oito is stressed so she asks Kurapika to tell her how he became a hunter. he’s thrown off at first, but decides to lie and say it seemed like a decent way to travel. he starts telling her about the exam. meeting Gon and Leorio and Killua, running and running

kurapika can’t help laughing as he remembers what it was like to meet leorio. they were both so brash, ready for any fight that might come their way. Kurapika purposefully egged him on, Leorio wound him up just as much. but they came together because of Gon

and as they made their way to the exam, Kurapika began to develop a sense that Leorio was not who he pretended to be. he smiles as he explains his friend’s real reasoning to oito. she is charmed, enthralled by this past life and all of its goofiness and friendship

it’s a good way to escape. she asks him for more over the course of the journey, having him go into more detail each time: one night she just wants to hear of the beasts he’s seen, another night she’s craving his joy in describing Gon and Killua.

most of all, oito likes to probe about leorio. there’s a strange pause in Kurapika’s voice each time that catches her attention: something more has happened since those early escapades. she asks if he ever saw his friends after the exam and Kurapika smiles

He tells her about killua’s house. more accurately, he tells her about training with leorio: competing to see who could run furthest with the weights, who could hold the most dishes, that sort of thing. they spent the better part of each day together for an entire month.

She’s confused about how they ever got through and Kurapika blushes remembering learning to breathe in sync with leorio. He gives all the credit to his friend, his tired voice still carrying a residue of awe from realizing how strong he was when he opened two of the doors himself

he tells her that they encountered each other in yorknew but doesn’t explain much else. he’s quieter about this period, and oito probes. he attempts to distract her with stories of the exam again, of Gon and Killua’s adventures without him. she’s not satisfied.

Oito asks Kurapika again what happened to his friend Leorio and he’s been so stressed that day he just blinks and says that he’s on the ship. Oito is shocked. she wants to meet him, she can’t believe Kurapika hasn’t told her about this before, hasn’t seen him once.

you just have to pick up the phone, Kurapika. you aren’t doing everything by yourself

he refuses. he’s already put leorio in too much danger, and now things are even worse. Oito points out that Leorio made Kurapika come along and not the other way around, even if he didn’t answer his calls. she wants to meet him. Kurapika shuts her down

Kurapika insists Leorio’s too busy anyways, not to mention how busy they are. none of these conversations have ever lasted more than a half hour without being interrupted by a crisis or a phone call or a wailing infant. besides, leorio doesn’t want to see him.

Oito doesn’t believe this. From Kurapika’s stories, she can tell he cared about this friend very differently from the other two. there’s this awkward flash of pain behind his eyes whenever he rearranges a sentence to avoid saying Leorio’s name out loud.

Oito can’t stand being locked up in the war. She’s tired. She’s lonely and tired and has such few comforts, but she adores Kurapika, she treasures the way woble reacts to him. she worries about him. At night she can hear him roaming the rooms and making hushed phone calls

She wonders. She probes Kurapika again. the name? oh, of course, I remember now. There’s something she can’t ignore in the strange whisper of Leorio’s name crossing Kurapika’s lips. she makes a few calls, redirecting her phone line twice.

she is connected to gel. she explains that she’s looking for a particular doctor to come check on her daughter, one recommended by her bodyguard. Gel smiles to herself, surprised only that Kurapika would open himself to anyone. she goes to find leorio. a new assignment. upstairs

Leorio locks himself in his berth for just long enough to scream out the porthole, just scream an empty, joyous sound. as he inhales the dank ocean air, though, he wonders. It’s hard to imagine Kurapika reaching out to him on purpose. Especially given what he knows about the war

he remembers Cheadle telling him about Mizai finding the troupe on board. He packs slowly, anticipating the possibility of being stuck on that tier when violence strikes again. But the promise of Kurapika soon has him tripping over himself, rushing out to the elevators

and that’s all I have for tonight folks