Home Again

"Well, this is it!" Hana said brightly, stopping in front of a two-story house with a relatively spacious lawn. Iron-wrought fencing surrounded the place, the elaborate kind with designs woven in and spikes on the top to prevent scaling. There was no driveway, as Hana didn't find it necessary to drive. The gate was at the foot of the walkway leading up to the double door front entrance to the house.

"If you give me a moment..." Hana grumbled, punching a few numbers into a keypad hidden near the gate. The lights in the lawn dimmed and lighting along the walkway brightened as the gate soundlessly swung open. "There," Hana said with a hint of pride. "Welcome to my home."

Aveira tilted her head to the side and listened. She could hear birds calling. Her eyes may have been useless, but she could still see. The building that Hana lived in was large. Two stories, maybe three? Much too big for one girl. Tilting her head to the other side, her mental vision was pulled to the gate. There was a slight hum of electricity, and a cold feeling. It was a metallic fence, then, and not wood or synthetic material. When Hana spoke, Aveira listened for the slight echo. The yard was large, then. It had seemed that way in her head, but her "sight" was never a good way of judging distances accurately.

"Do you live here alone?" she asked curiously. "This is a big area." Clips of information were gathering around her, buzzing for attention. She noticed other things about the house: the smell of the grass, the lack of a car, the way the sun glanced off the windows in the building. She put back all of the more useless details that she noticed. She licked to keep her mind as bare as possible, just in case an important memory decided to invade.

Hana stopped herself from doing a double take at her companion. Of course she would be able to perceive some information from her surroundings, given what she had witnessed earlier. "Yes," Hana said softly. "Money runs as thick in my family as blood does in you or I. It wasn't hard to secure it..." she trailed off. The money she had used was stolen from the family that exiled her, tucked away into multiple safe accounts that she had arranged before she escaped. "It's good for my tastes!" she said, brightening again. "Sometimes, if I don't like the air in one room, I'll sleep in one that I do like. It provides me with a lot of options," she said with a giggle.

Aveira smiled. She'd noticed the slight pause and was pleased that she too had been able to exceed the expectations of her appearance. "Options are good. I like spontaneity. Will you show me around?" she asked, slightly surprised at her pleasant mood. It wasn't often that she was able to interact with others this well. Maybe she'd hurt herself worse than she'd thought earlier? She'd been looking to get hurt, of course, but hadn't expected such a lucky fall. She'd planned on just tripping and getting a few bruises. The head trauma and multiple breaks had been something extra.

"Ooooh, I'd love to," Hana said, taking Aveira's hand and dashing through the gate, hearing it close behind her. "The front yard isn't anything special. Security lights are scattered throughout the lawn, and welcome lights line the walkway, as you can...tell," Hana had to stop herself from saying "see", feeling as if it might be insensitive. Gesturing in the direction of a smaller building, she said, "I keep some...unmentionables in there. Maybe I'll show you around inside there some other day, but not tonight I think." She didn't realize that if Aveira wanted in there, there wouldn't be much to stop her. But Hana was confident in the energy wards that she surrounded that building with, plus the electronic security system that would send non-fatal electrical pulses through a regular burglar's body. "Such a nice night," Hana said, breathing deep. "I should probably cut the grass soon, too."

Aveira raced along after Hana, sensing everything she said. She also sensed the protected area and curiosity practically exploded through her. Added to the potential for a specific form of brutal pain and agony that could only be experienced through electrical shock and she was hooked. She had already started making plans to go through the little building that night when she realized how fragile her body still was. Though it was able to heal minor injuries, she could still be seriously hurt by more persistent means. It also took longer for her body to heal after each injury. If she was to plan something like this, it would have to wait until later.

"Bah! Stupid keys," Hana mumbled, pulling a keyring attached to a pink lanyard out of her purse. "All the money in the world, and STILL I have a bolt and tumbler lock. I really need to get that fixed," complaining and grumbling, Hana picked an even hotter pink key on her ring, next to a blue one and a black one. Shoving into the lock and turning it with and audible click, she pushed the door open and smiled. "And this is my home!"

The entry way was lined with unadorned display weapons, most of which were one-handed. Swords crossed and hung in magnificent ways were frequent, as were thrown weapons. Shuriken dotted the walls, and throwing knives were bunched together as well. Plain butterfly swords of different dimensions were also there, but more rare than the other weapons. The walls were painted in a scene depicting a field of, what else, pink butterflies. "Come come, the bathroom is upstairs," Hana said, taking hold of Aveira's hand again.

Aveira felt the cold blades surrounding her and felt a shiver go down her spine. She knew there was a reason she liked this girl. She may have appeared innocent, but she was quite definitely a killer. Or at east, she knew how to swing a weapon around. How well she could do that still remained a mystery, however. Unable to see the colors and shapes on the wall, the butterflied scene meant nothing to Aveira.

Climbing the stairs was slightly harder with Hana tugging on her hand, but she was still able to navigate them with a deftness that most of the blind lacked. The warm, cleansing waters waiting for her were all that she could think of now. Even the constant desire for pain left her with the promise of a nice shower.

Feeling silly, Hana let go of Aveira's hand and leaped through the air, kicking in the door to the bathroom with a bit of force. The door wasn't really a door, but a screen that was a bright crimson that had it's own little light source radiating from it. "Oh? It's getting a little low on energy," Hana said to herself, pressing her palm to the middle. Muttering something inaudible, the screen started to give off a brighter light, but still keeping the light soft and soothing. "Better," Hana stated with satisfaction. Twisting her hand in a bizarre sign, she bowed to the east with a muttered "thank you."

"Now! To get you situated. Do you like...strawberries?" Hana asked Aveira, pulling out a couple bottles with nothing but a large picture of a strawberry on the front. With the other hand, she reached into the bathing area and started the water, letting it warm up. "And would you prefer a shower or a bath?"

Aveira was facing the door with curiosity. She couldn't see it, but could feel something weird about it. It hummed like electricity, but had a different...feeling to it. Aveira couldn't put her finger on it, but it was somehow off. Hearing the word "strawberries" got her attention, though. "I love strawberries. They're my favorite fruit." She could smell the scent surrounding the bottle and smiled.

"I'd prefer a bath, if it isn't too much trouble. I haven't been able to relax for a while." She turned her attention to the bath. It was nice, of course. Everything in Hana's house was nice.

"Alright!" Hana smiled and flipped open one of the bottles. Plugging the tub to fill it with water, she poured a bit of the liquid in the bottle into the tub. "Strawberry bath," Hana said with satisfaction. Taking out a few more bottles with strawberries on them, she put two in either of Aveira's hands. "This one is shampoo," Hana instructed, holding up Aveira's left hand, "and this one is body wash," holding up her right. "Mmm, there's wash clothes and towels around the bath itself for whatever you need during the bath, and when you're finished, there's fresh towels on the sink." Hana gestured to the marble sink, where there were at least 5 clean towels stacked on top of each other, all of them pure white. "Just yell if you need anything, I'll be in the room across the hall," Hana said with a smile. "Oh, and before I go, there's on more thing." Hana went back to the red screen, put her palm against it again, and furrowed her brow. The screen turned to a pinker shade, and started giving off a wonderful fragrance and a relaxing aura. "There, you're all set," Hana said after another murmured thank you.

Aveira smiled in surprise when she felt a change in the door-thing. The hum had changed ever so slightly, as if it was at a different frequency. She could smell the scent of strawberries coming off from it. She stripped quickly and immersed herself in the water, its warmth soothing her as it relaxed all of her muscles. She took deep breaths and allowed her body to relax. Her body thrummed with growing energy. A soft glow began to radiate from her. The cells in her skin pulled together, strengthening her body. Her ankle and head gave off the brightest glows as that was the area she'd injured the most.

A soft sigh escaped her and she allowed herself to just soak. When she finally felt an inner calm, she began to wash her body and hair of all the blood, sweat, and dirt that had accumulated. As she washed, her glow dissipated until she looked normal again. Well, as normal as she ever looked. When she was finished she felt clean, calm, and ready to take a nice nap. She got out of the tub and dried her hair and body as she listened to the water go down the drain. She changed into the spare clothes and went out to find Hana. The door-thing made her shiver, but she ignored it. That was a mystery for another day.

Hana was seated in a room with bare, whitewashed walls, no furniture except the mat she was seated on. Her butterfly swords were balanced on the tips in front of her, standing straight up in the air. The blades themselves were vibrating at a low frequency, giving off some sort of humming sound. Tendrils of blue and purple energy were twining around the blades and merging with the pink energy that emanated from Hana herself. Her eyes were closed and her muscles tight, and she had an upset expression on her face. The tendrils of energy coming out of her were pink, yes, but laced with black, and she was giving off an upset aura. She was so wrapped up in it that she didn't notice Aveira was finished and searching for her.

Aveira stood at the entrance to the room, a confused expression on her face. She couldn't see the colors, but she could hear that electric humming noise. It was coming from Hana and the swords. The humming was so strange, so abnormal...Aveira knew it wasn't electricity, but she didn't know what else it could be. It was definitely something she'd never encountered before. With a wry smile, Aveira retracted the thought. For all she knew, it was something she'd known about all her life.

Not wanting to disturb her hostess, she sat down silently. She was very good at not making any noises when she didn't want to be heard. She wondered how long it would take for Hana to notice her. She began counting the seconds in her head. One...two...three...

Hana sighed as the butterfly swords fell to the ground with a clang, the sound echoing in the bare room. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she gathered the two swords, put them in her sheath, and slung them over her back. All the energy retracted to their respective owners, and Hana wiped the tears from her eyes, determined not to appear emotionally compromised in front of her guest. Turning around, she let out a squeak as she saw Aveira sitting there. "Oh h-hey there."

Seven...eight...Hana turned around. Her surprised voice indicated that she hadn't actually noticed Aveira, though. Slightly disappointed, Aveira stood up again. It was then that the scent of salt hit her. It was very faint. Tears, Aveira knew immediately. Almost instantly, she made the decision to ignore it. It was none of her business. Being blind had its advantages, it seemed. She simply pretended not to have noticed anything.

Summoning a soft smile, Aveira tilted her head to the side. She'd closed her eyes out of courtesy to Hana; blank eyes were disturbing to most people, and her blindfold was still dirty. "Thank you for letting me borrow some clothes," she said gratefully.

"Oh, it's no problem!" Hana said, putting on her cheery voice again. There wasn't much sincerity behind it, however. "If you'd like you can sleep in one of my rooms tonight. I haven't had any company over so far, so feel free to use whichever room you'd like." Hana smiled at Aveira, a genuine smile, and took out a chocolate bar, unwrapped it, and started munching on it. "We can wash your clothes tomorrow, if you're staying. If not, keep the clothes. Would you like to stay?"

Aveira paused for a moment, thoughts and half-formed memories whirring in her head. Then she thought about the shed, the weird energy, and Hana's tears. "I think I'd like to stay for as long as you'll let me. It's nice here." Her voice was soft and still calm from her shower. She left the empty room and threw her senses out into the hall. She walked to a room with a large canopied bed and a balcony. It was rather bare otherwise, letting her know that it was available. She turned to Hana with a questioning look, wondering if it was really okay to sleep in such a pretty room.

Hana smiled. "Sure, you can have that one. It's one of my favorites." Still smiling, she walked over to the bed, pressed her palm against it, and muttered another inaudible phrase. Immediately, the sheets softened, and extra folded blankets seemed to materialize out of nowhere on top of the bed. "In case you get cold," Hana explained. "If you get hungry, there's snack items in the kitchen downstairs. If you're feeling hungry for something more lavish, wake me and I'll be happy to prepare something for you." Hesitating for a brief second, Hana ran forward and hugged Aveira around the shoulders. "I'm glad I ran into you. Tonight would have been difficult to deal with on my own." Letting go, Hana walked to the doorway. "Is there anything else you need before I leave you to your own devices?"

Aveira shook her head, incredibly curious about Hana. "Thank you for taking me in. I would have been sleeping under a broken park bench otherwise." She grinned at her new friend. Hana had been nice enough to take her in without asking any questions about her blindness and her ability to find her way around without being able to see. She'd show her the same respect by not prying into her life. She'd even try very, very hard not to take any peeks into the shed.

"What a terrible thought!" Hana said in mock shock, then broke out laughing. "Well, if you're settled, I'll leave you to it. You're welcome to stay as long as you like, and leave whenever you want. And if you have any questions," Hana raised her eyebrows, "feel free to ask them tomorrow."

Aveira felt a little thrill of excitement, but she held herself in check. "Thanks." She walked over to the bed and turned down the sheets, exhaustion seeping into her. "Good night, Hana," she called to her friend as she settled into bed. She waited for Hana to leave, then pulled off her outer clothes. Now fully comfortable, she settled down into the soft bed and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Hana shut the door with a barely audible click. "Good, she's relaxed." Hana smiled. "She's bizarre, but I must seem the same way to her." Muttering, she put her palm to the door. A green light briefly flashed on her side of the door, then vanished. "Can't be too careful, of course," she said. "Goodnight, Aveira. Sleep well."