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[npc_kun]

Characters: YOU! Confused new (or old) arrivals and current ES characters alike are all welcome!
Date/Time: Sunday, July 10th, all day
Location: All over the Sphere- if you need a refresher, please consult our handy World Map and the Events Calendar for a description of the current Wilderness! Remember, however, that new arrivals can appear ONLY ON

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Weapons Tree, closed to Neil

[feathered_earth]

Krile had been far from her usual chipper self since Sniper's death. She'd taken extra Hatchery shifts and generally hung around there, trying to picture the expression on his face if he should hatch while she was there. It helped, but only a little.

Still, the shop needed minding and the books needed doing. The rain and heat were keeping things quiet, which let her work over the numbers in peace and quiet while she kept her journal open on one side, glancing at it occasionally...

...Well things were getting very strange today. Krile pushed aside the ledger to read a rather lively entry from a person who seemed to have just appeared somewhere outside the Hatchery.

[imthefavorite]

Having grasped his situation a bit more effectively after seeing Veda, keeping an eye on the journals, and walking around the housing section, Neil decided he'd better go see a few people. But having already contacted a few and not knowing how to reach his brother (save the journals, but it was busy enough that he very well may get looked over), he headed for the place he thought would be the best bet for finding the next friend on the list: the Weapons Tree

[feathered_earth]

Krile did a double take when the door opened. Lyle was her first thought, but once she looked past the face and he began speaking, it became obvious who it really was. People appearing. But she hadn't expected... if he came back she'd thought it would be out of a cocoon and remembering nothing, not walking into the shop like he'd never been gone.

She was too shocked to do anything but stare at him, barely even comprehending what he said. Rifles? Scopes? He and Gundam had taught her everything she knew about them, but he might have been speaking a foreign language for all she knew.

Well, except for that last word. Right. Krile didn't even bother with getting up--she just vaulted onto the counter and then into him, holding him as tight as she could.

[imthefavorite]

When she came barreling into him, it was bittersweet. He had to remind himself that even though it felt like yesterday that he last saw her, it had been considerably longer for her. It was hard on his friends, and he felt simultaneously guilty and angry that it had happened. All he did for a long while was hug her back, taking in a deep sigh.

After a nice long moment he spoke, this time somewhat quietly.

"See..it's okay. Everything will turn out somehow."

He waited a moment more. "...Did you...get my letter?"

[feathered_earth]

Krile nodded. Not a dream, not a fake, not a memory--just him. Even though there was that part of her wanting to know how long it would last, she dismissed it. It was easy to do that with him around, as easy as it was with Bartz. Just those simple words of reassurance were enough.

She nodded, letting go enough that she could look up at him. "Yeah, I did. Lyle gave it to me." Then she dropped her eyes quickly as she started to feel tears on the way. One of these days she really needed to learn how to stop that from happening--this would be such a silly time.

[imthefavorite]

All he could do with her response and quick movement was shake his head and hug her tightly again. She may be strong, but that didn't mean she deserved this psychological torture.

He thought back to remember what her letter said. He'd written them so long ago it seemed...but he always tried to keep them fresh so he could change or rewrite them if need-be. He certainly never expected something like this to happen. After a decent little squeeze, he reached up and pat her on the head as he pulled away again to look down at her kindly.

"You okay?" he queried, before moving on. "I really am sort of looking for my gun. I left it to Target...she didn't try to bring it to you, did she?" So far his ex?- girlfriend had been busy today, but he didn't really question if she would have kept it. The question was just a ploy to change the subject.

[feathered_earth]

Krile nodded, swiping at her eyes quickly and feeling quite glad that he asked about the gun again. Now that the initial shock was over, she could think properly again--and his mention of the letter made her recall what he'd written about her being a strong person. She wasn't going to go to pieces over being happy. "She's still got it, unless Black Hayate went and buried it somewhere," she said with a grin. No chance of that happening.

"I could loan you one if you wanted, but it won't have such sentimental value. And I wouldn't want to rob you considering how long you've been off the payroll." She gave him a quick poke. Teasing him again was just as important as the hug had been, to her.

Besides, it just went to show that she hadn't forgotten him.

[imthefavorite]

He rolled his eyes at the comment and the poke, nodding slightly. "Yeah. Nearly 4 months...it has been a while, huh? And what little savings I had are gone. Luckily I have friends and family to take care of me."

He gave her a little look. "At least until I can find myself another job. Now, I wonder where I would get myself one of those." He looked around the room as if he expected to find a lost pair of keys or something.

[feathered_earth]

That long? Or that short... it just seemed so strange to put a sense of time to it. But of course, he didn't have a house anymore and most of his possessions had probably ended up in the Yard Sale by now, apart from those things that his friends had saved. "Well, times are pretty tough right now," she said, managing to get her face straight for a moment. "You might have to look for a long time before you land something--better hope your friends are charitable today."

While she was saying this, she'd turned back to her ledger and flipped open a page marked Payroll, drawing down a line for a third column and writing 'LOCKON' in the curliest script she could manage.

[imthefavorite]

At first her little bluff almost worked, and his brows crinkled with curious confusion, but when she flipped to that page his lips stretched across his face in a big friendly smile. He playfully wrapped an arm around her, pulling her away from her ledger, and wiggled his fingers in her side to tickle her.

"You little nut!" he chuckled.

[feathered_earth]

"Eeeek!" Krile burst into giggles, dropping the pencil with a clatter. "That's--ahaha--no way--to treat the boss!" she gasped, flailing behind her to try and tickle him back. She would have tossed back a remark of her own on his sanity, but she was far too busy laughing to manage it.

[imthefavorite]

After a few seconds he stopped, letting her off the hook to lean against the counter.

"Sorry Ma'am. I'll be more professional from now on." With that he straightened a bit and put on an exaggerated serious-face and saluted her.

[feathered_earth]

Krile straightened up and tugged her jacket straight, imitating Neil's facial expression, but without complete success. She acknowledged his salute with a pompous nod. "You'd better be! I can't have sloppy employees." She backed up her statement with a poke.

Unfortunately, that made her serious expression crack rather badly.