lifeaftr | Have done with sorrow; I’ll bring you plums to-morrow

She just sits down next to him, snuggles up without a care in the world. What is she doing, exactly? He still isn't used to just everyone not being horrified of him, seeing him as someone to help, to pity. It's weird. This whole experience is weird.

He does study the... hat, as it were, squinting a little between it and Ren. He's not afraid of this, he's just... baffled. "Are you... wanting me to use this like a pillow? I don't have to sleep, it's, it's perfectly fine."

Yes you do, Kravitz, you absolutely do. That's when a few more things connect, and he speaks again. "Are you worried about me? Really, I don't need, uhm, looking after."

If her disbelief at his words isn't apparent by the way she continues to silently hold up the temporary appkravitztice hat, it's definitely noticeable by the look on her face. No, he needs help. More help than she's capable of, if the past few days were any indication of his future here, but she's going to make An Attempt. It's someone special to the elves-to Taako, specifically? They look out for Seto, so for long as she's alive, she has to look out for this guy too. "You make Taako's spicy heart happy, so I have to take care of you. That's how it is."

Not that she needs much of a reason? But it makes it all the more vital to watch him so he doesn't overdo, like, everything. Which seems to be the problem of the week.

What else can she do to make him comfortable? The pillow is there there to cushion his head and ward off bad dreams. It's pretty hot so a blanket wouldn't help and-

At once, it hits her. The tree's offering a bit of shade, but you know what's more effective than leaves? A teen with nothing to do. In one swift motion, she's back on her feet, hovering over him. Like, literally hovering over him-arms pushed together, upper body over his head because she is the night. She is gonna be his shade. "Does this help? Is it colder?"

"Spicy heart, what--"

And then she moves, and he just stares, blinking at her like he truly has no idea how to deal with or process this situation. What is-- that's not going to be effective. Doesn't she know that? How does she just, just accept him, with no other question?

He's important to Taako. So he's... defendable? He isn't so fragile as to need help from a child. He knows that. But through some combination of exhaustion and pure confusion, he doesn't know why she'd be going to such lengths.

Kravitz looks at her in confusion a few more moments, and then stops, looking down as he seems to consider something before looking back up. "Okay, this is going to sound utterly ridiculous, most likely, but-- living things sleep, right? How often do they do that? Like, uhm, normally, not like... Taako."

Not to be saying anything against Taako. He's just a bad point of reference right now.

Sorting out what he means by that weird question takes a moment and she covers up her own blooming confusion by shifting her body so the hat hovers over his head, providing the shade her body can't. It's fine. She's got this. What he really needs is to wear the hat, but she can wait until he understands it's a necessary comfort. He's clearly having an Issue and she can't fathom why-he looks alive to her? He doled out warm hugs to Taako, doesn't appear and disappear like a ghost.

She lightly touches the top of his head, if he doesn't move away, and pulls back just as fast. No, he's really alive.

"You do that whenever your heart gets tired and your eyes don't want to stay open. You shut them until your heart wakes you up or something scary happens," Which is, like. There you go. There's Sleep in a nutshell and in her eyes, that's a perfect explanation and no clarification is needed. "I'll watch you, so you can sleep for a long time. I'll wake you up before dinner."

He blinks at her, trying to sort out what that explanation is. Okay, that's not... exactly what he was looking for, here. He was expecting more like a number amount? Like a solid number of hours. Not whatever that was. But she looks like she's very confident in it, so he has absolutely no answer as to why she's wrong. Maybe he should clarify, here.

He clears his throat, looks back at the hat. "Okay, maybe I need to provide a few more details here. So, uhm, previous to being here, I was... not alive. Not in a bad way, I should clarify, just, that was part of my profession. But I'm not alltogether used to... sleeping? And eating and all that on a regular schedule." It's a little mortifying, asking for advice from a child? But she seems to be more interested in giving answers, confusing as they may be, and this absolves him from asking Taako and getting laughed at for the next twenty seven years. "So this... should be happening? All the time, then?"

A series of strange questions from a strange guy shouldn't be a surprise. Her reaction to simply plop the hat on head in response might be not be a shock either. There's a biology quiz coming out of his mouth and she can't even claim to have ever gone to preschool-really, hiding him under that hat seems like the best possible option. Give her a hot second, Mr. Now Alive.

Which is a revelation that doesn't startle her-he was a ghost, maybe. It makes sense. There were plenty of specters in her world and while few were kind, she's sure Taako could easily pick them out. That's how he managed to find Kravitz-using his kind heart to find an equally nice ghost. That works.

"If you don't eat for a long time, you don't have to do it that much when food comes back," But that's not ideal. And also impossible to accomplish within the vicinity of elf camp. Food isn't a rare commodity anymore. It's a delicious start and end to every single day.

"You don't 'schedule' it. You go up to Taako and say 'I'm hungry' when your stomach says it is and he fixes it." Sleep, though. That's next on the itemized living agenda and she eagerly adds-"If you want to sleep, you say 'Ren, I'm tired' and then I'll come tuck you in. You can do that when it's bright or dark."

He'd protest that he's not a ghost, that there's an important distinction, but that's not going to happen as the hat drops onto his head. He probably looks ridiculous with it, but that's hardly on his mind. Kravitz still isn't certain why he's asking her this of all things, but boy howdy, he's making it happen.

"You don't need to... dote after me so heavily." He's realizing she probably has no idea what he's saying, and hastens to follow up. "I mean, I may be adjusting to being, uhm, alive, but you're still much younger than me. I'm not going to place that kind of burden on you." Maybe he's getting a little too in depth here, but it's only what feels fair.

He does tie the hat on, though. He thinks it might make her feel more at ease. He's also still exhausted, and maybe napping is a decent idea, if this is supposed to be happening.

"It's not heavy yet, so it's okay. I can do this for you." She's a doting novice that's only recently learned the ins and outs of caring for someone, since human contact was a rare occurrence in her world. It's been less than a year, if we're being real and while humanity is great, she has some catching up to do. Kravitz, unfortunately, is her new test subject. He needs help? She needs practice? It works out. And why not use this opportunity to do some aforementioned heavy doting. Lup, Taako, Guzma, Drifter, Seto, Chara? They all have their own method of showing care.

Because he ties the hat around his head, she's able to take comfort that he won't hurt it again and manages to move on to her next task. If it sounds like she's reciting something, it's because she's trying to remember the nice words people say to her in an attempt to make it as Dotey As Possible, and yet it just comes out as some weird ass sentence.

"To make it heavier I have to say 'hi pumpkin', but you don't have to be scared. I know you're not food, so I won't eat you," That's important and vital information. She's not a cannibal nor does she think he's an actual pumpkin. "Are you thirsty? Are you too hot? Do you want me to hold your hand? You say that to make it heavy."

And she holds out both hands, in case he wants to take them. It's a scary world Krav and she's gonna protect him!!

This is a true case of the blind leading the blind, if we're being entirely real. Care isn't something he's used to giving or receiving- he works for the goddess of Death, not one for gentle words or kind compliments. She tells him when he's done particularly well, of course, but she isn't affectionate. The most he's gotten is when she's feeling particularly anxious and wants to preen his hair.

But it's different, when there isn't such a power imbalance. Talking to and being cared for by a friend or college is much different than someone who plucked you from death to become a mortal avatar. There's-- there's levels to this. Levels he doesn't understand and gets even less so with whatever the hell she's saying right now.

Kravitz looks at her, trying to shake off how absolutely ridiculous he feels, and then sighs, leaning back against the tree more gently this time. "Here, how about you... sit down. With me." He takes one of her hands, not both, to help guide her next to him. "Then we can rest and look after each other. How does that sound?"

Quiet time is for the best. Ren was the last person he should've asked for any explanation about the ins and outs of being human, despite her apparent pre-qualifications for such a task. Either way, the exhaustive effort to put into words something that should be innate makes her a more than willing participant in this resting game.

He's got the appkravitztice hat on, so he's going to be fine. That hat is imbued with a magical power that gives someone pleasant dreams and a cushioned head. She'll have to give him one to call his own, which sounds like a birthday thing? Maybe? She's getting the hang of this gift giving stuff. Do ghosts have birthdays?

That's too much thinking in the mid-afternoon heat. She can worry about that after she's done clutching his hand and huddling against his body.

"Okay, I'll listen for the weird noise in your stomach, but you have to tell me if you're thirsty. Bodies don't sing about that," Then she casts a glance across camp, as if looking for something-someone. There's the potential need for a switchout during this impromptu naptime, but she doesn't see him. Oh well. "You have to tell me if you want to hold hands with Taako too. You have to use words for that kind of thing and I'll go find him."

Ren won the award for getting to tell him things because she's the least judgmental person in this camp, whether she knew what the hell she was doing or not. That's very valuable to Kravitz, even though he's a grown man with an incredible lifespan behind him. He likes knowing things. He dislikes Not knowing things. So yes, he'll ask children for assistance if it comes to it.

He shifts to let her in, admittedly always feeling better when there's someone at his side. But as soon as she finishes her thought, he can't stop the way color peeks through his cheeks, looking at her a bit indignant. "Wh-- n-no, it's. It's fine. He, uhm, he doesn't always like to make things public like that." He says, as if they don't sleep next to each other every night and Kravitz isn't a massive cuddler. "I mean, I don't mean to bother him too much."

It's hard to wrap her mind around the idea of not bothering Taako. That's on her to do list every morning and she never gives it a second thought. Food? Go to Taako. Draw time? Taako. Hand holding? Taako. Rock collecting? Taako. Her default reaction is usually amble to his way, look for his face or some variation of that. The point is, she doesn't have even 0.0001% the reservation Kravitz has.

Also, she's seen them cuddle? Please. She doesn't understand what's happening in his mind. He doesn't know when to sleep or eat, can't figure out that it could potentially be snuggle time all the time-what a wild ride this man's on. "I'll bother him for you. His kind heart will understand something like that. It's okay."

This is the island's new uber-all your basic needs can be met by one individual with a ton of free time: food, water and Taakos. And all it costs is a game of hide and seek early in the morning. What a steal.

A wild ride is probably the best way to describe it. It's been less than a week and the crisis has slowed just enough that he doesn't feel like he's constantly having a heart attack, but only a little. Still, there's something entertaining in hearing from anyone that Taako has a kind heart- even if he knows the tenderness under there a bit more than most.

"Well-- I--" It's probably a loss to tell her not to worry. Everything is just so far past his comfort zone at this point he's basically just spiraling into hell, so if 'out of comfort zone' means 'taking a nap under a tree with a weird hat and a smiling little girl', okay, fine, this could be worse for him.

Kravitz sighs, pressing his head back against the tree. "Alright. Fine. I suppose it's pointless to tell you not to trouble yourself, so... fine."

It could be worse. She could go down the list of Camp Base inhabitants and request every single one of them pay Kravitz a visit before his afternoon naps, really. It's a blessing she narrowed it down to just Taako. And that's not even a guarantee if he happens to be working the shop and they've gotta do an elf swap so Krav can rest. Oh well, that's his future problem.

His current problem is this heathen, who happens to reach over to pull the hat across his forehead and over his eyes, if he doesn't move. It's like a sleep mask, but better. And she turns him into her own pillow, by tilting her head to press his face against his shoulder so the sun won't shine in her eyes.

Nap time? Nap time.

Fine. You know what, this is fine. He sputters a bit, tilting the hat up about halfway just so it's not so sweat inducing, and rolls his shoulder back for her access. He's gone from needing a pillow to being a pillow, a true transformation.

In the meantime, he is actually tired, the root of this whole thing, and if he needs it then he needs it. So it's a scant few minutes before his eyes close, head lolls, and he's out like a light.

Nap time it is.

Have done with sorrow; I’ll bring you plums to-morrow

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