[ Lapis doesn't want to, she doesn't want to close her eyes and risk seeing all that again. ]
... Alright. I'll try.
[ But he's right here so it should be okay. So it's with a shaky sigh her eyes close, burying herself against his chest as she tries to relax.
It's... quiet at least, or maybe she can't hear anything over the thumping of her heart. Though a flash of something across her vision pulls an unhappy sound from her, fingers curling into the fabric of his shirt. ]
[ His free hand rests on the top of Lapis' hand after seeing how much she clings to the fabric of his shirt. In the meantime, Jinwoo keeps caressing her hair. Whether Lapis is dealing with a hallucination or not, he wants her to know that he's not going anywhere and that she doesn't have to face her fears alone. ]
Yes, I... It's probably my brain playing tricks on me.
[ The feeling of his hand resting atop her own is reassuring, even with the sudden spike of anxiety, and she turns her own hand around so she can curl her fingers around his hand in return.
She just needs to calm down, take deep breaths. It's fine, it's not real. And Jinwoo is here too - that's a thought that calms her more than anything else. ]
I'm... I'm sorry, I shouldn't be getting so anxious.
I'm - [ Then she stops herself; she can sense the future scolding if she apologises again. ] It's a bad habit, I'll try to stop that.
[ But for now, his touch and the sound of his voice are helping to soothe her - her hand squeezing his for a moment. ]
You can leave any singing to me, I'm really good at it. [ Maybe she should sing for him sometime. She hasn't sang at all since arriving here. ] But I'll take a story.
Long time ago, a tiger lived near the village surrounded by the mountains. The villagers would attack him whenever the tiger showed up. On one cold night, it had snowed so much that the mountain's peak was covered, and the tiger descended into the village, hoping to find some food there as he had been hungry for a few days already.
It entered one of the houses and heard a sobbing baby. The baby's mom was trying to calm her son down and told him not to cry as there was a tiger outside. Her son just kept on crying, though. The tiger found it very confusing since the baby continued to cry and ignored the threat.
The tiger was getting terrified of the baby, as no other living creature had ever not feared the tiger before. Once the mother offered dried persimmons to the baby, he finally stopped crying. The tiger wondered if a persimmon was more fierce and more fearsome than the tiger was.
[ Jinwoo takes a short break and squeezes Lapis hand before checking on her. Hopefully, she can relax at least a little bit like this. ]
After a little while, the tiger heard a loud thud and realized that something landed on its back. Thinking that it was the fearsome dried persimmon, the tiger began fleeing for its life. In reality, it was a burglar that had landed on the tiger's back, having realized he was on the back of a tiger and not a cow that he wanted to steal.
[ Lapis is quiet as she listens, letting her eyes stay closed as she focuses on the story. The words wash over her, giving her frazzled mind something to latch onto; rather than the terrifying images, she lets the scene of the story play out in front of her closed eyes.
There's a squeeze of his hand back when he checks on her, shifting their hands so she can lace her fingers through his. Luckily she seems much more relaxed now, and when he comes to the end of the story she lets out a huff; quiet and amused, her voice softer than usual. ]
I'm not sure who I feel more bad for at the end, the tiger or the burglar... [ But fearing something so insignificant, all because of your thoughts... She lets out a quiet sigh, nuzzling against him once more as she relaxes a little bit more. ]
Thank you, Jinwoo. Maybe I'll ask you to tell me stories more often.
[ For a moment, Jinwoo doesn't say anything. While he was telling Lapis this story, he could hear his mom's voice. He remembers some of her bedtime stories quite clearly, but he's going to need a refresher on others if trying to help Lapis relax this way is going to be more regular.
Honestly, he wouldn't mind that at all. ]
I remember that I usually fell asleep just before the burglar appeared in the story. [ He laughs softly. ] But I managed to hear it to the end a few times, too. What kind of stories do you like?
[ I can't escape orv even in Solo Leveling, damn.... ]
[ Jinwoo really not escaping the Joongdok son allegations...
Lapis tilts her head a little, to better peer up at him as he speaks. There's something more... tired to her expression now, on the cusp of sleep yet not quite there yet. But she's certainly far more relaxed now. ]
What stories I like... [ Her mind drifts to the books she read when she was young, the movies she watched. Nothing was really read to her; her grandmother never had time and the entities that looked after her had no interest in something so banal in their eyes. ]
... Stories with good endings. Even if the journey in the story is rough and difficult, so long as it has a good ending. [ Maybe it's because her role always involved seeing how badly things could end for others, that she wanted to avoid it in stories at least. ]
Then this one must have been a bit disappointing. Let's say that the tiger found fresh meat in burglar's bad and the burglar was caught by the villagers.
[ He feels silly making up an ending, but if Lapis likes them then he will indulge her without hesitation. ]
I'll make sure that the next one is a happier one. Maybe something about a Princess in Pancakeland.
Yes, of course. [ He used to ask his mom to come up with stories and new characters, so her request makes him smile... even if this proves to be a challenge. ] Of course. She'll have a lot of friends accompany her, like... Iron... Ironman.
Aha, I'm glad to hear it. I'm sure she'll have a lot of fun adventures with them. [ But it's really cute, how he's going through all this effort just to help her feel better. ]
Though I think you might be forgetting someone.
[ C'mon Jinwoo, where's your Princess in Pancakeland AU. ]
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Close your eyes now. I'm here with you.
[ There's nothing he can do about the hallucinations really, but Lapis needs to at least relax for a bit if getting sleep is too much to ask for. ]
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... Alright. I'll try.
[ But he's right here so it should be okay. So it's with a shaky sigh her eyes close, burying herself against his chest as she tries to relax.
It's... quiet at least, or maybe she can't hear anything over the thumping of her heart. Though a flash of something across her vision pulls an unhappy sound from her, fingers curling into the fabric of his shirt. ]
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[ His free hand rests on the top of Lapis' hand after seeing how much she clings to the fabric of his shirt. In the meantime, Jinwoo keeps caressing her hair. Whether Lapis is dealing with a hallucination or not, he wants her to know that he's not going anywhere and that she doesn't have to face her fears alone. ]
no subject
[ The feeling of his hand resting atop her own is reassuring, even with the sudden spike of anxiety, and she turns her own hand around so she can curl her fingers around his hand in return.
She just needs to calm down, take deep breaths. It's fine, it's not real. And Jinwoo is here too - that's a thought that calms her more than anything else. ]
I'm... I'm sorry, I shouldn't be getting so anxious.
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[ He points that out with a firm voice, the pad of his thumb lightly rubbing against one of her knuckles. ]
I can't sing, but... maybe I could tell you a story?
[ Distracting Lapis a little seems like a good idea. ]
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[ But for now, his touch and the sound of his voice are helping to soothe her - her hand squeezing his for a moment. ]
You can leave any singing to me, I'm really good at it. [ Maybe she should sing for him sometime. She hasn't sang at all since arriving here. ] But I'll take a story.
no subject
It entered one of the houses and heard a sobbing baby. The baby's mom was trying to calm her son down and told him not to cry as there was a tiger outside. Her son just kept on crying, though. The tiger found it very confusing since the baby continued to cry and ignored the threat.
The tiger was getting terrified of the baby, as no other living creature had ever not feared the tiger before. Once the mother offered dried persimmons to the baby, he finally stopped crying. The tiger wondered if a persimmon was more fierce and more fearsome than the tiger was.
[ Jinwoo takes a short break and squeezes Lapis hand before checking on her. Hopefully, she can relax at least a little bit like this. ]
After a little while, the tiger heard a loud thud and realized that something landed on its back. Thinking that it was the fearsome dried persimmon, the tiger began fleeing for its life. In reality, it was a burglar that had landed on the tiger's back, having realized he was on the back of a tiger and not a cow that he wanted to steal.
no subject
There's a squeeze of his hand back when he checks on her, shifting their hands so she can lace her fingers through his. Luckily she seems much more relaxed now, and when he comes to the end of the story she lets out a huff; quiet and amused, her voice softer than usual. ]
I'm not sure who I feel more bad for at the end, the tiger or the burglar... [ But fearing something so insignificant, all because of your thoughts... She lets out a quiet sigh, nuzzling against him once more as she relaxes a little bit more. ]
Thank you, Jinwoo. Maybe I'll ask you to tell me stories more often.
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Honestly, he wouldn't mind that at all. ]
I remember that I usually fell asleep just before the burglar appeared in the story. [ He laughs softly. ] But I managed to hear it to the end a few times, too. What kind of stories do you like?
[ I can't escape orv even in Solo Leveling, damn.... ]
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Lapis tilts her head a little, to better peer up at him as he speaks. There's something more... tired to her expression now, on the cusp of sleep yet not quite there yet. But she's certainly far more relaxed now. ]
What stories I like... [ Her mind drifts to the books she read when she was young, the movies she watched. Nothing was really read to her; her grandmother never had time and the entities that looked after her had no interest in something so banal in their eyes. ]
... Stories with good endings. Even if the journey in the story is rough and difficult, so long as it has a good ending. [ Maybe it's because her role always involved seeing how badly things could end for others, that she wanted to avoid it in stories at least. ]
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Then this one must have been a bit disappointing. Let's say that the tiger found fresh meat in burglar's bad and the burglar was caught by the villagers.
[ He feels silly making up an ending, but if Lapis likes them then he will indulge her without hesitation. ]
I'll make sure that the next one is a happier one. Maybe something about a Princess in Pancakeland.
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I'll accept that, but there was still a good ending. The mother and baby were safe in the end, right?
[ Though it does make her a smile a little, that he was willing to just make up an ending she likes. ]
Princess in Pancakeland... [ There's a quiet laugh, which trails off into a yawn. ] Will the princess have some friends on her adventures too?
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[ Legit. ]
And Tanky. And Igres.
[ This is terrible. ]
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Note to self: Never trust this man with names. ]
Aha, I'm glad to hear it. I'm sure she'll have a lot of fun adventures with them. [ But it's really cute, how he's going through all this effort just to help her feel better. ]
Though I think you might be forgetting someone.
[ C'mon Jinwoo, where's your Princess in Pancakeland AU. ]
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[ He needs to thank past Jinwoo for not taking a nap during that lesson back in high school. ]
Princess Lazuli. Her beauty and pure love for pancakes is known in the whole universe.
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[ Okay, that is cute. She'll give him that, despite how she's giggling to herself. ]
And what about the certain black-haired man that she's very fond of?
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Hmmm... what if he's been trapped by an evil Crepe somewhere in Pancakeland and Princess has to save him?
[ He hopes that's a nice twist. ]
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And that is a nice twist; it's enough to pull a chuckle from her. ]
Hmm, I like the sound of that. She'll save him and sweep him off his feet.
[ This is the ending now, she has decided. ]