cerealia ic inbox;

[luckybreaks]

"Hey, you've reached Naegi Makoto. I'm sorry, but I can't answer right now. If you leave a message I'll try to get back to you as soon as I can. Please take care!"

VOICE | TEXT | VIDEO | ACTION

Comments

text; 4/5 ic

[fittedgloves]

Could you meet me outside of our apartment building?

text; 4/5 ic

[luckybreaks]

On my way...is everything okay?

text; 4/5 ic

[fittedgloves]

For the most part, yes.

[ Naegi will find Kyouko leaning up against the building, looking a little worse for wear. Her legs are scratched up, and it looks like one of her knees is a little swollen. The way she's favoring one of her legs also hints at a twisted ankle too. ]

action; 4/5 ic

[luckybreaks]

[ oh my god Kyouko do you want to give him a heart attack..."for the most part" isn't yes, so of course he speeds himself up without replying back. At least she's alive - and why the hell is that a thing they can think now, like not dying is a mark of being okay? - but should she really be on her feet...?

Rather, going upstairs like this might be hard on her, right? ]

Kirigiri-san! You're hurt - [ He jogs up to a stop beside her, and impulsively pulls her into a hug. He may or may not have been worried the entire expedition. ] We should see to your legs...do you need help getting upstairs?

action; 4/5 ic

[fittedgloves]

[ The hug takes her by surprise (much more than she'd ever like to admit), and it takes her a moment to answer. ]

...Yes. [ She hates to admit it, but out of all people she'd rather have Naegi see her in a moment of weakness like this. ] I do believe I could manage it, but I don't want to make my injuries worse.

action; 4/5 ic

[luckybreaks]

I'm glad you called me, then. [ Especially because he's well aware there was a time she wouldn't have called any of them. He...he probably can't princess carry her up there because he's a damn noodle, but at the very least: ]

In that case...I'll be your crutch for the time being, Kirigiri-san, so let's get you upstairs. [ Even a noodle can be a human crutch!! ]

[fittedgloves]

[ She nods, lifting herself off of the wall and taking a couple of steps towards him before wrapping one of her arms around his shoulders. ]

Thank you. [ It's said quietly, but it's definitely sincere. ]

[luckybreaks]

Of course. You know I'll always help you if I can. [ He'd say "no questions asked", but he usually has questions...

...still, he never requires her to actually answer them. ]

What happened? [ They may as well start talking about it as they get her upstairs. Naegi will match himself to Kirigiri's pace, putting the arm closest to her around her waist to help steady her. ]

[fittedgloves]

[ She really does appreciate it, even though she rarely says so. Kyouko takes it slow, trying to make the trip up several flights of stairs as easy as possible for the both of them. ]

Everything had gone rather smoothly for most of the trip, but we came across a monster that outmatched us... [ And two members of the group died while others were severely injured. It wasn't pretty.

She pauses. ] Compared to the others, I was lucky.

[luckybreaks]

...I'm sorry. For whatever happened to the others... [ And for the fact he's grateful it didn't happen to her. It's a weird feeling - Naegi has never actually actively wished harm on anyone, save perhaps Monobear, and that's not really what he's feeling here.

But he's thankful it didn't happen to Kirigiri. ]

But I'm glad that at least you were lucky. [ Uncertain still as to whether that was good or bad, Naegi changes topics, frowning. If it's Kirigiri, then something that would make her more comfortable to speak about...well, it'd be mysteries, right? Clues as to the truth of Cerealia. ] Did you all...find anything while you were out there?

[fittedgloves]

[ She appreciates the subject change—while death isn't exactly new to her, the way everything played out did take a toll on her, as much as she would hate to admit it. ]

Yes. We ran into a few natives. They didn't tell us much, but they did mention a contract that was made with CERES.

[luckybreaks]

A contract...? That sounds a little ominous.

[ LIKE, REALLY OMINOUS, ACTUALLY. He's understating it. ]

[fittedgloves]

I thought so myself. Whatever the contract was, I'm sure it only favored CERES.

[luckybreaks]

[ When they reach their shared floor, he'll automatically start heading to Kirigiri's place, still helping her along. ]

I wouldn't be at all surprised. I wonder what the details were, though - maybe we'll find out soon...? If it's a contract, I'd like to know if they kept to it at all, or simply broke it.

[fittedgloves]

I hope so. However, I don't know when we will be going back out into the jungle. [ Not with the way their trip ended.

Once they make it to her door, Kyouko takes out her keys, unlocking it. She breaks away from Naegi, slowly making her way over to the couch, leaving her door open so he can let himself in if he wants. ]