#ariolum

            ------ ❝Take it & go; I don't have time for you.❞

Kera nodded at her uncle, watching him hurry out the door. She spared a quick glance at his previous spot & walked over, pushing the chair into the table & putting the dishes away; Akihiko would be gone for the majority of the day as he always was. An engine erupted to life nosily outside, & Kera felt saddened that she had made him leave so angrily; she should not have bothered him with her own SELFISH desire of taking her guitar with her to the Oshiro household; thought the sudden anger that bubbled from him after her inquiry left a quite APOCRYPHAL effect on her. 

The little girl was quick to wash the dishes; she was even faster getting dressed & ready to leave the house alone, stuffing a small bag with a few books before she locked her front door with her guitar on her back. It wasn't unusual for her to stay in another household all day long; the Orshiros were kind enough to allow her into their home during the hours that her uncle was absent. They treated her fair enough, never asking her to do chores or clean rooms; whenever they denied her, she still did the tasks as REPAYMENT. This time, though, as she walked into the door upon greeting the female of the house, there was nothing to be done & she simply made her way to the back room where she normally stayed. 

Hours passed without her presence, too busy keeping to herself with her nose buried in a book; it seemed she wasn't feeling too well at that moment but she would not consult the adults about it--  ❛girls are always tender & never TROUBLESOME❜; she must oblige to that rule. & so, she hushed herself by munching on the snacks that hand brought by the Oshiros & pondered on what Akihiko had truly been so angry about because for one to get that choleric over a single stringed instrument was absurd & there had to be a broader reason behind the ASTRINGENT tone in which he scolded her with-- but eventually, after being reminded that her beloved instrument was sitting in a chair nearby, her thoughts were left behind & the soft strum of the strings filled it's space. 

❝So I pray for the best, I pray for the best for you--            I wish you could be HONEST, I wish you could be honest, with me------❞

Kera had lost track of time as she was strumming that lovely instrument, her own voice blocking whatever thoughts had tried to INVADE her bliss. Reddened fingertips reached out to grasp thin air; she was out of food & starving-- she would have to pause her personal concert to take the pale into the kitchen & get a new one. & so she did-- laying her guitar against the wall, she exited the room, clutching the dirty plate & trying her best not to make too much noise as she wandered down the hallway & to the kitchen. Her feet slowed their journey as multiple voices floats into her ears, & this time as she walked & laid the dish in the sink, she was much quieter than before. Just this once, she allowed herself to defy her rule of INNOCENCE to eavesdrop on whatever the adults had been speaking of.

Immediately, she felt ashamed for doing so; she learned quickly that was wasn't all that great at hiding for when her name was called, she was quick to show herself & bowed in apology, only rising when someone cleared their throat in assurance. Blue hues, clouded with worry & SHAME wandered about the room to mind only curious lenses staring back; she quickly took the hint & introduced herself: ❝F-Forgive my intrusion! My name is Kera Takahashi-- it's n-nice to meet you,❞ she stuttered, a SICK feeling sinking into her gut with her stuttered words. She waited, unsure of what to do next & eventually she noticed that there was another small figure in the room; was she possibly called over to accompany him? 

Send ❈ for a randomly generated line (there are 220 of them) my muse will say to yours.

         Emerald eyes  stared  blankly  at  the  phone  screen,  now empty —             reflecting back the image of his tired visage. Fingers shifted the device in             his palm ;; for the man was not quite sure as to what to do.  It  was  nearly             three in the morning now, & he found himself sitting outside, allowing the             cool breeze to calm him down. Something felt… quite unresolved. Ah —             just as he thought it through, it occurred to him what exactly felt this  way.                                                       I should… apologize to her.            As soon as this came to mind, the Oracle had unlocked his phone, thumb            already hovering over the girl’s number. It had been years  since  he  had            last cast his eyes upon those digits. Even though his phone was  new,  all            of the old contacts had been brought over — her’s obviously included in the            bunch. & ever so cautiously did he lay his finger on the number, lifting the            phone to his ear — only to hear the dial tone. But he did not hang up. For a            reason he could not quite explain, he felt like this would be his only chance            to ever do this.                                                            It was now or never.            ❝ Uh — hey… Kera… I know it’s been… a really long time. I hope everything’s                good with you. Or at least, better than how it all used to be.                You’re probably wondering why the fuck I’m calling you — or maybe even                why I’m calling you at such a late hour. Well… this… this  is  my  pathetic                attempt at — at saying that I’m sorry.                I was wrong for treating you so poorly all those years ago. I always knew                that, but I just… didn’t want to admit it. Mostly because you always got me                so frustrated & agitated. But I just want to put the past behind us now. It’s                probably easier said than done — but we can at least try… right?                So yeah. Ah — you know… I suppose I… should just tell you before  I  go                that um…                                                 When I kissed you, I… meant it.                                                                                                                  Okay…Bye. ❞ 

Kera hadn't even noticed that her phone was ringing at all; she'd begun to ignore the device due to is frequent noise pollution & it's increase in annoyance; it was only when she noticed her cup of coffee vibrating between her fingers that she set her burning cigarette down long enough to pick it up-- just a second too late & the device was tossed back down without a care. Even the tone that signaled a voice mail was ignored as she returned to her classwork she had been working on. Eventually, though, she ran out of cigarettes & coffee and was forced to the the house to buy more, & as she waited in like she took the opportunity to distract herself by listening to message she'd been left some hour or so before. 

She startled a few people in front of her when she nearly dropped her items at the sound of his voice; she'd TRICKED herself into believing she had gotten over it years ago: the days they came together & drank & sat around for hours doing absolutely nothing & the bars & clubs they visited-- all before it happened & everything fell apart. Oh, how she blamed herself for fucking up such a nice thing the way she always does; the flaw she had of being so concerned of her own fantasies rather than reality lead to attempted RAPE & HATRED. But she still listened to his words as quietly as she could, paying for the items she had bought in the store before leaving swiftly to her car to hurry home; the bags didn't make it to into the vehichle the first time when the message finally ended, blue irises staring at her own reflection; the image of a college student, pale & seemingly FRIGHTENED to anyone who dared to glance over. 

Tires screeched on the asphalt, the driver's eyes focusing not on the road but on dialing a number she thought she had long forgotten. With the device pressed to her ear, Kera pressed on the horn, urging the people in front of her to speed up; her heartbeat seemed to be at a higher rate than their speedometer. & when the voice she had been seeking was replaced by an automated message, she stepped harder on the gas. ❝It's been YEARS, Uranai-- years-- & you think you can razzle dazzle your ass into my voice mail & say something like that without expecting a  call back? How dare you try to make this conversation one sided; you'e always been an idiot but I didn't think it was to that extent-- 

❝As far as starting over-- I can't do that; I'm not going to forget everything we've been through but that doesn't mean I'm not going to make an effort to fix... this: whatever damn RELATIONSHIP we have now. How I'm doing-- I guess you could say I've cleaned myself up a little; there isn't as much alcohol or sex involved in my life anymore-- not much of any people, either, besides school & work-- but it's not exactly GREAT, to be honest; it's constantly... lonesome.❞ She took an audible inward sigh, her fingers tightening around to steering wheel. ❝I'm headed over there now just-- its the same place, right? I swear I will drive all over this damn town at top speed to find you but ah--❞ Her side went silent again; she was too HESITANT to speak her real thoughts; words that had boiling in the back of her mind ever since it happened.  

eyebrow wiggle yoU CHOSE THE ONE I SA ID WOOOOOOP

                    "Hey, Uranai..."

     HIS WORDS ARE soft as he sits, partially dazed while he swims in morbid thoughts, the abundance of questions too heavy to keep to himself. "What do you think justifies murder?" Was it abuse? Harassment? The threat of your loved ones dying before you?