Day #6 - Falling into Step
Summary: Aiay sees an old friend, Cinawi, who bring up someone she'd rather forget.
Written for Story A Day and Runaway Tales
Rating: Everyone
Warnings: N/A
Universe: The Shadows Within (I think...)
Prompts: SAD: An old friend shows up unexpectedly, they reminisce and the friend stirs up some unpleasant memories; RaTs: Flit; An uncomfortable silence;
Notes: This fits in with The Shadows Within somehow. Now to figure out how, exactly.
The kitchen was filled with nothing but the sounds of clinking glassware. Aiay picked twenty different topics of conversation before summarily dismissing each and every one of them as insipid, contrived, boring, or too intrusive. Unable to come up with anything even remotely resembling suitable, she had given up and let them lapse into an uneasy silence.
Across from her, Cinawi chuckled randomly.
Aiay quirked an eyebrow at her, unsettled and yet comforted by the familiar sound of her old friend's laughter. "What?"
"It's just," Cinawi chuckled again, returning her cup to its saucer. "We used to talk endlessly back in school about absolutely everything and yet nothing all the time. We have years to make up for and yet, here we are, silent as church mice."
Aiay giggled, unable to deny the lunacy of their situation. "It is a little bit crazy," she conceded.
"I'm really sorry for imposing on you," Cinawi started again, but Aiay cut her off.
"Don't worry about it, really. The house has been too quiet anyway, with just me."
"Oh?" Cinawi cocked her head to the side in confusion. "Whatever happened to Lokuto? I thought the two of you were serious. White picket fence and all that."
Aiay chuckled humorlessly, hand sneaking its way to rub at the back of her neck, desperately trying to squash the dread welling in her chest. She stirred her tea for a long moment before finally rising to Cinawi's unintentional challenge. "We didn't work out after all. I haven't seen him in a long time."
"Oh, that's a shame," Cinawi said, reaching over to pat Aiay's hand. "But no worries, you're a beautiful woman, you'll catch one sooner or later." Her eyes gained a mischievous gleam that Aiay knew all too well. "Tell me, are there any cute guys here? Come on, I've been away, you've got to fill me in!"
And just like that, it was as it always was. They flitted back and forth from one topic to the next, somehow weaving their way back to gossiping more often than not. But even then, Aiay could never quite shake the heaviness that lingered just beneath the surface.
This story is copyright Saya Dix (me) and cannot be republished/posted without my permission.