After Midnight, at the Sakura Apartment
| After Midnight, at the Sakura Apartment | |
|---|---|
| Date of Scene: | 22 December 2016 |
| Location: | Sakura Territory |
| Synopsis: | Naru has a nightmare, and then she and Kyouko have a talk. |
| Cast of Characters: | Kyouko Sakura, Naru Osaka |
Kyouko Sakura has posed:
The night of the unusual Wraith attack on the ECFH. It's been quiet since then, thankfully- no signs of additional trouble. After the chat with Kunzite and Mamoru on the couches upstairs, Kyouko had returned down to her own apartment. Naru had come with her.
The Sakura apartment is almost neurotically clean, thanks for Momo's influence. However, Momo is not allowed in Kyouko's room- this is a rule that has been in place since their old crappy apartment. The result is that Kyouko's room often looks like a bomb has hit it.
It's not /dirty/, its just cluttered. Kyouko is the type to believe 'wherever it lands' is a perfectly suitable way to store laundry, and only the fact that she doesn't actually /own/ that much clothing saves it from being a complete wreck.
If she's ashamed of this, there's never been any sign. In truth, almost nobody but her ever comes into her bedroom- in this way, she and Naru are much alike. She's one of the few who have been in Naru's bedroom; Naru is part of an even more exclusive club as far as people who have been in Kyouko's. But, as noted, Kyouko has never seemed embarrassed about the state of her room. In actuality, it almost seems to make the small room more cozy- like a nest she's created. A safe space.
Her bed is Full size, not huge but thankfully not tiny either. Big enough for two, especially when the two are relatively petite. It's now after midnight. Momo is sleeping in the next room over. The door is closed, and its very dark in the room- Kyouko is not the type for nightlights, or fans or anything like that. As a result, it's also very quiet.
She is a restless, light sleeper. This should surprise no one. Wearing a tank top and shorts, Kyouko has managed to sprawl halfway across the bed , one foot hanging off the edge, arm over her head. She's snoring faintly. Yes, she does snore, sorry. It's not the really awful, log-sawing type of snore, just a little, rumbly inhalation every few seconds. She seems, for the moment, to be fully asleep.
Naru Osaka has posed:
While Naru's room falls into the 'obsessively tidy' side more like the rest of the Sakura apartment, she doesn't seem unduly bothered by the cozy clutter that makes up Kyouko's room. She's careful not to step on things, the familiarity that comes with clutter of which piles are important and which are not isn't there yet, but she manages.
After midnight, on a day full of emotional highs and lows and that started at o'stupid early ensures that even if Naru is bothered by the silence, or the pitch dark, she's likely not to notice. Her room is much closer to street level, only on the second floor, and the inherent noise from the city permeates so much more at that point.
Generally, Naru is a very still and relaxed sleeper. Not quite dead to the world and requires a bomb to go off to get her out of bed, but certainly she's not as light a sleeper as Kyouko is and quiet other than her even breathing. Naru's tank top is paired with capris rather than shorts, but the sleeping uniform of teen girls is fairly typical.
It's hard to tell what time it actually is, other than long enough after they fell asleep to feel late, and not yet with any glimmer of morning emerging. Naru whimpers softly, rolling over from where she'd ended up curled up next to Kyouko's sprawl, ending up with an arm across the other girl, only a moment or two before she's moving again with a soft indistinct murmur.
Kyouko Sakura has posed:
It's a funny place that the relationship of these two girls is in- generally, sleeping together is something which comes later. But here, there's no acknowledgement of the fact that it's strangely intimate for friends. It's like there's an unspoken, almost subconscious agreement that this is simply something that makes both of them comfortable. This likely speaks to the damaged nature of both, though perhaps in different ways.
If it were examined, one might wonder what's in it for Kyouko- Naru's benefit is fairly clear, at least on the surface. Kyouko is a very capable defender when it comes to the monsters that might haunt her dreams. And yet, there's no denying that Kyouko sleeps more soundly with Naru there. It's really just the physical presence, the knowledge, conscious or not, that somebody is there and that somebody cares about her. This is something she never really had in her previous 'relationships', such as they were, for a variety of reasons. It's something she's finding she treasures.
Even given that, Kyouko is a light enough sleeper that the brief contact of Naru's arm across her midsection, causes her eyes to blink open immediately. Had it been there the whole time, it likely would have been fine, but the change is what wakes her. She tenses as she awakes- alarm mode engaged by instinct and habit, eyes darting in the dark, ears straining, even nostrils flaring. Searching for signs of danger.
But there's nothing. Nothing except the soft murmuring as Naru shifts and moves restlessly beside her. Kyouko leans up on her elbows, turning her head to peer somewhat blearily down at the indistinct shape beside her. There's no annoyance at being awoken. Rather, there's a faint concern, although not yet developed. Is something wrong? She watches and waits for a few moments, not wanting to disturb Naru if its just her being paranoid.
Naru Osaka has posed:
The intimacy that comes with sleeping, actually sleeping, together is an odd intersection of friendship and trust and seeking the comfort that both of them find at not being alone in the dark.
There's been a bit more familiarity in Naru's past with the trust and comfort of having another person present. Years of sleepovers with Usagi make it a normal thing, but the sharing of a bed adds a new layer of intimacy and, if Naru was going to think about it in depth, she's never had much of a desire to settle in the same bed with Usagi as she does with Kyouko.
Naru shifts again, one arm coming up to hide her face and muffle her indistinct words all the further as she turns away from Kyouko, curling up further. That posture screams defensive, her body not relaxed in sleep, but tense in the grips of the nightmare. She's clearly not awake, the strangled little cry behind her arm doens't sound like she's winning either.
Kyouko Sakura has posed:
Kyouko's brows knit as she observes Naru over the next few moments after coming awake. For reasons stated previously, this is not something in which she has much experience. She's never encountered this sort of situation before, and it's something she is uncertain how to deal with.
Clearly, Naru is not happy. The signs are plain that she's having a pretty bad dream. But what's the proper thing to do? Wake her up? Would that make it worse, or be an unwelcome intrusion in some way? Doing nothing doesn't sit right with Kyouko either, though- it pains her to see (or hear, sense, in the dark) Naru in distress, even if its just in her dreams. The result is Kyouko leaning up on one elbow, hovering over the whimpering, tense Naru for several minutes as she debates back and forth in her mind.
Finally, hearing that little cry from Naru, Kyouko reaches out with one hand. Very lightly, tentatively, she touches Naru's shoulder. "Naru-chan," She whispers, her voice pitched low. "S'okay. Look, I'm here, okay? It's safe, I promise." She's not really thinking about what she's saying, or whether Naru can hear her, still asleep as she is. But maybe just the sound of her voice will help. She really doesn't know.
Naru Osaka has posed:
The touch registers and Naru pulls away from it at first with a little startle and a yelp, twitching away. Until Kyouko's whisper somehow registers into whatever attack is threatening her as she sleeps.
Naru rolls over again, this time back towards Kyouko, uncurling a bit as she does. Her eyes snap open, blinking at the puella in the dark, clearly not really present yet, well evidenced by the fresh little whimper. She pauses just a moment and then wraps her arms around Kyouko and clings, hiding her face in the other girl's shoulder. It feels like her heart is beating a thousand miles a minute, her breath quick as if she's been running.
Kyouko Sakura has posed:
Kyouko actually twitches her hand back away from Naru when the girl yelps and pulls away from her, her expression concerned. Not because Naru pulled away, but because she's suddenly afraid that might have been the wrong thing to do.
Those fears are allayed, or at least pushed out of her mind, a moment later when Naru rolls back towards her.. then suddenly clings to her. Kyouko tenses at first, just because of the suddenness of the movement, but a split second later her arms are coming up and encircling Naru as the girl's face is pressed into her shoulder.
Kyouko might joke about being dead, or undead, or a soulless husk. But in the moment, in the dark, she feels alive- her skin is warm, and Naru can feel the expanding of her chest as she breathes and the rhythm of her own heart, slightly elevated in sympathetic concern as she feels, more than sees, the panic in the other girl.
"Shh.. hey.. it's alright.." Kyouko whispers, in the warm darkness of the room. Again, this is outside of her wheelhouse. But the feeling is genuine, and hopefully that comes across if not eloquently. Her hand strokes down Naru's back, her other arm wrapped tight around the girl's waist, as she just lets her hide there. She keeps up the soft, but firm reassurances, even if it's mostly just rambling, as she searches for the 'right' thing to say. "I'm right here. You're safe. It's okay."
Naru Osaka has posed:
Fortunately, there isn't really a 'right' thing to say. The quiet rambling, the feel of arms holding her, the seeping of reality brushing away the realness of the dream.
"I hate that I can't always tell when it's dream, when it's real but still dream, and when it's just dream." Naru murmurs against Kyouko's shoulder as she slowly starts to relax, not quite willing to let go or move very far.
Her voice is still strained, little crackles that might be tears in another, but are just part of Naru calming down. "I really hate wraiths." She murmurs softly, a little shudder, just at the mention of them again.
Kyouko Sakura has posed:
Kyouko doesn't seem to be in any rush to push Naru away. She continues to just hold the other girl, tightly, and rub her back with what she imagines is a reassuring touch, although she's just winging it- luckily, winging it is something she tends to be pretty good at.
Wraiths. To Kyouko, they're food. She spent years fighting Witches- to her, Wraiths are easy. Almost trivial. It's somewhat of an effort for her to wrap her mind around how frightening they are for Naru, and exactly why. But she /tries/, because it's important to her, and important to Naru, and she wants to understand.
Luckily, if you're afraid of Wraiths, in an apartment with two Puella Magi is probably the safest place you could be (not to mention everyone else upstairs.)
"It's just a dream, this time." Kyouko says, her voice still low, a tone seldom heard from the normally boisterous redhead, as if afraid to disturb the quiet stillness of the night further. "There aren't any Wraiths around. I can sense them, y'know."
Naru Osaka has posed:
Slowly, Naru relaxes against Kyouko, resting her head against her shoulder without even considering that she might move away now that the initial terror is passing, she offers a gentle squeeze, her arms still around the other girl.
Of all the things that have attacked Naru over the last year, the Wraiths have have the most dramatic impact at such an intimate level.
Naru sighs softly as she listens to Kyouko, the tension easing in waves at the quiet words. "Just a dream.. " She murmurs in return, grateful for the soft words in the dark, the tactile feel of someone being there as comfort. "Can you sense witches?" She asks thoughtfully, nearly a whisper, with how close they are.
Kyouko Sakura has posed:
Kyouko can feel Naru relaxing, and she lets out a low sigh, some of her own tension easing as well. The whole 'comforting' thing is not something she's used to either- honestly, this is all sorts of new territory for her. But that doesn't mean she's unhappy or unwilling. In fact, it rather makes her feel good that she is able to have that calming effect- even if it was just a bad dream.
She squeezes Naru back. Slowly, as that moment of tension passes, she eases herself back so she is sitting, leaning against the headboard, but she keeps her arms around Naru, letting the girl settle with her, against her, in a comfortable lean, her legs curled up next to her on the bed.
It's very quiet in her room, but its a peaceful quiet, and Naru's whisper is easily heard. "Yeah." She says, after a moment. Her hand continues to stroke Naru's back, almost reflexively. "All Puella can, near as I can tell. Wraiths are pretty new, remember. Used to be all Witches, all the time."
Naru Osaka has posed:
There's really no such thing as 'just a bad dream', especially not in Naru's experience. The comfort, inexperienced as it might be, is well welcomed.
Naru moves with Kyouko as she settles back against the headboard, leaning alongside with her, still all tangled up together and unabashedly snuggly. The comfort from the bad dream has settled to comfortable without engaging the brain on how the situation might not be thought of as the same. Close enough.
"I can have a witch in my dreams." Naru explains quietly, just as much of a whisper. "Really there, even if in dream. I wonder if you can sense that." There's a slow sigh, relaxing. "It makes it hard to remind myself that the wraith chasing me in my dreams is just a dream. I start thinking 'what if it's not?'"
Kyouko Sakura has posed:
Kyouko sits quietly for a few moments, her head leaning back against the headboard, feeling Naru re-settle against her, comfortably entangled. Kyouko doesn't seem to think about it either... a girl who usually shies away from physical touch, even from people she trusts. Here, now, it just seems comfortable.
"A witch in your dreams?" Kyouko asks, after that moment of reflective silence, clearly not understanding what that means. "I.. I don't know. I haven't sensed any Witches, so.. has there been a Witch in your dreams tonight?"
As for the rest, she simply says, resolutely, with an almost innocent stubbornness suddenly entering her voice. "If its a real Wraith, I'll kill it. I promise. That's what I do."
Naru Osaka has posed:
Comfortable and normal even, no matter that it might be the first time for midnight whispered post-nightmare conversations.
"No, not tonight." Naru shakes her head a little at the question, the tiny movement felt against Kyouko's shoulder. "But she's visited before, and of course my brain makes the leap of if she can visit, then maybe wraiths can too." There's a slow sigh. "Which was a more silly notion until tonight's seemed more intelligent.
"I know you will." Naru gives Kyouko another squeeze at her resolute determination to kill the creatures that haunt her dreams. "They steal everything. I hate things being in my head at the best of times, but they don't just meddle, they steal my emotions, and I'm very fond of feeling things."
Kyouko Sakura has posed:
Kyouko is silent again for a few moments.. wondering over Naru's words, words about a Witch visiting her dreams. That will bear pursuing, a possible threat to be investigated. But she senses that now isn't the time. An interrogation will not help someone who just woke in terror from a nightmare.
"I've never seen a Wraith act intelligently." Kyouko says, her hand stopping on Naru's back, just resting, though she tilts her head sideways against the girl's, cheek on her hair. "It was probably just your brain being dumb and making things scarier than they are.. not that they ain't scary enough already."
A very soft chuckle as Naru expresses her fondness for feeling things. "I can get that. Your feelings.. they're what make you, you. I like you, Naru-chan. I don't want them to steal you, either. So I'll do my best to protect that, for you and for myself. I'm just selfish like that, I guess."
Naru Osaka has posed:
"The usual ones are pretty straightforward. The new one tonight was a bit more clueful." Naru explains briefly. "Apparently my brain made an unfortunate leap based on that." She doens't even think, brushing her hair lightly against Kyouko's cheek, a gentle little caress.
"They don't get to steal you either." Naru points out. "Not that there's as much chance of that, I suppose, but I'd like you to continue being you as well." She's quiet for a few moments, feeling safe and secure and content. "Thank you."
Kyouko Sakura has posed:
Kyouko smiles, although it's not something Naru can see, given the darkness and their relative positions. "Don't worry," She says, that old confident, brash tone re-entering her voice, even if it's still pitched low in the quiet room. "It'll take more than a Wraith, or even a bunch of Wraiths, or even a Witch, or even a bunch o' Witches, to take Kyouko Sakura down."
She laughs, softly, as Naru thanks her. "This is who I am, Naru-chan. I ain't very smart, and I ain't very pretty and I ain't cultured.. but I fight, and I'm good at fighting, and I protect the people who are important to me. That includes you. So if nothin' else, if everything else is goin' to hell, you can count on that. I'll be there, and I'll fight to keep you safe, no matter who or what the enemy is."
Naru Osaka has posted:
Naru can't argue with that confident tone, she can infer the smile just fine and it makes her smile too. "I'm certain of that." Utter faith in Kyouko's ability to take down Wraiths, and Witches too, is easy enough.
"You're good at fighting, and good protecting, and are occasionally delusional and not think you're smart or pretty, although I know better." Naru sighs softly. "I'm so well spoiled. I wish I could protect people half as much as I'm protected."
Kyouko Sakura has posed:
"You protect people in other ways." Kyouko says, and though her voice is soft, its earnest. "As silly as it sounds.. people like me, and like nii-chan.. we need people /to/ protect. I know it might seem self-centered.. and it might be frustrating for you. But.. it's so depressing, so lonely, to have power and have no one to use it for. And dangerous too. The temptations.. Naru, I ain't the best person. I've done bad things, and sometimes that temptation is still there. It's people like you, and Mamoru, who remind me why I shouldn't. And I /need/ that. That's so valuable to me, I can't even find the right words to say it."
"Besides.. I don't think you're as weak as you think. You always say that, and I can see why. You're just entering in, and we all been doin' it for so long already. But you shouldn't count yourself out so easily. Your magic is amazing. You just need to figure out how to make best use of it, and the only way to do that is to try, and try, and try."
Her hand finds Naru's in the dark, and she squeezes it. "I know I got no right to lecture on that kinda stuff but.. trust me on that too."
Naru Osaka has posed:
"I am good at needing protecting." Naru can't argue there, and she settles her hand into Kyouko's absently threading fingers together. "I know you've done bad things.. and I can guess that its tempting still, even I can sense that." She is quiet a moment. "It sounds weird to say that I dont mind that you did bad things, it's more that I know you did, and I like you now, even with that in your past." She gives Kyouko's hand a squeeze.
"I feel weak." Naru admits. "Not just from knowing I don't know my powers well, but needing protection never helps someone feel strong and capable. Well loved, but eternally dependant, and hard not to feel scared. All of the time. I refuse to feel scared all of the time."
Kyouko Sakura has posed:
Kyouko threads her fingers with Naru's tightly, squeezing in return when they are squeezed. She's quiet for a few moments, thinking about what Naru said, about knowing what she's done (or at least, that she's done not-so-nice things) but not caring. "That's important to me, too." She admits. "I'm trying real hard to be a better person, and to make up for the mistakes I made. The fact that you feel that way.. it's proof its working. That's a really great gift, Naru-chan."
"Think of it as a trade." She admits, a faint hint of warm amusement in her soft tone. Not because she doesn't take Naru's concern seriously, but because her own philosophy is a little silly, and she knows it. "We'll protect you now, while you find your feet. Then later, you can pull our collective asses out of the fire. God knows we need it often enough."
She squeezes again, harder. "I don't want you to be scared all the time. I would be sad."
Naru Osaka has posed:
"If I couldn't accept that your past wasn't your current, I'd have no friends." Naru points out pragmatically and there's another gentle squeeze of their joined hands. "Being able to change, and evolve is important, and makes you even better than someone who never had to figure out that there's another way."
"Mmmm." Naru considers the notion of trade. "I rather like that idea, actually. Protection now for future considerations of usefulness. I have a fairly solid tab going already." She rests her head against Kyouko's shoulder again, not that she's ever really moved that far. "I'm not. I refuse to be, but sometimes that takes some doing to remind myself of some days. Usually when there's wraiths." She admits. "I know you don't find them even a blip on your radar of concerning."
Kyouko Sakura has posed:
"You do have kind of a thing for making friends with us rehabilitated jerks." Kyouko says, with fond amusement in her tone. "But you're right, accourse. I dunno if it makes me better.. I mean, somebody who always resisted doing bad things might be better than someone who did and then only realized later it was a bad idea. But I'll take the compliment anyway.. cuz I'm glad you're able to say it. It proves that I've made progress."
She grins, and faintly nuzzles her cheek against Naru's hair again as the girl's head returns to her shoulder. Absently, she reaches to find the comforter, tugging it up to cover both of them where they sit without disturbing their position. She squeezes Naru's hand again lightly. "That's not true. All monsters are concerning. But.. but it's like someone who's job is to handle dangerous chemicals. You get used to it. It does't stop bein' dangerous, and you know that but.. you can't be afraid of it, or else you can't do your job."
"But I understand why they scare you. There are things that scare me too, you know."
Naru Osaka has posed:
It is slowly becoming less sitting and more leaning sprawling and snuggling as they chat, tangled up and casually relaxed as they are. Now with more cozy warmth as the comforter settles over them both.
Naru considers that a moment. "It's true, I suppose." She acknowledges on the topic of the care and handling of hazardous monsters. "Other monsters, or types of dangerous people, I'm concerned but not the same level of dread."
"What ones make you want to crawl under the blankets and hide?" Naru asks softly, wriggling comfortably under the blankets, hiding in the quiet and dark.
Kyouko Sakura has posed:
Kyouko is quite for a few moments, comfortably entangled and ensconced with Naru against the headboard. The impression is she's thinking, but what exactly about is hard to say- is she considering her answer, or whether she wants to tell it to Naru? She's the type who views exposing any sort of weakness to be the most sacred of trusts. More so even than the physical contact.
But eventually, it seems, she decides that she can give Naru an answer. "Being alone." She says quietly, her fingers tightening against Naru's as she does. "Being alone again.. terrifies me more than anything. When I have nightmares, that's most often what they're about. I look around, and suddenly, all of this," there's no gesture in the dark, but Naru can guess what she's referring to: her new life, "is gone, and I'm back in that ruined church with no friends and no family and nobody who cares about me."
"And, much as it makes me seem like a terrible person, it ain't the thought of going back to being a troublemaker or a bully that scares me. It's being alone again. I just.." She shudders, physically, then falls silent. "It really scares me. Monsters I can handle. I can kill them. I'm good at killing them. I can't /make/ people like me. So it scares me."
Naru Osaka has posed:
Naru's fingers squeeze tight against Kyouko's as she shares the horrors of her dreams, that horrible sense of 'this will all vanish on me', that is so hard to combat with logic or reason.
"You are so stuck with me." Naru notes softly. "Even if I'm coming to find whatever ruined church you're in and you're trying to kill me, you're still stuck with me. Which is easy to say and hard to remind the awful moments in the depths of a nightmare." She gives Kyouko a squeeze at the shudder, a gentle nuzzle to reinforce the words about finding her.
"I also don't think you're a terrible person to not be scared of the attitude again." Naru smiles slightly, heard in her voice briefly. "You also don't have to /make/ people like you. You are well loved."
Kyouko Sakura has posed:
Kyouko squeezes back, silent for several moments again as Naru reassures her.The cynic in her finds the reassurance hard to accept, because she expected it- but the part of her which is open to people, a part which is getting bigger as the months go by, is still happy to hear it.
"I know I am." She admits after a moment, and Naru can hear a slight tremble in her voice. "Even if I have no godamned idea why."
She takes a deep breath, and when she speaks again a few moments later, her voice is more stable. "I think you're a dummy, Naru, to care that much about me. I sure as hell don't deserve it. But.. thank you. Maybe that's why I sleep better when you're here. Even in my dreams I can feel that you're sticking by me."
Naru Osaka has posed:
Easy to say, certainly and expected, but no less sincere for that. Naru gives a gentle nudge after Kyouko's voice is a little steadier again. "I'm not going to give you a list of why when I can't see you blush."
There's a utterly contented little sigh as Kyouko mentions that she sleeps better with Naru there, utterly ignoring the fact that Kyouko thinks she's nuts. "Oh good, I'm not the only one." She breathes, and there's a hint of sheepish. "You sleep so lightly, I'm sure I wake you up every time I move, but I sleep better too." Her voice holds that edge of sheepish even still. "And that was probably the gentlest waking up from a nightmare in .. ever. Thank you."
Kyouko Sakura has posed:
Kyouko blushes anyway. Naru can't see it, but she might be able to sense it in the way Kyouko gives a faint little squirm beside her.
"I do, probably, most of the time." Kyouko says, regarding whether or not she wakes up every time Naru moves, "But I wake up all the time anyway. Like.. I literally can't remember the last time that I slept through a night without waking up at least half a dozen times." A little sigh. "It's more pleasant to wake up with a comforting presence beside you than to wake up alone. So even if you're waking me up, it's still better than the alternative."
She smiles at the thanks. "You're welcome. Although I feel a bit of a failure since I couldn't prevent the nightmare altogether. I'll have to work on my threatening presence, scare them away better."
Naru Osaka has posed:
That may have been some of the plan, knowing Kyouko was going to blush anyhow and Naru smiles.
"It is much nicer to wake up with someone comforting beside you than alone." Naru agrees with a little nod. "At least you go back to sleep, even if I do wake you up a bazillion times." She gives another little squeeze of a sleepy lazy hug. "I've had nightmares fairly well solidly since May or so, to various degrees of bad dream to nightmare. The worst was when I was literally being drained in my dreams. So these seem gentle, and waking up to you telling me I'm alright?" She sighs. "So much easier."
Kyouko Sakura has posed:
"It's not something I've ever gotten to experience, before." Kyouko admits, her head drooping sideways against Naru's, her eyes mostly-closed now in the dark, warm and comfortable. "I'm glad that it's you.. and that I can help you too. It might make me sleep a little easier too.. knowing that you're benefiting as much as I am. I don't like seemin' too selfish."
She shifts slightly, drooping a bit more towards a reclining position, assuming Naru will shift with her in order to allow it. It's still the middle of the night, no real clue as to how much time has passed, but she's clearly easing her way back towards sleep, although she isn't quite there yet. "I dunno if I could help you if you were getting drained in your dreams again, though." She confesses. "Dreams are.. not really my wheelhouse."
Naru Osaka has posed:
There is slow and gentle rearranging as the pair of them shift towards more reclining and leaning and probably not so far away from something more sleep friendly, even if it seems likely that they're going to pass out all tangled up.
"They aren't mine either, really." Naru murmurs sleepily, clearly unconcerned that Kyouko can't leap into her dreams to protect her. "You'd probably have noticed that the nightmares were different earlier than I did, though, and besides, drain is easier to cope with with good emotional state, so you help just by being you."
Kyouko Sakura has posed:
"Maybe." Kyouko says, sliding down a bit more so her head can find the pillow again. She doesn't seem inclined to separate from Naru, though, keeping hold of her hand, and keeping close to her side, with the other girl's head tucked against her shoulder. "I'm not sure I've ever helped anything just by bein' me before. Usually it's the other way around."
She stares up at the ceiling in the dark, feeling the warm, comforting presence beside her as she considers where she is, and how she got here. "I can't always be there, though." She sounds apologetic. "Much as I might want to. I have.. responsibilities now. Important ones."
Naru Osaka has posed:
Naru snuggles in as they settle back to something closer to sleeping positions, her head still resting on Kyouko's shoulder, arm draped over the other girl, fingers entwined. Warm and comfortable and sleepy.
"I'd be some ticked if you ditched your responsibilities to babysit me." Naru points out with a smile to her voice. "I'm not the only one who needs protecting, and I /try/ and be at least somewhat self-rescuing. It's all good, I'm not selfish enough to think I get to steal all of your protective." It's a gentle nuzzle of her head against Kyouko's shoulder. "We should sleep."
Kyouko Sakura has posed:
"I know." Kyouko says, "I know you get it." But she sounds pleased anyway. It's always nice to be reassured that your views are shared, or at least understood.
"Yeah." She says, the muzzy tone of her voice indicating that she's already partway there, as Naru reminds her that they should sleep- tomorrow is another day, with work and all the other such stuff. Her eyes slide closed, and Naru can feel her breathing evening out. "But no more nightmares tonight.. kay?"
Naru Osaka has posed:
"No more nightmares." Naru agrees. "For either of us." She specifies. It's important to add that qualifier, Naru isn't the only one who gets to 'enjoy' bad dreams.
Quiet settles again, the heavy stillness in the dark room, its not long before the weight of Naru against Kyouko is heavy, her breathing relaxed and even.
No more nightmares.
