New Line von Xanderionas ================================================================================ Kapitel 16: Chapter 16 ---------------------- The cold echo from winter had thankfully let go over the weekend, making the journey far less uncomfortable than expected. Yagami took off her jacket as she entered first, Maria already at the door and letting the piano play through whatever means she had at her disposal. “Welcome back, Ms.Yagami.” she said in her usual voice, her eyes refusing to give any indication of her thoughts. Yagami didn’t pursue it either. “Hey Maria. Would you take my coat?” “Of course. Anders, good to see you.” Anders nodded towards her as he entered through the doorway, his thick green jacket slipping onto Maria’s arm in a move Yagami swore they had practiced. She moved to sit on one of the barstools, Anders joining her while Maria hung their coats. Once Maria was behind the bar counter, her eyes gained an inquisitive gleam: “Now then, what has been going on with you since yesterday Anders? I saw the news about you being released and was mortified to not have you celebrate it with me.” Yagami wisely shut up, aware that Anders had no idea how he got freed in the first place. The man himself began to answer: - Sorry Maria. I had to celebrate it with my new co-workers. “New co-workers? How did you manage to get a job so quickly? You never cease to surprise me.” Anders chuckled, before briefly putting a hand on Yagami’s shoulder, who nearly squeaked in surprise. - Thank Yagami here. She threw in a good word with her boss to have me employed as a character designer. Without her, I’d be on the street in a month. Yagami gave a nervous laugh as Maria’s gaze deepened, already preparing a glass of apple juice. “I see.” she answered while putting the glass before Anders, “I must thank you for having been such a help to one of our customers, Ms. Yagami.” “I-It was nothing.” Yagami felt extremely uncomfortable as she recognized the egg shells they had to tread around. She regretted it, but also didn’t know if she should tell him or not. Maria meanwhile walked towards her shelves, inspecting them with an intensity that made her nervous. “Let us see.” she mumbled to herself, before taking out a range of bottles and placing them before Yagami alongside a cocktail glass. Anders noted the array with intrigue: - A ‘Journey’? That’s rare. “Yes, I thought we might try this out with Ms. Yagami as it often helps ease troubled minds.” Aware that she was in for it now, Yagami slumped her shoulders. “Oh just do it already. Not like I already know what’s going to happen.” She ignored Anders’ confused expression, allowing Maria to grab the first blue bottle: “Then let us begin. For starters, how about a simple base of ‘Awkwardness’? For the barriers that have been redrawn in recent times.” She poured a decent amount in the glass, before moving to an oddly-shaped lime green bottle. “Next, ‘Concern’. For the intentions and abilities of others that one themselves cannot discern or swallow.” Cringing at her frightful accuracy, Yagami watched the green shot be followed by sun yellow: “One cannot forget ‘Curiosity’. For the futures which our actions lead to. Or the pasts that they hint towards.” The glass was already half-full, yet Maria now procured a purple bottle that she still distinctly remembered. “And now, a good amount of ‘Confusion’. For the complexity of life and the questions it raises for us daily.” She nearly filled the glass with the rest, only to halt and produce both the familiar white bottle and an even smaller orange one from her chest pocket. “For our finisher, we of course need ‘Compassion’ and ‘Courage’. For the heart which took into consideration those who needed help and braved the rules to provide a chance for a second life.” As the two bottles became emptied, they formed a familiar shell around the dizzying mix of colors in the glass, encasing it in a zebra pattern. Maria pushed the glass gently towards Yagami. “I believe that should suffice, Ms. Yagami. I must say, you do offer a complex mixture of emotions.” “Is that bad?” she asked in a weak voice, aware that Maria had struck gold with every bottle. “No, just that you have a rich heart. It goes to show how you actively pursue a dozen things at the same time. Something I suppose can be derived from the way you work. Anders, what is it?” Both women turned to see Anders gaze at her glass as if trying to understand it, Yagami sensing gratefulness but also more to it. He shook his head and wrote out: - Don’t mind me. I just haven’t seen a ‘Journey’ in a long time. “Not since a few years, correct?” Anders jumped slightly, Maria giving a deep chuckle. He sighed and wrote out: - Yes, I suppose. “You had these as well?” Yagami asked while holding the glass in her hand, the color display mesmerizing. “He received one during his first year here. Since then though, he has never taken another one.” “Really?” she asked while taking a sip, the mixture of flavors exactly like her current state of mind. Anders didn’t write an answer, looking in the other direction in a clearly deliberate manner. Finding it a little bit odd, she was distracted by Maria’s oddly humored tone: “Say, Anders, how about another one, for old time’s sake?” The look he gave her told he had exactly zero interest, though the latter ignored it and procured another glass. “This one will be on the house, so don’t worry. Now then…” She turned to the bottle shelves, her expression now forming a distinct frown that Yagami had never seen on her before. Stunned by how it looked, she barely caught it as Maria shook her head. “No good, I’m going to have to pull ‘it’ out again. A pity.” Now genuinely curious, Yagami became a bit startled as Anders’ hand slapped the counter, imploring Maria to read: - Please. We can do this another time. The woman who Yagami couldn’t quite put down as ‘normal’ merely smiled as she produced a key and entered it into a slot fitted between two of the shelves, Yagami never having noticed it before. “Anders, there are people in this world who have gone to great lengths because of you. Whether to hurt or to help, they are examples why you should not hinder your own growth. You know better than to ignore moving forwards.” He cringed, his complexion a good degree paler than before. Maria turned the key, unfolding a hole in the wall where a single crystal bottle stood. The dim lighting made discerning the color impossible. Maria took it out and locked the flap again. Yagami raised an eyebrow as she saw the bottle not a single color, as had always been the case before, but a literal rainbow. The color shifted every second, going from brighter to darker colors and confusing mixtures she couldn’t identify quick enough. Maria pulled open the cork, releasing a scent that at first smelled rank to Yagami. The moment the thought concluded though, Yagami felt herself become assaulted by memories, the sequence going through so fast she got a headache. She clamped her nose shut as she fought back the rush of scenarios, from her high school years with Rin to her bullying in Eagle Jump and Aoba’s encouragement for her to become Art Director. “What the hell is that?” she asked through moistened eyes, Maria casting her a sympathetic look. “My apologies, Ms.Yagami. This drink is a bit more pungent than the others.” “But why did it suddenly make me remember so much? What sort of ‘emotion’ is that?” A shadow crossed Maria’s face. “It is the culmination of humanity’s ability to perceive. It invokes pure emotion from every end of the spectrum, raw feelings that awaken memories found deep within oneself. You may find exquisite joy while drinking this, or the greatest of despair. It is not for any normal person to consume.” “Then why did you pull it out? Weren’t you just going to make a cocktail for Anders?” “No, Ms. Yagami.” Maria said with dead seriousness. “This is the only one which can affect Anders. As simple as humans normally are, there are some which cannot express themselves normally or are hindered to do so. Look.” Yagami turned to find Anders seemingly unaffected by the smell which wafted in through her mouth, continuing to flood her mind with experiences she didn’t necessarily want to remember. His eyes told a different story however, gaining a depth to them that she couldn’t see the end to. It was not mere sadness, nor happiness or any other form. It was simply ‘emotion’ like the drink itself. Maria poured the glass full, the shifting colors causing Yagami’s headache to worsen. Anders took hold of the glass in a grip that was close to its breaking point, his face beginning to sweat. Then in one swift movement, he opened his mouth and pretty much threw the contents down his throat, barely having time to taste it before it vanished. He followed it up with a deep grunt before collapsing on the counter, hiding his face while shaking. Yagami immediately grabbed his shoulder and asked: “Anders! Are you…?” He raised a hand to stop her while still hiding his face, scrawling out on his notebook: - Bathroom. He raised himself from the counter and stumbled into a room at the far end, still refusing to show his face. As the door closed behind himself, Maria picked up the conversation with a sigh. “Do not worry, Ms.Yagami. He responded like that the first time as well. Allow him a few minutes and he’ll be back to normal. In the meantime, may I ask you something?” Still unsure, Yagami faced Maria with an unsettled expression. “What is it?” “Do you see what I mean now when I told you people are more complex than you think?” She couldn’t give a smarter answer than a dumbfounded sound. “I see. Consider this, Ms.Yagami. When you drank your glass, it was an intriguing mixture of flavors, correct?” “Well, yeah.” “That is what the ‘Journey’ is. Nothing more than a taste of the emotions you hold at the time of drinking it. It can be sour, it can be bitter, or many of them combined. All dependent on you and how you feel about your current lifestyle. For most, having a mixture is completely normal. Your emotions for example are also nothing out of the ordinary. However, others exist which lack the ability to sense emotion and thus only receive tap water from me.” Despite the serious tone she used, Yagami couldn’t hold back from smirking a tiny bit. “Then there are those on the opposite end. People who are so filled with emotion they are comparable to an ocean. A dam blocks their emotions and only lets a small amount out to warrant a stable amount of pressure. It is this dam which prevents them from becoming too emotional in certain situations.” “Why all the imagery, Maria?” Maria gained that glint in her eyes again. “It is merely because you yourself are an imaginative person, Ms.Yagami. You have your own dam, but you allow it to open at times to relieve pressure. That is what’s known as ‘ranting’ in some circles. You did that with your first visit here. Letting your feelings out helps keep a balance to your life that allows you to return to your workplace and friends in a responsible manner. You must have done it often in your life already.” “Can’t deny that.” Yagami admitted, only to become startled when Maria’s voice gained an edge to it. “For others however, circumstances invite them to merely build higher, thicker walls to contain the emotions which threaten to burst out at any time. They never release but simply fight harder against the urge to open up. And then, when they receive a sudden addition to their system, the excess washes over and drowns them.” “You’re really pulling through with this imagery thing, you know? Just why would he be trying to hold it in though? It’s not like he killed somebody, or?” Her humor found no company, Maria glossing over it as if it had never been said. “I mentioned it already, but people are both simple and complex. One might find entertainment in the basest experiences, yet their reasons for unhappiness can reach farther than even the stars. The reason Anders still wished to come here is an example. Can you figure out why?” Surprised by her sudden involvement, Yagami took a few minutes to come up with an answer, Anders still nowhere in sight. As she slowly concluded, her mood became far more somber. “He said he wanted to come here simply for a drink, but the truth is he’s still hurting, isn’t it? Whatever it is that’s eating him.” Maria bowed with a pleased smile. “Precisely, Ms.Yagami. You have again proved why humans are a mystery even to themselves. With that being clear to you, I suppose I could unlock the door now.” “Wait, what?” A crash resounded in the bar, revealed to be Anders on the floor, giving a grunt as he raised himself. He slowly lumbered over to his bar stool, looking somewhat fresher, before scribbling: - Sorry. Door wouldn’t open. You need to have that checked, Maria. “I’ll have a look into it once I close shop. For now, can I interest you in anything else?” Anders gave a grimace. - Rather not. That was sour enough. Tasted like pure alcohol. Maria showed no displeasure, only smiling while giving Yagami an obscured wink. “I see.” Another grunt came from Anders, before he stood up and wrote down: - I think I had enough for tonight. We’ve got work tomorrow after all. Yagami noticed it was still early, too early to have made anything out of their evening. Seeing no point in lingering alone however, she relented and moved to stand herself. “I suppose I’ll leave as well. Sorry Maria, for it being such a short visit. What do I owe you?” “For the journey? Nothing. I always enjoy giving our customers a memory to cherish when they come here. Now then, you both are likely without transport. Shall I call a taxi to take you home?” Before Yagami could accept the offer, Anders’ phone spoke up: “Not for me, thank you.” Turning around, Yagami saw Anders already at the door putting his jacket on. The way he managed to sometimes move without a sound still surprised her every time he did it. As she moved to grab her jacket from the coat hanger, she heard Maria converse with Anders behind her: “Are you sure? It is a long way.” Yagami wasn’t privy to Anders’ answer, him likely using his notebook again. Once she was done getting dressed up for outside, she turned to see Maria give a resigned smile, Anders meanwhile waving to her with the notebook that read: - I’m off. See you tomorrow. She was barely able to get a word out before he rushed out of the bar, his footsteps indicating he nearly ran through the alley. She just caught sight of him as he turned the corner and vanished amongst the street traffic of early evening. Maria intruded on her thoughts: “I have already overstepped my boundaries, but I wish to leave you tonight with one request if possible, Ms. Yagami.” “What is it?” Maria’s gaze attained a saddened look, surprising her. “Please try to have him not return here. At least, not without your active knowledge.” Yagami sensed the seriousness in her voice, relaxing her posture by leaning against the entryway. Having the chance to finally express her thoughts, she came out without holding back: “Maria, be clear with me. I can only do so much and have already. Why are you making me so involved with him in addition to everything I’ve already done?” For the very first time, the prismarine eyes which stared back at her lacked the enigmatic character behind it, appearing almost human in contrast. “Call it harkening to a younger time of mine. I have tended to many customers in my life and found a number of whom I’m particularly fond of. You are one as I’ve mentioned. But Anders is a different sort. The kind who, in the most precarious of situations, still neglects their own well-being because they have lost all faith in themselves.” “That...sounds a lot more serious than I expected.” “Only because it is the truth in my view. I am no omniscient observer on the world or people’s actions, merely someone with a slightly wider window. I have my fears that Anders will end up repeating the mistakes which lead to him entering my establishment in the first place. And to redo that first year...would burden me more than anything else.” Maria sighed deeply, the action seemingly enough to return her to her usual state. Looking up at Yagami with her usual mysterious gaze, she finished her speech: “I have taken up enough time. Forgive me for having been so frank. I by no means wish to make you a caretaker, in any way or shape.” “Then what? You may have a slightly better grasp on things than I do, but you never make it clear just what it is that he wants. Doesn’t he have to choose that himself?” A slow shake of her head was all Maria offered before raising her hand towards the light switch, Yagami taking the hint and exiting the bar. As she turned around to leave however, Maria’s voice called out one more time: “If only he would, Kou. As should you.” Before Yagami could turn around, her back lit up, revealing the run-down version of the bar. She stood before it for longer than she would care to admit, slumping her shoulders and slowly heading to the train station. At this point in time, she knew that whatever she had become part of now held more importance than she would have credited it for. Problem was, she still didn’t know how to make heads or tails between Rin’s or Anders’ actions. She had the slightest suspicion that making a test run with a coin would only end with her landing it along the rim. Hosted by Animexx e.V. (http://www.animexx.de)