Griffin
★☽★☾★☽★☾★☽★☾★☽★☾★
Again, QUALITY IS FAR FROM BEST. SORRY. :/
<4 just because <3 is too mainstream
★☽★☾★☽★☾★☽★☾★☽★☾★
All her tears had dried, a smile back on her face, as we strode through the city.
Everything she had spoken of, her brother, her father, our friends, me... I could not explain their effect. She had been so passionate and serene... I wished I could have immortalized that moment and vanquished the sorrow.
I wished I could erase her pain.
I had seen the woman in the distance as we left the cemetery, but I had not said anything. Many people grieved. Akira seemed wary, but I assumed it was due to her stress. There was no point in dwelling on it at the time.
As we walked through the city, we had no destination in mind. We passed street signs and shops and homeless men begging for quarters, but our lack of a desired location to arrive at. For once, that did not vex me.
Her company quelled all my annoyances.
She broke the silence. “Thanks, Griffin... For... for staying with me.”
I nodded, throat tight. “Of course. It was my pleasure.” While that was true, I could not stand to be encompassed in Death for much longer. I had my own troubles with the subject.
A few more minutes passed before she cleared her throat, drawing my attention to her now-bright eyes. “Hey, let’s go to a coffee shop. There’s a nice, cozy, classic one nearby.”
My brows furrowed. “Coffee?” I asked.
A frown settled over her lips. “Don’t you know what coffee is?”
“Another mysterious yet intoxicating elixir?”
“It’s like you’ve been living in a cave. Which is kinda true,” she said, eyes wide.
I offered a small smile. “That was a joke, Akira. I can be humorous, as well.”
“That wasn’t very funny.”
I shrugged, only slightly offended. “Well, I did try.” What a sad truth, that comedy was not my forte.
“Whatever; follow me. I’m running low on caffeine.”
Unable to refuse, I allowed her to drag me through bustling streets and dreary-eyed pedestrians. The sun was dipping ever closer to the horizon, clouds still littering the sky. The sidewalks were still crowded, but the people all stepped aside as we passed as if we were intimidating.
As if they feared us.
I shoved the idea from my mind. Come now. It is not the time to focus on such negative, unrealistic thoughts. It is time to enjoy Akira’s presence like you should be.
As we reached the door to a rustic building, she turned a kind smile on me. “Griffin, I just want to thank you.”
“For what?” I queried, puzzled.
“For putting up with me. For not leaving me. For... for being so understanding.”
“Of course. It is nothing less than I should do.”
“Sure. Just know I appreciate it.”
With a nod, she reached for the door, but before she could push it in, a shrill ringing echoed against the bricks. Pursing her lips and ignoring a few aggravated stares, Akira reached for her phone, forehead creasing as she saw the screen.
“It’s Sebastian,” she said, clicking the “Answer call” button.
Strange. Sebastian never calls... Even when he was abroad, he rarely communicated.
“Akira? You there?” His voice, muffled and intercepted by static, came through the speaker enough that I could make out the words.
“Yeah, Seb. What’s up? Something wrong?” Losing all traces of her carefree attitude, she donned her typical business aura.
“Not wrong. Just... weird.”
“How weird?”
“Weird enough that there’s a new dot on the map. It appeared about ten minutes ago while I was running a scan. I can’t explain it. She’s a block away from you right now. If you’re not too busy—”
“We’re not.” I nodded as her eyes met mine. “Give me the address. I’ll call you in an hour.”
He rattled off some indistinct location and a few incoherent words before signing off, and Akira pocketed her device before untying her hair.
“Well, we’ve got a chimera named Larua to find. Come on, Dragonboy. It’ll be like the good old days. Just try not to be as much of an *ss. If you can help it.”
★☽★☾★☽★☾★☽★☾★☽★☾★
Onto you, Cactus-chan. Rock the house. AND END THE DATE WOO.
