Best of all best friends;

[bloodandblunder]

[ Being pulled from Haven is sudden, shocking, not at all like waking up there had been. Being sat down and told that her world was destroyed, that what she had fought so hard to protect was gone-- there had admittedly been some Blood and Thunder involved.

Now, half-blinded in the sudden light of what they called the gardens, Noire takes a few cautious steps forward.

And the sight of greenery is enough to make her eyes well up. ]

Comments

[particularity]

[Despite the reminder of how grim a place Haven is with those words, Hinata finds a smile, fondness overwhelming him as he looks at her, tearstains and all. She looks... as bad as he did when he arrived, except probably worse.]

Well, I'm always glad for that. [But. He shifts his weight slightly.] Wanna stand up?

[bloodandblunder]

... That.... mm, that should be a thing, yes.

[ Nice and slow, though, she's not the best at... well, much, these days. ]

[particularity]

Okay, come on--

[He'll take it slow! Like when he helped her walk. Shifting his feet under him, Hinata grasps at her hands with his, grimacing apologetically because of his one still blood-streaked hand, before moving to stand slowly.]

[bloodandblunder]

We should also treat your hand. [ Mildly, as she rises to her feet-- but there's still a level of firmness there. ]

[particularity]

It's not that bad... It barely even hurts anymore, [he says, perhaps unsurprisingly, fingers relaxing around her hands once they're on their feet.]

[bloodandblunder]

But it could still get infected--

[ FRET FRET FRET-- ]

[particularity]

[This is familiar... and it warms his heart.]

O-- okay. Okay, we'll go get it washed up and taken care of.

[bloodandblunder]

Good... [ With a sigh. ] And please don't do that again.

[particularity]

I won't.

I, er... it was just kind of the first thing that popped into my head that I could do... [Hinata...]

[bloodandblunder]

You could have done something much less violent!!

[particularity]

Sorry... [SHEEPISH.] I'll try to remember that if I ever have to do something like it again...

[bloodandblunder]

Thank you for that much...

[ The worrying never dies. ]

[particularity]

[Hinata smiles sheepishly, and then he turns with a small tilt of his head.]

Come back with me, then, Noire? I've got first aid stuff at the apartment I've been living at. [Of course he does. Hinata "filches things from hospitals while he's working there" Hajime.] And we've... got catching up to do, I think.

[bloodandblunder]

We do... definitely. [ And it's why she'll follow him, trustingly. ]

[particularity]

How long has it been...? Since you last saw me?

[One can never be sure, with timelines.

But... ahh. She follows him just like that, and he looks over at her and Hinata's expression is amazed and soft still. She's here.]

[bloodandblunder]

[ Here and hardly believing it, to be honest... ]

More than a few months... I didn't think I'd get the chance to see you like this again.

[particularity]

[A small shake of Hinata's head, almost helplessly.] I didn't think that I would see you again, either, definitely not here.

[But here she is. He keeps looking over, as if to check that she's definitely still there, that this isn't just some kind of elaborate illusion.]

[bloodandblunder]

I was so sure you were in storage... [ And her voice grows tight. She'd thought he was dead. ]

[particularity]

...

[Hinata shakes his head, reaching over to grip at her hand with his own.] ...I was worried, that you might've thought that. I've been thinking all this time about you still being back there.

[bloodandblunder]

[ Hopefully not your injured hand, Hinata!! But no, she'll grip back. ]

... You thought of me?

[particularity]

[Nope!! He doesn't want to get her more bloody!]

Every day. [...] I've been thinking about you since I got here. Morgan and Sonia and the others too, of course, but...

[They've been through a lot of things. He has a lot of memories, and a lot of things remind him of her.]