Chapter Text
Shiori swung the razor whip in her hand wide, and then snapped it towards the center of her body, successfully wrapping the barbs around the neck of the stuffed dummy about seventy five feet away from her. In the blink of an eye, the whip had coiled around the neck several times, and then Shiori tugged harshly. The head separated from the dummy, flying into the air leaving behind a trail of scattered stuffing as it dropped to the ground with a soft thud. With another flick of her arm, she drew the whip closer to her side, the cord obediently shortening and resting at a small coil near her feet. She turned around to face her crowd. Enjin, Zanka, Riyo, and Tamsy. She gave a dramatic bow, her arms out with a smile on her face.
“So you can lengthen and shorten it at will as well… That is certainly interesting."
Tamsy chimed in, stalking a bit closer to her to inspect the weapon in her hand. He didn’t touch, but he looked over the corded length and the barbs weaved within. When her weapon had presented as rope-like, Enjin had done his best to train her in the use of it. And he was able to get her to understand some of the basics of the movements she needed to make. Telling her to trust the weapon and act more as a guide than an active user. Kashu had its own personality, after all. The more she saw herself as a conduit and less of a master, the better the results. Though as the training progressed and they discovered more ways to implement the weapon, Enjin had called in backup from someone whose Vital Instrument was also rope based. Thus Tamsy's presence for this training session.
“We've used it all kinds of different ways man. But I'm kinda out of ideas.”
Enjin commented from across the yard.
“Oh, now who's lacking in creativity?”
Shiori fired back, unable to pass up the cheap blow. Enjin snorted as her eyes focused back on Tamsy. What Enjin said was true and he'd had her run through every move they'd perfected over the last couple of weeks as a demonstration for Tamsy. Lashing, slashing, and that little wrap around trick. It was really about building her stamina and strengthening her arms. The Anima certainly helped, but this thing was heavy as fuck. Her arms were constantly sore, but she'd noticed a slight development of muscle in them and along her back.
“It hurts you to touch it?”
Tamsy asked, looking down at her with that half lidded expression. His pale eyelashes only added to the ethereal look of his nearly blonde toned eyes. They'd had their little spat during her first performance, but it didn't seem to matter to either of them in hindsight. Shiori choked up a bit at his expression, swallowing hard and nodding. She lifted both of her arms to show him the cuts and scrapes she'd sustained in training. There was a particularly nasty one wrapped around her thigh as well from a less than careful recall of the whip. It had wrapped around her leg and sliced clean through her jeans, leaving her with a jagged cut around the circumference of her thigh. Eishia had offered to heal it, but Shiori had refused, preferring to let it heal naturally as she tended to it. There was something intimate about tending to the wound her Vital Instrument caused in the same way that she tended to the Instrument.
“August is still working on your uniform… but it should be made of something that can give you freedom of movement while protecting you from the occasional backlash. Cut proof gloves would be a nice touch. It would open up a wealth of new moves if you were able to manipulate the whip with your other hand.”
Tamsy commented, his eyes sliding over the cuts on her arms before locking back on her face. Shiori nodded again.
“That's what's taking so long. The fabric is hard to come by and hard to work with.”
She answered, her voice stiff and unsure, as if she were a child speaking to a teacher. Tamsy was just so strange. He made her clam up instantly. If Enjin fired her up to the point of shouting at times, Tamsy brought an eerie calm with his presence. Maybe she just wasn't used to that feeling. He hummed thoughtfully.
“Until then… let's try something else. Turn around.”
Tamsy instructed, and Shiori did as he asked without a second thought, facing the dummy yet again. It was scoured with deep lacerations and missing its head. Shiori readied herself for further instructions, but instead, a cool hand was grabbing the one she held the whip in. That's when she realized how close Tamsy really was. His front merely an inch from her back, she tensed instantly. A soft chuckle hit the shell of her ear.
“Relax. I have no ill intent. Keep your grip on the handle and pull it out in front of you… like this.”
He said, guiding her hand to the center of her body and then outwards in front of her. Shiori forced herself to relax, letting out a deep exhale as she did as he guided. A natural position took hold, pulling her elbow closer to her center of gravity.
“Elbow bent slightly… good. Now, flick your wrist in quick, evenly timed circles. Focus on the weight of the whip…”
He continued, taking his hand away from hers to demonstrate the move for her. The flowery sleeves of his Cleaner uniform pooled on his forearm so she could see his dainty wrist move. Shiori nodded, mimicking the movement slowly at first, then quicker as he instructed. It resulted in a horizontal spiral extending from her hand. She kept the movements up despite the burning in her wrist and forearm. She felt Tamsy take a step back.
“Okay. Focus on lengthening that to reach the dummy, but don't touch it.”
He added, and so Shiori did, flaring up in time with the whip to increase the range of the razor blade tornado. Though she stopped just before it reached the dummy, the wind produced by the movement fluttering stray shreds of fabric and stuffing.
“Perfect. Perfect. Now, this is going to require intense focus and control. Focus on a limb or opening. Under the arm. Between the legs. Move towards that opening and once you've weasled the tip of the whip in, give it some slack so the spiral widens, then lift it above your head and crack downwards.”
Tamsy continues, flooding her head with information. She knew that what he was asking of her would need to be fluid. One quick movement. So, she did as he instructed, trusting Kashu to feel her intent. As quickly as she could manage, she lengthened the whip, aiming for the armpit of the dummy and, just as she felt the first vibration of contact, she gave the slack he'd spoken of, lifted her arm, and yanked down and towards herself.
The result was a tangled mess around the dummy's body. The whip had wrapped itself around its shoulders, torso, and arms in a restraining fashion.
“Pull.”
Tamsy said, a command that bypassed her brain entirely as her body moved on its own. She tugged and shortened the length of the whip at the same time, watching at the dummy shredded into several dismembered chunks, stuffing flying as the sound of a whip crack overshadowed the sound of fabric shredding. Shiori's eyes were wide in surprise as the whip fell back to the ground, untangled and perfectly coiled. She spun on her heel, a shocked grin on her face. Tamsy seemed pleased as well, an understated smile on his face as he closed his eyes.
“Holy shit?”
Shiori managed to stutter out. Tamsy nodded, pale eyes fluttering back open.
“Holy shit.”
He agreed, pulling a shocked chuckle from her core. She looked over his shoulder back to where Enjin had been standing with Zanka and Riyo, only to find that he was no longer present. Her smile fell immediately, eyebrows pulled down in confusion.
“That was cool as fuck, Ori!”
Riyo shouted from where she and Zanka remained. Zanka nodded in agreement, his eyes wide. But still, Shiori's anima faded and the whip in her hand reverted to its microphone state. She side stepped Tamsy, walking towards her teammates.
“Where'd Enjin go? Did he see that?”
She asked, cringing internally at the tinge of desperation in her voice. Riyo looked over her shoulder where Enjin had been previously standing behind them and, after seeing he was no longer there, she shrugged. Shiori sighed, turning around to face Tamsy and wrap up the cord of her microphone.
“I… Thank you, Tamsy. But I feel like I should-”
Shiori started to say, but Tamsy cut her off with an easy nod, he smiled never leaving his face.
“It was no issue, and I understand. Just keep this in mind. Precision is important, but intent when using a Vital Instrument is the main technique. It's attuned to you and what you want. You'll find that some things will come naturally without much practice. Trust in it.”
He added, leaving her with a piece of wisdom before walking past her to leave the training yard. Then, he stopped just before the door and called over his shoulder.
“And if you ever need more tips, we do live in the same building. No need for Enjin to organize training.”
He said, a bit coyly before he went back inside. It was a throw away comment. A friendly offer. But Shiori had heard something else that angered her almost instantly. ‘No need for Enjin to organize training.’ It was teasing, but it hit her squarely in her stomach. If someone she rarely spoke to could tease her like that, it meant two things. One, he believed she relied too heavily on Enjin and his approval. Two, if Tamsy had picked up on that, then everyone else thought the same. With the microphone cord wrapped around her elbow, her entire mood and intention shifted. She was going to look for Enjin. See why he'd taken off so suddenly. But now?
Fuck that. He was a grown man and she was her own woman. She didn't need his constant supervision or approval to function. To do as she pleased. When the fuck had she nestled herself so securely under his goddamn wing? Never in her life had she been someone's fucking side kick. Best friend. Whatever. It didn't matter. She'd gotten this far by looking out for herself and she would continue to do so. Enjin was just a means to an end. He got her here. Now, she didn't need him. She could train on her own. Or with Tamsy. Hell, maybe she could even see about switching to Team Eager. Why not? They looked lacking in members and at least Tamsy wasn't a perverted flirty asshole.
Before she'd even realized what she was doing, she was inside HQ, leaving Zanka and Riyo outside by themselves, likely confused by her silent exit. She'd been out in that yard for weeks on Enjin's orders. Her body hurt like hell and she was exhausted. So, despite it being early in the day, she stormed up to her bedroom and tossed Kashu onto her bed for later cleaning. She gathered some comfortable clothing and headed for the showers. Fuck wherever Enjin went. Fuck what he wanted her to do. She wanted to be clean and have a goddamn drink. So that's exactly what she did.
Shiori spent entirely too long in the shower, not caring about using up the hot water. She cleaned herself head to toe. Dirt and grime and bits of tangled stuffing fuzz washing off of her in hot waves. She stayed and scrubbed until her skin was raw, taking some of the lingering anger out on her skin. Pressing bruises and holding her cuts and scrapes under the hot stream just to feel the sting. It cleared her mind and by the time that she dried off and dressed herself in loose fitting sweatpants and an oversized t-shirt, she found that her anger had faded into a simmering desire for something else. Trouble. So, with that in mind, she returned to her room and carefully wiped the dirt off of Kashu with few, small, alcohol wipes she'd snagged from the infirmary. With it clean and resting neatly on her nightstand, she tugged on a pair of beaten shoes and made her way down to Semiu.
“Too early to be in your PJs.”
Semiu commented without looking up from the dirty magazine she was reading, images of beautiful, scantily clad, women reflecting off the lenses of her large glasses. Not that she cared to hide it. The magazine was open in plain sight. Shiori sighed, sagging against the desk.
“Enjin's been working me to the bone. He took off in the middle of training and I need some rest. Haven't had a moment's peace since I got here, Semiu. Cut me some slack.”
She nearly whined, playing into the older women's proclivities a bit. A pretty, tired, young woman asking for her grace. Semiu sized her up, peering up at her over the lenses with glasses with judging brown eyes. Giving in, she sighed.
“What do you want?”
She asked, posturing a bit with her elbow propped up on the desk and her chin resting on her bent hand. Shiori smiled.
“To borrow a car?”
Shiori floated, smiling softly and batting her eyelashes for good effect.
“Do you even know how to drive? And where the hell you going without Enjin?”
She questioned, and there that anger was again. Like an ember in her stomach catching a breeze. Shiori tried not to show it on her face, but she couldn't help but roll her eyes.
“Yes, I know how to drive. And I'm a grown woman. Enjin doesn't have to go everywhere I go.”
Shiori defended, the bitterness seeping through in her tone despite herself. Semiu's expression never changed from that alluring, bored, stare.
“Sore spot? Still didn't answer my question.”
She commented, her eyes going back to her magazine as she casually flipped the page to reveal another spread of completely nude women.
“I just wanna run out for some good liquor. I'm making all of this money but I've been trapped here for almost two months. Haven't even gotten to spend it. Look I'm even in my PJs like you said. Just hopping to a liquor store and coming back to confinement. I swear.”
Shiori said, pulling back from the desk to gesture to her humble attire. Semiu glanced up again, taking in her appearance before letting out another sigh. She reached under her desk, the sound of jingling keys bringing a smile to Shiori's face. As Semiu dropped them on the desk, Shiori moved to grab them, but before she could the other woman was covering them with her hand.
“Closest liquor store is about fifteen minutes away. Small town. You'll see it. You're not back in forty five minutes tops and I'm siccing the dogs on your ass.”
She threatened, pulling an understanding nod from Shiori.
“Forty five minutes. Got it.”
She returned, and after one more glance at her to determine her intentions, Semiu lifted her hand from the keys to allow Shiori to grab them.
“Thank you Semiu. You have no idea how bad I need this.”
“I've spent more than ten minutes alone with Enjin. I get it.”
Semiu assured, back to looking at her magazine as Shiori started to walk to the garage, chuckling a bit. Though before she was out of earshot, Semiu called out to her one more time.
“I also don't appreciate being manipulated by straight girls.”
Shiori spun on her heel at that one, smiling a bit.
“Not totally straight. But… noted. No more manipulation attempts.”
She said, watching the slight quirk of Semiu's white eyebrow before turning around and walking away with a light laugh.
—----------------
True to her word, Shiori pulled into the garage at HQ less than forty five minutes later. She approached Semiu's desk with the keys and an arm cradling a paper bag stuffed to the brim with clinking bottles. She took the keys back and eyed up the size of the bag.
“You spend every check?”
She asked, and Shiori shrugged.
“What else do I have to spend it on right now? You drink?”
Shiori returned her question with another, peaking into the bag and pushing things around to the best of her ability.
“Whiskey.”
Semiu confirmed, just as Shiori found a bottle of just that near the edge of the bag. She tugged it out and handed it over the desk to the other woman.
“Thanks. Maybe later you can come get shit faced with me.”
Shiori suggested as Semiu carefully took the bottle and looked over the label. Not the worst nor the most expensive brand, but good enough in Shiori's opinion.
“I'll be posted up in the common room.”
Shiori said as she walked away from the desk. First stop, though, was her room. When she opened her door, she was met with the sight of Enjin lounging on her bed. Kicked back with his hands behind his head as if he belonged there. In fact, he was snoring softly. Shiori deposited her bag of goodies on her desk and rounded to the side of the bed, watching him peacefully snooze for a moment before reaching out to smack the side of his head. Hard enough to wake him and maybe sting a bit. Enjin's eyes jerked open, the snore choking in his throat at the rude awakening. When he saw who it was, he relaxed again, reaching up to rub over the spot she'd swatted.
“The hell was that for?”
He grumbled, voice a little gravely from his open mouthed cat nap. Shiori rolled her eyes, walking back to her desk to unload her bag and determine what she'd be drinking tonight and what she'd store for later.
“You make a habit out of sleeping in your subordinates' beds?”
She asked, the anger that the shower had cured flaring back up at a steady pace. Vodka. Hundred proof. That was it. The rest of the bottles she stored in a drawer on her desk, stacking them on their side.
“If it's yours, then I'd like to make it a habit, yeah.”
He returned, his groggy one liner not landing like it normally would as his brain woke up. Still Shiori sighed, not giving him a response. The bed springs squeaked behind her and, suddenly, he was over her shoulder.
“Damn, that's a fuckload of booze. You blow your whole check?”
He asked, causing Shiori to turn around with another sigh, her hand firmly grasping the neck of the vodka bottle she'd selected for the night. With the fist holding the bottle, she pushed his chest.
“Personal space. And why the fuck are you in here?”
She stated, causing Enjin to take a step backwards to put a bit more distance between them.
“Zanka and Riyo said you dipped in the middle of training-”
He started, but she raised her finger to shut him up.
“Wrong. You dipped. Then Tamsy left. So there wasn't much training going on.”
She snapped back, tilting her head to the side as she caught him trying to twist the scenario. Enjin shrugged, his hands moving up in mild surrender.
“Who went where, when and for what reason doesn't matter. I just came to check on you, but Semiu said you'd left for a few. So I waited here and fell asleep. That a crime?”
He asked, something slightly bitter in his tone as well. Now that Shiori liked. To know something seemed to be bothering the ever nonchalant easygoing Enjin. That brought a slightly rueful smile to her face.
“Well, here I am. I'm fine. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going down to the common area to drink until I piss myself.”
She said, side stepping him to grab Kashu from the nightstand before heading over to the door and standing to the side of the frame, gesturing for him to leave.
“Ladies first. And quit coming into my fucking room uninvited.”
She continued, throwing the last jab at him as he exited with genuine venom in her voice. But Enjin could not and would not ever let someone else have the last word. Even as he turned to walk down the hall to his own room, he muttered something under his breath.
“Yep. Seem fine to me.”
And Shiori, with that flame sparking like a splintering log, shouted back at him.
“I can hear you! And yes, fine and fucking dandy!”
Before turning on her heel to head the opposite direction. If he said anything else, she couldn’t hear it over the sound of her own pounding heartbeat.
----------------------
Two? Three? Hours. Shiori had been seated at this table in the common room for hours. The number of which didn't matter. A few people had fluttered in and out of her peripheral in that time, but no one stuck around. No one spoke to her. They grabbed their bottle of water or snack and went about their day. After a couple drinks, she'd turned on the stereo system set up for her at the front of the room and loaded in a tape with actual vocals from the original singer, not just the instrumentals for karaoke. It wasn't loud for the purpose of not drawing attention to herself. But at this point, about a third of the way through the fifth she was nursing, she felt the need to feel the music. So, she slumped out of the chair she was in and crawled across the dirty floor with her bottle in hand so she could sit with her back pressed against the speaker.
The bass of the track thudded against her back and the back of her head. So much so that she couldn't make out the lyrics anymore. Though that didn't matter much. It was some Pre-Sphere techno album, so she just closed her eyes and let the bass and scattered synthesized sounds and beats draw her into a state of nirvana. The only words she could make out under the beat on occasion were “Bitch please!” as literally every thought she had slipped away into thin air. A torrent of clashing waves replaced by blissful nothing. She stayed like that for several minutes, long enough for the next song to be about halfway over, before something disturbed her peace.
“Cool if I sit?”
Semiu asked, Shiori forcing her heavy eyelids open. She nodded, gesturing to the floor next to her.
“Oh, girl. Not on that nasty ass floor.”
She said, grabbing a chair from a nearby table to drag over to Shiori. Instead, she sat down almost directly in front of her, the whiskey bottle Shiori had given her earlier being settled on the floor between her feet as she reached over to check Shiori's own bottle.
“We sad drunk? Angry drunk?”
Semiu asked, trying to understand something Shiori couldn't explain even if she were stone cold sober. As Semiu screwed the cap off of her own bottle and took a gentle pull, Shiori shrugged, the bass still heavily thumping against her back.
“Dunno. Just… too much goin on up here. Needed it to shut the fuck up.”
She said, her words a bit slurred as she tapped the side of her head with two fingers, ending her sentence on a tired sigh. Semiu hummed, crossing her legs as she sat back in her chair. What a class act. No sitting on the dirty floor. Drinking from the bottle, but sure to take small sips. Legs crossed with a thoughtful look on her face. Shiori could never even hope to be that composed, unless she was trying really hard to pretend to be.
“Sloppy drunk. Sloppy.”
Shiori confirmed as the words came to her, that brought an understanding expression to the other woman's face as she nodded.
“Got it. Yeah. Looks pretty sloppy. Why though?”
Semiu asked, deciding that drinking from the bottle wasn't in her poised favor. She stood from the chair and crossed the empty mess hall to retrieve a glass and a few ice cubes. Shiori stared at her curvy back as she thought about the answer to that question. The answer made her angry. Nervous. Sick. Disappointed. So, she let out a suffering sigh and dropped her head back against the speaker again. But the tape had ended. Just static poured through the speakers now. She pushed herself up to her feet, swaying for a moment as she found her balance. While Semiu returned to her chair and poured two fingers of whiskey into her iced glass, Shiori dug through her tape collection near the stereo set.
“I just… really fucking hate Enjin.”
Shiori managed to grit out, her tongue slipping despite the desperate need to keep it glued to the roof of her mouth. That pulled an amused sound from Semiu's throat, just as she pulled the glass away from her lips.
“Uh-huh. And I hate pretty women in lacy lingerie.”
She returned, Shiori's head whipping around so fast she almost lost her balance. Still, she managed a glare in Semiu's general direction before seeing the all knowing smile on her face. She huffed, turning back to the tapes.
“It's not like that. Not even close. I really hate him, Semiu.”
Shiori defended, unable to stop the words from bubbling out of her throat at this point.
“I hate that he acts like he owns me. That everyone here thinks he does. I hate that I feel like I can't make a fucking decision without his input or goddamn approval. I hate the way people look at me. At us. Like you right now. Like Riyo and Zanka. For fucks sake, Tamsy even made a snide fucking remark about it today. It's ridiculous. I'm my own goddamn woman. I don't belong to anyone. I don't need someone else's approval or fucking… praise.”
She ranted, finally finding the tape she'd been looking for. She loaded it into the deck and turned the dial up a few notches. Just so she and Semiu could both hear it without having to sit against the speaker.
“It's always around me, all this noise.”
The lyrics poured through the speaker, and Shiori let out a grateful sigh. Even going so far as to approach the speaker, bending at the waist just to rest her head against the top of it. Feeling the music again to ground her.
“That last part sounds like you're just mad at yourself.”
Semiu commented, another gentle pull from her glass as she assessed the situation. The song continued playing.
“Let it happen. Let it happen.”
Shiori rose from the speaker with a groan, standing at full height with her arms out to her sides.
“Fine! Fine. You can see. Tell me what's really going on. Because I don't have the slightest goddamn clue.”
She said, a hint of desperation in her voice. Semiu chuckled, setting her glass down on a nearby table.
“Baby, I don’t need to use Eyes to tell you what's going on. And I sure as hell don't need em to tell me that it's a shitty situation to be in.”
Semiu returned, crossing her arms under her chest. Shiori groaned, dropping her head back.
“What does that even mean? All you people talk in fucking code. Passive aggressive bullshit fucking parables and shit-”
She started to rant again, her words stringing together into a messy run on sentence. But before she could finish, or at least come to a stopping point, Semiu was interrupting her.
“You like Enjin. You hate him, because you like him. And that makes you an idiot on multiple points.”
She said, her tone bored and nonchalant as she dropped what felt like a bomb on Shiori's entire existence. She didn't like people. Not like that. Not like some silly teenager with a crush. She didn't do relationships or love or any of that shit. Sex was one thing. That was always easier. Once or twice and done. Next contender. Or never again. Whatever. Despite all of these thoughts, she felt Semiu's words hit home like a punch in the gut. She doubled over, groaning as she collapsed back to the floor, her back against the wall this time.
“You really gotta stop sitting on that dirty ass floor.”
The back of Shiori's head hit the wall. She wasn't sobering up, but she wasn't as drunk as she had been when Semiu had come in, having now left the bottle alone for well over thirty minutes.
“You… I'm going to fucking kill myself.”
Shiori lamented, bringing her legs up to wrap her arms around her shins and bury her face in her knees. Fucking idiot. She should've just stayed at the bar. Never should've followed that fucking imbecile here. Then she wouldn't be in this position. Reduced to a sloppy mess in front of one of the most put together people she knew over a fucking man. Gross.
“That's what I would recommend. Better than dealing with Enjin.”
Semiu commented, Shiori jerking her eyes up to see the teasing smirk on the other woman's face as she took another sip and shrugged.
“What do I do?”
Shiori asked, more so to herself than Semiu as she pressed her forehead back into her knees. Still, she sighed in response.
“Ignore it.”
Semiu suggested, her tone serious and even. Shiori's face screwed up, staring down at the black nothingness of her pants. It wasn't the answer she was expecting. Maybe it was too many books in her solitary time or too many love songs, but weren't people supposed to say “follow your heart” or some other such bullshit?
“I mean you've already been ignoring it. But now you know. And you can do a better job at it instead of doing… this.”
Semiu explained, but she didn't answer the question rattling around in Shiori's head. She knew why she should ignore the feeling for herself. She didn't do relationships. Too messy and annoying. But Semiu didn't know that about her, so there had to be another reason she was telling her to outright ignore her possible feelings for Enjin. It definitely wasn't a competition thing. Was it? She had made that teasing comment towards Semiu earlier in the day… No. That couldn't be it. She was being rational in her approach. There was a legitimate reason and it was one Shiori knew deep down. Enjin wouldn't be good for her. That had to be it. His free and flirtatious comments. The swaggering personality and smooth talking. All of it meant he was a player. A womanizer. If she had even an inkling of true feelings for him, he'd stomp those under his boot inevitably. It was a sobering and saddening thought.
“I get it.”
Shiori said, raising her head to stare past Semiu and towards the room behind her. It blurred into nothing as she unfocused her eyes. What a strange rollercoaster of emotions to have in such a short period of time. Moments ago she'd been overcome with confusing feelings and now, as the realization of the inevitable end of whatever could happen with Enjin occurred to her, she felt nothing.
“Neat trick. You'll do good if you can keep that up”
Semiu commented, drawing Shiori's attention back to her.
“What?”
Shiori asked, her head tilting to the side to rest her temple on her knee.
“Turning it off. Good skill to have. But try not to have a fucking meltdown before you do it.”
Semiu said, and Shiori nodded in understanding, slowly as her brain fell back into that blissful state of peace. Nothing between her ears.
“Yeah. I think I'm gonna head to bed.”
Shiori said, pulling herself to her feet and finding she was a bit more steady on them. Without saying anything else, she turned off the stereo and grabbed her liquor bottle, wandering to the table behind Semiu to pick Kashu up.
“You'll be alright. Got along just fine without Enjin before, right?”
Semiu added with a bit more encouragement in her voice. Shiori let out a half chuckle at the perspective that gave her and she nodded.
“Yeah. For a long time.”
She returned before leaving the common room and heading up to her bedroom. The wall was erecting itself in real time. Enjin wasn't her friend, he was her boss. He wasn’t handsome or charming. He was a good looking man who understood people. Simple as. By the time she fell into her bed with Kashu cradled in her arms, she'd all but forgotten about the emotions from earlier. She'd gotten it out of her system and now she could truly focus.