Chapter Six: Settlement of the heart
Dojima arrived at Raven Flat the next morning. She was looking a little better than she had the day before, having a smile planted on her face. Her mood even seemed to be a bit more upbeat this morning, but still there was this other side that was not either. She was a paradox.
She looked at her watch, as she stepped out of the elevator. She noticed the time was just before nine. She had to look at it again, to see if the time she was reading was the right one. It said the exact thing as the first time she had look
" I am actually in early!" She said to herself, giggling at the change she had just made.
She hurried through the main computer lab, shucking off her coat as she did so. Michael spotted her and gave a whistle as he grinned. He seemed to be pleasantly shocked as he looked at the woman
" Do you know your actually early this morning?" The youth commented, his face was smiling.
" It was bound to happen..." She said, winking.
" Damn, If I would have bet on the chance of you being early, I’d have actually have won that one hands down!" He said, giving the girl a hard time.
She shook her head and gave a little titter of a laugh, as she turned to head to her work area.
" Guess you would have..." Smirked the woman, adding. " You would have to cut me in for half at least."
" Fat chance on that..." He howled, his laughter ringing through the room. " With what I get paid here, I’d just pocket the money and been happy."
" Not even a small fee for me making you just a little bit richer?" She poked with playfulness.
" Well..." he said, a imp-like smirk flashing on his face. " Perhaps I could have bought you a coffee." He laughed. " A small one."
The woman giggled at the lad and headed towards her work area.
" That was so generous of you." She called back, in response to his kidding.
" I know!" He said dryly
She heard the lad let out another not-so-small chuckle as he returned to his work. His humor was making her laugh all the more harder than she had been.
She enjoyed it when people around this organization were in a good moods, and the lad seemed to be in one of his better ones today. She smiled, as her cheery mood was making things feel a little bit lighter for now. She turned, wondering if she should grab a coffee before starting work.
As she walked past other work stations, Dojima’s heart suddenly sank a little and her mood dissipated into thin air. The woman had noticed that there was no long dusty red coat hanging from the back of Robin’s chair this morning, no cup of coffee was on the computer table either. The second clue was usually the definite sign of the girl being there.
She wondered why the girl was not in yet, and also feared that the young Hunter had gotten scared, because of her admitting to the feelings she was having toward Robin.
She understood in her heart, that being told by another woman they loved her, was sort of nerve wracking thing to hear- especially when you happened to be not gay. The fact that Robin was just a teenager still and very innocent involving these things of the heart, made her think that also.
Dojima lowered her head, and wished that she had never admitted what her heart had felt for so long. Her heart was not sorry for what she had said, but it was that sudden realization that it may have been better to simply loved from afar, as poems had always said.
She rubbed her forehead, with her fingertips, realizing that she might have really put her foot in it now.
" Guess I made a really bad choice on this one... never should have gone ahead and told her!" She said to herself.
As she passed the girl’s area, she felt a small tear fall from her eye. She wiped it away quickly and kept going to her spot, knowing that no one would understand.
" Dojima..." Said Michael’s voice from behind her.
" Yes?" She asked, composing herself and turning around.
The lad was still back at his station, fingers whipping over the keyboard like a man possessed.
" Just so you know..." He started, not even looking over from his monitor. " Amon and Robin are out in the lower district of the city near ‘the walled city’ area."
The lady smiled, and turned to face where the youth was sitting
" Already?" She asked, her heart now not feeling as low. " Did our searching get something finally?"
" The information that Robin had found turned into something major here, once I did a little checking..." Said the lad, his voice excited with the telling of what he knew. " A Witch by the name of Domino Marchabelli Tonelli had entered Japan a week ago from Italy, one that the power description matched up with."
" The Witch is here? In Japan?" Dojima said, hearing this piece of information.
" Confirmed!" Michael said, then continuing. " Facial recognition software at the main Airport in Osaka has confirmed that, but because of the European connection, and other things associated with the haphazard sharing of that information we see all the time, Tonelli was not picked up by officials right away, and he vanished."
Dojima nodded, as the lad relayed the latest for her. The news was very good for the STN-J.
" So they are in the process of hunting this Witch?" She said, so the lad would know she had been listening.
" That they are...since roughly six this morning..." He said. " Seems that there have been reports of a man speaking in a foreign language was seen in and around the Shipyards earlier on the day the body was found."
" Was their a positive id made that this man was the Witch?" She asked.
" Amon confirmed that this morning with shipyard security, and he said that there was some street information that someone matching that same description staying at one of the cheap motels that dot in and around the ports." He said, then looked at a small pad of paper next to him. " I also should tell you that if they need back up, they will need you out there as soon as you can... since Miho is off on her own assignment still. The Chief has also informed Sakaki to come in and be ready if needed to go with you."
The blonde woman nodded, feeling very good that the witch was now identified and seemed to be targeted. She also was so glad to hear that Robin had not ran off or anything, but she was sure that her ‘little news’ she had sprung on the lass, was still looming large for the young Hunter.
Her mind was not thinking on things, her face told the story of choices that were being made, regardless of what her heart was screaming at her. She had made a final choice, but that was not easy for the woman.
" Dojima..." She spoke to herself, her self words were all to serious. " I think we do have to back off."
The woman grudgingly agreed with herself and went off to do some work, as the lad had obviously slipped back to his work. She did not know what else to do other than simply doing her work, as her heart was now feeling like it was breaking. She closed her eyes and gave a deep sigh.
The look that was on Robin’s face as she raced away the other morning, still haunted her. That image had bothered her since that moment in time That made the decision she was making all too clear. The young girl that she loved, she had to stay away from...all for Robin’s sake. Love really hurt, she thought to herself.
She did not want to hurt the girl any more, and did not want to keep confusing or scaring her any more than she had. The fact of the matter was clear as rainwater now, no use dodging it any longer. She was a lesbian, sweet Robin was not. Some things could not be change with anything, no matter how much you want them to. That was life, and life sometimes could be really was unfair.
Determined to simply do her work without having her mind override anything, She took her seat. With stoic resolve set in her, she began doing her work, which had piled up on her. She actually was glad that she had been such a procrastinator in everything, it was giving her something to do and keeping her mind busy.
Sometime in the early afternoon, word had finally came through from Amon. The Witch that was suspected in the murder at the shipyard had been found, tracked down and had been hunted.
Dojima listened in on the verbal report as the Chief and his assistant did, on the speaker phone beside the hacker youth with interest. She was hoping that both of the Hunters were unhurt. One in particular than the other, she separated in her head.
By the report, the man nearly used his powers on Amon, as he had gotten a little but of a surprise attack in. It was quickly told that Robin had done her thing, and had delt with the Witch with a potent blast of her fire before he had a chance to finish the job, or bare down on the younger hunter.
The man still tried to gather up another attack, but was unable to when Amon finished the hunt with two well places gun shots to the chest. The Witch had not been killed, but badly wounded and flame-scored by the fiery blast.
The witch had also spontaneously admitted to the killing, as well as quite a few others back on Italian soil while waiting for the SOLOMON men to arrive. The other charges were still pending, but at least the case was now done with his capture.
Incapacitated and talking, he was turned over into SOLOMON custody.
Dojima just let herself give a little smile for herself, and continued on working. She heard that they were coming back in to the headquarters to finish up the reports needed for the end of a successful hunt. That made her have some very conflicting emotions to shoot through her very soul.
She settled herself in for a very long session at work. She had to keep herself busy. Seeing the young Hunter was going to be hard. She slogged on, telling herself one thing as she did.
" If you love Robin... this is the only way to show your love."