Aura noticed right away how tired Kris looked, and didn't stop the hanyou on her way upstairs. Instead, she just checked and made sure they still had some of Kris's favorite tea, for when she got up again. After that, she went to check on Shippou.

Shippou was sitting on his bed, clearly torn. He was curious and very happy to know that Kris was home again, but he was rather wounded that she hadn't gone to see him, and had to wonder if he'd done something wrong. He looked at Aura when she entered.

((Freaking IE... You know I didn't mean to))

"Mind if I come in for a bit?" Aura asked, lingering in the doorway of the kit's room. She felt it was only polite to ask permission before going in. It didn't feel right to just barge right in without being given the okay.

Shippou nodded, looking briefly in the direction of Kris's room when he heard the door shut. "Why isn't Kris coming in here?" he asked quietly, still thinking he'd done something wrong.

Aura went and sat down on the bed next to the kit. Reaching over, she pulled him into her lap and started to run her fingers through his hair a bit.

"She looked tired when she came inside," she replied. "I think she just wants to take some time to rest and clean up from her trip." She cuddled him a bit. "You didn't do anything wrong. She didn't say anything to me, either."

Shippou nestled against her quite happily, still looking rather upset. But he didn't say anything, just staying there for a little while.

"How about this," Aura spoke up after a little while. "Think you can remember what kind of tea is Kris's favorite? I bet she'd like some, once she's ready to come back out of her room." It was a meager distraction at best, but it would keep the kit busy for a little bit, especially once he started looking through the tea stash for the custom blend that Kris made herself.

Shippou thought about that for a moment before he nodded and bounced down the stairs to go look. At least there was only a little bit of crashing and banging involved.

Aura followed him downstairs, although she was just supervising. She could at least make sure everything got back into its proper place once the kit was finished going through everything. She knew it might be a bit of a challenge for him, since the custom blend was made of four or five different teas, but she was sure he would find it eventually.

Shippou started sniffing around everything, trying to remember exactly what her tea smelled like, and started pulling things out of the cabinets and plunking them on the counter. Then he had to go through that batch again, to pick out the five teas. And then he had to blend them correctly.

Meaning it took him almost an hour to have the perfect blend ready for whenever Kris got up again.

Aura kept an eye on him the entire time, making sure he did it right and nudging him in the right direction when he started to stray. She knew how to blend the tea and she didn't mind teaching him how to do it. She figured it would set him at ease, making Kris's tea for her, and it would probably help Kris relax later, getting the tea from him.

Shippou beamed when he had the tea all ready for Kris whenever she wanted some, looking over at Aura to be sure he'd done it right.

Right about that time, Kris zombied her way downstairs and into the kitchen, sniffing a few times before nodding. She patted Shippou's head in passing, pouring herself a cup of tea and going to go slouch over it at the table.

Aura nodded when Shippou looked to her for confirmation. He'd made the tea properly.

"It's her favorite kind of tea," she said, "so remember how to make it." She glanced over just as Kris came into the kitchen. At least she was awake, that was something. And she acknowledged Shippou as she went by, that was even better.

Shippou jumped onto the table to creep closer to Kris, checking on her. Kris cracked an eye open to look at him, and he grinned sheepishly.

"I'm fine," she grumbled, pulling her tea closer. "Just feel like I have a hangover."

"Well, you're home now, so you can sleep it off," Aura said as she sat down next to Kris. Reaching over, she rubbed Kris's ears a bit.

Kris shivered and relaxed marginally, her eyes drooping half-closed. She'd go take a nap but she had just gotten up. So she'd wait a bit. Then nap again.

Aura kept rubbing Kris's ears. She knew it relaxed the kitsune-hanyou, and it was clear that Kris still needed to relax more.

"Think you'll want more tea once you wake up for real later?" she asked.

"Probably," Kris mumbled. "Was planning on taking a shower and checking things then going to nap for a little while longer." She yawned briefly, shifting to make it easier for Aura to reach her ears.

Aura kept rubbing Kris's ears.

"Checking on things can wait till you've slept more," she said. "The shower, maybe not, but everything else can wait." Hey, the house was still standing, which meant that nothing needed any immediate attention, at least.

"Would agree, but it's not that simple." Kris yawned briefly, managing to take another sip of her tea. "Explain later when I'm more awake."

"Then go back and get some more sleep," Aura said. "The couch is free if you don't want to go back upstairs, but I'm going to keep nagging you until you go back to sleep." And she would. She'd done so in the past.

"Shower first." Kris set her mug down and hauled herself to her feet reluctantly. And proceeded to zombie her way upstairs again, turning the water on.

Shippou looked over at Aura. "She smells weird like this."

Aura blinked slightly.

"Weird how?" she asked. "Describe it to me, I can't smell what you can." She'd noticed that Kris was acting a little odd, but she'd written it off as exhaustion from the extended trip.

((*pokes at the glitch*))

"She smells all... off. Normally she smells like dirt and plants and the house, but now everything's kind of subdued." Shippou shrugged. That was the best he could describe it.

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((Glitchy!))