Most of whatâs going on passing right by him; in one ear and out the other without a problem. His vision is hazy, but he can still make out the more important things: the girl whoâd stolen his hat, the buildings on either side of them. So thatâs a good sign, though the details are kind of foggy.
   A snort, although feeble, finds its way out at her little âI donât hate youâ remark. A stellar comment to make after all thatâs happened. What follows, however, just as briskly steals his amusement. â Thatâs stupid. â Trying his damnedest to keep his voice firm, â You do have power. Over yourself, at least. Youâve just given it away â and you deserve to have it back. â Granted, itâs a lot easier said than done, but itâs by no means âimpossible.â
   It takes him a second to realize sheâd moved. â Ahâ â His mouth curves into a grin as bright as he can muster, ignoring the ache of his cheeks to the best of his ability. â Donât worry about it. Itâs nothing that wonât⊠heal up, yâknow? âÂ
                                   ( Itâs not like he didnât deserve it. )
   Couldnât afford her medicine, huh? He wonders if heâs saved up enough to get her a monthâs worth to give her boostâŠ
   With his hat returned to where it belongs, he glances up. Sheâs okay â or so she says. And heâll have to believe her ( for now ).Â
   The earth shifts beneath him when she decides to lug him elsewhere, resulting in the Master of Coordination gracefully tripping over his own two feet. Smooth as hell. Face buried in cement, â N-No. Itâs fine. Iâll just go home and nap. I should be better by then⊠Thanks, though. â
          Incredible.
Jasperâs head spins. One word is banging around inside her skull: stupid. How many times has she heard that before? How many times has she had it spit in her face? âY-Yeah,â she says. âI guess...âÂ
Her fingers turn to claws. Stop lying, they say. Stop lying to me! But the poison piling up in her belly will not reclaim her; she forces it down and takes a deep breath.
âOf course it will! Your bodyâs a machine, you know; itâs made for that kinda thing!â Jasper puffs up. âBut... I wanna help it out a little. You know, like... get it started. âCause...â She looks Kichiro up and down. â...itâs got a lot of work to do.â
Jasper clears her throat. âUm... what I did, it wasnât--... it isnât... excusable. I know that, okay? And you... you donât gotta forgive me for it. So donât feel pressured or anything, okay? I mean, I know I said I was sorry, but...â she trails off. But she picks back up with a lame, â...yeah.â
When Kichiro face-plants into the ground, Jasper stares at him. What is she supposed to do now? She doesnât know. But when she bends down, it seems her body has made the decision for her And when she grabs Kichiroâs arms, itâs made even clearer: she will help him whether he wants her to or not. Slinging them around her shoulders, she hooks her hands beneath his legs before standing up.
âYouâre a crummy liar.â Her shoes slap against the cement. She runs down one street, and then another, and another. By the time the clock above the city square chimes noontime, she is on her doorstep. And once the hands strike 12:01, she has grabbed her keys and opened the door.
Now inside, she sets Kichiro down on the couch. Itâs old and hard, like granite. But she canât afford a better one, and so Jasper puts up with it. She just hopes Kichiro will too.Â
Disappearing into the kitchen, she grabs an ice pack and a first-aid kit. Then, she dashes back out into the living room. âBetâcha ten bucks theseâll help you feel better~â