Complete Private Mr. Fear

[Lune]

Cutting through the breaded chicken fillet, the idol stabbed it with a fork and put the small cut inside her mouth. Pretty juicy, but—

She didn't even notice Aisling's face change before the older woman suddenly stood up and exited the premises with the excuse of a call. Both her eyes and Brian's met as they looked back and forth at the phone that was still on the table.

Looking at the barely cut roast chicken, Dayeon had a hunch of what probably happened. "Sigh..." She facepalmed, before turning to Brian. "...It's me. I'm the problem." It's not like nothing good would come out of staying silent and pretending it was something random.

"I forgot how long it has been, but the two of us met at that other place. We trained for a bit—" She began explaining it in terms that were vague, but understandable enough. "—And without realizing it, I pushed something that I thought was okay, way too far." Of course, she only processed that one after the sparring partner stabbed her and left.

"It's that..." Her mind wandered to the past, to the sight of that eye that displayed immense hunger. "... Something probably reminded her of a predicament that I didn't know."

Taking a few seconds to slowly breathe and calm herself, the girl slowly stood up, pointing to the exit while nodding to Brian. "I-I gotta look for her."

Dayeon gestured to the waiter that she would be back, before hurriedly walking to find Aisling outside the building. Hopefully, she didn't just take the taxi and leave.

@Ash Vargold @Hanno Futaba

 

[Ash Vargold]

Aisling Lane

Aisling hadn't gone far, thankfully - just enough that she was legally able to smoke. Even if she had, the acrid smell of her cigarette was more than enough to find her crouching against the wall, her coat thrown haphazardly over her shoulders. It was easy to see the way she was clutching at her chest, as if afraid something was there.

She pulled her cigarette from her mouth as Dayeon approached, looking more tired than terrified now. She made eye contact for just a moment, then looked away, exhaling a plume of smoke and mist. "...here to check in on the old woman, huh?"

Her laugh was more of a cough as she took another drag. "Didn't realize I'd left my phone until I was out the door. Don't worry, I just needed to get some fresh air."

For a certain definition of "fresh", at least. But it was easier to think now, with the itch quieted. "Triggered by a dinner knife. Pretty pathetic, huh?" Her gaze turned back towards Dayeon, this time holding eye contact. For a moment, it was more like speaking with Ash than with Aisling.

"...none of that was your fault. Don't beat yourself up about it."

---

@Hanno Futaba @Lune​

 

[Hanno Futaba]

Brian looked at Dayeon as she explained, albeit vaguely, what had happened. And before he could even ask anything, his friend quickly left, leaving the table.

"Alright! Make sure she is okay-" He exclaimed, looking behind his back while leaning against the chair, eventually slipping a sigh and turning back to his food. He wasn't going to let it go cold while the two had their talk.

 

[Lune]

Song Dayeon

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‎

As she jogged off the restaurant, she looked back and gave Brian a thumbs up. "I'll be quick!"

Once outside, the idol looked to the left and the right, trying to spot Aisling. She wasn't even that far from the restaurant, crouching against the wall to its side.

It doesn't take a genius to read the one thing shown by her body language: fear. Even more that the place that Aisling clutched was the spot where Lune saw something looking back at her.

"... There you are." She approached her. The older woman laughed, saying she shouldn't worry, just like basically everyone who has their own troubles. "No..." Dayeon sighed, slowly shaking her head. Clenching her fists, she gathered her will before expressing,

"... I came here to apologize."

Her lips trembled, but she managed to continue without stuttering. "It is my fault," Dayeon cut off Aisling's reassurance, which felt like it came from another side of her. Feeling the need to take actual responsibility, she continued. "It doesn't matter what the intentions were; I had no excuses. I shouldn't have pushed you. I should have asked whether you were okay with it."

People have their own stories, after all.

The young woman paused for a while, eyes locked with the crouched woman. For a moment, it seemed like she ran out of words to say before she suddenly bowed down deeply ninety degrees.

"I'm really sorry."

@Hanno Futaba @Ash Vargold

 

[Ash Vargold]

Aisling Lane

Aisling had to bite her tongue before she interrupted Dayeon right back. Aisling's lack of self control wasn't Dayeon's fault. There had been no overshadowing specter or looming threat that excused Ash's... her behavior. It had been her hand on the sword, and her malformed intention behind the-

She was the adult. She knew better. A kid didn't deserve to bear the weight of her mistakes.

But Aisling also knew that this apology was as much for Dayeon than it was for her. Better to get it out than let it fester, right? She herself had trouble living by those words, but Dayeon had made the effort to reach out despite her guilt. The least she could do was honor that risk.

"...I accept your apology. I know you meant well." Aisling bent forward to grind out the flame of her cigarette on the sidewalk, then stood up with the creaky care of an out-of-warranty adulthood. She took a moment to let things settle, then frowned down at the bowing Dayeon with a tired glare.

"...it's way too cold out here. Come on, let's get in before Hanno decides to eat everyone else's dinner." She half-smirked, trying to imagine the beanpole that was Brian eating as much as his Terrasphere counterpart and finding it... perhaps a little too easy to imagine. Maybe they did need to worry about that...

Alright, step one: get a second fork...

---

end.​