Mad Guyvers: Desolation, Brought to you by the Queen of Bishe

[Azailia]

Ava dropped her things by the bed and wandered over to one set of doors Roland had pointed to. She stepped into the bathroom and blinked, unable to resist a chuckle at the luxury she found herself looking at. It took all of three seconds for her to decide on taking a hot shower, so she turned the water on and peeled off her clothes.

Stepping under that hot water was like waking up on a new, sunny day after an amazing night's worth of sleep. With a happy sigh, she wrapped her arms around herself and closed her eyes, letting the water wash away the grime and sweat that coated her skin. And just when she thought she might actually let herself relax, might actually let her muscles untense and let her guard down, one of Roland's memories flashed through her mind, startling her enough that she inhaled a throat full of water.

She pushed herself back and flush against one of the shower walls, choking and coughing in an attempt to clear her airway. When she could breathe again, she made a frustrated noise and swept a hand over her face, pushing the wet strands of hair from her eyes. Then she noticed the dried blood on her wrist and after glaring at it for a minute, scrubbed it from her skin and turned the water off.

Ava grabbed a towel and dried the moisture from her skin, then wrung her hair out and after spying some hair accessories on the bathroom counter, gathered her red tresses and tied them into a messy ponytail. She hung the towel back up and strolled out of the bathroom and across the bedroom to the other set of doors.

She pulled the doors open and after staring for a moment, closed them. Ava literally stood there for four minutes, going through every possible reason for why she might have misheard Roland upon entering this bedroom. Then, slowly, she opened the doors again and stepped inside.

He had called this a walk in closet. It was like a second bedroom. Four walls of shoes and clothes and accessories forcefully beckoned forth her true inner girl and though she would never admit it to anyone, she squealed in pure delight.

For a full hour she pranced around the “closet” trying on everything she could get her fingers on. It had been so many years since she'd had the freedom to be a pure girly girl and she did so with great happiness. Finally, after twirling around in a ball gown, she ditched the luxurious clothes and pulled on a simple, cotton oversized shirt and crawled into bed.

Ava tossed and turned for hours on end. The usual nightmares that plagued her sleep were particularly horrid on this night and it made her the very definition of restless.

The dream had begun the same. Raging fires rendering her home to ash, her family burning, her little niece escaping the heat only to be killed bloodily. As normal, the heat in her dream caused Ava to break out into a cold sweat, fists curled around the sheets. And then things took a dramatic shift.

In the background of her dream, all she could hear was Roland's name being screamed and try as she might, she couldn't find the source. All she found was more carnage; women being raped, the loathe some laughter of chronos agents as they tore things asunder. No matter what direction she turned in, it got worse and it got louder.

Unconsciously, she mimicked the name calling and Ava called out Roland's name much too loudly. Roland, who had been making his way back to his room after an hour of sitting in the kitchen, stopped dead in the hallway, his head tilted as he listened. Had he imagined that noise? He took another step, stopping again when he heard his name being called a second time, only it was said with an ounce of terror. Roland spun and shot to the bedroom he had housed Ava in, stopping only when he had burst through the door.

He recoiled slightly upon entering. Every piece of furniture in the room, including the pictures on the walls and the small accessories, were floating two feet above their respective places. His eyes fell on Ava, who was thrashing around in bed, her face pale and pained and he dashed over to her. He grabbed her arms and shook her roughly, trying to get her to wake up, an action that resulted in Ava only getting fed more of his past and in turn, she lashed out with a hand and punched him square in the face.

“Ava!”

Her eyes snapped open and she sat up so fast, Roland barely managed to get out of the way before being headbutted. A calm fell over her face and everything that had been floating in the air crashed to the ground.

“Roland?”

“Good lord, woman! Are you alright?”

Ava blinked up at him as he stared at her, then gave him an innocent and questionable look. She lifted a hand and uncurled her fist to point a finger at his face.

“Did you break your nose? You're bleeding.”

[Sith Guyver]

Roland put his hand to his nose quickly, coming away with a mild show of blood. His Eye's quickly shot back to her, hands still on her covered shoulders. Roland looked her over, finding nothing physically wrong with her. He peer deep into her eye's again, “are you alright Ava?”

Ava looked back into his eye's, The smug self assurance and pain was gone now. Worry, and....... concern took it's place. “Your still bleeding.......” She said in a daze.

Roland took his hand and placed it gently on her neck, his other hand grasping her wrist softly but firmly, her pulse was regular. She looked quizzically at him, “I know I'm bleeding, I don't care. Are you alright? What happened?”

After a few moments his touch shook her fully awake, She could feel.... see his mind racing, Images Guarded and flashing by so fast it was hard to comprehend. “Yes...... I'm fine,”Ava managed to say amid the flood, “Just a nightmare.” She could feel his mind slow, the thoughts cohere a bit, the images were of what he could do in an emergency. Things he could do, WOULD do to help her.

Rolands hands dropped to his lap, he felt a tad bit dizzy from the adrenalin, and fell back on her bed. A Smirk crawled onto his face and he barked a short laugh. Ava looked at him, her face contorted as if to ask a question. “what?” he asked amused.

Ava rubbed here eye's in annoyance, “you sir are quite a nuisance.” She could feel a headache coming on. And opened one eye, to look at him. Roland sat up with a grunt,

“I've been a grievance to you, and for that I am sorry.” he was quiet for a moment, “which memories of mine did you get?”

Ava sighed, not wishing to remember. She peered at him through her hand to see the look on his face. It was solemn, regretful. As she looked upon him she wondered if she dare trust him, or use him like she had always intended. Ava was sure, he was doing the same to her. Thought of her as a tool.... at least at first,

“The children...... all those...... children.”

Roland heard a Waver in her voice, which steadied at the end. He ground his teeth for a moment, and steadied his thoughts. “I see, “he held out his hand, watching her instinctively recoil slightly, “Show me some of yours, if your willing.”

Ava looked at Roland suspiciously, cutting her eye's to his hand, and back to his face. She pushed the covers from her legs, and lent forward. Her outstretched hand reached for his temple. Roland placed his hand down on the bed and leaned forward a bit. His eye's drifted from hers a moment, catching a glimpse of her posterior, and the scar at the small of her back. His eye's shot back to hers as she touched his temple.
Memories flashed before his eye's, pain, loss, sadness, Insanity........ Revenge, vengeance, Justice. Roland Knew all of these well, He could empathize with her. As the memories flowed, Ava found herself able to look through his mind. So much sadness and pain, then a train of thought that lead to a brighter place. Ava found herself overwhelmed, passion, pleasure, love, happiness.... She was enveloped in it..... in him. She felt heat rise into her face, her body. The she saw him cradling a baby. Tears streaming down his face, The happiest moment of his life.

Ava removed her fingers from Rolands temple. She sat back, trying to control her breathing. Roland slumped, feeling his heart race. It was silent for a few moments, Rolands eye's drifting back to Ava.

Ava slowed her breathing, such a long time...... since she'd felt that way. She could feel Rolands eye's on her, “you should go, it's late, and we need to rest.” She cleared her throat, and scooted back under the covers. Roland stood, walking to the door. Stopping, the door knob in his hand, turned back to her,

“Your cute when you blush.”

The door clicked behind him, leaving Ava wondering if he could have felt her in the memory she had seen.

[Azailia]

Ava waited a few moments after Roland left before moving, wanting to make sure he really had retreated for the night. When she was convinced he wasn't going to burst into her room again, she rolled over and smothered her face into a pillow to muffle a frustrated yell. Then she balled up a fist and smashed it down into the plush bed.

Roland's memory of happiness was glued to her mind, poking at her, drawing feelings up to the surface that she had locked away for her own good. How was she supposed to achieve her goals if she was tainted by lingering thoughts of warmth? She couldn't. She had known that all along, so she had buried it deep under everyone else's memories to keep her steady on her path for justice.

But now, after what she had just experienced, she regretted even coming to this mansion. The second she had seen Roland holding that baby, felt that overwhelming compassion, she knew she was going to waver.

Ava rolled over onto her back again and squeezed her eyes closed. Six months ago, she left the only place that had shown her love since the day the world her changed. That place, hidden away from the chronos darkness that had overtaken everything, had been safe and she had stayed there for over a year before deciding it was time to move on, to push forward, get his revenge. A memory of a man flashed through her head. His scarred face was offset by a huge grin, his hand extended to her, beckoning her closer.

She had promised to return with information, updates, as that safe place had been a branch of the chronos resistance, but circumstances had led to reconnaissance missions being a tad impossible.

Feeling the sting of tears behind closed lids, Ava threw an arm over her eyes, silent sobs making her body shudder.

Sleep evaded her well beyond dawn and finally, when her empty stomach's growling became un-ignorable, she climbed out of bed. Ava dressed in her own clothes, choosing to forgo her jacket, then ran a brush through her tresses to straighten them out. Then, feeling somewhat presentable, she left the room and hunted down the kitchen.

When Roland sauntered in a half hour later, he blinked at the table, then glanced at Ava, who was flipping pancakes on the griddle. Feeling eyes on her, she turned, then waved the spatula at Roland. He noted the flour-like substance dusted across her cheek, then plopped down in a chair.

“I didn't know if anyone else stayed here, so I might have cooked too much.”

Roland's eyes moved across the plates of food; scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, hashbrowns, toast. Ava sat down across from him and set down the plate of pancakes, then picked up her glass of juice and leaned back.

“Aren't you going to eat?”

“How long have you been up?”

“I'd be insulted if you didn't eat.”

“Did you actually cook all this?”

“Would you please just shut up and eat?”

Roland rolled his eyes at her and filled his plate, falling into silence as he began to eat. Ava, satisfied, scooped some food onto her own plate and dug in.