Sun shining down on quiet places

Emy

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Yang Ji Hye

He does have a point, Oppa told her. I don't believe that any of the others will cause much trouble with him around. The angel is spilling too much presence for that. The fact that it's chained into his body should be enough to make even the amanojaku take pause.

He'll be safe, the enera reassured her. More importantly, I think that he will be able to keep you safe as well. There isn't much for me to use to judge off of his character but the angel's nature is already incompatible with certain types of people.

“Friends or more, it's up to you. But you'll at least give yourself the chance to know me, yeah?” Eric said, looking down at her. Between his conversation with her and her one way conversation with Oppa, Ji Hye could only nod.

She watched in awe as the shimmering sphere in Eric's hands began to distort in shape. The outer layers separated first, breaking into smooth, curved plates that were recognizable as petals. The petal making process spread inwards, with excess metal flowing downwards into a stem until the flower had fully formed. A water lily, she recognized. As Eric offered it to her, Ji Hye could see that on each petal there were soft lines present, where the colored veins would be on a true flower.

“You'll miss the small details if you stay too far away from me," he told her as she took it gingerly. It was one of the most beautiful things she had ever seen and for a moment, she rotated it around with her fingers, letting the light play off it from different angles. There was a trace of something imbued inside of the metal that she could now identify as angelic energy.

Very nice, Oppa said appreciatively. I wasn't aware that humans could perform blessings of that level. Imouto hummed in agreement as it circled around the shadows of Ji Hye's hands.

"It's so pretty," the girl told Eric as she held the creation close to her. Oh... There was a strange, slightly pained feeling in her heart, kind of like the urge to break out in tears even though she felt that her eyes were dry.

She considered it for a while in the peaceful lull of the Ophanim's presence. The angel itself had faded from the view of her Dark Sight but she thought she still had a vague sense of how to differentiate the parts of its energy. I don't think anybody's ever given me anything since my parents, she realized. Not for nothing, anyways. And this water lily seemed like such a precious thing. He gave it away so easily...

Her lips wobbled and in that moment, she knew that that was a herald to tears. Gripping the false flower more tightly, she felt the tears come down. But at the same time, her mouth turned up in a smile for the first time in quite a while. This feels strange, she thought distantly. But in a good way. A very good way.

"I -Thank you, Eric..."
 

Alfalfalcon

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Though his eyes were sharp, Eric still missed far too much to understand this girl. He did not know what she was, or who surrounded her. He did not realize she took so much peace in his aura, or that it protected her in ways he did not understand. He did not even understand that it was more the work of his angel than himself, though that had more to do with his ego getting in the way.

But Eric wasn't so full of himself that he did not notice the small details on Ji Hye. She accepted his water lily, and to Eric's shock she seemed to cherish it more than he could have comprehended. “Well, I guess it's pretty nice,” Eric rubbed the back of his head. He did work hard to get those kind of details right. “You can keep it, if you want.” Eric had no use for it as far as he was concerned.

She wasn't... she wasn't breaking into tears was she? Oh man, that's not good. Eric was already making her cry, and he didn't do anything wrong yet. He was slipping, apparently.

“Hey, it's... it's nothing. No need to cry or anything,” Eric tentatively laid a hand on her shoulder. “I mean it. I'd rather see you smiling, you know.” Eric smiled in turn, to help prove his point.
 

Emy

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Yang Ji Hye

Seeing Eric smile made Ji Hye smile back, this time more definitively. "Ah, I'm all right," she said tearfully. She took a moment to wipe her face on her sleeve. It was only somewhat damp. Maybe the tears have run out by now?

Ji Hye took a breath, trying to compose herself, and felt the shape of mouth snap into something that felt less painful and more natural. "I'm sorry," she said, going back to fingering the water lily. It gave her hands something to do besides gesture wildly like she wanted to. Joy? Was that the cause? "I really am happy," she told him. "I guess -I'm such a crybaby, huh?" Laughing a little as the words came out, that was odd but she found that she wouldn't mind doing more of that.

An idea came to mind about the flower and she hesitated, wondering if it would seem strange or if she could embarrass herself with it. But Eric hadn't made fun of her for crying, so she didn't think he would make fun of her for trying something out either. So she made up her mind and tucked the stem of the lily behind her left ear, worrying that it would fall out from the uneven weight. It didn't, though, to her relief.
 

Alfalfalcon

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Oh wow, she decided to wear it too. Eric was lucky enough to have kept it light. The rock he used was hardly mineral rich to begin with, but on occasion he could put too much of his refining power into a material and make it purer than it should be. To his delight, it seemed the perfect fit for Ji Hye.

“You look great,” Eric stated. It was a simple gesture for him to compliment a girl, but perhaps Ji Hye would take it differently. It was also a simple gesture, one he committed, to wrap one arm around a girl and give them a small hug. For one, he meant to console her and encourage her not to cry too hard. Secondly, it gave an excuse to provide a little more closeness.

“You're not wrong to cry, really. Everyone cries for different reasons.” For instance, Eric cried over virtually nothing. His brother whined over what Eric thought was everything. But both of them were entirely entitled to do so. Eric just happened to be manlier, after all.

“So. How about I ask you again. Would you like to hang out?” Eric took the opportunity to play with the metal lily in her hair, adjusting it slightly. He didn't hesitate to get a feel for her hair.
 

Emy

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Yang Ji Hye

"You look great," Eric told her and immediately, she felt her heart bursting in happiness. They were barely even acquaintances but for some reason, his confirmation weighed heavily in her mind. Maybe it was because of the differences between them, and how Eric wanted to be friends with her anyways.

I think it suits you very much, Oppa said, drifting slightly in front of her to see. It glanced at Eric thoughtfully. Now, this one's a right charmer, isn't he?

Ji Hye made a vague sound of agreement. As Eric put an arm around her, she froze for a moment, looking around in helpless anxiety. Things like that just didn't happen to her, so she was floored by the shock of physical contact. "Um...?" She felt so stupid, just standing there like a board, nothing intelligent to say in mind. But with the warmth of Eric's body steeping into her skin, it was impossible for to stay that way.

She relaxed, smiling properly curving back out from the uncertain line it had become. It was so much easier just to smile without saying anything as Eric played with her hair. I guess this is what I've been doing wrong, the girl thought. Ah...

Yes, that's a charmer, all right, Oppa sighed as it stopped Imouto from running into the pair. Dear, dear.

This time Ji Hye could answer Eric with only a hint of hesitation. "All right," she said. "That sounds...nice."
 

Alfalfalcon

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Eric could just about feel her relax in his arms. There was something encouraging about experiencing the reactions of a girl like Ji Hye. For one, it encouraged Eric to continue, and it made him feel all the more successful. Secondly, it was just plain fun.

Eventually he stopped playing with her hair, taking his hands away to give Ji Hye some breathing space. She still seemed a bit uncertain. No point in taking things too quickly, as far as Eric was concerned. Ji Hye needed more trust in Eric, before he could really see just what kind of friend she'd like to be.

For now? Better just to share lunch or something. “Great!” Eric eventually smiled, coming out of his thoughts. “Let's go then. There's lots to see around here.” Classes could wait. He had a semi-date following him around. “Anything you've wanted to do on the campus? There's a few places in the city that I've been meaning to visit, too.”

"I have a really nice car, too." Eric grinned to Ji Hye.
 

Emy

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Yang Ji Hye

Even after Eric had moved away from her, this was still this comfortable trace of warmth on her skin. It brought about an urge to hide away in some closed off space, similar to the greedy reactions of a child given a gift. Like, Oh, oh, can I keep it? Now where can I put it so that nobody else can touch it?

"Anywhere is fine," Ji Hye said, shivering slightly from the sensation. She tilted her head carefully as to not disturb the water lily and smiled, still a little shy. "I haven't been around very much. Maybe... Show me one of those places you wanted to see?"

All thoughts of classes had slipped her mind entirely. For the moment, it was just her and Eric. And Oppa and Imouto but for the most part, Ji Hye had come to count those two like extensions of herself. That seemed to be essentially what the chains did anyways.

Oppa sighed in resigned acceptance but Ji Hye didn't hear it.
 
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