voidtreckernet | Following that other one... [video]

Maru didn't react when Madoka moved. She was annoyed with him. He was keeping things from her and she was annoyed. Mahiru has gotten annoyed as well. But he didn't want the same thing to happen with him happen with Madoka. It was just... everything was so bad. He couldn't add to that. It wasn't fair when she was already so sad...

Gentle hands cupped his face and lifted it. It was easy, Maru didn't fight it. Nor did he fight her gaze. His own was tired and unhappy, just a little fearful. Though the fear slowly receded once he realised that no, Madoka wasn't angry with him. And then her words reinforced that for him.

"With me...?" That... made him happy to hear. He wanted Madoka to feel safe with him. He didn't want her to be afraid of him.

"Hmm-mm." Madoka immediately lets out that affirmative noise and nods the moment she hears those two words from him. After all, she wants to let absolutely no doubt exist as to whether it's true or not. It just is. So she wants to make sure Maru knows as well, so he will at least never have to doubt what she feels.

"After all.. if you hadn't been here, then who would have kept me from seeing all of it..? And I would have had to go here by myself too, even though today showed that there's dangerous people around." Sure, she could have come here with Ple Two. But even with the other girl being more battle-hardened like her, what could she have done without a weapon if they were attacked? "You keep me safe. And you're just.. always with me too. I really appreciate that. It feels nice to always have someone right there with me."

And even during the times they're not literally physically next to each other, she can still always feel Maru on the train through their bond. So it really does just feel like they're always together.

"So.. I know it's really tough right now, but.. please don't make such a sad face, okay?" Or, you know, look down like that. Which is the Maru equivalent of it and she knows it. "Let's do our best together to be strong."

Maru was quiet as he listened to Madoka speak. He felt bad for being so insecure, for hiding his past, but her gentle reassurances always made him feel better. He hung onto her every word. He wanted her to feel safe with him. He wanted to remain that safe place for Madoka to go no matter what. So this little thing he could do for her...

Slowly he lifted his hands to cover Madoka's where they rested upon his cheeks... and he smiled. "I promise." He would try not to be sad for now. For her. "... We will do our best. We'll be stronger."

She can only hope that her words at least encouraged him a little. She knows that Maru seems to have a lot of issues - issues that she can't solve that easily, if at all. Especially during a difficult moment like this. But.. maybe she can at least make them feel a little bit less heavy by reminding him that there is someone who believes in him, no matter what.

Madoka doesn't immediately reply to what he's saying. Not verbally, anyway. She just leans her face a little closer, until their noses touch in a small eskimo kiss. It's just one of those small gestures that feels easy to do with him.

She makes sure to still smile back at him as she pulls back.

"Do you maybe want to nap with me for now..? They made a lot of comfy spots for it here." And while she's still nervous and a bit on edge, Madoka knows nothing could happen to them in this carriage. There's too many strong people around. If she's going to even be able to attempt to sleep anywhere right now, it's here.

His eyes close for a moment when Madoka leans in. The touch of her nose to his had him smiling softly in moments. A small smile that was just for her alone. His Eve was the only one so far who had been able to find his smile, and give him something to smile about.

"We can do that." He was feeling a bit tired, if he was honest. He'd wandered around a bit himself, trying to talk to people or help them in his own way. It was exhausting.

Maru opened his eyes and looked around before spotting a place where he didn't think they would be in the way and pointed it out to Madoka. "Over there maybe?"

It feels good to see him smile. Especially at a time like this. Even though everything is scary, there's at least still some good things.. And Maru's smile may just be the perfect reminder of that fact.

Her gaze follows his to see the spot he's pointing out. She nods, before taking his hand into her own and gently taking him over there like that. Madoka gathers a few of the pillows lying nearby there, putting those together for them to rest on, and then grabs one of the blankets that doesn't seem to have been used to put together the big blanket fort. If they're going to nap, they might as well be cosy.. and Madoka is pretty sure no one else is using these anyway!

"Here." She sits down, patting the spot next to her before fully lying down to rest her head on the pillows. ".. Can you stay like this too..? Instead of going back to a cat, I mean."

That's the way they usually sleep, after all. But under the current circumstances having Maru in this form feels a little safer than having him in his kitty form.

"Unless you mind.."

Maru went when he was pulled up to his feet and followed Madoka, more like a puppy than a cat across the room. He watched while she arranged the pillows and, before he could do his usual and change into something a little more compact, he was being told no. He looked puzzled, but he nodded.

"I don't mind." It really didn't matter to him what way he slept, so long as Madoka was comfortable.

He knelt and then moved to sit and lay back upon the blankets with his head falling onto the pillow beside Madoka. It may not be as comfortable as a bed, but it would do. And they were out of the way enough he was sure they wouldn't bother anyone. "You're sure this is okay?"

She nods - as well as she can while lying down like this, anyway.

"I'm sure." And she sounds fairly certain of that. Especially by Madoka standards, since she sounds a little unsure even of the most normal things most of the time. Sure, Tony might not be too happy to see this, but.. surely even he will understand that Madoka needs some comfort at a moment like this, right? It's not like these are any normal circumstances. Far from it.

Madoka scoots a little closer so she can cling onto Maru's jacket.

"You don't have to be a cat to comfort me, Maru.. I mean.. The way you're so cute when you're a kitty is really nice, but what comforts me the most has nothing to do with what you look like. It's just having you by my side.. That by itself is enough."

Not to mention that under these current circumstances it just feels a little safer to have Maru around looking the way he did when he was fighting to protect her before.

He gave a little huff of a laugh before he moved an arm to slip around Madoka and gently pulled her into his side. He kept the arm loosely around her while his other lifted to slip his hand behind his head. It was... nice to hear that, for some reason. No one had ever really said it before. He'd just assumed that people would find his cat form more approachable, more of a comfort, than his actual self. He knew what he looked like. Tired. Bored. Like he didn't care about anything. And while it was true there wasn't much he really cared about, he cared about Madoka. She was his Eve. She was his friend. So it made him happy to know that she saw him as a comfort no matter what form he was in.

"Then I'll stay like this. And you can rest." Because somehow Maru didn't think he would. The perpetually sleepy Servamp fully intended to keep awake just in case... While he didn't think anything could get them in there, not with so many of the others around, the powerful ones, he still wanted to keep guard over Madoka's sleeping.

Apparently Madoka is happy enough about being pulled over like that, because she immediately settles into Maru's side, resting against him. They may not exactly be lying on a bed, but it feels comfortable all the same this close to him. Besides.. her eyes feel a little heavy. Maybe all these events drained her more than she thought they did..

"It'll be okay?"

She's not really questioning him deciding to stay up - or at least, that seems to be his decision, judging by his wording. Maru naps so often that Madoka really isn't worried about him missing out on some sleep right now, especially when a lot of people are still so tense.

Madoka's voice already sounds a little drowsy now she's so comfortable..

"You won't get bored waiting for me to wake up..?"

"I'll be okay." He'd watch over her. He wanted to. There was still worry something would happen and he wouldn't feel right if he slept and it did and he wasn't quick enough to protect Madoka. So Maru would stay awake. It was his choice...

"I'll be fine. I can just watch everyone." People watching was almost as good as watching tv he supposed. Not that they really had a tv to watch... That was boring. But he could just lay there and watch everyone else, he supposed that could be interesting enough to keep him awake.

It's true that there are a lot of people around to watch right now. So while Madoka can't help but instinctively feel a little guilty for being the only one resting here, she at least thinks Maru has a good point. Maybe she can just sleep for a little bit, just long enough to feel a bit more well-rested..

"Thank you, Maru.."

She closes his eyes, snuggling a bit closer to him.

"See you again when I wake up.."

"'Night, Madoka." He said quietly and said no more, afraid if he did he might force her to reply and delay her sleep. Instead he just went quiet and still and waited for his Eve to fall asleep... Only then did he feel it was save enough to let his arm loosen from around her and relax. Oh, he kept hold of her, but he knew if he held too tight it might cause her to have a restless sleep. He wanted her to feel safe not confined.

Maru lay there and, as he had promised, he watched the people milling about. Content for the moment, to know that Madoka at least, had escaped the mess that haunted the eyes of everyone else.

Following that other one... [video]

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