[attr="class","matias"]reality is bitter. her honesty stings but it's appreciated. his eyes flick back over to the blank screen of the television, remembering. he tenses from it.

"i saw."

he forces his gaze away, returns it back to her. oddly, the room doesn't feel as empty anymore. he lets the thought pass without much consideration.

"you did what you could, i'm sure."

but he knows it isn't enough.

[attr="class","noodles"]Eva Morales

Kanto. Lavender Town. Flashback.
MATIAS SILPH

She recognizes the uncomfortable tension as his mind wanders back to last night’s events, no doubt. She moves forward and sit on the bed beside him without even asking. She’s too tired to be polite, “Yeah, we did our best,” There’s a heaviness to her tone brought on by the weight of her failures. Of course, it wasn’t enough.

A hand slips back into her pocket. She has small hands so it takes two trips to set the 5 pokeballs out on the bed between them, “These were the only ones I could save . . . I’m sorry,” Promise fulfilled.

[attr="class","matias"]five pokeballs out of ten. guilt eats away like a plague as his eyes fall upon them, somewhat lost in his gaze untl she apologizes.

"don't be."

he reaches for them, scoops them all in one, and clutches them towards him. briefly, he thinks of the five that didn't make it, thinks of how they likely fought tough and nail until the very end.

his hand releases, scattering the pokeballs across the table beside him.

"thank you, eva."

meeting her gaze, he reaches a hand out for hers.

"for everything."

[attr="class","noodles"]Eva Morales

Kanto. Lavender Town. Flashback.
MATIAS SILPH

Where she should see five lives saved, she sees fives lives lost. It’s a terrible habit, one she needs to break before it destroys her. She averts her gaze to give him some sort of privacy to absorb the news. Getting beaten and stabbed to near death and losing half his team – this guy had it rough. It isn’t his fault though, they both know who did this. She saw the bodies and brandings of Rocket in the flames.

Metallic spheres clatter against the table and her emerald eyes float back towards him. She smiles, meeting his gaze along with a small shrug, “I’m just doing my job,” No thank you necessary. She seeks a similar comfort, so she slides her hand into his.

[attr="class","matias"]he finds comfort, unexpected, and it grounds him enough to stray him from dark thoughts. he finds one that's less dark and he decides to air it as he asks:

"how long am i here for?"

thq question carries implications, some heavier than others, and though he realizes as such, he makes no attempts to clarify. he simply watches, hand still in hers.

[attr="class","noodles"]Eva Morales

Kanto. Lavender Town. Flashback.
MATIAS SILPH

There’s a small chuckle at his question and small head shake in disbelief. She sees through it the question. He itching to get of here, back to the fight. Maybe revenge of some sort? She doesn’t push back, not yet, “I don’t know. I’m not your doctor,” she admits. She also doesn’t know the extent of his wounds. How much bleeding was there? Any major organ damage? The fact he was up and talking was good. Couldn’t have been that bad, “I would guess they’re recommending another day or two . . . then strict rest for a few weeks.”

[attr="class","matias"]"that's fine."

the mere thought of being forced to stay locked up here for a week was enough to unsettle him. another day or two, however, fills him with something akin to relief. he exhales, settling further into the bed.

"i'll have to repay you soon."

it says something that her presence does enough to draw his mind away from the fight he'll inevitably return to. he thinks little of it, perhaps not even realizing it.

[attr="class","noodles"]Eva Morales

Kanto. Lavender Town. Flashback.
MATIAS SILPH

She gives a nervous smile. She hopes she’s right. It’s just a guess after all. She’d have to view his medical records to be sure. He’s content with that it seems. It goes unnoticed her hand is still in his. She also doesn’t notice the exhaustion fading away as some sort of second wind settles in. She laughs at his next comment, shaking her head in persistence, “No, you really don’t. I’m just doing my job,” she repeats, adding a frown to the end of it. The last thing she wanted was patients thinking they owed some sort of debt. She chose a life of service, giving, never taking. She expects nothing in return.

[attr="class","matias"]as subtle as it might have been, he notices the way her shoulders no longer slump as much, notices how she seems to be carrying herself differently. she seems relaxed, not as tired, and he feels the same way.

he mirrors her laugh then continues, persistent as always.

"just a drink, then. as colleagues."

[attr="class","noodles"]Eva Morales

Kanto. Lavender Town. Flashback.
MATIAS SILPH

Persistent, stubborn even. Much like her. She doesn’t think about it much, or even if she has the time but she accepts anyway, “A drink, as colleagues,” she confirms with a nod, “We can do that – once you’re feeling up to it, of course” No rush. Healing comes first. Speaking of which, he needs rest. So does she. Even with the second wind she still needs sleep to stay sharp. She stands, slipping her hand out from his and tucking it back in her pocket, “I should get some sleep before my next shift,” she smiles down at him, pleasant, “I’m glad you’re doing well,” she moves towards the door and pauses, glancing back, “Do you drink coffee?”

[attr="class","matias"]warmth fleets when her hand slips out of his — he notices it, doesn't quite understand it, but he notices. the thought lingers as she stops by the door, glancing back with a question that surprises him.

he nods.

"yeah. anything's fine."

[attr="class","noodles"]Eva Morales

Kanto. Lavender Town. Flashback.
MATIAS SILPH

“Cool,” she nods and disappears. It’s not a promise to return, but she considers it.

Eva returns to the hospital later that day. It’s evening, but it’s morning for her. She’s an hour early for her shift, two coffees in hand. A quick check of the log tells her there’s been no visitors. It solidifies her decision to check in on him. She appears at the door, much brighter than earlier that morning with a characteristic, wide smile. Crazy what a few hours of good sleep can do. She observes first, makes sure he isn’t sleeping, “Hey,” she greets, entering the room.

[attr="class","matias"]he expects her to return within the next few minutes, maybe even thirty, but when that passes there's a feeling of discomfort that he can't seem to shake. with not much else to do, he decides to sleep, though his recovering body doesn't give him much of an option regardless.

matias awakes later that day still feeling like shit. food and medicine help as they're meant to, but it does little to stop his mind from drifting. no matter how hard he tries, he can't shake what KING WAYLAND had said to him.

because of you.

his expression shifts the moment the door opens. the two coffees draw a smile from him, involuntary.

"eva."

[attr="class","noodles"]Eva Morales