Minatsuki wasn't aware of Abel's presence- not at first, anyway. She was still taking in the damage that had been done to her shop... No, it had been a home in a way. She kneeled down, brushing sand off of a flowerpot. Whatever had been inside the pot had long since died, choked by the unrelenting sand.
She stood up with the pot in her hands and stared down at it for several more seconds before she detected another person in her surroundings. She turned, seeing Abel, but couldn't think of anything to say. She didn't have the strength or the energy, or, ironically, the heart to force herself to burst into stammery, apologetic sobs, to knock her knees together and act weak.
It wasn't like she could if she wanted to. She was incapable of lying.
And what was the fucking point of pretending now, anyway? She managed a short nod, and that was all.
Could she rebuild it? Looking at the destruction, she wasn't sure that she could. That so many of her beloved flowers- yes, maybe she did love them in her own way- had died was a knife to the gut that shocked her so badly she wasn't sure that she was feeling the full brunt of the loss yet.
His words washed over her with little importance. "Me too," she said.
Omi was still a bit bruised from his experience in the greenhouse when the sandstorm hit, and he knew there were monsters lurking, but he had to get back to the flower shop. It was his responsibility to Minatsuki to take care of it, and he had to see how bad the damage was. Making sure that the bandage on his head was secure, he made sure his throwing knives were easy to access from his jacket, and discretely loaded his crossbow. There were enough fairly intact buildings that he didn't have to use the street, but he still had to protect himself if anything came at him.
By the time he got close to the flower shop, he'd managed to get a bite-mark from a random monster that had met his crossbow, and it was still bleeding. He wasn't even trying to hide his weapons, he figured most people outside of safehouses would be armed. But he wasn't expecting who he saw standing outside the flower shop.
The voice was instantaneously familiar, even though she hadn't heard it for several weeks, and Minatsuki turned towards it, paling. Omi. Of course. One of several people she had been avoiding. Of course he'd be full of questions- there was no way he hadn't found out that she'd died, disappeared, whatever- and she'd have to answer them all because of whatever curse had been placed on her.
"Omi-san," she said, trying to keep her voice neutral, while she grimaced inside. I can't be spared this fucking conversation?
Minatsuki closed her eyes for a brief second. Fuck. And of course she had to answer, compelled to. "No," she said softly, and then her face twisted into a look of self-disgust.
Shiro happened to be out and about in search of more food, no doubt only because her stash of candy had been long gone and the threat of monsters wasn't really a big deal her mind. If anything, her usual mentality settled in: If she was Aceman, then the monsters would be nothing to her.
Leaping from one building roof to another, Shiro almost lost her footing when she spotted a figure standing in front of what once Minatsuki's flower shop. "M-Mina?!" Her voice bounced off the broken buildings and she scrambled back up onto the roof noticing that she had almost fallen off. It had seemed ages since she and Yoh had gone in search of her friend only to fail.
Since then, Yoh had been acting oddly and according to Ganta had been in bad shape when he had gone to look for him. Without a second thought, Shiro leaped from the top of the building, landed gracefully on the ground and raced over to the figure her voice caught somewhere between joyous and tearful. "Minnnaaa! Mina is back! Where did Mina go?!"
She felt her entire body stiffen in response to the girl's voice; the instinct to run was overpowering for several seconds before the absurdity of the idea hit her. Running away from Shiro? For what?
(Because I can't face her.)
Weak thoughts. She shoved them down and swallowed. The emotion in Shiro's voice was different from the usual exuberance the girl displayed. It was distinctly tearful-sounding, and Minatsuki hated that. Hated that she could be pitied or missed. The last thing she wanted was to feel like she was needed.
Shiro was someone who was often run by emotion. Her logic would normally be seen abnormal to society but she remained charmingly oblivious to that fact. So, staying true to her emotions, she threw herself onto Minatsuki.
"Minnnnaa!! Shiro missed Mina so much! Yoh really worried and so was Ganta!" Her voice was still teary and a few tears had even pooled by the corners of her eyes. It was only when she looked up to say more when she noticed the true damage of the flower shop. "Mina's flower shop! What happened!?"
She winced when Shiro hugged her as though the albino girl's touch was painful. Her body went stiff beneath her hold without any indication of returning the touch. She recoiled after a second or two, trying to step away. "Don't-" she managed. It wasn't hard to look pained, because Shiro had pressed on several of her wounds with the tackle. She held her side with a clouded expression, and then looked back to the shop.
She had to tell the truth, of course, as if it weren't obvious enough already. "The sandstorm destroyed it."
/L-lightly tags?atoli_in_skySeptember 11 2009, 04:45:09 UTC
The storm had done many horrible things.
Atoli strolled around the shopping district, getting more upset as she saw more precious things destroyed. Many stores were ruined, the pretty plaza gone, and the general streets were a mess.
She didn't like this at all.
Then she spotted someone - someone who shouldn't be here. And it was nice to meet her again. A nice change from the gloomy sand gusts. Her small smile only faltered though as she neared the spot where Minatsuki's greenhouse once stood. Slowly realization surfaced.
"...I'm sorry you had to see this, Minatsuki-san."
It took her a few moments to register that it was Atoli. She was another strangely suddenly unfamiliar face after the time lapse she had experienced after her death.
Atoli. She had talked to her and been kind to her for whatever reason. She was one of those people like Ganta who was kind for the sake of being kind and believed in others because they felt that it was the right thing to do. Both were things that Minatsuki could not bring herself to do. The fragments she had grasped of the concepts were hard to hold on to.
Ah, well, that was certainly understandable. Anyone would be upset at a situation like this.
She observed a nearby withered flower - a daisy if she's not mistaken - with sad eyes. Then turned her full attention to Minatsuki. Her eyes unusually looked determined. "You'll rebuild the shop, right?" Then a soft smile. "It might not be much, but please let me help with restoring the flowers, Minatsuki-neesan. I'd hate to seem them just go away like this."
So everyone was telling her that she should rebuild. She pressed her lips together, trying not to be frustrated and angry again. Trying not to respond with fury in the face of Atoli's innocent determination.
She spoke in a measured way. "I don't know if I'll rebuild. I don't know if I want to."
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(The comment has been removed)
She stood up with the pot in her hands and stared down at it for several more seconds before she detected another person in her surroundings. She turned, seeing Abel, but couldn't think of anything to say. She didn't have the strength or the energy, or, ironically, the heart to force herself to burst into stammery, apologetic sobs, to knock her knees together and act weak.
It wasn't like she could if she wanted to. She was incapable of lying.
And what was the fucking point of pretending now, anyway? She managed a short nod, and that was all.
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(The comment has been removed)
His words washed over her with little importance. "Me too," she said.
Reply
By the time he got close to the flower shop, he'd managed to get a bite-mark from a random monster that had met his crossbow, and it was still bleeding. He wasn't even trying to hide his weapons, he figured most people outside of safehouses would be armed. But he wasn't expecting who he saw standing outside the flower shop.
"Minatsuki-san?!"
Reply
"Omi-san," she said, trying to keep her voice neutral, while she grimaced inside. I can't be spared this fucking conversation?
Reply
Reply
Reply
Leaping from one building roof to another, Shiro almost lost her footing when she spotted a figure standing in front of what once Minatsuki's flower shop. "M-Mina?!" Her voice bounced off the broken buildings and she scrambled back up onto the roof noticing that she had almost fallen off. It had seemed ages since she and Yoh had gone in search of her friend only to fail.
Since then, Yoh had been acting oddly and according to Ganta had been in bad shape when he had gone to look for him. Without a second thought, Shiro leaped from the top of the building, landed gracefully on the ground and raced over to the figure her voice caught somewhere between joyous and tearful. "Minnnaaa! Mina is back! Where did Mina go?!"
Reply
She felt her entire body stiffen in response to the girl's voice; the instinct to run was overpowering for several seconds before the absurdity of the idea hit her. Running away from Shiro? For what?
(Because I can't face her.)
Weak thoughts. She shoved them down and swallowed. The emotion in Shiro's voice was different from the usual exuberance the girl displayed. It was distinctly tearful-sounding, and Minatsuki hated that. Hated that she could be pitied or missed. The last thing she wanted was to feel like she was needed.
"Shiro-chan..."
Reply
"Minnnnaa!! Shiro missed Mina so much! Yoh really worried and so was Ganta!" Her voice was still teary and a few tears had even pooled by the corners of her eyes. It was only when she looked up to say more when she noticed the true damage of the flower shop. "Mina's flower shop! What happened!?"
Reply
She had to tell the truth, of course, as if it weren't obvious enough already. "The sandstorm destroyed it."
Reply
Atoli strolled around the shopping district, getting more upset as she saw more precious things destroyed. Many stores were ruined, the pretty plaza gone, and the general streets were a mess.
She didn't like this at all.
Then she spotted someone - someone who shouldn't be here. And it was nice to meet her again. A nice change from the gloomy sand gusts. Her small smile only faltered though as she neared the spot where Minatsuki's greenhouse once stood. Slowly realization surfaced.
"...I'm sorry you had to see this, Minatsuki-san."
Reply
Atoli. She had talked to her and been kind to her for whatever reason. She was one of those people like Ganta who was kind for the sake of being kind and believed in others because they felt that it was the right thing to do. Both were things that Minatsuki could not bring herself to do. The fragments she had grasped of the concepts were hard to hold on to.
"I'm sorry, too," she said.
Reply
She observed a nearby withered flower - a daisy if she's not mistaken - with sad eyes. Then turned her full attention to Minatsuki. Her eyes unusually looked determined. "You'll rebuild the shop, right?" Then a soft smile. "It might not be much, but please let me help with restoring the flowers, Minatsuki-neesan. I'd hate to seem them just go away like this."
Reply
She spoke in a measured way. "I don't know if I'll rebuild. I don't know if I want to."
Reply
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