Inbox & In-person meetups

[dollmaxing]

Art Source


Hiiii! You've reached Ichinose Kuon, head of AI research and development. Leave a message and I'll get back to you!

Comments

[takutomaruki]

He leans in a little as he tries to adjust himself, his nose bumping against her- even through his clumsiness as he finds himself laughing.

"Heh...oh god-! Haha!" He chuckles at their positioning. "...you must be so uncomfortable right now. Can you even feel your shoulders?" He asks, worriedly- pulling away to give her body the movement she needs.

[dollmaxing]

"Oh, I'm not bothered at all, I hardly sit normally in the first place," she laughed, but figured she would at least adjust to slide closer, sitting hip-to-hip with him before leaning against his shoulder.

"How does your chest feel after getting all that crying out? Seems like you were a shaken soda bottle just waiting to burst!"

[takutomaruki]

"True. I swear I saw you sitting upside down on my couch a few days earlier," he grins teasingly at the fond memory.

Once again, hip-to-hip, he adjusts his glasses before just removing it from his face- wiping away the smudges on his lens with his shirt as he feels her head against his shoulder.

He smiles softly, blush showing on his face again.

"Oh no, don't remind me..." His throat is so parched from all the crying and sobbing it would almost be embarassing if Kuon wasn't here. "What I would kill for some actual soda right now. I am exhausted. "

He says that but there is a sealed can he had bought caught between them.

He placed his glasses back on his nose, satisfied with the much clearer vision.

"But...I'm relieved," he says quietly like he was unsure how much peace would he lose against the relentless nature of this place.

[dollmaxing]

"Good thing you had a doll to curl up with," she hummed in amusement, sitting up for just a moment to reach for that soda he'd brought and pass it to him before tucking herself against him again. It was a bit of a muggy night, but for some reason, the warmth of him didn't bother her at all.

Dolls can be pretty.

People make dolls to be the companions that they lack. The companions that are always there for them.

Happily, Kuon started humming again, her feet swinging just a little bit. She was feeling... good. Certain, for once, a certainty that only comes from really understanding oneself for the first time. Resolute.

She can't be a loving girlfriend. She can't be a fun coworker, or a charming daughter, or anything like that. But she can be someone's doll, their support, there to comfort them and help them succeed.

Just like she was ready to do for EMMA. She'll do it for Takuto Maruki.

[takutomaruki]

A doll...Maruki wasn't sure how to feel about that yet. She didn't find any offense to it- holding that title and cradling it in her hands with the wonder to cherish it. So much of what he had said had been blurred by lines that were caught in his throat that he wasn't even sure if he had spilled something unsavoury in the midst of his cries.

Still.

A miracle...

He held onto that, the same way she did to her own.

"Oh-! Thank you!" He beamed at her as she passed him the soda he had bought.

So much of her presence next to him felt freeing. Like he had finally found his own anchor after sinking for so long. Her humming warmed his heart in ways he had...missed.

He missed Rumi so much.

With her place next to him, Takuto popped open the can without really checking the label.

Which served to be a mistake.

His eyes widened as hd sputters after the first gulp.

"Pfft- ugh, oh no that's not-" he coughs as he turns his face away from Kuon. "Is that- toothpaste?!"

And sure enough, the label on the can read Mint Choco soda.