Chapter 07: Chocolate at Fancy Mel's
She wasn't the first girl that stopped him along the school corridor that morning to ask about his (slightly) injured hand. "Oh my gosh, Rue, are you all right?! What happened to your hand?"
Rue merely shrugged and smiled politely in reply, not even pausing as he walked towards class. "It's nothing. Just a kendo accident. It's really nothing," he waved his hands in front of himself in what (he hoped) was a non-offensive gesture of dismissal. "Please, don't mind it."
"Well, take better care of yourself, okay?" she waved back at him before entering her own classroom.
Rue sighed, wishing he could run into his classroom and hide in the broom closet until class time, but doing that would attract even more attention. He hurried on, crossing his fingers mentally in the hope that no one else would stop him. When he got to his seat in class, he quickly slumped down and immersed himself in a thick volume of discrete mathematics. But that didn't keep two more of his female classmates from coming over to his desk.
Mint and Annette were by the window, the former sitting down on the window sill while Annette stood looking at the cloud-heavy sky. They could overhear Rue as he tried to shrug off his injury while the girls fretted over his hand, the boy insisting that he was fine and that nobody need worry about him.
Mint shook her head at the scene. Her mouth curved up in a crooked smile, but there was no trace of humor on her face. "Ever-popular Rue. Thrice as many girls have made a fuss about his hand than people who've asked me why my arm's in a sling."
Annette couldn't help but remark, "Admit it, you're just jealous!"
"Jealous?! Why would I be jealous?" In fact she found the whole thing kinda funny. One of the girls somehow got the idea that she should disinfect the area around Rue's desk, and started spraying some sort of alcohol/perfume. Its scent hit Rue smack-dab in the face, causing him to cough violently, and he would've fallen from his seat if Neil hadn't gotten to him in time.
"—of the attention he's getting! I've always told you, you shouldn't be so tomboyish that you scare most of the guys away," Annette scolded.
"Hmph, I don't care about that. But at least the girls could act with more dignity around him. I already have to put up with this with Elena…"
"Well, what did you expect? Half the girls in our year alone are in love with him, and that's not even counting the rest of the school and his junior high. I mean, even I had a crush on him once…" Annette paused, blushing deeply before going on, "He's nice, polite, intelligent and hard working, not to mention 'ultra-cute'. He's top of the class and the best fighter in the kendo team. Plus the fact that no woman could conceivably resist the alluring aura of mystery that is brought about by having a beautiful and possibly deceased girlfriend named Claire that he just can't seem to forget. Oh, and I wish I was being sarcastic with that last remark."
Mint rolled her eyes. "Spare me, Annette. You didn't have to be so long-winded about it."
"Aww, come on! You can be as high-minded and as stubborn about it as you like, but even you'd have to admit he's got his merits! Don't tell me your escapade last Saturday didn't tell you anything about the guy?"
"Hey, let's make this clear. There are only two reasons I accompanied him to the abandoned warehouse—one, because Mira promised me cookies, and two, because abandoned warehouses usually have treasure that are anyone's for the taking. Not that I found any…" she sighed.
Annette raised her eyebrows skeptically. "Really, now?"
Mint bit her lip, thinking. Annette had a point—Rue was the most polite person she knew, and he was practically the closest she knew to being an epitome of courteousness and chivalry. When he had oh-so-carefully bandaged her shoulder that time in the tunnels, it was the first time she had ever gotten a close look at his face. And, reluctantly, she had to confess that he really was… kind of… sort of… somewhat… just a little… …cute… "This calls for a change of topic, don't you think?"
But a change of topic was not in order, for the bell rang just then. Annette couldn't help laughing silently to herself as she went to her seat. She doubted if anyone else could've noticed it, but it was the first time she had actually seen Mint blush ever so slightly.
"We're getting a new chemistry teacher, huh?" Neil commented off-hand as he and Rue exited their classroom. "I wonder when. And I hope we get a nice one…"
"You mean someone who won't mind if you fell asleep in class every now and then?" Rue raised one eyebrow.
Neil grinned. "You could say that."
They headed out of the building and towards the gym for kendo practice. They were already half-way across the school grounds when Rue suddenly slapped his forehead. "I forgot, I have to take Mint home today! Could you talk to coach for me?"
"Sure," Neil nodded before looking up at the sky. "Well, I hope you remembered to bring an umbrella, 'coz it looks like it's gonna rain." And then they parted.
Rue half-walked, half-ran back towards Carona High's main building. Just in time—it started raining as soon as he entered the side doorway. No one stopped him this time, although there were one or two girls who waved to him as he walked.
"Aagh, I forgot to bring an umbrella!"
"Rue!" One of the first-year girls who had asked him about his hand that morning (he didn't even know her name) was running towards him. "Rue! Want to walk home together? We can share my umbrella…"
"Err, no thanks!" he smiled awkwardly, waving his hands in front of himself. "I have to take Mint home today."
"Oh," she said, her face falling in obvious disappointment. Suddenly her eyes narrowed. "Mint, huh?"
"He-ey, don't get me wrong," Rue replied quickly. Gawd, I hope I don't hurt her feelings… "Coach Mira asked me to. You know, because Mint got injured."
"Oh, okay then," she perked up immediately. "I'll see you tomorrow!" The girl waved cheerily before going on her way. Rue could only sigh in relief when she was gone.
Mint was waiting by the main entrance, stomping her foot impatiently. "If you had gotten here twenty seconds later, I would've left without you." she didn't forget to bring an umbrella, so she clicked it open before stepping out into the rain. "Well, what are you waiting for?!"
"Umm, right." Rue blinked. He was actually waiting for her offer to share the umbrella with him (like the other girl did), but she made no inclination of doing so. The rain was falling in torrents now, and it looked like he was going to get very, very wet before long. Mint had already started to walk home without him. Gritting his teeth, he raised his (waterproof) violin case over his head to use as a shield from the rain.
She wasn't very talkative on the way home. He had noticed that she was like that especially around him. After several minutes in the heavy downpour, Rue was already soaked badly. The violin case wasn't helping at all.
Mint turned a corner without waiting for Rue. "Hey, where are you going? The Klauses' home is the other way…" But she ignored him (again) and walked on.
Rue frowned, finally starting to get upset. He let his violin case down, walked briskly towards the red-haired girl's side and grabbed her by the good arm. "Hey, watch it!" she told him, but Rue ignored her protests. He dragged her forcibly towards the nearest shelter, which happened to be a newly-opened and not yet fully-occupied mall not too far from the area, before finally letting go of her elbow.
"What is going on with you?! I'm supposed to take you home today, and you're not making it any easier for me! It's not like I'm doing it because I want to!"
"Why do you have to be so bossy?!" Mint spat back.
Bossy? Me?! "Look who's talking!!"
"Well, you don't have to get angry about it!"
Her tone caused Rue to step back involuntarily. He realized suddenly that it wasn't like him to get angry. In fact, he couldn't remember ever getting angry like that before. In a calmer voice, he told her, "Umm, I'm sorry I raised my voice, Mint."
She sniffed. "Fine, we'll wait here until the rain stops." She folded away her umbrella—quite a feat doing it one handed, even with a dual spring-loaded one, Rue thought—and shook the folds free of excess moisture. With a huff, she sat down on the nearest bench and took to looking intently at the rain.
Rue took the opportunity to go inside the mall. He excused himself, claiming he was going to check out the latest hoverboards from the city (although actually he just wanted to get away from Mint for a little while). She didn't even so much as acknowledge him. But Rue, although it irritated him no end, was already used to being ignored by her.
Why does she keep doing that, anyway?! He knew from his classmates and schoolmates that Mint, normally, was easy to get along with, so long as no one tried to humiliate her outright (like Kirielle did too often). Rue, on the other hand, had been on her bad side from day one, and for the life of him he couldn't figure out why. She still couldn't be mad at him for the class representative thing, or the arcade game tie, or what happened in the tunnels, or the skull beast and Belle-and-Duke incidents, could she? Okay, so she did have a right to get angry at him, case in point. But, he remembered that she had been acting that way around him even before then… He shook his head, not liking where this particular train of thought was taking him. Didn't he just get away from her so he could stop thinking about her?
He decided to enjoy his solitude while it lasted. He didn't have to go too far inside the mall to the mechavehicle equipment shop, where he browsed particularly at the motorcycles and the latest hoverboards. He noticed that most of the machines and gadgets were from Aeon Industries, a company based in a nearby district and named after the supposed makers of the Carona ruins. Being the only multi-national corporation based in the area, it was no surprise that they had somewhat of a monopoly of the electronic devices available in town.
One could only browse so much before finding it boring. When Rue stepped out of the store, he was stopped by two former classmates from his junior high. "Long time no see, Rue!"
"Hey," he greeted back. He didn't know what he could say to them, but they were so eager to update him on their news that he didn't need to.
"Where have you been? Class Alpha 2025 had a reunion last month and you didn't attend!"
"Yeah, that's right," the other girl agreed. "You were the only one who was missing."
"You're dripping wet, Rue! Here, you can borrow my jacket…" she started to take it off, but Rue stopped her.
"No! No, thank you (it's neon pink)…" He couldn't help but sigh inwardly. But he kept his face impassive, not wishing to hurt the girls' feelings. What did I do to deserve this? He looked around, making it seem casual while searching for any excuse to leave.
A huge, plastic-and-yellow-spandex star mascot was by the entrance of an electronics shop, the only other shop yet established on the ground floor. Another gimmick to attract customers, this one seemed more desperate than usual. The mascot had a hard time moving around, but eventually he made his way towards Rue's group. He addressed the girls.
"Say, ladies, how would you like to come to our grand opening? Free tickets for the first ten couples who come to go shopping," he said in a singsong voice. Rue sensed that he was distracting the girls on purpose, and he was grateful for it. The mascot was facing away from him, and Rue could barely see his face. A face that seemed somehow familiar…
"DUKE?!!"
But Duke merely winked at him. "I'm a star, only a star that you can gaze at from afar. (Speaking of far, your lady has already left without you.)"
Rue turned quickly to see that Mint was gone.
The rain had alleviated somewhat, although it was still drizzling. Mint was already halfway to the end of the street, and Rue ran after her, catching up to her in several strides. He reproached her, saying, "Mint! Couldn't you at least have waited for me?"
"Why didn't you accept the jacket?" He could see her mouth twitching as she tried to keep from bursting into laughter. "Pink looks sooo good on you."
But before he could protest, they heard a squeal from the next alley.
Mint was faster. She was already running towards the sound. Rue grasped his violin case in both hands as he ran after her, readying himself for trouble, just in case.
The first thing he saw when they got to the alley was Blood and Smokey. They had cornered some creature that seemed to him rather familiar, and he recognized it as one of Fancy Mel's famous helpers/waiters at the Atelier Soda Shop. The thieves were trying to put the huge animal into a sack, but kept failing at it.
Rue brandished his weapon over his head. Blood and Smokey saw them coming from several meters away. Recognizing Rue and the killer violin case, they made a desperate getaway, almost bawling over the fence in their haste and leaving the Poppul Purrel behind.
The reason that the creature couldn't run from the thieves became obvious when they got to it. One of its feet had gotten stuck in a small drainage grating on the sidewalk. Mint folded away her umbrella, and then shoved it into the small gap between the grate and gutter before clicking it on. The metal grate dislodged, setting the Poppul Purrel free, but the umbrella was now broken beyond repair.
Rue picked up the grating and placed it back over the drainage hole. The Poppul Purrel was purring (sort of) contentedly at them, swaying side-to-side in apparent gratitude. Oddly enough, it wasn't talking. Must be too shy away from home, Rue thought. He turned to the girl. "Why did you do that? Now we both don't have an umbrella."
"Oh, well. Seeing as you're already drenched I might as well get wet too." She threw the ruined umbrella sideways into a nearby trashcan.
Did she really just say that? Mint's words, said so indifferently, seemed to him to imply something. Gallantly, he chose to ignore it. He walked towards the Poppul Purrel, kneeling so that his face was level with the creature's. "You alright? Don't worry, we'll take you back to Mel's soon enough. Isn't that right, Mint?" He turned towards her.
She was looking strangely at him. No, staring was more like it. There was something about her expression that made him feel uneasy. After some time, he couldn't take it anymore, and he averted his eyes downwards back to Mel's pet. He scratched its head, every now and then whispering "Who's a good boy? There's a good boy," and fidgeting at times, painfully aware of Mint's gaze. He kept glancing up at her, and every time he did so it seemed as if she still couldn't take her eyes off of him. He felt his face start to flush in self-consciousness.
"Rue, you're talking to a mechanical toy."
His face turned as pale as it was red only a split-second ago. He immediately looked down at the Poppul Purrel, its purring now barely audible. "It—it is?"
She stepped forward, taking his hand off the Poppul Purrel's head so that she could feel under its (very realistic) fur. "You really didn't know?!" Rue shook his head somberly and Mint frowned at him, thinking. "I'll admit this type has a very good AI program. In one part-time job, I got tasked with dusting a whole crateload of these a couple of years back—a different model, though." she twisted her hand, and the Poppul Purrel immediately shut down.
Rue averted his face so that Mint couldn't see him. She was still leaning over the Poppul Purrel, and they were so close he could feel the warmth of her body through her damp school uniform. It made him feel queasy, too queasy. He had misunderstood her too many times already that day.
As if things couldn't get any worse, it started raining again.
Rue slung his violin case over one shoulder and bodily picked up the toy. "Anyway, we should take this guy home. We can keep it at the Klauses until…" But when he turned, Mint had already walked quite a distance in the wrong direction from home. "Hey, Mint! Where are you going?"
"Why don't we return it now?" she asked when Rue caught up to her.
"But the Soda Shoppe is closed this week. Fancy Mel's out of town until Thursday."
"Hmmm. I've a feeling she'll open to us today."
After several blocks of brisk walking, they found themselves in front of the Shoppe. It wasn't a very big place, but even with the lights off it looked inviting. There were several tables outside, in the style of the open-air cafés of France, but the restaurant's ambience had a rather cozy feel to it. Inside looked even cozier, with the several tables and wooden counter, and the homey kitchen past that that they could see through a glass window. But the Shoppe was definitely closed that day.
As if on cue, the Atelier Soda Shoppe porch light turned on, and a blonde woman peeked out the window. "My Poppul Purrel!" Mel shouted, running quickly to open the door to let them in. "Oh, you poor dears, you're soaked to the bone! Come in, come in," she gestured.
Rue whispered sideways to Mint, "How did you know?" But the girl just shrugged mysteriously.
"GYAAH!" Mint exclaimed the moment she saw Mel in better lighting. She stepped back involuntarily, her hands clutching in fearful surprise at the doorjamb. Even with her erratic psychic premonitions and everything else (former experiences with Belle notwithstanding), she was totally unprepared for this.
Fancy Mel couldn't help laughing at the redhead's expression. "You know, I get that reaction a lot." Rue was a semi-regular customer, and was already used to seeing Mel in uniform.
Mel was a woman in her early forties, and the most politically-correct word Mint could find to describe her was 'eccentric'. She had sandy blond hair with pink highlights, and the balloon-sleeved dress she wore was liberally decorated with huge pink and lavender ribbons and looked like it popped out of some children's fairy tale book. She wore a cotton hat that too had pink ribbons. Costume for the kids, she had told them by way of explanation. But there were no kids in the shop right then, and Mint suspected that the woman wore the dress just for the heck of it. Some people just do that. No wonder she's called 'Fancy' Mel.
Rue and Mint took seats on a table across each other by the front windows of the Soda Shop while the rain poured in buckets outside. They wrapped themselves in thick towels that Mel had kindly lent them while she prepared some hot chocolate.
They learned that Mel really was out of town, but a letter from one of her creditors had forced her to cut her vacation short. She in fact got back to Carona early that morning and found one of her Poppul Purrels missing. She was so grateful to them for finding her robotic helper that the hot chocolate and their next ice cream sodas on a warmer day would be on the house.
"Why don't you wait here until the rain stops? I'll call Klaus and tell him you're here," she told them before disappearing inside.
"See? Free hot chocolate." Mint smiled smugly at Rue as she sipped her warm drink. "You should learn to trust your partner more."
"Partner?"
Mint leaned forward, her shoulders set in challenge. "The Search for Claire. I did find two of the three relics at Elroy's library last week and it's not my fault you lost one to my friend the old maid. We're bound to meet them again, and I owe Belle twice now. Besides, after what you did to me," she indicated the sling, "I figured we ought to make our partnership official. Partner-in-crime," she winked and leaned back. "You owe me. Mira banned me from the gym for two weeks for this, you know. And she never gave me the cookies."
Rue cringed, slumping down slightly into his seat. "I know. I'm really sorry about it. It's all my fault, and I'll find a way to make it up somehow."
She turned her gaze pointedly at him. "Rue, I was kidding. Don't tell me you took that seriously?" He nodded. Mint sighed, murmuring under her breath a word that sounded suspiciously like 'idiot'. What a start to their beautiful partnership.
Rue excused himself to go to the bathroom.
He gazed at himself in the mirror, white hair and the ever-present cap. Klaus was right again. Mint didn't really blame him for neither her injury nor the Belle-and-Duke incident.
It had been a very weird day—very weird, very strange, and very, very awkward. Why did he keep getting the wrong impression about things whenever it concerned Mint Vanguard?
Mint. He could never second-guess her, although he had already tried a few times the past week and misunderstood her several times that day alone. She was unlike the other girls who were so easily infatuated with him—so why did he keep thinking that she wasn't? She had a tendency of simply doing things in some haphazard, indiscriminate way, but in the end he'd always find out that she was right in doing so. There were times it was as if she was two different persons. Impulsive, headstrong and carefree on one side, and then suddenly she'd turn serious and menacing in the twinkling of an eyelash. She had been a vagabond, like him, before she came to Carona—that much he knew. That much was all he knew.
Mint. She was the single most intriguing, most infuriating girl he had ever met, and one so unlike the others that he couldn't even begin to fathom how. Now she was his so-called 'partner-in-crime'. But he didn't mind, and in fact part of him was somewhat looking forward to it. Somehow he felt as if she had planned it all along.
He splashed cold water on his face, feeling the need to think more clearly.
Mint. He couldn't get it out of his head. Earlier, he was more than half-expecting her to admit to a confession of love or some such thing. He had been sure that was what it meant—after all, he had seen that look several times before from other, bolder, girls. The way Mint had stared down at him when he talked to the Poppul Purrel—any sane guy would have thought the same. Stop it, Rue! Just because every other girl professes to like you doesn't mean they all do! Why am I even thinking this?! All I should care about is finding Claire.
Claire. Claire, with her long brown hair that fell like waves about her shoulders when she didn't tie it in a bun. Claire with her oval face, small nose and pale cheeks that blushed so prettily whenever she was embarrassed. Her soft hands with their long fingers, smooth to the touch and gentle in their caresses. Her mouth that often curved in a pleasant smile that always comforted him and made him feel as if everything was alright with the world. Her eyes… what color were her eyes—?! Suddenly he was confused. He face-palmed and shook his head, trying to clear it.
Brown. Claire's eyes are brown.
But, for some reason, no matter how hard he tried to imagine he couldn't see them in his mind's eye anymore.
Author's Notes
Results as of 30 September 2002:
1. No pairing: 3
2. Mint/Rod: 3
3. Claire/Rod: 0
4. Rod/Lucine: 1
5. Belle/Duke: 0
6. Rue/Claire: 0
7. Rue/Elena: -1
8. Rue/some-other-girl: -1
9. Rue/OC: not possible, no (named) OCs in fic
10. Rue/Author: *he's not my type…*
11. Rue/Mint: 803
Adelaine: *scratch head* … *twiddle fingers* … *scratch head* … oh, wait, I counted multiple votes. Let's try that again:
1. No pairing: 3
2. Mint/Rod: 2
3. Rue/Elena: -1
4. Rue/Mint: 6
Adelaine: *scratch head* … *twiddle fingers* … *scratch head* … *scratch head* … *sweatdrop* … … Fine, be that way! To all Rue/Mint fans who bugged, cajoled and death-threatened me into doing this chappie, I hope you're happy! _
Don't get me wrong. Special thanks to Cherry Lee (hope I haven't scared you away with my last chapter and author's notes. LOVE&PEACE!!! ^_^). I actually enjoy it when you bug me. My sis liked that 791-item list. ^_^
Special thanks to Victoria. She gave me courage when it comes to speaking (err, typing) my mind.
Special thanks to Kohaku for introducing me to the wonderful world of cross-eyed/anime-expression smileys. Sure, let's debate some more. How many cups of sugar does it take to get to the moon? XD X3 XP X_x …
Special thanks to KawaiiDoll. Haven't really read your fics yet—I'll get to it—but thanks for (faithfully) reviewing mine. If it weren't for people like KawaiiDoll, most of these fanfics won't ever get off the ground.
Special thanks to Shadow Duo. Yes, I will behave quaking in fear and agony.
Very special thanks to Liol and Anti-R. Liol and Threads of Fate: A Continuation (go read it, and go bug the author to continue it! Kidding about the bugging, but do read the fic. While you're at it, go read Liol's New Relic of Power as well), were the two things that inspired me to begin this fic in the first place. I've delayed *this* particular mention long enough, and I apologize for not thanking you sooner.
Reviewing is very easy. Just click the 'Go' button on the lower left corner of the screen, and the submit review window should pop up in a couple of seconds (more if you're using a slower modem). Type in a few words, your name and email address for anonymous reviews if you want, and then click 'Submit Review'. It's that easy. Even one-liners are appreciated. Examples (you may copy-paste it if you want):
"I read your fic and I have absolutely nothing to say about it, except this."
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"Your story stinks to high heaven. I hate it and by association have come to hate you as well."
"Please help save our trees."
"squiggle squiggle squiggle"
"C++ is still better than C#, so long as Microsoft doesn't take over the world before East Heaven does!"
"791. RUe........and.....*GASP*...........MInT............" (originally from some crazed Rue/Mint fan ^_~)
Please say something, anything to let the author know you're still reading this! And not just this fic, but in any fic you read. Trust me, authors love that—but do be mindful, though. Some authors tend to be more sensitive than others. For me, at least, it's okay to say you didn't like the fic, better if you say why and possibly offer suggestions and constructive criticism, but politeness is still a virtue. We all know that nothing is perfect in this world, and we're all rational people here (most of the time), I hope. Then again, if you must flame or send death-threats, who am I to stop ye? ^_~
"May the Way of the Hero Lead to the Triforce."
Deleted Paragraphs
These didn't fit into the chapter's lighthearted theme. But it opens up Rue's story (and how it intertwines with Mint's) a bit more, and explains why chapters written mostly from Rue's POV don't deal with his past as much as Mint's do. Some text will probably find their way into the succeeding chapters, so possible spoiler warning. As far as the story is concerned, these paragraphs never existed.
READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.
He cursed mentally, wiping the rain from his eyes. The rain always brought back memories for him, both good and bad. Claire loved the rain, and she would often ask Rue to walk with her to the park whenever it drizzled a certain way. But, it had also been raining like this the night Claire disappeared—the night he had done nothing for her, unable to…
No! Falling again into a pit of depression and self-loathing isn't going to help anyone, least of all Claire. He had learned to shut his mind from those feelings, although every now and then the odd memory would pop up, which he'd quickly suppress. There were still times when he'd wake up in the middle of the night to find himself soaked in cold sweat, remembering nothing but the silence, the total blackness and terrible feeling of guilt and inescapable despair that was all he ever dreamed about. That was something he could never admit, not even to Klaus—that he was afraid to remember his darkened past, afraid of what he might find there.
But those dreams and nuances had gotten rarer and rarer over time. Claire had always been there, to hold and reassure him whenever they'd come, and like a lost child he had clung to her desperately, his only link to the light of sanity. Her disappearance almost broke him, the empty dreams returning to haunt him in full force, chasing him from town to town until he had found his way to Carona. Carona, where he had met Klaus, Mira and Elena—then Neil and Mint a year after that. Daring, lighthearted Neil, and the bossy, carefree and fun-loving Mint—that is, whenever she wasn't around Rue.
No, this time he won't make the same mistake. Until he found Claire, he could never forgive himself if he let it happen to anyone, ever again. Even if Mint didn't want it, he would stay by her side, to protect her from the elements, for as long as she was with him, under his care.
Rue caught up to Mint and grabbed her good arm as he had done earlier. She was prepared this time, twisting forcibly away from his grasp. "Don't touch me, you white-haired freak!" The umbrella flew in an arc, dropping to the sidewalk, and at the same time Mint clutched at her injured shoulder in momentary pain.
It was the wrong thing to say. Mint knew it the moment the words tumbled out of her mouth, but, too late, she couldn't take it back anymore. Rue stood dumbly in front of her, the pain brought on by her words evident in his eyes. When next he spoke, his voice was only a whisper. "Fine. If that's what you want… Good night, Mint," he turned and started to walk away.
Only to stop short as he felt something pull on the hem of his shirt. "Rue, I—I'm sorry. The rain…" Mint's lower lip trembled as she spoke. "The rain brings back memories."
So that was it. He took her hand, gently prying her shaking fingers from his uniform. "I understand."
He picked up her umbrella and handed it to her, which she quietly accepted. He decided to make light of it as was his wont. As far as he knew, he had never heard Mint apologize. Her reputation in school was that she never did, and he understood how much that word meant coming from her.