Voices overwhelmed Serah from all sides, despite expecting the usual tranquility of a medical ward. She was sure she heard Jake speak up before Jason did, with his voice coming from the other direction, though it didn't really register in her mind as to what exactly he said. Serah clutched the mattress underneath her, pushed herself up straight on the bed and let out a sigh of relief. Her body was exhausted and her throat was sore but the girl didn't have much time to think on it. She heard Jason talk again, turning back and listening attentively to what he said.

[color=0076a3][b]"Told you I wasn't going anywhere before, didn't I? So here I am."[/b][/color]

Serah felt comforted by the boy's words and wanted to throw her arms around him for a hug, but fatigue got the better at her and she settled for smiling at the comment. Before Serah had any time to think, her attention was grabbed by the voice of the 'new' squad leader. Serah slowly looked around the room in response, seeing everyone else who was in the ward. She spied Jake, Elise and even a still-unconscious Mai.

Seeing the sight in front of her made everything click in Serah's head, the memories of what exactly happened in the battle before flooding back to her like a tidal wave. It didn't have the same effect on her now as it did then, though, as the stress of battle wasn't weighing on her anymore. It just made her face sink for a bit and the girl bit her lip as a knee-jerk response. Serah couldn't afford to look somber for much longer, however; she needed to partake in the relief everyone felt about people waking up. Forcing out a smile, the girl tried to catch snippets of what happened from the people talking all around her. Somewhere during this, Serah noticed Ariin was suddenly in the room. She must have missed the moment he entered. The boy was talking to Elise, which gave Jason a chance to catch Serah's attention again.

[color=0076a3][b]"How are you feeling, Serah? Are you alright?"[/b][/color]

Serah turned her attention back to him again as she tried to gather her thoughts. Right as she opened her mouth to try and reply, Ariin had decided to address Serah as well. Like a bobblehead, Serah turned around again in surprise, briefly listening to the boy.

“And how are you Serah? I’m actually just checking out myself... More brain scans since they just love to watch my argue with the rogue intelligence leeching off my brain.”

Ariin confused Serah. Not the part about asking how she was, of course, as that was slightly reassuring. It was everything else he said that didn't make any sense. It even looked like Ariin started talking to himself afterwards, scaring the girl off from answering. Ariin had become pretty insane after what happened back at Troas. Serah decided to ignore him for now and turned her attention back to Jason.

[color=00aeef]"I'm fine, just a little sore..."[/color] Serah said with a strained voice, giving him the most reassuring smile she could. She reached out her hand to grasp his, wanting to feel his warmth for just a moment. She was a little lost for words, a mix of emotions swirling through her. She was relieved Jason was here, but also remembered what she saw inside Atty. Serah didn't really want to think about it, but it nagged her in the back of her head.

[color=00aeef]"Hey, I may be a little silly but... can I get a hug?"[/color] Serah asked, trying to lighten the mood for the sake of the both of them. She giggled and raised her arms up, waiting for the boy to lean forward and wrap his own around her. Besides, she's been wanting one for a few minutes now.