[ She is in need of something, actually. ]

I do. A replacement weapon aside, I'd like to get a journal I could write in.

[ He should know about her journaling habits. ]

That can easily be done. Give me one moment please.

[Julius pulls out one of his empty books and hands it to her. There are lines where she can write and multiple pages.]

Will this work?

It's perfect. Thank you, Julius.

[ Now she can write her thoughts down and plan her next move better. ]

Other than this, I'm set.

Alright then. You'll be fine from now on.

Do you want to tour this place for a little while? I can take you around. [He remembers her wanting to see Oska more. Julius suggested she sleep first and now that she has...they can go around.]

Yes, please. I saw there was a greenhouse, too.

[ She's expecting him to spend a notable amount of time there. ]

Let's go then. We'll take the hallway to the right.

[He does spend time there yeah. It's where he goes to relax. Before they leave he makes sure that he locks the door.

Don't worry, he's got the key. ]

[Other people pass by them, and there's more facilities out there. Julius skips by all of it and heads straight for the garden.]

We're here. It's nice, isn't it?

[Suddenly he seems more enthusiastic. Maybe it's because he's in a place where he can relax.]

[ It is to be expected, after all. Greenery has a generally soothing effect on him, which she appreciates. ]

It is. I could sit here and read all day...

[ Idly she walks close and reaches out to touch one of the trees. Luckily, it doesn't whack her in the face. ]

That plant has been around for as long as I can remember. [A different plant flies past Reika and floats over the soil. Julius slowly shakes his head.]

Don't mind that one.

[ Why is she not surprised he knows almost every single plant... ]

It... floats?

[ Now that's a curiosity. She walks closer, hesitant in case it decides to lash out. ]

Indeed, it does. I haven't figured out exactly why they behave in this particular manner.

They seem mostly harmless. [Some of them aren't really, but the floating ones won't kill her.]

[ Mostly... ]

How about the ones you keep in our room?

[ Yes, it's 'our' room now. ]

They hold medical properties. It's my emergency supply.

The air plant was different however. That one's from ALASTAIR.

[He answers without making eye contact.]

[ Emergency supply, he says - which brings to mind the question she had been mulling on. ]

Julius... are you hurt anywhere?

[ She had smelled blood on his sheets; while it was faded, it meant he had probably stained it at some point. ]

Not too long ago I suffered from a major burn injury.

I'm fine now, thanks to our dedicated healers. I should be more careful...

[He looks down sulking slightly. It's only thanks to Olivia he's still okay. What if she wasn't around? Would he be in worse shape?]

[ So that was the source of the scent that lingered in the bed. Burned flesh with whatever stuff he received to treat it. It's faint but noticeable, in addition to being puzzling.

She has to suppress a sigh. ]

Please do be more careful. We resist heat but not to that extent.

[ She has half a mind to ask to check his injuries, but that's something best done in private. ]

I'll be accompanying you the best I can, but I might not be able to be around all the time. Try not to get hurt, okay?

I'll do my best. When you go out there it becomes hard to watch out for others...as well as yourself.

I miscalculated and that was the result. [An unfortunate accident that Julius would avoid repeating. He covers up the scar exposed on his skin by rolling down his sleeve. Reika's worrying over him already. It's not telling him good things. ]

[ There's no use chiding him over something that's already passed, so she leaves it as it is. However, the movement is enough to draw her attention, and in a second she has her hand on his arm. ]

Let me see that.

[ Her voice is firm. ]

Not here...we'll return to our quarters.

[Julius places his hand on hers and slowly looks away. He points in the direction of the door. This is clearly trying to delay the inevitable, but at last they get some privacy.]

[ Maybe she's been a bit too harsh. Still, he's relenting. ]

Okay. [ Then, a beat: ] I'm sorry.

[ Her grip on his arm softens, and in a moment she lets go so they can walk properly. ]

Don't be.

[That's all he says before they make it to their room. He opens the door without even a word. It's so awkward between them, but he supposes that it can't be helped. Julius makes sure that Reika's following him before he shuts the door completely. ]

[ The tension is back in the air again, her uncertainty compounding the resultant silence. She still doesn't know the best way to handle this situation, and her concern might have hurt him instead. It's hard when she already has to muster up some degree of finesse when speaking to him. ]

If you don't want to, I won't press for anything.

[ She feels like she has to say this, more to reaffirm herself than anything else. ]

No, it's alright.

[He already resigned himself to this back in the garden. Julius takes off his jacket and then his top exposing the long scar running on his back. It goes to his arms. Just from that she can tell it was pretty serious.]

Are you satisfied?

[ It looks horrible. The scarring has stopped bleeding and closed, but it doesn't look very old - three weeks tops, which would place it during the last mission that had just ended. Perditon's Rest, a fire. Enough to give her a dull pain in her heart as empathy, but that's hardly the important thing right now. ]

Julius...

[ Her touch on his back is soft and gentle, as if she was afraid of hurting him - which is very true.

Not for the first time she feels utterly incompetent. ]