006 ✝ sixth step [action]

[manmade_angel]

[The second Nill hears from Rokuta where Shouryuu has gone and what's going on, Nill races back across the road to her own house. She leaves everything behind, she isn't even wearing shoes--she's just terrified that something's happened to one of her friends as well

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[action]

[strayfag]

[Badou's been in his room most of the day with the journal laying open beside him. From the dark circles under his eye, it's easy to tell any sleep he's gotten hasn't been very restful, and there's a steadily growing mountain of cigarette butts by the side of the bed. Plenty even for him. He passed along the news about Nill coming home today and he's hoping someone else will field it, tell her Mihai's at the store or something, but he's not really thinking of it until his door opens.

Aw shit.]

Nill -- Nill, hey!

[By the time he catches up to her she's at Mihai's door. Badou brushes her hand off the knob and pulls it closed. From the look on her face, there's no point in lying, but he doesn't know what to say to her either. He tries resting a hand on her shoulder.]

He said he'd keep in touch.

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[manmade_angel]

[Nill could stare into Mihai's empty room for hours, going back and forth about whether or not he had been forced to go fight or was just out. But the room was neat, bed made, no clothes to launder... no one had told her because it would have been too much. It was all coming out now, and she'd made a terrible mistake.]

[She looks up at Badou, eyes welling up with tears. Keep in touch. At least he would keep in touch, however that would work. There were so many things she didn't know or understand about this except for the basic fact that Mihai had been taken to fight a war that probably wasn't theirs. This week was terrible--full of things that were unnecessary and hurtful.]

[Nill slides out from under Badou's hand, lunging forward to wrap her arms around him. She's shaking from the effort of trying not to cry, but it's a little pointless now. Now she could only apologize for having run off like she did.]

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[strayfag]

[He has to admit, Nill's tougher than they give her credit for. She deals with Haine and Naoto like it's nothing at all, and this is the first time he's actually seen her upset like this. He wraps one arm around her shaking shoulders and lets her have some time to get past the the shock.]

Talk about a shitty week. [Story of their lives. Badou gives her a gentle squeeze.] Welcome home, anyway.

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[manmade_angel]

[It was an awful week. But at least she was home right now, even if she still had to look after Rokuta while Shouryuu was gone. Everyone was losing things now--it made no sense to voluntarily push it aside, even for a week.]

[Nill squeezes back, then breaks away so she can get at Badou's palm and write. She doesn't do it as carefully as she usually does, but maybe Badou can pick up that she's writing three words together: I-M-S-O-R-R-Y-T-O-O.]

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[strayfag]

[Badou surrenders his palm, head cocked a little to the left while he tries to decipher her writing. He cuts her off at the Y, and crouches down to he level with a sigh.]

You don't have to be sorry for anything. None of this was your fault, understand? You had the right to do what you did and then some. [He gives her a tired smile.] And besides, you left some pretty good macaroni salad. [Which was labelled 'Mihai' so it was destined to get lost on the way back to the fridge before Badou heroically rescued it with his mouth.]

[action]

[manmade_angel]

[Despite being upset and afraid for Mihai, Badou does a good job of calming her down--even getting a laugh out of her and a light shove to his shoulder. She should have known Badou and Haine would eat everything despite how carefully she labeled it. At this point, if they were all fed and alive, that was good enough.]