[FIN] Unlikely Adviser

[Tori Honoo]

To call the past few weeks 'stressful,' to Dove, would be a criminal offense in the highest form. As the end of the year drew nearer, she found herself constantly in fear and unable to admit it to anyone. Her journal, though opened and pen poised above it, remained free of inked pages, as she could no longer find the courage or the words to explain how she felt. If she were to be honest with herself, she would have to admit to working herself into a stupor, a solid state of denial and refusal--except for the voice in her head that desperately clung to any shred of hope it could find.

It was this voice that urged her to finally pick up her phone and call for help. At a breaking point yet again, she decided she had to act. Knowledge was valuable, and with the decision she was faced with, she couldn't afford to pass up any chance of finding out more.

Thus, with a somewhat shaky resolve, she made her call, in complete privacy where she was sure no one could overhear, silently imploring the person on the other end to pick up-- though, of course, the other half of her refused to admit she was calling.  

[Akira Midoriyama]

A groggy-sounding voice on the other end of the line picked up. "...Hello?" it said.  

[Tori Honoo]

A short pause would follow, as she was surprised he had actually picked up. The heavy voice on the other line, however, sent a short wash of guilt over her-- clearly she hadn't called at the best time, she thought.

"Akira...? Hey, it's Tori... Are you, um...busy?"  

[Akira Midoriyama]

There was a quiet groan as the young man sat up. "Yeah...I mean, no...I just woke up," he informed her, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Need something?"  

[Tori Honoo]

The groan only strengthened the guilty feeling. "Can we talk? About...something really serious?"  

[Akira Midoriyama]

"Sure...let me just get some coffee," he answered. Taking his phone with him, he crept into the kitchen to make some. Nate was probably out working, so he doubted anyone would overhear him and there was no one he had to worry about disturbing. "What's up?" he asked as he found the pot.  

[Tori Honoo]

A soft pause. "Can we...actually meet somewhere? I'll get us coffee if that's okay. I just...don't want to wake Yuri up..." she explained, a subtle plea in her voice.  

[Akira Midoriyama]

"Yuri's with you?" This didn't properly register in Akira's head well. Last he'd heard, Yuri was in the hospital, but perhaps he'd gotten out since then. He wondered what Tori was doing with him. Babying him still, maybe? Well, it wasn't his business nor his concern.

"How come you can't just go into a different room and talk from there?" he wanted to know. He wasn't really feeling in the mood to get on clothes appropriate enough to go out in, especially when it was so cold outside. And talking face-to-face with people took so much energy.  

[Tori Honoo]

"He...He is," she confirmed, deciding it best to leave it at that. Explaining her need to make sure the man was alright after the incident only made things more complicated, and given the circumstances, she couldn't bring herself to do so unless forced.

His question received a lengthy pause, as she considered it. She didn't want to bother him... Leaving might be an inconvenience...

"It's about home," she said quietly, her voice letting the fear slip through.  

[Akira Midoriyama]

"...Okaaay," he answered, still not quite understanding what she meant by that. "...And?"  

[Tori Honoo]

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then looked around the room she was in. "...I'm getting married."  

[Akira Midoriyama]

The brunette paused, tried to run the sentence through his head a couple of times, and repeated, "...you're getting married?" Well, that was sudden. Maybe that was why she was with a sleeping Yuri. It would have explained a lot, he supposed.  

[Tori Honoo]

"To Damien Drake," came the strained reply. Akira had to understand... Roka had to understand.  

[Akira Midoriyama]

"Oh." So not Yuri, then. "Congratulations...?"  

[Tori Honoo]

"What?!" The word slipped from her lips before she even realized it.