Lily slipped the ring back on, standing slowly as she watched the woman leave the room. Her eyes landed on Rhydar as she gave him a quick once over, managing a stronger smile as she confirmed in her mind that he wasn't hurt. Well, beyond the beating his pride had taken.
He slid off the counter and looked down at Lily, spreading his arms out wide. "See? Good as new. Mama knows her stuff, thanks to me being a constant form of practice." He needed a new shirt, as the discarded one was slightly bloody and dirty from his tussle.
"You know, half of the things you say are worrying." She commented, shaking her head. She reached up, brushing her hair back from her face, and raised an eyebrow at him. "She cares about you."
"I'm sorry if I make you worry," he said, leaning against the table. He then looked behind him at the door the old healer had gone through. "In her own, special way. But yeah, I know she does."
"She…almost reminds me of my mother. The memories I have, at least. Whenever my sisters or I came back to the house with scrapes and such from falling out of trees, she would fix us up as she threatened to not do it next time." She said, tilting her head as her eyes grew slightly unfocused with the memories. After a moment, she shook her head, looking back at Rhydar. "How long has she been healing you after things like this?"
He quietly listened to her as she spoke, his head tilted in curiosity. When she was done and asked him that question, he sighed and ran a hand over his face. "Ooooooohhh boy. Uh, Mama Tia was in charge of raising and tutoring me when I was a child, as Mother was too busy being Queen. I was a troublesome child, so…pretty much ever since I could run away from my nannies."
She nodded, tucking her hands into her pockets to keep from fiddling. "Quite a while, then. She sounds like a nice woman." And she did. Lily's fear stemmed from the anger, not the woman herself.
"She really is," Rhydar agreed, nodding. He stayed silent for a while as he darted his gaze around her face, trying to gauge her thoughts. Well, better luck asking than guessing. "Hey…You alright?" he asked softly.
Lily blinked, tilting her head slightly. "Yes, I am. Just…feeling a lot, I guess. A mix of good and not-so-good." She gave him a small and soft smile, nodding.
He offered a small smile of his own and nodded as well. "Alright, but I hope the good is more than the not-so-good," he said, striding over to a closet to find a spare shirt.
"I think it might be. Now that I know you're fine." She said, looking around the room. Part to give him privacy, and part out of curiosity. She reached up, brushing her hair back behind her ear, before resting her hand on her neck, fingers once again subconsciously tracing the brand.
He found one and pulled it on, the fabric messing up his hair even more as he did so. He shook his head to get it out of his face, then turned back to Lily. "That's good to know," he said with a nod, heading back over to her. His eyes flickered down to her lips, then he quickly looked away.
She blinked up at him, the pink returning to her cheeks at the direction his eyes had traveled. "You-you've done that a few times now." She said softly, the blush deepening a bit.
He lightly bit near his lip ring, averting his gaze as he ran his fingers through his hair. "I'm aware," he said quietly, if a bit shyly. "I don't mean to," he added, his voice getting even quieter.
She tilted her head slightly, glancing away for a moment. "It's not…unwelcome, if that's what you're worried about." Her voice was soft as she looked back up at him, letting her hand drop down to her side.
He took a deep breath in and slowly let it out, nodding in understanding. Gods, get yourself together, dude, he scolded himself.
She bit her lip for a moment before releasing it, thinking. And then she stood on her toes, pressing a light and quick kiss to his cheek, before smiling softly up at him. "And there's another thing about you I find cute."
He blinked in surprise, looking down at her. "Wait what?" he said after a moment of confused silence. That kiss, though however brief, had been unexpected and he was unprepared for it. And what's this thing she's calling cute?
"Maybe more sweet, but either way." She said, fiddling with a tendril of hair that had once again fallen into her face. "Running your hand through your hair. And the…carefulness, for lack of a better word at this moment."
He cocked his head to the side and mulled over her words. The hair was somewhat random, but he supposed he might see the appeal. "I just don't want to put you in an uncomfortable situation, or a situation that you don't want to be in," he said softly.
"As I said, sweet." She huffed a soft laugh, shaking her head. "I really do appreciate that. And…if you ever are unsure about something, whether or not it will make me uncomfortable, please, just ask."
He nodded and smiled slightly. "I'll keep that in mind, but I'm still gonna stay within the boundaries you still have," he said, sliding his hands into his pockets.
"Thank you." Her smile warmed notably, as she gazed up at him quietly for a few moments. She….wanted to kiss him, but still found herself unsure whether or not he would be alright with that.
He gazed back at her, his smile softening in response to her warm smile. Without thinking about it, he stepped slightly closer and his head dipped ever so slightly. He seemed to be holding his breath, waiting…
She was incredibly grateful that he had made the first move, the relief showing in her eyes as she stood somewhat on her toes to meet him the rest of the way. She pressed her lips gently to his, her hand coming up to rest on his shoulder.
He returned the kiss without hesitation, though he was still a little hesitant when he slowly and gently wrapped an arm loosely around her. He leaned down farther to make it easier for her, his eyes fluttering closed slightly.
She closed her eyes, taking in a slow breath. The panic, though there, stayed at the same manageable level, not enough to cause her any problems. In an effort to show that the arm around her was fine, at least for now, she smiled into the kiss, squeezing his shoulder gently.
His shoulders slumped slightly in relief. He didn't tighten his grip around her or pull her closer to him, wanting to live in the moment without ruining it. He savored the taste of her lips, the softness of them against his.
Kissing him the third time was just as amazing as it had been the first. It was soft, gentle and careful and something she couldn't imagine herself ever getting tired of. Her hand moved from his shoulder, gently cupping his cheek just as she had earlier.
He leaned into her touch just slightly with a small sigh of contentment, a clue to his weakness for touch—if it hadn't been obvious already. Kissing and just being with Lily was nothing like any other girl. She made his heart stutter with just a brush of a hand, made him nervous at times because he was afraid of doing something wrong. Just a single smile from her brightened his day tenfold. Every kiss was like a dream he never wanted to wake from.