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Noah had come back to an empty room, the door standing slightly ajar. He'd figured that Al needed some time to himself, some space to be upset, and he'd waited, because usually Al came back. It wasn't like Al to vanish. Dusk had come eventually, and there was no sign of him, and once darkness had fallen, Noah had gotten a flashlight and gone looking.

No Al in all the usual spots, no Al anywhere, and Noah had gone back to the dorms briefly to grab a backpack with water and food and a first aid kit, because what if Al had fallen into a cave or gotten hurt or -- or -- Noah refused to think about that, and instead he just kept looking, methodically covering each section of the grounds and then branching out towards the beaches, towards the jungle, calling out now and then when he thought he heard or saw something.

MATE IS STUPID, Laz growled, scornful.

Shut up, Noah said, and stifled a yawn. The creeping grey light of dawn was starting to seep into the tangle of the jungle. "Al?" he called again. "Al, where are you?"

Noah stopped suddenly. Had he heard Al? He'd definitely heard Al. It had been from over there. He broke off the trail and started pushing through the underbrush, wincing as his hands rapidly got scratched and scraped by branches and vines. "Al? Al! I'm coming," he shouted.

It took him a little while to make his way to the clearing, but when he did, he headed straight for Al and just grabbed him in a hug, saying nothing, neither scolding nor asking for explanations, not saying anything about sweat or shirts or anything else.

"You jerk," Noah said shakily into Al's shoulder. "Did you sleep out here all night?" Al was sweaty and needed a shower very badly, but Noah didn't let go. "I didn't know where you went, I thought, I don't even know what, but I, I was worried."

He'd been balanced between fear and irritation as he searched, half convinced it was something terrible that had kept Al away so long, a titan or a shadowling nest or something he didn't know to be afraid of. He'd told himself that was paranoia, and it had been, but that didn't make a long night of worry go away.

Noah had known that Al was upset about Rep not remembering him and shooing him away; he'd never fully understood Al's attachment, himself wary of the older man and his temper. He hadn't tried to argue with it, though. Stuff like that didn't come from reasons you could explain away with logic, and it didn't surprise him to hear that Al thought of Rep as family, of a sort. Weird and dangerous family, maybe, but Al cared, so that was enough for Noah. Even if Noah wasn't about to seek Rep out for company.

"Uh huh," he said, and pulled Al back into a hug. "It, it doesn't usually last long, right? When weird things happen? He'll remember you." Probably, he didn't say, and with an unexpected pang, I miss my uncle.

Laz shifted watchfully in Noah's thoughts. He voiced a soft and bubbling growl.

"He kinda sounded like he didn't want to remember anything, not just you," Noah offered awkwardly. He stroked Al's back. How did you comfort someone when you didn't have answers or help for what was hurting them? He had no idea what to do, except that he could hug, so he did that.

Noah staggered a little, but folded down with Al, sitting down in his lap and leaning against him. "I'm a scientist," he pointed out, reasonably. "I do logic. Um. If you really wanna be upset I guess I could be less reasonable?"

Noah cast about for a response, and came up with, "I wouldn't wanna have it for breakfast though." He paused. "Um, how long has it been since you ate anything?" He sat back a little and gave Al a narrow look.