Piper
⇄◃◃ ⅠⅠ ▹▹↻ knock knock. Silence
Knock. Knock knock knock. 
The pitter patter of Hatsume's fists drumming rhythmically against Esme's door was incessant and perpetual. On top of the fact that her knocks and wacks reverberated against the wooden door like rain on a bus shelter, it was easy to tell it was Hatzume. It was tradition, after all. The tall girl made certain that Esme always knew it was hatzume at the door if the knocking kept going on and on and on and on, gunfire on a peaceful autumn day in the form of a constant thrum against the door.

⇄◃◃ ⅠⅠ ▹▹↻ "Esmeeee- Es Es Esmeeee" Hatsume chimed from behind the door, her fist melting to a tad red now as she anticipated her friend's arrival. Any second now the door will swing open into Hatsume's face, and the two would giggle for a solid 3 minutes. The usual routine despite the heavy cloud of uncertainty floating above Hatzume's skull.
What with Valio's condition, were visits welcome? The curly haired girl honestly sort of assumed she got like... A pass as Esme's best friend yknow? But the possibility of the door getting politely shut on her managed to put her downtrodden before it had even happened.

"Honk honk babz"
Real??
Ashley
Real!

Hatzume was a force of nature, but Esme was nothing if not a loyal accomplice to the chaos. However, her bleary eyes pried themselves open as she sat up, blinking, shaking her curls out of her face. She had finally crashed at the mercy of a particular dream-mancer, after a tumulutous day or two worrying about Valio.

Hatzume's gunfire waited for no man, though, and Esme slid out of bed with a few more stretches and the occasional crack of her joints. She stopped at her mirror and turned on a lamp, quickly applying some deodorant and a splash of some floral perfume before she opened the door, donned in her pink, silky pajama set, and a loyal set of white bunny slippers she kept by the door.

"Hi, Zoom-Zoom - Sorry, I'm a mess - everything is, right now, but I'll pick up soon. Really. Just haven't really had the time."

Esmeralda could practically hear her mother's *Tsktsktsk*, the way she'd shake her head in disapproval, sending up a helpful maid to straighten up Esme's things. But here there was no mother, and no maid. Only Esme, and her giggly, perky best friend, who had gotten her through the entire ordeal thus far. 

(When Valio first ran off, the sleepovers with her and Gabe were all that helped Esme drag herself out of bed for class. She had a lot to be thankful for).
Piper
⇄◃◃ ⅠⅠ ▹▹↻ Door swinging open in front of her, Hatsume almost forgot to stop knocking, only apprehending herself when seeing her friend's face.
Eyes looked Esme up and down, then scanned the room behind her. Scattered and messy, oh how it hurt to see her prim and proper friend like this.

A step forward and a bouncy smile in Esme's direction conveyed Hatsume was beyond ecstatic to see the familiar face.

⇄◃◃ ⅠⅠ ▹▹↻ "Hey Essy!- It's okay my room is worse" Hatsume remarked, a spare hand fiddling with her purple, curly hair.

⇄◃◃ ⅠⅠ ▹▹↻ "I came to-" She leaned down
"Check in on you!" And in a moments notice, Esme is pulled into a hug that no doubt hoisted the shorter gal pal a couple inches off the ground, like the work of a harness in a movie.
She soon released Esme from the embrace and side stepped into the room, an ambient hum hurtling from her lips.
Absentmindedly, the tall girl picked up anything that looked to be causing needless clutter. Perhaps a shirt or a fallen teddy, or some pens or paper.
Anything to help a friend.

⇄◃◃ ⅠⅠ ▹▹↻ "If it's Valio you're worried about, i bet she's fine. She's like... Hella big, there's so much blood in her body a little magical stab wound is like... Nilch."
She reasoned, strange logic shining through as it usually tends to. How the people of the cradle cope with this girl is beyond me.

⇄◃◃ ⅠⅠ ▹▹↻ As frustrating and worrying as the circumstances were, Hatzume found herself threateningly calm about Valio's wellbeing. The woman was older sister-like, yet the tall girl was about as worried as a drunk lady on a hen night.
That being... Not worried at all.
Trust brewed in her stomach for Val's constitution, she doubted the tank of a woman would ever be conquered like this.
Ashley
"You're probably right," Esme said. She agreed as she fiddled with her fingers, picking at her nails, her cuticles, shuffling her feet. "I know she's strong. I know she is. But they all said how still she was - I care so much about her. She is so strong, but so are the Angels. I haven't even seen them."

She let her thoughts continue to roll throughout her mind like an ocean - Esme was not like most in the Cradle, her mind was not constantly plagued with thoughts and worries, she and Hatzume both approached life with a giggly, bubbly carefree manner, spending way-too-much money on things they didn't need, their biggest decisions being on what to wear that day. Valio's injuries had put life in the Cradle back into perspective.

They could die here.

Esme pulled herself onto her unmade bed and pulled her pillow into her arms. She knew Hatzume was right, deep down. Valio would most likely be fine. She was powerful, and, yes, gigantic in stature. Hard to defeat, even if you were a magical cult bitch with a magical cult bitch knife.

"Do you think we could go visit her? She's awake, now - Sergio told me about it a bit ago."