Healing Springs

[PreposterousPanda]

Nora Lindsly

Nora followed Jack feeling more and more uncomfortable as she got closer to the springs. She hovered slightly above the ground and looked around. She tried to shake off the negative feelings she had because of the first time she was here. Realizing she had nothing underneath kept the cloak so she kept it on and floated towards the water. She sunk into the water and her eyes widened as the pain dissipated. She turned to him and smiled widely."It worked! It doesn't hurt anymore..." well besides the face but it was small compared to all the wounds on the rest of her body. With the pain gone she began to feel more uncomfortable remembering what happened when she was here last.

She looked at him sideways and frowned slightly. "...Why did you leave that night? Y-you said you'd stay and protect me...And you left." she said quietly. She felt like that was where it started, maybe if Jack was there Manami wouldn't have forced her kiss on her and threatened her and demanding that they live together.  

[April Mourning]

Jack Nevermore [ Outfit ]

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Jack had removed everything down to his underwear before going into the water next to Nora. Sinking himself down to his neck so his wing could get nice and soaked. He felt the pain relieve almost instantly, knowing it would only last while they were in there. When she brought up why he left, he looked away from her feeling the guilt rush in. "I didn't know." He admitted to her, he always felt like he knew everything. One of the reasons why Manami got away with how she was for so long.

"I thought everything was going well, she seemed fine and you seemed happy with her. She never acted like that around me..." Jack thought back, knowing what Manami was like. She was sweet and goofy, always carelessly cheerful almost. "I wonder if it was an act, if it was always an act." Jack sighed, looking back at Nora, seeing the black scar over her cheek. "I'm sorry.. starting to think I'm not smart as I think I am...." But that wouldn't make sense, Jack thought.

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[PreposterousPanda]

Nora Lindsly

Nora bit her bottom lip and looked down. She could tell he felt bad, but she was still mad at him. She looked at him with a sad expression "H-how could you not know...She couldn't of hidden it that well..A-as soon as you left.." her voice was a bit choked not sure if she wanted to tell him or just keep it to herself. Though she hadn't told anyone about it and felt like she couldn't tell Alice or her dad, it was just too humiliating. "She ..threatened me to take my clothes off and..and then she kissed me. I didn't want her to..and it was my first kiss, it wasn't anything like what I wanted...I was just scared. And...she made me feel like..if I didn't she'd hurt me." she was crying at this point."My first kiss was awful c-cause you left. I didn't feel the..the butterflies like I do just when I'm around you. I was just scared."  

[April Mourning]

Jack Nevermore [ Outfit ]

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"What the ******** do I say to that?!" Jack thought he said in his head, but was in such a state of shock hearing her tell him what happened that he said it out loud. "Geez that's the kind of thing you keep to yourself until you die or say to someone you really trust." Said Jack bluntly thinking of how horrific the past few weeks have been for Nora. The entire season. That must mean she really trusts you, Jack told himself.

He took a deep breath, telling himself to hug her. Hesitantly he wrapped his arms and wings as gently as he could around her, still thinking it might hurt her. Do I say anything? I hope I don't have to say anything. He rambled in his mind, not knowing what he could say. Jack hadn't needed to comfort someone before, Manami always seemed so happy all of the time.

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[PreposterousPanda]

Nora Lindsly

Nora scowled at Jack and gave a shrug. "I don't know why I told you...I-I just can't tell anyone else...Couldn't tell Alice and sure as hell couldn't...couldn't tell my dad..they just...they wouldnt-" She stopped talking when he wrapped his arms and wings around her she leaned into him. Her bottom lip trembled and she hugged him back tightly."I-I'm sorry I don't blame you I just..just I'm sorry I don't even know." she said trying not to cry.  

[April Mourning]

Jack Nevermore [ Outfit ]

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Jack didn't feel right hugging her so soon after what happened, feeling like she needed space and time. But if anyone could ever use a hug, it was Nora. "I don't think we should be blaming ourselves.. Manami is pretty evil." If he could fool him, something he wondered was even difficult to begin with, after all they've been through she had to be. Remembering the springs prevented the pain while submerged, feeling the edges of her scars against his skin, he held her tightly. Without the dagger, this would be the only place he could hold her.

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[PreposterousPanda]

Nora Lindsly

Nora squeezed him as tightly as she could. She felt safe and happy with him. "I wish she would just ******** die...I hate her.." She pressed her face against his chest, the scar on her face stung as it pressed against him but she tried to ignore it. She didn't want to leave the springs, she knew once she left the waters she would be in pain again and they wouldn't be able to hug like this she wouldn't even be able to walk. Looking up at him she blushed. she wanted to kiss him but felt it would be too weird for him.  

[April Mourning]

Jack Nevermore [ Outfit ]
Manami [ Outfit ]

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Why does she look like she wants to kiss you? He asked himself looking down at Nora with a raised brow. Hearing Nora was practically forced to undress made him think he shouldn't. His thoughts wondering between if he would be taking advantage of her while she was emotional, or if he would be rejecting her and hurting her more. "You're looking at me like I'm supposed to kiss you now. Or would that be in bad taste, I think it would be in bad taste but you really look like you want me to." Jack decided to ask bluntly. So far saying things with little concern of the consequences never strayed him wrong. "I'm getting a lot of mixed messages here."

~~

Manami walked towards the healing springs in her invisibility cloak. Having hid in the Lindsly home since her last encounter with them, she had nowhere to bathe and decided to come here. Last night she came here to heal her arm, and knew it normally remained empty. She stopped seeing people at a distance, hiding behind a tree even though she couldn't be seen. Peaking over the edge of it she saw them, Nora and Jack.. to think she was out after the way she left her...

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[PreposterousPanda]

Nora Lindsly

Noras blushed deeply, she didn't really know what she wanted. Her heart was racing and she pushed her lips together nervously. "I'm- I'm not giving you mixed messages!" She tried to maintain eye contact but it was making her feel more nervous.Though she did just tell him something traumatic that had happened to her...but she wanted him to kiss her, she felt that maybe if he did it would help wash away a bit of what happened. "I-I feel like my first kiss should of been with you- c-cause...I just..." She looked down frowning not sure what she even wanted to say. Why am I so emotionally retarded, can't you just say what you mean and what you want? she thought bitterly to herself.  

[April Mourning]

Jack Nevermore [ Outfit ]
Manami [ Outfit ]

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"Well then what message do you want me to take!" Jack groaned as she gave him more mixed messages. It was as if they spoke were both poorly speaking different languages. Hearing she waned it to be with him, he thought she was telling him to do it.. or having an emotional breakdown and not want him to touch her again. He had to ask. "Okay well, I'm going to do it. Please be free to slap me if I'm not supposed to, but you're really making this hard."

He moved his head towards her, stopping inches away. "Here I go, I'm doing it." Jack said, looking at her for an answer, but not seeing one. He leaned in, pressing his lips against hers. Feeling his stomach churn in a disgusting love vomit he didn't know if he could accept. His body almost rejecting the happiness he felt as he became anxious.

~~

Manami gave them a blank look, seeing what had happened almost wondering if this were a bad dream. "Yep, you're both ******** dead." She whispered to herself, as she started to approach the spring.

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[PreposterousPanda]

Nora Lindsly

As he was inches away from her, her face felt like it was burning. When his lips finally pressed against hers she squeezed her eyes shut and kissed him back. She held him tightly and pressed herself against him. She felt the fluttering warm feeling in her stomach and smiled. This was how she wanted her first kiss to feel, it felt right. She broke the kiss and rested her head on his shoulder, she had to bite her tounge to stop herself from saying stupid that she knew she would regret. Instead she said "T-thank you...I uh...didn't mean to give you mixed messages, that is what I wanted I just..I don't know I'm sorry."  

[April Mourning]

Jack Nevermore [ Outfit ]
Manami [ Outfit ]

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"Did you just thank me for kissing you?" Jack teased Nora with a chuckle. That had to be one of the awkwardest things he heard a girl say to him. Normally drunk girls that force kiss him - not that this was forced - say 'you're not my dad' afterward, to his confusion. "I've been avoiding this, maybe I'm a kind of dense, but.. we're dating, right? This isn't just another misunderstanding or anything? We didn't just kiss out of nowhere did we? Because normally I don't kiss until the third to twelfth date..."

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[PreposterousPanda]

Nora Lindsly

She blushed and scowled at him, she supposed it was weird to thank someone for kissing her. "S-shut up it's not that weird. she mumbled with a small smile.I..I'm pretty sure we are dating..Unless it is some weird misunderstanding but uh..to me I'd consider that we are in a ..um romantic relationship at the current time and uh...yea." she said looking down nervously. "This could be considered a third date! I mean...we had those two picnics together...those count. Maybe...I mean they counted to me." she mumbled nervously. She felt a bit guilty hearing that he normally waited up to 12 dates before having a kiss. It made her feel a bit dirty, she looked down and saw the word carved into her arm and felt her stomach churn.  

[April Mourning]

Jack Nevermore [ Outfit ]
Manami [ Outfit ]

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"It's pretty weird." He joked, giving her another light kiss this time. Hearing her say how it was their third date, not really considering those actual dates, he smiled at her pleasantly. "You're cute when you're awkward, and you're awkward a lot." Scoffed Jack. "Yeah I guess so, makes sense I do like you enough to only wait 3 dates before that."

Manami couldn't go into the water without her cloak revealing her. She had no element of surprise, her stone couldn't help her in water. Manami had no idea how to manipulate it. "Well isn't that cute?" She said out loud, pulling her hood down to reveal herself at the edge of the water. I only need to get close. She thought to herself with a grin. Jack had a bag of tricks, he wasn't near good at fighting as she was. His bag of tricks laid on the ground next to her, and Nora couldn't do anything. Taking out her dagger, she grinned at the two. "Missed me Nora? I missed you.. I missed you a lot, and this is what you do to me? Cheat on me?! I promise you sweetie, if I can't have you, no one will..."

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[PreposterousPanda]

Nora Lindsly

She kissed him back lightly and let out a sigh of happiness. She didn't think she had ever felt this happy before, being called cute made her blush and she gave him a tight hug."I like you too...A lot..More than I've liked anyone before." she said softly. It may not be saying much because she had hardly ever known anyone before but she still thought it was the right thing to say.

When she heard the voice she froze and the cold fear in the pit of her stomach. She took a step back and held onto Jacks arm tightly trembling. "Lets go...lets go now..." she whispered breathlessly.