Here's chapter 2! Kokodoru, once again, is the fantastic beta-reader.

Luka had completely forgotten that Miku owned a cell phone.

Luka had never realized that Miku had used it to record them.

The tealette had brought her phone and her charger with her to Luka's studio. Somehow. Every now and then, she had charged it from the outlet behind the couch.

Luka had never realized.

Miku had stood in front of the crowd, and explained it all. She had intended to upload the footage, had Luka come to harm her. Unintentionally, at least at first, she had only recorded Luka's desperate attempts to pick up all of the pieces.

When the accused heard all this, she could only stare at her friend, as she stood there delivering her first speech as a free woman. She was beyond surprised, beyond emotion. A mere statue who could, from that point on, only watch as Miku took control of her entire trial.

Maybe, she might have been angry that the younger woman was trying to help her get out of it. Or she would have been glad that she had managed to make such a true friend. Or relieved, that her intentions had been sincerely good from the beginning, for if she had been cruel, Miku and her evidence would have damned her.

Again, people argued. Is it worth watching? Was Luka aware of the recordings, was it all an act? What will it change?

Eventually, they did get to watch the footage. In chronological order. The pinkette remained dumbstruck.

There was so much to process. Everything had been recorded. From the shoes to the story. The chocolate to the conversation. She couldn't believe how much they'd both changed in the previous months. Throughout the footage, she could see how they grew closer, how the fear melted away. Some parts were difficult to watch, though: her first nightmare, for example. Others were more pleasant, like the songs they had sung. And as the truth of what had happened unfolded, the general opinion shifted.

The first videos proved to the world that Luka was honest as could be when it came to the facts: she had told Miku the exact same story as she had told everyone else. Nobody had been lied to. She was glad that Miku had been so clever, right from the beginning. Hopefully, it would bring the clarity needed for everybody to make up their minds and let the jury make their own decision. But as more chapters were shown, from Miku's brilliant debates to Luka leaving the home for a week, the opinion on her motive turned sour. People supposed that she was being manipulative, luring the tealette into a false sense of security by catering to her every need. Never mind that Luka legitimately couldn't find a counter-argument to the tealette's points, never mind that she just wanted to help.

The trial went on and on, for days on end. People debated about her motives, her objectives. Some speculated that she had intended to keep Miku prisoner for her ex-boss, to sell her later, but had turned herself in when it all fell apart. But why would she wait so long, 'til so many of the members had been caught? And what point is there in engaging in such private conversations with her prisoner? After all, as the videos went on, it became evident that Luka was hiding nothing from the tealette. Luka's lawyer even argued that the illusion would have been nothing more than a waste of time to fabricate, for the pinkette displayed behavior that would have ruined the illusion far too quickly: she was too open about the danger that loomed, she was too quick to remind the tealette that she could already have lied, that she was a criminal. Plus, Miku's arguments were fair, given their situation. There was nothing more to it, he said.

Despite that, it never ended. Asking Luka about her intentions was pointless, and the evidence didn't say enough.

But there was more to see.

"Cheers!"

The clinking of glasses filled the room. To nobody's but Luka's surprise, Meiko chugged her entire glass within a second, while others were congratulating the pinkette on her first week of work. Everybody was energetic and happy, and Luka couldn't remember the last time she felt so...

Surrounded? Supported?

Happy?

Of course, just the day before, Lily had gone home. The blonde hadn't quite yet found a job, but she had signed a contract for a new place to live and was staying at her parents', waiting to move in. The goodbyes had been surprisingly easy, for Lily promised she'd visit often, and Luka knew that from that point on she wouldn't be alone again. After all, Gakupo was proving to be a valuable friend, as was Meiko. The second day of work, he had kept his promise and had shown her around the museums, and when one of her coworkers gave her some difficulty because of her history, Meiko promptly had a chat with him.

"So, good job on your first week," congratulated Meiko without a single slur. "Now, you're officially a part of the family."

"Officially?" asked the pinkette. "I thought that the trial period-"

"The trial period is, officially, two months long. But those who make it past a week tend to, officially, stick. So yes, officially," the brunette said with a wink.

"Thanks," replied Luka, watching as her supervisor poured herself another glass. "And thank you for hiring me in the first place."

"Pssh. We had interviewed, like, fifteen other people that day. Half of them arrived late, which is out of the question in our job. Of the half that remained, half hit on me. So, euh, no. The last, like, four people were good. But we knew that you knew this town like the back of your hand. We wouldn't be wasting time with you, teaching you where north and south is."

Luka laughed, wondering if she was allowed to have that kind of information.

"So Meiko, is workplace flirting out of the question?" she heard. The pinkette turned around to find Gakupo standing there, champagne in hand.

"In the workplace, yes!" replied the brunette, who finally seemed to be showing the first signs of inebriation. "But clock out and you're clean as a whistle. I don't care what you guys are doing at home. Do coke, I don't care!"

"She doesn't mean that last part," whispered Gakupo.

"I sure hope so," Luka said with a chuckle.

"If you arrive on time and your nose is clean, you're good to go!" continued Meiko. "By the way. I've spoken to some of the other employees here who seemed a bit grumpy about your history. I've convinced them to give you a chance, so go to them and just talk it out. Show them that you're the good person you are."

The pinkette was a bit taken aback; she hadn't expected Meiko to go the extra mile. She thanked her nonetheless.

"Just let me know if they pester you again. If they do, they'll be fired. They know that. Can't have none of that shit here, not under my watch. And I'm always watching."

"Thanks," Luka mumbled, uncertain of how serious the brunette was.

"Now! Go socialize!" and off wandered Meiko.

"It would probably be a good idea," admitted Gakupo. "Since we're no longer stuck together, you're going to start working with everyone."

"Yeah..." Luka trailed off.

"Something the matter?"

"Not really. I suppose I'll miss working with you," she said, honestly, his recent question still present in her mind.

He smiled proudly, putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, we'll work together again. All we have to do is make sure our nametags are in the same slots when we organize our day."

"True."

"Now, go talk to everybody. I bet they're all looking forward to getting to know you." She nodded, but before she could turn around, he added, "And don't forget: have fun!"

Have fun she did. A few minutes in several of her conversations, she would inevitably get a mention of her history. Oftentimes, it was accompanied by an apology or an excuse, but at the end of it all, she was looking forward to working with almost every person in the room.

She'd never felt so safe.

Throughout the entire evening, though, she couldn't quite forget what Gakupo had said. More importantly, she couldn't get a specific t-shirt out of her mind.

Luka slumped against the table, coffee in hand. Gakupo joined her, a smile on his face.

"It's only eleven, and I'm exhausted," mumbled Luka.

"Welcome to the undesired morning shift," answered Gakupo. "I heard from the others that it went well."

Luka nodded and sipped some of her coffee. "Yeah. There's almost nobody on the bus at three in the morning. And those who are there have passes, so it's easy."

"Yup. But it's three in the morning."

"Three in the morning..." Luka groaned. "You know, I used to work 24-hour shifts, back then. I'd never sleep. But after three years in prison, you get used to a nice rhythm."

"Well, you can still count yourself lucky. You won't believe which route I'll have to take today."

"Oh? Where are you headed?"

He quickly described the location, an intersection of several different bus routes. "Can you guess why it'll be hell?"

She thought about it for a while, then it dawned on her. "Oh shoot, you're going to check the school kids."

"Yup."

"I've seen those buses roll around. They're full to the brim."

"That's the first bad thing. Most who live far enough get a government-funded pass, but then there are those who live one, two, stops away from the school, but get on anyway to hang out with their friends an extra five minutes. Guess how many of those buy a ticket for two stops."

"Dang. How often do you check those lines?"

"Not often enough. Haven't sufficiently traumatized them quite yet."

She laughed tiredly. "Then I'll just feel lucky, and I'll think of you when I take my nice and cozy nap this afternoon."

He rolled his eyes with a grin. "There you have the blessing of the morning shift," he mumbled into his cup. Luka giggled and finished her drink.

A few of their colleagues said goodbye as they went to start their shift. Everybody replied, breaking the quiet in the room.

"So, did you log your hours?"

"Yeah."

"Hand in the fines?"

"Done."

"Good. I need to go now, too. Lunch break is soon for the kids. I have to make it in time to kill their appetite."

"Have fun!"

"Thanks." He stood, three others joining him, all mumbling about having to wade through the packed bus filled with noisy, hungry pre-teens.

Luka stood as well. She liked spending time in the office, but she would also like getting a head start on that nap. She put away her cup, ready to leave, before Gakupo came back.

"Euh, just one question, before I officially clock in," he started.

She froze. Despite her better judgment, she replied, "Go ahead."

Gakupo hesitated, and Luka couldn't breathe. He'd asked about workplace flirting, and she feared his question would be related. Please don't ask me on a date, she thought. Maybe the potential question would have made her happy, in another time, another place. He was kind, he made her feel safe, he was handsome and she was happy. But-

"We all like going out to a local bar on Wednesdays," he said. "It's never busy in the middle of the week, and we just take the evening to wind down and mingle."

Luka didn't quite allow herself to feel relieved yet. "Who's coming?"

"Whoever wants to, whoever can. Meiko's almost always there, I'll be there, and most of our coworkers. Some people from the other departments join us, too, so it's a good way to meet everybody in the company."

She smiled. "And how drunk will everyone get?"

"Not very," he said with a laugh. "It's to wind down and talk, mostly. Not to get wasted. It's a nice place, really."

"Alright, I'll be there."

He grinned, explaining that the bar wasn't exactly close to the office. He described which bus gets closest, and to Luka's relief, it was a bus that came close to where she lived.

"I'll meet you at your stop, then," he said. "I take the same bus."

"Perfect! So, I'll see you this evening?"

"Yup. See you later!"

They waved goodbye, and off he went. She watched him go, a timid smile plastered on her lips.

A party, was it? A get-together? She was somewhat ecstatic: she hadn't gone out and had fun in years. When did she last hang out with a bunch of people? Back in high school, with Lily, for sure. Despite the answer, she still feared that Gakupo might ask her out, and felt silly for it. The only reason she had to worry was because of the question he'd asked Meiko because it felt significant: surely he had worked there for a while and knew the rules. The possibility that he was flirting with Meiko existed, of course, but then he would have flirted with her before. No, it felt too well-timed and she felt it was directed towards her.

Luka did feel a little bit presumptuous to assume that. He had always been kind, of course, but never did she have the impression that he was interested in her. Was it a cruel form of wishful thinking? Maybe she did like him, maybe a little, and was looking for signs, but didn't understand why she would also feel such apprehension towards the possibility. If he did ask her out, what would she do, she wondered. Turn him down politely? It's not the right time, for sure; she's just gotten out of prison, was still getting used to a normal life again. He would understand that. Would she be interested, later? Probably, she admitted. If they got to know each other better. If...

She sighed, realizing that her afternoon would be a long one, even with the nap she had planned. She opened the door to her studio slowly, the emptiness of it still alien to her. Nobody was waiting for her. The rollaway had been put away, as its name would indicate. The bags of clothes, the extra hair- and toothbrushes were all gone. She tried to focus on other things, like her shift that morning. Her coworkers had been very understanding and kind, she reminded herself. At one point, they had laughed with her when she realized that she had started going the wrong way, for she had tried to avoid security cameras by instinct.

She still knew where they all were, those cameras.

Luka slumped; thinking of something else didn't help. She slowly took off her uniform and changed into something light, checked her agenda, noted that she would have to see Kaito the following day. That evening, she was going to a bar with her coworkers. Otherwise, nothing much was planned.

She thought of Gakupo again. At that moment, he was probably waist-deep in a bus full of kids, all clamoring and trying to hide and making noise. She didn't envy him and looked forward to her nap. After the nap, the party.

Parties...she did have something to wear, she told herself. After she had received her paycheck, she'd gotten herself some new clothes, partly to keep up with the times, partly because most of what she had was old to begin with: during her reign in the Hatsune household, she hadn't taken the time to get anything new. So she had new jeans, nice shirts, new boots. Makeup, or no? Back in high school, she would put on some, for the occasional night out.

She wondered how different it would be from the nights out with her schoolmates. Vaguely, she remembered that she had a boyfriend at the time. Some stupid high school fling, wasn't it? More of a status move than anything else, maybe. She didn't even remember why they had broken up. She sighed again, realizing how long ago that was. She wasn't eighteen anymore: she was twenty-five. Those blissful high school years were long gone. That relationship, those past friendships, those were all long, long gone.

Her sleep was restless. It had dawned on her how long three years actually was. In a blink of an eye, she had gone from moving out of her parent's house to being released out of prison. Nineteen to twenty-five, just like that. In a state of half-sleep, half-dream, she tried to calculate how old she had been, right then. When they'd met she was only seventeen, wasn't she? How old was she now? Twenty-two? What was she doing right then? Studying? Exploring? Was she also wondering about dates? Did she find someone?

The thoughts made her more upset than she wanted to admit, but she swallowed them with practiced ease: they were hardly new. She grabbed the t-shirt that was sitting on the corner of her bed, pulled it towards her, held it. She could barely blame her sleepy state.

When she woke up later that afternoon, she was still tired. Nonetheless, she got showered, changed. She put on a bit of makeup, looked in the mirror, and felt pretty. With a small smile on her lips, she headed out the door and waited for the bus. Gakupo was seated at the front of the bus, waving at her when it arrived. He was wearing a button-up shirt, no tie, sleeves rolled up mid-forearm. Nice brown shoes, polished.

"Hello," he greeted as she sat down. "You look wonderful."

"So do you," replied Luka. "It's the first time I see you without the uniform."

He chuckled, "It is, isn't it. I've been told that the uniform is what suits me best, so I hope this isn't too much of a disappointment."

She scoffed. "Please."

They chatted until the bus arrived at the end stop, where they descended. Together, they walked to the bar.

"I feel like I have to warn you," he said, "That lots of university students hang around here."

"Oh?" Luka was slightly surprised; it didn't look like the kind of place students would be; the streets were almost deserted.

"Well, it's a karaoke bar, so it does attract the younger crowd."

Luka almost stopped dead in her tracks, nearly tripping over her own momentum.

"Is something wrong?" Gakupo asked.

"No," Luka answered quickly. "I suppose I didn't expect it."

"Don't worry, you're not expected to sing. Others can do that for you. It does set a nice jovial mood though; most everyone likes it here."

"Right."

As if on cue, Gakupo told her they'd turn right. She looked up at the building; large and pale, made to look like it was made out of marble. The first floor was cut open by a series of arches, and on each side were clothes shops. They walked between the shops, finding at the end of the arches a big empty court, with more shops surrounding them. In the middle, an escalator that would bring them to the higher floors.

"Second floor," said Gakupo.

Because of the late hour, the escalators were turned off. They walked up, and indeed, on the second floor, instead of a large shop, were the opaque walls of a bar. Neon lights indicated the name: Harlequin. When someone stepped out, chatter and music could be heard before the door closed, sealing all sounds inside.

Luka followed her colleague through the door and was surprised at how quiet it actually was. To the left, the bar itself, to the right, a series of booths following the wall all the way to the back. There was an open space with more tables, and way in the back, to the left, was the stage where people sang. Someone was standing there, singing quietly to a song Luka didn't recognize. It must be a recent hit, she told herself.

Gakupo waved to colleagues who were sitting in a booth to the right, a little way from the door, close to the bar. Luka recognized Meiko and a few others she had most frequently worked with. They all greeted the newcomers enthusiastically. A column of beer was already resting on the table, along with a few extra glasses.

"Welcome!" exclaimed Meiko, who was surprisingly sober. "Luka, come sit next to me, I promise it's quieter here."

Luka obeyed, Gakupo sitting across from her. The pinkette had her back to the stage, but seeing the glaring lights that illuminated his face, she felt she could barely complain. Facing the door was just fine.

"How is it quieter here?" she asked her boss. "Less light?"

"Less light, less sound, and you're far from those crazies," answered the brunette while pointing to her other colleagues, who were sitting next to the wall. "Only con is that they'll ask for more booze eventually, so we'll end up getting it."

She nodded with a grin. "Gotcha."

Meiko then handed her a pint of beer. Luka didn't look forward to downing it. Maybe some sips, but she never really was super fond of the stuff. Plus, she had her parole to keep in mind: no excess, regardless of her fondness for the poison.

"If it's not your taste, then feel free to get something from the bar," Meiko said. "And don't feel too paranoid with me around; I believe in a separation of workplace and private life."

"So, what can I get away with?" teased Luka.

"Bad jokes," mumbled Gakupo's neighbor.

"Terrible innuendos," added a colleague whose name she hadn't yet memorized.

"Shameless flirting," added another.

"Basically," Gakupo said, "Don't assault people, don't insult people, don't get naked and don't try to bribe the barman. You'll be fine."

Luka laughed. "I'll behave."

"Good girl. Remember that you're technically still in your two-month trial period, though, so I'll be extra strict with you," Meiko answered with a wink, and Luka blew a raspberry. Meiko laughed, and exclaimed, "Cheers!"

They all clinked glasses again before chugging. Luka took only a small, careful sip. Bitter, but she didn't expect anything else. She could drink it, albeit not quickly, so she doubted she would get anywhere close to drunk. Thank goodness.

Everybody started chatting, and before Luka could even begin to feel left out, Meiko leaned towards her.

"So, how's life?" she asked.

"Everything's going well," Luka answered. "I can pay rent, I can eat, I have a job."

"I heard from Gakupo that you had a friend staying over."

"Yes, Lily. She's my best friend, actually."

Meiko nodded. "Good. Hated to think that you had no friends after prison."

Luka smiled, touched. "Thanks. But she's got my back."

"And so do we!" assured the brunette. "And the family?"

Luka sighed, took a quick sip. "Not so supportive."

"That's a real shame."

"I'll try to reconnect, though," Luka tried to reassure her. "The only tricky thing is that I can't actually go home to explain myself."

"Right, right," Meiko nodded again. "No phone call can be sincere enough to explain to your parents why you spent three years in jail, I'm guessing."

"You're right," Luka admitted. "I'm scared that if I try to call, they'll just hang up on me."

"Were they at the trial, though?"

"Yeah, but that didn't help."

"Geez. I followed part of it on TV. News and stuff. I didn't get why you were antagonized so much."

"Really?"

"Well, eventually, yeah. At first, I hated your guts because all media said that you kidnapped a kid. Then, the arguments started pouring in in your favor. Why did you end up getting twelve years, by the way? I thought it would be less."

"I think that they understood that at one point, I was cornered; when I kidnapped her, it was because I had no other choice. But before that point, I had no excuse."

"Aahh..." Meiko drank a little bit. "Right, that makes sense."

The brunette had no reservation about asking questions, and Luka felt that while she asked a lot, she would respect her if she didn't want to answer anything. Others eventually asked questions, too. Meiko was the most persistent, though, and was most curious about her 'boss', and how they had met. The story of her post online felt like a distant one; it was so long ago. Meiko asked how creepy he was, what it was like to be blindfolded and led to a secret location, among other questions none had thought of asking before.

"That sounds scary as balls," Meiko told her with a slight slur: her glass was almost empty by that point, and Luka had only drunk from hers' a few times.

"It was," Luka said with a chuckle. "Scary as balls."

Then Gakupo asked her a question about the museum they had visited days ago, which triggered a debate about which exposition in the museum was the best. His neighbor, an art enthusiast apparently, was adamant that the west wing, the permanent collection, would always be the most interesting, and Luka had to side with him on that one, much to Gakupo's chagrin. At one point during the debate, though, Gakupo paused, looking somewhere into the room.

"What's wrong, boys?" asked the brunette, who had noticed their sudden stillness.

"Euh..." Gakupo was still plenty sober, but he seemed to hesitate, his eyes darting from Luka to someplace behind her. Just as she was going to turn around, he stopped her. "There's someone here you know."

"Was she ever here before?" asked the art amateur, glancing at the same person.

"Nah, if she was a regular we would've noticed, man. We wouldn't be gone here with Luka."

"Who are you talking about?" asked Meiko, but Luka felt like she already knew.

She grasped the mug with both hands. Even before her name was even said, she was already shaking.

"Miku," Gakupo admitted.

"That's not, like, an issue, right?" asked the anonymous coworker, who was already halfway to drunk. "You won't get in trouble or anything?"

"Yeah, you weren't told that you gotta keep a distance or something?"

"If you were, we'll take the blame!" exclaimed another. "Promise, we didn't know she'd be here."

"Did anybody see her come in?"

"Nah, she must've been here already," said Meiko. "We've got eyes on the door."

Luka couldn't help but feel slightly tense. Miku, here? Despite that, she managed to compose an answer, even if it was a shaky one, "Don't worry, I haven't been told to keep away."

"So, no trouble?"

"No, but I suppose it's a little unexpected."

"Damn, sorry," mumbled Meiko. "If we'd known, we wouldn't have brought you here."

Luka nodded, but could barely focus on the words. She was grateful for the consideration and concern some of her coworkers had shown, but mostly, she was nervous. Miku was there. "It's fine," she said, keeping her eyes on the faint reflection of her hands in the glass of her mug.

"We're going to have to scope out a new joint," slurred someone from the other end of the table.

"No, it's fine," Luka insisted, quickly. "You said you hadn't seen her here before, right? What are the odds this will happen again?"

"This is a university joint."

"Odds are fair," Gakupo admitted.

"Wanna switch places with me?" Meiko asked.

Luka shook her head and focused on her mug, the lights that got caught inside, the sheen of her nail polish. She tried to play it cool, stay calm, but she couldn't organize her thoughts. Some of her colleagues dismissed the issue, but Gakupo and Meiko remained concerned, Meiko even asking if she was sure.

"It's fine. Besides, it's not like we were on bad terms." She wanted to be firm, but could only mumble.

Gakupo nodded slowly, casting one more concerned gaze her way before returning to his conversation with his art friend. Luka couldn't help but notice that he kept looking into the room, probably keeping tabs on the tealette's location.

"You sure?" whispered Meiko for the third time.

"Yeah. We... We used to be friends, even."

She looked confused. "But you kidnapped her."

Luka bit her lip. Her coworkers were understanding, but they'd never asked about Miku. They didn't know what it was like, between them. She remembered the promise she'd made. The trial. Then, three years of radio silence. No letters. No calls. No visits. She tasted bitter regret on her tongue. She drank some beer, but it didn't help.

Had Miku abandoned her? After the pinkette had denied all form of contact with everyone, had she effectively broken her promise and accidentally cut Miku out of her life? No, she was more understanding than that. At least, she had been. Was she still? Was she still the Miku she knew? Would they even be able to recognize each other?

She tried to calm herself down by telling herself that while she knew of Miku's presence, the contrary probably wasn't true. It was entirely possible that they'd graze each other, but wouldn't meet. Her return to normalcy probably wasn't in danger.

Would it be, Luka asked herself. She knew why she was so apprehensive about seeing Miku again, but wondered if there would be any actual consequences. Maybe they'd get along just fine. Maybe not. Would others mind? What would it change?

"Oh…! Incoming," Gakupo warned.

Luka froze. Time to find out, apparently. Somehow, she noticed that most of her other colleagues had turned their attention to her, to see what would happen.

She looked up just as Miku walked up to her.

The tealette seemed just as surprised as she was. Maybe she looked a little bit older, too. A little tanner, maybe, but it was hard to tell with the light. Was she wearing makeup? She looked good. She looked great. Wonderful. Beautiful, even, because she had just smiled and Luka couldn't help but smile back.

"I can't believe it," Miku blurted after half a second of silence. "Luka?"

She stood, unable to control the feeling of happiness that bubbled inside her. It took over her and she could barely find anything to say. In the end, the one word she could summon was, 'Hey'.

The next second she was engulfed in a hug she was already returning. It was as if no time had passed at all, and Luka found herself holding back tears. Maybe Miku was a bit taller than before, but what did it matter. It was… It really was just like it always had been.

"Wow, has it really been three years?" asked the tealette as she pulled away, but only enough so that they could face each other.

"Yeah," Luka replied, barely able to compose her thoughts. Her mind was spinning. "How have you been?"

Miku grinned. She was so close. Luka realized that they were less than an arm's length away from each other. Miku's hands were still on her hips, and she wondered if the tealette was slightly drunk. The thought in mind, she realized she could smell the drink on her. When the tealette answered, she could even hear the slight slur. "Better than ever, Luka. And you?"

"I'm great. I've been freed a little less than a month ago."

"A month?" exclaimed the tealette, in slight overreaction. She really was tipsy.

Luka forced herself to ignore the hands that had squeezed slightly during the response. "You didn't know?"

"No. My parents must have conveniently forgotten to tell me." The pinkette frowned, but before she could ask, Miku continued, "So, what are you doing here?"

"Night out with a few coworkers," she answered, nodding in their direction. She turned to face them, most of which were surprised by the entire exchange. She chuckled, suddenly feeling shy. "Miku, this is my boss, Meiko, and a friend of mine, Gakupo. Guys, this is Miku."

"Nice to meet you," the brunette said, politely.

"Likewise," Miku replied, before turning to Luka and all but blurting, "I have so much to tell you, but I'm in a party with some friends who just got engaged so I kind of got to be there with them and I'm a little drunk and I don't want you to see me like this, so maybe we could meet up again sometime?"

Luka blinked in surprise and amusement. "Sure."

"Oh, here, let me give you my number," mumbled Miku, holding on to Luka's arm and leaning against her slightly as she fished her phone out of her pocket. The moment she held her phone, though, she admitted "...I can't remember it. Darn it. Drawing a blank."

The pinkette laughed. "Here, I'll give you mine."

Miku handed Luka her phone, never letting go of her arm. She stood slightly behind the pinkette, looking over the taller woman's shoulder and watching as she created a new contact. The pinkette could feel Miku's warm breath through the fabric of her shirt and had to admit that the younger woman really did smell of alcohol. Plus, she seemed to depend on her grasp to keep most of her balance; she was drunker than Luka had anticipated.

The moment she had finished putting in her number, she handed the phone back to Miku.

"Thanks," mumbled the tealette as she quickly wrote and sent a text message. Luka could feel her own phone vibrate in her pocket. "Got it?"

"Yup," she answered after checking her own phone: a new message from an unknown number.

"Cool. Let's hang out sometime."

"I look forward to it."

Miku grinned. "Me too! Now I gotta get back to my party. See you later, Luka!"

The tealette disappeared into the room, the lights swallowing her whole. Luka sat back down at her table.

"You weren't kidding when you said that you two were friends, huh?" asked Meiko with a grin.

"Nope." Luka took a small sip of her drink. She was still shaking slightly.

"She seems like a nice girl," said Gakupo.

"She is."

Gakupo seemed to want to ask a question, but Meiko started a conversation with him. The brunette was probably giving her time to think. That was absolutely what she needed, and part of her wished that she was somewhere quieter, with less song, less lights, and less people.

She realized that adrenaline was running through her veins. She felt energized, excited, somewhat terrified.

Her reunion with Miku hadn't happened in the way she had expected. Nor did she really expect it to happen so soon. And what did she say about her parents not telling their daughter about her release? And where, or when, exactly, would they meet up again? Where did Miku like to go? What kind of person had she become?

Maybe it was the fact that she was tipsy that threw the pinkette off so much. Her speech wasn't as she had remembered, the way she moved was sloppy, and she was definitely more 'hands-on' than she had ever been. But her taste in clothing hadn't changed, she still wore her hair in the same way, and her voice was still light and clear.

Or maybe it was the fact that she had other friends, another event to be at. But Luka dismissed that; she felt only happiness at the fact that Miku had, apparently, managed to find people to be with and places to go to. This was a university joint, too, so she was probably studying something she liked. If she was studying, then she was allowed to go out like a regular person. Were her parents still traveling all the time? It was possible.

Maybe it was the fact that Luka still wasn't entirely sure how to behave. After the trial... She shook her head. Luka had gotten over that, she insisted on it. She just needed to get used to actually seeing Miku again after such a long time. It had been three years, after all. Maybe Miku was mad that she had cut off all contact, despite their promise to keep in touch, or maybe, on the contrary, she understood. Yeah, she didn't know where the tealette stood, after all that time. Before, she had known exactly who and where Miku was. But right then? She could just as well be a whole new person. No wonder why she was so nervous.

Luka took a bigger gulp of her beer and grimaced. She felt thirsty and it helped a bit, but she would have preferred water.

"Not your thing, eh?" asked Meiko.

"Not really," Luka replied with a laugh. "Too bitter." She wondered if Miku liked beer.

"If you want, you can order beer with some syrup they make here. A bunch of fruity flavors that make it nice and sweet."

Syrup in beer? "Why not order a different drink altogether?" asked the pinkette.

"Those aren't as cheap," Meiko said with confidence.

"Hm. I might try it next time. For now, I'll settle with this."

"Alright, no pressure. If you can't finish it, Al will volunteer."

Luka rolled her eyes.

"So, you're going to hang out with Miku again?" asked Gakupo, who had downed some more of his drink.

"Yeah. I'm looking forward to it."

"So, what exactly are you two?" he asked. "Friends?"

"She just said so, dummy," teased Meiko. "Though I can't really imagine it."

"We're friends. Despite everything that happened, we are," Luka tried to say with confidence. The adrenaline that lingered threatened to make her voice shake.

"How did that happen? I mean, didn't you try to kill her at some point?" Luka froze and Meiko shot the unknown coworker a glare. "No, I mean-" he chuckled awkwardly. "I'm not blaming you or anything, Luka. I'm not saying that she should hate you, but I'm wondering why she doesn't. If someone did that to me, I wouldn't take it so well, you know?"

"Victor, you can't just ask people these things," hissed Gakupo.

"Well, you can ask, but you can't possibly hope to understand. They were in the thick of it, back then; we're all gifted with hindsight," contributed Gakupo's neighbor. "I bet there's a ton of stuff the media didn't tell us about it all. We can't get it."

"Right, I'm sorry for asking," Victor apologized, sincere. "I'm just a little confused."

"Don't worry, I am, too," confessed Luka. "But you're right. A lot happened. A whole lot."

"So..." he leaned closer. "Like, why did they want her dead in the first place?"

"Alright, that's enough!" Meiko grumbled. "We're going back to a nice pleasant topic or we're leaving!"

Immediately the others started talking about a sports game that happened recently, and Gakupo quickly whispered an apology on their behalf. Luka could only sigh in relief. By then, she had mostly managed to calm herself down, but she couldn't forget that Miku was still there, somewhere in the room. She tried to listen to the music, most of which were hits that were released while she was away, so unless she knew the song, she focused on the conversation.

It turned out to be a very pleasant evening. After a few hours, some of the employees, namely the ones who were to work early that morning, started leaving. The art enthusiast went first, Victor a close second. By that time, Meiko was halfway to drunk, which made the pinkette laugh, remembering when she was told that they organized the outing mostly to relax. Luckily, Gakupo remained almost entirely sober and spoke with Luka the most, and while the pinkette appreciated the relaxed conversation, she couldn't forget the questions he'd asked.

Is workplace flirting out of the question?

So, what exactly are you two?

Friends?

She wondered, too. She wondered what she wanted, right then. In front of her, a kind and understanding coworker, somewhere behind her, a tipsy, older version of a young woman she once knew.

By the end of the evening, only a handful of them were left. When she decided to leave, she decided that she had had a great time, and was already looking forward to the following Wednesday. She and Gakupo took the same bus home, and he politely bid her a good night when she stepped off at her stop. At home, she immediately changed into her pajamas, brushed her teeth. Vaguely, she remembered that she had to charge her phone, and when she picked it up, she saw it again: New message from an unknown number.

She unlocked her phone and looked at the message. Glad you found me. :)

Luka wordlessly selected the phone number and chose to add it to a new contact. 'Miku', she wrote. The other numbers in her contacts were Lily, Gakupo, Meiko, a few other coworkers, Kaito. Not an amazing list, but somehow, Miku was a significant addition.

'Glad you found me'? she wondered what the tealette had meant. Found her at the party, since her parents hadn't meant for her to find out Luka was free? Found her back home, consequently freeing her from her domestic imprisonment? Maybe she meant something more spiritual? She hadn't seen her for three years and she was drunk, so who knew what she could have meant.

Luka sighed and laid down on her bed, eyeing the screen. She didn't like texting or calling much. She wondered what she could say. Miku was partying, drunk, with plenty of friends. Slowly, she composed a reply.

Get home safe.

She was a bit worried, yes. Would she drive, or did they have a designated driver? Would she take the bus? A taxi? Where was her home?

She pressed send and put her phone away to let it charge. Only a minute later, though, it vibrated again. On the screen, she saw Miku's reply: Home already 3 Free tomorrow?

Luka's breath caught at the message but forced herself to type back. After five, yeah.

Harlequin at 5:30? It's quieter, promise. They serve dinner.

Sounds good.

It's a date!

Luka froze. Midnight came and went, her alarm was set for eight the following morning, but all she could do was stare at her screen.