[Azura Rayume]

What? Did she really think of herself that way? Valjean shook his head slowly, moving slightly to block the flecks of sun from her face. Watching her wince in pain was too hard for him.

"You're not a monster," he said. "You never will be in my eyes. You can always be the beautiful girl I fell for. Just because you have to stay inside during the day doesn't mean you're a monster." He hoped his words would comfort her because he had no plan-B for making her stop sulking.

[MythicDusk]

"I just don't want you to have to change the way you live for me." She moved slightly so the sun was shining on her face again. A mask of depression overwelmed her face once again, like when they had first met. Her eyes were dull, her porcelean skin shone in the sunlight, beads of sweat trickling down her forehead. It took all her strength not to cry out with pain. Her lips began to tremble as her skin began to dry and crack, as if she had spent months in the desert. Her lips were now dry and chapped, but she refused to move out of the sunlight.

[Azura Rayume]

Valjean stiffened as she pulled away from him into the burning sun again before pulling her close again. This was pointless; no amount of exposure was going to correct her problem with the light. She was just hurting herself because of... him? No, he wouldn't think that, not ever.

"Don't do this," he whispered, a few hot tears winding their way down his cheek in unfamiliar tracks. "I can live in the dark. Just please... Don't..."

[MythicDusk]

Arwen sniffed nonchalantly, as if she had just been brushed by a light breeze, and not almost made herself into a block of charcoal. She sneezed while cupping her burnt face and whimpered. "I think I'm cupping my brain in my hands. Do you prehaps have a tissue I can use?" She hiccuped slightly and moved her hands away from her face, sure enough, there was a small smattering of blood in her cupped hands, there was blood weeping from the cracks in her skin on her nose, and she had a nosebleed. Arwen grunted and wiped the blood on her clothing, not even looking at Valjean.

[Azura Rayume]

Valjean looked at her, his dark blue eyes filled with a mixture of concern and distress. "I told you to stop it," he muttered, trying to smile faintly as he rummaged through his pockets. He worried about her; he had to. If he didn't she would probably have killed herself by now.

He managed to fish an unexpected tissue from his pocket- still confused as to how he happened to have everything he needed despite the fact that he had only been a human for the past few hours- and handed it to he. Gods, she looked horrible. He knew nothing good could come from exposing herself like that.

"I can live in the dark," he said again, gaze trained on her injured face. "You'll be the light fo my day."

[MythicDusk]

Arwen said nothing and simply dabbed the tissue against her face, standing and moving to the other side of the tree, that way he couldn't see her cry. She sobbed silently, shining tears leaving trails down her cracked face. she couldn't survive in the light. Valjean would have to live in the darkness. The one thing she had always dreamed of since a young girl had been creuuly snatched away. She wanted to be able to dance in the meadows filled with wildflowers under the summer light. Now she would be forced to stalk them in the winter moon.

[Azura Rayume]

Valjean made to follow her but decided against it a second later, realizing this was not the time to press his presence on her. She was upset, and he hated to think it was because he would have to stay in the dark to be with her. He didn't want her to suffer because of him.

He leaned against the tree, pulling his knees close to his chest, his head resting on the bark. He couldn't get why she was making this so hard on herself. He usually spent most of his time in the dark as it was. All the best parties and concerts started after eight already, and that wasn't about to change because he couldn't go out with her much earlier than that.

He began humming softly in a vain attempt to take his mind off the current situation, his voice gradually changing from the soft melody to lightly sung words:

"I believe if you believe
That you are everything I wanted to see
And I believe if you believe
That I am everything you want me to be
I can't see the troubles all around me
But I can be the very thing that you need
So I'll believe if you believe
That you are everything you wanted"

[MythicDusk]

Valjean singing only made her feel worse, she moved her hand into sunlight and watched as the skin began to shrivel and crack, she swiftly returned it to the shade, sobs rising in her throat as she sung gently.
"Don't tell me that it's over,
It's only just begun,
Don't tell me that it's over,
And the song is sung,
The song is sung.

Will you please,
I'm on my knees,
Beggin' you to stop."
Her own cracked voice cut her off as she began to sob, burying her broken face in her blood-spattered hands.

[Azura Rayume]

Valjean glanced around the tree to her, still unsure of whether his actual presence would be comforting or distressing to her. If his singing had made her cry, he could only guess what actually being there might cause. So he sat idly, thinking of how he might fix her problems.

The obvious solution seemed to be one she was unwilling to take: both of them staying inside during the day. He would be fine with that, but Arwen seemed to desire the sunlight more than her own safety, which bothered him. She was willing to injure herself for something she had never had, and he failed to understand this compulsion she had.

The only other alternative he could think of was something he was unwilling to let her do. He had heard of a little clinic that operated on the underground that was known for mutating the ones who paid the high fees for operations. The clientele was rather limited, but Arwen happened to fit into the small group the clinic was willing to accept. He hated the idea of taking her there because, while it might fix her problems with the sun, he had heard stories of the ones who received that "special treatment" changing in more than just appearance. He didn't want to take a chance on her changing into someone completely unfamiliar.

[MythicDusk]

Arwen sighed and ran her hand down her face, leaving a steak of blood. Eventually she lay in the grass and smiled, at least there were small mercies, it was only light that affected her, she could still sit in the shade on a summers day. This must of been the first time she'd smelt the grass in daytime, and it was such a sweet, comforting scent. She exhaled gently, opening her eyes slowly, wondering what Valjean was thinking of.

[Azura Rayume]

Valjean eventually followed Arwen's example, stretching himself out on the grass with a sigh. He tilted his head slightly in the hopes of catching a glimpse of her around the tree. He actually managed to see most of her face and was dismayed by the blood streak he saw. Still, a streak was better than active bleeding, but he hated seeing any evidence of pain on her. Unfortunately she might be in a lot more pain from now on, seeing as how her human skin seemed more troubled by the sun than her Rollaby fur.

"Hey..," he muttered, trying his best to draw her attention without causing her distress again. Singing had upset her, so he was at a loss as to how else he could do so.

[MythicDusk]

Arwen looked over to him, smiling and rolling over so she could see him fully. "I'm sorry that I worried you. It's just been a dream of mine. I used to read those old story books and saw how the princesses were always in sunlight, and they always looked so happy, so I started to think, that maybe, just maybe, if I could like in sunlight, I would be happy too..." Her eyes were glazed over as she reminisced, biting her lower lip gently as she seemed to stare through Valjean.

[Azura Rayume]

That was it? Valjean tried not to laugh, but a chuckle escaped him despite the effort. "You don't really need the sun to be happy, do you?" he asked, still trying his best to keep the mirth from his voice. "I'll tell you one this: it's wasn't the sunlight that made those princesses so happy. It was usually finding that prince or knight that was willing to do anything to sweep her off her feet that made them smile so much." Now he couldn't help but sound a little proud. "And haven't you find that yet?" He would like very dearly for her to consider him as good as a prince, at least in the aspect of wanting anything for her happiness. Because he did.

[MythicDusk]

Arwen chuckled softly. "Yeah, I guess it was a bit stupid, but still. I just wanted to be, well, normal, I guess." She scratched at her cracked cheek, a frown pulling at her lips and her brow furrowed. "Don't get me wrong, Valjean. You are my prince, my knight, and whatever else. But I just wanted to be able to well, do normal stuff. Like going shopping or going for a picnic in the park without getting burnt horribly or hiding under a tree until the sun set." She lay on her side, facing away from him, sighing with defeat. "You wouldn't understand."

[Azura Rayume]

Valjean sighed. No, he might not understand her desire, being one who had never been deprived of such a simple thing as sunlight. Still, he wanted to understand, if only to help her not feel so alone.

"You're right," he said, shaking his head in mock defeat. "I don't know what it's like to be without the simple joy of the sun. But I do know what it's like to not be able to do something you really love." Why did his mind have to turn to his upbringing now? All those years of doing nothing but what his parents wanted, always having his friends and his activities taken away if they weren't "proper" enough. And worst of all, the limits on his music and the lack of understanding between his parents and himself.