Two Totally Stable People Left Alone (Tomomi / Nadia)

Cecil and Kendra had left Nadia's home to get groceries, and the girl in question was sleeping. So, it didn't take long for Tomomi to try to find something to do, clearing up the dishes, bowls, glasses, and mugs, putting them back where they were found. Then what?

Then, Tomomi went about wiping every surface pristine clean, dusting off the corners of the rooms, and making sure the sofas and chairs looked as if nobody had sat in them at all. Still, the boy ran out of things to do. So then what?

Then, out of things to do, Tomomi began to think on everything that had happened in the past few hours, the panic that he'd been supressing for Cecil, Kendra, and Nadia's sake bubbling forth to the fore with a cruel vigour that did not slow. Hiding himself away in a corner, Tomomi slumped down ungracefully, clutching at his chest with his right hand while his left grasped at his hair, tugging away at it as if to distract himself. His eyes were wide, yet seemingly unfocused, and his breathing more irregular than the fourth wall breaking narrator's posting style, and out of his pocket peeked the instructions for dismantling and reassembling, the very tip poking out, with a little bit of the bloodied writing visible if one were to look.

Nadia's sleep nap had been a lasted for a few hours. She'd been in and out at first, hearing her friends talking just outside the door. She couldn't make out there voices, but it was an ambient noise that both made it hard to sleep, and comforted her at the same time. She drifted off to a dreamless place where her sense of emptiness was inverted. She was floating in that emptiness, in oblivion. Swaddled warm and snug in the endless nothingness of unconscious.

When she stirred there were no sounds from outside her room. She spent a few long moments blinking in the dim light of her room, wondering. Every once in a while she heard a creak or a sigh, and though it could have been the settling of the building, she had the impression someone was still here. Cecil perhaps, or Tomomi. If it was Kendra she'd likely be sitting beside the bed trying her best not to talk but failing. The thought brought a smile, unbidden, to Nadia's face, and she resolved to get out of bed...

in a moment. It was warm and safe here, and she had the distinct memory of Cecil tucking her in with care, and kissing her forehead, and the naturalness of it made her swoon.

When she did finally get out of bed, slipping on her fuzzy grey slippers and changing out of the jeans and blouse she'd worn to bed into more comfortable pajama bottoms (decorated with a pattern of birds in flight), and a plain night shirt that was much to big for her, the room beyond was spectacularly clean. Only the dust filtering through the light of the main window spoke of the natural age of the place.

But she didn't see anyone. Nadia made a face. Maybe it had just been her imagination. She took a few steps into the room and looked around, not seeing anyone at first. She let out a defeated, whimpering sound. She didn't want to be alone yet. It had been so nice to have everyone around...all at once. Now they were gone and she was alone and her vision darkened. She had to catch the back of the couch with a hand to steady herself. She clutched it as if, by letting go, she would stumble and fall into the abyss of shadow that swathed her. That was when she saw Tomomi, huddled in a corner across the room and clutching hist chest. Her vision cleared immediately, and she went to him, half walking, half running. "Tomomi!" She called as she came up beside him and knelt. "Are you okay? Did you hurt yourself? Where are Cecil and Kendra?"

At the sound of Nadia's voice, Tomomi seemed to startle somewhat, evidently becoming more aware of the fact that he wasn't home alone, or even at his own home once more. The hand clutching his chest let go gracelessly, and quickly he hurried to move his hand from his hair, adjusting his posture as quick as he could in a ramshackle hurry to try and hide his emotional errors as he replied, voice quiet and hurried. "A-ah! N-N-N-Nadia! I-I'm okay! I-I'm not hurt! I-I'm just t-taking a b-b-break from c-cleaning! U-U-um... S-S-Ses...Cecil and K-Kendra went out to get food for later be-because your f-fridge is nearly e-empty, um, s-sorry about that..."

Gulping, Tomomi moved to hastily shove his hand into the pocket with the instructions, desperate to hide any signs of potential weakness, fueled ever more by Cecil and Kendra's insistence to compliment him on how he had been holding up - he was expected to be in control and coping with this, so, he had to... He had to...

Rubbing his left hand over his eyes and hair, Tomomi shook his head, before rapidly continuing, as if trying not to give Nadia a chance to question his fragility. "S-s-sanyways! I-I mean, s-so, anyways, um, h-how are you feeling? A-are you um... R-r-r-rested up-up? B-because, um, w-while you're up, I can, um, g-g-get you another d-drink if you need? O-or you could get b-back to bed if I d-disturbed you, which, um, s-sorry!"

was it just her imagination or did Tomomi seem...more anxious than usual. His voice shook more than normal while he did his best to allay her concerns. And they were allayed, but replaced with new worries altogether. Kneeling next to him as he sorted himself out against the wall in the corner, she reached forward and put a hand gently on his shoulder, the corner of her mouth twitched, though whether it was into a frown or a smile it was impossible to tell.

"No, Tomomi. It's my apartment, I'll get you a drink, okay? would you like some Sun tea?" she asked gently. She had put her more typical blank expression back on, composed and neat and gentle, but there was a shadow over her eyes as she watched her friend. "I hurt you today. You and Kendra and Cecil. I didn't mean to, but I did. And I would like to make it up to you, if I can. So...Come sit on the couch, make yourself comfortable, and I will get you some tea, okay?" Her words were gentle, cordial even, polite in her usual bright way, as though she had put the events of the day behind her.

Normally, if Nadia had offered that, Tomomi would have politely declined. Yet right at this moment, Tomomi felt all will and energy to argue or disagree leave his body, nodding his head slowly. "Sun t-tea would be lovely..." He muttered, head kept low and facing down. Then, at her saying she hurt the three of them, and that she'd make some tea while he got comfortable, Tomomi felt himself stifling tears, trying not to cry as he pushed himself against the wall for support, standing up silently and heading over to the couch, sitting down without any of his usual grace or gentleness as he slumped, elbows on his knees, eyes shut as he tried to think to no avail, unsure of what to do, what to say.

Then, he recalled what he'd always been hurt by when Cecil and clearly Nadia had done it. Hiding things. He wanted to know the truths, even painful ones, so... Surely it would make sense to tell the truth, even if it was painful to say, right? So, the boy dug his hand into his pocket, taking the instructions he'd wrote out and holding them. "I... I'm sorry... I-I... I found your gun, and um... I... I dismantled it... I have the in-instructions here, to, um, r-reassemble it when you f-feel better... And um... I... I'm sorry you felt so... So... So lonely... I know Cecil and Kendra said it, and that it proba-probably hurts to hear but... I should have paid more attention... Asked what was wrong... I'm... I'm sorry..."

Nadia smiled a little, and headed back into the kitchen to fetch the pitcher of sun tea from the refrigerator. It wasn't the best sun tea, as it was hard to make in the winter time, but luckily winter wasn't quite upon them yet, and it didn't freeze. She listened to what Tomomi as he spoke, but chose not to respond until she had returned triumphant with two glasses of tea, and sat one down in front of Tomomi. She sat beside him, rested a hand on his knee, ignoring the gun issue for the moment.

"You always worry about everyone else. Even though Cecil and myself spending time together took precious time away from you and your friend. I was lonely for no reason. My mind plays tricks on me, I suppose." She admitted. "But I think you're a very good person, Tomomi. I'm sorry for today..." She leaned her shoulder into his a little and smiled sheepishly. It wasn't her typical Nadia smile, but a little more sad and still a little lonely looking. But it was a vast improvement from the listlessness she had originally met her guests with.

As Nadia sat down and placed the tea in front of Tomomi, he reached out, clutching the tea close to his chest for a moment and just holding it for a chill. As she once more said that she'd been taking time from Cecil and Tomomi, the boy just shook his head lightly, glancing at Nadia and giving a fragile smile in return to the shoulder bump and grin. Then he gave a weak, almost pitiful giggle, speaking up as he stared now into the tea.

"How many... I mean... It's not something you can take, N-nadia... How Cecil wants to spend his time is up to him, s-so, it doesn't matter, o-okay? But um... T-thank you, I guess... F-for being thoughtful and t-thinking I'm  a good person... A-although, s-s-seriously, you don't need to f-f-feel bad about today... I-I'm just glad we got here in time to, um... Help..."

Taking a sip of his tea, Tomomi sighed, trying to gather his nerves, shoulders tense. "I... I don't know if it's... Appropriate to um... To say right now but... I... I think it's pretty important to... To address so... Um... I... The other style of life we live... Please... B-be more careful a-about it... I... Found out... Found out... Found..."

Another sip of tea, Tomomi's head withdrawing and facing down even more as his neck leaned down and into itself into an ugly slump, tears forming on his eyes. "I found out that... Revenant... Cecil... I... I know I'm not a smart person but... I know your identity, and you and C-c-Cecil's re-relations... Then that night with the P-Playhouse... And I just... I'm... I'm scared... If anyone finds out your identity, then they'll k-know Cecil's... And if anyone finds out C-c-cecil's, they'll know yours... Which... I'm... I just... I'm... Sorry..."

Nadia's eyes widened a little as Tomomi gradually got to the point of his statement. So...She'd given away Cecil's identity to Tomomi through ther interaction with Revenant during their foray into the dungeon. Damn. In truth she should have known better, she told herself. This was serious business, not a child's game. It made a pit form in her stomach and her eyes pinched together.

She shook her head. "No, no, I'm sorry. You're right, I...I had thought that if noone knew my identity or Revenant's that it wouldn't be a problem. But if someone knows one and not the other...Then it would be fairly easy to guess, wouldn't it?" She blanched, feeling ashamed. She'd let her emotions cloud her judgement in this. The Persona of Nightingale was so alluring, so much different from herself, that she'd let it run away with her. Gotten Careless.

She nodded. "I'll have to start flirting with everyone then, won't I? Nightingale is playful and flirtatious by her nature. If I change that it would seem strange, so I'll widen the object of her affections. That should help, probably. Though Cecil might get jealous..." She joked, running a hand through her hair with a rueful smile. "I'll make it up to him though."

"Sorry... I just... With everyone that I've talked to about this... I... I just... I don't want you getting captured... Or killed... O-or hurt... Or brainwashed... Or e-eaten... A-ambushed... It's... A... A scary life... And I know we were thrust into it without w-wanting it, but... We can't get out now... Not that I k-know of... I... Sorry..."

Sniffing slightly, Tomomi took a sip of the tea, gulping slightly once more to try keep his nerves down. At Nadia saying she'd make it up to Cecil for her flirting act, Tomomi felt a pang of jealousy, trying to keep it as hidden and supressed as possible. Not because he wished to be involved, not directly. But because he knew that, although embarrassed, Cecil wouldn't mind. And that it was a closeness that was impossible for Tomomi to have. In truth, Tomomi couldn't deny feeling upset that Cecil spent more time with her than him, but once more, he could not say such. Definitely not now. He just had to keep quiet... Keep quiet... Keep quiet...

"I... Sorry... Um... I... Do-don't want to pry, but... Are Cecil and Kendra... F-friends? T-things got a bit... T-t-tense earlier... And it was... Scary... I thought you were all friends with each other, but... I just... I don't know what was going on, and I just c-c-c-couldn't help anyone... I had to just r-run away from the situation... So I... I'm sorry I didn't help but I just... No... I'm sorry..." He muttered, voice growing quieter again, and sentences growing more disjointed as he tried desperately to keep himself from thinking about anything.

Nadia reached up and patted Tomomi's back. That's right. Nadia didn't care much if she lived or died. Rather...she knew she would die eventually, so there was no use denying herself things to try to escape it. But she had friends who cared. People in her life that would be heartbroken if she died. That was clear now. It was the opposite of how the world looked to her own eyes, but she could see the truth of it now, in his expression, as well as something else. Something she wasn't sure she knew the name of. It was a kind of sadness. Regret, maybe? A kind of forlorn jealousy? She couldn't be sure.

"Actually, until the three of you arrived, I didn't know Kendra knew either of you. All of our outing have always been just us. It's obvious they know each other at least a little, but I don't think they know each other very well. Kendra has a soft heart, but she guards it jealously, covering her fragile nature with harsh words and anger. And Cecil..." She smiled a little fondly. "Well Cecil doesn't know how to deal with a situation but tries anyway. I think that's why it happened the way it did. It's good they left together. They probably need to talk through things and understand each other better. We're all of us a team, afterall." She smiled at Tomomi then, making sure he knew he too, was a part of that team.

As Nadia explained about Kendra, Tomomi turned to look at her, listening and trying not to appear as stressed as he was, scrunching his eyes for a moment to try forcefully dry them, unsuccessfully but, attempted nonetheless - instead, now his eyes hurt. But, he listened, nodding his head a bit. Trying to help when he didn't know how was definitely a Cecil thing, and he trusted Nadia's judgement on everyone but herself, so, it made sense that Kendra would probably be like that.

"I guess... I um... D-don't really know Kendra further than just by name... W-we met while I was working... Funny that I've met... Everyone that I know through work, now that I think about it..." He let out a sigh, shaking his head, before taking another sip, and offering a smile to Nadia, seemingly no longer hiding the exhaustion on his face, and just allowing his tiredness to be full blown and visible. "I... Thank you. I'm... Still not... Used to being um... W-wanted in a group... I guess it's... It's nice I think... So... Um... Thank you... Um..."

Not wanting to keep the mood heavy, especially given how much torment Nadia had been through, Tomomi tried to make his smile more cheery as he added. "Here's to, um... C-cecil's, or, I guess... R-revenant's angels?"

"That's because you're always working, and your work takes you places!" Nadia pointed out with a light smile. Her work didn't take her anywhere. In fact, nobody she knew even wanted to enter the shop. Not that she could blame them. She was a strange person for working there, probably. But it was okay, because it matched her interests.

His statement about not being used to being wanted in a group made her droop a little. She could understand that feeling quite well. She hadn't even really realized she was a part of one until today. She was a part of the playhouse, but that wasn't really the same. They didn't know her at all. Which was mostly the point, but still. She lifted her glass to reciprocate the toast.

"You're more than just wanted, you know." Nadia observed, taking a sip of her tea. "We'd be missing a vital piece if you were missing. Me too, I guess." She shrugged, still not really understanding, but being happy that it was so. "So let's never forget it, okay? It's a promise just for the two of us. If one of us forgets how important they are to the group, the other will remind them. Revenant needs both his angels, after all." She smiled sadly, understanding the exhaustion in his eyes and his heart. They felt very similar to how she felt not so long ago, and she wondered briefly is that's what her own face looked like. If she looked that exhausted.

Tomomi nodded, the ever faintest sign of a genuine smile on his lips, and brushing his hair out of his face with his forearm to try and make himself less of a mess in appearance. "Right. I... Yeah, we should definitely make sure to um... Not lose our way, I guess?"

Gazing down at the tea once more, Tomomi looked as if lost, unsure of what emotion he was even feeling. In truth, that was because he had no idea what emotion he was feeling. Loneliness? Welcomed? Jealous? Happy? Sad? It was like a vile concoction of the lot of them, and so he just looked into it before shaking his head. "I... I can't believe how lucky I am to have friends like you two... I... I know I said you weren't strange before, but... I was... I was wrong... You are strange... A good strange. And I don't know what I did to mean I have such strange, weird, but... Lovely friends like you and Cecil... I... Thank you..."

Nadia nodded as Tomomi agreed, sipping her tea more. She hadn't realized until before just how thirsty she'd been. Her body had been crying out for things like food and drink and she'd largely ignored it. After all, how could she claim not to care if she lived or died and then prioritize the things that kept her alive. But now she felt...full. Not in the food way, but in a different, more spiritual way.

It was hard to explain, but it seemed Tomomi understood. He felt it too. "No, thank you." She giggled a little, "I'm strange in a lot of ways. People don't have to tell me I am or I'm not. I know it in my bones. The world I see is different, but it's not a bad thing. I'm lucky to have people like you and Cecil and Kendra, who see something meaningful in my strangeness. But..." She giggled again, threatening a laugh. "We could go on and on telling each other thank you. But, forgive me for saying so, but I don't think I'm the only one who needs rest. The couch is comfy enough. I have lots of spare blankets and pillows and cushions, too. How about I go get some, and you can get some rest here too? You look like you need it."

At the expression that Tomomi too was tired, the boy just let a quiet, silent nod be his agreement, finishing off his tea in a big drink before sighing gently. "I.. Think I'll take you up on that thank you... But um... N-not just yet... I... I think that if that happened now I'd just fall asleep but, I... Kind of want to talk more, if that's okay... I mean... I... Well first I um... Just gonna..."

Somewhat less hastily than before, but still with a desire to be swift, Tomomi shoved the instructions from before into his pocket, before sighing heavily once more, and looking to Nadia with pleading eyes. "Please... Please don't tell Cecil about that... I... I hate making him upset or uncomfortable, and I don't think he'd be comfortable with... Well, with me doing what I did... Or knowing that you had the gun there... Or any of that... I know honesty is important but... Please..."