“HEY! Did you get out of that museum alright? That shit was pretty crazy!” Ismael won’t bring up what happened. Mentioning it so casually wasn’t the best thing to do no matter if she was still trying to process it or pretend that everything was okay when it wasn’t.
“I hid in like...one of those empty rooms for awhile.”
@explosyd || EVENT starter
“Syd~” Sasara called, knocking on the door to her bedroom. He’d heard the announcement a little bit ago, and he figured what better opportunity to bond with his new daughter roommate? It seemed like the kind of thing she’d be into.
“Do you want to go check out what that announcement was talking about?” he asked, bright smile on his face. She might not appreciate an adult chaperone, but Sasara wasn’t about to let a kid do this on their own. Rosho would probably kill him if he did, anyway. “It could be fun!”
It wasn’t like Sasara was totally helpless if it came to a dangerous situation, either. Best case scenario they avoid trouble, but Sasara did have a past with the yakuza. He could keep her safe.
Atom’s tone is filled with hesitance, and his approach is even moreso. He’s pretty certain that face and those red curls are the same from their brief interaction before, but it was very brief, and he’s already mentally preparing an apology for when it turns out that he’s mistaken this person for someone else.
...It’d left quite the impression on Atom though, if only for how excited the idea of joining the soccer team made him.
Hopefully, his assumption is correct; it’d be a wonderful coincidence to run into a teammate here, because what better of a team bonding activity is there than going on some silly gameshow quest? The thought puts more of a smile on the boy’s face and takes some trepidation out of his step.
“Miss Syd, from the soccer interview -- ” if you could call it that, “ -- Right?”
the cool air breeze hits him, a gentle BLUSH of spring against the sharp cut of his jaw. far too gentle for the sort of man he is, far too kind and sweet and lovely smelling. much unlike the sort of REPUTATION he carries. neither salt nor carrion nor blood, just flowers recently BLOOMING into life. he would have to try his hand at gardening again; leian's stubborn stance would not allow for anything less. he is satisfied with making do without her and without any dreaded allergies he may obtain from tilling fields. not when the stars above demand a certain decorum from their dear, LOVELY citizens.
❝are you still making your choice?❞ an idle question to a stranger, filling up EMPTY space with an idle stance and sharp eyes. he's uncertain until this moment about further participation ( it should be enough for him to have what was STOLEN returned to him, yes? ) but he's found nothing to lose in standing idly by the terminal, in seeking for himself some opportunities that may lurk beneath the surface. ❝that one with the spirits,❞ he remarks, not bothering to REMEMBER the sickeningly sweet, catchy name of the particular event. ❝will be an INTERESTING one, i'm certain.❞
“AND GOOOOOALLLLL IIIIN!” Ismael throws her hands up in the air and this girl’s running in circles with the biggest smile on her face. Playing alone isn’t all too bad, but if she had to be honest with herself, she kind of wishes there was someone else who’d play soccer with her. At least she’s got an audience.
“Now she’ll go for another goal. HERE she goooooes!” Only this time, she accidentally kicks the ball a little too hard. There it goes, flying further than she intended for it to. It bounces once, twice, until finally it starts to roll by someone’s feet.
14. the timeline in which they took a chance they didn’t in canon.
[ tw for mentions of abuse, alcohol, and panic attacks / spoiler warning for the latest MTR Drama Track ]
“I came here to see a friend. Do I need a reason?”
Hifumi closed his eyes and rest his hands on his knees, just focusing on breathing. Don’t fall victim to that sickly sweet voice - for it was the mask in front of the venom that would sink deep and ruin him again.
Friend.
That was such a terrible word to use, about the two of them. Maybe once upon a time - they were friends. Maybe...he had even thought of her as more than a friend, back then. But all of it. All of it was one-sided, in the end. Romantic, platonic, or otherwise. After everything she did to him...leaving him with no answers as to why...
“Were friends, if you’re mistaken.”
But it was here, things changed. He had to pause, and think back about his conversation with Jakurai on that fishing dock. After he opened up about his son and about Ramuda, what had he told him...?
( I too, had a person in the past who I couldn't forgive no matter what. To be honest, I still haven't forgiven her... but maybe, we just need to meet and talk about it face to face.
I want to understand. Who knows, maybe I can forgive her... or maybe not. But either way, it would be progress! )
No. He probably couldn’t forgive her, but...here they were, meeting face to face. It was not on his own terms, but...they were meeting.
Was this...his chance?
“Honobono...” His voice didn’t feel like his own, disconnected from his body - more than usual - but he fought through it. He couldn’t fall apart here, when he could finally get his answers. “Why...did you do all of those things to me...?”
Was I not good enough?
Did I do something wrong?
I know I mess up a lot, but you- you never even gave me a chance to get better. To fix whatever I did.
Things here...maybe they wouldn’t change for the better, by asking. No, in fact...in this timeline, things probably changed for the worse.
They weren’t the answers he wanted to hear.
Because...because in the end...was she really a person who needed a reason to hurt others? It was fun for her. It was fun for her to taunt him about all the things she did to him - to his mother, to his sister - just to ruin him entirely. She liked to break people - and Hifumi had been all too easy of a target for her.
Maybe that’s why nothing changed. Maybe that’s why he still toppled to the floor - the same as those shattered glasses of champagne - and broke all over again, screaming and crying. He couldn’t even vocalize his need for her to stop, just gasping for breath, for respite, for an exit, for...anything-
In the end, he still needed to be saved by other people. He still needed someone else to get hurt so he could stand up and fight - because he had never been able to stand up for himself. He still needed someone else to be the one to get her to leave.