it's not the same without you

Haiku looked at her with just as much hesitancy as she had looked at him. He didn't blink as he came towards her and he moved slow, but he still came. Bowen craned her neck, looking up at the giant almost-man. Despite being huge, there was an innocence to him, like a white, untainted aura. She was glad that he seemed so much the same. Very glad.

As the brute nuzzled into her cheek, Bowen released a soft sigh, emerald eyes closing finally as she reveled in the touch. She needed physical affection. Craved it like a desert craves water. When he pulled away to tell her that he had missed her, Bowen took a step forward and rested her forehead against his chest. She never thought that she would see Haiku again. Her world had been so tumultuous that there was barely time to think of her family, let alone her friends.

"I missed you too, Hero. I'm sorry I couldn't get word to you to tell you that I was okay." She kept her head pressed against his chest, her eyes closed as she soaked in the familiar, comforting scent of the big boy. "Bishop couldn't make the flight over the sea." Her poor raven had flown himself ragged trying to get word to anyone that might help Bowen, but they were so far away that he hadn't been able to make contact.

Peeling her forehead away, Bowen looked up at Haiku again. This was her oldest friend, yet she still felt that emptiness inside. There was only one real thing that filled Bowen with emotion, but she didn't know if she could bring herself to do that with Haiku. He was... so innocent. "Have you been okay?" She went through the motions of inquiring about his well being so that she didn't have to think about her own.

"Speech"