RIP stopping the tears. But at least they seemed to be happy enough ones, even despite her sheepish embarrassment. Laughing slightly, the girl just folder her hands behind her, still sheepishly shuffling her foot. "Oh, I see... Heh, sorry for interrupting, then," she murmured, halfheartedly. "Reece did always tell me I was bad with cues," she admitted, letting out another weak laugh. "But... Thanks! I guess I have grown quite a bit," she added, a bit quieter, before seeming to perk up again. "Oh, and there's something else, too!" she exclaimed, excitedly, smiling as she pointed to her teary eyes. "I'm eighteen now. I've finally been Claimed, you know. It's, ahh... It's Aurelia now," she rambled briefly, before seeming slightly awkward, a shy smile coming to her face. "But, umm... You can still call me Ryan, if you'd like."
...I think I'd like that...
The thought aside, the matter of her name not really mattering too much to her, Ryan couldn't help but brighten. How could she? For the first time in countless years- eight and seven months to be precise -she was finally seeing one of her closest friends again. Besides, nothing had ever managed to keep her down for long. It was as though she were a yo-yo, the moment she went down, staying there only moments before coming right back up. And so she laughed with that brilliant smile, shaking her head. "I can't believe it, either...! It's like both of us being here was fate," she spoke, heartily. "I've missed you so much, you have no idea... I've been looking for a way to find you again. I increased my studies, read through all the books in my Uncle Macon's study, but I couldn't figure it out," she spoke, almost sadly. "...But here you are! I really can't believe it!"
But something threw her off, making her give pause. "...Huh?" she muttered, blinking owlishly as Ilona said she could've looked for her. "Lona..." she started softly, reaching to gently place her hands on the girl's shoulders with a tender smile. "You don't have to worry. I don't want to live without you interfering. It isn't interfering if you enjoy it. And if it were, I'd be happy to have you interfering every day. I'm just...-- I'm just happy I can finally see you again."
Even though Mason's condition pulled her away right after. : |
Still smiling brightly, Ryan let out a small laugh at Mason's tripping over his words, deciding to offer assistance. "Doppelgangers?" she asked, cheerfully. "And maybe you're right.. Even so, it's good to meet you," she assured, pleasantly. "Though, I'm sorry it's under such circumstances. But don't worry, the pain should go away soon... And if it doesn't, just let me know." With that said, she more than happily helped pull him to his feet, staying especially close in case his body gave out again. She didn't need him falling at all. But what she didn't expect was his next words, leading her eyes to widen and her expression to shift to that of surprise before being replaced by a shy, embarrassed smile, green eyes briefly looking to the floor. "A-ahh, thank you..." she murmured. "Mason's a lovely name, too."
Compliments aside, she did tilt her head at his family comment. "Wow, really?" she replied with interest. "I'm sorry to hear that..." she added, sincerely, looking sympathetic. "I can relate. We... Had a curse on our family, up 'til I was thirteen. A lot of bad things happened, so... I understand. To some extent, anyways. Obviously you can't really understand if you don't go through the exact same thing," she rambled unknowingly, idly tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. Of course, as she went on, she at first failed to notice Mason trying to move, but stepped in just in time to catch him as he took a step... And failed. "W-woah, c-careful...!" she exclaimed, hurriedly catching his form and steadying him with an eventual relieved breath. Phew, that was close...
"Ah, right," Ryan replied as Mason said he may need some help, her hands slowly moving away from where she'd steadied him. Taking another deep breath, she looked at him with more serious eyes. "Just... Stay still, alright? This won't hurt at all. I promise," she assured, sincerely. With that, carefully, she moved to place her fingertips against his forehead, her eyes closing with practiced focus as she did so. For a long few moments she remained like this, healing energy flowing through her and into Mason, treating his injury. "...There. Is that better?.." she asked, worriedly. "And don't worry, I'd be happy to help you find your friend."
@Mason Moretti @Klutzy Ninja Kitty @Verite @LuckycoolHawk9
