In the Blue Season [CLOSED]

The day was nice, the air clear and breezy. It was even felt through the thickness of the forest. The forest was calm, quiet, and undisturbed by man's progressive instinct. The forest was home to many creatures and a single human. Less than a mile away from a village was a small cottage. It was a cute little thing made of stone and wood, like out of a fairy tail. To the side was a small garden, well tended and beautifully grown. On a small patio, also made of wood, was a table with two chairs, one looking more worn than the other. The shutters of the cottage were open, letting in the light. And inside this cute little cottage was a young woman who lived alone. She was beautiful, kind, and loved by most who meet her. Her name was Serenity, Serenity Verdant. This name wasn't exactly common and was easily recognized. Serenity was one of the most, if not the most, famous sorcerers of her time. It's why she decided to live out here. It was peaceful, it was private, and she could live her own life.

Serenity made her way to the front door, ready to take advantage of the beautiful day and walked out of her little home. Barefoot, like she usually was when around her home, Serenity began a familiar stroll through the forest. About a hundred yards away, she found a place that she visited many times before. It was a little private lake. It was only about ten foot deep, the water was always nice and cool, and it was hers. This was her land after all. Serenity reached up to her shoulders and suddenly froze. She felt something hit the top of her head and reached up; it was wet. She felt another and another. Looking up, she stared into the darkened cloud above her and watched as the rain began pouring down. You'd think that she'd turn away, but she did not. She only smiled and stood there, allowing the rain to soak her hair and clothing. She stepped into the lake and did as she usually did and she began slowly swimming around, enjoying the feel of the water moving along her body.

Serenity's verdant colored hair just flowed along with her, following her as she swam around the water. There was something about the water that made her feel so free, like she was floating. Feeling the need to just relax, Serenity swam her way back over to the side of the lake and sat on a submerged rock. Leaning back to lay facing upwards, she looked up to the sky. She used her arms to spread her hair out, pushing it outward away from her head. Her white, priestess-like outfit outlined to the contours of her body, clinging to it's shape. Serenity just laid there quietly, closed her eyes, and began her relaxing. This was exactly how she liked it. No one was bothering her, she could do what she wanted to do without a camera being shoved in her face. This life was wonderful for her, except she did get lonely sometimes. “Maybe I'll head into the village a little later...” she thought, feeling herself fading slightly. The relaxation was getting to her. If she wanted, she could fall asleep right here.

The rain began to settle down a bit. Quick beams of sunlight shined down onto the tops of the trees, sending hundreds of smaller beams radiating down onto the lake and to Serenity. The warmth of the sun comforted her. She took in a slow long breath and slowly let it out. She was so at home, so comfortable, that she had not noticed someone getting closer to her. Even when she opened her eyes, Serenity looked up through one of the openings of the trees to see that the sky was slowly brightening up, though the rain continued to sprinkle it's way on down. She laid her arms crossed along her stomach and lifted a leg from the river, causing her skirt to fall down toward her waist. Right as she thought to sit up, a small blue colored bird flew in and landed on the top of her foot. She giggled a bit, feeling a little tickle, and then stared curiously at it for a few moments.

“Well hey there...” she said sweetly to it, her voice as gentle as the breeze that moved through the trees, followed by another giggle. The little bird hopped once and let out a little chirp, it's head turning toward the man standing not too far from her, but Serenity took no real note of it. It's not like she could read it's mind. A moment later, the little bird flew away, in the opposite direction that it had looked and she lowered her leg back into the water to site up.. Serenity watched the little bird land in a tree on the other side of the lake and smiled. So horribly unaware of her surroundings, she went right back into the water and lowered herself until her head was the only part of her outside of the water. She made her way across the lake and walked out the other side. Her bare feet made contact with the cold grass and she stepped up to the tree, holding her hand out to see if the bird would come back. Of course it didn't. Instead, it flew away again and she dropped her arm back down to her side. She shrugged it off and turned back toward the water, ready to walk right back in, but something caught the corner of her eye.

Serenity looked up and saw a unfamiliar man just standing there. She stared at him, keeping silent. Most people would assume she'd yell, insult him by calling him a pervert for watching her, but no. Serenity wasn't that type of person. Instead, she glanced him up and down and then looked back to his face. "You're soaked..." she spoke up in a gentle and genuinely concerned voice. She pulled her foot out of the lake, walking around toward him, lifting her skirt a bit to make sure it didn't trip her up. "Did you get caught in the rain? The weather around here can be a little unpredictable at times, especially this time of year. Come on... My house is just a short walk in that direction..." she pointed toward a small path that she had created naturally from walking this way so many times, "We'll get you dried off and something warm to drink." He could deny her help of course, but she didn't think he would. Because of that, she turned toward her home and began leading him down the path.

Serenity's mind was always on the well-being of others. Seeing someone soaking wet, she's likely to think of them catching a cold and getting sick. This is why she immediately invited him to her home, something many would not do. “Oh, is that so? Do you enjoy the snow?” she asked courteously after his comment, "And no, you're not going to impose." She stepped off the side of the path, pushing a branch that she usually walked right under, but he could not, over to the side so he didn't have to bend down to pass. Once he did, she'd gently put it back into place, not just letting it go for it to flick it's way back into position. Pulling her skirt up a bit, revealing her bare feet, she hurried along the path and over a small hill. Right at the bottom was her little cottage. It looked like something someone like her would live in, all cute and tidy. She walked down a stone path and up toward the front door. “Let me get you a couple towels to dry and a blanket.” she said as she stepped into the house and left the door open for him to come in, “You can wrap yourself in it while your clothes dry, okay? No sense in getting a cold.”

Serenity hurried off toward the other room, her feet tapping quickly along the ground as she did. She made her way into her room and brushed her hair back really quick, just to straighten it out. She then grabbed a few towels out of the cabinet and brought them out to him. “Here. The bathroom is right there.” she motioned over to it as she handed him three medium sized towels, “I-If you don't mind, get out of those wet clothes and dry off with these. I'll bring the blanket t-to y-you once I get out of these.” It was obvious she had become a little cold. The outside breeze and moving around had cooled her down enough to cause her to shiver and her teeth to chatter a little. Once he took the towels, she scuttled along to her room again, actually walking on her tip-toes, as if she were wearing heels. She softly closed the door behind her, smiling kindly to him before it fully shut, and then went to change into something more warm than this. It had been such a beautiful day, too bad. She took her wet clothes off and hung them over the edge of her bed, placing another towel below them to prevent any water from dripping onto the wooden floors. Once she dried herself with a few towels, squeezing water from her hair and patting herself down, she went and grabbed some warmer clothes.

Once she hurried into her clothes and was dressed, she walked toward another cabinet and pulled out a large fluffy blanket that she couldn't help but rub her cheek into. It was so soft, she loved it. She made her way back out and glanced around to see if he had gone in. Assuming that he did, she walked up to the bathroom door and knocked lightly on it. “I've got the blanket for you. I'm sorry, but I don't exactly have any clothes for a man.” she said apologetically. She waited for him to open the door and then kept her eyes away, holding the blanket out toward him. “If you want, hand me your clothes so I can get those dried for ya. Anything special that needs to be done with them? I know some people like some things air dried over machine...” she waited for the clothes to be handed to her and then gave a cute and quick curtsy to him. She hurried off and did what she needed to do, whether putting his clothes in the dryer or hanging them up to dry. She'd even check the pockets to make sure that any of his belongings weren't in there to get ruined and then place them in a small basket she had over the dryer on a small shelf. Making her way back into the living area, she sat down on the only couch that she had, curled her knees up, and began staring out the window, waiting for him to come out of the bathroom.

Serenity had lived out here long enough to be prepared for rainy days and air drying clothes. She air dried most of hers after all. She had a little pole from one end of her laundry room to the other. She put his jacket on a hanger and buttoned up the front. Hanging that up, she put the rest of the stuff in the drier. Hopefully they'd get done soon enough for him to be fully dressed in his own clothing and not her favorite blanket! She giggled at the thought, turning the drier on, and then turned on a fan. Yeah, it was raining outside, but the fan circulating the air in the room would cause the jacket to dry a bit quicker. “And done!” she said cheerfully and tip-toed into the other room to sit. It wasn't long after her rear met couch that he exited the bathroom. Hearing the door click, she blinked once and looked over to see him come around the corner. “Well don't you look dashing.” she said smiling, slightly teasing but also quite serious about it. She wouldn't give false compliments.

"I feel bad for not introducing myself and then accepting your hospitality." he said, catching her slightly off guard. She watched his sword set on the door knob and then looked back up to him. It was just now that she was noticing how tall he was. She felt so tiny. "My name is Alain Maldoc-Ryence, a professor at Rydian Academy." he said, introducing himself. “A strong name and you work at the Academy? How's it treating you?” she said, holding her hand out to shake, “Oh, and I'm Serenity Verdant. I don't exactly have a job, but it's nice to meet you anyway. I forgot to make some tea, oops. Did you want any?” Serenity stood up and made her way toward the kitchen, which was not too far from them and open concept, so she didn't disappear behind any walls. She put some water in a kettle and set it on the stove, lighting it up. She pulled out her own cup, and his if he said he wanted some, and set them down on the counter. Getting a few tea leaves, she began grinding them up.

Serenity was intrigued by his witty retort. “I see. You have young women fawning all over you, I assume?” Serenity said, once again in a teasing tone. She listened to his minor complaints about the school, but knew that those could build up. She gave him a concerned look and then tilted her head slightly. “If you're not happy with it, is there not something else you could do?” Serenity asked him, “I mean... If the hours are so horrible and the stress is too high, I'm sure there is something else that you'd be able to get into...” Serenity went on to make the tea, feeling a bit of a chill move down her spine. She had dried off, but it takes the inside of a body more time to warm up. Making the tea turned into a little bit of a problem. It wasn't because of his indecisiveness, but because of her clumsiness. She ground the tea leaves fine, but as she went to pick up the second up, her finger slipped. It fell and she went to catch it, but her hand couldn't grip. The impact sent the cup flying back into the air and away from her. As she reached out for it, she tripped over her own two feet and fell.

“Eep!” she let out a scream that sounded more like a squeaking mouse. She watched the glass likely fall onto the ground at the same time she did and then sighed. She rubbed her side, feeling slight pain as she landed wrong, and let out a small “Ow...” She looked up to see what happened to the cup and then smiled embarrassed at herself. She was always clumsy, so this was no surprise, but to do it in front of a guest was just too much. “S-Sorry about that.” she said and went to stand up, “I've always been like that, randomly dropping things.. or breaking things.” Serenity looked away, waiting for the red in her cheeks to calm down. "If you don't mind my asking, you wouldn't happen to be that Serenity Verdant, would you?" he suddenly brought up and she knew immediately what he was talking about. Oh great, he knew who she was and she acted like this in front of him? How disappointing and extremely embarrassing. “Well... Uh...” she glanced away, scratching lightly at her right cheek and then looked back to him, “No point in hiding it, but yeah... I'm the Sorcerer from Aria...” Anyone who knew her name, the legend behind it and what she did, knew exactly what it meant. She had many names to go by, but she didn't much like any of them, so she merely called herself that. “I take it you've heard of me?” she asked, her cheeks becoming redder with every passing moment.

"The occasional male too. You can't look this good and expect not to have most of the mail coming to your office be love letters from students. They're getting smarter too. They no longer send it in pink or other colored envelopes and make it look official so I get tricked into reading it." Serenity was completely taken aback by that. She knew he was joking; he didn't seem like the type of man to be that self-centered. He just enjoyed a few witty remarks here and there. He succeeded in catching her off her guard quite a lot. The guests she usually had, when she actually had them, were never so bold. It was quite refreshing. The wink even made her blush a bit. It was a gesture that she wasn't quite used to getting anymore. It happened a lot in the past, but those days were over and she wasn't exactly fond of the manner that they used it in. Usually a but smack or unwanted flirting came quickly after.

“Well... um...” she remembered the tea. It was now a perfect distraction for her inability to reply to his remark."I didn't mean to make it seem like I wasn't happy with it. I really do enjoy it. It's the one job where if someone under you makes a mistake, you're free to laugh." he assured her. She merely nodded with a kind smile before she went up to get the tea. Unfortunately, Serenity was clumsy beyond belief. She fell and so did the glass. She was hoping it wouldn't have broken, but oh well. Things happen. Alain had even attempted to catch it, but they both failed. That fact made her giggle a little. “No harm done.” she said, mostly referring to the broken glass along the floor, “And yeah... I'm alright. I think I might of landed on my side wrong though... It'll be fine.” Serenity waved it off like it was nothing. She confirmed her identity to him and received a reaction that she wasn't fully expecting. “You wrote a paper about me? That's really nice.” Serenity said, her face reddening even more. It was quite flattering to hear.

“Finally meet? Have you wanted to meet me before now?” she asked, tilting her head to the side, “I've never met someone who actually wanted to meet me. They usually just want me to help someone they know or touch my bottom.” Serenity said that quite casually, as if she almost didn't even understand the meaning behind it. She did, but she also didn't think it was too significant to care. “Don't move!” she said suddenly when she realized glass was everywhere. She was not wanting him to step on glass and cut himself. She heard a loud whistle come up from the background so she went over to the kettle and poured some of the water into the unbroken glass, momentarily ignoring the fact that her guest was sort of just standing there. She put the kettle back on the stove and placed the cup on a small plate. “Here ya go...” she said, handing him the tea, “I'll clean this up.” Serenity went toward a corner closet and pulled out a broom. She quickly swept the glass up, picking up any small pieces that the broom couldn't get and tossed it into the trash.

"Essentially, yes. You're a great example of how dynamic and ever-changing the world of the Arcane is." Serenity blinked a couple times as if she had no idea what that even meant, but she did. She wasn't some genius, but she was pretty smart and that wasn't something people expected. "You say that like I'm some sort of miracle." she tilted her head and sort of glanced down at her hands, as if she were studying herself. Thinking more about what he said, she felt another smile creep up on her. It was surprising how a stranger could make her feel like she was something special, not just some celebrity, but genuinely special. He did so again when he told her that it was an honor to meet her. "Well, I can't say too much about the latter reason, but I have wanted to meet you otherwise. You've done good work, and it's really an honor to meet someone who could be called a hero." he said and once again she was made to blush. Serenity lowered her head a bit and brought her hands up, placing them over her cheeks, as if that could fully hide the blush. "I-I'm not a hero... I j-just did what should have been done, w-what any decent person who have done." she said shyly, "If you've got the ability to... y-you should help someone. That's how I feel about it, at least."

The glass! Serenity went on and quickly cleaned up the glass, trying to calm her mind down. She hadn't blushed this much in years and wasn't sure how to handle it. "Try not to cut yourself. If you get a piece of glass stuck in your foot, the only thing I'll be able to get it out with is my sabre." he said jokingly. She didn't have a reply to that, but she'd be careful. Once she got it all cleaned up, she was relieved to say that her face had dropped back down to it's original shade. She walked over to the kitchen and quickly made herself a cup of tea. She didn't have any sugar because she didn't use it. The tea was all natural and bitter, yes, but she liked it that way. She probably shouldn't have assumed that Alain did as well, but she didn't have anything else to change that. With guests being a rarity, she didn't have things to compensate for when they did come along. "I know the tea is to everyone's taste, but I very, very rarely have guests, so I don't keep any sugar or sweetener around." she explained, knowing that would likely be an issue. She sat down on the couch again, keeping to her end and patting the seat down next to her. It was either that, or the floor. This house really wasn't suited for more than one person. "I think I'm probably going to have to get an extra chair some time too..." she said giggling as she took a sip of her tea. "So, what brought you to my forest?" she asked, her head tilted, "Not many travel through there."

As they sat and talked, outside suddenly became much, much worse. Rain began pouring down more than before and a loud boom of thunder echoed through out the forest. If one were to look out the window, a few cracks of lightning would bee seen in random areas. "Uh'oh... You can't leave." she said in a slightly demanding tone, but with concern as well. She sat up and placed her knees into the couch, leaning into the back of it while looking out the window and watching everything. "I don't want you walking off a cliff, or making a wrong turn." she said and looked back to him with a soft smile, "If I found you hurt or worse once the rain cleared, I don't know what I'd do." She turned back around, sitting back down in the couch and pulled her tea up once more, taking a few sips before setting it down on the small table in front of them.

This would be the first time that Serenity would have a guest sleep over. She couldn't remember the last time she had someone stick around. It brought up a few questions. What were they going to eat for dinner? Should she cook? What was he going to wear? He couldn't sleep in his other clothing, right? She didn't sleep like that. in fact, where was he going to sleep? She had a large bed that he could easily fit on, but then where would she sleep? The couch, perfect. She was sort of dazing out, trying to think of how she would arrange everything. When she came back from her thoughts, she barely caught half of his sentence. "...the way back to Colburn. But this body is more durable than it looks." he said and she smiled at him. "Well that's a relief, but I do hope you'd choose to stay. I'd rather you not have to take the chance." she said truly concerned for this strangers well being, "I'm sure the people you were leading won't leave without you and I can walk you back in the morning, if the rain has cleared. I needed to head into town anyway." He could take care of himself when it came to walking back, that was obvious. Maybe she actually didn't mind the company? She was out here alone ninety-eight percent of the time.

"Is there a reason you live farther off from the other villagers? Ah, that is if it's something you don't mind sharing with a stranger sitting half-dressed on your couch." he said and Serenity realized something. He was half-naked. She looked to him and ended up glancing him up and down, seeming to examine him a little closely, but then looked back up to his eyes. "Don't call yourself a stranger, okay?" she said and then smiled again, her actual realization being shown. She had been calling him a stranger as well, but she didn't feel that way. Sure, they weren't best friends, but she didn't feel that she knew nothing about him. "The moment I invited you into my home, we were no longer strangers, silly." Serenity's smile grew, "You're my friend now, okay?" It could be considered an ignorant concept, but one thing people didn't know about her is her ability to sense darkness, evil, and ill intent. If he had any toward her, she would know and she would run. So far, she sensed nothing, so she trusted him. She only hoped that it would stay that way; she sort of needed a friend, even if he wasn't going to be around long.

"And I live out here because of how it was in the big cities... People got really bad. They didn't mean to, but they were so obsessed with the idea of me being a hero that they wouldn't leave me alone." Serenity lowered her head, looking sadly into her teacup, "I would have people break into my house to steal my belongings. I had people try to cut locks of my hair and that's if they weren't sending me their own. I got love letters, gifts I didn't deserve and could not keep. I couldn't go grocery shopping without being stalked. One time, things got really bad and a group took me from my home... If Queen Aranhartte hadn't gotten word of it and stopped them, I don't know where I'd be today..." Serenity tensed up a little at the thought and then closed her eyes. "The Queen was kind enough to have a house built away from the cities and outside of Arcadia. She wanted some way for me to be where she could watch over me, without the public knowing about it. The village is a very common stop for tourism, so she put me near it." She looked up from the cup and then back to him, her smile quickly returning, though it wasn't as big as before. "So that's my sob-story. Tell me something about yourself, maybe? Anything you'd like to share?" Serenity leaned into the couch, turning fully toward him, and bringing her knees back up.

"I can't tell if that's one of the bravest things I've heard or one of the most naive things I've heard... but I'm going to have to go with my gut and say it's the former." he said and she smiled again. "It's alright. There are many people who disagree with how I choose to do things, but it's worked for me so far." she said. Why fix something that isn't broken? That's how she felt about it. If she's lived this long without befriending a monster, she's sure that she won't do it any time soon. "Yep. I was happy when she offered. I would have gone insane in the city." she replied, giggling a little when she thought about it. The only thing that she would say she regretted is having to sell the house her family had bought when they first moved to Aria. Oh well, nothing she could do about it now. "I can say I'm nowhere near as interesting of a person as you are." he said. "Oh, I doubt that. I'm sure you've got something you can tell." she quickly replied, excited to hear something about him.

"I've lived in Colburn all of my life, and only really started to travel after graduating from Rydian and becoming a professor there. I've been there for nearly ten years now, teaching third-year sorcery. Though... I did have an interesting incident where a student lost control of ground-control magic and sunk himself so far down we couldn't throw a light down there to see him. Kid was so terrified he couldn't pull himself back up using the same magic that got him down there. It took a while, but I finally got a rope down to the bottom and brought him back to the surface." Serenity was stuck. She sort of just stared at Alain for a few moments and then looked away. "That poor kid... I can't even imagine how terrified he must have been." she said and suddenly jumped. It had been silent for a bit, but thunder decided to break that. It sounded like a bomb had gone off. Serenity closed her eyes and waited for it to stop. If it continues on like this, she doubted either of them would be able to sleep anyway.

"Are you hungry at all? I have some left over stew from last night if you want some of that..." she said, thinking about what she could make, "If not, I can go pick something from the gar-... The garden!" One thing Serenity did not do, was yell. When she remembered that the garden wasn't covered from the harsh rain, she didn't hesitate to jump up from her seat and rush out the front door. She didn't even care to shut it. She hurried along a stone path and ran around to the side of the house. Seeing that it was practically flooded, she pulled on a lever she had hooked and a metal roof dropped down from the roof of her house at a slant, allowing a shield for the garden. "Oh no..." she said, grabbing a near by bucket and scooping out some of the excess water. Luckily she was smart enough to have a moat of sorts around it in the first place, so it wasn't horrible. The fact was, this garden was all she ate, excluding the meats she bought from the village. Without it, she'd starve. She didn't exactly have a job.

Her tense body winced momentarily at the sudden touch, but when she turned her head toward his hand, she just smiled. "Thank you." was all she could say in reply. Another boom came and she tensed, but not as badly as before. She kept her gaze toward the floor and reached over toward his hand. She set hers over his and smiled a bit. It was nice to actually have someone here during things like this. She was so used to getting through things alone that she forgot what it was like to actually be comforted. Feeling her stomach curl a bit, she realized she was hungry and decided to ask him, but then something popped into her mind: the garden. If she lost it in the storm, if her crops were damaged, she wouldn't be able to eat for months. This realization came fast enough for her to dart out of her home without hesitation. She hadn't wanted Alain to follow her, but she didn't exactly suggest for him to stay inside.

Serenity was emptying excess water when she heard the the snapping of a nail. She looked up and froze at the sight. She heard a couple more snapping sounds and the metal came falling down toward her. Not even thinking to jump out of the way, she curled over and placed her hand over her head, expecting a harsh impact any second, but it never came. She opened her eyes and looked up, to see this blue sheet above her. She looked over to Alain in shock and then back up to the metal. It looked like it was about to slip again, but he moved it away from her pretty quickly. Looking back to Alain, she felt a tinge of guilt. "Do you have a ladder and some nails? I can re-attach it for now if you do. Or just nails or something to pin it back into its holdings." he said. It took her a moment to register his words, but she soon snapped out of her momentary trance. "Y-Yeah... They're in the shed." she said, pointing to it. It could be seen from their position, about twenty feet away behind the back of the house. "I'll get it." she quickly stood up and hurried her way over to the shed.

The rain was unforgiving. She hoped it would let up for a few minutes, but it only seemed to get worse. A wind began to pick up too; this wasn't just rain. It was turning into a full on storm. As she entered the shed, she got a six step ladder, a can of nails, and a hammer. Hanging the ladder over her shoulder, she had to push her shoulder up and walk along her tip-toes. She was a little too short for it. Once she'd get the items needed, she'd hurry back toward him. "H-Here." she said and handed the items he needed. She kept her head slightly lowered; the water was just running into her eyes and she wasn't bothering to wipe it away yet. "Be careful... please." she said as she watched him do what he needed to do. Just in case, she'd stand near the ladder as well. With how wet the ground was, she didn't trust it to stay perfectly level. Serenity felt her heart racing as another boom of thunder came, but she didn't take her eyes off of the one climbing the ladder.

Every roar that hit her ears made Serenity's heart jump. She was scared that the metal would some how act like a rod and pull the lightning toward him. He reassured her that he'd be okay and even gave her a story that could compare to this situation, but she was still nervous for him. It didn't help that the hammer, nails, and ladder were all made of metal as well. They were pretty much a target for lightning, at least she thought. She continued to watch carefully and after fifteen minutes had passed, he was able to get it done without incident. She took a small step back as he began coming down off the ladder, but as this was done, his towel came lose and flew into her face. Reflex took over and she removed the object from in front of her face and looked toward him. At first she didn't think anything of it, but when her eyes began to wander, she caught sight of the bulge. "U-Uh..." Serenity took a step back, her face lighting up like a hot thermometer. She couldn't look away from him. She tried to speak, but she was both in shock and her own form of involuntary awe.

"I'm glad you didn't hand over the underwear now." she stated seriously, but with a joking undertone. It was really all she could do before she shook her head, trying to shake the thoughts from her mind. Just because she seemed on the innocent side, didn't mean she was. The fact was, Serenity was a woman. She knew exactly what was under there and couldn't fight her imagination any more than she could fight the storm. Once she was able to shake the thoughts, at least a bit, she hurried toward him and sorta just wrapped the towel around him. She didn't tie it or anything. It was merely a quick way of covering him up again. Once he'd take hold of them, she'd turn away and bring her hands up to the side of her face, covering it even more than she had before. Her face was redder and hotter than ever. "Oh my goodness...." she mumbled and then looked back up to him, "You're soaked again... Let's get inside."

Serenity turned her way toward the stone path, her bare feet now moving through the mud as she walked. She hadn't noticed it until then, but she was now dirty. "Today is just not a lucky day for me..." she said as she looked down at the muddied up clothing, "Well... that's not completely true, huh?." she said with a smile. With that remark, she looked back to Alain, glanced him up and down, and then continued on her way into the house. She didn't exactly get the double meaning there. She was thinking on the fact that she made a friend, isn't so lonely today, and wouldn't have been able to save the garden without him. On the other hand, her dirty minded creator was referring to the lovely shot she got of him without the towel, including the image of what was behind the clingy wet fabric.

"Ah.. yeah, I am too. I don't think you would have been able to stop staring." he said. A perfect way to redden her face even more. If any more blood rush to her cheeks, she'd faint. Just standing out in the rain wasn't going to help the situation. They were both just getting more soaked. "I could say the same about you. You're even more soaked than I am." he said and she looked down to her clothes. "Yeah... I guess I am." she replied and then went on back toward the house. Even though her original thoughts were a bit different, all she had to do was receive a compliment from him and she knew her day was actually quite lucky. "Well, let's just be glad those students of yours won't know about this." she said and stepped into the house, "Unless you have a few stalkers watching from the woods, of course. Then, you might wanna watch out." Though only half joking, she stuck her tongue playfully at him. Who knows? He could have some crazed fan in the woods, watching his every move, and plotting evil against her, but she doubted it. They'd be foolish to stay out there and with how thick the rain was, it was unlikely that they'd see anything.

Once again entering the dryness of her home, Serenity stopped in the middle of the living area and looked back to him. What was he going to wear now!? "Oi..." she rubbed the back of her head and then glanced toward a linen closet. She walked over and opened it up, looking for something that'd fit around him. Of course, she wasn't paying attention to the fact that water was dripping down from both of them and soaking the floor. "I think..." she said, rummaging through a few towels, "Darn." None of them were large enough to fit around his waist. She did have an old nightgown though. Could he wear that? She glanced back toward him and imagined him wearing the light green dress like pajamas with small flower pattern and couldn't help but laugh. She turned away from him, giggling quite a bit. Calming down enough to stop laughing, she turned back toward him and sighed happily. "I don't know what you're gonna wear now. Hahaha..." she wiped a little water from her face, "I do have an old nightgown that you could wear, but I didn't think it'd be something you like... I mean... No one but I would see you and it'd reach below your knees... On me it touches the ground."