[REG] Injured Friends (Seth + Eve) FIN

[Xaki]

After a battle, Seth had always managed to bandage and take care of himself. Which was partly due to Shinra telling him to take care of himself, or just sending to to Dr. Shinoa. Dr. Shinoda taught him how to treat his injury, merely because he was tired of Seth always being sent to him. Now, Seth had accumulated sufficient enough medical knowledge and experience to do so. However, last night he had used the last of his bandages and ointment, reminding himself to buy it soon.

Seth took out his motorbike to a nearby convenience store, stopping in front of a well-known store.

He looked over the medical section of the store, seeing so many brands and types. But in the end, Seth just chose the regular brands that he had always brought which he knew to be reliable. In his cart was a healthy supply of bandages, gauze, antibiotic ointment, and breakable cold-packs.

"Are you funding a hospital single-handedly?" The cashier asked as Seth handed over the cart to ring it up.  

[Melodine Cantus]

Eve didn't go to doctors because she didn't want to be asked questions; one actually thought that her bruises had surfaced from bullying, and she had to assure him with smiles that she had merely been careless. Still, she knew that he was suspicious, and thus began to administer her own first aid, hiding her bruises with frilly sleeves and boots. Today was no exception even as she realized she had run out of ointment, and the bruise on her shoulder from last night's battle still hurt.

Another person in the same shop too, was buying as many medical supplies as Seth was; Eve thought Rea would need some too, and she needed to sneak some back home. She couldn't very well be bringing home ointment and bandages everyday! "Accidents happen." She piped up brightly from behind Seth, giving the cashier a sheepish grin. It probably seemed weird, to have teenagers buying so much of this stuff, but in Destiny City? Things were already weird.  

[Xaki]

The cashier looked startled at both of their items, when he looked down at Eve's basket. One thought that these kids were getting injured on a daily basis! On what? Tripping? But he rung it up without further question. When the young girl piped up in her cheerful smile, Seth did look back in surprise, not having expected Eve to be there as well. He hadn't seen her since Jada's ball. His glance did look towards her basket of items, but he didn't question her on it.

However, he did wait by the door, waiting for Eve to finish with her purchase. He leaned in the doorway, holding a grocery bag in one hand. "You've gotten into alot of accidents, haven't you?" Although he used the term accidents, you could tell by his tone that he didn't believe her excuse. It was an excuse to reassure unknowing people while barely getting by. He could also tell she was injured because of her stiff movements and the fragility of her movements.

"Did you walk here?"

 

[Melodine Cantus]

"You'd think a dancer wouldn't be so clumsy." She joked with a wry smile, after gathering up her bag of purchases and waving goodbye to the poor confused cashier. "Okay, I'm not really that clumsy! It's just... the circumstances I get into." Eve figured that Seth wouldn't believe her claim that she tripped down stairs, since she had never been so clumsy in his presence. Circumstances. She thought with a ghost of a frown dusting over her features for a moment.

"Uh, yeah. I'm recovering though!" A hand unconsciously floated down to her thigh to stroke the injury the jellyfish youma had given her, hidden under her tights. The scar was fading, thankfully, but the pain still sometimes came. At least she wasn't dancing anymore. "And you? Getting into fights?" She admonished, turning the subject away from herself and waggling a finger at him. "Tsktsk!"  

[Xaki]

"Yeah." Seth answered, the memory of Taranis's punch coming to mind. Chaonis was a good fighter as well, a smile coming to Seth's face, satisfied with the senshi that he had come across so far. It appeared that as a negaverser, his opponents were far stronger then the common street thugs. And that suited the older male enough. Challengers were a great deal more fun when your opponent was on equal terms. That area still stung for a bit, but it was nothing he wasn't used to. Fighting and injuries were nothing new for him after all.

He leaned against his motorbike seat while thinking about the rest of the day. He looked over at the bustling streets, and if he remembered correctly, Shinra might be making a surprise visit later. He was currently missing from his office, as warned by Shinra's secretary to Seth's answering machine. And on that off chance, he actually preferred to be out. And that .. He looked at Eve, remembering something that Shinra had told him. "Eve? Do you mind eating somewhere with me for a bit?"

"Shinra says that you visited my hospital room, so I should thank you for that." He looked away, his hand running through his hair. He wasn't used to thanking people honestly for their efforts. But he wasn't completely lacking in manners after all. "If you have other plans, thats fine as well." His offer was short notice. "I can drive you afterwards if you want." He held up the extra helmet on his motorbike, the motorbike seeming to have more passengers then usual.  

[Melodine Cantus]

As much as Eve did not have a penchant for things that were boring and predictable, she was afraid of running into opponents stronger than herself. A previous experience had led her close to the brink of death and she was determined to not ever repeat that memory. Still, challenges made you stronger. 'What doesn't kill you makes you stronger', Serenade had quoted suddenly as she was watching her princess play the piano. And Eve had no doubt that mentally, Serenade was much older and wiser than she was after all that she had been through.

"You're not saving more damsels in distresses are you?" She asked with a laugh, remembering how they had met. "Hmm? Sure! I haven't had lunch yet..."

As long as he didn't tell you I poured a jug of water on you! She thought, smiling at him. She wasn't sure how he would take it, but at least she had good intentions for doing so! "Psh, you make it sound like I wouldn't want to eat with you!" Eve grabbed the helmet from him, grinning.  

[Xaki]

"Taking on more then one might be troublesome." Seth said, with a faint smile as he handed Eve the helmet, indicating that he remembered their meeting as well.

"Do you mind Japanese food?" Seth knew a good restaurant, it was small, family-owned, served quality food, and there weren't too many customers around this time of the day. They didn't require any of the etiquette and manners that high end restaurants required of their customers. They preferred to come in around dinner time, suiting Seth's taste perfectly.

He geared up his engine, his hand holding onto his handle bars. "Be careful." He warned Eve, with a backwards glance of his gray eyes. The last thing he wanted to deal with was a fallen occupant, knowing no doubt that Eve's parents would have something to say about that. Shinra would too as well, having taken a liking to the young high school girl.

Without a moment's hesitation, he had already started his motorbike, easily maneuvering out of the street onto one of the mainstreets, accelerating and merging seamlessly with the traffic. A breezy wind flew past Eve, one of the freedoms of a motorbike, as opposed to sticking your head out the window in a car. (Dangerous: please do not try at home, keep all body parts in the vehicle!)  

[Melodine Cantus]

"I am not troublesome!" Eve objected, cramming the helmet onto her head and after fingers fumbled for a while, she managed to buckle the straps. "And yeah, Japanese food is fine! Just uh... no jellyfish." It would take her quite a while to get past that horrible encounter with that youma. One might think that she would gladly eat it when it had hurt her, but she just didn't like the thought of touching at all.

"Psh, I'll hold on tight." She assured him, arms circling his waist with her usual impish grin. "Don't blame me if I squeeze you too tightly!" Riding on a motorcycle was actually quite fun, and really, Eve thought, eyes bright as the wind whipped past them, less dangerous than fighting a youma. She let out a laugh; the breeze made her feel like she was flying, like she was free. It was as if, momentarily, she was free of all those worries that she hid inside and weighed down her heart.  

[Xaki]

"That's fine." Obviously, Seth didn't know why Eve didn't prefer jellyfish. He merely assumed that it was just a preference.

Their ride was not too long, nor too short. The restaurant that Seth was thinking about was 15 minutes away located in a somewhat popular shopping district, filled with food and shops alike. The Japanese restaurant was at the end of the block, at the corner with a small parking lot. Seth neatly slid into the parking lot, steadying the motorbike. "We're here." He told Eve, waiting for her exit before he got off himself. Several people were already there, but it wasn't crowded.

"Two people." He signaled to their host at the entrance, who immediately nodded and led them to their table. He motioned for them to take a seat before handing them their menus. He left to retrieve them their customary glasses of water. They offered much more then sushi or seafood, branching into a variety such as rice and soup (ramen) dishes.

"Order whatever you'd like." Seth took a drink of his water. He didn't care much, and it wasn't like he was hurting for money. It would be a bit before the waiter came back to give them time to order. Seth took the time to ask, "Are you really all right?" He might have been recently ejected from the hospital, but he wasn't entirely convinced that Eve was okay either.  

[Melodine Cantus]

It wasn't as if Eve could tell everyone that she wasn't eating jellyfish because a jellyfish monster had gotten close to electrocuting her. It wasn't because she was picky; Eve didn't mind experimenting with food, like raw fish in Japanese restaurants. Food was part of experiencing the culture in her opinion, after all.

"That was fun!" She exclaimed, hopping off his motorbike, eyes twinkling brightly. Still, it didn't spur her to have any thoughts of having a motorbike license; it was actually fun to ride in the back and just hold on without having to bother about driving.

"Well, arrigato gozaimasu!" Eve piped up cheerfully as she scanned through the menu. "Don't worry, I won't leave you bankrupt; I can't eat that much." She paused as she flipped through the pages, lifting her gaze up to answer her question. "I'm fine! It's just that the monsters around are so annoying, don't you think?" The question simply slipped out of her mouth and she blanched, chastising herself.

Time for a change of subject! "What do you want to eat?"  

[Xaki]

"It's nice." Seth agreed to the statement about the motorbike. It was preferable to a car or bicycle.

He had just put his elbow on the table, his face resting on the inside of his palm, flipping through the menu when Eve slipped up. "I see." He said in a non-committal tone with no surprise. expecting to hear that from any negaverser or senshi. However, the sense of realization hit him seconds later, realizing who he was speaking to. It must have been his relaxed mood that also allowed his mistake. His gray eyes flickered briefly in surprise, catching the slip.

Still.. monsters? Did she mean youma? A frown crossed his face, feeling slightly uneasy when he thought of youma attacking Eve. His gray eyes clouded, knowing the dots but not having matched them up until now. He should have expected this. After all, Eve was a civilian just as any other person was in Destiny City. Lieutenants had no jurisdiction over youma. In all likelihood, Seth could do nothing for Eve. He settled for saying, "You've encountered them as well? Be careful. I heard that they were dangerous." Seth wasn't saying all he knew, but he wasn't lying either.

He let the topic pass by with a casual remark, and then opened his menu toward Eve, pointing to one of their highlighted dishes. "The chicken katsu meal, I suppose..?" Seth suggested with a slight indifference, asking Eve her opinion. Seth didn't have that much of an interest in his foods, as long as they were good and not too sweet. "How about you?"  

[Melodine Cantus]

"Kind of." Eve said, phrasing her words carefully and hesitantly. She didn't like lying, especially to a friend. "It wasn't much; I'm fine, see?" It was never much, not when one was a senshi as opposed to a helpless civilian. Still, sometimes being a senshi didn't mean one could escape unharmed, and her hand rested on her thigh lightly.

"Have you heard of nabemono? It's like steamboat and it's awesome!" The topic of food was dived into cheerily. "I also heard that Japanese people believe that eating it together with friends and family makes for closer relationships!" Perhaps she should get more people to eat steamboat with her, like the Seasons, or Rea! Eve never liked friendships that declined because both parties didn't keep in touch. If one had the determination to keep a friendship, they would go all out! Like Seth; he was a pretty nice guy friend once she got to know him!  

[Xaki]

"All right." Seth accepted the answer since Eve had the right to do anything she liked. "It isn't my business about what you're doing, but be careful." His gray eyes met directly with Eve's, asking for a promise. Somebody would wonder if it was out of genuine concern, or because of the fact that Seth was involved with so few people, he couldn't afford to lose one of the few he had. But he would probably answer with a dismissive look and "It's not your business."

When the topic of food was brought up in the conversation, "Hm?" Seth looked up with questioning gray eyes, not knowing of the dish that Eve spoke of. Nabemono? "A steamboat? Of food..?" He repeated, his face looked a tad bit blank. But because Eve was so excited about the food, and the fact was that Seth didn't mind, Seth found no reason to say no. "I don't mind, as long as its not sweet." He picked up one of the water glasses that the waiter had left discreetly at their table.

"We might be a bit short on people," Considering that there was only Seth and Eve to eat such a large dish which only amounted to two people. "I hope you have a large stomach or we won't be able to finish." But Seth didn't really mind that either. "Should I order that then?"  

[Melodine Cantus]

"You be careful too." She returned with a raise of her eyebrows. Eve wasn't as concerned though; boys liked fighting and Seth was that sort of boy anyone would expect to get into a fight. Still, she thought it would be incredibly dangerous if he was faced with someone from the Negaverse and she couldn't imagine him backing down despite the threat.

If only she knew.

"The soup's salty, kind of like miso soup." Eve told him, grinning. Again, it was no surprise he wasn't a fan of sweets, and even though she was, she didn't intend to shove it down his throat. It wasn't as if changing someone's diet could change their outlook on life. "I don't think Japanese dump sugar into their soups, although well, they do come up with pretty eccentric ideas sometimes..."

"I'm quite a good eater." She winked at him. It was probably hard to believe, given her size, but Eve did like eating. "If you're up for the challenge then!"  

[Xaki]

"I won't lose." Seth's mouth curved into a satisfied smile, as a person who knew more victories then losses. His gray eyes reflected amusement, taking enjoyment in the situation. Both the senshi and negaverse were tedious, but as long as there were strong opponents in Destiny City, it would certainly keep the college male entertained. He wasn't as much overconfident as he was confident in his abilities to defeat people. Even if they weren't exactly normal human beings. Of course, that made it all the more interesting.

"Unless you think I will?" The easy remark was accompanied by a an assured yet slightly playful glance. Although Seth knew how to exercise caution, he wasn't clear if he intended to do so or not.

"All right." It was difficult to believe that of Eve's small stature, but Seth didn't doubt Eve's words either. "I'll take you up on that." As they set their menus down, the waitress took her cue to advance. "What will you be having today?"

"A nabemono." The waitress nodded, and took their menus away effectively.

"On another topic, how have you been?" Aside from the injuries of course. Just because Seth didn't like small talk didn't mean that he didn't know how to converse in it. That and Destiny City had been in a turmoil since the coma. It would be beneficial for Seth to know what what happened if only from another point of view.