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@fuckthis (text)

hey
so me and wash and gene were gonna go on an adventure in the woods
see what we can find, you know?
but we're looking for a couple of people to bring with us
maybe two or three
gene's a medic, wash is a marine, and i'm a wizard with experience dealing with monsters and nasty magic
anyone that thinks they could round that out would be great
but no serial killers or anyone that would like
murder us in our sleep
and sorry, but no kids yet
i know some of you are gonna argue that, but we have no idea what we're dealing with and we don't want that on our consciences
anyway, let us know
thanks

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[Of course there's no way Kyna can miss that, and so instead of responding she gets up to cross the room. She wraps her arms loosely around his neck, leaning her full weight against him.]

Nate, what?

[ Oh, no. No, this is somehow worse.

Affixed to his post Nate grows increasingly uncomfortable as Kyna practically clambers on top of him, not because of the contact itself, but because she knows how soft he is to it. In spite of the arm he rests around her middle Nate's mouth is a thin line and he concentrates on something in the middle distance that is suddenly really interesting.

Reluctantly: ]

I know Rafe.

[Maybe the saving grace here is that Kyna isn't doing it to be manipulative—she's doing it out of genuine affection and concern. When his discomfort grows, she nearly pulls away, but then his arm loops around her waist, and she stays.]

Who is he?

Um.

[ Nate squeezes her a little, the warmth settling him down even as his throat tightens up again. He would tell people about Sam, probably. Maybe not the difficult stuff, but clearly Kyna didn't visit his grave or she would know. Nate was surprised anyone visited it at all.

But she keeps staring at him, expectant, and Nate worries his lip between his teeth for a moment before taking a deep breath. ]

We were looking for the same- a pirate treasure, back home. He hired a whole army to find the damn thing. First time I showed up in Hadriel it was after they tried to kill us in Scotland. Before here, it... [ Nate works his mouth for a moment, frowning at a spot on the wall. ] He shot at me, up on the edge of a cliff. My brother, uh- Sam, stepped in to take the bullet, but it knocked me over the-

[ With his free hand, Nate gestures at the now-healed spot where his cut had been, when they arrived in Beacon. The only indicator of his death. ]

I met him when I was a little younger than you. He hasn't changed much since then.

Oh. Oh.

[For a moment, Kyna doesn't know what to say. She's torn between shock and horror and a strange sort of disbelief. She likes Rafe. She had no idea Nate even knew him. Then it turns into a sickly sort of anger, and she leans down to kiss Nate on the cheek, pressing closer, her voice soft and tense.]

God. I'm so, so sorry, Nate.

It's okay.

[ It's not.

It's not and he knows it, didn't actually want to divulge any information in the first place because enough tall tales have been told about him and influenced others that he'd hate to do the same to somebody else, even the person who tried to blow his head off on some godforsaken island in the Indian Ocean. That Rafe is here and knows him, could do anything with that information, could make any kind of argument against his character to ensure he ends up just as alone as he was on top of that cliff when he learned that Sam had lied-

Maybe he worries overmuch, it's been fifteen years, but this is all he has left. Nate lifts his chin so he doesn't have to look at her, resting it on top of her head and pressing a kiss into her hair. ]

Guessing you didn't see my headstone, huh.

I saw it, but I didn't...

[She hesitates, smoothing a hand down his back.]

I didn't leave anything because I didn't want to... you know. Pry.

[ He takes a deep breath, exhaling slowly and ruffling her hair with his breath. Against him her weight - while slight - is enough to press some of the remaining anxiety out of him, steam released by a carefully twisted valve. The pressure lessens. ]

I know.

[ Nate hadn't been so generous. He'd wanted to know, regardless of the cost. He's always wanted to know. ]

It's good you didn't. Wouldn't want that for you, anyway.

We don't have to talk about this, you know. We can just... Sit.

[ Wash had cracked the bathroom door to let a little steam out after his shower, so that the mirror would un-fog and he could shave... he honestly wasn't listening to the conversation in the other room, but it's actually something he can't quite make out that gets him to tune in. Kyna sounds upset, he'd be able to pick that up at ten yards in an active combat zone so her hushed voice in the next room is as obvious as if she were standing next to him.

Now he's listening.

And Wash did leave something at Nate's grave, so he knows exactly what -- or rather who -- they're talking about, and he was nearly as thrown off by the realization as Kyna. He rinses his face and steps out of the bathroom in a towel, lantern hanging low in an attempt to hide that he looks vaguely guilty. Both for spying on Nate's death and eavesdropping now, however unintentional the latter was.

The fact that Kyna's already in Nate's lap is both unsurprising and kind of a relief. He crosses the room to grab some clean clothes, not sure how to jump into the conversation, or if he even should. It's gonna be awkward either way, because he knows something Nate didn't tell him and isn't about to play dumb. He might as well impart as much information into one question as he can and get it over with. ]

Did Rafe volunteer or something?

[ Nate almost doesn't notice him, hovering at the edge of conversation, attention too drawn by the timbers of the walls cast in sharp contrast with their lanterns. He only looks up when one of them shifts: Wash, returned from the shower, looking for all the world like he just listened in on the Watergate scandal.

When he speaks he, in true Wash fashion, says a lot in saying very little.

He must know, or these particulars would not have come to him so easily. Ironically it's more upsetting that he had to experience Nate's death than that he learned guarded information from it. ]

Yeah, apparently. [ Nate finds his voice but it's hoarse at the edges. He clears his throat. ] Not my first choice. Sure you understand.

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