008 ✝ eighth step [action/written - backdated to event end]

[manmade_angel]

[Sleepily, Nill stirs in bed, shifting and cuddling up against another warm body. It's too early to get up, the monsters and worrying about Draco being outdoors while the

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[letsplaysurgeon]

[Thirty-three to be precise, but Muraki wouldn't be displeased if anyone mistook him to be a few years younger with his emphasis on youth and beauty.

And speaking of which. He examines Nill with careful consideration and realizes that his real fiancée appeared just as young. And she really was born with it: it wasn't Maybelline or any other suspicious concoction that women smear on their skin like magic war paint.

But with Ukyou, she only looked like a high school student--Nill couldn't have been much older than sixteen. The experiment shuffled them into random families, plucked out their senses and made them blind to time and age discrepencies. It almost didn't seem possible.

His thoughts are broken up as he watches Nill dig through her journal for something that she then offered to him. He accepts the note card and reads the written message. He almost chuckles in fondness at the rather late introduction, but if they were going to do this properly...]

It's a pleasure, Nill. My name is Muraki Kazutaka: I'm a doctor at the local clinic, as you might remember. So if you ever require medical assistance, let me know--I'd be more than happy to help you in any way that I can.

[It was a kind offer and the closest thing to a promise of safety that Muraki could offer. She was too sweet and innocent to find out what he really was, and if he could help it, she would never find out he was more than just a doctor slash ex-husband-for-a-week.]

[manmade_angel]

[Nill giggles silently, completely oblivious to Mr. Muraki's other thoughts concerning her safety and so forth. She knew a great many dark things for her age, but she still believed everyone had goodness in them--at least until she was proven horribly wrong. And by then, it was usually too late.]

[She holds out her hand, continuing the joke of the overblown, far-too-late introductions with an offer for a handshake. It was hardly something she would do on a usual basis, but as long as they were trying to lighten the mood...]

[letsplaysurgeon]

[His eyes drop when he catches movement beneath his line of vision, inspecting it for a few seconds before he clasps her hand in his own.] Thank you for being so understanding.

[The fact that her hand is so much smaller than his own reminds him how young she is, and he feels another pang of sadness. Guilt was hard to feel when he had sex with someone two years younger than her, but he didn't wish this situation upon her. He lets go of her hand and adjusts his glasses.] ...I suppose it's neither appropriate or worth anything now, but you were a wonderful wife and mother. Thank you for that, as well.

[manmade_angel]

[O-oh... Perhaps Mr. Muraki doesn't think it was worth much to hear it, but Nill is happy. She blushes and wrings the hem of her nightgown shyly, happy that she could make two people happy during the experiment. Even if things had turned out poorly the last time relationships were formed all too suddenly, it seemed to be okay now. They had a good few days, and fortunately nothing happened that made Nill want to cry or Haine angry.]

[She smiles softly, jotting something quickly on a notecard (hopefully he can still read her shorthand...): 'You were a wonderful husband and father too'.]

[letsplaysurgeon]

[It doesn't mean as much to him to hear that, as he reads the new note card that Nill handed him. But on the surface, it was hard to tell what he was really thinking. He smiles and chuckles inside his throat, glancing up at her again.]

I appreciate it. [He is just about to take his leave when he remembers that it's his apartment. And he doesn't want to kick her out, but he doesn't imagine they can stay like this much longer--her family wouldn't care for that at all.] Do you need help getting home?

[manmade_angel]

[She shakes her head. Nill doesn't want to inconvenience Mr. Muraki any more than she has (cooking with his food, sleeping in his bed...). Besides, if she knows Haine and Badou, the second she gets home they're going to be bombarding her with questions about her well-being. And even though Mr. Muraki was very good to her, they rarely believe her opinion on the nice men that talk to her.]

[letsplaysurgeon]

[He nods, showing her that he understood. At this point, it was probably better that he avoid Nill and her close ones for a while. And what they would think if he walked her home...his expression becomes a shade more amused.] Will you be safe by yourself?

[manmade_angel]

[Everyone always asks her that! How could she not be safe when everyone in Luceti is so nice? Well, it was just how some people showed they cared. Nill smiles and nods, holding up her journal: she'll message him when she gets back! So he knows she's home okay.]

[letsplaysurgeon]

[He doesn't understand her silent cue at first, wondering if she meant she would let him know when she returned, or that she would keep in touch in general. Either option gets the same vague answer:] I would like that very much.

[Muraki stands up and starts towards the door, before he pauses and turns to her.] I should let you change, now. Then may I escort you to the door, at least?

[manmade_angel]

[O-oh, right. Nill hides a little, embarrassed, behind her journal. This nightgown is a little too adult for her, and she's just carrying on a conversation with Mr. Muraki like the situation isn't strange at all. She nods a little from behind her journal--no harm in being seen to the door, at least!]

[letsplaysurgeon]

[Her sudden embarrassment is adorable. He has to swallow the laugh bubbling up in his throat and pretends to turn away for her benefit, so she wouldn't feel so uncomfortable.] I'll be outside if you need anything. [And he shuts the door behind him.]

[manmade_angel]

[Once Mr. Muraki has left, Nill checks her journal and quickly assures Haine that she's awake, alright, and on her way home. As soon as she gets dressed in something not quite so... pajama-y.]

[It takes her a minute to navigate her 'mother' wardrobe and find something that doesn't look like she's a fifteen-year-old trying to dress like an adult, but she changes quickly enough and folds the nightgown neatly. Though she wonders...]

[Nill pokes her head out of the bedroom and goes back to Muraki with a notecard: 'Should I take my clothes back to the shop? I don't want to leave you with a lot to clean up...']

[letsplaysurgeon]

[Muraki was in the process of pulling a couple glasses out of the cupboard when he sees Nill coming towards him, and opens his mouth to remark on how quickly she changed. It dies stillborn on his lips when he realizes that she has another note for him, and he takes it from her and reads it.] ...It's nothing to worry about, my dear. [Since the pet name is perfunctory, he doesn't realize it might be awkward given the situation.] Leave them to me.

[manmade_angel]

[She nods, a little awkwardly. She wishes this weren't so strange for them, that she didn't have to wander out of Mr. Muraki's apartment like she had knowingly slept in a bed that wasn't hers... but what could they do? It wasn't anyone's fault except the Malnosso's.]

[Well, if Mr. Muraki is going to handle the clothes, then Nill supposes she should go. Haine will start to worry if she stays out much longer. Nill looks over at the door then smiles a thank-you--right before tentatively reaching out for a goodbye-hug.]

(Have a hug icon. Can't use it because it's too sexy : |;;; )

[letsplaysurgeon]

[He nods and returns the smile, though his expression flashes with a brief shard of uncertainty when Nill reaches out for a hug. Muraki was not a cuddly person by nature, so it wasn't just the experiment: physical contact for the sake of comfort was alien to him. But he finds it hard to deny her something so simple.

So he shifts forward and wraps his arms around her shoulders, looking down at the top of her head. It's okay because he doesn't expect it to last too long, and what the hell, he's been apart from his normal reality for a while, anyway.] Take care of yourself.

[XD Pffft, understandable~]

[manmade_angel]

[Nill smiles happily when Mr. Muraki accepts the hug. So things weren't so terribly awkward if he didn't refuse to hug her. It comforted her a little, knowing they could still be friends despite everything.]

[She pulls back and nods--of course she'll take care of herself--and pats him on the shoulder. Mr. Muraki should take care of himself too! Though if he's a doctor, that probably wouldn't be so difficult. Nodding again, she walks to the door and leaves.]