S U B R O S A S
A N D
C A T A R A C T S
The ocean was something both Kaya marvelled and feared.
Though maybe the ocean wasn't the one she feared but, rather, what lies deep within it. Because the waters were clear and sparse and glistening — like the ocean was made for humans to look at and realize it was something they'll never, ever be. Truly beautiful. Humankind would never be sincerely beautiful. They're tainted and mad and greedy, causing disasters upon disasters.
A human, once born, was already a tragedy.
A product of both love and sin. That was humankind and that was all Kaya could ever acknowledge herself to be. So she doesn't try to purify herself — instead, Kaya covers her entirety with a thick layer of smoke, for one day, she knew that she would drift away the same way as the mist. It was sad, and unbecoming for a supposed optimist such as herself. An optimist she may be but a fool she was not; for a dreamer does not dwell on things he doesn't believe in. People can think that myths of Gods were real while others can think that only one God existed — still, both of them dream — but they do not hold faith for the same things. This was how tens to hundreds to thousands to millions were differentiated.
Kaya didn't know how she was different, but she knows she is, so maybe that will just have to do. They were things a lot more important than mulling over such crisis, though, like how she would survive Katsuki's rage when he finds out that the heater was dysfunctional.
This morning, Pogako was fixing the usual stuff on Yoake, and Kaya entrusted him the vicinity while she watched him work it out. Kaya knew how to keep a store in top shape, of course, she wouldn't last eight years of single-to-not-single managing the store on and off. But Pogako just looked so miserable. ("Kaya, let me do the morning check-up, please?") He wanted to do.. something. Maybe the morning check-up — it's what they called it when they went to go over the stock and appliances at Yoake if they were running or not — was the only thing he thought that could busy him enough. It didn't bode well for them both, though, as Pogako ended up breaking the heater during his insisted check-up. It was first the sound of a spark, then a flicker of electricity, and then it just made the noise when you knew something was broken. (Kaya didn't know if it was the apparatus that was broken or both Pogako and the heater. She concluded both.)
Kaya was frustrated, of course, she had that heater for years — maybe it was also old age catching up to the appliance, she wouldn't put it past a heater to get sick tired of growing up as well. It happens to the best of us.
"Gods, um, I'm really really sorry Kaya. It's not really a good day for me — "
"Yeah it's barely a day. It's six am."
"— well, sure, but you know how the past days are... no let's not go there, yeah?" Kaya nodded, "but I'm good to go? Just need to relax a bit or so. Give me some minutes and — "
"Po-san, sit down, get your minutes, lock yourself in the employee room and do nothing please." prompts Kaya, ushering Pogako to the still locked employee room. He looked at Kaya mildly affronted, and shook his head firmly.
"No, no, I'm working."
"Wow, shocks, and your boss is giving you the day off. Would you look at that?"
Pogako made a sound that sounded close to a whine and Kaya wished that Katou was here to see how his 'honeybunch' was so cutely acting, "Kaya, I'm really good to go."
"Good to go to hell, yeah." Kaya dubiously commented, dismissing him.
"I just didn't get some sleep last night, okay?"
"Sleep in the emp room for twenty four hours no biggie."
This time, Pogako made a full-out frustrated groan and palmed his face. To this, Kaya threw her head back and laughed, patting Pogako on the shoulders, "Really, take the day-off. If you don't want to see yourself slacking off someplace somewhere, then I have a place for you to go to."
Her umber-headed friend mulled it over (knowing that he won't win against his boss anyways), "Fine, fine. Just don't have me parading on strip clubs." resigned Pogako. Honestly, Kaya was a bit offended. Why would she ever lead him to a strip club? She was way better than that!
"Nah, you see, there's this café named The Quill that has shady coloring and oh, new waiter..."
- - -
Pogako had left hours ago and judging by Katou's email of "fuck you but thank you" to her, Kaya knew Pogako had left taking her advice to heart, apparently. People should start paying Kaya for her fairy godmother duties that they so needed.
Surely, surely, night would arrive soon. Kaya maniacally cackled to herself as Pogako hasn't returned yet, meaning things has gotten better than good (hello, fairy godmother duties?). Not much dropped by today, but it wasn't so few that she could take a nap and not be woken up by chimes from customers dropping by. Oh, and the passerbys that entered Yoake then leave without even buying anything was ridiculous. Kaya would never enter a convenience store and go home empty-handed. That's so... wrong. Just so wrong it's unbelievable people do that. Aren't they ashamed?
Among other things, she remembered one question of the woman with twins and a ruddy kid by their front asked her some time ago named Shizuka-san — why people address her so familiarly and casually with her given name — she still owns Yoake and was somehow adultish, right?
Well, Kaya wasn't her first name, unlike other people presupposed, so it wasn't all that of a wonder.
A lot of people just assumed Kaya's given name was actually Kaya.
Given that she had no distant relatives to compare her name to, it was a common mistake that was made. Kaya didn't really mind all that much — her given name was actually Tsumei, and it sounded like a family name more than anything. People called her Mei or either Sei back then, and whenever Kaya thinks of it, the names she ones answered to spoke nothing but foreign to her ears. She hadn't been called Mei for years, let alone Sei. It sounded too girly, anyway. Not to mention it was such common nicknames. Kaya wanted to be someone worth remembering and while her name wasn't so out of the box, it wasn't too mainstream either. She liked it that way, even though 'Kaya' always had other things to tell, which she minds enumerating, thank you very much.
It's cool and Tsumei is mouthful on the 'Tsu' so she ignores the name altogether. Maybe she'd pester Katsuki on saying it one day, though, you never know.
Oh and remember when Kaya told that she couldn't take a nap and not be bothered by the chimes? Apparently, she could space out thinking while not hearing the chimes. Really, how Yoake did not have thieves swarming it she had no idea at all.
Also, she was a little screwed.
"What the absolute fuck happened to the heater?"
Kaya swallowed and shrugged Katsuki's question off like a casual way of saying oh-it's-just-broken-no-hot-water-for-you.
"Not your heater, not your problem."
A glare.
"... plus, isn't your quirk thing something with heat or fire or like that?"
"I'm not a human heater, woman."
"Yeah but you're kind of hot, aren't you?" inserted Kaya as she winked. The absolutely mortified look that surfaced on Katsuki's face was the highlight of her day. Making moody bipolar teenage blonds hilariously speechless was now her new talent, thank you very much.
"Fuck off and just why is the damn heater broken."
"Give me a minute to explain, Katsuki-chan, goodie?"
"Fine, sixty seconds."
"That's too short!"
"It's literally a fucking minute you shitstain."
Kaya paused and blinked, "Oh."
Katsuki gave her a scoff and mocked, "Oh."
"A minute sounds better, in my defense!"
Katsuki grunted and placed the cup of Extra Hot ramen over the counter, "Find a way."
"Oh for the love of smokes, really?"
"Don't give a damn. Just find a way." With that, the hot headed blond seated himself comfortably on one of Yoake's benches, drumming his fingertips casually on the surface on the table, a badly executed I'm-innocent expression adorning his face.
Kaya, just too used to this, chuckled and decided maybe she actually could find a way around this. If maybe she could just... ah.
Katsuki furrowed his brows when the loud bitch suddenly grinned his way and disappeared off the employee door and walked out of it suspiciously fast, a steaming cup of ramen on her hands.
What? It was supposed to be longer and more difficult than that!
The woman placed it in front of him and waved her hands dismissively, "Well?"
"Fucking cheater. What'd you do, huh?!"
And of course the bitch only cackled.
- - -
a / n ; we're over twenty favorites and follows now! thank you all so much and leave a review if you'd like!
