[Sonnet Matsuda]

In the end everything collides

414

@ashi8848

Sonnet's phone buzzed and she threw down her cards before picking it up. She lost this round. The man who had won smiled a gap toothed grin and pulled the pile of dollar bills towards himself. She was sat in one of the many illegal gambling parlours run by the Yamaguchi-gumi in New York City. She was losing. She scowled and waved a dismissive hand at the inquisitive face of the dealer as he dealt the next round. She leaned back, pushing the wooden chair onto two legs as she pulled her phone out of the jacket hung on the back of the chair.

Like everyone else in the smokey den she wasn't wearing a shirt, although she was the only one to still be wearing something on her upper torso. It wasn't much however, a simple sports bra, she knew better than to wear anything else when she was planning on visiting these establishments. Her tattoos were obvious, complex and colourful, with rich designs that pulled the eye in and never let it go. She attracted more attention than the establishments other patrons, but not too much. She was a Lieutenant, that in itself was worthy of some respect. And the fact that she had a reputation for brutality towards those that disrespected her.

She raised an eyebrow at the message. Coraline? She hadn't seen Coraline since she'd left to study medicine California about a year ago. And even then they hadn't really been that close. Not for a while anyway. She smiled to herself, remembering their time when they were younger. Sonnet had been twelve when they had moved here, and despite their different heritages and different ages she and Coraline had somehow become firm friends. In an unfamiliar country with an unfamiliar language she'd needed a friend. She owed her a lot.

One of the men across the table made a crude remark in Japanese, and she snapped back something even cruder. The other men laughed at the now red faced individual, and he growled a challenge. She smirked, tapping out a response to the unexpected message.

You'll be back in NYC? We should meet up, grab a drink or something.

She dropped the phone back into her jacket, then dropped her chair back onto all four legs, nodding at the dealer this time. He dealt her back in and she slapped another bill onto the table, grinning like a shark. She had to relieve these fools of their money first.

My childhood spat back out the monster that you see

► kaigra ◄

[Deleted]

Coraline grinned at her phone, quickly typing out a response as she wove her way through the crowded sidewalks of home with her suitcase rattling behind her.

Yeah! Sorry 4 the surprise! Just felt like visiting home, especially with my mom getting older & all that u know. @_@ Hopefully the surprise doesn't give her a heart attack.

It was always great catching up, especially with Sonnet. Looking back, she honestly had no idea how that girl had even became her friend. From the age difference to the sheer disparity in coolness levels, everything had seemed stacked against them. Despite all of this, they had been inseparable in their youth. One they got older though, they had slowly grown apart in a way Coraline had seen as unavoidable, even at that age because one again. Sonnet was cool while she was… not. Still, they kept in touch sporadically and she always made sure to hit up her old friend whenever she could.

u wanna get dinner @ that old diner we used 2 hang out @? I’m like 90% sure it’s still open. I mean. Yelp says it is anyways. XD

If they were lucky, the owners would be working and they could get a discount! She smiled at that thought. It’d be good to see Mr. and Mrs. Christakos as well. California was nice and all, but it was so lonely and different. Coraline wasn’t even a person that got homesick easily, but being so far from everything she had ever known was starting to wear on her, not to mention the incident. So she was going to absorb as much of New York as possible before heading back.

How does 7 2nite sound?

[Sonnet Matsuda]

In the end everything collides

364

@ashi8848

Don't apologise, it'd be nice to see you. Haven't seen you in forever.

The man to her left scowled and folded, and she stared blankly at the beside him, revealing nothing. A second later he followed his friend, leaving only her and one other man in the game. The dealer turned over the last card and before she could look she was distracted as her phone pinged again.

Yeah it's still open, I don't go there much anymore though. Would be nice to see the old place.

She dropped the phone onto the table this time, before inspecting the cards laid out on the table, letting the barest hint of a frown escape her poker face. She rapped the table, but the other man pushed everything in. She glared at him and did the same. A moment later the glare was a broad grin as she raked the pile of chips towards herself.

There was a brief but furious conversation in Japanese, before she collected her winnings and headed towards the door. She dropped the velvet bag onto the desk and began tapping out a response to Coraline.

7 sounds great. Meet you there?

---

A couple of hours later Sonnet was stood outside the diner, fully dressed this time. Unlike the parlour she doubted people would be as accepting of her being half-naked. On the other hand, she also wasn't expected to show her extensive Yakuza tattoos here. Which was fortunate. She wasn't sure how much Coraline knew about her employment. They'd been friends, fast friends, but hadn't moved in quite the same circles. That and her father's job had been relatively discreet. It wasn't like the kids at her school were aware of her hobby as a secret member of the Yakuza. Her mom hadn't even known just how much she got involved in. She might have killed her father a few years earlier if she'd found out.

She smiled as she spotted the figure of her friend in the distance. She took a moment to ensure that her sleeves were pulled down far enough, before opening her arms to enfold the other woman in a hug.

"So good to see you!"

My childhood spat back out the monster that you see

► kaigra ◄

[Deleted]

7 sounds perf!!!!

I can chill on my shitty bed till then. XD

Here’s 2 hoping my mom doesn’t nag @ me in the few hours before I leave!!!!!

With that, she did as foretold, chilling on her uncomfortable (yet strangely comforting) childhood bed, even falling asleep as she languished in familiarity. It was only due to her mother’s intervention that she made it to dinner on time, and thank goodness, otherwise she would have missed a spectacular hug.

Indeed, she nearly leaped into it, clutching onto to Sonnet.

“I missed you so much.” She said a bit weepily, face buried into the other woman’s shoulder. “California sucks. Grad school fucking sucks. I miss home and it’s dumb cause I never miss home.” She lifted her head, mouth in a small pout. “What if I dropped out and joined whatever clandestine organization you’re part of. I can be a spy, I swear!!” Coraline honestly wasn’t sure what Sonnet did, only that the other woman didn’t seem to want her childhood friend to know. Hence, she had taken to calling the other a spy, acting as if they were in some secret organization. While part of her knew that it most likely wasn’t anything savory… well… she did always believe the best in people.

“Really though, how have you been? I hope you came hungry cause I’m starving and we’re definitely sharing a plate of those spinach puffs.” She said, finally stepping out of the hug and moving towards the entrance of the diner with a new spring in her step. Coraline really had missed this.

[Sonnet Matsuda]

In the end everything collides

294

@ashi8848

Sonnet was a little surprised at the ferocity of the hug that was returned. She and Coraline had been pretty close friends for a long time, and she had missed Coraline somewhat, but her life had moved on a lot since they had parted. She was older now, a senior member of the Yamaguchi-Gumi in New York City. There were a lot more responsibilities associated with it, although she had taken on more while her father had been ill. That kind of work changed a person, aged them, matured them perhaps faster than they deserved.

She patted Coraline's back gently, trying to comfort the younger girl. "Hey, maybe you just miss it cause you're back here for a bit. Once you're back in the sun of the West Coast I bet you'll stop missing this ^&*%hole."

It was sort of cute that Coraline still thought of Sonnet's job as something that could still be a little morally redeemable. The Yakuza made sure to pass on some of their wealth to people who needed it, but Sonnet was under no illusions as to the reprehensible nature of her chosen profession. She was glad Coraline had never been pulled into it.

"Yeah, you could totally cut it as spy. You're just waiting for the right moment I swear."

She grinned, "Oh man, you have no idea, I am literally always hungry, we might need to order two plates."

She stepped into the diner behind Coraline, and the two of them moved into a booth. It only took a moment before a waitress showed up with two coffee cups held expectantly. Sonnet nodded and received a cup which a moment later was filled with steaming hot liquid. She took a sip. "So how is Grad School going?"

My childhood spat back out the monster that you see

► kaigra ◄