Time is the Longest Distance (Open)

Dein had disappeared, and Lacetta couldn't help but look, from where she was seated, down the stairs after him. She couldn't see a thing, but as Dein had come back up, she took notice to the ice and the tweezers, enlarged just as she had imaged.

He took a seat back down next to her, only this time it was different, fairly different, and Lacetta couldn't quite place why. She had been so uneasy, and now it was a bit of facing what would have to happen. She didn't like the idea very much.

The words that he spoke were beyond kind and gentle, and soothed Lacetta ever so slightly. He asked if she was ready, and Lacetta had promptly nodded, looking at him as he asked.

Though her gaze quickly slipped as she saw a slight glimmer. The tweezers had reflected the light of the window for a moment, and caused Lacetta to see just how close the tweezers were to her arm. She couldn't help as her body reacted, flinching back and out of Dein's arm.

Lacetta now had her back on the dashboard of the bed, shaking her head wildly, eyes closed and legs pulled up onto the bed. She held her left arm with her right hand, enclosed over the wound, causing just a bit more pain from the now sensitive and exposed nerves.

"I...I can't, it's okay. It'll be fine to leave."

She hurried through her words as she spoke.

As Dein had slipped his hand under her chin, Lacetta continued to look down. She hadn't wanted to do it, and she was certain that Dein couldn't coax her with words. She'd much rather leave it as it was, though she felt bad for denying Dein, after all of his tries.

Something soft had stolen her, though, for Dein's lips had now been pressed onto hers. Her eyes had shot up and shot open, quite largely and in utter shock. She had never been kissed before, not on the lips, only friendly hello and goodbye cheek kisses. Her heart was fluttering like a baby bird that was just learning to fly, and soon after she closed her eyes. It was an odd feeling, though Lacetta felt it all the same, and she kissed Dein back.

Too soon had he pulled away, and Lacetta was speechless. How were she to explain herself, were there even words for her to say? Though she found herself without a need for words as the bloodied bullet appeared between her, and Lacetta naturally looked down and grabbed at her left arm that now had a small trickle of fresh blood, from the departed bullet.

After having the shock of the bullet being out, Lacetta could now feel the emptiness of where it had sat, and the tingling pain of the open wound. It wasn't nearly so bad without the bullet, moving as she did against her body, but it was a shocking feeling all the same.

As the bed shifted and Dein had made his way to the kitchen, Lacetta had looked up, watching from an angle as he washed the things and stood in the bathroom. They had kissed, and Lacetta could hardly see it as more than an illusion.

It took her some time to really think about it, the mixed feelings that she had and everything else. Now, watching as Dein took his time, she had thought that perhaps she had done something wrong.

Dein had once again entered, and Lacetta had no words that came to mouth. Not right away. She fought the silence for a bit in her head, trying to think of something that was worth saying at a moment like this, though the only thing that came to mind was to apologize.

She had felt his eyes on hers, and looked up, but only for a moment as she looked back down at the ice that he had placed in front of her. As she took the ice, she spoke quietly.

"I'm sorry…"

The smile on Dein's face could only make Lacetta smile. Shyly, and quietly, but she smiled before looking back down. She didn't really understand what it all had meant, but having seen Dein's smile, she guessed that it hadn't mattered much.

Lacetta now picked up the ointments and flinched a little as she put the two on her arm. That had to come first, before any sort of bandages. She had smiled a bit though, more so to herself, as how silly it would have been to bandage someone and then apply ointment to the bandages. Though, they would soak it up, so surely some of the ointment would at some point reach a patient's skin.

Closing up the two bottles, Lacetta turned and laid them down on the dresser beside her. They were a little close to the edge, as Lacetta couldn't reach much further from her spot, but she was certain that no one would bump into the nightstand.

"Now bandages."

She smiled as she spoke, just as she usually did, now looking back at Dein, feeling much better than she had earlier. Lacetta was more relaxed, sitting nearly crosslegged on the bed, only her feet were touching eachother and her knees sticking out on both sides of her body.

As Dein had reached to bandage her arm, Lacetta was about to protest and say that she could do it, though Dein was much faster than she.  He looked up at her before starting to wrap the bandage, and all that Lacetta could do was smile softly, her heart feeling like it was on a cloud.

It was a combination of feelings that made Lacetta feel quite strange all over. A bit of nervousness, a bit of embarrassment, endearment, and so many other things, she couldn't sort it all out. It now appeared that the feelings had all blended together into one, and she couldn't pinpoint a thing in that moment.

Looking at the bandage, Lacetta smiled once more. She looked up to Dein as she spoke, another one of her brighter smiles resting on her lips.

"Perfect."

It may not have been exactly as she had said it to be, though in that moment it felt more than perfect. The bandage would surely last, anyhow, and she'd have to change it. It was well done, for someone who was not trained as a healer.

Dein's attention though appeared to be elsewhere, just as Lacetta's had earlier, though not quite to that extreme. She questioned it in her mind, though hadn't questioned it allowed. Rather, she continued on, having once more taken note of her bloody clothing.

"Do you mind if I change? And I should have offered earlier, though afterwards would you perhaps like some dinner?"

It was always the duty of a homeowner to offer their guests food and drink at arrival, though Lacetta had been too much in a daze on arrival. She had now felt bad for having not said so earlier, and was doing her best to make up for her mistakes now.

(I'm terribly sorry! I had thought that I posted before work but it appears that it hadn't gone through!)

After Dein had left, Lacetta had made her way to the bathroom with a new pair of clothes. There, she made sure that she quickly wiped down her body with a damp towel to get rid of what dirt and blood may have been there before changing into her new, long skirt and shirt.

Under the sink was a small trash bag, and Lacetta took one and stuffed her dirty, stained clothes inside of it, sealing it. She could wash them, though Lacetta would feel much more at ease to simply throw them away. The bag, however, she left in the bathroom for the time being.

Making her way down the stairs, Lacetta looked around to be sure that Dein had still been there. She had offered to make the two of them dinner, though she wasn't sure what to cook, nor if there was very much to cook in the house.

Lacetta rummaged through her pantry, finding only a few things. She had pasta, and a few potatoes and tomatoes, so perhaps she could make a simple pasta dish. Or, now that she thought, she could always make breakfast for dinner, as so many muggles did.

"Do you like pasta? Or perhaps breakfast for dinner?"

She had never been a particularly fabulous cook, though Lacetta knew how to cook the basics rather well, and anything above that she either hadn't known how to cook or it simply tasted average, as any home cooked food did besides many mothers. She was already certain that she couldn't compare to Dein's mom, though she hadn't asked.

Now she turned to face Dein, looking at him with curiosity as her lips perked out and her head tilted ever so slightly, as she had the tendency to do.

Laughing at Dein's comment, she nodded her head, grabbing the pasta as she did so with her right hand. She now turned to Dein as she spoke, though she had also reached for a pot to cook the pasta in.

"Why, of course! It's quite delicious, it's like having dessert at all the wrong hours!"

She thought of pancakes with whipped cream and berry toppings, and french toast that was covered in sweet cinnamon with maple syrup dip as she reached for the pot with her left arm, nearly forgetting about the pain, until she grabbed the heavy pot and dropped it immediately onto the floor.

Lacetta blushed with embarrassment, putting the pasta down and picking the pot up with her right hand this time. She filled the pot up with water and set it on the stove.

"Is there any pasta that you like in particular? I believe that I the ingredients for just about anything!"

Taking the box of spaghetti, Lacetta dumped it into the now boiling pot of water, and set off to looking for a spoon so that she could mix it every so often, as it was required when making pasta.

"Oh, I'd love spaghetti, I have no other preference. And besides that, I'd like to make something for you!"

She hadn't explained why, though she had gone through every moment of it in her head. Dein had helped her out so many times in her life, beyond this day with taking her home and taking care of her wound.

It was as though he was always there for him, and she felt so poorly for having not a clue as to how to repay him. The least that she could do was the small things, like cook him dinner and appreciate the things he gave her, like the spinning top, and always keeping them close.

(Oh no, don't be sorry!)

At Dein's presence, Lacetta had smiled before turning and leaning over the boiling pot of pasta. Lacetta looked at it and thought that it was just about done. Grabbing the pot with one hand and lightly with her left hand, she lifted it off the stove and brought it over to the sink, where she, a little too heavily, dumped the water and pasta out into a strainer.

She had been quite the bit bothered by her arm, shocked every time that it didn't do something that she had wanted nor expected. It was such an odd feeling, and just as she passed by Dein to go to the fridge for some sauce, she caught the large smirk on his face. She didn't know very well how to react to that, so she had just smiled and continued to search through the fridge, until she came upon the sauce.

Once more she passed by him, now heading toward the pot that she had used for the pasta in order to warm up the sauce, and it was only then that she had noticed the tug, just like a child at the bottom of her skirt would do, asking for attention or having a question.

Looking at the bandages, now slightly loosened, and then up at Dein's smirking face, Lacetta had expected a question, her face showing the bit of a wide eyed look, though now she hadn't been sure if it were an accident, so she simply ignored it and began to plate their food.

"It'll be ready in just a moment!"

She smiled to herself as she was finishing up their meal, though was surprised to feel another tug. She was quite sure that there was something else, so now she fully turned to Dein, opposed to last time when she had just turned her head.

"Am I missing anything?"

After hearing Dein's reply, Lacetta had looked around curiously. She had the pasta, and she had the sauce. Had she been missing anything? She seemed to be a bit lost now, as though she were in a dream and couldn't quite find her way out.

Suddenly it came to her when she recalled the shredded cheese that some liked to put on top. Lacetta herself never really used very much, but she had known a few to use it as though it were the last thing on earth. Now that she had everything, Lacetta plated the food and brought everything over to the small table, which she had then set before turning her gaze on Dein.

"Dinner's all ready now! Are you okay with sitting at the table or would you prefer elsewhere?"

She wasn't quite sure, but she had read books that told stories of families that ate together at the table, and others that would grab their food and split, or sit on a sofa or something like that.

Her dinners as a child though weren't always the same, her mother and father never even having much to eat for dinner and her new mama and papa making sure that everyone was seated before eating as a family. She had grown up in two households with two very different lifestyles, and both had stuck to her.

Now she was thinking about it, and a bit of a frown had entered her face, though she was quick to replace it. Her thoughts had drifted to her childhood eyes, though Lacetta knew that that wasn't always a good place to go, so she turned her attention back on Dein, a smile on her face.

Smiling and nodding her head, Lacetta took a seat at the table as well, spinning the pasta on her fork. She never could eat very much, she wasn't sure why but her plates were always small or often left with a lot of food on them. Today though, she had felt even less of an appetite then she normally had.

Thinking back on earlier that day, although calmer she was now, it had still upset her greatly. Only hours ago she had lost a dear friend of hers, and it wasn't something that she, nor anyone, would be okay with only hours later.

The thought had been trapped in her mind, quite like a bird in a cage. She constantly heard every moment, repeating itself over and over, and seeing all of the faces, and the blood. It was not a very pretty memory.

For a while now Lacetta had been spinning her fork, though hadn't taken a single bite of her food. She herself hadn't realized it, but she just couldn't stomach it if she tried. Rather, she now set her fork down, still twirled with spaghetti, and looked up at Dein.

Now that she had looked at him, she had noticed that he had already looked at the clock twice. Surely he had somewhere else to be, somewhere more important, and she understood that quite well.

"If you must be elsewhere, you should go then. I understand!"

She placed a smile on her face as she spoke, where before she was going to ask him about his meal, but instead she assumed things that she probably shouldn't have, as she was always taught that assuming was bad.

Though, she hadn't wanted to keep him if he were expected elsewhere. It was kind of him to stay, however if he was meant to be at a certain place around this time, she would feel awful for having kept him.

Having been very confused by his abrupt change in composure , Lacetta stood up just as Dein had. She placed her napkin down softly on table, confused and staring at Dein, who appeared to be avoiding her gaze. She was silent as she stood, matching him, until words came to her lips.

"That's not at all how I feel..."

Lacetta listened and bore through Dein's blunt brutality, her eyes watering as his words grew harsher and harsher.She watched as he so cruelly placed money and her table, and spat on her floor. He was every bit of change from earlier, having gone from helping her and kissing her to disrespecting her in the most deragatory manner.

"You're cruel..."

She hadnt known if he had heard her or not, for Dein had bolter toward and out the door in moments. He had tore her heart from her in a matter of hours, tears now falling down her face as she stared and picked up the money. She looked it over between her fingers, before dropping it to the floor and leaving it there.

She left the kitchen and made her way up to her room, where she collapsed into her bed and weeped for anything that she ever felt, even if for a moment. She tried to be kind and welcoming and she had been treated in a way she hadn't been treated before. Lacetta felt every bit of pain in every bit of her body, wishing only to sleep and find herself dreaming.

Though she knew that she wouldn't, and began to feel reality as a slip of any other world that she could live in. Unlike her, she had left the mess in the kitchen and refused to leave this house, her only memory left being here.