The Seasons Return » Places

         

“A little more kindness,
a little less judgement.”

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As time passed, Reiya refused to allow either the doctor or Clarisse the receptionist to take a look at the small animal she held in the box in her lap. It was clear that the creature was stabilized and out of the danger zone of crashing, but she wasn’t about to just hand her over to them. It wasn’t that she thought they didn’t care; she just didn’t trust either of them with her wellbeing, at least not over herself. She didn’t care if this was taking away from her time at school or that she would be late as she was already farther ahead than the coursework was, and she refused to just abandon the creature, especially when it needed someone the most. She didn’t even step away long enough to clean herself up, but did allow Clarisse to clean and bandage her scratches as well as untangle the twigs from her hair and brush out the short mass of curls so it was no longer gnarled together.

Leaning back in her seat, Reiya gazed at the television that was playing in the top corner of the room near the entrance, not actually watching the show but instead more so zoning out while staring at it. She wasn’t thinking about anything in particular but was just staring off into space.

It was during this little space-out that the doors to the front of the building were torn open and a frazzled, white-haired boy around her age came running inside. His hair stood out the most about him, with its striking resemblance to beautiful snow, but Reiya would be lying if she said that he wasn’t handsome. He was far from that, with chiseled features and frantic yet kind, mesmerizingly blue eyes. When he spoke, his voice was dripping with sensuality, and she felt her cheeks heat up at the thought. Lifting her hands, she lightly smacked her face to bring herself back to earth, before rising with the box clutched in her grasp. For once, instead of the gentle look normally on her face, a dark scowl had her lips turned down as she approached the front desk.

”So you are the irresponsible pet owner that simply allowed his small and fragile pet mouse to run rampant where she could get hurt,” she snapped out, indignation clear on her features. Setting the box gently on the counter before him, she turned the scowl on him directly, her arms crossed. Despite there being almost an entire foot difference in height between them, she tilted her head back and did her best to look down her nose at him through her large glasses. She didn’t seem to care that he was so much taller than she was; she lacked fear when it came to protecting innocent animals, which was so outside of the normal for her otherwise gentle and shy persona. ”Do you have any idea just how close she came to dying?” she demanded, her fingers digging into her arms. ”Irresponsible pet owners are almost the worst kind, right behind neglectful and abusive ones. If you cannot care for or monitor the pet in the way that it deserves, then you shouldn’t have one to begin with,” she bit out. She was about to say more when she suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder. Looking up and behind her, she met the gaze of Dr. Rhynes, who shook his head slightly at her. The man turned his eyes up to the young boy before him and gave him a kind smile.

”Don’t mind our little Reiya. She may come off as feisty, but she’s really just a cinnamon roll who cares too much,” he chuckled out, attempting to diffuse the awkwardness that was hanging in the air between all of them. ”She doesn’t mean to be rude; she just cares too much for your little one - Luna, was it? - is all,” he finished, walking around to stand behind the desk and beside Clarisse. Leaning over the woman’s shoulder, he peered at the computer for a moment before straightening. ”Generally we don’t do this, but considering your age and how worried you clearly are, we’re going to waive the fees for today. That, and Reiya here already paid for him,” he gestured towards her, and she turned away slightly with a soft pouting sound in response. The doctor chuckled again and turned back to Yuki, an odd, indiscernible look in his eyes. ”Just promise to take good care of her and don’t let something like this happen again. Next time, you may not be so lucky. You have Reiya here to thank for saving her from a wild fox and spending the better part of the last two hours treating and caring for your little Luna.”

At the mention of what she did, Reiya sighed and relaxed her shoulders, dropping her crossed arms. She turned back to the box on the counter and opened in slightly so as to reach in and gently stroke the small head of the little mouse inside, who was now awake and looking around eagerly at the sound of her owner’s voice. After a moment, she replaced the lid and picked up the box, turning back towards the boy that she now knew as Yuki Orako.

”I don’t mean to be snappish. He’s right when he says I simply care too much,” she sighed out. She held out the box in his direction, waiting for him to take it before sheepishly rubbing her arm and looking down at the ground. ”Please make sure to take care of her, and if anything comes up or you’re concerned about anything, don’t hesitate to reach out to us here.” Peeking up at him through her lashes, she registered for the first time the uniform that he was wearing. It was identical to the ones that the boys at the high school portion of the educational buildings wore, so he was clearly attending the same school that she was. After a moment of hesitation, she decided to speak once more.

”Also … Feel free to come and find me if needed. My Homeroom teacher is Mr. Iyoto, so if I’m not here, I’m more than likely there,” she offered. Turning to Dr. Rhynes, she smiled sheepishly at him, suddenly embarrassed by her sudden outburst before towards a stranger that she didn't know. ”Actually, now that I mention it, I really need to head out and get going to school, Dr. Rhynes. I’ll be by after classes to help you with whatever you need,” she said. When she received a wave in response, she once more turned towards Yuki, deciding to do the only thing that she knew how to do in order to make up for her previous actions; she offered to help. ”If you’d like, I can walk with you to your house and then show you a faster way to get back to the school. That is, if you have someone to watch over Luna while you’re in class?”