#5743

[coffeeadict61]

Humans Are Weird: Female Rage

Report: #298

Topic: Female Rage

Rage: Violent or uncontrollable anger.

I have studied the human race for months now but today is the day I have learned to fear them. Forget their unpredictable bodies, or overly complex inventions, or the horrific moments that crowd their history. It was only today I feared for my life in the presence of a human being.

I often record anger in incident reports and the like, but women make up a very tiny proportion of that. They tend to "keep their cool" ( a human turn of phrase) better than men on average. This doesn't seem to be a natural attribute but more of a learned survival mechanism against violence and abuse. It only seems to break the surface in grief or after years of trauma. But the new astrophysics intern Colette [Last Name Redacted] showed me a new human emotion. Rage.

Our ships astrophysics department was partnering with our engineering department to design a small weapons craft to protect us from the "space pirates" or looters we keep encountering. I had created a bond of "friendship" with little Colette, I suppose little doesn't fit. She is above average height and slightly underweight, (she is having trouble adjusting to our menu due to "texture issues" which I need to educate myself on). Moving forward. She came to speak to me on a very serious matter a week ago exactly while I was on my daily rounds. This was the reason I was behind schedule, she has, and I quote, "little legs" in comparison to mine. Colette spoke of the weapons project she had been assigned too. She spoke at length about her supervisors who wouldn't listen to her. She had discovered a bug in the engine system. A four that looked like a nine or something of that nature, and believed it to put the test pilots in danger. She requested that I ask management to promote her so that her voice would be listened too. I tried to calm her worries but she was insistent so I told her I'd try to bring it up in the next meeting. That meeting was yesterday. In the six days between our conversation and my turn to give my reports for the management council, I had talked myself out of my promise. I figured that her superiors knew best and she was just ambitious and maybe she didn't see what she thought she saw. Regardless, it is the biggest regret I carry.

The test flight launched today. The entire crew was given an hour additional break to watch. Colette tried to prevent the launch, arguing with the head scientists, trying to show them test she ran digitally, but they had security pull her back. She came to find me, asking if I spoke to management. I didn't answer. The announcer counted down in human numerals.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 LAUNCH

I breathed a sigh of relief as the craft glided safely away, but Colette didn't, she didn't move an inch. The projects leader gave instructions through a radio. The experimental engines roared to life. Then, a moment of silence. Before the entire space craft was engulfed in a cloud of fire and gas. The silent explosion shook the floor beneath us as gasps and screams gave it a voice. The entire crew was killed. Many of them, friends or family of the onlookers. The onboard medic, the project leader's son and Colette's young husband. She collapsed to the ground sobbing, unable to stand on her shaking legs. I couldn't get her to move. I didn't try very hard.

Security swarmed the crowd, pushing them back from the windows and herding the grieving crowd to the different living areas. Many had to be carried. I carried Colette.

Hours later, after an emergency meeting and a meal, everyone was in bed. All but the council, security, the engineering department,and the astrophysics department. We sat in heavy silence as the project leader explained the error that lead to this tragedy. I studied him closely. No tears, just a stone cold face and a tremor in his hands. Suddenly the doors crashed open as Colette burst in. She wasn't grieving now. Colette grabbed the microphone from the leader's hand and threw it at the wall. It went straight through. Then she spoke. Shaking slightly, controlled rage gave the impression of bullets falling from her mouth with each syllable. "Murderers. You are all murderers." No one moved as we took on the weight of her statements. She spoke again but this time it was wasn't controlled. This time her rage wasn't an undertone but the message. This time she screamed it in a voice that echoed around the room and shook with each new sob.

"I TOLD YOU! I FING TOLD YOU THEY WOULD DIE! WHY DIDN'T YOU LISTEN TO ME?! HOW COULD YOU KILL THEM LIKE THAT?! IT'S YOUR FING FAULT!"

She broke anything within reach. A mug, "THEY WERE YOUR TEAM!" a chair, "WHY DIDN'T YOU PROTECT THEM?" a table, "YOUR OWN SON AND YOU STAND HERE CALLING IT AN ACCIDENT!" her voice. "IF YOU HAD BELIEVED ME AND MY EVIDENCE INSTEAD OF PLAYING F***ING POLITICS…"

She stopped. She stopped screaming, stopped crying, stopped expressing her pain. She bottled it up and wiped her face with her sweaters sleeve. She just stared at him. Taking deep breaths as he shook under her gaze. "Why didn't you listen to him? To me?" He fought back his tears and straightened his jacket. "Abe knew the risks-" Colette stepped forward and punched him hard, his nose making an audible crunch. Blood stained her knuckles as she hit him again and again. Finally I got up and grabbed her around her middle, pulling her off before she went to far. The leader whimpered and leaned on a table as she fought to get to him. To tear him apart. Finally she just stood rigidity holding onto me. "Never say his name again. You aren't his father. You're a murderer and you never deserved Abraham." She spit at his feet.

"Coward."

I pulled her out of the meeting hall, locked her in her quarters, and stood guard. I relive her plea for me to approach the council on her behalf. I cannot deny my part in the crew's death and doubt I'll ever forgive myself. Colette will surely never forgive me either.

In conclusion, I advise the guilty professionals and researchers transferred and tried. Both for the safety of our crew and themselves. Their professional licenses should be revoked no matter the outcome of their individual trials. We also need to form a mental health department and start providing dietary options for all diets and sensitivities. I also advise (though I recognize my lack of authority on the matter) that crewmember Colette [Last Name Redacted] be released of all charges and assigned a personal therapist of her choosing. As for the other loved ones of our lost crew, they should also receive support options and memorials for their lost and any other requests we can fulfil. I pray we never have a similar story to tell the next generation.

Human Observer #5743

#Humans are weird #humans are space orcs #Its a sad one folks #Sorry its long #space #Aliens #space travel #human observer #5743 #new report #Colette #please read #I worked really hard on this #female rage #gaslight gatekeep girlboss #I had a lot of coffee today

[corvianbard]

#5743

Rise, brave cat, Slayer of many a rat. In the grace of the deity For all that is free And feline, You shall then dine.

#my poem #poem #poetry #cat #rat #grace #deity #slayer #5743

[tippysattic]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: Womens VTG Handmaden White and Red Checkered Cotton Half Apron with Pocket.

#5743

[every-tome]

#everytome #s3 #s3e8 #5743

[pesterloglog]

Roxy Lalonde, Jake English, Jane Crocker, Erisolsprite

Act 6, page 5743

#homestuck #roxy lalonde #jake english #jane crocker #erisolsprite #homestuck act 6 #page 5743 #homestuck act 6 act 5 #homestuck act 6 act 5 act 2

[pupswithchopsticks]

Vietnamese Grilled Lemongrass Pork Chops (Thit Heo Nuong Xa) https://pupswithchopsticks.com/grilled-lemongrass-pork-chops/?feed_id=5743&_unique_id=65963291c6bc3

[srbachchan]

DAY 5743

Jalsa, Mumbai Nov 7/8, 2023 Tue/Wed 2:25 AM

Birthday - EF Rajib Mitra .. Gyanchand Garhwani Tuesday, 7 November .. greetings and wishes for this special day ..🌹

The kid has done it .. and the excitement of their knowledge and confidence stuns us all .. they are all incredible ..

what does one say or what CAN one say ..

except to be in the glory of the young and in admiration of their confidence and acumen ..

Just beyond imagination ..

may they thrive forever .. 🚩

Amitabh Bachchan

[klein-sodor-bahn]

LMS Jubilee 5743 ‘Hannover’ or Alexandrina

A little OC that is a newly built Jubilee. She’s a timid engine but also kind, caring and brave. Ms. M. J. Addams smothers her with affection.

Henry and Scotsman fight over who should be the father figure for her. In her human form she’s short 5’2 to 5’3.

#ttte #thomas and friends #ttte oc #lms #lms jubilee #rws #railway series #I offer you a little baby #she’s so cute and i love her #engine OC #steam engine #a little red stanier baby #concept art #original character #character design #gently holds her baby

[sexylonestar]

Nylon # 5743

#nylonfetish

[lavendarr00]

CC Settings & Mods for SDV Abigail in BG3

For anyone who wants to re-create Stardew Valley's Abigail in Baldur's Gate 3, here are the mods you need and the CC slider settings to make it happen 🤍 Original post here

Race: Human or Half-Elf, Body Type 1

Head: https://www.nexusmods.com/baldursgate3/mods/205

Skin: Cool Tone 1

Body Art: Fastened Stars (earrings)

Eyes: Sapphire 1

Makeup: (Eyes) Makeup 5 - Black, int 85, glossy 78. (Lips) Pink 5, int 35, glossy 50

Hair: Silver's Hair 2 from https://www.nexusmods.com/baldursgate3/mods/5743

Hair color: ASTRL DBL Imperial from https://www.nexusmods.com/baldursgate3/mods/7852

Hair highlights: ASTRL Raven Black at 55 from the same mod as above

That's it!

I have a BG3 modlist - check it out for more mods I recommend :)

#sdv #sdv abigail #stardew abigail #abigail sdv #abigail stardew valley #sdv sam #sam sdv #stardew valley abigail #stardew valley #stardew sam #stardew valley sa #stardew valley sam #sam stardew valley #sebastian stardew valley #stardew valley fanart #stardew fanart #stardew elliott #stardew sebastian #sdv sebastian #sdv elliott #sdv fanart #stardew #baldurs gate #baldurs gate 3 #bg3 #baldur's gate 3 #baldur's gate iii #bg3 tav #tav #baldurs gate tav

[coffeeadict61]

Trainee's questions

Report #308

Topic: New Trainee (Human Observer #8902)

I was authorized with training a new transfer as a Human Observer and the candidate had many some questions. I do not have the time to answer such things in one meeting so I am making a request that the Human Resources department send him the necessary pamphlets. Here is the list,

• why do humans pet everything alive or fake?

•why do they care if you eat their food?

•why are dead plants romantic?

•why do some people not experience sensual or romantic feelings?

•why are they so indecisive?

•why are some loud and others silent?

• what is "rizz"?

•why shouldn't I say certain words?

• why aren't they able to survive on their planet anymore?

•why is a "Austrian artist" important to their history?

•What is the color "yellow"?

• what in the universe is a platypus?!

• is God real?

•why do they have so many types of church?

•why is Tom Cruise so short?

• why do their plants scream?

•why do they hate each other?

•why do they hate themselves?

•why did the "great war" not end war?

•why are they so likable?

•How do they get blue eyes?

•why are blue eyes weaker?

•how many stomachs do they have?

•why do they remove apart of their throat so they can sleep?

• do they have to do that every night?

•how do fake teeth work?

•why do gender reveals that burn down countries exist?

•why don't they just cut a cake?

Good luck HR.

Human Observer #5743

#humans are space orcs #humans are weird #aliens #space #human observer in training #hope you enjoy:) #some hard hitting questions today folks

[oh-snapperss]

Ship Fic Masterpost

Hi!! Below are all the fics I've written that contain shipping, along with links to any fanart made for them. (if i'm missing art i am so sorry, i'm trying to keep it updated so feel free to tell me if your art is missing KSDJHFSKHJFD)

------------------------------------------------------------------------

And it's not tonight where I'm set alight (it's not tonight you hold me tight) - Life Series

this is a cowritten fic between myself and @hitheeprithee!)

Pairing: Ren/Etho

Words: 51,048

Status: Complete!

Summary: Five times Ren wants to love his loyal knight, Etho, and be less than a king, and the one time he gets to.

or, Ren is the king, Etho his second in command. It's part of Etho's duty to remove the king's armor after battle--but sometimes, it's the other way around.

Fanart:

So Close to that Happy Ending by @/zeroideaman

Heavy in Your Arms by @/coppercrafter

Knight Etho Design by @/stitchthesewords

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Can You See Me (or Should I Keep Waiting?) - Hermitcraft/Life Series

Pairing: Etho/Bdubs

Words: 11,091

Status: Complete!

Summary: Stranded in space, Etho records logs daily to pass the time, and transmits them out to space without a recipient in mind. Unbeknownst to him, the logs are intercepted by the ship Bdubs is on.

or,

a study in grief and what the universe can be to an individual.

please read the tags on this fic before reading!

Fanart:

Bdubs receives the first log by @/echoing-blues

Memories of happier times by @/echoing-blues

Impracticality by @/echoing-blues

715 by @/nuggiesshipbroombroom

Suffocate Animatic by @/bdoub-leo

And it was your heart on the line by @/setacin

alone at the edge of the universe by @/setacin

a cross-stitch by @/stitchthesewords

I will tell the player a story (but not the truth) by @/bdoub-leo

I'll be Back by @/varteeny1234

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ripped at every edge, but you're a masterpiece - Life Series, Hermitcraft

Pairing: Etho/Bdubs

Words: 21, 109

Status: Complete!

Summary: “Etho....?”

He doesn't even know who said it.

Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick.

(Somewhere in another game, Tango tells Bdubs: He's a survivor, man, that's what he does.)

Etho swings.

--

Etho kills Skizzleman for time, and is struck by lightning. Upon returning to Hermitcraft, the damage follows.

or, an exploration of shame, grief, anxiety, and the idea of selflessness, along with healing.

Fanart:

I forgave you, a long time ago by @/offixmax

He's a survivor, man by @/makesnodamnsense-compelsmethough

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Watercolour Blues - Last Life/Hermitcraft

Pairing: Etho/Bdubs

Words: 5743

Status: Complete!

Summary: “Oh, you’re such a fragile flower,” Etho mocks, but Bdubs doesn’t miss the way his eyes scrunch up or the underlying fondness in his tone.

“Shut up!” He’s quick to defend himself anyway. Years of avoiding any serious talk between the two have resulted in constant banter and rare genuinity, so Bdubs is typically quick to defend himself on any insinuations of vulnerability.

And yet… there’s still the occasional drop of persona and walls. Late nights, early mornings, and when they truly needed each other–those were the moments Bdubs treasured. So why was it so hard to let himself be that way with Etho any other time?

Fanart:

The Vase by @/setacin

------------------------------------------------------------------------

in the hues of sunset - Empires SMP/Hermitcraft

Pairing: Jimmy/Tango

Words: 2307

Status: Complete!

Summary: The rancher reunion, and snippets of their dynamic told through flower giving.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

I love you, I made you tea and Promise I held, Just out of Reach - Hermitcraft/Life Series

Pairing: Etho/Bdubs

Words: 1,093 and 3788

Status: Complete

Summary: Stargazing, a quiet night on Hermitcraft

Summary for the second hot tea fic: Something's changed between them. But it's just one day. 24 hours. Surely, Bdubs can handle that?

Note: a huge shoutout to @/tunastime for cowriting the second fic in this series with me and for bringing my hot tea fic into the same universe as theirs<3

Fanart:

Art by @/Shepscapades

Cross-stitch by @/stitchthesewords

the tea is bitter by @/team-clockers (second fic art)

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sweater Weather - Hermitcraft

Pairing: Etho/Bdubs

Words: 1238

Status: Complete

Summary: ice skating fluff!!

------------------------------------------------------------------------

fruity/delight fic request! - Hermitcraft

Pairing: Etho/Bdubs

Words: 634

Status: Complete

Summary: Etho lets Bdubs take his mask off

------------------------------------------------------------------------

higher than my rain clouds (high up) - Hermitcraft/Life Series

Pairing: Etho/Bdubs

Words: 3013

Status: Complete

Summary: an exploration of learning to forgive yourself and learning to let others love you

Fanart:

it's the end of the world by @/briseise

nightmare by @/pebbltree

there's monsters in my dreams by bdoub-leo

------------------------------------------------------------------------

let the years be kind - Hermitcraft

Pairing: Ren/Etho/Bdubs

Words: 2636

Status: Complete

Summary: They’ve got twelve hours left on the server, and Ren can feel the server settling into itself, becoming its final version of itself–turning into a picture rather than home. The stairs sigh when Ren ascends them to the kitchen, the wood full of the happy memories he’d built here just over a year ago with Etho and Bdubs.

or; the monolith boys say goodnight to season nine.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Laika - Hermitcraft

Pairing: Ren/Etho/Bdubs

Words: 7082

Status: Ongoing

Summary: The streets of the lower levels of Heremita are never dark. But they sure are damp, and glum, and everything the head council of Heremita loves to pretend isn’t real. The planet is layers upon layers of city, and they say the lower levels have never seen the sun. The council, of course, refutes this claim with the argument that the lower levels are uninhabited save for the rodents and wild dogs, and that the sun can penetrate even the deepest points of Heremita. “Sine sole vivere est omnino numquam vivere!” They laugh, then move on with the next order of business. They’ve got far more pressing matters than the nothing that lives down there these days. They’re wrong, of course. There’s plenty living down there on the streets.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

tangled webs/intertwined lies - Hermitcraft

note: this is a cowrite by @/mochiwrites and myself with a twist! we were not able to see what the other was writing until the end of the fic. we did not communicate during writing. it was very silly.

Pairing: Grian/Scar, Etho/Bdubs, god knows what they all four had going on in this one we sure don't

Words: 5316

Status: Complete

Summary: The moment Scar and Bdubs have stood from the table and gone out the door, Grian turns to Etho, a primal fear in his eyes.

“Dude!” He hisses, leaning towards Etho. He props his elbows on the table–to any other person in the restaurant, one might have thought they were having a pleasant, intimate conversation as most couples were wont to do on late night dates to the romantic restaurant.

But no. Instead of conversing softly about a bottle of wine, they were conversing about-

“What do you want me to do here, Grian?” For his part, Etho seems far too casual for the part he’s playing.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

look at the moon ask - Hermitcraft

Pairing: Etho/Bdubs

Words: 800 ish

this is just a little drabble for an ask game! set during season eight and in my son of stars au i share with pebbl.

you’re still here? oh god. welcome to the worst part of my blog. the tall girl au. i’m so sorry. (note: shipping and cursed)

tall girl au 

tall girl au art by pebbl

#masterpost #hermitshipping #<-tagging that to filter for anyone uncomfy with ships! #my fics

[ortonshmirtz]

Un artista me inspiro a dibujar a Candace en otro estilo animado y bueno: aquí les presento a dos Candace al estilo Big City Greens (obviamente con mi propia visión).

Los personajes de "La ley de Milo Murphy" y "Phineas & Ferb" fueron creados por Dan y Jeff y son propiedad de Disney TVA. Arte creado por Ortonshmirtz.

#phineas y ferb #candace flynn #Phineas and Ferb #dwampyverse #big city greens #phineas and ferb across the 2nd dimension #across the 2nd dimension

[smallsleepyoarfish]

Here’s my current list of picrews I like, some may be deleted but I checked relatively recently so hopefully not.

Under a cut because I just realized this is long as hell

2 person

https://picrew.me/image_maker/1773

https://picrew.me/image_maker/230505

https://picrew.me/image_maker/8203

https://picrew.me/image_maker/294

https://picrew.me/image_maker/113902

https://picrew.me/image_maker/165901

https://picrew.me/image_maker/258610

https://picrew.me/image_maker/302160

https://picrew.me/image_maker/514716

https://picrew.me/image_maker/646203

https://picrew.me/image_maker/195687

https://picrew.me/image_maker/59568

https://picrew.me/image_maker/38987

https://picrew.me/image_maker/49252

https://picrew.me/image_maker/5743

https://picrew.me/image_maker/169503

https://picrew.me/image_maker/225740

https://picrew.me/image_maker/399481

https://picrew.me/image_maker/273493

https://picrew.me/image_maker/13445

https://picrew.me/image_maker/161993

https://picrew.me/image_maker/231407

https://picrew.me/image_maker/223820

https://picrew.me/image_maker/489201

https://picrew.me/image_maker/203517

https://picrew.me/image_maker/9539

https://picrew.me/image_maker/38898

https://picrew.me/image_maker/551533

https://picrew.me/image_maker/1349513

https://picrew.me/image_maker/1528271

https://picrew.me/image_maker/1289564

https://picrew.me/image_maker/339789

https://picrew.me/image_maker/47154

https://picrew.me/image_maker/46964

https://picrew.me/image_maker/49470

https://picrew.me/image_maker/1385369

https://picrew.me/image_maker/56425

https://picrew.me/image_maker/1409091

https://picrew.me/image_maker/1467361

https://picrew.me/image_maker/1490808

https://picrew.me/image_maker/8345

https://picrew.me/image_maker/1506766

https://picrew.me/image_maker/1755976

https://picrew.me/image_maker/1761935

https://picrew.me/image_maker/1875992

https://picrew.me/image_maker/1797391

https://picrew.me/image_maker/1528271

https://picrew.me/image_maker/1349513

https://picrew.me/image_maker/1289564

https://picrew.me/image_maker/1472566

2 animals

https://picrew.me/image_maker/1648347

https://picrew.me/image_maker/1644267

https://picrew.me/image_maker/53053

Other

https://picrew.me/image_maker/23273

https://picrew.me/image_maker/926

https://picrew.me/image_maker/71089 (wasn’t sure which category this went in)

https://picrew.me/image_maker/287350 (same here)

https://picrew.me/image_maker/5505

https://picrew.me/image_maker/79981

https://picrew.me/image_maker/627254

https://picrew.me/image_maker/299540

https://picrew.me/image_maker/60938

https://picrew.me/image_maker/1797391

1 person

https://picrew.me/image_maker/1041191

https://picrew.me/image_maker/227881

https://picrew.me/image_maker/599814

https://picrew.me/image_maker/135097

https://picrew.me/image_maker/22819

https://picrew.me/image_maker/153755

https://picrew.me/image_maker/338737

https://picrew.me/image_maker/250891

https://picrew.me/image_maker/35164

https://picrew.me/image_maker/139219

https://picrew.me/image_maker/264278

https://picrew.me/image_maker/3595

https://picrew.me/image_maker/41305

https://picrew.me/image_maker/41329

https://picrew.me/image_maker/62745

https://picrew.me/image_maker/257033

https://picrew.me/image_maker/186583

https://picrew.me/image_maker/6738

https://picrew.me/image_maker/32223

https://picrew.me/image_maker/4607

https://picrew.me/image_maker/87408

https://picrew.me/image_maker/12489

https://picrew.me/image_maker/5215

https://picrew.me/image_maker/55827

https://picrew.me/image_maker/19158

https://picrew.me/image_maker/29841

https://picrew.me/image_maker/18306

https://picrew.me/image_maker/14619

https://picrew.me/image_maker/19933

https://picrew.me/image_maker/40450

https://picrew.me/image_maker/49709

https://picrew.me/image_maker/54346

https://picrew.me/image_maker/167775

https://picrew.me/image_maker/60781

https://picrew.me/image_maker/13338

https://picrew.me/image_maker/28750

https://picrew.me/image_maker/73327

https://picrew.me/image_maker/69139

https://picrew.me/image_maker/6324

https://picrew.me/image_maker/56246

https://picrew.me/image_maker/17569

https://picrew.me/image_maker/210483

https://picrew.me/image_maker/242670

https://picrew.me/image_maker/37328

https://picrew.me/image_maker/348930

https://picrew.me/image_maker/11529

https://picrew.me/image_maker/85020

https://picrew.me/image_maker/41709

https://picrew.me/image_maker/190588

https://picrew.me/image_maker/539055

https://picrew.me/image_maker/126301

https://picrew.me/image_maker/620383

https://picrew.me/image_maker/9971

#picrew #f/o stuff #self ship #self shipping #I don’t know what all to tag this um #my posts

[oneterabyteofkilobyteage]

original url http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Street/5743/ last modified 2007-09-12 23:51:19

#SunsetStrip #2007 #Explorer6 #WindowsXP #800x600

[ashxketchum]

✧ HAPPY BIRTHDAY @deathberi ✧

Honestly, I'm so glad that we became friends because it's so hard to find people who vibe with your entire thought process and share all the same reactions or inhibitions over everything. Thank you so much for always lending an ear to my crazy and petty fandom or life related rants, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be as active in the Mimato fandom as I am now had we not become friends when we did 💗

After almost 2 years of telling people that there will be a part 2 of the post-Tri coffee shop oneshot, I've finally managed to pull myself together and write it for Eri's birthday!

And for a change, I'll be posting the entire fic on tumblr, though you can also read it on FFN/AO3 if you wish 🫶🏻

Summary: After the Ordinemon incident, bit by bit the kids are able to pick up the pieces and move on with their lives. Amongst the chaos of change, Yamato and Mimi discover their friendship runs deeper than either had ever thought.

Word count: 5743, Fandom: Digimon, Pairing: Mimato, Genre: Slow burn/friendship/romance

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I’ll have a venti matcha berry frappe, nonfat, refrigerated chilled milk, absolutely no ice, extra whipped cream, which, make sure, is layered perfectly, with three pumps of caramel syrup and two of vanilla.”

He could feel his manager’s eyes boring into his back, so Yamato did what any other good employee in his place would, he kept a straight face and diligently noted down the customer’s request before moving on to ringing it up without once bothering to look at the girl standing behind the counter or ask for her name. He wondered if his manager would find it strange, that he hadn’t taken the customer’s name, but seeing as Yamato was already putting all his effort into concentrating well on his job and not exploding on the brunette who seemed to take some pleasure out of his misery, he decided that he was allowed this one slip. He’d deal with his manager later, since the bigger problem was in front of him, eyeing him with a teasing glint in her caramel eyes as he picked up the paper cup and moved on to the workstation to begin her order. He did however, keep a track of what his manager was doing from the corner of his eye, and the minute the older man was out of sight, Yamato breathed a sigh of relief and spun on his feet.

“Please Mimi, by all means, go ahead and make my job more difficult.” Yamato seethed, managing to keep his voice low to not attract any attention to them.

“Well, if you’re going to ask that nicely,” Mimi smirked, as always she had the upper hand in the conversation due to the safety guaranteed by being a customer at the shop.

“Just take the drink and go, let me work in peace.” Yamato attempted to maintain a superior tone as he begged her to leave, turning again to add the finishing touches to her order as quickly as he could before his superior caught a whiff of his not-so-welcoming attitude towards their customers.

“Now where’s the fun in that?” Mimi beamed at him, as she accepted the finished product from his hand, her fingers brushed against his own for a brief moment, suddenly making Yamato hyper aware of the spot at the back of his hand.

“Don’t you have anything better to do? Entrance exams to worry about?” He asked exasperatedly, she seemed too carefree for someone who was in the last year of high school, remembering his own experience of it from the previous year.

Mimi scoffed in reply, waving a hand in the air to brush aside his concern for her education. Instead of turning to make her way out of the store now that she had received her order, she settled on the empty bar stool on the other side of the pick-up counter, resting one elbow on the countertop as she took careful sips of her drink from the other hand. He watched her like a hawk, Yamato wouldn’t put it past the brunette to make fake claims about the taste of the drink just to get him into trouble. This had been going on for a few months now, every time he had a shift during her after-school hours, Mimi would make it her life’s purpose to show up and annoy him to no extent. He’d attempted to explain to her, that he needed to keep this job to maintain his living expenses, but apparently, the pleasure she got from watching him stumble around while making coffee seemed to take precedence over his livelihood.

Of course, Mimi wasn’t the only one to blame here, if only his roommate at college wasn’t a bigger pain in the ass, Yamato would never had have to take up this part-time job in the first place. When he had complained to his father about not being able to get along well with his roomie, instead of agreeing to raise his monthly allowance so that Yamato could move out and rent a place of his own, his father had promptly told him that as an adult, he should learn to solve his problems from now on. Yamato had half a mind to remind his father that he and his friends had not only solved the Digital World’s problems on multiple occasions, but also saved their own world by doing so, but he'd stayed quiet and accepted his fate. On Takeru’s recommendation, he took up a job at this popular coffee joint, the pay was decent and the hours weren’t too bad and well Yamato always did have a knack for being good in the kitchen, so it suited his purposes of saving up to move out of the college dorm as soon as possible just well.

Until Mimi happened to walk in one day and decided to take matters into her own hands.

She was surprised to see him behind the counter, and at first, she had just been curious, about what he was doing here or what he had been up to since the graduation ceremony. Yamato admitted, that ever since he graduated high school, he’d finally understood what Jou had been struggling with for the longest time, it wasn’t easy to maintain friendships when one was thrust with the responsibility of taking care of every single aspect of their life and somehow pursue studies on which one’s future life depended at the same time. He considered himself lucky if he was able to have a phone conversation with Takeru that lasted more than 5 minutes in a day. So he hadn’t been wary of Mimi popping up every now and then, updating him about her and Koushiro’s school life, and sometimes Jou’s and Sora’s too. It gave him a way to stay connected with everyone without having to make time for them, and while he did feel guilty about this on multiple occasions, he was grateful for it too.

That was before Mimi got bored with just talking about their lives, and decided to spice up their encounters by getting him into light trouble with his manager. It was usually just silly little things like claiming he got her order wrong or giving extremely complicated and hard to follow requests, and she had never pulled something huge that would seriously get Yamato in trouble, but it was still frustrating and it ruined his mojo for the rest of his shift.

There was also the question of why Mimi had suddenly taken such a liking to spending time with him, of all people, since they'd never been close enough for a relationship like this. They’d spent time together before sure, and they’d had their fair share of agreements and disagreements when it came to matters related to the Digital World, but apart from that Yamato could barely remember any interactions with her that didn’t circle back to the Digital World or their Digimon Partners. So the thought always nagged at him, at the back of his head, when she would appear with a skip in her step and fix him with one of the brightest smiles he knew.

But then she would go on to do something diabolical, and he’d be reminded of how similar she was to his little brother, which led to him missing Takeru and left him irritated and wishing for her to leave.

Pulling himself out of his thoughts, Yamato turned his attention towards the brunette sitting in front of him, she had set down the drink on the countertop and was currently surveying the store with her bright eyes, the mischievous glint in them indicating that she was just looking for something that could serve as a prop of the day in interfering with his work. Relieved that he had caught her while she was still in her planning phase, Yamato decided to take control of the situation before his manager returned and reprimanded him for being rude to their customers.

“You really don’t have anything better to do?” Yamato began icily, making Mimi turn her gaze towards him, the challenging look on her face seemed to put the last nail to his patience’s coffin as he snapped at her, “Don’t you have any friends?”

He regretted it the minute those words left his mouth, biting his tongue in an attempt to stop himself from groaning outwardly.

The effect on Mimi was immediate, all colour drained from her face and her eyes shone with a blanket of tears just waiting to fall, but with a single blink she managed to keep them at bay and faced him with a hardened look as she replied quietly, “I thought that’s what we were.”

And before Yamato could make any attempts to take back his statements or even begin to apologize for his behaviour, Mimi was out of the door, leaving behind her drink on the counter, without sparing a single glance in his direction.

Yamato allowed himself to groan out loud when he picked up her cup to clear the counter and found that it was still heavy, she had barely begun to drink it. He couldn’t help but chide himself internally, for missing something so obvious, for even deliberating on an answer that was right in front of his eyes this entire time.

Yamato couldn’t believe that he, of all people, had missed out on the signs of their budding friendship, and had pushed it aside as nothing but an occasional nuisance within his routine. His optimistic side hoped that he would just explain himself to her when she’d show up tomorrow, even offer her her favourite drink for free as a token of his apology. But a tiny voice at the back of his head reminded him, that there was no way Mimi would come back to spend time with him after this.

Unfortunately, it was the tiny voice that prevailed in its prediction, as Mimi didn’t show up the next day or the one after that, or after that.

At first, Yamato consoled himself by devoting himself to the tasks at hand, happy to finally be able to concentrate on his work, he managed to win praises from his manager on multiple occasions which pushed Mimi’s absence from his surroundings out of his head, and for a while, it worked.

But then there were slow days when he didn’t have much to do but stand behind the counter and look at all the people sitting around in groups or twos and threes, laughing and chatting loudly as they sipped their coffees and munched on their food. The sight would tug on an invisible string in his heart, making him long for Mimi’s teasing smile as she rattled off an order comprising of the most incompatible ingredients, laughing loudly at the look of horror that would take over his face as he wrote down her instructions. There were days when the shop would be eerily silent, and he’d hear her voice in his head, telling him about something that had happened at school. There were days when someone would walk by with a pet, cuddling it and showering it with affection, making him miss Gabumon’s soft fur and he’d instinctively turn towards the pick-up counter, hoping to tell Mimi about it but was met with emptiness instead.

He hadn’t realised, just how much he had managed to share with her during their encounters, and how he had begun to depend on her company to get him through his mundane work life. And in true Yamato fashion, he had gone ahead and messed it all up by thinking about things from only his perspective.

It was on another such slow day when Yamato was just standing behind the counter with mundane blue eyes watching the people that passed by the cafe's entrance that his father’s words echoed in his mind once again. As an adult he had to learn to solve his problems without help from others, so was standing here day in and day out, waiting for Mimi to appear through the door once again really how he wanted this to end? He knew he was capable of doing better, and that realisation came with a burst of motivation to take matters into his own hand.

Looking at the ingredients lined up on the shelf behind him, Yamato put his mind and then hands to work, coming up with a coffee drink only Mimi would enjoy sipping through. After he set the finished drink aside, he carefully checked his manager's office, which had been empty when he had clocked in, and to his delight was still so. Asking around among his colleagues he found that their senior was on leave today and after a quick roster negotiation with the staff he was on good terms with, Yamato picked up the coffee cup and ducked out of work early.

His feet carried him towards his school without needing many instructions from his brain, but what he did notice was that his coffee shop was actually not that far from it at all. Maybe another reason why Mimi had ended up dropping by so frequently, it probably was just a stop on her way home from school. When he arrived at the school gates, he checked the time on his wristwatch and smiled to himself, just a few more minutes and the students would begin pouring out in herds.

As time passed, however, Yamato shifted his feet restlessly, he hadn’t visited this area since he graduated and standing outside the entrance to his school while he was not in uniform made him feel like he was doing something wrong, that any of his teachers would just waltz up to him parroting off the school policy any minute. He didn’t have much of a choice, however, since this was his decision and turning back now just to escape a little bit of embarrassment would set him back a few steps over the progress he was trying to make. He gripped the takeaway coffee cup in his hand and reminded himself that the reason he was here was to make amends, no matter what the consequences.

So he stood a few paces away from the school’s main gate and kept a watchful eye on the students passing by in groups of threes and fours, hoping to catch hold of the person he had come here to see soon enough. Yamato had expected her to be out the doors mixed in with a big group of girls, laughing and chattering away about their day, but he'd been standing here for a while now and despite the large crowd of students that had already exited the building, he was yet to lay his eyes upon her. The coffee cup in his hand had been chilled to the point that it felt frozen when he left the shop with it but now it was starting to slowly lose its coolness, and he wondered if he had chosen the wrong day to show up. Maybe Mimi was busy with some club meeting after school or she might’ve taken a sick day today, which would mean that he’d have to repeat his efforts some other day. The school could easily let him camp outside for a day, but surely he’d raise some questioning eyebrows if he appeared here for two consecutive days.

But just as he was contemplating turning around and going back, his eyes finally caught sight of the familiar shade of pastel hair, that shined with a hint of pink when the light hit it just right. To his surprise, however, Mimi was not exiting the school in a large group surrounded by friends, she was walking all by herself with hands shoved in her coat’s pocket and her head hanging low, a sight that Yamato never expected to see. He didn’t want to seem like he was putting her in a mould, but at some level for him, Mimi was the personification of brightness, so to see her look so dull and drained was almost eye-opening in some sense. Now he felt even more guilty for his actions before, for pushing her away and treating her like a nuisance without ever giving a second thought to what kind of problems she was facing by herself.

The Ordinemon incident took its toll on each of them in different ways, for Taichi witnessing their teacher’s death made an irreparable hole in his heart, for Hikari coming to terms with the fact that she and her brother shared idealistic differences hadn’t been easy, for Jou and Sora, completely moving on from their responsibilities as a chosen child to focus on themselves and their futures was a bittersweet choice, for Takeru learning to make the most of the things that hurt him took centerstage in his life, and for Koushiro drowning himself in working to make the connection between the Digital World and their world more stable became his life’s only goal.

And yet somehow, Yamato assumed that Mimi was unaffected, that she was the only one out of them all who conquered the painful memories and continued to live life as happily as she always had. It hadn’t crossed his mind at all that the reason why she sat across him at the coffee shop day in and day out could have just been a way for her to avoid dealing with her problems. He never even considered the possibility that the few moments of laughter and teasing she shared with him could have been the highlight of her day. Perhaps, it had been reassuring for Yamato to think that at least one of them made it out of that fiasco unharmed, maybe assuming that he had one friend less to worry about was an easier truth to accept.

After all, what help had his silent presence been of to Taichi, or even to Takeru for that matter? Had he been able to find the comforting words to tell Jou and Sora that they made the right decision? Had he ever taken a moment to understand where Hikari’s anger towards Taichi came from, or what kind of unreasonable expectations Koushiro set for himself? No, the only moment when Yamato felt that he was doing something right as a friend was when Mimi sat across him with her bright eyes and loud laugh filling his world with colours unimaginable.

Taking a deep breath, Yamato kept his eyes fixed on the brunette who now had reached the school gate without noticing him. He knew that if he called out to her, it might draw unneeded attention towards her so he waited for her to turn her back to him as she walked in the direction of the train station. Swiftly, but as unsuspiciously as he could, he followed her before eventually falling into step with her. With her head still hung low, it seemed that Mimi was yet to notice his presence.

“Hey, Mimi!”

Yamato called out to her in a normal tone, but Mimi still jumped up in surprise, eyes wide with disbelief as she halted in her tracks and looked up at him.

“Are you looking to get punched?” She frowned at him as she rested a palm on her chest, possibly trying to calm herself.

“Sorry, I didn’t want to startle you.” Yamato smiled sheepishly, realising that he hadn’t made the best move after all.

“And how’s that working out for you?”

The sarcasm dripping from Mimi’s voice and the gloomy aura that surrounded her was a clear sign of how maybe today was not the best day for Yamato to carry out his plan. But the now slightly less cold cup of coffee in his hand reminded him that since he made it this far, there was no point in turning back now.

“Sorry, again,” Yamato said, moving quickly to make space for a passer-by which put him directly in front of Mimi. With all the courage that he had left in his bones, he raised the cup of coffee in his hand, offering it to her as he spoke, “I got some time off today so I thought I’d bring you a peace offering.”

Mimi didn’t immediately take the cup from his hand which made a shiver run down his spine as she folded her arms across her chest and tilted her head up towards him, shooting a glare at him with her fierce caramel eyes as she asked, “And why should I bother to accept this peace offering?”

Yamato bit his lip nervously as his grip on the coffee cup tightened. The apology he had practised at home, kind of tied in with the premise that Mimi would accept his little token and then agree to hear him out in her usual lighter mood. He couldn’t be sure if the words he originally picked would please the Mimi that stood in front of him now with a guarded posture and distrustful eyes.

“Look, I really am sorry for the way I behaved,” he said. Mimi immediately scoffed at him and began to roll her eyes so he hastily explained himself better, “I know you find that hard to believe right now, but I’m not sure how I can prove it to you if you don’t have a little faith in me.

Maybe it was the sincerity in his voice, or it may have been his blunt choice of words, but there was a flicker in Mimi’s eyes as her head perked up, indicating that she was beginning to let down her guard. She raised a hesitant hand and before he knew it, her fingers brushed against his as she decided to take the coffee cup he had prepared for her.

Yamato curled his fists to contain the excitement that rushed through his veins at the thought of being able to earn Mimi’s forgiveness just as he had imagined it in his head. He recounted his next words carefully in his mind before speaking up again, his voice filled with twice the confidence he had started with.

“Of course, I consider us friends.”

Mimi’s eyes widened at his simple declaration, it was hard to miss the colour that rushed to her pale cheeks, the sight of which made his own heartbeat pick up pace, though he did not understand the reason why it happened.

“I have always considered you as a friend, right from the very first time we got dumped into the Digital World.” Yamato continued, knowing that he had her undivided attention, he didn’t want to waste any time dwelling on his own feelings. Chuckling softly, Yamato ran a hand through his hair before he spoke again, “And believe me I know that I haven’t exactly been good at showing it, but that doesn’t make it any less true. Again, I’m sorry about what I said, and of course, the way I behaved.”

She averted her gaze the minute he stopped speaking so at first, Yamato thought that he had said something wrong. A thin veil of silence settled between them and each passing second that Mimi did not look up to meet his eye started to feel like a hellish eternity. Had she been expecting him to say something else, had he not understood why she was mad at him, had he stood there and apologised for something else entirely, questions like these kept racing through Yamato’s head as he waited for the brunette to, in some way, acknowledge his words.

When Mimi finally did raise her head and peeked at him from under her lashes, he thought the relief that filled his body would make him faint but instead, her shining eyes and the smile tugging at her lips made him feel like he was dangling on the edge of cloud nine.

“Thank you for saying that.” Her voice was faint, but the sweet smile that gradually graced her face made up for it. She tucked the strands of hair, that always framed her face perfectly, behind her ears. Her hands then shifted to the hem of her school skirt as she fidgeted with it, dropping her gaze once again before saying, “That, uh, means a lot to me.”

Finally being able to apologise, and have his apology get accepted did lift a heavy weight off of Yamato’s shoulders, but somehow watching Mimi squirm nervously under his stare made an unfamiliar feeling settle in his stomach. Perhaps he was just surprised, he thought, that Mimi wasn’t gloating over getting him to admit his mistakes or acting smug about it the way she would have done back when they’d been younger. It was just an effect of being privy to a new side of his childhood friend, he told himself, he shouldn’t attach too much meaning to something so irrelevant. Rather, he should be focusing on the fact that he had just won Mimi’s forgiveness and although in reality the two still stood rooted to their spots on the side of the pavement, Yamato felt that they had taken a huge step towards each other at that moment.

But still, just to be sure, Yamato decided that he needed to hear her say it more definitively.

“So…”

“So?” Mimi raised her eyes as she began to walk again.

“Am I forgiven?” Yamato asked nervously, as he quickly followed in her steps and settled into a pace next to her.

“That depends, am I allowed back in the coffee shop?” She stuck her tongue out at him, indicating that her spirits had been lifted and that of course Yamato was forgiven.

“I never stopped you from coming in!”

“But you acted like you didn’t want me there.”

Her teasing, sing-song voice struck a nerve with him but Yamato just rolled his eyes. Not even a full minute had passed since they’d made up and Mimi had already begun to mess with him. But this time, he wasn’t as bothered as he used to get, in fact, he welcomed her little giggles here and there since it just meant that they were back to being friends again. Being teased over little things was but a small price to pay for having Mimi’s melodic laugh back in his life.

“Yeah, yeah, you can come by any time you want.” Yamato shook his head as the two took a turn that led them down the steps towards the train station.

“Well, of course, I’m not going to come by any time, I’m going to come when you’re working!”

“That’s great. Just perfect.” He muttered under his breath dejectedly as Mimi shook with laughter next to him.

When they crossed through the gates of the station, Yamato knew that he needed to head in the opposite direction to reach his home, but he still found himself tagging along with Mimi, having wordlessly decided that he might as well drop her off till her house. The train they boarded was crowded at first which didn’t give them many chances to continue their conversation, but after a few stations, their compartment cleared and the two quickly grabbed a pair of seats together. Having settled down comfortably, and with their stop still being a bit further away, Yamato decided to bring up something that had been bothering him for a little while.

“Uh, is everything okay at school?”

His sudden question surprised Mimi and she whipped her head in his direction with an incredulous look on her face.

“Why do you ask?”

“You just looked a little down when you got out,” Yamato said, rubbing the back of his head out of an anxious habit.

“Okay, stalker.” Mimi chuckled quietly, despite the smug look she sent his way, it was easy to tell that her voice lacked a hint of humour.

“I wasn’t stalking, I was waiting for you!” He still defended himself despite knowing that she might have teased him to get on his nerves and change the subject.

“School’s the same as always, I don’t really fit in.” Mimi tried to shrug off the disappointment in her voice as she turned her gaze towards her sneakers.

“What about Koushiro?”

“He barely attends classes these days, his scores are so good that they let him do remote learning.”

“Oh. So you’re…” Yamato stopped mid-sentence, swallowing the word that was at the tip of his tongue.

“Alone.” Mimi finished for him with a dry smile, “Mostly. Unless Miyako and Hikari spare me some time or if Takeru runs into me in the hallway during lunch break.”

“I see.”

While leaving school Mimi had looked quite grim, but as she talked about it right now, the solemn look on her face made it seem like she had made her peace with the way things were. Maybe it had just been Yamato’s luck that he’d managed to catch her on a bad day. He kept this thought to himself, and even Mimi didn’t speak much for the rest of the ride. As they exited the train at the right station, Yamato wondered if he should say something to make Mimi feel better, even if it didn’t particularly look like she needed it. But since he had brought up the topic that had made the conversation go stale between them, he felt that it was his duty to do something to make things pick up pace between them again.

“College isn’t so easy either you know,” he remarked as the two passed through the exit gates, catching Mimi’s attention immediately. She motioned towards the way her house was located once they were above ground and Yamato realised that even if the neighbourhood felt familiar, it had been a long time since had last been around this area. Shaking his head, he continued to explain his own predicaments to Mimi, with the hope that it might help her feel that she wasn’t the only one struggling, “My roommate is an ass, everyone in my year is so competitive, I don’t feel like I can trust anyone enough to call them a friend.”

“Wow, you sure shouldn’t be allowed to speak to any high school seniors preparing for their entrance exams right about now.” She looked at him pointedly.

“Wait, I meant...no-jus- argh!”Yamato felt his ears go red as he realised how he’d spoken without thinking things through. He exhaled a deep breath, the sound of which drowned under Mimi’s laughter over his behaviour, in a more stable and sensible tone he added, “What I meant was that for me, college isn’t easy just like school isn’t for you. I am in no way trying to demotivate you from applying.”

“I know, I know.” Mimi grinned at him as she bumped her shoulder against his arm lightly, letting him know that yet again, she was just teasing, “Thank you for sharing that with me.”

The two walked in a comfortable silence after this and it wasn’t until Mimi’s apartment building came into sight that she suddenly spoke up.

“Things would be easier if I had just one person to lean on. Just one friend to talk to.”

Yamato stopped in his tracks and so did Mimi, a few steps ahead of him. The sight of her looking wistfully up at the light purple dusk sky, coupled with the longing reflected in her voice, spurred something inexplicable inside him. It was the first time Yamato realised how beautiful her pastel hair looked under the faint evening light, how her caramel eyes mirrored alluring gold coins as the light danced off of them, and how even at a distance her porcelain skin looked like it was soft enough to melt against his touch.

“You’ve got me.”

Though his voice was barely above a whisper, the words escaped his lips before he could control himself. He hoped that the warmth that filled his cheeks at the moment could be attributed to the weather when Mimi shifted her attention towards him with a curious look on her face. He wasn’t sure whether his words had reached her so Yamato cleared his throat loudly, attempting to get rid of any unnecessary thoughts that had begun to cloud his mind, he rephrased what he had blurted out accidentally in a more suitable manner.

“I’ll be that friend, gladly.”

“And what should I be,” Mimi fully turned herself in his direction, putting her hands behind her back, she tilted her head and with a mischievous smile playing on her lips she finished her question, “in return, for you?”

It wasn’t easy for Yamato to maintain eye contact with Mimi and not blurt something stupid out again, especially not when the stars that were now starting to appear in the sky behind her almost forming a halo around her head with their glow. Were his eyes playing tricks on him, was his heart really beating faster than it had ever before, was the heat coursing through his body not a sign of some kind of illness befalling him? How did his simple wish to make amends with Mimi over a cup of coffee make him end up here, asking questions that had never crossed his mind before?

Yamato peeled his eyes away from Mimi and looked at the ground, rubbing his neck with one hand as he answered her question, “Friendship isn’t a give and take kind of situation, you can just be yourself.”

“Deal!” She laughed and winked at him, before bowing her head slightly in thanks for accompanying her home. With a wave and a loud bye-bye, she pushed open the door to the apartment entrance and disappeared behind it.

Yamato stood at the pavement, watching her silhouette slowly fade behind the glass doors of the building entrance, only one thought circling around in his mind. He had just labelled their relationship as a friendship, even though he knew that the tightness in his chest which grew the further away Mimi got from him was not something one would feel for a friend. He raised his hand and rested it over his chest, feeling the rapid and loud beating of his heart until it gradually became normal again.

It was funny how trying to resolve things with Mimi had left him with many more unresolved feelings and thoughts, the opposite of what he had expected today’s encounter would lead to.

With a scoff Yamato turned on his heel, facing the vast sky above him he reminded himself that following his dad’s advice never did seem to work out well for him.

x

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