I aM tHe WaLrUs

[KERFUFFLE]

Well, that's cool. I'll talk to you whenever. Just have a good time!

What are you getting done?

Asher wrapped both of his arms around her, holding her close, rocking her a bit. Softly, he told her, "I'll never let you go again. This once was enough for a lifetime. I wish I had never gone in the first place, but there was nothing I could do. But never again. I always want you near to me." He buried his face in her hair, inhaling her smell that he loved, perfectly content and at peace. The night and setting couldn't have been more perfect, he thought to himself. They had had rain, which they loved, and now they were sat by the light of the moon, where he could truly observe her beauty, her features higlighted and accentuated by it.

 

[Bunny_grl07]

I'm getting some length off, maybe some long layers. I'm finalizing my decision today =)

How's your day been so far?

Lucy took a deep breath, reassuring herself that he was really here, alive and in the flesh, and that this was actually happening to her. She noticed the smell of soap, hospital cleaning solutions, the musty smell of the material his uniform was made out of, mixed with... smoke. It was almost a singed smell, which could be explained by the attack on the encampments. But she also smelled his skin, his hair, the wine and cake they had shared, lingering on his breath and lips. There were too many things to notice about him, but there were too little at the same time. And then she looked up, noticing how the moonlight seemed to bathe everything, making Central Park seem even more beautiful than ever. or maybe it was because he was there. The world seemed to light up with his smile, her universe began to look less like a prison and more like the fields of home. Free, uninhibited, beautiful.

 

[KERFUFFLE]

Awesome Let me know how it goes.

Well, after typing this again, I think, it's safe to reflect back and say I had a wonderful day

How about you?

Asher observed the beauty of everything around him with an expression of deep thought and concentration. His eyes saw things that maybe others who had never trained to spot every detail of every part of their surroundings ever could. The steady graduation of bright, looking almost flourescent white into total darkness. How, for a while, the left hand edges of every leaf on a tree that stood to thre right of the moon, but suddenly, it became a solid silhouette, just a shadow, seeming more like a single being. Why was he even noticing these things? He didn't understand how things just caught his attention this way, his mind already conjuring up how a scene such as this could be depicted on canvas.

He then blinked and he was back in the real world. Except it didn't feel real, either, having been somewhere entirely different for so long. And he knew that he was lucky to be here. Yes, he had been mistaken for dead. But his state following the attacks had not been far off it. A scar on his neck and a few cuts near his temple were all one could see now. It had been his torso that had seen the worst of the Vietcong's wrath.

 

[Bunny_grl07]

We're having fun. watching "The Hunchback of Notre Dame"

=) I'm glad you had a wonderful day! what all did you do?

Lucy moved slightly, so she could look up at his face, studying it, her look somber, and somewhat sad, but her eyes were still alight with the inner joy of her lover's faithful return to her. The moonlight illuminated most of his skin, but it also deepened the shadows cast by his hair hanging over his forehead, his nose, his jaw also casting darkness on his neck. But she had seen the scarring in the orange and golden light of the streetlamps. She knew he had been to hell and back-- in her eyes, he had conquered death, vanquished it completely. In fact, this light made him look like one of the beautiful angels carved out of stone and marble, in the museums and cathedrals of the city. Touching the skin on his cheek, she couldn't help smiling at this amazing man whom she had grown to love. "You look even more beautiful than I remember," she whispered, her voice velvety soft, like the light of the moon.

 

[KERFUFFLE]

Awesome! =D

I helped G'ma with the shopping, then we went to town, had a coffee, went home, made lunch, I played some guitar for them, and we chatted a lot. It was a good day

Asher had closed his eyes at her touch. In the overall atmosphere of the moment, it had sent shockwaves down his spine, made his skin tingle. He asked her softly, "Do you really think so? I'm afraid that when you see what some of me has become, you may be less attracted to me, find some of it hard to look at. I'm afraid of causing you pain because you'll see it and be frightened by it.."

 

[Bunny_grl07]

Yay! I really want to go out tonight, so I'm hoping once my mom gets home from work she'll take us somewhere.

Lucy smiled sadly and shook her head, bringing him closer to her. "Asher, I could never be frightened by you. I would only feel grief, because you had to go through all that-- especially on your own. But I'll never be less attracted to you. And you never know, maybe the whole wounded by battle will be a turn on for me." Her smile lightened up greatly, and she kissed his cheek delicately. "Asher, the way you look isn't why I love you. I love you because you're so loving, and passionate, and you always push me to do my best and believe in myself, even when I can't find anything about myself to love. You being handsome is just like the cherry on top of an ice cream sundae. Sweet, but unnecessary." She was honestly surprised that he would think that she would be so shallow in her judgments of him. "Besides... I've seen two bodies torn to shreds, one that I thought was you, and Richard. That frightened me. I'll never be frightened by you." She kissed him briefly, then looked up at him with the smile she reserved just for him, full of total love for him, adoring and heartfelt.

 

[KERFUFFLE]

That'd be cool

Anywhere in mind?

Asher's lips turned up into a small, yet completely sincere smile, and he opened his eyes once more, so that he could look at her as she spoke. "It wasn't that I was afraid you wouldn't love me anymore if I wasn't handsome to you. Because I know you're not like that, and you're attracted to who I am. But, like I said, I was afraid that you would be freaked out by what you saw. And that would hurt me alot, because it was hurting you.." he replied softly, "So, thank you, for letting me know that you'll see past that. Because I would have been a lot more nervous about.. Not wearing anything with you around." He paused for a moment, to compose himself, diverting his thoughts away from the memories of the first time he'd seen himself after the attack-- he'd been overwhelmed. Of course, he looked much better now, since wounds had healed, but not everything would fade over time. But she had made him feel better about himself already, and he offered her his own adoring smile in return for hers. He then changed the subject, reaching into the bag which had held the cake box and the wine as he said, "But, forget that. I'm happy. It's your birthday after all." From it he produced a wrapped item, and handed it to her. "A little something from me. I hope you like it."

 

[Bunny_grl07]

Wal mart xD That's the only cool place in my town!

Lucy laughed lightly and said, "Asher, I think you're beautiful, no matter how scarred up you are. Even if you looked like Frankenstein's monster, I wouldn't notice any Hollywood star or model. I'd only have eyes for you. And believe me, you're much sexier than Frankenstein's monster." She knew it was true, as well. She didn't love him because he was beautiful. He was beautiful because she loved him. As she contemplated her own thoughts, she thought about how he could have had any model or superstar he wanted. Thinking that made her feel terrible about herself, but she couldn't help it. She wondered why he had chosen a plain girl like herself. Sighing softly, she gave him another kiss, then gasped as Asher handed her the wrapped gift. "Asher! You really shouldn't have gotten me anything! You being here is enough for me, not to mention the cake and wine and roses!" She unwrapped the box carefully, one of her quirky habits. She hated ripping the wrapping paper, when it could be used again.

 

[KERFUFFLE]

I had to stop myself from laughing then, since everyone else is asleep. See, here, we have supermarkets, too, but I wouldn't take a trip out to one xD

Asher had to laugh a little at the whole thing about Frankenstein's monster. "Thank you for such a generous compliment," he said to her, joking, chuckling. Despite his amusement, he was genuinely touched by what she'd said to him, it meant a lot to know how things such as the alteration of his appearance couldn't change things. In spite of that, he was glad that, except for the scar on his neck, the rest of his head and neck had been just fine.

He watched as she opened her gift. Under the paper was just a plain box, but inside was a folded silk pashmena. It was a bluey-turquoise colour, which he picked because he always felt she suited it. However, the material was in fact iridescent, becoming more green when turned this way, more blue that way, a hint of purple there. Threads of gold and silver leaf had been sewn through it, some were just specks, like the stars in a night sky. He said, "A Vietnamese lady I met in a village made these for a living. I rescued her children and she insisted she show them to me. They were all so beautiful, it made me think of you."

 

[Bunny_grl07]

I would! You never know what can happen at the grocery store! Plus, we need chocolate BADDDDD! xD

I'll post more later, hang out time!

 

[KERFUFFLE]

Alright. You put on hold something awesome, but it can wait

Have an amazing evening and tomorrow, I'll talk to you soon =D

 

[Bunny_grl07]

OH LAWD! D: Oh, we're watching Disney movies. Right now it's Snow White, and we're chuckling at how stupid she is.

I'll talk to you later! I LOVE YOU~

Lucy pulled the pashmena out of the box, her eyes aglow with pure delight. Seeing as she didn't have a good job-- she had been working as a waitress at a diner to pay the bills-- she didn't have any money to buy things for herself. And even when she had spare money, she gave it to Asher in her letters, so he could buy extra luxuries at the camp, like more soap, shaving supplies, et cetera. So getting treated with food for her birthday was amazing, and suddenly she had the most beautiful fabric she had ever seen resting in her hands. She stroked the cloth delicately, then let it run through her fingers, gasping with joy at how nice it felt. "Asher, this is so beautiful! I can't believe you bought this for me. Thank you so much!" Her eyes got teary again at receiving such a nice gift, because she was so grateful to him. But, like she had said before, just having him home was enough of a gift for her.

 

[KERFUFFLE]

Niicee I can't remember the last time I saw that.

Have a wonderful day! I love you, too!

Asher watched her reaction with muted delight. He was simply smiling softly on the outside, but inside he was ecstatic at how much she loved it. He had seen it at the lady's workshop and known it was the perfect one for her from the very moment it had caught his eye. "I'm glad you like it. I just knew when I saw it that I had to get it for you." He then looked down and said, "You missed something, though." He handed her a little handmade pouch, that had been made by the same woman, it was red with gold leaf through it. "Just a little something else. Not much. Just look inside it."

 

[Bunny_grl07]

It's great, to make fun of Disney movies.

Have an awesome day yourself! If you don't there will be bad things I'll do!

Lucy put the pashmena back in the box, not wanting to spoil it by getting it wet. Because it would be very bad if, right after she got her amazing gift, she ruined it. She sighed loudly and playfully said to Asher, "Great! Now I'm going to have to make your next birthday insanely amazing! This is going to be very hard to top, you know!" She laughed, then looked at the pouch, cleaely amazed. "Did the woman make this too? I'm so jealous, I wish I had a special talent like that!" Then, very carefully, she opened the pouch and looked inside, wondering what sort of gift he could give that could possibly outdo the silk pashmena.

 

[KERFUFFLE]

It is

It was amazing-- when we went to see Toy Story last week they were playing loads of Disney tunes before the movie started <3

Asher chuckled and said to her, "If it makes you feel any better, I didn't buy the pouch, I found a use for it instead. The lady gave it to me as a sign of her gratitude." He pursed his lips as she opened it. When she took out what was inside, he put his hand over hers and said, "I'm sure you remember, I told you before I left there I was something I felt afraid to do, but I wanted to. Well, after being away from you, and in the thick of war, for a whole year, I have nothing left to be afraid of. I told you I'd find the courage, and I'm hoping you'd find your answer in time.."

She had pulled out a ring, white gold, a subtle pattern engraved across the band, and a diamond in the middle. He just looked at her now, right into her eyes. "Miss Lucy McClintock.. Would you do me the huge honour of marrying me?"

 

[Bunny_grl07]

Hey!

How are you?

When he first spoke, Lucy raised an eyebrow at him, clearly confused. "A use for it? Really? That's interesting..." She didn't really know what the heck he would use the pouch for. Maybe there was some sort of exotic tea or spices inside. Or maybe it could hold some sort of good luck talisman or something. But she felt something small and roundish inside, and she rose an eyebrow, as if trying to decide what the heck was going on. Then she pulled out the ring and took a very good look at it, her eyes wide with total shock and joy. When he officially asked her to marry him, she started bawling, but it was a good thing. I've been crying a lot lately, haven't I?

"Yes!" She exclaimed, her voice breaking, smiling at him with total adoration as she held out her left hand so he could put the ring on.

 

[KERFUFFLE]

I've had an amazing day <3

How about you?

Asher had been holding his breath the whole time she had been taking out the ring, and in the moments between him asking her and her answering; it had actually been almost no time at all, but the seconds had stretched out into an endless amount of what seemed like hours, because of his excitement and tension. He let out his breath and grinned when she said yes. He took the ring and slid it onto her ring finger, and then leaned in, giving her a short, but passionate kiss. "I love you so much," he whispered, leaning his forehead against hers, gazing down at her.

 

[Bunny_grl07]

I'm exhausted. I was at an overnight in at a gymnastics center, so I'm pooped. xD

Lucy thew her arms around his neck, making the kiss last for as long as she could, then she grinned up at him. "I love you too," she replied, rubbing the back of his neck with one of her hands, unable to tell him everything that she wanted to at that moment. There was so much that had happened in the past month, so many things they had to catch up on. They had a lot of planning to do in the near future-- they had a future together! That fact alone really meant something to Lucy, because of her previous belief that Asher had passed away. "Asher... you know my parents will want to meet you before we go ahead with the weddings plans. And your parents have missed you, so we'll have to visit them."

 

[KERFUFFLE]

Haha, niiicee xD

Asher took her free hand and kissed it gently just once. He nodded and said, "I know. I need to call them when we get back, I haven't had the chance to tell them that.. Well, that I'm not dead after all." He thought about them, how they must have felt. He had missed them while he'd been away. He didn't call them as often as he'd liked, the way he did when he was home. "So, I guess you met them when they came for the burial, right?"

 

[Bunny_grl07]

BUT, I get to have good lunch today, which is super wonderful!

Lucy said, "I did meet them. They were so nice, and the loved the apartment. And... Asher, I know they didn't exactly show it, but... they only wanted the best for you. And after seeing what you had worked on, they've realized that they should have believed in your dream to pursue art. They know how talented you are, and how hard you've worked. They love you so much Asher, and they only ask for you to be happy." She placed a hand on his cheek and caressed it gently, smiling at him fondly. "They'll be so happy to know you're okay. More than happy, actually. Like I said, there's no word that can describe what they'll feel-- what I feel." She gave him another kiss, slow and passionate, still finding it hard to believe that all of that had actually happened. That he was home, and they were engaged.