View source for 3097/A Knight That's Tired Of War

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2018/02/21
|Location=Lena's Apartment
|Synopsis=Lena Reiniger runs into an injured boy out at night. Alexis runs into a stranger who speaks something very like German with a particular accent. They might have a little too much in common for comfort.
|Cast of Characters=182,57
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:182|Alexis Raskoph| (182)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Old habits die hard.<br /><br />As far as Alexis Raskoph's situation goes, he was *supposed* to be keeping a low profile, what with his parents' influence in the city contonuing to loom over the city.<br /><br />But there is, really, only so low he can keep himself,evidently. Especislly whrn his eye still looks much too closely at peoplr being harrassed by criminals. In the nighttime of the less commercial area of the harbor district-- these criminals tend to be of the more dangerous sort too. Committing even more heinlus crimes-- which leads to even less hesitation for Alexis.<br /><br />Thus, a tall figure in a dark hoodie, hobbling througg from the alley between two warehouses. With the hood flipped back to bare out the distinctly european features of the young man -- and the flow of blood dripping from his brow forcing him to keep one eye shut. One arm hanging limply at his side.<br /><br />At the mouth of the alley, he pauses to peer from side to side into the datk streets,in an effort to spot any onlookers-- and seeming to decide there arent any in immedieate vicinity, he turns to align the side of him with the hanging arm to the corner of the wall...<br /><br />...And proceeds to slam that shoulder into the corner eith a sickening little sound and a sharp, painee "Nnnnggh!" hissed past grit-together teeth.

:'''{{#var:57|Lena Reiniger| (57)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Two years. It had really been two years since she was last in Tokyo and, truth be told, while some things seem to have changed, a lot of it remains the same. It makes adjusting to coming back a lot easier. Though the more Lena thinks about it, the more she's not sure why she even bothered to come back to a place that seems bound and determined to be nothing but the sort of place she's spent her entire life trying to get away from. Perhaps it calls to her, and there's still some sense of duty in the knight that demands she be near the wrongs of the world. She is, after all, a Belkan knight and part of the TSAB.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Or maybe she's just stupid and doesn't know when to stay well enough away.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Whatever the case, Lena has had no interest in sleeping yet, and instead finds herself out on the roads. She's upgraded since coming back, to a much larger bike, the large engine loud in the night air on a street that is surprisingly empty--it is late though and it isn't a main street. It doesn't matter though, she isn't going that fast. But the light from the motorcycle fills the dark road to blinding levels as she moves past something that catches her eye. She almost wouldn't have paid any attention to it save for the ping in her mind going off. &lt;<span style="color:red">Moeglicher verletzter Zivilist, Meister</span>&gt;<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Breaks scream out and for a moment there's nothing but the sound of an engine idling not too far away, but soon she's turning around and slowly approaching where Ascalon is pointing her to. Lost somewhat in the dark, a steel gray sportsbike, some sort of Yamaha model clearly meant for high performance, rolls up. Seated there, in a pair of jeans and a dark red shirt under a jacket of leather, is a young woman. Her face is hidden in a helmet matching her bike's color, but she sees what her device has pointed out. The bike is turned off and the kickstand set before she hops off. She's tall surprisingly tall and when the helmet comes off, it's very clear she's foreign with her pale complexion and dark red hair.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She looks at Alexis, face cold and stern as she sets her helmet on a handlebar and begins to approach him.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"You got your butt kicked good, didn't you?"

:'''{{#var:182|Alexis Raskoph| (182)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Oh great. There comes the onlookers. Having been left leaning into the field operation to right his dislocated shoulder, it's the beam of light from the motorcycle baring down on him that first alerts Alex to someone closing in on him. So when the bike comes to a stop besides him, he pushes himself away from that wall and makes a purposeful stretch of his left arm. Good, functionality is still back.<br /><br />Though the bleeding still forces him to keep one eye closed, Alexis' left green eye pierces through the shade of the nighttime lighting to stare right into the redheaded woman. As tall as Lena is, Alex is taller-- albeit just by an inch, so it's not as obvious.<br /><br />He stares back at her, with a frown, and after turning his head to the side slightly to spit down a glob of blood from his mouth, he mutters in japanese much more fluent than a foreigner his age should warrant, "You say that like the bell rang on me rather than the other guys." Guys. Not other guy; *guys*.

:'''{{#var:57|Lena Reiniger| (57)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She's seen all these mannerisms before, she knows them well. She's done them more than once. Toward her father, toward her adoptive family, and then toward her superior officers. Lena immediately lets her frown deepen just a little and for a moment, with how her fist tights up, it might seem like she's about ready to belt Alex across the face herself. It doesn't happen though.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She turns and heads to her bike for something. The seat's lifted and something's pulled out from under it. When she returns it's pretty obvious that she's gotten a small flashlight out so she can see better. It's probably blinding at first, but she wants to get a good look at the injury keeping that eye closed and also to see if there are any less obvious injuries on his head as well. "Yeah, you obviously did a real good job. Guess I'll have to call emergency services to take care of them if they're worse than you." She doesn't really seem to find anything that really bothers her aside from the one injury. A few cuts here and there maybe, probably just a busted lip or bleeding gums from taking a shot to the mouth if she had to guess. That injury above the eye though, Lena looks at it again and her brow furrows, a sigh coming long from her before she shakes her head. She's pretty sure that's going to need a doctor to look at it. "Vision lost on one side, probably some bodily injuries I'd bet. Win or lose, you didn't come out of it good." And then she offers a question.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"What if I were one of their friends? You think you'd have enough in you for another round?"<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The flashlight goes off and her right sleeve moves up just a bit, letting out a little bit of the metal bracer on that arm, but it's gone as fast as it showed up when she slips the flashlight into a pocket. Left looking at the young man in the darkness, she can only shake her head. "Going to a doctor or do you want me to take care of you?"

:'''{{#var:182|Alexis Raskoph| (182)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Even thougg she doesn't actually make to deck him, the young man's body still reacts to the sense of it being a potentiality. If she has the eye for it, she'll notice; tensed muscles, but not so much so to lock him into place; feet slightly turned and knees subtly bent in preperation for motion.<br /><br />It remains in him even when she walks away. Even when she returns with a flashlight-- he even taked a wary step back when his eye narrows slightly in reaction to the sudden beam of light.<br /><br />"...It's just blood getting in my eye," he mutters then in insistence, with a hand coming up to wipe at the blood gathered over the closed eye lid. More just drips down to take it's place. "Cuts to the head just bleed a lot. It looks worse than it is." The fact that he says it with such certainty means either that he is inadvisably headstrong or that he is MUCH too experienced in things like that. Neither paint a very good picture.<br /><br />"And if you are--" His eye narrows and the frown deepens. "Two points. One: I'm still walking. Two: There was an anonymous call to the emergency services already, so all i gotta do is stall for-- I'd say hundred and sixty seconds now, if night time response time is still the same here."<br /><br />"If you aren't though..." His other eye slowly draws the lid of it into a slow, blinking opening, leveling a red-hued gaze at her.<br /><br />"I can't do hospitals. And I can't stick here to wait for the cops either."

:'''{{#var:57|Lena Reiniger| (57)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;A brow arches, and for just a moment her lips tug up into something of a smirk. Muscles tense just a little and surely he's been in enough fights to just feel that there's something subtly boiling up inside of her. She really might be considering violence. A deep breath, eyes closing, her body relaxes and Lena is back to the calm and collected, if a little stoic person she had been when she first stumbled across Alex. She's frowning but it's hard to tell if it's at him or at something else. Regardless she heads back to her bike and looks over her shoulder. "Well, I think I could deal with someone in your condition in two minutes." Another smirk, but there's no real desire for combat behind it this time. It's just there, kind of knowing and kind of joking.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She shrugs and gets her helmet back on, lifting the visor up as she settles back onto her seat and sits there a moment, staring down at her arm. "Ja. Erste Woche zurueck und ich stehe schon auf laestige Dinge." It's whispered, but she doesn't seem to be making too much of an effort to hide the fact that she's clearly talking to either herself or something else. When she looks back at Alex, it's a stern expression within that helmet. "Guess it's also a no to going back to your place?" She motions her head back at the seat. "Get on. I'll take you back to my place and get you cleaned up."<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;A quick motion drops the visor back down and the bike springs back to life with a loud rumble. Hidden behind the helmet, Lena's frown deepens. She can already tell this decision is going to bite her in the future.

:'''{{#var:182|Alexis Raskoph| (182)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"I've butted heads in much worse condition than this," Alex growls in response, thougy the utterly *beastial* flash of a grin that follows makes it... actually, it makes it even harder to tell if it's said in challenge or jest. <br /><br />At least he isn't immediately leaping after her when she turns back to the bike. He just observes her there, warily.<br /><br />There is the briefest arch of a dingle dark brow when she mutters those german (belkan?) words, but he doesn't vocalize any comment to it.<br /><br />And then... there is that particular offer. And for just a few seconds, paranoia runs visibly through the young man, in twitcges and wary looks to the side.<br /><br />But eventually, he does step up over, and seing himself onto the back of the bike, with his thick arms going wrapping about her to steady himself. And then, muttered ever so quietly: " Ich mag dein fahrrad."

:'''{{#var:57|Lena Reiniger| (57)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;There's not a word said as he approaches, though she does watch Alex and even behind the visor, it's easy enough to get the feeling that she's keeping a very careful eye on him. Why is she even offering something like this? It's the dumbest thing she could possibly have done in the situation. The more she thinks about it, the more her fingers drum faster and faster against one of the handles. She could drive off now and leave him to whatever devices he has, but ultimately it doesn't happen.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The bike sinks a little more with the added weight and Lena briefly looks down at the arms wrapped around her. As she looks back at him, she begins to open her mouth but stops and with a shrug of her shoulders turns back around while the kickstand is pushed up in one fluid motion.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She chuckles and nods. No sense in not taking the compliment when it's given. Maybe he's not so bad a kid after all. "Falle nicht," she offers in a muffled voice before the bike takes off rather quicker than necessary, briefly getting onto one wheel before falling back down and the somewhat lengthy ride back to her apartment begins.

:'''{{#var:182|Alexis Raskoph| (182)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>For whatever it's worth, Alex stays quiet through the bike ride. Nor does he try to tip the bike over and send them into a nosedive or something equally silly.<br /><br />Once she brings the bipedal vehicle to a dtop and kills the engine however,he does hazard asking, "Bist du Deutscher?"

:'''{{#var:57|Lena Reiniger| (57)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It's probably a good thing, not doing anything that could get them killed. She'd be thankful for that, but Lena is of the opinion that the person she's picked up isn't completely suicidal. So the ride goes on rather uneventfully until rolling up into the parking lot of her apartment complex. The engine dies and her helmet comes off, shaking hair out a little before she slips off and begins making her way up to her home away from home--though at this point it might as well just be home.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;There is a brief pause and she looks back, lips tugged up into a hint of a smirk before she shakes her bead. "Nein, aber es ist wahrscheinlich besser wenn du das denken." It still amazes her how closely her own language mirrors a language in a world so far away from any administrated world, but she can't just tell him 'oh, no, I'm Belkan' can she?<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She motions for him to follow and heads up to her door, the sounds of keys moving filling the air before opening into the perhaps unsurprisingly small place. Really just a main room with a TV, couch, and a table doubling as a kotatsu at the moment. There's a small kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom. Perhaps strikingly, there's nothing on the walls of the apartment, or really anything to give the place any sort of character. Her helmet's left on a counter in the kitchen and once he's in, the door's closer before she proceeds into the main room and tosses her jacket over the back of the couch.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Lena looks back at Alex, eyes narrowed and a little cold, strikingly blue in the light of her home. With the short sleeves of her shirt, the bracer on her arm is easy to see, nearly covering her forearm and of a bluish color. Complex engravings cover it and in its center on the top of her arm, a small green gem is seated.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Stuff to deal with your injuries is in the bathroom, in the cabinet. Nothing too fancy, just alcohol, bandages, cotton swabs. I won't be able to stitch your head wound up though."

:'''{{#var:182|Alexis Raskoph| (182)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"You speak well enough for one," Alex points out on the way up, in german-- and with that statement, she might feel his eyes practically drilling into the back of her head. "You are definitely not japanese, either. Austrian? Swiss?" And then, a sudden switch to english: "British or american, maybe?" This one has a way with languages, apparently. Three so far.<br /><br />Either way. As wary as he might seem, he slips into the apartment with her without issue-- and already, his bright-green gaze sweeps through the interior. Taking in notes over the vsrious furnishings and decor... or lack thereof, rather.<br /><br />Even he had some posters in his room when he still lived in his parents' estate.<br /><br />"I'm sure my head will stay together with a bandage at least until I get someplace else," he murmurs, in whichever language she seemed most comfortable with. When her jacket comes off, he pauses just for a split second-- upon the sight of that bracer. Rather than comment on it, though, he asks, "You trust me not to mess up your bathroom or you gonna babysit me in there?"

:'''{{#var:57|Lena Reiniger| (57)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;A non-committed shrug follows. It seems she's more than happy to continue things in Japanese. She needs the practice anyway because as good as she is, it's clear that she still occasionally stumbles over her words. She's better than she used to be at least! "You look old enough to not need a babysitter. I just didn't want to leave you on the street and you definitely seem like the kind of kid that doesn't want to go home so..." she lets it hang there and takes a seat on the couch, arms back on it while she stares at the ceiling. "If you make a mess, you clean it up. That sounds fair." She looks over to Alex with a hint of a smirk before nodding her head off in the bathroom's direction.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And for a while Lena is silent, left with her thoughts until Ascalon pings her mind to remind her of the most obvious question that needs to be asked. So she sits up, arms resting on her knees, staring off in the direction he'd gone. "Mind telling me why you decided to pick a fight when sane people are in bed?" It's not like she wants to pry; it is his business what he does with his evenings, after all. But there's something about this boy. Blue eyes stare long and hard at the door he's gone through while thoughts race through her mind. She's not sure what it is, but instinct is telling her she's brought something more than normal home with her. "Get into fights often?"

:'''{{#var:182|Alexis Raskoph| (182)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Good thing I am not bleeding that much then--," Alex mutters before he closed the bathroom door behind him for the sake of getting privacy. Not just because he strips off his hoodie abd undershirt, but also so she doesn't get to see the bracelet centered by a red gem upon his right wrist previously hidden by the longer sleeves.<br /><br />"Let's just say I have some weird circumstances," he answers through the door, while he studies himself-- and the bruising along one arm and the side of his chest. "And I'm not the kinda man to just stand on the side and watch when shitty people do shitty things."<br /><br />There's a faint wince in him before he goes through the sink cabinet to find the basic medical suppliee promised to him while he mutters, much more quietly, "...Krieg, damage assessment."<br /><br />''DISLOCATED BONE IN SHOULDER RESET SUCCESSFULLY, BUT MUSCLE TEAR PERSISTS,'' a voice in the young man's head responds. ''CUT IN FOREHEAD BURST A BLOOD VESSEL' BUT BLOOD LOSS SHOULD BE CONTROLLABLE. RED BLOOD CELL LOSS NEGLIGIBLE. MUSCLE TEAR ALONG RIGHT TRICEP. 1MM FRACTURE IN RIGHT RIB #4 AND 2.5MM FRACTURE IN RIB NUMBER #5."<br /><br />"Just that...? not bad with a buncha yakuza with bats and knives."<br /><br />''DAMAGE NOT FULLY NEGLIGIBLE. FURTHER MUSCLE TEAR EXPECTED TO EXTEND RECOVERY TIME FROM STASIS BY 0.48%''<br /><br />"...Yeah, yeah, I get it. Ami and Rashmi and Norie and... everyone, I guess, are gonna be pissed.'' <br /><br />He tosses a look towards the door then, before hw focuses on cleaning at the wound above his eye. "... Did you get a read on that thing on her arm, by the way? The engravings werr too fine for mr to make them out ftom where I looked."<br /><br />''NEGATIVE. POSSIBILITY OF INTELLIGENT DEVICE IS NOT 0%, HOWEVER. IS IT SAFE TO BE HERE WITH THAT CHANCE? SHE COULD BE WITH THE RASKOPHS."<br /><br />"... I honestly doubt that. If she was under mom and dad's payroll, she wouldn't have let us see that. I'll keep my hand hidden for now though, just in case."<br /><br />Adhesive bandaging is recovered next and he calls out, loud enough to be heard through the door, "I could ask the same of you, you know. Drivin' around at night in the seedy part of town."

:'''{{#var:57|Lena Reiniger| (57)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Elbow on knee and chin in hand, Lena continues to watch the door, eyes narrowed a little while her mind runs through different thoughts. She's just not sure what to make of Alex. It's probably not anything too suspicious, him getting involved in a fight in the middle of the night like this--delinquents do exist after all. There's just something about it that doesn't sit well with her and given how her brow furrows all the more, it's pretty obvious she doesn't like that feeling. "I guess that's respectable, but just make sure that attitude doesn't get you killed." She can only blink and then chuckle, shaking her head. Ascalon pings in her mind and the girl shrugs. "The irony of me telling someone that isn't lost. But I'm not some stupid kid anymore..." She chides at her device before standing up and stretching. Another ping comes and she frowns, staring up at the bracer on her arm. "Fine... I'm usually not some stupid kid anymore."<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Eyes rolling, Lena heads for the kitchen and the sound of cabinet doors opening and glass moving about before water runs can be heard through the bathroom door. Her mind still wandering with thoughts of what she's gotten herself into, all while she stares ahead at a wall, leaning back against the kitchen counter. When the retort comes her response is quick, as if it were practiced, something she's used to giving. "I don't sleep well. Going out for a ride helps me clear my mind." She shrugs and heads back to her seat.

:'''{{#var:182|Alexis Raskoph| (182)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"I used to do the same," Alexis' voice calls from within the bathroom. "Back when I still had my bike."<br /><br />Well. At least he's trying to make conversation, if nothing else.<br /><br />With bandage set into place and various bits of dried blood and other dirt washed off of him, he draws both t-shirt and hoodie back onto himself-- the latter remaining indoors might seem a little odd, but he'd really rather not let her see the bracelet right now. His side still hurts a ton, but he can't really do anything about it besides set a binding spell on himself to help maintain the bones-- but even that might be a risk of being noticed if his suspicions are correct.<br /><br />"...Anything seems wrong, direct a call to KAzuo," he mutters, for his own Device's benefit, before he works the lock on the door, and pushes his way back into the apartment proper with a call of "Promise I left your makeup alone."

:'''{{#var:57|Lena Reiniger| (57)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Eyes go right over when the door opens and immediately roll. "Because I keep so much of it around." She can't help chuckling a little before leaning back on the couch. There's really only one way to actually see if there's anything to her suspicions and it isn't like she's overly attached to the apartment if things go sour. "So, heading home yourself or do you want me to take you?"<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Lena stands up and brushes off her jeans before walking past on her way to the kitchen to put her glass away. It's when she passes by him that Ascalon gets to work. It's a simple ping, short-range to see if there are any devices willing to respond. Lena doesn't make any apparent sign that she knows this is happening and turns the corner to dump out her glass and set it in the sink. "I'm not going to lecture you or anything about what you do, but if this place is anything like it was a couple years ago, being out at night isn't the healthiest thing a person can be doing." Drumming her fingers on the counter, she waits for the return ping or lack thereof. She does shake her head though, deciding it would probably be easier to just get into direct communication with Alex.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Wenn der Heilige Kaiser mich jetzt sehen koennte, was wuerde sie sagen?" Well, she wasn't quiet in deprecating herself.

:'''{{#var:182|Alexis Raskoph| (182)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"I can think of much worse things," murmurs Alex-- just as she passes by him.<br /><br />That ping. It's acknowledged, but not immediately responded to. She might notice the brief further burrowing of his brows in that particular moment, though-- and the fact, for that matter, that he's left staring after her from a few paces out rather than following on after her. He didn't even answer teh question regarding his method of leaving.<br /><br />Then there's the German again. Or... Belkan.<br /><br />"...Ich nehme an, Sie sprechen nicht uber den Kaiser von Rom."<br /><br />Slowly, one of his feet shifts backwards along the floor, pivoting him over to setting his back leaning against a wall, head still turned to the side to maintain his eyes on her.<br /><br />"So who are you, really?" He asks bluntly, then, with his eyes purposefully moving to the bracer along her forearm. "..:I'll show you mine if you show me yours."

:'''{{#var:57|Lena Reiniger| (57)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Her head lowers immediately and she begins chuckling. Arms come to rest on the countertop while she stares at Alex. Her smile isn't really a mirthful one, and the way her brow scrunches up might suggest mild annoyance. "How do I manage to always run into you people when I'm trying to avoid it?" A moment's pause comes before she shakes her head and stands back up. "My king wasn't from Rome, or this world at all."<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;A sigh and shake of her head sees her moving to the doorway of the kitchen where she can lean against it, arms crossed while giving her guest a very stern look. "That's a rather suggestive way of putting it," she says. "I'm just a knight that's tired of war, so I'll thank you to not bring whatever war you're fighting to my doorstep." Lena sighs, eyes closing while fingers drum on her arm. She definitely shouldn't have stopped back then.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&lt;<span style="color:red">Du solltest uns vergessen</span>&gt; The mechanical voice fills the apartment as Ascalon's green gem comes to life.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Her eyes open and her face is without expression as she stares at Alex. "So, are you leaving on your own, or am I taking you home?"

:'''{{#var:182|Alexis Raskoph| (182)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about," Alex claims, all-too-innocently, over the accusations of suggestiveness-- with just the faintest upward twitch to one corner of his mouth.<br /><br />But then... she says all that. And Ascalon pipes up too, with that obvious flash of light from the gem. And Alex blinks his eyes slowly. "...I knew it," he murmurs, a bit more quietly. "You're Belkan. Not just the bearer of a Device from there, an actual--" before he goes and says too much to the point of gushing, he cuts himself off with a shake of his head, and lift shis right hand upwards, rolling up the sleeve covering it to bare out the bracelet bearing a red gem. He did promise, afterall.<br /><br />"...I... I would have a lot of questions for you, but... I can respect that kind of wish," he goes on, solemnly, with his posture straightening up along the wall he's leaning against. "I can't exactly forget about you at this point, mind you. But... I can promise not to mention you to anyone else, at the very least. IF you want your quiet."<br /><br />Somehow, when she opens her eyes and turns to look at him, Alex finally wavers a bit-- in the way that he averts his own gaze from her. "...I'll be fine on my own from here," he assures. "...Thank you for the bandages, though."

:'''{{#var:57|Lena Reiniger| (57)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I'm sure people will find out I'm back eventually. I just... I want a peaceful life for just a little while. Just once." She admits with some softening in her expression, eyes looking down to the floor just a little while the grip on her arm tightens.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Lena says nothing for a moment as she collects herself and stands up straight, expression steeling a little more while she looks at the bracelet Alex presents to her. Nothing to be done about it if he's gotten himself this far into things, so all she can do is nod. "Make sure you listen to it. Because you're getting yourself into things way over your head." As she heads over to the door to unlock it, she looks back at him and bites her lip. Eyes close a moment before the door opens and she moves to the side. "Whatever questions you have, I'll answer if you want. Just don't expect them to be the answers you want to hear if they're about Belka. I know on other worlds the Belkan empire was romanticized a lot even though they were around during the wars, so I can't imagine what someone from a backwater world like this thinks about it."

:'''{{#var:182|Alexis Raskoph| (182)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"I have more of an idea than you might think," Alex protests promptly before he draws the sleeve back up and lets his arm hang back downwards. "My war started since before I was born. Like I said-- I have. Strange circumstances."<br /><br />His eyes move to the door, and then back to the young woman, with his lips pursed. After a moment's worth of deliberation, he decides, "...No," and pushes himself away from the wall, to move on to step for the door. "I won't darken your castle any longer." He pauses just as he comes besides her, though, and turns his head just so that he can peer sidelong at her."<br /><br />"...Alex," he lets out. "You can call me Alex. Since I have a feeling this isn't going to be the last I see of you."

:'''{{#var:57|Lena Reiniger| (57)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;A shrug. "Seems like we all have our circumstances," she says. Her nod is solid, her look stern but surprisingly gentle. The sort of look one gives when they're seeing someone off to battle. After all, it isn't as though Alex's war is going to end just because he ran into her, and much as she would like to talk him down from it, she has no right to tell him not to fight it. "Maybe you can darken it longer next time," she says with a smirk tugging on her lips.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He stops and gives his name and blue eyes blink in surprise. He's probably not wrong so she nods. "Lena." She chuckles and gives him a soft flick on his forehead not too far from where his cut had been. "Try to be a little less bloody next time."

:'''{{#var:182|Alexis Raskoph| (182)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>The pause ends up being a bit more extended, with Lena's running commentary, and amusement visibly plays through Alex's eyes. "Who's being suggestive now?" He teases, duly, with a low chuckle rumbling through his throat... though that is interrupted by the fingerflick, leaving him with briefly-squeezed-shut eyes preceding some faint irritation.<br /><br />"Lil' bit o' blood didn't stop anyone before, he murmurs, before turning to step through the threshold. "...See you around, Retired Knight."
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