Todd Wants Key's Face

Harry: Hahah, yeah, more like - *in a stern, commanding voice* "search for any cured Whiskey Deltas and escort them back to the Safe Zone."

Claire: *laughs* It'll probably be EXACTLY like that. XD *pulls her gas mask on* let's get moving, we don't want to be late and have Paul start asking questions!

Harry: No kidding! XP *travels down with Claire and out to the CEDA Building*

OUTSIDE THE CEDA BUILDING: *there is an armored truck, and a few soldiers waiting outside*

Claire: whoops. already late. *hurries into the building, holding the door for Harry, then rushing to the locker room*

Harry: Oh, shoot! D: *travels with Claire to the locker room and quickly gets his armor on, and grabs his gun*

Claire: *does the same, and hurries outside with Harry*

Paul: *is already outside* Jeez, guys, it must be the end of the world. How the hell did I get here BEFORE you?

Harry: It's the end of the world if we're a little late? :P

Harry: *still smiling* Good night, Claire...

*THE NEXT MORNING*

Claire: *wakes up, in the same position she fell asleep in. for a moment, she forgets Harry was there with her and starts to panic, but quickly remembers the night before and smiles to herself. not wanting to wake him, she doesn't move*

Harry: *still asleep, with his hand over her. He did not suffer from any nightmares the night before*

Claire: *looks over her shoulder at him, and is surprised by how peaceful he looks--a huge difference from the night before* ... :)

Harry: *he soon gains awareness, and after that, consciousness* ... g'morning...

Claire: good morning... I assume you got a good night's sleep this time? :P

Harry: Uh... yeah. How'd you know? :/

Claire: you didn't move or do anything at all.

Harry: Oh. Duh. ^^; *he glances away for a second* So... uh... this wasn't so bad...

Claire: *looks back at the wall directly in front of her* No... it wasn't. *snuggles into Harry a bit more* Not at all.

Harry: *was caught off guard by her snuggling into him like that, and he blushes from such contact. This was all still so very new to him. ANYTHING new like that felt strange to him. This was what Todd and Key felt about each other - WITH each other. Harry looked down at Claire, a warm happiness soon showing on his face - in his eyes*

Claire: *looks at him over her shoulder again, and is caught off-guard herself by his expression--in the time she's known him, she has never seen him like this. she smiles at him, his happiness almost contagious, and nuzzles him affectionately*

Me: HARRY'S HAPPINESS IS A DISEASE! AMGRUNAWAY!!

Harry: *nuzzles back into her, welcoming this foreign happiness that he felt with open arms*

Me: *has to put a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing out loud and being discovered* PFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFT.....

Claire: *feels content there with Harry... happier than she's been for a long time. she was glad she decided to give him a chance... she twists around in his grip to face him fully, and hugs him, still nuzzling him. she was definitely content.*

Harry: *snuggles with Claire like that for a while, when suddenly* Heheh... can you imagine what Paul would say if he knew we were doing this right now? Man... he wouldn't let us hear the end of it.

Claire: *laughs a bit at this* Oh, I can see it now, the teasing would be endless.

Harry: *gently raises his hand to brush away the bangs from her face with his thumb, so that he could look at her face more clearly* No kidding... speaking of Paul, maybe we should head down, or something...

Me: That's what she said.

Me: stop iiiiiiiiiiit... stop making me laugh, or i'll get in troubleeee...!! XDDD

Claire: *stares back at him* You're right... we should be getting that rescue mission today...

Harry: Well... that's something to look forward to, right? *kisses her, then moves away from her, out of the bed. He looks around the apartment, finding his gas mask still in the main room*

Claire: *grabs her glasses off the nightstand and puts them on, then gets up, shuts the door, and quickly changes. she ties her hair back as she leaves the room, looking around the apartment for her gas mask*

Harry: *puts his boots on* Right, so... the plan is to just wander around until we find cured infected?

Claire: Basically, yes. *grabs her gas mask off the table she had left it on* The official orders will sound a bit fancier than that. :P

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Harry: Whah - no! D: You shouldn't have to sleep on the couch - I'm just the guest! D:

Claire: No, no, it's okay. I was just thinking that you had the couch last time, so...

Harry: I'm not making you sleep on the COUCH. D;

Me: lol what if they both slept in Claire's bed? :3

Me: i thought about that, but if Claire's would EVER suggest it at this point, it'd be jokingly. so, Harry would have to take her seriously. would that work? unless HARRY suggests it.

Claire: You wouldn't be making me sleep on the couch, because I'd be choosing to sleep on the couch. :P

Me: Harry's got people-issues. He'll have to just take Claire literally, or something.

Harry: Me being here is forcing you onto the couch. D:

Me: I figured as much. sarcasm failure moment, go!

Claire: *rolls her eyes, and speaks in a sarcastic tone* gee, then we may as well just share the bed or something.

Me: that last bit means nothing.

Harry: What, really? ._.;

Me: Lol I know.

Claire: *blinks--did he just take that seriously? should she take it back?* A-ah... I-If you really WANT to... *(please say no, that would be too awkward, please say no D:)*

Harry: *rubs the back of his neck* Ah... okay. :/

Claire: *curses herself mentally, but keeps a straight face* ...okay then. err... make yourself comfortable, then. *goes into her room, comes out with her clothes, then goes into the bathroom, locking the door* ... *thumps her head against the wall (that was STUPID, Claire, STUPID!)*

Harry: :/ ... *he awkwardly walks into her room, sitting on the bed* ._.;

Claire: *takes a shower, gets dressed, brushes her teeth, doing ANYTHING to delay the inevitable... she berates herself for being childish, and leaves the bathroom, going into her room* ...

Harry: *still sitting on the bed, he gives Claire a tiny wave when she enters the room* ._.;

Claire: *sighs, restraining the urge to facepalm at herself. she walks around the bed, sits on the edge, puts her glasses on the nightstand next to the bed, then lies down, looking up at the ceiling* ....

Harry: *gets under the covers and lies down in the bed as well. He looks away from Claire, to the side, finding it hard to sleep when she was right there*

Claire: .... *considers moving to the couch after Harry falls asleep... she wonders how long it'll take. she glances over at him*

Harry: *at that moment, he glances at Claire, and when he spots her looking at him, he immediately looks away* >///>

Claire: !! *quickly looks away as well. (this was a TERRIBLE idea!) she turns on her side, facing the wall, and scoots away from him, towards the edge of the bed, face turning red. (definitely moving to the couch.)* -/////-;;;

Harry: *there is a long silence while Harry looked away, glancing back to find that Claire had moved over to the edge of the bed, and was facing away from him* ... *he slowly scoots closer to her (no no no, this is a stupid idea, stop, stop STOP) gently, he puts a hand over her (OH MY GOD THIS IS THE WORST POSSIBLE THING YOU CAN DO, STOP - STOP! STOP!)*

Claire: !! *tenses up--what was he doing?! it was awkward enough that they were sharing a bed, let alone him being THAT CLOSE--!!* O/////O;;;

Harry: *feeling her tense up under his fingers, he quickly withdraws his hand (see? You blew it, you dimwit)*

Claire: ! *reflexively grabs his arm before he moves it too far* ... *relaxes, and lets out a sigh before responding quietly* It's okay. You can stay.

Harry: ! *he smiles a little at this, returning his hand to her body, and feeling much better*

Claire: *smiles a bit herself, keeping her hand on his. so it wasn't TOO bad... maybe she should stay* ... good night, Harry.

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Me: Anime and cartoons lie - scars eventually heal. And even if they don't, they don't take too long to go from "icky" to "white line on your skin" ^^;

Harry: Then why does it still look fresh?

Me: i thought you MEANT nasty white scar line thing. not icky still-red/FRESH wound. i HAVE scars, i know what they do. D: also, did you see my comment on your profile?

Claire: Maybe you got it right before entering the safe zone.

Harry: We used a car.

Me: not yet.

Me: okay. now you did. and your opportunity's coming right up. XD

Claire: *is getting frustrated. a story like that can't possibly be true, could it?! she pinches the bridge of her nose and closes her eyes, trying to keep the frustration in* This is crazy. All this talk of war, and cartoon characters and talking animals--it's IMPOSSIBLE!

Harry: *kisses her. He didn't know HOW IN HELL it would help, but he figured it would*

Claire: *her eyes widen in surprise, but she lets him*

Harry: *after a few seconds, he breaks the kiss* ...

Claire: ... *sighs* sorry. got a little carried away there...

Harry: No kidding. I don't blame you for not believing me, though.

Claire: ...It's STILL hard to believe...

Harry: I know. You don't HAVE to believe it. But that doesn't mean it never happened. I'm not going to dismiss what I saw as a simple dream. I CAN'T.

Claire: ...Okay. Alright. Umm...I'm sorry for giving you such a hard time about it...

Harry: *shrugs* ... I would've done the same thing. I know that in this world, the things I've told you would either end up being a dream, or proof that I've lost my mind... you... you didn't want to think about possibility number two, right?

Claire: *looks down* ...Yeah. I really didn't want to think of that possibility...

Harry: ... I'm sorry. I must've freaked you out, or something...

Claire: *laughs half-heartedly* Just a little bit...

Harry: *gently slips his hand around hers, holding it. He wears a frown. No one would ever believe him. Maybe the Between World never existed. Maybe he WAS insane. Then... would he be dangerous? To himself? To CLAIRE? His concern showed on his face*

Claire: *glances down at their hands, then back up at his face, noticing his concern* Hey... you're not crazy. I think I'd be able to tell if you were. You've just... you've just been through a lot. If everything you told me really did happen... then I'd say you're doing pretty well, actually. *smiles at him, to show that she means it*

Harry: *smiles a little, himself, feeling somewhat relieved to hear that* Thanks, Claire...

Claire: :) *glances at the clock on the stove and notices the time* It's getting late... you can stay if you want.

Harry: Well, okay. I'd like that. :)

Claire: I'll take the couch this time. :P

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Harry: Right, right. And I'm not a kid. See you guys tomorrow. *heads out*

Claire: I was kidding. *goes out after him*

Paul: ..heheh.. *gives them a head start, not wanting to interrupt them*

Harry: Oh, I know you were kidding. :P

Claire: *laughs a bit* boy... sure has been an interesting day today...

Harry: *shrugs* I dunno - it seemed kinda like a normal day for me.

Claire: *raises an eyebrow, wondering if he even remembered this morning, but doesn't say anyting*

Harry: ...Unless you're also counting this morning.

Claire: I am. You know, I still don't know what to make of it.

Harry: ... ah...

Claire: ...I still think it was a dream.

Harry: You're pretty stubborn about this whole "dream" thing, huh? Well, it's impossible for something that went on for about a year, it's impossible to feel PAIN when you dream - at least not before waking up - and I've felt PLENTY of that where I went, hell, I got stabbed in my gut there!

Claire: ......do you have any proof?

Harry: I've still got the scar where I was stabbed, if that's what you're saying.

*they reach the apartment building*

Claire: *holds the door open for Harry* ...Can I see it? Not HERE, obviously.

Harry: Well, no, not HERE. Your room, or mine?

Claire: Mine's closer. *leads him up to her apartment*

IN THE APARTMENT

Harry: *takes his gas mask off* Alright. *he lifts up his shirt and points out where exactly he got stabbed - there was a nasty looking scar there* A furry cartoon character did this. I think his name was Newman.

Claire: *blinks, not expecting something like THAT. she takes off her gas mask and leans in a bit closer to look at it. after a few moments, she pulls away, shaking her head* That's not possible. That could have come from anything. D:

Harry: I got this scar twelve and a half months ago (starting from the moment I got it). It stopped healing as soon as I left the Between World. Don't you think that in the two and a half months I was back HERE, the scar would have healed by now?

Claire: The point of scars is that they don't heal, Harry! I mean, if it didn't heal in a year, who says it would've healed in two months??

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Me: No?

Harry: Right.

*and so, they patrol*

Me: derp. she was referencing back to the conversation they had earlier.

Claire: ...

Paul: ...I kind of wish something would happen, y'know?

Claire: If by "something happening," you mean another Hunter getting over the wall, then no.

Harry: Yeah, that would be a VERY BAD THING.

Paul: Well, yeah, it WOULD. I wasn't talking about that. D: I just... I dunno. It's just so BORING in here. I can't wait until they let us out tomorrow.

Claire: *nods*

Harry: ... I'd hate to see those whiskey deltas get cured only to be killed. The sooner we go, the better.

Claire: Mhmm...

*AND SO THEY PATROLLED*

*after the patrol, later that night*

Harry: If anything, we're getting exercise out of this. Yay. Wait - wait I'm being POSITIVE. ._.;

Paul: WHOO!

Claire: Pfft. It's an improvement. :P

Harry: That was Todd's job - WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME? <_<;

Paul: Positive influences? Higher likelyhod of survival? Claire?

Claire: PAUL.

Paul: RIGHT, RIGHT, SORRY.

Harry: Were you ALWAYS like this Paul? A gossipy smart-mouth? DX

Paul: Well, I dunno about the 'gossipy' part... that's for teenagers and old ladies. :P

Claire: *snorts, holding back laughter*

Paul: *ignores her* I just like poking fun at people. no harm, no foul, right? I just didn't do it as often before because I didn't know you all that well. :P

Harry: *facepalms* Oh GOD - THAT'S why.

*they enter the locker room*

Harry: *takes off his armor and puts away his gun*

Paul: *is rather amused right now. he takes off his armor and puts his gun away as well* But i swear, it's Claire. She makes you smiiiile.

Claire: *rolls her eyes, then does the same* You know, I wonder about you sometimes.

Harry: Indeed. What's up with you, Paul?

Paul: *shrugs* Trying to stay positive while the world goes to hell. Not as easy as you'd think.

Claire: you sure about that?

Paul: well... yeah.

Harry: Seemed easy for TODD.

Paul: It's easy to hide behind. Who knows how worried or freaked out he was? Or who knows--maybe he really WAS just feelin' positive. could go either way.

Harry: Or both of yah are LUNATICS. And I'm turning INTO one.

Paul: awesome, one more member to the club. now we have to drive Claire crazy.

Claire: i think you already are.

Paul: well, mission accomplished, then!

Harry: *snorts, trying to contain some laughter* Okay, that was funny. XD

Paul: Mission number two--make Harry laugh--accomplished. *fistpumps* YES.

Claire: *grinning under the mask* okay that's enough. you kids need to go home. :P

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Harry: *is silent for a couple of minutes. Then, he speaks* Well, now you know a little more about little ol' me. I guess we should be heading out. You need to get us that rescue mission, right?

Claire: ...right. Give me a minute. *stands, and goes to her room to change, still mulling over everything Harry had told her...STILL finding it very hard to believe...*

Harry: *sits still, thinking about what he had done. Really, there was nothing to gain from telling Claire about The Between World. There was no point to it. True, he told her because he trusted her enough, but at what cost? What if she became scared of him? Because she thought he was insane? What if doing this HURT whatever the hell they had going on between them?*

Claire: *comes out of her room after a few minutes, and grabs her coat and her gasmask, putting them both on* ready to go?

Harry: *puts on his own gas mask* NOW I am. *leaves with Claire*

Claire: *is silent the whole way to the CEDA building--not because she doesn't want to talk to Harry, but because she's still thinking...*

Harry: *he too, is silent, out of fear that he'd say something completely idiotic*

*they reach the CEDA Building*

Claire: *opens the door for Harry* Go ahead without me--I have to see if the request got through.

Harry: *nods* Alright. *heads into the CEDA Building, and into the locker room*

Claire: *goes down a completely different hallway*

*no one comes into the locker room for a while*

Harry: *waits there for Claire (and eventually Paul), fully ready to go* ...

Paul: *comes in first* Oh. Hey, Harry. You come in early, or am I late again? *goes to his locker and starts taking his stuff out*

Harry: Don't worry - you're not late. Not TODAY, at least. :P

Paul: Oh, GOOD. *puts his armor on* Sooo... why're you early, then?

Harry: Claire needed to get here early to try getting us that rescue mission. She let me spend the night over at her place - mine's window was getting fixed - so I went here with her. Early.

Paul: *refrains from commenting on the 'spending the night' bit, but he still smirks a bit under his gas mask* Right.

Claire: *comes in, a rather disappointed look hidden by her gas mask* Bad news, guys.

Paul: uh oh.

Claire: Well, not THAT bad. They're not letting us out until tomorrow.

Harry: Oh... well, okay. We can wait until tomorrow, can't we? Better than not being able to go out at all.

Claire: *gets her stuff out of her locker* Exactly.

Paul: *garbs his gun* still a bit of a bummer, though. :/

Claire: well, they told me it was because they believed that more people were needed for a mission like that, and that it was too late to notify other squads by the time the request got up to Crowe.

Paul: makes sense... how many more people'll be joining us?

Claire: not too many, i hope...

Harry: And we'll be going in separate groups? Splitting up? I would hope so - we'd be finding cured infected - er, whiskey deltas faster that way.

Claire: *puts on her armor* That's exactly what they're doing. They just want more people out there in case they run into trouble.

Paul: again, makes sense.

Claire: mhmm. totally logical. *grabs her gun* Let's go.

Me: Freudian sliiip. can you find it?

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Harry: Because you'd think I'm insane. NO ONE - INCLUDING you could ever believe what I went through.

Claire: ....Alright. I won't ask, then.

Harry: Thank you for that. For not asking about it. I'd... I'd hate for you to see me as... I dunno... some lunatic. I'm sure a lot of people think I'm one already.

Claire: ...it's really that bad? I mean--I know I said I wasn't gonna ask, but...

Harry: But you're still curious - yeah, I get it. I can... I can tell you... but you gotta promise not to, I dunno, laugh, or call me nuts, or whatever.

Claire: No, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to. D:

Harry: I'm GOING to tell you, because it's probably gonna end up bothering BOTH of us if I don't.

Claire: ...Okay. Do whatever you want. I'm listening. :/

Harry: *breathes in deeply before starting - he told Claire about everything. The Between World, Bob, THE RACCOON, the horrors he had experienced there, the horrors that were supposed to happen HERE - what happened when he got BACK... he stopped his story after that* ... and then I put Todd on a leash, and we kinda... went from there... *he looks down. Here it comes*

Claire: ...that's... *sighs* that's a lot to take in... are you SURE it wasn't all just a dream?

Harry: ... If I was asleep for two weeks straight, I wouldn't be here. I'd be a Smoker. Honestly, I considered the possibility that I was having some kind of schizophrenic fit - which scared the CRAP out of me - but Key and Todd convinced me otherwise...

Claire: So they believed you?

Harry: ... no. I don't think they really did. Just like how you probably don't right now.

Claire: ...I'm not going to lie to you, Harry, your story's kind of hard to believe...

Harry: ... said Claire, as zombies continued to try and invade the Safe Zone...

*there is an awkward pause*

Claire: ...Okay, I see your point...

Harry: *shrugs* But I get why it'd be hard to believe - after all, when the dead walk the earth, it's kinda hard to separate the crazies from the normal people.

Claire: I still think it was a dream. They can be rather vivid, you know...

Harry: ... you can't feel pain in a dream...

Claire: ... *doesn't know how to reply to that. she doesn't (want to) think Harry's crazy, but she can't think of any other explanation... unless he really WAS telling the truth...*

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Harry: *smiles cheerfully at her* Goodnight, Claire. *he gets under the blanket of the couch-bed and goes to sleep*

Me: CHEERFUL SMILES? FOR HARRY? BLASPHEMY!

Claire: *goes to sleep as well*

Me: oh, if only Todd could see him now. XD

Me: Indeed. |8O

Harry: *throughout the night, he suffers from another nightmare of him being a Smoker - only this time, it wasn't what could have happened if he was infected by Todd - it's what could have happened if he had turned in the CEDA Building. All the while, he heard his father mocking him. It is horrific, and outside his dream, he quietly sobbed.*

Claire: *wakes up suddenly in the very early morning from a nightmare of her own--the three of them had been sent out to round up the cured, and as the patrol was bringing them back, they all turned on them and tore them to pieces. perhaps she wasn't as confident as she thought... she looks up when she hears a very quiet sound outside her room. curious, she gets up to find out what it is, carefully opening the door into the rest of her apartment* ...

Harry: *he was still asleep, still suffering through his nightmare*

Claire: *follows the sound to the couch, where she's startled to find Harry there, sobbing* D:> .... *she sits on the edge of the couch, and puts a hand on his cheek, lightly stroking it with her thumb* ...wake up...

Harry: *twitches at her touch, waking up, having to blink a few times to clear his blurred vision* Wh-whah...?

Claire: *doesn't move her hand* ...i think you were having a nightmare, Harry...

Harry: Uh... oh... *he was quite embarrassed (was he crying? Did she SEE? How can she tell??). Oh god, he was such a screw up. What would she think of him NOW?*

Claire: ...has this happened before?

Harry: *trying to compose himself* Uhm... I-I used to it... this one just kinda took me by surprise... I haven't had a nightmare like that in a while...

Claire: ...do you want to talk about it? *moves her hand off his cheek*

Harry: ... *feels more comfortable with telling Claire about his particular... quirks. Perhaps it WOULD help to be more open with her* ... s... sure. Why not. *he sits up, making room for Claire to sit*

Claire: *sits more comfortably next to him* ..well?

Harry: ...I've been having nightmares (and these things have been going on for a while) of me as a Smoker. The thing is, though, that these nightmares used to hit me every night, and would follow each other - like episodes in a TV series, or something. And... and every time, I would be doing SOMETHING horrible. The last time I had one of those nightmares was when we were still trying to get HERE, to the Safe Zone... I was killed. Then the dreams ended. But now... I had a dream were I DID turn, back in the CEDA Building... and... well...

Claire: ...It's just a nightmare, Harry... it doesn't mean it's going to happen.

Harry: But it was SUPPOSED to happen!! D8>

Claire: How can you be so sure? How can you be so sure it was SUPPOSED to happen?

Harry: BECAUSE - ! Well, shoot - I can't tell you that...

Claire: Why not? :/

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Harry: Oh? Thanks, Claire! :D

Claire: No problem. ^^ I figured having to sleep with a gas mask on is pretty uncomfortable. :P

Harry: Heh, yeah, it is.

Claire: heheh...

*and so they walked along*

Harry: So what now?

Claire: Go home, I guess. Don't hesitate to come over if the repair work gets too loud, okay?

Harry: *shrugs* Will do.

*they reach the front of the apartment building*

Claire: *holds the door for him* I'll see you tomorrow, okay?

Harry: Okay. ^^ *he enters the building, and heads up to his room*

Claire: *heads up to her own apartment*

Me: this rp. makes me smile. XD harry's making so many happy emote-faces. XDDDD

Harry: *in his room, he eats a crappy dinner - though this doesn't bother him. His mood - in fact, his entire ATTITUDE has been getting better and better the more time he spent with Claire*

Me: ^^^ this is your explanation.

*there is a knock on the door*

Guy: Repairman! Anyone home?

Me: yaaaay so Claire's his happy pill. :D baw.

Harry: ... Right... *he gets up and opens the door for the repairman* ... Uh... so, yeah. Broken window. Over there. *points his thumb at it*

Me: Eyus.

Repairman: *nods, and enters the apartment with his toolbox and other such things, going straight to work* make sure y'keep your gasmask on, this might take a while.

Harry: Ugh... yeah, I will. Er, I'm going to head over to a friend's room, actually. So... uh... yeah. *he walks out and heads to Claire's room*

Claire: *had just finished eating and was getting ready for bed when she hears the knock on her door. assuming it to be Harry, she opens the door* Hello again. :) I'm guessing the repairman came in?

Harry: Yeah. He said he'd take a while. Would you mind at all if I slept on your couch, or something?

Claire: No, not at all! Make yourself at home. ^^ Be right back. *goes into her room*

Harry: Thank you. ^^ *he takes off his gas mask for the first time in a while, and wipes the sweat from his brow. He felt relieved to take it off - it really did get quite uncomfortable after a while. Harry then sat down on the couch* ...

Claire: *comes out of her room with a blanket and a pillow, and puts them down on the couch next to Harry* Here you go. :) Let me know if you need anything else, okay?

Harry: Thanks, Claire. ^^ I promise I won't bother you or anything. *he places the pillow against one arm of the couch, and puts the blanket over it. Then he drapes his gas mask over the other arm of the couch*

Claire: NOW I can say I'll see you tomorrow. Good night, Harry. :) *goes to her room*

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