Dreamer's Gate -OPEN-

[Blake Andrews]

“Blake… please don’t ever disappear, ok? Will you promise me that?”

Reia’s voice sounded near him. She was eight years old, in a white and yellow sundress, with her long brown hair playing over her shoulders. There Blake stood, at his full seventeen years, not knowing what to do, what to say. He found himself in an immature corn field, maybe spring time. The sky was a cyan blue dotted and blurred with the white of cloud cover. His logic screamed at him that this was wrong, that this made no sense, but he didn’t care. He kneeled down, and Reia ran in to his arms, crying. “I’ll protect you…” He whispered. “I’ll protect you.” Suddenly, the entire scene began shifting, changing, warping. Trees began flowing up and out and in every direction. The sky went from light blue to black. Reia broke away from his hands and began changing. Her hair became snakes; her eyes seemed ablaze with fire. Her skin turned to a mottled black, and she grew fangs. “Ah, there you are, Blake. We’ve been… Expecting you.” All at once, she leapt at Blake.

--

Blake awoke with a start. The back of a large, dark green minivan was the most comfortable place Blake had been in for two days. Although he had been in England for a good twelve hours, he had not seen any of it through his sleeping eyes, or from the dark tinted windows. Exhaustion had finally set in after a solid day and a half of airplanes, airports, layovers, loud children, fat neighbors, bad food, and rude flight attendants. Obviously, Blake had trouble sleeping over the trip. Even

As the minivan began pulling in to the front gate of Somnium Academy, Blake’s eyes played over the brick and windows of the buildings, the green foliage and lively appearance of the trees, and the students lazing on the grounds. He had no real intention of making any connections… His father had a bad habit of ripping him up from the roots just as soon as he had laid them. Still…[/b] he thought to himself, I wouldn’t mind spending some time here. I hope dad doesn’t move me too soon.[/b] The minivan was nothing more than a government hired taxi to get Blake from the airport to the school without getting lost. Blake had a bad habit of not showing up where he was supposed to if he didn’t feel like it.

As he stepped out of the car, the older woman driving him stepped out of the driver’s seat and approached him. “Excuse me, Mr. Andrews. May I help you with your things?” She seemed professionally subservient, like all the civilians the army hired to take care of their brats.

“Yeah, that’ll be great, thanks.” He said, smiling. He stood to his full height and stretched, arms high above her head. He slipped on his backpack, and the woman hefted both of his sizable duffel bags as if they were filled with Styrofoam. Blake was surprised at her strength coming from a little frame like that. He couldn’t help but be amused at her hunched frame in a white dress with red flowers, hefting two military style duffle bags. The scene had its own brand of irony to it.

“Sir, you can head in to the main entrance. I’ll make sure your bags get taken care of.” Without waiting for a response, she trundled off to the dorm area. Bemused, Blake watched the woman carry the baggage off in to the distance for a moment, then turned and confronted the school itself. Blake stood upright and with good posture, a smile on his face, and hands on his hips. His eyes, on the other hand, looked as though they would cry. He smelled the warm summer air, laced with the pollen and smell of freshly cut grass. Wind tousled his hair and the sky warmed his cheeks, and with mother nature’s encouragement, Blake took a step through the main gates.

[Yuna Lockheart]

The school was intimidating.
She wanted to go home. Beginning to think that coming here was a bad idea after all. She missed her brother.. her father... her mother... Zack...
She'd only been gone for.. what? Two weeks? Yuna hated it.

At least in Australia she had blended in a little more, there being so many different cultures there, but in England, her darker complexion and black hair stood out. She wouldn't lose it either, that was one of the perks of her Brazilian heritage.

She could hide it though, hide that she was tearing herself apart on the inside. Hide that she wanted nothing more than to run home again. She hadn't spoken a word either, not since she'd come to England. Her accent was still there too, she felt intimidated by the people as well as the school.

First days never went well for Yuna. She'd screwed it up in Australia too, hopefully it'd be a little better here.

Walking slowly toward the gates, Yuna bit her lip. Her bags had been taken, and she was only holding her bag, slung over one shoulder, dark brown hair swept up into a high ponytail. Wearing a simple black hooded jumper and jeans, it was still far too cold in england for her, adjusting to the climate would hopefully be quick.

Then once she made it to he gates, she glanced to the side. A boy, with dark hair, seemed to be hesitating at the gates just like she was. But he seemed upset as well, but he was trying to hide it, she could see it in his eyes...

Walking toward him slowly, Yuna opened her mouth to speak, but she paused. Then with a sigh, she tried again, "You.. look exactly how I feel." she cast a sad smile toward him. Her voice cracked slightly, she was able to tell that it hadn't been used in a while.

She looked up through the hall, "You're new too?" her accent layered her words, and she winced internally, "Yuna Lockheart." she extended a hand for him to shake.

[Blake Andrews]

It was only a brief pause between when Blake noticed the girl in front of him, this 'Yuna'. Her accent rolled over his ears, and he couldn't help but smile a little. Accents always intrigued him. He warmly took her hand, barely raising it up and lowering it, holding it firmly. "I'm Blake. I just got in to the country from America." He threw off his down and out mood, finding someone to distract him from his melancholy. The best cure for a case of the down and outs for Blake was to help someone else.

"So tell me what's got you so upset?" He asked. "You sound pretty broken up." He couldn't help but take constant stock of the situation. Blake was very well aware of how effective his hiding his mood was generally, and for this girl to deduce his mood... She must be very empathetic. Either that, or she really was as upset as he was. Either was possible, but Blake liked the implications of neither.

In either case, however, unbeknownst to Blake, her similair depression to him or her very apparent empathy would endear her to him, each for its own reason. Blake was always a sucker for a depressed girl, and he couldn't help but be taken in by someone who could read him.

A small breeze of wind passed around and through them, brushing a tuft of hair out of and then back in to his face. His eyes displayed curious interest in this new soul in front of him.

[Yuna Lockheart]

She nodded as he said his name was Blake, and he was from America. She noticed his accent, and it comforted her a bit, knowing that she wouldn't be the only one who didn't speak quite normally.

Returning the smile, Yuna adjusted the bag strap, "I'm from Australia." She admitted, before she sighed, "Before that, Brazil." she shook her head slightly, she missed home. Brazil moreso than Australia.

Yuna looked up as h spoke again, and she sighed, "It's... I miss home... I haven't seen my family for over a decade." she sighed, and shook her head, she left out the part about Zack. Glancing anxiously up the long halls, her eyes settling on every dark-haired boy she could find, none matching Zack's face. That was all, she didn't really have anyone else, besides him. Her family having abandoned her after her fake rampage, sending her of to England with only a mumble of a goodbye....

She frowned and looked back at him, "Your reason?"
He was handsome, she liked the way his hair fell over his face, none of the boys back home had been able to have hair quite like his for very long. Because of school rules and the heat, they had found it uncomfortable.

But albeit, she knew he was hiding his feelings, not only from the way his eyes looked, but she knew that look. Having worn it hundreds of time herself.
He didn't deserve to be sad.

[Blake Andrews]

Blake found a pleasant irony in the situation. He was confronted with another foreigner in this very strange land… It made him feel a little less alone. Even if there was a possibility that her intentions were a little less than pure, he felt like maybe this girl Yuna and he could find a common ground. Wait. Yuna? Yuna… Lockhart? No. Couldn’t be. That would just be too… perfect… [/b] He stifled a grin as he thought back avidly to his PlayStation days, and gazing admiringly at the onscreen heroines that constituted every gamer’s secret dreams.

A friendly shout from nearby brought him back in to himself. “I suppose that my complaints aren’t too different from yours. I’m miles and miles from home, and none too happy about it. I’ve known my family… well, my father’s all that’s left, and he’s none too close to me.” Yuna’s accent was calming and soothing on him, and her compassion and smile made Blake all but forget the dream turned nightmare he had not ten minutes prior. Really, just having someone approach him and be friendly towards him had alleviated a lot of the melancholy that had been weighing him down.

He found his eyes meeting her bright blue green orbs, and he saw nothing but honesty in her expression, even if she was a little depressed. “But hey, we’re here, right? We shouldn’t think on such things. Want to walk the grounds with me?” He asked, indicating the tall, bright oaks, and the primly cut grass. “I don’t think we have anything going on for a while.”

[Yuna Lockheart]

Drawing back slightly when Blake mentioned his father, Yuna nodded slightly, "I'm... sorry to hear that... A-about your family." she said softly, she hadn't meant for him to need to remember that. From what Zack had told her, loosing loved ones was hard, yet moving away form loved ones had still had an effect on her, but loosing them completely would... well, to put it bluntly, it would suck. "You're right though," she said, smiling at him, "Couldn't hurt to make the most of it." she laughed once, in an attempt to lighten their mood a little more.

Then, when Blake asked if she'd like to walk on the grounds with him, her eyes lit up slightly, and she nodded, "Y-yes." her face cracked into a grin and she nodded, she'd been meaning to just sit and have a nice long look at the sky.
In England it seemed so far away... compared to back home. Today, the clouds were small and separate, and there was a slight wind, that only added to Yuna's hopes.

She took a step forward, towards Blake, and with a slight jerk of her head toward the tall trees, she smiled, "I've got nowhere to be." she stated.

Still, she'd never really liked the English accent, she was grateful that Zack was Australian as well, the American accent, the same that Blake held, would take some getting used to, she liked the way he said his 'R's'... maybe she'd ask some questions a little later that forced him to use words with 'R's' in them. She smiled slightly at the thought.

So, she began walking, eyes already lifted to the sky, she turned to see if Blake was following.

[Blake Andrews]

I’ve got nowhere to be… The words hit Blake hard. Nothing could have explained Blake’s mood better than that. He… and now, in his mind, she, seemed to have lost their places in the world, finding temporary sanctuary here. Both of them were so far away from everything that they found kind and comforting in the world, both of them so separate from the cultures that had formed them.

Blake, for example, was a military child. In the Army, no one cared if you were white, black, asian, or purple. You were a soldier. And in military families, you weren’t any given ethnicity, you belonged to the overarching ethnicity of ‘military’. So no matter where his father was stationed, no matter where he moved, Blake knew what he could expect in a military base. The same PX would serve him the same Anthony’s Pizza, the same barber shop would give him the same objections to his choice in hair cuts, and overcharge him the same amount, and even the kids and families were essentially the same. This? This was entirely different. This was a whole new animal. England, and a boarding school to boot, couldn’t have been further from what he was used to.

Blake followed behind Yuna closely, enjoying the look she tossed back at him when he hesitated at her words. The restricting polo shirt his father had convinced him to wear itched as he tugged at its collar. “So… this is your first year, right? I mean, first year at this school?” Blake made feeble attempts at conversation. Girls of Yuna’s caliber were typically out of Blake’s league. He began to realize that this was more than a pleasant quick greeting. He admired her looking up in to the sky, her gaze embracing the milky white clouds and azure sky… Somehow her admiring beauty was beautiful in itself.

[Yuna Lockheart]

Yuna slowed her steps after a few more feet, falling into step beside Blake instead. Yet her eyes were still occupied by the sky.

She heard his question, and moved her eyes back to him again, smiling slightly, "Yes, first day, in fact." she smirked dryly, "I take it you're the same?" she asked, swinging her arms slightly, liking the way the climate felt against what skin she had exposed.

Then, she frowned slightly, "What.... what year are you in, Blake?" she asked, if he was in her year... well.. that only made everything that much easier, then she'd have someone she'd already met, and wouldn't appear so awkward in class.

She hoped he didn't notice how she had said his name, it was an odd one, he being the first 'Blake' she'd ever met, her voice still sounded hesitant, like she wasn't sure she was pronouncing it quite right.

Once they reached one of the trees with low hanging branches, Yuna glanced up the trunk, looking to see how far up the sturdy-looking branches seemed to go. They riddled the trunk seemingly to the top. She smiled slightly, looking back to Blake.

"Want to climb it? You can see the sky better up there." she laughed once, at how silly that statement seemed to have sounded.
Without warning, she moved up both her arms, using them to pull her up onto the lowest branch, she looked down to Blake and laughed once, "Coming?"

[Blake Andrews]

Looking up after her, Blake grinned, a silent acceptance to her challenge. His hands felt rough on the bark of the lower branch, straining his muscles to pull himself up on to her level. Crouching on her same staff of living wood, he couldn’t help but begin to feel a kinship with this free spirit. “I think… it’s a good idea. I love looking at the sky.” He winked at her, and, with little pause, began reaching for the next branch. He continued up, looking only to see if she would follow.

As he reached for branch after branch, level after level, his hands developed small scrapes and scratches until he reached its zenith. While each of them reached the canopy of the elder oak, Blake had a feeling of freedom he definitely was not used to. Yuna had inspired in him something he had never experienced… The sensation of being without bonds.

He let the silence wash over them, cleanse them, focus them. He savored even the briefest of pauses, though just a few seconds of them catching their breaths felt like an eternity of solace to Blake. “Tell me,” he said quietly, breaching the calm. “Do you always do this kind of thing for fun?” He broke his gaze with the sky to turn to her.

[Yuna Lockheart]

She laughed mildly as he began to climb as well, she took it as a race, following after him, pulling herself up branch after branch, she scraped her arm at one point, but hardly paid any mind to it.

When Blake said that he loved looking at the sky, Yuna let out a soft breathless laugh, "Me too." she agreed.
Blake eventually stopped, having beaten Yuna to the top, she snickered slightly, and was a few inches behind him, and so, she was quick to catch up, pulling herself onto the branch beside him.

Yuna craned her neck to look up at the sky, her bag dangling absently from her shoulder, both arms on either side of her to stop her from falling.

Blake was looking at the sky now as well, his black hair tinged only the slightest amount purple by the sunlight, the brunette had to smile at that image, his hair was a nice colour too. She looked back up again, at the distant sun and the clouds rolling slowly across the blue backdrop.

His question saw her move her gaze from the sky back toward him, she nodded to his question, "Yes, I like the sky, and heights. It helps me to forget about... everything. Y'know?" she sighed, "It helps me to keep my mind off things... I don't want to think about." she stopped there, feeling that she wasn't making much sense, and smiled to herself.

"This, or I stargaze. While clouds and the sun might be beautiful, they've got nothing on stars." she sighed, still speaking equally as soft as Blake had been, "What was it like in America?" she asked.

[Blake Andrews]

“Well, for one,” he said, as he let himself be engulfed by the playing of clouds across the sky, “This doesn’t happen. Sky gazing, I mean. There’s too much pollution in the larger cities to see anything other than a cloudy haze. At night, in some places, it turns to a crimson coverage if you wait late enough.” He admired her darker complexion, her accent, her interest in him. He wasn’t really used to this much attention from someone as attractive as Yuna, but he was becoming accustomed to her interest.

Sitting on one of the larger branches, Blake leaned against the trunk of the tree, stretching his arms along its length. “Is pollution bad in Australia? Again, I’ve never been out of the U.S., so I don’t exactly have a lot of perspective.” Blake inspected his scratched hands, bemused. The white lines along his hands looked actually rather aesthetic on the tan of his skin. He closed his eyes for a bit longer than a standard blink, then looked again at her.

[Yuna Lockheart]

When Blake said that there was too much pollution to see the sky, Yuna sighed slightly, nodding. She'd heard a little about that, and she shook her head in silent disgust.

To his next question, she smiled, "Thankfully no. We can see the sky, and the stars... but not many. In Brazil... the sky is beautiful. I used to spend hours out late at night, just staring." she smiled at the reminiscent of those better, simpler times... Times she wanted to return to.

She looked over, meeting his deep brown gaze, "I haven't met night here yet. I'm looking forward to seeing how it looks in England."

Her eyes flicked down to his hands, and she smiled, "If you keep this up, those are hardly noticeable." she grinned slightly, and pushed up her sleeve, showing the slightly paler scars that lined her arm from all her tree-climbing. But not all of those scars were from bark, after what she had done to be reunited with Zack.. the glass had stabbed her arms as well.

Her dad had kept the bat...

Yet she could still see that he wasn't as happy as he should be, his eyes were still sad. She offered him a small smile, "What was your life like... y'know, back home?" she asked, her voice stroking the last word in that sentence.

[Blake Andrews]

Blake's eyes fell on those beautifully scarred hands and had to make an actual effort to not ask her what they were from. Obviously, scars had come from a major injury, one that left such a trauma that the reminder of it stayed with the person forever.Typically, if someone didn't bring the subject up, they didn't want to talk about it.

"Life at home was always... the same, really. Military families everywhere. I've been in eleven different states, but because I was always was on a military base, it was like I was in the same city the whole time. The only thing that was different was the group of people surrounding me." He looked down at the ground below them, and frowned a little. "Well I guess that's one thing Somnium has going for it. This place is far from a military base, eh?"

[Yuna Lockheart]

"Military?" she frowned slightly, remembering what Blake had said moments earlier, he wasn't close to his dad... "Oh, your dad is in the military?" she guessed. It made sense if he was, and why Blake had moved as often as he'd just said.

"Wow, eleven different states," she shook her head with a slight smile, before casting a sidelong glance at Blake, "How long... are you planning on staying here?" she did her best to keep the eager tone out of her voice, he was her first friend since.... a long time.

Blake was also the first person Yuna had spoken to in England.... minus the woman at the bakery... but all Yuna had said to her was "Bread-roll", so that hardly counted.

She ran a hand along the branch she sat on, pulling free a leaf and shredding it in her hands, "I'm beginning to like it here." she stated, a light laugh in he voice. That was true, it was nice to have another friend besides Zack.

Yuna turned her smile to the handsome boy beside her, glad for his company. Thoughts of Zack finding another girl seemed of little importance now... it was odd too.

[Blake Andrews]

Blake grinned once more at her, responding, "Yeah.I plan on being here for a bit.But it's really up to my father what my plans are. Dad decides I move, well... It's not like I can say no." Blake glanced at his watch as, coincidentally, the bells began to toll the hour. "Oh wow," Blake said, looking at her. "It's already six o'clock... We should probably head back." His grin faded as he faced the sad task of climbing down the tree.

"I should give you my email... My phone doesn't work here. That is...if you want it." His voice wavered for just a second. He let his uncertainty out just for a second before doubling back. "Or you could give me yours, or whatever."

Blake traditionally had bad luck with women. The only beautiful girls who bothered to talk to him were those who thought they could use him, and girls who weren't really interested in him. Obviously, this girl was more than passingly interested in him, and she seemed to be trustworthy... Thus, Blake was confused.

[Yuna Lockheart]

She sighed as he said those last words, and the bell droned across the grounds. She bit her lip and looked down the length of the tree to the ground, she didn't want to climb down, and by the looks of it, neither did Blake.

As he said those next few words, Yuna laughed lightly, sensing his unease at asking the question, she placed a reassuring hand on his arm, and nodded.
"Please, I'd more than like to see you again." she said, grinning at him.

It would give her an excuse to get out of her dorm... meaning that she'd at least have someone that would talk to her, and not think her weird.

Moving her shoulder so that her bag slipped onto her lap and removing her hand from Blake's arm, she rummaged for a few moments, before she removed her sketchpad and pen, she flicked the pad open, only seeing brief flashes of her sketches, and left it at a blank page, and looked up at Blake expectantly.

That sketchbook was mostly filled with pictures of characters from her favorite games, and thus another reason for her to wish for it to stay hidden. It had been the main cause of her isolation at her old school as well, not many girls... rather... not many people were into videogames back home.

[Blake Andrews]

Taking the pen in his hand, he watched as the little ball seemed to move with a will of its own, inscribing his email address on the page. The ink formed little pieces and scraps of black string on the page, with his print looking like hash marks not different from japanese script. They came together to create the path to his own little turf in cyberspace, the only thing that stayed consistent throughout his turbulent life.

[e-mail]

"There," he said, handing back the sketch pad, enjoying the feel of the drawing paper between his fingers. The higher grade paper was an obvious distinction from your typical notebook. "So do you draw, then?" he asked casually, indicating the pad.

[Yuna Lockheart]

She smiled brightly as he wrote, watching the pen jerk this way and that as the righting came into shape.

She looked at the words and nodded, it seemed an easy enough address.
Moving to take the book back after he'd done, she blinked at his question, before nodding once.

"Y-yeah.." she smiled slightly, "I'm not very good though." she admitted, closing the pad again, and slipping it back into her bag.

She swung easily from the branch, and held on, facing Blake, and grinning playfully, "Race you!" she challenged, and leapt down a branch, laughing lightly.

[Blake Andrews]

Regretfully, Blake watched her put the pad back in to her bag, wanting to see the sketches. He resolved to convince her to show him later, if they ever saw each other again. Watching the other students begin to stand and head for the entrance hall, he almost missed Yuna's challenge, and had to make up for lost ground. In his exuberance, his foot missed its grip and slipped on a loose peice of bark, and he fell backwards. Time stood still for a moment as Blake flailed, and then began to fall. Part of him clicked in to the adrenaline rush, fearing for his life. The other side was filled with giddy glee.

His back smacked against a branch not two feet down, and he slipped feet first towards the ground. Thinking quickly, he grabbed a passing branch with both hands, causing too abrupt a stop in his velocity. As much as he tried to maintain the grip, the wood slipped through his hands, though when he fell, it was at a slower rate.

Instead of flailing again, Blake dropped straight down, and landed on his feet, bending his knees as he connected. Unfortunately the momentum was a little too much, and he fell forward, sprawled on the ground. "Ow..." he said, climbing to his feet. He looked around to see if he had beat Yuna to the ground, ignoring spouts of laughter that had started when everyone saw him stand.

[Yuna Lockheart]

She had seen his expression when she'd shut the pad, but said nothing. If he asked her, she'd show him without hesitation, next time... because I will see him again....

As she descended the tree, she caught sight of Blake moving to climb down as well, she saw him slip... then fall.

Letting out a surprised cry as he fell, Yuna hurried to the base as well, she saw Blake's hands grasp the branch for a few moments, then he fell again, thumping to the ground.

Yuna leapt down the last few branches, falling on her feet, and shooting out an arm to steady herself against the trunk,
She pushed from the trunk to where blake now stood, looking around at the other students as they snickered at Blake's fall. Glaring at them until they kept walking, she turned back to Blake, placing a hand on his shoulder, "A-are you alright?" she asked, eyes lit with concern.

Then, "If it makes you feel any better... you still beat me." she grinned a little, trying to take his mind off the fall.

She moved around to his back, dragging her hand down to the place where she'd seen one of the branches whack him, "Does it hurt?"
It didn't take a genius to know that falling from a tree would hurt. Yuna herself had fallen countless times, but this fall had looked rather painful, and the other students watching would have only made it worse.

[Blake Andrews]

Finishing standing, Blake brushed himself off and smiled at her, ignoring a small ache in his leg. Laughing at her comment, he said, "Well, I think I'm okay." For some strange reason, he like the feel of her hand on his back, the care that was evidenced in her eyes. It made him feel safe, somehow.

He bowed to everyone around them, and everyone cheered and laughed, dispersing amongst themselves. Turning back to Yuna, Blake said, "Really, I'm fine. I've had much, much worse." Blake was scared, more than anything. Part of it was the adrenaline of the fall, another part of it was that he wasn't used to coming this close to trusting someone this soon after meeting them.

When a fly senses an approaching hand to swat it, or anything akin to a hand swatting it, or something that could be a hand, the fly takes off and run away.

Such was the case with Blake and women.

[Yuna Lockheart]

"If you're sure." she smiled a little, and looked to the small crowd that had paused to look at Blake.

Letting her hand drop from his back as he bowed to the other students, Yuna smiled a little, still blinking despite herself. She'd seen his eyes flash with something while she had stood there... was it.... fear or reluctance?

Either way, it had caused her to regret touching him, he probably did think she was weird, judging by what he had just done. that or he wasn't interested her in the slightest. For she fell silent, and took a step back, linking her fingers together behind her.

Without saying anything, she started making her way back to the main building, casting Blake a smile and looking back at him, a silent invitation for him to join her if he wanted. It felt odd now, she felt she couldn't act as she'd like to.

Yuna was doing her best to ignore the dull ache in her chest, it was odd... how could someone she'd met merely a few hours ago already have such an impact on her?

[Blake Andrews]

Blake bit his lip as she started to walk away, not quite knowing how to react. Somehow, his voice had trouble coming out, like his mind wouldn't quite connect to his mouth. Blake had just started to think about trusting this girl, when suddenly, she walked away without saying anything. Blake looked at the ground, studying each blade of grass, fighting back the sadness pounding at his eyes' gate. How could people be so callous? So cr--

Hey, she's turning back to look at me... You know what? Screw it. I'll just go for it.

"Hey, wait!" Blake called after her. Running up to her, he pulled out a small notebook from his pocket and handed it to her. "Why don't you give me your email as well? I mean, I want to be able to get ahold of you." He stood there, waiting for her response.

[Yuna Lockheart]

Huh... maybe I am wrong...

Blinking slightly as he held out the book for her to take, Yuna smiled up at him, and took it, looking down to write her email, just as he'd asked;

[e-mail]

She looked at he large rounded letters for a moment longer before handing the book back to him, "Any time you need me, don't hesitate to use it." she grinned and pointed to the book. She defiantly wanted to see Blake again, maybe more than she should, it was obvious she felt something for him, yet she didn't know what. He was different, she'd give him that.

Turning a little, Yuna gestured for him to follow, "Want to walk back?" she asked, one hand hanging in the air as she waited for him to respond, hoping that he wouldn't look at her like he had those few moments earlier.

[Blake Andrews]

"...Sure." Blake said, after a very brief pause. His voice was certain, though his resolve was a little shaky. Trusting people was never an especially strong suit for Blake, but he was deciding to throw caution to the winds for this girl. He had read pain in her face when she had glanced back at him, and that had thrown his assumptions for a loop.

He stretched his back and walked to her, then realized it was exceptionally hard to hide the face that one of his legs were excessively aching. It didn't feel like anything drastic was wrong, just that he'd need a warm bath and a good night's sleep that night.

[Yuna Lockheart]

She was unable to hold back the smile after he agreed to join her, ignoring what had happened mere moments ago, she began to walk, looking only to see if Blake was following.

Her glance fell to his leg for a moment, and her lip twisted slightly in sympathy, she knew it must hurt, "Be careful with that leg, it might not hurt now, but it'll get worse later." she looked back at him, suppressing a grin, "I've learnt that from past experiences."

The building they were heading toward suddenly seemed a lot less appealing to her, Yuna missed her old school more than ever now, the buildings were all so small in comparison, and the grounds were concrete... not grass. There weren't any trees planted either, the adults were too scared the students would rip branches off the trees and whack one another with them. It confused Yuna a little.

Then, she cast a sidelong glance at Blake, "Say... I can tell you for sure, that I'll be out here a lot," she paused for a moment, putting the words together in her mind, so that at least they'd make sense, "If... y'know.... you need someone to talk to.... or feel lonely... or hell, you just want to look at the stars, I'll probably be out most nights doing just that," she paused again, her accent making the words sound a little odd, she almost murmured the last few words of the sentence, "Come find me... if you like."

Then she blushed. She'd never really had to ask someone something like that before, besides Zack.. but he didn't really count.

[Blake Andrews]

Come find me...if you like.

"Um, yeah... I'll do that." Blake smiled awkwardly. He had definitively felt the shift in his stomach, the churning of emotions in his gut. That's okay, it's alright. I'll just distance her for now, till I can figure out if I can trust her or not. But... I'm sure she's fine, I'm sure she won't hurt me. I think I can trust her.

Blake wasn't emotionally capable of realizing that he had just surrendered to her completely. The patterns of his past dictated that whenever he even entertained the thought of trusting a person, he did so whole heartedly and without reservation. If Yuna had any harm she wished to inflict on Blake, he would be defenseless before it.

Yuna's peculiar blend of assertiveness and passivity had Blake not knowing at all what to think of her... So he proceeded on egg shells. "Well, I'll, uh, I'll try to come out here every so often." He grinned at her, his eyes reflecting his honest intent. He quickly regained himself. "For now though, I gotta jet. Take it easy!" He smiled warmly and gave a little wave, starting to walk away.

[Yuna Lockheart]

Again, Blake's composure shifted to something Yuna found uncomfortable. but she was glad that he accepted.
Though his words shook with uncertancy, and thus, once again Yuna found herself regretting what she had just done. She mentally slapped herself, and managed a smile. Then at his excuse to leave, she glanced to the grass, she wanted him to know that she meant what she said, for she had a feeling that the reason Blake was shying away each time something like this happened, was that either.... he found her repulsive or he didn't trust her ?

Yuna was unsure, but going with her gut feeling, this time she called out after him, "W-wait." she stumbled forward a few steps, her feet not registering to the movements, and paused by him for a moment.

Throwing her caution out the window, she reached out slightly, and gripped his hand once, smiling at him, "I'll see you then," she let go of his hand, "Be safe!"

Yuna began to walk away then too, she had a fair bit to do. Find Zack, get her dorm... unpack. Pulling the bag strap back onto her shoulder, she kept walking, not glancing back.

[Blake Andrews]

Blake watched her retreat in silence, and smiled. Even if he couldn't trust Yuna, he couldn't help but like the girl. He knew he'd be seeing her again, whether he liked it or not. That was the curse of Blake... whether he acknowledged it or not, anyone who showed him kindness was too important to him to let dissapear. Looking down at the notepad, he followed the lines of her email address with his eyes, mentally tracing it, smiling.

He walked off towards the cafeteria, finally letting his facade drop off, allowing his limp to touch his leg. He grunted under the strain of it, but chose to ignore the pain. As much as Blake was sure he wasn't going to connect to anyone before arriving here, it seemed to all be thrown out the window the first day.

God damnit... Here it goes again.

The only thing I'll ever ask of you, you gotta promise not to stop when I say beware...