[u][h3]Kuhaku Shiro - Mission Control[/h3][/u]

     Startled by the sudden hip bump from the much larger and heavier Gren, Shiro jumped and lost his grip on his Scroll. His ears and tail pointing straight up as he sputtered and made a series of odd noises. Fumbling with the Scroll in midair and coming dangerously close to dropping his second Scroll, Shiro smacked his palms together and managed to keep hold of the device gifted to him by Gren. Blowing out a relieved sigh, Shiro turned and smiled at Gren, [b]"O-oh. It's just you. Y-yeah, I'm alive."[/b] Chuckling and scratching the back of his head, he added [b]"Barely."[/b] Blinking curiously as Gren presented him with a steaming beverage, he pointed at himself and tilted his head. [b]"Oh, is that for me? What is it?"[/b] Pocketing his Scroll he wrapped his fingers around the cup and warily sniffed at it. It smelled like some mixture of tea. Smiling as warmly as the liquid within the cup, Shiro was forever grateful and appreciative of how thoughtful Gren always seemed. Not waiting for an answer, he trusted Gren and made his decision. [b]"Ah, thanks buddy!"[/b] Carefully blowing over the top of the drink container to cool it, Shiro slowly and carefully imbibed the caffeinated brew. A comfortable wave of heat washed over his body as the tea was consumed. Sighing, he grinned at his friend. [b]"How'd you know I needed a pick-me-up?"[/b]

    Standing there in silence for a moment, Shiro was happy to just be in Gren's company and sipping the delicious tea. It didn't take long for the caffeine to be absorbed into his bloodstream to begin its work. Already he was feeling worlds better than he had been the past couple of nights. When Sapphire arrived, Shiro's immediate knee-jerk reaction was to withdraw into himself but he stopped the feeling at the pass. Clearing his throat, he nodded at Sapphire and made a head motion to Kladenets and Perun stored on his back. [b]"Ready as I'll ever be, Ms. Rode."[/b] Looking around, he asked the question that would probably be on everyone else's mind. [b]"Has...anyone seen Abel? I haven't run into him all morning."[/b]