Alethea laid there in silence for a short time as he continued to sleep peacefully. Her mind wandered here and there, but for the most it was strangely silent, as though it were content, for the moment, to avoid thinking too much about too many things. Instead, she was happy to enjoy the quiet, the peace, and the comfort that still hung over her. It couldn't last forever, she knew that, but for as long as it lasted, she would enjoy it.<br/><br/>Eventually, he slowly began to wake up, his eyes finding hers almost the moment they opened. She smiled gently at him a moment before a light pink touched her cheeks. She wasn't sure if she was blushing because he was and it made her once again feel shy, or if it was because he had caught her staring at him and she suddenly felt embarrassed. Either way, the pink slowly deepened, coloring her cheeks.<br/><br/>It didn't help even a little when he suddenly brushed a lock of her hair out of her face, his fingers brushing against her cheek as he did. It seemed, then, that all of her previous efforts to calm her heart had been for naught, as it once again ran away from her at full speed, daring her to try to catch it or slow it down. The steady rise and fall of her chest increased as if to match it, although she did her best to try to avoid either of these things being obvious, though she feared that it was hopeless when they were so close together.<br/><br/>When he finally broke the silence, his voice sounded... different although she could not quite place the word for the change. It was deeper and, though still gentle, it almost sounded rough. She swallowed the lump in her throat as she nodded. "Yes. Quite. Did you?" she asked in response, her voice soft, almost a whisper. She didn't need to ask, really. She had seen him looking quite happy and peaceful. But she felt the need to ask, and to avoid completely giving away that she had watched him for longer than a moment before he had awakened.<br/><br/>She was acutely aware of his arm around her waist, and just how close they were. It was pleasant, yet almost maddening, although she couldn't quite say why. Yet her eyes never left his, instead they peered back into his, green and clear, they almost seemed to twinkle, and for a moment she felt as though she had fallen into a warm, green forest full of lush trees and grass. It was almost hypnotizing and in that brief moment she felt drawn to him, in some way she could not explain.<br/><br/>She hadn't realized it at first, but she had drawn closer to him, until her face was mere centimeters from his. Their lips were close, but they didn't touch. She stopped, her eyes still staring into his, though he now seemed out of focus because of how close she was. She took a sharp breath as she realized how close they now were, and that she could now feel his breath on her skin.<br/><br/>"I'm sorry," she apologized, although she didn't know why, as she was quite certain that he probably wouldn't have minded if she hadn't stopped. "We shouldn't...." she whispered, seeming as though she were trying to convince herself more than him. Yet, once again, she didn't move, either to push him away or to pull away herself. She just stayed there, staring at him, her eyes showing both desire and confusion.<br/><br/>She fought not to think of things to come, of the chance that one or both of them could be hurt or die, of Thal-ion's vision of her injury. She didn't want to think about any of this. She wished, for once, to just act instead of thinking. Yet this was a difficult thing for one such as her. And she didn't wish to hurt him, if his vision came true. Yet still, she did not move, perhaps because she was thinking, or perhaps because she was hoping that he would have the answers she did not, or that he would be bolder than she.