Chapter 17. Finally, a Conversation: Good and Bad News

Dawn did a good job of holding it in, until Raii Shin asked her what coffee she wanted.

Dawn, Raii Shin, and Minus entered a caffe beside JADE named Straws and Stories. It was one of their favorite places because it was budget-friendly, the ambiance inside was great despite it being located at the back of their building with little exposure to the main road, and the manager was a generous woman who always loved giving them sweets as thanks that they frequent the shop.

"What would you like to get?" Raii Shin asked them.

Raii Shin was asking what coffee they would like but it seems like it had a different ring in Dawn's ears. Dawn let it all out without any warning and all the other customers turned to their direction. The waitress' eyes widened and she fidgeted her fingers on her pen and paper, unsure on what to do.

"Uh, that would be one Caramel Macchiato, one Cinnamon Dolce Latte, and one Signature Hot Chocolate drink," Raii Shin said with an awkward smile to the waitress. She knew Dawn's favorite. The waitress scribbled their order on her yellow paper, took one last glance at the bawling Dawn, bowed, and hurried to the counter. The other customers were also kind enough to try to ignore her loud cries. Dawn sounded like a hungry baby.

Minus offered her tissue. Dawn grabbed it and used it to try to cover her mouth but it was no use. This was the first time that they saw her like this.

"I'm gonna punch that jerk," Raii Shin said.

"And put Dawn in an even darker light? No, you should not," Minus said as he handed another handful of tissues to Dawn.

"Well then, give us some legal advice, attorney," Raii Shin said. 

Minus' school, JEWELS, is a well-known standalone university in Jazel with law and famous pre-law courses as its only focus. Being a junior student in his undergrad course, he was one year and a few months away from achieving his dream in formally entering into the legal profession to which Raii Shin can't help but be envious sometimes as she and Dawn are just in their first few years of their college life.

"Geez, don't jinx it," Minus said. 

Dawn was able to calm down after fifteen minutes. By then, their orders arrived and her eyes were as puffy as the chocolate ball beside her coffee. They quietly sipped their drinks for the first minutes. They were waiting for Dawn to be the one to open up.

"I can't believe it," she started. "I told you right, Raii Shin? That I was willing to accept Arko's decision since I know most of his reasons were logical. But when I heard in the meeting that he was replacing me because I was not famous really broke my heart. I don't know if he was just testing me but he didn't have to put it that way. I was silent the whole time, letting that sink in and no one objected to it or even questioned it. Only when he adjourned the meeting did I confront him in front of the hall," she sniffed in between.

"I also worked for the team, you know. We made sure that we were not over practicing or under practicing. We stayed up late at night with the others to discuss things. I know I was just a neophyte but I embraced the role without any complaint because I felt privileged that Arko, the student council president of JADE, appointed me in that position. Now, I suddenly don't feel like continuing leadership in any other way, or even basketball," she added.

And she went on rambling how hard her sacrifices were. The whole time, Raii Shin and Minus just listened for an hour, agreeing with her or just nodding their heads. In the end, Dawn was the one to give the call for them to go home. Raii Shin went to the counter to pay because they weren't giving them their bill when they were already cleaning the place.

"Hm? Your friend, the one wearing a black shirt, already paid for it earlier."

"Oh," Raii Shin replied as she looked at Minus acting as if he didn't do anything.

When they were outside, it was already dark. They walked Dawn to her stop and didn't walk away until her bus came.

"Thank you, I feel so much better," she said as she hugged Raii Shin. They waved hands as the bus sped away.

"Payday is really different if you just came from a long mission, huh?" Raii Shin teased.

"Coming from the one who received something good for being able to contain a Belua," he said. 

Both of them knew it was supposed to be a joke but then, it suddenly didn't feel funny. 

"Let's go," Minus finally said. 

As they walked towards their station, he asked, "Are you sure you shouldn't have said something to Dawn? She looked dejected, you know."

"That's precisely the reason why I didn't talk the whole time. You don't have to worry. Dawn is not someone who will let her emotions get the better of her. Come morning, she wouldn't want me to repeat the things that she just said earlier. It will be a thing of yesterday. She was able to empty out her bitterness so I have no doubt that her sleep will refresh her spirit."

Raii Shin knew Dawn better than anyone could. Although she was not saying that Dawn was unbreakable, she wasn't. Dawn earlier had just shown that side of her, a proof that she was a human who feels emotions and that was normal. She had seen her friend go through similar episodes although this time was the longest and perhaps the most painful. At the very least, she was able to cry her heart out. As long as tears still flow, it wasn't really a problem.

"By the way, you didn't have to appear like that. You know how I hate being a girl who needs rescuing. We could have handled him by ourselves," she said, recounting how Minus suddenly appeared in front of them.

"I just came from a long solo mission. Be kind to me, will you?" he said.

Raii Shin let out a soft laugh.

"Well, how was it?"

Minus suddenly stopped walking. Raii Shin looked at him. He looked at the dark skies, a dismal look on his face. When he had that expression, he looked like the ancient general in historical movies who knew that a large army was coming for them.

He sighed and looked at her. "I don't really want to spoil such disastrous news to you but let's just say I informed you as a friend."

"Is it that bad?" she asked. 

"I can't really tell but one thing's for sure. I can feel a meteor crashing."