xp_logs | Being Welcomed Home (Reply)

Nathan finds Rahne after her own long shower. Rahne gets a hug.

As planned, Rahne had spent the night outside; after a few months living with a pack of wolves, she was finding it a little strange to imagine going back to her bed even intermittently. And she hadn't felt up to the possibility of Monet choosing then of all times to ask questions.

The long hot shower, however, had been fantastic. Rahne wrapped herself in a pink bathrobe, trying to get used to not having fur again, and toweled at her hair a little more before deciding she'd just get the tangles out and leave it wet. It was, after all, still summer here.

She left the bathroom and padded back down the corridor, pensively watching her bare toes.

Nathan came around the corner just as she reached it, and reached out a hand to steady her, as well as keep her from colliding with him. "What's so interesting about your feet?" he teased gently. She blinked up at him, and he was crouching down in front of her before she could say a word, enfolding her gently in his arms. "Hey," he said softly, knowing he was probably projecting all over the place, but hey, they were good thoughts...

Rahne felt a lump climb up in her throat and tried to swallow it as she hugged back, putting her head down on his shoulder. "Hi," she whispered back, trying to sort out something else to say and then just giving it up with a sigh and snuggling into the hug. It was a very good hug.

"Missed you like crazy, you know that?" Nathan murmured, not letting go. "Moira and I both. And it was only a week for us." She didn't seem inclined to pull back either, so he stayed there, hugging her tightly. "I kept wandering into the kitchen thinking I smelled oatmeal."

Rahne had to let out a breathless giggle at that. "I -- havena had oatmeal in three months."

"Well, we'll have to fix that, won't we?" Nathan asked with a chuckle. He finally did pull back a little, giving her a very intent look. "You slept?" he asked. "I can see you showered. How do you feel?"

Bereft. That sounded silly. "A wee bit... lost. 'Tis strange being back. Or indoors, for that matter."

There was something more going on here, Nathan thought. A sadness to her clear thoughts, something he didn't want to probe too deeply. "I can only imagine," he said quietly, tilting his head at her. "Anything I can do to help?" he asked. "Anything at all, Rahne..."

"....The hug's good." She smiled a little. "I had a better time there than most of the others, I think, and I'm missing some of it."

Somewhat impulsively, Nathan hugged her again. She didn't seem to mind. "If you want to talk about it, Moira and I are both here," he said softly, closing his eyes for a moment and just reveling in her presence. Warm, alive, safe, here. He had missed her quiet presence in a way entirely different than he'd missed Amanda or Angie, but no less sharply. "Together or separately, if you want to talk to either of us. Won't push, but I wanted you to know that."

"Thanks." It helped, too, to be reminded she was cared for and wanted here. Nathan wasn't exactly the type to go around hugging people for no reason. Being reminded, though, she didn't like to say that part of what she'd felt in Asgard was that (if for no reason very clear to her) she mattered to someone more than at home. It hadn't been fair to think. "I could tell ye about the wolves," she said softly, then smiled against his shoulder. "I doona ken how much anyone wants to hear about raw venison, though."

"I have a very strong stomach," Nathan assured her.