Primo Ed Ultimo - Chapter 2

2

            All through her meeting, the rain never stopped. Yet as she made her way down the wet side walk, it no longer felt menacing. Now the rain felt cheerful. Ryu hadn’t felt this happy in quite some time. Though the sky was cloudy, her life seemed to be lighting up. These tattoos she was planning brought about the realization that she truly was free to be herself from now on. There were no judging family members to fear. The only two people who truly mattered were Ran and Mario. Both boys accepted her for everything she was, inside and out. Both would be with her for the rest of their lives.

            The three of them no longer needed to worry about having someone else support them. Though their jobs weren’t the most desirable, they were still using those jobs to support themselves. They were free to do what they wanted.

            And this man…This friendly man at the tattoo parlor had been the awakening of that realization. This feeling deep within the woman had not been sparked by anyone but Mario before, and it was a feeling she had buried away the instant she saw the way Ran would look at the smaller male. Now it had been awakened again, and by someone different. For now she would wait and watch, but in the future, who knew. There were many appointments ahead of them, thanks to the types of tattoos she wanted put on her body. It made her feel like a giddy school girl: a comparison she had never understood until that moment.

            The brunette’s key ring jingled as she pulled it out of her pocket; the little blue police box charm swinging back and forth as Ryu opened the door. Her brother perked from his computer when she came inside. A grin quickly worked its way across his features.

            “What are you so happy about?” He asked in curiosity.

            “I went to get my tattoos prices today,” Ryu answered.

            “Oh yeah? They within your price range?”

            The woman nodded, moving to wrap her arms around her sibling’s shoulders. She peered around his head, looking to the computer in his lap. “You working on your writing again?”

            “Yeah, finally,” he said with a nod. “I think my writer’s block is finally gone.”

            “Your muse ran away again?”

            “I think she likes to run away and go drinking.” Ran gave a slight laugh. “because whenever she comes back again, I write something that doesn’t sound right first.”

            “Writer’s block hang-over,” Ryu mused.  “Has Mario started on dinner yet?”

            “Nah. He’s in the shower. Got something in mind?” Ran asked, his blue-tipped ears perking in interest.

            “How do some good old-fashioned Bangers and Mash sound?” His sister asked with a small smile.

            “How about instead of Mash we go with Bubble and Squeak?” Ran requested. “Still got those left over veggies from last night’s roast.”

            “Breakfast for dinner?” Ryu mused. “In that case, we’ll have to throw in some roasted tomatoes. Those are Mario’s favorite, after all.”

            “And ham!” Her brother added in excitement. Just thinking about it made his mouth water in anticipation.

            “Sure,” the woman answered with a chuckle. She released the young writer, moving off into the kitchen. If they wanted to eat at their usual time, she’d have to start right then and there. As she began to prepare the meal, the brunette began to hum softly to herself.

            Ran’s ears perked once more, one of them angling back to listen. It had been a long time since Ryu would hum while doing daily tasks. Either the idea of her tattoos made her extremely happy, or something else had happened. Then again, did it really matter what it was? Ran was simply happy that something had brought his sister this much cheerfulness. She deserved it.