Eryk shifted his weight on one leg, staring a little dumbly at the gate. He'd wanted to say goodbye to Ana before he left, and he had a few hours before he had to leave for the airport. Rufus was outside, laying in the sun, and hadn't noticed him yet. He was slightly grateful for that since he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to be here. He'd be gone for at least a week, maybe longer, which meant Kas and Cy would be taking care of the base without him. He trusted Kas, but he wasn't so sure about Cy. With Kenshin still in the hospital, he knew most of her focus would be on him. At least he'd woken up last night, though. Cy had called him to tell him the news, so at least she'd be out and about now, taking care of him at least.
Apparently he stood around for too long, and the sound of the old stoutland caught his attention. He glanced down to spot Rufus wagging his stumpy tail, and Eryk couldn't help his expression. It softened somewhat. He'd taken a shine to Rufus, and had contemplated on whether or not he would adopt him. He thought about it, but then he thought about where he would keep Rufus. The base wasn't exactly equipped to handle something like Rufus, so he'd decided against it. He entered the gate and reached down to scratch Rufus' ear before making his way towards Ana's door. He'd gotten into the habit of knocking rather than just barging in. It was, apparently, considered rude, and he hadn't thought of it that way before.
"Ana?" he called out somewhat as he knocked on her door.
“Eryk?” When she replied, it was from the side, rather than behind the door. From the dirt stains on the knees of her pants and the work gloves on her hands, she must have been working in the garden.
She smiled at him, though it was a bit thinner than usual. She looked tired; her fair complexion made it extremely easy to pick out the dark circles under her eyes—they looked like bruises, they were so filled-in. She peeled her gloves off and hooked them through her belt. Her shoulders slackened as she sighed almost too softly for him to hear, but there didn’t seem to be anything annoyed about it, just exhausted. “Hi,” she murmured, folding her hands behind her back.
He didn't like that. Not one bit. He frowned slightly in her direction when she came around. "Ana?" he replied, though he wasn't entirely sure this was the same woman as before. "Are you alright?" he found himself saying instead. She didn't look alright, and he inwardly flinched. He supposed part of this might be related to what happened in the inspection. And that meant that her condition was his fault too. He sighed softly, his shoulders slumping just slightly. He didn't like seeing her like this, not one bit. He wasn't sure if there was anything he could do about it, though. It wasn't like he could force her to do something, like rest, but he could at least make the suggestion.
"You don't look too good," he spoke, and flinched somewhat. He hadn't meant to say it that way, but he was slightly relieved that his voice at least sounded worried. That was new to him, too. He worried about people, but he wasn't used to it being inflected in his tone.
Ana flinched slightly at the words, but seemed to recover, straightening a little. “I’m… I’ll be all right. I’m just… fighting off a bit of a flare-up right now is all. It makes it hard to sleep. It should subside soon, and then everything will be back to normal.” Her arms shifted behind her; after a second, he was able to determine that they were actually shaking. Not a lot—but enough to be perceptible. The tight hold she had on them minimized, but didn’t quell, the tremors.
“Is… there something that I can help you with? Maybe you’d like some tea? Um…” She didn’t seem quite sure what to say; her eyes dropped away from him, wandering around the yard like she hadn’t seen it all a thousand times before.
Half of him didn't want to leave, now. He wanted to stay to make sure she would be okay, however; if he did that, then he'd miss the deadline, and her center would be taken from her. As much as he wanted to stay, he knew it was better that he didn't. At least... if something happened to her, she could be happy in knowing that she still owned her facility, and could still operate it. Part of him was angry at himself, though. This could have all been avoided if he'd completed his damn certifications, and he wouldn't have to leave. He could stay here. But as it was, he needed to do this. He shook his head, though, and pushed his face into something more neutral.
"I came to say goodbye. I'll be leaving today," he stated. It sounded natural to him, but then he remembered that she might not quite get the context of what he was saying. He might be a literal person, but not everyone was. The way he'd said it, though, sounded a little more like a permanent goodbye. "I'm heading to Viridian to complete the certifications. That way... you get to keep your center," he spoke, his voice a little softer this time. He was still getting used to that, too. Being soft wasn't something he was used to, and he noticed he was perceptibly softer around Ana.
"I just wanted you to know that," and he really meant it.
“For…?” It took her a moment, but then she blinked at him, obviously in surprise. “You have to go all the way to Viridian for that? I—I’m sorry. This must be a terrible time to leave, with Kenshin and Cyrilla and the inspection just being finished.” Ana frowned. “I’m so sorry to ask this of you; if…” she hesitated. “If you’d rather not go…I’d understand.”
She finally made eye contact again, and he could tell that she meant it. From her point of view, he was leaving town when his cousin, someone he considered like his sister, was in a lot of pain. Perhaps she thought she was imposing upon him.
"It's not your fault, Ana," he spoke, a tad bit confused. "You don't have to apologize for something that is my fault, and for something that we couldn't have foreseen. Cyrilla has you and Kas to look after her, and I trust the both of you. You, on the other hand, could lose an establishment that you love. That is more important, right now," he spoke, and he winced slightly at the severity of how he said it. This place meant a lot to her, he knew that. Cyrilla would be fine, eventually. He wasn't too worried about his cousin now that Kenshin was awake.
"I made you a promise, that I was going to help you. This is me keeping that promise. A week away won't kill anyone, just..." he paused to take in a breath. He hadn't realized how worried he was now. What if something happened while he was away? Cyrilla wasn't in the right mental state right now to handle much else, but at least Kas could handle something. He believed in his friend that much, at least. "Just promise me you'll take it easy until I get back. If Kas shows up, let him help. Just... you don't have to do this on your own anymore," he stated, pinching the bridge of his nose.
He really wasn't good with people, but he was worse at trying to explain himself.
She seemed relieved by his decision, and oddly enough by the firmness with which he said it. “Thank you,” she said, the words so soft they could only be a whisper. “For doing this for me. For helping, for… caring.” Ana swallowed thickly, rocking back on her heels for a moment, then seemed to come to some kind of decision.
“Um, please don’t take this the wrong way, but… can I, um… C-can I hug you? It’s just you’ve been such a good friend and maybe it’s the lack of sleep talking here, but… I could really use one, if that’s okay.” She paused, then amended hastily. “Oh, but… no hard feelings if you’d rather not. Um.” Slowly, her face shifted colors, until it nearly matched her hair.
Eryk looked at her a little confused. She wanted to hug him? Him of all people? He had a distinct feeling that someone somewhere was laughing at him right now, but he simply stared at her for a moment. It wasn't that he'd never hugged a person before, because Cy used to hug him all the time, however; it just seemed odd to him that someone else wanted to give him one.
"Sure," he finally stated, a little surprised himself. He stooped a bit, though, so that she could hug him properly. She was only an inch taller than Cy, so he knew his height might provide for an uncomfortable one. He opened his arms slightly so she could hug him as she pleased.
Smiling tentatively, Ana stepped in close, wrapping her arms snugly around his back and laying the side of her head against his chest. It was easier to tell she was shaking, now—he could feel it. She exhaled a deep, slow breath, relaxing slightly against him; her fingers curled in the back of his shirt.
“Thank you,” she said, her voice slightly muffled. “For… for helping. And for doing this, when you didn’t have to. This place is… it’s my entire life. And I’m glad—” her voice cracked. “I’m so glad I have a friend like you.”
He was slightly glad that no one else was around. He could feel the slightest pull of his lips, and knew he was smiling softly. He might have scared someone that way. Instead, he simply allowed Ana to hug him, and for a brief moment, he hugged her back. He kept his hand on her back, feeling the softness of her hair against it. He should be the one thanking her, though. She was a friend he never thought he could have, and it was a strange feeling. Suddenly, it dawned on him. She couldn't be his friend. She couldn't be his friend because she was the target, and she was being researched. What friendship they had built might as well have been built on lies, and for once in his life, Eryk felt like shit. Complete and utter shit.
"You're welcome, Ana. I'm glad to have had a friend like you, as well," because their friendship couldn't last much longer. He would do this so she could keep her facility, but after that... he would have to start pushing her out of his life. He'd have to do it slowly though, even if he didn't want to.
She pulled back, not trembling quite as badly anymore. Her smile was more like usual, now, as though she really had simply needed a hug. “I’m not sure why,” she said, her tone caught between light and serious. “All I seem to do is get you in trouble. But I’ll find some way to make it up to you someday.” Stepping away all together, she huffed slightly. “For now… how about some tea? Oh, and I can make oatmeal cookies. You can take them, for the trip.”
"I'd like that," because he couldn't say no to oatmeal cookies.
Apparently he stood around for too long, and the sound of the old stoutland caught his attention. He glanced down to spot Rufus wagging his stumpy tail, and Eryk couldn't help his expression. It softened somewhat. He'd taken a shine to Rufus, and had contemplated on whether or not he would adopt him. He thought about it, but then he thought about where he would keep Rufus. The base wasn't exactly equipped to handle something like Rufus, so he'd decided against it. He entered the gate and reached down to scratch Rufus' ear before making his way towards Ana's door. He'd gotten into the habit of knocking rather than just barging in. It was, apparently, considered rude, and he hadn't thought of it that way before.
"Ana?" he called out somewhat as he knocked on her door.
“Eryk?” When she replied, it was from the side, rather than behind the door. From the dirt stains on the knees of her pants and the work gloves on her hands, she must have been working in the garden.
She smiled at him, though it was a bit thinner than usual. She looked tired; her fair complexion made it extremely easy to pick out the dark circles under her eyes—they looked like bruises, they were so filled-in. She peeled her gloves off and hooked them through her belt. Her shoulders slackened as she sighed almost too softly for him to hear, but there didn’t seem to be anything annoyed about it, just exhausted. “Hi,” she murmured, folding her hands behind her back.
He didn't like that. Not one bit. He frowned slightly in her direction when she came around. "Ana?" he replied, though he wasn't entirely sure this was the same woman as before. "Are you alright?" he found himself saying instead. She didn't look alright, and he inwardly flinched. He supposed part of this might be related to what happened in the inspection. And that meant that her condition was his fault too. He sighed softly, his shoulders slumping just slightly. He didn't like seeing her like this, not one bit. He wasn't sure if there was anything he could do about it, though. It wasn't like he could force her to do something, like rest, but he could at least make the suggestion.
"You don't look too good," he spoke, and flinched somewhat. He hadn't meant to say it that way, but he was slightly relieved that his voice at least sounded worried. That was new to him, too. He worried about people, but he wasn't used to it being inflected in his tone.
Ana flinched slightly at the words, but seemed to recover, straightening a little. “I’m… I’ll be all right. I’m just… fighting off a bit of a flare-up right now is all. It makes it hard to sleep. It should subside soon, and then everything will be back to normal.” Her arms shifted behind her; after a second, he was able to determine that they were actually shaking. Not a lot—but enough to be perceptible. The tight hold she had on them minimized, but didn’t quell, the tremors.
“Is… there something that I can help you with? Maybe you’d like some tea? Um…” She didn’t seem quite sure what to say; her eyes dropped away from him, wandering around the yard like she hadn’t seen it all a thousand times before.
Half of him didn't want to leave, now. He wanted to stay to make sure she would be okay, however; if he did that, then he'd miss the deadline, and her center would be taken from her. As much as he wanted to stay, he knew it was better that he didn't. At least... if something happened to her, she could be happy in knowing that she still owned her facility, and could still operate it. Part of him was angry at himself, though. This could have all been avoided if he'd completed his damn certifications, and he wouldn't have to leave. He could stay here. But as it was, he needed to do this. He shook his head, though, and pushed his face into something more neutral.
"I came to say goodbye. I'll be leaving today," he stated. It sounded natural to him, but then he remembered that she might not quite get the context of what he was saying. He might be a literal person, but not everyone was. The way he'd said it, though, sounded a little more like a permanent goodbye. "I'm heading to Viridian to complete the certifications. That way... you get to keep your center," he spoke, his voice a little softer this time. He was still getting used to that, too. Being soft wasn't something he was used to, and he noticed he was perceptibly softer around Ana.
"I just wanted you to know that," and he really meant it.
“For…?” It took her a moment, but then she blinked at him, obviously in surprise. “You have to go all the way to Viridian for that? I—I’m sorry. This must be a terrible time to leave, with Kenshin and Cyrilla and the inspection just being finished.” Ana frowned. “I’m so sorry to ask this of you; if…” she hesitated. “If you’d rather not go…I’d understand.”
She finally made eye contact again, and he could tell that she meant it. From her point of view, he was leaving town when his cousin, someone he considered like his sister, was in a lot of pain. Perhaps she thought she was imposing upon him.
"It's not your fault, Ana," he spoke, a tad bit confused. "You don't have to apologize for something that is my fault, and for something that we couldn't have foreseen. Cyrilla has you and Kas to look after her, and I trust the both of you. You, on the other hand, could lose an establishment that you love. That is more important, right now," he spoke, and he winced slightly at the severity of how he said it. This place meant a lot to her, he knew that. Cyrilla would be fine, eventually. He wasn't too worried about his cousin now that Kenshin was awake.
"I made you a promise, that I was going to help you. This is me keeping that promise. A week away won't kill anyone, just..." he paused to take in a breath. He hadn't realized how worried he was now. What if something happened while he was away? Cyrilla wasn't in the right mental state right now to handle much else, but at least Kas could handle something. He believed in his friend that much, at least. "Just promise me you'll take it easy until I get back. If Kas shows up, let him help. Just... you don't have to do this on your own anymore," he stated, pinching the bridge of his nose.
He really wasn't good with people, but he was worse at trying to explain himself.
She seemed relieved by his decision, and oddly enough by the firmness with which he said it. “Thank you,” she said, the words so soft they could only be a whisper. “For doing this for me. For helping, for… caring.” Ana swallowed thickly, rocking back on her heels for a moment, then seemed to come to some kind of decision.
“Um, please don’t take this the wrong way, but… can I, um… C-can I hug you? It’s just you’ve been such a good friend and maybe it’s the lack of sleep talking here, but… I could really use one, if that’s okay.” She paused, then amended hastily. “Oh, but… no hard feelings if you’d rather not. Um.” Slowly, her face shifted colors, until it nearly matched her hair.
Eryk looked at her a little confused. She wanted to hug him? Him of all people? He had a distinct feeling that someone somewhere was laughing at him right now, but he simply stared at her for a moment. It wasn't that he'd never hugged a person before, because Cy used to hug him all the time, however; it just seemed odd to him that someone else wanted to give him one.
"Sure," he finally stated, a little surprised himself. He stooped a bit, though, so that she could hug him properly. She was only an inch taller than Cy, so he knew his height might provide for an uncomfortable one. He opened his arms slightly so she could hug him as she pleased.
Smiling tentatively, Ana stepped in close, wrapping her arms snugly around his back and laying the side of her head against his chest. It was easier to tell she was shaking, now—he could feel it. She exhaled a deep, slow breath, relaxing slightly against him; her fingers curled in the back of his shirt.
“Thank you,” she said, her voice slightly muffled. “For… for helping. And for doing this, when you didn’t have to. This place is… it’s my entire life. And I’m glad—” her voice cracked. “I’m so glad I have a friend like you.”
He was slightly glad that no one else was around. He could feel the slightest pull of his lips, and knew he was smiling softly. He might have scared someone that way. Instead, he simply allowed Ana to hug him, and for a brief moment, he hugged her back. He kept his hand on her back, feeling the softness of her hair against it. He should be the one thanking her, though. She was a friend he never thought he could have, and it was a strange feeling. Suddenly, it dawned on him. She couldn't be his friend. She couldn't be his friend because she was the target, and she was being researched. What friendship they had built might as well have been built on lies, and for once in his life, Eryk felt like shit. Complete and utter shit.
"You're welcome, Ana. I'm glad to have had a friend like you, as well," because their friendship couldn't last much longer. He would do this so she could keep her facility, but after that... he would have to start pushing her out of his life. He'd have to do it slowly though, even if he didn't want to.
She pulled back, not trembling quite as badly anymore. Her smile was more like usual, now, as though she really had simply needed a hug. “I’m not sure why,” she said, her tone caught between light and serious. “All I seem to do is get you in trouble. But I’ll find some way to make it up to you someday.” Stepping away all together, she huffed slightly. “For now… how about some tea? Oh, and I can make oatmeal cookies. You can take them, for the trip.”
"I'd like that," because he couldn't say no to oatmeal cookies.