Cascades is a large town that sits atop an enormous cliff overlooking the ocean. Scattered amongst the hillside are houses of different shape and colour. Their front yards all face towards an immense waterfall that inexplicably flows silently down a rocky forest of greenery.
Inauspicious may be an understatement when it comes to Rin's life encounters, however, it could just be the vexation-provoking energy she is exuding.
When they take their seats at the restaurant hours later, Deidara automatically shuffles over so that Tobi can take his usual seat beside him.
"Tobi this seat is more comfortable," Rin says.
She pats the cushioned seat beside her.
Tobi hesitates.
"Sit wherever you want," Deidara mutters.
Surprisingly, Tobi decides to sit next to him, much to Rin's chagrin.
And it must either be a large dose of déjà vu or a pure act of coincidence, but when the waitress arrives, she slumps on the seat opposite Tobi.
"What would you like?" she asks sweetly.
Tobi leans back at the woman's intrusive questioning.
"Um…tea?" he answers hesitantly.
"That's it?"
"Y-Yes."
"You're not hungry? We have a great selection of food and-"
"I'd like my dumplings, hm," Deidara interrupts.
"Yeah, yeah," the waitress waves dismissively without turning from Tobi.
"Please send in the orders," Rin says
At the comment, the waitress turns with deliberate slowness.
"I don't take orders from ugly people," she sneers.
Oh…nasty.
Rin, who is turning three shades scarlet, is furiously suppressing the vexed twitches that is palpable beneath her very forced composure.
"Could you take our orders then?" Tobi asks.
The change in atmosphere is frightening.
"Of course!"
x
"So you're Tobi right?" the waitress asks dulcetly, "What a cute name-"
"Can we have our bill lady? We don't have all night, hm," Deidara interposes.
The waitress slides the bill to him without wavering from Tobi.
"So I'm wondering, are these two your friends?" she briefly gestures in Deidara and Rin's direction.
"Comrades," Tobi replies.
"Is this your girlfriend?" she throws Rin a sardonic smile.
"Uh... no…"
"Yes, I wouldn't want excess baggage either."
Beside her, Rin is undergoing another red colour transformation.
"Anyway, the restaurant is closing and I don't want to head home straight after," the waitress simpers.
"I'm not free," Tobi replies quickly.
There is repulsion radiating from him.
"Shame. But if you change your mind, I'm here," she hands him a piece of paper with a sickly saccharine look.
When she is out of sight, Tobi exasperatedly scrunches up the paper and drowns it in his un-drunken tea.
"What'd she write on that?" Deidara snatches the tea soaked paper from its cup.
"Uh senpai…"
'Your mask on me'
What the fuck? This bitch has sick fantasies.
He throws the note at the oblivious waitress in an attempt to exude the repugnant energy.
"Let's move out," Deidara says tersely.
Without realising, his face is already a dark shade of infuriating purple.
x
Rin's sullen disposition does not improve when they arrive at the town inn. It is small with insufficient vacancy, which forces them to split into two rooms.
In usual circumstances, separate rooms for all three team members are a necessity, but in recent weeks, Deidara has been spending an increasing amount of time in the same space as Tobi.
Unsure as to whether this is just a coincidence, he decides to settle with the convenience and contentment of having his partner close.