Blue Prints

Ch 8: Deceived

TW!! Depictions of self harm & suicide. 

A week later, two individuals finally decided to see each other and talk things out the way they've been wanting to all week. The soft yet bold aroma of coffee filled the noses of those who chanced upon it, pleasing them and inviting them into the small coffee shop. Occasional whirs packed the humble cafe, but other than that, it was relevantly and conveniently undisturbed.

One girl rests her cheek in the palm of her hand, swirling her hot chocolate in a dazed state. A man with long dark hair watches as people pass them by from the other side of a window, at times he would glimpse at the agent sitting across from him. Arial mused about how awkward this interaction was. Not even small talk could lighten the mood.

Knowing Namo had a more disturbing burden on his back, Arial decided she would try and joke around a bit about what had happened to her. She scoffed, "Bah! That Ilhan blamed me for letting those two weirdos escape."

Namo sighed, "You know he doesn't actually blame you. Why else is he sorting out the means to get you a weapon?"

Arial gave a blank look, obviously forgetting that Ilhan was doing that for her. Still, she pressed her lips together, exhaling in disappointment. Namo grinned a bit, "I thought you would be more excited than that? Didn't you really want a gun?"

She did, she really did. But after everything that happened, Arial felt as if she did not deserve it.

Namo knew something was off with his partner, so he insisted, "You said that the rabbit masked man threatened you guys to let his friend go. Isn't that what happened?"

Everything grew silent once more.

Just before Namo grew even more suspicious, Arial took a sip from her hot chocolate, acting all giddy. She beamed, "Yup! If Yon and Sana handled him properly, then I could've captured that weird looking dude... What's more is that he actually tried threatening me with the assault rifle on the roof- I mean, who does that just to escape? If you're not in the wrong then I see no reason for someone to do that. Anyways, it's all in the past."

In her head, she couldn't be more of a liar. It's not like she mixed up the stories, she remembered everything as if it happened yesterday.

-

The sky was gloomy, things grew dark at an increased rate after Aruna Roshan ended his own life. Arial was in complete denial, thinking that she could have stopped the high schooler from doing what he did. She felt a gust of guilt overtake her as she looked up at the blonde figure sitting beside her.

Was he going to blame her for stopping him?

Was he going to say something harsh?

No. All Pandi did was stand up and dust his clothes off. His hands were no longer tied.

Arial exclaimed, "You..! How did you..??"

Pandi did not answer, looking down at her prior to crouching down beside her. His snowy white skin and light colored eyelashes were so near, she could almost feel them against her cheek. She was caught off guard. Despite not knowing what he was going to do in such close proximity, Arial did not feel like she was in any danger. He started to untie the tight knot that held her hands together. The man spoke, "After tying your hands, there were little bandages left. Not enough to tie my hands together so I pretended to have them tied behind me."

Arial turned her head, "Why would you do that?"

After Pandi took the bandages off her hands entirely, he stood back up. "Like I said, I was only here to make sure the students were unharmed," he confirmed as he approached the group of students. They all huddled together and were petrified. Pandi shrunk to their size, "You're safe, you guys can go now."