Desperation at Tojima Park [Matt/Invite]

Continued

Night Day 5

It was a time beyond lateness. Early morning in the earliest sense of the word. Going home was a sensible option but Esra didn't like the idea of people in her private inner scantum. It felt that someone, anyone was what she needed right now. That if she closed in on herself that might really be it for her, something she both lusted for and feared. She would love the idea of being closed off for ever and ever, no one to hurt her, no one to judge her and no one to be scared of finding out about her. Yet, she had this weird power now. A power she didn't understand, a power that as far as she could tell driven the only person she felt understood what was going on insane. So it felt. If she closed up, no one would help her understand it, no one would help her.

As she understood it, she was something wrong now, not that she wasn't before. That being able to fight and even see demons would get you locked up and more than likely disappear. She already felt that something was wrong with the world, the goverment, the people. She had been feeling that for days, now it was clearer but still. Submitting to a group of people that had no problem killing people just because it was easier, how stupid was Pendelton? Once you got roped into those things you couldn't just leave. She'd tried to hard to make him see that, idiot. Maybe if she wasn't such a coward and had actually stabbed him, actually tried to hurt him for real, he'd have realised that.

It was hard not blame herself for all of that. She'd involved him in the first place, she'd not been able to protect him, not from himself either. For a moment she had thought she'd have been the death of him as well, how stupid.

Still she would not join a gang again, not like that, killing people for some stupid cause. She was all for violence, just, when there was a reason.

Esra drifted from side to side on a swingset, listening to the sound of night. A few fireflies, moths, crickets, the russle of wind through the leaves. The lights were out, she could actually see the stars for once. Her eyes were red, both because they were red and because she'd been crying. She looked tired but there was no a scatch or speck of dust on her school uniform. Hair falling flatly into place, loose down her back.

Waiting for someone she had no idea would arrive or not. The only person she knew was in the same or at least similar boat than her. He might have an idea of what was going on, who might know. If nothing else, she might not have to deal with all this alone.

It was an Ungodly hour, far early in the morning, and James was asleep when he got the text, waking up, seeing it, and rushing to get ready. He... Didn't look great at the moment to say the least, but he was there, in the dark park, the only light being the moon and the stars as he softly spoke a name. "Esra?" He asked to the darkness nearby. "Esra? You there?" He asked again. "It's me. I'm here." He said, hoping he would soon recieve a response.

Esra could hear the footsteps coming before the voice, the park wasn't too large the play area in the centre. The paths all funneled there and this was the part that the girl remembered most. When she was very little, she would come to this park sometimes, a very long time ago. Hearing him she first rubbed her eyes clear, sucking down air to clear her throat in uncertain breaths.

While he called out into the darkness Esra sat there for a while, trying to compose herself. Once he was close enough and she felt controlled enough she answered softly, "I guess that means I was right?"

He was quiet for a little while, sitting down next to her, looking up at the sky before sighing and finally replying to her inquiry with a soft "Yep. 100% correct. Are you gonna report me or something?" He asked softly as he looked at her... He looked scared, and was shaking slightly, no matter how hard he tried to hide it, he was terrified. Terrified of everything that could go wrong, but he had to talk to her about this. He just... HAD to.

"I might," Esra kicked off the ground slightly and felt the chains grind against each other, she was being petulant, "Sorry. I fought one tonight, I wasn't sure what to do next. You just went back to school like nothing happened. How did that work out?" He had dropped hints to her by accident but he didn't seem to be arrested or taken away at all. Fact he seemed to act like nothing had happened, could she do that?

"Oh? Well... To be honest... I noticed afterword that I'd done that and just stopped talking about it!" He said with a smile. "And it worked out pretty well I supposed... There were these people that helped me fight it but... I haven't seen them since. Did anyone help you out?" He asked, looking at her.