dissonates | [Voice / Action]

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[Voice / Action]

...What the hell is wrong with the plaza?

[Seriously, what. Giant tree out of nowhere, what. Not that he doesn't have more important things to be dealing with right now. Speaking of which-

...Man. This is going to be crazy-awkward, he just knows it. But hey, it has to be done- you can only dodge someone living in your own house for so long. Thankfully he hasn't had to deal with Luke very much. And Guy has been kind of preoccupied too, actually... strange. Oh well.

Either way, he'll be seeking out said housemate, hoping to talk before he heads off for the day.]

[Locked to Stella]

Can we meet today? [Okay, maybe they've been meeting more often than usual lately, but he can't really help himself...]

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[~~Why does that look make Stella feel like melting into his arms right then and there~~ She just gives a mischievous smile of her own and walks a little faster now that the rec center is in view, tugging Asch's hand lightly behind her.]

You'll see.

[So unfair. But Asch doesn't seem to mind, picking up the pace to follow her along. Once they reach the center, he gets the door for her again, stepping up into the cabin after her. Almost there, almost there! It's kind of exciting.]

[Almost there! It's kind of nerve-wracking for her. Thus, she locks her hands behind her back as she walks, and soon enough, they reached the teleporter. Stella gives a second of hesitation, if only because teleporting will never stop making her queasy, then steps onto the device.

Once she steps out near the hot springs, as expected, she shuts her eyes and holds her her for a moment before she shakes it off and moves on. Stupid teleportation.]

[Having lived in Daath for nearly half his life, Asch is used to teleporters like that, so he's mostly unaffected. He holds Stella's hand gently to steady her if she needs it, then glances around, making sure it's safe- just in case.]

Now what?

[Stella won't answer him for a moment - instead, she inspects the springs, looking as if she's in thought about something. Is it deep enough? Wide enough? She glances at Asch - Would he be okay?

After she decides that this is good enough, though certainly not like the traditional lakes, she looks back at him with a raised eyebrow. Now, how to do this without Asch wondering what in the world she's thinking.]

I'd like to issue a challenge. [She gestures to the water.] Dive in and swim as fast as you can. And above all... Do not let me catch you. I want to see how fast of a swimmer you are.

[Okay. That? Is not what he expected when she'd invited him up here. He studies her for a long moment, then peers at the water, confused. She just wanted to swim?

...Weird. So weird, Stella.

He's not one to back down from a challenge, though, and this is apparently something Stella needs to do, so he nods, tugging off his overcoat and boots, then loosening his collar to give him space to breathe. He doesn't have any swimming trunks, and he's not too keen on getting shirtless at the moment anyway, so he leaves the rest on, striding forward and diving right into the spring. The water is warm and soothing, but he doesn't dwell on it, immediately kicking away from the shore.]

[Ah, good, he did it without complaint. That's one of the hardest parts of all of this, and it's been taken care of nicely. Stella takes the time to take the selenia flower out of her hair and set it on the shore, because she doesn't want it to get lost in the water, and she kicks off her shoes, occasionally glancing at him to see how far he is.

... He's slow. At least, compared to other Ferines. He's even slow compared to Senel, but that's all right. It makes this easier.

Stella places her hands on her hips and watches him for a second longer, giving him a good head start, then dives in and swims after him. Careful, Asch, you've got a living rocket of a swimmer coming after you. One with glowing blue hair at that!]

Edited 2011-02-21 01:56 (UTC)

[Asch hadn't heard the echo of another splash following him, so he glances over his shoulder to see what's going on just as she dives in. He kicks his legs to try to stay ahead, but before he can face forward again, he sees her hair start to glow.

And quite suddenly he has no breath in his lungs because he's too busy going "WHAT" underwater.]

[And in the next moment, thanks to that pause and that reaction, Stella catches up in no time at all and catches him around the waist, bringing them both up above the surface to breathe. Well, for him to breathe. For Stella, it's just to laugh happily. And her hair's still glowing!]

Caught you!

[Please hold, Asch is still in spastic-gawk mode, hacking and coughing as he tries to catch his breath.]

You- [COUGH COUGH COUGH] -Your- [COUGH WHAT THE FUCK COUGH] -Your hair glows...! [He did not see that coming.]

A Ferines' hair glows when they're under water. [Stella says in a matter of fact way, and now that part of her hair is above the water, the glow there starts to fade. She'll just keep holding him around the waist and resting her cheek against his chest with a happy smile on her face - she did it! She really caught him, and... well, now she has to explain just what it means.

Once he stops coughing and sputtering and gawking.]

[He does finally manage to stop coughing, leaning his head away when she rests on him so he doesn't hack up water in her hair or something. ...Her hair glows. Wow. That's... different. With his breathing back under control, he kicks lightly to help her support them both at the surface, one arm around her waist while the other lifts to touch the glowing hair just under the surface.

...Amazing... just like a hyperresonance.]

[She'll let him gawk a little longer, since Stella honestly likes it when people call attention to and touch her hair like this, especially someone who's never seen it before... then she'll speak up, though she won't look up at him.]

You know, I'm glad I was able to catch you. Among the Ferines, it means I'm worthy of you.

What we did was called the Rite of Feriyen... A proposal ceremony.

[Please give Asch a moment for that to sink in; he's still toying with her hair, so the words are lost on him at first.]

[.......................WAIT WHAT DID SHE]

P... proposal!?

Mmhmmm. A proposal. It's different from the way everyone else does it, I know...

[Finally, Stella looks up at him with a smile.] Obviously, this means I've had a lot of time to think.

So you and I... we...

[Oh god, he's engaged? Again? This time as an adult, and by choice... and it's with Stella. The woman he really loves.

Shakily he lifts a hand, brushing back her hair, then kisses her forehead, eyes closing.]

You're more than worthy, Stella. I'm the one who isn't...

[It's... a really good thing that Stella decided to be the one to chase him, otherwise Asch's words would've really rung true. He probably wouldn't be able to catch her even if he tried his hardest.

She'd been afraid, at first, that he wouldn't accept. It'd be okay if he didn't; it was a surprise proposal, after all. But his actions and those words serve to relieve her fears, and she lets out a sigh of relief. Thank goodness...

Stella smiles tenderly after that, and she lifts up hand in turn to brush aside a few strands of hair that are clinging his face.]

Silly. If you weren't worthy, I wouldn't have even done this with you.

[He can't help but be concerned about this; he's been engaged before, after all, and he'd had to break it off. Though his problems with Natalia had begun long before he'd officially told her they could never be. And now he'd never have a chance to tell her, back home...

...He has a chance at life, here. And so does she. Who could ever blame them for taking it?

He wraps his arms around her, then, holding her close and burying her face against her hair.]

I don't... have a ring or anything.

Oh, that's all right. [Stella tightens her hold in return, and she leans her head to the side a little to rest it against his.] I don't need a ring. We've never used them, anyway.

[Honestly, there's only one other thing that would make this moment even better - if the water glowed. A sign of blessing from the entity so revered in her world... But there's no way Nerifes could travel here just to bless them, so it's all right. It's enough that he's here, and accepting...

Yeah. This turned out so much better than she anticipated.]

[He feels a little pathetic, though, not being able to give her anything in return. She gave him this place, this moment- this experience. What can he offer her, if not his own traditions?

Maybe... if he added to hers. At least until he could do it right.

With his lips pressed to her hair, he sinks further into the water, just enough to submerge part of his own hair. He then closes his eyes, focusing on the water around them, the heat, their combined warmth, and a quiet hum fades in around them, soft and echoing in the small valley in which the spring resides.

And then he starts to glow with her.]

[Oh, Asch, what are you doing. Stella watches him with a curious smile, though that fades into a look of surprise over that humming sound. For a moment she looks away to turn her head and search for the source of it, even though it seems to be coming from all around them...

When she looks to the right, her eyes pass over Asch, and- she does a double take.

Asch is glowing. Not just his hair, like hers is doing right now, but his entire body. She's never seen him do anything like this before.]

Asch... [Her voice is quiet, as if she didn't even realize she said his name, and full of wonder. How is he...?]

[It's difficult to focus on what he's doing and what she's saying, since hyperresonance is so dangerous, so he doesn't respond right away. After a few moments, the surface of the water seems to dissipate around them, emerging once again after a moment as a light fog, adding to the ambiance. There isn't much of it - he's not that strong or controlled, not yet - but it's enough to hide the area from the setting sun, making them look a bit like lanterns in the middle of the dark.

...Ha. And he'd never thought he was romantic.]

[Though she keeps her arms around him, Stella still leans back a bit to look around herself again, watching with amazement as the surface of the water just vanishes, only to be replaced by fog. This is... incredible. Almost godlike. Is... Is Asch doing that? There's no other explanation - this whole phenomena is happening while Asch is glowing. He has to be the one doing all of this.

He had much more power than Stella imagined. Strangely, though, this doesn't frighten her away. The fact that he has such control over that power... rather, that he's trying hard to keep it in check, shows that Stella has nothing to be afraid of.

She lets her arms slide around so that she can keep her hands on his chest, giving her a little more freedom to look around. This is so... It's amazing, and even romantic. And here Stella thought she was the one who'd have to make such gestures in their relationship.]

My... goodness, this is...

[Once the fog settles, Asch releases the hyperresonance, the glow - and the humming sound - slowly fading away. He shudders when it's gone, resting his cheek against her hair. That was tiring, but it was worth it. He knows he's not very good at this sort of thing, but with the right inspiration, the least he can do is return the favour.]

Is this alright...?

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