Twenty Five red letters

[eat_me_beat_me]

[Nora hasn't heard from Sakura since she last saw her as that little black cat earlier this month. Worried about her friend, she heads to her room to check on her. Wait... That's not... She looks around to make sure she's got the right room. No... this is the right room, there's just something missing from it. She stares at the door for a moment

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[hard_talker]

Shit.

[he doesn't even elaborate more than that. it doesn't take a lot to figure out where she'll be, and soon enough he's in the hallway behind her, waiting for her to finish with the bit she's painting.

after a second, he picks up a brush of his own and starts painting in a few brown lines near the top of the door - branches for eventual sprigs of cherry blossoms]

[eat_me_beat_me]

[She doesn't say anything at first, just takes comfort in the fact that he's there. She keeps her eyes towards her work, though, not wanting him to see how close to tears she is. She lightly runs her brush over the bottom of the wing, adding just a touch of yellow.]

This place gets off on hurting people.

[hard_talker]

[like he'd want her to hide how she felt, at ALL. he stops, putting his brush down in the water so the brown paint won't dry on it, and puts a hand on her shoulder]

... Yeah.

[his first instinct is to say more, to ramble, to let whatever "comforting" thing that comes to mind spill out of his mouth ... but they all sound trite in his mind, and insufficient, and stale. so he just ... stands there with her]

[eat_me_beat_me]

[As soon as his hand touches her shoulder her arm drops. That one touch seems to bring everything she's been trying so hard to keep under control flying to the surface. She sets down her pallet and turns, wrapping her arms around his waist and burying her face in his shoulder. He doesn't have to say anything. The fact that he's there speaks volumes and is all she really needs]

[hard_talker]

[he's ... slowly getting better at this boyfriend thing. so far, he's figured out that Upset Noras just need hugs, and no random crappy attempts at words... especially since he feels the same way. just the reassurance that neither of them has disappeared]

Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere.

[eat_me_beat_me]

[Her arms tighten around him, fingers clinging onto his shirt. She just stands there, crying softly into his shirt and holding onto him. She knows that, no matter how easily he says the words, he can't promise that just as much as Sakura couldn't have.

But for now she takes comfort in them, in the fact that he's there holding her, mourning with her. That he understands how she feels, that she doesn't have to spell everything out for him.]

Me, neither.