The Maître received the apology with divine understanding. He graciously allowed her to present her forehead, and, with the marker handed to him by Valeria, signed it in his signature flourish.
Then, his gaze fell upon the male bug:
Hear You are one Erich — photographer and diver. Normally, you'd bore me to tears. But your work... I find it intriguingly tolerable. Though your grasp of True Art is pathetic, there's a speck — a microdust — of talent in you. Enough to perhaps one day become… a craftsman.
But don't even dream of becoming a That's a cosmic-level no.
You might've been a bit more interesting if I knew for certain you're the same Erich who, as a child, got involved in that scandal when they...
The girl interrupted him gently, that smile of hers now lost in the fog:
Please… That's a sensitive topic for our Let's not.
The Messier, spotting the growing discomfort — and the boy folding into himself like a sad supermarket chair — chose to dial it down a notch. The kid was clearly a loser, a meek sponge of human suffering who barely dared be present in this room. And yet… in him, the Great Orator sensed a latent opportunity. And maybe… a revenue stream.
Listen, you who tremble at the word – - I, with my planetary-level importance, have a network of contacts that stretches into every zone on this celestial sphere. Shizuoka included. Your work needs the touch of a true connoisseur. And as a lifelong patron of the Arts, I could arrange an exhibition for you — in that very noble city. I'll speak to the right people. You'll have your gallery, and it will be visited by connoisseurs from all across Japan and beyond. If you choose to walk this path with me — and you will, because you have no alternative — you may nibble off a crumb of my fame and wealth. Valeria knows well how gracious I am to my You don't even pay me, – Snapped the girl, but upon witnessing the rising stormclouds of Maiji Kuiper's Wrath Incarnate, she recoiled and quickly adjusted: I .. friends, would you care to walk with me to the exit? You've heard my uncle's generous offer. I'll send you his office address.
With a courteous bow — performed only by the girl, since the boy flat-out refused to bow to anyone
they departed from the presence of the Maître, who began silently invoking every magical rite he knew in hopes of cursing the boy with premature baldness.
A few dozen steps away, they stopped for a moment. Valeria, unable to meet their gaze out of sheer embarrassment, quietly asked for Louise's number to send the address.
Louise agreed, and they parted quickly, vanishing from the sacred temple of polyester and photonic delusion.
Episode 5. The Shimmering Pearl.
Sticky silence oozed through the car interior — the kind that drips down your neck and settles in the gap between -what just happened- and -why did I say yes. - No one knew how to break it. Or if it was even worth breaking. The front window was cracked open just enough to let in cold, clean air that slapped their flushed faces — the natural climate control of emotional regret.
Louise didn't like how negatively her brother reacted to the -experience- of visiting the Maitre's performance. Her relative, meanwhile, just wanted to go home, erase the whole day, and format the soul.
The camera tripod? Still back at the shop. Erich had completely forgotten about it — because, surprise, they never made it to the shopping part of their trip.
The road back to their native coastline wasn't short. And the silence only tightened its noose. But the guy didn't mind. He considered silence his cousin, if not his lover. Unlike the person sitting next to him, who clearly wasn't used to it. Louise felt that. She could tell their budding relationship — if you could even call it that — had already begun to crack before it even bloomed.
She regretted dragging this feral creature into such a crowded ritual. He wasn't ready. Not spiritually, not socially, not even deodorantly. At the same time, she felt a bubbling thrill from meeting such a powerful figure as the Maître. She couldn't wait to share it all with Imani. But first
she had to do something about the apathy ball sitting next to her, who'd wrapped himself in vintage arc headphones and escaped.
-I'm used to it, day by day, I dream that the darkness takes me away... Left all alone, I'm not afraid. I take a sincere step, I choose my own way. And I know I'll stay myself… I know I'll stay myself…
UVULA –You and Your
The girl let one hand off the wheel and jabbed her elbow into Erich's ribs. He slid one earcup down, staring at her blankly.
Remember what mom used to say? Frown too long — and your face'll freeze like He muttered: A lot of people say Not mom's invention. Anyway, I've already got wrinkles. He made a move to pull the headphones back on, but Louise caught his hand and said: Let's
About what? About life, bro. The ol' majestic mess. Let's forget what happened Just a heart-to-heart. I mean — don't I look serious?
He glanced at the signature still scrawled across her forehead and allowed himself the briefest of smirks. Louise pounced on the moment:
Do you think… our parents ever loved us? Even a little?