Sighing in relief when El affirmed he would expect sleep and nothing else Lily nodded. "I will, if you want. If you don't think it's too–" forward? Too much too soon? She didn't know and instead of finishing her question she went redder and shrugged helplessly.
She ran her hands down his arms and she stepped out of that embrace finally, her face still pink. "I ought to go back to my room and lock it all up," and change for bed, but she didn't say that. The prospect of getting ready to go to bed, in here, with him, in his bed, was flustering enough.
"I won't be too long, if I reappear in here will you jump? It's a bit more discrete than sneaking down the hall in my nightgown."
Eleven swallowed, rethinking the wisdom of all this. He'd glimpsed the girls in shifts before, albeit briefly. They weren't terribly flattering garments, but the idea of Lily of one still made him nervous.
Plenty of room.
"That's fine," he assured at length. He might startle when she teleported back in, but it would hardly be the end of the world. "I, ah- I'll make sure there aren't any shards for you to step on."
The shattered plate, he meant- evidence of an earlier fury. He also still hadn't eaten, but, well, he'd live until morning. Certainly, Lily was more important.
Lily came back about fifteen minutes later, still flushed but smiling. After changing her clothes and locking her room up, she had felt antsy, and ended up doing a fretful lap through her quarters double checking her wards unnecessarily as she steeled her courage to return.
She had rationalized that anything she could wear in Taravast wouldn't be as revealing as anything stylish back home, but she felt sheepish coming back in her nightdress.
"So," she looked at him with a bashful smile. "Left side or right?" She almost offered to fight him for the middle but thankfully stopped herself before disaster struck.
Eleven dutifully cleaned up the shattered plate, straightened up the papers on his desk, and moved the barely touched tray onto it by the time Lily returned.
Having already been dressed down in a shirt and trousers, he didn't need to do much more of that and greeted Lily's re-entrance with a startled sound and a flush.
It wasn't revealing as he'd imagined it wouldn't be, but.. well, he could see her bare arms and calves, and the smattering of freckles on her skin. It hit him that there likely wasn't much beneath that, and that did nothing for his color.
He glanced at the bed.
"Ah- left," he said with a look to his swords set in reach of that side. Eleven strode over to adjust the pillows into two separate 'sides'. "If you don't mind.."
Trying to appear completely at ease she shook her head nonchalantly, resisting the urge to slouch a little so the hem of her shift hit her knees. Wearing a short skirt down to the pub with the girls back home was one thing, showing a bit of knee in a guy's room with the intention of sleeping in the same bed as he was was an entirely different kettle of fish.
Eager to distract herself, Lily lifted her wand, moving through the room as she placed wards on the door and the windows for him.
"It's not much, but it's something." She said, looking back at him, her eyes darting over to his bed briefly.
Eleven gave her a grateful smile and tried not to feel terribly awkward as he took a seat on the edge of the bed. Dressed down as she was and seemingly more vulnerable for it, it didn't feel quite appropriate to reach for her now.
"The warning is all we need; I'm not protecting a handful of injured this time." Their odds should be rather good if they were attacked, and rousing the rest of them wouldn't be much trouble.
He tipped his head, wondering if she might be awaiting an invitation- or if perhaps they needed to find a good way to pass the time. "Are you tired?"
"I'm a little tired, are you?" He had been through a good deal in the last few days, if he had wanted to go right to sleep she wouldn't have been able to blame him.
Lily ignored the nerves tightening her chest and took a few steps forward, walking around to the other side of the bed. After stashing her wand beneath the pillows she sat down, scooting onto the bed enough that she could sit and face him. "Would you stay up and talk with me a bit longer?"
Eleven hummed shortly, shrug noncommittal. Emotionally tired, if not physically so- though his eyes felt a little strained for the bouts of grief he'd churned through between fits of anger.
He turned toward her on the bed with a smile, trying not to get too terribly distracted by the freckled skin on display. "Of course. Anything you'd like."
The situation was undoubtedly daunting, but that she trusted Eleven took a good deal of the edge off. She was still very aware of the fact that she was here, in his bed, with the intention of sleeping beside him, but she felt at least a little less jittery about it than she might have.
Humming thoughtfully she scooted close enough to tug him to lay down with her. "Tell me about Erdrea, and your tree."
Eleven eased to lay down under her prompting, still turned toward her with a smile. He hummed thoughtfully in the wake of her request, then shifted to get more comfortable.
"Yggdrasil hangs over Erdrea on a floating island in the north. She's surrounded by the First Forest where life began, then spread through the world.. It's warm there, even though it's so far north that places like Sniflheim are always covered in snow no matter the season."
Which was probably more geography than Lily wanted to know. He cleared his throat, a touch sheepish.
"I think I've told you before that every leaf on Yggdrasil's branches is a life in Erdrea. She has a Heart nestled in Her branches, the source of all life.. It shines with a golden light that anyone can see when it's dark. It isn't as bright as the moon unless you're very close, but it's still beautiful."
Stretching out on her side facing him Lily propped her chin on her hand while she listened.
"Is it as tremendous as it sounds like it would be?" At least in her world, a leaf for every life would certainly result in a lot of branches. "You communicate with her too don't you? But not everyone can?" She had been piecing together what El's life was like in his own world, something she found especially fascinating.
"She's the size of a thousand trees," he confirmed, not entirely certain about his precision in estimating, but a hundred was definitely far too few.
But his smile turned self-conscious, unable to recall what he's told her already about his connection to Yggdrasil. He knew he hadn't told her of his title or the role he had to play- all of that was heavy information. But neither could he lie.
"She's granted me visions of the past," Eleven said after some thought. "Yggdrasil's roots are made up of memories." He turned over his left hand and the obvious mark there. Though he often wore gloves to cover it since arriving to the city, he was sure she must have noticed before. "This mark signifies my connection to Her."
"And you can see her from anywhere in your world?" Tipping her chin back Lily's eyes narrowed as she tried to picture a tree the size of a thousand trees. She had seen pictures of giant trees in other parts of the world she came from, but even calling on the memory of those felt paltry in comparison.
When he explained some of the meaning behind the mark on his hand she shifted her gaze in its direction. "I had wondered what that meant," Lily had noticed the mark on his hand a few times throughout their time traveling together, but thought it far too rude to pry. "Does it designate you as the member of an order? Were you born with it?"
She reached out for his hand, gently lifting it so that she could look over the mark. "Yggdrasil has excellent taste," Lily concluded with a nod, her eyes meeting his with a little smile.
Eleven laughed shortly as she looked over his mark, still self-conscious, but pleased for the compliment.
"I was born with it, but I'm not part of any kind of order." He hesitated, considering leaving it there. Wondered if she'd spoken with Hendrik or overheard him addressing him.
"Though it does come with a title. While Yggdrasil is very powerful, She is an inert force upon the world as She regulates the cycle of life and death. Sometimes, She needs someone to help fight against a rising darkness. Thus the Luminary is born."
"Have you always known you were the Luminary?" She didn't know if El seemed like the sort of person who'd been raised for battle all their lives- but he certainly was heroic and unafraid of doing what had to be done, so it didn't seem that unfathomable.
"Is that what you were doing before you were brought here? Fighting a rising darkness?" Lily let his hand go, letting it settle on his arm instead as she thought about the war left to fight back in her world.
Catching the increasingly tired look on his face Lily smiled and settled back against the pillows.
"Tomorrow, when we wake up," and oh how using the word 'we' in that context gave her butterflies in her stomach. "Will you draw me a picture of Yggdrasil?"
Getting comfortable she drew a blanket up around her shoulders and inched closer to him, her knee resting against his - making contact purely for the sake of it (which was swiftly becoming one of her favorite things).
Eleven blinked, nerves skittering through him from the touch of her knee upward.
"A picture? I'm.. not a terribly gifted artist, but I could try." He sketched out designs for the weapons he made sometimes, but they were more for planning and rough reference than anything artistic.
"Souls drift between Her branches," he mused, thinking about the magical air and sheer majesty he'd never be able to capture on paper. "Waiting to be reborn. I'm afraid I won't be able to do any justice to Her."
"You might fare better than you think, and regardless I'd love to see what you draw. Yggdrasil sounds wonderful." There certainly wasn't anywhere in her world she could think of that could compare. Her world hade wonders, certainly - magical and otherwise, but a tree that acted as the source of all life?
"If you like I can show you some of the things I've doodled from back home." Like El she wasn't much of an artist, but when she sincerely tried Lily managed to get a decent picture together.
"I don't draw all that often outside of my notes from the road but I think I've got a funny drawing of my dad somewhere in there." She turned her head, masking a yawn against the pillow before peering back at him, her face half-hidden and her eyes smiling.
Eleven huffed amusement, letting his limbs lax into the mattress.
"That sounds fun." He stifled a yawn of his own. "Thanks for staying with me. I thought it would be difficult to sleep again.."
Which was probably why he was tired oddly early tonight, on top of the emotional exhaustion. At least he could relax now- or more than he had before anyway.
"Next time you'll have to stay at mine." Though she was certainly on her way to sleepy, it didn't do much for her ability to keep potentially misunderstood remarks unsaid.
She was too tired to be sheepish about it. This was nice. If he wanted a next time she wouldn't be opposed. Things had begun awkwardly, but now it felt comfortable and safe. Lily slipped her hand under her pillow, checking for her wand before she settled in, bumping her knee against his with a sleepy chuckle. "If it turns out you do steal blankets, the offer is rescinded."
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"You're not a blanket thief, are you?"
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"Erik complained a time or two when we had to share, but I don't know if he meant it."
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"I won't be too long, if I reappear in here will you jump? It's a bit more discrete than sneaking down the hall in my nightgown."
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Plenty of room.
"That's fine," he assured at length. He might startle when she teleported back in, but it would hardly be the end of the world. "I, ah- I'll make sure there aren't any shards for you to step on."
The shattered plate, he meant- evidence of an earlier fury. He also still hadn't eaten, but, well, he'd live until morning. Certainly, Lily was more important.
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She had rationalized that anything she could wear in Taravast wouldn't be as revealing as anything stylish back home, but she felt sheepish coming back in her nightdress.
"So," she looked at him with a bashful smile. "Left side or right?" She almost offered to fight him for the middle but thankfully stopped herself before disaster struck.
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Having already been dressed down in a shirt and trousers, he didn't need to do much more of that and greeted Lily's re-entrance with a startled sound and a flush.
It wasn't revealing as he'd imagined it wouldn't be, but.. well, he could see her bare arms and calves, and the smattering of freckles on her skin. It hit him that there likely wasn't much beneath that, and that did nothing for his color.
He glanced at the bed.
"Ah- left," he said with a look to his swords set in reach of that side. Eleven strode over to adjust the pillows into two separate 'sides'. "If you don't mind.."
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Eager to distract herself, Lily lifted her wand, moving through the room as she placed wards on the door and the windows for him.
"It's not much, but it's something." She said, looking back at him, her eyes darting over to his bed briefly.
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"The warning is all we need; I'm not protecting a handful of injured this time." Their odds should be rather good if they were attacked, and rousing the rest of them wouldn't be much trouble.
He tipped his head, wondering if she might be awaiting an invitation- or if perhaps they needed to find a good way to pass the time. "Are you tired?"
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Lily ignored the nerves tightening her chest and took a few steps forward, walking around to the other side of the bed. After stashing her wand beneath the pillows she sat down, scooting onto the bed enough that she could sit and face him. "Would you stay up and talk with me a bit longer?"
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He turned toward her on the bed with a smile, trying not to get too terribly distracted by the freckled skin on display. "Of course. Anything you'd like."
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Humming thoughtfully she scooted close enough to tug him to lay down with her. "Tell me about Erdrea, and your tree."
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"Yggdrasil hangs over Erdrea on a floating island in the north. She's surrounded by the First Forest where life began, then spread through the world.. It's warm there, even though it's so far north that places like Sniflheim are always covered in snow no matter the season."
Which was probably more geography than Lily wanted to know. He cleared his throat, a touch sheepish.
"I think I've told you before that every leaf on Yggdrasil's branches is a life in Erdrea. She has a Heart nestled in Her branches, the source of all life.. It shines with a golden light that anyone can see when it's dark. It isn't as bright as the moon unless you're very close, but it's still beautiful."
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"Is it as tremendous as it sounds like it would be?" At least in her world, a leaf for every life would certainly result in a lot of branches. "You communicate with her too don't you? But not everyone can?" She had been piecing together what El's life was like in his own world, something she found especially fascinating.
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But his smile turned self-conscious, unable to recall what he's told her already about his connection to Yggdrasil. He knew he hadn't told her of his title or the role he had to play- all of that was heavy information. But neither could he lie.
"She's granted me visions of the past," Eleven said after some thought. "Yggdrasil's roots are made up of memories." He turned over his left hand and the obvious mark there. Though he often wore gloves to cover it since arriving to the city, he was sure she must have noticed before. "This mark signifies my connection to Her."
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When he explained some of the meaning behind the mark on his hand she shifted her gaze in its direction. "I had wondered what that meant," Lily had noticed the mark on his hand a few times throughout their time traveling together, but thought it far too rude to pry. "Does it designate you as the member of an order? Were you born with it?"
She reached out for his hand, gently lifting it so that she could look over the mark. "Yggdrasil has excellent taste," Lily concluded with a nod, her eyes meeting his with a little smile.
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"I was born with it, but I'm not part of any kind of order." He hesitated, considering leaving it there. Wondered if she'd spoken with Hendrik or overheard him addressing him.
"Though it does come with a title. While Yggdrasil is very powerful, She is an inert force upon the world as She regulates the cycle of life and death. Sometimes, She needs someone to help fight against a rising darkness. Thus the Luminary is born."
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"Is that what you were doing before you were brought here? Fighting a rising darkness?" Lily let his hand go, letting it settle on his arm instead as she thought about the war left to fight back in her world.
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"But no, I only found out last year when I came of age. Until then, I'd just thought it was an interesting birth mark."
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"Tomorrow, when we wake up," and oh how using the word 'we' in that context gave her butterflies in her stomach. "Will you draw me a picture of Yggdrasil?"
Getting comfortable she drew a blanket up around her shoulders and inched closer to him, her knee resting against his - making contact purely for the sake of it (which was swiftly becoming one of her favorite things).
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"A picture? I'm.. not a terribly gifted artist, but I could try." He sketched out designs for the weapons he made sometimes, but they were more for planning and rough reference than anything artistic.
"Souls drift between Her branches," he mused, thinking about the magical air and sheer majesty he'd never be able to capture on paper. "Waiting to be reborn. I'm afraid I won't be able to do any justice to Her."
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"If you like I can show you some of the things I've doodled from back home." Like El she wasn't much of an artist, but when she sincerely tried Lily managed to get a decent picture together.
"I don't draw all that often outside of my notes from the road but I think I've got a funny drawing of my dad somewhere in there." She turned her head, masking a yawn against the pillow before peering back at him, her face half-hidden and her eyes smiling.
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"That sounds fun." He stifled a yawn of his own. "Thanks for staying with me. I thought it would be difficult to sleep again.."
Which was probably why he was tired oddly early tonight, on top of the emotional exhaustion. At least he could relax now- or more than he had before anyway.
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She was too tired to be sheepish about it. This was nice. If he wanted a next time she wouldn't be opposed. Things had begun awkwardly, but now it felt comfortable and safe. Lily slipped her hand under her pillow, checking for her wand before she settled in, bumping her knee against his with a sleepy chuckle. "If it turns out you do steal blankets, the offer is rescinded."
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"Try not to," he muttered, eyes closing. "Could get used to it.."