Second Ave Offices: The Time In Between (WLW)

Chapter Ten

This chapter contains themes of loss and death.

Kanda marched her way around the conference room, delivering the food her coworkers ordered in silence as her mind fell into a loop of her sobering weekend and what would take place today at the stroke of three o'clock this afternoon. She eyed the burrito in her hand, staring at it hard as she sat down beside Mika who diligently worked at type-setting the latest chapter of the web-based comic she and Hayden were nearly finished publishing. The entire primary team sat around the conference table and kept to their tasks at hand with the looming release date of the final season, though Kanda's thoughts were about something other than comics.

She peered over Mika's spiked pink hair and found that the clock on the wall read it was about one-forty and she felt a calling within herself. After spending the entire weekend at Fiona's townhome and discussing more about her mother, it was almost as if she felt her loss as well. Despite only having met her the one time, she felt she knew Cynthia by the way her daughter described her. Cynthia was a fierce matriarch and held them all together after the horrific events surrounding her late sister's passing and the effect it bore on Fiona. Trapped in a ravine in a car with her aunt, Fiona was forced to witness her final breath and Kanda couldn't blame her for not wanting to see her mother's demise.

With that being said, Fiona hadn't asked her to join her family in laying her mother to rest. Not wanting to be a bother, not aiming to impose herself where she shouldn't, Kanda hadn't ever pushed for an invitation, though her mind warred with her heart nonetheless. The idea of leaving Fiona alone through it was literally eating away at her and she set her burrito aside, feeling queasy the longer she stared at it. Soon enough, she felt a hand on hers and peeked toward its source to find all those within the room gazing her direction.

"I'm fine. Let's get back to--"

"No, you aren't." Mika interjected as she ran her thumb along the back of Kanda's hand. She turned her way and pulled her hand into her lap. "Did Fiona specifically say you couldn't go?"

"Well...no." How had she known where Kanda's mind wandered? She gazed around the table and found concern drifting her way, fighting with herself to bite back her tears. "But she also didn't say she wanted me there."

"Should she have to?" Ju piped in as she collected the papers in front of herself and moved them aside, showing her devotion to the conversation.

"Well... Um... I-I don't..."

"The answer is no." Ju steepled her fingers as she propped her elbows on the table, but received a smack on her shoulder from her girlfriend. "Ow! What was that for?"

"There's this little thing called tact." Hayden stood and joined Mika, sitting on the arm of her chair and placing her hand on Kanda's shoulder. "I know the way she worded that may have been harsh, but it comes from a place of care. Ultimately, it is for you to decide whether or not you attend the scattering of her ashes, but if you don't go and support Fiona, do you think you'll be alright with that? Do you think you'll have no regrets?"

Kanda ducked her head and rubbed her eyes with her thumb and index finger of her free hand. "No, but Fiona always says what she wants. She didn't ever bring up me going to the ash ceremony. What if I arrive and only end up causing more problems than not?"

"May I say something?" Mark chimed in from across the table and Kanda nodded, though she couldn't think of a reason he would be so invested. All discussions of death appeared to terrify him nearly as much as Fiona, so Kanda peeled her ears as she intently listened. "My mother died when I was a small boy. She was brilliant, kind and much like how you described Cynthia, she kept our family together. When she passed, my father never came to terms with it and that pushed my older brother away. He and I didn't even reunite until Mika's meddling."