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āI put my arms around myself and I'm unbreakable.ā
ćÉĪ¹Ī±ĘĻgĻ Ń cĻĘĻŃ:#BDA0CB ā ŃŠ½ĻĻ gŠ½Ń cĻĘĻŃ #F7B3DAć
|| Dear Winter || AJR ||
ćÉĪ¹Ī±ĘĻgĻ Ń cĻĘĻŃ:#BDA0CB ā ŃŠ½ĻĻ gŠ½Ń cĻĘĻŃ #F7B3DAć
|| Dear Winter || AJR ||
"And two dumplings, yes, one fried rice." Carter was ordering them take out for dinner, his treat. Winter pulled off her winter boots, the warm interior of Carter's house a welcome change to the cold outside. She dove onto the couch, wrapping herself up in one of the throws that was laying there. "Make yourself at home," Carter said as they waited for Elise to arrive. It only took a few minutes, she was shaking and pale. "Elise! Thank goodness! I was worried about you," Winter escorted her inside. Carter brought a drink for her, ready to go. "Serenity took you?" Winter thought back to Ezra leaving and thought she knew what this might have been about. "Well, as long as you were safe." She sat across from her, glad that Elise was alright and perhaps had gotten a bit of closure with Ezra.
"I'm going to stay another day," Winter decided. "I can't be gone much longer than that or Zed will start to panic." Winter could tell that Elise was nearing her limit. She was shaking and pale, well, paler than normal at least. "Don't worry, I'll be alright. You need to go back now," she placed a hand over Elise's. "I'll see you back at home." Elise tried to create a tear so that she could return to the Boundary. Winter watched, her smile slowly fading as she realized what was happening. There was a rainbow seal across each tear. They had been locked out of Olympia, out of the Boundary. "No, this can't be right." She rose, on edge. Why would Arke make her move now of all times?
"Yuuki!" Winter called, attempting to summon her friend. He did not appear, "Yuuki, open the portal!" Elise had to go back, or she would fade forever. "Hang on Elise," Winter closed her eyes, her body crumpling. "Winter!" Carter caught her before she could hit the floor. "Yuuki, open the portal." Winter drifted, unable to project into the Boundary. "Yuuki? Are you there?" Her summons were not reaching him. "Zed?" She tried, attempting to call upon her fiance. "Someone, please!" But the Astral plane was devoid of any other life. "He promised me he would wait for me here." Her hands balled into fists. Had something happened to Yuuki?
Winter returned to her body, she gasped as she reconnected, blinking and sitting upright. "No one is answering," there was genuine fear in her eyes. Winter could not make a tear, that was not one of her abilities and if Yuuki wasn't answering her calls, there was no way to let Elise back inside of the Boundary. "We'll figure something out, just hang on a little bit longer, alright?" Why would Arke make her move now, of all times? What was Winter going to do? The doorbell rang, "I'll get it." Carter rose, "It's probably dinner." He disappeared, returning a few minutes later with a paper bag full of steaming Chinese food. "What? No use trying to think when your tank is empty," he pointed out. "Elise, how much longer can you hold out? How much time do we have?"
She should have sent Elise back earlier. She should have made Elise return home the moment she had started to notice the symptoms. This was Winter's fault again, wasn't it? She was going to lose Elise, for real this time. Her heart clenched painfully in her chest. "What if we use a portal generator from this side?" Did they have such a device on earth? Winter didn't know. They couldn't just magic one out of thin air. Another thought struck her then. If Arke had made her move... was Zed alright? What about Zeus and Iris? "What are we going to do?"