♨ Nine Apples and Cinnamon - Action ♨

[crytearsofjoy]

[After a few days of shutting herself in her room, and trying to figure out if the Closed Space was all just a dream, Winry can be found not at the smithy --no, she's too afraid to check up on it just yet-- but at the front of house 23. In shorts and and sports bra, (this sans the baseball equipment) she pulls the weeds out of her strawberry garden

Comments

[smalldamnhero]

[hovering.

sort of.

totally except not really.

Ed's been worried, especially after the freak out of her just up and vanishing like that, but fuck if he knows how to express that, ever. so at some point he'll just wander outside (totally casually, mind you) and watch her quietly. he'll pipe up and actually say hi eventually.]

[crytearsofjoy]

[Winry will just keep on pulling out those dandelions. She looks up for a second, acknowledging Ed's presence, but doesn't say anything. After that she returns to her garden work.]

[smalldamnhero]

[he nods when she looks up, but still doesn't say anything. it's just his way of quietly keeping her company, not knowing what she really wants or needs. eventually he'll move a little closer, leaning against the house nearby and still watching in continued silence.

if you could see the inside of his head, you'd see a lot of false conversation starts. nothing feels quite right. finally, after roughly ten minutes of quiet companionship, he nods his head towards the garden.]

It's nice.

[... eloquent.]

[wings_thatwait]

Thanks, Haruki and I- [She stops herself, gripping the stem of some poor chickweed and crushing it. For a moment she stays tense, but with a sigh she loosens up and drops the poor plant to the ground.]

It took a little work.

[smalldamnhero]

[pauses when she does, frowning a little at the way she tenses up.]

I spoke to that guy when I first got here. He said he knew you. [... then pauses, realizing MAYBE SHE DOESN'T WANT TO DISCUSS THIS. MAYBE.]

[crytearsofjoy]

Yeah, we're friends. [She discards the foul weed and goes to rip out another.]

[smalldamnhero]

[Just going to keep quiet about the ways in which Haruki vaguely annoyed him. Instead, he's going to ... well ... try his hand at this ... thing. this thing they call comforting.]

What ... happened? Did you disappearing have something to do with him?

[crytearsofjoy]

Well... we ended up in this weird place that looked like Luceti, but it was all black and white. But it wasn't just him and me. A bunch of other people were there too.

[smalldamnhero]

So that's what happened. But how'd he do it? Was he kidnapping you, or was it an accident? [his voice is a little tense, but she did just say they were friends. trying to read lightly, if only because she seems upset.]

[crytearsofjoy]

[Winry turns, looking at him with a little bit of confusion and a little bit of anger.] Who said he did it? It wasn't a kidnapping!

[smalldamnhero]

[puts his hands up in a placating gesture, expression pulling down into a concerned little frown.]

... sorry, Winry. I'm just trying to figure out what happened. If you say he didn't kidnap you, I believe it.

[wings_thatwait]

He wouldn't do that. He wouldn't.

Whatever it was, it's... it's over now. I don't think everybody is really sure what happened. [Other than a lot of people are quick to blame Haruki. Maybe he really was behind it? In some odd way.]

[smalldamnhero]

... well, you're right. It's over, and you're back now. Is ... is he alright? [meaning Haruki, of course. The question is grudging as hell, but at least he asks it.]

[crytearsofjoy]

[She shrugs and stands, brushing off her dirty hands on her shorts.] I don't know. No one has seen him since we all came back. [He better be okay.]

[smalldamnhero]

[VERY BRUSQUELY, with that same bullish confidence of his.] Ahh, someone that annoying has got to be fine. He'll turn up. [... glances at her out of the corner of his eye. is his comforting working?]

[wings_thatwait]

[A small laugh.] Yeah, I guess you're right.