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[flyingsolos]

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[purrtagonist]

[I mean, he is not the Responsible Friend, so?? he lifts a hand and pushes his hood from his head, so it falls limp at his shoulders]

I'm not going to stop you if you want to take flight again in less than an hour.

[he doesn't work that way]

. . . but I'll probably stick around just in case you crash again--

[DO YOU NOT HAVE ANY FAITH, AKIRA]

[flyingsolos]

You...

... You're not cute at all, you know that?

[ she's not going to crash!! Again!!! ]

[purrtagonist]

[a twitch of his mouth, and he holds up one hand, waving it at her in a placating manner]

Kidding. You really did kind of scare me, though.

I'm glad you're okay.

[flyingsolos]

...

[ Oh. Thinking back on it, she hadn't seen his face when she'd crash-landed, but he'd sounded really worried, hadn't he? ]

Um... I'm really sorry, Kurusu-kun. I didn't mean to worry you.

[purrtagonist]

[that's because he was, geez!]

Don't. The last thing you need to do is apologize for getting hurt.

[he peers at her and studies her form, trying to see if there are any visible injuries or if she's obviously favoring any pained limbs]

[flyingsolos]

[ She's a little scraped up, plenty dusty-- and she is absolutely gingerly handling her right shoulder, though she's also taking great efforts to avoid drawing attention to it. Very slight twinges of pain tighten the corners of her mouth when she tries for a stretch.

But then she seems to realize she's being watched. ]

You know, you're going to give a girl the wrong idea, staring like that.

[purrtagonist]

[aha. he sure is zooming in on her shoulder, although this time he keeps his hands to himself. his response is dry]

Mmmhm. I can't help it. I'm absolutely captivated by the way you're gingerly holding your right shoulder.

[POINTED LOOK]

[flyingsolos]

[ POINTED LOOK RIGHT BACK. ]

I mean, if that's your turn-on, my lips are sealed. But that's still pretty weird.

[purrtagonist]

It'll be our little secret. You know what else I like?

[he's 100% joking but it's so freakin' hard to tell when he is so blase and neutral. but he eventually turns on his heel, jerking his head to the side to indicate she should follow]

Ice packs for injured shoulders.

[flyingsolos]

... You must be an exciting date.

[ But that seems to be all the fight in her, because after a pause and a sigh, she'll slowly trail after him.

Who knew Akira was a fusser? ]

[purrtagonist]

[he is, just a little! he may not be the type to lecture, or to stop someone when they're super intent on doing something (so long as that something isn't super dangerous to themselves or others), but he does worry. and he likes to think that at this point, he and Rion are friends, so. . .]

Hey, at least now you can say you've gone on an ice-pack fetching date. Cross that one off your bucket list.

[flyingsolos]

Honestly, I don't know how I'm going to do any better than that.

[ ice pack dates are so glamorous??? ]

[purrtagonist]

[JUST]

[huffs out a laugh as he turns a corner, leading her towards the Sparkling Sapphire]

Is there any reason you decided to practice flying around the palace?

[flyingsolos]

I can get a better view of what's past the gates, actually. And it's less crowded than you'd think, so there's less of a chance of... well.

[ what happened today. ]

[purrtagonist]

[oh. that's a point, and he looks at her curiously as they walk]

What have you seen past the gates so far? I'm not really familiar with this part of town.

[he schmoozes with criminals]

[flyingsolos]

Guards, mostly. On the outside, it's just sand as far as you can see. A friend of mine said when he went exploring that he couldn't see an oasis anywhere.

[ no wonder water is so vital... ]

[purrtagonist]

No oasis at all?

[doesn't civilization in a desert usually pop up near sources of water?]

Where does the water in the city come from, then?

[it's really a rhetorical question. he doesn't expect her to answer]

[flyingsolos]

Great question. I'm not sure if they've just been storing it somewhere, but it's definitely weird.

[ oh, geez. ]

I wanted to check it out myself, but I can't fly for that long.

[purrtagonist]

Storing it somewhere means it has to be produced first.

[via magic, or a well, or-- if an oasis doesn't exist-- collected through rain. as the Sapphire appears on the horizon, just up ahead, Akira inclines his head at her again]

How long can you stay in the air?

[flyingsolos]

Five minutes, if I push myself a little. It's nothing that great yet.

[purrtagonist]

Five minutes is better than anything I can do.

[b. . . because he has no wings]

Keep practicing; I'm sure you'll turn five minutes into ten, and then twenty, before you even know it.

[flyingsolos]

Don't worry, I'm not about to give up on it.

... But you know, I might have to have you help me out a little.

[ oh, dear. ]

[purrtagonist]

All right.

[. . . that. was a quick agreement]

But my services don't always come for free.

[only sometimes]

[flyingsolos]

And you'll be charging... what, then?

[ wow, stealing her lines? ]

[purrtagonist]

I haven't decided yet.

[SHE STILL HAS THAT IOU AKIRA YOU SHOULDN'T BE CHARGING ANYTHING]