She blinked as he suddenly stopped her, unsure why he was doing so. He was tired, and she needed to figure out something for tonight before it became too late.
Despite being in a new place, despite having no real plan or destination, despite her careless sudden decision, she felt alive. Not like she was merely doing everything she could to keep herself fed and a roof over her head, but really and truly alive. It was almost like when she’d packed up in the middle of the night and run away to Duel Academia, and yet it was so very different. There was no one for her to rely on, she’d either make it, or she’d finally perish.
Either way was fine by her.
But as he explained the random place she’d chosen happened to be more expensive than not, her face fell. She really should have done her research. She was always so meticulous in every decision she made, knowing everything inside and out…
Even the language was something she’d barely studied before coming here. Without even realizing it, she’d spoken Japanese to Johan out of habit, since he was someone she recognized from back home. “I-I… didn’t r-realize. I… d-didn’t even p-put together… th-that you w-were from h-here… until I-I saw y-you. I-I…”
How was she supposed to tell him she hadn’t wanted to see anyone that she knew in this new place? How was she supposed to explain she’d made such an irrational decision to pack up what she could, sell what she couldn’t, and leave the only place she’d ever known to come somewhere completely new with no plan? Even she knew it was unlike her, but she felt alive, though that feeling alone could kill her if she wasn’t careful.
“I-I can’t… p-put you o-out like th-that. Its… b-been years. Th-that… would be c-completely u-unfair. Plus,” She smiled to him, though there was a bit of worry in her eyes, she tried to mask it with her smile, “I-it seems… like y-you’re only j-just… getting h-home. You… w-were at th-that tournament… Ph-Phoenix was a-at, r-right?”
She’d kept up on all her friends that had gone on to bigger and better. Thunder had moved swiftly into the Pro Leagues, Phoenix had continued his illustrious career, and she made sure to keep up with them that way. Even Johan, she kept up with from afar, waiting for any news on any of them. The cafe had a TV, and no one tended to mind if she put on a Pro League tournament. In fact, it started to draw people in, and her boss was please with her for her help with his business.
But she’d left him in a lurch, and he’d been kind enough to give her a severance package she felt she didn’t quite deserve.
-- “Yeah I did just get home, but I have a week until I can pick up my hectic life again. Norway itself isn’t too bad in way of money, just most of the bigger cities like Oslo.” Johan had seen the crestfallen look on her face. He wondered what had brought her here, if she was on vacation and didn’t plan on where to stay or if she moved - which either way, really, would have been planned better. But he had done it himself a few times on accident, so he couldn’t blame her for mistakes he himself had made at one point or another.
“Not really, actually, since where I live is way too big for me and my cat. It wouldn’t be bad at all, and I would be a terrible friend if I didn’t invite you to stay for at least a day. Edo almost came home with me if it wasn’t for something else tugging him to a different place. So you’d be seeing two friends instead of one!” he laughed, the tiredness gone from his features and his eyes when he made that joke. Most of it was due to being pent up in an airplane for four hours anyways, and would fade in an hour or two. “Besides, there’d be time to catch up and hang out for the both of us since it’s been a while. It feels like forever since I last saw anyone from Duel Academia besides Edo,Judai or Manjome. It’s a nice change.”
He had hoped his easy attitude and jokes had put her at ease - as is, he felt her aura tensing up a little bit. Johan was more or less worried that he was scaring her - since it had been a while, and had a major growing period between school and now.
