**Taylor**
“1 Tsuki 3-nichi no 7-ji 45-bu made ni rokkā.” Akane was muttering in her sleep as I checked on her. “Kyanbera no 2 tsuki no kibō satsujin-sha.” I was planning to wake her up as it was already ten, but standing in the doorway watching her mumble in her sleep was entertaining in its own way and I wished I had my phone on my so that I could record her and ask her what it all meant. “Man'naka no kodomo wa 5 tsuki chūjun ni burokkuton o osoimasu.”
“Akane,” I said trying to wake her gently. Her response was to mutter “Chōnan wa 8 tsuki ni Indo o otozuremasu.” So I raised my voice a little and called her name again, “Akane!”
“Mphll” she answered into her pillow before raising her head and looking at me blearily.
“Time for breakfast,” I told her before heading back to the Wards lounge and the kitchenette where the bacon was cooking. “How do you want your eggs Akane?” I called back as I turned the current crop of pork strips.
A minute or so later Akane stumbled into the common room and looked at me, “What did you ask?” she asked me.
“How do you want your eggs,” I said as I pulled the current strips of bacon out of the pan and dropped another set in. The pan was only big enough for three or four full sized strips at a time, thus making it a small production to cook an entire pound. “I can make you some fried, scrambled, or an omelet, take your pick.”
She looked at me for a moment before shaking her head and giving me a hug, “Thanks Taylor,” she said resting her head against my shoulder. “Just a couple scrambled is fine, I’m going to get a shower and fully wake up, I’ll be back in about ten or so.”
“Kay,” I said as she shambled back toward the rooms and showers and I turned my attention back to the bacon before reaching over and turning up the radio that sat on another counter. I was in too good a mood for too much silence.
**Akane**
Hot water cascading across my head seemed to wake me up, even as I scrubbed my face with my water filled hands. I hated waking up after long nights like last night, I had ended up spending until about five in the morning talking with Mayumi and her family, getting my life back there back on track a bit. At least I could call and talk with her again without upsetting her, or at least I hoped it would be without upsetting her. The fact that she had spent the last few weeks getting little to no sleep due to what happened on the flight disturbed me. I never intended to scare her, I had just wanted to keep her safe, and dealing with the terrorists had seemed like the best way to do that. The problem was of course that dealing with the terrorists had required being a bloodthirsty and cold-hearted bitch.
I sighed and shut off the water. Last night had allowed some closure though, and at least Mayumi and I were talking again. Part of the problem was that it happened at all, and it was going to take more discussion to work things out, assuming the two of us decided that we wanted to try and make a go of things. It wasn’t long before I stepped out of the bathroom, my thoughts having carried me through drying off and dressing. Re-entering the kitchen, I found Taylor finishing up putting breakfast together. It wasn’t anything particularly difficult, just scrambled eggs and bacon with toast and juice to go with it, still though, it made me happy that she had at least thought of me. “Thanks Taylor,” I said as she handed me one of the two plates, “it smells great.”
Taylor blushed a little at the compliment and sat down opposite me at the counter, “Hanging out with your friends last night was fun,” she said after a moment. “I never realized I was tired until it was over.”
I nodded, “Adrenaline crash,” I explained, scooping some eggs up from my plate. “That was perfectly normal after something like yesterday, did you at least sleep well?” Having asked a question, I took a bite of the eggs and felt my eyes start to roll. She had scrambled them but had used the bacon grease to keep them from sticking to the pan. So Good! I thought, almost not hearing her answer
“I was out like a light as soon as my head hit the pillow,” She answered. “You seemed a bit out of it this morning though, how late did you stay up talking?”
“Almost five,” I answered, and Taylor got this look of utter panic on her face. “Don’t worry about having woke me up,” I continued. “I need to keep the same sleep cycle as everyone else, it just means I will probably go to bed a little earlier tonight so that I can get up on time for school tomorrow.” She eyeballed me a for another minute while I enjoyed a piece of bacon before finally calming down and asking another question.
“I know you probably don’t want to talk about it, and that’s fine if you don’t,” she said looking away for a minute. “But what did that Youth Guard twit say that had you so steamed last night?”
I sighed around another mouthful of eggs, Taylor, for all her issues, cared more about those around her than herself. Kind of like I would, she put her friend’s feelings, needs and desires ahead of her own. Gotta love her, I thought as I finished the food in my mouth before answering. “She cursed my parents and grandparents, not realizing that both were dead,” I said as calmly as I could. “She one of those people who thinks that violence is never the answer, or at least if violence must be used, then it should be an adult using it against an adult, not a teen.”
And there’s the expected explosion, I thought as I watched Taylor’s eyes go wide and her face go an interesting shade of red. “That FUCKING BITCH! Taylor snarled standing up and leaning on the counter. “Next time I see that little fucking shit stain…”
“Taylor,” I said, cutting off her rant and drawing the flashing eyes of her anger, Holy fuck she’s hot, I thought for a heartbeat. “I can fight my own battles when it comes to bureaucratic little turds like her, don’t worry about it. Calm down, sit down and enjoy your breakfast.”
Taylor looked at me for a moment before taking a deep breath and sitting back down. “At least tell me she got called down for it,” Taylor said before shoving an entire piece of bacon in her mouth angrily.
“I think they tried,” I answered. “Though they both may have been a bit in shock as I went toe to toe with the bitch.” At that point I took a second to breathe and center myself. “That said, I did sort of start it,” Taylor spocked an eyebrow at that so I explained. “She tried to harangue Aunt Emily, and I stepped in, playing like I didn’t speak English very well and called her a fucking idiot in Japanese. Her main problem is that she is blinded by her ideology, and between her can’t we all just get along, kumbaya mentality and her need to make a mark protecting children from people who in her mind will only abuse them, well, it’s easy for someone like her to be blinded to the truth.”
“The truth being that sometimes you have to fight for what you believe in,” Taylor said more calmly than she seemed to feel. “It doesn’t matter if we want to or not, it has to be done.”
“Not quite, but close,” I replied. “Violence is one possible solution, should we always default to it, no. Having it available when it is needed however, should always be on the table.” Because sometimes all you can do is smash your opponent.
Taylor nodded, a thoughtful look on her face as we finished our breakfast. As we were cleaning up she finally spoke up again, “That girl that showed up at the end, just as your aunt was breaking up the party, the one who started that last song,” she said as she handed me a plate to dry.
“Yeah,” I answered, “what about her?”
“That was Mayumi, right?” Taylor asked. “You never told me how much she and I resembled each other, nor why you broke up.” And there went my face, bright as a fire engine I was sure, TAYLOR!?! I moaned mentally.
**
“1 Tsuki 3-nichi no 7-ji 45-bu made ni rokkā.” Akane was muttering in her sleep as I checked on her. “Kyanbera no 2 tsuki no kibō satsujin-sha.” I was planning to wake her up as it was already ten, but standing in the doorway watching her mumble in her sleep was entertaining in its own way and I wished I had my phone on my so that I could record her and ask her what it all meant. “Man'naka no kodomo wa 5 tsuki chūjun ni burokkuton o osoimasu.”
“Akane,” I said trying to wake her gently. Her response was to mutter “Chōnan wa 8 tsuki ni Indo o otozuremasu.” So I raised my voice a little and called her name again, “Akane!”
“Mphll” she answered into her pillow before raising her head and looking at me blearily.
“Time for breakfast,” I told her before heading back to the Wards lounge and the kitchenette where the bacon was cooking. “How do you want your eggs Akane?” I called back as I turned the current crop of pork strips.
A minute or so later Akane stumbled into the common room and looked at me, “What did you ask?” she asked me.
“How do you want your eggs,” I said as I pulled the current strips of bacon out of the pan and dropped another set in. The pan was only big enough for three or four full sized strips at a time, thus making it a small production to cook an entire pound. “I can make you some fried, scrambled, or an omelet, take your pick.”
She looked at me for a moment before shaking her head and giving me a hug, “Thanks Taylor,” she said resting her head against my shoulder. “Just a couple scrambled is fine, I’m going to get a shower and fully wake up, I’ll be back in about ten or so.”
“Kay,” I said as she shambled back toward the rooms and showers and I turned my attention back to the bacon before reaching over and turning up the radio that sat on another counter. I was in too good a mood for too much silence.
**Akane**
Hot water cascading across my head seemed to wake me up, even as I scrubbed my face with my water filled hands. I hated waking up after long nights like last night, I had ended up spending until about five in the morning talking with Mayumi and her family, getting my life back there back on track a bit. At least I could call and talk with her again without upsetting her, or at least I hoped it would be without upsetting her. The fact that she had spent the last few weeks getting little to no sleep due to what happened on the flight disturbed me. I never intended to scare her, I had just wanted to keep her safe, and dealing with the terrorists had seemed like the best way to do that. The problem was of course that dealing with the terrorists had required being a bloodthirsty and cold-hearted bitch.
I sighed and shut off the water. Last night had allowed some closure though, and at least Mayumi and I were talking again. Part of the problem was that it happened at all, and it was going to take more discussion to work things out, assuming the two of us decided that we wanted to try and make a go of things. It wasn’t long before I stepped out of the bathroom, my thoughts having carried me through drying off and dressing. Re-entering the kitchen, I found Taylor finishing up putting breakfast together. It wasn’t anything particularly difficult, just scrambled eggs and bacon with toast and juice to go with it, still though, it made me happy that she had at least thought of me. “Thanks Taylor,” I said as she handed me one of the two plates, “it smells great.”
Taylor blushed a little at the compliment and sat down opposite me at the counter, “Hanging out with your friends last night was fun,” she said after a moment. “I never realized I was tired until it was over.”
I nodded, “Adrenaline crash,” I explained, scooping some eggs up from my plate. “That was perfectly normal after something like yesterday, did you at least sleep well?” Having asked a question, I took a bite of the eggs and felt my eyes start to roll. She had scrambled them but had used the bacon grease to keep them from sticking to the pan. So Good! I thought, almost not hearing her answer
“I was out like a light as soon as my head hit the pillow,” She answered. “You seemed a bit out of it this morning though, how late did you stay up talking?”
“Almost five,” I answered, and Taylor got this look of utter panic on her face. “Don’t worry about having woke me up,” I continued. “I need to keep the same sleep cycle as everyone else, it just means I will probably go to bed a little earlier tonight so that I can get up on time for school tomorrow.” She eyeballed me a for another minute while I enjoyed a piece of bacon before finally calming down and asking another question.
“I know you probably don’t want to talk about it, and that’s fine if you don’t,” she said looking away for a minute. “But what did that Youth Guard twit say that had you so steamed last night?”
I sighed around another mouthful of eggs, Taylor, for all her issues, cared more about those around her than herself. Kind of like I would, she put her friend’s feelings, needs and desires ahead of her own. Gotta love her, I thought as I finished the food in my mouth before answering. “She cursed my parents and grandparents, not realizing that both were dead,” I said as calmly as I could. “She one of those people who thinks that violence is never the answer, or at least if violence must be used, then it should be an adult using it against an adult, not a teen.”
And there’s the expected explosion, I thought as I watched Taylor’s eyes go wide and her face go an interesting shade of red. “That FUCKING BITCH! Taylor snarled standing up and leaning on the counter. “Next time I see that little fucking shit stain…”
“Taylor,” I said, cutting off her rant and drawing the flashing eyes of her anger, Holy fuck she’s hot, I thought for a heartbeat. “I can fight my own battles when it comes to bureaucratic little turds like her, don’t worry about it. Calm down, sit down and enjoy your breakfast.”
Taylor looked at me for a moment before taking a deep breath and sitting back down. “At least tell me she got called down for it,” Taylor said before shoving an entire piece of bacon in her mouth angrily.
“I think they tried,” I answered. “Though they both may have been a bit in shock as I went toe to toe with the bitch.” At that point I took a second to breathe and center myself. “That said, I did sort of start it,” Taylor spocked an eyebrow at that so I explained. “She tried to harangue Aunt Emily, and I stepped in, playing like I didn’t speak English very well and called her a fucking idiot in Japanese. Her main problem is that she is blinded by her ideology, and between her can’t we all just get along, kumbaya mentality and her need to make a mark protecting children from people who in her mind will only abuse them, well, it’s easy for someone like her to be blinded to the truth.”
“The truth being that sometimes you have to fight for what you believe in,” Taylor said more calmly than she seemed to feel. “It doesn’t matter if we want to or not, it has to be done.”
“Not quite, but close,” I replied. “Violence is one possible solution, should we always default to it, no. Having it available when it is needed however, should always be on the table.” Because sometimes all you can do is smash your opponent.
Taylor nodded, a thoughtful look on her face as we finished our breakfast. As we were cleaning up she finally spoke up again, “That girl that showed up at the end, just as your aunt was breaking up the party, the one who started that last song,” she said as she handed me a plate to dry.
“Yeah,” I answered, “what about her?”
“That was Mayumi, right?” Taylor asked. “You never told me how much she and I resembled each other, nor why you broke up.” And there went my face, bright as a fire engine I was sure, TAYLOR!?! I moaned mentally.
**
Wolf wins every fight but the one where he dies, fangs locked around the throat of his opponent.
Currently writing BROBd
Currently writing BROBd