DAY 64: ARTS AND CRAFTS (THIRD SHIFT)

[envy_the_sinners]

Scar had spent the morning napping in the Sun Room. Brunch had been skipped, as the nausea was still persisting. He would have been happy to lounge around all day and catch up on sleep, but his nurse had continuously been suggesting that he would be happier if he did something with himself. Fine.

So, Scar had meandered into the Arts and Crafts room. Sitting at one of the tables, he absentmindedly fiddled with the supplies at the center. The scissors were disappointingly dull. He had been hoping for something useful, but apparently they really did think of everything.

He may as well take his time to sort his thoughts. But he wasn't really sure where to begin. He looked down at his injured hand. The bandage didn't cover the rash entirely, but at least he had received medical attention.

He still wasn't at ease with this whole "illness" thing.

[For Murphy!]

Comments

[forsworn]

Ah.

Kratos had played the third wheel last night, but it hadn't been nearly so...mushy? Sappy? 'Hideously awkward' also sounded like a viable choice of words. Granted, romance wasn't entirely unpalatable - after all, he had even proven himself susceptible to it a decade or so ago - but even so, he had half a mind to quietly excuse himself and slip away to get started on his sketches and perhaps leave a note for Rapunzel instead.

Somehow, he didn't do any of that. "I see," Kratos said dryly, slightly tilting his head and raising an eyebrow in what had become standard procedure for encounters with teenagers. He stepped to the side to allow Eugene, who looked as if he were about to faint with joy, to sit down first before sliding slowly into the seat next to him and setting his materials down on the table.

"As for 'all that', I've been through worse." He certainly wouldn't be doing an encore any time soon, but the cuts and bruises he'd suffered were much easier to scoff at than, say, a dislocated elbow. "I'll be fine in a day or so."

[hairraising]

It didn't hit Rapunzel until Eugene took her hand, just what she had said. In that moment of explaining to Kratos, she had tricked herself into forgotting about all the tiptoeing, the uncertainty, the lack of a name for what they had. It really was that simple, though, when she stopped over-thinking it: they were in love. They were in love! And Rapunzel couldn't have been beaming more when Eugene smiled her way.

Sadly, the revelation couldn't last too long. They did have another person with them, and Rapunzel didn't want to leave him out. So instead of tackling Eugene to the ground and kissing him right then and there, she gave his hand a squeeze and tilted her head his way, a non-verbal expression of "Let's talk more about this later."

She turned back to Kratos, relief over his words making her feel less guilty for smiling. "That's good. And you always have me if you need to speed things up again, remember," she said. "Don't be too proud to ask." She knew Kratos was a warrior, but even warriors could use a little help every now and then, she thought, giving Kratos a look.

[brokensmolder]

Eugene wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at Rapunzel and gave her a huge grin. It was official now: they were an item. And it had taken a conversation with their perpetual third wheel to do it.

Still dazzled, he sat down at the table next to Rapunzel and gave her hand one more squeeze. For now, they had other things to worry about...and he felt a little bad for Kratos. The other man was doing an admirable job of not letting on how awkward this situation must be for him, though.

Speed things up again? Did that mean what he thought it meant? Eugene's expressive eyebrows were at it again, this time arching in confusing. "So...are we not keeping that a secret anymore?"

[forsworn]

Don't be too proud to ask: it was a little late for that, actually, although he really was being honest when he'd said that it would only take him a day to recover. "I'll keep that in mind, but it shouldn't be necessary" Kratos said, bowing his head slightly. "I can speed the process up through my own powers if need be, and the injuries I sustained this time are well within their range."

Of course, that didn't mean that he would be using them, given the considerable toll using his magic took, but he wanted to reassure Rapunzel that he wasn't claiming relatively good health solely to maintain a reputation.

Eugene's question confused him as well until Kratos realized that he was talking about Rapunzel's unique ability. "You're referring to her hair, I assume." He glanced at Rapunzel. "I haven't told anyone about it, if you're concerned about that." He wasn't surprised at all that something like that needed to be kept under wraps, even though a girl with an unnaturally long mass of hair just screamed to be investigated.