Red Blood High

Amnesia accepted the bottle with thinly veiled curiosity, almost dropping it as soon as her fingers wrapped around it. She hadn't expected it to be cold! And what was it? She peered at it, but other than looking clear and feeling as if it had something in it, the only other thing she saw was a strip of drawings. She looked back to James, who had his tipped towards his mouth, and when it righted, looked as if it had been somewhat emptied. In an attempt to mimic his actions, she carefully tilted the bottle in her hand as a sort of test and when nothing happened, tilted it further, but even entirely upside down, it all stayed within its container.
She frowned at it but was distracted from her endeavors as James began to speak again, wrinkling her nose as he tried to say that his home was more comfortable than the forest. It was closed off and pressed in... she didn't see how anyone managed to sleep in a place like this, even if it did have a comfortable log.
"Flashing?" She looked down at herself, searching for some sign of light or anything else that might create a flash, but there was nothing out of the ordinary that she could discern. "How would I do that? And what does it have to do with the shirt?" She picked at the cloth that covered her then, now searching it for something out of place.
Before she could say anything further, Amaryllis spoke up. "You're half naked. Half naked girls get attacked, raped, murdered, or some combination of the three, and in case you don't know, none of its good, especially the last two. We aren't getting killed just because you're some weirdo that likes sleeping in trees, so you're going to stay here. Got it? And tell him I said to stop being a pussy and explain flashing if he's going to bring it up every two minutes. Fuck. Almost makes me wish I'd just put on the boxers."
Amnesia's shoulders tensed as the voice inside her head spoke and she carefully relayed the message to James, questioning whether she was being told the truth on the first part and limiting herself to explaining the voice's request for the second part.

@ rosamarie
It was as he took another drink that his eyes moved back in her direction, watching her with a curious look. Well, he should’ve known she wouldn’t know what to do with it. Only after she attempted to drink without opening the top did he tap her, setting his bottle to the side and taking hers, twisting the top off and handing it back to her.
“It’s water in a bottle. You can drink it now that the top’s off.”
He even went to the effort of picking his up, showing her that the top was off, and taking a drink from it, looking back toward her as if he expected her to attempt to do what he had.
He’d expected a special case out of her, the forest was all she knew, and, he was not surprised to find a wrinkled nose at his words.
“Well, to me It is.”
He clarified, slowly putting the top back onto his water bottle.
“You’d know you were safe here at least.”
He added, ending his sentence until she began to ask more questions. She…really got him sometimes. He was going to have to explain something like that, huh? Oh well, guess he walked himself into a trap again.
Her words weren’t her own, and he guess it by the language used. Of course the girl was still there…he didn’t know why, but he’d almost forgotten about her despite he name being mentioned only moments ago.
“Well…that’s blunt enough.”
He said, though, a part of him knew he deserved it.
“You don’t seem scared of not wearing clothes, but a lot of people don’t like it. It’s called flashing when someone shows you what’s beneath their stomach or, in your case, your chest. You flashing me would be you showing me your breasts or, well, to be blunt, your vagina, really suddenly. If you were to raise your shirt up or bend down, you’d be flashing me. People tend to like other people to wear clothes so that…doesn’t happen.”

@ Suii Keyboard Master

Feeling James tap her shoulder, Amnesia looked up at him in time for him to reach for the bottle he'd handed her. She relinquished it, watching him closely to see what he was doing. "Oh. Is it like your happy water?" she asked as she accepted the bottle back, seeing that the colored piece on top was gone; that must have been what James took off.
Once again attempting to mimic him, she tipped the bottle towards her mouth, only this time instead of nothing coming out, a little flood splashed down her face and body, and after nearly dropping the bottle again, she slowly set it down on the flat, hollow log that sat near the comfortable log. Putting it down seemed best...
Though he didn't really say much, James also didn't claim that Amaryllis was lying to her. This was the second time he'd confirmed the voice in her head had been telling her the truth, yet Amnesia couldn't help but have trouble believing Amaryllis. There was just something about her that she couldn't bring herself to trust...
Worse, that meant she really couldn't go back to the forest. "I guess... I'll stay," she said, glancing around the room once more and trying to imagine how she'd ever even be able to go to sleep... Part of her thought she might just end up sitting somewhere, awake, until morning came.
Then, in compliance with Amaryllis' request, James explained what flashing was, and his words both made sense to her and didn't. Even as she nodded, there was obviously some confusion that still lingered in her eyes that didn't so much have to do with the concept he was describing so much as why it was a problem. Personally, she didn't see anything wrong with being naked. That was just how people were... So it was strange enough to her that they wanted to cover up all the time without the thought that sometimes people got partially naked and "flashed" others.
Shaking her head, Amnesia skipped past all of that and instead said, "I guess I can go find where Amaryllis left my dress..."
"NO! Boxers, tell him to give you the boxers. Don't you dare go near that filthy rag again."
Eyebrows knitted together, Amnesia looked up at James, hesitating on whether or not to listen to Amaryllis. "She... said to give me the box...?" Amnesia paused and corrected to the word Amaryllis said. "Boxers." She didn't say anything about burning her dress though. She wasn't burning it, no matter what Amaryllis wanted.

He made no real comment when she mentioned happy water., instead choosing simply to shake his head. He kind or regretted ever letting her see that, he had to admit…and it made him feel even worse that he still had a (probably destroyed) cigarette sitting in his pocket.
He stifled the laugh as soon as it started when the water went all over her, instead trying to curve his lips into an even line.
“Hey, accidents happen.”
Despite bringing it thinking she might be thirsty, he seemed to be void of complaints when she sat it on the coffee table.
It was her confirming she wouldn’t be leaving that made him feel subtly relieved, setting his bottle too on the coffee table.
“Alright, it’s settled. You can have my bed in my room. I can sleep right here.”
As he said this, he would pat lightly the couch beneath him.
Even he had to admit that it would be best to leave that dress wherever the other girl had put it. Despite being nice, that dress seemed really…worn. He guessed that the girl in her head had the same thought, as she changed direction.
When she mentioned a box, he seemed to suddenly remember, standing up suddenly.
“Boxers? Alright, follow me.”
He gestured for her to follow along as he began to walk down the small hallway. He turned into the same wooden flooring as before, this time taking more casual strides toward the bed in the center. His room was plain in it’s walls, the bed the biggest thing in the room. To the very side was a closet, a door that seemed moveable, almost as if you could slide it, covering up whatever was in his closet. Nearest the bed was a small nightstand, nothing really there but a lamp, and pushed up against the corner of the wall a small dresser. Not seeing the need for anything fancy, his bedsheets were simply patterns, and, despite his nature, were well made and folding down as to reveal one pillow laying on both sides. Reaching for the boxers that had landed a sloppily on the bed. The boxers were clean, obviously a new pair to be in his dresser, a pair mentioned before to be worn by men. He extended them out, turning toward her.
“Here you go, slip ‘em on. Just warn me and I’ll turn around.”

@ rosamarie

@ Suii Keyboard Master

At James' offer, Amnesia bit her lip. She didn't like the thought of stealing his bed or being alone in this strange place. Even if it wasn't as bad as the other place, something about it still didn't feel quite right, and when she'd been alone, she felt it press in on her. Somehow though, James being around helped, like it helped with a lot of things. "Actually... would you mind staying with me?" she asked, almost nervously. "It's better here, but... you help." And he did. She'd felt completely content when they'd just hugged earlier.
When he motioned for her to, Amnesia followed James out of the big area into a long, claustrophobic space that opened up into a smaller area than the first one, but which still had its own hole to the outside and seemed just as neat and empty. It was nothing like the chaos she was used to, and she couldn't help but wonder if most homes were this way.
After being handed the piece of clothing Amaryllis and James had called boxers, Amnesia turned them in her hands, trying to figure out what to do with them. "Okay... Amaryllis says turn around."
Amnesia followed the instructions of the exasperated voice in the back of her mind, waiting until James had turned before finding where the big hole was, which apparently faced up. It took some time, as she was instructed how to tell which side faced which direction and to slip her feet through the big hole into the smaller holes and pull them up to her waist.
When she'd finished, she told James, even as she looked down at herself with drawn eyebrows and seemed to bounce from one leg to another, trying to figure out what she thought about how it felt. While they hugged her hips--she'd found the stretchiness fascinating through the explanation of how to put them on--they were otherwise loose but still didn't feel quite right on her. "Is this better?" she asked when she finally looked up at James without taking a break in her endless shifting.

“Oh…I mean, I guess I could.”
Whenever he’d shared his bed with someone, it wasn’t just to sleep…and a part of that alone made that offer uncomfortable for him.
“If it helps, I can sleep here too.”
When told to do so, he turned his body around, staring straight at his bed for a moment, listening in without meaning to, as if he’d hear something strange.
He remembered that he himself had yet to shower, and a part of him hoped he could manage it without stepping into a small swamp. Maybe…it would’ve been best if he had taken a shower first. He didn’t mean to sound shallow, but he didn’t know if he would’ve had the guts to kiss her if she would’ve been coated in dirt and leaves. Not that he didn’t care…but he was just surprised he hadn’t found any strange tastes after kissing her. Did she know what a toothbrush was? How clean were her teeth? Shit…he was overthinking. The more he’d think the less and less he’d want to kiss her again…which, he’d admit he wouldn’t mind kissing her again. There was kissing and then there was more, of course, but the thought of tongue kissing or anything of the sort made him feel embarrassed.
He snapped out of his thoughts, jumping slightly when she spoke again. He turned, finding his head lowering before he had time to think about it, staring full on at her legs covered by the underwear.
“Y-yeah, that’s better! It was a little awkward to have you basically sitting on me with nothing underneath…”
He said, clearly still trying to shake his prior thoughts.
“So…I’ve got to get a shower still. Are you getting tired?”
He asked, pointing his thumb in the direction of the bed.
“I can say one thing, it’s comfortable.”

@ Suii Keyboard Master

When James agreed to her request, Amnesia gave him a relieved smile. “Thank you,” she said and stepped forward to wrap him in a quick hug. Strange as it may have sounded to anyone else, this was actually her first time to be out of the forest for so long, but more than that, for someone who had mostly avoided the Strange Wood for the longest time, this was also th longest she’d spent inside one of the curious structures.
After putting on the boxers, which she thought were strangely named since they didn’t resemble a box at all, she made herself stop focusing on them and look up at James, who actually seemed to be staring at them too. Was it as odd as it felt? She glanced down again, just as he spoke.
“It was?” It hasn’t seemed awkward to her at all, but when she looked up, it seemed as if something bothered him. Maybe it had to do with people wanting others to wear clothing all the time...
Then, when he said he was going to shower, she nodded, recalling from his conversation with Amaryllis what that was. “Okay, I’ll wait,” she said, and after he left, sat down on the flat thing he’d indicated. To her surprise, it felt even nicer than the comfortable log, a where the log was kind of rough feeling, this was softer.
”It’s called a bed. You’re supposed to just get under the covers and sleep.”
Amnesia didn’t follow Amaryllis’ instructions this time though, instead staying where she sat at the end, knees pulled up to her chest and arms around her legs with her chin perched on top of her knees. And despite all guesses that she would be too uncomfortable to sleep, she actually dozed off just like that.

@ rosamarie
He patted her back in return, accepting her hug though knowing better than to let them both end up stuck in a hug again.
On his way out, he went by the dresser, grabbing himself a pair of boxers, and, as if it were casual, started to raise his shirt off his body. He then seemed to look back, dropping it, smiling, and walking out the door with the underwear in hand.
It didn’t take but moments for him to kick off his pants and shirt behind the closed doors of the bathroom, other underwear following suite as he grabbed a towel and turned the water on. He took a long look in the shower, scanning cautiously for twigs, dirt, or anything of the like. Much of the dirt had been washed away, but, twigs and such had found their home near the base of the drain, along with a few rogue leaves. All of his old clothes hit the hamper where he had place the towel, shrugging it off and sliding into the shower. The warm water dampened his hair instantly, running down his face and almost jumping his features like an arch. Waiting for his hair to dampen more, he grabbed for his (Still open) shampoo, scrubbing it into his silver dyed hair, closing his eyes as he did so.
It was obvious that Amnesia wasn’t normal…wasn’t just a normal person, speaking since he’d seen her hurl a block of ice. She didn’t remember who she was, almost like she’d been wiped clean, a blank slate he happened to stumble upon (for better or for worse he didn’t know). He hadn’t expected her to be here…nor had he expected her to feel…the way she did about it him. He was unsure why, though it made him feel a bit warm inside, though at the same time there was a strange nervousness that he could never fully shake.
When he grabbed for body wash, he heard snapping, looking down to see he’d broken a rogue twig underneath his feet. Kicking it to the side with a sigh, he opened the wash and began to scrub himself down. He would not be able to keep her clean, he’d also come to realize. She didn’t seem to really know what clean was, and she’d probably get dirty again the moment she left. It wasn’t that hard to shower…. if she could properly learn how she might even want to.
Letting the soap drip from him, he cursed as he looked at that drenched bandaging on his hands. He began to unwrap them, holding both in his hand as he came to stare at his palms. No blood, but the marks he’d left in his skin were still there.
After this, he’d turn off the shower and step out, tossing the bandages in the garbage and grabbing for his tower, drying down before he went for his hair, hands moving quickly as he almost shook the water out, getting it just dry enough before he tossed the towel into the hamper and grabbed the underwear, slipping them on before walking to the door.
Reaching the door, he felt a pit of nervousness, taking a deep breath as he twisted the knob and walked outside, wearing nothing but a pair of underwear. It’s not that he expected anything from her…he just didn’t believe he’d ever been in just his underwear around her.
By the time he’d gotten out, he’d looked over to see the girl passed out in a position so odd it was normal for her. He didn’t know if it would wake her up or not, but, seeing as how she was set in a good spot and seemed out of it, he wrapped one arm under her knees and one arm behind her head, lifting her up into his arms.
Trying his best to keep her asleep, though, knowing that he might fail, he moved her towards the pillows and open covers, coercing her legs to straighten as he slipped them under the covers, tossing them over her with a surprise quietness. Doing that, he moved to the other side of the bed, starting to do the same in the slowest and easiest way possible as he turned off the lamp, covering himself up as he placed his hand behind his head, it being the only stopper for the pillow beneath him.

Amnesia knew it was morning before she ever opened her eyes. It wasn’t any sort of particular lighting or sound that gave it away, as it was actually fairly dark and she didn’t hear much; she just knew.
When she opened her eyes, she already knew what she would see: James’ home. She didn’t expect to see him though, still asleep and looking perfectly content beside her. Still, she couldn’t help but smile privately at the sight. No matter what he thought, he was a good person.
Moving as carefully as possible, she made her way out of the bed and smoothed the covers back to rights, trying her best not to wake him. She knew he slept during the day.
Then it was a matter of getting ready to leave. She didn’t want to take his clothes, so she took off both shirt and boxers and left them in a carefully constructed pile at the edge of the bed before making her way to where she remembered Amaryllis putting her dress. And despite the loudly voiced arguments in her head, she slipped it back on.
That was all she really needed to leave, but she quietly padded back to James’ room anyway, her mind searching for some way to thank him without waking him up. A couple of ideas crossed her mind, but finally she settled on bending over beside him and pressing a soft kiss to his forehead. She straightened and after one more pause to make sure she hasn’t forgotten anything, Amnesia crept out of his room and without any help from the sulking, angry voice in her head, managed to find and open the door that led outside.

“I might wander off somewhere else. I stayed close to the Strange Wood because I met you, you know. So, if I forgot everything, you might not see me again…”
It was all a dull ringing in his head. A memory that made him irritated at himself and the events as they’d transpired. Converse thudded across the forest floor in a clear hurry, roughness easily distinct among the scene of dead and leafless trees. He ignored the itching that shot up his back, the black hoodie over him scrubbing against his bare back and seemingly soothing the urge to scratch the mostly healed burns. There would be scars left over, but he’d healed exceptionally well given the circumstances. Maybe it was the demon himself, or his own vampirism, but blood and time had mended wounds that were lethal to normal humans.
He had only just been informed what had happened, only just been told that Amnesia had ran off. He’d been thinking about where she was, why she hadn’t come by to see him, and how he’d realized just what was going on with him.
Yerek had been the first to tell him, standing at the side of his bed as his brother applied bandages over a mostly healed but still easily irritated set of the nastier burns. He’d initiated it, asking why he hadn’t seen Amnesia, only to discover that she’d been in hiding. She’d vanished nearly as soon as he was carried off.
After that, and, despite the warnings not to do anything risky, he’d jumped from his window in a hoodie, pants, and converse and darted for the forest.
He’d rely on his senses and the occasional whistle from up above to change his direction, whistling in return when he’d found a different route. It hadn’t taken Khal much convincing, though, their meeting had been accidental. Simply a run in, with James announcing he was looking for Amnesia on the way through. Next he knew, the angel had taken the sky. Despite the whistling that came from above, something they’d started to do as they decided to change direction, his senses were his main radar. He could see certain things, smell a mix of her and his own scent, and it got stronger the closer he came. He hadn’t started it the entire time, though, when he thought of it, his katana had appeared and start small gashes within trees, that of which he’d mark with a change of direction or when he felt the gashes were too far apart. It was something he hoped he could rely on as much as his nose to find his way out should he need it.
A few more crackling and breaking branches and he found what he was looking for. The tree was the largest one he’d seen, a towering tree with large roots, as if it were the center of the forest. The scent was the strongest he’d ever smelled here, absentmindedly stepping in pillows of moss, before he followed the scent to what was almost like a small hole in the tree. The first thing he saw was the cause for such a scent, the white hoodie he had given her upon their first meeting stuffed within this hole, covered by dirt that would be a pain to remove, but unharmed. He slid it out, holding it with one arm and then the other against his chest, the last whistle he would give out the longest and loudest he could manage, attempting to bring Khal back down to the ground. He didn’t know if she was here, but it smelled too much like her for it not to be a spot she’d been at before.
There was an aching there to find her. He hadn’t known just what he’d been feeling the last time they’d sat together, but these few months had slapped him in the face as he sat alone with his thoughts.
Fuck……he was in love.

James had surprised him again. Somehow Khal had gone through a whole cycle of believing that James didn't care about Amnesia and was using her somehow, to seeing and accepting that he really did care about her to some degree, to witnessing how much he cared.
After what happened, Khal had thought it best to give her some time to herself, but when, after a month, he couldn't find her, he'd started the search, at first sweeping the forest quickly and hoping he would spot her and then, once he realized she was hiding, being more thorough. Of course, it wasn't as if he could spend his every waking moment searching, though long hours had gone into combing the forest. Otherwise, it felt like he was searching the ends of the earth for Kadrin. He'd thought she would stay within a certain distance of the school, yet she'd essentially disappeared, and in light of the news he'd received, he hoped to find her before the plan could be put into action.
It was just starting to seem as if he were doomed to find no one when, heading back to the forest, he happened upon James, who he was surprised to see moving around so soon after what happened. Then, one thing led to another, and he couldn't say he wasn't glad for the help, but he also couldn't help but be surprised in the way James was acting--in a way Khal had definitely never seen from him before.
When he picked up on the long whistle, Khal ceased his overhead search to navigate the tree branches and land on his feet beside James, who held a once-white hoodie clutched to his chest. "I thought you found her?" he asked. That had been what the signal was for anyway.
Looking around though, Khal saw no sign that Amnesia had been in this place, though because she wasn't prone to simply keeping things around her, it was hard to tell. The large tree, budding all over with flowers, looked like the sort of place she would be attracted to though. He walked around James, looking over the exposed roots and moss that grew up under it.
"Where did you find that?"
After James pointed it out, Khal approached the hole in the tree, set in an area where it was disguised by shadows, and he reached into it. His fingers were immediately met with the feeling of something knobby, which, as he pulled out, he discovered to be nuts. There also appeared to be a handful of seeds, a dingy scrap of cloth, and a glossy black stone. "Are you sure it's her and not raccoons?" he asked James seriously as he turned to him.

It didn’t take him but moments to land nearby, and, when he did, James turned in his direction.
He extended it outwards.
“I found something close enough.”
He responded, though, he didn’t necessarily aim to pass it to Khal, instead dropping it to his side as his arms fell downward.
Taking a long look around him, he took in everything around him. He could see her using something like this to sleep in, or something close….and it didn’t help that her scent was all over the place. The hoodie he held in his hand was a faint mix of him, Amnesia, and forest, but it was the most distinct one here.
“Hole down there, hid in with a few other things.”
As he said this, he began to walk forward, bending down near to the hole, gazing inside as Khal began to pull free many things. Despite how little Khal seemed to believe him, he seemed stuck on the idea, holding up the hoodie once again.
“I gave this to her the day I met her. She told me she kept it somewhere safe, and this whole place is covered in her scent. How do you think I found it? That’s where she keeps things.”
He concluded quickly, sitting up again, convinced that he was on to something. He stepped outward, walking past the tree and looking around. It was dark, if she wanted to sleep, she’d sleep somewhere like this, right? Shit, he hoped he was on to something.
“Amnesia!”
He gave out more of a yell, listening to it echo through the forest before turned back in Khal’s direction He sat the hoodie down on the ground, watching the way it landed before he began to walk back towards Khal.
“If this is where she sleeps, she’d be more likely to come back. It’s not her, but I can say damn well that I’m not lying.”

It wasn't until James mentioned scent that Khal at last nodded, putting the items back where he found them and standing up. If not for that, then his suggestions of raccoons could've been right. Despite what James said, they were thieves, and they could've stolen the jacket. But between there being something that he'd given to her and her scent being all over the area, that seemed to suggest this was where she stayed, which was a lot more progress than he'd ever managed to make on his own.
"Hey, I never said you were lying," Khal defended. "I didn't know about the jacket, and I don't have your sense of smell." He frowned at James and reached out to put a hand on his shoulder. "Calm down. I'm worried too, but this means we're close to finding her. Look, I'll sit out here, wait for her when she comes back. You should still be getting rest. When I find her, I'll make sure that she visits you. Alright?" After he made sure she was okay and convinced her to stop hiding.
Seeing the stubborn look James had though, Khal conceded, "If nothing else, I need you to sit still and stop yelling. She isn't lost or missing; she's hiding. If she hears or sees us, she might just run in the opposite direction. It was hard enough getting this far."

"Amnesia!"
She went entirely still at the sound of the voice calling her name, wide aquiline eyes searching the forest around her as if she expected to see its owner at any moment. No one materialized from the darkness, however, and though she strained her ears, she didn't hear her name again.
For a moment, she'd thought James had come looking for her too. She'd caught glimpses of Khal a couple of times, searching the forest, but though a part of her wanted it, she hadn't seen or heard James, something a different part of her agonized about. She didn't know how he was doing after getting attacked like that because of her, if he was okay or not, and she was sure he had to hate her for what she'd done.
She knew she hated herself for it. Whenever she slept, she had nightmares about it all, no matter what she did to try and prevent them. She'd been awake for three days this time, hoping that just maybe there would be nothing when she finally closed her eyes, and she was certainly ready to as she practically dragged herself back toward her home.
Even her connection to nature had faltered due to the proximity to the equinox, and rather than naturally move with the forest, she felt as if she were moving against it. All but the barest guidance had left her to fend for herself.
It wasn't until she was approaching the tree she called home that her ears caught onto a familiar voice, causing her to halt all movement all over again. Khal had found her home... She still couldn't see him, meaning he couldn't see her, but if he moved around the tree...
Amnesia slowly began backing up, trying to summon up her usual grace that let her be silent in the forest as her mind worked on figuring out where she could go. This was her home, it had James' jacket, but if she stayed around, he might spot her.

James shrugged Khal’s words off, seemingly somewhat unwilling to hear them at the moment, though, he did release a sigh through his nose as he spoke.
“I’ll calm down, but I’d really rather not leave. You expect me to run off like after she fought my demon for me?”
He didn’t seem particularly aggressive towards Khal, though, he had actually tried to play it off as such…though it seemed more tired than anything.
Saying nothing more, he walked toward the tree, coming to sit beside the jacket, attempt a slow descent downward as he winced in habit, afraid he might hurt his burns and bring them to life again.
“So, you don’t hate that name I gave her, do you? Her actual one is Solstice or something, right? That’s as weird to me as Amnesia is to you.”
There was an attempt at idle conversation, and, he let it hang in the air for a moment, before his head shot in the direction of rustling, that of which his ears were highly prepared for. His body had been tensed and focused, so, when he heard it, he started to move, though, wincing at the sudden and quick movement, he sat back down.
“To your right, rustling. Not right up close but there.”
He said, simple speech thrown out in hopes that Khal might be the one to go investigate. He could get up, but he wasn’t necessarily able to get up from a sitting position like that and sprint again.
He didn’t know what her reaction to him would be, so, even then, he found it best that Khal get to her first. He’d gotten burned after she’d kept attacking, so, he imagined she would be deeply guilty. As selfish as it was, he’d rather have her around than have her hide because of that.
He knew he’d slipped up and let himself get too close, but he didn’t truly give a damn at the moment.

Khal sighed, shaking his head as James gave in enough to sit down. "Honestly, I don't know what I expect out of you these days." On the surface, it sounded almost like an insult, but at its core, it was simply a reflection of the angel's inner thoughts.
As he walked around the roots, Khal pressed his hand against a thicker one, testing its strength, and seeming satisfied, perched himself atop it in such a way that he looked as if he could be back on his feet at a moment's notice.
"It is," he confirmed in answer to James' question, though he wasn't able to say anything further because suddenly the boy started to get up, only to sit again and direct Khal, who hadn't heard anything out of the ordinary from the forest's usual sounds. Still, he was on his feet a moment later, turning in the direction indicated. "Stay here," he said quickly and disappeared to investigate.
He didn't actually have to go too far before he saw her, startlingly nude and looking as if she were about to run. "Solstice!... Amnesia!" He realized he wasn't entirely sure what to call her, but it didn't matter anyway, because she turned and ran.
Khal didn't hesitate to give chase, despite knowing that her connection to nature would mean she could disappear if she wanted. Yet he caught up to her quickly, and seeing no other option shortly of tackling her to the ground, managed to grab hold of her arm to bring her to a stop.
Up close, she didn't look good. It wasn't really anything to do with her snarled hair or even the lack of clothing, which he refused to focus on; it was in her face, where he put his focus. There were haunted rings around her eyes and pain dulled the usually brilliantly blue of her irises.
"Khal, let me go." The command sounded a lot like the Solstice he knew, but it carried a note of desperation, even as she tried to yank her limb free.
"I just wanted..." He realized before he'd even finished the sentence that she wasn't listening to him. "James is here too." She went completely still then. Khal still didn't understand her odd attachment to him, but if it helped...
"Is he okay?" she asked softly.
"He's still healing, but he's fine enough to come looking for you."
It took a moment, but she slowly nodded, and Khal hesitantly loosened his hold on her wrist. She moment she lurched away, however, he grabbed her around the waist and picked her up with a grim expression, ignoring her protests as he carried her back to the tree where he'd left James. Maybe between the two of them, they'd be able to get her to calm down...

“Let me tell you, you really don’t know me that well, buddy.”
His first reaction was to say sparkly twat, but he bit his tongue and changed his wording in time, avoiding anything suspicious.
It wasn’t hard to hear anything around them; his ears were surprisingly good at hearing things even far off. The protest of a grunt and a small curse came as Khal told him to stay. He’d been told to stay there, but, as he heard Khal begin to speak up, calling for those two specific names, he found himself trudging up, pushing against the tree near him and coming to stand in a slow manner, ignoring the sudden flaring that had erupted from his back. It was that and the small groan his legs let loose that let him know he had done something stupid, though, he still began to walk forward.
Though his pale skin complimented him immensely, making the blue of his eyes shine compared to the rest of him, the paleness mixed with the lines that engraved themselves under his eyes were less suiting.
Dealing with burns and thinking about things he couldn’t control, that had been a great deal of his time, keeping him awake some days and forcing him to pass out others. It didn’t help that he’d had to sprawl out on his stomach for a great deal of time there.
His dirty blonde hair seemed almost as if it had fought him, the sides and back as short as ever, though the top looked slightly wild, still finding it’s way to run down toward his eyes. The times he was asleep would normally be interrupted by someone coming in to check his bandages, mostly his brother, though, he’d found out Amnesia had gone missing when Yerek had decided to come in with his brother. He’d slept more, though, when night hit, he’d gone straight for his window, bothering little with floating or teleporting and instead dropping out of it, the impact dealing him pain in his legs before he went into a roll that set his back into itches and irritated it.
He couldn’t even gather to guess how he’d ran his way clear through here, because, now that he had let himself still, his legs wanted to fight him. What would you expect from someone half asleep? He hadn’t nailed a perfect landing.
By the time he’d began to follow, Khal appeared again, carrying with him an almost flailing girl on his shoulders. Normally, he would’ve been nervous…being that he’d…quickly noticed she wasn’t wearing anything, though, he instead caught eyes with Khal before looking back toward her.
When he bent, he did so while also hiding his pain, grabbing the hoodie below as he unfolded it, clapping the dirt off before he extended it outward, smiling so she could see it.
“Will you wear this for me? Just don’t want to get flashed, you know.”
Despite playing it light, as if he were joking, his words buried and shoved down just how worried her appearance made him.

Despite her doing her best to get free, Khal managed to keep Amnesia pinned down well enough to carry her back to where James was waiting, and her eyes searched him for signs of the burns or pain or even hatred, even the smallest bit, but instead she found him with the hoodie she'd hidden for safekeeping and acting just like his usual self.
How could he smile at her after what she did?
Rather than answer his question, tears began to pool in her eyes, blurring her vision, and by the time Khal realized what was happening, the wetness clouding her eyes had turned into real tears and full blown sobs.
Amnesia had thought that what happened with Lily was the worst she could ever feel... that failure on her part and her uselessness in being able to fix it. But somehow, being responsible for hurting James, knowing she'd almost killed him, was a thousand times worse. And seeing him looking fine and not acting the littlest bit as if he hated her when he should, when she imagined he would, just brought everything to the surface, and she couldn't stop the surge.
When he realized she was crying, Khal quickly set Amnesia back on her feet, startled by the sudden change in temperament. "I don't think this is the time," he said with a quick, hard look towards James before his focus went back to Amnesia, who he had to support when she stumbled after being set on her own two feet again.

It wasn’t until the tears started that his smile felt completely hallow. Shit…did he screw it up? He’d…he’d thought it might make her happy! Fuck! Was he suddenly bad at this!?
The smile was, again, hollow, and it began to return to an even face as he slowly dropped the hoodie to the side.
He felt the hollow turn into a simmering pit, teeth grinding as Khal spoke to him, looking at him like it was all his fault. He might’ve known her before…but he’d be damned if Khal could tell him what he could do. He knew Amnesia now, and that was what mattered to him.
“Well, you’re wrong.”
Was all he said, stepping forward towards them, holding the hoodie still as he met the now on the ground Amnesia. He wiped away at the tears falling from her eye with his hand, the smile starting to return.
“Hey…didn’t you tell me it was bad to leak before?”
He was trying his damn near hardest to make change, and the way Khal had talked lit a fire under him.
“Will you try to stop, please? I don’t want you to think I blame you for anything, because, I don’t. It’s not your fault. I’d feel a lot better if you would be happy…for me at least.”
He’d lost that hard pit he’d felt boiling, his voice softer, as if he was attempting to almost lull her out of the state she was in, though he may not fully understand what she was thinking.
It was almost compulsory, his eyes moving toward Khal, a warning of a thousand words shooting through his eyes, as, with what could’ve been reckless abandoned, he spread both of his arms out and smiled once more.

Khal crouched down beside Amnesia and began gently rubbing her back, murmuring reassurances as best he could. He looked up as James replied to him though, moving to sit in front of Amnesia before Khal could react in any way.
It wasn't until James began to wipe away the tears that Amnesia realized he was right there, trying to make her feel better. "I-it is my fault. I almost k-killed you," she insisted as she pulled back, swiping at her own eyes. However, her resolve crumbled when he opened his arms for a hug, and she practically threw herself on him, pressing her face into his shirt as the tears continued to spill.
Though Khal went quiet as James spoke to her, it was at the same moment that Amnesia hugged him that the angel gained voice again. "Don't!" he tried to warn her, too late. "He still has burns on his back!"
Amnesia let go of James the moment the words reached her, stumbling back as she gave him a look that could only be described as horrified. He'd just let her hurt him again, and she'd done it...
Tears continued to wet her eyes, though, for the moment at least, they'd stopped falling. "Why are you doing this? Why can't you just hate me?" Her mind conjured up the conversation they'd had months prior, where he'd said he couldn't hate her, but that was before she did all of this... And if he hated her, then he wouldn't be around her and get hurt again. He'd be safe.