Rule number three of being an Arbiter: Arbiters cannot feel emotion, for they are dummies.
Kiko has heard this several times, and she planned on following the rule, but she cannot help what she does. Kiko is the youngest Arbiter to ever work, after...
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Chapter 10: Piano Keys
The three girls chat in the Sattlesky after talking Clavis out of coming. It was a hard job because Clavis was pretty consistent, but the doors finally closed.
Olivia and Megan had recently been co-working together to make better judgements, since Megan has been struggling with her lately. Nona wasn't happy and set the two together, moving Olivia out of Memories.
Sky nods. "I see, that's quite interesting," she says softly. She's making coffee for herself, and she hears a soft click of gears in her cabinet. The schedule's out already? Great. I can get a head start. Sky thinks as she picks the paper out of the printer.
The two boy assistants appear from the elevator. "Hey, Sly Sky! You left us with some chatty people." Mitch huffs harshly.
Sky frowns at him. "Yeah, I know. I could tell by the time you got back," she says as she sips her coffee. She looks back to the schedule.
Jake approaches the bar. "Did we do something, Ki-Sky?" He corrects himself mid-sentence.
Sky grips the handle of her cup. "No, Jake, everything is fine. My creation is wonderful. I still don't know why I'm in this form, and I can't even get accepted by you two in this form. Do you realize how hurtful that is? To not be accepted by your only friends? Because I'm learning." She rants shortly.
Megan and Olivia glance at each other. "I guess we should head back now. See you later, Sky! Make sure to come see us at the Oligan!" Olivia says over her shoulder.
Megan nods. "Yeah! See ya!" She says before disappearing into the elevator with Clavis.
Sky waves to them curtly, and she turns back to her two assistants. "Got anything to say, idiots? Because I'm thinking about giving you to Nona so she can make a judgement on you two, and she's going to be less sympathetic than I am." She snaps harshly.
Jake gulps, but Mitch holds his ground. "What's wrong with you, Sky? Have you got feelings or something, because you sure are harsh. Kiko would never say anything like that, so you'd better stick with the program. Kiko was better than you are. You should probably find out what she was like so you can live up to your standards. You get that, Sky, because you might not have any friends at all after this!" Mitch yells at his boss.
With no emotion in her face, Sky stares at him. "I hate you the most, Mitch, so you should watch your mouth, or your soul will face eternal pain." She says, surprisingly calm.
Mitch opens his mouth to speak, but Sky holds up her hand to silence him. "No speaking, there's Hell to pay, if you know what I mean," she says with a wink. "I'm actually good friends with a Demon, and he'll gladly take care of you."
Mitch turns and heads to the elevator. "I'm going home. Have fun with your judgements." He says before the doors close before him.
Jake looks at the nonchalant Sky. "Do you have any regret for what you just did?" He asks with sadness in his voice. "Kiko was different. She wouldn't hurt her friends," he whispers.
Sky turns away. "How long did you know Kiko? Because you haven't started chipping yet," she asks, raising an eyebrow at the young man behind her.
Jake takes a step back. "Aye...uh...maybe a day or two?" He says with uncertainty.
Sky glares at him. "Exactly. You didn't know her well enough. You have no idea how she acts. Maybe you shouldn't be so upset at me when this is how Kiko might've truly been." She states coldly.
Jake flinches, but he nods. "Of course...but from what we knew, she was a lot nicer..." he pauses and gathers his courage within, "...than you," he finally says, frightened of the raging flame in front of him.
Sky stiffens. "I thought you were different," she mumbles before walking away and towards the piano.
Jake watches her walk away. Regret fills his eyes, but he stays silent. I wish...I wish she could change...just like how I changed.
Sky sits down at the huge instrument, and she presses a key, the noise echoing through the huge bar. She starts to press her fingers to the keys, playing a rhythmic tune. As she presses each key, she hums a tune to go along with it.
Jake observes in silence. "You know how to play piano?" He asks.
Sky pauses and stares at him. "Apparently so, now leave me alone!" She shouts at him angrily. "I would like to play in silence."
Jake sits down on the couch and sighs. "Sorry, Skylynn, I'll leave you alone now," he whispers, more to himself than to the raging girl.
Sky starts to play, a few bumps and pauses every now and then, but overall, she plays surprisingly well. She hums a song, but she refuses to sing in front of such an idiot. It would be disgraceful.
Sky stays relatively silent as she plays, and she stops humming to focus on the music in front of her. She plays, starting to get better and better as she goes along the music. She has no idea she can play, but she feels more at ease when she does.
Jake stands up, and he finds himself sitting on the piano. He watches the blond Arbiter, and he smiles softly. "You're so at ease," he comments softly.
Sky stops abruptly. "Why are you near me? I-I need some space, okay?" She stutters, surprised. When did he move? I never noticed! She squeaks in her head.
Jake slides onto the bench beside her. "I can play a bit, too, but just not too much. I'm not as good as you are," he says, placing his fingers over the keys.
Sky stiffens, but she removes her small fingers from the giant instrument. "O-Okay," she says, scooting over so he could have more space on the black bench.
Jake presses the keys, and he quickly makes an intro. The beginning is fast and quick, hard to keep up with. He stumbles often, but he recovers and keeps going. He may not be the best pianist Sky's ever met, or Kiko, but he's still good.
Sky presses a few keys, starting to make a song with the boy beside her. She starts to get more into it as they create the music together, and soon enough, Sky is singing a song again. She doesn't know what the words are, she just knows that she wants to be with him.
Jake stops playing, and he looks at Sky. The girl Arbiter doesn't notice as she keeps playing. She's smiling. "Skylynn...?" He whispers to her.
The Arbiter slowly stops playing. "Yes, Jake?" She replies with a smile.
