03—Floral Lavender
A young woman draws in a sharp breath, startling awake.
Her violet hued eyes snap open, taking in the darkness of her room. Visions of her dreams cling to the corners of her mind, and she trembles as she tries to force them out. Dark visions. Sinister visions. Memories of a place and time that was nothing but pain, fear, and a deep and desperate desire for each breath to be her last. Slowly, she pulls down her covers, revealing her flowing pink nightdress.
Had anyone else been there to see it.
This time, there wasn't. And she breathes an unspoken word of gratitude.
For that, and something else.
It's okay. They're just nightmares. That's all in the past. Thank god I'm awake now.
She sits up and shakes her head from side to side, her soft, lavender hair swishing about her shoulders. The floor, thinly covered with red carpet, offers her little beyond quieting her light foot-falls as she stands from her bed, glancing around her room.
A simple room. Plain, almost spartan, lacking little more than what the absolute necessities. Darkened windows—the sun having yet to rise—above her bed and study, the bed fit snugly against a wall in a side alcove, and the study sitting comfortably in another, smaller alcove in the back. A study comprising a chair and a desk cluttered with many books on varying subjects, most of which have collected a thin layer of dust for the time they've spent closed and tucked away.
And all of it, the bed, the study, and, at present, her, kept hidden away by a cream-colored privacy curtain which divides her room in half, hiding from view what lay on the other side. A wall-mounted mirror, a small coffee table, a closet with a dresser, and a door. A door which leads to the rest of the too-large mansion in which she lives and has lived now for years.
She focuses on the windows for a moment, breathing a heavy sigh, noting the early hour for the lack of light coming through.
Nightmare or no, I'm awake now. Earlier than usual, it seems. No sense wasting this extra time, especially if it means I can slip out early. I don't know how Nii-san will be when he wakes up.
The brief thought of her brother evokes dark thoughts, again causing her to shudder. Thoughts, memories of her time in this place, and the unspeakable atrocities to which she'd been subjected. By the young man, the one who was supposed to be her brother, her protector. By the old man, the one supposed to be her grandfather, her guardian. The sort of things only imagined in the darkest recesses of the deepest, most terrible of nightmares.
Frozen in place, her mind does the only thing it can during times like these. As it has many times, it conjures his face. A warm, handsome face. That of a young man, with rough-cut red hair, amber eyes, and a sincere, friendly smile.
It's enough, and she's able to move again. She pulls back the cream-colored curtain, fastening it to the wall with a matching tie-back, and moves toward the closet, pulling from it her day wear, a student's uniform, which she lays out on the bed.
Senpai… I'll bet he's still sleeping. Probably in the shed again, too.
In her mind, he lies on the blue tarp covering the floor of his shed, his workspace cluttered by various tools and things in need of repair. Just the thought of him is enough to brighten her face with a beaming smile full of love and affection. A smile seldom, if ever, seen by anyone else. A smile just for her.
She squishes her eyes closed, shaking her head and clapping her face.
Come on, Sakura. Get it together and focus, we'll see him soon enough.
She lets down her soft pink nightgown and grabs her simple pink bra, which she slides on, fastening it at the back. It pinches as she tucks herself into its cups, and she winces.
She frowns for a brief instant.
Did they actually grow again? I don't want to go shopping for new clothes again already…
She sighs, and her light frown yields, lifting into another smile, and she divests herself of her evening underwear. She pulls up a fresh pair of plain pink panties, which well match what now cradles her chest. She slides on the long-sleeved white dress shirt, accented red at the cuffs and collar, then fastens its buttons from the bottom up. Sliding her long, thin, red student's tie under her collar, she then secures it in a tight bow-knot. Up goes her dark skirt, which swings about her knees, and on goes her white socks, up to about her calves.
On the table of her study rests a red hair ribbon, which she uses to secure some of her hair to one side, behind her left ear, letting the rest flow loose to about her shoulders. She glances toward the window again, then frowns, noting the street lamps no longer shine their light.
This is taking too long. I don't get many chances to meet with Senpai early in the morning. I can't let this one go to waste.
She slips on her beige student's vest, securing it closed by fastening its few buttons. Then, leaning her head and prodding her chin, she considers herself in the mirror for a moment.
These uniforms… They really do well in hiding a person's figure.
The thought and the moment pass, and she takes in a deep breath before opening her door and slipping into the dim hallway, having never even turned on her bedroom's light.
"—how am I getting—"
Taiasu's question hangs in the air as the old man clasps his hand. A familiar, all-over tingling sensation runs through his body as it's broken down into its most basic components in a brilliant flash of light. The cloud of aethereal vapor, gravitating around the aether of his soul, the only aspect of his being which cannot be broken down, remains suspended, unseen, for a moment before being pulled away.
Though it should be his own soul directing this process, this transference, something else has taken over. Some unknown force, which guides and directs his soul and body-turned-aether through one of the many aetheric streams which run through the world of Hydaelyn. Twisting, turning, yet with his body immaterial, feeling nothing.
The power guiding him splits a portion of the stream away, diverting it to some unknown, makeshift terminus where it pours out his essence. Finally, it rebuilds his aether around his soul, restoring his form to what it was before sending him on his way.
"—there-o… kay?"
The entire process takes about ten seconds and leaves him standing, blinking, and staring around as he scratches his head.
"No plaza? No aetheryte crystal, either? That's—!"
Air that would articulate his thoughts is pulled from his lungs. His vision wavers. Some overwhelming sensation assails him. His mind doesn't know, but his body clearly does, and tries desperately to communicate to him as he falls reeling to his knees that something is desperately wrong in the only way that it can.
Not pain, but fatigue. Acute, aggressive exhaustion that threatens his very waking state.
A sudden, gripping chill seizes Sakura the moment her foot touches the floor of the hall outside her door, evoking a powerful shudder she struggles to suppress, and she quickly shoots a glance in both directions, to her left and to her right. The breath she'd taken in slips slowly out as a quiet sigh of relief at her finding no one, nothing, no perceivable cause for her body's reaction.
Only in my head. Let's just get out of here.
Her lips press into a determined line as she moves quietly through the oppressive dark of the hall toward the descending staircase. The railing, cold to the touch, bears her weight as she leans into it, allowing her footsteps to come slow and light as she moves down to the next floor.
Can't be making any noise. I don't want to wake Nii-san, or deal with Grandfather either. I just want to get out of here. I hate this place so much!
Each step comes slow and deliberate. Each time, she carefully and evenly distributes its weight, allowing for not even the slightest of sounds. The next step she takes, she inhales lightly through her nose, and the unpleasant, musty scent that meets her threatens to stir up her memories of this place.
Dark and evil memories and thoughts of the near future.
Stop it! I know what tonight is. I know it, but I don't care!
She exhales sharply through her nose, shaking her head and forcing them back outside the periphery of her mind's eye, then returns her focus to her careful and controlled descent.
I don't want to think about it right now! Senpai… I just want to see—!
A single, reckless step.
Her foot comes to rest on the landing at the base of the staircase, which lets out a loud creak, and she sucks in a sharp breath, freezing and clutching her chest.
No! Not now!
Closing her eyes, she strains her ears against the silence of the dark mansion, listening for any sound, feeling for any subtle movement, anything that might tell her she's been heard. That someone or something is coming to stop her.
Or worse.
Please! I just want to leave!
Thick with anxiety, the moments pass like eternities in the stillness and the silence. Her mind again seeks comfort in her memories of the young man. The image of him comes into focus, a sharp relief in both senses of the word, and she breathes out a grateful sigh. Both for her memories of him, and her hearing, seeing, feeling no one, nothing coming in response to the house's cruel betrayal.
A comforted smile warms her expression as she lets her eyes drift open.
No one heard. Or they did and don't care. Either is fine.
Not waiting to find out which, she continues through the house, careful to measure each step. She arrives at the front door and slips on her brown, flat-bottomed shoes. Turning the knob, she pushes against the door, ignoring its subtle groan, and slips out into the early morning's cool and liberating air.
Taiasu grinds his teeth, forcing open the dark tunnel encroaching from his periphery as he flings open his pack and begins tearing through its contents. Time to consider what in his possessions might help to correct his current circumstances is not something he can afford. The aggressive fatigue is symptomatic of something more, and he knows it.
Something dire, life-threatening.
There has to be something in here! I have to have something—potion, no, I'm not injured—that might help, but what? I don't even know—Phoenix tail feather, that won't help until I'm unconscious, and by then it will be too late—what the problem is! Water crystal shard, how would that even…?
One by one, the useless items pulled from the pack are discarded with reckless abandon. An opaque glass bottle shatters against the side of a nearby building, a large, well constructed shed, spilling its contents which vaporize into a sweet smelling mist. A beautiful, long red feather flutters a short distance before gently floating to the ground for lack of wind to carry it away.
The small, round, aqueous-colored crystal in his hand is moments away from receiving the same treatment, but he pauses, or rather, his body forces him to hesitate, as the light from the shard flickers. As he stares at the shard, considering what his body knows that his mind doesn't, the light flickers again, and a cool, wet feeling, starting from the hand holding the shard, radiates outward through his entire body, knocking away some of the fatigue. The darkened tunnel just outside his peripheries lightens in contrast to the dimming of the shard.
But only slightly.
Taiasu blinks several times, staring at the shard as its last wisps of light flicker out, leaving it a colorless, crystalline husk.
"Wh-what?"
He flops down on his backside as he turns the now inert shard in his hand, examining it from every angle.
What just happened? I feel… better? Why? What happened to it? What happened to—!
The brief reprieve ends, and the tunnel again darkens, encroaching, and he grinds his teeth, trying to force it back with his will.
Okay, think quick, stupid! What do we know about crystals? They're stabilized, crystalized—!
His eyes snap wide.
"Aether! Maybe it's the aether! But why—!"
Shaking his head, he again rips into his pack.
Fine, whatever. I'll figure it out later. Whatever the one did wasn't enough. I can't do this recklessly, either. I need one of each.
He tosses the now inert crystal aside, and it clinks as it bounces across a cement slab embedded in the ground before the shed. Now that both hands are free, he focuses on pulling from his pack, one of each of the five remaining elementally aspected crystal shards.
The second shard he brings from the pack is a fiery looking red-colored shard. Despite himself, he breathes a comforted sigh as it sends warmth through his entire body. The third, an earthy looking, amber-colored shard knocks the comfort away, and he shudders, feeling gross with coarse sand grating over every centimeter of his skin, though there is none to be found.
Both shards dim, becoming indistinct as their inner light vanishes, and he tosses them in the same direction, where they clink, roll, and come to a rest on the concrete slab. Ignoring the sound and the spent crystal shells, he pulls out two more, an icy, blue-colored shard and a crackling, purple-colored shard, which chill and tingle, and he winces, twitching violently, his entire body feeling like one giant, pinched nerve.
The feeling passes, and he lets the crystals fall where they may (clink, roll) as he brings from the pack the final needed shard to complete the process. A wispy, green-colored shard, and he gasps, feeling a gust of wind rushing through his entire body, as if he were falling at great speed, yet all the while remaining fixed to the ground.
As the light from the final shard vanishes, he allows it to tumble from his hand (clink, roll), and breathes an enormous sigh of relief. What he'd been unable, or rather lacked the time to notice and appreciate, was that with each crystal shard, the light outside his peripheries grew brighter. And with the final, the encroaching tunnel vanishes. Gone, the threat of impending, unending slumber, replaced with the comforting, awake feeling he knew he'd never take for granted again.
He flops down on his back, his considerations weighing heavily on his mind and his expression by turning his mouth down in a small frown.
"Suppose that was enough. Still, what in every hell. Something's really off here. If the problem is aether, I have plenty of crystals, but it's still a major inconvenience. One I'll have to find a fix for. Until then…"
He breathes another heavy sigh.
Behind her, the door quietly latches shut as Sakura pulls it closed. She inhales a deep and relieved breath, enjoying the chill of the cool morning air, which causes her skin to prickle. A chill, different from before. A comforting, exciting chill that can only come with another successful escape. Though her present in that house-prison is bearable, it will always be viewed through the lens of her fraught past, tainting and skewing her perspective. Her past, fraught by the waking nightmare she'd been forced to endure in that house during her young, vulnerable, formative years.
But not now.
For now, she's free, and she smiles another brilliant, beaming smile as she sprints away, leaving her dark memories at the door, not looking back.
Though long, the trip is uneventful, and made shorter by her excitement, her anticipation, and the trip ends with her in front of a door to a sprawling mansion. A building occupying only a single floor, with a heavy eastern aesthetic. At her chest, she clutches in her hands a single, simple key, and she takes a few moments to appreciate it as she catches her breath.
I still remember when he gave this to me. I had to brow-beat him into letting me help him after…
Her smile slips, and she swallows as her mouth goes momentarily dry.
After he left the Archery Club…
She shakes her head, beaming another radiant smile as she slips the key into the lock. It yields with a soft click as she turns it, and she pushes the door open, slipping inside, and pulling it closed behind her. Her footsteps echo through the halls as her feet, her shoes, clip against the floor. She navigates the halls with ease. Halls she knows well, like the back of her hand, and she comes to a stop in front of a door. Another piece of the east, a simple sliding door, little more than a frame made translucent by the paper covering it on both sides.
Sakura smirks lightly.
No lights. None inside his room, or in the house. So he's sleeping in, but the question is where? My money's on the shed, but if I'm wrong, I'll have to apologize for my shoes.
She giggles softly, then draws in a light breath.
"Senpai?" she calls out lightly. A soft, feminine voice. "Are you awake?"
Gentle, sweet, and receiving no reply. No answer, no rustling of covers, nothing that might show someone heard, even after waiting for a few moments. She slides the door open, then closed.
Her suspicions are confirmed.
The shed again. I knew it. Even though it's winter. He'll catch his death one of these times.
Still, her smile widens as she shakes her head, turns, and makes her way back through the maze-like halls she knows so well. Her quick trip ends at a dead-end hallway, flanked on her right by a series of empty rooms, and on her left by several sliding glass doors. Looking through to the outside, she can see the sun just casting its rays over the horizon, peeking up over the walls that run the perimeter of the yard. A spacious yard, yet sparse on vegetation, patchy with grass and only a few trees, rooted deeply near a well built shed.
What a beautiful sunrise. Must be even earlier than I thought.
Her eyes fall on the shed, and she shows another excited grin. The shed where she knows someone very important to her must be currently taking his rest. She draws in a deep breath, slides open one of the glass doors, and steps into the cool morning air.
Then halts, something catching her eye.
A small someone clad in red.
Taiasu thumps the back of his head against the ground a few times, then glances around ponderously, taking in his surroundings and musing in silence over his sudden and unexpected circumstances.
I can't get over how strange this all is! Sure, some places on Hydaelyn are screwed up aether-wise, but I've never almost blacked out and died as soon as I set foot into one of them. And what's with the crystals? Why's their aether leaching into me? It's good that it helps, but it makes no gods damned sense!
His musings continue as he looks toward long shadows, and he can spy the rays of the rising sun peeking up over the wall, yet not the sun itself for his low-to-the-ground vantage point.
And it's dawn? What's that about? Did he send me to the other side of the world? How'd he even do that, anyway? Last I knew, doing that sort of thing can cause complications, like with Y'shtola and Thancred. She lost her sight and he can't manipulate aether anymore.
He sighs through a heavy frown.
Maybe that's got something to do with it? Did his sending me here cause something similar, and that's why the thing with the crystals happened? Or is it something else? Crystals are supposed to be stable. The aether shouldn't just flow out of them like that.
His head rolls to one side, toward a large house with a heavy, eastern aesthetic.
And that old man sent me to someone's house? The hells? Why would he do that? And whose house even is this? The style, it looks like it's from the far east, like Kugane, but I can get there myself! And it's Kugane! That country's continent isn't called Earth, so what—!
Head still rolled to the side, he casts his eyes upward at the soft sound of a door sliding closed, and they come to rest on a young woman standing at an odd angle from his perspective, regarding him with a curious stare.
One which, after blinking several times, he returns with his own.
Huh? Who's—ah, crap! She's gotta be…
On seeing her eyes like polished amethysts, his own eyes widen, his pupils expanding.
… she's probably…
On catching the sun's rays reflecting her smooth, lavender-colored hair, his heart rate hastens, his breathing growing shallow.
… she's…
He swallows hard, his mouth going dry, and his face turning red as he surveys her soft, attractive face and slender figure.
… really… She's really—DAMN IT!
He slams the back of his head into the ground, engaging his higher brain functions.
She's gotta be the owner of the house, and she's staring right at you, so stop GAWKING at her you THRICE CURSED, IDIOTIC, GODS DAMNED CHOCOBO-BRAIN!
With his thoughts finally in order, Taiasu clambers to his feet, brushes some of the accumulated dirt from his outfit, and turns toward her, forcing the red from his face and his eyes into a normal, more relaxed state.
Sakura continues to regard him from a distance, leaning her head as she watches him stare at her for a moment before he smacks the back of his head into the ground. He stands up and turns toward her. Her eager, anticipatory grin dips, forming a curious line
Who's this? Senpai never said anything about having guests over, let alone a child, and one so strangely dressed at that.
She shakes her head, her warm smile returning.
It must've slipped his mind.
Taiasu, as he stands staring, strains his mind, his thoughts racing and slipping through his fingers. For him, meeting new people isn't usually a problem, but these sudden and unexpected circumstances have made this situation prove to be the exception.
Okay, stupid, think quick. Just your basic social interaction—like HELLS, it's your basic social interaction, you're here uninvited! That she hasn't called for her guards, or the local authorities, is a minor miracle! NOW GET OVER THERE AND INTRODUCE YOURSELF!
Spurred on by the loudest of his thoughts, he shuffles a few steps closer to converse like a civilized person, rather than shouting from a distance. Turning his head from the ground, he meets her eyes, which steal away his words.
AND QUIT GAWKING!
He winces under his own chastisement, roughly running his hand over the back of his head, as he plumbs the depths of his social graces, searching for the most basic of greetings for what feels like minutes before finally finding one.
"Um… hi… Sorry, I know I'm here uninvited… I didn't mean to intrude. Things happened, and I just sort of…"
He forces an awkward half-smile.
Okay, stupid. So far, so good. Now what? How do I explain this? 'Hi, I just popped in!'? I mean, it's true enough, I guess?
"Sort of popped in?"
Sakura leans her head as he speaks words unlike any she's ever heard.
What was that? I've never heard that language before. Is he a foreigner? Where would he be from? How would he and Senpai even know each other? Maybe through his father? I mean, it's possible. And having him stay here, that wouldn't be unusual for him, but still…
"I'm sorry." She shakes her head. "I don't understand what you're—"
As she speaks, the Echo hums in Taiasu's mind, bending her words into something he can comprehend, and his mouth quickly descends into a light frown.
That's strange. They don't speak Common here?
He quickly smiles, nodding his understanding, then repeats himself. With the Echo serving as an intermediary, his words come out in her own language, and she breathes a relieved sigh.
He speaks Japanese. That's odd. Why wouldn't he have just started with that?
With the linguistic barrier broken, she takes a moment to consider his appearance from this new vantage point. All leather, varying shades of red. Boots and gloves, jacket and pants, and a mantle with a cape flowing down from it. Finishing that, her mouth wrinkles into an amused grin.
Highly unusual outfit. Is he cosplaying as something? Though he seems young for that sort of thing. I don't know what children are up to these days, so maybe they're starting younger. But he can't be older than ten? Eleven? And it's such an intricate and detailed design! Boots with metal shin-guards? It all looks more like armor than—!
Her light grin fades, and her complexion blanches as her eyes catch the shine of the all too obvious weapon. A sheathed katana, hanging from his waist, glinting in the rays of the sun as it creeps, all too slowly, up over the horizon.
A sword?
She realizes the day. The timing is close. It's not unthinkable that one could be here, now, in this very place. It's unlikely, but it's possible, and she sucks in a sharp breath, taking a quick step back, and pulling her hands to her chest.
He's a Servant! Why would there be a Servant here?! That makes no sense!
An uncontrollable shudder, born of primal fear and starting from her very core, radiates outward, saturating her entire form, from the very tips of her toes to the ends of the purple locks adorning her crown. Every drop of moisture in her mouth vanishes, leaving behind a sticky residue which coats her tongue.
Seeing her clear reaction to him, Taiasu takes his own quick step back.
"W-wait, please! I know I shouldn't be here, but it's like I said!" Desperate to relieve her unspoken concerns, he extends his arms outward, palms out and hands flailing. "I'm not here to hurt anyone or steal anything! I promise! I just sort of popped in, and I'm not sure where I am! I'm not here to cause any trouble, so if my being here's a problem, I can just leave!"
His heart beats faster in his chest, his mind racing to find some way to calm the situation. Whatever words he speaks find no presence in Sakura's conscious mind for the moment as she realizes something that makes her complexion lose even more of its already scarce color.
Oh no—!
Her eyes expand to their fullest possible size.
Senpai! Is he safe? Did this guy do anything—!
She snaps her gaze to the shed. What she sees evokes from her a tremendous sigh of relief.
The doors closed. I doubt he'd bother with closing it if he'd done anything. He's safe… He has to be.
The thought causes her mouth to unconsciously form into a smile and restores a shade of color to her complexion as she holds her hand to her chest. Then she shakes her head, forcing her focus back onto the more pressing matter at hand.
The small man standing in front of her.
With a sword strapped to his waist.
Her relieved smile falls away.
What do I do? What's happening right now? Why is there a Servant here? Why's he not attacking me? Or Senpai? Why else would he be here? They're supposed to be dangerous!
Despite her fear, Taiasu's peaceful demeanor, relaxed posture, and diminutive stature allow her enough peace to search her mind, albeit in a hasty and slipshod manner.
What was he saying before? 'Just popped in'? 'Not here to cause trouble'? What was the other thing? Something else?
"—Leave?"
She suppresses a tremor as she partially repeats what little she can recall him saying, and Taiasu lowers his hands, giving a slow nod.
"Yeah. I know I'm here uninvited. It wasn't my intent, and I don't want to trouble you or anyone else, so if you want me to leave, it's fine. I will."
Trying to be as unthreatening as possible, he forces his mouth into an awkward, disjointed smile.
Combined with his words, it works.
In part.
At the very least, it helps Sakura calm down enough to give proper consideration to his words.
What's he saying? Being here? Not his intent? He'd leave if I asked him to? Did Grandfather lie to me about Servants? He seems completely docile! Is this some sort of trick?
Taiasu lets his gaze drop to the ground, grimacing, his hands clenched at his sides.
Stupid old man, what was he thinking! Sending me to someplace I've never been is one thing, but to someone's house? I shouldn't be here like this! It's wrong! It's obvious she's scared witless. Why wouldn't she be? I should just…
He heaves a deep and heavy sigh, then inspects around the yard.
But how do I get out of here? I can't jump that wall. I could climb it, I suppose?
He turns back toward Sakura, and cuts himself low with a deep bow.
"I'm sorry. It's obvious you're bothered by my being here, so I'll see myself out." He rights himself, meeting her full-eyed stare. "I'm sorry to have disturbed you."
"Ah… ah—?"
Sakura's mouth hangs loose, letting slip a light utterance. Whatever primal fear had gripped her heart has since relented, and with each moment passing, each moment that sword remains in its sheath, each moment he doesn't turn around and try attacking or killing her, each seemingly heartfelt and contrite apology…
"Um…"
The fear transforms into something else.
Confusion.
Confusion mixed with curiosity.
"W-wait!"
Before she can stop, the word slips out. She looks down at herself, seeing her own hand outstretched toward him, and one of her feet having taken a step forward.
Ah! What did I do! He was going to leave, right? Why did I just—!
Taiasu turns his head toward her, tilting it slightly.
"Huh? Sorry, I was just… What's the best way out of here?"
She pulls back, folding her hands to her chin.
What's going on here? Is he a Servant, or isn't he?
The fear resurfaces. Fear of what he could be, and what she's heard, but despite it, the curiosity, the desire to know, is currently winning the war it wages against her better judgement in her mind.
What's wrong with me?! This is so stupid!
She draws in a low, soft breath.
"Which one are you."
Though furiously curious, her tone remains cold and low as she forms her question in the imperative. Taiasu stops looking around the yard, and back toward Sakura, who stands wringing her hands at her waist.
"Huh? Which one? Sorry, I don't know what you're asking." He scratches his head. "But about what I was asking before—"
Emboldened by her curiosity, and his continued passivity, she pierces him with a determined stare.
"Which Servant are you? And why are you here?"
"—about a way… out… servant? What?"
Her sudden shift in tone and demeanor does not escape his notice.
Wait. She was definitely upset. What's happening right now? I thought she'd be happy for me to get out of her hair, but now she's… What? I mean, I'm glad she's not upset anymore, but now I'm just confused!
He shakes his head quickly.
"Um, sorry, you're asking something I don't know again. I'm not a servant. I'm not anyone's servant, at least not right now. But if you can tell me how to get out of here, I can be—"
"You're not going anywhere until you've—!"
She snaps her hands to her mouth, her eyes growing huge.
Ah! What am I saying right now! Am I trying to get myself killed!?
Taiasu tilts his head, blinking many, many times.
Wait… What?
"—out of… your…" His brow pulls tightly inward while arching upward.
"Hold on, I thought you wanted me gone."
Sakura shakes her head vigorously, trying to get her thoughts straight.
What's wrong with me?!
Unbridled curiosity can be a powerful, dangerous thing.