A Meeting Among the Dead

[Ashe Senari]

"What can I do to make you feel less afraid?" Ashe whispered, her hand now gently rubbing his back as she held him. For someone raised to be a killing machine Ashe was surprisingly motherly. Her head was still resting again his, but she sat up and turned his head again so she could look at him. She didn't like seeing him like this. He had been so cheerful up until he had tried to sleep. She found herself getting a little lost in his eyes as she waited for him to say something. [member="Kharen Promethien"]

 

[Edric Vanyan]

[member="Ashe Senari"]

He stared back and found himself still saddened but her gaze seemed a bit more heartening to have her looking... no staring at him like that. "Dove, you really dont need to do anything the help me, its the other way around." A little of the happy and carefree him came back as he sat there and looked down at the ground.

 

[Ashe Senari]

Ashe hugged him again and laughed a bit. This guy was about her age if her guess was right, and he believed his job was to help everyone else deal with their problems. She smiled at him and shook her head.

"No, it's not. You helped me, it's my turn to help you. You don't have to deal with all of this on your own," Ashe told him, continuing to smile at him. What was it about this guy's eyes that caught her attention so much? [member="Kharen Promethien"]

 

[Edric Vanyan]

[member="Ashe Senari"]

"I dont think it works that way... and... did you drink something when at the cantina?" He looked up at her, the sudden realization that he had left her alone with the very thing he was trying to protect her from as that is how he saw her die. Great, now he was failing in that job too, got to love this day.

 

[Ashe Senari]

"Two drinks then I switched to water. And yes, it is. You need help to Kharen. I don't know how I'm gonna do it, but I'm here for you when you need me. I meant every word I said in that little speech earlier," The Echani replied, hugging him tightly and reaching over to grab the small box of food. She put it in his lap and openned it with one hand. There was a set of shitty plastic silverware inside it, but she had made sure anything that required being cut into smaller pieces already was. [member="Kharen Promethien"]

 

[Edric Vanyan]

[member="Ashe Senari"]

"Im fine and i dont need help... and im not hungry." He sighed and shook his head, trying to sit up, and shake himself back into feeling normal. "Im going for a walk, ill be back." He would try and stand, his legs obviously weak as he groaned and hit himself on the face quick as if to wake up before trying to head out of the room, looking for somewhere if anywhere he could just clear his mind and get rid of the dreams.

 

[Ashe Senari]

Ashe sighed and stuffed the food in the fridge. She'd force it down his throat later if she had too. Regardless what he said, something was eating away at him and he needed to stop trying to deal with it all by himself. She'd be there for him if he did want to talk, but she couldn't push him to hard. If he wanted to be alone for a bit, she wouldn't stop him. But the Echani would be waiting patiently for him to come back and if he didn't get back in a reasonable enough time, she'd go hunt him down. [member="Kharen Promethien"]

 

[Edric Vanyan]

Kharen would sigh as he found a place to sit, looking out of the viewport at the lines caused by the hyperspace jump, his eyes wandering and trying to follow the endless trails of light as they streaked out across every inch of his eyesight. Kharen's eyes would fade a bit as he stared out into the nothingness but lights and his mind shut off for a moment as he tried to wipe free everything he saw and had done that almost cost his friend her life.

[member="Ashe Senari"]

 

[Ashe Senari]

Ashe spent the time he was gone taking a short nap and drawing. She found that she didn't really enjoy being away from Kharen. Now that he was around her alot she missed him when he left, even if it was only for short amount of time. She yawned, still feeling a bit tired and leaned back against the wall. She let her datapad sit in her lap and as she closed her eyes. Maybe another few minutes of sleep was a good idea. [member="Kharen Promethien"]

 

[Edric Vanyan]

[member="Ashe Senari"]

Kharen would return several hours later to find her asleep, sighing with a smile he walked over to her and lifted her lightly before covering her up and then going to sit where he always does, on the floor, facing the door. With that done his own eyes closed but only that, he would not sleep and would not lose his focus, he would only sit there and wait for time to pass with his hands on his saber in case.

 

[Ashe Senari]

Ashe tossed and turned in her sleeps this time, whimpering every once in awhile as whatever nightmare she was having tormented her. Once or twice she would mumble Yusan's name in her sleep as well as she struggled to overcome whatever entity was torturing her in her dreams. She ended up waking up screaming after ten minutes of having her nightmare. She sat up in bed, her hands clutching her hair as she struggled to catch her breath. [member="Kharen Promethien"]

 

[Edric Vanyan]

[member="Ashe Senari"]

"Good to know im not the only one that can't sleep." He didn't open his eyes and he had felt every inch of terror that came from her, and soon Ashe would suddenly find her terror and nightmare vanishing from her emotions, though if she looked over she would find Kharen sitting there with his hands balled up. He had taken her emotions onto his own shoulders for now, atleast the ones spawned by the dream and found himself shaking at their level of torment. "Go back to sleep, i can promise you wont have the nightmares again, or atleast you wont fear them."

 

[Ashe Senari]

Ashe slid out of bed and walked over to Kharen. She had seen the look on his face when her panic dissipated and it made her kind of sad. She once again sat down next to him, this time grabbing his hand and holding it tightly in her own. She took a few minutes to just sit there and offer silent comfort before finally speaking.

"Stop doing that. You don't need to absorb all of my pain and fear and whatever other emotions you think I'm better off without anymore. You don't need to bare all of this weight on your own. If the pain is destroying me like it was on Eshan I could understand bearing that burden for me awhile, but you don't need to save me from every little bit of fear and pain Kharen. Some battles need to be fought on your own, my nightmares are one of them. Besides... When a person is unable to feel sorrows, how can things that bring joy have any meaning?" Ashe felt like she was lecturing him again, but only because he was hurting himself by trying to help her. [member="Kharen Promethien"]

 

[Edric Vanyan]

[member="Ashe Senari"]

"Shut up and just go to sleep, do something that i cant, ok?" He glared at her, he didn't mean to and it was more so an effect from what he was trying to bottle up that he had taken from her, but he was also a bit annoyed alone that what he was just trying to do was make her feel a bit more comfortable with having to readjust to life. And mixed with the pains he was feeling now he glared and spoke harshly without meaning to. "S-sorry... just please, go to sleep Ashe."

 

[Ashe Senari]

Ashe sighed and leaned her head against his shoulder. She knew he was only trying to help, but she didn't want Kharen hurting himself to make her life easier. She stayed like for a few minutes before she ended up falling asleep again with her head resting on his shoulder. She unconsciously cuddled closer to him due to him being a source of warmth. The sleeping Echani seemed to be in a more peaceful dream world this time. [member="Kharen Promethien"]

 

[Edric Vanyan]

[member="Ashe Senari"]

He sighed and stopped intruding on her feelings, his own body sitting there, sleepless and tired as it would not sleep without the return of the dreams and his possibly hurting Ashe again... she was cute though when she slept. He mused to himself as he looked at her and closed his eyes again, while he would not find sleep he did find peace in the quite dark depths of his mind. It was after all here that Kharen resided near most of the time, his own mind that held the memory of the countless faces.

 

[Ashe Senari]

Ashe cuddled closer, one hand curling into a fist and clutching his shirt. Her head was now against his chest and her hair had fallen into her face. She whined in her sleep and tried to pull him closer, shivering slightly. The room they had was really cold. The young Echani continued to nap on him for a bit. [member="Kharen Promethien"]

 

[Edric Vanyan]

[member="Ashe Senari"]

He smiled and wrapped a blanket around her shoulders as well as holding her close while she slept, eyes kept shut tight and mind separated from the place right now, though he did keep it connected to Ashe incase she felt any fear or pain again, wanting to help with her burden as best he could. His eyes soon found the wall as they opened and looked down at her sleeping form, smile a bit wider on his face as he satt there and breath short as he wouldn't stop looking any time soon.

 

[Ashe Senari]

Ashe finally blinked her eyes open and bushed. She his her face in his shirt like a little kid. It had only been a few days, but his empathy was making them grow very close, very fast. She didn't know how to handle that. Part of her enjoyed it, but part of her also felt bad. She wasn't sure what to do. [member="Kharen Promethien"]

 

[Edric Vanyan]

[member="Ashe Senari"]

He blinked, turning his head as he looked down at her blushing face and then saw her hide it just as fast in his shirt. "Ashe.... what are you doing?" He laughed to himself as he reached down and tried to take her chin out of his shirt so that he could actually talk to her. It was odd though, she had only taken one singular look at him and now she was acting like an embarrassed kid who was caught with their hand in the cookie jar.