Viper Tongue

A Simple Song

A few days later

The best part about working with sodium chloride was seeing it fade into nothing, sometimes I liked to imagine my problems doing the exact same...just sinking and swirling around until they no longer existed. It was kind of ironic, I despised everything about large bodies of water yet I worked with one everyday.

Admittedly, it was slightly overwhelming at first - yet again I couldn't tell the difference between the childhood attraction and the one from the ritual but once I took my anxiety meds, it settled again for a short while then that image of the lake slipped away...but there was no way I was getting in. I didn't even know if I could swim

The sound of someone calling my name caused my head to turn around, the second I did - I was underwater...alone. The panic set in and the vision came rushing back, there was no room for second guessing! This was the lake! This was where I almost drowned! Not again! I can't be here! I had to get out! I couldn't breathe! Please!

The sensation of my hand smacking the tiling around the pool edge and laughing filled my ears, but not the kind laughter - the kind that taunted and teased "what the hell, Riku? It's just water! You idiot!" Yea...'idiot', that's what I was. My hand rubbed my neck as I hauled myself out of the water as they walked away. I couldn't even look at the pool now

There I stayed, by the water's edge hugging my knees as tears blended with the chlorine-filled water "Hey, are you ok-" my head turned away from my co-worker as I put my hand up asking them not to come any closer "okay- hey, it's okay. I won't move, if you need me...I'm right here-" his hand went to shove me back in while I wasn't looking

Somehow, instinct settled in and I moved just in time to see him fall face first into the water. I didn't want to quit but I didn't want to stay here either, just a few bullies was enough to take me back there? Crap. I was so weak, but I couldn't let them win...I guess I'd just have to keep my guard up

After an hour or so, I went home and changed clothes but instead of going out again - I just stayed there thinking about the pool incident, there must've been something I did to deserve that? No one else had been pushed into the pool, so why me? I kept my head down and did my job right so what was different?

There wasn't much on tv and I didn't feel like the beach so I headed back out to where i took my bartending courses and practiced a little while serving here and there but not without supervision from a higher up. Maybe this was my calling? It felt like the league's place but less intimidating

There was no looming ex boyfriend or sister looking over my shoulder to check I wasn't doing anything sketchy to sabotage the whole operation, just an older woman with a smile on her face as I did what I was told. She hadn't yelled nor scolded me to the point where I felt like quitting...Shigaraki had on numerous occasions

So maybe I wasn't built for the pressured work environment? So what?! There were other jobs out there that I'd be much more comfortable in, that I hadn't even tried yet! For all I know, I could be great at one of them. Saying that, I'd rule out any of the really good ones - there's too much risk of exposure there

I trusted her up until the point I saw her wrist...three black dots lined up disappearing under her cuffed sleeves - I needed to get out of Fukuoka as fast as possible, preferably without being followed. Without warning, her hand came down harshly on my shoulder despite the smile on her face that hadn't faded...crap

"We're always watching" by 'we', she meant 'mother' and her minions having me on their radar, if they were 'always watching' then I guess I'd have to do something that would make them 'look the other way'. If their focus was on something else, that gave me a whole lot of potential. It hurt to know I wasn't out of the game just yet

But I would be soon...