2026-04-03: Still Okay
- Log: Still Okay
- Cast: Niko Kirisaki, Kurou Ryouhara
- Where: Naganaki Shrine
- OOC Date: April 03, 2026
- IC Date: October 19, 2012 (Dark Hour)
- Summary: In search of support following the death of Tatsuya Sudou, Niko asks Kurou to meet her late at night. In an exchange completely free from any sort of hilarious and/or disturbing misinterpretations on both their parts, they affirm a certain sense of connection. And, somewhere in the middle of it all, schedule something that totally doesn't count as a date.
(|============================= Naganaki Shrine ==============================|)
-================================================== Iwatodai City/Iwatodai ====-
Naganaki Shrine is a piece of tradition in the middle of the city. Long stairs
lead up to a stone-pathed pavilion lined with sacred trees; immediately to one's
left is a children's playground, with slide, see-saw and a jungle gym. The first
part of the shrine proper is the cleansing area, where one washes out one's
mouth and hands in order to respectfully meet the Gods. This done, one may
approach the shrine.
Two lion-dogs fiercely guard the monetary offering booth, where many a student
has come praying for academic success. Off to the side, one may receive a
relationship fortune and tie it off, in hopes of growing closer to a special
someone. To the other side of the shrine are red pillars which lead one to the
/Inari/ Shrine, another place for prayer. One may receive items, here, if items
are sacrificed in turn. Beside the Inari Shrine is a great sacred tree,
protected behind a fence and by a series of tags tied about it from a holy rope;
a sign beside it describes the history of this place, going into the sacred tree
and the Shrine's deity.
<Pose Tracker> Niko Kirisaki has posed.
How quick things can be to change. A mere two days ago, Niko Kirisaki's life was upended yet again, learning of the death of one she'd thought of as the key to a better existence than the one she's consigned to now. But that doesn't mean she'll have to move on. She'll just have to find another way. And for that... she's going to need people on her side.
As much as she appreciates her fellows in Strega... could she really count on them to come through where it's really important, when the chips are down? She's not too sure about that right now. Kind of feels like they'd just abandoned Tatsuya Sudou to, admittedly, the hole he'd dug for himself. Perhaps she should start elsewhere. Talk to others who seemed like their situation might be similar. Someone like...
In the early hours of the morning, Kurou Ryouhara's phone receives a message from the contact properly labelled 'Niko-chan'.
> someone important to me died
Well. She's never been one to mince words. She follows it up with a message that's just three crying emoticons, that must mean she's really broken up about it. Then...
> console me?
> not thru text
> if u catch my drift
She absolutely knows what she's doing with her phrasing. And that since it's Kurou, he absolutely will not. Which is fine, probably better even, no risk of things getting turned around on her. Of course she's just doing this for a laugh, she figures she'll manage to get one out of this either way.
<Pose Tracker> Kurou Ryouhara has posed.
Kurou had been there to witness the death of Tatsuya Sudou, the Joker Killer, though he had not contributed to that death. At least, not that time, the day he died: he had already been challenged on the right to take his life (or not) and conceded the future to those who fought to have it.
Unfortunately, no one had been prepared for the One in the Black Mask. Is this for the better? For the worse? Kurou does not generally consider himself the kind of person to speculate. There is only forward.
But -- that text.
For all Kurou hesitates with texting, Niko does not have to wait long for a reply.
> when and where?
Kurou absolutely does not catch any alternatives to the phrasing. Instead, he considers what might console her grief. 'Nothing' may be the realistic response, beyond the need to have a grounding presence.
But, still, he's sure there's a few things he can load into his backpack that might bring material comfort...
<Pose Tracker> Niko Kirisaki has posed.
Only forward, indeed. And a Niko going forward will be acting... exactly the same way she acted before. Nothing's really changed, after all. If only things would. It just seems like she may have to try a little harder for that to happen. Well, that's fine. It's not like the world will change by just sitting there. But for now... baby steps.
...Her texts didn't exactly suggest this is anything that could be remotely defined as 'baby steps', but, it's Kurou, who doesn't disappoint in being all business about it. Well done on answering quickly for a change, but she can just picture that priceless, clueless look on his face.
> 2nite, naganaki shrine
She wouldn't need to add anything else but perhaps a more specific time. But she has too much fun pushing things not to do that a little more.
> actually
> lets make it the spooky hour
One can imagine her snickering, taking a bit longer to type the next messages.
> i wanna see it
> show it 2 me?
> ill show u mine if u show me yours <3
Kurou's bound to interpret that the exact way she actually meant it. Meanwhile, she gets to have a good laugh at her own deliberate phrasing. Isn't it the best? She thinks it's the best.
And so, a minute or two before the Dark Hour falls... Niko will be standing out in front of the shrine's gate, looking all the world like her usual cheerful self. Even should the Dark Hour arrive before Kurou, her countenance remains the exact same as the world is hued in green. Is she one of those people who acts the same no matter what happens? Well, that shouldn't be too unfamiliar, should it.
Once Kurou does arrive, Niko is quick to greet with the appropriate bright smile and tone, "Heeey, Kurou-chan! Glad you could make it! And on such short notice, I really appreciate that a lot!"
...It's hard to tell on the outside, but she finds her heart skipping a beat in sudden worry. He wouldn't... actually interpret her texts in that way, would he? She might actually die if that turned out to be the case. Please be Kurou about this, Kurou, Niko begs you.
<Pose Tracker> Kurou Ryouhara has posed.
Niko once comforted Kurou when he thought he lost his own path, and it would be a dishonorable failure not to provide her with the same support. Even if she had not... In a matter as serious as this, one cannot and should not hesitate. Kurou refuses to.
Even if it's a lack of hesitation in a clueless direction.
It does not even phase him as she decides on a spookier hour to meet, speaking around the subject of what he assumes to be Persona. As he removes his school books and study material from his bag to replace with snacks and other supplies, he pauses, then begins to include first aid supplies.
> if that's what you need
> i'll be there
Kurou arrives at Naganaki Shrine the very minute the Dark Hour turns the world into its unnatural shades of green. He has his bag slung over his shoulder, dressed in his usual grey, hooded vest and silk scarf.
"Niko-chan..." he greets, unsure and voice softer than usual. She still wears her cheer, but he does indeed wonder how much she is like himself: something that got stuck, and does not know how else to be, even when the inside is tangled and burning.
He sets his bag down and out of the way, hand reaching for his scarf.
"... You do not need to hold back with me," he tells her. "So... Whether it's a fist, or a blade, or your soul's manifestation of elemental power... Come at me with whatever shape your pain takes."
<Pose Tracker> Niko Kirisaki has posed.
Indeed, look how stealthy Niko is being with her clever way of speaking around the actual supernatural subjects. That's totally what that was and if anyone happened to see those messages they wouldn't think anything strange about it at all. ...Though really, she's fine with just imagining what would happen if someone saw that. It can stay in her imagination, reality is rarely as good as what she's able to mentally picture.
Kurou's reactions, or non-reactions, are a rare exception. Her imagination can't improve on those. They might even be better in reality.
And it sure is a relief he's as consistent about that as he is. She'd really prefer a non-reaction to some of the things she says just to amuse herself. As odd as it is. He's a teenager too, how could he just fail to spot those kinds of insinuations? He always did give off the impression of being in some way broken. And thus, a kindred spirit.
Thankfully, the moment of silence between them doesn't linger long enough for her to get very worried about that assessment having been wrong. Kurou makes it quite clear that he's ready to give her anything she needs... anything that involves combat, that is. Niko considers a serious reply in turn, she really does, but... she can't stop herself from bursting out into open laughter. That's probably causing a few solid seconds of confusion, before she can collect herself enough to reply with actual words.
"Haaa, oh Kurou-chan... you never disappoint." There are a few residual chuckles, before she takes a breath, and shakes her head. "'ppreciate the offer, but that's not at ALL what I meant. Interesting though, that you immediately went there. I didn't ask for violence, did I? That hard for you to believe that someone might actually just want to see your Persona?"
Already, an interesting extra glimpse into the mystery of Kurou, in her estimation. Seems like she might as well straight out ask another thing she'd been planning on bringing up later. "You sound pretty used to fighting with your Persona. Or should I say, your 'soul's manifestation of elemental power'. Makes me wonder how deep into this stuff you are. You get in a lot of fights like the one you expected to happen here, Kurou-chan?"
Smile never wavering, she places one hand on her hip, using the other to gesture at him, prompting, "...Weeell? You gonna show me, or what?" She does actually want to see it, and he has to go first of course, that was the deal!
<Pose Tracker> Kurou Ryouhara has posed.
Plausible deniability is important, and though other Persona users may grasp what Niko is getting at, those unawakened would likely not think the texts too suspicious beyond them getting up to trouble after hours. Granted, it does not seem Kurou is in any way aware of what sort of 'trouble' is being implied.
And then he goes and proves that.
He blankly blinks his gold eyes at Niko as she descends into laughter, although his fingers do not pull away from the scarf at his throat.
"... Niko-chan?" he ventures in some concern after allowing a number of seconds to pass, wondering if she has found herself pushed over the emotional edge and into delirium.
It is even more confusing to be told that he has, somehow, already achieved something Niko was hoping for. "Not... at all?" Kurou's gaze unfocuses briefly, and then he gets out his phone before remembering the Dark Hour robs it of working. Instead, he's left trying to remember what she said, and how he could have possibly misinterpreted her words.
But Niko's willingness to clarify herself is one of the reasons Kurou is glad she befriended him. Not that she is without her own questions first.
"Yes," he replies without hesitation at the idea that he gets into a lot of fights. "My Persona is not the kind that is fit for any other purpose."
He is not a navigator, in other words. Or... does this simply mean Kurou does not see himself as one with a soul fit for another purpose? Regardless, Niko simply wishes to see it. Kurou stares at her blankly. Is he searching for a trick or a joke behind her request? Second guessing the idea that he ought to? Catching up on processing the last couple of minutes?
Kurou's face fails to reveal any internal world before he yanks on his scarf, and causes the mechanism within to launch the hidden halo of needles into his throat.
"Gashadokuro."
Reality shatters to give way to the colossal skeleton Kurou calls his Persona: a golem of bones, its limbs and rib cage made up of countless other skeletons itself, and its own teeth made of broken bones. Grave dirt spills from it as it rises: only half of the body emerging, as if crawling from the grave, and yet this still enough to completely tower over him and Niko both.
An eerie chill accompanies its arrival as its fiery peer relentlessly into Niko. For this moment before his Persona fades, Kurou's own otherwise deadened gaze is suddenly a match for that burning intensity.
<Pose Tracker> Niko Kirisaki has posed.
This is exactly how Kurou never fails to disappoint. That genuine confusion making it so very obvious how sure he was of having read a situation right, while utterly failing to do. Never mind the alternate reading that should have been the most obvious, even her actual meaning still got misread. What was Niko even worried about, there's no other way this could have gone.
Obviously there'd be no way he'd understand her reaction, either. Not even any point in apologizing for laughing at him, or claiming to be laughing with him, when she's not sure laughing is something he can do. So very interesting. Though the amusement is only a bonus, today, it is always welcome.
Her directness is answered by directness in kind - and she's not entirely sure how to interpret that. But it sure sounds like he's caught up in something, to not bat an eye at the idea of fighting another Persona User. She's pretty sure that something isn't SEES, and she knows it's not Strega... Phantom Thieves, no way, that's not the vibe here. So what does that leave?
"Heh. That so? Not gonna argue that fighting's the most obvious thing Personas are good for. Sure wouldn't know what else to do with mine!" That much she can agree with. Even so, no tricks or jokes here. Just a little impatience, as she prompts him to hurry it up.
Niko gets what she asks for, and... is a little taken aback by it, it seems, by the momentary widening of her eyes, taking a single step back. Then, she whistles, appreciatively. "Thaaat's a lot of skeleton. I see what you mean, probably not the most fun at parties, huh? ...Then again, Halloween's coming, it'd be a big hit there." ...What? Is there a lie here?
She didn't miss that look in his eyes, just then. Maybe he's the type who only feels alive when fighting. And no Evoker, huh. She doesn't suspect there was another trick to it, must be one of those who can do it more spontaneously. Well, that will make her following actions all the more interesting for it.
Niko says nothing, as she takes the Evoker out of the inner pocket of her jacket, calmly placing it against her temple. Even Kurou would react in some way, she'd expect, if he didn't know what one was and only saw it as her putting a gun to her head. Wouldn't stop her from pulling the trigger, either way.
"Ate!"
Blue fragments pour out, and a darker blue tinted, phantom-like manifestation of a giant, statue-like head appears floating behind her. No match in total size to Kurou's Persona as it is, although if there were a body to go with a head that large, Niko might win the size comparison. A mass of dark hair writhes and flutters to the side and behind, its length seeming in a constant state of flux.
Though it too lacks expression and has empty eye sockets, there is a distinct lack of intensity there. It is rather the quiet that's unsettling there - just as much the opposite of Niko's usual bearing as was briefly seen on Kurou's end. Although Niko's own doesn't really change, she's still grinning all throughout.
"Interesting, isn't it, how different these things are for everyone? Apparently it says something about you. Couldn't imagine what." It seems perfectly calm and casual, the way she puts the Evoker away, letting Ate fade as she stretches her arms out over her head. The complete opposite of how eager she actually is, to hear what she really wants to know about.
"So tell me, Kurou-chan... how'd you get yours?"
<Pose Tracker> Kurou Ryouhara has posed.
Kurou may not understand Niko's reaction, but she does seem to be mostly lucid. She lost someone... she may not want to talk about it. This is what she has asked for, so this is what Kurou can provide her. He does not know if will be enough, but...
Maybe it's all right, so long as Niko can still laugh.
But he was well and truly prepared to throw down with her in battle just now. Perhaps part of being off balance is having to reset from his mental preparations for battle tonight. Truly, Kurou would never expect someone simply wants to see another's Persona.
Gashadokuro arrives, and shortly after, Gashadokuro fades. Kurou's eyes soften with its departure. His hand finds his chin as he considers. "A party... I do not think so? But I have never been..."
Kurou squints, trying to picture a festive Gashadokuro. "Halloween..." The word sounds foreign in his mouth. He surely knows what Halloween is, right? But that doesn't mean he's ever celebrated.
It is Niko's turn, and Kurou gives her his full attention. To see is one thing, but she also asked to be witnessed. This could be important to her, too. Even as Niko puts the Evoker to her temple, Kurou remains still and unalarmed. There is not even the smaller tells of a flinch or a step forward in urgency, or even the slight widening of his eyes: he is someone who has seen an Evoker before, and knows how they work.
Ate... Though Ate may only be a head, she is a large head. Kurou does not know if the bigness of Persona means anything... but those empty eyes... The mirrored opposite of Gashadokuro's burning fury.
"Mm. Interesting..." Kurou is left to consider the implications, unsure. These Persona, reflections of themselves, but... how much? And to what end? It seems dangerous to make too many assumptions, but Ate's gaze, and now Niko's own...
Kurou snaps from his thoughts with Niko's next question. He lowers his arms to his sides, regarding her in several moments of silence. It is rude form to answer a question with a question, but Kurou has never discussed this outright before, and suspects there's a key piece of context he must confirm.
"... Ah. Hm. ... How long did you wander the Dark Hour before you found yours?"
Maybe that's a stupid question. Maybe everyone has the same answer: barely at all.
<Pose Tracker> Niko Kirisaki has posed.
Niko does genuinely appreciate it, the way Kurou seemed ready to rush to be there for her. Even if what she really wanted was different from anything she's said or made it sound like. She sure hopes she's not wrong about what more she suspects about him.
Honestly, fighting wouldn't have been a bad way to blow off steam. But Niko doesn't feel like she needs to do that right now. Or rather, she's chosen a different approach. Whether that was the best idea... well, if it's not and that ends up making her upset, it's not like she couldn't pivot to fighting after all.
For now, she beholds Gashadokuro, and the way Kurou briefly changes... only to return to his usual self, right down to astonishing her with seeming unfamiliar with the awesomeness of Halloween. She can't let that one slide.
"Oh, Kurou-chan, say it ain't so! Halloween is like, THE time to enjoy spooky things, in whatever way you like to do that. You could dress up like a spooky skeleton yourself and people would go 'what a great costume, well done, Kurou-chan'! Or if you don't want to do that, there's spooky movie showings just about everywhere. Actually, hey, yeah, how about we go watch a spooky movie 'round that time, you up for that?"
...Niko really likes the English word 'spooky' apparently, that's what she keeps saying, 'supuki'. And maaaaybe she got a little carried away in her enthusiasm for that time of year there. That's not what she was here for!
Showing off her Persona wasn't really what she was here for either, although she does take note of Kurou clearly being familiar with Evokers. She didn't expect, nor need, too much of a reaction to the appearance of her own Persona. That was just part of the deal. Makes her question seem more natural, when the topic's already right in front of them.
She frowns, though, when all she gets is another question thrown back at her. "Hey, no fair, I asked you first." The frown doesn't last much longer beyond that, fading with Niko's following sigh, and shrug.
"Well... I guess it's sorta fair. Since I asked you a question I wouldn't be able to answer back."
...How open should she be here? It's difficult to judge, with Kurou not giving her much to go on in regards to his situation. But she supposes she can give him a little bit. Something that would be puzzling to most, just to see if that gets any sort of reaction of recognition.
"...Pretty sure I already had it by the time I got here."
<Pose Tracker> Kurou Ryouhara has posed.
It is a tragic truth: Kurou knows so very little of Halloween's celebrations. Niko does her best to enlighten him as he considers, tapping his chin. "... Skeleton Hero," he says, perhaps nonsensically, of the idea of a costume. Hm. Unfortunately, he does like the idea of someone saying, 'well done, Kurou-chan.' She's got him there.
As for spooky movies, Kurou's head tilts. "... Supuki..." He echoes. "I do not mind, but I'm not experienced in watching movies. I may not be good at it."
How can you not be good at watching a movie?! Kurou simply assumes there must be a way.
Niko -- rightly -- points out that Kurou is not answering her question, and he ducks his head in silent apology. Thankfully, she does answer him despite his rudeness, which seems to prompt him to continue.
"I see. I suppose that really is what it's like for most people." Not quite, Kurou...! But it speaks to his own oddity that he can't quite parse the nuance. "Your question is difficult to answer," he admits. Niko said she cannot answer it herself. Because she does not want to, or because she is not able to?
"After I died, I wandered in this time as a walking corpse. Something like... the sun no longer making any sense. Warmth no longer being real. Before Gashadokuro it was... difficult to remember. Those years are... fragments and pieces."
It's nonsensical. Clearly Kurou is alive, with a breath and a heartbeat and everything. And while it is true that someone who has not awakened struggles with remembering their time in the Dark Hour -- or in Tartarus and Mementos if it should happen by bizarre circumstance -- it is just as absurd to suggest he was like that beyond a single night, let alone years. Someone like that would surely be hunted relentlessly by Shadows.
"Until..." Kurou's eyes go more hollow than usual, thoughts stalled, and then like a computer rebooting, he continues as if he hadn't paused. "...Until the hunger to be alive again became too great. And... the hatred for those who killed me became too strong. That is when I finally awoke."
<Pose Tracker> Niko Kirisaki has posed.
Everyone likes to be praised, that's a universal truth as far as Niko's concerned. How unfortunate it is that she's been placed in a position where few people are likely to thank her. So get your praise where you can, employing whatever trickery you must, would be her advice. Kurou already seems to have the basics down. Claim to not be good at things, so people are likely to praise you when you do well! Brilliant!
...wait, did he just claim not to be good at watching movies? "...All you gotta do is sit there and watch the moving pictures. Can't really do much wrong there." Hard to even fathom inexperience at movie watching. But hey, he said he doesn't mind going, so she'll consider that a done deal. "Anyway, cool, then let's do that soon!"
...Hang on. Inviting a guy to see a movie... does this count as a date? Nah, can't be, that was... way too casual an invitation, for one thing, didn't feel special enough to mean anything. Besides, it can't count as a real date unless both sides agree that's what it is, there's no way Kurou even knows what a date is. Calm down Niko, you're just saying shit like you always do, why are you even thinking about this? Focus!
Niko certainly tries her best to keep the focus where she wanted it to be, but Kurou isn't making it easy. What was THAT reaction to what she said? She can't tell whether he got it at all!
And then he starts... talking about being dead. That's not the first time. Her immediate impulse is to correct him again, insisting that he's alive.
But, hang on. Maybe she's thinking about this too literally. Kurou definitely doesn't seem like he's mentally all there. Could that be what he means by 'dying'? If she looks at it from the viewpoint of 'no longer being myself', then... isn't that the exact sort of similarity she's been looking for?
Niko is quiet for perhaps a little longer than comfortable after telling a story like that, spinning it in a way where she can make sense of it - or rather, explain it in the way she finds most favorable. Before finally deciding on a way to summarize, speaking more softly and seriously than usual.
"...I think I get it now, what you've been trying to tell me before. Something changed you, against your will. Now you want your old self back, and get revenge against those who took it from you. Does that sound about right? Because if so..."
She places a hand on her chest. "...That's how it is for me, too. This isn't who I really am. They just... trapped me in a body that isn't mine. But I know, I know there's a way to go back. Back to the way things used to be. It's going to be very difficult, but I won't give up, I'll never give up. So, if that's something you want too, Kurou-chan... then I could really use your help."
<Pose Tracker> Kurou Ryouhara has posed.
Praise is, from Kurou's understanding, something received for mastering tasks. And he does like mastering tasks. ... Even, it would seem, the absolute most basic of concepts. Like movies.
"Just sit there..." Kurou echoes skeptically. Surely there is much more to it than that...? Appropriate snacks. Understanding what is being conveyed. Discussion after...
It would not be Kurou without his own peculiar style of overthinking.
Kurou might know what a date is in theory, but Niko can be sure Kurou does not know enough in practice to even begin thinking this could be a possible invitation to one. Such a blissful ignorance leads to a simple nod as Niko confirms their deal. "Yes, when you feel ready."
She may still be dealing with grief, after all. Or will this continue to help?
Unfortunately, one thing Kurou also is demonstratively struggling with is storytelling. The story of his own Persona, or even understanding Niko's own clues... It would not be wrong to interpret all his words as messy and inconclusive. Knowing Niko might try to correct it again, he still states it as a fact of the past, at least. He died.
And Niko finds the heart of it, despite Kurou's disjointed explanation.
Kurou looks back at her, and there's that spark in his eye again, like something burning behind the warm gold of his gaze. It is with the smallest nod that he lets her know she is right.
Yet his gaze dips downward as she explains herself further. Now it makes sense... why did didn't like him saying he was dead, or that she detested pain. Kurou looks to his own hand, rolling his shoulder before opening his hand.
Pain webs through his palm and lances up each finger as they flex outward.
That's just how it is.
Kurou curls in his fingers, one by one, and looks back to Niko.
"... I do not know if my own path has a way back. But... so long as the help you need can take the shape of a blade, then I will help you run it through those who stole your future, Niko-chan."
<Pose Tracker> Niko Kirisaki has posed.
Sure, maybe Niko simplified the art of movie watching down a bit to its base components. But that's really all that's strictly required, the rest is all a matter of taste. And so she insists, "That's right, as long as you actually did watch the whole movie, then you can't say you failed at watching it, right?" Surely this will all make sense and she isn't just setting herself up for another one of these completely normal conversations later.
Really though, thank goodness for that level of ignorance. It's letting her get away with a lot, and not all of it has to do with amusing herself or avoiding awkwardness. It's increasingly looking like this is going to have practical benefits as well, where it comes to her goal.
She's read the situation right, or so it appears. It doesn't matter whether it entirely matches, so long as it matches enough for the circumstances to feel the same. And with this, she can feel reasonably sure that...
"...I found another. Finally, I found another. I'm so glad... but, I'm also so sorry. You shouldn't... we shouldn't have to go through something like this."
She wipes at her eyes, trying to stop the threatening tears. Whatever grief she may have been experiencing, it's not until now that she's appeared at all sad. Ironically, it's the most happy she's felt in quite some time. To know there's someone else who'll be able to understand the way she feels, deep down on the inside.
Having found her smile again, she shakes her head. "I'll be happy to have your blade when I need it. But this isn't about just me. Maybe you can't see it yet, but I'm sure that, one day, you'll see what I see. That you're still there, you're still okay. Just a little lost, that's all we are. But we will find the way back. I know we can do it, Kurou-chan."
<Pose Tracker> Kurou Ryouhara has posed.
Perhaps watching a movie can be so simple. Niko makes everything sound so simple... From talking to others, or smiling, or...
Getting back what was taken from them.
So glad and so sorry.
It does hurt a little, doesn't it? How strange...
Kurou can't get the sight of Ate's gaze out of his mind.
Her eyes threaten to cry, and Kurou picks up his bag from the ground again, finding a soft kerchief and some chips and soda leftover from the study session. Something for her tears, and some sweet and salt to keep any crying from grief from hurting the body more than it has to.
He offers her the kerchief, even if it seems her eyes might be more dry than they are wet.
"... Still okay," he echoes thoughtfully.