HAPPY NEW YEAR!

TO EVERYONE BUT SEPHIROTH.

there was so much he could have asked her, but something earlier that day had nagged him and continued to do so... it was as if he had woken up and felt... terribly unwell. it came and went like a headache but when it arrived once more, not even his tough exterior could withstand the dizziness which came with it. but instead of asking her about the store, about her life, about her day, he asked her this. 

“ you haven’t given me your cold, have you? “ 

he raised an eyebrow at her, sure that perhaps it was a late fever which grasped his chest so tightly. he needn’t spare her the details of his sickness, it would surely pass with fruit and patience. but he spared no chance to pass up poking a little fun at her. he noted the array of abandoned leaflets upon her desk and arranged them absentmindedly, organising them back into their appropriate piles before straightening up his clothes with a few smooth hand motions. he had gone to comment on the disarray of her tidiness when he spluttered into a hacking, aggressive cough. 

so unbecoming of him was the sound that even he was thrown off-guard. he doubled over, clutching at the counter-top, his lungs working furiously to restore order as he continued to cough. “ water... “ he called out to his younger sibling, attempting to sound somewhat stable so as not to worry her, but even he was concerned. with only the mere dizzy symptoms of a regular cold, to suddenly advance into something so aggressive... well, it was enough to take him aback. 

It’s almost sunset when Yagen decides to stop lounging in the cherry blossom boughs and go home. The easiest way to get off is to jump down, so he does--moments before a girl appears beneath the trees.

Thinking fast, he catches himself on one branch, swings up and around to a second, and ends up hanging upside down from the tree just inches in front of her face.

   But still, she sticks to the sidelines as she often does when she is in public like this. It is best not to arouse attention to oneself, though the woman standing next to her looks quite out of place. Haise— no, Sasako envisions her dancing with the others and thinks it to be more fitting than standing like she is.

❝   honestly these are  super  good--- ! thanks for that recommendation, miss... uh sorry but,   ❞   she lowered the tray of takoyaki and used her available hand to scratch her cheek in embarrassment.   ❝   i think i  forgot  your name, mind reminding me again...?   ❞  

           THE BREEZE IS SWEET ! Vibrant with slight decay as the remnants of summer clung onto the flora in vibrant petals. Gathered in her arms was a bouquet of fall blossoms. Each bloom seemed to come alive in her embrace though plucked from their dwelling below. The field was usually absent of visitors and typically the youkai came to bask in the comfortable solitude. Yet, today she found herself in the company of another woman. Despite the slight surprise her presence was not unwelcome. 

   “honestly, it was tough. too bad you missed it.” elysia found herself in tow aerith, a new addition to the spirale. “you know it was a real mess before, rubble everywhere. it was kind of awful.”

   despite that, the young woman seem to embellish on the recent events here. mostly because they weren’t in danger anymore and why not? besides, she felt like she was a pretty good storyteller and aerith was a pretty good listener, at least to her. besides, they were going out to grab something to eat. find a place that seemed good enough to relax.

  “anyway, i’m sure you got your full on what’s been going on. what kind of food do you want to eat?” elysia didn’t know aerith well enough to guess her favorite kind of food, but hey it was fun ti experiment, yeah? “my treat, by the way.”