Glass Heart Casket [Kaede, Sora]

Kaede growled quietly at the blunt, part one answer of her question. It also didn't help that this jerk threatened her like that. She shuffled, bringing her leg back to herself as she turned to the side, burying her face into the pack.

'I'll throw a battery at you, jerk.'

But, as he then tried to get an answer out of her, Kaede's eyes scrunched up in irritation as she suddenly pointed a finger at him, very evidently annoyed, even with the small amounts of her that could be seen.

"Nope. Only answered one part. Gave me the where, not the how or the why. So, no answer for you yet."

“You’re a bit of a brat, aren’t you?” Sora said, raising an eyebrow. “You keep calling me a jerk too, but you’re the one acting like that…” The man rubbed the back of his neck, looking off. “Safety means different things to different people, you know? A kid feels safe with their parents, a wife with her husband, and friends with each other. For me, it’s simple... I feel safe at home because it’s my space.”

As he commented on how she was acting, Kaede found herself looking away from him, another episode of pouting and cheek puffing while she stole a couple glances at him. But, then he started talking about safety, and her expression softened. The annoyance changed to one that looked far more vulnerable and sad.

Where did she feel safe? For all she could remember, nowhere. Home never felt safe, she'd laugh in someone's face if they told her the streets were. Even with Ehefra, Kaede didn't feel truly safe in that house. The only time she had felt safe was when she was with her sister. A new set of tears began to roll down her cheeks at the thought, and how hurt she felt when Akane had left her.

Slowly, she lowered the backpack, keeping it between her legs.

"...I had a really bad day, okay? That's why I wanted to jump. I don't even know what I wanna do now. I don't wanna go back to where I'm staying. Ehefra probably is gonna be really mad at me if she finds out about any of this..."

Kaede sniffled and went to rub her eyes, but winced at her own touch, the skin having been rubbed raw from trying to dry her eyes.

"I can't get a job, I was stupid and threw my phone over the edge, and I got mugged. But, I can't even get a job, s-so...I can't even replace what the asshole stole! Not like replacing it would even matter...it wouldn't be the same."

‘Ehefra? Interesting name…’

Sora reached into his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief. It was gold, clean, and soft. He leaned over to her and held it out so she could wipe her fact down. It would do a lot better than a sleeve or the back of her hand.

“A bad day, hm?" Sora repeated, clearly doubting her words, but he wouldn't comment. A single bad day doesn't lead to jumping off a bridge, though she did seem to have a series of bad luck. "What did he steal?" That he could help with...

Despite her starting to open up, Kaede's face suddenly turned red as he asked what the person stole. She looked down in her lap, fidgeting lightly. Even though she was irritated that he doubted her, she was more focused on what had been stolen.

"It...um...it's a teddy bear. It was a gift from my sister. He's special to me, and...the only thing I have left of her."

She parted her hands, holding them like she was cupping some big object, keeping them hovering around a foot apart. Thinking of the toy made her smile, remembering how she'd hold it close on the harder nights, or whenever she missed Akane...which, as time went on, became less and less, instead opting to keep him safe inside her backpack.

"He's like...this big. He's got a cute little bow around his neck, and one of his arms is stitched on. He looks kinda worn and used, but, they...they don't make them anymore, so, I-I can't replace him."

That was adorable. In fact, that was currently the cutest thing about her so far. While she described the bear, Sora kept a mental note of everything she said. While doing so, he was staring at her, though his expression remained calm. Even if they did make that particular bear anymore, you can’t replace a gift from someone who, hinted by this woman’s words, was dead. That... really sucked.

"My name is Sora, what's yours?" Sora asked as he stood up. He gave a soft smile and held out his hand to her again. "Please, take it this time."

It was a little weird and uncomfortable for him to be staring at her so intently while she was describing her bear. But, then he asked for her name. At first, she started to shrink away from him as he held out his hand. She still wasn't really sure what to do in this situation. Would it really be all that bad to trust him...? Kaede's hand shyly slipped out from behind the backpack, occasionally dipping back, before finally, shakily, taking Sora's.

"...Kaede. It's...written with the character for maple leaf, or maple tree. 'Sora' is written with the character for 'sky,' right?"

Sora showed little surprise when she took his hand, but he felt it. He silently thanked whatever god may have calmed this woman’s nerves enough to take his hand. He closed his hand around hers and gently helped her back to her feet.

“Maybe,” Sora said and then gestured toward his motorcycle. Most women were scared of riding on one of these loud things, so he understood if she didn’t like the idea. Still, she would rather walk, he would walk. “I’m a safe driver.”

Part of her still felt unsure, but, at least for now...she was willing to trust him. She got back to her feet, holding her pack close to her chest for a minute, before eventually slipping her arms through the straps. She looked at the motorcycle, silently contemplating. She knew that these things were loud, there had been more than one occasion where she had been woken up from one of those things tearing down the street.

But, she also didn't know how far it was that he wanted to take her. She didn't want to keep him all night because she decided to walk. So, looking at the ground, rubbing her arm, Kaede tried to think of what the best option would be. Eventually, she gave a light nod, before quietly walking over to the motorcycle and sliding her leg over the side.

"Do you have...earmuffs or something?"

Sora walked over to the bike and picked up the only helmet he had. Of course, he didn’t tell her that, and wouldn’t until she likely realized it when he wasn’t putting another one on. He held the helmet out to her, knowing that it would muffle a lot of the sound the bike made. Once she put it on, Sora got on the bike first and looked over his shoulder, waiting for her to get on the back. “Where do you want to go?”