//Sorry for vanishing again! I had to put my head down and get through the last quarter of college, but I’m basically set to graduate next month! I’ll try to be on regularly now, but I’m happy to be back, I missed rping ;~;

“It’s only in weather like this is miss having l-long hair… oh! I’ll try it on!” She takes the helmet, and at least it feels like it fits well enough. It’s not wiggling around or constricting air flow at least. There is still a part of prep that she doesn’t get… “What are the t-trash bags for?”

“I know. It’s… um, I understand.” At least she’s pretty sure she understands. At least as far as acting differently from circumstances. “I don’t think you’re mean or a-anything now though! A little concerning health wise, but everyone is, so that’s normal too!”

//I am so sorry for being unresponsive for the past few days! I just started a new college quarter so I’ve been getting my things collected for new courses!

“W-Wow! Thank you Komaeda!” Even beyond just working, being able to tie her hair up when it’s hot was necessary! Nobody else would ever see the decorations, but it was so much better than just using hair ties.

“O-Okay…” She uses the back of her hands to wipe away the tears before facing him again. Having him be so honest about it was a relief, and especially having him be so… normal about it too. “Mhm, you have to come to me. But, um… t-thank you for being my friend, Kazuichi… ehehe…”

She smiles watching Touko leave before standing to get ready. Fixing up her bandages was quick, so there was hopefully no rush to pick out some nice heavier clothes. A simple wool sweater and jeans would be fine, and a scarf would keep her warm. “I’m ready when you are!”

Y-You know… it’s not often a person gets to s-survive dying.

She’s reluctant to end the embrace, but she’d never dream of not letting him go. Once he checks in on her, Mikan looks away and hides her eyes with an arm. “I-I am… I’m okay… sorry.” At least she feels fine, aside from being beyond embarrassed. Trying to put into words what happened without

“I… I…” It’s dangerous, but since she won’t be alone, it’ll be manageable if they never go at the same time. She’d wanted to try it since she was a kid, but now there was shame to that desire.

“Um… if it’s r-really okay for me to have it, I’d like it.” She carefully takes it from him, holding it like the wrapping paper tearing would make it explode. Not that she thought it would, she’d like to think she’s on better terms with Komaeda than most of their classmates. “Thank you Komaeda…”

Even knowing it was coming, she froze up for a moment when he hugged her. She very slowly returned the hug, as if being too rough would kill him. Her breathing got deeper the closer she got to completing it, and her voice came out in a whisper. “I’m sorry.”

“Y-Yes! I am feeling better!” She was sitting on the edge of her bed, but shot up to attention when Touko appeared. “I haven’t… sorry. It’s not that safe though, right?”

H-Happy New Year!

//Feel free, at any time, to like, get my attention on older replies or new rps cause I forget stuff really easily. Sorry

“Mhm, the best…” She mumbled without looking up. Rest was important but not more important than making sure her roommate didn’t think she was ignoring her! “Thank you Touko.” Actually having someone care for her when she needed it was… a little embarrassing, but it didn’t make drifting off any

Touko’s sudden retreat surprises her. She is sick and potentially contagious though, so it really is the smart thing to do! It’s so great her roommate is conscious of how to avoid spreading disease! “T-Thank you! I’ll do my best not to pass it on to you, but if I do… s-sorry…”

Helping others was just as satisfying as it’d always been. Any sort of support she’d thought vanished when he asked about a hug. “Wha- I… you don’t h-have to ask me before doing it! If you want to, you can!”

“Well, depending on how acidic it is, it could irritate my throat and make it worse…” She takes the bottle and opens it, but doesn’t drink it immediately.

“M-Merry Christmas to you too Sonia. I hadn’t even realized honestly…” Maybe she should keep track of what day it is a little better. Work tended to make every day blend together unfortunately, and hospitals didn’t close for holidays. “I’m just happy it lined up with a day off…”

When she was alone, the majority of Mikan’s time was spent laying down after she’d gotten water for herself. There had been a blanket with arms reach she was now buried under. “Thank you a-again… but… Orange juice helping with colds is actually a common misconception! …not that

“Y-You don’t mean… I- um… thank you K-Komaeda.” Even if it was pretty strange to be told, she still got pretty flustered by it. Until he mentioned a gift for her, Tsumiki’s gaze was fixated on the ground. “You really d-didn’t have to! Especially since I d-didn’t get you anything! Sorry…”

“O-Of course! I should have one…” Considering she’d been preparing for this conversation basically all day, Mikan had managed to bring together everything she thought she’d need. “This is just store bought, but it might help ease your pain a little.” She produces what looks like a long fingerless

“Mhm. And you’re n-not alone in most of your struggles. I’m sure for a l-lot of them, at least one of us can have some sort of s-solidarity in it! …sorry.” It sounded nice in her head, just as she said it, it did sound potentially rude and dismissive, so a preemptive apology was in order.

Her mood is also dampened by the mention of it, but she’s eager to push it aside once anything else to talk about is presented. “I’m relieved you’re safe too… I’m sorry I never tried to s-see you for so long. It w-wasn’t personal or anything though!”

“As long as they a-aren’t too expensive…” Although she knows it’s pretty unlikely they’d be remotely expensive. It’s more a general anxiety around spending money being multiplied through anxiety of asking others for things.

Merry Christmas! I… don’t have any g-gifts, but I p-promise I’ll get you anything you want!

//I wanna rp with more people but people are scary :(

She continued to grip the teacup with both her hands, but her shoulders lowered a little as Sonia continued to speak. “I-I’m glad it’s positive memories though. I’m not exactly p-proud of who I was I’m high school.” Hopefully her smile helps communicate that it’s *mostly* a joke.

“I… I guess so…” Even if she wanted to push against the help, it’d only make her feel worse. Once she was on the couch, she covered her eyes with her elbow. “Cold medicine is all I need. Some c-cough drops would be nice but they only p-provide temporary relief, so they aren’t necessary.”

“A-Are you okay?” Of course, no signs of pain escape the ultimate nurse. Unfortunately knowing someone might be hurt isn’t enough to actually help them. Although… there does seem to be a somewhat consistent pattern…

“Making… p-people I care about happy is what makes me happy. It also makes me m-me more memorable.” She could spare the suggestion of a smile in return, but the choice made her serious. “I- um… neither, if that’s okay?” Hopefully her answer wasn’t too weird. But maybe it was some sort of test?

“If it’s not t-too much of a bother. I can’t just rely on you for everything though…” The unfortunate truth is Mikan knows Touko is right. Going out would probably just make it worse… but she’s already staying for free. Defeated, she finds a nearby couch to lie in. “Sorry.”

//Sorry for being away for a few days. I got pretty sick, and I feel fine now aside from being unable to talk like at all. I’ll reply asap

She lets out a soft ‘sorry’ when Touko stops her. She certainly sounds sick especially with how raspy it is. She accepts the extra warmth with a smile. “Thanks Touko.” Speaking as little as possible was important. It wasn’t painful or anything like that, just painful on her soul.

“Sorry… f-for apologizing that is! I’ve never suffered from prolonged Dream-Reality Confusion, s-so slightly concerned.” Not that she expects it to be a symptom of anything except sleep deprivation. It had been a long few days… “And s-sorry for upsetting you… I’ll try to be happy more!”

“I know it’s hard… b-but, at least for me, if I don’t f-face it I’ll still b-be the same as before. Now that I know h-how messed up I was…” Not that she thought she’d fall back into worshipping someone just for being kind, just that she still had to worry about it. She’d quietly made her way

She’s sick. Not so sick as to be bedridden, just sick enough that she has to wear a mask and take some medicine before going out…

“I-I know, I know it’s just a nightmare… I’m s-sorry for being so worked up over it!” She finally looked up at Sonia, staring for a while before her gaze shot back to the table. Mikan took her cup in both hands before drinking from it. “Sorry I- um… t-thank you for helping me calm down.”

“I didn’t know Hinata played games…” Her voice trailed off along with her thoughts. Did that make her a bad friend? Did she do something to make him not trust her enough? Did-

“It was just a n-nightmare… I didn’t even realize I’d fallen asleep since I was so tired…” She took the tea, and offered a small smile. “Everything w-was nice and normal, but I made a mistake… and it caused someone I was c-caring for to die. E-Everyone knew, a-and rightfully hated me for it.”

“Nononono I d-don’t need tea. You don’t have to give m-me anything, I just… I-I’m sorry…” She sat down, with her elbows on her legs and her head in her hands. After a few minutes of silence, the nurse spoke again. “I’m j-just confused… that makes s-sense. Confusing a d-dream with reality… sorry…”

At least her opinion wasn’t flat out denied. It wasn’t like she was afraid he’d yell at her or anything like that, she just wanted to try to use Souda’s body language to pick the answer he’d like the most. She did actually like it though. “Something else? You must have a lot of games… where do you

It felt a little awkward after she took the dishes, both of them standing a little closer than conversation distance, or at least what she thought it was. Mikan backed away towards the door to make space. “Please rest as b-best you can. Goodnight.”

“I-I’m sorry… I don’t- why would you n-never…” She tenses up from the touch, but only for a few moments. The nurse is shaking quite a bit, but the rubbing along with some deep breaths helps calm her a little. “I haven’t? But I swear… everyone blamed me… a-and I ruined e-everything…. Did you not?”

I love w-when it’s cold!

I-I… please don’t be mad, b-but if you are I’ll do whatever it takes to fix it… but, I…

The silence lingers for quite some time. Her response would’ve been similar to what she’s already said, and a circular discussion wasn’t something she had the energy for. Instead, she picked at the food in front of her, but didn’t eat anymore.

It was a relief he seemed to take what she said seriously. If a friend of hers had gotten injured in such an easily preventable way, how could she live with that!? “I… um… I l-like this game?” She spoke slowly, taking what were meant to be stealthy glances back at him during every pause.

“If you s-say so… just come to me if you do feel ill ever, okay?” He clearly didn’t want to talk about his own state, so she wouldn’t push him now. He seemed fine at least, maybe bodies weren’t supposed to make as much noise as his, but it’s manageable.