Fixing The Broken One | BroCon

XIII. Before It Burns

Humans are fickle beings, someone cries.

Rin used to shake her head at the statement. But right now she is in no place to disagree. Bathing in the limelight and idle chatters that filled the room, she could barely recognized that face. If not for that ever-changing smirk she always wears like a mask. Skin as pale and dull as she remembers, now painted with wrinkles and a more prominent smile line than before. A human's life is short, people change, the heart changes — memories, however, do not. Every inch of her steps are a forced one as she was taking closer and closer to the gates of Tartarus.

It was like seeing the future and a mirror at the same time. The shade of their hair was a mirror copy of one another, eyes different shades but still in a glance, one could never see that they're a different person. Rin takes a seat at her opposite as the waiter pours another serving of liquid poison in her glass. Rin simply waves him off, remembering that Rianna would not be too pleased to see her drunk.

Amayuki Sumire chugs down the sparkling champagne swirling in her tall glass. The glimmering light seems to match the mysterious glimmer she has on her eyes. The waiter excuses himself, disappearing away from the scene and into the background. Rin hears an ominous music playing away between the occasional sounds of knives hitting plates.

"What is your name now?" Rin asks, eyeing at the plate of cuisine in front of her as she starts the conversation.

"Kanzaki-san, for you at least." Sumire gives her a brief look of the ring with red rubies sitting like a spoiled princess on her finger. "How about you? Still the name that brat gave to you?"

Rin hides her fist with a sly smile, matching the scowl that woman bears, "Hm, it doesn't matter, doesn't it?"

Sumire sneers, answering with a cock of her head. Thinking that she was amused of her defensive reply would be an understatement on Rin's part.

The model narrowed her eyes, lips quirking up into a bitter smile, as she entered the main topic of their little chase. "All you need is my approval, anyway."

Sumire's teeth clash together as her stoic demeanor turned into something Rin recognized, something that she showed her way back then. The woman then cocks her head and she laughs a joyous laugh, earning a couple of eyes on their way before they fade into a series of small giggles. Her lips turned up like a predator bearing its teeth.

Rin knows how to pull her strings and Sumire knows how to play her cards.

"My, how direct," She replied almost giddily, her giggles not ceasing yet. "Always jumping with a knife on hand, ha! I always knew you were a daddy's girl but the resemblance is uncanny!"

Rin narrows her eyes, glaring straight into the creature howling in front of her. Her first mistake was to show fear. Her second was to be fooled by the outer appearance it has. Her final mistake was stupidly believing on her words.

Simply because she was her mother.

The devil then gives her a twisted smile, hands crossing as a dangerous glint pass on her eyes. "Well then, shall we get into business?"

Rin can only shut her mouth before they cry for escape.

***

"Hey, where are we supposed to pick you up?"

"Yeah, no. On a second thought, Louis-nii, you don't need to pick me up. I'll catch a cab on the way."

"Wait, Rin—!"

Louis stared on his phone as the line gave its usual annoying sound. He sighed and tuck his phone back on his back pocket, it's useless to call back when she hung up — he knows at least that much.