Act five: A worried homecoming. [Video]

[seventeenpills]

I've been browsing the network - Please, if anyone needs a healer still, let me know. Or someone to make food or do laundry or... whatever.

~
Hey, are you alright? Did you get sick? Do you need anything? Because I know you're not the kind of person to ask for help, so I'm going to remove the need for you to do so.

~
[He frets for a few minutes before sending this her way and finally decides on something brief, to the point and hopefully not too desperate sounding. He's actually really freaked out but he does his best to compose himself before hitting 'Record'.]

Hey, Hanako. I know you're probably not interested in hearing from me right now and that's fine - I just need to know if you're OK. A simple yes or no is fine. I.... um. Yeah. I hope you're alright. Even text is OK.

Comments

[Text | Private]

[burntviolet]

[ When she sees the filtered message on the network, her heart skips a beat. Oh, he's back. Safe and sound. Good, so... good. Utgard didn't shake him as much as she feared. For a moment, she is glad and relieved.

However, her resentment from days ago is still there, scorching. Just hearing his voice made it resurface like a revived memory she tried so hard to sink while trying her hardest to prevent the sick people in the hospital from dying. It weighs hard on her, adding to the stress she went through the past three days; but his suggestion to use text to respond to him sounds about perfect to her right now. She's not angry to the point that she'd rather leave him to boil in his own fear by not responding. That would be the lowest of actions, and unnecessarily cruel towards him.

Though a bit begrudgingly, she starts typing on the touch screen keyboard. ]

I am alright.

[Text | Private]

[seventeenpills]

[His own heart soars for a moment, seeing the reply from her in his inbox. She's sending something his way which is definitely better than the silence he'd been expecting. He opens it and feels releif. She's OK - Thank goodness. He has other questions, of course, but he really doesn't want to press his luck]

Thanks for letting me know, Hanako. I'm glad you are alright and appreciate your response. If there's anything I can do you know where to get ahold of me. Take care.

[Text | Private]

[burntviolet]

[ She would let that message hang, say nothing else. He does know she's okay... sorta... right? But, just so she can be at peace with her conscience, she'll type something once again before turning her bracelet off. ]

Thanks. I need nothing.

Take care you too.

video;

[deputychief]

Should I take it you were on the Utgard trip, Nakai-san?

video

[seventeenpills]

Yeah - I was.

Hopefully things weren't too bad for you, Koizumi.

video

[deputychief]

Personally, they were not. I took appropriate precautions and I was lucky enough not to be within the original blast radius.

How was the trip?

Perma-video

[seventeenpills]

Ah - I'm glad to hear that you were able to weather things out alright. That's good to know.

It was fun - Utgard has a lot of familiar technology and a real big city feel to it that I missed from home.

[deputychief]

I was luckier than many.

But what about the task?

[seventeenpills]

It was fine - we were able to order and pack a large number of things. Food, medcicines, herbs and other items. We ordered everything at various warehouses and everything was ready in a matter of days to be brought back.

[deputychief]

Aha, so there really wasn't anything ulterior to it, you think?

[seventeenpills]

You mean in the timing? I don't beleive so, no. The fact that the two events coincided IS a little suspicious, but I'm willing to chalk it up to coincidence at this point.

[....though now you're making him feel just a little paranoid, Itsuki.]

[Private/Video]

[queenoftheforlornheart]

[Satella's visage comes into view and she's as stern as usual but it's easy for him to tell that she's genuinely worried.]

I am fine, nothing as of yet, but I appreciate the concern... What of yourself though? I thought I told you to...

Nevermind, are you well? Did you need help helping those that you offered?

[seventeenpills]

I'm fine - I was in Utgard when this whole illness thing happened so I didn't get sick. How about you? Were you able to stay healthy? Do you know any details as to how or why this happened?

No-one in specific has asked for my help yet but I'm going to go see if they can use my healing at the Hospital.

[queenoftheforlornheart]

I'm afraid I'm in as much the dark as you. I can't recall seeing, or hearing anything as I was out training for a long while. I took the liberty to set off into the wilds and when I came back...

Well, you have seen what is out there.

I see, well, if you'd like for me to accompany you, I'm not doing anything else at the moment.

[seventeenpills]

I'm going to meet Hibiki and head there with her, though thanks for offering. Poor kid is upset right now. Feels kind of guilty for being gone.

I'm glad you were out of the city too - That was a lucky break! How was your training?

[queenoftheforlornheart]

Very well, I'll be here if you need anything.

My training went well, I've gotten accustomed to these new powers and while I feel they aren't to my full potential of when I could use my powers as a Pandora, they still prove to be useful.

[seventeenpills]

I could use someone to hang out with after I'm done healing people, if that's OK? We can go get something to eat if you want to.

Glad to hear you're able to feel more comfortable with them. I'll admit, mine are becoming kind of second nature by now. I'd feel weird not being able to heal people anymore and so it must have felt even worse for people who lost their normal powers coming here. I hope I never came off as insensitive about that when I first told you about it - I didn't really understand what it even was to HAVE a power at that point.

[queenoftheforlornheart]

I could make something and wait for you for when you are done? Not many seem to relax in our common room.

It's understandable and don't worry about it... We... All make mistakes as such. I am glad to have seen beyond my annoyance and frustration to have kept ties with you.

voice;

[entreats]

... In other words, practically a maid?

[ despite everything that has been going on lately - and the fact that she's been both worried and sick - ange seems back to her pokerface mostly by now. it's her way of coping, either way. ]

voice

[seventeenpills]

I guess, if you want to look at it that way. I won't be wearing a uniform, though.

It's Ange, right? How've you been?

[entreats]

Ah, too bad. [ she doesn't seem to mean it, either way.. ] But yes, it's Ange. We talked before, right? [ a long time ago, but even so-- ] I guess I'm okay, more or less.

[seventeenpills]

Yeah, we've talked before. It was quite a while ago, but I remember it being a nice conversation. I'm glad to hear from you again.

[Despite the fact that Rudolph might hunt him down and gut him. And the fact that Battler had asserted he was the only male in Asgard allowed to befriend her. You have an interesting family, Ange.]

You're OK more or less? That's better than being terrible, at least. Did you manage to avoid getting sick?

[entreats]

[ Her mother is the sane one (in.. this department, not in others..) but she's not here, so yup, Ange's stuck with the idiots. Although she's fairly surprised to hear this much from the guy-- geez, he's really that happy to talk to her again? ]

No, I did get sick. But.. some other people had it worse. [ She saw people die, yes, even if she and Shiki ended up getting better later on. ]

[seventeenpills]

Ah. In that case, I'm glad you got off lightly. Did you still need any kind of healing or other help? I'll admit I'm still hazy on the details being I just got back.

[entreats]

I'm fine. [ her reply comes quickly - almost too quickly, but this is ange, she always insists on pretending to be strong and okay always. ]

Go help people who need it more. Besides.. it's not even like we know each other that well, do you usually offer help to people that quickly?