That's Right...The Spirits...

     // Moved David over to a sideblog because I can’t manage more than one main and his au is too big to add to a multi-muse. 

They stop their pondering over the question as they hear that it’s hard to explain. Keeping their head tilted, some how able to convey a curious look despite their mask like face. 

Hollow thinks over his words. So far what they understand is that their presence wasn’t predatory, maybe the opposite of that? Or just no threatening presence at all. The Knight knows that they wouldn’t attack David if he gets to close, maybe bump into him questioning what he’s doing but that’s about it. 

“ So… You are comfortable… Around me? “

That’s what it sounds like, they still have their head tilted curiously if they got their assumption correct.

     David had nearly tripped over his feet at Hollow’s question, but he recovered and halted to a stop. Slowly, he turned to look up at the bug with wide, searching eyes. From the other’s expression--or what David could make of it, they seemed just as curious about his words, but he wondered if that truly was a question that hung around them?

     He chuckled and straightened with his hands on his hips, “Comfortable? Hollow, you’ve crossed the threshold into my comfort zone a while ago. I trust you with my life, buddy!” he shyly scratched at his temple, figuring out how to form the appropriate words to say.

We’re an unstoppable power couple of foolishness and nothing can kill us.

campkeeper

“You’re not nearly as quiet as you believe yourself to be.” He’s teasing of course, just look at that smile. // hugs uuuuuu

“ Am… I? “

Hollow could hear that David is teasing them but they couldn’t help themselves but to tilt their head confused. Did they make to much noise while walking? Or maybe it was the link and taps from their sword? Could be the whistling and chirping. 

Ok now their just running through a bunch of possibilities on what it could be! 

     “Not to me, no,” he chuckles, tickled that Hollow seemed genuinely confused about the comment.

     “Well, maybe to someone who doesn’t think to listen for you, but to me? I can hear you just before I can see you now. It’s kinda hard to explain, I’ll be honest.” Never in these woods does he not feel like he’s being watched by unseen eyes, or feel a presence breaking his solitary patrols, but when Hollow was nearby? Hmm, how should he describe it.

“It’s no trouble at all!”  “I do hope your wound healed well since, it hasn’t scarred has it?” 

He lets go of their hand after the handshake, unlike before where it lasted practically an hour before he let go. He was quite the polite little bug indeed!  The bug would gently and carefully take David’s arm to inspect where the wound was.

Seems his habit of doing before asking has still persisted, but he seems far more gentle with now atleast. And wow are his hands a little large and scary compared to David’s! 

     The hairs on the back of his neck stand on-end as the bug’s claw-like hands caress his arm that’s long-since healed. He hesitated pulling back, but managed to wiggle free of the curious creature with a nervous laugh.

     “Nope! No it-it’s healed. I took really good care of it in the days following, really! You helped a lot!” he hides the arm behind his back, rubbing it at his shirt a little to get the feel of the creature off and calm his nerves some.

“Yeah, a bear with one fat claw. Or you having fallen off a cliff and cut yourself in that exact way, while having no other bumps, scratches or bruises.” She laughs.

“Pffff, so you do doubt me. It’ll be like a bee sting, you’ll be fine. Or, we could try stuffing your mouth with a towel, slapping on some numbing paste, and going for it before you straight pass out from pain.” She says, leaning back to glance at her supplies.

“Geez, you really thought you could hold yourself together with tape and be fine. Seriously though, I swear you could be one step away from death and you’d still insist you’re fine and try to get up, do your work. You gotta let your body have some chill moments, you’re running yourself down to the ground.” She says, setting down the tweezers on a tray.

     ...Uh...yeah the alternative option doesn’t sound like the best time. “Anesthesia it is! Just...please don’t miss, o-or accidentally numb my legs. I think that would make it a little too obvious to the camp if I couldn’t leave the cabin.”

     His nervous grin withered at the familiar lecture. Word for word, he’s heard it from his co-counselors when he just couldn’t keep his smiles bright. He didn’t know how, but it was like they could see him spitting pitiful sparks when normally he would burn as bright as the sun.

     Gwen has more than once insisted he take the day off, though to his knowledge, she believed it was all because the campers were weighing him down. The kids he could bear--hell, the kids were something he so wanted to spend his sanity on. It was the nightly patrols that winded him at the end of the day. If the situation was different, if he didn’t have to go on them and risk his life and sanity on a nightly basis, he has no doubt he’d be a happier man.

     It was a hopeless thought, however. 

     “Yeah...yeah I know. You’re not the first to say so either. Heck, I’ve taken time off. Time to just relax when I’m running on fumes, and maybe I’m due for another day soon. I just...” sigh, “I just can’t be gone for too long.” Let’s see, how was he going to put this that didn’t sound like the words of a stubborn teenager?

“Oh! Yes that was me!”  “I do know you, you’re…..David, yes?” 

“Ah, it’s been so long!”  “I’d like to apologize if I ever made you uncomfortable before, I wasn’t quite as knowledgeable socially as I am now.” 

The bug kneels down and offers their hand for a handshake.  “My name is Ayuma Yoki, it’s nice to meet you properly!” 

     ...wow

     wow that’s quite a change

     He blinks at the bug’s outstretched hand, silently trying to piece together what was happening. 

     ...and then it hit him.

     The bug...is a gentleman! Or, gentlefolk? They are very polite now, yeah, he’ll go with that.

Well that’s hardly a question, is it? Mr. Birch you and I are the biggest goofballs in the Sleepy Peak Region! And we rock it! 

“….I somehow still don’t believe you.” She says, addressing the damage. “But, the good thing here, at least you don’t need to go to a hospital for this. That would’ve been a pain to explain. Got mauled by some unknown creature in the woods, no biggie.”

Peering closer, she reaches for the antiseptic wipes and tweezers.

“This might sting a little, so don’t be afraid to speak up and take a break or two. I got experience dealing with wounds when the medics needed a hand, but I’m no pro by any means.”

Carefully, she peels off the useless bandaids that hung on by a thread, dropping them on the floor to pick up later, gently wiping off and cleaning the mess as best she could without irritating the massive wound.

Which, when the blood was mostly wiped clean off, looked kinda, pretty bad. She’s still impressed that it didn’t go deeper into the more dangerous area of his body. Human beings were pretty durable as long as you avoid the important bits.

“….You might need stitches? Probably need stitches so that doesn’t have a sliver of a chance to open again, especially when you shower. Gosh David, did you really think just wrapping it up would be good enough? I got like, a general anesthesia that’ll just numb the area so you won’t feel a thing.”

     “Or a bear attack. We are smack-dab in grizzly territory, I’m sure they’ll buy an average wildlife attack,” even though the gash looked nothing like the doing of a bear, unless said grizzly had a single claw in the fight.

     He was quiet while he let her focus on her work, biting his bottom lip to keep from yelping at the small stings while she cleaned. If he could dig out any positive out of all of this--and that’s probably been since summers have added this spooky expansion to camp counseling--he’s at least learned that he’s gotten used to enduring some pretty scary wounds. It didn’t feel like a good thing, but it’s enough to let the medic do her work before those stings turn into intolerable burns.

     A grimace meets the suggestion of stitches. It won’t at all look pretty, but at least it was in a place where he usually keeps hidden. He could already feel the tightness those sutures will bring.

     “I was kinda hoping the band-aids would hold me together long enough for my coworker to come back with something that holds a little tighter,” so, in fact, he did think wrapping it up would be good enough for now.