Hawk inhaled a deep breath to steal himself, and he opened the door to the clinic. The women in the receiving area greeted the Ranger with soft smiles on their faces. They knew he was there to visit the green haired elf. Strange days were upon the Ranger, and as oft as he was seen looking distant, he was seen with worry creasing his finely wrought features. This day was no different. He stepped behind the curtains and up the stairs. The matronly attendant smiled to him knowingly just before he pressed the door open and stood before it.

"..I've been out of it for almost a week...?" Lydia frowned, the alley in her mind growing a little clearer. And the moon that night, gods, it was suddenly plain as day, vivid as if she were looking upon it that very moment. And.. arguing. There was arguing. What else though..? "..Mason." The name came out suddenly, whisper quiet, before she finally took note of another visitor. A touch of fear flickered in her eyes, but faded just as quick as it had come as she looked over and recognized who stood there.

"Mason...?" Erin was more confused than surprised, she looked up suddenly and saw Hawk and smiled just a little bit to him when he was there. "Careful of the mess." She nodded at the towel on the floor. Looking between the two, Erin stood to get a chair for Hawk as well, pulling it over near the bed.

The Ranger had to do an almost double take. He blinked a few times, then rushed in through the door and closed it behind him. "Lydia!" He said with relief immediately ridding his face of the perpetual worry. "You are..you are..awake!" He seemed simply flabbergasted. The smile on his face made him look as young as he truly was.

Lydia's eyes grew wide as saucers seeing the expression upon Hawk's face. He looked so happy, so relieved. She smiled a bit in return, glancing between him and Erin. "Yeah, I am..." Her smile seemed to dim, just a little. "I.. really worried you that much?" A small pang of guilt tugged at her heart. "Gods, I'm sorry.. I.." She was at a loss for words. She abandoned the cookie she held back in the bag - eating could come later. "Come join us, yeah?" Gesturing for Hawk to approach.

"It's not your fault." To Lydia a little chidingly. "And do sit." As she straightened the chair and retook her seat. "I have some cookies, if you'd like..." Erin dug in her bag again and pulled out another small packet to offer to Hawk. "And if you need some water..." When she was in care mode, it didn't turn off easy.

He shook his head. "Peace no, its not your fault." Hawk took the seat that Erin gestured to. "When I heard of the news I came here, but you were..asleep." He dipped his head to Erin. "Hello Erin."

Lydia felt a little.. overwhelmed. Certainly she was happy her friends were there, but the grogginess of her mind slowed her a bit. For the moment she simply sat back and let Hawk and Erin converse, absently reaching up to touch the spot on her chest that had been a hole only days before.

"Hi, Hawk." She smiled his way and inclined her head again. "It's good to see you..." She took a cookie from the packet herself before offering it to him. "Yeah, I came back and she was just wandering around the room like it was nothing." Though Erin was clearly saying it in good humor, a big smile on her face.

He chuckled unabashedly. He was clearly in lighter spirits. He shook his head to the cookie, although with the way his cloak opened and reveal his broad shoulders, tapering into painstakingly slender hips, he looked like he could use it. "It is good to see you as well. Aye. She looks much better. And the bed garb looks to suit you."

Pale blues had drifted of their own accord back to the bouquet of flowers on the nightstand before moving back to her friends. "Mm? Oh.. yeah. It's really comfortable too. I don't think this is what I was wearing when I went out though." Lydia looked down to look over her outfit and slippers, genuine curiosity upon her features.

"No, I brought them for you." She laughed some more. "Your clothes were dirty, and I didn't think you should be sitting around in them for so long. You needed the bath anyway.." She wasn't' going to mention the blood, but there was a lot of it. "No reason not to be comfy."

"A fine choice." He said as he turned to Erin and adjusted the cloak of toiling colors. "How are you feeling Lydia?" Earthen eyes followed from Erin back to Lydia. There was something odd in the way he watched Lydia. Almost like an overprotective relative.

Something in her eyes softened as she regarded Erin. She had taken care of her and watched her all this time? Her gaze then shifted to Hawk, and she smiled. "I.. dunno. I guess I've felt better. But I've felt worse too. I just feel kinda.. weird. I guess from being... asleep for so long. I'm sure that'll pass though." Lydia glanced back to the flowers. "Did you guys leave that here?"

"No..." Erin shook her head. "I think someone must have come to visit.. though, I'm not sure who." She pursed her lips, wishing that she had taken the time to figure it out. It wasn't nice not to thank someone.

"No." He shook his head to echo Erin's sentiments. "I was unable to find flowers in the cold."

Even now, in her condition, her thoughts drifted to one possibility. It was a possibility she frowned at and put from her mind though, because it was silly to think that way... to keep going back like that... "I guess I can just ask one of the doctors later..." Attention back to her friends, she smiled. "I miss anything?"

"Um..." Erin took a moment to think, then laughed a bit. "Sartan won the diamond, and has made rules for the Outback that are just ludicrous. And Koy almost took my arm off. Not much else, truth be told." She shrugged and then smiled a bit more. "Oh, and Jake made a joke about getting married that almost killed me. You would have snickered."

The Ranger just simply shook his head. "Nothing of import. Someone frightened Travanix in the Inn the other night by hiding in the stuffed Dragons head that hangs over the door frame."

Brows lifted a bit at Erin's words, then promptly furrowed at Hawk's. She was becoming a little more focused, but it was still something of a struggle to take things in. "Koy's scary in the ring... and I'm not even entirely sure what the diamond is or does. If the rules are really stupid people probably won't bother to listen.." A pause, to move her bag of cookies aside and pull up some covers to drape over her lap. She was still a little chilly. "Certainly a lot of talk from that one if he's getting scared by things like that." Muttered.

Erin snickered some. "The Diamond is some like head of the Outback thing. You should go by there one night and see the ridiculousness. Nova and Sartan send their best, and they're very sorry they joked when I was trying to tell Rena you were hurt. And she of course, was worried. Koy, too and Matt. You were missed over there." Nodding when her list was done. "A dragon head? Really?" Erin snickered a bit more. That sounded pretty amusing.

Subtle movements shifted Hawk within his seat, he seemed in an odd sorts. He awoke from a daze. "You should have seen it."

Lydia frowned a touch at hearing the reaction and worry of others, though she did snort at the mention of Sartan and Nova. "They were joking around...?" Then she looked back to Hawk, brows lifted as if she waited for him to elaborate.

"Travanix jumped clear from his skin." He chuckled remembering what he had seen. "The stuffed dragons head leapt down in front of him. He tried to act as if it had no affect on him." He held his stomach, chuckling harder.

"That's great." Erin laughed again and shook her head. Packing up her bag, she stood slowly. "I have to get some work done, get ready for tomorrow. You two can catch up anyway..." She paused as she buttoned her jacket again. "I'll be back later, though, Lydia. You don't get away from me yet." She smirked and nodded to the pair.

Lydia chuckled quietly then nodded to Erin. "Alright, though I don't think I'll be going anywhere." A glance around. "I'm not entirely sure how long I'm going to be able to stomach staying here though..." Pause, blink. "And I can't, gods.. Aeriel and Mellon." She frowned, looking a bit concerned.

"Well, you should stay till you're well enough to leave." She was stern with that. "Later." Bowing a bit with her nod, she paused to give a hug to Lydia and turned to go, being mindful of the mess.


((Adapted from Live RP))

Her own hand was cold, as if she had been outside for some time, and not in the warm confines of her room. She squeezed his hand in return, not yet pulling away. "There's.. there's a poster up, on the bulletin in the square.. While slavery here isn't looked upon kindly by most, some places allow it - legally. So it's not.. quite legal to save them. Some places say that you're 'stealing property'." She looked almost disgusted. "The poster.. it's for.." She took a breath, then lifted her gaze to his, searching for a bit of strength. "I'm sort of.. wanted I guess. I've been working with someone to free slaves from warehouses... I take them.. somewhere safe, and.. well.. they're free then. I had a disguise, sorta, so I wouldn't be easily recognized, but..." She trailed off, then shook her head. "My friend, Mason, he did the same thing before he was killed... And it was.. it was Hector who did that. And it was Hector who shot me... I still don't understand exactly why. And I can't.. I can't really tell you more of the specifics... It's... secret. And I don't want to betray the trust... some gave me." Lips turned downwards into a frown, as she certainly wasn't making much sense, not even to herself. "I don't even know what I feel right now Hawk.. it's not anger. I can't even feel anger right now, and I should. I should want him dead, but I just feel.. sad? I dunno. Sad and lost.. and like I've messed up all over again..."

"Hector." He rolled the name over his tongue. His own skin was amazingly warm, almost extremely so. Like his normal body temperature was a few degrees higher than most, and amazingly the scar riddled hands were uncalloused, smooth, almost soft to the touch, yet firm. "You do not need to feel confused. You have lost your friend." A small knowing grin crossed over his staunch countenance, and he graced her with it. "You have been acting against the slavers?" Earthen eyes ran over her face momentarily. "I have been trying to do my part. Hindering Travanix where I can. I bought a slave out from under him. Your task, you would be better off if you were more secretive about it, like I am." The cloak opened about his frame as he pushed its surfaces apart.

Lydia finally pulled her hand away from Hawk's, somewhat reluctantly, so she could lay down. Though she already missed the warmth of it. "I have.. it's probably not a good idea. I.. I've done it before, but it went badly back then. I'm not entirely sure why I got back into it... guess for a while I just.. stopped caring about things, like what happened to myself...like I had no self preservation?" She looked away from him at her admission. "...I'm glad you're on my side in this though.. and that you're not going to try to arrest me." She chuckled quietly before looking back. "Don't do anything rash, okay?" She wasn't sure what was going to happen though. It hadn't escaped her mind that if even if Hector was brought in.. he could turn her name in as well.

The hand returned to the confines of his cloak and the cloak itself closed firm about his lithely built frame. "It is not safe, but it is something some of us must do. I am with you in this Lydia. When you get the desire do see me again, and we can do something that is a bit less in the eye of the public to stand against them." He gazed upon her kindly, with the warmth of familiarity. "You get better."

There were flickers of worry and doubt in her eyes. Confusion... something some must do. Was it something she had to do? She wasn't entirely sure anymore.. wasn't sure of anything.. hadn't been sure for quite some time. She chose not to address his first words, and nodded to the latter. "I will." She smiled then, softly. "Thanks for coming here Hawk. Means a lot to me..."

He patted her head and righted it over her head. "I have been every day since I discovered you were injured." Rugged features, finely wrought into perfect symmetry formed a smile upon his lips, sparking bright in his chocolate irises. "But you must rest now, so I shall take my leave."

Lydia had felt rather lonely lately. Very alone. Secluded in a place where no one else could reach. Now? That feeling was ebbing away... "You're a good friend Hawk." Her smile brightened as she shut her eyes. "I'm not sure what I'd do without you or my other friends."

Hawk nodded his head. "Rest well Lydia. I shall see you tomorrow at noon." With a flourish of his cloak about his body he closed it around himself and stepped to the door, with one last look at her. "Peace favor you, Lydia." And like that, he was out the door, and gone.


((Adapted from Live RP))