Mikazuki forgot when was the last time he had slept so well… but regardless of when that was, his small moment of peace was mercilessly interrupted when, without warning, he felt the golden rays of morning assaulting his lidded eyes as the sun rose to its usual spot above Trost.

Groaning in annoyance when he felt the bothersome light strike at his eyes, the pilot attempted to roll to one side to shift his head away from the sunbeams, though right as he did so, the boy felt himself falling off the couch he was atop, causing him to land on the wooden floorboards beneath him moments later. On impact, he let out a dull ouch as he felt himself being jolted awake, and upon waking up fully, Mikazuki blinked a little when he realized that he was tangled in a mess of cloth.

At first, Mikazuki had assumed that he had been tied up, his mind just went on to assume the worse, but the was quick to realize that his binds were too… comfortable to be rope, and as such, he reevaluate the situation with a clearer mind and saw that he was instead tied up in a blanket. Being tied up would be quite a bit of an overstatement as well, as he was more tangled in it, with the blanket wrapping itself around his exposed arms in an awkward manner. It didn't take long for Mika to untangle himself from its grasp, with him taking care to not tear it apart.

He didn't care about its existence whatsoever… but considering how, when he had fallen asleep the night prior without it, he didn't wish to spit on their kindness without proper reason. Still though, he didn't bother to fold it, more or less because he didn't know how to, and as such, he simply discarded it off to the side before standing back up and stretching a few times to get his muscles loosened up.

Once his joints and muscles were fully awake, the pilot sighed and glanced out of the window that had woken him up in the first place, with him huffing when he saw that it was just barely peeking over the edge of Trost, signifying that it was just barely a little over seven in the morning, something that made him hum a little in bemusement as he shook his head. He had woken up a little later than he usually did… not that it really mattered… but still, having lost a few precious hours of his workout routine did bother him quite a bit…

That aside, Mikazuki began to wonder if he should just leave right now. There wasn't any real reason to linger behind, he reasoned, though before he could move to depart, the boy paused when he realized that he was missing his Tekkadan jacket… something that was, admittedly, rather insignificant in the long run, but to him, the loss of his one of the only remaining connections to his old home was very much a world ending issue, in his opinion anyways, and he wasn't willing to leave here without it.

At first, Mikazuki had made the somewhat ludicrous assumption that Mina and her mother had stolen the jacket off him whilst he was asleep, though he was quick to dismiss that when he remembered how he had offered it to the pigtailed girl the night prior to keep her warm during the night. It was, in hindsight, a somewhat stupid thing to do… but even so, he wasn't willing to allow the girl to freeze herself half to death, especially after all that she's done for him in the past few weeks.

'Hrg…' groaned Mikazuki as he shook his head at this annoying predicament he's found himself in. He didn't wish to stay here for any longer than necessary, but at the same time, he also didn't want to leave without his jacket. The dilemma he had found himself in was incredibly annoying… but in the end, the pilot found himself reluctantly staying behind so that he could get his beloved puffy green jacket back from Mina.

Whilst waiting, Mikazuki had opted to pass the time by exploring what little he could around the Carolina household. He had initially intended on working out to keep up his usual routine, though he found himself reconsidering after he realized that he'd rather not cause a mess on accident. He didn't exactly have the cash required to pay these people back, after all, and although it would certainly be entertaining, he wasn't in the mood to become an outlaw for breaking anything unintentionally.

And so… the pilot began walking about the place with a somewhat awkward pep in his step. His eyes scanned the rotting wooden walls with a somewhat bored glint in his eye, and his steps echoed through the building with very little issue thanks to the creaky floorboards beneath him. He did make an attempt to lessen the noise he was making, though it was to no avail as his somewhat unsubstantial weight still put enough pressure onto the floorboards to make them groan uncomfortably.

'So annoying…' grumbled Mikazuki in dismay as he walked over to a small, half rotted drawer by the couch and opened it up. Inside were a few books that seemed as though they had been sent to Hell and back, and he opted to not touch them for now as he glanced up at the oil lamp sitting atop the drawer. Poking its side a few times, Augus found himself grumbling when a few moths flew out from a hole on its surface and harassed him for disturbing them, though he was quick to swat them away with a sigh. 'So very annoying…'

Moving on from that, Mikazuki moved along and peeked inside a drawer with a hole in its side… and when he opened it, a chicken, of all things, that was roosting within the thing squawked indignantly and attempted to attack the pilot, who caught it by the neck and tossed it out the house, prompting it to flee into the distance. Were things like this normal around here…? He hoped not… because if they were, he'd very much prefer to stay in that barn of his than in here! At least chickens never invaded him there, nor did the floor creak so badly!

After the chicken was taken care of, and after Mikazuki had slammed the door once more, the pilot turned and checked on the interior of the closet with a mostly unamused look in his eyes. The inside of the damn thing looked ready to collapse in on itself at any given second, something that boded badly with everyone that wasn't Mika, who just looked at the disrepaired state of the thing with a bemused look in his eyes.

The thing that did catch the pilot's attention, however, was a framed image of three unknown individuals, all of whom were smiling just a tiny bit as they posed for the shot. Mikazuki recognised two of the three as Mina and her mother, though the last person in the shot was left unidentified, with Augus frowning at how said person had a Survey Corp uniform. Hm… who could that be, Mika wondered…

Right as he thought that, however, Mikazuki felt his muscles seizing up a fair bit when he heard the sound of the floorboards creaking behind him, and upon hearing this, he grimaced as he glanced his eyeballs towards the side, as far as they would go. Upon doing so, Augus narrowed his eyes when he saw the edges of a shadow stalking up from behind him as he took a step back and shut the closet door with very little recourse… and moments after doing so, he ducked down and avoided getting hit in the head via an old wooden plank.

His assailant was quick to gasp in shock as his attack missed, leaving him open as Mikazuki twisted around to face him and grabbed onto his outstretched arm. Thereafter, he used it to slam the much taller young man into the closet. Thanks to the amount of force he had put behind the attack, paired up with just how old and dilapidated the thing was, the strike completely obliterated the damn thing, forcing the taller young man to groan in pain as the closet crumbled into splinters, and after he had slammed him into it, Mikazuki grabbed onto the crook of his elbow and pulled him out of it, throwing him onto the ground with little issue.

After doing so, Mikazuki crouched down and picked up the wooden plank that the taller guy had used to attempt to strike him down, with him gripping it tightly before he pointed its tip towards the young man's face. His attempted attacker, who was now the one that was being attacked, seemed a little delirious, with parts of his body bleeding thanks to the amount of force Mika had used to throw him into the closet, but credit where credit was due, even with his injuries, the man still remained determined, even when Augus was looming over him.

"Great… this is embarrassing…" grumbled the unknown person as he stared at Mikazuki uncertainly, seeming torn between embarrassment, pain and anger all the while. Augus… said nothing about it as he eyed the guy curiously. From his spot on the ground, the guy certainly looked tall. Perhaps a good 1.8 metres tall, something that shadowed even Orga! Height aside, the young man was dressed in the typical Trost rags, with an ash brown shirt and a pair of long, dark blue, almost black, pants. His black hair was tossed back, presumably with some form of hair product that Mikazuki was unfamiliar with, and his reddish-brown eyes regarded Mika with no small amount of disdain, though vice versa, however…

'I feel like I know this guy from somewhere…' thought Mikazuki absentmindedly as he held the weapon he had stolen from him in his hand, at the ready, though not long after that, their minor stand-off was quickly interrupted when an extra pair of footsteps came bursting onto the scene from above. Turning towards the source, both Mika and the guy he had at his mercy both watched as Mina, who appeared somewhat woozy, charged down to check on the commotion, with her usually straight black hair in a mess, her eyes blurry and unfocused and with… '... that's my jacket hanging from her arm…'

"N-Nac?! Mikazuki?! Is something happening down here?!" asked Mina somewhat awkwardly as she nearly tripped down the last tow flight of stairs, only to catch herself at the last moment. Once she was safely down on the first floor of the building, the pigtailed girl found herself staring at the sight of the tall, black haired dude being pinned down by the shorter, also black haired boy, with the former appearing mildly sheepish whilst the latter just looked… neutral really. Upon seeing this, Mina found herself blinking as she rubbed at her eyes with uncertainty, and after lowering them, she realized that she wasn't seeing things, and rather quickly… "Erm… am I interrupting something?"

"Y-Yeah… though for once, I wouldn't say it's a bad thing, Mina…" was all Nac could say at that point as Mikazuki grumbled and tossed the plank of wood off to the side, having deemed the taller guy to not be a threat by then.

Some time later

"So… you're Mikazuki Augus, hm?"

"Mmm."

"Ah… well… if it means anything, I'm sorry for trying to bash your head in from behind… kinda just… assumed that you were some robber or something… my name's Nac Tias, and- ouch!"

"Hm…"

For all it was worth, Mina couldn't help but snicker a little as she watched and listened to Mikazuki converse with Nac. Well… converse was probably too strong a word to use, as the former was more or less just listening to the latter speak to him whilst the pigtailed girl helped bandage the minor injuries inflicted on him. She had just finished plucking out a small, but still large enough to be an issue, splinter from his lower cheek as Tias had just finished speaking, and it made him pause briefly as he winced in pain, allowing Carolina to bandage his injury all the while.

"Sorry!" apologised Mina awkwardly as she waved at him, though he didn't seem to mind as he sighed and continued.

"It's alright… but as I was saying… I kinda forgot that Mina invited you over to stay the night. That one's on me," apologised Nac earnestly, with him bowing his head down a little in apology as he spoke… though not long after, he ended up having to raise his head once more when he felt Mina jab him in the ribs with his elbow, causing his head to jolt upwards as she used some gauze to dab at his lower jaw.

"Hm," hummed Mikazuki as he adjusted his jacket's grip around his person, and as he did so, he glanced over at Nac with a neutral look on his face. The guy's demeanor had certainly changed drastically than it had been moments prior, with him appearing much less hostile and more… friendly, to say the least, as he smiled and grinned at the pilot with a mouth full of white teeth. Augus reckoned that if he cared enough to do so, he could've probably kept a grudge against him for attempting to bash his brains out just minutes prior… but something about him made it difficult to do so, and as such, he didn't care to do that as he sighed in annoyance.

This guy's whole demeanor just reminded him so much of… Norba Shino. That damned jokester was always looking to brighten everyone's day with his stupid jokes and immature jabs, but when the going got tough, he'd toughen up with it. The guy wouldn't think twice to jump in and sacrifice himself for the sake of his friends… and that was what made him so endearing as the third Mobile Suit pilot of Tekkadan…

"So… uh… seeing as how you're still here… do you want something to eat? Cos, y'know, we're technically still hosting you and all that?" asked Nac, with him awkwardly segwaying to another topic when he took note of how Mikazuki had been tuning him out for a while. Upon hearing his voice, the pilot blinked and glanced over at him, with him huffing as he gave him an awkward side eye, and not long after, he shrugged. Though he still intended on leaving as soon as possible, he reckoned that some food to fill him up wasn't a bad option before he left, and at that, Nac grinned and stood up, with him jogging over to the kitchen area of the house in an instant. "I think we've still got some bread laying around! I'll get you some!"

And with that, he was gone, leaving Mina and Mika behind as he rushed off towards the kitchen area. Mina found herself smiling fondly as she watched her much taller friend jog off, though as for Mikazuki himself, he remained completely neutral as he huffed in bemusement. "Sorry about Nac, Mikazuki. He's a good guy, but sometimes he's just a little too friendly for his own good."

"He tried to crack my head open," reminded Mikazuki flatly, to which Mina blinked as she looked away awkwardly.

"Well he's also very protective of us as well!" stated Mina somewhat defensively as she waved her hands around, to which Mikazuki rolled his eyes. That was fair, he supposed… but even so… he'd rather not have run the risk of having his skull shattered just because of a misunderstanding.

Regardless of the misunderstanding situation, the pilot didn't push the issue any further as he simply remained quiet as Nac returned and handed both him and Mina a piece of bread, with him having taken one for himself as well. The taller bloke bit into his bread with a smile as Mikazuki huffed, wondering if he was just faking that enthusiasm or if he was just a big fan of bread in general, though he didn't care enough to ask about it as he finished eating his own loaf in record time before standing up and brushing the crumbs off his person.

"Thanks for letting me stay over, I guess. I should be going now," hummed Mikazuki as he brushed himself off, eliciting a surprised hum from Nac while Mina appeared slightly taken aback.

"Wait… really…?" hummed Nac uncertainly, with him frowning as he found the notion of Mikazuki leaving to be rather preposterous. The genuine concern buried in the young man's voice had taken Mikazuki off guard, if only by a little, as he raised his brows in surprise, though not long thereafter, he huffed and nodded in affirmation.

"Hm," hummed Mikazuki, with him glancing over at Nac and Mina to see if they would stop him in some way all the while. The former seemed rather keen on doing so as he bit his lower lip in apprehension, and as for the latter, she simply stared at him sadly as she rubbed at her upper arm, seeming unsure on if she should stop the pilot or to just… let him go.

Ultimately, however, Nac was the one to make the decision for them as he stood up and motioned for Mikazuki to follow him, which he did. Mina followed closely behind, and thereafter, the taller young man moved to open the door for the pilot as he moved to leave.

"Hey, Mikazuki…?" hummed Mina as the pilot exited the house, with him turning around to face the pigtailed girl curiously before leaving completely. Admittedly, Augus was not expecting her to look as… saddened as she did right now, but he said nothing of it as he watched her twiddle her fingers around meekly before speaking her mind. "Please… stay safe, alright! And come visit! You can do so whenever you want!"

And… for as awkward as it was to admit to… Mikazuki still did find himself smiling a tiny bit as he nodded, surprising both Mina and Nac as they watched him slowly turn away empathetically and sigh a fair bit to himself.

"Alright…" was all Mika bothered to say at that point as he moved to leave the area, with him… refusing to turn back all the while… not that it mattered, anyways, as even as he retreated back to his… home, the pilot could still feel the pitiful stares from both Mina and Nac, something that he didn't like as he disappeared into the distance.

And that night, the pilot found the cold, hard ground of the barn that hid Barbatos from prying eyes to be just a little colder than he remembered.

The following few days went by quite normally, all things considered. Mikazuki went on with his days on the field without much of a care in the world, and without fail, Mina would usually be there to accompany him.

Nothing seemed to be particularly different about their little meet-ups, with the pigtailed girl seeming just as enthusiastic as she always was, something that did come as a relief to the pilot. He had half expected his departure from her home just a few days prior to have affected her mood in some way, and to see that she was doing alright despite all that… well, it was a relief to say the least.

And at the same time… it had also saddened him to a certain extent… but why he felt this way was very much a mystery to him… though he didn't care enough to wonder about why he felt as such as he simply carried on with his day. Or at least… that was what he kept telling himself, anyways…

"... is something on your mind?" asked Mikazuki rather abruptly on a particularly sunny day, with him glancing over towards Mina as he spoke. In response to this, the pigtailed girl stiffened as she turned towards the pilot with a somewhat comical expression, though moments later, said expression turned into a jovial expression as she waved him off with minimal issue, something that didn't help her acquaintance's curiosity as he watched her wave him off.

"N-No! Why would there be, Mikazuki? I'm just… thinking about… uh… s-seeds! Yeah… seeds! That's all!" assured Mina, with her smiling meekly as she waved her hands about, to which the pilot hummed.

"Hm, alright then," hummed Mikazuki half-heartedly as he dropped the issue altogether and went back to doing his fieldwork. As he had expected, however… right as he did so, Mina's body language began to shift a fair bit, with her appearing somewhat uncomfortable thanks to his initial question. The pilot, however, made it a point to not say anything about it as he simply went on with his work… though not long after something in Carolina snapped as she blurted out-

"It… makes me sad, you know?" muttered Mina as she scooted a little close to her acquaintance, who raised a brow at her inquiry. His sidelong look seemed to get his thoughts across quite well, as, moments later, the pigtailed girl rephrased her words. "It makes me sad… to see that you're… fine with how things are right now."

"What do you mean?" asked Mikazuki, with him frowning as he crouched down to unroot a carrot he had planted a few months back, and to that, Mina crouched down to his level and spoke with him in a hushed voice.

"You're… y-you're a refugee from Shiganshina… and you're living off the streets, just barely scraping by each day. And yet… you… don't seem to mind that. You could be kidnapped at any given second and no one would know…" explained Mina, with her voice sounding rather shaky as she spoke, and at that, Mikazuki raised his brows in surprise when he heard the genuine concern hidden behind her voice. She seemed to really care a lot about him… more than he probably deserved…

"I don't see how that relates to anything," said Mikazuki blankly as he glanced away uncertainly, and to that, the pigtailed girl recoiled in surprise.

"It relates to everything!" proclaimed Mina, only to realize where they were as she quieted down in embarrassment, with her cheeks burning red all the while. She took a few moments to regain herself before she exhaled sharply and continued. "It relates to everything… because… because even if it doesn't seem that way, there are people that care about you, Mikazuki… I care about you… and both mum and Nac do too…"

"I barely know both your mum and Nac, and as for you, you shouldn't waste your time caring for someone like me," stated Mikazuki bluntly as he found her concern towards him to be rather unnecessary, though as he said that, he felt Mina's gaze harden a little as she jabbed him in the ribs, something that he didn't really see coming as he winced at the impact.

"Everyone's life matters, Mikazuki… even yours! Even if you think that I'm wasting my time being concerned over you, I won't stop doing it, because to me, you're just as worthy of my concern as anyone else is!" said Mina, with her doing her best to keep her voice down as she whisper-yelled all this to Mika, who looked… taken aback, or as taken aback as someone like him could be, as he processed her words. Sensing some form of vulnerability in him, the pigtailed girl, not without some regret, pursed her lips together before continuing her little speech. "If you just suddenly died one day… I… I'd be devastated, Mikazuki. I know we've only known each other for like… I dunno… two months at most… I still care a lot about you. You're like a friend to me at this point… and I don't want to know what it feels like to lose a friend… not now, not ever…"

"A… friend…?" echoed Mikazuki, with him now staring at Mina with a rather uncertain look on his face, though not long after, the pigtailed girl smiled and nodded gently, eliciting a somewhat… awkward look formed on the pilot's face as he found himself pondering that word and its connotations, though not long after, he simply nodded and stood up, with him turning his back towards Carolina all the while. "That's… nice of you, I guess…"

And although he didn't seem to be opposed to anything that she had said, Mina thought it best to not bring that issue up as she took notice of how Augus' body language had shifted a little after she had called him a friend, and by all means, he seemed somewhat agitated, something that she hadn't seen in him before, and more so because of her self preservation instincts, Carolina found it best to cease all conversation with him for the day.

Likewise, Mikazuki had remained silent as well, silent… but thoughtful all at once…

"What do you think about friends that aren't from Tekkadan, Barbatos?"

There came no response from the massive Mobile Suit as it remained in a kneeling position. It's been several weeks since it moved to that position, and in that time, a small layer of moss had grown over its chassis thanks to a general lack of maintenance. Mikazuki did his best to keep his partner in tip-top condition in the event of an emergency… but even so, not much could be done to keep its form from deteriorating further than it already has.

Augus just hoped that its function wouldn't be as affected, though he highly doubted that would be the case.

Regardless, it was now well into the night, and Mikazuki was curled up in his Tekkadan jacket, acting as a makeshift blanket, as he leaned back against his Gundam's leg armour. His boredom was very much at a high point right now as he couldn't do much more than stare at the dying embers that used to be his campfire, so to pass the time, he decided to… speak to Barbatos.

It was pointless, and Mikazuki knew this… but even so, after what he had heard from Mina earlier that day, alongside how he had been thinking about what she had said for the better part of the past few hours… the pilot found himself growing more and more uncertain on his current path in life as he curled himself up into a ball in front of his Mobile Suit, and after a few long hours of silence, he ended up voicing his thoughts out loud, if only to vent out his frustrations to the machine that would listen, but never respond.

"... Mina thinks I'm her friend. But… why? I'm not someone anyone would want to befriend… aren't I?" muttered Mikazuki, with the soft glow of the campfire illuminating in his irises as he spoke. The Gundam remained motionless as he asked this… though upon concluding, its optics glowed a faint glimmer of green as something within it stirred to life, though whatever this something was… was up for debate. "What should I do…?"

Mikazuki sounded rather… defeated as his heart squeezed a little in dismay. In truth, the pilot did very much wish to consider Mina a friend as well. The girl was sweet, kind and absurdly friendly, making it incredibly difficult to really push her away, but still… Augus' hardened heart refused to let her in, and although he's done this with so many others in the past… something about this situation in particular hurt him a lot more than the others.

"What should I do, Barbatos…? What should I do…?" asked Mikazuki once more, with him squeezing his hands into tight fists as he closed his eyes to consider his options. He kept repeating that question several times over as… truth be told, he did not know what he should be doing at all. Orga always knew better than him, but he wasn't here, not anymore, and he himself didn't know how to properly make these sorts of decisions for himself. He needed someone else's opinion on the matter… someone trustworthy, and at the moment, Barbatos was the only one that he could truly trust… and even if he wouldn't respond, Augus saw no reason to make an attempt at asking him…

As he echoed these words over and over again, however, Mikazuki felt the fatigue of the day's events come back to him, and before long, the pilot was sound asleep, with his head lolling over to one side in discomfort all the while. His face was etched in a permanent frown as his chest rose and fell gently with his breathing, and as the seconds wore on, Augus' thoughts drifted off into the realm of dreams as he dozed on quietly.

And all the while… Barbatos' optics flashed a more noticeable shade of green as the pilot remained asleep, though not long thereafter, they dimmed as the night drew on, with the Gundam itself seeming somewhat… content all the while.

Mikazuki's day was going… terribly, though that in itself wasn't much of a surprise. It was just that… today was a lot worse than he was used to.

The first thing that he took note of was how… well, Mina was absent. That in itself wasn't anything terrible… but even so, her presence was something that Mikazuki had grown incredibly familiar with over the course of the past few weeks, and for her to be missing… well, it just didn't sit well with him.

The second issue came a lot later, and this one in particular was a lot worse than the first one… physically, at least, and that was when the pilot could hear some thunder overhead. Glancing skywards, Mikazuki found himself snorting when he recalled how rain was incredibly rare around here, and he'd be lucky if it even drizzled today, and so, he ended up dismissing the sound of thunder without much thought before moving back on to continue his duties.

As the seconds wore on, however… the thunder continued, and moments later, a mild drizzle began, something that didn't bode too well with Mikazuki's initial predictions as he frowned and glanced skywards warily. And moments later, the drizzle picked up, with it transforming into a rainstorm that pelted the entirety of Trost with little recourse. The severity of the storm forced the refugees still present to run for cover, and although he himself wasn't particularly scared of a little rain, Augus knew from firsthand experience that remaining out in a rainstorm as severe as this had some dire consequences, and without pause, he sprinted off to find some cover, with him being thankful to his combat boots' firm grip on the ground that prevented him from slipping up.

For a brief few moments, Mikazuki simply ran out of the fields alongside several other refugees, all of whom scattered in various directions as they got further from the fields. Mika himself lingered close to it as he moved under a small, dilapidated shelter not too far from where the fields were at, and upon doing so, he collapsed under it with his back leaned against the wall and tugged at his clothes. They were now soaked through, something that didn't bode too well with him as he grimaced and ran a hand through his hair, now slick with rainwater.

'Just my luck…' grumbled Mikazuki, irritated as he pulled his jacket off his person. Although it was rather cold, the pilot was still very much aware of how wearing soaked clothes could very well induce hypothermia faster, and he'd rather risk being a little chilly than freezing to death at a faster rate, and as such, he began to squeeze his jacket dry as quickly as he could. It wasn't as though he couldn't take the cold, after all; he's had much worse back on Mars and even in the winter regions of Earth, but it was still annoying to have to shudder every so often when a passing breeze hit his skin.

With a somewhat impatient bounce of his feet, Mikazuki huffed and waited for the rain to falter, with him squeezing his jacket dry all the while. It wasn't as dry as he had hoped, but even so, it was the best he could do with such limited resources, and with a groan, he draped it across his back and grumbled to himself in annoyance.

'Maybe it's better for Mina to not be here,' thought Mikazuki somewhat absentmindedly as he stared out at the pouring rain before him, with him finding himself relaxing a tiny bit as he leaned back against the wall. Although this wasn't ideal, the pilot still reckoned that the chilling rain was a good change of pace from the scorching heat that tended to permeate down onto the district of Trost. The cold breeze affected him just as badly as the blazing sun, but still… it was a good break from that repetition…

His mild break was quickly cut short, however, when he heard… something in the distance…

"mikazuki…?!"

"... hm?"

Lifting his head up when he heard a far off yell, the pilot frowned as he narrowed his eyes into the distance. Trost had been covered by a dense curtain of rain by now, and it limited his field of view to a measly ten metres at best, but even over the sound of rainfall, the pilot could still hear a familiar voice screaming his name…

"Mikazuki…?!"

Standing upright, the pilot grimaced as he slung his jacket over his shoulder and stepped towards the edge of his shelter, where he closed his eyes and focused his hearing. For the briefest of moments… he heard nothing, prompting him to sigh as he reopened his eyes and moved back into his little shelter… though before he could get too far…

"MIKAZUKI?!"

"... Mina…?"

This was a bad idea… and yet, she had gone through with it anyway.

Nac always did say that she was a big softy, which was rather hypocritical but he wasn't exactly wrong either, and Annie, even if she was still recovering from her fever, had always made jabs at her sentimentality as she recovered from her illness… but even so, Mina had never been one to turn her back towards someone she had called a friend, and regardless of the situation at hand, she'd always rush in to help them out.

And that was probably how she had ended up here, in this rainstorm, with a cheap fabric umbrella that was just as effective at blocking out the rain as holding a thin blanket over one's head, in search of Mikazuki. Nac had done his best to talk Mina out of it… but still, she was determined to find her acquaintance, as she knew him enough to know that he'd always be at the fields, and if he wasn't… she'd go looking for him.

"We don't know what Mikazuki's living condition is like, Nac! He could be living in the streets for all we know!" was something that Mina had told her friend as she got ready to depart, with the implication behind her words hitting Tias quite hard as he bit his lower lip and nodded uncertainly. He… didn't want her to venture out into such a treacherous environment, but even so, he knew that there was no way to change her mind now.

Rather, he had asked to follow, only for Mina to wave him off. She had reminded him that Annie's illness had been acting up recently, which was why she had stayed home rather than go to the fields as she had originally intended. She had wished to care for their… acquaintance alongside her much taller friend, and although she had initially felt a tiny bit bad over leaving Mikazuki alone for the day, she supposed that things had, in a weird sense, turned out for the better, as now, she wasn't stuck out there with him, helpless against the storm.

Nac had, unsurprisingly, been reluctant to do as she said, but he ultimately relented, with him grimacing as he passed Mina a spare umbrella. "Two is always better than one," was what he told his friend before wishing her luck on finding her acquaintance, and with a curt nod, Carolina rushed out and began scouring the district with fervent determination.

Yelling out Mikazuki's name as she ran through the district, Mina did her best to call out to her acquaintance, who could be… anywhere, really, as she ran down the now derelict streets of Trost. Most of the stores were closed by now, unsurprising as the district rarely received rainfalls as bad as this, to the point where no one prepared for them, though that in itself was fine to the pigtailed girl as she rushed through the place at a steady pace.

She didn't know how far she had gotten from her home before she found herself losing her voice, and by then, no small amount of panic had begun to set into her heart as she attempted to wheeze out her acquaintance's name once more, though the only thing that left her throat was a painful cough and a groan. Even so… she didn't let it stop her from opening her mouth to try yelling out once more… only for her attempt to be halted when, without warning, someone grabbed her by the shoulder and startled her something fierce.

"GAH!" yelled the pigtailed girl in a somewhat hoarse voice as she spun around to face her apparent assailant, though as she did so, her heel dug into the mud beneath her feet with a bit more force than she would've liked, and upon doing so, Mina felt herself falling backwards as she lost her grip on her umbrella… though before she could hit the soaked ground beneath her, she felt a familiarly large hand grasp onto her wrist once more, and upon realizing this, the pigtailed girl widened her eyes and glanced up to see… "Mikazuki…?"

There came no response from the pilot, however, as he simply pulled her towards the closest shelter he could find, with him remaining completely unreadable all the while. His expression betrayed nothing, though Mina couldn't help but feel as though the boy had been… worried for her as he dragged her behind him.

As soon as they were under some shelter, Mikazuki wasted no time in releasing Mina and staring at her with a mixture of annoyance and bewilderment. It seemed almost as though he couldn't tell if the girl was real or not… which wasn't exactly unwarranted, as the mere act of rushing out into a rainstorm as bad as this was very much an idiot's idea… but even so…

"Why are you here?" asked Mikazuki, sounding both annoyed and, somehow… grateful all at once as he spoke, to which the pigtailed girl simply frowned and clasped her hands together nervously. As she did so, however, she kept her eyes glued onto her friend's body as she took note of just how… soaked through he was. His attire clung onto his person quite well, with it showing off his curves in all the right places… though Mina was quick to wipe those dirty thoughts out of her mind as she sat on the ground, shook her head violently and grimaced in annoyance.

"I was worried about you, Mikazuki! I… I-I…" began Mina, and moments later, the words came pouring out of her without pause. The boy remained silent as he listened to how the girl had to remain home to look after one of her friends, and similarly, how she had felt so worried about him when the rain began to fall, and in the end, she had decided to put herself at risk just to find him and make sure that he was alright. At the end of it all, the girl had been shivering and sniffing rather uncontrollably, with her body temperature lowering quite drastically thanks to her soaked clothes, though rather than comment on that, the pilot instead opted to frown and sit down beside his acquaintance, with his sudden appearance beside her startling her quite a bit as she flinched away from him rather meekly.

"You didn't have to come for me, you know?" stated Mikazuki for the lack of anything else to say, with him simply… frowning as he gently nudged Mina with his elbow. The pigtailed girl stiffened a tiny bit at that, though she didn't say anything to refute his point… not at first, anyways, as, after a few moments of silence, the girl sighed and herself deeper into a ball.

"Probably… but I was just… so worried, you know…?" countered Mina, with her sniffing a little as she rubbed at her nose. In response to this, the boy beside her raised a brow as he nonverbally asked for her to elaborate, which she did. "I already told you… I… I-I see you as a friend… and… w-well… if anything bad were to happen to you, I don't know if I'd be able to bear it."

"... my safety isn't your responsibility, Mina," stated Mikazuki, with him frowning deeply as he spoke, and to that, the pigtailed girl frowned as she nodded in apparent agreement…

"I know… but… I still worry, y-you know? I wasn't lying when I… when I said that I liked you as a friend. You're… a very nice person, Mikazuki…" smiled Mina, with her unconsciously leaning into her acquaintance/friend to absorb some of his body heat as she spoke. In response to this, the pilot found himself frowning as he tried to process all this information… though not long thereafter…

"You should be focusing on other people to make friends with. I'm not worth your time," mumbled Mikazuki, with his tone sounding very much self-depreciative as he spoke, though much to his surprise, rather than answer in a negative way, Mina simply let out a hoarse chuckle as she glanced up at him with a smile.

"... Annie said that too… and we still took her in," said Mina with a smile, eliciting a hum of confusion from Mikazuki all the while. "Actually, now t-that I think about it, y-you and Annie are kinda similar… you guys are always so c-cold to everyone that tries to get close to you, but deep d-down… I know that you're both g-good people…" stated Mina with a smile. Mikazuki… had nothing to say to that, as he knew that, at least on his end of things, Carolina was dead wrong, but even so… her saying such things did make him feel rather… lightheaded… "And… the fact that you two have b-blue eyes does help too…"

"Blue eyes…" echoed Mikazuki flatly as he rolled his eyes at that statement. But even so, he didn't say anything to dispute that as he huffed and shook his head. Mina Carolina's way of thinking was very much a naive one… but truth be told, something about her naivete was very much… refreshing, to say the least. The girl's positive attitude, coupled with her attempts at seeing the best in everyone, was a nice reprieve from the constant bullshit that he's had to deal with for the past few weeks.

Blind optimism was usually something that Mikazuki hated… but even so… considering his current dilemma, Augus reckoned that some optimism was necessary to prevent himself from spiralling into a pit of despair, and while he himself was incapable of supplying himself with any form of optimism, a mistake that came with his upbringing, Mina Carolina, however… had no such difficulties, as she was raised in an environment that was very much unlike his own.

Rather abruptly, a soft, almost indiscernible chuckle escaped the boy's lips, something that caught Mina's ear as she glanced up at him in confusion, though not long after the boy exhaled softly through his nostrils and offered the girl a small smile, a sight that made her heart race as she felt the tips of her ears redden in embarrassment.

"Is… s-something wrong, Mikazuki…?" asked Mina warily as she stared up at her acquaintance, to which he shook his head almost immediately…

"No. It's just that… you care a lot about the people around you, don't you?" hummed Mikazuki, with him sounding rather… wistful as he spoke. Mina thought she liked that… it made him sound less tense and more… for the lack of a better term… human than he usually did… and she felt that she very much preferred it when he was this way…

"I do… I really do…" hummed Mina, and as she said that, the girl felt her consciousness slipping away from her, with the warmth of her acquaintance's body causing her to slip into a fast sleep within moments, though at the same time, Mikazuki simply huffed as he glanced down at her with a newfound sense of fondness…

… and moments later, the pilot took note of the second umbrella that was strapped onto the girl's waist, and without a second thought, he picked it up and moved to cradle the girl in his arms before standing upright once more.

Nac was getting worried…

Well, getting worried would be putting it mildly. He was already very worried. Mina had been gone for the better part of the past hour or so, and Nac was unable to do much of anything as he remained in the Carolina household, pacing around the empty space at its center as he (im)patiently waited for his friend's return. He had managed to get Annie's fever down significantly, something that was both a good and bad thing, he reckoned, as it meant that Leonhardt' life was no longer at risk, but at the same time, it also freed up his schedule to just… worry about Carolina's whereabouts, especially after the blonde had hoarsely demanded for him to leave the room to give her some time to herself.

Nac had complied with minimal issue, even if he was, admittedly, reluctant to leave Annie on her own.

That aside, the tall young man paced around the room in an impatient manner, with him breathing in and out deeply as he attempted to calm himself down. He wasn't able to get too far with that, however, as, whenever he felt his heart rate slow to a reasonable pace, the heavens above forced it to speed up with a sudden clap of thunder, much to his dismay. There was just no calming him down, he supposed…

And then, right as that thought crossed his mind, Nac heard a sudden bang at the door, and, without pause, he rushed over to open it, not caring about the potential dangers of doing so as he pried the door open, and when he did, he found himself having to look down rather significantly when he realized that, rather than Mina standing in front of him… it was Mikazuki, who was cradling a soaked Mina in one arm whilst holding onto a soaked through umbrella in the other. Tias had to do a double take as he shook his head at what he was looking at, though as soon as he confirmed that he wasn't hallucinating, he wasted no time in stepping to one side and allowing the two entry into the building.

"Get some dry clothes, now," groaned Mikazuki as he set Mina down on the couch, soaking it through in the process. Whilst doing so, the taller young man blinked when he saw that Mikazuki's puffy green jacket was wrapped around Mina's shoulders to keep her dry (or drier than she would've been without it anyways). Odd… one would assume that he'd keep it on himself, especially when Carolina had sleeves to better insulate herself whereas Augus had nothing to protect his bare arms from freezing, though Nac didn't think to bring that up as he nodded and rushed up to do as Mika had asked.

It took him a moment or two to find some spare clothes that fitted Mina's form. Nac wasn't exactly in the market of rummaging through girl clothes, so his search was very much an awkward one, though before long, he managed to find a set that fitted his friend without much issue, and without a second thought, he bolted out of the room and rushed down to give them to his… acquaintance.

When he was down, however, the young man paused when he saw that, whilst he was away, Mikazuki had already begun to undress his friend! Her modesty remained mostly protected thanks to the bandages wrapped around her chest, her undergarments and a thin blanket covering her, but even so…! Pausing when he saw this, the taller person of the two stepped forward to protest what he was seeing, though before he could do so, Mika turned towards him with an annoyed look in his eyes.

"You're slow. Hurry up and give that to me," grumbled Mikazuki, with him holding his hand out to take the clothes from the taller male in the room. Nac, for all it was worth, narrowed his eyes as he did as he was told, though he didn't pause for too long as he handed the pilot what he had in hand, and moments later, he dressed the pigtailed girl back up without a second thought, and once she was fully clothed, the boy sighed and pulled the blanket around her just a bit tighter around her shoulders to further insulate her from the elements.

Whilst Mikazuki did this, however, Nac noticed how the rest of the girl's clothes laid on the ground. Frowning a little when he noticed this, the older guy wondered if Augus had intended on doing some… unsavoury things to his friend whilst he was gone, as, in spite of his, perhaps misplaced, faith in humanity, Tias knew that people taking advantage of others was not something that was unheard of, though right as he thought of that, Mika, almost as though he could read his mind, turned towards him and frowned just a tiny bit as he explained himself.

"If Mina kept her clothes on, she would've suffered from hypothermia. It was best that I removed them," stated Mikazuki flatly as he turned to face the other guy present, who flinched a little at essentially having his mind read. Even so, he kept himself steady as he narrowed his eyes at the boy before him, with him doing his best to discern his true intentions as he observed him from a distance.

His body language betrayed nothing as he simply stood with his arms by his side and his shoulders slouched over, no doubt from exhaustion, and likewise, the boy's eyes betrayed nothing in regards to his emotions, as he simply stared over at the young man blankly, something that, honestly speaking, set him on edge as he eyed him with less conviction… though not long thereafter, he ended up sighing as he shook his head and nodded, with him feeling too worried for the sake of his friend to continue in this argument all the while.

"... that sounds stupid," grumbled Nac, with him narrowing his eyes suspiciously at the boy as he spoke, though as he said this, Mikazuki grunted.

"It is. People tend to undress themselves when they feel cold to preserve body heat. This gets them killed faster," stated Mikazuki bluntly, with him moving to pick up his jacket and squeezing the water out of it moments later. "But that's when they're out in the open. In enclosed and warm environments, it's usually best to change out of wet clothes immediately. This place isn't warm, and it's," Mika paused to point towards the ceiling, which was dripping a tiny bit with rainwater thanks to some unseen opening, "not fully enclosed, but it's still warm and enclosed enough. The smartest thing to do was to change her out of her clothes as fast as possible."

"... you seem to know a lot about this sort of stuff, Mikazuki," commented Nac as he watched the pilot glance in his direction, to which he rolled his eyes in indifference. There was nothing to really say in response to this, Augus supposed, as he approached the door to the building, only to be stopped when Nac abruptly jolted forward and caught him by the wrist. "And where do you think you're going?"

"Out of here," responded Mikazuki, short and to the point, as he glanced back at Nac with an indifferent look on his face, though as he said this, the young man blinked as he eyed the pilot from head to toe, seeming… baffled at that statement as he gave the guy a look that screamed no. Sensing the word getting itself ready to escape his lips, the shorter guy sighed and added: "Shouldn't you be happy, though? You don't seem like you like me, anyways."

"I… wha? No, that's not the issue, Mikazuki! The issue here is that if I let you leave, you'll probably do more harm to yourself than good!" argued Nac, with him staring at this acquaintance in bewilderment as he spoke. In response to this, the shorter guy huffed as he shrugged once more, indifferent to the whole situation all the while, much to Tias' dismay. "S-Seriously, you… you're not even worried about the whole issue with you and hypothermia? Or… I dunno, you getting sick from all this rain?! Dude, do you have any form of self preservation?!"

"Sometimes, I guess," hummed Mikazuki, with his wording leading Nac to think that he was being sarcastic… not that he was, though right as he said that, the pilot turned to leave once more, only for Nac to this time grab him by the shoulders to halt him, prompting him to groan out in annoyance once more.

"Well, then make this one of those times, Mikazuki Augus! You're not completely wrong when you say that I don't really like you, but that's because I hardly know you! But even with that in mind, I'd be a heartless monster if I just let you knowingly walk yourself into a fever, dammit! So for crying out loud, just… stay here until the rain stops, alright?!" protested Nac, with him grimacing deeply as he spoke. In response to this, the shorter boy glanced back at the taller one in surprise, with his eyes scanning him thoroughly as he assessed the sincerity behind his words… though not long after, he sighed and nodded.

"You're not going to let me leave, and I don't feel like punching you, so fine, I'll stay," huffed Mikazuki in defeat, with him throwing his still wet jacket over to Nac, who barely caught it, in an instant. Tias flinched as he watched the pilot do that, though not long after, he realized what was going on as he blinked and tensed up a fair bit.

"I… I'll go get you some spare clothes to wear! Be right back!" said Nac, with him leaving before Mikazuki could get a word in, and once he was gone, the pilot sighed as he grabbed onto the collar of his soaked innerwear, peeling it off his body all the while.

'... yeah, I guess it would be a good idea, to change out of this for a bit…'

The clothes that Nac had picked out for the pilot fit him quite well, all things considered, but even so, it still felt odd to be wearing something that wasn't his usual outfit for a change. That, and… well… it also felt weird to be wearing something clean too. The last time he had washed his Tekkadan outfit was back when he was still with his old friends, long before the whole Edmonton fiasco, so one could only assume just how dirty the damn thing really was…

"I hope it's not too uncomfortable. I had those clothes with me for a long time, kinda outgrew them a few years back," said Nac as he hung Mikazuki's squeeze-dried clothes on a clothesline to help them dry faster. In response to this, the pilot simply tugged on his bland new attire, which was a simple dark blue tunic and long pants coloured like his usual pair. "I… uh… tried to colour match the clothes to your usual set too. Thought it'd make you feel more comfortable in them, I guess?"

"... it doesn't, but I appreciate it, I guess," huffed Mikazuki, with him finding Nac's somewhat benign, albeit well meaning, gesture to be appreciated to a certain extent. Upon hearing this, the older guy huffed as he pouted a tiny bit in response to his words… not that the pilot really cared, anyways, as he simply glanced to his side and frowned. "Where's Mina?"

"Oh, right. When you were changing, I carried her up to her room. It's best if she slept in an actual bed and not, well… the couch," hummed Nac helpfully, eliciting a nod from Mikazuki all the while.

"The couch isn't all that bad," muttered Mikazuki offhandedly in defense of the thing he was sitting on, eliciting a blink of bewilderment from Nac as he did so, though not much else was said on the matter as the two simply sat in silence. The lack of any proper source of heat was quite a damper on their current situation, but it didn't affect all that much as the duo spoke nothing of it… though not long thereafter, Tias' gaze hovered over to the other guy present, and after clearing his throat, something that caught his acquaintance's attention, he opted to start a conversation. "Hm?"

"It… it's been a while since we last saw each other… so… how have you been?" asked Nc kindly, with his question… confusing Mikazuki quite a bit as he raised a brow at the taller guy. Sensing his confusion, Nac simply chuckled briefly as he shook his head and elaborated. "Just humor me, Mikazuki. I really am curious about what you've been up to since the last time we met."

"Things have been… the same as they always were," said the pilot, with his shoulders slouching a fair bit as he spoke. He… didn't like that, really. For things to remain the same as they were used to strike him as a good thing… but now that he was in unfamiliar territory, he found himself thinking otherwise.

The same as things always was around here meant that he always needed to work his ass off just for the bare minimum of food, and that he'd always need to sleep on the ground in a chilly, abandoned barn on a daily basis. The status quo around here was… horrible, and if he were completely honest with himself, he… really wanted it to change… though he knew that such a change was impossible to come, so he'd just have to live with it…

"... do they have to remain that way, though?" asked Nac, with him almost reading the younger boy's thoughts as he grinned. In response to this, the pilot glanced in his direction with a raised brow, prompting him to continue. "You don't exactly have to live like this forever, you know? I'm sure that Mina wouldn't mind having you live with us. Permanently."

"... you… wouldn't want me as a roommate," stated Mikazuki, with him frowning as he spoke, though upon hearing this, Nac let out a somewhat good-natured laugh as he shook his head and stood himself up. Mika remained silent as he watched the guy walk over to the kitchen area to get two cups of water, and moments later, he returned to hand one of the two to Augus, who downed it in one go as Tias responded.

"Funnily enough, I've heard that from Annie from time to time," smiled Nac as he took a sip from his glass before setting it down. "She kept saying that she wouldn't fit in here, and how she'd just mess things up if she did."

"Did she?" asked Mikazuki, sounding somewhat curious as he glanced up at his hair and ruffled it up with a passion, with the gesture causing his ahoge to pop up a little from its initial flattened state. Nac responded to his question with a smile.

"Well… no. And honestly, and don't tell her I said this, but I think she's enjoying her stay here…" responded Nac, with him beaming widely as he spoke. "Mina definitely enjoys her being here, and honestly, it's nice to see her spend some time with someone that's not me… not that I don't like spending time with her! It's just that… her spending too much time with me isn't exactly ideal, since… y'know, I'm a guy, and… uh…"

"I get it. You're happy that Annie is living here and you want me to live here as well," grumbled Mikazuki, with him giving the older guy a deadpanned stare as he spoke. In response to this, the guy chuckled and nodded meekly, with him smiling sheepishly as he nodded.

"Well… yeah, basically… I just can't help but feel bad for your circumstance, alright? Mina told me a lot about you… and, well… I just want to help you to the best of my ability. Just knowing that you're out there, struggling every day just to scrape by, feels… wrong to me, and… and I just want to help you, alright!?" proclaimed Nac, with him waving his arms around wildly as he spoke. His words did make the pilot he was speaking to feel a little lighthearted as he smiled a tiny bit in bemusement, but even so… he still found himself sighing as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Why me, though? There're a lot of other people out there that were affected by the Shiganshina incident," stated Mikazuki, to which Nac grinned.

"Well, you are Mina's friend, aren't you? She likes you, like, a lot, so I see no problem in helping you out, even if I, admittedly, don't trust you fully just yet," stated Nac, with him swiftly backpedaling on his previous statement as he waved his arms around in a panic, though Mikazuki was quick to wave him off as he huffed.

"... you're not going to stop pestering me on this, aren't you?" huffed the pilot, with him frowning deeply as he watched Nac smile rather cheekily, eliciting a roll of the shorter guy's eyes as he shook his head. "Kh… you're annoying, but… living in a house is better than the place I'm currently sleeping in… but still, it's a big decision."

"Hey, I get it, Mikazuki. Take as much time as you need to-"

"So I guess I'll stay here."

"... ah-"

Mikazuki almost immediately cutting Nac off as he spoke was certainly unexpected, and as he kept his mouth hanging open, the older boy couldn't really find the words to vocalise his shock at Augus' sudden shift in demeanor. Whilst waiting for him to do so, Mika hummed and shifted his position atop the couch until he was laying atop it on his side, with him sighing to himself thereafter.

"W-Wait, you can't just do that-" blurted out Nac, with him flailing his arms about in shock as he spoke. In response to this, Mikazuki, who had shut his eyes in preparation for a nap, opened one eye and eyed Tias curiously.

"Do what?" asked the pilot.

"Just… say it's a big decision and then make that decision almost immediately thereafter!" yelled Nac, with his eyes practically bulging out of their sockets as he spoke. In response to this, Mikazuki shut his eye once more and buried his face into a pillow, with his voice slightly muffled as he responded.

"It was a big decision. One that I finished thinking about in five seconds. That's not immediately after," reasoned Mikazuki flatly, and at that, Nac spluttered as he swung his arms about in a panic.

"IT'S PRETTY DAMN CLOSE TO IMMEDIATELY THOUGH!" shot Nac, and as he said this, Mikazuki rolled around and glanced over at him once more.

"Whatever… so does this mean I'm not welcome here again?" asked Mikazuki, and upon hearing this, Nac recoiled and shook his head.

"Wha- no! Your sudden decision just caught me off guard, that's all!" responded Nac with a pout, to which Mikazuki huffed. Tias pretended to not know that his words were amusing Mika a lot more than he was letting on as he continued to speak. "Psh, well… since you've decided to live here now, we should go and get your stuff, huh? You mind showing me to your old… home?"

"No need. There's nothing to find there," assured Mikazuki, with his tone of voice sounding a little… upset as he spoke. No… there was something there that was of value to him… but he couldn't reveal its presence to anyone here, not now, and perhaps ever. For his part, Nac seemed to deflate a tiny bit when he heard this, with him frowning a little when he acknowledged how, in a way, this meant that Augus had literally nothing left of his former life, which he would be correct in assuming… but even so…

"That's… tragic… but still, it doesn't mean that you can't find anything new in the future that's of value to you, Mikazuki! I'm sure you can start anew here, and if you need any help whatsoever, just come to me! I'm always here to lend an ear!" assured Nac, with him smiling widely as he jabbed his chest with his thumb, and in response to that, the pilot simply sighed as he rolled around, turning his back towards Tias, as he grunted in affirmation.

"I appreciate it. Now shut up. I'm taking a nap."

And even if he did splutter a little at Mikazuki's abhorrent social skills, Nac still otherwise complied as he remained there in silence, allowing Mika to take his nap in relative peace.

Note: I actually have no real idea of how hypothermia works-