The girl set in the booth of the ikebukuro Academy Town Cafe shop she'd decided to occupy for the day, laptop open in front of her and the cursor blinking, waiting for its operator to type in the words necessary to continue her story. Though there was something wrong today... The girl was experiencing something she wasn't accustomed to, as she rarely felt it. Her brain wouldn't push the story on in her mind, anything she happens to conjure up seemed stupid and quite bland. It wasn't like her, considering the title she published when she was still in puberty: 'Dear Akin'. Renowned for its suspenseful nature and ability to draw the reader in, it sent her from street bum to rich girl. So no, she was not accustomed to this feeling. She was not accustomed to writers block.
The girl sighed and leaned back in her seat, today was going to be annoying for her... Any day without writing seemed so boring to her... Writing was the only way she could express her creativity, well there was also dawning, but she wasn't particularly good at that. Actually she was horrendous, it was awful chicken scratch at best...
She re positioned herself and lead forward once more, placing her head in her hand and frowning, blowing a strand of light green hair out of her face. The same blank screen stared back at her mocking her with its wordless features. The girl, in a fit of childish rage, stuck her tongue out at the screen as if it were alive and could be offended by such an action.
“Ai?” A voice asked quizzically, distracting her from her stare down with her laptop. It was her father, the manager of the cafe shop she was attending, she enjoyed her fathers company greatly, he was so kind and loving, she'd no idea what she would do without him. “Is something the matter?” He asked a slight concern in his voice. Even if he is a bit nosy... She added.
“I can't think of anything to add!” She complained as her father listened, eyes on her as he polished cups. “I'm not used to writers block and I hoped to fill the day with writing and at least get another chapter done.” She frowned and whimpered slightly provoking a smile from her father. “Now I'll have to find something else to do...” She moaned in annoyance as she closed her laptop and set in her messenger bag.
Jack was happy his daughter had such a well-rounded hobby, even though her stories were a bit dark, and even more happy she made money off of it, it made him proud. She more than once offered to buy him a bigger store, one with more... 'Pizaz' as Ai would word it, but he declined each time. For one: it was her money and two: Kin liked small simple places.
“I guess I could read...” She suggested as she pulled out a small black book with white lettering. “I would love to finish this story by the end of the week, it's really captivating...” She mused to herself, and to her father if he was still listening, as she found her place. Though, as she did the chiming of the door opening brought her eyes from her book and up to the entrance, where she saw a two young ikebukuro Academy students walk in, though one could tell a lot from how a certain person enters a room.
The first boy walked in, keeping his arms to his sides and his head tilted downward ever so slightly as if he were subconsciously trying to hide himself from the world around him. His friend, or she guessed that's what he was considering how close they were walking, came in loudly. Well, in a physical sense, he kept his chest out, a big smile graced his face Her eyes lingered on the first boy, for whatever reason, and followed him as he took a seat near the window of the shop and looked outside, most likely admiring the scenery. It was a bright and sunny day out. Though Ai's most inspirational work came when the sky was covered in a blanket of gray fog.
He was strange, no that wasn't quite the right word, unique. Yes that was it! Ai could tell behind that innocent exterior lay a complicated and fascinating piece of exsistance. Ai bit her thumbnail subconsciously as she watched him. To the more casual onlooker he would appear a normal boy, but Ai was a writer, and she knew better.
There was something about him, something that would take a carefully deductive person to reveal. As she looked onto the boy trying to figure out just what was hidden in his eyes. A persons eye's could tell a lot about them and the boy she was looking at eyes must tell of a tragedy. The way he stared outside revealed a slight sense of hurt, from what she could deduce, something that he was trying hard to hide whether he knew it or not.
Saber sat there staring out the window, watching the people go by enjoying their lives. People, he never thought anything of people, while most people have a tangible fear of Half humans and in the local gangs are cautious, Saber always had Half human and dark users in the back of his mind, but he never really felt threatened by them. What sort of fulfillment could a Half human and dark users have out of him? he knew how to fight but, weak and to be honest he was just plain mushy. Saber didn't know how Half human liked their meat, but he figured they enjoy something with a bit more tenderness.
“HEY SABER! WAKE UP!” a certain energetic voice called to him, snapping him from his thoughts. His best friend, only friend rather, the man who brought him back from his daydreams, Manuel, was a colorful he would always speak loudly or sometimes be quiet and had almost no sense of shame. He was, in fact, the exact opposite of Shi Saber Akamine.
Saber was an introvert in just about every definition of the word. His friend, besides Manuel, were books. And He sometimes talk to the girls They were the only moments his Sister left him after her death, her sister that he loved. It was calming, the smell of the pages, the sound they made as he turned the pages he felt as if his Sister was there with him, even though he never knew the man.
“Sorry, Manuel...” Saber trailed off as he stared at his best friend. “I'm just a little tired...” And why wouldn't he be? Despite mostly confining himself to his dorm.
Manuel frowned slightly and sighed, Sabers never a good liar, something was troubling him and he wasn't going to speak about it, best to pry the information out of him. “So, where's this cutie you've told me about? The one with the silver hair and the eyes to match along with a nice blu-”
“Manuel!” He interrupted before his friend had gone to far in his reciting of Saber's description aloud. No sense of shame... Saber thought as he watched Manuel snicker at his embarrassment. In fact Saber would prefer him not talk about miss Mariane at all, he had a particularly bad feeling about this date, that it would go horribly wrong. But, to be fair, this was his first date ever. He had the right to be a little nervous.
Manuel then sighed, “Well, I have to go to the restroom, don't leave me while I'm gone.” He waved as he walked to the back, right past a certain green haired woman. He noticed her earlier, when he walked in, eyeing them, particularly Saber, from across the shop with a certain investment in her eyes.
Ai watched as the boy's eyes followed his loud friend, all the way up to the point of the door shutting. He quickly pulled a book out of his backpack and flipped open to a bookmarked page, probably hoping his friend would take his time with his self relief. Ai's eyes drifted from the boy to the book he was reading, in fact she was quite familiar with the book. Thicker than water, her latest release, and it was pretty successful, in fact she was certain there was something concerning it today? Perhaps today was the same day of the release of it? She decided to shake the feeling off, as it really didn't matter, she was far more interested in this Saber fellow.
Ai walked over to the booth he and his now preoccupied friend were using, her presence going completely unnoticed by the boy, entranced by her novel. It was quite flattering, that someone she'd deemed so interesting was so entranced by her work. There was something about the reader that drew her to him, suddenly the pain in his eyes was lifted, even if just a little, when he started his read. Ai wondered if all books did this or just hers... It didn't matter really, just something interesting.
Ai then slammed her hands roughly on the dark brown table, which caused a loud boom to emanate and made the boy jump in his seat. He wasn't the only one effected by it though, from the back of the shop, she heard a loud crash, and a few curse words come out of it in a failed attempt to be hushed. “Sorry!” She called back as she carefully seated herself across from Saber. Mia who worked at the place replied with a few mumbles which caused Ai to smile.
“May I help you ma'am?” The boy asked, by the sudden intrusion of her hands upon the table. Ai grinned a little, she found his shyness kind of cute.
“Yes, actually!” She answered reaching into her back pocket for a notepad and her aprons breast pocket for a pen. “You see, I find your entire... Mannerism... fascinating.” She said marveling at the boy, eyelids just above half open. “Definitely the making of a main character for a tragedy.” She said, trying to make that sound as much of a compliment as she could. “Your name?” She asked, twirling the pen in her slender tiny fingers, almost to fast to be human.
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“ Shi Saber Akamine...About just call me Saber everyone dose so” Saber said, mesmerized by the strange woman before him. His first impression of her was that she was beautiful. Her hair flowed intricately from her head, framing her face, which held a smile and a pair of Brown eyes. Her skin looked so soft and smooth. A part of Saber wanted to feel it.
“ Shi Saber Akamine...” She muttered as she wrote on her notepad. All her attention drawn to the tiny yellow booklet.
“Um miss-” Saber was hushed before he got to finish his sentence. The woman had outstretched her thin arm, which had a baggy, dark green sleeve wrapped around it, and placed a finger at Saber's mouth, forcing him to stop talking.
“Ladies first.” She said, almost mockingly, as she retracted her finger. Saber flushed as she retracted it, wondering why she didn't let it linger for just a bit longer. It all felt so... relaxing. There was something about this woman that made his body relax when she spoke.
“Now,” she began “Tell me, is there a reason you have such a sad look in your eye?”
Saber was taken aback, out of all the things she could have asked him she asked him that? It wasn't so much strange as it was uncalled-for. Nobody, save for Manuel, ever worried for his personal well-being, what was she getting at? Yeah his sister died he felt depressed as hell he can only say.
“I um mm...”
“Of course if you don't feel comfortable talking about it you don't have to.” The strange woman said, letting him know he at least had an option, though with a hint of disappointment was evident in her voice. Whoever she was, she was generally interested in him.
“N-no, it-it's fine...” He said, regaining his composure, “I'ts only that; I don't really get questions like this often...”
He notices the girl frown slightly, not one of disappointment nor annoyance, but rather sympathy. “Isn't really noticed by others...” she muttered lowly as she scribbled away on her note pad. Even the motion of her hand whilst she wrote relaxed him, he fought the urge to release a tired sigh as she continued to press the pen to paper.
“Have you... lost any loved ones in the past? Friends, pet, mother or father? Or. Sister?” The way she spoke, Saber noted, sounded as if she spoke from experience. Though the more prominent thought in his mind was about his Sister, whom he missed greatly. His sister who would make him smile. She never complained about her School or friends, but she died trying to save me.
“I lost my mother and father when I was a child.. my father... and mother who loved me so much but my sister died.… as well in a accident” he revealed, almost reluctantly to his interviewer he lied about his sister being in a Accident it's his fault for being too weak to protect her. Once again she took notes, careful not to repeat what was told to her, lest she upset him Ai looked back up, her face turning from interested to sympathetic. “Is there anything else?” she asked, not so much to write it down, but rather just to listen to his story, his life was one of such anguish that it made her... sad. Which was a contrast to her normally happy demeanor. Shi Saber Akamine huh? What a complex creature...
She watched her subject fidget slightly in his seat, he obviously didn't feel comfortable with what he was about to say, or not say. “Actually,” she began “why don't we continue this some other time?” she suggested, putting the notepad back and once again twiddling the pen rapidly between her fingers. “Now it's your turn.”
A confused expression came over Saber face. My turn? He wondered My turn for what? He asked once more, as a dumbstruck look formed on his face.
As if she were inside his head, the woman answered his mentally asked question “You... had some questions for me, did you not?” she asked, somewhat awkwardly.
Saber shook his confused, yet relaxed, snapping himself back into reality. “Oh, Y-yes!” he stuttered “Who are you?”
Ai threw back her head in a fit of laughter at her own stupidity, she was a forgetful person, so naturally she would forget to introduce herself. But as whom? She wondered. My Pen name: Airbus Sen or my given name: Ai? She paused trying to choose until finally” Why not both... eventually.
Ai smiled a devious smile. “Let me answer your question with another question.” she ordered more so than offered. “What is that book you're reading there?”
Saber looked down. “Oh, it's thicker than water.” Saber replied, curiosity lingering in his voice.
“M hmm...” Ai acknowledged, “And who, I ask, may be the author of this book?” she asked, a knowing smile spread across her face as she began tapping her fingers upon the hard cover.
“That would be, Airbus Sen...” he replied.
“Would it now? You know: I happen to know Airbus Sen...” she teased, placing her chin upon a bridge made of interlocking fingers all the while maintaining eye contact with Saber.
“ R-really!?” the Ikebukuro Academy student asked, excitement lacing his voice. “What's she like?” his attempt at unraveling the personality said author.
“Mmmm, Why would you care?” Ai teased further, intentionally trying to provoke him.
“She's my favorite author...” he replied, slightly embarrassed. “She's so camera shy I've never even seen a photo of her, I'd at least like to know that much.”
“Oh... Alright.” The cryptic author replied, somewhat flattered that she was his so-called 'favorite author'. “Sen has a rather strange, borderline illogical personality... she does this weird thing with her writing utensils and has long... curley... green hair.” she described herself, all the while a smug grin latched itself onto her face.
Immediately Saber caught on, his lips parted slightly in surprise as he was about to exclaim in joy of his new discovery. Or he would have, had he not been silenced once again by a single finger.
“Shh, don't be so loud, Saber.” she said as she smiled brightly, hoping it would brighten his day.
The physical touch of Ai finger, coupled with the warm smile she gave Saber caused his cheeks to redden. He never would've guessed that she was this pretty, her strangeness didn't surprise him, now that he knew her true identity. After all she was the author of works such as 'The Re '. But her beauty was a surprise, however a pleasant one. She didn't have the long straight hair, big behind, nor the largest breasts, but that's probably what made Saber see her as so beautiful, her beauty wasn't artificial, it was real, she didn't rely on cheap products nor the size of body parts to be attractive, but rather she just came as she was and didn't care one way or the other who thought what of her.
But the thing that drew him more to her had to be her ability to relax him, in fact that's why he found her writing so compelling. The way she described certain feelings, certain scenes, and certain ways of speaking sent shivers of pleasure down his spine which in turn caused him to focus on nothing other than her work. And once again he found himself melting at the feeling of her fingertips on his trembling mouth and once again regretting it as she pulled away almost slowly, as if she wanted to make him suffer.
“You said that I'm your favorite author?” She inquired, “Tell me... What do you like most about my books?” She asked, almost seductively, or rather that's the way it seemed to Saber.
“I- uh...” He said now visibly shaking in embarrassment, It must be a gift really..., he deduced, How does she know how to make me so uncomfortable?
Ai giggled at his visible shaking. “Awwww, how cute...” She commented, whimsely, “You have a little crush on Miss Airbus Sen don't you?” She inquired, teasingly.
“N-no!” he stumbled, “I'm just kind of... star-struck...” He replied, trying his best to stop his voice from cracking and stared rubbing the back of his neck.
“Mmhmm...” she replied, not convinced. So, to prove herself right she centered a finger at his chest poking onto it softly, but hard enough that he would feel it through the clothes. She then began trailing her finger, in a walking motion, up his chest. “I'm sure that's all...” She lingered on her last words, dragging them out until she reached to him rubbing his back his neck. A deep red enveloped his cheeks. A slight smile of victory emerged on her face as she pulled her hand back.
However, she decided that she'd tortured the boy enough and decided to reward him, for putting up with her games. “Now then,” she began cheerfully, all sense of seduction leaving her voice, “how about I sigh that book you've got there?” She suggests happily.
Saber felt his heart leap, his favorite author, not only took the time to analyze him, but now offered to sigh his book? It was a book worms dream come true. “Y-yes please!” He replied eagerly, like a child getting candy, causing Airbus Sen to giggle. She twirled the pin once more than she opened the book to the front page and gave her signature.
She always enjoyed the act. Giving a signature takes so little effort, but gives the recipient so much satisfaction, that's when it hit her. That thing concerning her book, was a book signing. How could she forget? Today she was scheduled for a book signing and she was... Ai quickly glanced at her wrist watch. 9 minutes late already! Oh no no!
“Ah! Saber, I'd really like to continue this conversation some other time!” She said, as she shuffled through her bag, looking for a certain pace of plastic.
She certainly is strange... Saber thought as he watched her dig in her bag. He also noticed, despite her personality, how normal she was. Most people in her posisition wouldn't involve themselves with commoners like him, most celebrities wouldn't frantically dig through their bags in public. She was normal and it was beautiful.
Waking him from his admiration of here she handed him a piece of crumpled paper. “When you're ready, come by and see me, we'll continue this later...” She said as she quickly turned to walk out. Saber was awestruck as he stared at her and then down to the peice of paper... Did his favorite author just invite him over?
Ai stopped her quick stride when she saw Mia, a young high school girl, standing there watching her. She was giving Airbus Sen a disapproving, yet amused look. “Was teasing the poor guy really necessary?” She asked
“Mmmm, no. But it was fun.” She replied as she walked out of the cafe shop.
Mia shook her short haired head and sighed, she would never understand Ai. The two were friends, but Ai was just so... Random: she was always happy, always writing, and always doing something weird. At the same time though it was a refreshing contrast to Mia's, admitly, bitchy mood. As she saw Saber leave the cafe back to the Ikebukuro Academy Saber was thinking about asking professor nxy's about the dark Magic.