It had been several days since Raine had taken him under her wing and he was starting to heal noticeably better. He still had an impressive array of cuts and bruises that would take time to mend, but she was relieved that his head didn't appear to have taken too much damage. She'd been worried that he'd taken a hit when he'd first arrived, but upon closer inspection he appeared to be fine in that respect.

Tending to his wounds as she did every day, Raine worked quietly, relishing in the silence of the room. In the three days he'd been in her care, he'd never stirred, never spoken.

"You're pretty." His voice was hoarse from days of disuse.

She froze, her cloth on his right cheek, hovering over a particularly deep gash. She definitely wasn't expecting that to be the first thing he uttered.

"Is that all you have to say for yourself? You did a number on your entire body, and you're remarking on me?" Perhaps she felt a bit uneasy being complimented by him. She could hardly even tell what he looked like without the bruises marring his features...but she did like the sound of his voice. It was oddly youthful for a man around his age. Light and kind, even, for a soldier.

"I'm sorry," he said, then began to moan as she tried turning him over to his side, so she could attend to his bandages. "It…just kinda slipped out. I feel all loopy…"

"You'll probably feel out-of-sorts for a while. You've been unconscious for three days."

"Three…days?" The soldier blew out a shaky breath and let his eyes flutter closed once more.

"Don't worry, I've been taking good care of you." She inspected the wounds on his muscular body. As she worked her hands across his skin, he squirmed under her touch, face twisting into a grimace. "Just making sure nothing's infected."

"Where am I?" he croaked out, his voice still heavy as he regained his wits.

"In Winhill, far from where you were. You fell into a lake and were brought here by people who found you. You're lucky you survived a fall like that," she muttered, almost to herself.

"A lake…?" He sounded awed. "Oh no...oh geez...that really happened?" his voice shook as he seemed to grapple with his emotions before her eyes. "I…don't remember."

"It's common for you to be foggy after sustaining injuries like you did. Just take it easy and try to relax."

He was silent for a moment when his eyes suddenly widened and then creased with sorrow. A look of realization was in them as he shakily covered his mouth with his hand. "It's my fault…" he breathed.

"Hmm?" Raine arched an eyebrow. "I'm afraid you were alone when you were found. Is everything okay?" He seemed pensive.

His expression lightened and he forced a shaky smile. "Just worried," he said weakly. "About my friends. Tell me they're here, please?"

Raine hated to be the bearer of bad news. Sighing she said, "I'm sorry, but you were the only one brought here. But I'm sure they're okay, wherever they are. If you survived the fall, they might have as well."

He lay silent, processing this as she felt some concern for him. She hoped his friends were okay and that he'd manage to reunite with them.

Still, she felt some minor irritation that she was taking care of a soldier, a man who'd apparently been armed with a machine gun no less, but somehow her disdain was gradually dissipating the more she heard him talk. Especially when it came to the friends he obviously cared so deeply about. He was so...expressive. "What's your name, soldier? Tell me you remember, please."

He grunted as she gently rolled him onto his back again. "Laguna Loire."

She smiled a little. She liked the sound of the name. "Never heard of someone with that name before, what does it mean? Probably should mean 'strong as steel'", she added. She decided some chit-chat would be good to distract him from the pain as she cleaned a particularly nasty wound on his abdomen.

He chuckled before hissing as she touched a tender spot. "Holy Hyne! Warn a guy next time, will ya?"

"Sorry," she said, feeling a bit guilty. "Just lie still and I'll be done soon."

She worked in silence, making her think that her question would hang in the air unanswered.

"Okay," he finally broke the silence. "But you're gonna make fun of me."

Raine arched an eyebrow, curiosity piqued. "Is it that bad?"

Laguna sighed as though he were preparing himself for teasing. "A body of water. Yes, I'm serious," he added, even though she didn't say anything. "It has many specific meanings, though. Like a pond or a lake. I used to hate my name so much. I was always teased for it. Some kids would even call me 'baboona'. Jerks."

She nodded silently as she shifted her attention to the wound on his thigh, her cool cloth working gently on the angry flesh. "Intriguing. I've never known anyone to be named after a land feature like that."

"You're not going to make fun of me?" He eyed her with suspicion.

"Of course not. I'm not a kid, and I'm not a jerk." She smirked slightly.

"Says you. That acid you're puttin' on my cuts leads me to believe otherwise." He hissed again as her deft fingers cleansed his wound.

"You only get the non-acid once you've proven you can behave yourself," Raine said matter-of-factly, a small grin gracing her lips. "Prove your loyalty."

Laguna let out a hearty chuckle. "Yes, Ma'am."

Raine was happy he seemed to be tolerating her ministrations. She knew it had to be incredibly painful to endure. Small-talk was definitely helping. "We have something in common, you know."

"Oh yeah?" Laguna quirked an eyebrow.

"Our names. They both have something to do with water."

"What is it?" He shifted on the bed, grimacing slightly as his body protested.

She finished dressing his final wound on his upper thigh. "Raine. But with an 'e' at the end."

"Marry me," he said without hesitation. He even gazed at her, a dreamy look in his eyes.

As she stared at him, she felt like she didn't even need to know what his face looked like beneath the cuts and bruises. There was something strangely alluring about this man.

Raine's heart suddenly thudded in her chest, as confusing emotions assailed her. He was ribbing her, right? Surely, he can't be serious. A sheen of sweat developed on her upper lip. She turned away slightly so she could wipe it and laughed off his words as though he'd made a silly joke. "Shut up," she said, slapping him playfully. She hoped he wouldn't sense her nerves, her discomfort.

He smiled at her lopsidedly for a moment as a hand came up to rest on the side of his head. "Sorry if I said something stupid. Everything hurts. Everything," he emphasized, to her amusement.

She couldn't help but smile as she looked him in the eye and noticed for the first time that they were green, a rare color. Somehow, it was fitting. "Well, everything will feel better soon if you just cooperate with me and don't say stupid things," she teased.

"Hyne, did I mutter other stuff when I was out?" Laguna groaned and covered his face with his hands. "Did I...did I just ask you to marry me? Oh my gosh. Kill me right now."

She couldn't help but chuckle. Did he just say 'oh my gosh'? "You're funny," she said smiling at him. She could somehow feel her frown lines melting away the more they chatted. He was endearing in so many ways—this awkward soldier.

He frowned, lowering his hands. "Uh...thanks?"

There was something about him that made him different from other men who she'd taken care of during the war…or even just met in general. He just seemed so delightfully nice for a man who wielded a machine gun. A man who killed for a living. A man who should be intimidating and brutish, but instead seemed so pure and naive. It boggled her mind.

Well, maybe this was just a first impression and there was even more to him than met the eye. Maybe he partook in kicking puppies behind closed doors.

A smirk touched her lips as she watched his doe-like eyes peering back at her. Yeah...or maybe not.

Yet somehow, she hadn't had such a good time just chatting with someone in so long. It was rare she let her guard down and even joked with anyone. Yet she had done it with this Laguna fellow. A soldier, no less. She found she kept wondering what he looked like without the bruises and cuts. Did he look as youthful as he sounded?

There was something about him that piqued her interest. Made her want to know more about him. She was already even thinking of introducing Elle to him.

He was that disarming.

He was that nice.