Dancing in Falling Petals

((wiggles you around HEYY WAKE UP /j))

“Sis, what did you do?”

“Yeah.”

“D'ya want a smoke?”

“I’m underage.”

“Oh... I don’t think I have any cigarettes with fun colors, sorry.”

Briar sighed, pleasantly warm after a little bit of a workout. It had been against a particularly annoying gang, but now that’s squashed and she could now have a little bit of downtime. Leaning against the railing of the rooftop she’s on, she looked out at the cityscape. A passing breeze ruffled her hair, and the quiet would almost have made her relax.

“Hi hi~! What’s the cool miss doing aaaall the way up here all alone?”

Her fingers twitched, but she resisted the urge to grab for the whip hidden within her jacket. Instead, she brought her gaze to the speaker who was smiling (oddly?) cheerfully with a lollipop in hand.

“... I don’t think it’s any of your business what I do, kid.” There’s a certain sense of offness as she finished speaking, even though the pink haired brat skipping to the railing near did indeed look young. Perhaps it’s the way she couldn’t read anything from his eyes, though admittedly, she’s not particularly good at that. But more importantly, even though his clothes hide much of his figure, he didn’t seem to have a wea--

“Aww, how rude!” The kid pouted, and his voice was immediately grating on her ears. This was why she doesn’t care to talk to children. “I may be cute and tiny, but I bet that I’m totes older than you~!”

He said that as if it’s something to be amused about, but Briar honestly can’t see how some kid who’s shorter than her could actually be older--

--And then he pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his jacket...?? Briar could almost hear a mutter about how it wasn’t as fun to light his own cigarettes as he fished a lighter out of his pocket. She looked away, disinterest rearing its head. So long as the guy minded his own business, it’s none of her--

“Hey hey, miss, want one?”

“No.” Briar didn’t even have to look to guess that he was offering her a cigarette. Which... honestly, wasn’t the first time it’s happened.

But this was enough to tell her that staying here any longer would be a waste of time, given how annoying this guy already was. A sigh escaped her lips as she pushed herself away from the railing, ignoring the gaze on her as she stepped toward the rooftop exit.

And--

“Say, miss~! Betcha don’t feel like a human sometimes, do ya~?”

“It really does fly by fast, doesn’t it? I can’t even remember how old I’m s’posed to be getting! But I guess it doesn’t really matter to us Navis, anyways…”

“Stuff? I hope it wasn’t bad stuff!” Tomahawkman sounded a little worried there. “If you need any help, you can always ask me, y’know!”

Her offer had him pause for a few seconds. “Where should we go… NetCity’s an easy idea, but it wouldn’t be original, would it… I’d wanna try going somewhere different for a change!”

“Ah--not really? I mean, there’s some, but that’s mostly Briar, and she fixed that herself...” She gave a hesitant smile, hoping to somehow ease Tomahawkman’s worries. “I really just had to sure she didn’t go too far, that’s all...!”

Though that also implied what shenanigans Briar had been up to... but it’s typical for Briar, so... well, it’s in the past now!

“Mhm, yep, yep~! Gotcha gotcha, I’ll chat with you later~! Mwah~!” He ends the call without waiting for a response, tucking his cell phone away in his pocket. A bit old-tech for a place full of fancy PETs and Navis, but it gets the job done. Leaning back against the handrail, he turns his head to peer down at the city--a neat fusion of humanity and technology.

From this height, though... those humans look almost like ants. If only that was the case... he hums a tune to himself, letting his fingers tap against the railing. Tap tap tap, like pressing down on piano keys, or perhaps like there were strings attached to his joints, or perhaps it’s simply to enjoy the sensation of his fingertips against the cold metal.

“Represent Bit Valley, I told ya~” He sings to himself, with only the wind to hear and carry his words away. Pushing himself away from the railing, he grins as he steps steps steps toward the rooftop exit.

  The blooming rose is protected by sharp thorns,                       and the butterfly is what supports them both.

Independent Multimuse OC-ish blog for Megaman EXE

Bloomed by Yuki, and follows back from @specialgels

[ MISSED YOU ] for a reconciliation hug.

“I got a paid internship!”

Briar blinked. Took a moment to process. Paid internship... for fashion, obviously. Another blink. “With who?”

Rose only shot her an amused glance, and Briar resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Even if it’s just a way to continue the conversation, both of them knew that she wouldn’t know anything about what Rose would say. “Fine. How did that happen?”

A question that she’d actually understand, and more useful that her previous one. Rose chuckled--tone soft, like she’s back to being composed--and leaned against her shoulder.

“I was just taking a walk near Bit Valley like usual, and someone called out to me--”

Briar raised an eyebrow. “Someone you didn’t know? That’s kinda weird.”

She only received a snort of held-back laughter in response. “Oh, I know him. Not personally until then, though. He wanted me to model for his brand, and--”

“--and you agreed, even though that definitely sounds weird.”

“He’s well-known for asking people on the street to be his models. The only times I’ve heard he doesn’t do that is...” Rose held a hand up to her chin in thought. “... With his friends, and collaborations with other companies?”

Briar sighed. “Fine. Still weird, though.”

“Hm.” Rose gave a small smile, a knowing look in her eyes. Of course there’d be. She knew what Briar was thinking, and Briar knew what Rose thought of that. They didn’t need to speak for something that simple. “Well, that was a few days ago. Today he called me over to his studio to actually model. And, well--”

“--You immediately went.” Briar ran the time over in her head. It would have been sometime after school. Rose didn’t have her backpack, so she came home. But what she did have was-- “And since you have your bag with you, you were sketching outside when he called.”

“Yes.” A nod from Rose. “I did get paid, just so you know.”

“... Okay.” Briar let the word roll down her tongue, an eyebrow raised. Rose was watching her, so she was expecting her to guess what happened after. So she’d have to connect that to Rose’s new internship?

Sure, they could have been talking fashion, and Rose could have mentioned that she designs and makes clothing as a hobby too. In fact, she made her own clothes. But then there was the sketchbook...

“... He saw your designs and offered the internship to you?”

“Something like that.” Rose gave another nod. “My sketchbook fell out, and he picked it up and happened to see my designs. Well... that’s about it. I won’t bore you with further details, but I might be busy after school because of that.”

“Right.” Whoever the guy was, Briar likely wouldn’t have heard of him before, nor would she know whatever his brand was. Rose surely did her research, and Briar’s trust in her was unmatched. So it should be fine.

Rose stood up, straightening her skirt. Briar watched her leave for her room, before she reached over to the coffee table to pick up her game again. Laying down, she frowned as she unpaused the game.

“The future... huh.”

The hug lasted just long enough for Tomahawkman to spin Meira around. Oh, how much he’s missed her.

“I’ve been doing just fine! The usual routine, you know. Dingo goes to school, I get free time, we beat up a bad guy from time to time… But now that you’re here, that makes today the best day I’ve had in a while!”

“And tomorrow’s my activation day too, so that’s great! We should go somewhere together to celebrate! What have you been up to?”

That brings a rosy flush to her cheeks, embarrassment felt at hearing the easy admittance. As her feet touch the ground, she gives another squeeze of a hug before pulling back slightly.