———
QUOTH THE
RAVEN,
NEVERMORE
———
If there was only one thing in this entire world that Manami hated, it would be sitting in a moving car with the most awkward silence kissing the air. She didn't find the unspoken words that lingered around like a bad stench very comforting, especially after retrieving the rogue chainsaw-boy who singlehandedly did her job for her. All in all, she was feeling quite annoyed, and the burning silence did not help whatsoever.
She shuffled in her seat uncomfortably, the steering wheel felt cold under her fingertips. Manami refused to let it bother her though, she gripped the leather tightly, as though she were gripping it for her life. But the aching coldness travelled under her skin faster than the impending traffic that clogged the busy streets, Manami just couldn't deal with the goosebumps that crawled over her skin, she didn't like feeling cold.
After the events that spiralled that afternoon, Manami couldn't disguise the imminent curiosity that plagued her whenever she made eye contact with a smiling Makima. There wasn't much she could do about it, so she kept her eyes ahead, staring intently at the moving roads as she drove away from the abandoned building.
It was silent, and she hated every bit of it. The air surrounding them was terse and incredibly uncomfortable to be in. Manami was just driving for the sake of it, she's just waiting for Makima to tell her where to go.
Manami bit the inside of her cheek, "Where to, Makima-san?" She spoke softly.
The woman did not reply, leaving Manami to shuffle in her seat even more. Her palms felt sweaty, though her skin was burning with a cold shiver, her hands were liquid gold; almost spinning threads upon threads of the golden glitter in her palms like King Midas.
"Makima-" She began calmly, feeling her patience run on a thin needle thread. Manami raised her eyes to the rear-view mirror and made eye contact with a very flustered boy clutching his stomach in pain. "Makima-san, is there something wrong?" She addressed the older woman in curiosity.
The boy leaned forwards, rubbing his stomach gently, "'s just my stomach growlin'" He groaned lowly.
Manami watched him intently through the rear-view mirror, eyes burning pathways of light on his olive skin. She could feel the questions on the tip of her tongue, but she kept silent throughout.
That didn't stop her from quietly observing the boy with the marbles in her eyes, and the boy could feel it too, almost like there were floating queries in her mind that only he alone could see. He stared back at her all the same; cherry lips twisted into a small smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth, a clear blank expression in his burnt orange eyes, he stared at her like he wanted more — more out of her.
Makima hummed, "We haven't eaten yet either," She said, prompting Manami's eyes to flick away from the intense eyes staring back at her in the rear-view. "Manami-chan, let's get something simple at the rest stop."
"Sorry," The boy turned away from Makima and faced the window sadly, "I don't have any cash..."
"Just have what you want. I'll cover it." The red-headed woman replied indifferently.
Manami swallowed a laugh, biting the corners of her lips to hold the chuckles in. She didn't have to turn around or look at him from the rear-view mirror to know that he felt overwhelmed by Makima's kindness. She could picture it clearly; his eyes wide in disbelief, mouth open wide with guttural noises escaping his lips, and his heart would be pounding faster in his chest, allowing the heat to rush to his cheeks.
She couldn't blame him, Makima was an angel in her own right.
Makima tugged off her blazer and placed it on his lap, "You'll look weird half-naked so, put this on." The woman smiled, watching him shakily place the fabric around his shoulders, eyes wide in shock.
