Caelum A3, Monday Morning

[intraspective]

She slipped into the cabin just after dawn, having stayed out--again--all night. She was moving stiffly, her fault for spending the night not moving after Temari had left her even when it rained intermittently on her and her bruises making their low opinion of this move known. Ino hadn’t bothered to heal any of the bruises. They served her right.

At least she’d had the presence of mind to have a shower before coming back? Ino wiggled into the softest set of pyjamas as quietly as she could, and curled up, sitting up, in her bed, back to the wall and blanket pulled over her head.

Yesterday had been stupid. She’d been stupid. What was the point in trying to think if you lost it the first time all that thinking was really challenged?

What was wrong with her? Even with Temari being so much stronger than her she should’ve done better. Instead, it had been a total fiasco.

Ino fought the urge to cry, trying not to sniffle, and that had to be the exhaustion talking. She wasn’t going to cry. That wasn’t useful.

What was she supposed to do? Where had she started messing up? Being stupid. It had to stop, and she didn’t know why it had started.

[Open, yes!]

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[intraspective]

She turned that over in her head, feeling angry, but the anger was flat because she couldn't think of anything she could do, and more than willing to focus on his issues than on hers. "Why doesn't it matter?"

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"Because I'm here," he said with a faint smile. "And I got away."

And I'll know to be more careful now.

[intraspective]

She leaned carefully against him, closing her eyes. "How?"

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"Does it matter?" he asked quietly, because he was still sore in ways it was hard to explain and no matter how it'd been a sick sort of justice, he hadn't liked doing it.

[intraspective]

Ino considered that.

"It is if it hurt you," she said eventually.

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"No more than when I did it the last time," he said with a faint almost nonexistent shrug. "I'm not exactly hurt so much as a bit raw now. And the rope could have been much worse; Trism was as gentle as would be allowed."

[intraspective]

"I didn't mean your wrists," she said, somewhat tartly.

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"I know," he said with a little smile. "But I figured I'd address them and I'll live through the rest. Trism helped. Amber helped. And you're helping with that now."

[intraspective]

"I'm not doing anything," Ino said crossly.

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"You're here. And you're with me. And you care about me. And you're Good."

That was all she had to do.

[intraspective]

She frowned. That wasn't--that didn't--that wasn't anything.

"Good?" Ino asked dubiously, hearing the capital letter.

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

He leaned down and nodded.

"Good," he repeated again.

[intraspective]

"I don't get it," she said plaintively, resting her head against him.

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"It's one of those things I can't really explain. But it's real and it helps, I promise."

[intraspective]

"I guess," she said, with the smallest of shrugs.

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

He breathed out, giving up on trying to make her understand before even really starting, before leaning over just a little to kiss her hair.

"I missed you," he said quietly. "I really hope you like the flowers when you see them properly."

[intraspective]

"I will," she promised him, "I'm sure I will. I missed you too."

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"Good."

He chuckled just a little.

"I got to use some of the things you taught me during my trip, so you know. It almost let me get out of my prison a few times."

[intraspective]

That got a curious blink up at him as she tugged her blanket tighter and higher up her shoulders.

"Oh?"

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"He wasn't familiar with how I might stand or move," he said with a smile, "so I almost got out a few times. Unfortunately, Trism's quite a bit bigger and faster than he looks.

"Also, from what he told me over the night I spent in that cell, something of a dab hand with animals. He's caught pigs before on his family farm, so apparently I wasn't too much harder."

[intraspective]

She nodded. "I'm glad it was at least a bit useful then."

Not useful enough to get him out though. Ino wasn't sure what to think of that.

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"I wouldn't have been able to get out of there without you."

The fact that Ino'd stood by him? It'd gone a long way towards helping him say no.

[intraspective]

"Thank you," she said quietly. For reminding her that even with everything she'd been doing wrong lately apparently she was still doing something right.