Lily Shook Her Head Affectionately, Running Her Hand Over Her Ponytail. "He's Something, Alright." She

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While he wouldn't find his desperation mirrored in her, there was still curiosity and affection. A fondness that she still reserved for him and him alone. She can tell he's looking for... something, but she doesn't know what. Whatever it is, he apparently didn't find it, and some sort of heavy guilt settles itself in her.

She does her best not to linger on it, focusing on what he said. "I certainly wouldn't complain about going out like this. I think we look rather adorable, matching like this." She answered easily, her tone genuine but playful at the same time. "We could probably use the relaxed outside time, too." She mused.

“I trust you” - @lily-of-the-linkon

"Huh? What are you up to?" He closes his eyes.

--

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Lily didn't realize what Sylus was doing at first, too distracted by watching the petals landing in her hand. It felt so strange to enjoy a moment so peaceful with him, but she's certainly not going to complain either way.

When he turned towards her, she turned her attention up to him in turn, her head tilting slightly in confusion. Feeling him delicately placing the flower behind her ear, her face flushed even deeper, enough so she swears it was radiating heat at this point. Without even realizing it, she found herself leaning into his touch.

Though, perhaps the tenderness of the action was affected by her response to his teasing being to stick her tongue out at him.

"While I'm not exactly opposed to you waxing poetic, and I did agree to tag along so we could spend time together, we didn't come here to make it all about me," she teased playfully as she looked up at him.

closed starter ofr: @lily-of-the-linkon

Sylus picked up his phone, swiping through the screen as he dialed Lily’s number, his thumb tapping rhythmically against the glass. He leaned back in his chair, watching the soft light of the afternoon filter through the blinds. As the phone rang, he let out a small sigh, a hint of impatience buried beneath the calm exterior.

When the call finally connected, he greeted her with a casual tone. “Hey, Lily, you busy? If not… would you want to come see me for the spring? The cherry blossoms are finally blooming, and I haven’t had the chance to see them with anyone yet.”

There was a slight pause as he adjusted his position, a faint smirk creeping across his lips.

"Thought it might be nice, you know... to have someone to appreciate them with."

He exhaled, gaze still fixed on the view outside of the dark N109 zone. "Never had the chance to see it with someone before." The words were quieter, almost absentminded, but laced with something unspoken

Lily couldn't help a small huff when seeing that Xavier had been no better than her about listening to suggestions to sit down and rest, not that there was any heat to her expression either. Instead she finally sat down beside him, her expression softening in gratitude when he explained the reason for the icepack.

She accepted it, but set it aside for the moment to focus on him, her eyebrows furrowing in concentration as she took in the injuries she'd be able to see. With that, she opened the first aid kit to get to work doing what she can.

"I'll be okay too," she finally reassured, her voice quiet as her gaze remained completely fixed on her hands and what she was doing, "Once you're all patched up, we can just... relax."

Perhaps it's because she's so used to feeling like this, or she didn't spare a glance at herself in the mirror while in the bathroom, or a more deep-rooted reason she doesn't have the energy to unpack right now, but she'd much prefer he focus on himself first.

"I'm fine, don't worry... it's just a scratch. What about you? Isn't it a nope day? You should lie down..."

"I'm still going to worry," she insisted stubbornly, her eyebrows furrowed, "Sit down for now, I'll be right back."

As much as she knows she should listen to him and sit down, trust him to tend to himself, not over do it... She can't help but fuss. Is she going to pay for it later? Probably. But it's worth it to know he's okay now.

So she shuffled her way to the bathroom, grabbing a hair tie and messily pulling it back and out of the way for the time being. Once relatively satisfied with that, and once again dismissing the thought that short hair would be easier to deal with on days like this, she grabbed her first aid kit from under the sink and shuffled her way back to Xavier.

It didn't take long for Lily to agree to the suggestion, alternating between looking up at the sky and focusing on their way forward so they don't run into anything and hopefully avoid getting surprised by anything again.

When she sees the 'shooting star', she perks up and pats at his arm gently to get his attention. "I just saw one!" She cheered quietly.

It almost looks like she'd forgotten about their deal with how quiet she was up until she finally spoke, still staring up at the sky. "What's your favorite color? It's a basic question, but I'm still curious."

❛ you shouldn’t be out here by yourself. ❜ 

Send me a prompt!

~

Normally, Lily tries to be fully aware of her surroundings. Working as a Hunter means she shouldn't let her guard down, especially when by herself. Who knows what threats are just waiting for a chance to strike, after all?

Though normally, Lily doesn't have to resort to late night walks to try and clear her mind so that she can sleep.

Suddenly hearing a voice nearby startles her out of her own thoughts, immediately setting her on alert. Her head whipped around towards the source, her posture tense and ready for a fight. Once she finally recognized Xavier, she let out a slow breath that ended in a sheepish laugh.

"Xavier!" She half-greeted, half-scolded.

Once she finally processed his warning, she offered what she hoped came across as a reassuring smile. "I know, I know. But I'm a big girl, I can handle going for a little starlit walk before bed." She teased, running her fingers through her hair in an attempt to calm herself down further so her heart wasn't pounding so hard in her chest.

"What about you? You're out rather late too."

Cheering at the successful hit, Lily laughed as she slowed to a jog in order to catch up with him, her face flushed from the cold wind and the laughter.

"Okay, truce?" She asked through giggles, even offering a hand for him to shake. Her cheeks hurt in the best way, and she figures they're pretty even again. "Hopefully I didn't hit you too hard?"

❄️ -@artistrafayel

Send ❄️ to throw a snowball at Lily!

Lily yelped in surprise at the sudden impact before turning to Rafayel, seeming almost offended for all of... two seconds.

A wide grin spread across her face as she leaned down to make a snowball of her own. "Are you sure you want to play this game~?" she asked playfully, glancing up at him from where her hands were making quick work of the snow.

Lily's expression softened at his admission that the cookies were meant to be a surprise. Bless his heart she really can't stay upset with him for any length of time. He's too sweet for that.

Once she was done with cleaning his microwave from the explosion as best as she could, she turned her attention back to him. The music he'd chosen had her absently swaying along, moving over to him to take a look at the state of the recipe paper.

"I'd say that's still pretty legible, yeah." She agreed, smiling up at him. "Then shall we? Do you have enough ingredients for a second attempt?"

[Phone call, Xavier's voice sounds urgent] "I'm in great danger I need you to come downstairs right now. Please! You're the only one that can help. In fact, the entire complex may be in danger if you don't help me stop this right now."

As soon as she registered the urgency and he mentioned 'upstairs', Lily was rushing out of her apartment, only sparing enough time to grab her guns as a precaution.

"I'm on my way!" She reassured as she hurried upthe flight of stairs between them. Her thoughts were already racing a mile a minute, wondering what could possibly be causing Xavier of all people to struggle and call for help, especially without causing much of a ruckus.

By the time she reached his door her heart was pounding and she was braced for a fight.

Lily still found herself a little giggly as she motioned for Xavier to get comfortable on the couch while she gathered some blankets and other comfort items.

"Quiet days in tend to be the best anyways." She agreed with a content hum, joining him on the couch after she was satisfied with all of the soft-things she'd brought out for the two of them.

“I trust you” - @lily-of-the-linkon

"Huh? What are you up to?" He closes his eyes.

--

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Lily wasn't the slightest bit concerned by having his hand by her face still, even shutting her eyes when he reached closer again. She let out a small, appreciative hum when feeling him fixing her hair, opening her eyes again in time to catch his attempt at looking impressed.

Beaming proudly, she couldn't help but snicker a little, more than happy to help make it easier for him. "I know, I know. But it's fun to tease you." She admitted honestly, happily letting herself be even slightly squished by his tightened grip. "You have fun reactions, even if they're subtle."

( from @lily-of-the-linkon )

Lily holds her arms out slightly towards Dawnbreaker, hoping to make it so he won't feel bad if he refuses her invitation.

"Would you like a hug?"

His eyes light up briefly at the prospect of physical comfort.

"...Yes, I would."

He steps towards her, enveloping her in a gentle embrace to avoid causing her any discomfort, despite his wishes. He leans his forehead on her shoulder, closing his eyes.

Lily's clever, she'd figure it out! Plus the idea motivates her more to try and get strong enough to carry him, whether he's asleep or hurt.

She opted instead to let out a small laugh, letting him move her hands as he pleased. "Only for a moment, to not completely blind ourselves." She hummed, following him to the crosswalk. "Besides, I like a challenge." She teased with a grin.

She did get her phone out though to check her map, humming as she double checked their path, nodding to herself. No getting lost today!

After spending the morning doing research on places in Linkon City that offer milk tea, Lily finally found a place that seemed like it would be a nice place to visit and had the coffee milk tea that Xavier mentioned. Plus it wasn't far from a few good places to eat so they'd have options based on what they were feeling up to without having to go all the way across town. Perfect.

Lily finally sent Xavier a text in the late morning.

'I found a place that has that coffee milk tea you mentioned! And it has really good reviews.'

After a moment of thought, she sent another text as well.

'And thank you for walking me home last night. I really appreciated it. It was nice, looking at the stars with you.'

If not for the sporadic texts, Xavier would still be asleep. Outside the birds that often bickered over his balcony were squawking at a volume loudly. The combination of factors is enough to stir him, just barely. He knows its her before having to unlock his phone.

↪[ Audio: I'm awake. I'm up. I'm coming. ]

↪[ It was nice. Let's do it again sometime ]

In a flash he rinses off, takes care of basic hygiene, and is donning a favored hoodie in spite of the weather.

By the time he gets downstairs, he's already rubbing his eyes again as he knocks on the door.