#aysun:song

[aysun-demir]

Closed Event Starter For: Song

Considering what happened at the last, and the very first, party she'd been to, Aysun nursed her drink, taking measured little sips to avoid a repeat. Most of the other BBQ-goers didn't seem to have the same reservations as she did, indulging in drink and food, laughing and carrying on in the aftermath of the games. She'd found herself a quiet spot away from most of the noise, secluded but still giving her a good vantage point to people-watch from her position seated in the grass. Unsurprisingly the results of the final game affected people differently, some were clearly celebrating while others were sulking and using drink as a distraction. Aysun was on the winning team, but she didn't necessarily feel any type of way about it. Was it nice? Sure, but had she been on the losing team, she would've acted the same way. Taking another bite from her hot dog, Aysun pulled herself out of her thoughts just as she sensed someone approaching. A familiar scent. The unexpectedness had her choking on her bite of food, and she struggled not to make an absolute fool of herself as she swallowed quickly and washed it down with her drink, prompting a grimace from the strength of it. "Hi," she said once she'd collected herself, head tipped back to meet his eyes from her seated position, "sorry, am I...in your way?"

@cantfightmoonlight

[aysun-demir]

In any other circumstance, the abrupt physical contact would've had Aysun skittering away like a frightened rabbit, but in that moment, when she felt like everything was falling apart, she might've even welcomed it. The strength left her legs as she sagged into the man's arms, letting him hold her tightly in the hopes that maybe it'd keep her from falling apart any more than she already was. All things considering, she should've anticipated this. Nothing good could come from the way she'd bottled up her emotions since the ordeal, and add to that all the changes that came from running away from home and relocating to a completely new place filled with strangers. The cherry on top was her first transformation as a wolf, it truly was a miracle she hadn't lost it any earlier.

The sobs rattled her frame, her breath coming in heaving gasps. Aysun had talked patients through panic attacks before, and now she found herself wondering if she was having one herself. Locked away in her spiral of anguish, it took the touch of his cool fingertips against her burning cheeks to start to draw her out of the worst of it. Trying her best to recall the techniques she used on her patients, Aysun blinked rapidly to try and focus on his eyes as they levelled with hers, focused on his hands on her face, his body close to hers. Focused on his words. She wasn't sure in that moment if he really meant them or he just knew it was what she probably needed to hear right then, but she appreciated it all the same as she felt the erratic racing start to slow down. "O-Okay," she replied without taking her eyes off his, holding onto that grounding feeling for dear life. On shaky feet, Aysun allowed Song to lead the way as they moved indoors, and only once they were out of the rain did she realize she was shivering so fiercely it felt like her bones were rattling in her body.

Pushing a lock of wet hair back from her face, Aysun pressed her hands to her cheeks, taking another big, steadying breath. She was still very obviously shaken up, but as she started to come down from the high, it was really starting to dawn on her what she'd just done. "Oh god..." she mumbled with a watery laugh at his comment, equal parts sheepishness and genuine mortification. "I- I can't believe I just- I'm...so sorry," she started, all the blood rushing to her cheeks as she looked over at him, "I- I didn't mean to say- well, any of that really, I'm just- you...you won't tell anyone, will you? About...what I did...?"

"Mhm, sure," He shook his head the tiniest bit back and forth in amusement as he watched her cheeks flush a rosy pink. "They are, though I'm pretty sure in this case, the apple rolled so far away from the tree that it fell into a lake and drowned," He admitted with a small shrug. His dry and deadpan sense of humor slipping out at another likely un-opportune time.

"Hey," He whispered softly out as he reached out, only for his hands to stop short an inch before her arm, not sure how she'd react if he actually touched her or not. But, he did want to try to offer up a sliver of reassurance if he could. "It's okay. I'm only teasing. Promise." Only what he wasn't expecting was for her to blurt out so forthright as to how she had killed someone. His eyes widened at the admission as he let her get it all off her chest.

Fuck. Any hesitancy he had about comforting her vanished in an instance and, before she could say another word, his arms were wrapped tightly around her waist. Pulling her into his chest, he held her securely against him as he whispered softly, "It's okay. It's okay. I've got you." He stood there, quietly for a moment, just holding her against him. The rain was coming down harder now. But, it didn't matter. The only sound he was focused on was the sound of her heartbeat still beating vehemently against her chest. Slowly, he pulled back, just enough so that he could meet her gaze. "Hey, look at me," His voice was soft as he moved to cup her face in his hands guided her gaze up to meet his. "I've got you. And I know I don't know you all too well and you don't know me, but you are are more than acceptable. You're beautiful and enough no matter what it is you are and you're not alone. I'm going to be right here the whole time. I promise. So, we'll figure it out, okay? It's okay to be scared," He promised her, catching some of her tears with his finger tips as he offered up, "How about we go inside, okay?" He couldn't say he was well versed in werewolves, but he was sure he could find a room that she could wolf out in and keep himself alive and unbitten somehow. But, for now, he attempted to crack a joke in hopes of putting at ease even a little bit, "And after we get through the night, we can maybe work on that tact of yours? Because I didn't already know you were nurse, I'd have a far share of questions."

[aysun-demir]

For a long moment Aysun just stared at her lap, unsure of what to say or even where she'd gone wrong. This wasn't exactly what she'd been expecting when she'd seen Song as she was passing through the hall, but everyone in town was feeling a little...tense lately. Aysun was sure Song had his reasons, and as much as she wanted to check in on him further, to see if he was okay beyond the physical injuries, she chose to hold back. "I'm...sorry, Song," she said instead, sincerity in her gaze as she looked over at him, "I...didn't mean to offend you, I was just-" Worried, but something told her he was getting tired of hearing that, so instead she lapsed into silence.

Aysun blinked at his response to her admission of theft, it was such a 180 in response that she almost had to do a double take. And then she had the grace to blush. Embarrassing as it was, at least it got him to stay a little while longer. Half the reason she was always out of bed and helping around the unit was because it was a distraction. It was better than laying in bed, alone in her room, visions of the Dreamscape replaying in her mind. "Are you sure? It's really good pudding," she said before she used her teeth to pull back the foil on top of the cup. "We didn't have processed foods like this very often growing up," she said, straightening from where she was leaning against the drawer to perch carefully on the other end of the bed, "most of our food we grew and raised ourselves, but sometimes, when the adults went into town, they'd bring back treats for the kids. When I moved to America and got my first pay-cheque, I went out and filled our cabinets with snacks and treats- and this pudding!"

There was a fondness in her smile as she relived the memory, recalling how her father had laughed and laughed when he saw. It was only when she thought to take a bite of her beloved pudding that she realized she hadn't thought it all the way through. "I've been realizing these past few days how much I've taken for granted having two functional hands," she said with a sheepish laugh as she precariously balanced her pudding cup between her knees so she could wield her spoon with her good hand, "health is wealth and all that."

"No. You only told me to think of the staff which sort of implies selfishness, but what do I know? And? Is this the floor you're supposed to be on?" He countered, knowing fairly well that she was going around trying to play nurse even though she was supposed to be letting other people take care of her as well. "You can check yourself out if you want to, Aysun. Or you can go around helping out people when you're not supposed to wander to a different floor. It's your life and I'm not going to stop you from making your own decisions. Though, I could do without the judgement in regard to mine," He said, his voice softening as he explained where he was coming from with it all.

"What?" He spun around on his heels, letting out a low wince as he made a rather sharp movement. Only as she held up the chocolate pudding cup, his brows couldn't help, but lift in disbelief. The corners of his lips itching up in amusement as he watched her face flush as if she had just confessed to robbing a bank or something. "I'll tell you what? I'll let you keep the pudding cup. You know, given that you went through so much trouble to nab it and all. But, I guess I can stay for a little bit longer," He said as he slowly made his way back into the room, sliding down to take a seat on the corner of his unoccupied bed. "Just until you get rid of the evidence and all."

[aysun-demir]

The comment about the boat pulled her attention away from her thoughts and to the man once more, and though she had a good suspicion he was now teasing her, an embarrassed flush still rose to her cheeks. "I- It'll be a great bar, it will!" she said in earnest, brown eyes wide and sincere, "besides, it sounds like your family are...very talented business people. I'm sure the apple doesn't fall far from the tree...?" Aysun couldn't imagine the world he came from, it was practically the polar opposite of what she was used to. CEOs and Presidents, powerful people she was sure. It was almost intimidating to even hear about.

But despite that, and despite her initial wariness over the man across from her, he didn't strike her as a...bad person. And perhaps that was just her naiveté, and perhaps she'd come to regret it later, but Aysun found herself giving a quick shake of her head, taking a hesitating little step forward. "No- no, I- you're not- creepy, it's not- it's not you," she rambled out, a dizzying feeling washing over her. She'd held so much on her shoulders over the past two weeks, bottled up all her thoughts and feelings, isolated herself, even pretended it wasn't happening. At the gentle insistence that she simply speak her mind, Aysun couldn't help it, she felt the dam break as the words came tumbling out faster than she could keep up.

"I killed someone," she blurted on a whisper, her chest heaving as her tongue stumbled over the words she spoke out loud for the first time since the day it happened. "It was a little girl, she- she was sick, so sick, she- she was dying, and she was suffering, and there was nothing we could do for her. We couldn't save her and her only option was to suffer until her little body finally gave up and I- I couldn't, I couldn't do it. She would scream and scream and I just- I couldn't do it anymore." Aysun could feel the wetness of her tears on her cheeks, and she knew it was probably a bad idea to be confessing murder to a stranger, but she couldn't seem to stop. "I...overdosed her on her pain medication, she passed away in her sleep and- and I know it was wrong, but I...can't seem to make myself regret it. I just- I wasn't thinking, obviously, and I couldn't take it back. And then...and then I realized that I- that I...triggered my curse. I made one reckless decision and I ruined my whole life, I was never supposed to- I'm not supposed to be a wolf, that's not- it's unacceptable, I've disappointed my whole family, my ancestors, everyone who made sacrifices to keep us safe all this time. I've- I've ruined everything, and now I'm alone and I'm scared. It's my first full moon and I don't even know what's going to happen, and I'm scared," she said on a gasp, her eyes blurry with tears, "I'm so scared."

You're welcome, He mouthed back as he watched her tentatively take his jacket from him. Leaning back from where he stood beside the railing, he motioned with the tilt of his head to the state of the boat now as he offered out, "It's calm now. And silent. Though, it probably won't be every night if we ever open. Bars are pretty hit or miss depending on the night. But, one could argue that crowded places albeit not silent, can be intimate in their own ways. Easier to blend in and faded into the background then, well, right now, when it's just you and me out here." Without a buffer or a way to easily fade into obscurity.

"No," He shook her head as she asked if he owned the hospital. "I own this boat and only this boat that will apparently make a pretty shitty bar," He clarified. The corner of his lips tilted up ever so slightly, before he cleared his throat to mask the semblance of a smile. "My family own the hospital and... every King's Cross Hospital and King Cosmetics and K Labs. They own a lot of shit. But, that's them and not me," He admitted, awkwardly running his hand across the back of his neck at the thought.

"Well I..." He cleared this throat again having a feeling he missed the mark once more from her stuttering reaction. "I was hoping you looking like you wanted to run at any moment had to do with the full moon and not me being... I don't know, creepy? But, I'm starting to get the feeling it is the ladder, so sorry for... do you want me to go? Because I can go inside," He offered out, not wanting to make her feel even more uncomfortable than he already seemed to. "Okay... well, let's not think about supposed to then. Just... Just say first thing that comes to your mind, okay? What do you want? Do you want me to go?" He repeated once more, holding his hands up in the air as if to show he meant no harm as his gaze locked on hers.

[aysun-demir]

Aysun couldn't help the way her shoulders tensed as the man moved, her arms wrapping tighter around herself. Deep down she knew she couldn't live this way, that she'd drive herself mad if she continued to isolate herself in fear of everyone around her. Her entire life had been turned upside down in a matter of weeks, and every day she found herself battling inner turmoil, fighting between upholding what was instilled in her and adapting to her new situation. Despite all that, she was becoming sure of one thing; people weren't meant to be completely alone. And so, despite the wariness rolling off her in waves, Aysun reached out, tentatively taking the offered jacket and draping it over her slender shoulders with a quietly murmured thank you.

"You're right, I wouldn't know," she replied honestly, pulling the jacket tighter around her shoulders, "but...I do love sunsets. And sunrises. I'm sure both would be lovely from your boat. I just think...part of the experience is the calmness and silence, I'm not sure how calm and silent a bar would be...?" Aysun was fairly certain her words weren't helping the situation or making the man feel any better, but she did think the boat could be a lovely place. Not that her opinion would matter to him. "Own- you own the hospital?" she asked in surprise, pulled out of her thoughts as her eyes darted to the mans face in surprise, "that's, um...impressive." Lovely, so she might've offended a member of the family who owned the place she worked at, just her luck.

Aysun was busy fretting about the possibility of actually losing her job, wondering if the man who was kind enough to offer her his jacket would be equally unkind enough to have her fired for not being all on board with his boat-bar, that she almost missed the pointed look. Bewildered, her eyes widened as they locked on his. Could he...know? God, was she already sprouting a unibrow or something,? "You- h-how- what do you mean?" she stuttered out, even as a strange sensation started tingling along her spine. She didn't want to jump to conclusions and out herself by accident, but something about that look on his face...did he know...? Her wet hair was plastered against her scalp, the rain falling in heavy sheets now. She wasn't sure if it was just the cold, but it was almost as if she could feel her bones rattling in her body, forcing her to shift her weight from side to side uncomfortably. "I'm not- I- I don't know-" she continued to babble, a feeling of panic starting to well in her chest, the backs of her eyes prickling, "I...I don't know what I'm supposed to do..."

He would have closed his eyes. Leaned back in his spot on the deck as he let the water rain down upon him, soaking his hair and washing the day he had been having along with it. That is if it wasn't for the look of apprehension in her eyes. He didn't know much about the woman standing before him, nor had he ever been someone to pry into someone else's life when they clearly looked like they ready to bolt at any moment. But, while he might be a human, he wasn't a moron and he was well aware that a full moon was readily approaching.

"An eh, I never really do, so what else is new? But, here," Song let out a deep sigh as he placed the bottle in his hand down at his feet. Slipping his jacket off of his shoulders as he reached down from the guard rail to offer it out to her. "Take it or don't," He offered. It was hard not to notice her standing there shivering, but if she'd prefer to use her arms to block the chill rather than his jacket that was her own prerogative. "Up to you. And if you..." He trailed off. His gaze catching on hers once more as he pointed up towards the sky as finished his thought, "If you have to go, you can. Don't let me stop you or, if you don't have much time, not that I'm assuming anything, but, if I was... you can always, well, it's probably a really stupid idea, but you can always use the boat. It's not like one person," Or a wolf, "can sink it anyway. It's sturdy. Safe and I can, I don't know, go somewhere else for the next few hours or until tomorrow. I don't mind." He already had put a down deposit on the boat in his intoxicated state, so the place pretty much was his. He was sure any damaged caused to it, would be hardly a sweat off his back. He was planning on gutting it and fixing it all up anyhow, so it wasn't actually that bad of a place to shift alone without having to worrying about hurting anyone. Sure, there was plenty better. But, the moon was starting to rise and he had a feeling she may be running out of time.

"Ah, well, you wouldn't really know, would you?" He countered. There was no bite behind his words. It was just an observation. "But, not you, huh?" He asked with a fleeting look as his gaze drifted back up over to the horizon. Only to snap his gaze back towards her as she moved her hand to grip the back of her neck. His body almost instinctively tensing at the sharp movement only for his to relax once more. His shoulders falling as he watched her curiously eyeing him back. "Yeah, uh, no. Some of my cousins do and so do my parents. They kind of... own the building?" He admitted awkwardly, bringing his own hand up as he ran his fingers awkwardly across the back of his neck.

[aysun-demir]

"People, honestly," she said with a half-laugh, shrugging her shoulders, "people are scary- or they can be scary, I suppose. And I know there are good people out there but...I don't want to get into a bad situation with someone only to find out they aren't one of them. It's easier to just...let things go. Words can only do so much...right?"

When he asked about why her family would approve of a human, presumably over a werewolf, Aysun hesitated, but ultimately she just offered up a little smile. That was a lot to get into, and not exactly party conversation either. "...Maybe I'll tell you another time," she settled for saying, and she meant it too, whether or not he actually cared to hear it. She didn't find it easy to talk to most people, yet somehow she didn't mind talking to him. Maybe it was because he'd seen her in shambles the first time they met, she couldn't possibly make any more of a fool of herself, so maybe it took a bit of that edge off.

Still, she held to her decision to part ways then, watching his retreating back for a moment. When he glanced back, she held up a hand in silent goodbye before she turned and headed in the opposite direction.

End.

"I guess what are you so afraid of?" He asked softly, having never been one to have a problem calling someone out. But, then again, he supposed that was the difference between the two of them. She cared about people and about what they thought of her. While, he had given up caring a long time ago. "I guess I never viewed defending oneself as confrontational, but what do I know," He said, slipping his hands into his front pockets as he offered her up a shrug.

"Evet," He nodded, responding in Turkish as he lifted a brow up at her in confusion as to why that was such a surprising thing to say. "I've been to a lot of places. Why? Is that surprising? And ah. Well, I liked Istanbul. The food was good. Really good actually. Bodrum was nice too. A bit more of a touristy feel though. As a human?" His brows scrunched once more. "Why's that?" He asked, not sure why a family of werewolves would approve of humans of all things, not that he was the typical human either given that everyone in his family were witches. "You weren't wasting my time, but okay then," He said, pulling himself up to his feet. Only at the mention of party games was a groan illicit from his mouth. "Do I look like someone who partakes in party games to you? Yeah, well, it wasn't that late when I was-" His words caught in his throat. Was jumped. Choosing not to finish the sentence, instead, he cleared his throat and gave her a stiff nod. "Got it. I'll get out of your hair then. Get home safe," He muttered under his breath as he turned to start heading back down to the barbecue, only glancing back once as he did. His dark eyes sending a warning to be careful as though the town was hardly as safe as it seemed.

[aysun-demir]

Aysun pressed her lips together for a moment, contemplating the question. The truth was, she didn't know why. It wasn't even the first time her meek personality became a topic of discussion, only the last time it'd come in the form of the nurses at her old job gossiping about how weird she was in the break room when they thought she was out of earshot. She didn't stand up for herself then either. At least Song posed his question to her face and didn't make it seem like an insult. "I...really don't know. I think it's just...how I am? It's just...scary I guess. Calling someone out. It's easier to just...walk away. I'm not a confrontational person."

"You've been to Istanbul?" she asked, surprise colouring her features as she turned towards him once more, a welcome change in subject, "how did you like it? It may sound surprising, but I've never been anywhere in Turkey other than the town I was born and raised in." It'd always been a dream though, to go back to her home country, simply to visit all the lovely places people raved about. It was almost embarrassing to be Turkish and not have those experiences, but she could only hope that she'd be able to remedy that. One day. At the poke Aysun couldn't help but giggle, a soft sound quickly lost in the wind. "Actually...as a human you might be one of the few people my family would approve of," she admitted with a little laugh, though she didn't bother pointing out that they'd probably be critical for other reasons. Luckily all her family members were far, far away. "Yes, you should, I've wasted enough of your time," she joked, pulling her knit cardigan tighter around herself as she got to her feet. If she was being entirely honest, she didn't want to leave him just yet, but she had this recurring feeling of guilt over their conversations always turning deep and emotional- he probably had better things to do. More fun things at the very least, they were a party for Gods' sake. "Oh no, you should get back to the festivities, it looks like they're breaking out the party games," she said, just as loud whoops and cheers sounded from where the majority of the group were gathered, "it's not that late, I'm just going to walk, you go ahead."

Seo-Joon’s brows creased as he watched her blink over at him. Her hands falling into her lap as if clearly taken aback, when he hadn’t meant it in any particular way. He just happened to have a sharp tongue. One that he had been trying to hold back around her, but clearly was failing. “Why’s that?” He asked curiously, his voice softening slightly as he tilted his gaze away from her as to not make her feel pressured to reply. 

“I mean some do? The Amish apparently make nearly everything from scratch, though I would hardly say that’s the norm. But, then again, it didn’t seem to be the norm in Istanbul either,” he noted. At least not when he had briefly visited. “But, not the norm doesn’t necessarily mean bad either,” he tact on, not wanting to make her feel any sort of way for being raised differently. Who was to say what was the right or wrong way to do things anyway? His parents had chosen to have him raised by au pairs growing up while they were in the Cove with the rest of his siblings after all and, while he had never known much about being normal, that hardly fell into the white picket fence secular family propaganda Americans seemed to be fed. “Oh? Am I one of those people?” He teased, giving her a small poke in her side. Not that he’d be surprised if he was. It would hardly be the first time. “Eh,” He slumped back where he was leaning. “Right and wrong have always seemed subjective to me,” he admitted. “There are how many billion people in the world? Who’s to say what the right or the wrong way is to do anything? Pretty sure even if you try to, you’ll never have everyone agree on it,” he continued to reason. Only when she said she could go, he sat up. Dusting off his hands on his jeans as he gave her a slow nod. Momentarily taken aback by how sudden the comment seemed, but he also wasn’t going to try to stop her from heading home either. “Ah gotcha. Yeah no worries. I should probably rejoin humanity too. You good to get home?” He checked as he stood up. “I can always give you a ride if not?”

[aysun-demir]

Aysun's gaze flitted uneasily to the sky just as the drops began to fall, squinting against breeze. Normally she enjoyed the rain, and standing in a storm getting soaked to the bone was something of a guilty pleasure of hers, but right then she couldn't help the apprehension. The full moon was on her mind as well, for a very specific reason, and the stormy atmosphere did nothing to ease her feelings about it.

She bit back a grimace when he seemed to pick up on her stretching of the truth. She couldn't tell a lie to save her life, really, so she wasn't all that surprised. "No...I don't think that makes me feel better," she replied honestly, crossing her arms against the chill. He might've said it almost casually, but something told her there was something deeper to it. Aysun had always been a bleeding heart, it was how she got herself into her current predicament, but she tried to shove it down- she'd done enough meddling. "From what I've heard about bars, I..don't think people are there for sunset views," she said slowly, her gaze meeting his for a moment before skittering away again. In fairness, her idea of bars and clubs was probably skewed by what the pack Elders had cautioned them over as young teens. Dangerous, grimy, sleezy, drug infested, stranger danger. In hindsight, Aysun had to wonder if that was just a tactic to scare them into following the rules. "But that's not to say your bar won't attract people for the sunsets" she added in a rush at his tone, "everyone loves sunsets, right?"

When he brought up the hospital, Aysun blinked doeishly at the suddenness of it. The wariness started to creep up her spine, and one of her hands lifted to grip the back of her neck. She had to fight the feeling of panic that welled at a stranger knowing where she worked- but then something came to her. A memory, an image. She'd...seen him before. At the hospital. "I- yes, I do," she started, tilting her head to the side as she took a turn to study him, "I've...seen you there before. I think? Do you work there as well?"

At the sound of her voice, he lifted his gaze up from the bottle dangling between his fingers. His brow lifting as he watched her slowly pull out from the thoughts she had seemed lost in until a few moments before. She seemed familiar, but he couldn't quite place where he had seen her as he felt a first drop of rain splash against the back of his neck. His hand reached back. His fingers running across his now damp skin as his peered up to sky, realizing quickly that a storm was likely coming along with the full moon. Fuck.

Tilting his gaze back over to her, he tried to stiffen back a scoff. "No, it isn't," He told her, not bothering to sugarcoat. Sinking down to the deck of the ship, he kicked his knees out from under the guardrail, so that they now dangled over the edge of the boat. Resting his forearms against the lower railing, Song's gaze met hers once more. The corner of his lips itching up ever so slightly as he admitted, "I didn't used to be either, if it makes you feel better." He had never really cared for the stuff. He used to hold a glass full of whiskey or a solo cup filled with anything at parties, so that he wouldn't have to field off questions about it. But, it wasn't until he had been in accident back in college that he had started drinking and, after he started, he had never really stopped. The irony that here he was now, downing back a bottle of whiskey to himself on a vacant boat bar he was this close to impulsively buying wasn't exactly lost on him. "But, you know there are other things at bars than drinking, right? Some have live music. Others pool tables. Some a scenic view of a sunset. None of that sound appealing to you or-" He began to ask, only to take in her reassuring smile and shake his head back and forth. "Recipe for disaster. Got it," He mused as he took another swig from his drink. "You-" He trailed off. His gaze scanning her up and down once more as realization from where he knew her from sunk in. "You work over at the hospital, don't you?"

[aysun-demir]

Aysun wasn't expecting the intensity of his response, and for a moment she simply blinked at him, her hand slowly falling away from her face to curl in her lap. "...perhaps you're right about that, I've...never really been someone who was good at standing up for myself," she admitted softly, her gaze flickering away as she shrugged a slender shoulder, "I don't even know if it's any more exhausting to be honest, it's just...how I've always been I suppose...."

She let out an airy laugh at his comment about her upbringing being unusual. "Yes, lately I've been...starting to see just how unusual it was myself," she admitted, "for a long time it was all I knew so I thought it was normal. Imagine my surprise when I moved to America and people weren't building their own furniture from scratch," she joked, a little smile lingering at her lips. The smile faltered slightly at his words, drawing her into a contemplative silence as she looked up at the now dark starry sky. "I don't know it's just that...Since being in Lunar Cove I've been...different. Doing things and interacting with people that I've been taught to believe are bad- and I know it may seem silly to think like that when I'm a grown woman now but...it's just this constant state of wondering if I'm doing the right thing and worrying that I'm not..." Trailing off Aysun swallowed thickly, turning her face away from Song for a moment as she felt the emotion flare up. She'd already forced him to bear witness to one of her meltdowns, she couldn't in good conscious subject him to more tears. After a long silence, she cleared her throat, visibly trying to shake it off. "I should...probably get going soon," she started, still not looking at him, "I, um, guess the games took more out of me than I thought."

"Sounds to me like you let people get away with too much," He admitted. His gaze falling to hers as he watched her cup her hands over her cheek in embarrassment. "Is it not exhausting?" He asked. His dark eyes softening slightly as he eyed her curiously. "Apologizing for merely existing?"

"I've got a say and, don't take this the wrong way, but I think you had a pretty unusually upbringing. But, as for woodworking, I don't know. I like doing it myself, I guess," He admitted with a small shrug. Yes, he could order whatever he desired with a click of a button to arrive at his doorstep with in the next few days, but the quality of things these days was hardly to par with how they used to be and, if he was being honest, he didn't exactly mind having a project or a distraction. These days more so than ever. "Now that I would have to see. But, what do you mean?" He asked, falling into a momentary silence himself before he added, "Who says it has to be either though? Good or bad? What if it just is?"

[aysun-demir]

When he mentioned hoping she'd told the person off, she couldn't help it, a laugh bubbled forth, eyes crinkling up, lips spreading wide. It lasted a second before she was ducking her head, embarrassed, a hand coming up to hide a red cheek. "Sorry, it's just- I apologized to someone the other day when they spilled their coffee on me. I've been known to apologize to flowers I've accidentally stepped on too so...the idea of me telling anyone off is just- it was funny," she explained sheepishly.

"Oh- no! Of course that's not why," she replied quickly, "it's just- back home we had to make a lot of our stuff ourselves, so tasks like woodworking and metal working were skills many people had. Since moving to the States it just seems like everyone can buy whatever they need one their phone only to have it delivered right to their doorstep- I can say I haven't met a single other person who actually does something like woodworking since leaving Turkey, so...yea..." Clearing her throat, Aysun watched as he took another bite from her cupcake and then she took the last one before crumpling the wrapper in her hand, turning her gaze to the now dark sky dotted by stars as far as the eye could see. "Maybe one of these days I'll turn into a party animal, who knows," she joked, lapsing into a momentary silence, "sometimes I find it hard to recognize the person I've become even in the short time I've been here...I still don't know if that's a good thing or a bad one..."

He smirked, reached up to wipe the frosting away from the corner of his lips as he caught her surprised reaction. "Who the hell said that? A robot?" He asked with a curve of his brow. "I hope you told them off," He let out a low whistle at the thought. He knew he would have, though he had a feeling Aysun probably reacted differently.

"Why?" He turned back. His gaze catching hers as he offered up with a nonchalant shrug, "I don't give rough and rugged vibes, is that it? But, guess so." The corner of his lips tilted up in a mix of shock and amusement as he watched her peel back the wrapped some more only to hold the cupcake out for him to take a bite from. "What? You?" He feigned a scoff as he leaned forwards to take another bite from the cupcake she had offered him. "And she's having fun at that. Who would have guessed?"

[aysun-demir]

"Oh. Um..."

Admittedly it was her own fault for wandering too close, lost in her thoughts. She'd gotten lost earlier, and while she initially tried to find her way back home, it quickly turned into aimless wandering, her mind far, far away. The full moon was coming up quickly, too quickly, and Aysun was filled with thoughts of dread over experiencing her first transformation. A small part of her was upset with her family, because all the secrecy and taboo meant she knew nothing of what was to come, but that feeling was quickly replaced with guilt and regret. It was her own fault she was in this situation now, couldn't blame her family for that now could she?

"It's, um, very nice," she offered carefully, brown eyes fliting over the boat which was admittedly far from nice. But she wasn't going to say that. "I'm...not much of a drinker, so I'm probably not right person to ask...?" she said after a beat, her gaze shifting to the man. How would he know that she'd never had a sip of alcohol let alone set foot in a bar, but it was clear he was going through something, and she couldn't help but want to be nice to compensate. "But, um, I'm sure other people would...really enjoy it...?" she added with what she hoped was a reassuring little smile.

@lunarcovestarters

"What do you think?" He finally asked, glancing up from the bottle of whiskey that was currently dangling precariously between his fingers as he leaned over the rail of the pirate ship of a boat that was in need of a hell of a lot of work before the bar would be able to be reopened to the public. He had vague memories of Shipfaced back when he was a kid, but it had always been too kitchy for his own liking. The previous owner would dress up as a Pirate and shout 'yarg' at whoever entered for god knows what reason. But, the foundation was there and it had a pretty nice space downstairs that could be turned into his own quarters to live which very well meant that he could solve his lack of a home and lack of a job problem in one go. It was just a question of whether or not it would be profitable. "Boat Bar, place you want to spend your Saturday night or does it reek of seasickness and a recipe for disaster?"

[aysun-demir]

"Wha- oh!" Her eyes widened in surprise as Song leaned in and took a bite out of her cupcake as it sat in her palm. Her own mouth fell open at the action, the gentle flush on her cheeks from before deepening. She wasn't lying when she'd said she didn't have a thing about germs, but she definitely wasn't anticipating that being the reason he'd asked. Clearing her throat, Aysun peeled back the wrapper to take another bite herself. "In my defense the last time I told someone I read for fun they looked at me as though I was some sort of...weirdo," she said with a little shrug, clearly unbothered by it. It would hardly be the first time she received a similar criticism since moving out of Turkey.

When he mentioned that he also did woodworking, Aysun looked over at him, surprise colouring her features once more. "Oh, I...wasn't expecting that," she mused, her eyes lingering for a moment, "but...yes, I'd love to help. Honestly I've been thinking of getting back into it lately, this must be the universe's way of telling me it's time." Peeling back the wrapper again, Aysun hesitated for just a second before she held the cupcake out in Song's direction, tentatively offering another bite. "Well...It's probably best I assumed this was mandatory too, I've been told I need to get out more," she said with a little chuckle, shaking her head, "I know a lot happened here before I turned up but...it seemed like the town needed this...It's...nice"

"Well, in that case, sharing is caring," He said, leaning over to take a bite of the cupcake straight out of her hand. "Mm, okay," He whipped the spare dab of frosting from his own lips as he leaned back from where he was sitting once more. "I can see the appeal," He decided, shooting her a teasing look. Only to cock a brow up at her in question. "You do know that reading for fun is sort of a thing, right? The fiction section does exist for a reason and shit like Twilight isn't for High School education, that's for sure. But, oh?" He found himself momentarily caught off guard at the mention of woodworking. His gaze drifted back up towards the stars above as himself admitting, "Me too. Actually, if you, uh, want to get back into it, you could always swing by the boat?" He offered up. "I know we're officially open now, but there is a lot of work that still needs to be done on it."

You're welcome, he mouthed over at her. A deep laugh actually managed to break from his lips at the mention of having to move away from the party. "Touché. But, wait, no one told you?" His brow curved up as he fought back a hint of a smirk. "Only the games were mandatory. You didn't have to come to barbecue if you didn't want to," He filled her in. "Though, occasionally. On Holidays, the whole town will shut down for stuff like this."

[aysun-demir]

"I never said you didn't know how to-" She cut herself off from trying to explain that her actions weren't because she thought he was incapable, but rather because she wanted to help. Song was, after all, one of the first people she'd connected with when she arrived in Lunar Cove, even if it'd been a whole ordeal. She thought of him as a friend, she didn't have many of those, and considering she'd worry for even a stranger on the street, it meant something to her. But it was clear to see that Song wasn't in the mood to be cared for, and so she let the words die on her lips, opting for silence as he spoke instead. "Song, that's not what I- I've never thought of you as an...entitled rich kid. And I'm not trying to disregard my own health, I'm still here, aren't I?" Which, to be fair, she had considered signing herself out few times, but she truly didn't have a complete disregard for her wellbeing. Besides, she didn't have a family or loved ones to dote on her or check in with her, and the familiar faces who'd popped in on her had family and close ties of their own elsewhere. If she were to go home she'd just be...alone. And she wasn't ready for that.

Aysun let out a soft sigh at his words, knowing he wasn't wrong but also knowing herself enough to acknowledge that it was just how she was. She maintained her silence as he moved past her, but right when he was at the door, she suddenly spoke up. "I stole pudding," she blurted, whispering as if it was a criminal offense- which it might as well have been considering the pudding cups were a rarity amongst the mountains of Jello cups everyone seemed to hate. Reaching into the pocket of her gown, she produced a single chocolate pudding cup and a spoon, "there was only one left, but...I'm down to share if you are...? A...snack before you go...?"

His eyes fell onto hers, not bothering to hide his deadpan stare as he pointed out the obvious, "Thanks for the consideration, but I'm not going to bleed all over the floor. Believe it or not, I actually know how to apply a bandage." Nor did he bother to hide the way his brows ticked up in annoyance at the implication that he would actually leave a huge mess for the staff to clean up, outside of the standard disinfectant protocol for any room that had an occupant in it. Moving over to the cabinets in the room, he proceeded to soak a cotton ball in rubbing alcohol. Pressing it against the pinprick of a hole the needle had been drawn from, he slapped a bandaid over the mark before shooting him a look as if to say 'oh so challenging'. "Ah, so let me get this straight. You can disregard your own health, but when I do it, I'm an entitled rich kid with a lack of appreciation for those 'beneath me', is that right? Cool." He knew he was likely being unfair to her. She was only trying to help, but there was so much doting over him that he could take and, the truth of the matter was, she was bound to see more asshole-ish side to him at some point. So, it was probably better it happened sooner rather than later.

"Given that I was checked in against my own will, kind of, yeah," He told her with a nonchalant shrug as he began to limp past her. His gaze only softening momentarily as he glanced back over his shoulder, "If you keep on prioritize everyone else above yourself, you're going to reach a point where you're no help to anyone. But, what do I know."

[aysun-demir]

"A thing about germs?" she repeated curiously, tilting her head at him. "Well...no, not that I know of. I mean, I work in a hospital, it would probably make things difficult if I was afraid of germs," she said with an airy laugh, soft enough that it was nearly lost in the wind. What does Aysun do for fun. That was a question she didn't get often, and as such, she found herself fumbling a little for an answer. "Oh. Well, um...I'm not sure if anyone would necessarily call it fun but...I like to read," she started, her feet swinging back and forth absently as she looked out at the sunset, "I like to woodwork, wood carving mostly, but...I haven't really had a chance to do much of that since I've been here." The brush of his thumb against her cheek had her eyes darting over to him, a light blush dusting her cheeks as she murmured a quiet thank you. "I'd like to point out that we had to move away from the party to enjoy the sunset," she said with a little grin, an uncharacteristic teasing undertone to her words, "honestly...I think I did enjoy myself. I've never...done anything like this before. And if it hadn't been mandatory that we participate...I think I would've missed out...Do they do things like this here often?"

"What for?" He countered. His shoulders lifting and slumping back into an eased shrug as his own gaze drifted from her back over to the skyline. "Well, you and I both. You don't have a thing about germs, do you though?" He asked curiously, debating about whether he should teasingly insist on her sharing or if that would freak her out. "Yeah I mean the party," He rolled his eyes lightly over. The corner of his lips tilting up ever so slightly as he watched her get frosting across her cheek. "Sounds like you need to get out more. But, okay, so what does Aysun do for fun then, if she's not out and about?" He asked with a curve a brow, reaching over and brushing his thumb across her cheek to swipe the misplaced frosting on her behalf. "You had a little, uh," He clarified. "But, you're all good now. And see. What did I tell you? Who says you can't enjoy a sunset in the midst of a party? But, eh. At times? Which is more than I can say about much recently, so I guess I'll take that as a win. You?"

[aysun-demir]

"A wide bore needle in your vein is hardly a needle prick, and even if you don't care about getting blood on your things, we can perhaps have some consideration for the hospital staff who will have to clean and disinfect after you." The words were softly spoken, hardly confrontational by anyone's standards, but it was a far cry from her usual passive nature. In another circumstance his tone would've been enough to have her high-tailing it out of there with a mumbled apology, but being stuck in the hospital and being in pain was making even her a little testy. So she couldn't imagine how Song was faring. Blowing out a breath, Aysun stepped away from him, leaning heavily against a nearby cabinet. "Someone down the hall...they were calling out for water, I- the unit is swamped, the nurses are busy, and she's been asking for a while and I just- I couldn't...ignore her," she answered with a little shrug as she adjusted her sling. "I'm guessing you're leaving AMA...?"

"Eh, I have others," He shrugged her worried gaze off. Only for another sigh to break from his lips as he watched her attempt to open the drawer with her cast. "Aysun," He groaned out as she made her way over to him. "Stop. I know how to bandage myself up and, even if I didn't, we both know a needle prick hardly needs a bandaid. It will heal on its own and stop bleeding in a couple minutes," He point out. Yes, the smaller pricks tended to be the ones that bled more for some reason, but it was no more than a paper cut and, compared to his other wounds, was hardly the one to be fretting over. "Yeah. Home. Should I ask why you are up and about rather than doing what you ask your patients to do?" He countered with a curve of his brow.

[aysun-demir]

Aysun wrinkled her nose at him in response, but a little smile tugged at her lips anyway, mirroring his own. "Thank you," she murmured as she took the cupcake, instantly bringing it up to her lips to lick off a dollop of frosting. "No, believe me, cupcakes are my thing. I've got a very big sweet tooth," she reassured, peeling back the liner so she could take a big bite, dipping her nose in the frosting as she did. It only occurred to her after a second that he wasn't talking about the cupcake. "Oh! You mean the party," she corrected after swallowing, pink dusting her cheeks at the mistake, "it's...not so bad, really. But you're right, it's...not really my thing. Or, well, I guess it's not fair for me to say that when this is only, what, the second party I've ever been to? Not a very good sample size." Shrugging a slender shoulder, Aysun turned her gaze back to the sunset. "This view is worth it though," she mused with a little smile as she took in the scene before them. They where far enough away from the heart of the party that the noise was mostly drowned out, even to her enhanced senses. It brought out the sounds of the woods around them instead, which she much preferred. "Did you have fun today?"

"See? Was that so hard?" He whispered over to her. The corner of his lips tilting up ever so slightly in amusement as he dipped his head. Nodding at the mention of the cupcake being for her. "It is. Here," He said, offering it out for her to take before giving her another eased shrug. "Lucky guess? I figured you can't go wrong with a cupcake, can you? But, I'm sorry. That this isn't really your thing? Though, the food isn't all too bad and neither is the view," He offered up with a tilt of his head towards the sun that was beginning to set along the tips of the trees.