Chapter 10
…
It was another midnight for them. Both awake, and not really keen on getting some sleep. At least not until they'd be too tired.
"How do you think they're doing right now?"
"Hopefully, they're doing alright." She answered, and they fell silent again.
He sipped on his coffee.
She did too.
He leaned back on his chair, one foot quietly, repeatedly tapping the floor.
She ran her hand through the greasy mess what was her hair, and then wiped it clean using the blanket. Taking another sip of her coffee, she then quietly exhaled. A moment later sipped on her coffee again, wasn't careful enough and burned her tongue. Quietly cursing to herself, her mood soured just briefly, and she rolled her eyes in mild annoyance. As she did, her lilac fell upon him and stopped. Immediately, she noticed he hadn't changed at all. As miserable as he was when he first entered her room, he was just as much now. Even though it's been roughly a month or so since he first entered her room.
Suddenly, she was angry again. And it wasn't just a brief annoyance.
"Jaune."
"Hmm?"
"You staying here, it really was a mistake. So really, why?"
"I told you, right? You had that look that I recognized, and I decided to stay."
"But you neither gain or lose anything. There's nothing, Jaune. Nothing for you to do here," She said, and her voice started to carry her ire and frustration.
He remained as calm as he was. "I never intended to gain or lose something, anything. I simply decided to stay and that's all there is to it."
"I don't understand." She nodded sideways. "I hear what you say, but I simply don't get it," She said, and something ugly started to stir within her. "Is this your way to atone for Pyrha's death, Jaune? Robbing yourself of any chance to better yourself, be stronger and be able to move forward again. Do you really believe that-"
"That's not it." He cut her short, and his brow was actually furrowing. "I…I never thought of it like that. Please, don't just assume things on a whim," He said, and a brief silence settled in.
Before her own brow furrowed. Her jaw clenched. A glint in her narrowed eyes, and that ugliness fully gained her voice. "She's dead, Jaune. Gone forever. The faster you'll learn to accept it, the faster you'll learn to live again," She fumed, and in response, he stood up so quickly and roughly, the chair was knocked down to the floor.
Taking in labored, shaky breaths, he didn't say anything for a moment. Just stared her down with more fury she ever remembered him having.
"That is none of your damn business." He fumed in a low, shaky voice. Turned himself around, collected his combat arms and left.
She stared fazed at the door. Unsure of what exactly just happened. Before she came to, and then angrily turned her head the other way.
"Fine, you worthless piece of crap." She spat, and decided she just didn't care. A moment later, throwing herself backwards and down, her head soon landing onto the pillow. And so she just lay there.
"…"
Minutes, hell, even seconds seemed to move slowly, but she managed to lay still for almost half an hour. When it was a minute away from being exactly half an hour, she fixed herself to a sitting position. Her hand balled into a fist.
She wasn't sure. Uncertain of what to say once she would find him, but there was just something. A tiny voice within which replaced that ugliness from before, and it told her to go.
And she did.
Dressed in pajamas, a random winter coat and a pair of boots, she headed outside in search for him.
Into that cold, harsh night.