Day in the Park (Elayne/Mod/Open)

[Lady Leaf]

[scrolly:h(230),w(390),sy,as(padding:4px;margin-top:10px;margin-left:10px;)] A smirk fell on Lance’s face as Carly mentioned her brother. He had a good feeling he didn’t want to meet the man anytime soon… if ever. Certainly he wouldn’t be dating the girl for long anyway. A couple days, maybe a week at most. But for some reason the thought of angering someone over kissing a girl felt so… thrilling. “He won’t try to knock my lights out, will he?” Lance asked with a half laugh and slight tone of nervousness. “I certainly don’t want a black eye or fat lip.” He’d be locked up indoors for a good month if that ever happened. His poor beautiful face … After his small laugh had ended, dark blue eyes slowly looked down at her only to notice the leaf that had fallen into her hair. Without a moment’s thought he lifted his hand and plucked it out by the stem. With a light smile on his face he held the dried leaf out in front of them, twirling it slightly with two fingers. “Fall is such an interesting season. It saddens me slightly to see all the plants wither for hibernation while a others die. Yet at the same time it’s so beautiful.” Yes, Lance could be sensitive if he wanted and at that moment, with the leaf in his hand… well he just couldn’t help but let it show a little. [/scrolly] [bg=black]

[Maid Melody]

[atrb=background,http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo48/elronia/VC%20Pics/CarlyTable.png][atrb=height,300][atrb=width,493][atrb=style,border:0 firebrick none,b,Table][scrolly:h(220),w(240),sy,as(padding:4px;margin-right:3px;margin-left:230px;margin-top:45px;margin-bottom:10px;color: #a52020;)]Carly laughed when Lance asked if Lyall would try to hit him; of all the things he could've asked, this sounded the most absurd to her for reasons she couldn't fully explain at the moment. "He would never do that!"Carly finally managed, shaking her head before continuing,"My brother may be protective but I don't think he would resort to violence~ ... especially since I kissed you back~ . All he'd probably want to know are your intentions, job, yadda yadda yadda ... . I'll talk to him beforehand though so no worries~ ." Feeling the leaf being pulled out of her hair, Carly stopped and watched Lance twirl the leaf around in front of them, it's bright red coloring truly a wonder to behold. It never ceased to amaze Carly how a leaf that used to be so green could turn to such a brilliant red color. What he said next made Carly stop ... it was true really ... but she had certainly never thought of it that way before, part of her wanted to tease Lance for being so sensitive but the other part, the part of her that thought what he said was true and beautiful, won out in the end. "That's ... wow I never thought of it like that before ... ,"Carly began as she continued to stare at the leaf in Lance's hand,"I love fall ... but because of the reds and oranges and browns that the leaves turn. It's something else entirely to walk through a red-orange corridor of trees when the leaves are falling all around you, almost as if they're inviting you in with the beauty of it all. Without fall, we wouldn't have this vibrant display of colors around us, from the palest of yellow to the darkest of reds that almost seem purple ... without fall the trees and flowers ... the very earth itself wouldn't have a chance to rest. It's a unique and relaxing season indeed ... well at least to me it is," she continued, her voice growing quiet as Carly described the reason why she loved fall so much. It was certainly clear that Carly believed every word of what she had just said just by the very nature of her voice and the glimmer in her eyes and nothing anybody could say could change her mind about it ... . [/scrolly]

[Lady Leaf]

[scrolly:h(230),w(390),sy,as(padding:4px;margin-top:10px;margin-left:10px;)] A small grin fell on Lance's face as his eyes slowly looked sideways to her. She seemed to enjoy fall just as much if not more, than he did. But... His eyes looked forwards again and allowed the leaf to blow out of his hand. "Fall is beautiful." He repeated in agreement with her, "But spring is still my favourite season of them all. It brings life when all was broken." This he hoped would happen to Era someday. They break it till all appeared dead before bringing it back to life. It needed it. Badly. But just as fall took it’s time before winter, and the spring took it’s time to grow, it would take time for Era to break and grow again. “I’m glad I took you out here. It seems you enjoy walks as much as I do. Gives a chance to clear the mind and ride you of the busy streets.” [/scrolly] [bg=black]

[Maid Melody]

[atrb=background,http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo48/elronia/VC%20Pics/CarlyTable.png][atrb=height,300][atrb=width,493][atrb=style,border:0 firebrick none,b,Table][scrolly:h(220),w(240),sy,as(padding:4px;margin-right:3px;margin-left:230px;margin-top:45px;margin-bottom:10px;color: #a52020;)]Carly listened as Lance explained what his favorite season was, certainly not as eloquent as she had described fall but still beautiful nonetheless. "Spring is beautiful yes ... it's like the flowers and trees wait for some unseen cue to start waking up again,"Carly replied as she watched the leaf blow away in the wind, reminding her of a dancing ballerina the way it twirled and swayed in the wind. Hearing him speak again, Carly looked up at Lance and smiled,"I love the forest~, always have. There's just something about them that's calming ... I can't explain it, but it's nice to have some quiet for once,"she replied quietly as she continued to walk beside Lance.[/scrolly]

[Lady Leaf]

[scrolly:h(230),w(390),sy,as(padding:4px;margin-top:10px;margin-left:10px;)] Lance nodded to Carly’s words, understanding even if there was no explanation. The thing was, she needed no explanation for him to understand. He just did. “I enjoy it immensely.” He replied as he sucked in a deep breath of the cool air, “It’s almost like an escape from the world I live in. No rules, no responsibilities. No rush or judging. Just a calm pallet of nature living out it’s course.” a small chuckle escaped his lips after that and he found himself turning his head towards her, his dark eyes once again gazing at her features. “I suppose that’s why I love the company of grass type pokemon. Something about them is so calming compared to the others. Nothing like the rage of a dragon or fire type pokemon.” [/scrolly] [bg=black]

[Maid Melody]

[atrb=background,http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo48/elronia/VC%20Pics/CarlyTable.png][atrb=height,300][atrb=width,493][atrb=style,border:0 firebrick none,b,Table][scrolly:h(220),w(240),sy,as(padding:4px;margin-right:3px;margin-left:230px;margin-top:45px;margin-bottom:10px;color: #a52020;)]Carly nodded in agreement to what Lance was saying about the forest,"I agree. You don't have to worry about someone trying to catch you or deadlines ... or anything like that,"she said in a quiet voice, leaning onto Lance a little bit more as he continued. Hearing his love for grass type Pokemon, Carly looked up at him and smiled,"That's generally true though some fire type Pokemon can be real sweethearts. I have a Chimchar I called Fire-Lily that loves flowers and plants, imagine that. She also likes to have a fire flower behind her ear, I've never seen her without it actually,"she chuckled, shaking her head slightly at remembering the little Chimchar,"I would show her to you but unfortunately she's back at home. Personally, I like fire ... there's something beautiful to see in the flames, always changing but then again always the same. That and my favorite color is red if you couldn't tell already~."[/scrolly]

[Lady Leaf]

[scrolly:h(230),w(390),sy,as(padding:4px;margin-top:10px;margin-left:10px;)] Lance simply smiled and shock his head at her talk about the fire type she had and how she enjoyed the colour red. He couldn’t say the same thing. Fire didn’t frighten him like it did Felis and did enjoy the flames but not for the same reasons. He didn’t find fire beautiful. He found it destructive. Murderous even. It took down everything it crossed paths with and left nothing but ashes. “Red is a powerful colour.” He finally replied after a moment of thought. “It suits you.” That, was somewhat a lie. He didn’t know Carely well enough yet to claim that the colour red suited her. Especially to claim she was powerful. For all he knew, in action she was a coward. None the less, at the moment he saw her a strong woman and so it wasn’t complete lie. “I don’t like fire.” He lied, a somewhat sad expression falling onto his face, “It took my family and destroyed my future.” He wouldn’t tell her that he owed a couple fire types of his own. A Charizard and a Houndour. She didn’t know about them and thus didn’t need to know about them. He’d give her a chance to prove she had the ability to spy on others. To prove that she could figure out which things about him were lies or truth. It would be interesting to him. Almost like… well a game of sorts. [/scrolly] [bg=black]

[Maid Melody]

[atrb=background,http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo48/elronia/VC%20Pics/CarlyTable.png][atrb=height,300][atrb=width,493][atrb=style,border:0 firebrick none,b,Table][scrolly:h(220),w(240),sy,as(padding:4px;margin-right:3px;margin-left:230px;margin-top:45px;margin-bottom:10px;color: #f4b0c6;)]Carly smiled when Lance said that red suited her, sure he didn't know her all that well so for all Carly knew the compliment was just something to get on her good side. Nevertheless, Carly wasn't going to read too much into what Lance said right then, she could at least give the man a chance to redeem himself after earlier. "Why thank you Lance~,"she replied, curtsying slightly as she spoke. As Lance continued to speak, Carly looked up at him, studying his face intently. It came as no shock to her that fire had stolen his family, she had already known about the fire that had killed the majority of the Rossi family and though Carly's own features did appear sad as she listened to Lance this was far from the truth. In Carly's eyes there really was no reason she should be sorry a noble was gone when they were the ones responsible for the mess the economy was in in the first place. "That's a valid reason for not liking fire ... ,"Carly replied quietly, looking at the trees once again, admiring the colors of the leaves as they walked,"You don't seem as upset about it as I'd imagine you'd be though ... . Granted that was quite a few years ago but if I had lost my entire family so suddenly ... I'd be more than just a little sad whenever I thought about it." Of course what Carly wouldn't say was that her own experience of losing her father so suddenly still gave her nightmares and sometimes only Lyall could calm her down ... assuming he wasn't working that night anyway. This being the case, Carly knew that if she had had to witness her home burn to the ground along with everything and everyone in it burn to the ground ... it would haunt her even still.[/scrolly]

[Lady Leaf]

[scrolly:h(230),w(390),sy,as(padding:4px;margin-top:10px;margin-left:10px;)] She was already calling him out on part of his lie. Heh, cleaver little girl, but it wouldn’t work this time. He could easily mix the truth and the lie to make one. It was simple enough. “No, I suppose I’m not.” He replied calmly, his eyes fixed on the ground as they walked, “I’ve never been that close to my family, not even now with only Felis and Rosa around. I miss them, sure, but…” he gave a small shrug of his shoulders, “I don’t think they would have even noticed if I had died. Felis hardly talks to me now that he knows Im alive and Rosa was fine without me around. The others who passed away….. Nah. They cared less about me than Felis and Rosa. My father saw me as nothing more than a tool meant to take his place as Duke. All I did my childhood was study.” Perhaps he said too much, but ah well. It didn’t matter. It wasn’t her he was trying to hide his emotions from. It was the those he wanted dead. “I suppose my words don’t make much sense to you, do they? You were so close to your family. I could never imagine what that must have felt like” It was true, he couldn’t. He had always hated his family. Still did. Well, except Rosa. None of it was her fault. In fact she fell right in the middle of it all and didn’t even know it yet. [/scrolly] [bg=black]

[Maid Melody]

[atrb=background,http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo48/elronia/VC%20Pics/CarlyTable.png][atrb=height,300][atrb=width,493][atrb=style,border:0 firebrick none,b,Table][scrolly:h(220),w(240),sy,as(padding:4px;margin-right:3px;margin-left:230px;margin-top:45px;margin-bottom:10px;color: #f4b0c6;)]Carly listened to Lance's explanation calmly, studying his expression as he spoke. It was still rather odd to her that he didn't seem all that upset about it, but then she had been close to her parents so that was probably why his explanation was so odd to her. "I don't think that's all true Lance ... ,"she began after a moment of silence,"From what I remember of the fire you were gone at the time so perhaps Felis feels as if you abandoned him. Maybe that's why it's rather difficult to talk to you again after all this time. As for Rosa, it's obvious by the way you talk about her that she still cares for you, if you had never come back I'm sure she would have missed you terribly but then time does have a way of numbing such feelings. As for the other members of your family I don't believe for one second that they didn't care about you. Siblings may fight and all that and parents may be strict but if there's one thing that you can count on from them it's that they care about you and love you." Saying this, Carly fell silent as Lance continued to speak, saying how he didn't think she would understand and he was right. Carly didn't understand how one couldn't be close to their family but then again she was close to her adopted family and what she remembered of her parents prior to that was love and affection. It was why Carly believed so strongly that family members cared about each other and why she believed that Lance was certainly no exception to that. "You're right, I don't understand it, but that doesn't mean they didn't care about you Lance. I'm not pretending to know what your childhood was like, you already know what I think of nobles and that hardly changes given what you just told me. But you still can know what it feels like, at least on some level with Felis and Rosa. They just need some time is all, you just showed back up in their lives after so many years ... it's gonna take some time to bet used to it, plain and simple,"she replied quietly as she walked.[/scrolly]

[Lady Leaf]

[scrolly:h(230),w(390),sy,as(padding:4px;margin-top:10px;margin-left:10px;)] The more Carly spoke, the darker the expression on Lance’s face grew. Each word seemed to make him frown deeper and deeper, yet he held his tongue. He held it until finally she finished and he could hold it no longer. “How dare you.” He stopped suddenly, his eyes so dark they almost looked black and his voice so forced it shock in his throat. “How dare you claim to know how they felt. You know nothing. Nothing!” His eyes shot up, glaring at Carly as his hands formed tight fists. “They will never love me. Not ever. I‘ve made certain of that. Felis… Someday he will as well.” With that, he turned away from her began to walk off. He didn’t want to say anything more to her. He didn’t want to have this conversation. In fact, all he wanted now was to drink. Drink until he passed out either alone or in the arms of some faceless woman he would never see again. [/scrolly] [bg=black]

[Maid Melody]

[atrb=background,http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo48/elronia/VC%20Pics/CarlyTable.png][atrb=height,300][atrb=width,493][atrb=style,border:0 firebrick none,b,Table][scrolly:h(220),w(240),sy,as(padding:4px;margin-right:3px;margin-left:230px;margin-top:45px;margin-bottom:10px;color: #f4b0c6;)]Carly had been so busy looking around at the forest around them that she hadn't noticed Lance's expression grow darker until he finally spoke, bringing her eyes to him in an instance. What Carly saw in his face made her release him instantly and for a moment Carly was back in the alleyway where her father was shot before Lance's voice broke the silence yet again. Wait ... he had made them hate him ... he was going to make Felis hate him but- ... before Carly had a chance to respond Lance walked away from her. By the time Lance had walked a few feet away from her, Carly had recovered from her shock and was now aware enough to realize that the sun was beginning to set, ushering the onset of night. This along with the fact that Lance was walking away from her made her both terrified of being left alone and furious that Lance had snapped at her just because of her view of the situation. Red laced the corners of her vision as anger took over what fear she felt at the time."You IDIOT!" Carly yelled/screamed at the top of her lungs before beginning to walk towards Lance,"I NEVER claimed to know how your family felt about you. If anything I was speaking from my own experience. I know I don't know what your family was like Lance, I KNOW that. But why on EARTH would you want to make them hate you. Are you so incapable of love that you don't think you deserve it!? HA! I saw you when you talked about Rosa, that was love. The very same love I saw in my father's eyes whenever I talked to him," Carly continued, taking a breath as she walked, the adrenaline coursing through her veins giving her more speed then she would have had otherwise. By this time she was only a few steps behind Lance, close enough that he could certainly touch her if he so wished but of course do to her short arm length Carly could barely touch the sleeve of his jacket so she could get him to stop or at least pause. If the height difference wasn't such a problem, Carly would have slapped Lance given the chance for an outburst like that that had both scared and shocked her speechless for at least a short time. As it was, Carly had said her piece and was now simply trying to stop Lance or if that failed, to keep up with him wherever he happened to be going.[/scrolly]

[Lady Leaf]

[scrolly:h(230),w(390),sy,as(padding:4px;margin-top:10px;margin-left:10px;)] Lance was doing his best to ignore her. He was trying harder than one could ever imagine. He had even quickened his pace but it seemed to be failing. He could hear it in her footsteps that she growing closer, her words only jabbing into him that much more. But her words…. Oh those words…. They were nothing more than words yet he couldn’t hold it back any longer. Lance suddenly came to an abrupt stop, at first doing nothing more than breathing rather hard. Then, finally he turned around, glaring down at her with that same dark look as before. “No, Carly. I do not believe I deserve it. But there was a time I did and never received it.” He hissed, not once looking away from her as he continued to leer her down, “Incapable of love? I’m capable of it. I do give Rosa that look. The look a father should give there child. But I never received that look from my father. I never received anything more than disappointment. In return I learned to hate them. Heh…. And I do hate them. I hate them with all my heart.” very slowly he leaned towards her, his lips inches away from her ear, “So I killed them, just as I’m going to kill Felis.” With that he stood and turned again, pausing half way as his eyes fell on her again. “Do you really think they could love me now that I’ve stolen their lives?” A small chuckle escaped his throat at that moment he finished turning, once more walking away. [/scrolly] [bg=black]

[Maid Melody]

[atrb=background,http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo48/elronia/VC%20Pics/CarlyTable.png][atrb=height,300][atrb=width,493][atrb=style,border:0 firebrick none,b,Table][scrolly:h(220),w(240),sy,as(padding:4px;margin-right:3px;margin-left:230px;margin-top:45px;margin-bottom:10px;color: #f4b0c6;)]Carly nearly ran into Lance as he stopped and leered at her and though at first Carly glared right back at him, her anger slowly faded away into disbelief and shock ... he had ... but that ... wait he was .... he had done what ... . Carly's thoughts were a tangled confused mess as she tried to sort out what she had just been told all the while Lance was getting further and further away while Carly stood there in shocked disbelief. Her anger gone, there was nothing stopping the sudden fear that grasped her mind as the sun continued to set until it seemed to Carly that all light had disappeared. Dark .... Carly hated the dark .... ever since that night years ago ... it concealed people, weapons, hidden objects and Arceus knew what else ... . Quickening her pace after Lance started to walk away with her, Carly wasn't even thinking about what Lance had just told her at that point ... she was just scared and even more so that it seemed that the only person within miles of this place was going to leave her all alone. "L .... Lance .... ,"Carly stuttered, her voice quiet and sounding much like a child's though this time it was apparent by the frightened look on her face that this was no act,"Can we go back now .... it's late and ... -." Carly's voice trailed off as she heard what sounded like a tree branch snap behind her causing her to jump and quicken her pace all the more.[/scrolly]

[Lady Leaf]

[scrolly:h(230),w(390),sy,as(padding:4px;margin-top:10px;margin-left:10px;)] He walked, not looking back even as she followed him once again. The stutter of his name reached his ears causing him to sigh though his pace did not slow. Once again he was attempting to ignore her, refusing to look at her even as she spoke again. Go back? Go back to where? “I’m going to the nearest tavern.” Lance hissed, still refusing to look at her. “Besides, there is no nothing to go back to. It’s just as late in the park as it is in the forest.” Sure enough as he finished his last word, the trees began to thin and buildings of the city could be seen through the brush. Oddly enough he knew the paths of this forest. Though they often changed he remembered them as a younger man. It was sad but true. Now he knew them as an older man, but not for the same reasons. [/scrolly] [bg=black]

[Maid Melody]

[atrb=background,http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo48/elronia/VC%20Pics/CarlyTable.png][atrb=height,300][atrb=width,493][atrb=style,border:0 firebrick none,b,Table][scrolly:h(220),w(240),sy,as(padding:4px;margin-right:3px;margin-left:230px;margin-top:45px;margin-bottom:10px;color: #f4b0c6;)]Carly could feel the panic welling inside her and despite her best attempts to force it down again was failing rather miserably. Hugging herself as Lance answered where he was going, Carly closed her eyes briefly and kept up the pace, fearing that should she slow she would lose Lance and with him the only person she knew in the vicinity. The fear was only growing increasingly worse now that they were nearing the city ... she could ... handle this right ... yes ... , she would have to. Even Carly's own thoughts were unconvincing as the night seemed to close in around her, issuing a soft squeak from her,"I ... I'll go ... ,"she stuttered quietly in the same child-like voice as before, her voice shaking now, not even thinking about what the implications might mean ... as long as it got her out of the dark it really didn't matter where she went really. By now Carly was as white as a sheet, eyes wide with terror as she looked around at the alleys and houses ... all the places that danger could hide. Yes Carly liked to think of herself as strong but right now her only thoughts were to get inside where it was light and warm and it didn't matter where either ... just as long as she didn't have to stay out in the dark."If ... th.th..that's all r.rr.right,"Carly continued to stutter. Hearing what sounded like footsteps behind them, Carly paled even further and quickened her pace until she was now walking beside Lance, holding Lance's jacket that had been given to her earlier close around her as if trying to keep out whatever demons were haunting her.[/scrolly]

[Lady Leaf]

[scrolly:h(230),w(390),sy,as(padding:4px;margin-top:10px;margin-left:10px;)] Lance continued to march on, trying his best to ignore her still though failing greatly at it. Eventually he made it out onto a sidewalk before finally sucking in a deep breath and letting it out again. His anger was starting to dwindle, though his depression was deepening. He really did want that drink to numb those feelings. As he continued to march and his anger continued to dwindle, Lance began to slow until finally he came to a halt at Carly’s last words. A sigh escaped his throat as his eyes closed and he stood there for a moment, recollecting his thoughts. Finally they reopened but he didn’t look at her. “I’ll find you a hotel to stay in.” He muttered before continuing on, his head finally lifting to spot the first hotel he could find. [/scrolly] [bg=black]

[Maid Melody]

[atrb=background,http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo48/elronia/VC%20Pics/CarlyTable.png][atrb=height,300][atrb=width,493][atrb=style,border:0 firebrick none,b,Table][scrolly:h(220),w(240),sy,as(padding:4px;margin-right:3px;margin-left:230px;margin-top:45px;margin-bottom:10px;color: #f4b0c6;)]Carly continued to walk beside Lance but despite the fact that she wasn't alone, this did little to ease the increasing panic and general fear she felt. Every sound around Carly could be someone or something that would attack her or worse claim her life just as it had her father's. When Lance finally did speak up, telling her he would find a hotel for her what little resemblance of control Carly thought she still had cracked right then and there. The sheer look of terror on her face as just the thought of being left alone was truly heart breaking and right then Carly was finding it hard to say anything without dissolving into tears right then and there. When Carly and Lance neared an alley, a strangled cry came from Carly as what Carly thought to be strong arms grabbed her, dragging her down the alleyway. Desperate to stop this waking nightmare, Carly clawed at Lance's arm, trying to get his attention ... anything to stop this waking nightmare. "LAN-"Carly began to shout only to find herself being pulled away. Not one to give up so easily, Carly tried to fight the man off but no amount of kicking, thrashing, or punching seemed to have any effect. What Carly didn't know was that there was no man, no kidnapper, no stalker in the night ... in fact the only people in the street that night where her and Lance. Not only was there no attacker, but in fact the kidnapper that Carly thought she was attacking was none other than Lance but then Carly was so lost in her waking nightmare that she didn't recognize this to be true and probably wouldn't for a time.[/scrolly]

[Lady Leaf]

[scrolly:h(230),w(390),sy,as(padding:4px;margin-top:10px;margin-left:10px;)] Lance had fallen quiet again as he continued to search for the hotel, not really paying attention to Carly at all. That was, until a rather odd sound came out of the girl. It almost like…. She was being attacked or something. It was enough for him to look over his shoulder. Next thing he knew, she was clawing at his arm in a desperate… act for help? But help from what? Lance just couldn’t figure it out. There was nothing there. Perhaps…. A pokemon was playing with her? He had no chance to investigate it any further for the next thing he knew, she was attacking him. Her arms were flailing every which way as if he were a villain or something. Unsure of what else to do, Lance quickly attempted to grab hold of her arms, using his own arms to hold them down. It was almost like a hug of sorts. An action he hoped would calm her down. At least…. It usually worked on Rosa when she had nightmares. “Carly… No ones trying to hurt you. Calm down.” What was wrong with her? Sure she had a bad past, but was it really effecting her that much? [/scrolly] [bg=black]

[Maid Melody]

[atrb=background,http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo48/elronia/VC%20Pics/CarlyTable.png][atrb=height,300][atrb=width,493][atrb=style,border:0 firebrick none,b,Table][scrolly:h(220),w(240),sy,as(padding:4px;margin-right:3px;margin-left:230px;margin-top:45px;margin-bottom:10px;color: #f4b0c6;)]The hug of sorts didn't help matters as far as Carly was concerned, in fact it made matters worse as she continued to try to get away from her supposed attacker. That was until Lance's voice broke through the silence which in effect did calm Carly down as what rational part of her mind still remained recognized the voice as Lance and not whatever phantom had so frightened her. Carly went limp in Lance's arms and all at once stopped fighting though her breathing still came in ragged gasps, terrified as she was about what she had thought happened. She didn't speak and certainly couldn't speak right at that moment, or at least not without breaking down completely.[/scrolly]