Home Gathering (Iolana/Kirai)

She was absolutely not used to this, the young mute weaponkin pushing over the front door with her behind, bags of groceries in her hands, and one in between her teeth. Albeit that wasn't too bad. Freshly baked bread, right in to Iolana's nose. To remember that this was now home, an actual, down to earth, home, that she shared with someone. A friend. Going back a year this was just a pipe dream as she lay in the bed of an abandoned building. She didn't need to worry about looking out for herself every night. She would have called out, checked if Kirai was home from one of her trips, but... well she couldn't. Obviously. Instead she just knocked on the more hollow part of the wall that would echo. Lana remained still for a moment, and heard nothing. so she was still alone.

Within an hour, the groceries were put away, and Lana was comfy cozy in the kitchen in front of the oven. She knew her partner was due home, wasn't really feeling any practical exercises, so she set up a medical jutsu book on the counter and got to work baking some brownies while she read. Since the exams, and her failure to advance her grade, she had pushed herself more and more. She had proven to so many she wasn't a failure, and the little chick that occasionally cooed from a towel nest on the sofa was evidence of that. She froze as the thought came over her. Saffron was a new addition during this recent trip away. That... That was going to be interesting to explain why the two now had a baby. In a sense.

Lightning crackled across the door, giving a proper view of it to the young girl standing there. She looked up through the blindfold around her eyes and gave a nod. This was definitely the place... Not just the home of a friend but her own home. She'd been away on a mission with her new comrades but she was glad to be actually be home, to have a proper home. She smiled slightly and then pushed the door open before stepping. She turned and locked the door behind her before stopping for a few long moments. A locking door, a sense of security and freedom.

Kirai took a deep breath through her nose before shaking her head slightly, overwhelmed by how good this all felt. She turned and called out into the home, "Lanaaaa! That's me home. I bought ya a new book. I remember the section you were looking at before. Pretty sure I got you one you don't have already, hard to tell sometimes but it doesn't feel like any of your others!" She sniffed the air as she moved through the house, her stomach grumbling slightly. Once she could actually see Iolana, she handed the book over, giving her a big grin. "Feels good here, don't it? You been okay?" She rubbed the top of her arm, there was always a little bit of guilt when it came to her ANBU missions, she wished she was allowed to tell Lana about them...

Iolana wasn't the best at baking still. Or it might've been better to say she wasn't terrible, but she didn't have the whole 'don't make a big mess' thing down just yet. Thankfully her roommate was blind, and probably wouldn't even notice the Fushicho girl with chocolate melted on her face where she'd prepared the brownies and then scratched her face. It was Saffron though that heard the door first, the little phoenix chick perking up and going quite just to observe the, to her at least, new person. It was like Iolana's ears were burning though, peaking out from around the corner that divided the kitchen away, unable to help but just smile.

She briefly stepped back in to the kitchen to ensure she didn't burn the place down, and stepping out fully to properly greet her. <"Welcome back Kiri,"> Even just the way she signed told plenty of her emotions in seeing Kirai home and well again. <"I made brownies!"> As was her excitement. <"Or I'm making them. They'll be ready soon. Maybe. I need to keep checking because I'm not good with times yet."> That same happiness was just as evident in the little bounce on her heels that not many would be privy to. <"You are far too sweet to me though. And no, I don't have this one. I nearly did."> She'd had to tuck the book between her knees just to sign. A brief moment went through her at wondering if she should try learning to one handed sign for just such occassions.

<"I love our new home,"> If she weren't mute there would have been an audible giggle at that, and her movements suggested as such. Just the idea of having a real home again was amazing, but one that she was sharing? Not something she thought she'd have again. She motioned for Kirai to follow, and although knowing she likely could see anyway with that crazy lightning location stuff, she still made sure to tap her foot every few steps as little indications of where things like a little table or the sofa she sat on was. <"Learning to cook a little, doing my practices, and..."> She trailed off as little chirps finally broke. <"... I should... maybe explain why there's a little bird in the apartment, right?">

As Iolana moved over to Kirai, the younger girl smiled and gently flicked a small series of sparks at Lana, likely giving her a little tingling of static electricity but it let Kirai read her hands without having to look at her. She moved over to a little out of the way bit and started to take off her various pouches, putting them down with a loud clink of metal. The wire wrapped around her thighs and waist followed to the ground and then the pair of larger shuriken on her back went down and she kicked her shoes off last before letting out a loud sigh of relief.

"I'm looking forward to brownies, ya always make the best stuff. Just ain't the same from a store, I've tried 'em but home cooked's better." She ran her fingers through her hair and then moved back to Iolana, making first sure that she wasn't tending the oven before wrapping her in a tight hug and burying her face against the other girl, taking a few breaths. "Glad I got ya a good book, you'll need t' read me some of it." With that done and her body fully in relax mode, Kirai stepped back and stretched upwards with a low groan.

"I was thinkin' a asking about the bird but I don't know much abouts birds, I can't exactly tell what type it is, y'know? So uh... What is it, does it have a name?" She asked, moving through to the living room and letting her 'sight' pick out the bird sitting there, it was small but all Kirai could see was the vague outline of it. "Be nice having somethin' else in the house though, ye? Make it a little less quiet, means you also won't be alone when I'm off doin' stuff." She smiled and then picked out a chair, doing her usual and curling up on it, tucking her legs under herself. "Gonna sit for a few minutes then I'll go for a bath, I know I stink, was a pretty hard mission this time."

<"Because I'm fucking awesome."> Iolana had at least learned to sign effectively even when holding small items. Even the vulgar signs like 'fucking'. Though were some of the first things she learned to effectively say after all. They were the fun signs. She listened out for each clunk of metal and weight hitting the floor, she could get on her about that later when she wasn't riding the high of having her best friend home.

To be hugged so tightly, she put everything in to returning the affection, the connection between them, just because it was so nice to have someone to share that with now. Especially as she knew how lucky she was to have Kirai so comfortable to just do that now. <"Absolutely will read,"> Signing whilst hugging was weird, but Kirai was special and even if the hands were slightly apart and behind Kirai's back, Lana knew she'd be heard... read... seen? But once her blind friend stepped back, Lana went back to finishing up.

Saffron perked up and just watched everything going on around her, small eyes fixed on Kirai with curiousity than anything. <"Her name. It's S-A-F-F-R-O-N."> With the brownies in the oven she was able to relaz herself now. She walked around and sat herself down by the little makeshift nest of old clothes that Saffron sat in, before the hatchling was lifted in to her lap. <"While you were gone I got approached."> As she began to tell Saffron was already looking to start napping again. <"Our work in the exams got a lot of attention. I was apparently never registered with the clan I come from. My ass hole dad's work probably. But they took notice."> All too familiar with how her own worked, she was able to gently carress her hatchlings, massaging it's wings and following the flow of downy feathers, all with her thumb to keep the rest of her hands free for signing. <"A woman came to the door the afternoon you left. I won't bore you the details. But an old bird had lost her partner years ago, but never died. She's a phoenix by the way so comes back like a fucking boss. That bird watched our fights. Told her carers 'that's her daughter of daughters' and rebirthed itself. This is normal but shit if I know."> She shrugged and leaned back, setting Saffron back in to her nest now she was sleeping. <"Still a baby. But she and I are getting a tutor soon. I'm getting training out both the ass and the front."> Every movement began to get more erratic as she was clearly excited. <"Kiri I know we're still genin but people have actually noticed us. We're not some cripple cast offs anymore."> Needless to say, if only she knew just what sort of eyes had been on Kirai especially. <"I've applied to take medical ninjutsu lessons, and... I might have put us forward for the next exams possible. I hope you don't mind but I know we can make it this time. I won't hold you back again!"> She leaned across putting her hand on the arm of Kirai's chair. Even with it there she signed at least something understandable one handed. <"I'm stronger.">

Sitting on a comfy chair, in a safe place with her best friend close by, Kirai was pretty sure she had never felt luxury like this. Her body relaxed and her breathing slowed as she kept track of the conversation, learning all about this strange little bird that had joined the family. She knew that the Erlang had a summoning contract tied to them but even if they offered it to her, she'd refuse, she hated her own clan but she knew that Iolana didn't and in all honesty, Kirai was happy seeing her friend get accepted as she was.

"A phoenix, huh... So I take it she's gots a lot of fire and stuff? And apparently she can come back from the dead? That's weird but hey, I shoot lightning and you turns into knives, can't be weirder than that." She shrugged and laughed quietly before listening to the rest of what Iolana had to say. Her eyebrows rose up above the blindfold that she wore and she gave a few nods before leaning her head back to think about it a few times. She knew that technically she was a genin as far as the official registers went but the ANBU were weird. She considered for a moment the tattoo on the back of her left shoulder, knowing that she couldn't mention any of that... But she could still rank up in the official records.

Kirai reached out and took Iolana's hand, holding it tight for a moment, shaking her head. "You didn't hold me back, not at all. We don't get to take the blame alone, okay? There's not even any blame! But if there was, it's shared. Together we'll do even better than before." She said firmly, shaking Iolana's hand and arm to emphasise her points. "Both of us will be stronger together. So take it we're gonna go for the Tokubetsu Jonin exams? We'll need ta get some extra training in but I'm excited! Wanna tell me what plans you've got? Ya tryin' to learn anything specific with the medical lessons?"

Saffron was still basically a newborn, again, so she was already sleeping again before too long. All the while Iolana was just listening to Kirai and watching her new phoenix. <"I would have declined her honestly. The Fushicho did not even know I existed, or maybe just didn't care, until the exam. I was fine keeping it like that. But Saffron, before she became this version, recognised me?"> Every hand motion by the end just showed how uncertain she was. <"I don't think I'll ever know. They don't keep their memories between lives without other shit.">

She was about to get up again, looking over towards the oven and turning back to have her hand taken by Kirai. There was no real link, nothing shared between them, but all the time working together had brought their bond close enough that she still felt the air lighten around her and a sudden calm that reminded her of the mental landscape when they were together. She didn't need to look in Kirai's eyes, she didn't have them after all, but she still looked to where they would have been. All respect. <"Yeah. Together,"> She didn't want to retract her arm from being held, so she could only get a few words with just one hand. After a moment she would also then point towards the oven to suggest she did need to go, and withdrew her hand. It did however also mean she could speak. And loved speaking with Kirai just because she didn't even need to be facing Kirai. She could see Iolana signing even with her back turned. <"Of course I'm doing more training. I have my basic medical skills down. Got the scalpel technique perfect, learned how to use it in my weapon form too because who doesn't need another fucking sharper blade to slice dicks off right?"> A silent giggle was just as clear. She gets told off for her vulgar signs too much, doing so freely was a blessing. <"I put some feelers out this morning looking for a trained medic to teach me personally. Meanwhile I've been training my body more,"> She made this that much clearer by picking up a bean bag on the counter, tossing it up once to sign before catching again. <"I train my hips by bouncing this with just my behind, or my thighs if it goes in front of me and can't turn fast enough."> She tossed it up again, and show cased an improved speed during Kirai's mission to bounce it from her behind, and shooting over Kirai's head and impacting against the wall.

Once she had shown off, she was unable to really speak any more, taking out the hot tray as she filled their home with the strong chocolatey scent. She took a big whiff first, a little shudder running up her spine because they just smelled so fucking good. Preparing them to let them cool, she was swaying in a soft little dance with a lot of hip swings. Anybody might see it as a 'happy dance'. And it was.

"Chakra scalpel through your weapon form? That sounds super cool, cause it's you I could even do it after throwing you, that's sweet." She grinned and nodded a few times, letting her electro-sight brush down over her best friend. As Iolana picked something up, Kirai let out a little burst of static so that she could actually see it. The wave of sparks also helped to highlight Iolana herself and caused Kirai to nod a few times, she definitely was pretty good with her hips.

As those thoughts passed through her head she shook herself out and snapped her hand out, catching the bean bag from midair and tossing it up a few times in order to distract herself. She really, really hoped that her blush wasn't too obvious. Kirai coughed and tossed the bean bag back onto the counter as her friend was doing something more important with her hands. Eventually the smell of chocolate reached her and her mouth started watering, it also helped mostly distract her from Iolana's dance... Mostly.

"Oh, if I go for a shower, they should be cool enough by the time I gets back!" She declared, hopping to her feet and just letting her autopilot take over. "I've got a bunch of ideas for new shurikenjutsu and some stuff I can do with my lightning, they aren't... Very nice but they're cool as fuck! Can't wait to show you them." She grinned brightly, tossing her clothes off and into the washing basket, neither seeming to notice nor care that she was still in Iolana's presence as she done so. "Back soon!" She declared as she left only her blindfold on... She didn't want anyone seeing the empty sockets beneath and then dashed upstairs... She'd move her stuff later, there were brownies to eat first.

<"Damn, not fast enough,"> Was the last thing she signed as she watched Kirai so expertly catch the beanbag. Not that she had tried to completely outspeed her, she knew at this point she could never reach that point herself, it was just a little play on the idea that she had tried.

When she was finally looking back though, she paused a moment, eyes frozen to Kirai and watching her whilst awkwardly setting the tray down to cool. She looked... redder? But she shrugged it off still. Ensuring the tray wasn't going to fall, she left it there to take a seat with her little hatchling by her side again. She couldn't hide however that she was just... grinning. It was still so alien, sharing a home with somebody who cared, but one who actually... sort of... made her happy to have a home with.

<"Oh, awesome. I bought these little candles earlier that I put in the bathroom. They smelled super good unlit but they should make it really nice and relaxing in there. I had to ask for ones that spark with electricity too so you can light it yourself pretty easily.">Lana of course left out that they weren't exactly cheap to get that variety. She sat back and listened, watching her best friend move about the house. But she very, very, quickly had to snap away as she just... started undressing. Which turned her bright red. Thank fuck she can't see th- Oh crap stains. It took a moment, but it seemed to picked up on why Kirai might have actually been blushing too. She almost missed Kirai's excitedly telling her about some new techniques too. <"Yeah. I can't wait too,"> she shook her head as Kirai actually left the room, getting up to fill a bit of time. She picked up the beanbag and practised... sort of juggling. Just with just her rear.

Once she was alone in the bathroom, Kirai reached up and took the blindfold off, putting it aside and scratching at the corner of her eye for a moment, feeling the old blood flaking off. She frowned and shook her head, not letting the old memories in to ruin her good mood. It was nice knowing that she was safe here and having access to hot water whenever she wanted it was incredible. She lit one of the candles, she didn't want to waste them all after all and it wasn't like the light levels mattered for her.

With that done she switched the shower on, let it get hot and hopped in, closing her eyes and tilting her head up into the stream of water to wash away the grime and rusty stains on her face before tilting her head down to start washing her hair. As she let herself fall into the rhythm of it, she considered how lucky she was to be in the situation she was. Sure there were some downsides, like hiding part of her life away from her best friend but she'd manage, she'd also make damn sure that Iolana got to where she wanted to be, Kirai was going to train harder than ever, this time not for herself but for the person who actually cared about her.

Twenty minutes or so later after languishing in the water and enjoying the scents of the shampoo and candle, Kirai hopped out and mostly towelled herself off. She put out the candle, wrapped a towel around herself, put her blindfold back on and then dipped into the bedroom to grab a blanket before humming to herself and hopping down the stairs, wrapped in her blanket and towel, she wasn't musically talented at all but she was happy and had her own little dance to go along with it, which she kept up even as she moved into the kitchen, snapped her head down like a weird bird and grabbed a brownie between her teeth and then she hopped back into the living room and onto her chair, curling up under her blanket and humming happily around her chocolatey prey. "Those candles are really nice, gonna be hard not ta use them all the time." Kirai spent a few moments in thought and burrowed down under her blanket to hide her face before speaking again. "Wanna show me some of those new moves you've got? Might give me some ideas for combinations, y'know?" She said, doign her best to keep her embarrassment out of her voice, maybe she had an ulterior motive... Maybe...

Iolana had completely lost herself in her practise, and was definitely getting much better with knowing just how to twist and turn her body on a pin, and likewise lost track of the time that she spent. She did however hear Kirai coming back down so she was stopping as she came in to the kitchen. Immediately she bent over in her silent giggles just from watching Kirai picking up a brownie with just her teeth. A wonderful distraction. <"Right? They're so nice. I have one in my bedroom too that burns brighter but doesn't smell as strong, it's wonderful to read in bed to,"> And then she was just watching her friend burrowing herself down in her chair and in to the blanket surrounding her. <"And here I thought Saffron was the only one with her own nest in this house,">

Knowing they would be good now to take, she collected herself a brownie for herself, along with having taken a smaller cut to give to Saffron. There had once been a joke, way back when Iolana lived with a foster family, that she could not stop talking even with her mouth full. They had meant it mockingly, but it was never untrue either. Once Lana had the chunk in her mouth, she was able to just hold it there and slowly munch through leaving her hands free. <"I could show a couple things though. I think I might have my personal style ready too. My Keijo sensei suggested each fighter shouldn't limit themselves to their overall techniques, but a speciality is always good and I..."> With her hands holding behind the back of her head she dropped the beanbag from her hand, giving the bag another few juggles with her behind, all whilst making more striking twists and bumps, all the while shedding ash. <"Faerie Dancer. That's my style,">

A few long moments went by in silence as Kirai watched her best friend move and shift to her own beat, bouncing the beanbag. Kirai watched without really watching, simply letting the layer of static mark out the movements, every little twitch and turn. When the ash started to fly around her to compliment her movements, Kirai had to pause for a moment and think. She could never really explain to Iolana just how beautiful she looked even in the blue-white light of her static vision. Every single flake of ash picked up electricity, causing her to dance in a swarm of fireflies and arcs of blue light.

A soft smile spread over her face and due to being so enthralled in the lights and movement she almost completely missed what Lana was saying. "Faerie Dancer? You definitely look like a Faerie from where I'm sitting...." She furrowed her eyebrows for a moment. "I mean that in a good way! Like ya look good and sparkly and stuff!" She declared, blushing, she didn't want it to be seen as an insult. "Yer moves look really good! You uh... You should show me more!" She continued, a little bit too loudly, burrowing deeper into her blanket nest.

Iolana just couldn't stop herself from grinning, hearing the way Kirai was praising her in her own way, so easily recognised now to the mute girl. She was truly just endeared to the blind girl. She knew her movements would've looked so different to Kirai, she had witnessed how she saw for herself during training sessions paired together. And much in turn she would have felt how Lana felt to have no voice, a breath catching and locking in her throat like a vice. And whilst this was much rarer due to how the Soul bond worked, Iolana had still allowed her to feel it. <"Ok, I need you to stand up though."> Iolana moved forwards rather quickly, constantly just bouncing on her toes to keep her movement up. And as she had done so long now, she never quite made contact with Kirai all the way. She was excitable when you got to know her, and when training with their sensei she had often pulled them to their feet to get them up with her. But never with Kirai. She began as if she was, but less than a foot away her hands turned over, and she offered her hands palm up for her best friend to take. One thing she had never really kept secret; their first meeting still played on her mind often, knowing she forced physical contact when Kirai wasn't comfortable, and she never wanted to repeat that.

Once she had Kirai up, she took a step back and began her signing again. <"I won't hurt you but I've been working on this combination that is... kinda of hard without a person so... erm... you're a tough girl I know you can take it."> She even struck a little bit of a cute pose. She still gave her a moment to prepare, before making her move. Just two quick weakened strikes, but one leading to another. She stepped in, foot turned ready for the rotation, sweeping her hips up and just before Kirai's stomach. Though she didn't quite make contact there. Much more quickly as Lana put her speed to it, her behind came up, pushing up fast against Kirai to lift her, even if not by much. And that same momentum brought Lana around, in which she next caught Kirai's chin, directly off her chest, to knock the girl even more off balance. Lana was sure Kirai would be fine and not actually fall, she didn't aim to hit her two hard with either after all, but she would be ready to help in case she did. <"Well? What do you think?">

Used:

There was a quiet grumble in the back of Kirai's mind when she was asked to stand up but she smothered it, if Lana needed someone else to show her moves off then she was happy to help. She moved her hands to push herself up but stopped when Lana stood in front of her and offered her hands. She stared at them for a few seconds before grinning and reaching out to take them, letting herself get pulled up onto her feet and she shook herself out a little bit, goosebumps running up her arms from the non-blanketed air. After being told what was happening, Kirai gave a thumbs up and relaxed her body, waiting to see what would happen.

As Iolana moved in, Kirai stifled her natural instinct to dodge out of the way, she knew her friend wouldn't hurt her, however she wasn't really expecting what happened next. All of a sudden she was lifted slightly into the air and all her brain could think of was how soft and warm Lana felt, that daze clouded her mind and so when Lana spun and gently thwapped her in the chin she actually spun and landed slightly awkwardly, the blow undoing the weak binding of her towel, causing it to drop off of Kirai. She then paused for a moment to take in what just happened, her face burning bright red. She reached up to hide her face, not even realising her towel had dropped and scampered under her blanket, pulling it up to cover her for a moment before coughing quietly. "Uh that was... Eh... It was really... Really sof- I mean cool! It was super cool, took me way off balance, y'know like almost tripped me up." She stammered out, her brain shortcircuiting multiple times per second as she dealt with all of the sensations she'd just been hit with. "I... Hm... Maybe uh... The second blow was a little slow? Sh-should practice it more with me ta get it down properly, muscle memory and that, yeah?" She peeked out from under the blanket, still mostly hiding her face.

Iolana finished her turn after knocking Kirai about a little, feeling rather proud of herself at first that she had displayed her latest learned Vitality Impact moves. And she was met with a revealed Kirai. She... did not think the idea she was in just the towel would matter. And despite it certainly not being the first time, there was always a great deal of fluster when it happened accidentally. It didn't even really register that the actual motions of her technique were what had in turn seemed to fluster Kirai, rather than the brief accidental nudity.

She retreated back to her seat, feeling a little warm in the face herself. <"Y-Yeah. Great idea. I've missed our little training sessions together."> Stupid cute Kiri. <"I'm still working on more obviously. And I know my personal style, but I don't know any personal techniques yet.">

After a few moments huddled up, Kirai's brain managed to reactivate properly, though the blush never left her face for a moment. She wrapped the blankets around her a little more tightly and then gave a nod towards Lana. "Yeah! Been a while since we trained t'gether, ain't it? We gotta get strong for the next exams! Ain't nobody gonna give us shit when we smash 'em!" She grinned wickedly for a few moments before leaning back into the couch and letting her mind rest, her electrolocation fading away and leaving her darkness, the equivalent of closing her eyes these days.

"Ah've got a few new tricks too! Lotsa nasty stuff with my wires, learnin' how ta disable people, knock 'em down, string 'em up, all that good stuffs!" This was truly the life, a place to rest where she didn't need to be on guard. Sure enough the Bijuu attacks had been nasty but at least her home had been okay... At least Lana was okay... Kirai's face curled into a frown for a moment, she would never have forgiven herself if she hadn't been here and her partner got hurt. She was okay though, no point dwelling in the dark stuff. "Gots any plans for tonight or are we just chilling?" She asked, her voice softer now as her tiredness started to set in properly.

<"Yeah. The next exams will be ours. First place for sure."> Lana's confidence was absolutely building bit by bit as the days passed. She got more adjusted to her own body, and how to use her abilities. Maybe it was the aftermath of the Bijuu attacks, when she was called in along with some other prospective med nin, and actually trusted, but she knew what she was doing. She was trusting people more, not that anybody would top Kirai in that level of trust. Although that was hard when the two basically synced their soul wavelengths on a relatively frequent basis. No way you could get closer than that.

But then the contented look of Lana took over, just watching Kirai get all cozy back in her little nest on the chair. Kirai was one of the strongest shinobi that Lana knew. She also recalled all too well how on edge she used to be, as if her guard was always at 200%. Now, in their shared home, just the two of them... Iolana could see the ease. Maybe it was just Kirai feeling comfortable, but Lana took it as...trust. Maybe it was just Lana's mind but she almost felt like Kirai was trusting her to keep her safe. She didn't even realise she had missed some of what Kirai had said. <"Oh. I was just relaxing. Teaching Saffron to speak understand me."> She side glanced something on the table, thankful for Kirai's lack of sight. She would deal with something big sometime in the future. For now, she wasn't ready. <"Maybe I'll read the new book you got me. I can... read it to you if you like?">

"Seems likes a smart bird, yeah? Bet it'll be super helpful in fights, throwin' out fire and shit! I thinks if I do well enough in the exams, the Erlang might offer me a summon but I'm gonna refuse it, them bastards just left me to rot afters I got brought to the Village, I don't want nothin' off 'em... I'm strong enough without 'em!" Her voice grew hot for a moment, a tinge of anger leaking in, old wounds opening and venom beginning to leak out. However she quickly remembered where she was, who she was with and the anger vanished as quickly as it had appeared. Her voice returned to being soft, her tiredness seeping through instead. "I'd take you over a thousand of their stupid summons anyway..." She smiled and then let out a yawn.

"I'mma go put on some clothes, yeah? Maybes you could come up and read to me in bed, not likes we got a good sleep schedule y'know? Now that we've got a house to ourselves, we can do whatever we want whenever we want!" She declared and tightened the blanket around her body before hopping to her feet and shuffling off upstairs to throw on a vest-top and some shorts. As Kirai shuffled around, tossing around some clothes, she wondered if maybe she needed to find another gift for Iolana, was the books enough? A small streak of fear started to crawl into her mind, wondering if Lana would ever leave her but she firmly shook her head, knowing it was just her paranoia attacking her.

<"It would be a lie to say I didn't agree with you,"> Every sign was slow just further showing Lana's hesitation in her choice in words. <"My clan was not exactly good either. They have not given me much even since. However..."> Her fingers fell loose as she looked to the slumbering bird. <"Is it weird to say I felt like I needed her? I cannot explain what the flying fuck it is. But I think she's meant to be important to me."> In a way she was thankful for Kirai's lack of sight as she was just that much more frustrated that she couldn't explain it. She wanted to be like Kirai, give her clan the middle finger, but suddenly she felt like she was owed so many answers she just wasn't getting. Like wise she was thankful the rush of heat to her face wasn't going to be visible. <"... Yeah. I'd take you any day too.">

She made one last check of Saffron before following after Kirai. <"No, I suppose we don't. However, as your personal pocket sized nurse I think I should be telling you to get plenty of sleep."> A silent giggle, noticeable by the motions she would still do, followed. She would just calmly wait for Kirai as she was getting herself dressed again, waiting for the moment she could, after what felt like far too long, become one of her weapon forms in order to be more comfortable for her partner to relax.

"Ye I gets ya, I think you deserve the good thing, y'know? So much fuckery but now you've gots a phoenix, that's cool as hell! They owes ya but at least they've seen that they do, they're makin' uh... What's the words? Aman... Amends that's it!" Kirai declared with a grin as she came out, now wearing clothes and with the blanket laid out on the bed as best as she could, working just off of touch. "It's... Ah don't thinks the Erlang actually care, yeah? They'd be doin' it cause they thinks they gotta, cause others are tellin' them to rather than cause they wanna... But that bird wanted to be yours, it knew ya, so maybe they've realised they've gots it all wrong." She grinned and then took Lana's hand, gently pulling her into the room.

"Am excited to hear what the stories all about though! Been a while since we've had a chance to read..." She yawned widely and then crawled up onto the bed. All of a sudden her voice got fairly quiet however as she curled up slightly with her head on the pillow, trying to hide the blush burning on her cheeks. "...I was thinkin' maybes we could just lie here for a little bit first though... I'm a bit cold and uh... And you're pretty cozy..." She mumbled, feeling dumber by the second but she could feel that she was a bit needy for affection, having Lana as a friend had spoiled her these days.

<"Well who cares what they think. I think you're the coolest kunoichi in this fucking country."> Lana might have been one to enjoy the vulgar language, but it was no less serious and truthful in her mind. She'd learned enough about the other clans, especially since just leaving the Academy, to know it was probably all due to the eyes for the Erlang. Probably why Kirai was just left to fend for herself. There wasn't exactly proof to Lana, but it made sense to her mind.

She was happy to follow along though, and the instances were it was Kirai reaching for her hand was always just a delight to remember back to how slow she had to be at times to remember to give her space. She was all ready to do her usual, shifting in to her cloak form as a sort of blanket whilst keeping the mindscape going between them, but the request just to stay in her humanoid shape was... nice. Once more just thankful Kirai wouldn't see the heat rising to her cheeks, though she nodded. The idea of her as 'cozy' was... new. But she didn't mind it. Kirai deserved the nice things, and she supposed... that was Lana sometimes.

Once Kirai had pulled Lana into the room and got her situated on the bed properly, she spent a few seconds standing at the foot of the bed, a strange expression on her face. Possibly nervousness, possibly fear? However it vanished quickly as Kirai focused on herself and pushed her doubts aside, Lana had never been mean to her, always been understanding, always been helpful, always cared. So with that done the girl climbed up onto the bed and curled up next to Lana, resting her head on the weaponkin's lap.

She let all her worries float out of her mind and kept her electrolocation off, instead focusing on her sense of touch, on the warmth of her best friend. Everything had been hard recently, confronting just how much her Clan hated her, seeing that as angry as she got there were always more dangerous foes, that there were living creatures out there that could annihilate whole villages and at the moment there was nothing she could do about it. She had been forced to lie as well, hiding the promotion she had been given. However here... At home... With the one person that cared, none of that really mattered, the world in this little bubble was actually nice to be in. She could get used to this. "...Thank you, Lana." She mumbled, trying not to let any embarrassment leak into her voice.

Iolana had learned enough by now that when Kirai was like this, the electrolocation was off. So signing really didn't mean too much. But when she thought about it, she also just... couldn't think of the words to say. And so, she just rested her hand on her friend's upper arm. Being thanked for just being here was still something she had to get used to though. And she knew that would take longer.

As was often the case, the only sounds she really made were the slow exhales of her breathing. And as she relaxed and took in a slow, deep breath, it left her body in the same way. The slight whistle from a once broken nose as she let loose a day's, heck sometimes it felt a lifetimes, weight on her shoulders. But whilst she couldn't say it, didn't really know how to express it even, she knew Kirai was there to help with that weight. There was a slight smile as she had a thought. It wasn't exactly easy, but worth a shot. She signed just two words, one at a time and pressing her hand and fingers against the flattest part of Kirai's arm so she would feel the words instead. <"Welcome ... Home.">