Shovel and Stone

by Krinkle (mrbirb1)

Summary:

Getting a job at the Bunbunmaru as Aya's assistant might not have been the best choice as things get awkward with a certain group in Gensokyo after digging too deep. Go figure, this might be the worst place to not mind your business.

"...you want to find out?"

Notes:

Hey! This is my first real "writing thing" I've done in general. This is mainly just for fun and something to do in my free time, and I hope you enjoy!

Chapters might be fairly spread out or very awkwardly timed due to a bunch of work with all the stuff I do outside of this.

Definitely give me your questions/ideas/concerns because I would love to implement them! Chances are you'll probably find something like it in the next chapters ;)

Chapter 1: If We Get Lucky

The filing cabinet fell down again.

Thankfully every time it does decide to tip over, it almost always lands face down, and no papers ever end up scattering across the floor. Although they might as well have done so considering how much filing I already have to do before my shift ends. I sigh, and step away from the balcony facing out to the street where the Bunbunmaru building has stood for a thousand-something years. I open the sliding door from the balcony to the top floor hallway, locking it, and start to walk downstairs to the main office passing by the considerably less spacious rooms upstairs.

Walking into the main hallway and stepping into Aya's office greeted me with exactly what I expected, although this time there were apparently a few things I've missed since the last time I went in. One is a note that was left for me to tell me what to work on, but nothing I have to start yet. Apart from that, there's a binder and a notebook now resting on one of the couch cushions on the other side of the fairly large office. Coming in the Bunbunmaru was simple, but Aya's office was always the most prominent entrance out of the first hallway.

Opening the front door, you could see a staircase straight ahead leading upstairs to the more "personal" areas. On the left of the first floor was one double door leading to Aya's office—which was about the size of a classroom— and two doors on the right. The closest to the entrance is my office (which was practically just storage space for the century it wasn't being taken up), and the farthest being the bathroom.

Looking back at the file cabinet now face down, I grab the top right corner which had been dented a few times due to how long it's been in use and never replaced. I start to lift, and the cabinet slides forward towards the wall, hitting it and making sure I was unable to lift it any further. My eyes close for a second as I move my other arm to the back of the cabinet where I just barely managed to pull it back towards me. Once it's tilted up enough to let go, I rest my arm in the middle and push it to be vertical again. It looks like the handle of the top drawer is ready to fall off, and dented slightly inward towards the metal.

"Stupid fucking cabinet."

Pushing the door out of the way, I walk out of her office and straight into mine, closing the door behind me. It's cramped—but enough to fit a desk, a shelf, and a typewriter, which is all I'm supposed to need anyways. I sit there for a second and load paper into the typewriter, sitting there.

...

I forgot the note. The door slides open again as I awkwardly walk back and forth— now with the note in hand. Staring at Aya's godawful handwriting as I walk back to the office, I set the note down. I've never put it past her to have good handwriting, but looking at it makes me want to leave this job and go live in the forest. As a reporter it seems fair to have to write quickly especially when interviewing people without a tape recorder or anything of the sort, so it makes sense to write sloppy. The issue starts to arise when you have a foreigner try to read 11-stroke characters this horribly written.

It's not like there's room to complain, anyways. Aya approached me in the Human Village, apparently in desperate need of some help at the Bunbunmaru. Mainly the offer was "do this as a job, and you'll get a roof under your head and everything you need", but the 'everything you need' part quickly fell short after figuring out Aya simply didn't have time to pick up anything. The roof over my head is nice compared to the Human Village, though, and I'd be content with taking a deal for just that.

The wind chimes outside clash together, interrupting my thought. I've noticed that she manages to set them off almost every time she gets back due to how quickly she chooses to dive-bomb on the doorstep. The building settles slightly at the harsh landing, and the door opens, followed by a bag being set gently on the floor.

I put down my pencil noticing that they've arrived.

"Can you run me through what you wrote for the seventh time..? I'm still new to reading this."

I watch the door frame as they peek inside, looking down at me with either curiosity or annoyance on their face, and it's hard to tell.

"Honestly, I don't remember. Show me the note again?"

Their face goes neutral. After they speak, I look around my desk for the note and grab it before briefly standing up just enough for them to reach. They take it directly from my hand, and analyze it. If you have an issue with reading your own handwriting, maybe you should take it as a problem.

"Ah," they start, "This first point was about some event at the Moriya shrine related to the festival I sent you to go help plan with them. The second was about some disappearances over in the Bamboo Forest."

"Disappearances? How?"

I reply quickly after, looking up at them from my short attention on my desk.

"That's what I'm trying to figure out. Although... disappearances in the Bamboo Forest of the lost is not surprising in the slightest. But the scale seems too large to be just people getting lost in the forest. Like, why did everyone suddenly start swarming there?" Aya leans against the wall near the door, looking over in my direction.

I click my tongue in response before looking behind me to grab a small notepad. In English, I jot down a few notes. They're very short but enough to help remember and keep as a reminder to look into it. Most notably, 'why are people gathering in the Forest?'

"You think it's some weird mind control thing?" I blurt out, not thinking at all. It's a stupid point, and doesn't make much sense."

There's a silence in the room, which never means anything good coming from Aya.

"...you want to find out?"

I roll my eyes, and look up at them. I chuckle before realizing they're dead serious, and catch myself.

During the silence, I swallow despite my dry throat and lips, which I'm just now paying attention to. I look at the floor again, tilting forward slightly.

"No? Well, I mean... yes, but I'm not gonna be bait..." I stutter while looking at Aya. Their eyes pierce mine and they keep the largest grin you could imagine on their face. I rub my eyes and swallow again, slightly out of breath. "...Fine."

---

It was decided. Tomorrow night, we would leave for the Bamboo Forest of the Lost to satisfy Aya's need for a good story— or maybe just curiosity in general.

The Bunbunmaru was already cramped excluding Aya's very large office and the not-so-large bedrooms. The upstairs hallway was no exception, and I thank god every day that the doors open in towards the room. As I stand in the upstairs hallway by the door to my room, Aya starts conversation.

"What do you think?"

I look over at them. "What do I think about what?"

"Well... what do you think it is? Some weird youkai mind controller? Some people getting mauled or something? Or is it just coincidence..?" They prompt, turning their head towards me while beginning to lean against the door, crossing their arms below their chest. "I don't know," she starts, "something about it feels unsettling."

I pay close attention, looking up from the floor to watch them. They're staring at the floor by the door in front of them, their expression frighteningly neutral, as if they were worried.

"I dunno. A hunch tells me coincidence, like we're not going to find anything tomorrow. Which is probably true either way. Are we just relying on 'if we get lucky'? We don't have much to go off of. But..." I pause, my mind instantly going to a few places.

"But I wouldn't be surprised if it's the vampire." I say, Aya instantly looking up and making eye contact. Having caught attention instantly, all of a sudden it's a struggle to elaborate. I pause. "That girl just fucking scares me, I guess." I look down again, and Aya steps closer. "I don't want to get caught up in some shit with the Scarlet Devil Mansion... That's just asking to be killed." She replies, her tone reluctant.

"I guess we hope it's not them, then? What are the chances?" I think for a second. "Well, no, didn't they sign a contract swearing they wouldn't just kill humans? The bodies had to be delivered to the mansion. It couldn't be them." I shake my head, knowing I'm digging too deep on the obviously wrong answer.

"God, Remilia Scarlet scares the shit out of me..." I blurt out, not meaning to say it out loud. Aya pushes off the wall and leans forward with their hands behind their back, stretching. "She's worse when she's hungry. I would know."

"God, I feel horrible for those people. How do you think she feeds? It has to be some creepy system." I curl up slightly, crossing my arms and pulling them close. "It would be a cool story for the Bunbunmaru if it didn't involve us getting involved in that."

"Actually..." Aya starts, and I quickly interrupt. "Don't 'actually' that, I'm not getting my blood sucked out of me."

I bite my lip, suddenly remembering how much I despise that woman.

"Is it some demon?" I propose, stepping slightly closer.

"I have a few hunches. Could be Rumia, or..."

I stop as they become reluctant. They stay silent for quite a while, and it almost becomes awkward.

"We're getting off topic," I interrupt the pause— my tone suddenly a little more heated, but it's clear I'm not trying to be rude. "Let's just go to bed for the night."

They nod. I look up, and they step away towards their door. They speak up finally. "Good night,"

And I nod back, reach for the handle, and open my door. "Good night, Aya," I reply as I step inside. The room is about twice the size of my office downstairs, and the bed is nicely made by the far right edge of the room, facing the wall on my left. I sit down briefly on the bed after taking my shirt off, and throw the blanket out to the wall before sliding into bed, the room practically pitch black. Moonlight just barely seeps through the window, hitting the wood floor. I pull the blanket back from the wall, moving to cover my whole body.

I hear a murmur through the walls, Aya saying something unintelligible. I pay it no mind, although it is the first I've heard of her talking to herself. I close my eyes.

Chapter 2: Roasted Soybeans?

"Some more, then?"

My hand gestures towards the cup to stop. "No thanks, I'm not a great drinker, and I think two rounds is enough for someone on the job."

Pushing the near-empty cup slightly away, my hands reach into my pockets and finally pull out a small notepad, opening it up to a blank page.

"So, Suika," I begin, noting a few preconceptions down: 'Very cheerful, drinks a lot.' After writing, my eyes move to look straight up at them, fixing my shoulder posture slightly. My grip on the notepad shifts slightly.

They look over at me, smiling as I begin, the ribbon on one of their horns waving slightly. "I've heard you've attended many of the festivals hosted at the Scarlet Devil Mansion. Do you plan on attending this year?" I ready my pen just above the notepad, prepared to write their reply down. I lean into their couch, and the leather creaks slightly under the movement.

"The one with the beans?" They reply calmly, tilting their head to the side.

"Yes, the one with the beans." Such a weird way to identify something, you would think, but it makes sense. That's one of the first things I've heard of the festival— how Remilia always gets horribly pissy at people throwing roasted soybeans at her. I've heard that's her 'garlic', but I had never heard anything about vampires being allergic to soybeans prior.

Apparently that was precisely what they want to hear, and their mouth opens surprisingly wide in a grin, breathing in excessively before speaking. Slurred but clear at the same time (perhaps from the sake) and without any self-monitoring, they start, "Well, of course!"

My head quickly pushes back by an inch or so, surprised by the volume and projection of their voice. They start again, closer to a normal tone this time around, and I press my pen to the notepad. "I wouldn't miss it for the world. A lonely gal like me needs some crowd time, ya know?" They take another concerningly large sip of their alcohol. I laugh comfortably in response, trying not to make it awkward. "You seem like a strong drinker, is that another reason you go?"

I zone out and end up taking another sip of my drink, shaking my head when I realize I'm still on the job before pushing it away completely. They nod, and almost scratch the wall by the other couch they're sitting on with their horns while laughing. "Rich people tend to serve good alcohol."

"I couldn't agree more. You seem like the extrovert type, would you say so?"

They look around the room, thinking, like it's an actual question to consider. Maybe they're simply not as quick-witted when they're drinking. "I definitely see myself as one. You just needed filler, didn'tcha?"

My eyes close as I let out a snicker under my breath, looking up. "You got me, yeah. I couldn't think of a better question in time." Looking down at my notepad, I try to figure out too late if I had written any questions down beforehand.

"You're human, right?"

My head snaps to look up from my notepad quickly, the question quickly grabbing my attention. My grip on the pen loosens up slightly. "Yeah, I am. It's a long situation on how I got hired at the Bunbunmaru, though." I set the pen down on my lap next to the notepad, tilting my head slightly. "Outsider human, or..?" They prompt, and it takes a second to think about the little I remember before replying.

"Honestly, I don't remember much. It's all muddy, so I've just considered myself an outsider. I probably am, but when you don't have any memory of this place you might as well be." They smile and take another drink, finishing their cup and stepping over to pour a new one. "Well said. Outsider or not, you're a good kid."

Finding myself smiling quickly after, I reply with a simple "Thanks..." and pick my pen back up. Trying to stay on topic as someone with little to no interviewing experience is awkward. Why did Aya hire me out of all people?

"...the festival is in two months, right? I've been assigned to a few publicity duties there, so you'll definitely see me around with some sort of press badge."

"Two months! I can't wait!" They yell, startling me slightly as they start raising their voice again. It feels like being in a store with a grade-schooler, but this time it's a drunk oni without volume control. "I'll see you there, then!"

Smiling, I realize that's a good cue to start heading to the next interview, checking my watch that I found on the ground early into my stay at the Human Village. Originally, there was a debate on handing it over to Rinnosuke over at the pawn shop, but it was much more convenient to have a watch of my own in the absence of other convenient ways of telling time.

"Well, it was great to meet you, Suika. I should probably head out with the limited time I have to get to Southern Gensokyo." I nod gently, closing my notepad and putting both pen and pad in my pocket.

"Southern Gensokyo? Where the hell do 'ya have to get to?"

"Well, I have a few interviews over by the Mist Lake area, by the Mansion and whatnot."

"You don't wanna, do 'ya?" They blurt out unexpectedly. Noticing how horribly neutral my face is, I look up in an attempt to snap myself back in from zoning out yet again. "No, that's not it," I respond just as quickly. But that was pretty much it— I would have to interview Remilia next— and that could either be painless or horribly painful depending on her mood. "Kinda, actually. Nice catch, you're impressively good at reading moods."

"I've been told," they reply, "but you shouldn't have to do anything you feel awkward about." They take another large sip of their sake, and the accessories tied around their horns jingle slightly as they move. I put the comment aside in my brain, choosing not to linger on the topic.

"Well, I'd hate for this to end on a bad note. Would you like to go for a proper drink later this week, when I'm not on the job?" My tone brightens slightly in comparison, and it comes out very cheerful, more than I expected.

"Absolutely! Does Saturday work? I remember Aya telling me that was her free day, and I assume the same goes for you."

"That works, then, Saturday."

I stand up, and shake their hand, which is slightly damp from the condensation on their cup. I chuckle softly before my departure, and, just as quickly as I came...

---

"Did that fucking bird ditch me again?" I whisper, sighing to myself.

I look around the small clearance surrounded by trees near Suika's house, just down the path. It's about the size you would expect for a small campground, perfectly circular with an area that could conveniently fit a campfire in the middle. It's fairly quiet, as well, and you can only really hear wildlife.

We had agreed earlier to have her meet at 11:50 to fly me over the tens of miles to the southern areas, because it was close enough to get to Suika's from the Bunbunmaru— less so to get from Suika to the Scarlet Devil Mansion.

Looking back around behind me, Aya stands there unexpectedly, leaning against a tree and staring at me. I flinch. Hard. "You know you would get your ass beat if you called any other tengu 'fucking bird', right?"

Leaves are flying around in the air around them, and my only guess is because of how quickly they arrived. I stand there at a loss for words, staring at them with my mouth open like I'm about to make a comment. After a moment, my mouth closes and I bite my lip slightly in embarrassment.

"Sorry. Can you fly me over to the mansion?"

"That's what I came here for, isn't it?"

They push off the tree, stepping closer towards me and further into the clearing. They walk up quietly, and I can't tell if they're hurt at the comment or annoyed at me. "Grab on." Their voice is very annoyed, and it's going to hurt to think about if I linger for too long.

Stepping towards them, I grab on by their shoulders from the front, wrapping my arms around their neck. It's always awkward, and always will be, especially when it's your boss.

I've found that you eventually get used to flying without any harness or restraint quickly, but it does help to be facing up, I guess. I've never had the heart to look down at probably 5,000 feet in the air, and half the time I don't even look at anything.

Opening my eyes, though, I don't see much. Just the sky and some hair flying over my face. What nobody prepared me for was how loud and cold it is up here. Especially now, in... fall? It would probably help to yell if I needed to get something across, but I doubt it would be audible at all. I've screamed the first few times in fear but even I couldn't even hear it over the wind, and that's even more obvious to imagine when you consider her speed.

And this time was no different, but she's fast enough to have us on the ground before I can think about it. And fuck, it's cold. Nothing around me is warm except Aya (somewhat), but even they're cold as well. But it's sort of comfortable holding on like this. I've never had anything towards them in any other non-platonic way, really, but I can't say I don't like being this close to them.

After a bit of hanging there from my hands and legs, the wind slows down around me, and eventually we come to a stop, sliding slightly on the dirt path by the mansion. Letting go abruptly, I stumble backwards and catch myself.

"Never getting used to it."

"Try being the one flying," they comment, barely smiling at me. "It's a lot more fun when you're not the one screaming."

"I gathered," I reply shortly after, pulling out the notepad again, "I'm sure you love to hear it."

"I'll pick you up..." they check their wristwatch for a moment. "1:00? That'll give you an hour. How about 1:15? I'm sure the mansion will let you stay if you're finished early." I check my watch as well. It shows about 11:58, so an hour seems pretty fair. "Sounds good, then. See ya, bird."

They scoff and smile back at me slightly. I smile silently, and they dash off into the sky faster than I imagined. I blink quickly a few times to keep the dust and debris that flew into the air out of my eyes as best I can. Almost sneezing from the dust, I look down at my notepad, reviewing a few topics I had written down leaving Suika's house.

That was seriously an awkward interview, I barely had any content for them.

Walking down the path towards the mansion, I check my notepad again and continue writing down as many questions as I can so I'm not nearly as unprepared for Remilia as I was for Suika.

As for last night, I think it would probably be in our best interest to ask somewhat about feeding habits or something along those lines before going out like that in the forest tonight and being bait for whatever's waiting, but it would need to be incorporated in other questions so it's not so suspicious.

Arriving at the gate, I take in the sheer size of the mansion. It's not similar to that of a castle, but certainly large. I look back down at the gate and the guard with long red hair and a green suit, who's... asleep.

"Hello?"

...

Really asleep.

I tap their shoulder. "Sorry to bother you."

REALLY asleep.

...

In a delayed response, they jolt up, their eyes wide like they just did drugs. "Hi! What can I do for you?" Their eyes travel all around the place as they proclaim quickly, clearly as surprised as I am.

"I'm the new hire with the Bunbunmaru? I'm here for an interview that Remilia gave the go-ahead for." I tilt my head slightly.

"Bunbunmaru? Right, with that pesky reporter girl. Alright then."

Letting a small chuckle out in response, I bow slightly. "Thank you." They open the gate, pulling up the release bar at their waist and walking with it, giving more than enough space to enter.

---

I stand awkwardly before the large dark oak door to Remilia's quarters. Reaching into my pockets yet again to fidget with the notepad, I swallow deeply. The door opens and I do my best to smile, and they return the smile, reaching their hand out.

"Remilia Scarlet, pleased to meet you."

I firmly return the hand shake, nodding. "Nice to meet you. This shouldn't take too long, thanks for allowing me to interview you today."

They sit me down on a couch adjacent to them in a smaller leather chair, which is a similar material to the couch I sit on. It's not surprising that everything here would match, considering I've heard Remilia is more of a perfectionist. Maybe being alive for centuries does that to you.

"Well, let's get started, then." I say before they nod in response, leaning back in the chair.

"So after I looked into your previous interviews with the Bunbunmaru, I noticed there was a lack of questions I feel anyone somewhat interested in the fact you're a vampire would ask. Is there a reason for that?" I rest the pen on my notepad getting ready for a response. I'm hoping for a no, because that's half of my questions.

"I'll spare details when I need to, but not really. I guess Aya's just never asked me anything of the sort, so feel free to." They reach out to a cup of tea on the coffee table in the middle in between us, taking a sip. The tea is horribly red, so I guess that hints towards how they feed without hunting. I smile, and begin the interview.

"So, your average day— how does it typically go?"

"It's quiet in the morning, and to summarize, I typically just wander until evening when everything picks up speed. Lunch and dinner are typically made for me, and after dinner I like taking walks at night. Maybe it's meeting new people that's fun to me."

"Meeting new people? Where do you typically go on walks?"

"The village, maybe. One of the forests if I'm feeling lonely." They take another sip of their tea, looking down at the floor for a second.

"I never bring anyone back to the mansion. It's not that I couldn’t—far from it—but it feels… cheap. Too personal." I raise an eyebrow, noting a few points down, including the one they just made. I didn't expect this to get that in depth, and also definitely could have been spared from it.

"Well, has it always been like this? Do you see the world differently now?"

They take another sip and sigh slightly before looking back up at me. "It's definitely a louder time, and it makes Gensokyo interesting. But it feels more hollow now, like things are less detailed. People got boring."

I smile and they chuckle back, smiling afterwards. They continue, "Time is strange when you have such a large outlook on it. You learn to let go easily, and that's something I've definitely learned about living for so long. Being immortal felt like a freedom, like I could do anything... but it got depressing. Not to say I'm sad—I'm very content— but things happen."

They adjust and play with some of the trim on the end of their dress with a pensive look on their face. Acknowledging that, I make eye contact and nod my head gently.

"So then what do you do for fun? Any hobbies?"

My hand moves to flip the page on my notepad, and goes to finish jotting down notes of all the information they just gave me. After finishing, I look back up at them once again. "Music, reflection, or reading... There's a reason we have such a big library. I'd be happy to give you a tour if you're interested."

"I'd love to if we get done early." I respond, shifting to cross my legs in the chair.

"I've heard you used to love hunting— obviously you can't do that anymore because of the contract you signed— but would that still hold up? How do you feed, anyways?"

Remilia holds up the cup of tea. "This is mainly how I feed. Would you like to try some?"

I look up, confused, and look back down at the tea. After a pause, they laugh, breaking the silence.

"I was joking, don't worry. As for how we make these, I can't say. Maybe I'll explain it to you off the record one day, if you can handle it." There's an awkward laugh that comes out on my end. Maybe it has something to do with the forest..? No, that's a bad preconception to have.

But I can't say there's not a weird aura sitting around them. They're being respectful, but it feels threatening. Maybe it's just my gut being weird about the conversation last night with Aya. And 'if you can handle it'? Really?

"If I can handle it. Well then, what's your favorite time period out of all of them you've lived through?"

---

One of the maids I don't recognize, wearing a surprising amount of blue, opens the front door for me as I leave the mansion.

"Thank you again for the interview opportunity, on behalf of the Bunbunmaru."

They bow gently, and reply: "You're very welcome, get home safe."

...

The guard is awake this time, and I gesture to them as I approach the gate. They open it quickly after, smiling as they pull open the gate, holding the handle in one hand.

"Thank you, have a good night." I say, bowing again before starting on the walk back to the spot.

The path feels awkwardly long to the area where Aya said they were going to pick me up in, what... five minutes? Looking at my watch, I notice the glass somehow cracked from the right side by the crown to the top. It shows 1:12.

It looked just fine earlier, and I can't for the life of me recall what could have cracked it in the mansion. Maybe I just hadn't noticed it while walking up to the mansion. It's a fairly small watch, about the size of a quarter, so it's plausible that's what it was and I hadn't paid close enough attention.

"Huh."

I wait in the middle of the dirt path for Aya again, using trees I recognized earlier as a landmark of where to stop. Reaching in my pocket, I pull out the notepad again and read over the questions. Let's see...

In response to "average day":
Remilia says "I never bring anyone home, feels cheap.
States day is quiet and they wander sometimes.

In response to "fun":
Remilia says "music, reflection, reading, and meeting new people"...

We can skip over a few...

In response to "feeding":
Remilia talks about her weird 'tea' thing, not sure what it is.

"Hmm?"

DO NOT LOOK INTO THE FOREST.

Huh? I read closely again, trying to verify I read that correctly. It definitely says that. It's very scribbled and rushed, but that is what it says.

I look around me, trying to recall if I had written that or not. Looking back at the notepad, the note isn't there at the end anymore. God, this is trippy. None of the landmarks I was paying attention to seem the same anymore, either. Am I even in the right place?

Which way is the mansion? It should be right behind me, shouldn't it? So where did it go? I look back behind me.

Is this a fever dream? And now that I think of it, my watch still shows 1:12. It's not moving at all, and putting my ear up against my watch is just silence. No ticking. And the crack is... gone? And these trees are large... taller than I remember them being. And behind me, too, I spin around to find more trees where there was a small clearing—I remember—as Aya dropped me off.

Turning back, I look farther into the distance where trees opened up to make a new path. Bamboo..?

In the distance, there's a bland hint of bamboo. It's very dull, and less green than you would expect. Something's up. And I don't want to be anywhere close to that forest without Aya, especially not during these disappearances.

"Bamboo..." I whisper, closing my eyes for a second.

"What about bamboo?" I'm interrupted by Aya's voice, and opening my eyes I watch as they stare at me, confused. All the landmarks return to normal and I debate explaining and sounding mentally insane.

I close my eyes again for a moment, and breathe in deeply, still trying to process what just happened.

"Aya, I think we're getting too deep."

They tilt their head and furrow their eyebrows. "What does that mean?"

"I got lost without moving at all... I don't know how, but I saw the bamboo forest just to the right of me. Just now, when I closed my eyes." My voice breaks slightly, trying to figure out what happened. They reply,

"You were just standing there. It was concerning, you were like a zombie..."

"Let's head home for the day. I'll handle the next few interviews instead, you just sleep in."

Do I need to? I can't tell if it is actually the fact that I sleep or not, but I can't say it sounds bad right now. Without saying anything, I step forward and hold on to them again as they push into the air, the wind blowing against my ears once more.

Notes:

Sorry if this was paced awkwardly, I'm still figuring out a workflow for editing after I finish the first drafts... scrapped a whole 600 something words from this one in the beginning, it would have been an awkward infodump.

Thanks for reading!