Check Up [P]

From behind, she heard a man speaking in a deep, rough, yet familiar judging tone. "You'd kill one of your own kids before one of Xyxer's?", the voice referenced to Cho, whom Risako had the full intent to kill.

At first she was silent. Silence was acceptance, his voice thought. "How can a spineless shit call itself a leader?"

Risako was seated in her chair, facing the window to avoid the ghost. Her hair clung to her wet skin shaped as thick, curly, black locks. For a moment her lips parted to respond to the voice, to say that she didn't, that she wouldn't kill the girl, but she hesitated. Every bead of sweat that gathered on her face was another drop of rain from the raging storm. Every beat of her fluttery heart was another inch she was being lifted to face the clouds, until finally she had reached the apex of her journey upwards. Her limbs went numb as she came crashing down onto Xyxer's knee. This time there was no flak jacket to save her from the pain she felt crackling through her spine. The burning spread from her lower back to her shoulders, where it scorched it's way down her tendons and to her fingers.

The pain she felt wasn't real, but she couldn't stop her hands from clenching into tight fists. Finally her lungs were allowed some tiny amount of air, as she began to heave. The sword continued to berate her from her desk. "If I were around, I'd have kicked Xyxer's ass, and spat on the rest of them."

At this point she was barely understanding what Mako's voice was saying. More raindrops slid down her face as her eyes squeezed shut. Unlike the first time, Risako failed to find her way to the mud, where she watched the village partake in killing Salzem. At least she'd be spared that memory for now.

Once the voice realized she couldn't reply properly, it left her alone. It was hard to tell from where she was, but the sun was beating down on the village about as hard as the voice was her. After some time had passed, and she reclaimed control of her senses, Risako pushed herself away from her seat and limped over to the far side of her desk and retrieved the calendar.

It had been a few days since she instructed Kinzoku to watch over Cho, she had wondered about their progress.