Takahisa Kandori 11/8
It's hard to think of something worse than feeling alone in a room of people who are supposed to be celebrating you.
None of them know you. Not in a way that matters. They know what you want them to see of you. The mask, carefully crafted, painstakingly maintained. Perfect, powerful, picturesque. Hollow smiles and empty eyes, the reserves of a well run dry.
Today you want nothing more than to rip it off, and crush it beneath the heel of your foot. To tell them what you really think of them.
You won't of course. You're better taught than that.
But it is a daydream that might help you get through this boring party. Screaming is unacceptable. The food is tasteless, the air is dry, and nothing is satisfying.
"Humanity. Why bother with it all?"
You look through the room to find the speaker, but no one fits the bill.
And indeed, why bother with anything?
Dissatisfied, you leave the party to find him.