intraspective | Reno's (& Elena's) place, Edge, Gaia, Saturday Early Evening

It was kinda funny how she was getting used to being cold.

Not that she'd complain to Reno about it—what the hell was he going to do? Give her another blanket? As if she was going to let him do that when he was the one that was painfully thin and had to feel it more—or anything but, still. She was pretty sure she hadn't been properly warm since getting to Edge and that? That was totally not cool.

Ino was glad, at least, that it wasn't too windy right now. Drafts were demon-things. She tucked the blanket she was using around her feet more securely and went back to her reading, on the couch, while Reno played with Mako. (Or, well, Mako waged war or something and Reno didn't seem to mind. Ino wasn't paying that much attention to them, honestly; her book was pretty good.)

As far as she was concerned they could totally do this for a little while longer before going to look for fun. Mako wasn't tired yet. Ino was cold and didn't feel like moving.

Which, of course, was when someone knocked on the door.

Ino turned the page in her book. "You get it, yo," she told Reno impishly. "Rookie is lazy."

[For the one she's talkin' to! NFB due to distance.]

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Another mouthful. This one was deliberately slow. So that he wouldn't be downing it was desperately as he wanted it.

Of course people cared. He would care, too.

"... Back to Fandom," he said again, furrowing his eyebrows and staring at the gravel at his feet. "Or Junon, or somewhere. I ain't made to roll over and give up, neither."

"Start by eating," she said, still pushing. "More than you are. Would you let a Rookie get away with eating as little as you do?"

She doubted it.

"Get away from here," Ino said, "but if that's not going to happen immediately, start eating. Start--taking care of yourself. Please, Reno?"

"I can do that," he replied, nodding. Slowly nodding. "Guess it's easy to forget eatin's somethin' I gotta do too, when I'm the only way some of these people ever see a meal, some weeks."

Not days. Weeks. It all added up. And now and then, there were fewer mouths to worry about.

But it was never because somebody had ever found any good way out of the poverty.

Ino's eyes flashed at that.

Maybe she was cruel for this, but--

"And if you die from lack of feeding yourself first," she said coldly, "then even more of those kids are going to go 'cause then there ain't no one around to help them. What use are you dead, Reno?"

"I'm gonna drop dead from bein' overworked a long time before skippin' a few meals'll kill me," Reno replied, almost sharply. But he was too damn tired to be too sharp, right then. "I lived on less than this, before. I know how much I need to keep goin' on."

He held up a finger for a moment, and then went digging in his pockets. Out came the jar of vitamins. He gave it a shake.

Only about half-empty.

"Take them for yourself," she said, wrapping her arms around her torso. It was cold. She was tired. This conversation made her want to do something stupid like cry. "Eat more. I--just--"

Words failed her.

"Take care of myself," Reno sighed. And then he nodded. Took another mouthful.

No, it wasn't conducive to taking care of himself. He figured he could start worrying about his health tomorrow. He wasn't going to get much worse off after tonight.

"Couple meals a day. Real food. If I promise I'll do that much, would that help?"

"If you keep it," she said, because that was really the whole point. "And not just say it to keep me from worrying for a little."

Reno actually cracked a bit of a grin at that. "You want I should film myself eatin' until you notice I'm puttin' weight back on?"

"No," she said, smiling very slightly back. "I'll just keep coming to visit and nagging if you ain't."

"Probably more effective that way, anyhow," he decided, giving his head a shake, and then moving to put the cap back on the bottle. "Wouldn't say no to the company, neither."

Even if she wasn't Rude.

"I am excellent company," she informed him. "And, yeah, you'll be seeing me for sure 'round here."

Even if her wallet was going to have a heart attack. Lucky for her that hunting monsters meant she got money from them.

Monster killing was easily the most lucrative business on Gaia. Next to, of course, owning a power company.

"Lookin' forward to it, Rookie." There was another pause, and then he was shooting her a little grin. "What say we get the hell offa the curb now, huh?"

Yeah, that would be Ino, up in a flash and at the door.

"Blankets," she chirped--not as brightly as normal, but still, she wasn't going to brood where he could fuss at her. "And Mako has got to be wanting company by now, huh? Come on, let's go in."

Reno wasn't so quickly to his feet, no, but he was hauling himself up and sauntering along after her at his own comfortable pace nevertheless.

"Right behind you, Rookie," he replied, shoving the bottle into his pocket, followed after by his hand. "Almost suppertime anyhow, yo."

Reno's (& Elena's) place, Edge, Gaia, Saturday Early Evening

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