[Open] The Invisible Way

I decide to explore the town on this particular sunny day in August. I kind of wish I had someone with me but I don't really know anyone to begin with. I just go it alone and take bus a few stops into town.

I walked for five minutes until my eyes catch this restaurant of sorts off to the side. From the windows, I can tell it isn't very packed. Curious, I walk into the restaurant. A waitress perks up from cleaning a table and comes to greet me.

"Welcome to the Shanghai!"

I think she was a bit too happy to finally have a customer. Without giving me a chance to speak, she seats me and runs off into the back to fetch a few menus.

"....sigh."

I look around at my surroundings until she returns.It was pretty much vacant...

The waitress returns with the menu which just skim through. I prefer some green tea and rice balls. She whisks away my menu and tells me that my order will be done shortly. I hope so. I'm starving.

Chiharu has made a habit of stopping at the shanghai on her way through town to take some time to recover from people in general. The waitress greeted her without a word as chiharu ordered a cup of coffee while finding a place to sit in a dark corner.

She dug out a pill bottle from her fairly baggy black pants, shakes out two solid white pills, and unceremoniously pops them into her mouth.

Lolling my head toward Chiharu's position, I watch her passively until I daze out of consciousness. I slide out of the booth. Popping down into the seat across from Chiharu. I nod in your direction and put my head down. I have a headache.

"Good aft-"

Ugh...I stepped into her personal space. Talking will make it worse. And walking away...is just plain rude. I'm in a pickle here. The invisible way is the best way.

She leans her head to the side slightly while raising her brow and letting out a soft smile in an overall look of curiosity.
"Having troubles?"

"Had troubles. They're past troubles that tend to pang every now and then. And you, miss....?"

I cover my mouth to stifle a yawn.

<Like what?, eh no.. I probably shouldn't ask her right off the bat, we're still strangers practically>

"Nothing out of the ordinary, for me that is. Just taking a break before heading to the store."

I take a sip of my tea before hastily putting it down; I had burned my tongue and nearly spit the drink everywhere.

"Mundane. I like that. Nothing out of the ordinary is extraordinary in its own right..."

"I can't say that I agree, but to each their own I suppose."

When the waitress arrives with her cup of coffee, chiharu simply gives her a nod of appreciation. After which she looks back toward Riye and asks, "If you don't mind me asking, how old are you?"

<She doesn't seem any older than myself, although I've never been very good at estimating people's ages. Young with a troubled past, that can't be a pleasent combination>

I slouch in my chair and dangle my arm off of the table.

"16 going on 17."

While deftly mixing in some cream in her cup with the handle of the spoon so it doesn't make a sound, chiharu asks, "So, what's the public highschool like?"

"Yamaku isn't exactly public but I guess it's alright enough. I stay in my dorm a lot. And the uniforms are awful on me."

About to take a sip, chiharu's action is halted with mild surprise from her mis-assumption.
"Oh, I'm a student there as well. Heh, in my oppinion, the bow ties are the worst part."

My face lights up a bit in reception to the news that I'm not quite alone in these foreign parts. It lifts me up a bit.

"Awesome! I hate the whole wardrobe with equal passion. It gives off a murky, hospice like vibe like a sanatorium... We aren't brought here...."

She pauses.

"We aren't bought here to be discarded and die."

Intrigued by the sudden heavy turn the conversation has turned to, Chiharu sets down her cup before even taking a sip.

"Actually the opposite, really.. People come here to have the resources, challenges, and opportunities to live a decent life, despite all the odds that are working against us."

I let out a sigh and put my head down on the cool table.

I saw two deaf students talking to each other yesterday. They were using sign language to speak to one another. Who knew such beautiful movements could exist with uttering a word...."

I yawn and nestle deep into my arms.

"If Shangri-La existed on Earth....I would wish it to be a land of the deaf where the currency doesn't walk or talk and the only music will be the subtle hum of the world...."

I close my eyes and this time, a black door of sleep suddenly envelops me and slams the doors of consciousness and perception shut, leaving me snoring.

<Maybe she has narcolepsy like satoshi, probably best to let her sleep for a while>
Chiharu leans against the nearby wall, puting her feet up on the rest of the booth she is sitting on, and finally gets around to drinking her coffee.

[We'll end it like this. It's perfect.]