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[throughthelookingmax]

"Hey, looks like there's a town up ahead."

Reigen obviously saw it --- he was the one driving, so he saw just about everything. But Max wasn't sure that the others in the back had. She looked over the shoulder of her seat as she said it, making sure that her voice wasn't drowned out by the sound of the 80s citypop CD they acquired at the last town they ran into.

Max turned back around and squinted her eyes, trying her best to filter out the rays of blinding light that seemed to reflect off of everything.

"I think it might be near a beach, too," she said. "That looks like a seagull, right?" Max pointed at the figure of a bird flying overhead.

Comments

[aoihitomi]

"Yeah. I met Lisa Lisa earlier and we walked home together."

[sun_npc]

Doppio looked between them and Lisa Lisa could tell he accepted her explanation readily. A deep bond of trust indeed.

“Welcome home. Before you go to bed, let me see your nose.”

[espresso_doppio]

“Eh?” Doppio covered it in a sudden bout of self-consciousness. Was it that obvious? “I-It’s okay, it’s not broken.”

Regardless of his insisting, he was powerless before this tall, mysterious, utterly gorgeous woman. She motioned for him to lower his hand and he did so immediately. Then she was taking him by the chin to get a good look at him and he was sure he was two seconds away from combusting.

[aoihitomi]

It wasn't like Doppio could help his response. And Lisa Lisa was just checking to make sure nothing was wrong.

So why was Hitomi feeling so irritated?

[mp_strikinglyblessed]

“It might be hard, but breathe through it.”

“‘M trying…”

“You’re going too fast. Just follow a natural rhythm.”

“Sorry…!”

That was not the conversation Reigen expected to hear in a priest’s house at midnight. He just wanted some more flatbread and cheese, but he couldn’t not get nosy. He peered around the corner, bread hanging from his mouth. He tentatively crunched down as he sidled up beside Hitomi to watch…whatever was happening between Doppio and this imposing woman.

[aoihitomi]

Hitomi was caught off-guard by Reigen's quiet intrusion.

"R-Reigen-san!" she yelped out as quietly as she could manage.

[mp_strikinglyblessed]

“Evening, Hitomi-Chan.” Reigen’s voice was muffled from his snacking. When he glanced down at her face, his eyes lingered. He broke off a piece of flatbread and offered it. “You okay? Hangry or something?”

[aoihitomi]

Hitomi waved a hand in front of her. "I'm just tired."

[espresso_doppio]

Doppio inhaled sharply as the final mend in his battered nose finally took.

“Wow!” He touched it, then touched it again. There wasn’t even a twinge of pain. He peered around Lisa Lisa to show Hitomi only to be met with Reigen there too. He was making a weirdly knowing expression that Doppio had no idea what to make of.

“Oh. Um. This is Signora Lisa Lisa. She just…helped me with something.” He gestured at Reigen. “This is Cap—Reigen.”

[mp_strikinglyblessed]

Reigen cleared his throat of bread crumbs and bowed cordially. “Nice to meet you.”

While he wasn’t flustered at the sight of this tall (taller than him!) beauty in quite the same way Doppio was, he couldn’t deny she had an overwhelming presence about her.

But more than any of that, he was intrigued at the unmistakable sense he just wandered into the middle of something. Suddenly he really wished Max was up so they could gab.

[sun_npc]

“Good to meet you as well. I apologize - if it’s alright with you I’d like to save more formal introductions until morning. I’m sure we’ve both had long days.”

[mp_strikinglyblessed]

“Not at all.” Reigen stepped smoothly to the side to allow her to pass. She regarded them all with a pleasant nod good night.

Soon enough it was just him and the two teenagers. He looked between them as he balanced some cheese on the last morsel of bread he had.

“…So. Should I be concerned?”

[aoihitomi]

Hitomi blinked. "What do you mean?"

[espresso_doppio]

Doppio suddenly bowed so quickly his braid swung in a perfect arc over the back of his head.

“I’m sorry! I asked Hitomi to go on a walk and it got kind of out of hand. These guys in town showed up, and…well, we got away.”

[mp_strikinglyblessed]

Before Reigen could clarify to Hitomi, Doppio was already tripping over himself to take blame that Reigen wasn’t even preparing to dish out.

“Whoa, whoa. Easy. You can tell me about it in the morning.” Reigen gave a firm pat to both their shoulders. “Get a snack. Take a bath. Put your feet up.”

[aoihitomi]

Hitomi rubbed the back of her neck, feeling guilty. He was right. They should probably try to go to bed for real this time.

"Good night, Reigen-san," she said. "Thank you, Lisa Lisa." She bowed at both of them before heading towards the stairs.

[espresso_doppio]

“Hitomi!”

[aoihitomi]

Hitomi turned around, surprised.

[espresso_doppio]

“Um.” Doppio gazed up at her from the foyer, gently pressing his lips together as he figured out the right words to say. He couldn’t find them, so he just said what was honest. “Thank you for listening and…everything else.”

[aoihitomi]

Hitomi smiled. "I'm always happy to help you, Doppio."

[mp_strikinglyblessed]

~~

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it? Like a painting.” Reigen sighed to Max as he soaked in the morning sun. Even if the rectory was humble, having his own room felt like a luxury. And the balcony they were seated on that overlooked the delightful Sardinian garden, teacup in hand? God could have struck him down then and there and he’d die happy. He could breathe. He could stretch. He didn’t have to hike down to a cold river or sneak in sponge baths while the others were busy.

[throughthelookingmax]

"Yeah, sure does. But I didn't expect you to be up this early. Thought you'd sleep in now that you have the opportunity for it."

[mp_strikinglyblessed]

Reigen’s head fell forward. “…I am a nice person.”

[throughthelookingmax]

"Hey, hey, I wasn't judging you," Max said with a laugh, hands raised in front of her in surrender.

[mp_strikinglyblessed]

"I know. What I mean is...I didn't sleep. I was wondering how to get ahead of something." Reigen made a face. "I think our little road show just got more complicated."