[Field Trip] A Little Adventure? [Dala]

@"Dalamadur" My 1,500th post yay! Sorry it's a little depressing.
The sea was charmingly peaceful, the sun was bright, and the clouds gathered in the area just enough so it wasn't so hot as burning on the upper deck of the cruise ship. Adelene was there on one side, leaning to the edge as her eyes wandered the infinite waters.

Everyone knew it was supposed to be a field trip of some sort, but it felt more like a vacation. And it was her first vacation after such a long time. She was glad she came. She needed it. After what's happened to her just few days ago, she needed some way to forget about everything, to clear her mind, to stop thinking. Being in the middle of nowhere was good. The sea wasn't familiar to her at all, which meant nothing could remind her of the recent bad days. No Lochlann, no Manta Carlos. There were the people of the academy in the ship, yes, but she made no effort to socialize. Rather, she made sure she wouldn't have to during her entire time on the ship.

She looked down at the water the ship was sailing through. She wanted to jump, to be honest. There was a tiny voice in her head that whispered everything will end once she stops living. But it wasn't such a convincing voice. Her will to live was too strong that she didn't want to kill herself. But she was hoping someone would just do it for her.

She groaned, pushing herself away from the edge and rubbing her face with her hands. Damn it. She didn't want to think about anything! But that's everything she's been doing ever since she got here.

She turned around and slid down against the metal surface of the deck wall. It was cold against her bare skin, since she was wearing only a black bikini top, and a pair of denim shorts. It was too hot for anything else, and she didn't care if people stared at her three parallel scars on her right shoulder. She curled up on the floor, burying her face on her knees as she hugged them.

Maybe coming here alone was a bad idea.

Adelene was in a vulnerable state, and being so, her senses were much more sensitive, more alert. She didn't think anyone would pass by, and realized that someone was already in front of her only when she felt some kind of warmth nearing her shoulder. She flinched, raising her head only to meet Octain's eyes with her own.

"Mr. Octain..?" she tried to compose herself as best and as quickly as she can. She straightened her back and put on a mask that was a bright smile. "I think I fell asleep," she said, laughing sheepishly. Of course, it was a lie. But the professor didn't need to know such trivial things, like her being confused and depressed.

She removed her arms from over her legs and tried to look less guarded. She noticed the young girl from behind Octain, and immediately offered another smile, gentler, but still artificial. "I'm okay," she assured her. "Who might you be, Little Miss?" She turned to Octain. "Is she your daughter, sir?"

Hopefully they bought her act. Hopefully neither had ways to get past good lies. She was expecting something horrible because she usually did not get along with other females, but she wished anything would happen so her rubbish sulking gets buried.
@"Dalamadur"

Adelene frowned when Octain kneeled in front of her. Seemed like her act didn't work. She at least had to stand by her act though, and continued to pretend she was okay. She did lower her guard, however. Octain was a great man, and he's managed to get Adelene's respect, and trust. She was strangely okay with being herself when in his presence. "I'll try not to fall asleep here next time," she assured him, before flashing a slightly brighter smile, and turning to the professor's daughter.

"Hello, Lexi." She held out her hand to have that handshake. By this time, she was already hoping Lexi was a good girl. And by 'good', that meant by her book. She hoped she didn't have to be ticked off by her. She'd trust the fact that Octain was her father and Octain was a good example for this child. "It's nice to meet you too. You can call me 'Addy,' alright?"

She turned to the professor once more. Out of habit, she tilted her head curiously and automatically accepted the request with a small shake of her head. "I don't mind at all, sir. I could use something to kill time. What would that be?"

She already had an idea, actually. And she really didn't mind. She'd trust Octain just as much as he trusted her. It was the last she could do.
@"Dalamadur"

Adelene recoiled against the touch. It was strangely and familiar, and while Octain's hand didn't feel so bad, something at the back of her mind was making her feel... afraid of it. She wasn't sure why. Leon's hand felt different and it...

She cringed, though only for a split-second. She didn't want to be thinking about him now.

She stood up when Octain did, holding onto the metal railing for a moment, only to shy away from it a second later. The direct sun wasn't scorching hot but the metal was.

"Well..." She was rubbing her left hand in attempt to sooth the burn when she turned to Octain again. "Wouldn't it be great if Lexi and I become friends?" she beamed at the professor brightly. She wasn't sure if she can handle being with a little girl now, but it was something she almost never experiences so maybe a change like this was what she just needed. Besides, she didn't want to let Octain down, in any way. After all, to her he was more than a professor. He was a figure she looked up to.

She also smiled at Lexi. At the back of her mind, she was already chanting a prayer for her to get along with this little girl, and really, she would try. She was an Octain, after all. "Lexi, are you okay with that? We can roam around this ship and do what we want!" She flinched at her own words, and abruptly turned to the girl's father, smiling sheepishly. "Um... No worries, sir. I'll make sure nothing happens to her."
@"Dalamadur"

Octain's face was still a mystery to Adelene, but she respected him so much that she didn't mind never knowing, if the professor didn't wish so. She held her hands together behind her as she bore witness to a sweet father-daughter moment and...

...winced. An image flashed in her head for a split-second, and came with it was a brief headache that felt like her veins were being flicked and twisted inside her temples. The image was of a man in his thirties, with golden locks and silver-blue eyes. Kissing her forehead and embracing her. She remembered the feeling of his lips in her sound, his arms around her, but she had no idea who he was. She blamed Dr. Hart's medication for these weird visions, and with that in mind, she can only guess that he had been an important person to the kid Adelene, the part of the twenty-year-old Adelene that she didn't know.

When she snapped out, Octain was already gone and Lexi was looking out to the sea. She joined her on the edge, making sure she doesn't fall or get hurt. She patted the little girl on the head, finding her questions quite adorable. When she was Lexi's age, she had been just as curious. "Let's see..." She tried to recall the questions, and answered them both at once. "I'm twenty, and I suppose yes. I'm his student. Although I don't cast spells and summon familiars like your father."

Her eyes were on the infinite body of water while Lexi was appreciating its beauty. But that did the last long, as Lexi's huge eyes turned to her, and she returned her gaze. "Well, what do YOU wanna do?" She actually had no idea of what they could do. After all, she was just depressed and was doing nothing, other than thinking and wallowing in self-hatred. But if course, she was already doing her best not to let the negativity rub off on the little girl. "When do anything and go anywhere, as long as it's not something that will anger or worry your father." She paused and hummed thoughtfully. "Have you tried the fancy food yet?" With that, she let herself smile brighter, just to help Lexi get hyped.
@"Dalamadur"