ArchivedLogs:Home Is Where the Heart Is

Home Is Where the Heart Is
Dramatis Personae Mallory, Aloke
In Absentia	2013-11-11 Mallory and Aloke reconnect after the new meds get Aloke's condition under control
Location <XS> Lake
Bright, bright, bright; the lake glitters wide and expansive here, stretching off into the distance. Sunlight, moonlight, starlight, it catches them all. Lapping at the rocky shore, its deep waters are frigid in winter and cool even in summer. A stone pier stretches out a ways into the water, wide and smooth, though often icy in winter. The water teems with life nevertheless, home to myriad species of fish that provide for ample fishing or just lazy watching on a slow summer day, for those who want to take a boat from the boathouse out to the center of the lake, or perhaps lounge on the pier and try their luck. Having checked her room, and then texted Mallory about coming out to the lake, Aloke is out here now. He has two comfortable looking camp chairs (with gaps in the back for anyone with a tail), and a heavy blanket covering his legs. He's wearing a tan cable knit sweater, jeans, and house slippers. He's also wearing a purple NYU beanie which does not seem like his usual thing, but then, he did teach there for several years, so who knows. The light in his eyes is bright and strong in the waning afternoon sun, and the sketchpad in his lap is full, his hand whisking across the page briskly doing a skilled cross hatch of the lake view. In the midst of all the tension and strife that has gripped the campus, Mallory has taken to quietly walking through the halls, checking in on students occasionally, aiding those who need it. There isn't much the librarian can do, but these rounds make her feel at least moderately less helpless in the face of this epidemic. It was during one of these patrols that Mallory received Aloke's text about joining him at the lake - it took all the restraint she had not to drop what she was doing and make a bee-line for the lake. Instead, as she makes her way down from the mansion, she seems to have stopped to pick up some supplies, now carried over one shoulder in a large canvas messenger bag. Dressed in a pair of dark, wide leg jeans that seem to have been made to accommodate her legs, paired with a black hooded sweatshirt with the Lorem Ipsum text printed in increasingly small white text on the front. Her hair is pulled back into a simple, although admittedly messy, bun, with stray hairs fluttering on the cool breeze from the lake. Approaching quietly for once as the chill ground muffles her hoof falls, Mallory pauses for a moment, looking over Aloke's shoulder from a distance to watch him work. Her long tail swishes through the grass anxiously as she hesitates, before stepping forward into his peripheral vision, offering a nervous smile, "Hello, Aloke." "Oh Mallory," Aloke says with a relieved sigh. He stands smoothly, setting the sketchpad on the other chair, and throws his blanket across the back of his own. "I was afraid you wouldn't come..." he says, and then as if he just couldn't contain himself any longer, he scoops her up in a hug, actually picking her up off the ground for a moment before carefully setting her back down. "I was so awful to you, and to everyone, and I can't /say/ the one word that is most appropriate. But you have my apologies all the same." He has not released the hug. Instead he's just holding her close, speaking softly in her ear. "Do you think... you'll be able to forgive me? Some day?" He starts to relax the hug, in case she wants to pull away. Mallory actually yelps a little - a tiny, proper sounding 'oh' of surprise - when she is picked up, that turns into the faintest of giggles. She wraps her arms tight around him in response, burying her face in his shoulder for a long moment, just remaining silent as she listens. When he relaxes the hug, she doesn't pull away, just takes a moment to set the bag down beside them, before resuming the hug - perhaps lifting him off the ground just a touch with her exuberance, before returning him to the ground. After several moments, she ever-so-gently bonks her forehead against his, dark eyes closed in a smile, letting out a light laugh, "Of course I came." Her arms still tight around him, Mallory seems reluctant to let go, as though he might vanish from her sight forever. "I... I was so scared I was going to lose you," she says at last, in a creaking whisper, resting her head on his shoulder. She shakes her head slightly, still with her face buried against his neck, "Apology accepted, unnecessary though it is. I know that wasn't you. It was the illness." The hug loosens slightly, but unless Aloke moves away, Mallory won't let go - she seems content to just stand here like this for as long as time allows. Aloke closes his eyes and squeezes out a tear, pressing his face to her neck as well, breathing in her scent. This hug may last awhile. "I was scared too. And who knows how much time these meds will buy us, but at least I'm myself again. I can /think/ straight. And draw. And kiss you." This last is practically whispered when he moves to press his lips to hers. His eyes flutter closed in the moment, and the gentle kiss turns into something more urgent, passionate, before Aloke remembers they're standing out in the grounds. When they come up for air, Aloke takes a step back, just to look at Mallory. "It's good to be home." The shoulder that Mallory's face is pressed to may start feeling damp, in addition to the excessive warmth of her presence. She trembles slightly at the thought that the meds wouldn't last forever, but just pulls him tighter, reassuringly, at the concern, shaking her head. "It's given us time. That's what matters. But they'll find a cure. We'll get through this," she responds quietly, though when she looks up, her cheeks are glistening faintly with tears. At the kiss, she startles slightly, but then relaxes into the embrace, returning the kiss with a fierce need, her hands resting loosely at the small of Aloke's back, keeping him close to her throughout. A contented sigh, as the kiss concludes, though the blush rising to her cheeks seems to indicate that she realizes just how out in the open they are; nervously she glances around, as though expecting a wayward student, or worse, zombie, to have happened upon them. She hesitantly releases her hold on him, taking his hand, instead, when he steps away. A warm, happy smile spreads over her features and she nods, "Home. Yes, yes it is." "I feel... I feel like I can really believe that now. That there will be a cure," Aloke says when they part. He glances around as well, and then takes Mallory's hand to walk them just a little closer to the lake, enjoying the crisp autumn air, and the view. "I have a confession to make," he says. He adds a sly smile after just a moment of letting that hang there though, to soften the implications. "In my lucid moments the last week or so... and the many hours of clear thinking I've had today - it's been a wonder, let me tell you. But in all that clear-headedness, I figured something out. Whatever happens. Whatever comes next. 'Home', for me anyway... Home is where /you/ are. You were there for me through everything I-... everything that happened." He squeezes her hand, standing next to her at the lakeside, keeping his body right next to hers. "Also," he adds with a wink, "You're terrific to have around in the cold. It's freezing out here." There is only a slight hesitation from Mallory as they move closer to the lake, a half stutter step in her gait before she falls into stride beside Aloke. She surveyes the view of the lake, the trees beyond, the little ripples caused by the last of the stubborn birds refusing to migrate, and just sighs contentedly, leaning agaisnt Aloke slightly, fingers twined through his. Listening quietly, Mallory drops her gaze to the edge of the lake, watching the water rippling against the shore. A sad smile crosses her lips, and she glances sideways at Aloke, "I suppose I have had similar thoughts this week. There has been... a lot of time to think." She squeezes his hand gently, before draping an arm around his shoulders to pull him closer to her side, "I was so afraid of losing my home. At first... at first I thought it was just this school, and everyone here. But, really, it wouldn't be home if you weren't here with me. The thought of losing you scared me more than I realized." The warm comment gets a chuckle and a smile, and she pulls him closer to her side, "Uh huh. Benefits of dating someone with such a fiery disposition. You're going to loathe me once summer returns." Aloke smiles warmly and looks down at the ground for a moment, breathing in deep. It's almost like he's nervous. Squeezing her hand, he says tentatively, "So, speaking of having certain thoughts..." Aloke says. He turns and holds Mallory's eyes for a moment, before flicking his gaze back up towards the faculty floor of dorms. "I was uh... Well I mean, do you wanna come upstairs with me? We'll deal with summer when it's summer." He grins, and the look in his eyes isn't leaving much to ambiguity.