Quote:
Originally Posted by
Mad Eye Touz 
And just like she wasn't oblivious to the recent changes in Cornelius, Aspen noted the... more immediate changes. She couldn't be sure exactly what was going on in his head (in spite of desperately wanting to know), but he seemed less... less something. Rigid? More at ease.
Once he had the necklace clasped (and Aspen silently wondered if he'd done this before), Aspen plucked the goblin from her chest and inspected it from a new, upside down angle. She turned it over a few times, before getting her fill and enclosing the charm in her fist.
It was a thoughtful gift, and probably deserved a thoughtful thanks. But... that wasn't really Aspen and instead of a big thanks with gushing about the gift, Aspen simply stepped forward and gave Cornelius a hug. It was one armed, since she kept her goblin charm clasped in her first, but a hug all the same, with her cheek nuzzled against his shoulder.
Cornelius watched quietly as Aspen inspected her necklace from a new angle, still a little unsure if she liked it or not. But he didn't say anything, simply watching her examine it quietly in her hand. And then, very suddenly it seemed, he found himself being hugged. Before he had even really registered that she was moving, he had found that one of her arms was around him and soon realized he was being thanked in a hug, rather than in words.
His eyebrows rose at the gesture, his body tensing up suddenly as she hugged him, obviously not having expected an embrace or anything. He paused, unsure what to do. He hadn't hugged her in what seemed like years. It took a moment, but Cornelius soon relaxed, gently wrapping his arms around her to return the warm gesture quietly. Somehow hugging her felt more comfortable than just standing there, staring at one another. He wanted to ask her things; important things. Lots of things about how she was and if she had been happy the past month and a half they had been apart. Mostly, he was a bit worried about her. He kept hearing about her changing the colors of Paulie's pants and various other acts that seemed very...irrational to the young man who hadn't had the chance to talk to her at all in a long while. And so, in the middle of this warm hug, he allowed himself to ask a question, simply because he needed to know.
"Are you doing alright, Aspen?"