its_not_tuesday | it's like taking a guess when the only answer is yes (closed to Jo)

"I think I'd rather deal with the tail than the head." She hummed.

"Right, so it's still all a new learning curve for you." She nodded in understanding, reaching over to set her drink down as well. "I guess I take a lot of it for granted since it's all normal to me. Well, as normal as things can be in a magical village. Though, dragons are new for me."

"That's just it, though, you expect the head!" Alistair replied, pointing at her. "You're very aware of the head. You're watching the head very closely and then, all of the sudden, you're flying through the air and getting very up close and personal with the cliff face."

He studied her thoughtfully for a moment. "Are you bored?"

"Good point." She nodded as he explained how it was that one could find themselves getting acquainted with the tail of a dragon. "Good thing for armor, right? Which probably still doesn't' do a lot against a tail and a cliff face, right?"

She paused before shrugging. "I don't know. Not at times." But there were times, once in awhile, when she felt...restless.

"It sort of depends on the armor." He winced. "I cracked a few ribs, once, because of dented armor."

He thought about her response for a moment, and nodded. "It is a rather small little world we've all been pressed into, isn't it?"

"Ouch." She winced in sympathy. "I've done that just from being tossed around."

"Kind of. I guess a part of me is...waiting." She wondered if that would make sense to him though she supposed it wouldn't since she hadn't explained the whole being dead part.

"It's even worse when you have a giant piece of metal constantly pressing in on them," Alistair replied, making an unpleasant face.

His eyebrow went up. "Waiting?"

She drew in a slow breath, suddenly looking a little unsure of herself. "I...thought this place with Limbo or something when I arrived."

Alistair blinked, not really having any sort of frame of reference for the term 'limbo'. "Ah...sorry, I'm not...really sure what that means."

Crap.

"Uh, a place between life and, I guess, the after life." She rolled her shoulders in a shrugging motion.

He still wasn't quite following. "Why would you think that?" he asked, looking confused.

Jo took another breath to steady herself. "Because I died seconds before I arrived here. Or, I think it was seconds."

Alistair fell silent for a moment, still looking at her like he didn't quite understand, though it was different now...sadder and shocked rather than confused.

"Oh," he replied quietly, his brow furrowing as he looked down at his lap.

All the usual humor and the teasing was gone as she watched him absorb the words and their meaning. Instantly she felt bad as she lowered her own gaze. "Yea..." She trailed off, unsure of what to say.

Then she sighed. "Sorry, I shouldn't have said anything."

"No, it's fine. Well, it's not fine, but it's fine that you told me." He cleared his throat a little and reached over to take her hand in his. "It just...makes me very sad to hear."

"It doesn't weird you out a little?" She asked, sliding her hand into his. "I mean, I'm alive here and everything." She reassured him.

"As I understand it a lot of people here are...ah, in the same situation." It was a little odd, but mainly because she seemed so alive and healthy. But no, mostly he was just...sad.

"I'm...very sorry," he remarked, squeezing her fingers and lifting his gaze to meet hers. "How did it happen? If that's not too invasive of a question."

"My Mom is too." And that thought brought more pain to her than the idea of being dead herself. A thought that was very clear on her features as she glanced up at him.

"I was mauled by a Hellhound. Basically a very large, evil and invisible dog." She sighed, studying their joined hands. "My friends and I were in a town trying to track down someone very evil, Lucifer." She nodded. "This demon bitch showed up and unleashed her dogs on us. My friend got knocked down and I rushed in to save him. With the dogs being invisible, I never saw the one coming till it got me."

"I knew I wasn't getting out after that. So I told them to leave me behind. I'd set up a trap and take out the rest of the hellhounds." She looked up at him. "Seemed like a good idea at the time, you know? I didn't plan on my mom staying but she did."

Alistair wasn't sure what to say, so he gently tugged on her hand to pull her into his embrace. "I'm sorry," he murmured again, gently rubbing her back. "I'd say you wen out fighting, at least, but that sounds hollow somehow."

She allowed him to pull her closer, leaning against him with a small smile as he rubbed her back in a comforting way. "It was a good way to go out. We blew up some hellhounds and I think it helped my friends. Plus, things have been pretty good since I've arrived in the village."

Alistair nodded a little, tucking her head under his chin. "And yet even when you tell yourself it was worth it, well, no one ever wants to go at all." He gave her another little squeeze and allowed himself a tiny smile. "Can I let that last remark go to my ego, just a little bit?"

"No, they don't but...I think it's easier for everyone if I act like I'm totally okay with what happened." Though she knew some of them probably saw right through that one. "I wish the nightmares would stop though." She admitted in a soft murmur.

Then she looked up at him, smiling. "Yeah, I'll let you have that one."

"You shouldn't have to pretend you're fine," Alistair replied, his brow furrowing with something close to annoyance even as he gently ran his free hand through her hair. "You certainly don't have to pretend with me."

"Well, it won't do me any good to mope around though." She pointed out, watching the annoyance on his face which was strangely touching. Tilting her head into his touch, her features softened. "I guess I sensed that. Maybe that's why I told you...even if part of me worried you would freak a bit."

"Everyone keeps using that word," Alistair replied, and would have felt amused if it were a less serious moment. He sighed a little and tucked her hair behind her ear. "I'm not...'freaked', I promise."

"Hmm, spooked?" She offered, still smiling softly at him before she leaned in to kiss him. It was a strangely tender kiss but she lingered for a second or two. "Thanks." Because she felt a bit 'freaked' herself.

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