𝐑𝐄𝐃 𝐃𝐄𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐓 𝐂𝐔𝐋𝐓⁰²ʰᵉᵐᵐⁱⁿᵍˢ

ㅤㅤㅤ iv ──the fly and the runaway

asari

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The colours seemed so exquisite from up close, a mosaic of purples and yellows reflecting beneath the murky bus lights of late 6 AM.

It was a still creature when I didn't move. It was as though I felt its anticipation, its legs getting ready to lurch off the handle of the bus seat at the slightest motion of mine.

I didn't know the wings of a fly could be so beautiful, and until then I always disregarded them as pesky things that were sometimes just as ugly as the trash they occasionally orbited. But as one stood beside me in the bus, it was a peaceful sight that even some runaway from Phoenix could end up at the same place as an LA trash fly.

Geez. Get it together.

As the bus slowed to a stop, the fly eventually took its leave and as did I, hopping off and making my way across the street, down the barely-lit opening shops, and arriving at True To North diner.

It looked softer in the morning, the burgundy theme being swallowed by the haze and portraying it as a dreamy place to lounge at.

With this in mind, I decided that I liked the diner better in the early hours of morning.

I pushed open the doors and walked in, the bell above the door ringing and signifying my presence, like a clinging hello that asked for everyone's attention.

The small tv on the wall played some news quietly, the ever perturbed words blanketing the comfy space of the diner. It was like static, something you just wanted to tune out and pretend wasn't there.

Much to my luck, only one person turned my way, and most so because it seemed she was the only person in the whole diner at that moment.

Behind the counter, a girl around my height stood wide-eyed, bronze skin standing out and seeming richer in comparison to her cream t-shirt. Her black hair was kept in a small bun at the back of her neck, small wisps waving when she tilted her head at me.

I stayed silent for a few seconds, watching her narrow her eyes then gasp as though she'd come to a realisation.

"Hi!" She greeted in a jovial tone, rushing her way around the counter to greet me. "You must be Asari!"

I put up my hand to wave but it ended up being squished between our bodies when she went in for a hug, arms wounding around me to fully embrace me and not miss a single thing.

Taken aback, a smile brome out at the surprise, her own grin eating away at her face when she saw my reaction.

"Ase is fine," I informed, clutching the straps of my bag. "Are you Ellie? I saw your name on the shift sheet in the kitchen," I followed as we made our way to the counter, grabbing a folded apron from underneath and lacing its ties around my waist.

She nodded, leaning over the counter and resting her head on her knuckles. "Haha, yep. Or just Elle is okay too." She turned over to grab a mug from inside the kitchen window, wiping its insides with a checkered cloth. "Did Mike tell you to come in this early?" She asked, shaking her head with a smile as she started pouring coffee from a full glass pot.

"Uh, no. I just thought of coming out early, I thought I'd get lost again like yesterday," My small laugh came out awkwardly upon remembering that she hadn't been in yesterday to witness my tardiness, so I cleared my throat. "But why are you here this early?"

"Well," She huffed, adding a bit of milk into the drink. "I'm, usually the one to open the diner up, double-check that we have everything we need, and I usually make coffee and serve a slice of Sinso's apple pie to this woman that comes in every morning," She bobbed her head in thought. "It's always just pies, though, since Sinso and Pete aren't here that early. But I could probably make a decent breakfast, but Bea's pretty against changing the menu,"