SIRENSPULL - contact.

[reassures]

[Cue mechanical answering machine voice.]

"You have dialed the number for N-I-L-L. This person is unavailable. Please leave a message after the beep."

[...BEEP]

Comments

[reassures]

[She's very quick to correct him.]

I'm not cold. [She just can't decide if she should be grinning or sobbing. Clinging to him like a lifeline, because she'd been without one for so long and it seems like the much better option, and if Yosuke hadn't been there--]

I can make tea. It's okay.

[Even with him there, she'd been closer than she likes to think about on a few different occasions. If she hadn't found that snowglobe, who knows what she would have done.

She's quiet for one, long moment though; and when she speaks again, her voice is so much softer than usual.]

I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I didn't find you sooner. I will never let anything like that happen ever again.

[underachiever]

[He doesn't push her away. Instead his shoulders sink a little and he holds her just a bit tighter.]

Don't apologize for that. Nill, I know you tried everything. I know what people were saying - that I just went home - and I know you never gave up on me anyway.

And you did it. You found me and now it's all over. You don't have to be sad about it anymore.

1/2

[reassures]

[That was true. At even the slightest sign that Shika might have still been here, Nill immediately went out to find him. Yosuke had joined her a lot, but there were several nights where she stayed in the mall just because it would have taken too much time to get home, and staying out in the darkness was too reckless. If she died like that, then who would find him?

If possible she hugs him a little more tightly, and then very carefully pulls away; discretely wiping at tears on her cheeks. It isn't far though, just enough that she can pull her arms mostly away.

Then she smiles, and it's probably the most genuine expression she's worn in a long while.]

You're back. You're safe. That's what matters.

[reassures]

...you'll probably get sick for real if you stay in that, though. [A slight pause.] ...Do you want to make the tea?

[Because while she can very much do it on her own, Shika's kind of been stuck in one place for a long time. He might sound exhausted, but it would be pretty understandable if he didn't actually want to stop moving.]

[underachiever]

[He finally moves to peel his gloves off, and his hands are shaking when he does it.]

Um - I guess you'd better.

[He may have offered, but there's still an odd disconnect between his brain and his body. He'd probably end up dropping the kettle.]

[reassures]

[She thought that might be an issue. Nill just smiles, nodding once in an understanding sort of way. She takes a step back, but doesn't move to actually head for the kitchen. She doesn't really want to let him out of her sight so soon.]

What kind of tea do you want?

[underachiever]

Anything's fine. Green, I guess, if there's any.

[He works his soggy boots off first, then leaves his coat and scarf on the nearest hook. It's easier to move without all the weight. And thankfully, he looks completely normal. Arms and legs as they should be.]

[reassures]

I'm sure there is.

[Nill's brief examination of his physical state is, unfortunately, rather obvious - but she seems more than a little pleased that he's all in one piece as far as she can tell. Her face practically lights up, and she smiles more widely at him.

Then, because she still doesn't want to wander too far away from him, she reaches over and takes his hand to pull him into the kitchen with her. Though she's mindful of how much he can manage to walk.]

[underachiever]

[She doesn't move so fast that he can't keep up. He might not be as graceful as usual with his shuffling gait, but he doesn't threaten to trip.

His mind is preoccupied with taking in the sights of the familiar. He feels like he's been gone much longer than he has been.]

[reassures]

[It's certainly a reassuring thing to see, although she wonders how difficult it must have been for him to get back here in the first place. Maybe she really should have gone to him instead.

But his thoughts are reassuring, and when they enter the kitchen Nill fetches the kettle and fills it with water, before setting it on the stove. She's fairly certain they don't have any exceptionally good green tea at the moment - with the snow, people had been drinking more warm things - but she was sure she could find something.]

I could make you something too, if you're hungry.

[underachiever]

[Shikamaru settles in at the table, glad to be able to sit. But the trek was worth it. It's nice to be back here, even though he intends to move out the rest of his things immediately.

And it's nice to see Nill, safe in this stable environment. Protected. Not anywhere near SERO.]

...I guess I should probably eat, huh.

[reassures]

[She pulls out two mugs as well, and puts a tea bag in each, before setting them aside for later. --she hears that brief flicker of a thought, of him leaving, but for now at least, she won't mention it. She'd rather think about him being back than leaving.

It isn't like she let anyone at Sero really get too good a look at her, anyway. She knows better than that, although Uryuu thought it would be best to "sneak" her in... It worked, at least.]

I think so. It's been awhile since you did last, right? [And she's already headed over to the fridge, checking to see just what they actually have on hand at the moment.]