Oh My Honey~

Eikichi’s expression takes on a very vain quality as he gracefully spreads his fingers to admire his own work.

“Hmhmm- well, of course! A guy should never be afraid of making himself more beautiful…”

He touches his face. “I mean, I’m naturally gorgeous anyway, so why not play on my strengths? It’d be a sin to hold back.” He looks over at Philemon again. “But, yeah… Seems like you’ve got the right idea, too.”

Philemon tried not to chuckle, amused at this boy’s narcissism It almost reminded him of a well-willed Nyarlathotep. His eyes were good enough to see that though the similar traits were there, Eikichi still had strong will and confidence based on more than just looks. That, and he had fear. It was impossible to have not noticed how crushed he seemed by being recognized. He wondered, quietly, how to assist in destroying that fear— hopefully before it could be manipulated against him.

“You’ve grown up well.” He responded as he thought over ideas. “I hope that we’ll be able to get along now as we did when you were younger. After all, there are many bonds that cannot be broken even with the intrusion of time and change.”

"Heh...!!" Eikichi swells with pride at Philemon's words. "You got it- tall, strong, and handsome...!!"

"And yeah, man! You're a pretty cool cat, so I'd love to get back to chattin' with ya more," Eikichi says with enthusiasm. He chuckles. "And I can give you some tips on being even more fabulous, hmm? I'm kind of an expert on the subject."

Suddenly, Eikichi is visibly overtaken by a wave of extreme happiness with himself. He sighs and clasps his arms around his chest in a bit of a bizarre gesture of utterly self-absorbed affection. "Ah, I just.. Love being me..!!"

Actually, Eikichi had caught sight of Philemon’s nail polish as they’d shaken hands. He’s so distracted by it now, in fact, that he pretty much fails to hear another word Philemon says. It’s not a color he’d choose for himself, he muses, but Eikichi always appreciates seeing another man tend to his nails in such a way. His face brightens to a full-blown smile.

“Oh, I love that nail polish,” he almost sings, Michel beginning to slide back into his voice and demeanor. “It goes great with your mask.”

Come to think of it, though… why does he wear that mask? And why did he wear it way back then, too? Well… not like it matters whole lot at the moment. If that’s what floats his boat, then why worry? He’ll just go ahead and enjoy Philemon’s style without thinking very deeply about it for now.

Philemon smiled slightly as his nail polish was noted. He did take pride in it, after all. His appearance was important to him because it was such an outward mask, even if he upheld it oddly with his mask and constant themes of gold (or purple, some days).

“Thank you,” He replied, noting Eikichi’s own nail color. It wasn’t as sparkly as Philemon’s by far, but it was fitting to the rest of his clothing. A different color probably would’ve distracted from the rather extravagant jewelry as well. ”You care for your nails as well, I see. It’s wonderful to know someone else who has a similar interest.”

#spiritmentor #//we're gorgeous baby GORGEOUS

Eikichi's expression takes on a very vain quality as he gracefully spreads his fingers to admire his own work.

"Hmhmm- well, of course! A guy should never be afraid of making himself more beautiful..."

He touches his face. "I mean, I'm naturally gorgeous anyway, so why not play on my strengths? It'd be a sin to hold back." He looks over at Philemon again. "But, yeah... Seems like you've got the right idea, too."

Eikichi tilts his head, staring at the man. That mask… A flicker of recollection in his mind.

Philemon…

Yeah… Suddenly he DOES remember something. The dude with the weird butterfly mask coming to the shrine occasionally when they were all playing, and just kind of.. talking to them sometimes? The memory is hazy, but… warm. Eikichi remembers thinking he was a nice guy. A guy that didn’t yell and didn’t cut him off when he struggled to get the words out.

Right, a guy… nicer than Dad, his younger self had thought back then.

“Oh- no, no, man, I… think I… do remember ya now. Uh, Philemon.”

He puts forth a hand to shake, a slightly-sheepish smile upon his face.

“It’s good runnin’ into you again.”

“You may run into me several times more,” Philemon responded, examining the younger man’s rings before returning the hand shake hands. If Eikichi bothered noticing, his nails— to match his mask— had been painted with a metallic and slightly shimmery gold polish. There was no shame in beautiful hands, especially when you had them as lanky and feminine as his.

“My…partner and I have taken up teaching here.” He thought back to Nyarlathotep, slightly annoyed on the inside. Nyarlathotep, though being his friend, wasn’t exactly school-material. His logic still bothered Philemon to a heavy extent. “Philosophy classes, primarily, though there’ll be other things going on as well. I hope we’ll continue to socialize over the course of the year.”

Actually, Eikichi had caught sight of Philemon's nail polish as they'd shaken hands. He's so distracted by it now, in fact, that he pretty much fails to hear another word Philemon says. It's not a color he'd choose for himself, he muses, but Eikichi always appreciates seeing another man tend to his nails in such a way. His face brightens to a full-blown smile.

"Oh, I love that nail polish," he almost sings, Michel beginning to slide back into his voice and demeanor. "It goes great with your mask."

Come to think of it, though... why does he wear that mask? And why did he wear it way back then, too? Well... not like it matters whole lot at the moment. If that's what floats his boat, then why worry? He'll just go ahead and enjoy Philemon's style without thinking very deeply about it for now.

“Uh… Heh! Thanks, man… Y-yeah, I… Worked pretty hard.”

Eikichi straightens his posture. His mouth curves partway into a smile.

“And it paid off, I’d say!”

Hmm. He still doesn’t know who the fuck this person is, though.

“I’m sorry, but… What’s your name again?” He scratches his head a bit. “And, like.. It’s kinda hard to recognize ya when you’re wearin’ a mask, dude…”

Or did he know him.. with the mask before?

“If you feel like this is your true mask, then it certainly has. Once you’ve found yourself, there are no bounds holding you from helping others to create a better world for all.” He commented, as good at influencing others as ever.

“I am Philemon. You’ve always seen me like this, though. It seems my impression wasn’t very deep on you… .It is still nice to see that you’ve come closer to your dreams, after so long, though.”

Eikichi tilts his head, staring at the man. That mask... A flicker of recollection in his mind.

Philemon...

Yeah... Suddenly he DOES remember something. The dude with the weird butterfly mask coming to the shrine occasionally when they were all playing, and just kind of.. talking to them sometimes? The memory is hazy, but... warm. Eikichi remembers thinking he was a nice guy. A guy that didn't yell and didn't cut him off when he struggled to get the words out.

Right, a guy... nicer than Dad, his younger self had thought back then.

"Oh- no, no, man, I... think I... do remember ya now. Uh, Philemon."

He puts forth a hand to shake, a slightly-sheepish smile upon his face.

"It's good runnin' into you again."

Different Mask…? Eikichi puzzles over this for a moment.

Oh god… His stomach lurches as the likely possibility emerges. Did this guy know him when he was a kid, somehow? When he was…

He swallows hard.

“O-oh wow, uhh… f-from the shrine?”

How the heck would the guy even recognize him now?!

Good question, Eikichi. And good luck figuring it out. Honestly, it was a case of impressive deduction— between knowing Eikichi, seeing Eikichi’s family at the previous sushi-shop, a talent for seeing past fashion and makeup, and memory that rivaled the best of memories, it hadn’t been incredibly difficult.

“You’ve changed entirely… I couldn’t recognize you at all. But I know your name from the rosters and I remember a similar face that isn’t yours. You seem like you’ve grown more comfortable in your skin, now. You must have very strong willpower.”

"Uh... Heh! Thanks, man... Y-yeah, I... Worked pretty hard."

Eikichi straightens his posture. His mouth curves partway into a smile.

"And it paid off, I'd say!"

Hmm. He still doesn't know who the fuck this person is, though.

"I'm sorry, but... What's your name again?" He scratches his head a bit. "And, like.. It's kinda hard to recognize ya when you're wearin' a mask, dude..."

Or did he know him.. with the mask before?

spiritmentor said:

“It’s wonderful to see you again, friend.”

…Again? Friend??

Eikichi throws the inexplicably-masked man a questioning look.

“…And you are?”

Philemon seemed slightly disheartened for a second. He wondered why people seemed to so often forget about him. He thought he made a fairly strong impression on people, after all…

“You really have no memory?” He asked as his expression returned to neutral. “We’ve met several times before, though you wore a different mask then… The passing years have changed you greatly, I see.”

Different Mask...? Eikichi puzzles over this for a moment.

Oh god... His stomach lurches as the likely possibility emerges. Did this guy know him when he was a kid, somehow? When he was...

He swallows hard.

"O-oh wow, uhh... f-from the shrine?"

How the heck would the guy even recognize him now?!

spiritmentor said:

"It's wonderful to see you again, friend."

...Again? Friend??

Eikichi throws the inexplicably-masked man a questioning look.

"...And you are?"

sociallinked-awkward:

After finally getting some time to relax, Saori got around to sending Eikichi a text— about her new rooming situation, of course. Aside from the fact the only other phonenumber she had from her school was Hamuko’s, she figured maybe he’d be interested in Akinari — or at least willing to help her make sure he gets to his classes without the various troubles that could happen. “I finally have a roommate so the walls aren’t as bare now.”

The text alert sound jolts Eikichi out of an unintentional nap he’d slipped into- fully dressed- after a hard day of actually making an honest effort to pay attention in all his classes. He fumbles around in the sheets for his phone for a moment or two, only to find it still tucked into his jacket pocket.

“Man, hope I didn’t sleep-dial anyone,” he mumbles, rubbing at his face a bit before taking a look at the screen.

“Aww, Saori…!!” He manages a sleepy smile. Really good news to wake up to! He’d been a little worried about her- the girl seemed so lonely, and… vulnerable. But now she’d have someone right there to talk to, and hopefully look after her and notice if she’s had a rough day. Maybe even help pull her out of her shell a bit, too. He texts back:

Wow thats great honey! Whats her name? is she cute?

I actually ended up with a boy, which is a little odd but I think I’m the only student with medical training so I suppose it makes sense. His name is Akinari though and he’s sick.

‘Sick’ was a major understatement, but she figured she’d let him ask about it as she worked on figuring out what she needed to keep with her for said roommate.Water mostly, but she really needed to ask him about it, huh? She sighed slightly and hoped Eikichi wouldn’t think badly of her because of the roommate she had, especially since she was rather fond of him.

"Wh-wha a GUY?!"

Eikichi nearly drops his phone in surprise. How the hell'd she end up with a guy as a roommate?! He refocuses and reads the message again.

"Oh, a sick guy, even... Damn, must be somethin' serious for them to make an exception like that."

Sick or no, though, it's a dude living in the same room as Saori. Eikichi's not even the slightest bit fond of the idea. What the fuck was the school thinking, anyway? He resolves to check this "Akinari" out for himself as soon as possible... And man, there'll be hell to pay if she gets hurt again.

He lets out a heavy sigh and texts back:

A guy thats weird are you ok with that? Dont let him give you any trouble. how is he sick?

#sociallinkedawkward #//whoopsie now rebloggable

sociallinked-awkward:

After finally getting some time to relax, Saori got around to sending Eikichi a text-- about her new rooming situation, of course. Aside from the fact the only other phonenumber she had from her school was Hamuko's, she figured maybe he'd be interested in Akinari -- or at least willing to help her make sure he gets to his classes without the various troubles that could happen. "I finally have a roommate so the walls aren't as bare now."

“Man, hope I didn’t sleep-dial anyone,” he mumbles, rubbing at his face a bit before taking a look at the screen.

Wow thats great honey! Whats her name? is she cute?

Okay, if he was confused before, he’s even MORE confused now. He was sort of interpreting her extreme reluctance to talk as a sign that he should get the hell out of her hair, ASAP. But now she’s here asking him to stay longer with her, and… chat. What, is she looking for something to happen with him? It’s nighttime, and the two of them are alone in her dorm… Nah, he derails that train of thought almost immediately. Not likely at all, given the circumstances. And, jeez- why the hell’d his douchebag brain even go there, anyway?!

There’s also the matter of him simply not feeling at all like himself at the moment… So very VERY exposed. So uncomfortable. But, if him sticking around for a while and shootin’ the shit with her is really what she wants, then who is he to disappoint a pretty girl? Especially when she’s had as bad a night as he can only imagine she’s had.

“Uhh… sure, honey! Whaddaya like to talk about?” His eyes scan the the room again, looking for some kind of a clue.

Good news for Eikichi is that Saori wouldn’t dare mention it. She figures if someone dresses like that, even at night, there’s a good reason for it— and she probably shouldn’t say anything, considering it was her fault that it was all messed up. She thought for a moment— she liked talking about her friends, but that was weird. What about…

“Are you interested in music? I’m not the most versatile, but I’m fairly good at violin. . .” Well, after a good six years of lessons her mother’d outright demanded, she’d improved a good bit as it’d become habit.

Eikichi's expression lights up.

"Well, hell yeah I'm into music! It's kinda my life, actually," he says with a bit of a flourish in his voice. "I'm a vocalist! And violin? That's awesome!"

And then he's losing himself to his excitement.

"I'm tryin' to get a band back together- had one with my bros at Kass High when I was going there. We were on track to make our big debut! But then me n' the folks had to pick up and leave town. Ahhh... but I'm still gonna reach for it! I'm gonna be a fuckin' rock GOD one day, heh heh... Everyone's gonna know my name. Just you wait n' see, baby!"

Ahhh, the grin on Eikichi's face right now. Visions of stardom have begun to dance in his head all over again.

Eikichi immediately lets her arm drop and backs off.

“I-I… I’m sorry! I’m sorry.” He’d thought he’d handled her gently enough, but evidently not. God, I’m such a fucking ass- I should’ve known not to touch her…!! And now he’s just totally clueless about what to do. He knows she’s covering something up- he knows it! But… why? Why won’t she tell him? Why won’t she just let him help her? He allows his body to sort of flop down onto a nearby chair, and rakes his fingers through his hair in frustration.

“I’m sorry,” he apologizes again, though wearily this time. When he finally looks up at her, his face bears a sad smile.

“I-I guess I should… get my jacket and letcha’ get back to your night, then, huh? You should prolly put some ice on all that, though… Maybe have the nurse give it a look tomorrow.”

He stands back up, feeling entirely out-of-place. Yeah, it seems he’s pretty useless here right now. His gaze falls to the floor.

“I’m, uhh… sorry I couldn’t do more, babe.”

“I wouldn’t mind if you stayed a bit.” Saori said, once she managed to relax some. She felt terrible that he’d apologized so much, especially since all he was doing was being a good person. She did quickly wrap his jacket in a separate towel, as she was reminded.

“I haven’t had many people to talk to until now, anyway. I’m getting a roommate— but they said it might take a while for special circumstances? So until then, I’m alone, and since I don’t have many friends here…” She frowned, remembering how she hadn’t had many friends at all in Gekkoukan either.

“Besides, I don’t want to hear you apologize. I like it better when people just talk, really.”

Okay, if he was confused before, he's even MORE confused now. He was sort of interpreting her extreme reluctance to talk as a sign that he should get the hell out of her hair, ASAP. But now she's here asking him to stay longer with her, and... chat. What, is she looking for something to happen with him? It's nighttime, and the two of them are alone in her dorm... Nah, he derails that train of thought almost immediately. Not likely at all, given the circumstances. And, jeez- why the hell'd his douchebag brain even go there, anyway?!

There's also the matter of him simply not feeling at all like himself at the moment... So very VERY exposed. So uncomfortable. But, if him sticking around for a while and shootin' the shit with her is really what she wants, then who is he to disappoint a pretty girl? Especially when she's had as bad a night as he can only imagine she's had.

"Uhh... sure, honey! Whaddaya like to talk about?" His eyes scan the the room again, looking for some kind of a clue.

Eikichi hesitates for a moment before entering her dorm- this is a chick’s room, after all- then follows her lead and takes his still very damp shoes off at the door. Looking around, he is rather struck by the blandness of the place. It feels… sad to him. Has she just not gotten around to decorating yet? He can’t imagine not customizing things to suit his aesthetics- his look, his room… Anything he can, really.

“Ahh… thanks babe,” he says, somewhat awkwardly accepting the towel. He’s gingerly squeezing it around his hair when he happens to glance at Saori with her uniform top off and catch sight of those marks on her arm.

“Saori, y-your…” He drops the towel and approaches her, not even having heard her questions. He takes ahold of her wrist to bring her arm up for a closer look. Eikichi’s seen and worn his own share of bruises, and has no problem identifying those as having come from a hand. A hand that’s grabbed someone’s flesh HARD. His stomach knots up with anger.

“Saori, ya didn’t fall down the stairs, okay?! I didn’t buy it the second you said it. Now, tell me who the FUCK did this to you so I can find ‘em and beat their face in!”

Saori was startled as her wrist was taken, immediately trying to pull back, but failing against his strength— and yet again just trying to stay still, though she trembled and pouted.

“I just fell, alright? It’s nothing important.” She protested, her voice oddly calm despite her body language. “I wasn’t watching where I was going. It was my own fault.” At least that part was close to being true, but she’d really rather not be hurt by someone she wanted to be friends with,

…Either of them, really. She’d also rather not have Eikichi or anyone else hurt by something that was her fault. Plus, she didn’t even know who it was who’d hurt her! I mean, he did look a bit odd—enough for her to be able to point him out, by far— but she wouldn’t give away someone like that. Maybe he was just having a bad day.

“…You’re hurting me some.” She added, hoping that’d convince Eikichi to let go at least.

Eikichi immediately lets her arm drop and backs off.

"I-I... I'm sorry! I'm sorry." He'd thought he'd handled her gently enough, but evidently not. God, I'm such a fucking ass- I should've known not to touch her...!! And now he's just totally clueless about what to do. He knows she's covering something up- he knows it! But... why? Why won't she tell him? Why won't she just let him help her? He allows his body to sort of flop down onto a nearby chair, and rakes his fingers through his hair in frustration.

"I'm sorry," he apologizes again, though wearily this time. When he finally looks up at her, his face bears a sad smile.

"I-I guess I should... get my jacket and letcha' get back to your night, then, huh? You should prolly put some ice on all that, though... Maybe have the nurse give it a look tomorrow."

He stands back up, feeling entirely out-of-place. Yeah, it seems he's pretty useless here right now. His gaze falls to the floor.

"I'm, uhh... sorry I couldn't do more, babe."

Her comment instantly makes Eikichi feel sort of nauseously aware of the fact that he probably isn’t looking so hot at the moment. He touches his hair and averts his eyes. “Eh heh yeah, uh… It’s really okay! A-and sure, a towel would be cool… Er, I mean… I-I’ll come with you to get one.”

Does he dare to check himself in the mirror? Oh god, he’s not even sure… And his clothes are indeed soaked- pretty much plastered to his body. Man, he’s just… suddenly feeling really vulnerable. It seems the rain has succeeded in washing away quite a bit of his confidence. Why hadn’t he checked the weather earlier… He could’ve known to have grabbed his umbrella. Should he just head off right now and retreat to his room in the boys side? No… No, he dismisses that thought immediately. Even scolds himself for it. He’s gotta see this thing through and make sure Saori’s really okay… It’s not about him right now.

Saori unwrapped herself from his jacket, though draping it over her arm so she could at least dry that some too as she lead the way to her room. She kicked her shoes off first, though she honestly didn’t care if Eikichi did or not. Admittedly, her room was rather unremarkable. There wasn’t much decoration, past a board in the far corner with photos on it and her violin case resting beside the bed. It was as plain as she looked.

She flipped the light switch on and quickly offered him a towel, waiting until he took it to unzip her uniform and jacket and toss it away (to the clothes’ hamper, of course). The heat just bothered her more than the concern over worse-than-she’d-assumed bruises that looked specifically like a hand for someone who ‘fell down the stairs’.

“”Why were you still in the school, anyway? Were you just having trouble sleeping? …Or did you stay late for a club?” She asked, feeling bad at the assumption that he wasn’t in any clubs just because he looked intimidating. Honestly, she noted, he looked a bit scarier now than he had with the makeup on.

Eikichi hesitates for a moment before entering her dorm- this is a chick's room, after all- then follows her lead and takes his still very damp shoes off at the door. Looking around, he is rather struck by the blandness of the place. It feels... sad to him. Has she just not gotten around to decorating yet? He can't imagine not customizing things to suit his aesthetics- his look, his room... Anything he can, really.

"Ahh... thanks babe," he says, somewhat awkwardly accepting the towel. He's gingerly squeezing it around his hair when he happens to glance at Saori with her uniform top off and catch sight of those marks on her arm.

"Saori, y-your..." He drops the towel and approaches her, not even having heard her questions. He takes ahold of her wrist to bring her arm up for a closer look. Eikichi's seen and worn his own share of bruises, and has no problem identifying those as having come from a hand. A hand that's grabbed someone's flesh HARD. His stomach knots up with anger.

"Saori, ya didn't fall down the stairs, okay?! I didn't buy it the second you said it. Now, tell me who the FUCK did this to you so I can find 'em and beat their face in!"

The compliment is almost painful to him, coming from her in that state. “H-hey, it’s… no problem at all, honey. All in a day’s work for me!”

He adjusts his tunic, and motions toward the exit. “Okaay! I think we’re all set, then- whaddaya say we get outta here and get wet!”

Oh wait… that sounded weird.

“I mean, uhh… get… through that rain.”

When they head out the doors, he does a quick scan of the grounds outside for any potential sources of trouble. Dammit, if only he knew what he was looking for…!! Oh, well. He tells himself that with as many fights as he’s been in, he can sure as shit handle some cowardly douchebag who knocks around small girls.

As they start walking, he places a hand on Saori’s back to very gently scoot her just ahead of him to his left. Man, it’s fucking pouring out here. He winces a bit, feeling the rain beginning to wet his carefully-styled hair down to his head already. Ugghh… He doesn’t even want to think about how bad it must look… or all that product washing out of it all over his beautiful skin…!! But, hey- at least it’s dark outside, and apparently devoid of other people.

He looks over at Saori, wrapped snugly in his jacket. She… seems to be doing okay?

Saori had looked back, scanning for sight of Sakahagi— hoping that he was doing alright, and wasn’t hurt or in any type of pain. She couldn’t figure out her emotions on him. On one side, he constricted the flow of air to her lungs, but he was also a person who probably had done some good things in his life, right?

She was startled out of those thoughts by the hand to her back, in addition to suddenly rain everywhere. Needless to say, that kind of thing caught her attention pretty well. She quickly lead, trying not to be slow for the sake of the poor Eikichi’s kindness. After all, she’d taken his jacket. . .

She quickly opened the door to the dorm’s lobby, stepping aside to let him in first. “I’ll get you a towel? You’re a little bit…entirely soaked. I’m sorry.”

Her comment instantly makes Eikichi feel sort of nauseously aware of the fact that he probably isn't looking so hot at the moment. He touches his hair and averts his eyes. "Eh heh yeah, uh... It's really okay! A-and sure, a towel would be cool... Er, I mean... I-I'll come with you to get one."

Does he dare to check himself in the mirror? Oh god, he's not even sure... And his clothes are indeed soaked- pretty much plastered to his body. Man, he's just... suddenly feeling really vulnerable. It seems the rain has succeeded in washing away quite a bit of his confidence. Why hadn't he checked the weather earlier... He could've known to have grabbed his umbrella. Should he just head off right now and retreat to his room in the boys side? No... No, he dismisses that thought immediately. Even scolds himself for it. He's gotta see this thing through and make sure Saori's really okay... It's not about him right now.

“U-uh… what?” Eikichi says, a little confused as Saori returns it to him. He thought it was a good idea… did it offend her somehow? Nah, she doesn’t seem offended… She doesn’t seem anything, really. What is with this girl, he thinks. She looks beat-up, but she’s not talking about it, she’s not crying about it, and besides allowing him to escort her home, she’s turning away his attempts at kindness. And those empty smiles… It’s like she’s just… blank, or something. He frowns. Well… she is pretty jumpy though, so obviously SOMETHING’S going on in that head of hers. Could she be in shock? Jeez, what the hell DID happen to her?

“Nah, babe,” he says after a moment. “Ain’t my style to let a cute little lady like you catch cold. Especially not when she’s, uhhh… hurt.”

Eikichi moves in front of her and drapes his jacket securely around her shoulders. He looks down at her, a caring smile on his face. “Seriously, it’s okay.”

Saori pouted slightly as the jacket was around her, glancing at either side of her body before raising her hands to grip to the inner front. She really hoped he wouldn’t regret letting her use it…It almost made her feel guilty for being scared of him, since he seemed like such a nice guy.

Of course, the last time a guy had been ‘nice’ to her, it’d ended with her getting suspended and transferred. The morals of people really confused her, in all honesty. The brunette student tried her best to trust, for this time, that he wouldn’t be as… physical as the last person she’d tried to make friends with.

“Thank you…I hope I’m not worrying you too much. I’m fine, I promise.” She attempted to reassure, shifting her shoulders under the jacket. Relax, Saori, relax… She resisted the urge to complain about how she wasn’t hurt, cute, or weak enough to get sick. ”You’ve got a big heart.”

The compliment is almost painful to him, coming from her in that state. "H-hey, it's... no problem at all, honey. All in a day's work for me!"

He adjusts his tunic, and motions toward the exit. "Okaay! I think we're all set, then- whaddaya say we get outta here and get wet!"

Oh wait... that sounded weird.

"I mean, uhh... get... through that rain."

When they head out the doors, he does a quick scan of the grounds outside for any potential sources of trouble. Dammit, if only he knew what he was looking for...!! Oh, well. He tells himself that with as many fights as he's been in, he can sure as shit handle some cowardly douchebag who knocks around small girls.

As they start walking, he places a hand on Saori's back to very gently scoot her just ahead of him to his left. Man, it's fucking pouring out here. He winces a bit, feeling the rain beginning to wet his carefully-styled hair down to his head already. Ugghh... He doesn't even want to think about how bad it must look... or all that product washing out of it all over his beautiful skin...!! But, hey- at least it's dark outside, and apparently devoid of other people.

He looks over at Saori, wrapped snugly in his jacket. She... seems to be doing okay?