Marionette

Skies, Chapter Eight - Hebi modori-chi [ヘビ戻り値]

It was a cloudy, overcast Saturday morning as Amaya stared out at the sea of people around her.

In a familiar manner to the last time, she had been thrown out of her apartment by her mischievous siblings, her keys confiscated, left with only her phone and her purse.

It was a stampeding move, much like the other times - Reiko had snuck outside to plant her phone, purse and boots on the ground next to the door and knock, and in the moment that Amaya had opened the door, Yuta had run up behind her and slammed into her, sending her crashing to the floor outside.

She'd looked up just in time to see the door shut and lock, and hear her siblings call out for her to have a good day downtown.

Amaya was starting to get a little annoyed with these sudden attacks - if they'd just ask her to let them have the apartment to themselves, she'd go find something to do outside.

Right now, Amaya was left in a pair of tan shorts, a long-sleeved black shirt, and her boots.

Not the most presentable of outfits, but good enough if she came across any trouble.

Amaya's senses were still wrecked from yesterdays events involving Itona and Shiro. Her head still felt horribly stuffy, and it was hard for her to focus her eyes. In all honesty, it felt like one of those disorientating head-colds one could get on out-of-season days of high humidity.

She'd slept in until nine, and was thrown out of the apartment half an hour later.

Right now, Amaya was trying to figure out what she was going to do for the next five hours or so.

She let out a breath as she ran a hand through her untidy hair, glancing up at the sky as she strung thoughts together groggily.

It didn't seem like it was going to rain any time soon ...

Well, first things first. She'd been booted out of the house before she'd even eaten anything, so she guessed she should go sort that little problem out and then figure out what she was doing from there.

She'd skipped dinner when she eventually got home on Friday evening, and she couldn't exactly run on an empty stomach.

So that's what Amaya did - She wandered over to one of the nearby diners, setting herself down at one of the booths next to the window.

A waitress came, took her order and left all within two minutes, and then Amaya was on her own. She was left to gaze unseeing at her phone set on the table just in front of her, an almost lethargic air overcoming her.

Ever since starting in Class E, everything had been chaotic. If there was a normal seeming day, it almost always ended with something happening that night, and if not, then it was a guarantee that something was going to happen the very next day. Ever since coming back from Hongu, it actually felt like everything had gotten even more chaotic.

Today was supposed to be that day Amaya would have to while away in her apartment, do some laundry, and maybe have a leaf-through the box that Shigure had given her. Instead, she had to spend it twiddling her thumbs, whiling away the time before she could get back into her apartment.

And she didn't feel like she wanted to spend today with anyone - In truth, it felt like she needed some time alone to recuperate.

Perhaps it wasn't that she was feeling lethargic, but rather melancholic.

Eventually, Amayas order arrived, however oddly enough she had no real appetite, nor did she feel like drinking anything either. Though she knew better than to waste food she was paying for, so she forced herself to at least begin on her coffee.