Road to Ruisea

❆ ❆ LXVI. KUMARI ❆ ❆

Kumari wants her friends back.

"This is way too annoying!" She huffs, two hands holding up the hem of her skirt daintily as she marches through what feels like an endless tunnel.

There were no twists, no turns, no dead ends, no nothing. Just... Walking. A single, straight line, pacing ahead ever forward, in the direction of an exit that doesn't seem to exist.

"So annoying!" She cries. "The universe is bent on keeping me friendless... At least I could've stayed in the castle, warm and with my books! I wouldn't know what I was missing..."

She pouts as she sees there's still no exit in sight.

"But right now, I do...! If Alexei were here, he'd know how I feel. If Chiro were here, he'd make me feel better. If Jae were here—"

"Jae is here."

Kumari turns around to see who was speaking, and indeed...

"Jae!" She throws her arms around him and buries her face in his chest. "You're here!"

"That's what I said."

"Yuh-huh," she smiles up at him, pulling away slowly. "I'm glad. Let's walk to the end together...!"

She starts back to marching on her path before she hears Jae's firm answer of "No."

"No?" She whirls around to look at him, mouth agape. "You're kidding! Don't you want to find Chiro and Alexei?"

"That's what you want," he drawls. "I want to stay here."

"Oh," Kumari droops. "That's... That's nice, Jae, but we should... Really get going!"

"You can," Jae shrugs. "If you want. But I'm staying here."

"I don't really think you should," she gently reaches out a hand, touching his arm and trying to pull him along. "I don't really think..."

"What do you know!" He spits, wrenching his arm out of her light grip. "Always dragging me along. Oh, let's do this! Let's do that! It's always what you want, because you're the princess."

"I-I," Kumari doesn't know what to say. Jae's never acted like this before... He thinks. "I'm... I'm sorry. I'll, I'll keep you company."

"Who says I want your company? God, you're so stupid. You never ask, Kumari!"

Kumari's wilting. His blue eyes have never seemed so sharp and cold. "I'm s-sorry..."

"Pathetic. Now get back to walking," he makes a shoo-ing motion with his hand. "Go! Bye! See you never!"

I won't cry, Kumari says to herself, as she turns away and head back on her path. I won't cry I won't cry I won't cry...

"What did I d-do wrong?" She says, a sob escaping her throat as she can't help but face Jae once more. "Jae...? Please tell me what I did wrong!"

"You're a brat!" Jae states, as if that answers everything. "A brat who's spoiled and selfish and drags her friends along like they're servants."

"I..." Kumari trails off, but then snaps back to attention, shaking her head fiercely, violently. "No! No, I don't! I'm nice to my friends...!"

"Please!" Jae snorts, moving over and shoving her to the ground. "It's always, let's do this, let's do that! Buy tickets for the expensive part of the train, stop and get ourselves killed in Axeria, attend a party hosted by the mafia in Qiluca. Not to mention... The only reason we're all the way over here is your fault to begin with."