She cried and cried, and after awhile she stopped. In the quiet against his shoulder, Rinali stared over the lake at the reflection of a black sky and white stars it felt like forever since she'd seen and sighed.
"Your hand's burned," she said
"It's okay," said Allen, gently, "Your brother can fix it." The twitch in the corner of his mouth was instinctive, but he didn't let it stop him from covering her with his coat. There was a chill to the air, not that that wasn't something of a relief. He would have joked about it, but it didn't seem the time.
"Hhe can. I'll tell him not to use the experimental tools," Rinali giggled, and then after a moment trailed off, turned her head up, and looked him in the eyes.
"...suicides are damned," she said. "It's written down somewhere. I don't really remember where right now. It's a Mortal Sin, to take your own life. You are committing a crime against God, taking one of His beautiful creations from this earth..."
Rinali held her arm infront of them, staring at the patchwork of old, twisted scars that had returned to normal under the remnants of the bandages Allen had lashed them in.
"So, if I'd done it right. All those times I tried...I tried to escape, from the Headquarters before my brother came..."
She shut her eyes. "I would've been there anyway. For forever--just like Mephistopheles said--"
"No, you wouldn't have."
"Allen?"
He'd tipped his head towards her so that they were eyelevel and their bangs brushed. "You wouldn't have," he said again, eyebrows raised. "I think I'm fairly sure of this, Rinali!"
Suddenly, she wanted to cry again. "And why is that, Allen?" She asked, already knowing the answer, by the way he suddenly tightened his arm around her and looked so serious, so, so...
"Because I'd come after you," he said, "And I'd play cards again. And I'd beat him, no matter what. Even if he made me play an, erm, absolutely honest game! I wouldn't leave until you could come back with me. I-- Rinali?"
"I'm fine, Allen," she said, shaking. "I'm...I'm really really fine."
To prove it, she put her hand on the back of his neck and kissed him: but when they returned to Headquarters both of them left that out of their report.
Re: HMM LET'S SEE
"Your hand's burned," she said
"It's okay," said Allen, gently, "Your brother can fix it." The twitch in the corner of his mouth was instinctive, but he didn't let it stop him from covering her with his coat. There was a chill to the air, not that that wasn't something of a relief. He would have joked about it, but it didn't seem the time.
"Hhe can. I'll tell him not to use the experimental tools," Rinali giggled, and then after a moment trailed off, turned her head up, and looked him in the eyes.
"...suicides are damned," she said. "It's written down somewhere. I don't really remember where right now. It's a Mortal Sin, to take your own life. You are committing a crime against God, taking one of His beautiful creations from this earth..."
Rinali held her arm infront of them, staring at the patchwork of old, twisted scars that had returned to normal under the remnants of the bandages Allen had lashed them in.
"So, if I'd done it right. All those times I tried...I tried to escape, from the Headquarters before my brother came..."
She shut her eyes. "I would've been there anyway. For forever--just like Mephistopheles said--"
"No, you wouldn't have."
"Allen?"
He'd tipped his head towards her so that they were eyelevel and their bangs brushed. "You wouldn't have," he said again, eyebrows raised. "I think I'm fairly sure of this, Rinali!"
Suddenly, she wanted to cry again. "And why is that, Allen?" She asked, already knowing the answer, by the way he suddenly tightened his arm around her and looked so serious, so, so...
"Because I'd come after you," he said, "And I'd play cards again. And I'd beat him, no matter what. Even if he made me play an, erm, absolutely honest game! I wouldn't leave until you could come back with me. I-- Rinali?"
"I'm fine, Allen," she said, shaking. "I'm...I'm really really fine."
To prove it, she put her hand on the back of his neck and kissed him: but when they returned to Headquarters both of them left that out of their report.