Chapter 7 : Jigsaw
The golden mantelpiece clock chimed twenty-three hours. The front door creaked slightly as a dark figure stepped into the apartment. Robin shut the door as silently as she could, pausing to listen for a sound. There was nothing, save the mournful mew of a cat outside the open window. The girl stepped carefully around the coffee table , but suddenly Robin yelped in surprise as she nearly tripped over a bulky case next to what she would come to know as the "Bowling Closet." The case tipped over and the large heavy ball started to roll towards Juri's room. Robin scrambled after it and managed to catch it before it went into the short hall. She sighed in relief, she had been afraid of waking up her host. After putting the ball back in its rightful place (she had to roll it on the ground, it was too heavy for her to lift), Robin tiptoed to her sleeping mat which she had rolled out in Juri's living room. She stood silently, listening again for any sounds. Finally convinced that the coast was clear, she reached up to her collar to unbutton her uniform, when. . .a sudden rustle made her freeze.
Two green, cat-like glowing eyes stared at her from the hallway to the bedroom. Robin gave a small gasp of shock as her eyes adjusted to the light. Her fingers twitched nervously. "A-Arisugawa-s-sama. . ." she squeaked. "You scared the life out of me. . ."
"Tell me, do you always sneak in and out in the middle of the night, or do you only do it when you invade the homes of others?" asked Juri coldy, leaning against the wall in her evening gown.
Robin bowed her head meekly. "I'm sorry. . .it's just. . .I couldn't sleep and went to take a short walk. . ." the look she got from the other woman silenced her quickly. She wrung her hands and stared at the ground. "Forgive me for waking you, I won't do it again." she added quickly, suppressing the shivers running up her spine.
"Let us hope that by this time tomorrow you will have been moved to more suitable lodgings. But no need to apologize for waking me, you're not the only one who couldn't sleep tonight." Juri produced a bulging black object from behind her back. Robin shuddered even more visibly as Juri held up the small plastic garbage bag. "However, there is one more thing I'm curious about. When I got home, you were gone. . .I smelled something burning, and all the windows were open. And this. . ." she dropped the bag onto the carpet, ". . .was filled with ashes. " After a few moments passed and Robin didn't look up or make any sign of replying, Juri pressed her again. "Would you mind explaining it?"
Robin stumbled onto the loveseat near her mat. She lay crumpled there, shaking uncontrollably. The elegant fencer made no move towards her, but continued to glare from the hall. "Are you that cold? Maybe you could try wearing warmer clothes rather than starting fires in my apartment." Robin was breathing hard and still shivering harder than ever. Her right fist was clenched tightly at the cloth around her collar. Juri finally started to look worried. "Are you sick?" she asked tentatively, taking a step out of the darkness, and momentarily forgetting about the ash-filled bag.
"Y-yes, I am. . .slight fever, I'm. . .often ill. . ." Robin managed to croak. "I just need. . .my aspirin..". She hastily reached into her pocket and produced a packet of pills, which she promptly swallowed. "You mustn't worry about me, A-Arisugawa-s-sama. . .I can take care of myself." she muttered weakly in protest as Juri felt her forehead with her palm. "You feel very cold for somebody with a fever." replied Juri. ". . .and are you sure it's healthy to take so much medication at once?" she added, watching Robin quickly replace the now empty package into her pocket. Robin winced at her touch as if it burned and shrank away, trembling. Juri looked at her with an air of mixed concern and mild curiosity.
"Just to be safe you'd better not take any more of that aspirin for a while. . .I won't be help responsible if you poison yourself. Try to get some rest. . .There's a party next week for one of the members of the Student Council. If you want to come, you'll need to get better before then. Good night." she said, making towards her room. She stopped as she saw the plastic bag in the hall, hesitating. With a sigh she picked it up and tossed into the kitchen trash, then walked to her bedroom. "She'd better not be contagious, or I swear I'll kill that goddamn 'End of the World'! . . .What am I saying, they already deserve it. . ." she muttered to herself as she shut the door.
As the tremors calmed down, Robin decided she felt too weak to change. Besides, she would have to wake up very early to dress again before Arisugawa-sama woke up, and she wasn't sure when that would be. It was enough of a close call with her host finding the ashes, she would have to find another way to dispose of them. Hopefully, Arisugawa-sama wouldn't bring it up again. 'Not probable. . . ' she thought in exasperation. At least she had managed to weasel her way out of an explanation this time, but she wouldn't be able to get away with it so easily again. Robin hoped she could be moved to her own room soon. She and her host both seemed to have a desperate need for privacy. . . And what was this sudden change of subject to the invitation about? It didn't seem quite like her host to suddenly be so friendly. 'Arisugawa-sama realized it was something I couldn't talk about. She doesn't even know about me, and she pities me already.' thought Robin glumly. She crawled off the leather loveseat and slumped onto her little cot on the floor, head reeling and mind buzzing.
The golden mantelpiece clock chimed twenty-three hours. The front door creaked slightly as a dark figure stepped into the apartment. Robin shut the door as silently as she could, pausing to listen for a sound. There was nothing, save the mournful mew of a cat outside the open window. The girl stepped carefully around the coffee table , but suddenly Robin yelped in surprise as she nearly tripped over a bulky case next to what she would come to know as the "Bowling Closet." The case tipped over and the large heavy ball started to roll towards Juri's room. Robin scrambled after it and managed to catch it before it went into the short hall. She sighed in relief, she had been afraid of waking up her host. After putting the ball back in its rightful place (she had to roll it on the ground, it was too heavy for her to lift), Robin tiptoed to her sleeping mat which she had rolled out in Juri's living room. She stood silently, listening again for any sounds. Finally convinced that the coast was clear, she reached up to her collar to unbutton her uniform, when. . .a sudden rustle made her freeze.
Two green, cat-like glowing eyes stared at her from the hallway to the bedroom. Robin gave a small gasp of shock as her eyes adjusted to the light. Her fingers twitched nervously. "A-Arisugawa-s-sama. . ." she squeaked. "You scared the life out of me. . ."
"Tell me, do you always sneak in and out in the middle of the night, or do you only do it when you invade the homes of others?" asked Juri coldy, leaning against the wall in her evening gown.
Robin bowed her head meekly. "I'm sorry. . .it's just. . .I couldn't sleep and went to take a short walk. . ." the look she got from the other woman silenced her quickly. She wrung her hands and stared at the ground. "Forgive me for waking you, I won't do it again." she added quickly, suppressing the shivers running up her spine.
"Let us hope that by this time tomorrow you will have been moved to more suitable lodgings. But no need to apologize for waking me, you're not the only one who couldn't sleep tonight." Juri produced a bulging black object from behind her back. Robin shuddered even more visibly as Juri held up the small plastic garbage bag. "However, there is one more thing I'm curious about. When I got home, you were gone. . .I smelled something burning, and all the windows were open. And this. . ." she dropped the bag onto the carpet, ". . .was filled with ashes. " After a few moments passed and Robin didn't look up or make any sign of replying, Juri pressed her again. "Would you mind explaining it?"
Robin stumbled onto the loveseat near her mat. She lay crumpled there, shaking uncontrollably. The elegant fencer made no move towards her, but continued to glare from the hall. "Are you that cold? Maybe you could try wearing warmer clothes rather than starting fires in my apartment." Robin was breathing hard and still shivering harder than ever. Her right fist was clenched tightly at the cloth around her collar. Juri finally started to look worried. "Are you sick?" she asked tentatively, taking a step out of the darkness, and momentarily forgetting about the ash-filled bag.
"Y-yes, I am. . .slight fever, I'm. . .often ill. . ." Robin managed to croak. "I just need. . .my aspirin..". She hastily reached into her pocket and produced a packet of pills, which she promptly swallowed. "You mustn't worry about me, A-Arisugawa-s-sama. . .I can take care of myself." she muttered weakly in protest as Juri felt her forehead with her palm. "You feel very cold for somebody with a fever." replied Juri. ". . .and are you sure it's healthy to take so much medication at once?" she added, watching Robin quickly replace the now empty package into her pocket. Robin winced at her touch as if it burned and shrank away, trembling. Juri looked at her with an air of mixed concern and mild curiosity.
"Just to be safe you'd better not take any more of that aspirin for a while. . .I won't be help responsible if you poison yourself. Try to get some rest. . .There's a party next week for one of the members of the Student Council. If you want to come, you'll need to get better before then. Good night." she said, making towards her room. She stopped as she saw the plastic bag in the hall, hesitating. With a sigh she picked it up and tossed into the kitchen trash, then walked to her bedroom. "She'd better not be contagious, or I swear I'll kill that goddamn 'End of the World'! . . .What am I saying, they already deserve it. . ." she muttered to herself as she shut the door.
As the tremors calmed down, Robin decided she felt too weak to change. Besides, she would have to wake up very early to dress again before Arisugawa-sama woke up, and she wasn't sure when that would be. It was enough of a close call with her host finding the ashes, she would have to find another way to dispose of them. Hopefully, Arisugawa-sama wouldn't bring it up again. 'Not probable. . . ' she thought in exasperation. At least she had managed to weasel her way out of an explanation this time, but she wouldn't be able to get away with it so easily again. Robin hoped she could be moved to her own room soon. She and her host both seemed to have a desperate need for privacy. . . And what was this sudden change of subject to the invitation about? It didn't seem quite like her host to suddenly be so friendly. 'Arisugawa-sama realized it was something I couldn't talk about. She doesn't even know about me, and she pities me already.' thought Robin glumly. She crawled off the leather loveseat and slumped onto her little cot on the floor, head reeling and mind buzzing.