reviews and information she had previously mentioned. “If you don’t wanna go, that’s okay, you know. I don’t wanna make you go somewhere you don’t feel like going.” She made the mistake of looking up from her phone for a moment, probably blamed on reflex to see the person she spoke to, only to catch a glimpse of Allen in his room getting dressed before immediately looking back down to the phone screen with a slightly more reddened face than before. 

     “If you’ve got any other places in mind, you can go ahead and shoot. We should agree here, right?”

[wind-waltz-blog]

can i stay? / lenallen

[wind-waltz-blog]

parasitic-innocence:

“Of course not. You had to come all the way out here so the least I can do is offer you a place to stay.” Allen set her luggage down next to a dresser in his room. “I don’t really have much in here,” he jested to the big waste of space, hoping she could fill it. “I keep most of my stuff in the closet over here so you can keep your things in the dresser if you’d like.” He’d hate for her to live out of her suitcases, so this setup was the best option at the time. 

“Oh- and the bathroom is right over there.” Allen pointed behind them across the room. “Would you like a tour of the rest of the place? There’s not much to see but I wouldn’t want for you to get lost.” The officer joked, hoping she’d agree to see the rest of the apartment.

     Her mind was conflicted between feeling guilty or touched. She smiled warmly still, elated that he was so generous to let her stay with him instead of a creepy apartment down the street in shady Luna. “Thank you so much, Allen,” Lenalee spoke gently. “I mean it. Thank you!”

     The bed looked tempting enough to snooze in immediately, but she wouldn’t do that to him. The flight there felt like the longest time, and she had used many hours of sleep or completing pages of her puzzle book while passing the length of time spent on the plane. The entire time, she felt butterflies in her stomach while thinking over how the situation would probably play through (with its various good and bad endings) when she asked her best friend the fatal question.

     Returning to the present, she processed his question for a moment, still a bit jet-lagged. “Oh, certainly! It looks great so far, I’d be grateful if you took me on your little tour here.”

[parasitic-innocence]

𝕷𝖆𝖙𝖊 𝕹𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖙 𝕿𝖊𝖝𝖙 『Lenalee & Allen』

@wind-waltz in response to this post.

The officer slept soundly or tried to for the most part. You’d think that going to bed around 9-10 P.M. would have you ready early the next day. However, this was not Allen’s case. He’s had trouble sleeping ever since he started on pain meds, and unfortunately, they were more of a requirement than an option. This wound seemed to never go away, but at least he wouldn’t have to feel it half of the time.

Yet the main side effect of this medication was kinda like on-and-off heavy sleeping; one hour he’d be out cold and the next he’d be staring at the ceiling until he passed out again. Sometimes he’d be between those two things. So at the time that Lenalee’s emergency messages were sent, Walker was not awake to receive them, leading to his friend’s next move.

Luckily for Lenalee, a couple of pokes to his arm were enough to grab his attention out of sleep. Some of it at least. The officer was in that ‘drowsy, half-asleep’ phase like when you’re suddenly woken up half way through a nap. Anyway, Allen could barely keep his eyes open as he replied to his distraught friend.

“Oh- good morning, Lenalee.” His speech was a little slurred as he yawned, ready to fall back asleep.

[wind-waltz-blog]

     “Well, it’s not really morning, but,” Lenalee whispered even though they were both awake, or one of them was, anyway. “Good morning anyway? I need your help.” She still felt a little guilty for making him perform such a task when he needed his rest, especially since he still had a wound to recover from. “There’s a monster in my room, y’see.”

      She still felt a little drowsy, not being able to sleep that much yet due to the spider currently marathoning around the walls of the bedroom. “I was wanting to know if you could take care of it for me? If it isn’t too much to ask for.”

[king-of-cards]

Not so young

@wind-waltz

Confusion. The look on Yugi’s face was one of utter defeat. He had managed to get lost in Solaris had no idea where to go. It was lucky for him that he looked so young with his height, if not for that he was pretty sure the police would stop him for being suspicious and wandering around when school was released. 

Gaze. His eyes looked over the address in his hands that were to his new job and the area around him. Nothing seemed familiar at all to Yugi though and the time was ticking. He didn’t want to do it but it seemed like going to the police and asking for help was the only way. That, or he’d have to ask someone walking by. 

[wind-waltz-blog]

     Lenalee was just coming back from a quick coffee run for the folks at the station, being sure to pick up custom orders and extra foods on the side. She parked in her claimed space, exited the car, and proceeded to collect the goodies she had just purchased. Balancing two holders of coffee orders and a bag containing various edibles, she closed the car door with her foot and stepped onto the curb, noticing the confused-looking boy standing in front of the station.

     “Hey there, can I help you?” She greeted him warmly, still holding onto all of the items she bought with experienced balance. He looked a little lost to her, or just conflicted in general.

[wind-waltz-blog]

retribute | lenalee + feitan (+ allen)

[wind-waltz-blog]

grotesque-executioner:

Within seconds he grabbed his handy chloroform rag drenched in the substance and pressed it to the officer’s nose. He wasn’t looking for a head on confrontation after some discussion in his mind as he wasn’t interested in having the smell linger around his store- not that he would mind though. 

“What a shame.” He muttered out to himself as he watched the officer. And it really was a shame, so much life to live and she wasted it with revenge. Not that he could say he would do any different but that’s how humans were; Selfish, careless, and dangerous. 

     “Wh--”

     Lenalee’s words were cut off when a rag was pushed to her face, too quickly to think of stopping her breathing. Instantly, she felt dizzy and weaker, slowly sinking to the floor, mind blotted and fogged and hazy as the drug set in. Chloroform, she thought, drifting through drowsiness and trying to keep herself sharp.

     She wouldn’t sleep, no, but she wasn’t strong enough to stand or fight. She stared through lidded eyes up at her enemy, anger simmering within her, trying to boil. This bastard...she should have known better. At this rate, all she could expect was torture or death, the latter probably being easier on the criminal before her.

[wind-waltz-blog]

retribute | lenalee + feitan (+ allen)

[wind-waltz-blog]

grotesque-executioner:

Oh, so she was from the same country? Interesting. “Dǎ bèn? Wǒ bù zhīdào nǐ zài shuō shénme nǐ quèdìng nǐ yǒu héshì de rén ma?” This was his zone. His native language where he could speak fluently and without effort. It was a shame honestly, if she wasn’t a cop then maybe they could have had discussions- after all, it did sometimes get lonely being one of the only foreigner speaking with broken English sometimes. Especially now that he was gone.

He raised an eyebrow at the female, eyes shifting back to her and away from his book. 

     “Wǒ quèdìng. Nǐ shì wéiyī yīgè shìhé miáoshù, jiǎnduǎn hé quánbù de rén,” her tone was mocking, and she leaned on her arm with her hand rested on the countertop. “Zúgòu de yóuxì, Feitan. Wǒ zhīdào zhè shì nǐ.”

     This confrontation was taking longer than expected, but Lenalee refused to back down from this. It would be easier if he wasn’t such a snarky little jerk and he accepted the charges already but expecting a criminal to comply so easily was futile; they always had to try and fool the police any way possible before actually admitting to what they had done. Lenalee was having none of it.

[wind-waltz-blog]

retribute | lenalee + feitan (+ allen)

[wind-waltz-blog]

grotesque-executioner:

Feitan knew it was going down a bit too smoothly and now here were his consequences. He probably should have killed the white officer when he had the chance but oh well he made mistakes. 

Playing dumb would probably work, maybe. She didn’t seem like the kind of person to be fooled easily but with his accent? Feitan would probably be in the clear. If he wasn’t though he could always kill her. “Dǎrǎo yīxià? Wǒ bù míngbái.” He replied, staring the officer in the eye fully. 

He made a shooing hand motion to try and signal that he had no idea what she was talking about. “No English.” he added on to really play off the act that he had perfected over the years.

His eyes came back to the book he was previously invested in, not caring anymore of the officer before him. Feitan had no care for going to the police office willingly, not in a million years. If push came to shove he could call in Hisoka or someone else in the troupe to join help him but probably not. Hopefully not. 

    Annoyance grew when she saw him go back to his book as though he got off smoothly. Lenalee’s eyes narrowed, a look of frustration curled on her face. Luckily in these situations, the officer still understood the language and how to speak it properly even after moving to England, though her writing of the characters hadn’t improved much.

     The incomprehensible card, huh? Lee’s face straightened into a serious expression as she stared at the man and responded in her mother language “Bùyào hé wǒ wán shǎ,” the words rolled naturally off of her tongue. “I know it’s you, crook.”

[wind-waltz-blog]

retribute | lenalee + feitan (+ allen)

[wind-waltz-blog]

grotesque-executioner:

It had been almost a month since he had stabbed the officer and so far so good. He hadn’t had any cops come after him nor did he find anyone following him after or before work. It was almost a clean break, read: almost. It all broke down when a female had come into his shop and one that was younger than what seemed 20.

Feitan wasn’t used to female customers coming into his shop, especially ones that were still young. If he ever got any, (And really it was if any) they were elders more on the downhill on age, normally over 50. So when the female came into his shop Feitan kept a close eye on her just in case she was something other than a customer. 

He didn’t say anything of course. That would defeat the purpose of running the base so undercover. For all he knew she was actually a customer who wanted nothing more from him than to get some gore books and leave. So he brought his eyes back down to the book he was reading, acting as if all his attention was on the pages rather than her.

 Still, once in a while he took a glance up just in case. Assasins were quick and Feitan had enough experience with them to know not to let his guard down. It was more than let down at the moment after all. His disguise was off and he sat in a normal outfit as a normal store owner- a job he sometimes enjoyed due to the quiet but also hated for the same reason.

     Lenalee wasn’t interested in browsing; she had one goal, and that was to catch the jackass that stabbed her partner. She breezed through the store, covering her eyes from the explicit books, and straight to the counter where the clerk sat. 

     “Hi, sorry to bother you, but I’m looking for someone,” she opened casually with a friendly tone, “about your height, has your facial features, stabbed an officer a little while back?” She probably should have refrained from using such a sarcastic tone, but it could be useful in certain situations-- confidence was, after all, but learning from the sheriff wasn’t the best idea, seeing as she was hardly intimidating unless she showed her physical strength.

     “Unless your name isn’t Feitan, then I apologize immensely. But for now, you’re the closest looking match. If you don’t mind,” she reached into her bag and pulled out a shiny pair of solid handcuffs, opening both. “I’m going to have to take you in for further questioning and analysis for this case, also for numerous felonies you have committed in the previous months.”

     Should she have notified any of her fellow officers of this mission? More than likely. The man alone tore open an officer’s abdomen using a shiv. While she was in a dangerous situation, she was the one with the gun.

[wind-waltz-blog]

retribute | lenalee + feitan (+ allen)

[ @grotesque-executioner | @parasitic-innocence (at some point) ]

     Going behind Allen’s back was the last thing she’d ever want to do, but knowing that the jerk who cut her partner up was still on the loose miffed her whenever she thought about it. Over a span of three weeks, the officer sorted through records on sightings of the known criminal and narrowed down a search area, keeping the search hidden from her peers and higher-ups. If she got caught, that was that, and she would drop everything and try to forget about it. However, to her advantage, nobody seemed to catch suspicion.

     Off-duty, late one evening, she packed a small bag with items for self-defense and other objects she would need to keep on her person. With that, Lenalee snuck her way out of the familiar interior of Allen’s apartment, walking off into the night on her small mission. Catching this guy would be one of the most satisfying ways to bring about payback.

     Why was she doing this? Lee thought to herself as she descended the rather creaky elevator of the complex, coming up with the single answer she liked to keep in mind. Justice. Now, justice could be twisted or used easily as a cover up for ulterior motives, but she firmly believed that it was stupid how the district let that slimy crook get away after his confrontation with Walker. If it had been another officer, would she still do this? Absolutely. However, her desire to was stronger seeing as Allen was her old friend.

     After a long drive, she arrived at the location that the records matched. Guro Guro, a disgusting bookstore deep in sketchy southern Luna. The thought of having to spend more than five minutes in the dreadful place haunted her, but it would be quick if Feitan complied. With a gust of bravery, she pushed open the entrance, a bell attached to the door chiming in her wake.

[wind-waltz-blog]

ø

[ Send “ø” for a LATE NIGHT text. | @parasitic-innocence ]

    “Allen,” the white glow from the digital screen cast a shadow of the girl’s figure on the wall, her current dilemma an emergency. She sat criss-cross on the soft bed, covers wrapped around her shoulders and she tapped the glass screen of her phone, trying to alert her friend of the danger she faced.

    “ALLEN PLEASE!!” – sent at 12:42 AM.    “there’s a HUGE spider on the floor” – sent at 12:42 AM.    “it’s gigantic like i’m pretty sure godzilla fought this thing in one of the old horror movies” – sent at 12:43 AM.

    Perhaps if she spammed his phone enough, he would wake up. However, if he was even slightly awake, it would help immensely. For now, she didn’t even want to set one foot on the ground while the fuzzy creature made its trek around the hardwood flooring. She was stuck in perpetual darkness, trapped by a small arachnid monster.

    “i’m serious, i can’t sleep knowing it’s running around with its freaky little legs” – sent at 12:51 AM.    “oh my god i think it’s on the wall??” – sent at 12:53 AM.    “that’s it i’m out” – sent at 12:55 AM.

    With that final text, Lenalee inhaled deeply, ready to make a run for it as the spider crawled its way along the wall toward the bed, suddenly jumping up with the covers still wrapped tightly around her. She zoomed out of the room, running on her tiptoes, closing the door solidly behind her. There was no looking back.

    In the livingroom (AKA a completely different environment), she found her expected rescuer still passed out on the couch. She was slightly irritated, yet understanding, seeing as he still had to deal with his injury and lack of sleep. Wait…it didn’t really seem like he had a lack of sleep unless he had extra hours in his day. Wait…okay, nevermind that. It was almost one in the morning and there was an evil piece of Hell itself creeping around the place where she slept. Lee sat calmly on the coffee table and stared at Allen eagerly, debating with herself on whether she should wake him up on not.

    After a couple minutes of contemplation, she finally decided to poke him on the shoulder. “Allen…Allen!”

[wind-waltz-blog]

roses & chocolates / lenallen

[wind-waltz-blog]

parasitic-innocence:

“Wouldn’t you like to? It’s a nice night to be out anyway.” He wondered where they might go for dinner, the officer hadn’t exactly thought this completely through. Her answers, although somewhat reasonable, sounded like excuses, overall giving him the excuse to tease her for them. “Well jeez, if you don’t want to go with me, then you could just say so.“ Allen smirked, hoping she’d know he was joking.

A beaming smile spread across his face when she agreed to go. But thirty minutes to get ready? At least it gave him time to think of a place they could go. He could always get ready after her; it wouldn’t take him too long. As time went by, a few ideas had come to mind, but he was uncertain of what she’d be in the mood for.

“My╴ budget…?” That was so unexpectedly blunt, especially for Lenalee. Allen tried to linger from the thought of her comment, knowing she probably wasn’t trying to sound rude. “Well, what are you in the mood for tonight?” As he got up to change, Allen caught himself glancing at Lenalee’s outfit. It was cute and… also very casual? “…Wanna get some wings or something?”

     “I...”

     “I didn’t mean it like that!” Lenalee panicked slightly, raising her hands defensively in front of her. “Honest!” She couldn’t help but giggle out her apologies, the misunderstanding coming off as funny to her. “I-I’m just saying that I didn’t wanna spend too much of your money,” her words were broken by various chuckles and attempted bouts of laughter. She probably overreacted just as much as he did.

     “What am I in the mood for tonight...” her right hand went to her chin, index and middle fingers spread casually over her mouth as she thought. Proceeding after several minutes, she felt relieved when Allen suggested something that they could work with, and in this case, this suggestion didn’t need to be worked on. “Wings sound great,” Lenalee perked up, walking over to the couch where he once sat and replicating the action herself. “Didn’t a new place open up around the corner? Some kind of sports bar or something?”

[parasitic-innocence]

ｅｓｃａｐｅｄ  ｓｕｓｐｅｃｔ  [ｌｅｎａｌｌｅｎ]

[wind-waltz-blog]

parasitic-innocence:

She was pretty stubborn, so it was best not to argue with her. She’d most likely win anyway. Still, Allen quietly supported himself, hoping she wouldn’t force too much on herself. He tried his best not to lean on her either, although his balance was pretty off. Other than that, he wasn’t in too much pain, it only stung a little.

At first, the young officer laughed along with Lenalee’s complaints until he realized she wasn’t just joking. “Wait– you’re serious? Do you actually know how to do that?” Again, she hadn’t made him feel much better about his situation.

Once they got out of the alley-way, Allen’s wound began to feel somewhere between aching and numb. He couldn’t feel as much blood loss as earlier, which seemed to be the only good thing on his mind at the moment. As the two approached the car, the wounded officer stood and walked on his own to reach the passenger side door and upon opening it, he carefully took his seat.

Allen couldn’t help but just feel awful at this point. He acted carelessly and now Lenalee practically had to pay for it.

“Hey… I’m sorry for- being such a mess.” He tried to laugh it off a little, hoping to make the situation less awkward than he had just made it.

     She chuckled, knowing that conversing would help keep his mind off of his injuries, or so she hoped. “Of course I know, I learned at the academy,” Lenalee proudly informed her partner, trying not to sound overconfident. “They taught us three different ways to stitch a wound, along with other ways to tend to lacerations or cuts and infections. Nasty course, good learning.”

     The quiet that shrouded the two afterward wasn’t the most comfortable, yet it wasn’t the worst situation she had been in. She continued walking and trying to keep him steady until they reached the patrol car when he walked himself to the passenger side. From the looks of it, Allen probably tore one or more of his stitches, meaning she would have to replace them carefully. Truth be told, she wasn't the best with stitching, but she wasn't the worst. She was sort of average if it made sense. Why was she thinking of this right now? 

     The officer slid into the driver's seat and turned the keys into the ignition, buckling her seat belt afterward. "Buckle up, I wanna get you back home as soon as possible," Lee smiled sympathetically before realizing that she'd just referred to his apartment as 'home'. Her cheeks warmed slightly at the thought, still giddy that she had the opportunity to call it that. Pushing the pedal moderately, the vehicle sped into motion and began to make its way down the rain-drenched streets of Luna.

     A couple moments of silence passed before he spoke again. “Allen, don’t worry about it,” Lenalee smiled again, trying to reassure him. “You aren’t a mess. I mean, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say those scrapes and bruises make you look like a hero.” The female laughed for a moment before opening her lips again. “But I do know better, and you were doing your duty as an officer, and you just acted naturally back there, chasing that crook. You’re no mess; you’re a good cop dedicated to serving. That’s noble!”

[wind-waltz-blog]

can i stay? / lenallen

[wind-waltz-blog]

parasitic-innocence:

“Of course╴“ She spoke so quickly and then suddenly her arms were wrapped around him again. Any pain from his wound or the weight of the luggage meant nothing to him as she held onto him, and he hated how it came rushing back once she let go. He was so caught up in the moment that he just stared at her as she apologized. Allen came to, realizing how stupid he must’ve looked, and closed the door behind them.

“It’s no inconvenience! And you can sleep in my bed!” Err, uhm… “I- already sleep on the couch now as it is.” Now that was pathetic. Allen tried to shut up and walk her things to his bedroom so she could feel at home. Besides, he wasn’t going to let her sleep on the couch. She was a very important guest, and he was happy to have her stay.

     She knew what he was trying to say, but giggled nonetheless. “So gentlemanly,” Lenalee teased, but quickly remembered that she was his guest now. Respect was due, especially since he had generously given her his quarters. She was just so used to the past when they would freely jest at one another. The warm smile she held on her face grew brighter as she remembered them.

     “Are you sure it won’t be any trouble? I don’t want to keep you out of your room,” she followed Allen as he carried her luggage to the bedroom, feeling a bit bad for letting him take them while he had that wound. She silently wondered how he got it, more than likely acting dangerously. Was Luna that bad? Even if it was, transferring to Allen’s district was better than stacking papers and taking phone calls in quiet Umbra. Being out in the field beat secretary work by multitudes.