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Post by inakamoto on Nov 29, 2016 7:41:55 GMT -5
At the very least, he didn't seem too sick. Maria didn't feel a fever, and the breathing seemed to help. It was likely he just had a dizzy spell, probably brought on by stress. She didn't mean to cause him discomfort, but he seemed to get better, but only slightly. She noticed him pulling a lollypop from his pocket, and it slipping out of his fingers. Maria also tried to make a grab for it, but it slipped just between her fingers, and hit the ground, breaking into pieces.
After looking down at the candy a moment, then looking back at Chihiro, Maria had a thought. Reaching for her belt, she pulled out a small container of miniature cookies from one of the pouches. They packed for her by Haruhi, as a snack; she was debating earlier whether or not to eat them, but now, it seemed he might need them more.
After popping the lid off, Maria offered the cookies to Chihiro, "Maybe you'll like these?"
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Post by onlyafiction04 on Dec 10, 2016 0:38:53 GMT -5
Staring still at the shattered sweet stick, Chihiro noticed that Maria pulled something on her pocket. It appeared as a small container, with some cookies on it. He emitted a small and shy squeak when she asked him if he liked cookies in compensation of his lollipop.
"Uhm..." Chihiro was pretty hesitant on whether he would accept or not. He was pretty shy to accept the cookies because they just met today, however, he didn't want to be rude if not. This kind of decision-making was causing him a conundrum. There were some consenquences either of the two decisions. He could not say he was pretty shy or he had some preference in food as an excuse. He wished there was an easier algorithm in this kind of situation.
"U-Uhm..." he stared on her eyes, "I-Is it okay? I mean... we just met today and you are so generous to offer me that... Uhm, I-I didn't mean anything wrong... You are just so kind... Uh sorry..." He blushed, and he admitted to himself that he was not used to be treated with kindness, especially from his superiors in his job before. For a sudden, his stomach growled, making his face redder even more.
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Post by inakamoto on Dec 11, 2016 20:59:21 GMT -5
Hearing the gurgle from Chihiro's stomach made her certain she was doing the right thing. She gave a reassuring smile, and a light pat on the shoulder, "It's okay, It's always good to share, right? You look like you need some more than I do, anyway."
As she held out the container, she couldn't help but notice Chihiro's cheeks becoming even redder. Poor kid must've been wrought with embarrassment. She felt bad for the kid, she didn't mean for him to feel awkward, but at the same time, she was at a loss as to what to do. There had to be something she could do to help him feel more relaxed. Something she could say.
"They're not poisoned, if that's what you're worried about," Maria blurted out suddenly.
Maria suddenly felt her own cheeks begin to flush as she screamed in her head, WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT?!
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Post by onlyafiction04 on Dec 11, 2016 23:04:46 GMT -5
Chihiro nodded as he took a cookie shyly. "Thank you... The truth is I haven't eaten lunch yet..." It was true, he haven't eaten anything yet since the bread from breakfast.
He took a bite, but was stopped and shocked with the mention of potion. He blinked twice as he saw her face flushed, too, probably surprised from what she also said. He guessed his reactions made her uncomfortable; and he felt bad about causing her like that.
"A-Ah... No... D-Don't worry... I'm just shy, sorry if I made you think like that..." Chihiro coy a smile. Trying to lighten up the mood, he took another one and offered it to Maria, "And it is better to eat with someone. That way... we could enjoy this cookie together." He hoped she would not feel uncomfortable around him anymore, he thought.
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Post by inakamoto on Dec 17, 2016 18:26:57 GMT -5
Maria gave an awkward chuckle at Chihiro's response, it seemed like the kid was starting to loosen up, in spite of her bad humor, "Sorry to say, humor isn't quite my best quality."
When offered a cookie, Maria accepted the offering and gave a small nod, along with a 'thank you'.
After taking a small bite, she looked at Chihiro, and decided to take another try at starting a conversation, "You mentioned your father earlier. What's he like?"
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Post by onlyafiction04 on Dec 18, 2016 3:40:24 GMT -5
Chihiro sweat dropped about her bad humor, he just began to reflect himself on her that he, also, sucked at making jokes, too. "Well... either do I..."
He just bowed in courtesy when she took the cookie, and happily eat it with her. This reminded him again of his father who used to eat with him, since they were just the two of him living together.
His hands were frozen all of the sudden when she asked about his father. He stared at her, unsure if he would going to answer it or not. But he recapped her question again and it meant no harm. "Well... my father was very kind and gentle..." he smiled, "...and he was my first teacher to teach me about programming. He raised me alone because my mom passed away when I was 8. He was having a good name as a system engineer but was tainted by me months ago, because of a grave mistake I made." he looked down, trying not to have another breakdown. His hands were shaking again, but he needed to be strong. Many people already consoled him about this and it was not a good sign if he would going to cry and mope over it again. "...He was sent to jail for the crime of hacking a highly confidential website, which is naturally done by these hands of mine..."
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Post by inakamoto on Dec 19, 2016 4:07:12 GMT -5
Maria's chewing began to slow as she heard more of Chihiro's story. The sound of his voice while he spoke of his father was so happy. She felt good knowing he had someone in his life to look up to. But, as he continued, her smile began to slowly fade. Hearing about how her father had been incarcerated because of a mistake Chihiro made wasn't easy to hear. Her gaze turned away from Chihiro when he finished his story, and became fixated on the partially eaten cookie in her hand.
"I see," Maria said after a brief pause, "I'm sorry to hear that."
In truth, she was more sorry than she let on. The boy had just confessed to hacking a government website, and letting his father take the fall. As a government agent, she knew full well what was expected of her, as an enforcer of the law. But, this was just one of those difficult cases.
"Does he know what you did?" Maria asked, still not facing Chihiro.
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Post by onlyafiction04 on Dec 22, 2016 23:00:45 GMT -5
Still eyeing the floor, "...Maybe he knew... But I never got a chance to tell him that I did some hacking..." he clutched his skirt, "...I have this feeling he knew it but I can't see any resentment against me... he wasn't mad at all... And the night he was arrested, he brought me here in the circus beforehand to watch a show..."
He stopped for a moment, holding his tears from falling, "I am certain he has an idea from what I did... but he still brought me here in the circus to have a nice bonding together... and... and..." he bite his lip, totally trembling, "...from what I see in the newspaper the next day... it happens that he claimed that he is the one who did it... But it was me... it was me... I'm such a coward for not atoning my own sins..."
Chihiro tried to lift his hand, taking a bite on his cookie. He didn't want to cry again, because he knew his tears would not save his father at all.
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Post by inakamoto on Dec 30, 2016 18:19:34 GMT -5
Hearing the rest of Chihiro's story, Maria couldn't help but suspect that the father knew. Some way or another, he must've figured out what happened, and accepted responsibility for his son's actions. In a way, it wasn't all that surprising to her. That was the sort of thing fathers did for their children, sticking their necks out for them, looking after them, even covering for their mistakes. She'd seen it plenty of times in her career. Despite everything she'd seen, she always had sympathy for people in those situations, and this was another case where she felt the same kind of sympathy.
Maria pulled Chihiro in close when he finished his story, wrapping a comforting arm around his shoulder. Sharing something like this was never easy, and she could only imagine the kind of weight Chihiro must've been feeling.
"Look, kid," Maria said softly, "I'm not going to pretend that all the decisions I've made in my life were ideal. We all own our fair share of mistakes. But there's two things you can take from this. One, your father loves you. If he didn't, I doubt he would've done all that for you. That's how fathers are, they look after you, even after you've messed up big time."
Maria then turned towards Chihiro, smiling warmly, "And two, you've still got a chance to make things right. You're father probably brought you here so you can have a fresh start. And if you really want to make it up to him, you probably shouldn't waste the opportunity he's given you. Make the most of the time you have here, be a better person than you were before. If you can at least do that much, I'm sure he'll be proud of you in the end."
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Post by onlyafiction04 on Dec 31, 2016 1:44:23 GMT -5
His tears never hesitated to fall down. Upon realizing his father's love for him from her words, he just felt more guilty. How was he going to be a better person? He wanted to know how? How was he going to start to make things right? Was there an algorithm for it? And how his father would be pround of him? He was a criminal on himself!
"Why... why...? But it's my fault... it's really my fault... My dad... Why... Why...? I began to miss him now... I began to miss our discussions... I began to miss his cooking... When we are eating bread together... I miss my dad... I really do... I wish I didn't do that... I wish it would be the same again..." he wailed, and even trying to wipe out his tears but failed, "...I-I just want him back... I don't want him to see suffer because of me... But...but... Sorry dad! I'm sorry!" he yelled out of agony. He was now confused again. For him it was a very big deal, but, if Maria's words were true, he doubt if he could face his dad again. He was ashamed...but feeling obliged to do what Maria told him that probably his dad wanted, too.
Unconsciously, he hugged the lady and cried over her.
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Post by inakamoto on Jan 2, 2017 4:21:56 GMT -5
Maria felt her heart ache for the young boy. This burden Chihiro had been carrying with him, it must've felt enormous. She looked down at him, and almost began to tear up herself, just from watching him. What else could she say? He made his guilt clear, but there must've been something she could do to alleviate that guilt.
The next thing she knew, Chihiro's arms were wrapped around her mid-section. Admittedly, she felt a bit taken aback, but she hesitated to push him away. He was vulnerable, and needed a friend. After a couple of seconds, Maria returned the hug, pulling Chihiro close to her. As she rested her head on top of his, she felt a small tear escape from her left eye. A part of her hoped he wouldn't notice, but another part didn't seem to care.
"You'll see him again, someday," Maria whispered, "I'm sure of it. And when you do, you'll know what to tell him, won't you?"
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Post by onlyafiction04 on Feb 1, 2017 23:04:14 GMT -5
Chihiro felt that Maria embraced him back. She felt warm... he thought, and it was nostalgic. It reminded him of old days when he was seeking refuge from her late mother.
Beneath the small silence, the young programmer heard her speak. He wanted to hope that her words were true, as it made him a speechless. He was not sure on how and what to say when him and his father met once again. "...I don't know...if I can say sorry... I did a huge mistake... don't know if he can still accept me as his son..." Even he knew his dad saved him, he was not sure anymore. He sinned, he was a bad son. "But if he forgave me I will promise to him that... I won't do it again!" he cried, pouring out tears again.
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