A quick sigh falls from my lips as the gentle whispering begins in my head again. It starts as a soft echo in my ears until it starts to fill every inch of my thoughts until I can't think of anything else. Like a broken radio, it flickers for numerous seconds until something seems to rattle it back into place, the sound much clearer and doubled in volume.
The whispers break apart slowly until he's talking to me in four different places, speaking four different things of encouragement to me at the same time. I lift my hand to my ear and press, trying to silently tell him to go easy on the multi-tasking, but he ignores me like he always does.
Finally, his image materializes off to my side, his dead eyes staring at me from under his hat, everything seeming so calm when his appearance is made known. His constant smile seems to be brighter than it normally is as he watches me, his paws lift up and down in a tiny waving motion that I find to be extremely unsettling. Never before has he truly acknowledged me like he's doing right now.
Never before has he shown any comfort in my life like he has now.
"Tsukasa?"
Her voice rings through the walls of the cave strongly, louder than my friend sitting startled by me. His calm gaze locks onto mine for a few brief moments before he pushes himself away from the cave floor and drifts up towards the ceiling, fading into nothing before even reaching midway.
A smile finally makes its way onto my lips as he appears for one more second, curving his lips and offering up another small wave before disappearing back into the air.
The sound of her shoes on stone draws my attention back to the cave entrance. A second later she comes to a quick halt a little distance from my prop on one of the cave's huge rocks. Her character's eyes flash briefly with some kind of emotion, but I know she isn't doing what her character is expressing to me.
She isn't the one showing off the emotion.
Her character's emotions aren't even known to her like they're known to me.
"There you are."
The words are spoken with a humorous lilt edging the surface as she calmly strolls over and props herself next to me, her leg resting on the cave wall as she grins at me and winks.
"You e-mailed me?"
I nod slowly at her, standing to put distance between to two of us. Her watchful eyes track my journey as I move across the uneven cave flooring to lean against the opposite wall. A look of quiet annoyance flits across her face as she finally leans her elbows on her thighs and rests her chin in her hands.
"Come on, Tsukasa... I didn't have to come. What gives?"
My eyes are torn away from the floor abruptly as I jerk my head to meet her slightly-bored gaze. Offering nothing but a shrug and a smile, I slide down the wall until I'm sitting comfortably on the ground. One of her hands reaches down and brushes off a nonexistent speck of dirt off her red top, her lips curving down in a thoughful frown.
As she had done earlier, I rest my chin in my hands for a few seconds before finally giving in and placing my cheek against my drawn-up knees, staring directly off to the side. Before I realize what I'm doing, I hear the words leave my lips before I can stop to think about what she might do.
"I guess I just wanted to talk to someone."
Her jerky movement is audible even without watching that she'd done anything, and before I know it, I feel her eyes burning holes into the top of my head. The shocked tension eases out of the room as I feel her relax against the rocks again.
"I can spare time for that, I guess."
I peek out the corner of my eyes at her, smiling when I notice the shellshocked expression etched on her face. I climb to my feet and brush my own imaginary dust off before gesturing to her and moving off to the cave entrance. She follows without question and we begin to walk.
"Where to?"
I shrug slightly, and sigh again.
"Anywhere but town. No one wants me there, anywhere."
Even though the intention was there, we don't speak one word to each other until she has to log off and leave me alone again.
The whispers break apart slowly until he's talking to me in four different places, speaking four different things of encouragement to me at the same time. I lift my hand to my ear and press, trying to silently tell him to go easy on the multi-tasking, but he ignores me like he always does.
Finally, his image materializes off to my side, his dead eyes staring at me from under his hat, everything seeming so calm when his appearance is made known. His constant smile seems to be brighter than it normally is as he watches me, his paws lift up and down in a tiny waving motion that I find to be extremely unsettling. Never before has he truly acknowledged me like he's doing right now.
Never before has he shown any comfort in my life like he has now.
"Tsukasa?"
Her voice rings through the walls of the cave strongly, louder than my friend sitting startled by me. His calm gaze locks onto mine for a few brief moments before he pushes himself away from the cave floor and drifts up towards the ceiling, fading into nothing before even reaching midway.
A smile finally makes its way onto my lips as he appears for one more second, curving his lips and offering up another small wave before disappearing back into the air.
The sound of her shoes on stone draws my attention back to the cave entrance. A second later she comes to a quick halt a little distance from my prop on one of the cave's huge rocks. Her character's eyes flash briefly with some kind of emotion, but I know she isn't doing what her character is expressing to me.
She isn't the one showing off the emotion.
Her character's emotions aren't even known to her like they're known to me.
"There you are."
The words are spoken with a humorous lilt edging the surface as she calmly strolls over and props herself next to me, her leg resting on the cave wall as she grins at me and winks.
"You e-mailed me?"
I nod slowly at her, standing to put distance between to two of us. Her watchful eyes track my journey as I move across the uneven cave flooring to lean against the opposite wall. A look of quiet annoyance flits across her face as she finally leans her elbows on her thighs and rests her chin in her hands.
"Come on, Tsukasa... I didn't have to come. What gives?"
My eyes are torn away from the floor abruptly as I jerk my head to meet her slightly-bored gaze. Offering nothing but a shrug and a smile, I slide down the wall until I'm sitting comfortably on the ground. One of her hands reaches down and brushes off a nonexistent speck of dirt off her red top, her lips curving down in a thoughful frown.
As she had done earlier, I rest my chin in my hands for a few seconds before finally giving in and placing my cheek against my drawn-up knees, staring directly off to the side. Before I realize what I'm doing, I hear the words leave my lips before I can stop to think about what she might do.
"I guess I just wanted to talk to someone."
Her jerky movement is audible even without watching that she'd done anything, and before I know it, I feel her eyes burning holes into the top of my head. The shocked tension eases out of the room as I feel her relax against the rocks again.
"I can spare time for that, I guess."
I peek out the corner of my eyes at her, smiling when I notice the shellshocked expression etched on her face. I climb to my feet and brush my own imaginary dust off before gesturing to her and moving off to the cave entrance. She follows without question and we begin to walk.
"Where to?"
I shrug slightly, and sigh again.
"Anywhere but town. No one wants me there, anywhere."
Even though the intention was there, we don't speak one word to each other until she has to log off and leave me alone again.