Two glasses of water were lightly placed on top of the coffee table.
Lin Ye hummed and smiled warmly at his new guest.
However, the only answer that he received from Yelena was a cold glare. So cold that Lin Yen noticed that frost was slowly forming on her glass.
He chuckled at this and sat on the sofa that was facing her.
Her sofa was for a single person while his sofa had three seats.
After the commotion that Yelena had made by bursting into Kal'tsit's office without notice, Lin Ye had to defuse the situation before both Amiya and Kal'tsit attacked her.
Luckily, Yelena was willing to hear him out inside his new office. He even said that their conversation will not be recorded by PRTS. After much persuasion from him, Lin Ye was now in his office, offering drinks to his angry friend.
He did get an earful from both Kal'tsit and Amiya on how he should be handling his guests on the Landship.
Lin Ye did not have the time to enjoy his drink as Yelena immediately fired a question his way.
"Your Arts. That ice," Yelena's eyes narrowed into a glare, "Those were mine, right?"
Lin Ye stared back into the harsh glare that he was receiving from the Cautus. Those bright blue gems were giving out so much coldness, it was almost like the whole room was freezing now.
Although that was the case, Lin Ye was not really bothered by them.
He felt something even colder than this.
He knew what it was like where there was no heat at all.
It was not cold.
It was not hot.
It was just nothing.
… Let's talk about less morbid things. I have an angry woman in front of me.
Lin Ye told himself.
He leaned back on his sofa and interlinked his fingers in front of him.
"What makes you say that?" Lin Ye asked back.
Yelena was not amused by him dodging her question. She knew he knew he was just toying with her now.
Rather than tearing Lin Ye into a new one, Yelena held out her hand to him.
"I know what my Arts looks like," Yelena said to him, "After we met, my Arts changed."
After saying that, Yelena placed her hand on the glass of water in front of her. Lin Ye only needed a second to notice that the water in the glass was now becoming a block of white ice.
Lin Ye looked away from this and stared blankly back at Yelena's piercing eyes.
"Something happened to my Arts. It's different than before. At first, I thought it was just a side effect of you curing me. However," Her glare intensified, "On that day. In that room, you used it. You used my Arts."
Lin Ye only hummed at this.
This infuriated Yelena even more.
"Answer me, Ye!" She screamed.
It seemed that she lost control of her Arts, as the white frost was spreading toward Lin Ye. Just as the ice was about to touch him, they turned black.
Yelena's eyes widened at the black frost that was creeping onto the table. She raised her head and saw Lin Ye sighing at her.
But something came out of his lips.
Black frosty mist.
Rather than saying anything, Lin Ye reached out to his glass of water which amazingly still was not frozen.
He brought it closer to him. When it was close enough, Lin Ye lightly blew on it.
Instantly, the water in the glass became black ice.
Lin Ye gently placed the glass back onto the table and chuckled at Yelena's shocked expression.
"I am still getting a hang of it," Lin Ye hummed, "Not a master but it's a start."
Yelena recovered from her shock and stared at him.
"How?" She asked.
Lin Ye looked around the room and saw frost all over the place. He sighed and smiled back at her.
"I will tell you but please," He chuckled, and waved his hand to the frost, "Can you not freeze the whole room? People will take notice of this, you know."
True to his word, the room was almost completely covered in frost. If someone would pass through the office's door, they would notice how cold it was.
Yelena took a deep breath and exhaled. The frost around them slowly evaporated. The temperature was back to normal.
Just as Lin Ye was about to relax, Yelena was not going to let him.
"Tell me now," She demanded.
Lin Ye folded his arms and hummed.
"Well, it seemed that I got it from you," Lin Ye stated, "When I was trying to cure you at Sokk, I was exposed to your ice for a long period of time. My only guess is that they realized that your body was not suitable for them, so they jumped on the nearest person at that time." He pointed at himself, "That would be me then."
Yelena's eyes widened.
"Arts do not work like that," Yelena said, "They are not parasites that jump on new people to find better hosts."
Lin Ye shrugged at this claim.
"As I said, I was just guessing. I am no expert on Arts, yet," Lin Ye explained, "But seeing how your Arts changed and I got your old one, that is my conclusion on this whole situation. Sorry if that is not enough to satisfy you."
Yelena stared at his face to see if he was joking or not. As she kept her eyes on him, she saw that he was genuine. Her face softened, but Yelena hardened it back when she remembered what happened to him.
"Back then," Yelena started again, "After you used my Arts, you coughed out blood."
Lin Ye's smile was gone when she mentioned this. It looked like she was on the right track now. This made Yelena push harder.
"It's not the Arts that you only got," Yelena slowly stood up from her sofa, "Did you get my… condition as well?"
Lin Ye slowly lowered his eyes away from her. Seeing this, Yelena's heart started to beat harder in her chest.
She rushed to his side and gripped his shoulder. Slightly shaking his body to get his attention back on her.
"Don't look away from me, Ye!" She said, "Did you?!"
He still did not look at her.
"… I am not dying," He whispered loud enough for her.
This made her narrow her eyes more.
"I know you aren't!" She tightened her grip, "What I want to know-."
Don't say it.
Lin Ye begged in his head.
"Are you fine?!"
Lin Ye's body tensed upon hearing this question.
"Do your insides feel like they are being poked by something from a different place?!" Yelena asked.
"Does your breath become short?!" Yelena placed her other hand on his other shoulder.
And still, Lin Ye did not look at her.
"Are you hurting?!"
Yelena bent down to look at him but Lin Ye still did not look at her.
"Are you okay?!" She finally screamed at him.
"…"
He still kept quiet. Yelena did not say anything and waited.
Then after what felt like an eternity passed, Lin Ye finally reacted.
He let out a heavy sigh from his lips. Lin Ye slowly raised his head and Yelena finally got to see his expression.
A small smile greeted her as she stared at Lin Ye's face. Lin Ye placed a hand on one of hers.
"Yelena, thank you for worrying," Lin Ye said, "But don't worry. I am fine."
The Yeti leader was about to rebut him but Lin Ye stopped her by gripping her hand a bit harder.
Then with his other hand, he tapped on the empty seat beside him.
"Sit Yelena," Lin Ye told her with a smile, "I don't want to fight you. Let's just talk about it."
Yelena stared at Lin Ye, who was smiling at her.
"Please," Lin Ye begged her.
With that Yelena finally gave in and let go of his shoulders. She plopped next to him and stared at him.
Lin Ye took a deep breath and let out a sigh.
"The ice does hurt me," Lin Ye admitted as he leaned back on the cushion behind him, resting his head, "It made me feel like thousands of needles were poking through me continuously. My chest will tighten and I could feel my lungs physically being crushed by my rib cage."
Lin Ye stared at the still-frozen black water in his glass.
"I feel like I'm dying every time I use that ice."
Yelena's eyes narrowed however she did not say anything. Lin Ye still had more things to say.
"However, I am still breathing," He smiled, "I won't die. Not yet though."
Yelena was not as amused as him.
"What do you mean?"
Lin Ye hummed as placed his palm on his chest. He could feel his heart slowly beating in him.
"My body, it's different from anyone in this world," Lin Ye explained, "It is immune to Oripathy. Arts won't kill me, I can assure you."
Yelena was not accepting that as his answer.
"You are forcing your body to endure pain," Yelena tried to make him understand, "That is not something you can just ignore. You are the furthest thing from being fine."
"…"
Lin Ye just stared at the ceiling above them. Yelena continued her explanation.
"You need help," Yelena finally said the thing that she wanted to, "You can't keep this up. You will eventually break down."
Lin Ye sighed at this.
"I know," He admitted as he stared at her, "If I'm not doing it then who will? I already lost people that I care about and I will not repeat it again."
This only made Yelena glare at him more.
"Who do you think you are?" She asked harshly, "A hero?"
Lin Ye took a deep breath in and exhaled. His eyes hardened on him.
"I was her friend and she was dying," Lin Ye stated, "What do you want me to do? Let her die?"
"But you will die too!" Yelena's voice started to shake.
Lin Ye stared at the furious girl in front of him.
"... I knew two kids," Lin Ye hummed, "Like you, they played a big role in my… life."
Yelena was confused about what he was talking about. Lin Ye continued anyways.
"They had parents. With how kind the kids were, I knew they grew up in a loving household." He reminisced of those memories, "They would invite a stranger to eat with them. Someone that they had no connection with at all."
He sighed as looked up at the ceiling again.
"They gave me so much while I had nothing for them to gain." Lin Ye chuckled, "They even called me one of their family. Me? Of all people?"
Although he was laughing, the sound that came out of his mouth was hollow.
He glanced back at Yelena and smiled at her.
"And did you know what I did to them?" Lin Ye raised a brow at her, "What did I give back to the people who gave me so much?"
Rather than waiting for her answer, Lin Ye just gave it to her.
"I left them to die," Lin Ye hummed, "Caring more about myself than the people that basically saved me from killing myself. Gun down at Chernobog while I was on a gleeful adventure."
The way he said all of that was like he was mocking himself with each word that came out of his mouth.
Yelena did not know what to say to all of this. And Lin Ye did not expect any from her either as he melted into the cushion behind him.
"I can't redeem myself, never forgive myself," He muttered more to himself, "I can't change the past. I need to learn and try my best to not make the same mistake again."
Yelena stared at him while her mind put the pieces of the puzzle one by one. A clearer image started to form in her mind.
"That was why you used my Arts for that girl," Rather than asking, Yelena stated, "You-."
"It would be better if it was me than her?" Lin Ye chuckled, "Full marks."
Yelena was about to say that was not true, that his life meant something… something more than a safety line for others to use. But when her eyes stared into him, her words died in her mouth.
His eyes.
They were like Dad's.
Hopeless.
However, they were different too.
Dad did not see hope for the world but he had some for the Infected.
Lin Ye?
He saw hope for the world but saw nothing in him.
He viewed himself as a gear in this world, only meant to help people and not himself.
With nothing to say, Yelena's body untensed itself. She plopped into the cushion behind her and stared in front of her.
"... Are you not tired?" Yelena whispered this question loud enough for him to hear.
"..."
Lin Ye glanced to the side to see Yelena staring back at him. He laughed a bit.
"I am tired," He hummed as he smiled back at her, "But I can't stop. The world never lets me, The world still needs me."
He pulled his gaze away from her and stared in front of him. A smile blossomed on his face. It was more genuine now.
"But I am not scared of dying really."
"... Why?" Yelena asked.
Lin Ye glanced to his side to see a window. He pointed through it.
"Because I know, out there," He hummed, "There are people that will continue what I started."
He pulled his eyes away from the window and back onto Yelena. Lin Ye's face now had a small smile. But this was different.
This one looked like he was truly smiling at her.
"I know that people of this world can help each other," Lin Ye chuckled.
"I have high hopes for them."
… Hope.
That word echoed in her head as he stared at Lin Ye smiling at her.
Yelena never held any hope for people other than the Infected to right the world. That sounded ridiculous. Why should she put hope in people who were not affected by this? They were not infected. Why would they even bother helping the infected?
But here was Lin Ye.
He put all of his hope on the people of this, Infected or not, to make the world better.
Lin Ye leaned back on the sofa and sighed. Maybe he should leave for now and Yelena has some alone time to digest everything that he said to her.
Just as Lin Ye was about to stand up from the sofa, he felt something resting on his shoulder.
He looked to the side to see Yelena resting on his shoulder with her head looking away from him. This made Lin Ye have a hard time seeing her face.
Although that was the case, Lin Ye knew why she was doing this. She was trying to stop him from going to work. She wanted him to rest. She wanted him to take a break.
Lin Ye did not move for a while. However, he let out a sigh and melted back into the sofa.
He did not mention anything and Yelena just kept on looking away from him.
".. Did you meet Eyja?" Lin Ye asked. He was not really expecting an answer from her but he still asked. However, Yelena surprised him by lightly nodding on his shoulder.
"... Yes. She was… enthusiastic when we talked to each other," Still not looking at him, Yelena answered, "As soon as she was able to walk again, she rushed to me and thanked me."
Lin Ye chuckled.
"I am not surprised," Lin Ye hummed, "You're her hero after all. No wonder she was excited to meet you."
"... Hero?" She muttered.
Lin Ye did not comment on this and changed the subject.
"Did anyone annoy you during your stay?" Lin Ye asked, "And don't worry, you can throw anyone under the bus."
"… That vampire, she really has a way with her words," Yelena commented, "she did not harm me. But I think she does not like me."
This made him laugh.
"Warfarin, huh?" Lin Ye said, "She can be a handful sometimes."
"Yelena, I think you should go back tomorrow," Lin Ye suddenly said.
Still not looking at him, Yelena hummed.
"Why?"
"For one, I think we have enough samples from you to do a long period of research," Lin Ye explained, "And two, your team might get worried."
Yelena hummed.
Although she already told them she would be away for longer than before, Yelena knew that they would start to get anxious when she was not in Sokk for this long.
Zane would be the one that would reason with them to wait just a bit longer.
Aesop might even go on his own and search for her.
"I think you're right," She admitted, "They can be a hassle to deal with."
Lin Ye chuckled.
"But they're yours, right?"
Yelena was silent by this. Then she sighed.
"Yes," Yelena muttered, "They're mine."
Although Lin Ye was not looking at her, he knew Yelena had a smile on her face now. This made him smile as well.
"So? How's the food here?" Lin Ye hummed, "And sorry that we don't have any spicy candies."
So with that, they continue to talk more to themselves.
Food.
Favourite weather.
Countries that they wanted to see.
And sometimes the Yetis.
He did mind talking about anything, it felt nice talking to Yelena as only him again.
It felt like he was just Lin Ye.
Not the psychologist.
Not the prince of Yan.
Not the Doctor
Not the hope of Terra.
Just a man named Lin Ye.
…
He missed this.
As they were talking about different things, a thought appeared in her mind.
"Ye?" She called out.
Lin Ye stopped talking and let her continue.
Both of them did not stare at each other, They just stared in front of them without glancing to the side.
"What are we?" Yelena asked.
He did not answer immediately. Lin Ye hummed and thought about this.
Yelena then realised how stupid her question was.
"Forget about-."
Lin Ye cut her before she could finish.
"We're friends."
From how sudden he said this, Yelena spun her head towards him. However, Lin Ye still didn't look at her.
"Friends?" She repeated to him.
"If not that, what else are we?" Lin Ye chuckled but it seemed that his eyelids were getting slightly heavy now.
How was he so tired now?
But Lin Ye still continued albeit a bit tired now.
"I believe we're friends," Lin Ye hummed, "And nothing will change that."
Yelena stared at Lin Ye and was about to ask him more but she noticed how his eyes were barely opened now.
Then after struggling for so long, his eyes were completely closed and his head rested on the cushion behind him. Soft breaths left his lips as he slept on the sofa.
Yelena's face softened when she saw this.
Seeing that she also felt a bit tired now, she kept her head on his shoulder and let herself close her eyes.
With how soothing the rhythm of his breaths was, it did not take long for Yelena to slowly drift into sleep too.
As they were asleep, they did not notice what happened to the two glasses of ice and they froze.
While they were talking, the ice slowly melted.
What was left were two glasses of normal water.
{Rhodes Island's Psychologist}
Draft: Jaq
Proofread: Discord
Edit: Jaq
