Day 29: Deserved Rest

This article, , is the thirteenth chapter of the Investigating Grat arc, which is part of Bleach: Cataclysm. Garrett serves as the primary POV character.

Tiffany's home had been converted into a temporary meeting place for her friends to recover from their wounds as the lot of them bunked off school. For the first time in seven days they weren't fighting for their lives in pitched battles all over Grat, and where actually taking it easy for once. The woman herself occupied the sofa where she sat beside Garrett. Today she wore her pink house-coat over the top of yellow pyjamas. Garrett, whose eye was still somewhat swollen, had his left arm in a sling for-by, and likewise wore a pair of pyjamas with a prominent Superman logo on the front. Underneath both Tiffany and he where wrapped in bandages.

Apparently he'd spent the night.

"It's nice to be able to sit in peace like this for once." May claimed.

She was lounging on some pillows spread along the floor. Her white shirt and denim jeans where obscured almost completely by the blanket she had recently draped over herself, though her feet where poking out the bottom. Lloyd was taking the opportunity to tickle her bare feet which elicited a shocked gasp from May, leading to her hitting Lloyd with one of the pillows. Lloyd was dressed in plain black trousers and a casual short-sleeved shirt. He quickly lay down beside May and buried himself in the blankets.

"Hawke wouldn't mind, I'm sure." He cheekily said.

"You're hopeless!" She replied.

"Hopeless doesn't cover it." Randy remarked.

"Can't blame him for trying, though Hawke's known to be jealous." Garrett added.

"You'll have to introduce me to this Hawke. You all mention him so much I feel a little out of the loop at times."

Sometimes Garrett forgot Tiffany had only recently moved to Grat.

"You'd love him! He's funny, kind, and really dependable. Nothing like Randy and Lloyd."

As she said this May elbowed Lloyd playfully in the ribs.

"Ow, ow, ow! Don't hit me, I'm brittle!"

Randy was seated in the first of two single arm-chairs with his right-arm in a sling. He wore nothing but a pair of navy jogging bottoms with his chest bare, though he wore so many bandages they'd have passed for a shirt. His injuries had been particularly severe: the result of shielding Lloyd from what would have likely been a fatal blow, though Lloyd and he had been healed of the worst by Ries. Garrett saw the quick flicker of respect pass between Randy and Lloyd and grinned.

The television was running though at this stage it was mostly just background noise. The friends where discussing happier topics; so long as it had nothing to do with Hollow or tears in the sky or the Kikkashō they where happy.

"Is anyone else hungry?" Garrett asked.

"There's a couple of pizza's in the freezer." Tiffany answered. "You know how to use an oven right?"

As he rose Garrett made a flippant remark about his woman refusing to cook. Knocking at the front door cut through Tiffany's no-doubt stinging retort. When Garrett answered it he found Ries, who greeted him with a somewhat awkward wave. Hanging from his other hand was a bag that looked to contain an assortment of sweets, chocolates and soft drinks. He was dressed in a blue jacket over a plain white T-shirt and blue jeans.

"Afternoon. I figured you guys where here. Can I join you?"

"Pull up a pew! I'm about to stick on some pizza. Tiffany saddled me with the responsibility, so I hope you like burnt offerings."

"I like to joke that my mother had an obsession with garlic, 'cause my sense of taste is shot to hell. If its burnt I'll hardly notice. Anyways, I brought sweets!"

He proceeded to doll out the goodies before seating himself in the second arm-chair.

"Mind if I watch the formula one highlights?" Ries asked.

"Sure."

And so the group settled down to a day of rest and relaxation. Garrett was as good as his word because the pizza came out charred, which led Tiffany and May to dig through the freezer. Garrett and Ries appeared not to care and helped themselves to a whole pizza each when the others refused. The girls soon had cocktail sausages and sausage rolls dished out to everyone else. Ries, Randy and Lloyd obsessed over the racing and when the highlights where over they soon flicked over to the music channel. Garrett belted out a tune that would've made your ears bleed, with Ries joining in at the parts he knew.

That continued well into the evening. Instead of going home they all slept at Tiffany's house. Whilst Tiffany and May occupied the bed in Tiffany's room, Garrett opted for the sofa. Ries made himself a comfortable-looking makeshift bed by joining the two armchairs together. Randy took the spare bedroom and Lloyd kipped on the mass of pillows earlier occupied by May.

They didn't speak of Hollow or how close they'd come to death. It was just a normal day, doing normal things.

"It's so quiet." Lloyd's snoring aside. "And that's fine with me." Garrett thought.