-||Truth Behind the Mask||-

[- symphonic disaster -]

When they got to the bottom of the stairs you couldn't see anything. The room was pitch black but Ray seemed to know what he was doing. In a short amount of time he had a fire made and the room was illuminated by its warm flames. Alex was pacing and walking around Haven now, impatient so that he could see her face. The pain was starting to subside and he knew that if he concentrated long enough on her, he would change back into his human form.

He wanted to kiss her, to say that he loved her, to hold her in his arms and make the bad things in the world go away. He'd never felt like this before and the feeling welled up in him as an excited frenzy of whining. "Please let me see your eyes," he would beg as he sat down in front of Haven for a brief moment.  

[Rosalind Bloom]

When they got down there, Beth had Haven sit down. She was a little out of it at the moment but it was getting better and better as the moments went by. Finally, the voice in her mind went away and it was back to the way it normally was.

When Alex spoke to her, she opened her eyes immediately. Tears were still in them but she couldn't help it. She bit her lip a bit as she looked at him and let out a small, staggered sigh.  

[- symphonic disaster -]

Alex was whining now as he pranced fretfully around her. He could see the tears and it made him even more crazy. He forced himself to calm down but not long after that he ran into a corner and hid for a moment. He didn't want to change in front of everyone after he did he let out a sigh.

"I think he's happy," Ray said as he watched him run off into a corner. "He wants something and now that he's in his human form he's a lot more comfortable now." There was silence after Ray spoke and Alex came walking out of the corner in his human form. He was smiling childishly as he looked at Haven. He completely adored her at this point and it was obvious.  

[Rosalind Bloom]

Haven was a little confused by his behavior but when he came out smiling, she couldn't help but smile widely as well. Beth smiled softly as she saw the way he looked at her and the way Haven looked at him. She was going to keep quiet though and leave them alone about it.

Haven couldn't stop smiling when she saw his grin. It made her so happy to see him happy and the fact that she was the one causing him to feel that way just made her feel even better.  

[- symphonic disaster -]

Alex went to her immediately and hugged her, squeezed her actually before stepping back and kissing her gently. He wasn't even sure why he was doing this but he wanted to convey to her how much that he loved her. There was a twinge of guilt in his stomach though for doing it in front of her mother.

"We'll let the two love birds alone for a while," Ray said as he turned his back and faced the crackling fire. "Tell me more about Haven. When did you come here?"  

[Rosalind Bloom]

Haven giggled a bit and wrapped her arms around him tightly. She wasn't planning on letting go but she quickly loosened her grip as she remembered he was still hurt. She didn't want to let go though, she wanted to hold him in her arms. It made her feel comfortable and safe. "I love you, Alex." She said again for the third time that day, this time it was extremely soft.

Beth turned away so that they could have some privacy then looked at Ray. "Let's see. Well, I came here today." She said softly. "What would you like to know about her?" She asked, keeping her voice down a little more now.  

[- symphonic disaster -]

He'd felt the pain slightly but had ignored it. It was easier to ignore pain when she was here. It was easier to ignore the anger when she was hear also. The strength of the curse had begun to wear off as he grew more comfortable around Haven.

"I just need to get a feel for what magical abilities she has," he said. "I'll be training her instead of your grandmother. She told me she is more talented with nature. Did she have a garden when she was younger?" He was inquisitive now merely so that he would be able to teach her more efficiently. The fact that Beth had just gotten there that day concerned him though.  

[Rosalind Bloom]

Haven leaned her head against his chest lightly and smiled softly now. She finally felt like she could relax with him there. This was the first time since her father died that she had been able to smile and feel like this.

Beth nodded and said, "When she was little, she would spend hours on end in our little garden. She always took care of it. I remember that whenever a plant would die, she would burst into tears and ask why it happened. She also would talk about how the plants were hurting." She nodded more after she said that as she remembered it.  

[- symphonic disaster -]

Alex seemed to be happy now and comfortable. He couldn't feel an ounce of anger and in fact he couldn't figure out why he would have been angry in the first place. His pleasant demeanor gave him energy and he felt like he could stand there forever. "I love you," he said after a moment. "You saved me."

"Well, that clarifies it," he said after she nodded. "I think I'll have her work on those skills first." He was thinking now, trying to figure out what the best direction he should put her in. They would need to know how to use magic to attack Agatha with because she would be angry when she found them.  

[Rosalind Bloom]

Haven smiled wider at his words then pulled away to look at his face. "Of course I did. I love you and I couldn't let anything happen to you. You mean too much to me." She said softly then kissed him lightly.

Beth nodded and said, "Ok. That makes sense to me." It was the only thing about magic that did. Haven's abilities revolving around nature explained a lot of things to her.  

[- symphonic disaster -]

He kissed her gently after a moment and then looked directly into her eyes, locking with hers for a moment and studying them. He wanted to remember what she looked like if he lost her again, it was likely and it worried him.

"Are there any other things that I would need to know about her so that I could train her more efficiently," Ray asked as he studied Beth's face. He could see the relation between Haven and Beth now.  

[Rosalind Bloom]

Haven smiled a bit and then blinked a bit then closed her eyes tightly. HAVEN! STOP FIGHTING IT! She started to think of Alex and wrapped her arms around him a little more tightly now. She took a deep breath in and after a few more moments, she relaxed a bit.

Beth thought a bit then said, "She's extremely stubborn when she wants to be. She may seem extremely nice which she is, but if you do get on her bad side she tends to have a little temper. I think that's it."  

[- symphonic disaster -]

"Just think about whatever distracts you the most," he said as he nuzzled her neck slightly. His mind was almost elsewhere though and he forced himself to focus on the present and not other things. He wanted to keep her safe but since he was in pain it was difficult.

He could feel Ray and Beth watching from afar practically and he hated it. There was some difficulty with feeling comfortable without them.  

[Rosalind Bloom]

Haven nodded and leaned her head against his chest she didn't mind much that her mother and Ray were watching, she just wanted him to hold her. But, her happiness was soon ended when she felt a sharp pain on her side and in her head, causing her to fall limp in Alex's arms as she passed out.

Beth's eyes widened and then looked at Ray. "Haven!?!" She asked worriedly.  

[- symphonic disaster -]

Alex felt Haven collapse in a way and he looked confused. He caught her when she passed out but concern spread over his face. He lifted her into arms so he was cradling her, looking into her face.

"She passed out," he said to Beth and Ray when he'd reached them. He looked worried and Ray looked like he was worried also.