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xp_logsLate Wednesday night, Nathan stops in the medlab to see Alison. She's struggling badly with what happened in the tunnels, and Nathan and the Askani do what they can to soothe her.
There was no monitoring equipment to sound off a reassuring beep anymore, nothing to give her something to cling to, although Hank had left her with a "direct line to your favorite blue bouncing bundle of cheer" before going right back to monitoring Sarah again, likely skipping yet on more sleep for himself. She didn't remember much since they'd gotten back out of the tunnels, to be honest, nor was she keen on it. It was done and over with, not happening again - or so she told herself, even as she knew better than to think so.
Her fingers curled around the call button but she pushed it away finally, turning her head to the side and closing her eyes, the medication coursing through her system thankfully keeping the pain mostly numbed. The bed sheets were crisp and white, a faint glow to them almost under the dimmed light of her room, but Alison took no notice of this, or much of anything else. She just wished the drugs could numb the rest of her as well, rather than leaving her half-awake like this, mind blank and hands still trembling now and again.
Madelyne had said he could visit, so long as he kept it relatively brief and didn't excite her. Nathan stood in the doorway for a moment, watching Alison and just... aching at what he sensed. The memory of that conversation they'd had out on the porch before she had learned Askani came flooding back, and he shook his head slowly, trying to push the sadness down and away. It could wait with the anger, for a better time.
He limped through the door slowly, fully prepared to turn around and go away if she wanted him to. "~Hello, sister,~" he murmured softly in Askani, daring to sink down into the chair next to the bed when she didn't respond. "~I thought I might sit with you for a while.~"
The words registered and she turned her head slowly to look at him. It was, in truth, the lilting undertones of the Askani words that got through to her, more than anything else and the expression Nathan wore was enough to keep her from turning away again and just find refuge in nothing once more. She just nodded at him a bit however, the fingers of her bandaged arm twitching slightly in acknowledgement - it wasn't as though the sting of the cuts would bother her just now, after all.
'I fucked up.' That was the first thing that occurred to her, bitterness at how she had done during the fight welling up once more, the stream of fear that had been with her since they had entered the tunnels singing a steady counterpoint. She wasn't right for this. Didn't have the temperament or the strength the others did. Had never wanted this and would never, ever be able to pull her own weight when it came down to it. Instead she just closed her eyes for a moment and sighed, before looking at him again.
Nathan met her eyes steadily, troubled by the desolation he saw there. "~You aren't seeing clearly,~" he said softly, automatically slipping into a more formal mode of speech. "~You're in pain, and the battle is too close.~" He reached out and laid a hand very lightly on hers, almost no pressure at all. "~But you did what you could,~" he went, his voice catching a little. "~You fought hard, and you did what you could. If the rest of us must believe that for you, until you do... we will. For now you need to rest and heal.~"
Who would have told Miles, had she not managed to somehow pull through at the last moment? She listened because it was Askani and there was a song in the words she couldn't block out. And something within was reaching back out and she wasn't sure if it was entirely herself, or the shades of knowing that another had left within her not so long ago, a gift with nothing attached to it other than a joy of living which had taken her breath away. "~So scared...~" was all she could manage, before her throat tightened and took the rest of the voice away and the tears welled up, spilling down on her cheeks.
"~I know,~" he said softly, persisting because he could sense, not just see that he was reaching her somehow. "~I know. But you're here, with us. You're safe, and you'll heal. We'll make sure of that, little sister.~" He was taken aback for a moment by the force of the protectiveness that swept over him, but went on, the words coming almost of their own accord. "~You're ours,~" he murmured. "~Not theirs. Listen to our voices, not theirs. The shadows can't have you. You don't belong there.~"
And yet that was all she could feel gathering around her as well as within, cold and small and lost in the dark. A strangled sob escaped her and she turned her hand around, clinging to his own with a desperation she hadn't even known was there until the moment her fingers curled up around his. She hung on to that lifeline as best she could, crying from relief or fear still she didn't know, the trembling coursing through her now constant. Wishing she could find some of the certitude she had known beforehand, somehow.
"~They're worried about you,~" Nathan murmured, just as gently. "~The family out there. The family in here.~" He tapped his temple with his free hand. "~You're Clan, Alison, you do know that, yes? They love you, little sister... for being brave, for caring about them, for loving their music... They'll do everything they can to help you heal. Just like the flesh and blood people around us will.~" A less-familiar voice murmured to him, and he smiled slightly, linking with Askani and the nameless singer, letting them project through him and into Alison's mind. It was a soft, gentle ballad, wistful and warm, all about love and spring and morning light.
She closed her eyes and still holding his hand lost herself in the song without a second thought, until the memories of blood and death and delight in murder she still remember seeing only too well in the killers' eyes slowly started to fade away. The tears never ceased however, although the shivering became more muted while she steadily immersed herself in the gift offered to her, breathing evening out gradually, the grip she had on his hand easing bit by bit.
The singer finished that ballad and shifted smoothly into another, a lullaby from the sounds of it. Nathan closed his eyes and let Askani use every bit of his telepathic strength to make the connection as deep and soothing as she could. "~It'll be all right,~" he said aloud, softly. "~It will. There is an end to this, or at least a way back out into the light. I promise.~
On his way back out of the medlab, Nathan spots Shinobi, and stops to check on him. They talk for a bit, about Sarah and the aftermath of battle.
It does not take a telepath to tell that Shinobi Shaw has not slept in nearly two days. Seated crosslegged on the floor within a stone's throw of the medlab, he's tucked himself back into a corner so he's not in anyone's way, seated crosslegged with his laptop open in his lap. He's been drinking a lot of coffee - the small castle being built on the floor next to him out of styrofoam coffee cups can attest to that, one tower speared through the top by a straw with some colored paper taped to it to serve as a flag. Shinobi himself looks like.. well, about like one might expect. Hasn't slept, hasn't showered, hasn't shaved - the stubble has gone beyond a five o'clock shadow and moved closer to seven o'clock, now, and adds several years to his face. Paired with the fatigue, he doesn't look much like himself.
Coming out of the medlab, Nathan found himself leaning even more heavily on his cane than he had been when he'd entered. His leg was throbbing steadily, and his shoulder wasn't much better. The less said about the headache the better. He thought he had done some good with Alison, and she had finally drifted off into something approaching peaceful sleep, but he knew it wasn't a fix, not even a temporary one.
Spotting Shinobi camped out in the corner, Nathan hesitated, very seriously considering turning and heading in the other direction, back to the elevator. There had been too many difficult conversations today, and he was at the very end of his endurance. And yet... Hobbling over, Nathan wasn't surprised when he was almost within physical reach before Shinobi looked up.
"Hey," he said, his voice gravelly.
Shinobi took a moment to blink a bit of stubborn drowsiness away before he offered Nathan a tired smile, lifting a hand to give a lazy wave in greeting. When his first attempt at a reply didn't come with any sound, he made a face, holding up a finger and reaching for his current cup of coffee, taking a deep swig before he gave it another try. "Hey."
"Do you need anything?" Nathan asked quietly. "More coffee." Despite everything, the corner of his mouth tugged upwards slightly. "A sleeping bag?"
"More coffee might be a good idea," Shinobi replied, his own smile gaining a noticable amount of strength at the offer. "So would sleep. Just a pillow, though. Thank you."
Nathan raised a finger. "One second," he said, and went back into the medlab. It didn't take long for him to find both a pillow and another cup of coffee, and he limped back out into the hall, floating them along behind him. "Black," he said wearily, levitating the coffee over to Shinobi. "The doctors don't dilute their coffee." He lost his grip on the pillow, though, and grimaced, bending over to pick it up... and only just managing to straighten up again as his head spun.
"Ta," Shinobi offered, carefully setting his laptop off to the side so he could safely reach up to take the coffee. "This is about perfect.." He paused, though, as the pillow fell, shifting to try and pick himself up to his feet without setting his drink down. "You alright, Nathan?"
"Fine," Nathan said with a sigh, extending the pillow. Shinobi took it, and he took an unsteady couple of steps backwards to prop himself up against the wall. "I was in with Alison," he said, for lack of anything better to say. "She's sleeping now."
No further explanation appeared to be necessary. Shinobi simply nodded, carefully lowering himself back to sit on the floor, and tucked the pillow between the wall and his back. "Why don't you sit for a couple minutes? Get your balance back?" There *were* chairs in the room - Shinobi just wasn't using any of them. Probably thought the floor would help him stay awake.
Nathan nodded slowly, and one of the chairs shifted across to where he was standing. He lowered himself into it with a wince. He tried to prop his cane against the wall, but only managed to wind up dropping it. He muttered an Askani profanity, but left it alone, slumping in the chair. "I suppose this is where I tell you that you should try and get some sleep," he murmured, rubbing a hand over his face. "So there... I said it, and you can nod and ignore me."
"I'm actually planning on it," Shinobi chuckled, slowly shaking his head and glancing down into his coffee cup. "Finish this cup, then make use of the pillow and keel over for as long as my head will let me." He waved towards the medlab, one shoulder lifting in a shrug. "I know she's fine. I just want to be here for her to tell me so when she's awake."
Nathan smiled faintly. "I'm sure it'll be soon," he said quietly. "And she'll be glad to have you there when she wakes up. I think... from what I understand happened, she'll need you."
Nodding, Shinobi brought his coffee up for a drink, leaning back against the wall. Or, well, the pillow between him and the wall. He 'felt' strangely at peace - completely confident that Sarah would be fine, content that he'd be there when she eventually woke up, with no real regrets about the current situation littering his thoughts. About the manner of their departure, yes, but not where it had wound up. "Me, some loud music and a deck of cards, I imagine," he replied with a fond smile. "Or a blanket to burrow under."
Nathan squeezed his eyes shut suddenly, tilting his head as the Askani rumbled in the back of his mind. They had been quiet since singing Alison to sleep, almost subdued. "The aftermath of these things is always harder than the thing itself," he said, or thought he did. There was only a blank silence in response, and he opened his eyes to see Shinobi watching him, one eyebrow raised. "Oh," Nathan said a bit blankly. "That came out in Askani, didn't it?"
"Yes, I think it did," Shinobi confirmed, slowly tilting his head to one side as he watched the older man. "You *are* tired, aren't you? Is this the part where I tell you to go get some rest, so you can provide me with a translation in the morning?"
Nathan waved a dismissive hand. "I don't have to sleep anymore," he said. "And I was just saying that... aftermaths are harder, sometimes. Most of the time. Harder than the fight itself."
"You turn into an android while we were gone?" Shinobi asked slowly, his eyebrows trying their best to meld with his hairline. "Everybody needs to sleep, Nate. Even androids need to recharge their batteries once in a while." With a slow shake of his head, he cast a look to his laptop's screen, absentmindedly scratching at his chin in thought. Damn itchy stubble. "That's usually the case, yeah. But if I can hold onto my calm, I think we'd all be better off. Sarah's going to need a rock, and I'm going to give her that - if I need a break from it, I'll go talk to Samson. ...he is still here, right?"
Nathan nodded, not bothering to argue with Shinobi about the sleeping thing. Although now the Askani were growling, and he was fairly sure they were growling at him. Which was perverse, because he hadn't done anything. "Leonard will be around," he said. "Probably more regularly again, I'd think... after all this."
"Good point. I'll have to ring him after I've slept. I have a lot of writing backlog to pass on to him." Finishing off his coffee - because the sooner he does, the sooner Nate might wind up in bed - and adding the cup to his growing castle, Shinobi grinned, absently adjusting the 'flagpole'.
Nathan stared at the castle for a moment, almost bemusedly, then blinked. "You were going to sleep when you were finished your coffee," he said. "Right." He looked down at his cane, tugging it telekinetically back to his hand. "I'm going to go... mark Mandarin quizzes, I think. They should have been back today and I didn't have them done."
"And then you're going to lay down for a little while," Shinobi suggested, grinning while he set to the task of rearranging himself to lay down. "Even if it's just to study the ceiling. Call it.. twenty minutes?"
"Sure," Nathan said absently, and had to stop to think for a moment about which direction the elevator was. "Can have someone bring you down breakfast in the morning, if you like... I have class with Manuel or I'd do it myself." His hand clenched spasmodically on the cane as he remembered that it was empathy work tomorrow, too.
"A bit of a walk will do me some good, come morning, but thank you all the same. For now.." Shinobi lifted a hand to make a shooing gesture, grinning as he flumped unceremoniously onto his back. "Go on. Grade and be lazy. You do look like you need it." He paused a moment, and added in a more serious tone, "Thank you, Nathan. The company was very nice."
Nathan swallowed, shaking off the momentary flicker of panic and meeting Shinobi's eyes as levelly as he could. "She'll be all right," he said. "Speaking as someone who did do... more or less the same thing, a number of years ago." His lips quirked in a faint, sad smile. "I'm just very glad she has you," he said, then nodded and headed in the direction of the elevator.
There was no monitoring equipment to sound off a reassuring beep anymore, nothing to give her something to cling to, although Hank had left her with a "direct line to your favorite blue bouncing bundle of cheer" before going right back to monitoring Sarah again, likely skipping yet on more sleep for himself. She didn't remember much since they'd gotten back out of the tunnels, to be honest, nor was she keen on it. It was done and over with, not happening again - or so she told herself, even as she knew better than to think so.
Her fingers curled around the call button but she pushed it away finally, turning her head to the side and closing her eyes, the medication coursing through her system thankfully keeping the pain mostly numbed. The bed sheets were crisp and white, a faint glow to them almost under the dimmed light of her room, but Alison took no notice of this, or much of anything else. She just wished the drugs could numb the rest of her as well, rather than leaving her half-awake like this, mind blank and hands still trembling now and again.
Madelyne had said he could visit, so long as he kept it relatively brief and didn't excite her. Nathan stood in the doorway for a moment, watching Alison and just... aching at what he sensed. The memory of that conversation they'd had out on the porch before she had learned Askani came flooding back, and he shook his head slowly, trying to push the sadness down and away. It could wait with the anger, for a better time.
He limped through the door slowly, fully prepared to turn around and go away if she wanted him to. "~Hello, sister,~" he murmured softly in Askani, daring to sink down into the chair next to the bed when she didn't respond. "~I thought I might sit with you for a while.~"
The words registered and she turned her head slowly to look at him. It was, in truth, the lilting undertones of the Askani words that got through to her, more than anything else and the expression Nathan wore was enough to keep her from turning away again and just find refuge in nothing once more. She just nodded at him a bit however, the fingers of her bandaged arm twitching slightly in acknowledgement - it wasn't as though the sting of the cuts would bother her just now, after all.
'I fucked up.' That was the first thing that occurred to her, bitterness at how she had done during the fight welling up once more, the stream of fear that had been with her since they had entered the tunnels singing a steady counterpoint. She wasn't right for this. Didn't have the temperament or the strength the others did. Had never wanted this and would never, ever be able to pull her own weight when it came down to it. Instead she just closed her eyes for a moment and sighed, before looking at him again.
Nathan met her eyes steadily, troubled by the desolation he saw there. "~You aren't seeing clearly,~" he said softly, automatically slipping into a more formal mode of speech. "~You're in pain, and the battle is too close.~" He reached out and laid a hand very lightly on hers, almost no pressure at all. "~But you did what you could,~" he went, his voice catching a little. "~You fought hard, and you did what you could. If the rest of us must believe that for you, until you do... we will. For now you need to rest and heal.~"
Who would have told Miles, had she not managed to somehow pull through at the last moment? She listened because it was Askani and there was a song in the words she couldn't block out. And something within was reaching back out and she wasn't sure if it was entirely herself, or the shades of knowing that another had left within her not so long ago, a gift with nothing attached to it other than a joy of living which had taken her breath away. "~So scared...~" was all she could manage, before her throat tightened and took the rest of the voice away and the tears welled up, spilling down on her cheeks.
"~I know,~" he said softly, persisting because he could sense, not just see that he was reaching her somehow. "~I know. But you're here, with us. You're safe, and you'll heal. We'll make sure of that, little sister.~" He was taken aback for a moment by the force of the protectiveness that swept over him, but went on, the words coming almost of their own accord. "~You're ours,~" he murmured. "~Not theirs. Listen to our voices, not theirs. The shadows can't have you. You don't belong there.~"
And yet that was all she could feel gathering around her as well as within, cold and small and lost in the dark. A strangled sob escaped her and she turned her hand around, clinging to his own with a desperation she hadn't even known was there until the moment her fingers curled up around his. She hung on to that lifeline as best she could, crying from relief or fear still she didn't know, the trembling coursing through her now constant. Wishing she could find some of the certitude she had known beforehand, somehow.
"~They're worried about you,~" Nathan murmured, just as gently. "~The family out there. The family in here.~" He tapped his temple with his free hand. "~You're Clan, Alison, you do know that, yes? They love you, little sister... for being brave, for caring about them, for loving their music... They'll do everything they can to help you heal. Just like the flesh and blood people around us will.~" A less-familiar voice murmured to him, and he smiled slightly, linking with Askani and the nameless singer, letting them project through him and into Alison's mind. It was a soft, gentle ballad, wistful and warm, all about love and spring and morning light.
She closed her eyes and still holding his hand lost herself in the song without a second thought, until the memories of blood and death and delight in murder she still remember seeing only too well in the killers' eyes slowly started to fade away. The tears never ceased however, although the shivering became more muted while she steadily immersed herself in the gift offered to her, breathing evening out gradually, the grip she had on his hand easing bit by bit.
The singer finished that ballad and shifted smoothly into another, a lullaby from the sounds of it. Nathan closed his eyes and let Askani use every bit of his telepathic strength to make the connection as deep and soothing as she could. "~It'll be all right,~" he said aloud, softly. "~It will. There is an end to this, or at least a way back out into the light. I promise.~
On his way back out of the medlab, Nathan spots Shinobi, and stops to check on him. They talk for a bit, about Sarah and the aftermath of battle.
It does not take a telepath to tell that Shinobi Shaw has not slept in nearly two days. Seated crosslegged on the floor within a stone's throw of the medlab, he's tucked himself back into a corner so he's not in anyone's way, seated crosslegged with his laptop open in his lap. He's been drinking a lot of coffee - the small castle being built on the floor next to him out of styrofoam coffee cups can attest to that, one tower speared through the top by a straw with some colored paper taped to it to serve as a flag. Shinobi himself looks like.. well, about like one might expect. Hasn't slept, hasn't showered, hasn't shaved - the stubble has gone beyond a five o'clock shadow and moved closer to seven o'clock, now, and adds several years to his face. Paired with the fatigue, he doesn't look much like himself.
Coming out of the medlab, Nathan found himself leaning even more heavily on his cane than he had been when he'd entered. His leg was throbbing steadily, and his shoulder wasn't much better. The less said about the headache the better. He thought he had done some good with Alison, and she had finally drifted off into something approaching peaceful sleep, but he knew it wasn't a fix, not even a temporary one.
Spotting Shinobi camped out in the corner, Nathan hesitated, very seriously considering turning and heading in the other direction, back to the elevator. There had been too many difficult conversations today, and he was at the very end of his endurance. And yet... Hobbling over, Nathan wasn't surprised when he was almost within physical reach before Shinobi looked up.
"Hey," he said, his voice gravelly.
Shinobi took a moment to blink a bit of stubborn drowsiness away before he offered Nathan a tired smile, lifting a hand to give a lazy wave in greeting. When his first attempt at a reply didn't come with any sound, he made a face, holding up a finger and reaching for his current cup of coffee, taking a deep swig before he gave it another try. "Hey."
"Do you need anything?" Nathan asked quietly. "More coffee." Despite everything, the corner of his mouth tugged upwards slightly. "A sleeping bag?"
"More coffee might be a good idea," Shinobi replied, his own smile gaining a noticable amount of strength at the offer. "So would sleep. Just a pillow, though. Thank you."
Nathan raised a finger. "One second," he said, and went back into the medlab. It didn't take long for him to find both a pillow and another cup of coffee, and he limped back out into the hall, floating them along behind him. "Black," he said wearily, levitating the coffee over to Shinobi. "The doctors don't dilute their coffee." He lost his grip on the pillow, though, and grimaced, bending over to pick it up... and only just managing to straighten up again as his head spun.
"Ta," Shinobi offered, carefully setting his laptop off to the side so he could safely reach up to take the coffee. "This is about perfect.." He paused, though, as the pillow fell, shifting to try and pick himself up to his feet without setting his drink down. "You alright, Nathan?"
"Fine," Nathan said with a sigh, extending the pillow. Shinobi took it, and he took an unsteady couple of steps backwards to prop himself up against the wall. "I was in with Alison," he said, for lack of anything better to say. "She's sleeping now."
No further explanation appeared to be necessary. Shinobi simply nodded, carefully lowering himself back to sit on the floor, and tucked the pillow between the wall and his back. "Why don't you sit for a couple minutes? Get your balance back?" There *were* chairs in the room - Shinobi just wasn't using any of them. Probably thought the floor would help him stay awake.
Nathan nodded slowly, and one of the chairs shifted across to where he was standing. He lowered himself into it with a wince. He tried to prop his cane against the wall, but only managed to wind up dropping it. He muttered an Askani profanity, but left it alone, slumping in the chair. "I suppose this is where I tell you that you should try and get some sleep," he murmured, rubbing a hand over his face. "So there... I said it, and you can nod and ignore me."
"I'm actually planning on it," Shinobi chuckled, slowly shaking his head and glancing down into his coffee cup. "Finish this cup, then make use of the pillow and keel over for as long as my head will let me." He waved towards the medlab, one shoulder lifting in a shrug. "I know she's fine. I just want to be here for her to tell me so when she's awake."
Nathan smiled faintly. "I'm sure it'll be soon," he said quietly. "And she'll be glad to have you there when she wakes up. I think... from what I understand happened, she'll need you."
Nodding, Shinobi brought his coffee up for a drink, leaning back against the wall. Or, well, the pillow between him and the wall. He 'felt' strangely at peace - completely confident that Sarah would be fine, content that he'd be there when she eventually woke up, with no real regrets about the current situation littering his thoughts. About the manner of their departure, yes, but not where it had wound up. "Me, some loud music and a deck of cards, I imagine," he replied with a fond smile. "Or a blanket to burrow under."
Nathan squeezed his eyes shut suddenly, tilting his head as the Askani rumbled in the back of his mind. They had been quiet since singing Alison to sleep, almost subdued. "The aftermath of these things is always harder than the thing itself," he said, or thought he did. There was only a blank silence in response, and he opened his eyes to see Shinobi watching him, one eyebrow raised. "Oh," Nathan said a bit blankly. "That came out in Askani, didn't it?"
"Yes, I think it did," Shinobi confirmed, slowly tilting his head to one side as he watched the older man. "You *are* tired, aren't you? Is this the part where I tell you to go get some rest, so you can provide me with a translation in the morning?"
Nathan waved a dismissive hand. "I don't have to sleep anymore," he said. "And I was just saying that... aftermaths are harder, sometimes. Most of the time. Harder than the fight itself."
"You turn into an android while we were gone?" Shinobi asked slowly, his eyebrows trying their best to meld with his hairline. "Everybody needs to sleep, Nate. Even androids need to recharge their batteries once in a while." With a slow shake of his head, he cast a look to his laptop's screen, absentmindedly scratching at his chin in thought. Damn itchy stubble. "That's usually the case, yeah. But if I can hold onto my calm, I think we'd all be better off. Sarah's going to need a rock, and I'm going to give her that - if I need a break from it, I'll go talk to Samson. ...he is still here, right?"
Nathan nodded, not bothering to argue with Shinobi about the sleeping thing. Although now the Askani were growling, and he was fairly sure they were growling at him. Which was perverse, because he hadn't done anything. "Leonard will be around," he said. "Probably more regularly again, I'd think... after all this."
"Good point. I'll have to ring him after I've slept. I have a lot of writing backlog to pass on to him." Finishing off his coffee - because the sooner he does, the sooner Nate might wind up in bed - and adding the cup to his growing castle, Shinobi grinned, absently adjusting the 'flagpole'.
Nathan stared at the castle for a moment, almost bemusedly, then blinked. "You were going to sleep when you were finished your coffee," he said. "Right." He looked down at his cane, tugging it telekinetically back to his hand. "I'm going to go... mark Mandarin quizzes, I think. They should have been back today and I didn't have them done."
"And then you're going to lay down for a little while," Shinobi suggested, grinning while he set to the task of rearranging himself to lay down. "Even if it's just to study the ceiling. Call it.. twenty minutes?"
"Sure," Nathan said absently, and had to stop to think for a moment about which direction the elevator was. "Can have someone bring you down breakfast in the morning, if you like... I have class with Manuel or I'd do it myself." His hand clenched spasmodically on the cane as he remembered that it was empathy work tomorrow, too.
"A bit of a walk will do me some good, come morning, but thank you all the same. For now.." Shinobi lifted a hand to make a shooing gesture, grinning as he flumped unceremoniously onto his back. "Go on. Grade and be lazy. You do look like you need it." He paused a moment, and added in a more serious tone, "Thank you, Nathan. The company was very nice."
Nathan swallowed, shaking off the momentary flicker of panic and meeting Shinobi's eyes as levelly as he could. "She'll be all right," he said. "Speaking as someone who did do... more or less the same thing, a number of years ago." His lips quirked in a faint, sad smile. "I'm just very glad she has you," he said, then nodded and headed in the direction of the elevator.
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