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LOCATION. Guest cabin TAGGED. Open
LOCATION. Guest cabin TAGGED. Open
- β ββββ ββββ ββββ ββββ ββββ ββββ Waking up sprawled across the ground was nowhere near new for Ryuji, nor was not remembering how heβd ended up there immediately or at all, but it was a novel experience since hopping aboard this whole volunteering gig, so it took him by surprise all the same. It took a few moments, vision blurry and strewn with spots that pulsed in tune to the headache heβd also accrued, to reorient himself, blinking up at the ceiling and processing his surroundings piece by piece.
β ββββ ββββ ββββ ββββ ββββ ββββ He was in a cabin, he recognized, but not his own. He sat upβtoo fast at first, then slowly when his skull protested. A glance around showed that several other people were scattered around the room, faces he recognized but wasnβt all too close to, like the majority of the group. That was who Ryuji was, after all; a fun guy to have around and talk to, but too intense to get any closer to. Not that there were many opportunities to do so here, what with their focus all in working, not forging life-long bonds.
β ββββ ββββ ββββ ββββ ββββ ββββ Stretching out his sore limbs, Ryuji ignored that train of thought and tried to figure out how heβd gotten here. He had been outside earlier, he knew, but the details were foggy; all he could really remember now was the sun that had melted through the morning gloom, the humid air shifting around him as he labored. Had he fallen asleep somehow? In the middle of the day, at that? His sleep schedule had been out of whack since his teensβhe was an artist who lived his life on whims, after all, and inspiration and his circadian rhythm were not always friendsβbut that seemed extreme, even for him.
β ββββ ββββ ββββ ββββ ββββ ββββ Ryuji passed a hand over his forehead and jolted. His palm was cool, fingers miniature icicles that tingled at the ends, but his face was burning up, the contrast stinging in both directions. His tongue swept instinctively over his lips to find them chapped and sore, teeth catching on peeling scraps of skin.
β ββββ ββββ ββββ ββββ ββββ ββββ Had the heat gotten to him or something? Ryuji grimaced, more embarrassed than anything. Heβd grown up in Osaka, where summers tended to run even hotter than this and his familyβs air conditioning unit blew out every other year; warm weather should have been an old friend, not something that wiped him out like this. It seemed like the only explanation, though, especially considering how many others it had seemed to disorient.
β ββββ ββββ ββββ ββββ ββββ ββββ He was ailing from more than physical discomfort, though. Wistfulness clawed at Ryujiβs chest, digging in deep. He missed New York with a sudden fierceness, and even more abruptly, he missed Osaka. That longing had grown stale over the years heβd spent awayβit had never stopped hurting, but over time it became easier to cope with and thus easier to ignoreβbut awakening like this, a vague malaise overwhelming him, must have jarred something in his mind, memories providing comfort.
β ββββ ββββ ββββ ββββ ββββ ββββ His motherβs rice porridge, a staple of his childhood illnesses. The cool breeze from the bay. The colorful streamers flowing in the wind during Tanabata. Fireworks bursting against the sky later in summer. The power and freedom he felt tearing down city streets on his motorcycle; being able to steal away from the pressure of everyday life and just drive, something he did on a regular basis even in New York. More than anything, he wanted to do that, to hop atop the bike and just cruise along, free of burdens and cares.
β ββββ ββββ ββββ ββββ ββββ ββββ But thatβs what this whole thing was about, wasnβt it, Ryuji thought as he glanced wryly around the room again. Learning some sense of responsibility before he became too old to pass off his lackluster life as that of a free spirit just exploring the world and himself. Even though by his father and sisterβs standards, heβd crossed that threshold a long time ago.
β ββββ ββββ ββββ ββββ ββββ ββββ Whatever. He didnβt need to deal with that now of all times. Ryuji leaned back, legs drawing in from their spread positions to cross, and pressed a hand to his temple. He wanted to stand, maybe mingle to figure out what was going on, but he was still half-conscious at best, and his legs resisted when he tried to move again. βThis blows,β he said under his breath, delirious laughter undercutting it. Just what was so funny, he couldnβt tell, but sometimes, what else was there to do but laugh?