#hanasou

Having casually been walking alongside the other, she spoke up after noticing the girl’s bright red scarf, prompting the disguised tanuki to raise an eyebrow and examine Ayano.

So kids like this were saved, too? Better the young and impressionable than the old and decrepit, the youkai thought. Even if that last part somewhat defined herself.

“You’re taking your studies seriously, aren’tcha?”

“Even with how things are, I’d reckon learning is still mighty important!”

Karna had stepped outside to survey the state of the neighborhood and the city. There was no immediate rioting or panic, but the tension was as if the air was a blade cutting through the atmosphere. It was very clear that the Masters and Servants in the area were shaken and wondering what to do next. 

He spotted a young girl casually strolling down the nearby streets, looking quite carefree, if that can be believed. How odd. He walked over and called out to her.

“Young lady, are you certain that you have heard the announcement?”

[◑] “There’s nothing around here.... that’s unfortunate.” Sigma wasn’t particularly motivated by the prospect of money- no, he was much more concerned about simply fixing the city. That could be interpreted as something selfless, but that really wasn’t it either; it just made things a lot more difficult if this place was wrought with infected citizens, and a broken firewall.

The little cafe around him was on the quiet side, thankfully. Norman didn’t think he could take any more of the grocery store’s bustle, or the deafening silence of his apartment when his servant wasn’t there, or the confusing maze of streets outside. It was just a few others minding their own business, and himself, seated at a table with an untouched cup of tea and a series of job applications spread out before him. (Not that he was focused on those.) He could see why cafes were nice social settings in a lot of books he’d read.

But now? Now, instead of the bustle and confusion of the rest of the world, he had to deal with the twisting in his chest that arose any time he wasn’t sufficiently occupied.

A constant undercurrent of fear and worry was no stranger to him. He’d been living with that for months in a far more drastic situation than this. But then, he’d had his siblings, his best friends, to support him, to share the burden where they could. Not all of it, no, but...everything that he could let them share. And even with the rest, they carried him through without knowing it. He could survive, he could manage, if only he just --

If only he knew they were safe. (If he knew that much, it didn’t really matter if he survived.)

He unclasped his hands and ran one over his face. He’d sat down to try to fill out these applications, only to realize he didn’t have anything to write with. And then, trying to read them to at least know what he would write, he realized he didn’t even know how to fill out some of these things, or where to begin. One thought led to another, how he wished he had Emma and Ray here to try to figure it out with them, and how he missed them, and...

He couldn’t get caught up thinking about that. Couldn’t afford to. The feeling in his chest would eat him alive. And there were things right in front of him to worry about first -- gotta start somewhere, right? The young man lifted his head and leaned slightly from his booth to get the attention of the person at the table a few feet away, putting on a polite smile.

“Excuse me. Do you have a pen I could borrow?”

     'You just looked like a really...really old friend, is all. I guess I let my impulses get the better of me. Sorry. Didn't mean to bother you, though...' He said this, skittishly eyeing the surroundings, then looking back at the girl in front of him -- particularly, what she was carrying. 'You seem quite on top of this gathering business. Trying to win first place, are you?'

The setting sun cast a nostalgic shade across the courtyard, though the serenity in Max’s smile betrayed the view she took in. She had never formally attended a school like the one she passed by until much later in her life. The image of her as a blushing schoolgirl was just another role she had left to gather dust with the records of old assignments. Still, the sight of a school brought her an odd peace of mind, enough to make her forget herself at the sight of a young lady in a red scarf.

“Excuse me, little miss. Are you heading home from school?”