Where is the light?

She does not look at him. Not initially. The knowledge that he is there is enough to make her hands tremble like the fragile branches of a withered willow, the sight of him might make her come apart altogether, she fears.

So, there she stands, a few feet in front of the pink flowerbeds lining the window panes on either side of the garden doors, clutching her hands to her chest as if in some paltry effort to barricade her ever frangible heart from the outside world. Trepidation in her fitful eyes.

Be normal. Be normal.

There are no good words that she can think of, so she resigns herself to blurting out the first thing that comes comes to her mind.

"...that i haven't made as much progress as he was expecting of me."

She shrugs.

He offers the angel a small smile.

"Hah...yeah. I didn't used to get nervous about these things...like...what people think of me? Or...well...maybe he was always an exception...I felt safe with him...you know—"

Lyriel gnaws on her lower lip, twisting the fabric of her white robes between her fingers.

She leans forward a bit, gently patting the back of Lyriels hand as she stands.

"Yeah...I...yeah."

Golden eyes flick over to where Emilia's hand meets her own, inwardly swallowing the nausea that is simmering in the pit of her belly when she moves to stand up.

Emilia removes her hand, typing up a message on her datapad.

Consul Morningstar,

Lyriel has expressed an interest in meeting with you, if you are amenable to this you may check in to the facility at your earliest convenience. If not, please let me know as soon as possible.

“If you want to wait in the garden, I’m sure- oh.”

She blinks at down at the device, at the response that had taken less than a few seconds to arrive.

I have arrived.

God, she really wishes he wouldn't do shit like that; just materialize out of the blue...she was banking on having a bit of breathing room while he walked or flew over to the clinic, so that she could build up a bit of mental fortitude beforehand.

Lyriel cups her hands over her face and holds her breath for an ephemeral moment.

Doctor Gray offers another kind smile, going to leave. It’s not a long walk.

He’s already sitting on the edge of the fountain in the center of the garden when she arrives. Her father, the Great Saint, Judgement, has rarely seemed so human as in this moment when he is unaware that he is being observed.

"Mmh..."

A part of her, a small one that may have become just a tad too reliant on her therapist and the peace of mind her presence instills in her, wants to reach out, suggest that maybe she isn't quite ready to have this confrontation alone, but she stops herself short, entwines her fingers about one another and tucks them in close to her chest as Emilia walks away.

As she moves to exit through the door herself, she catches sight of her face in the mirror adjacent to it. She still has not decided if she should cut her hair or not. Does she look unkempt?

"...that i haven't made as much progress as he was expecting of me."

She shrugs.

He offers the angel a small smile.

"Hah...yeah. I didn't used to get nervous about these things...like...what people think of me? Or...well...maybe he was always an exception...I felt safe with him...you know—"

Lyriel gnaws on her lower lip, twisting the fabric of her white robes between her fingers.

She leans forward a bit, gently patting the back of Lyriels hand as she stands.

"Yeah...I...yeah."

Golden eyes flick over to where Emilia's hand meets her own, inwardly swallowing the nausea that is simmering in the pit of her belly when she moves to stand up.

Emilia removes her hand, typing up a message on her datapad.

Consul Morningstar,

Lyriel has expressed an interest in meeting with you, if you are amenable to this you may check in to the facility at your earliest convenience. If not, please let me know as soon as possible.

“If you want to wait in the garden, I’m sure- oh.”

She blinks at down at the device, at the response that had taken less than a few seconds to arrive.

I have arrived.

God, she really wishes he wouldn't do shit like that; just materialize out of the blue...she was banking on having a bit of breathing room while he walked or flew over to the clinic, so that she could build up a bit of mental fortitude beforehand.

Lyriel cups her hands over her face and holds her breath for an ephemeral moment.