“You seem to be hurt.”
“Yeah… nothing gets by you, huh, Nine?” Razurra said, immediately regretting it. Her tone was harsher than she intended. Luckily, Nine didn’t seem to have picked up on it.
Nine stared at her. “Why are you hurt?” she asked. It wasn’t a question borne of concern, Razurra could tell, but of curiosity.
“I’d rather not get into it if it’s all the same to you.” Razurra winced as she bound up the latest wound. She knew Nine didn’t mean any harm - Nine just had an overwhelming need for answers and generally took the most direct path towards getting them - but she still wasn’t about to spill her life’s story.
“It isn’t all the same to me.” Nine fidgeted in a pocket for a moment before pulling out a small notebook. She flipped to an empty page and began scratching out several hasty drawings.
Razurra craned her head to see what they were. “You’re drawing… the ducks?” she asked.
“Mm. Yes.” The two of them were sharing a park bench. Not intentionally, as Nine had only sat down once she saw Razurra there, but sharing nonetheless. The lake spread out in front of them, reflecting the oranges and the pinks of the sunset.
A duck quacked.