17 Dec 2021, 04:20
It's Been a While, Hasn't It?
Thursday, January 6, 2022
The corridors were the same. The stretching stone, broken here and there by a portrait, crack, or lit sconce was the same; the windows, spilling light onto the cold floor and washing the passing students' faces in the warm light of the setting sun, were the same; the decorations lining the halls for the holidays were the same. It was all the same.
So why did it feel so irreparably different?
Maybe it was the students themselves. Everyone was hurrying down the halls, trying to get to their classes or standing, laughing with their friends, all the same as they had been before Jess had left, yet different somehow, too. She felt as though there was a glass wall stretching between all of them and herself, an invisible barrier that muffled her existence and separated her from all of them. None of them seemed to notice her, but Jess didn't mind. She'd been alone for far too long now to want to be noticed.
The last thing she wanted, actually, was to be spotted by someone she knew and be forced to talk to them before she was ready. There were only so many people she actually wanted to talk to again, anyway. Katrina, Dealla, Anastasia maybe. Akari. That one, at least, she knew.
She hadn't seen Akari for months, nearly a year now, hadn't been able to write to her or tell her how sorry she was for just leaving like that, without saying goodbye. She didn't know how to say it, even now. How could she describe what it had been like, then, to find out that her parents were taking her back home and there was nothing, nothing she could do about it?
She'd known, of course, that her own move back to New York was likely to happen, and soon. Known, but had not admitted to herself. Because to move was to leave behind all that Hogwarts was: all her friends, all her memories, all her existence in a world of magic and endless possibilities, but endless danger, too.
That had really been what had caused her parents to finally set their minds on moving, she knew. It wasn't the fact that her father had lost his job a month before Easter Break and had not been able to find a new one. No, her parents had been willing to put that aside for her obvious love of Hogwarts and the shared community of magic-users, ones that she did not have to spend her whole life lying to, that it brought. But Jess had messed up. Over Easter Break, she'd messed up.
At home, a few days into the break, her mom had commented on how dark the shadows that had pooled in the corner with the fading sun were, and Jess, not pausing to think, had joked that she hoped nothing came out of them to attack her. Perhaps even more damning than those words was her immediate realization of what she had just said, the sudden panicked look on her face that alerted her mom to what otherwise might have been ignored.
It'd been too hard, then, too full of guilt, to lie to her parents when they asked her what she had meant and whether she had been "attacked" before. She'd had the mind to leave out some details, to spare them the recount of Aspen's nightmares and Rhea's ice and the Costume Party's flames, but what she had admitted had been enough.
Already considering going back to New York, the newfound realization of the danger their daughter had been subject to at Hogwarts finally convinced her parents to go back to the safe, comfortable way things had been. By the end of Easter Break, Jess was back in New York, with no way to contact anyone from Hogwarts - as she had neglected to collect anyone's addresses and didn't own an owl with which to send letters - and no friends, save for Alyona, who she hadn't spoken to in months and could not fathom speaking to as a best friend again.
But no. Even now, as she thought about it, Jess allowed her mind to skip over the thoughts, the truth too damning too fully consider.
She hadn't been completely unable to contact her friends, not really. When she was back in New York, yes, as she couldn't exactly send a letter to Hogwarts through the postal service and, even if she had one - which she didn't - an owl probably wouldn't be able to fly across the entire Atlantic anyway.
But before then, she had had a chance.
Her parents hadn't decided to move and done it that same day, after all. There'd been about a week between the plans being made and the plane being boarded, and Jess had felt it suffocating her with each passing day: her chance was growing slimmer.
For yes, her parents had become determined to keep her out of Hogwarts, regardless of her desire to be there, but they weren't completely heartless. Jess knew that if she had only asked, brought herself to say the words just one time, her parents would have taken her to Diagon Alley. There, she could have bought herself an owl to send letters to her friends, explaining everything. She could have said what had happened and where she was going, told them not to worry about her and that she'd be back as soon as possible. She could have even tried to meet up with them one last time, maybe. But she hadn't.
She had given in to her fear, then, too scared of the emotions that would be let loose if she allowed herself to tell everyone - no, anyone - goodbye. In the end, Jess had convinced herself that it was better that way, that whether she said goodbye or not, she'd be gone. Telling people in advance would only bring the pain sooner. There was no point.
Except, of course, there was. She may not have known - may not know - how to possibly go about saying goodbye, but anything would have been better than what she had done. It had to be. She had been plagued with loneliness and a sense of hopelessness that nothing mattered, not anymore, during her time away, but she'd been drowned with guilt at what she'd done, too. Leaving without saying anything would only make people question their own importance to Jess, she'd come to realize. She'd left them not just physically, but emotionally, too. She didn't know how to fix it.
But she had to try.
Especially for Akari, who had been her best friend during her last year at Hogwarts. God, she was still her best friend now. Not talking to her hadn't changed that. It just made Jess miss her more, romanticize the idea of her as a friend, as someone to lean on and trust to like you just as much, more. That might turn out to a problem, she knew. There was no guarantee that Akari still thought of Jess that way, that she wanted to have anything to do with the girl at all. After all the time that had passed and the way Jess had left, she wouldn't blame her.
But if Akari let her, then Jess wanted to explain. To try to, at least.
And more than that, Jess needed to talk to Akari, to see her again. Even if her mental version of the girl was romanticized, she still loved Akari and, frankly, coming back to Hogwarts had been as much about being with her again as it had been about the magic.
Shit, this was going to be difficult.
Jess honestly didn't know what she'd do if she looked in Akari's eyes and saw dismissal there. Or hatred, even. What would she do with herself?
What would she do even if she didn't? Even if Akari still regarded Jess as a friend, even a close one, there was no way she hadn't moved on. Jess had been stuck alone, unable to talk to anyone save for Muggles who she, in all senses of the word, was unable to talk about her problems with, but Akari had been here, surrounded by people like her. People who would certainly grow to replace Jess in the girl's heart.
She couldn't blame her for it. In all honesty, if Jess had been the one left in Hogwarts, and Akari had suddenly disappeared and made no apparent attempt to come back or explain where she had gone, the Hufflepuff would come to regard her as a treasured figment of the past, but that was all. Something that had come and gone. No matter how good it had once been, it'd be good no longer. She'd move on, find new friends, and maybe stop to think of Akari every once in a while as an inexplicable mystery, but one that would fade with time. She'd be no more than a pleasant memory.
Had enough time passed for that? Was that all Jess was now to Akari - a memory? If she was, she at least hoped that it was one painted in light, joyful colors. Yellows and oranges, perhaps. Anything, she hoped, save the dark, almost black blues that she was nearly sure her lack of explanation or apology to Akari had painted. She wouldn't blame Akari if her memories of Jess were tainted with sorrow or anger, but it would crush her own heart, she knew. Even more than being away from Akari for nearly half a year had.
Shit.
She couldn't do this.
But she had to. She was already here: in front of her, beyond the crowds of students slowly thinning out as the time stretched, lay the door to Akari's classroom. Or, at least, what she had been told would be Akari's classroom at this time upon offhandedly, hoping against hope it didn't come off as unusual, asking one of the girls she had seen the Gryffindor hang out with in their first year where she could find the girl.
Briefly, Jess hoped that the informant had been wrong; Akari wasn't really here, wasn't really about to walk out of that classroom. It'd be an excuse to delay the inevitable conversation that Jess knew she would have to have eventually, a chance - no, a cruel reason - to extend her time alone even further. Ironic, really, if it was caused by Akari suddenly not being where she was meant to be, instead of Jess.
Either way, the girl resolved to hope the friend had been correct. After all, if in this final moment of anticipation, she didn't yearn with all her heart to see her best friend again, after so much time spent missing her, who was she to deserve the meeting? If she didn't hope for it, fate would make sure it didn't happen, she knew. Her longing for Akari, for this school, had been what had convinced her parents in the end to let her come back, and to throw that away now, when it really mattered, would be to spit on fate and refuse any further lifelines it may throw her.
Jess looked down at herself. What if Akari didn't recognize her? She had on robes - less chance of being picked out of the crowd that way - and her hair was down, partly covering the right side of her face. She'd worn up it in a ponytail or, at the very most, half-up, during her first year, so perhaps Akari really wouldn't notice her. Not at first, at least. If she didn't, Jess promised herself, she'd approach first. She had to.
It'd be better that way, anyway. She could control the situation like that, at least, get out all she had to say before Akari had a chance to register what was happening and remember to be mad. She'd apologize, first and foremost, then explain all that had happened. No lies. Then, though she knew she'd barely be able to get the words out, she'd tell Akari that she wouldn't blame her for moving on - she'd tell her that she was back, but that the other girl should feel no obligation or twisted responsibility to take in the scared, lonesome, foreign thing Jess had become. She sniffed. If she was going to cry, she certainly wasn't going to let it start now, before she even had a chance to say anything to Akari. Not even if just thinking the words hurt.
Focusing on the bright light of the burning sconce on the wall, willing the unshed tears away, Jess barely registered when the door to the classroom opened once more and a familiar figure came out.
Akari.
In an instant, Jess's throat dried out and all her earlier, carefully crafted words left her mind behind as they fled her thoughts. All she could see was the girl in front of her. Akari. Her best friend.
Shit.
Akari.
Silently, slowly, like a phantom on the wind, Jess drifted across the hall to where the girl was standing. She was dimly aware of the other students still around her, but it was as if the mental wall separating her from them had solidified, blocking out all sound and sight other than the only thing that mattered in the moment.
A foot away from Akari, the Hufflepuff stopped, trying desperately to remember what it was she had been planning to say.
"Hey..." she whispered, her voice sounding choked, even to her own ears.
@Akari Kato
"Promises are sacred and hugs can save the world."
Stats: Stamina: 4 | Evasion: 7 | Strength: 4 | Wisdom: 8 | ArcPower: 5 | Accuracy: 7 | Calming Presence
1st Year Hex Code: #BF8040 | 2nd Year Hex Code: #c68458
21 Dec 2021, 20:04
It's Been a While, Hasn't It?
banner by Scarlet Salvatore
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Day by day, it was drawing closer to the halfway mark of Akari's second year here at Hogwarts. Unbelievable really if you ask her. A year and a half had gone by in the blink of an eye. She loved the school with every fibre of her being and wouldn't trade her time there for anything in the world. Despite all its craziness, the people, the quidditch team, and even sometimes classes would make her feel right at home. And she could not ask for anything more.
Well, actually, perhaps there was one more thing she wanted. It was something that had left a hollow pit in her stomach for nearly a full year now. Something that never ever stopped nagging at her. Something that in a second she was prepared to give up basically everything to know the answer to.
Where had her best friend gone?
It had happened so suddenly. It felt like one day she was here and the next she was not. At first, Akari did not worry too much for she assumed that Jess was on an extended vacation or something of the like, but a few days went by, and then a couple of weeks, which eventually turned into months and nothing, not a word. Quite frankly Akari grew more anxious with each passing day, and it got harder to compose herself. She was worried to no end.
As much as she tried to shove them out of her mind, little questions of whether or not they were even close started to sprout up inside her because she would have thought that she was one of the first people Jess would have gone to tell of her unexpected departure.
But that could not be true, Akari knew deep down that those questions were just utter nonsense, but unfortunately, the alternative was much worse, and she could not bear to even touch upon that possibility. So she shut that thought out completely. There was no way something bad happened to her best friend.
She often asked around to see if anyone could shed light on where her friend was and what had happened, but nobody seemed to be able to give her a straight answer. In hindsight, the Gryffindor regretted with all her heart that they had not exchanged addresses, but slowly it become more evident that there was really nothing to be done except wait and see. She never truly accepted that she did not have her best friend beside her anymore, but nevertheless, the troubling feeling that ate away at her never ceased, no matter how much time started going by. Some days it was stronger than others, and she eventually got used to the fact that it was there to stay.
Arriving back to school to be ushered into the next year was definitely a wake up call for Akari. It was then that she became certain that Jess was not coming back. It was officially her second year, and if Jess had not returned by now, then that was really it. As hard as it was, she finally forced herself to realize - and accept to the best of her ability - the extremity of the circumstances. It was awful, she hated this, she felt like she was going to crumble without ever knowing, but clearly, nothing was going to change, no information was going to come, she was left in the dark and she had to live it with now.
Today, a fine afternoon in January, was as normal as any day, or so the second year had thought. Attending her regular classes, eating ordinary food, following her usual daily routine, nothing whatsoever foreshadowed the shocking situation she would find herself in later that day.
As per usual with paper, books and quills overflowing in her arms Akari hurriedly exited her classroom. Hardly paying attention to her surroundings while trying to organize all her possessions, Akari did not really notice that someone standing in front of her. At some point out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the figure and was just about to give a simple apology for nearly walking right into them before casually continuing on, when she finally looked up and made eye contact with the person. She did a huge double-take. Her eyes were filled with shock and she froze right where she stood, going slightly pale. She studied the face of the girl in front of her with such detail and skepticism, as if she did not trust her own eyes, as if what she was seeing was merely a fragment of her imagination. Many seconds passed without a word. Was this real?
"Jess...? Is- is that really you?..." She finally croaked out, a tsunami of emotions flooding through her as the words left her mouth. How was this even possible?
But there was no time to think, only embrace this moment in case it would prove itself to be her mind playing tricks. Akari dropped everything right where she stood and without any warning sprung forward and tightly wrapped her arms around the girl in front of her, with no intention of letting go anytime soon.
"Please tell me this is not a dream"
Life is much easier when you just chill out | enzo delcroix |
2 Jan 2022, 19:58
It's Been a While, Hasn't It?
Jess could tell when Akari realized it was her. She could pinpoint the exact moment, the second, when the Gryffindor realized that it was Jess standing in front of her, instead of some random kid come to say hi to her or just talk to the professor.
As Jess watched, the girl's eyes widened, her face visibly losing its color. The Hufflepuff knew her sudden appearance might cause confusion or surprise - she had even tried to prepare herself for hatred - but what she hadn't expected was fear. Was she really so disliked by Akari, now, that her mere image caused the blood to flee from Akari's cheeks? Was she such a despised sight, that Akari had grown to fear her return as if she was here to hurt her?
Was this confirmation that Jess really had hurt Akari, then? She'd known it, but hadn't wished it to be true. This reaction, though: there was no denying it. The double-take, fine, but the loss of color? The only possible explanation was that Jess had hurt Akari more than she had thought, that the Gryffindor was now too scared of those feelings returning that she didn't want to see Jess ever again.
Stop.
The Hufflepuff forced her mind to slow, building a mental dam to hold back her frantic rush of thoughts. Akari's initial reaction hadn't even lasted for a minute; shock was what was expected here. It didn't mean that Akari feared Jess, or hated her, or never wanted to see her again, or-
Akari had gone from standing still to scanning every detail of Jess she could see, and the Hufflepuff let her. To tell the truth, Jess was doing the same, only to the Gryffindor's face. She was staring at any twitch of her lips, any sign in her eyes that might tell her what Akari was thinking before the girl said the words that would surely shatter Jess's heart. It was only a matter of time, and while she could, the girl took the chance to pretend her best friend didn't hate her.
"Jess...? Is- is that really you?..."
Akari's voice was hoarse, her tone disbelieving. What did it mean? Was she getting ready to scream at Jess, preparing her voice for the onslaught of blaming and yelling that was sure to follow? If she was, the Hufflepuff would take it.
She would stand there, in front of all those passing people, and let Akari say anything she wanted to her. Whatever she felt, whatever she wanted to say, Jess deserved it. All of it. She had left Akari without a word, had caused her who knew how much pain, so any pain that the girl wanted to inflict on her now, Jess would take. Hell, if the Gryffindor whipped out her wand and started cursing Jess, she wouldn't lift a finger to defend herself.
Akari dropped all of her books, everything she was carrying. So it was the wand, then. Jess straightened, determined to take anything the girl threw at her, even while her heart shrunk-
Akari hugged Jess.
For a moment, Jess simply stood there, too taken aback to do anything but feel the girl's body held closely against her own. Then, the spell broke.
In an instant, she wrapped her arms around Akari as tightly as they could go, burrowing her face in the girl's hair. As she stood there, holding on to her best friend the way she had been dreaming of doing for the past several months, she couldn't hold back the tears any longer.
Hot streams fled her eyes, dampening her cheeks and the other girl's dark hair as they reached the point where one child clung to the other. If felt so right to be holding Akari like this, so natural to finally be with her again. As if no time had passed at all.
But it had, and even if Akari didn't demand an apology from Jess straight away, the Hufflepuff knew she still had to give it. What kind of person would it make her, if she took all of Akari's comfort, all of her undeserved love, and didn't even attempt to make up for what she herself had done to her?
"Please tell me this is not a dream."
Oh, god.
"No, it's not a dream, I'm here, I'm here..." Jess whispered, her voice heavy with tears. "Akari, I'm so sorry... God, I'm so, so sorry..."
@Akari Kato
"Promises are sacred and hugs can save the world."
Stats: Stamina: 4 | Evasion: 7 | Strength: 4 | Wisdom: 8 | ArcPower: 5 | Accuracy: 7 | Calming Presence
1st Year Hex Code: #BF8040 | 2nd Year Hex Code: #c68458
29 Jan 2022, 03:30
It's Been a While, Hasn't It?
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Akari swallowed hard, beginning to feel tears welling up in her own eyes as she embraced Jess. For the last few months especially, she had been certain that this day was never going to come, and though she was standing there, hugging Jess, she was still not so sure this was real. In the back of her mind she was waiting to be rudely awakened, she was waiting to be shoved back into the harsh reality where her best friend had vanished into thin air without a trace. As much as she wanted to, a part of her refused to believe what was going on. It would be too much for her to handle if she had fully accepted it and then at the last second everything would fade into fragments of a dream she had had the night before. To be frank, she was just scared that this was her subconscious taunting her.
However, all that doubt disappeared in an instant as soon as Jess spoke up. A weight felt like it was being lifted off of her chest immediately as she heard the voice of her best friend. That above all else, was what finally convinced her that this was indeed real. There was absolutely no way her mind would be that good at replicating Jess.
If her hold on Jess was tight before, it was nothing compared to how Akari hugged her friend now. She squeezed her extra close and a small bittersweet smile began to form upon her face, unable to contain the happiness that was creeping in. "It's all alright, I swear it. As long as you are okay, that's all that matters"
"And you are okay, right?" Akari proceeded to ask, her tone becoming rather lighthearted, as this, after all, was a joyous moment for her.
Akari then let out a big exhale, one that contained all the worry and uneasiness that had been nagging at her since last year. It felt so refreshing to finally let go of all that distress, and she at long last felt truly calm.
Only after one more squeeze did Akari begin to loosen her grip on Jess, and as she let go of the girl, she raised one hand and brushed underneath her own eyes in an attempt to wipe away any tears that had fallen down without her realizing.
A thousand questions then began to swarm rapidly around her head as her gaze returned to Jess. Akari wanted to know how she was here, when she had returned, if she was staying- oh merlin she hoped dearly that she was not going to leave again... and of course, not to forget the most important question that was the answer to all. The infamous question that would explain everything. The question that would put all the pieces of the puzzle together. What in the world had happened to her? But alas, none of that made its way to the Gryffindor's lips, and she stood there still slightly choked up, though happy nevertheless. "I missed you terribly" She finally piped up.
After eventually figuring that it was probably not the best idea to leave all of her school supplies spread out in a disorderly fashion across the floor, practically waiting to be trampled on and ruined, Akari bent down and scooped up all her items before quickly returning to Jess's side and hooking her free arm through her friend's. Standing idly in the hall would surely cause some frowns from passersby, so Akari decided to take initiative and lead them somewhere off to the side.
"Come, perhaps we should not crowd the hallway. Then you must tell me everything"
Life is much easier when you just chill out | enzo delcroix |
30 Jan 2022, 04:02
It's Been a While, Hasn't It?
Jess had expected her apology to be met with anger, or confusion, or silence - something she could understand, something she felt was justified. She hadn't expected a hug. Or, at least, the continuance of the hug that she had expected to - yet dearly hoped it didn't - end. Not only that, but a tightening of Akari's grip around the Hufflepuff; an increased closeness, rather than a distance forged by the words she had been waiting yet dreading to say for so, so long.
It was alright.
Akari had said it was alright. Akari didn't even know what had happened - especially not the part about the letter, available yet willfully ignored - yet she had said it was alright. Jess's tears where joined by a painful sniffle.
The Gryffindor's next question was lighthearted, as if it was a throwaway said more out of formality than an actual suspicion that Jess was not, in fact, okay.
Was she?
Jess wasn't sure she knew. On the one hand, she most definitely wasn't: the months of isolation, the persisting curtain that still seemed to hang between her and all the other wanderers of the Hogwarts halls, none of that could simply go away with her re-entry to the school. She was back, now, but that didn't erase the fact that just a week ago, she hadn't been. On the other, though, she really was back now: it may not fix all that had happened, but it was enough, wasn't it? She was with Akari again - she was hugging her, for Merlin's sake - she was at the school again, she was practicing magic again. Surely, surely, that had to be enough.
"I'm not sure, honestly..." she whispered into Akari's hair. "It's... a long story." One that she resolved to tell, if Akari asked. Mercifully, though, she didn't. Not yet.
The hug with Akari lasted incredibly long, the two girls embracing for the course of almost an entire conversation, but it was still somehow too short. Akari pulled away from the touch, leaving Jess feeling as though a part of her own body had been taken away with the removed closeness; she felt naked, exposed, not yet ready to return to herself without the steady weight of her best friend keeping her up and hiding her tears from the passing students.
Looking back at the girl, Jess realized that the Gryffindor, too, had tears in her eyes. Instinctively, she reached up to wipe them away, brushing her thumb under Akari's eye the way she'd read about so many book characters doing when they were faced with crying friends. It didn't make much sense - Akari had already wiped at the tears, herself - but, still caught up in the romance of being with her best friend again, of being hugged by her, Jess couldn't resist.
"Yeah... I missed you, too," Jess said, sniffling as she let out a little chuckle. It was such a relief to be with Akari again, to hear her say those words. She almost felt like whooping for joy. Akari didn't know the half of it yet, though, so there was no telling if she'd keep up this attitude upon finding out how things had really gone down. Jess decided not to let her hopes rise too much for now, shelving her feelings of salvation until she could know for certain they could stay. It would hurt less, that way, if Akari changed her mind.
Lost in her own reasoning as she was, Jess had paid no mind to the other students in the hall before; they could have been mere suits of armor for all the attention the Hufflepuff spared them as all her thoughts focused in on the singular, most important girl in front of her. As Akari mentioned the crowd, though, Jess hazily looked over to her side and slowly realized that there were, really, other people there and that they were probably watching.
Jess would still much rather continue to be held by Akari here, even in front of all of Hogwarts - not just the dozen or so students that were currently scurrying through the halls - rather than move away, alone and without touch, but if the other girl would rather find somewhere more private, then Jess would oblige. She would listen to anything Akari asked of her, honestly. Even her second request, for Jess to "tell her everything." She owed her that much. Jess nodded silently, motioning for Akari to lead the way.
@Akari Kato
"Promises are sacred and hugs can save the world."
Stats: Stamina: 4 | Evasion: 7 | Strength: 4 | Wisdom: 8 | ArcPower: 5 | Accuracy: 7 | Calming Presence
1st Year Hex Code: #BF8040 | 2nd Year Hex Code: #c68458
6 Mar 2022, 22:38
It's Been a While, Hasn't It?
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With her arm still linked through Jess's, Akari let her feet lead the way towards a less crowded area of the corridor. Her pace was rather slow, but her mind was far from that. To be honest, it had still not stopped racing. Uncertainties and questions of all kinds were still filling her mind, however, she tried her best to quell them for now. Even though they likely will not subside by anything other than their answers, Akari recognized that she should not pry without even giving Jess a chance.
Clearly, Akari had no clue of what Jess went through or what had enfolded on her end nearly a year ago, and though she had already asked to be caught up, she did not want it to come across as if she was demanding an explanation. For all, she knew something horrifying could have happened, something that may even be hard to speak about. And besides, she already had gone without a word for this long, so if Jess needed a little more time before she spoke with her, that would be completely alright. Waiting a little longer would really not be so terrible, because just having Jess by her side was more than she could ask for.
Though only to add to all her swarming thoughts, Akari's next instinct was to bring Jess up to date on everything that she had missed. She was going to try her hardest to leave all of this for later, but there was just so much to tell her. Obviously, Akari had no clue how much Jess knew of the happening in Hogwarts during her time away, so she wanted to ask if Jess was aware of SCAR, and what they had done to those poor Koldovstorez students during summer camp. She wanted to tell Jess that last year the Gryffindor quidditch team, the very one she had miraculously made it on, had won all their games - including the 'battle royal' against the other visiting schools - Oh, and of course as the cherry on the cake, she wanted to gush about how she was now a first-string quidditch keeper after almost a year of adept bench warming.
Gosh, she had so much to say, so much to discuss, but she supposed there would be time for all her blabber later.
To break any silence that may have befallen them as Akari's racing mind distracted her from her surroundings, she suddenly turned to Jess. Apparently, this question had no intention of being held back any longer. "So, have you returned for good now?..." She asked, her tone becoming slightly worried towards the end as she paused for a moment. Akari had been so caught up in the moment she had not even thought about the flip side of that inquiry. "...Or are you only visiting?" She finally continued, all the while searching her friend's face for any indication of an answer. She already began to dread the idea of having to part with Jess once again, if the latter was the question that would be confirmed.
"Well, in any case, it is really good to see you" Akari followed up, a small grin making its way back to her face, as she attempted not to dwell on the possibility of having to go their separate ways, without even waiting to hear a response.
Life is much easier when you just chill out | enzo delcroix |