Butterfly Soup
Runners at the Corners

A/N: Finally got around to playing this visual novel recently and it's immediately jumped right up there as one of my favorite narrative/indie games. Adore the characters too much to not spend more time with them, yet have so many other projects to juggle, so I'll be writing this off and on as a side project to relieve stress inbetween other stuff, and posting much smaller segments than my usual as they're finished.

-
Part 1

[ Noelle ]
[ And what good do you expect ME to do? ]
[ We're JUST barely at 'possibly enjoys one another's company on certain occasions.' ]
[ And how long did that take? ]
[ Obviously, I can't get through to her. Especially not right now. ]
[ If anyone can, it's you. ]
[ Why are you putting this off? ]

[ Diya ]
[ I tried already.. ]
[ And um ]
[ you saw how that went. ]
[ I can't go through that again. ]

[ Noelle ]
[ Seriously? ]
[ That was WEEKS ago! ]
[ You patched it back up. ]
[ Like you always do. ]
[ And besides, you better not be blaming yourself for HER actions. ]
[ Swear to god. ]

[ Diya ]
[ I'm not. ]

[ Noelle ]
[ Good! ]

[ Diya ]
[ Maybe Akarsha could try? ]
[ Talking with her. ]
[ I mean ]

[ Noelle ]
[ Um ]
[ No? ]
[ That's like trying to clean an open wound with spicy mustard. ]

[ Diya ]
[ Gross. ]
[ Messy. ]
[ Smells weird. ]
[ Makes it worse... ]
[ But tastes...good? ]

[ Noelle ]
[ Exactly, yes. All of those things. ]
[ EW, NO! Not the last one! ]
[ What's wrong with you? ]
[ You know, I still cannot believe you did that... ]

[ Diya ]
[ Did what? ]
[ The bloody knee thing? ]

[ Noelle ]
[ Yes, the BLOODDY KNEE THING. ]
[ You two were utterly disgusting! ]

[ Diya ]
[ You're not allowed to give me that. ]
[ Not when your gf uses menses as a weapon. ]

[ Noelle ]

[ OK, point taken, BUT! ]
[ That was in self defense, ONE TIME, in HIGH SCHOOL. ]
[ You're never going to let her live that down, are you? ]

[ Diya ]
[ Definitely not. ]
[ You have? ]
[ Still ranks as the grossest thing any of us has done. ]

[ Noelle ]
[ To each other. ]

[ Diya ]
[ haha ]
[ To each other.. ]

[ Noelle ]

[ Speaking of which...can we get back on topic? ]
[ You're trying to avoid it. Like always. ]
[ This problem isn't going to just disappear. ]

[ Diya ]
[ Evanesco ]

[ Noelle ]
[ Excuse me? ]

[ Diya ]
[ *waves wand* ]

[ Noelle ]

. . .
[ Revelio! ]

[ Diya ]
[ lol took you a minute. ]

[ Noelle ]
[ Wiki is my friend. ]
[ Now talk to me, Diya. What's holding you back? ]

[ Diya ]
[ Colloportus. ]

[ Noelle ]
[ OK, I know even you had to look that one up... ]

[ Diya ]

[ Noelle ]
[ UGH. ]
[ Alohomura! ]
[ There! ]
[ Can we stop this and actually TALK? ]

[ Diya ]
. . .(typing) [ Confun- ]

[ Noelle ]
[ EXPELLIARMUS. ]

[ Diya ]
. . . (deletes)
[ Quick draw. ]
[ I should've seen that one coming. ]

[ Noelle ]
[ What is with you? ]
[ Why are you dodging the topic so fervently? ]
[ You know that does NOT work on me. ]

[ Diya ]
[ Well. ]
[ The topic is pointless and hopeless and I hate it and I can't do anything about it ]
[ so ]
[ Just forget it. ]

[ OK? ]
[ Don't even worry about it. ]
[ I'm sorry I bothered you. ]
[ It's my problem. ]
[ Not yours. ]
[ And you think only I can fix it. ]

[ Noelle ]
Noelle is typing. . .

[ Diya ]
[ My mess to clean up. ]
[ Won't bother you with it. ]

[ Noelle ]
[ We are here for you, but there's very little we can do with this particular situation! ]
[ You're typing too fast!]

[ Diya ]
[ Go back to studying ]

[ Noelle ]
[ I've studied plenty today. ]

[ Diya ]
[ And just forget about my problems. ]

[ Noelle ]
[ I can afford a block of time to help you process this. ]

[ Diya ]
[ Apparently no one else in the world but me can do anything about it. ]

[ Noelle ]
[ Are you even reading my responses? ]

[ Diya ]
[ Nothing will change unless I magically can do something I can't do. ]
[ That's what you're saying. ]

[ Noelle ]
[ You CAN do this! ]
[ You're being kind of infuriating today... ]
[ Is that on purpose? ]

[ Diya ]
[ I understand. ]
[ I'm sorry I'm so useless ]

[ Noelle ]
[ Whoa, whoa! ]
[ NOT what I said! ]
[ AT all! ]
[ Misquotation, Madame! ]
[ Don't do this to yourself, Diya. ]
Noelle is typing. . .

[ Logging off. . . ]

With an irate huff, Diya tore off her tattered old Nike cap, shoving it fiercely on the post of her bed before slamming her laptop shut. She slumped out of her desk chair and dropped herself face-down into her unmade covers. She groaned into her pillow, clenching shaking hands against the dense, feather-filled cushion.

Eyes squinted shut, breath hindered, she sobbed, tears dripping into the lightning-bolt-laden pillowcase.

Diya's evening routine that week had been lying in bed for 10 minutes thinking about how much she hated herself.

She did it again.

It hurt too much, not knowing what was going to happen, but knowing for sure that she'd be incapable of affecting its outcome. If it was a ball, a glove, a base, she could handle it without question, without conscious thought. Her body could handle just about anything?

If it was a person, though?
If it was her brain, her instable tangle of anxiety that had to be worked with?

That was, well...a whole other ball game.
She hated herself just a bit more for thinking the pun.

-rrrmmmm!-

The vibration of her phone momentarily pulled her to the world, but she ignored it. Probably a wall of text from Noelle that she didn't have the strength to confront.

Minutes passed as Diya quietly winced into her pillow, struggling to figure out any way this situation could turn out well without her having to do things she hated doing. Any way the events that created this situation could've turned out better, if only she'd...acted. What options did they have at this point?

-rrrmmmm!-

Stupid phone.
(mmmnnnnrrrr...)

-rrrmmmm!-

(RRGHHMMNNnnn...)

Her muscles tightened bitterly as the phone kept at it.

-rrrmmmm!-
-rrrmmmm!-

"Rrrrr..."

Going as far as to utter a literal, audible growl into pillow helped Diya become self-aware of just how quickly her mood had turned. She'd really put too much stock into Noelle helping save the day, here. And why should she? Min wasn't Noelle's responsibility. They only tolerated each other for Diya's sake, anyway. Like she was worth all of this. And yes, Akarsha really got on well with Min, especially since that big blowup that happened back on Diya's birthday. Jeez. She was twenty-one now. Twenty-one. University was almost over. This was the absolute worst time in her life for this kind of stuff to be happening, and she wasn't at all prepared for it.

"Diya? Dude, are-...?"

The door to her flat room had come swinging open – crap, she'd left it unlocked – and Akarsha's voice pierced through her self-wallowing mood. Well, like a butter knife piercing a loaf of bread, maybe, with Diya's hearing muffled in one ear by defect and by pillow in another.

Diya flipped over in her bed, red-eyed with a grouchy look about her. Slouched on her elbow and hip, her good ear pointed at her door, she simply glared at Akarsha, wordless.

"Uh...-" Akarsha awkwardly closed the door behind her, taking a few cautious steps in. "...Yooo," she murmured sheepishly, hovering by the end of Diya's bed. "See you're...gettin' your Chrissy Teigen on..."