p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"The entire party was dragging along at a lethargic snail's pace. The dreaded goblin had not been the last of their encounters in the Winding Woods. They had faced natural hazards, animals with feisty tempers, and worst of all, internal conflict. Three separate times they had made a complete circle because the only method they could decide on when it came to traveling was to take turns choosing the paths./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Laverna found this particularly frustrating because of her abilities as a ranger, but nonetheless, Natsu's headstrong nature forced her to compromise. The sun was beginning its slow descent, like a flaming giant falling from his castle in the sky. Natsu continued to stomp her way through the mud and twigs, ignoring Laverna's carefully chosen words of /"If you look at the moss on a rock, you can actually tell-"br /"Shut up! Found it!" Natsu forcefully parted two bushes to reveal the glory of civilization nestled in a valley between two hulking mountains./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"It was shaped rather like a horseshoe, with one long, winding main road that made its way through the small town, then reappeared back at the front gate; if you could even call the entrance a gate. What "protected" the town was a low wall that even Natsu could leap with a running start, and the gate the barred entrance was made of rusted iron that anybody with any kind of battering ram, or just a strong shoulder and a can-do attitude could demolish. Half of the gate wasn't even fully on the hinge; it drug through the dirt, digging a line in the ground whenever it swung open./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"The inside of the town wasn't that much more impressive. It boasted a few shops: what looked to be a dilapidated bakery, an overcrowded inn, and a blacksmith with a sign that was held on by mere threads of frayed rope. In between those buildings were rather unimpressive single-story homes that were made cheaply and quickly. On the outside of town, just a few dozen yards from the gate, two pens containing livestock gave the visitors a wonderful preview of what they were to see inside the town: more shit./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"None of the trio were impressed by the tiny town, but all three were quite relieved. Even as they made their way down the hill, they were still forced to push through a wall of forest. The entire town's perimeter was uncomfortably surrounded by foliage that threatened to take the town back with one good push. Obviously, nobody had cared enough to continue the grounds keeping./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"As the trio finally emerged from the forest, they were greeted at the pens by a rambunctious mongrel, barking and snarling at them as they approached the /"With this smell, he probably thinks we're forest predators," Laverna commented, lifting her arm to smell the stench of sweat and mud that had overpowered her flowery /"I'm not in the mood to deal with this," Natsu huffed, throwing her head back. Meanwhile, Sunflower practically leaped to the front of the pack to introduce herself to the /"Hi there, buddy!" The canine lowered his entire body, and his ears shot straight /"Sunflower, be careful," Laverna outstretched a hand to her /"Eh, let her get bit. She'll learn." Sunflower then crouched down and outstretched a hand to the defensive /"Come on, I won't bite."br /"Yeah, but he might," Natsu leaned over to watch the conclusion of her animal handling./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"And much to the party's surprise, the dog ceased his snarling, and lifted himself back up, even wagging his tail as he began to sniff Sunflower's outstretched /"Aw, there's a good boy. See?" Sunflower began to immediately pat and pet the dog all over, rubbing his head and belly until his leg began to kick ferociously./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Oh, Max!" the voice of a young man called out. "Max!" A short boy with ragged black hair came marching down the path to the pens. The dog, hearing his name, shot up and ran to the boy's side. "Boy, what did I tell ya about barking at strangers?" The young man looked to the visitors and gave a gap-toothed smile. "Howdy, my name's Bart, and this is Max. I'm awful sorry if he gave you any trouble." Laverna opened her mouth to speak, but much like prior conversations, others took the lead. Both Natsu and Sunflower spoke at /"He's a pain in the ass."br /"He's a wonderful dog!" Bart wasn't entirely sure who to respond to, so he just gave a nod as he collected his dog and began his walk back to the /"Oh, if you're waitin' on a welcome wagon, you might as well just come on in. There ain't much to spare in Woodrot." And without another word, the boy made his way back up the path to slip into the grimy town./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Woodrot? What kinda name is that?"br /"Well, it certainly doesn't mislead."br /"I like it. It's nifty!" The girls all gave each other a shrug, and followed the boy's path. Once they slid the unguarded gate open, they were greeted by smells and sounds that were only slightly more pleasant then the pen outside. Dozens of people were winding their way through the streets carrying all manner of things from fruit baskets to deer carcasses. The dirt roads were all but washed out by rain, and each step could easily send you crashing into the ground, which the girls witnessed happen twice on their walk to the inn. Woodrot lived up to its name, as nearly every house they passed Natsu was confident she could bring to the ground with one swift kick. The sturdiest building they came upon was the inn, which was named the Sour Donkey with a hoof print stamped below the name on the sign./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"They stepped onto the rickety porch, passing an old man with less teeth than fingers playing a tune on a pan /"You think teeth make a difference with a flute?" Sunflower spoke up for the first time since entering the /"What?"br /"Teeth. You think having less teeth makes it easier to play a flute? Or harder?" Neither Natsu or Laverna cared to reply to that question, but it did stick with them. Inside the inn was at least moderately more comfortable than outside. There was a roaring fireplace in the far wall, but each table surrounding it was already taken by patrons who had drunk themselves to sleep hours ago./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Not surprisingly, this inn was also the local restaurant, bar, and bathhouse, so finding peace and quiet here was all but impossible. The girls weaved their way past the wooden tables to find the bartender/innkeeper/bathhouse attendant. He was an older man with slicked back hair and a crooked nose. His eyes were small and set deeply in his skull, making him look quite a bit like a ferret. This thought entertained and preoccupied Natsu's mind for the majority of the conversation./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""How much for a room, good sir?" Laverna /"2 Silver for a night. 5 if you want breakfast." Natsu scowled at the idea of actually paying for things. As Laverna began to reach for her purse, Natsu pushed her /"How about a trade? What will this get me?" And without any warning, Natsu slapped a dead badger onto the counter. Natsu had had a time with this one. She had the scratches on her ankles and face to prove it. However, this incredible feat of badger-slaying didn't seem to initially impress the /"Um...I don't really have a need for that at the moment." Natsu's cold scowl quickly became a fiery glare as she wordlessly pushed the badger along the counter./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"The older man's wrinkled hands made contact with the corpse of the mighty beast. Natsu gave a slow nod, and after a moment of pondering, the innkeeper decided giving up a room was cheaper than a trip to the /"W-Well, okay. But-but there's only one room available!"br /"Fine with me. They can figure that out." Natsu passed the counter to ascend the /"Last room on the left!" he called up the stairs, leaving the two girls /"We're sorry about her."br /"She can be a little intense." The two gave crooked smiles to the shaken man, then followed their compatriot up the stairs. The innkeeper stood silent for several moments before finally looking down and observing the dead badger. He gave it an experimental prod and sighed. Hopefully he would be able to find a use for it./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"br /"Okay, everyone, that's where we're gonna call it for the night," Monika announced. All three girls felt like they had just come out of a trance. They hadn't left the in-game world for two hours straight, and hearing an outsider's voice felt like being shaken awake from a deep /"Oh, man, really?" Natsuki /"Yeah, we've been at it for four hours now!" Monika exclaimed with wide eyes. Never before had four hours passed so quickly for her. It was as invigorating as it was /"Oh, my," Yuri quietly commented as she gave a glance at the /"The sun'll be going down here in a bit, we should probably all get going. I doubt any of our parents expected a literature club meeting to go on for this long." Monika gave a sheepish laugh as she stood up. Her knees almost buckled. Her legs had fallen completely asleep./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"She caught herself, and attempted to remain upright with some dignity, but all the girls saw it. Before they could laugh, they attempted to stand up themselves, feeling the same dead weight below their waists as /"Ah, pins and needles!" Sayori exclaimed as she shook her /"A break in the middle might be of some good to us next time," Yuri poked the air as she spoke. All shared a laugh except for Natsuki, whose eyes had a shadow creeping into them. None could really tell what was going on in her head, but it was not unusual for Natsuki to distance herself./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"As the girls all gathered their materials, Monika piped /"Okay, everyone, I hope you all enjoyed our first session of DD." She was met with a handful of cheers and appraisals. The majority of which came from Sayori. "Well, same time tomorrow then?" A wave of nods gave Monika the approval she so desperately hoped for. "Awesome! I'll see you then!" As the door shut behind her, Monika could not contain the raw joy in her heart. She leapt into the air and gave a squeal of glee. She then immediately scanned the perimeter, praying that nobody had seen that. When she was sure she was in the clear, she straightened out her skirt and continued down the hall, eager to start her planning once more./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Sayori was the next to go. She rambled on for several minutes as she hung around the doorframe, obviously trying to wring out every last second of enjoyment from this session. Even as she finally passed the threshold, she still called out to Yuri and Natsuki, making jokes about the game. When her echoing voice finally disappeared, only the two were left: Yuri and Natsuki./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Yuri felt a tightness in her chest, and it felt as if she had a lump in her throat. She wanted to speak so badly. She wanted nothing more than to continue talking like friends do, but without Sayori as a buffer, and without Monika as a leader, Yuri found herself unable to think of even a single thing to say. Her jaw unclenched slowly, as if she were prying open a bear trap. A warm breath slipped past her pearly teeth, and the trap snapped shut. Natsuki threw a confused glance at her, and Yuri's lips curved unevenly to form a cartoonish, strange smile./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Beyond simple conversation, Yuri wanted to talk for a deeper reason. She saw that look in Natsuki's eyes. She wasn't sure, but she thought that she recognized it. That was dread. The shadow of fear and anxiety clouded her bright eyes, and made her look half-a-corpse. Yuri recognized that look because she had seen it in the mirror many times before. Natsuki was suffering. There was something she didn't want to face at the end of the day, at the end of the literature club meetings. How had Yuri never seen that look on her face before?/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"As she watched Natsuki pack the last of her paperwork into her adorable pink backpack, Yuri's mouth finally opened, and she practically shoved the words out of her /"Do you need help?" Yuri blurted out, then immediately tried to vacuum the words back into her mouth. Natsuki's head shot up, and her face scrunched up tightly. "With-with your bag, I mean. I could…" Yuri trailed off. There was no saving /"No...thanks," she said slowly and quietly. Natsuki turned and left the room, shutting the door gingerly behind her./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Yuri felt a wave of warmth wash over her. Never before had she heard a "thanks" from Natsuki that sounded so genuine. It tore at her heart. She was so vulnerable in that moment, and Yuri couldn't do anything. That was her chance to connect, and she failed. She put her head in her hands. What if she never got another chance? Yuri gave a groan of frustration as she finished her own packing. Yuri then decided to idle around the room for a few minutes, glancing at objects in the room and reading whatever she could find that was laid out. The idea of having an awkward meeting as she caught up to Natsuki petrified her, so she decided to play it safe and just wait it out. She sighed. Yuri couldn't have felt more alone if she were the last person on Earth./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Natsuki felt a similar feeling of loneliness. Only it was accompanied by an intense wave of fear. Each step was an effort for her. With each one she heard a voice in her head screaming to go back, to leave, to do anything but walk through that door. But as she approached the front gate of her home, and saw the beat-up sedan in the driveway, she knew it was best for her to just face the problem head on. After all, brave people didn't need words, they fought their way through things. Right?/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Natsuki desperately clung to that bravery as she attempted to put her key in the front door, missing on the first few attempts. She steadied herself with the other hand and finally found the hole. The door unlocked with a click that seemed much too loud to her, and as the door swung open, she felt that courage disappear through her fingers like smoke. She was just a scared little girl, and the monster she was facing was sitting on the couch across the room./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Jesus Christ, there you are!" he shouted, irritation creeping into his tone. A man with bedraggled chestnut hair lounged on the couch with one arm over the back of it. Around his neck a tie was loosened to its limit, his shirt was wrinkled and unbuttoned down to his chest, and his shoes were kicked across the room haphazardly. Under his glaring eyes were dark circles. Natsuki could tell from a distance that he hadn't slept much the night before. That only added to the danger of the /"I'm sorry, papa, I didn't realize what time it was."br /"For four fucking hours? Yeah, bullshit. Where were you?"br /"I was at the literature club meeting." He leaned forward, putting both elbows on his knees to stare deep into her soul. It took everything in her not to look away. That would only set him off further./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Natsuki," he said with authority, "tell me where you were."br /"I was at the meeting, I promise!" Natsuki felt a heavy weight in her stomach. Her lip was /"Fine. Don't tell me, then. Just know I know you're lying." Natsuki felt a wave of indignation. She never lied, but he never believed her. He always thought the worst of her, but it was never her place to correct /"Okay, papa," she said meekly./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"He stood with an extended groan. He walked with a limp. He was always in pain, Natsuki knew. It was always a toss-up whether it was his head, feet, or back, but he was always in some sort of /"I-Is there anything I can do to help?" she asked with a hint of hope in her voice. He was always more gentle with her when she had something helpful to do. He limped past her to lean on the kitchen counter. He wiped his face with one hand and pointed behind him with the /"Dishes need done." Behind him a stack of plates and glasses were piled up in a pool of dirty, grimy water. The smell alone was enough to make her /"On it, papa." She sat her bag down by the door and removed her blazer. She wanted to get to work as quickly as possible. The sooner she smoothed things out the more comfortable she would be. He murmured something as she passed, but it didn't sound entirely negative./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"He failed to mention the fact that it was his turn to do the dishes, but Natsuki would overlook that. This was a relatively easy task anyway. All she had to do was close her nose and not think about how horrendously disgusting the feeling of wet food chunks of her hands were. And so for ten silent minutes Natsuki rescued the dishes from the bilge water and rinsed them with clean, joyous hot water. It was quite satisfying to watch the disgusting plates stack into a nice, orderly pile of clean white porcelain on the counter beside her./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Hey, you remembered to dry 'em this time," her father mumbled, sounding half-asleep. She didn't want to say anything to break that peace, so she took the backhanded compliment and rolled with it. Once Natsuki was about halfway through the pile, her father began speaking to her more frequently. He asked her idle questions and made small snippets of chatter. One question in particular stuck out to /"So what do ya wanna do this weekend?" The question made her freeze./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Her father had made somewhat of a habit out of taking Natsuki out somewhere on the weekends. She assumed it was him taking a tackle at being a good dad, but rarely ever did it end without him getting angry at her, or her wanting nothing more than to return home silently. Truth be told, it was an activity they hadn't done in many years, and had only picked up in the past few months. Before that, Natsuki hadn't gone out on the weekends since her mother was around./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Well?" he asked, drumming his fingers on the countertop /"A-Anywhere you wanna go is fine with me, papa." He took a sharp inhale, then /"That's helpful." It was like a videogame to Natsuki. It was like there was a bar that represented affection and mood above her father's head, and with each sentence it merely chipped away piece by piece. When it got down to its last, she would have no chance of salvaging it. Each choice in dialogue had to be carefully /"Well, what about that place by the river? We could go eat there."br /"Charlie's? Yeah, I guess. Their shit always gives me heartburn."br /"It would probably help if you didn't drink with every meal," Natsuki so desperately wished to say. "We can go somewhere else, if you want," is what she actually ended up /"Nah, it's fine." Her father finally lifted himself to the counter and walked past her toward the front /"You forgot to lock the door! Again!" Natsuki flinched./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"A few moments passed by of silence. Natsuki heard the dead bolt click into place, and then the realization hit her. She had left her bag by the door. What if he checked it? What if he saw? The entire scenario played out in her head, and in no way did it end well. She couldn't let that happen. She sat down the plate she was drying and wiped the excess water off on her skirt./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"When she came around the corner, her horrors were coming true before her very eyes. Her father was glancing at her bag. He hadn't touched it yet, but he was standing over it, giving it a heavy-lidded glare, as if he could see into its contents if he squinted hard enough. It wasn't the first time he had checked her bag without her permission, but more often than not, she had nothing to hide or explain. But this was something she hadn't told him about, and seriously didn't wish to. There was no way she could make him understand. It would be the same catastrophe as when he had discovered her stash of manga./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Her father rolled his shoulders, and with a groan, began leaning down to rifle through the bag. Natsuki knew she had to stop him. She could tell him to stop, but that would only infuriate and encourage him. She could try to stop him physically, but her father was so much stronger than she could ever hope to be. And she didn't feel like explaining to the club why she had bruises on her cheek. The only option left to her was a distraction. And the only idea she could come up with wasn't a good one, but it was the best she could think of in those desperate seconds./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Natsuki's father shot straight up, and released the bag when he heard it. It was a familiar sound that triggered his rage instantly. The sound of a plate shattering. God, how it got on his last /"I'm sorry, papa!" Natsuki had skulked back into the kitchen. "It slipped!"br /"Jesus, Natsuki, are you serious?" He stomped his way back around to see her. She was facing the wall, her shoulders hunched. At her feet, the plate was now in dozens of tiny fragments. Natsuki could feel his rage like a sunburn on the back of her neck. "How many more of these damn plates are you gonna break?" He was getting closer. Natsuki told herself to be brave. She clenched her fist. "Are you listening to me?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Suddenly she felt a firm grasp on her shoulder, and without warning, she was spun around to face her father. Once again she found out that holding onto courage was easier in theory than reality. From this close she could smell the beer on his breath. It made her want to gag, but she couldn't. She couldn't even speak. Natsuki gave a quick nod. Looking like a deer in the /"Just move." Her father all but shoved her out of the way. "I'll do it. I have to do everything, don't I?" Her father shook his head and muttered several swears as he rolled up the sleeves on his button-up. "Just go to your room." Natsuki stood there. She had so much she wanted to say, so much she wanted to do. "Are ya deaf? Go!" Her father snapped at her./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Natsuki lowered her gaze to the floor as she left the kitchen. She made sure to covertly collect her backpack on the way up the stairs. She had succeeded, but she knew the rest of her night would be filled with cruel comments and spiteful glares. It didn't matter. She couldn't let him destroy what Monika had worked so hard on. As she slipped into her room, she locked the door behind her and retrieved her character sheet. Natsu the Barbarian stared back at her./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Natsuki laughed at herself. Natsu wouldn't have stood there like a good little girl. She would have told that asshole what he deserved to hear. She would have cracked him across the jaw and told him to shut up for once. She would...she wouldn't be there in the first place. Natsuki clutched the paper to her chest as she felt a wave of hot tears well up in her eyes. She sank down against the door, and pulled her knees to her chest. She had so many things running through her mind in that moment, but one trumped them all. Why couldn't she have the courage Natsu did?/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Laverna found this particularly frustrating because of her abilities as a ranger, but nonetheless, Natsu's headstrong nature forced her to compromise. The sun was beginning its slow descent, like a flaming giant falling from his castle in the sky. Natsu continued to stomp her way through the mud and twigs, ignoring Laverna's carefully chosen words of /"If you look at the moss on a rock, you can actually tell-"br /"Shut up! Found it!" Natsu forcefully parted two bushes to reveal the glory of civilization nestled in a valley between two hulking mountains./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"It was shaped rather like a horseshoe, with one long, winding main road that made its way through the small town, then reappeared back at the front gate; if you could even call the entrance a gate. What "protected" the town was a low wall that even Natsu could leap with a running start, and the gate the barred entrance was made of rusted iron that anybody with any kind of battering ram, or just a strong shoulder and a can-do attitude could demolish. Half of the gate wasn't even fully on the hinge; it drug through the dirt, digging a line in the ground whenever it swung open./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"The inside of the town wasn't that much more impressive. It boasted a few shops: what looked to be a dilapidated bakery, an overcrowded inn, and a blacksmith with a sign that was held on by mere threads of frayed rope. In between those buildings were rather unimpressive single-story homes that were made cheaply and quickly. On the outside of town, just a few dozen yards from the gate, two pens containing livestock gave the visitors a wonderful preview of what they were to see inside the town: more shit./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"None of the trio were impressed by the tiny town, but all three were quite relieved. Even as they made their way down the hill, they were still forced to push through a wall of forest. The entire town's perimeter was uncomfortably surrounded by foliage that threatened to take the town back with one good push. Obviously, nobody had cared enough to continue the grounds keeping./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"As the trio finally emerged from the forest, they were greeted at the pens by a rambunctious mongrel, barking and snarling at them as they approached the /"With this smell, he probably thinks we're forest predators," Laverna commented, lifting her arm to smell the stench of sweat and mud that had overpowered her flowery /"I'm not in the mood to deal with this," Natsu huffed, throwing her head back. Meanwhile, Sunflower practically leaped to the front of the pack to introduce herself to the /"Hi there, buddy!" The canine lowered his entire body, and his ears shot straight /"Sunflower, be careful," Laverna outstretched a hand to her /"Eh, let her get bit. She'll learn." Sunflower then crouched down and outstretched a hand to the defensive /"Come on, I won't bite."br /"Yeah, but he might," Natsu leaned over to watch the conclusion of her animal handling./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"And much to the party's surprise, the dog ceased his snarling, and lifted himself back up, even wagging his tail as he began to sniff Sunflower's outstretched /"Aw, there's a good boy. See?" Sunflower began to immediately pat and pet the dog all over, rubbing his head and belly until his leg began to kick ferociously./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Oh, Max!" the voice of a young man called out. "Max!" A short boy with ragged black hair came marching down the path to the pens. The dog, hearing his name, shot up and ran to the boy's side. "Boy, what did I tell ya about barking at strangers?" The young man looked to the visitors and gave a gap-toothed smile. "Howdy, my name's Bart, and this is Max. I'm awful sorry if he gave you any trouble." Laverna opened her mouth to speak, but much like prior conversations, others took the lead. Both Natsu and Sunflower spoke at /"He's a pain in the ass."br /"He's a wonderful dog!" Bart wasn't entirely sure who to respond to, so he just gave a nod as he collected his dog and began his walk back to the /"Oh, if you're waitin' on a welcome wagon, you might as well just come on in. There ain't much to spare in Woodrot." And without another word, the boy made his way back up the path to slip into the grimy town./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Woodrot? What kinda name is that?"br /"Well, it certainly doesn't mislead."br /"I like it. It's nifty!" The girls all gave each other a shrug, and followed the boy's path. Once they slid the unguarded gate open, they were greeted by smells and sounds that were only slightly more pleasant then the pen outside. Dozens of people were winding their way through the streets carrying all manner of things from fruit baskets to deer carcasses. The dirt roads were all but washed out by rain, and each step could easily send you crashing into the ground, which the girls witnessed happen twice on their walk to the inn. Woodrot lived up to its name, as nearly every house they passed Natsu was confident she could bring to the ground with one swift kick. The sturdiest building they came upon was the inn, which was named the Sour Donkey with a hoof print stamped below the name on the sign./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"They stepped onto the rickety porch, passing an old man with less teeth than fingers playing a tune on a pan /"You think teeth make a difference with a flute?" Sunflower spoke up for the first time since entering the /"What?"br /"Teeth. You think having less teeth makes it easier to play a flute? Or harder?" Neither Natsu or Laverna cared to reply to that question, but it did stick with them. Inside the inn was at least moderately more comfortable than outside. There was a roaring fireplace in the far wall, but each table surrounding it was already taken by patrons who had drunk themselves to sleep hours ago./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Not surprisingly, this inn was also the local restaurant, bar, and bathhouse, so finding peace and quiet here was all but impossible. The girls weaved their way past the wooden tables to find the bartender/innkeeper/bathhouse attendant. He was an older man with slicked back hair and a crooked nose. His eyes were small and set deeply in his skull, making him look quite a bit like a ferret. This thought entertained and preoccupied Natsu's mind for the majority of the conversation./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""How much for a room, good sir?" Laverna /"2 Silver for a night. 5 if you want breakfast." Natsu scowled at the idea of actually paying for things. As Laverna began to reach for her purse, Natsu pushed her /"How about a trade? What will this get me?" And without any warning, Natsu slapped a dead badger onto the counter. Natsu had had a time with this one. She had the scratches on her ankles and face to prove it. However, this incredible feat of badger-slaying didn't seem to initially impress the /"Um...I don't really have a need for that at the moment." Natsu's cold scowl quickly became a fiery glare as she wordlessly pushed the badger along the counter./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"The older man's wrinkled hands made contact with the corpse of the mighty beast. Natsu gave a slow nod, and after a moment of pondering, the innkeeper decided giving up a room was cheaper than a trip to the /"W-Well, okay. But-but there's only one room available!"br /"Fine with me. They can figure that out." Natsu passed the counter to ascend the /"Last room on the left!" he called up the stairs, leaving the two girls /"We're sorry about her."br /"She can be a little intense." The two gave crooked smiles to the shaken man, then followed their compatriot up the stairs. The innkeeper stood silent for several moments before finally looking down and observing the dead badger. He gave it an experimental prod and sighed. Hopefully he would be able to find a use for it./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"br /"Okay, everyone, that's where we're gonna call it for the night," Monika announced. All three girls felt like they had just come out of a trance. They hadn't left the in-game world for two hours straight, and hearing an outsider's voice felt like being shaken awake from a deep /"Oh, man, really?" Natsuki /"Yeah, we've been at it for four hours now!" Monika exclaimed with wide eyes. Never before had four hours passed so quickly for her. It was as invigorating as it was /"Oh, my," Yuri quietly commented as she gave a glance at the /"The sun'll be going down here in a bit, we should probably all get going. I doubt any of our parents expected a literature club meeting to go on for this long." Monika gave a sheepish laugh as she stood up. Her knees almost buckled. Her legs had fallen completely asleep./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"She caught herself, and attempted to remain upright with some dignity, but all the girls saw it. Before they could laugh, they attempted to stand up themselves, feeling the same dead weight below their waists as /"Ah, pins and needles!" Sayori exclaimed as she shook her /"A break in the middle might be of some good to us next time," Yuri poked the air as she spoke. All shared a laugh except for Natsuki, whose eyes had a shadow creeping into them. None could really tell what was going on in her head, but it was not unusual for Natsuki to distance herself./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"As the girls all gathered their materials, Monika piped /"Okay, everyone, I hope you all enjoyed our first session of DD." She was met with a handful of cheers and appraisals. The majority of which came from Sayori. "Well, same time tomorrow then?" A wave of nods gave Monika the approval she so desperately hoped for. "Awesome! I'll see you then!" As the door shut behind her, Monika could not contain the raw joy in her heart. She leapt into the air and gave a squeal of glee. She then immediately scanned the perimeter, praying that nobody had seen that. When she was sure she was in the clear, she straightened out her skirt and continued down the hall, eager to start her planning once more./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Sayori was the next to go. She rambled on for several minutes as she hung around the doorframe, obviously trying to wring out every last second of enjoyment from this session. Even as she finally passed the threshold, she still called out to Yuri and Natsuki, making jokes about the game. When her echoing voice finally disappeared, only the two were left: Yuri and Natsuki./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Yuri felt a tightness in her chest, and it felt as if she had a lump in her throat. She wanted to speak so badly. She wanted nothing more than to continue talking like friends do, but without Sayori as a buffer, and without Monika as a leader, Yuri found herself unable to think of even a single thing to say. Her jaw unclenched slowly, as if she were prying open a bear trap. A warm breath slipped past her pearly teeth, and the trap snapped shut. Natsuki threw a confused glance at her, and Yuri's lips curved unevenly to form a cartoonish, strange smile./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Beyond simple conversation, Yuri wanted to talk for a deeper reason. She saw that look in Natsuki's eyes. She wasn't sure, but she thought that she recognized it. That was dread. The shadow of fear and anxiety clouded her bright eyes, and made her look half-a-corpse. Yuri recognized that look because she had seen it in the mirror many times before. Natsuki was suffering. There was something she didn't want to face at the end of the day, at the end of the literature club meetings. How had Yuri never seen that look on her face before?/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"As she watched Natsuki pack the last of her paperwork into her adorable pink backpack, Yuri's mouth finally opened, and she practically shoved the words out of her /"Do you need help?" Yuri blurted out, then immediately tried to vacuum the words back into her mouth. Natsuki's head shot up, and her face scrunched up tightly. "With-with your bag, I mean. I could…" Yuri trailed off. There was no saving /"No...thanks," she said slowly and quietly. Natsuki turned and left the room, shutting the door gingerly behind her./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Yuri felt a wave of warmth wash over her. Never before had she heard a "thanks" from Natsuki that sounded so genuine. It tore at her heart. She was so vulnerable in that moment, and Yuri couldn't do anything. That was her chance to connect, and she failed. She put her head in her hands. What if she never got another chance? Yuri gave a groan of frustration as she finished her own packing. Yuri then decided to idle around the room for a few minutes, glancing at objects in the room and reading whatever she could find that was laid out. The idea of having an awkward meeting as she caught up to Natsuki petrified her, so she decided to play it safe and just wait it out. She sighed. Yuri couldn't have felt more alone if she were the last person on Earth./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Natsuki felt a similar feeling of loneliness. Only it was accompanied by an intense wave of fear. Each step was an effort for her. With each one she heard a voice in her head screaming to go back, to leave, to do anything but walk through that door. But as she approached the front gate of her home, and saw the beat-up sedan in the driveway, she knew it was best for her to just face the problem head on. After all, brave people didn't need words, they fought their way through things. Right?/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Natsuki desperately clung to that bravery as she attempted to put her key in the front door, missing on the first few attempts. She steadied herself with the other hand and finally found the hole. The door unlocked with a click that seemed much too loud to her, and as the door swung open, she felt that courage disappear through her fingers like smoke. She was just a scared little girl, and the monster she was facing was sitting on the couch across the room./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Jesus Christ, there you are!" he shouted, irritation creeping into his tone. A man with bedraggled chestnut hair lounged on the couch with one arm over the back of it. Around his neck a tie was loosened to its limit, his shirt was wrinkled and unbuttoned down to his chest, and his shoes were kicked across the room haphazardly. Under his glaring eyes were dark circles. Natsuki could tell from a distance that he hadn't slept much the night before. That only added to the danger of the /"I'm sorry, papa, I didn't realize what time it was."br /"For four fucking hours? Yeah, bullshit. Where were you?"br /"I was at the literature club meeting." He leaned forward, putting both elbows on his knees to stare deep into her soul. It took everything in her not to look away. That would only set him off further./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Natsuki," he said with authority, "tell me where you were."br /"I was at the meeting, I promise!" Natsuki felt a heavy weight in her stomach. Her lip was /"Fine. Don't tell me, then. Just know I know you're lying." Natsuki felt a wave of indignation. She never lied, but he never believed her. He always thought the worst of her, but it was never her place to correct /"Okay, papa," she said meekly./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"He stood with an extended groan. He walked with a limp. He was always in pain, Natsuki knew. It was always a toss-up whether it was his head, feet, or back, but he was always in some sort of /"I-Is there anything I can do to help?" she asked with a hint of hope in her voice. He was always more gentle with her when she had something helpful to do. He limped past her to lean on the kitchen counter. He wiped his face with one hand and pointed behind him with the /"Dishes need done." Behind him a stack of plates and glasses were piled up in a pool of dirty, grimy water. The smell alone was enough to make her /"On it, papa." She sat her bag down by the door and removed her blazer. She wanted to get to work as quickly as possible. The sooner she smoothed things out the more comfortable she would be. He murmured something as she passed, but it didn't sound entirely negative./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"He failed to mention the fact that it was his turn to do the dishes, but Natsuki would overlook that. This was a relatively easy task anyway. All she had to do was close her nose and not think about how horrendously disgusting the feeling of wet food chunks of her hands were. And so for ten silent minutes Natsuki rescued the dishes from the bilge water and rinsed them with clean, joyous hot water. It was quite satisfying to watch the disgusting plates stack into a nice, orderly pile of clean white porcelain on the counter beside her./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Hey, you remembered to dry 'em this time," her father mumbled, sounding half-asleep. She didn't want to say anything to break that peace, so she took the backhanded compliment and rolled with it. Once Natsuki was about halfway through the pile, her father began speaking to her more frequently. He asked her idle questions and made small snippets of chatter. One question in particular stuck out to /"So what do ya wanna do this weekend?" The question made her freeze./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Her father had made somewhat of a habit out of taking Natsuki out somewhere on the weekends. She assumed it was him taking a tackle at being a good dad, but rarely ever did it end without him getting angry at her, or her wanting nothing more than to return home silently. Truth be told, it was an activity they hadn't done in many years, and had only picked up in the past few months. Before that, Natsuki hadn't gone out on the weekends since her mother was around./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Well?" he asked, drumming his fingers on the countertop /"A-Anywhere you wanna go is fine with me, papa." He took a sharp inhale, then /"That's helpful." It was like a videogame to Natsuki. It was like there was a bar that represented affection and mood above her father's head, and with each sentence it merely chipped away piece by piece. When it got down to its last, she would have no chance of salvaging it. Each choice in dialogue had to be carefully /"Well, what about that place by the river? We could go eat there."br /"Charlie's? Yeah, I guess. Their shit always gives me heartburn."br /"It would probably help if you didn't drink with every meal," Natsuki so desperately wished to say. "We can go somewhere else, if you want," is what she actually ended up /"Nah, it's fine." Her father finally lifted himself to the counter and walked past her toward the front /"You forgot to lock the door! Again!" Natsuki flinched./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"A few moments passed by of silence. Natsuki heard the dead bolt click into place, and then the realization hit her. She had left her bag by the door. What if he checked it? What if he saw? The entire scenario played out in her head, and in no way did it end well. She couldn't let that happen. She sat down the plate she was drying and wiped the excess water off on her skirt./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"When she came around the corner, her horrors were coming true before her very eyes. Her father was glancing at her bag. He hadn't touched it yet, but he was standing over it, giving it a heavy-lidded glare, as if he could see into its contents if he squinted hard enough. It wasn't the first time he had checked her bag without her permission, but more often than not, she had nothing to hide or explain. But this was something she hadn't told him about, and seriously didn't wish to. There was no way she could make him understand. It would be the same catastrophe as when he had discovered her stash of manga./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Her father rolled his shoulders, and with a groan, began leaning down to rifle through the bag. Natsuki knew she had to stop him. She could tell him to stop, but that would only infuriate and encourage him. She could try to stop him physically, but her father was so much stronger than she could ever hope to be. And she didn't feel like explaining to the club why she had bruises on her cheek. The only option left to her was a distraction. And the only idea she could come up with wasn't a good one, but it was the best she could think of in those desperate seconds./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Natsuki's father shot straight up, and released the bag when he heard it. It was a familiar sound that triggered his rage instantly. The sound of a plate shattering. God, how it got on his last /"I'm sorry, papa!" Natsuki had skulked back into the kitchen. "It slipped!"br /"Jesus, Natsuki, are you serious?" He stomped his way back around to see her. She was facing the wall, her shoulders hunched. At her feet, the plate was now in dozens of tiny fragments. Natsuki could feel his rage like a sunburn on the back of her neck. "How many more of these damn plates are you gonna break?" He was getting closer. Natsuki told herself to be brave. She clenched her fist. "Are you listening to me?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Suddenly she felt a firm grasp on her shoulder, and without warning, she was spun around to face her father. Once again she found out that holding onto courage was easier in theory than reality. From this close she could smell the beer on his breath. It made her want to gag, but she couldn't. She couldn't even speak. Natsuki gave a quick nod. Looking like a deer in the /"Just move." Her father all but shoved her out of the way. "I'll do it. I have to do everything, don't I?" Her father shook his head and muttered several swears as he rolled up the sleeves on his button-up. "Just go to your room." Natsuki stood there. She had so much she wanted to say, so much she wanted to do. "Are ya deaf? Go!" Her father snapped at her./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Natsuki lowered her gaze to the floor as she left the kitchen. She made sure to covertly collect her backpack on the way up the stairs. She had succeeded, but she knew the rest of her night would be filled with cruel comments and spiteful glares. It didn't matter. She couldn't let him destroy what Monika had worked so hard on. As she slipped into her room, she locked the door behind her and retrieved her character sheet. Natsu the Barbarian stared back at her./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Natsuki laughed at herself. Natsu wouldn't have stood there like a good little girl. She would have told that asshole what he deserved to hear. She would have cracked him across the jaw and told him to shut up for once. She would...she wouldn't be there in the first place. Natsuki clutched the paper to her chest as she felt a wave of hot tears well up in her eyes. She sank down against the door, and pulled her knees to her chest. She had so many things running through her mind in that moment, but one trumped them all. Why couldn't she have the courage Natsu did?/p