Ink on Paper

Written by Whimsical Symphony

I wrote this chapter quite a while ago and have tried in vain to fix it. Something about it seems off, but it might just be my imagination. I found it too fluffy at times, though this story in general does have a lot of fluff, though meaningful I hope. Also glad you guys still like Elsa and haven't hated on her yet. I don't know if an OC who is likeable to me will also be likeable to you. Thanks for the warm reception this has gotten thus far and happy reading. I love all comments, whether negative or positive! I'm always seeking to improve.

Chapter V - Secretly Treasuring Your Letters

Elsa immersed herself in reading for the next few days, only really stopping to go to the washroom, eat and sleep. Mana told her that Thunderland had been the one to truly get her interested in science, in publications, in applying her curiosity and not giving up. While she knew that, it still struck her as odd that such an eccentric man seemed to have a heart of gold. Mana and Jiggy both told her Gauche Suede had been close to Dr. Thunderland, another strange thought. Most people avoided Thunderland like he had the plague, and while she doubted that he was as evil as people made him out to be, she did hear that he tried to dissect Steak once.

A passion for science, perhaps? Thunderland did save quite a lot of lives with his thorough study of pathogens and how they affected the human body, so she could not deny how that alone took much dedication, how much he contributed to the scientific community. Elsa read much of his work to become familiar with an incredible person who actually did his work in her own workplace.

A thought crossed her mind that devotion like that to science, to the study of pathogens and disease specifically, indicated a desire to help people, a soft interior under a hardened exterior. That seemed much like Jiggy, if she wanted to compare. So, in that, Elsa felt horrible for judging.

But what really piqued her interest was Jiggy's view of what happened to Gauche Suede, how he lost his heart. Somehow, she thought she said something incredibly embarrassing back then when that conversation occurred, telling him to take care and all that, to save, and not lose his heart. To admit she cared to that extent seemed too forward on her part for someone she deigned a friend.

He was a new friend, someone she shouldn't have been so close with, and further, he was Jiggy Pepper, and that alone made her second guess herself. Jiggy had quite the reputation, and so truly, Elsa didn't know if she could call him a friend. Elsa decided not to think on it, and hope they were, for she thought they were, even if Jiggy never voiced his thoughts on that.

Jiggy went back on the road two days later to start a new set of deliveries. What he said about Gauche worried her and she wondered even now, what convinced Bees to let go of their hearts.

"Martyrs, the lot of them," Elsa commented, slamming down her book with surprising force. She had been reading the same sentence over and over. "Jiggy will be fine, he's a skilled Bee."

But so was Gauche Suede. She disliked her mind quite a bit, questioning her own attempts at reassuring herself. Surely this was the price that took place when someone was overly rational.

Three taps at the window snapped her out of her stupor. She saw Harry at the window yet again and she wondered why Jiggy wanted to write to her so soon after they saw one another. Opening the window, Elsa let Harry inside and gave him his usual bread.

"You are going to make me more poor, are you not?" Elsa teased, receiving an approving croon in response. When she untied the letter from his foot, she opened it and prepared to read what Jiggy wrote. "Indeed, I do wonder why he spends time writing."

Elsa,

I know you're probably wondering why I'm writing. I am too.

Well, she thought with a small laugh, he did make her feel increasingly special with his cold, harsh words so painful they could have compared to receiving frost bite in the sub-zero temperatures in Blue Notes Blues.

I thought you might be worrying even though there's no need. I'm saving and I've been high on heart. Thought you should know. Danger hasn't been too bad around these parts, not like they usually are. A few Gaichuu here and there aren't a problem. Remembering is important, so I can't afford to forget – memories construct a person.

Elsa felt a tiny bit happy thinking that he cared enough to let her know. Without her control, a warm feeling seeped into the fabric of her heart.

His words as usual, flowed with a strange beauty, awkward in a sense, broken like he wasn't used to writing letters as she knew he wasn't. But more than in person, Elsa could decode his words, he seemed more open, like a regular nineteen year-old, albeit a tad eccentric.

You looked tired, more than me. Without rest, you can't function well. And you look stressed. Keep your stress in mind or you'll be the one paying out. Heart can become weakness, and too much drive is painful to the body. Suede was an example.

Jiggy was one tough customer when it came to concern, laying it on thickly like peanut butter on a sandwich. But Elsa, in her isolation, hadn't met many willing to show her concern, like most living in lonely Yodaka, and so the sentiment warmed her heart.

She withdrew from the public when she first arrived in Yuusari, due to insecurities at first, because of her heavy Yodakan accent. All until she constructed herself anew so she could pass as someone from Yuusari, or even Akatsuki, she avoided talking. Elsa listened to how other people spoke, mimicked them like a parrot.

And one more addition to becoming a resident of Yuusari involved success, so she could get to Akatsuki and touch the light, that strangely unnerving artificial sun, find all the secrets the world veiled from the world.

Her drive all relied on this, and Jiggy calmed her nerves so easily. As someone from Yodaka, he understood her.

You said you wanted to hear about Suede. But in order to hear about that which is important to you, it's good to cut straight to the source, as anything else is an obstacle. An edited document has different value than an original. The closest we can get is Aria. Salt hurts in a wound but also cleans it. You want to see Akatsuki and learn more about Bees, learning about him might be a good idea.

For someone like Sylvette, the pain's too close. Even closer than for Aria since she's young. I wouldn't want to remind Nelli of me leaving either. Dr. Thunderland could also tell you about him. They were close.

Aria Link, the woman who loved Gauche with all her heart, to ask her seemed strangely personal. But if Jiggy's words proved correct than a talk might prove cathartic to Aria. But with a stranger? Why would someone like her let her ask, explore the most intimate memories for a closer analysis of Gauche Suede?

She seemed like a better option to talk to than Dr. Thunderland, who could scare her off quite easily. And she didn't want to remind Sylvette Suede of her pain. It would be beyond salt in a wound for Sylvette, he implied, beyond cruel.

Keep calm and ask. Be brave, like you were to me. That bravery deserved thanks, so this one will too.

Remember to eat more than bread,

Jiggy

"Harry, Jiggy is much kinder than people make him out to be, don't you think? This concern is nice," Elsa admitted to the bird, who pecked at the bread she gave him and stared at her after, responding to her voice. Harry's gaze was surprisingly sharp, like a knife. "Your eyes remind me of him, you know. It is unnerving how he seems to know everything."

The bird crowed as if to say, 'he does' and she couldn't exactly refute that point. Elsa pet the bird gently before flattening out her own sheet of paper and starting on her response to his helpful letter. He deserved the best words she had to offer.

Jiggy sat down on the bed, staying still while the elderly man in front of him, a doctor, adjusted the bandages around his head. A careless mistake on the road led to an injury that left his forehead bleeding and bruised. A sharp turn on his bike while avoiding the attack of a Gaichuu led to him smashing his head against the face of a cliff. Thankfully, the doctor said the wound was shallow and wouldn't need staples or stitches. It would be fine healing on its own with careful care.

It was more of a superficial injury than anything serious but it could have been, he said. Regardless, it was strange, since Jiggy didn't remember the last time he got injured, it was so long ago. The throbbing of his head now seemed new and wholly uncomfortable. He could only blame his carelessness.

When the doctor finished, he exclaimed, "Good that's over and done with. You should watch out for head injuries, they can be pretty serious." He felt his forehead then, and frowned a little. "You're also running a bit of a fever, didn't notice?"

In fact, he didn't notice, not really. He noticed he'd been travelling a little slower, and how his body seemed to be aching a bit, but nothing too out of the ordinary. Jiggy shook his head.

"Well it's a mild one. Should be better after a night resting. You'll be good to go tomorrow," he told him. Jiggy would have gone anyway, since he couldn't really afford to slow down express deliveries. Unlike a regular Letter Bee, he didn't have that flexibility. "Take care of yourself on the road though. Letter Bees have jobs that are bad for health."

Jiggy couldn't agree with that sentiment more, even if he enjoyed being a Bee and doing all that it entailed. The Gaichuu were one problem. Spending all the Rin in his bank was another. He did tell Elsa he'd watch out for that, but it became difficult sometimes with what he encountered on the road. Skill was only one factor in the job. Misfortune hounded Letter Bees often, since letters carried heart. And heart was both weakness and strength, sadness and contentment: also, priceless.

"Thanks. I'll watch out," Jiggy told him. Without his help, he knew he wouldn't be in good shape the next day. And he needed to be, in order to survive the Gaichuu hotspots riddled across the map.

"I'll get you something to eat. Fluids are good for you right now." The old man got up and scratched his bearded chin. "The inn matron should have some soup left over. I'll bring that up for you. Please relax." Without waiting for his response, the old man walked quickly towards the exit.

Jiggy meanwhile lay flat on his back on the bed, pondering over the letter which he sent Elsa not too long ago. She asked about Suede. He knew his answer was inadequate, since he didn't know the man well at all. From what he knew of her, Elsa was ambitious and studious, and most probably wished to learn Amberground's secrets one day. While most could die in peace not knowing, she would have a bottle full of regrets.

Inspiration came from learning. Motivation came from learning. Suede was beneficial to learn about, and the closest source to do that was Aria, without causing a great deal of harm like it would in his sister. Aria, he also knew better than Sylvette Suede, who he knew even less than he did her brother.

Jiggy's head throbbed a little and his body ached, when he focused on the pain more. Exhaustion washed over him, almost as if his energy had been drained from him entirely.

The doctor came back with Harry on his arm, surprisingly enough, letter tied to the bird's foot. Elsa sent him a reply. Jiggy sat up a little and the bird crowed, flying straight to him and settling on the headboard of the bed.

"Letter's for you. Girlfriend?" the old man teased, putting the bowl of soup on the nightstand.

"No, just a… friend," Jiggy settled with, untying the letter and unrolling it to read. He could guarantee some misplaced flirting in there just to tease, and hopefully get a response out of him he never expressed.

"Reminds me of how I used to call my wife just a friend, back when I didn't think that I actually thought of her as much more," the doctor laughed and said. Jiggy didn't reply, but listened. The elderly always talked to him and he enjoyed listening much of the time, even if this time, it was at his expense, suggesting a non-existent relationship with Elsa Marchen. If she could hear the suggestion, he knew she would play it up, finding amusement in the situation, causing misunderstandings purposefully, like she did with Mana Jones. "Well, never mind. Go on and read the letter."

Jiggy did so, absorbing the words she wished to send to him.

Hello Jiggy,

It is good you're saving, my dear Express Bee. We wouldn't want you to go into debt. How heartbroken I would be if that was the case! Honestly, though, not a simple teasing of you, since I have grown to care a lot about your well-being, embarrassingly enough.

Perhaps you've fallen for me and you care about me too? I've been taking better care of myself due to your kind words. Forgetting is painful, just like you've mentioned. However, I've been lessening the bread intake that I always used to remind me of home. Now, I can think of home without remembering the pain along with it to such a degree. I've had a more balanced diet thanks to you as well, Doctor Jiggy. Your concern warms my heart.

I'll talk to Aria about that, and hopefully it won't hurt her too much. My untactful questions can hurt, just like they did you, once. I can't help being socially inept. I try, but I can't do anything more. But even I know not to hurt someone like Sylvette. The pain for her is too close. Thank you for the advice, it helped me out quite a bit.

I promise not to follow in Suede's footsteps. You can see by my frugal nature and decrepit house I'm quite good at saving! It's you that I need to worry for.

I'll be brave. If you were here, I would give you another hug, since I've fallen for you and all despite your terrible, terrible rejection.

Be safe, my dear Express Bee,

Elsa Marchen

Almost without thinking about it, he smiled, a miniscule smile, at her words. Maybe he knocked some sense into her about eating right with his letter, with the conversation at the pub too. Jiggy knew that of all people, someone from Yodaka could understand the loneliness of Amberground best: the distances between each city, and being constrained to living just behind the walls of one, the few people always in despair because of a recent Gaichuu attack; the poverty too, didn't inspire any sort of happiness.

For people in Yodaka, the next hot meal was the only happiness, finding shelter for the next while, surviving from day to day. Even things that normally made people happier, like childbirth, seemed less happy in Yodaka much of the time. Sometimes poverty ensured that a kid wouldn't live, not until any significant age at least.

Elsa lived in that situation in Yodaka, just like he did. Which meant that she was lonely, much more than she knew or said she was at least. Inside, she probably welcomed someone showing concern for her.

"Good news?" the old doctor interrupted his musings.

Looking at him for a moment, he said, "She's doing well. Learned to take care of herself."

"She didn't before?" The doctor seemed almost offended by the suggestion, almost acting as if he should see her himself to set her straight on a doctor's orders.

"Clinging to the past doesn't inspire good health. It's only when you focus on the present that you can." Jiggy wondered why the doctor looked confused at that, but he didn't say anymore and started on the soup to occupy himself.

Elsa decided to focus on the present, by questioning Aria and starting her research, even stopping eating the bread she used to connect her to the past so much. A good sign; hearing just about that, contented him when he fell asleep that night, trying to work off the fever that he got unknowingly.

Elsa found Aria a few days later, doing some paperwork casually, that Largo Lloyd had given her. The woman always managed to look sophisticated, though stories of her time as a Bee proved that when push came to shove, she actually was the clumsiest of Bees. That, to her, seemed hard to imagine, when Aria sat with such proper posture, with a smart pair of glasses sliding down the bridge of her nose slightly, her beautiful blonde hair pinned up. Looking at her now, Elsa assumed that Gauche Suede would have been insane to reject her affections, as any man would be honoured to be loved by Aria Link. Somehow, she knew that Aria never confessed to the man, and that lay among her large number of regrets in that which she didn't do while Gauche had been with her.

The time in the year was coming for the exams for the new Bees wanting to join the Hive. That caused an influx of paperwork for Aria who, with her position after retiring as a Bee, was in charge of all such administrative manners. Aria's responsibilities included marking the preliminary exams to weed out all the unsuccessful candidates, and informing those who were successful, to attend the actual Bee exam in the future.

She didn't look too busy, if only because of her nature of work. The preliminary exams stayed standardized year after year, and so weren't particularly difficult to mark when it came to it. But Elsa wondered if, perhaps, to ask her about Suede, whether she should have offered her services in assisting her to gain some leverage. So, she did, standing awkwardly at the doorway, shifting her weight from one foot to the other.

"I was wondering if I could help you with paperwork, Miss Aria," Elsa began politely, attempting not to let any of her social inadequacies that often appeared with her conversations with Jiggy, show. "I believe I can be of assistance since I've completed all my work for today."

Yes, Aria didn't have to know she worked long and hard, cramping her hands with her own paperwork, so she could get a chance to talk to the woman about Suede. She still had a shift in the library later, but she completed most of her major work.

Aria looked alarmed, raising her gaze from the focus on the papers, and exclaimed, "You want to help?"

"Yes." Elsa approached her and stuck out her hand. "I'm sorry I didn't introduce myself. I'm an archivist who occasionally works front desk, Elsa Marchen."

"Elsa…" Aria shook her hand and bit her lip, unsurely for a moment, thinking before whatever she needed to remember, she did. Giving her a kind smile, she said, "There's no need for you to be so stealthy."

"What do you mean?" She hoped Aria hadn't found out. She hoped to bring up the questions tactfully because Elsa didn't want to hurt her.

"Jiggy told me what you wanted to ask already. It was a surprise, to hear him speaking for someone else." Aria put down the pen she used to mark with and gave her a small smile, and gestured for her to sit down at the opposite end of the table. "Normally, Jiggy's quiet and doesn't talk to many people."

Elsa sat opposite her and quickly began to sort through the unmarked tests, taking a stack and beginning to mark. At least as a part-time archivist, she had the authority to do it. Jiggy helped her again with his words, realized the importance of asking Aria and not relying entirely upon her bravery which could so easily falter or hurt the woman. He let Aria know in advance, yet again choosing to assist her.

"Jiggy is too kind, I think. Many people believe he's not because of his few words, when in reality he does go above and beyond for people that he perhaps shouldn't need to. He barely knows me, after all," Elsa shared, giving a small laugh. "He's an unpredictable Express Bee."

Aria nodded, seeming to agree. Placing her next complete marked test on the correct pile, she picked up another and began to mark. "He's a bit oblivious. He fulfils his job well. I think people in the Hive are a bit afraid of him since he never appears to show much emotion."

Hearing her speak, Elsa became aware that Aria was an analytical woman – she too, appeared a bit frosty if one didn't attempt to know her first, similar to Jiggy. Of course, she heard about the woman's success in administrative manners, always completing her job with an enviable sort of perfection with time management skills that anyone would want to have.

Somehow, Elsa wondered why she didn't talk to her before; was she too concerned about her career, or her other duties? She never attempted to make friends like a normal person would, especially as a resident of Yuusari Central, so much more lively than any town in Yodaka. She knew that they would get along at least a little.

Cracking her knuckles, she started to work again, a bit flustered while thinking about more personal thoughts like becoming friends. Surely, Aria had some special power, making others want to be friendly with her so easily. Aria seemed like the epitome of what an intelligent, sophisticated woman should act like, not scaring people away. Elsa herself frightened people with her blabbing on seemingly unimportant matters like the explanation behind the cold weather patterns in Blue Notes Blues.

"But he does, he's quite awkward at expressing himself, that's all, I believe. He's caring." Admitting it proved embarrassing, but she told nothing but the truth. "I don't believe he even realizes his reputation around the Hive."

"He probably doesn't. Jiggy has a one track mind despite his cryptic statements. He doesn't care what other people think of him, and most of all, he doesn't notice." Aria understood him well, it seemed, quite a feat in itself because Jiggy eluded basic understanding of the human psyche. More than once, he baffled her by simply standing in front of her, and occasionally, talking to him reminded her of reading an old historical, worn and torn, practically illegible document from before the Empress' reign. The woman stopped writing for a moment and admitted, "He's a less open version of Gauche in some ways."

Elsa hoped to ease her into the conversation, but she never expected the other woman to bring it up so easily. She paid apt attention. "How so?"

"He's willing to help people regardless of consequences. They'll both bend over backwards to help people, though Gauche was considerably more comforting," she said with a small smile. "You wanted to ask, didn't you? About Gauche."

"I just wanted to know what he was like as a person. You see, so many talk about Gauche in the Hive – he helped Mana and Thunderland and so many people, so I wanted to know…" She wondered if asking would make her seem presumptuous, too imposing. Elsa knew how her questions cut like knives sometimes and hurt people without her even knowing. Even Jiggy, she hurt once and still, she was regretful over it, since she only meant to learn more about him. "I apologize if it's painful. I don't mean to ask questions that are too personal, since we know each other so little too."

"It's alright. I'm still affected by his disappearance, but it hurts less to talk about it now." Elsa could see how Aria frowned slightly, how she lied just a little with that. Sadness marred her expression when she reminisced on old times. "Gauche and I were friends since childhood. Since I remember, he always wanted to be the Head Bee, even more when Sylvette was born on the Day of the Flicker. That day, he forgot his mother, named his sister after her. She couldn't use her legs, and Gauche vowed to make it to Akatsuki in order to help her regain use of them."

"Day of the Flicker… he lost his memories?" Elsa exclaimed, shocked. Of course, she remembered that dreadful day that made Yodaka seem even darker, they lost the sun forever for a split moment in time. But she never imagined what happened then. "He forgot?"

"He forgot all his memories of his mother who died giving birth to Sylvette," Aria said softly. Shaking her head, she continued, "But even then, he's always been the same kind person. When I tried to help him with anything, he'd brush me off, tell me I was kind, and that's all."

Elsa remembered Jiggy saying too, that when he showed concern, Gauche said the same to him. "He seems like a kind man."

"More than kind. Gauche would risk his own life for someone easily. It's hard to find that kind of selflessness these days. Once, I remember he nearly died trying to recover his letters, almost falling from a cliff. He dropped it while battling a Gaichuu." Her hands tightened around her pen and she didn't look at Elsa. "It wasn't any fluke that he completed the Letter Bee Exam with the top entry time; he was the most skilled with his spirit amber as well, and had good instincts. That, with the towns he visited, a lot of them asked when Gauche would come around again. He thought of delivering letters as his life's mission."

"People hold him in high regard," Elsa said. It seemed more of an insult now, thinking of those men in the bar so eager to insult Gauche Suede for 'cracking under the pressure'. Mustering up the courage, she asked, "So what happened before the events of his disappearance?"

Aria gave a pained smile. "He got what he always wanted. He was promoted, he was going to Akatsuki to help Sylvette." She fiddled with the cuffs of her blazer. "One day, we received a letter saying that he was terminated. No explanation, none of that. So then, people started to think that he gave up. Whoever said that didn't know Gauche."

That made her think that in Akatsuki, odd things were happening, suspicious activity. If Gauche was anything like Jiggy Pepper with regards to his resolve, then a man like that simply wouldn't give up one day; not a man with a goal driven by the love for his sister. He didn't do any of it for himself.

Akatsuki, the capital of Amberground contained the darkest shadows in the whole land, with secrets none were privy to. Was that why when she wanted to get closer to the Artificial Sun, at the same time she felt apprehensive of doing so?

"It was up to me to inform Sylvette when the news came in." Aria pushed the glasses up the bridge of her nose, and bit her lip. She continued writing like she hadn't said anything.

"That was selfless of you," she remarked. And it was true, since Aria ignored her pain.

"Gauche wouldn't have left his sister alone…"

"Only a lesser man would."

The two of them didn't say anything more and worked on completing the paperwork in front of them. Elsa knew, regardless of what she wanted to do, she hurt Aria a little. But she hoped that they could become better acquainted despite that. Aria seemed, like Gauche thought, kind indeed.

That talk with Aria seemed to allow her to think about what she wanted to write, and if Gauche proved anything at all, he proved the dedication of the Letter Bees. She wanted to write a publication about Letter Bee's, their burden, the people and their opinion. Suddenly, just wondering about what to write seemed much easier, like a world of possibilities opened up and she had the choice of any topic at all.

She also wanted to thank Jiggy for talking to Aria ahead of time for her, especially on such a clearly painful topic. If anyone's bravery should have been praised, it should have been his.

A little over a week later, Elsa completed her front desk shift, assigning letters to Zazie, and Connor, and Lag Seeing, all the while writing terrible notes on scrap sheets of paper in order to organize her multitude of thoughts. She would need to research about the history of letters too, the significance of them. Tapping her pencil on the wooden desk, she sighed.

"Sighing is unhealthy."

Not even surprised anymore because of how often it happened, she looked up and saw Jiggy. However, her alarm rose because of a different issue altogether. Rather than simply looking tired, as Jiggy often did because of the length of his journeys, his head had been bandaged, shielding an injury on his forehead, though he didn't seem at all phased by it.

"Chastising me about unhealthiness when you've sustained a head wound? You're rather hypocritical, aren't you? Come now, you haven't been taking care of yourself at all, my dear Express Bee," Elsa admonished. Jiggy didn't sustain many injuries in his career at all, which made her worry about this one, even if she didn't let it seep into her tone. The man had a reputation for being invincible, in fact, and people wondered whether there was even a physical possiblty of him gaining any sort of wound. "It looks painful."

"Not really, it's a shallow wound that didn't even need stitches. I was careless while fighting a Gaichuu," he said, in response to her concern. "A doctor already treated it. It's nearly healed."

"You look a little pale and tired. Don't you believe resting would be a good idea?" She frowned, noting that he did indeed seem tired, weak even. "Were you ill?"

"I got a small fever," he admitted, though not even seeing the issue with that. "But I'm alright now."

"Did the doctor say you should rest and clean your head wound?" Elsa asked, narrowing her eyes, suspicious. If he refused to tell her the truth, she would find out, regardless of whether it sounded like she nagged.

"I've done it; it messes with the job." Jiggy looked at her for a moment and noticed her looking tired as well, with raccoon eyes from sleep deprivation. "You should rest."

"Ah, but I'm not injured so I can afford to not sleep." Looking at the bandage and Jiggy's response, she knew he wouldn't take good care of it. Perhaps he had taken good care of it already, but as someone who grew up in Yodaka and saw all the injuries take a turn for the worse because of a shortage of doctors and improper patient care, she wanted to assure that he did. A girl, she remembered, Joanna her name was, back in Cambriel Minute, suffered a wound and died due to infection because she didn't keep it clean and no doctor checked on her. "I'll do you a favour and help you clean your wound, hmm?"

"That seems like a waste of time on your part," Jiggy said in response to her offer.

"I'll decide what time is a waste for me. Let me do this, for my own well-being. I can assure you I won't be able to sleep well unless I check on it. I've seen so many injuries in the head kill a person; haven't you seen similar in Yodaka?" Ignoring the fact that he didn't care whether she came to check or not proved easier because Jiggy truly didn't complain more than he had to. She could imagine if she attempted to treat someone like Zazie, he would throw a temper tantrum. "Where do you live on Crown Sonata- what building?"

She saw how his gaze zoomed in on how she clenched her fists when she talked, how she seemed to blabber on in disjointed sentences that seemed not in the least comprehensive. Perhaps her worry showed more than she would have liked.

"524… apartment's name is Prayer's Summit. Unit 10E. You can just tell the receptionist I'm expecting you."

That probably convinced him to simply let her do what she wanted without rejecting her. Maybe he would feel bad if he did simply reject her. Jiggy knew his wound wasn't serious but he knew of the need clearly, to check. Someone from Yodaka would understand.

"Thank you," Elsa added, when he tipped his hat to her. "For letting me do this even if it isn't necessary. I've seen… a lot happen."

"Our shared pasts affect how we deal with life and what we do," Jiggy said calmly, acknowledging their similarities in where they came from. He made his way to exit, walking with confidence as he so usually did, not at all regretting his decision to have her attend to him later. Harry flew around him freely, making him look quite enigmatic.

"And your past allows you to understand the way people you do…" she whispered to herself.

Just what in his life gave him the experiences to be able to shape his words the way he did, to understand people despite seeming so awkward himself?