Midgar, Gaia -- Sunday

[intraspective]

Little changed in the hospital room overnight. The girl slept, the boy slept, and machines continued their monitoring—more to be safe than out of true need for them—and if the nurses came by to check on them (but always careful not to wake them) a little more often than necessary…

Well, there was nothing wrong with that, was there?

And in this manner, time passed until morning.

[For ze puppy. NFB due to distance.]

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[intraspective]

"Maybe something to drink," she allowed, lifting one of her hands to study it.

Ino hesitated, studying him. "You?"

[puppy_fair]

"They had roast beef in the cafeteria," Zack admitted, wrinkling his nose a bit. That probably explained pretty much everything that needed explanation, right there.

Midgar did not tend to do anything that involved courtesy, in the long run. And that included vegetarian menus in the ShinRa hospital, apparently. Fresh vegetation was a bit of a luxury around here. Overall, meat made more sense.

He could have gone somewhere else to get something to eat, but... well.

[intraspective]

She nodded slowly.

It was... funny... feeling the way she did, that he was here and he'd stayed right there and that felt good even as part of wished that he'd gone to eat something.

"You should get yourself a drink at least," she said, eyes soft.

[puppy_fair]

"Juice," he suggested, pursing his lips a little. "It's probably the kinda funny tasting hospital stuff, but it's better than nothing, right?"

And they could each have some!

[intraspective]

"I'd like that."

She was smiling a little more now.

"And then you should hug me."

She could use a hug. Possibly a million. Could he provide all of that?

[puppy_fair]

"If I start, I might not stop," Zack warned, grinning a little more.

Wouldn't that be such a difficult way to spend the day, Ino?

[intraspective]

She tilted her head slightly. "Did you have plans then?"

[puppy_fair]

"None at all," Zack decided, scootching up a little closer and (carefully) flopping forward to rest his elbows on the bed. "Maybe booking our portal back to Fandom sometime today, but besides that...? Nah. I'm all yours."

The portal thing was kind of a big deal. The sooner they got out of there, the sooner he could stop being kind of paranoid that something else would happen.

Visits home had a tendency to really, really suck.

[intraspective]

His caution was observed and Ino carefully reached to brush his arm with one of her hands.

"Back to the island, huh?"

Funny how she didn't sound disappointed at all, right?

[puppy_fair]

"If the doctors clear you to travel, I mean," Zack agreed, softly. "It's kind of more... comfortable than here, you know?"

Safer, Zack. The word you were looking for was 'safer.'

[intraspective]

"It'll be okay," she murmured, not able to argue with him but wanting to--try and reassure him.

It probably would have worked better if she hadn't been in a hospital bed.

"Help me sit up?"

[puppy_fair]

Yeah, the surroundings weren't exactly helping all that much.

Zack nodded, gently slipping an arm under her back to help her sit up. Carefully. Slowly.

"How's that?"

[intraspective]

"Better," she replied, smiling up at him. "Thank you."

For, oh, about a million things. Did he know that?

[puppy_fair]

He had his suspicions, really.

"It was nothing," he replied. Because... Because heck, none if it was really a big deal, to him. He was just happy to have her back. And he had that wonderful ability to not have to think too hard about the trail of bodies that they'd stepped around when they were carrying her out of that cave. That helped, too.

[intraspective]

"Not to me," she murmured, eyes catching sight of a hi-potion with a straw on the table and laughing, a bit weakly.

[puppy_fair]

And Tseng had even been kind enough to twist the cap off for her before sending it up!

Zack glanced the way she was looking, spotted the potion, and then proceeded to blink.

"What's...?"

Uh. Potion on the table. He hadn't even noticed that before, he'd been so wiped.

[intraspective]

"Tseng came by," she murmured, "while you were sleeping."

And neglected to mention that that had happened yesterday.

"He said he'd send me a potion with a straw, but..."

[puppy_fair]

Zack blinked at the potion a little more. And then at the straw (it was bright pink and bendy) that was sticking out the top of it.

And then he started to laugh.

"You didn't believe he'd do it, did you?"

[intraspective]

"Not really?" she said, smiling at him. "It was a bit--hard to picture, with the straw, I mean."

[puppy_fair]

"You know, I thought he was all stuffy when I first met him, too," Zack admitted. "But once you get to know him, you realize that he's got a better sense of humor than most of SOLDIER combined."

Zack wasn't just speaking highly of Tseng for the sake of doing so. Tseng's humor was dry, but it was most certainly there.

Case in point: The bendy straw.

[intraspective]

The pink bendy straw.

"Yeah?" she asked, with another glance at the straw. "'Cause I'd wondered if he was being funny but that could've just been... me."

And the number of things floating around her system to take away pain, yes.

[puppy_fair]

"Naaah, he's totally funny!"

So, so not you, Ino!

"Why did he pay you a visit, anyhow?"

[intraspective]

"I think he might've wanted to talk to you?" Ino said, after a considering pause. "But you were sleeping and I wasn't, so he talked to me instead--I guess he thought it'd be a good thing to know me a little?"

And offer her a job. But that was staying under wraps, even from Zack, until she'd had the time to consider her options.

[puppy_fair]

"I guess so, huh? I mean, since we're so close and all," Zack mused. Hey, it made sense to him. "I'll have to call him when things settle down a bit, I suppose. See what he wanted."

Nothing at all, puppy. Nothing at all.

[intraspective]

But surely he'd think of something to say, no?

"I like him," Ino offered, leaning towards Zack. "He seems like a good friend to have."