14th Link ▫ [Action + Voice]

[jivitadana]

Comments

audio; private

[second_first]

Yes.

When?

audio; private

[jivitadana]

[Minato turned to his comm device once he heard her message.]

Later today, if you're free?

audio; private

[second_first]

Where?

audio; private

[jivitadana]

The tea room on your floor. Is that okay?

audio; private

[second_first]

Yes.

audio; private > action;

[jivitadana]

Okay. Thank you.

[Minato gave her the time they were to meet there. He made sure to go there earlier than the appointed time to be there before she did. He waited at one of the tables near the window, listening to some of the newly acquired music he had ripped and downloaded onto his MP3 player.]

action;

[second_first]

[Rei arrives several minutes early, but well after Minato. She spots him and crosses the room quietly to take her place across the table from him.]

action;

[jivitadana]

[Minato took off his headphones and turned off the music player when she arrived.]

Rei. Have you been all right?

action;

[second_first]

Yes.

[A pause.]

And you?

action;

[jivitadana]

[Minato nodded in response to her question. But after a second, he went ahead and said the following out loud.]

Better... now that I'm with you.

action;

[second_first]

[Rei looks a little surprised. Just a little.]

You still...?

action;

[jivitadana]

From before the event.

[The event had just made it clearer or more obvious. But it was why he had wanted to meet her at all.]

... It's still true, everything that I said.

action;

[second_first]

I see.

action;

[jivitadana]

It's why I want you to have this.

[Minato gave her a small bouquet of flowers, the white version of the blue ones he had given to her before. He did promise to bring her white ones.

But he had something else for her: a simple, silver music box that held this single tune. He placed it on the table after winding it up.]

You can open it.

action;

[second_first]

[Rei tilts her head slightly and then opens the music box to listen. She's silent, letting it play until it winds down, and then closes it again gently.]

No one...

[She stops. Looks up at him again.]

Thank you.

action;

[jivitadana]

You're welcome.

[Minato nodded, giving her a small smile. Slowly he reached to take her hand in his own.]

I want you to remember how much you mean to me.