((Collab by Bleu Chess and Demon Shinobi))

[b]Niti Laevis & Nicolas Grimmond[/b]

Niti wanted nothing more than to sit in a dark corner and reflect upon his life’s failures; although, running away was always a good option. As least, that was the plan as he rushed toward the doors. 

Almost immediately, he was knocked back, his rump on the ground. He was slightly dazed from the collision as he could see a vaguely familiar blob of a person through his tears. “Ah geez, sorry! I should’ve— Nicolas?” Quickly, he wiped his eyes with the back of his sleeves and took a good look. On the ground was indeed Nicolas, one of the exchange students from Harpy's Wing; although, the young man resembled more of a black and blue mass instead of a healthy human being the last time he saw him. Wait, why is an injured person asking about his well-being?

Seeing Nicolas's pained expression, he frowned in concern and shook his head. "Thanks, but I'm fine! But what happened to you? How are you feeling? Any broken bones?" A spew of questions came pouring out as he couldn't help but look at all the visible injuries on the young man.

Nicolas chuckled a bit before releasing a pained groan as he got up from the floor. "Nothing big. I swear. Just... Ugh... Was sparring..." He answered about what happened. He was gonna take it one question at a time. Next was how he was feeling. That was easy. "I was wondering if you could help heal me. I don't think it is anything too serious." He was speaking at a steady pace. Not trying to strain too much. "I don't think anything is broken. No dislocations." He touched his abdomen and winced as he brushed his hand over his own torso upward. 

"Damn... Maybe a fracture or two along my ribs. I honestly can't be sure." He dropped his hand to his side. "You were looking for people to practice the healing on right?" He then asked with a small smile. He wasn't really sure this boy was actually okay. He seemed upset. Especially with the crying he'd been doing. "And are you sure you're okay?" He couldn't hold back from asking.

“Were you sparring with fifteen club-wielding Vulcans?” Niti asked with a raise of an eyebrow and his usual smile quirked at his lips. He perked up instantly; his eyes darted to the side as a light blush appeared. “Aw, shucks. You’re too kind. I feel both honored and flattered to help.” He grinned jokingly; although, he honestly did feel honored since people at this guild prefer Wendy to do the healing.

With a sigh, he pouted and fiddled his fingers; although Nicolas's concern was very touching. He shook his head. “Oh, you. I'm just a bit upset is all. Nothing compared to [i]actual[/i] pain. You know, the ones with fractures, the ones [i]you[/i] may actually have.” Without waiting for a response, Niti tapped the boy on the shoulders. In an instant, hundreds of bubbles were conjured and wrapped themselves around Nicolas, burying the lad until he was under a pile of translucent bubbles with only his eyes being the only thing visible. The bubbles brushed up against Nicolas, gently pushing against his wounds until the injuries began to fade away within a matter of seconds. 

“Hmmm, it should take about a minutes or so to heal up.” Niti estimated from his seat on the ground and poked one of the bubbles. "It does seem like you have two fractures, but nothing else major."  

"Ahaha... No... Just Xavier. Though I think he'll be a lot worse off the next time we see him." Nicolas said before sighing as he thought back to Xavier and how he must have felt. Revan didn't help either. He could have said something. Still, that was neither here nor there. "Now... Hm? Mmm!" Nicolas's voice became muffled as he attempted to speak to no avail. The bubbles had covered him and settled in. He was now a mass of them. A bubbly blob. Anything he might try to say would be muffled or only serve to fill his mouth with bubbles. So he waited. He listened, to what he could hear given his ears were covered too. But he did manage a nod here and there, along with a blink to let Niti know he was listening. 

"Xavier? Is he okay?" Niti asked with a frown. If Nicolas was this injured, he would hate to see what become of Xavier. He could just imagine all the colors that Xavier will be - mainly black, blue, and red. The Soap Mage stood and brushed away the bubbles until Nicolas's face was free to speak. 

"Well..." Nicolas thought for a moment. Luckily Niti had moved the bubbles. "I don't think so." He finally said, shaking his head slightly. "I can't get into it... But he ended up pretty bad after our sparring and went to train more." He hoped his friend was okay. But he felt he needed his space. Besides, Trisana was here. And he hadn't seen her for a bit now. New and old friends. He hated feeling like he was picking one over the other. He also didn't like that he hadn't tried to talk Xavier into staying. God he hoped Xavier didn't hurt himself too bad.

"You guys are so hardcore to train like that," Niti shook his head in faint awe; although, he didn't question it any further. Instead, he offered what he hope was a reassuring smile after hearing Nicolas's worried tone. "Well, the guy has to run out of steam eventually. I'll check on him later. But if you see him first, feel free to drag him to Yuuka, Wendy, or me. Let's just hope he works something out." Hopefully, Xavier didn't lack the common sense to not injure himself to the point of no return. 

[i]Pop![/i] He dropped his gaze to the bubbles as they began to gently burst away, taking the blood and dirt with them. One after another, they popped until all that remains was Nicolas. There should be no wound, bruise, or even a speck of dust remaining; although, unfortunately, soap magic can't repair damaged clothes.

"Soooo, how you're feeling, dreamboat? Did I miss anything?" He asked as he examined Nicolas.

Nicolas laughed a little. "Not hardcore. Just... Tired of being weak..." He admit with a small sigh, just before nodding. "Oh and I guess all we can do is wait. Not much else to be done. But don't worry. You're our first choice." He perked up a bit smiling kindly as the bubbles disappeared.

The young man stretched. "D-Dreamboat?" His cheeks reddened slightly. But now wasn't the time to react to that. He had to admit after all. He felt great! "Oh man... That's awesome! I feel like I wasn't even hurt in the first place." He spoke with a shake of his head almost as if trying to get the blush off his face. "You... You didn't miss anything." He added with a small laugh. "Oh!" He said calmly as he came to a realization. "What were you so upset about? Don't think I forgot!"

“Oh, um -- Ohgoshwhatisthat? A distraction!” Niti pointed at some random place which happens to be anywhere but here. As much as he liked talking to Nicolas – as well as making him react since Sage got the expression of a dead fish in concrete when the soap mage called him a dreamboat – he reeeaaallly didn’t trust himself to keep Anna’s secret right now. “I got to check that out! Have fun with your lovely friend! Don't abuse yourselves too much. Did you know Jeanne has baked goods?” He smiled and ran past Nicolas to some hallway, ruffling the boy's hair as he does so. 

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“Isn’t it just as bad to lead someone on?” Niti countered with a sigh as Anna approached with a peace offering that comes in the form of a glass of water. With the cup placed before him, he reluctantly pushed Jeanne’s cupcake next to it since his tongue felt both heavy and bitter.

There was a moment of silence. He slouched into his cushioned seat, his eyes wandering everywhere that wasn’t Anna. He inwardly scolded himself since this was his big chance. All week he had tried to confront her when she's alone, only to be foil by her popularity as people came to greet her after her long absence. He can’t simmer in his thoughts forever; that’s just not healthy both for him and the others. 

“You’re… one of the reasons.” Niti finally answered with tentative honestly. His hands tightly fisted as he glanced toward the archer. “Anna, about what happened in Augustine… You want to keep that a secret, right?”  He asked softly in a whisper, hoping his voice wouldn’t carry too far. “’I-I can keep a secret. Honestly, I can, but what's the point of keeping it if I don't know why especially since this concerns someone else? Also... I'm worried.” 

[@Saltwater Thief]