⁎⁺˳ ✧༚ ˎˊ˗ જ⁀➴ continued from here 𝒇𝒕. @abseance
𝐀 𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓𝐘 𝐇𝐔𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑’𝐒 𝐀𝐈𝐋𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐒... 𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐆. My hopes for some admission of a dark and twisted nature were extinguished as swiftly as a flame caught in the rain, leaving nothing but the residue of disappointment in their wake — a fact I hardly bothered to conceal, from the furrow of my brows to the subtle downturn of my mouth.
❝ Well, you know what they say. ❞ I eventually granted Akikō the honor of a half-hearted response, my tone still thoroughly unimpressed as my self-appointed persecutor attempted to appeal to whatever ounce of empathy she must have imagined me capable of harboring. ❝ Choose your career wisely. ❞
Not that I knew much about careers, nor cared for the human self-flagellation of lifelong labor. I’d only ever observed it from an outsider’s perspective, peering into the bustling lives of blue-collar workers and office employees much like a curious child studying an ant farm — with just enough inherent sadism to find entertainment in the endless circling of lesser creatures.
I did not envy them, nor did I find within myself any inclination toward pity. Would a fox feel sorry for a hare trapped in a prison of its own making? Or would it simply sit and await its inevitable exhaustion, patient and treacherous in equal measure?
Akikō, however, wasn’t quite like the usual hare steering helplessly toward its own demise. She was skilled and determined, clever enough to own some measure of my reluctant respect. An enigma on two feet: healer and executioner alike, both saving grace and harbinger of justice.
Yet at the same time, she remained human: a pitiful existence bound by limitations and weaknesses, trapped within a body that betrayed her, despite being honed for the hunt.
Admittedly, it thrilled me to witness her lose ground against her own instincts: to catch the subtle rise of her pulse whenever my gaze lingered a touch too knowingly upon her, to watch her lower her guard around me despite every reason not to.
It left me complacent to a degree most would describe as arrogant, possibly even obnoxious. In my current state, however, it would have been exhausting to play my usual cards of charm and wit in hopes of appeal: she, who ought to have known so much better by now, made it almost obligingly easy.
It brought a grin to my lips, genuine despite the weight of exhaustion draped over my increasingly frail shoulders. Fatigue weighed behind my eyes like lead, softening the edges of my features as delirium beckoned sweetly, like a distant siren’s song.
❝ I did think about it. ❞ Truthfully, I had thought of little else since Akikō’s unusual offer; her words had managed to turn my thoughts into an endless procession of opportunities and advantages. ❝ And it’s safe to say I’m... intrigued. But... ❞
Despite the weariness seeping through every fiber of my being, a spark of mischief found its way into my calculating gaze: a hint of devilish intent that drew me closer, nearer, as I shifted forward in my seat until I was looking up at her through narrowed eyes, foxlike and intent. ❝ If I’m going to say yes, you’ll have to give me something first. A reassurance, so to speak. An exchange. ❞
I tilted my head ever so slightly; a loose strand of once-pristine hair brushed against my temple and cheek in the process. ❝ After all, Akikō... trust is such a difficult thing to come by. ❞
