After that little incident of Leyhna appearing and leaving, I never turned back into my human form. I stuck by Fina's side until she awoke, and I turned off my |Sound Interference|.
"Ugh…" [Fina]
("She's waking up!") [Solace]
I returned to the… I don't know what I should call it. The thing where I return to Fina's hand and turn invisible? I'll just call it the spirit realm. So, I returned to the spirit realm so I could just watch over her.
"What…? Where…?" [Fina]
She blinked slowly, glancing around at her surroundings. After a few moments of silence, she sat up in bed.
"...Solace, are you there?" [Fina]
There was my cue. I appeared out of thin air, in my ball form of course, and hovered in front of her.
("Good morning.") [Solace]
I did a little twirl in the air as a greeting, which made Fina smile.
"Hehe… I'm glad to see you too." [Fina]
She seemed pretty happy to see me. It may be a bit weird to say, but I was also happy to see her doing fine.
"Solace, do you know what time it is?" [Fina]
("...She does realize I can't speak, right?") [Solace]
I shook my… body? Try imagining shaking your head left and right to say no, but instead replace it with a yellow ball. That's basically how it went.
"Thought so…" [Fina]
With a loud grunt and a sigh, Fina got out of her bed and went to her desk.
"Where did I last put it…?" [Fina]
Rummaging through her desk drawers, she pulled out a wooden slate. It had a strange pattern on it, like a constellation of some kind.
("It's… glowing?") [Solace]
Some parts of it shone dimly, while others didn't shine at all.
"Well… It doesn't look like I overslept..." [Fina]
She seemed relieved. Without even returning the wooden slate back into the desk drawer, Fina hopped into bed.
"Urk…!" [Fina]
Fina clutched at her stomach, and I began to panic.
("Huh?! I-Is something wrong?! Did the wound reopen?! Was that nurse lying?!") [Solace]
I quite literally flew around in a frenzy. I wasn't sure what to do, but I was calmed when Fina called out to me.
"Solace, it's fine. I'm just… a bit tired." [Fina]
I stopped my frenzy when I saw her pained smile. It appears that I was already causing enough trouble for her to worry about me instead.
("Worry about yourself more dummy…") [Solace]
Seeing as how I had calmed down, Fina closed her eyes. Within moments, she had fallen back to sleep.
("...There must be something I could do.") [Solace]
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
The next day came by, and Fina seemed to be in much better shape.
"Good morning, Solace." [Fina]
("Good morning.") [Solace]
Fina went about her daily routine, but I could still see some odd things about her. Her movements were a bit sluggish, if not forced. I felt incredibly anxious about letting her go outside until we heard a knock at the door.
"Yes?" [Fina]
Upon opening the door, Fina was greeted by a familiar face.
"Morning! How do you feel?" [???]
There Leyhna was, greeting Fina with a smile.
"L-Leyhna? What are you doing here?" [Fina]
"I'm here to inform you that you have the week off." [Leyhna]
"...What?" [Fina]
Fina was perplexed. It was like she never heard of the concept of a day off, much less a week.
"Ms. Ross told me to inform you. Also, it gives me a good reason to skip class." [Leyhna]
She gave Fina a thumbs up, paired with a mischievous smile.
"Leyhna…" [Fina]
"I was joking! Here, I got you a get-well present." [Leyhna]
Leyhna took out a small red box with a blue ribbon tied around it. I thought it was a bit too fancy for a get-well present, but I'm not one to judge.
"That… looks expensive…" [Fina]
"Take it." [Leyhna]
Fina reached out a hand and reluctantly took the box. After untying the ribbon and opening the box, her eyes widened with surprise.
"This…! It's too much Leyhna!" [Fina]
("What? Let me see!") [Solace]
I took a glance at the present. It was a glamorous golden necklace with a red gem set that seemed to hum to me.
"I heard that you had mana deficiency from your… field trip? That's what Ross told me. So, I decided to get you a backup mana supply." [Leyhna]
Fina stared at the necklace with guilt. Maybe it was a bit too much for her to handle.
"I… don't want this." [Fina]
"But I do." [Leyhna]
Leyhna locked eyes with Fina, as if she was trying to overpower Fina's will with her own.
"I… I don't know…" [Fina]
"Keep it. I know you don't really care about yourself, but I do. I want you to be safe. Keep it for me, please." [Leyhna]
Fina remained silent. After a few moments of silence, Fina spoke up.
"...I'll keep it." [Fina]
Without a moment wasted, Fina clipped the golden necklace around her neck.
"...Does it suit me?" [Fina]
"Try asking Solace." [Leyhna]
She smiled slyly, which made my heart race a bit.
("She's taunting me! That little fox!") [Solace]
"O...kay? Solace, can you come out?" [Fina]
Answering her call, I popped into reality.
"Solace… Does… Does this look good on me?" [Fina]
Fina blushed profusely. It seemed that asking her own spirit embarrassed her greatly.
("Hm… It looks good!") [Solace]
I nodded in agreement, which made Fina's expression brighten up.
"Looks like your little spirit agreed." [Leyhna]
"Mhm…!" [Fina]
Though she may have been a bit embarrassed at first, Fina now smiled gleefully.
"Okay, you should get back to bed now." [Leyhna]
"H-huh? But I just got up." [Fina]
Leyhna made a serious face and crossed her arms.
"Nuh-uh. Not on my watch. I know you were injured pretty badly yesterday. There's no way one day of rest will fully heal you." [Leyhna]
Fina flinched at her words. Perhaps they struck true.
"I… have work today-" [Fina]
"I'll tell them you're not coming. Don't worry, I know where you work." [Leyhna]
("Damn, she's got Fina in a vicelock.") [Solace]
This was checkmate, for Fina that is. The only choice she had left was to go to bed.
"A-Alright… I'll go." [Fina]
Fina was a bit reluctant at first, but she changed and snuggled into bed comfortably.
"Good… Night?" [Fina]
It was a bit awkward since it was still the day, but it got the message through.
"Good night." [Leyhna]
Fina closed her eyes, which basically knocked her out in an instant.
("I guess she really was tired.") [Solace]
Just as I was about to vanish back into the spirit world, Leyhna stopped me.
"Solace." [Leyhna]
("Uh…") [Solace]
"Mind following me for a bit?" [Leyhna]
She smiled menacingly. It wasn't my style to get intimidated, but that was pretty damn intimidating.
("Yes ma'am…") [Solace]