Chapter 15
Try
.:+:.
... I should never have trusted you...
.:+:.
He's actually not bad at it... once he gets over his initial worry about accidentally hurting me
She glanced down at Anima quietly, the boy laying on his back in the grass and panting as he fought to catch his breath again. He was huffing, his eyes closed and covered in bits of grass, with dirt and mud smeared across his arms and knees and a few bruises here and there too... he was exhausted, and rightfully so. They had been going at the combat training hard as hell the whole day, and had only stopped briefly for lunch around noon, before going right back at it again, and harder and harder as time went on.
She'd intended to go easy on him, and she mostly had, but she ended up pushing harder than she had originally intended to, and Anima had continued on well even despite that. And he didn't complain (not that she expected he would) with anything she threw at him, and he worked hard to learn and to understand the techniques she had shown him, and do them properly... and he grit his teeth and tried again when he didn't, or ended up hitting the ground by a quick jab or counter she sent his way and he didn't manage to block. He didn't give up, no matter if his body ached from the hits or the constant movement, and he still didn't give up when his legs shook and he found it harder and harder to stay standing.
She was pushing hard, but not enough to draw blood, or really hurt him- and she had to think that it would do him some good in the long run.
... He's an honest hard worker, I'm actually impressed... And once he gets into it, the kid is really freakin' strong.
She smiled a bit to herself, her arms crossing over her chest and glancing upward at the sky.
... He picked up on most of the notes and things I showed him pretty quickly too... Even if he doesn't want to pick a fight, he should be okay to take care of himself when he gets into one.
She sniffed at the air, the scent of moisture and rain stronger now and had been getting stronger the whole time. The pale blue sky had turned a dismal grey overcast and the wind was slowly picking up too.
I was right, it's gonna rain... But it held off for a long while.
She pulled her phone out of her suit and brought the screen to life in order to check the time, only to pause when a notification for a text message caught her attention.
From: Death Arms
Call me when you get done with your Internship for the day. But don't rush.
She blinked, her eyes narrowing as she bit the inside of her cheek.
... That sounds a little ominous...
She shook her head slightly and put the phone back in her suit pocket.
"... Well, it's almost 4." She announced, earning Anima's attention as he slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position. "We'll call it quits for the day, and start heading back to the train station, alright? You worked hard today, so we'll end a bit early." She went on, and he nodded a bit. "... Plus we'll probably miss the rain if we head out now, so that's a bonus too." She added lightly, and he smiled in amusement. "Need a hand?" She offered, extending hers toward him as he looked surprised with the offer, before smiling a little more and moving his hand up to meet hers.
She pulled back, helping him up on to his feet and letting go once he was. He leaned over a bit, trying to dust off his clothes of the mud and whatever else, and managing little, and he sighed.
"Sorry, but hopefully it will wash out easily enough." Spirit murmured, he shook his head with a smile.
"It's alright." He told her softly.
Spirit moved back toward the tree she had dropped her bag and his stuff under, Anima trailing slowly after her and smiling as a few birds dropped down on his shoulders- three of the many from earlier that had stayed to watch the rest of the training. She picked her bag up and strapped it to the low of her back again, before picking his up and handing it off to him. She paused on the pink box of melonpan wrapped in a bow, bending over to pick it up and holding it in her hands lightly.
"... hey, Anima." She murmured, and he looked up in surprise. "You hungry?" Spirit asked, turning toward him and lifting the box a little, smiling. "Come on, we can share some while we walk back."
His eyes went wide, looking a little stunned with the suggestion, and unsure of it too- Spirit just kept smiling, and started toward him and gestured with a tilt of her head for them to start walking.
"Come on, you worked hard today, and I can't eat all of this by myself." She hummed, pausing just long enough to let him start following after her. Once he had, Spirit easily untied the bow and cracked the box open, revealing about half a dozen apple-sized, golden and crosshatched bread sitting inside. She picked one up and handed it toward Anima, and his face flushed as he nodded, smiling sheepishly and taking the bread from her.
"... Ah.. T...Thank you, I appreciate it..." He mumbled softly, and she nodded.
"Of course." She hummed, picking another one up in her hand and shutting the box again as they kept walking through the trees. She tucked the box underneath her arm and sniffed at the melonpan curiously, Anima's head tilting slightly from where he walked at her shoulder and saw that she was... well, hesitating?
... it smells sweet, but like regular bread at the same time... how are these made...? I know I read it somewhere...
She shrugged to herself and cast the question off, biting down into the bread and tearing a piece off as she began to chew- only for the chewing to freeze. Her eyes widened, her eyes locked on the bread and quiet, though her walking never let up and nor did Anima's beside her, but he tilted his head more, looking confused.
Spirit's eyes flashed, her eyes dropping closed as she let out a breath, her lips twitching at the edges and chewing again.
Bloody hell this tastes amazing...!
She swallowed and bit off another piece, her head bopping a bit left and right as she let out a happy humm.
Like, way better than I even anticipated..! It's so sweet and fluffy, and the outside is crunchy...!
How have I never tried this before...?! I mean I've never really eaten much sweets, or bothered to buy them, but this is so good!
She popped the last bit into her mouth and hummed some more, smiling still around the mouthful of food and letting her attention get lost in the taste for a few long moments.
"... ah... Spirit-Sensei...?" Anima asked slowly, and she blinked her eyes open to glance up at him.
"Hmm?" She hummed, still chewing the last bits in her mouth. He smiled a little nervously,
"... do you... like it..?" He asked slowly, and she nodded.
"Yeah." She answered brightly, "You gotta tell your mother thank you for me, and that these taste amazing!" She nearly chirped, and he blinked at the sudden lightened mood. "Honestly, these are so good!" He blinked, waving his hands slightly.
"I-it's just regular melonpan, Spirit-Sensei... it isn't all that special..." He mumbled and she shook her head,
"No, it is really good." She hummed, "I've never had this before, so I had no expectations, but this tastes much better than I could have ever imagined." She told him brightly, and he blinked in surprise.
"... you've never had... melonpan before...?" He asked slowly, Spirit shook her head.
"Nope." She hummed, shifting the box from under her arm again and picking out another bun, before replacing it back under her arm. Anima stared slightly, his eyes growing wide as she started eating the next one, and completely unaware of what incredulous look had appeared on the young boy's face. He kept his eyes on her for a few more moments, before looking away and finishing the last of his own bun.
... that seems... really weird to me... melonpan is so popular... everyone's had it at least once... right...?
He shrugged a little to himself, casting a sideways glance down toward the woman and smiling slightly in amusement to see her still quite happily enjoying her food.
He didn't think anything more of it.
The walk back through the park and out of it was spent in content quiet between them, Spirit settling into a third melonpan while Koda had a second, before she tied the bow back around the box for good and they started through the streets. There were few people out and about even as they drew deeper and deeper into the heart and city of Heiku, they were all anticipating rain and there became more people walking around with their hoods up and umbrellas on standby.
But even with the lessening of crowds on the streets, they still got their fair share of stares and comments being thrown their way, and Spirit handled them with the same grace she always seemed to have- while Anima remained as nervous about the attention as before, but maybe slowly getting more used to it.
"... oh, by the way." Spirit spoke up after awhile, causing Anima to jump when she broke the silence all of a sudden. "I spoke to Death Arms last night. He told me the hostage situation yesterday resolved just fine, and your classmate did really well... Earphone Jack, yeah? Death Arms said she helped get people out of the building and provided recon for him." She explained and his eyes shone at the information, looking both surprised and relieved. "Everybody got out safely and only minimal injuries were reported for some of the hostages, so she's okay and not hurt or anything." Spirit smiled slightly, and Anima nodded, his hands raising as he signed his reply (he actually seemed content to physically talk to her when they were alone... but went back to sign language when around other people... not that she minded).
'That's great to hear..! Thank you for letting me know, Spirit-Sensei..!'
"No problem." She replied, her eyes trailing away from the smiling younger and down, her own small smile dying off.
... though speaking of Death Arms... I wonder why he wants me to call him...? And why did he have to be so vague...? What on earth could he want to talk about that he couldn't just text it to me...?
She bit the inside of her cheek, grumbling a bit under her breath and feeling a small knot slowly getting bigger in her stomach.
But her internal brooding got cut off, her attention snapping back up and ahead toward where people seemed to have started to crowd... like a lot of people, and many of them excited or taking pictures.
"Gah- fucking get me out of these...!"
"W.. WHAT EVEN HAPPENED...?!"
She blinked, her eyes narrowing to slits at the furious and incredulous shouts coming from that direction, heard even above the rabble and rumble of the gathering crowd. Her walking slowed up and Anima's did too, his attention turning to the commotion just as quickly as hers had and looking wary.
What the hell...?
She cast a sideways glance at Anima and tilted her head toward the commotion, motioning for him to follow her as they both headed off toward it.
"... tch.. this fucking sucks...!"
Spirit gently pushed her way through the crowd and toward the front, mumbling small apologies and requests to let her and Anima through and toward the makeshift barricade made up of rope of some kind, and that had been set up to keep the citizens back. There was no one manning the barricades though, not that she would have cared if there was, but she found it slightly odd for the amount of people bunching up.
What had even happened? There was no clear sign of major damage on any of the buildings surrounding, and the atmosphere and demeanor of the people in the crowds didn't give her the impression something serious had happened... so yeah, what the hell?
"Calm down and quit yelling... you're just miffed you got caught so fast."
"... this does suck though... we've been running around all day..."
Spirit ducked under the rope and Anima followed closely behind, while she paused a moment and her eyes swept around the area in front of her to quickly take it all in.
The street was fairly empty, given it had been cordoned off by the rope substance, and it looked a little like a mess. Some trash bins had been knocked over and were spilling their contents, and a few newspaper dispensers were the same way. The biggest bit of damage that appeared to have been done was to a paperstand about halfway up the street, the supports of the roof having been broken and the counter tipped over with the structure itself... resulting in hundreds of magazines and books and whatever else sort of paperwork being littered everywhere on the street and sidewalk around it.
However the thing that interested her most was the half a dozen people all tied up and spread out along the cordoned off section of the street (who of which, were the ones griping and grumbling the most...Villains she assumed, or at least dumbasses making trouble). There were also three other people on the street who were not tied up though, one of them winding the rope substance around one of the Wannabe-Villains on the ground, and another lifting a knocked over newspaper dispenser off it's side and back onto its feet. Both of these men had on attire that immediately told her they were Pro Heroes of some sort, though she certainly didn't recognize them at all.
And the last of the three was someone much younger, wrapped up in a dark cloak and with a very distinctly bird head, and some strange shadow-like creature floating at his shoulder and attached to his back. The younger one stood among two of the subdued Wannabe-Villains, his shoulders shaking and looking quite out of breath, as well as exhausted... the other two men on the street looked fairly weary and exasperated too.
"... look alive kid, we got work to do." the man tying the rope off said wearily, casting a look toward the younger of their trio, once the poor kid managed to catch his breath a bit more.
"... Alright." The kid replied lowly with a small nod.
"... sorry kid, I know it's not really fun times, but it is still work." The other man called over after setting the dispenser back upright. "... Though that guy's been really rushing around today... sometimes I wonder if he even cares what we're doing back here." He grumbled, and the younger boy's eyes fell to the ground as he seemed to frown, almost agitated, though it was mostly hidden.
Spirit blinked, stuck in the spot she had stopped in to look the area over, and her eyes narrowing to slits when she caught the conversation between the three. Anima beside her stiffened though, his eyes darting around the area and then quickly sticking to the bird-like boy ahead of them. She noticed the shocked look pass over his face, his mouth falling open to mouth something she couldn't catch- but even then her eyes diverted passed him and toward a flicker of red she swore she saw dart out of sight down an alleyway.
Her eye twitched, agitation suddenly beginning to trickle into her core, and she forced a slightly heated breath out.
Oh you have got to be fucking kidding me
She started walking forward and Anima followed close behind her, his unease and surprise still clear on his face as they both got closer to the group of people.
"Toko... ah...Tsukuyomi...!" Anima found his voice at last, the name coming out in a hushed sort of squeak- but it was loud enough, and the younger boy ahead of them jumped, turning around slowly and eyes widening when he spotted Anima coming toward him, and with Animal Spirit in tow.
"... Anima...?" Tsukuyomi murmured quietly, turning around all the way to face them as they approached, the shadow floating above his shoulder turning too. Anima pulled ahead of Spirit slightly, stopping in front of the other boy, his hands already moving and gesturing in a series of signs.
'Are you alright..? What happened here...?' Anima asked, Tsukuyomi following the gestures with his eyes, and then nodding solemnly.
"I am alright." He replied evenly, "This group of people were vandalizing the area, though they didn't manage to do much." He explained, and Anima nodded in understanding.
"You're one of Anima's classmates, right?" She asked him calmly, and the boy jumped a little at being addressed by her. Tsukuyomi's eyes shift left and toward Spirit as she stopped at Anima's shoulder, stunned for half a second, before dipping his head and bowing toward her in a rather formal way.
"Yes, my name is Tsukuyomi, and this is Dark Shadow." He introduced himself evenly, gesturing toward the strange shadow-bird creature attached to him. Dark Shadow itself dipped it's head to her in greeting too, and Spirit blinked a few times at the action from both of them, Tsukuyomi still bent over a bit instead of looking up at her. "It is an honor to meet you, Animal Spirit."
She shook her head and offered up a small, slightly exasperated smile. "Ah, you don't need to be so formal." She mumbled, and he stiffened, glancing up slowly.
"My apologies." He murmured, straightening up again and as straight-faced as anyone could be, and rather formal still. Anima smiled slightly beside her, looking a little sheepish when Spirit faltered for a minute at the dark boy's demeanor, before she seemed to shake it off again.
"Huh? Oh, A-Animal Spirit!"
"W-wha.. oh..!"
Her attention moved from Tsukuyomi toward the two men with him, both of them jumping up and looking a little frantic upon noticing she was there. They both quickly moved up toward their small group, smiling nervously and fidgeting as they stopped beside Tsukuyomi, and both gave her a salute.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Animal Spirit...!" Both men said in near perfect unison, and her face fell flat at their stiff-backed salutes, and their flustered behavior.
... come on... seriously...? Salutes...?
"We didn't realize you were in the vicinity..!" Rope-Guy told her quickly, his hand falling back down to his side, and Bin-Dude's hand fell too, nodding in confirmation of his companions words. Spirit sighed silently, deciding it best not to say anything about the behavior, it wasn't worth the time- and they were acting so flustered about her being there, calling them out on it would probably just make things worse.
Though their behavior did tell her what she was already suspecting- they were Pros, but they were both young, and unfamiliar... and add on the behavior?
"It's alright." She murmured, "Are you all okay? Do you need any help wrapping things up?"
"Y-yes, we are fine, thank you for checking..!" Bin-Dude answered immediately, "But no, we don't need any help..!"
"Thank you for the offer, but we have everything in hand. Just a bit of cleanup to be done, all the Villains have been dealt with!" Rope-Guy concluded for his partner, and Tsukuyomi nodded solemnly to words of his elders, though his formal demeanor gave way to hints of frustration anyway. Spirit's red eyes caught the look on the boy from the side, and she felt her own agitation get a little sharper in her core.
"You really needn't worry, we can take care of this." Bin-Dude hummed, smiling sheepishly as his hand found a nervous place on the back of his neck.
"Yeah, it won't be a problem." Rope-Guy added in, and Spirit nodded slightly.
"Alright." She mumbled, pausing for a moment as she glanced passed them and toward the disgruntled Villains all tied up on the street, before she glanced back at the trio standing before her and Anima. "You guys are with Hawks, aren't you?" She asked next, her tone suddenly very neutral and they jumped a little at the assertion, looking both surprised and confused on how she had even come to that conclusion(?)- before nodding quickly in answer.
"Yes ma'am. We're signed on as Sidekicks for him." Bin-Dude explained, gesturing toward himself and Rope-Guy. "And Tsukuyomi here is Interning with Mr. Hawks for the week." He went on, gesturing toward said boy, and Tsukuyomi nodded again, though his eyes remained fixed on the ground.
Spirit growled inwardly at the sudden appearance of 'ma'am' in the conversation, but still she let it slide with a small shake of her head.
"I take it he's gone ahead to deal with the next thing?" She asked next, one hand resting on her hip while the other held the box of melonpan underneath her arm. "And left you three here to do cleanup?" And both Sidekicks looked exasperated at the inquiries, but they tried to smile anyway and nodded their heads.
"Yes ma'am." They murmured in unison, and Spirit's fingers tapped against her hip twice.
"Right... has he been doing that all day?" She grumbled, and again they looked all the more exasperated, and a little confused on why she was asking. The Sidekicks nodded slowly in answer, and she grit her teeth, the spark of agitation in her core getting stronger, though her expression never changed from utter calm.
"... ah, yes ma'am.." The Sidekicks mumbled,
"... and for the last two days as well." Tskukuyomi added in quietly, his eyes dropping closed. "... however, that does appear to be standard behavior for Hawks-Sensei."
Spirit nodded again, though this time she felt her eye twitch, her neutral expression breaking for half a second with a strained, almost sickly-sweet smile. Anima, Tsukuyomi and the Sidekicks all stiffened at the sudden look, a little uneasy at it and not sure where it came from...?
"I see." Spirit murmured, the sickly-sweetness of the smile disappearing nearly as quickly as it came, and something calmer came back in. She glanced up toward Anima, and he blinked a few times, looking a little wary still though her demeanor had gone back to that calm he was used to from her. "Anima, do you mind helping these guys cleanup while we wait for the Police?" He hesitated for a minute, looking a little unsure at the sudden request, but he nodded slowly anyway, his fingers and hands twitching as he signed his reply.
'Of course, I don't mind.'
"A-ah, you really needn't-" Rope-Guy started quickly, but Spirit shook her head and cast him a sideways glance.
"It's fine." She cut him off with ease, "I'm going to talk with Hawks for a bit, so while I do that Anima can help you three out."
All four of them blinked in surprise, looking at her in fairly unsure silence for a few seconds and not at all sure why she seemed to want to talk with Hawks all of a sudden, or what about...?
"Ah... okay..." Rope-Guy mumbled slowly,
"... I mean we'll totally appreciate you lending a hand...!" Bin-Dude hummed, casting the comment toward Anima and earning a shy nod from the boy. Anima cast one last glance at Spirit, before stepping forward a bit toward the other three. The four of them started to slowly back off from Spirit and back toward the street again, casting questioning looks between them and catching Spirit's eyes for half a second as she watched them go.
"Mr. Hawks is probably a few streets ahead of us." Rope-Guy told her, and Spirit nodded.
"Alright-" She mumbled, only to cut off.
"Hellooo there Sunshine~!"
Her mouth snapped shut, the calm of her expression broken in an instant as her agitation hit a peak at the singsong voice overhead. The Sidekicks and Interns all halted too, not having even gotten two or three feet away before they found themselves jumping at the unexpected call, and the nickname too.
"...S.. sunshine...?" All four mumbled under their breaths, too low for Spirit to hear- not that she was paying attention, mind you.
Spirit's head snapped up, red eyes flashing and teeth gritting as her eyes locked with his behind his visor, one of his hands raised and waving at her as he slowly started to drop down toward the ground.
Damn it, why can I never hear this idiot coming-?!
"Quit calling me that, damn it!" She snapped hotly, Hawks simply smiled and waved a hand at her a bit in what was meant to be a calming gesture, his feet hitting the cement and not at all bothered with the sudden fiery temper in the Ebony Hero. A temper of which had the Sidekicks and the Interns both jumping and looking quite taken aback, because it came out of literally nowhere-
-What kind of side of Animal Spirit is this...?!
"Sorry, sorry~! I just haven't come up with a better nickname for you yet~!" Hawks replied easily, "Plus I think Sunshine is really growing on me~! I don't think I'm gonna find another name I like better, ya know~" Spirit hissed, her hand on her hip around the box of melonpan growing tighter as her lips pulled into a scowl. "Though I do still like Kuneko and Kitten, but you vetoed those already, so for now I'll keep sticking with Sunshine~!"
Anima, Bin-Dude, and Rope-Guy visibly blushed at the next two 'nicknames' Hawks mentioned, red in the face and suddenly very uncomfortable- because they didn't sound so much like nicknames, rather than pet-names. Tsukuyomi even flushed a little himself, averting his eyes from the two Pros and clearing his throat slightly, while Dark Shadow snickered under it's breath.
Just how familiar were Hawks and Animal Spirit anyway..? They had all seen the news and heard the gossip going around the last week or so, but it had just been that- gossip. And as far as Anima, Tsukuyomi and the two Sidekicks had been aware, there hadn't been anything going on at all. Animal Spirit had certainly never mentioned Hawks through Anima's Internship so far, and Tsukuyomi had heard nothing about the Ebony Hero from Hawks. And even for what little time Bin-Dude and Rope-Guy had been in the employ of Hawks as his Sidekicks, they hadn't heard Animal Spirit mentioned either... what little attention the Winged Hero had ever paid her any mind while they were signed on with his (very new) Agency, seemed to have been limited to when Hawks wasn't around either of them.
But suddenly now it seemed that both Pros were quite familiar with one another, almost extremely so...? Maybe even bordering...?
Because well- Hawks was speaking to her using nicknames, and was not at all formal, or even professional in his demeanor toward her. And even Animal Spirit's annoyance toward him wasn't formal in any way, shape or form.
... they seem... like really familiar with eachother...
Spirit teeth grit further, feeling her face heat up and oh so very aware that both the Sidekicks and the Interns had been halted in their plans to start cleaning up, and were now watching her and Hawks just as much as the people behind the barricades were. And her annoyance surged all the more, and it took no small amount of self-control for her not to swipe some claws across Hawks' much too cheery, stupid god-damn smiling face.
I swear, he's doing it on purpose!
"Stop talking, right bloody now." She hissed lowly, and he smiled some more, his head tilting ever so slightly. He lift both his hands in a sign of surrender, letting out an all too amused breath.
"As you wish~!" Hawks hummed,
"Uhm.. maybe we should... get back to it..?" Rope-Guy mumbled, smiling nervously as he ushered Tsukuyomi and Anima forward, Bin-Dude trailing behind them as they cautiously, but quickly moved away from the two Pros- casting questioning and surprised looks back all the way.
"- Though I did have another guess to throw your way about your #1, if you'd permit me, Spirit~" Hawks continued on, not at all interested in the four of them moving away, and Spirit hissed.
"Not right now." She shot back quickly, and he shrugged.
"Alrighty, I can wait~" He hummed, "I am glad I ran into you, though~! When I didn't get a reply from ya, I started to wonder if my messages ever went through at all~" Her eye twitched again, because not three seconds after she told him to shut up, he was already talking, and kept going.
I swear-
"Did I not just tell you to shut it?" She muttered, and he paused, smiling a little sheepishly as his hand moved to grab the collar of his jacket. He pulled the collar over his mouth, quieting himself with a halfway embarrassed glance away from her, and she stiffened at the familiar gesture from the other night, her agitation dissipating nearly entirely for about three seconds as she just stared.
She shook her head at herself hotly, hating the pause and not sure what had made it happen- but her agitation flared anew in no time at all, and she forgot about it.
"So you've been dodging around the city taking care of everything by yourself, and leaving everyone else behind to clean up your mess?" She asked lowly, the question coming out as a growl and he slowly looked back her way, blinking. "Do you really think that does anyone any good? Let alone leaving your Sidekicks and your Intern in your dust?" She hissed, and his hand slowly pulled his collar back from his face, his head tilting at her. "Have you even tried not to rush ahead of everyone? Huh, Bird-Boy?"
"... it's not really my fault if they can't keep up with me, Spirit." He hummed, her jaw snapped shut, her red eyes flashing at the answer. "And you can't really expect me to stick around waiting on them instead of working-" He hummed, and she felt her jaw clench hard enough to crack teeth.
"Did you forget what I fucking told you..?!" She snapped instantly, cutting him off before he ever finished the sentence, and he jumped a little.
Though her voice was nothing but angry, she was keeping it low enough not to let the crowds or anyone else hear the conversation... and he had to wonder if she was doing that on purpose, or subconsciously..?
"...Hmm?" Was all he manged to humm, that question lingering on his head a bit too much to really think about what she asked first- and she seemed all the more aggravated for it.
"I told you that you shouldn't judge the worth of other people on whether or not they can 'keep up with you'...!" She hissed. "And I also told you not to rush ahead into everything- and especially not all on your own, and when there are other people out here with your dumbass!"
He blinked again, looking a little surprised, before he let out a small breath and gave her a small smile- but it was lacking what childish mirth he always seemed to exude.
"Of course I haven't forgotten." He replied easily,
"Well you sure aren't acting like it...!" She snapped lowly, and he shook his head a little.
"Well it's just that I'm more efficient when I keep ahead, and I have other people to take care of the aftermath for me." He told her calmly, "I know that's not very 'sporty' of me in terms of teamwork or anything, but I do get to help a lot more people this way. And I don't ever leave anyone that's working with me in a situation that they can't handle safely on their own... I wouldn't just ditch them and leave them to deal with really nasty stuff, ya know." He set his hands in his jacket pockets and kept on smiling at her in that calm, level way. "Plus I always leave a feather to hang back with my Sidekicks, that way I always know if something bad happens while I'm not with them. It's not like I'm ignoring them completely, gimme a little credit would you?" Spirit grimaced, her red eyes narrowing to slits at him.
"... tch, I don't care if you're keeping an eye on them or not, it doesn't make it better." She muttered, "You still shouldn't leave them behind so much, do you have any idea how it probably feels for them? To think you're only working to clean up someone else's mess? And someone who doesn't even seem to care enough to spend more than five minutes with you at a time?"
"... well to be honest, I'm not sure that really bothers me or not." He replied honestly, and she stiffened. "I mean I get what you're saying, Spirit, but it's worth more to me to be as effective as I can, and to save as many people as I can... they're still helping, providing backup and dealing with the aftermath, shouldn't that be enough? That we're both doing some good, even if I keep ahead and they lag behind? Hurt feelings or not?" He paused, sighing again as she kept a narrow stare on him. "... besides, it doesn't do more good for me to stick around and keep a close eye on all of them. They're totally capable of handling things by themselves, what good does it do for me to watch their every move, and baby them?"
"Tch, there is a difference between being courteous, and hand-holding." Spirit muttered lowly, "Yes, they can handle themselves fine, but you could try to be a bit more thoughtful about how you treat your Sidekicks. They aren't just backup for you, they can be more than that if you let them be." His head tilted, his smile gone now as he just listened, and she growled at him. "Taking an extra minute or two to stay with them instead of rushing off right away can go a long ways. And that's not 'babying' in any way, shape or form."
"Hmm, I suppose I can see your point, Spirit." He hummed softly, "Though honestly, I'm surprised to hear all of this coming from you... I mean you really aren't known for working well with other people~"
"No, but I can work with them if I need to, and I do. And they'll work with me too, instead of avoiding me whenever they can." She shot back lowly, "The way you're going, nobody is gonna want to work with you- they're all gonna think you're a prat who treats people like trash, and who doesn't even seem to have enough time to work with your own Intern..!"
"Hmm? Who says I'm not?" He replied easily, she shook her head.
"Because he told me you've been doing this rush ahead and leave everyone behind thing for the last three days!" She replied quickly, "And he wouldn't have even had to say anything- if I bothered to look at the news about you for the week, I would have hashed it together myself! Because you always do this with everyone who works with you!" She waved a hand at him rather dismissively, "I don't even know why I'm surprised! If you won't change your habits between the different Sidekicks you have had, why would you change with an Intern?" She grumbled hotly, and he smiled, just barely.
"Wow, you're really worked up about this, huh Spirit?" He asked easily, and she glared at him. "Well, if it will help anything- I am trying to teach him something. A bit of tough love maybe, but the kid will learn more if he has the tenacity to keep striving to catch up to me. Show a bit of determination, harden his resolve, and if he does that he'll be better off for it in the end."
This time Spirit paused, for quite a bit, her mouth snapping shut and her eyes narrowing further as she just stared at him, silent. She did nothing, she just stood there, quiet as can be and her anger seeming to wane a little bit too- though something else worked it's way into her eyes, and it was something Hawks couldn't quite put his finger on... and man, he really tried to understand it.
Mystery as always
"... tough love." She murmured at last, and he nodded. But her eyes narrowed further, cold and icy now, and he blinked at it. "... is that really what you're doing? Pushing and pushing at him, hoping he'll just keep pushing back at you? Until eventually he bucks up and surprises, or impresses you? Just on the idea, that in the end, making this so hard will be better for him in the future...?"
"You got it~" He hummed, nodding. Though to be fairly honest- he was a tiny bit surprised she had understood what he meant so quickly...
"... tch, what happens if you keep pushing and he doesn't do better?" She grumbled, "What happens if you keep on, and everything you do, just breaks him?" He paused, his little bit of mirth dying again at the question.
"... Well, if he 'breaks', then it probably wasn't gonna work out anyway." Hawks hummed after a moment, and Spirit's eyes flashed, her shoulders stiffening and he noticed the change in posture... and this time what he saw in her expression, was definitely what he had seen when she got all mad at him back in the park- about his sort-of-spying. The long since buried things, deep and dark and twisty things, and what little easy-going attitude he had managed the whole time died altogether. His expression fell, turning to something unreadable, and he met her gaze quietly.
... but why did that show up again, just now...?
"... he's a kid, Hawks." Spirit hissed, her voice dropping to something so low and so tense, and he felt his stomach knot slightly. He bit the inside of his cheek, his eyes locked with hers and searching- for something, anything... before he let out a soft breath.
"I know." He murmured, "But I am just trying to help him out. It might be a little harsh, and it might suck, but it does make a difference... even if he breaks a little, as long as he keeps going, and gets back up again, it'll make him better, and stronger." Spirit hissed, low and her red eyes glittering as she shook her head at him rather curtly.
"Is that how you learned?" She asked, and he blinked in surprise at the question. "By being pushed harder and harder until you broke? Pushed passed your breaking point, got back up again, and then pushed harder still? Until eventually it was either get up and deal with it, or give up? Until you were either better, or just not gonna 'work out'?" He paused, biting the inside of his cheek again, his own eyes narrowing.
"Yeah." Hawks murmured flatly, and she shook her head furiously this time, uncaring of what uncharacteristically stony look had appeared on his face just then.
"Well then you of all people should know, that is an absolute shit way to teach someone..!" She told him hotly, "Did you like learning like that? If you had the choice to change it, wouldn't you have loved it if things had been different? If someone hadn't treated you like some doll to kick around and prod with, until they got something they liked..?! Ever thought maybe you didn't have to get pushed until you broke just to get a point across?! That you didn't have to live through all the bruises, and the broken bones, and the fear that it'd never be enough..?! That maybe you didn't have to keep living through hell and maybe you'd never live up to it..?!"
His expression fell blank as he faced the now ranting Ebony Hero, her body rigid and her voice low yet no less fervent in all her anger. She was yelling at him, yet she kept her voice down so no one else could hear her. She could have been throwing her arms around, pointing at him, been giving into the heated animation her emotions would have allowed- but she was still and stiff-shouldered as she stared him down, and he couldn't look away. For the second time since meeting her, he was lost for words, and his mind was reeling... because she was so genuine, and so stern, and so vibrant.
And he knew that look. He recognized that tone of voice. The emotions, they were familiar... And her words... they were thoughts and things he was all too accustomed with.
But he'd never expected them to be repeated by her, not in a million years.. and suddenly when he looked at her, for the first time he felt he did understand the mysterious, aloof, and utterly enigmatic Animal Spirit. Just a little.
And he did not expect that... ever.
His eyes flashed, his face falling slack as he felt his shoulders tense slightly, a knot working it's way into his stomach that he had to swallow back at.
... Spirit...
"Didn't you ever wonder if it was really worth it, to go through all of that bullshit...?! You can learn the same shit and be just as good and 'better for it' without having to get broken down and feel like crap!" She kept on, "You don't have to push someone until they break in order to make them stronger! You don't have to be an ass and act like one in order to get a point across either! You can be kinder and go easier on people, and you will get the same results- better results even! Because you didn't tear them down in the process! And being broken like that never fucking goes away, no matter if you get back up or not!" This time her hand did move off her hip again, and she waved a hand at him hotly, "Don't try and teach that kid the same way you learned, you bloody idiot! You should know better, and you should want to not repeat all the fucking crap you had to go through to get here!"
She stopped finally, huffing a little and gritting her teeth as a heavy silence fell between them again and her hushed ranting to him came to a close. She kept her glare settled on him though, her hand falling on her hip again and her gaze like daggers as he returned the look and... he looked so calm, and maybe even a little shocked... and sad too.
... wait, what? Why the fuck does he look sad?
But that faded from his expression quickly enough, and his lips pulled at the corners in some small, ghost of a sullen little smile. His eyes dropped closed as he let out a small breath, and his wings pulled up a little behind him, the vermilion feathers ruffling as the wind picked up, and the scent of rain that had been hanging on the air got all the heavier.
The silence got broken by the rumble of thunder overhead, and the grey sky got washed out by a jagged arc of lightning for a few seconds. Spirit's eyes narrowed at him, not sure what... well what is he doing? He's just standing there and he's so... quiet.
He's never quiet
"... heh, I think I'm slowly starting to understand you a bit more, Spirit." He said at length, his voice wispy and she blinked several times at it. "... though honestly... you just keep surprising me... you're really nothing like I figured, or assumed."
She went rigid, her eyes widening and a cold lump falling into her stomach at the words, her thoughts immediately racing with memory of a certain armored Hero-
.:+:.
Ingenium's eyes flashed a little, his expression pulling a bit in pain and thought, before let out a shaky sigh. "... Y...ou... are very... Hard... To get... A b...bead... on... Animal... Spirit..." He mumbled softly, "... You... Sur...prise... Me..."
"... Y... ou're... Noth...ing... Like...I...i...ve... Ass...u...med..." Ingenium mumbled, raspy and harsh.
.:+:.
She swallowed, hard, her lungs stalling for a second as she stared at him, and she hated that he'd managed to bring that memory back- she hadn't wanted to touch it. But how... how could Hawks say the same thing...?
... what... what does that even mean..?
Hawks smiled a bit to himself, shaking his head once and finally glancing back up at her, his eyes glittering behind his visor. ".. That's okay though." He assured her lightly, and she swallowed again, her eyes narrowing in confusion. "I'm liking the Spirit that I'm getting to know better... and I was right, ya know~" He chuckled, "You do have a heart of gold, buried under all that dark and mysteriousness of yours~!"
How... how is he back to seeming so.. calm about all of it...?
I just snapped his head off for like ten minutes... and he... what the fuck..?!
She was reeling more than she liked, her thoughts and her emotions struggling to come to terms with any of it- because he just didn't make any fucking sense, damn it!
"And trust me, I hear you." Hawks added, a bit more seriously this time around and she stiffened again. "I guess old habits are hard to break...! But I think you're right, and it'd be pretty bad of me not to give what you said a go, at least~" He told her softly, and her eyes flashed, her heart skipping a beat.
A cold splash of water hit her nose, followed by several more as the rain started to fall around them, slow and sparse- but slowly getting harder, and yet neither she nor Hawks moved. They just stood there, their eyes locked, Hawks calm and so very at ease now, but a little less bright maybe. And Spirit, rigid in place, her mind reeling, and her expression as flat as can be, unable to really process the change from him, or what had set it off. But her thoughts did ring with those two words... those so very weighty words.
Trust me
"But I'll give it a go, yeah~?" He kept on, "I won't say I'll be very good at it, though, hehe~! I'm kinda like an old dog- it's hard to teach me new tricks~! But for you, I will do my best to change a little, okay~?" He chuckled, and she blinked. "And it's pretty impressive for me to say that, ya know~! I'm not so good at listening to what other people want me to do~! But for you Sunshine, I'll totally try~! And I even think following your lead might do me some good~!"
The rain fell harder, and he smiled at her, stepping closer to her a pace and she reflexively stiffened, though her mind was still reeling too much to let her back off. So she stayed stuck in place, the distance between them cutting down to half a foot, as his wings moved up and extended out- circling either side of her and lifting over her head to block to bulk of the droplets from hitting her, and himself. He lift a hand and pushed the spare bits of blonde locks back from his forehead after getting pulled down by the moisture, and smiled a little wider, letting out a small chuckle and she felt his hot breath wash up against her face.
"So that in mind, how about it Spirit~?" He asked lightly, and she swallowed, her thoughts finally beginning to settle, though very slowly.
... how... about it...? About.. what...?
"How about we do a little joint training? You, me, and our Interns~! Between the two of us, we oughtta come up with something interesting for those two kids to do, huh~?" He hummed brightly, and she blinked again, her eyes widening as her senses finally began to catch up with her.
Wait, what..?!
"It can be anything you want, a joint patrol, simple training, or maybe even a little Intern vs Intern action~" Hawks continued, "Oh~! Maybe we can do an overnight kinda thing, change up working hours~? There'll be a lot for us to do later in the day as the sun goes down~!"
"... are you... serious...?" Spirit muttered after a minute, and he nodded.
"Of course I am~! I wouldn't joke about this with you, Sunshine~!" He answered, easily as ever, and she stared, at this point far more confused than angry. "Come on, what better way to help me change things, than to be there yourself~? Plus it'll be fun~!"
She sighed, her hand coming up off her hip and pinching the bridge of her nose as she grumbled to herself, shaking her head once or twice and scrunching her eyes closed for a few seconds.
She hadn't any clue what that was... the whole look, the response to her ranting, the change... and him suddenly asking for a team-up was way out of left field and she just... she didn't know how to handle it, like at all.
She had no real want to spend any lengthy amount of time with him, especially not now after he'd gone and worked her up all over again. And she certainly didn't want to spend any time trying to 'help him change' or any of what he was blabbing about... because what even was that?
Change? Change the way he was handling this Intern thing? Teaching the poor kid? To try and change and not be the ass he was being so far...?
... I'm not even sure of what I'm doing in teaching Anima anything... even having said all the crap I just did, I'm not even an expert... and Hawks is a whole other issue.
I mean he just admitted it, he sucks at taking direction from people... hell, I already knew that...! So what good would being around him do?
Just because he says he's willing to try and do what I said, doesn't mean he's gonna do it..!
... but shit... how much better are things gonna get if I don't at least try and humor him...?
... at least if I'm around, he might actually pay some attention to his Intern...
She let out long, low breath, chewing on the inside of both cheeks.
... I'm gonna hate myself..... but maybe it'll be a good experience...? For Anima at least... and Tsukuyomi... about working with other people...?
"... I... might be able to be convinced..." She started slowly, her eyes still closed and missing the way his eyes seemed to light up at that, tentative as the answer was. "... but we have to hash everything out beforehand... and I have to make anything we do is within the bounds of the Internship itself... and that Anima is okay with it." She mumbled, looking up at last and her hand falling away from her face, only to see him nearly beaming.
... ugh...
"Sounds perfect to me, Sunshine~! And I totally understand~!" He nearly chirped, his wings still stationary overhead fluttering a bit and earning a cold spray of water to drop down on her head and shoulders- though he certainly didn't seem to notice it. "Wanna hang out for a bit and talk things through~? Maybe catch a bite to eat, somewhere out of the rain~? My treat~!"
She grimaced, grumbling under her breath as she pulled her phone from the pocket and her suit and looked at the time;
4:27
... shit... we still need to get to the train station...
Her eyes narrowed, biting the inside of her lip when she caught sight of the notification for Death Arms' text, and she felt her stomach knot just a little bit more.
Right... I still have to see what that's about too... oh fuck me...
She turned the phone screen off again and replaced it back in her pocket, shaking her head. "... I can't, I need to be somewhere at 6." She murmured, "And I still need to take Anima back to the train station for the night. Official hours for him end at 5."
"Hmm, okay then how about we meet up after your done with your thing at 6?" Hawks asked, and she shook her head again.
"... no... it goes long, it'll be too late to meet up afterward." She murmured, he tilted his head.
"Hmm? What are you up to that goes so late, huh Sunshine~?" He asked curiously, and she cast him a small glare.
"None of your business." She muttered sharply, and he blinked, before smiling.
"Forget I asked~!" He hummed, she let out a breath.
... I have so little time to do this... I already hate myself.
"... look Feathers, if we're gonna do anything with you, I'd be more interested in trying out a night patrol sort of deal." She started slowly, "It's different to patrol at night than it is in the day, and it'll probably be a good experience for both Anima and Tsukuyomi to go through. That way they can see what the difference is like, and how activity with Villains and accidents shift for the different times of day." He nodded, smiling still.
"Sounds like a good plan to me~" He hummed, and she sighed.
"... yeah well doing that means I have to change the hours I have Anima working with me." She mumbled, "... which I can do, but I have to have permission from his mother. So I'll have to have him run it by her first, before we set anything in stone... but for now I'd probably be trying to set it for 5pm to midnight, or 1 at the latest."
"Gotcha~!" He replied, "Tsukuyomi and I can do any time ya like, Sunshine~! Since he's staying with me at my Agency Building for the week, our schedules are totally open~!" She nodded slightly. He smiled a bit more, snapping his fingers as if a thought suddenly occurred to him, and she blinked at it. "Oh~! Here's an idea~! You and your kid could spend the night with us, instead of having to go home at 1 in the morning~!" He chirped, and Spirit paused, her eyes narrowing at him. "I've got plenty of space in the building, and I'd be totally down to have you two crash there for the night~" She bit the inside of her cheek, suppressing a sigh.
... of I'd bet you'd just love that, wouldn't you Bird-Brain?
"... yeah, gonna have to pass." She grumbled and Hawks chuckled at the answer,
"Ouch! That was a real quick rejection there, Spirit~! I don't bite you know~!" He laughed, before his smile shifted into something a little more sly, and his eyes flashed behind his visor. "Well, not unless you're into that sort of thing~" He added coolly, and she bristled.
"Shut the fuck up, you bloody perv!" She snapped hotly, her face flushing despite her wanting it not too, and he just seemed all the more amused with it.
I hate it when he says shit like that! And he totally does it on purpose!
"Hehe, okay, okay~!" He chuckled, "But the offer will stay open, if you change your mind~"
"Not likely..!" She hissed lowly, and he shrugged.
"Ah well~" He hummed, "So you gotta ask your kid for his mom's permission, I totally get that~! And I know you got places to be Spirit, so how are we gonna hash out the rest of the plan~?" He asked, redirecting back to the matter at hand and she huffed.
"... once I know what his mother says, I will let you know. And we can figure out everything else from there, via messaging." She grumbled, and he nodded.
"I shall keep a ready eye on my phone then, and await your messages with bated breath~!" He murmured, and she sighed silently.
He's a total child
... what have I gotten myself into...?
.:+:.
"There's my phone number, let me know what your mother says about staying the night out with me, alright?" Spirit murmured softly, handing Anima's phone back to him after he'd given it to her so she could put her number in his contacts. "We won't be doing anything different than what we have been for patrol during the day, it'll just be for a different stretch of hours, and we'll be doing it on a joint basis with Hawks and his Intern. And you'll meet up with me closer to 5, instead of starting off in the morning." She explained, and he took his phone back, nodding in understanding.
They were standing off to the side on the platform of the train station, having arrived there and left Hawks, his Sidekicks, and Tsukuyomi behind once time to head away came around. She and Hawks had hashed out a little bit more about what the tentative plan for tomorrow was, but nothing too much- since she still had to get the okay from Anima and his mother.
So she'd explained it all to the boy as they walked to the station, and he listened in surprise and interest. He seemed willing to go along with the idea (and maybe even a little excited too... since he'd be around one of his classmates for the excursion), and he'd assured her that his mother likely wouldn't have any issue with the plan. Even the idea of working late into the night didn't seem to give him much pause, and she was a little surprised at that herself... naturally so, since she'd purposely changed her regular hero hours just so he wouldn't have to work the Pro Hero 'graveyard' shift.
"I will contact you as soon as I have an answer, Spirit-Sensei..!" He assured softly, and she nodded.
"Alright. And I'll text you with further details, once everything gets a little more figured out." She told him, and he nodded again. "Get home safe, okay? And good work again, for today." She smiled slightly, and he smiled back.
"T-thank you..!" He chirped softly, before heading off and waving goodbye, and boarding the waiting train. She stood alone on the platform, waiting until the train pulled away, before she turned and headed back out of the station. She headed off into the rain for only a few moments, before her body got swept up in a black-red haze and she lifted into the chilly air, her wings immediately slick with the rain, but it slid off her ebony feathers with ease.
She didn't go very far though, and she didn't intend to. She landed on the roof of a nearby, several-story building and pressed herself against the wall near the access door, and under the lip it provided so she was out of the rain. She wouldn't head home just yet, she'd rather not spend the flight home worried about whatever it was Death Arms wanted to talk about... so she found this quiet spot all by herself, so she could call him right away (and in doing so, ignoring his warning not to 'rush').
She pulled her phone out of her pocket and opened it up, easily dialing up Death Arms' number and her foot tapping against the gravel roof a bit pensively as she waited on the ringer.
... what on earth could he want to talk about...? To ask me to call him directly...?
... he never asks me to call unless it's something important...
The phone rang a few times, before cutting off as he picked up the other end. "Spirit." His voice floated through the speaker, steady as ever and she nodded subconsciously in reaction to her name.
"Yeah, you told me to call?" She murmured, leaning against the wall a little and staring out into the rain. "Is something.. wrong...?" She asked slowly, and she heard him sigh a little on the other end.
"Are you alone?" He asked without answering her question, and she stiffened.
"... yeah.. why?" She murmured, "Did something happen-?"
"It's not what you're thinking Spirit, this is just a conversation you probably don't want to have around other people." He replied, and she blinked.
"... ah, okay...? So what's it about..?" She pressed again, and there was a pause from him that seemed a little too lengthy.
"Ingenium." He told her softly, and she went rigid, her heart skipping a beat and her breath snatched away in an instant. A shiver ran up her spine and her grip on her phone tightened without her meaning it to.
I.. Igenium..?
"... he called me, Spirit." Death Arms went on, all to aware her end of the call had gone much too quiet. "He was trying to get ahold of you, but since you don't have an Agency he went through me... he wants to talk to you, Spirit. And meet up with you face to face, preferably."
She swallowed, her eyes falling to the ground and red eyes glittering in the dull and haze of the rain. Her core knotted so tightly just then she felt nauseous, and she held her breath against the sensation for much longer than was probably wise... she felt like she couldn't breathe, and she didn't dare try.
This... this was the last thing she would have expected the conversation to be about.
She shuddered, her teeth gritting and her eyes scrunching tight against another wave of nausea that hit her with a fervor, and she hated it... because she couldn't stop it.
W..why am I.. reacting like...?
Her free hand moved up and covered her mouth, her knees bending as she slid down the wall into sitting on the floor, her head bowing enough her forehead pressed against her knees.
...s..shit... you... you know why... Spirit...
She could feel blood on her hands, sticky and warm and so much of it... hear wheezy breaths and the stain of crimson across shattered armor. Feel his broken body under her touch, the pressure of blood trying to rise up, oozing through her fingers-
-shit, stop... stop..!
She'd been trying to keep it out of her head for the last week- and she had, she'd ignored it, so why... why did it have to come back now...?
S..shit...
"... Spirit?" Death Arms said softly, the pause stretching a little too long, and he could only imagine what she was doing on her end. Naturally, after having seen the way she had pretty much broken down that night at the bar, after it all happened... he'd not been looking forward to passing Ingenium's wish to speak with her along, because he was entirely sure she had been doing her best to just pick up and forget about the Stain thing altogether. And bringing it up again, forcing her into facing it- it was probably gonne hit hard.
And he was right, she had been trying to just forget about it, in her own way. And she did it because when she remembered it, or thought about it- this happened. This nauseous, terrible feeling, this... this...
She shook her head, trying to rid the thoughts and stop... crap, my hands are shaking.
... he wants... to see me...?
...I... fuck... I...
"... I... I don't think I can..." She hissed, taking in a breath of air for the first time in what felt like years. "... I just... I can't." She breathed, damn it even her voice was shaking.
"... I understand you don't want to, but you can't avoid it, Spirit." Death Arms told her steadily, "Despite everything that happened, you did save his life. Even if you don't feel you deserve it, he wants to thank you... and you should let him." She shook her head again, a bit hotly this time, even though it was useless as he couldn't see her do it. "... You should see him, Spirit. For both his sake, and yours... you can't ignore it forever, and it might help you sift through everything you've been worked up about, since that night."
"... tch... it's not that simple..." She hissed, "... I... talking about it, or seeing him... it's not gonna help... it'll just make it harder..."
"... but it's gonna eat at you if you don't try." Death Arms pointed out lowly. "Look... I can't force you to do anything you don't want to... but my advice is you should call him. Set up a meeting, talk... if only just to get it over and done with."
She scrunched her eyes closed harder, her teeth gritting and quiet.
Somewhere she knew he had a point... he always had a point, but this was-
... this just isn't something I can... handle right now... not right now.
"... I'm going to send you his number, Spirit. When you're ready, call him."
... what if I'm never ready...?
"... I... I'll... try..." She managed to mutter after awhile, ".. Thanks for... warning me... but... I gotta go..."
"You sure..?" He asked, but honestly she just wanted the conversation to end.
"... yeah... just... I'll talk to you... some other time... just... not tonight..." She breathed, and he paused, before letting out a small breath on the other end.
"... alright... be careful, Spirit. And try and take it easy."
She ended the call, dropping the phone into her lap and wrapping her arms around her knees, pulling them into her chest. She held her breath again, hating her shaking hands and body, hating the turmoil suddenly sent alight in her core, and hating... hating all of it.
This, and earlier with Hawks, and the nightmare-
Her shoulders hunched, sucking in a sharp breath of air that hitched in her throat.
... it's just... too much at once... shit.
Hello~!
I hope you enjoyed the double update~! I had to split the 14th chapter into two parts cause it got way too long XD
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